Re: MISSION: Operation Central City Festival

[Guest]

Nikolaus was staring with the widest eyes ever. Biting his bottom lips. A big fat scowl and a frown was plastered on his lips as his face suggested bafflement, surprise, and fear at the same time ALL packed into one big fat package of fatty expressions. His jaws would drop, if they could drop any further, they would drop to the very bowels of Hell itself, figuratively, OBVIOUSLY they can't drop any further otherwise Niko would have to get a new set of jaws.

His eyes were at first drawn to Celesto, THEN to the floor which he just walk past on. HE JUST LACED AN ENTIRE PLACE WITH LAND MINES, and he... he just walked past them casually and didn't step on ANY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. This is equivalent to a meteorite hitting a tiny mosquito which is on a tree in a forest filled with animals, missing EVERY animals, and hitting ONLY the mosquito whilst leaving the rest of the tree UNSCATHED. It was just... astronomical.

So he closed his mouth, and presented himself un-surprised (not surprised), and gives the most happiest smile he can ever give... which wasn't exactly something that'd make others cheer up over. "HOW THE HELL DID HE GET PAST ALL THE LAND MINES, LASER TRIGGERED TRAPS, AND SPIKE TRIGGERS ON THE GROUND?! Okay okay... calm down Niko, he is just one ditzy pirate with an eyepatch with a depth perception problem who pulled it off, it's not like anyone else can get to the cotton candy booth unscathed past all the traps being set up to destroy anyone. Namely interlopers. Must play this casual, you have fooled Hei, that moron MANY times over, it isn't like he won't realize I just laced the cotton candy with a shitload of laxative to make someone crap out their intestines...." He thought.

He was silent once more as he saw ANOTHER PERSON WHO JUST WALKED PAST ALL HIS FUCKING LANDMINES IN THE FIRST PLACE!

"Are my landmines THAT INEFFECTIVE AT BLOWING SOMEONE UP?! HOW IS IT THAT EVERYONE CASUALLY WALKS BY AND NOT TRIGGER OR STEP ON A SINGLE TRAP?!?!!?" Nikolaus was at a loss in thought at how these two just managed to walk past all his traps... AND THIS IS THE SECOND PERSON! It was supposed to be overkill... KILL THEM LIKE HELL, yet they pulled it off. So screw it, Nikolaus will not bother commenting, he just waited the rather bland looking girl walk away as he would do his job trying to retain his calmness and coolness despite being sleep depraved.

Afterwards, he waited out that she would walk away.

So, reaching for the Cotton candy machine as he scooped up a cone, Nikolaus's eyes widened and accurately brushed it along to the cotton candy before bringing out the cotton candy in an instant. But it had occurred to him in an instant that there is an absence of something -- Hei. Unusual and betwixt as it was, he hadn't once raided the popcorn machine (which Nikolaus happened to lace with very high grade poison, namely arsenic, pesticide and cyanide).

Handing it over to Celesto, the depth perception handicapped person who looks like a pirate... he can't really tell if that's a woman or not. But he won't bother, so many androgynous people these days which leaves Nikolaus to best not question who is what. So, upon giving the laxative laced cotton candy over to Celesto (which WILL give him a terrible need to use the bathroom for some good hours). Nikolaus takes the popcorn, puts it in a popcorn plastic sack, closes it and takes careful steps past the minefield he placed around the cotton candy machine. To the casual observer, it looks like he is in fact dance-walking, or doing a modern dance.

Avoiding every traps, Nikolaus heads out of the corridor, and runs to go to Hei's post. He is oh so eager to see Hei's reaction when Nikolaus has poisoned the food and watch him die... only to be met with a scowl followed by a sudden smirk and a laugh. Nikolaus had wondered what the whole sudden commotion was outside along with the screaming, and it turned out to be Hei as the problem.

Although oblivious to the fact there was a battle at the Ferris wheel and more concentrated on Hei as he forcefully took the popcorn, and placed the bag around Hei's mouth which he held open with a second hand, pouring down the popcorn into Hei's throat before relinquishing the food article from his gloved hand. Proceeding for a quick and swift kick to Hei's chest.

...

"MOTHERFU*Beep*!!!" As Nikolaus would say appearing from a news camera videoing his antics before shifting elsewhere to monitor the Ferris wheel incident.

Nikolaus clutched unto his feet which has fancy jackboots equipped, jumping around in one leg in short hops, dabbling on lessening his pain that accompanied with the fact his PARTNER has such strong bones. WHAT THE HELL DOES HE EAT WITH HIS CEREAL TO BEGIN WITH FOR HIS BONES TO GET THAT HARD?!

So, taking a final precaution, Nikolaus decided he should be putting Hei out of his pain (which is just an excuse for Nikolaus to beat the shit out of Hei with a hammer and not really that he cares for his well being since Hei is missing an arm.) So, taking a casual stroll along to the repair booth, he swipes a hammer.

♫HAMMER TIME!♫ Niko sang, taking a nonchalant advance to his downed partner, Hei, as he briefly brings his hammer about to Hei's skull, ♫I am a big shot! Can't touch this, nunununu-nunu-nunununu, CAN'T TOUCH THIS!♫ [Assume he will sing the song lyrics of Can't Touch This by MCHammer the entire time since I won't bother typing out an ENTIRE lyric at your convenience, plus I am lazy, SO SUE ME.]

Knocking him out after his catchy song. Kneeling down to pick up his partner as he struggles to maintain his balance, his partner is awfully HEAVIER than he would realize and imagine, as Nikolaus takes struggling steps whilst also holding the arm of his partner's enemy, some freaky looking one which Nikolaus figured to have to put up as a trophy, or for a prank, sew it into Hei's arm and say he dipped his hand in his milk.

Either ways, one thing is for certain... Hei is a FATASS. (Really it's just that Nikolaus never carried anything very heavy as much, and let Hei do all the weight lifting on missions.) Staggering as he has held also the Chimera arm with him as Nikolaus proceeds away from the chaos of the festival to heal his partner (more precisely change his partner's body to not match his given body by having him keep on a monstrous arm in place of his mangled one). Shuffling his feet along past a crowd whilst oblivious to the death of Markus, some bigshot Prime Minister from Creta.

That one nation he has been warning about an impending invasion ALL for the wrong reasons. The arm was placed around Niko's belt as it was worn in between the waist and the belt, held firmly whilst the Xingese was over Niko's shoulder, out cold and to be taken to a military hospital.

Nikolaus will probably file in a report that Hei was responsible for something in the festival, probably something he will read off of a newspaper article and say he did it, ALL just to spite him, and to have his salary lowered for the 'lolz'. Henceforth he leaves and goes onwards to a medical facility wherever it may be and out of the carnival's festivities.

For in Niko's logic, if Hei dies off, it means he is getting off the hook easy, and is NOT gonna be tormented any further. Plus his death will not be by Niko's hands as he always wanted. So, he will need him healed JUST to kill him off himself in a savvy challenge itself, that, or just torture him. He will NOT die (unless by Niko's hands which are absolutely justified and acceptable). Somehow Nikolaus looking so manly carrying his buddy who has an injured hand off as some people snapped pics for a heroic montage (despite an entirely evil reasoning on Niko's part to prolong Hei's suffering in life and not grant him the sweet mercy of death which really isn't the case as Hei isn't THAT wounded, at least not fatally.)

[EXIT NIKO AND HEI FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION ON HEI]

[Guest]

'....Ouch.' After so gracefully (HA!) tripping and smashing into this strange man, it seemed that something...No, a sword cut her! In her face! Ahhhh! Her perfect face! No! This was so absolutely devastatingly terrible! She was going to cry, but she looked up at the man whom she had knocked over...and he was...surprisingly good-looking. No, he was downright gorgeous! That long, purple hair, and those wonderful, wonderful eyes... This meeting was surely fated! Why else would she have tripped from a missing chunk of ice? When do chunks of ice go missing from an ice skating rink, anyway? Fate was the only possible explanation for this! Oh, he was so wonderful that she completely forgot about her bleeding cheek!

Before she could manage to get herself up, the man lifted her (and himself) up off of the ice before moving over to collect...his sword... Mmm, that wasn't necessarily something that she hoped would happen...Maybe he was going to--! No, he sheathed it. Phew! What a relief! He was carrying her somewhere...and..he smelled nice. He smelled nice, and that calmed her down...or maybe it was the fact that she was being carried by someone else for once instead of having to carry herself...literally, yes, but it was also a matter of feeling too independent (not that she'd really admit it). They arrived at a first aid tent, and she was promptly dropped onto the bed. The man began to...walk away?

"N! Ahh... wait! She grabbed his arm before he could get too far. The girls cheeks were turning a bright red, and not just from the cut on one of them. Despite the fact that he had called her an idiot, despite the fact that it was his sword that had cut her...she didn't want him to leave, and she didn't know why...she just held onto his arm and looked at him with big, bright green eyes. There was something about this man...something that made her want to hold his hand and never let go. No, something that made her want to hold him, period, and never let go... She knew it was probably strange to behave and think this way, but...she didn't really care, at this point.

[Theo Chulainn]

Acra’s butler Wallace control the wheel without moving or blinking. Just pressing the buttons in order. Not once noticing the chaos around him. Behind him lounging in a relaxing chair sat the man who should have been at the controls. Relaxing in Armani casual wear and a pretty girl on his lap Acra was sipping his beer and flirting like no tomorrow.

He had paid for the beer tent and couldn’t help but think it was a good choice. Leaving the work to his butler he relaxed and did the best things in life. Drink beer and flirt with a pretty lady. And he was getting paid to do this. How could life get better. Oh yes the candy he was being brought to. This would only get better. He looked up to Wallace and back to his guest going back to his flirting. Wallace was doing well without him.

(Sorry for the delay Q3Q)

[Guest]

Before a response was given at the booth, Aren left for the ferris wheel. He watched her go, distracted until some small kid ran straight into him. His weight switched to his left foot and he took a few steps backwards, dropping the wires that had accumulated from the land mines after disarming them. "Wah~!" He bellowed in the same moment that he was handed a cone of cotton candy. Too...much...happening...at...once!! The blond took the cone, lifted the kid, put the cotton candy on the counter with a scowl, and then placed the kid back on his feet. First things first... "Uhm...I wanted kettle corn...please?" Oh too late...the guy was already leaving. What the hell? The pirate stared blankly after him until he was gone and then looked back at the familiar kid. Oh daymmn~~ This was Sal! That chimera child thing that had joined Jack after him. Didn't Jack leave him in charge of them now? Pale blue eyes blinked in a bewildered fashion. This was a problem.

He bowed low with a sheepish smile. "Nice to meet you Salazar; I am Celesto S. Krow and you look like you got sea legs or something? Ride the teacups too long?" He asked as a joke, noting the strange expressing shining through red eyes at him. Hey they had opposite eye colors! Focus. And then...well a loud boom echoed in the sky and lights sparkled down. Celesto had forgotten the time in all the excitement! He glanced at his watch, cursed, grabbed Sal, ran towards the ferris wheel and loved making lists!

White boots hit the damp grass again and again, the weight making him realize that carrying a kid was hard work. How did people do this?! He kicked up his speed a bit until a huge blast of fire and debris slammed into the air a few yards behind them. Screams followed immediately and people came flooding in the same direction he was running. Yep. That was Celesto's bomb taking out 1/3 of the festival. Now...for the next bomb. He had to isolate Hild, separate her from Aurel, and then take her out. But first...he had to find Aren and make sure-- What was that crowd?? He ran up in a huff and let Sal go, holding up a silent finger while he looking frantically around for Aren. Something had to have-- The Head of Central Head Quarters, Spade Aeries, was on the ground cover in blood. An officer or something in the military was standing over him and shouting orders on an earpiece. Something had to have happened... He was about to scan the area when he saw some guy laying on his back in the grass, staring up with dead eyes at the fireworks... Oh, yeah... he was dead. Heh. WAIT. Celesto squinted and pulled on Sal's shirt to indicate him to follow as he stalked towards Aren. She was on her knees? He tilted his head like a confused puppy and bent down to her, sticking his head in her line of sight. He waved and then grinned despite the fact that she was crying. "Euphiechaan~" his bubbly voice did NOT fit the atmosphere, but luckily his tone changed softer and his voice lowered, "did you know him?"

[Guest]

"Euphiechaan~" The rapidness of her breathing began to recede, and she started to finally calm down, wiping the tears from the sides of her eyes. That familiar voice, it was calming her down... she sighed softly, still thinking about the voice, the falling, ohgod that falling... Poor... She hated him, but she never wanted to see someone die like that. She wasn't used to death, this was all to horrible, all too new to the poor girl. She sobbed a couple more times, before holding a hand to her chest.

"did you know him?" The voice had softened and lowered, and the girl smiled solemnly, before jumping up rapidly, turning around and holding Celes close to her. That man's heartbeat that close to her, it made her feel comfortable, confident, safe... She smiled, and stood up straight, letting her go with a small smile on her face.

"He was... the Prime Minister of Creta. I said that there was one thing standing in Dietrich's way. I was wrong. There are two. And one of them just died..." She looked over at the crowd, while police and military officers began to break them apart, too see the body that lay on the ground. It didn't look sad to be dead, there was a smile on his face... She turned away hurriedly, back to Celes.

"We can't worry about Hild. Not here, not now. Circumstances have changed." Her voice was now hurried and rushed. "I think my cousin is here... I don't know why, but he might be looking for an excuse to attack Amestris in the name of Markus. We need to find him." Her eyes were sharp as she looked into Celes' one.

She wasn't sure if she'd been hearing things due to her overbearing paranoia, or if it really was Dietrich that was here, but one thing was for sure. She had to be perfectly sure; this was definitely Dietrich's doing. She took Celes' hand and started walking in a direction that she wasn't completely aware of right now. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was doing, but she had a faint idea, or so she thought.

[Sal]

Finally it seemed that the world was becoming stationary again. Hmmm...The blonde man leaned in closer and spoke. All that the boy could pick out was that this man's name was Celesto S. Krow...Celesto S. Krow...and that he had an eye patch. He was definitely a pirate, that much was certain! After all, who else other than pirates could wear eye patches and look so awesome? Yes! That was how it had to be. There was no other explanation. Sal grinned a wide, sharp-toothed grin.

"Hello, Eye patch guy!" His Amestrian was accented, but still understandable...and Sal wasn't one to remember most names immediately, not to mention he found the fact of the eye patch to be amusing, interesting, and awesome all in one. The eye patch was a little glittery and strange, but it was an eye patch, and that's all that mattered to Sal...who was suddenly picked up and carried across the festival grounds. Then Celesto pulled on his shirt and began to walk towards a woman? Hmm....she was crying at first, but seemed to calm down a little bit after Celesto approached her. His cat-senses told him that something was horribly wrong here, and the people running crazily about was no comforting sight.

Looking past the running people, Sal noted that there were two people in bad shape...but wait. One of them... he was dead. Sal didn't need to get close to know that the man laying on the ground was dead. There was blood, too...and the other man was injured, but still alive. Then he noted that there were people running from where he thought (judging by the smell) the outhouses were. Well, great. This was getting chaotic, and Sal was a little perturbed by the erratic movement of all these people. His attention went from one to the next before he turned back to the two people before him. The chimera went over to hug the woman, whom he felt he would be seeing a lot...and if mister eye patch knew her, and they were both here at the festival, then she could be his other crew member! She talked about something that seemed important, but there was so much going on that Sal couldn't focus enough to interpret any of it. The purple-haired woman grabbed Celesto's hand and began to walk away quickly. "Wahh!! Where to go?" The young chimera asked as he grabbed her shirt to keep up.

"Pegleg Lady," he said to himself (out loud). It was his way of identifying her...for now.

[Guest]

Zairen froze. For some reason he couldn't move his left arm. It was as if...something was preventing him from leaving to continue his 'field work' for Ace. Of course, he really wasn't observing much about Amestrian culture while practicing kata on the ice, but... what else did Ace expect him to do at a festival...a FESTIVAL? He was surrounded by people...it was annoying. He'd rather be protecting the genius Emperor instead of being ordered to wander around on his own. It was like obeying orders to disobey orders! He clenched his hands into fists and turned slowly to look back at the bread-faced girl. The cut should have stopped bleeding by now, but it was still trickling down the side of her cheek. The long purple-haired man visibly scowled, yanking his arm free, and moving quickly into her face.

Ice blue eyes studied the clean slash quizzically and Zai placed a gloved hand firm on the top of her head. "Keep still," he said lightly, leaning closer. A pair of pristine fangs became visible when he flicked his tongue at the wound, licking the blood clean. Saliva healed cuts and sealed them so they wouldn't get infected. This was his fault...and it seemed that there was no doctor in sight. Zairen was adverse in all practices having to do with the battlefield therefore it was his duty to ensure that the girl was suitable to continue her time at the festival without getting blood on people... He pulled away with a smug look on his face and hands on his hips. "Put a bandaid on it," he ordered in a don't-ask-questions tone. Zairen would stand there with his cruel gaze until she obeyed.

[Guest]

He had no idea how long he'd been running for right now. All he knew was that he stunk of utter shit, and that his face was contorted in some expression of pure malice for Spade Aeries. His eternal cry of "SHOVEL" resounded through the Festival, and he was headed straight for the bar; somehow, he hadn't made it there just yet. Nobody knew what was taking him so long. Maybe he got lost or something?

Well, he got to Spade, just in time to see him dragged off by the Prime Minister of Creta. Nu-uh. He wasn't letting someone else get his prey. He stormed off after the pair, watching them get onto the Ferris Wheel - well, watching Spade get dragged into one of the cars. His eyes watched them go to the top of the Wheel, and he just stopped. Everything... stopped... for Apos.

"Shovel... man... what..." The blonde was rather dumbstruck, and completely forgot that he smelled like shit and everyone was trying to avoid him. For now, he was just watching the fight, mouth open like an idiot... that kick... the falling Prime Minister... He stared in pure worry. That fight... so intense... was that really the Shovel he knew? The man he was trying to surpass? He stepped forwards slightly - wait, what? Spade... He was jumping after him.

Now, Apos was confused. Was Spade for or against that strange man? And why did it seem... that the stranger was actually happy to be falling to his death? He stepped forwards another step and shouted out in his loudest voice,

"Spaaaaaaaaaaaade!" He was genuinely worried, not just being an ass like he normally was. He'd never admit it, but he cared. A lot. That man wasn't just his rival, he was his friend, his partner in crime, at times. He would do anything for Spade Aeries, because he knew that Spade would do anything? to help him back. That was what soldiers and friends did.

As the Cretarian hit the ground, the fireworks suddenly went off. Not only that, but a bomb exploded from the toilets, causing the ground to shake slightly, and Apos to lose his footing just a bit. He shouted out, and looked back.

"That... wasn't my fault." He turned back to Spade, to see him on the ground next to the man. He stepped forwards again, and walked over to Spade, kneeling down next to him.

"Spade... man... what's going on?" His normally goofy tone had disappeared, bringing out the serious tones of the man; the studious tones that nobody had ever really heard leave Apos' mouth. He had to know what was happening. Because he knew Spade didn't want to kill this man.

Which left him with one last question. Who orchestrated this?

[Guest]

While he'd sent the sarcastic one on his way to the ice rink to study Amestrian culture, Saeji Aeries was on his way to... well, he wasn't too sure, actually. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and sighed. What... exactly was there to see around here? There were a few flashing red lights, he could tell because they didn't actually show any colour to him. To be honest, other than being bright and colourful, the place was a bit of a drag.

Then again, to someone with his intellect, anything was boring to him. He sighed again, and looked around a bit more, before pulling a small notebook out of his back pocket and scribbling a few notes in Xingese characters.

Carnivals are pretty boring. Especially ones run by the military. He yawned, and placed the book back in his back pocket. Maybe he should've gone to the ice rink with Zairen instead. It would've been more interesting than this drab place. He groaned loudly and quite awkwardly, before placing his hands over his mouth. What... had he just done?

Was that... he didn't... he wasn't meaning to! He really hoped that he didn't insult anyone with his large and overbearing groan! Someone might actually be having fun in this place! He looked left and right, just to make sure that he wasn't being looked at weirdly. Well, if anyone was giving him funny looks, it would probably be because of his strange clothing, reminiscent of an Aerugese High Schooler, but modified to look more Xingese at the same time.

If that wasn't enough proof that he was Xingese, the fact that he would randomly add Xingese bits to the end of his statements w-- wait, he wasn't doing that? Wow... that was a first... He sighed softly, and looked over to the side, to see the crowd of people gather by the ferris wheel.

"Aiyah... What's going on there?" He started to walk towards it, before his question was answered. He blinked, and stepped forwards a little more, to see...

"Sakuya!" He wanted to run and see the man, but saw what he was doing, and knew that interfering would be a mistake. At least, he thought that interfering would be a mistake.

That was the first time he'd seen Sakuya in person... in years. And he couldn't bring himself to give chase, not just yet. Not with that look that he'd seen on Sakuya's face... He just couldn't do it. He turned away, and saw a clown. Not just any clown, but a clown in the most revealing clown suit that one could quite possibly wear. He had to hold back his stares for a second, and tried not to look at the skimpy clothing.

"Is it a standard for jesters to wear clothes like that in Amestris?" He suddenly bounded up to the girl and smiled at her, completely unaware of any social awkwardness that he might be making by being this close and this questioning of this poor girl. He pulled the notebook out of his back pocket, and pushed his glasses back up his nose, before tilting his head to the side again.

He wondered if she'd heard him. Maybe his Amestrian was too accented by Xingese? What if she thought he was one of those 'perverts'? What if... she didn't like him? What if she slapped him? He was now kinda worried, to be honest. Like, REALLY worried.

"..."

[Spade Aeries]

"Heh...heh," Spade sputtered, gripping the gushing wound in his back. At some point he had retrieved his destroyed sunglasses and they now sat crookedly over his eyes. Lines of salty water slipped out from underneath them, speckling his pants and landing on the fist in his lap. He turned his head just slightly to glance at Apos. It was as if every movement pained him, every breath denied his existence. The flames from the bomb flickered in the reflection of the cracked black plastic, skewed and bent. "You failed your mission Apos," Spade laughed with a bittersweet smile, a rare expression on the ever-joking commander's face. "Your bathroom is on fire...at this rate," he winced visibly, tightening his grip on his back, "you'll have failed all your missions." Spade went to stand up, but failed, almost colliding with Apos next to him. He caught himself just inches from the ground with his one hand, the other still glued with blood. From this angle, the gash in his back was clear and his flashy outfit was only getting more and more soaked with the red liquid. Spade hung his head, sweat-coated wavy brown hair covering his face. He sniffed. "He...he wasn't meant to fall!!" Spade slammed his fist into the cold grass, voice shuddering with emotion. "Markus he...I've known him since we--since we were seventeen... I didn't know why he was being such an ass...how could he think that I was trying to kill him by bringing him here?!" Spade let go of his back, feeling shivers of pain thrash through every nerve in his body. "I might have been trying to kill you, but... I never wanted Markus to..." He laughed slightly, trying to cheer himself and his rival up. It didn't quite work.

Spade squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "He...Apos, he's gone. He's really not ever going to come back." He slammed his head into the ground and clenched his teeth. "The bastard!! Leaving me like that! ...I...I don't think I can ever forgive him." Spade raised his head, vision swimming and his head spinning in every direction, "I have a mission for you..." He took off his busted shades and half stumbled, half crawled to Markus' body, placing them on him. It was better that his eyes stayed open...that way he wouldn't miss anything. "Hah...tell them, no, I mean for the report...that someone planned this.. It was someone at the top of Creta that planted these ideas into his head...and they wanted this to happen... I..." Spade collapsed onto his back beside Markus, staring at the blurry smoke in the sky, "I was fucking played with!" The last part was choked out and he slapped a hand over his face. "I'm not going to last much longer..."

[EXIT MISSION]

[Guest]

Vincent watched as the troops and police came rushing in, securing the area and beginning crowd control. The evacuations were going as planned, not a hitch thus far. Firetrucks came rolling in as people began to exit, putting out the flames before they could burn down the carnival. Spade crawled to his fallen friend, tears in his eyes. Vince knew that man Markus must have been close to the General. He was obviously in deep pain, inside and outside. The medics came running in, putting Spade onto the stretcher and loading him in the back of the ambulance, as he needed immediate medical attention. Sadness gripped Vincent's heart, knowing that he couldn't even grasp the pain his leader was going through. He watched as his orders were followed to the letter as he pulled himself together. As it all went down, he noticed some suspicious activity. A chimera, a guy with an eyepatch, and an astonishingly beautiful young woman were running away from the scene. Before that though, she had been on her knees, crying at the sight of Markus. She knew him, didn't she?, he thought to himself as they ran away. Strange, maybe they were part of what Spade was talking about before he had been taken away. A conspiracy worst than anything he could have imagined...

[Guest]

WWAO shit was goin' down! Celes smiled softly and stood up at the same time Euphie did, watching the chimera out of the corner of his eye. "Oh~ the one who broke my crystals? This Dietrich guy sounds like a problem. Why don't we take care of him, ne?" He cracked his knuckles and then she took his hand, pulling him off. "Ah-ah, wait, wait!" He looked back and made sure that Sal was following them. Sure enough, he was holding onto Euphie's shirt. The girl was leading the two of them, hah! That was an entertaining thought. He leaned in close to the purple-haired girl's ear and whispered: "Euphie is like a female pimp. So popular~~" He was going to get shot by someone somewhere if not by the girl herself. He laughed like a raving idiot and pulled away quickly.

His demeanor changed as always and a pale blue eye narrowed. "We need to get out of here now. Hild will be another day, although we have the perfect chance... it's not worth the risk, ne Sal?" Celes smiled at the boy and withdrew a shiny device from his pocket. He snapped a hand behind him and pressed the red button. Directly behind them, flames burst up from the ground and showered over top of the ice skating rink, lighting many of the tent roofs on fire. What? They needed a flashy exit.

[EXIT MISSION]

[Murazar Dauthi]

(OOC: Since dai isn't posting i'll hit it)

Murazar looked around in a daze while hiccuping slightly, his breath smelled of booze. He looked up at reila with a sad smile before speaking in a tone that matched his face. He looked as if stones would shed tears from hearing him. " Really? I want to fly before I die, promise me that. " He hiccupped again before staggering to his feet and taking his normal aggressive taking-on-the-world-alone stance before grinning at reila as if what she had just seen and heard was not what he truly was thinking and feeling. He falsified happiness and spoke pointing at something that wasn't the rollercoaster.

" Aye me hearty! Time to take on the wild west's white whale! ARGH!!" He tried to speak like a old movie pirate and grinned wildly while letting his hair follow in a zigzag waving movement as he sprinted towards the rollercoaster he was handling. He slammed right into the control box, did a backflip from the impact and smashed his face against the controls. His face was now completely covered in blood that was ruining his undershirt since it was running down his neck.

He grinned disoriented and looked around staggering and limping. The controls made a funky sound and he instantly spun around and blew the entire control stand with the controls inside completely apart and incinerated. He fell over on his back after he rolled a his left ankle and tripped over. He didn't feel the pain or anything, he got back up and stood there watching the rollercoaster.

[Guest]

"Oh~ the one who broke my crystals? This Dietrich guy sounds like a problem. Why don't we take care of him, ne?" He didn't seem to understand the severity of said problem. If the King of Creta was here. And the Prime Minister of Creta had just been killed by the Head of Central HQ, then shit was about to go down, really badly. She wondered if things would turn out alright...

They probably wouldn't.

"Pegleg Lady," The Ishvallan caused her to turn around, and upon spotting Sal grabbing onto her shirt, caused her to smile.

"Ah, Salazar. Glad to see you've found us." She giggled lightly, and began to walk off, not before spotting the shiny thing in Celes' hand. Eh... he pressed a button. Wait, what?! She stepped back slightly, face contorted in worry.

"Eh..." Everything... was on fire... Wow. She sighed softly, and smirked, leading Celes and Sal out of the Festival.

"Yes, yes, very nice. It's not as cool as my bat, though~"

[EXIT MISSION]

[Sal]

Dietrich, huh? That sounded like a name, and for some reason Sal felt that this could potentially be important...He'd address the issue later, after they left the festival. A wide, sharp-toothed grin appeared on his face as Aren looked at him and finished her rather pleasant response. Something told him these two didn't quite take him seriously, but that was okay for the time being. Ignoring the remarks that the other two made in some other language, Sal looked around at the chaotic festival. They didn't get to finish their job and Sal didn't get to have enough fun today...

Oh, well.

With all this chaos, and the sudden death that occurred, it was time to make an exit. He didn't want to draw too much attention, and the increase in security would prevent them from doing anything destructive (and get away with it). There were just too many people around. After going over the whole situation in his head, Sal sighed and followed the other two. Getting away was probably their smartest option. Celesto commented on their need to retreat and pressed a wonderful, shiny red button...more explosions ensued. Lovely! This would be the first (failed) mission of the Captain Salazar's pirate crew, but at least they went out with a bang.

"Best luck next times, right?"

[EXIT MISSION]

[Reila Tsukino]

...

Reila didn't really know what to do... Her Head of intelligence was currently killing himself in a drunken stupor. Oh shit she had to do something... But then suddenly a bomb went off, throwing her off balance. She collided with the medical tent nearby as it was crashing to the ground, nearly crushing some blue-haired girl and purple-haired guy. She blinked, heaving a sigh of relief that no one died on her watch. Now who the hell was trying to sabotage that idiot drunkard's festival? She whipped out her cell phone, dialing Dai's number. It rang as she dashed towards the bathrooms where flames swooped through the air, eating everything in its path. Through the screams, she heard his voice answer typically. "Dai? I have a new mission for you. Can you make sure Mura doesn't kill himself and that the roller coaster stops? I'm taking care of the fire." She smiled into the mouth piece, panting slightly. "Thank you."

Reila reached the flames in no time (due to her wondrous sprinting speed). She stopped right at the edge of the singed grass, eyes wide. Whoever did this...did they even think of the results? If they were to see this now...what would they say? Before her were burning corpses reaching skywards as if something there would save them. Reila looked up, her golden eyes flashing with the flickering light, reflecting the stars. No...the only way to survive is through human power. She...just had to save everyone she could...no use thinking about those already gone. Looking back at the flames, tears gathered in her eyes and she unsheathed her tachi. She slammed the blade through the air, activating her alchemy with the flow of wind. At the same time, she used the hydrogen in the air and froze it into small icicles. They immediately melted in the fire and they rained down. This combined with the rush of wind spikes, killed the flames quickly despite how wide-ranged they were. Sparks danced into the night air, smoke casting darkness around the Head of Fort Briggs.

As a silhouette, she parted the smoke with the wind from her cut and then stopped short. Pupils shrank to half their size, absorbed into pools of a golden flood. Hands flew to her mouth, where scarce words escaped. "No...it can't be..."

[Guest]

Festivals were boring peh! Saga spit to the side, kicking at the unmowed grass. What a bother to find work. There didn't seem to be any men around worth her attention. They were all military dogs or idiots carrying only pocket change. Pathetic. This was a waste of time and yet... that ferris wheel looked lovely--or it would have had she been able to see color. Red lights burst into her vision, festering in her mind and making her want to figure out a way to cut all the electric. It was so obnoxious... And that bastard Ike disappeared. She was on her own again, wandering aimlessly through life. Just last night, she got in another fight with some burly man who thought he could overpower her. Hah! The idiot was sadly mistaken and also...was floating in a sewer, dead. Stupid man whores. She couldn't believe that they actually thought she would let them in her pants. Well, in this case it was a pair of white shorts with seductive straps crossed in the back that hung down to her knees. Pink-stained lips smirked into a vicious curl as her high heels dug into the mud. All she needed to do was give them a little touch of her chest and they melted into her hands. Their hearts were all hers--all their unbeating hearts.

Commotion was sprouting around the large, flashing wheel. Saga squinted deep blue eyes at is as she approached just in time to see a man plummet to his death. Ohohoho that was fun. She grinned, cracking her knuckles. Maybe festivals weren't so bad after all. Just for this intriguing sight, the Aerugese princess was glad she had come. Then some idiot dove after him and failed to catch him. She lost interest. With a turn of long, white hair, Saga's attention shifted to the roller coaster just in time for the fireworks. A colorless boom sounded. Saga stared boredly at the white flares of light. Meh. She should probably just go back home to her apartment. More interesting things were there to do...like watch TV and eat ice cream. Just as she had thought that, however, A bomb went off right in front of her, sending her flying backwards into a tree. The sharp bark slashed at her delicate skin and she squeezed her eyes shut. God damn. Her luck sucked.

...

Saga came to just in time to realize that the tips of her hair were on fire. Swatting it out, she stood up, surrounded by flames. It was just her and the tree...and a shit ton of corpses. She blinked slitted eyes and started climbing the tree, her bare legs slippery with blood. She got to top and watched as it suddenly started...raining? With a confused expression, she looked up, only seeing stars and no clouds. What the...? Smoke engulfed her and she jumped down, stumbling through it and collapsing on the grass. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down. Saga raised her eyes and something came through the smoke at her. An attack? The air felt charged as a girl with matching long hair of a different shade stood before her. Those eyes....those demonic golden eyes settled on her. Saga watched the girl's shock as she felt her own run up and down her spine. A vicious blood-thirsty terror slithered into her eyes. Saga stood up and lunged at her throat. "Hello Reila."

[Reila Tsukino]

"Saga, w-wait!! Reila shrieked as she dove backwards to avoid the strike at her throat. With horror-filled eyes Reila clutched at the grass, clawing herself to her feet where she stumbled to the side with shaking legs. This...was impossible. What--what was her half-sister doing in Amestris. Reila stared blankly at the ground, undergoing extreme mental shock. Flashbacks broke into her consciousness, eating at reality and throwing her back into the nightmares. She tangled her hands in her hair, covering her ears. "No!!!!!!!! Make it stop!!!!" It was too late. Her current existence was already corroded with the betrayal of her heartless father. Saga...Saga too had to have suffered. She only knew her from pictures, but...Saga was trying to kill her now. Why..why?! Reila swung her already unsheathed tachi in a spiral, her eyes glowing violently. She would erase this tie. If Saga was gone...then nothing else would be left. Her past would be erased. No one else but Dai had to know that she was Aerugese royalty. If...if Saga would just disappear!!

A strange light further penetrated into Reila's eyes. She already knew this was life or death. They...should have never met. It was the same. For both of them, it was the same. Neither could go on while the other was still alive. It threatened their peace...it reminded them...of all that pain. Reila wondered what possibly had Saga gone through? She didn't know; she didn't want to. She didn't want to know Saga; she didn't want to see her. Because then...then Reila could already taste the regret--a thick ball coiling in her throat and making her choke. It was too late...it was too late to go back now! She had to disappear! Wind whipped around her violently, tossing her hair about like knives caught in a raging ocean tide. Reila grit her teeth. "If you want to die, I'll oblige!" She hissed as a tunnel formed. The necklace around her neck began glowing, sending jagged bolts of light that filled the sky. Reila started laughing, holding her hands out as if asking the sky why she was given this power. Why she was able to kill someone related to her by blood? It was just...so...amusing. She didn't understand. Reila was sure she would never really understand why every fiber in her being existed merely to eradicate Saga. Never--never before had she ever wanted to kill anyone. So why...why now?!

An F4 tornado destroyed what was left of the bathrooms in a second. Spinning out of control, it tore through the entire area. Soon, the ferris wheel collapsed with the grinding sound of dying metal. Reila was petrified. What...had she just done? All those people...? No wait. She squinted. There didn't seem to be any bodies... Had everyone been evacuated already? That's right--the bomb! Reila heaved a sigh of relief, putting a hand on her chest just in time for another to slap over it...

[Guest]

When Saga missed Reila's throat, she stumbled, trying to stop herself and slammed her face into a pole. Nursing her terribly bruised head, she clenched her fists and decked the pole angrily. The large thing shuddered with its dying breath and plummeted to the ground, landing on top of various tents and shredding them. She let out a hiss and turned back towards the half-sister that needed to die. If the power-hungry bitch would just cease to exist, then the royal family would be in trouble. Everyone needed to die! Aerugo and Amestris could share the flames of destruction together!! Black-tipped white hair swung behind her as she sprinted into the twisting wind. Fighting to keep her feet grounded and her balance, a tanned hand reached out towards Reila's chest.

She touched skin as the ferris wheel cracked to pieces like a toy. What the... She could create tornadoes?! Saga needed to get lost. Kill Reila and run. That thing... it would destroy Central!! And not only that, but it certainly had the power to destroy her in less than a second. It was...dangerous. Hand on hand, Saga jolted her anti-defibrillation alchemy straight through their skin and into Reila's heart. "Ahaahhaha!!!" Saga jumped backwards at the same time that the strawberry blond pulled away. Laughing maniacally, Saga watched her half-sister crumble to the ground. This...this was the end!!

[Reila Tsukino]

She was dying? She was...was she really dying? Reila's heart wasn't beating right. Despite the fact she leaped backwards in time to avoid the full attack of Saga's alchemy, she felt the searing pain spike throughout her chest. She grabbed handfuls of her shirt, unable to breathe right. Oh god...oh god!! Was..was this really the end? Did everything she accomplish up until now mean nothing...? What..what would become of Briggs?! Before Reila knew it, tears poured from her eyes and she folded like paper to the ground, about to blow away in her own alchemy. She..was..so tired. Shutting one eye and leaving the other half open, she watched Saga approach to finish the job. NO!!! NO, the Head of Fort Briggs would NOT go out this easily. Just--just because she was overwhelmed with the act of killing her only family...that would not be the reason why she ended! Reila refused. Reila absolutely refused. And her heart, well, her heart better damn well last until she finished the job. "SAGGGAAA!!" Reila threw herself to her feet, sweat tinging her glistening hair. "Don't think...you can kill me...that easily!!!" A fire burned in Reila's eyes like that of the sun and they never left her half-sister as her fingertips painted her death in the air. Jagged icicles formed above them and in the same moment, Reila sputtered a laugh, raising her tachi. "Goodbye." She cut down, necklace glowing with her fingers. Immediately, the spikes of ice flew into the giant tornado, spinning in a furry of eminent death.

Reila watched in half-misery, half-satisfaction as eight of her icicles flew through Saga and continued on until lodging themselves in the ground faraway. The white-haired girl was taken from the ground and pulled into the vision of god's thumb, disappearing. She was dead. Reila didn't need to follow-up; she knew. There was no way someone could live through that. Not even the descendants of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. This was...the end. Reila felt her sight sinking into darkness, black licking at the corners. Some strange floating feeling filled her veins and she leaned against a tree, watching as her tornado danced off before finally dissipating. Quivering fingers struggled with the buttons of her cellphone. Barely able to hold it to her lips, she heard Dai's voice again. Smiling, she caressed the shiny black device. "D-Dai..." Reila breathed. She was okay now... This...was all she needed for her life to be complete. And let it be in Amestrian. "I love you."

[EXIT MISSION]

[Guest]

"I just have to erase this girl's memory right, and then I'm done? Cool. Peace out." Haru threw her head piece into a bush and continued her search for the Head of Fort Briggs. It was Dietrich's orders. Her ability was needed! She was supposed to dispose of the memories this girl held most dear. However by the time the younger girl reached the other, she took immediate notice that she was already unconscious. Oh how unfun. Must have been from that bomb...or ya know the tornado. Pouting with a wave of silky black hair, she clamped her hands onto the girl's head, shutting ice blue eyes in deep concentration. Surfing through pictures in her imagination of brain nerves, she came across the one containing the most precious memories. Aight that's it! With a childish smile, Haru blocked it and sighed with relief, stepping back. Well, that was that. She would now suffer not knowing what it was that she was living for and all that fun stuff. Sucked for her really, but it was an essential part of Dietrich's plan. So they were going to destroy Briggs? Excellent. Amestrians were evil, she was told. Therefore the more they destroyed, the better.

Haru dusted off her hands and hummed a sweet tune as she turned on her heel and headed back to the debris of the festival. Just where had that tornado come from anyway? She nearly got swallowed in it...jeez man. She swung her lovely bass around her shoulders with a bright smile. It was time to find the leaders of Amestris now and take care of all their memories. If only Haru could know what they were...it would be so intriguing. What kinds of things were they harboring in there? Evil plans...the destruction of the world? Pure evil... Haru wanted to see it, but knew she never could. But instead of dying, the two of them would be forever tormented with the loss of what their lives were. Unlike that girl, they would forget...everything. They would even lose sight of their own reflection in the mirror. Dietrich was a genius, but somehow Haru felt slightly pained by doing this. They...they were still people after all, right?

[Dai]

"Dai? I have a new mission for you. Can you make sure Mura doesn't kill himself and that the roller coaster stops? I'm taking care of the fire."

"Gotcha." He hung up the phone quickly, making his way rapidly over to the roller-coaster. He stared up at it, and sighed softly, clicking the fingers on his gloved left hand a few times, and placing it onto the tracks, increasing the size of it's magnetic field, and disrupting the electrics that ran the coaster. He stood there for a second or so while his electromagnetism worked, the electricity crackling around his body, causing his hair to stand on end, and a glow to come out in his eyes. He sighed softly, and pulled away, hearing the screaming recede, and the roller-coaster screech to a stop; now that it wasn't going too fast, the brakes were able to bring themselves back to normal. With a small smile, he set about his next task. Where was Mura...?

Oh, there he was. The redhead hurried over to the man, and looked him up and down, sighing softly. The man was... rather drunk.

"Mura, I'm sorry for this." He stretched his arm out, and sent it at the back of his neck, aiming for the top of his spine. If his hand did, indeed, collide with it, the man would be knocked out - or at least knocked over... Dai wasn't too sure if his brain could process that information anymore... He sighed again, the attack over... when...

His eyes opened suddenly. He heard it... And turned around sharply. Tornado. Hm. His bright red eyes narrowed, and he walked forwards, no - he ran. He fucking made his feet move as fast as they could take him. He knew what that tornado signified. He only knew of one Amestrian Alchemist that had the guts to call forth a damn F4 Tornado from out of no-where. But who... who the hell was she fighting?!

His legs were almost dead, he was sure that he couldn't run much more; as he drew the pair of tonfa out of the back of his pants - where they always were. He flicked them up onto his arms, and rounded a corner, just in time to see a white-haired woman touch Reila's chest and then jump away, before being hit by Reila's Alchemy.

Brrring~ Brrring~ Hm? He picked up his phone, hearing the Amestrian flow into his ear...

"D-Dai... I love you." Why...? He was standing over her now, and saw her with the phone up to her ear.

"B-baka... No need to tell me that one..." He knelt down behind her, and saw a slight spark over Reila's chest... That girl... she was Saga, wasn't she? Reila's sister... He walked over to her first, looking her up and down, not noticing the black-haired girl behind him.

This girl before him... strange, wasn't she? He wanted to make sure she was dead, plunge the blade of his tonfa through her skull - he would relish that one kill, if any of them - but right now, Reila was his top priority. He turned back suddenly, seeing a strange young girl scampering away. Eh...? No, no, he had to worry about Reila. He hurried over to her, still not prepared to give up on her yet - and knelt down in front of her, placing his fingers to her throat.

There was still a pulse... and looking at the spark he'd seen before... he could do it. Her heart was being artificially stopped by Alchemy, right? It was the only explanation, there were no other wounds on her body. That, and it was electric Alchemy. His forte.

His hand went up to his side, and he clicked his left hand's fingers several times, the red hair flying behind him with a sudden gust of wind. He looked down at her, and closed his eyes, letting a single tear fall. He would mourn if this failed - not before.

"E rere, e rere, e te kootare, ki runga ki te puuwharawhara. Ruru ai o parirau. Ka mate koe i te ua. Tiihore mai i uta. Tiihore mai i tai. He rangi, ka mao mao mao mao mao te ua." The last click of his fingers, the ignition cloth now crackling with static energy. He placed his hand tenderly on Reila's right breast, and closed his eyes. He'd always wanted to say this.

"Clear." He released his Alchemy, letting the electromagnetism flow through her body and into her heart, an attempt to restart it.

Nothing.

"Clear." He tried again, and placed his fingers at her neck again, feeling for a pulse. No--wait.

Ba-thump.

It was weak. But it was there. he held it there for longer, making sure that it wasn't a freak of medicine.

Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

Not only was it there, it was growing in strength. He could cry right now... And they began to fall... the tears splashing on the ground like nothing he'd ever felt before. He... thought he was going to lose her...

"She won't remember you."

A sudden chill ran down Daigoro's spine. He wanted to turn his head to the voice, but he couldn't... Reila... Reila...

"I'll tell you this now. She'll wake up and see you - and she won't even know your face." The tears of joy that were running down Dai's face turned to tears of anguish

"You're wrong."

"Really? Am I really wrong?"

"She'd never forget me... never..." A small laugh... This voice wasn't disembodied... it was human...

"Don't take me so lightly. My little slave has already done her part. All I need now is the last piece of the puzzle." A finger tapped him on the back of the head, pulling him out of his stupor. Dai suddenly turned around, to see a silhouette standing over him.

"Have you guessed it yet? Why else would I ask for you specifically to be taken out of her memories?" Dai's tears receded, and he just stared at the man defiantly.

"What do you mean...?"

I know all about you, Ito. I know exactly what you're capable of. And I want it. I want it all. So I'll make you a deal." A deal?

"Never."

"Oh? A pity. I mean... I was going to restore her memories for you... at a price. You work for me, you defect to Creta, and you help me topple Briggs. You do that, and I'll give you back your place in Briggs, and your place in her heart." Dai wasn't sure, but he thought that he was a grin under that darkness.

"... And if I don't accept?"

"It'll be like you never existed. Because you won't."

"..." Everything had just weighed itself in Dai's mind. If he was to do this... he would betray his own country, the one he'd sworn to protect. But his enemy was actually Hild, right? He'd followed Reila to the end - and he would continue to follow her. But he needed her with him to do that.

"I... plan... to marry this woman someday." He stood up straight, towering over Reila's prone body. "I can't do that if she can't remember me. So you have a deal. But you promise me - you restore her memories once Briggs is your's." He heard a sinister laugh from the face, and gulped. Was... this the right thing to do?

"Yes, yes... All in due time, Daigoro. I'll let you go back to Briggs. Say your final goodbyes. And know this - I am Dietrich Von Vermont, King of Creta. Your new master." The shadow started laughing, and faded into the distance, Dai just watching it disappear. With a small sigh, he turned back to Reila, and walked over to her, kneeling down beside her - her breathing was returning back to normal, it seemed that his attempt at restarting her heart succeeded.

He looked over her body one last time, making sure that there were no cuts or bruises, nothing to injure this woman's pride or beauty. There was nothing. Looking back into her face, he wished that he could see those golden eyes before he left, to be able to stare into the gaze of the woman that he loved.

"Reila..." He leaned down, and placed his lips onto her's, feeling that warmth - would it be for the final time? Would he never feel this again? He felt himself breaking out into tears one more time... no. He had to be strong. The redhead placed a cold metallic hand onto her forehead, and let that solitary tear flow down his cheek. He needed to be strong. He needed to come back to her.

Daigoro Ito stood up, and looked down at Reila, before turning away with a soft and solemn smile on his face.

"Zutto reila no koto aishiteiru, Zutto"

I love you Reila. Always. He started walking, into the distance... The true test of his valor would begin now.

[EXIT TOPIC]

[Guest]

He stopped moving after she had grabbed his arm, but he hadn't turned around until some time after that. The man's steel blue eyes met Millie's green eyes for a while, and it was...somewhat magical, even. It didn't last long, though, because he yanked his arm free and moved closer, putting a hand on her head. He almost seemed angry at first, but...why would he be angry? Aside from the fact that he had been grabbed by a complete stranger, of course.

"Wha-..."

"Keep still," she heard him say as he leaned in closer to her face. His face so close to hers...it made her heart skip a beat. This wasn't a movie, so why did it feel like this situation belonged in one? Then she felt something touch her cheek...his tongue? He was...licking the cut on her face! Millie's heart skipped a beat, and she brought a hand up to meet the one that he had placed on her head, but only came within close proximity. She wasn't sure if she should touch him again... Her cheeks glowed red and she looked past his face to his shoulder. Once again she noted that smell...it was unique, but comforting, and she almost didn't want him to move from that spot. She continued to stare at his shoulder silently until he pulled away from her again.

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but then the gorgeous, purple-haired man put his hands on his hips and had a rather smug expression on his face and told her to put a bandaid on her cut. She put a hand up to her cheek but stopped short when she heard an explosion. There were people screaming and running away from the direction of what she thought might be the ferris wheel and the outhouses. Getting up, she scrambled to find a bandage. The man didn't seem like he'd let her go anywhere if she didn't have one...

Then she heard a low moaning sound coming from the tent, and it seemed a woman had collided with one part of it as she was running past. Another moan, and Millie saw that the tent was coming down. She panicked and stepped backward, only to get caught in the dirt - she was still wearing her ice skates - causing her to fall back as the tent continued to come down on the two of them, and she let out a panicked scream. A spark had caused the corner to catch fire.

[Guest]

Ah...it was so hopeless. Zairen shook his head with a quick glance upwards at the collapsing roof. He rolled his eyes. How bothersome. Life always enjoyed impeding upon his games. It took him about two seconds to lunge himself across the first aid area and in the direct path of Bread-face's falling body. He expected to catch her, whisk her off her feet--er ice skates and evacuate the two of them to safety, save for the fact that he too began falling backwards due to slipping in the mud. Curse the rain! Holding onto Bread-face's shoulders, Zairen hit the ground, the girl falling on top of him. His sword made a loud clank in it's scabbard and Zaren grit his teeth. Ow? "Yao Who told you you could fall on me? This isn't some TV drama." Zairen conveniently forgot that he had been the one to purposely cushion her fall.

Then, well, the burning roof decided to descend its glorious, flaming plastic contents onto the two of them. Except for the fact that they were no longer there. In the few seconds that they had in between the wall caving in and the roof falling, Zairen had dragged them out of the debris and into the starlight amid the screaming crowds, fires, smoke, and tor-- Wait what? Zairen leaned forward slightly, purple hair blowing sideways in the heat of the fires. There was a tornado. He turned to the girl with weird colored hair and titled his head to the side like a confused crow who had initially thought there would be food in that trash bag. He removed the hand that he had had on her shoulder and put it on his chin. What..should he do now, run? Ace was probably dead (all well). It could have been an enemy raid or something... There was a tornado. A tornado in central. He glanced at the girl again and sighed. He couldn't just leave her. She would probably get blown away or something...and it was definitely coming closer. Zairen's skin crawled: his instincts telling him to get out.

"Let's go," he barked, picking her up again. He was starting to understand what it was like to be a horse. "And take off your damn skates!" Zairen moved way too fast for a human to comprehend even while carrying one. They were across the festival in nearly no time at all. The tornado kept coming... It was dangerous. Zairen started getting chills and broke out in sweat that clung to his piecey bangs. Wait...this was different than just a reaction to his instincts. It couldn't be... He felt it. His chest was getting tighter, his breath hitching in his throat. Why here, why now?! He really had to get out of range somehow. Steel blue eyes narrowed into slits as he looked one way and then the other. His hair was flung from the side of his head to his back, thrashing wildly about. A strange glow seemed to flicker into his eyes and he took off at insane speed straight for the parking lot.

Just as he reached the Xingese ambassador car with tinted windows and everything, the tornado dissipated. He put Bread-face down and gave a wolfy grin. His entire body was rippling in some strange pain that the girl would never be able to fathom. "Go now," he said quietly, taking her hand and slipping a band aid into it. With a weak smile, he turned to the car to get in, but only made it a few steps before collapsing onto the ground. A coughing fit followed. He shut his eyes tightly and let his forehead fall against the driver's door amid all the road grime. He just couldn't...catch his breath.

After some time, he managed to suck in a breath, the coughs stopping abruptly. Zairen withdrew his gloved right hand that had been clamped over his mouth and watched with a dull expression as thick red liquid slid onto the stones. He tried to breathe evenly, placing his left hand against his burning chest. It hurt... All he could think about was the pain..the pain that was so endless. It was like..it would never end. Blood dripped from the corners of his lips and he shut his eyes again. He was going to lose consciousness. He would black out and not be able to find Ace... He would fail his job. Nononono. Zairen forced himself to his feet and swayed. Everything started spinning and melted into nothingness as he fell.

[EXIT MISSION]

[Guest]

"EYAAAAAH!" Alright, let's get the first thing straight. Ever since the fireworks, Hild had absolutely no idea about what was going on. She'd heard explosions this way, tornadoes that, and well... she was scared for her life.

So her face was in the one place that she knew that it would be safe. The middle of Aurel's chest. And her face had been buried there for about fifteen minutes, now. She was whining about how scary things were, and how much she wanted to stay safe, and how much things were going to make people die, and how scary this was, and how scary this was...

"OhmygodthisissoscaryAurel!!!" She sobbed into his chest, and finally pulled her face away, looking the man in the face with a tear stained eye.

"Why has this happened? Why is this going on like this, Aurel? What happened to the fun? The festival?" She was in tears now, really wondering what was going on... was it an attack from Creta? From Aerugo? WHO?! She leaned in closer to Aurel, and just held him, her lips grazing his cheek - she was scared for her life; VERY unbecoming as the Fuhrer.

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