The Crew's Meet

[Sal]

Snow. Pure, white snow. Despite the fact that Sal had Ishvallan blood, and despite the fact that he was raised in hotter climates, he really enjoyed being out here in the north, where the snow seemed to clean everything up. It felt like the snow covered up everything that could be seen as impure. Stopping in front of the building, the homonculus took a deep breath, instantly relaxing at the wonderful sight. He had gone from being an orphaned, foreign, cat-eared and cat-tailed freak to being the captain of a pirate crew in such a short time. Not only that, he'd ingested a philosopher's stone and become the newest reincarnation of the homonculus known as Gluttony. He was no longer the shy, helpless Salazar that he had been a year ago. Proof of that fact was his pirate crew, which was growing slowly, but growing all the same. His language skills were slowly improving as well, and he rarely ever thought about his past anymore.

In front of him was the newest addition to his list of accomplishments: the Jolly Roger cafe. In truth, it wasn't the flashiest building on the block, but it was very comfortable. It was akin to a home away from home. The round, wooden tables, the wooden chairs with maroon-colored leather seat coverings, the booths that were equipped with rectangular tables, and the bar at the far end were not superfluously modern, but very homey. At the very least, they gave the image of a place where pirates would go for a drink or two and some companionship. After all, pirates were people, too.

"She's beautiful, just like Ole Miss," Sal said to himself as he opened the door to step inside onto the hardwood floor.

"ARRRRRR MATEY!!"

"AHHHHHH!!!" the small Ishvallan shrieked.

The voice was rough-sounding, and it startled Sal so much that he turned back and jumped up, clinging to the face of whatever unlucky soul was behind him. In the past few months his nails had grown into claws, supplementing his cat-like appearance. These claws were now stuck to whomever had been the one to follow immediately behind the Captain. The Captain, however, had shut his eyes as tight as he possibly could, as if clinging to someone's face with eyes shut would protect him from the voice that had sounded upon stepping through the front door of the cafe. The homonculus trembled and his ears lay flat.

[Sec Invidia]

Secundinasci had been wandering North City for countlessly, countless eons now, and he could STILL not find what he sought. The Jolly Roger was hidden away, somewhere he knew not as to where it was. Which annoyed Sec. Thankfully, the snowy, icy streets were lonely, and he had peace and serenity as he fought a bad sense of direction. Eventually, he came upon the place (After 5 hours of searching, and 1 hour of banging his head on a sidewalk in frustration) "The Jolly Roger Cafe. Well, I should assume this is the place. So I must be late for the meeting, or whatever The Captain's devised. Ah well. Better late than never, as they say." And so Sec slowly descended upon the building, and finally appeared at the entrance behind Sal. He was about to give off a greeting when some IDIOT screamed at Sal, some stupid yet Piratey phrase. The cat Chimera then flew 7 and a half feet in the air, and much to Sec's discomfort, clung to his face, in a very Scooby-Dooish manner. He was a bit taken aback, so he stumbled backwards momentarily, before gently pulling Sal off of him by the back of his shirt. "Um, Captain? I don't think that looked very well... Captainy on your part." He grinned slightly as he wiped the claw marks of blood off of his face with a very fancy white handkerchief. Actually... Everything ABOUT Sec was white. His suit, his shoes, his tie, he sometimes even wore a white hat, and now? Even his handkerchiefs. I guess he believed white was the ultimate fashion statement, or that white was the new black or something like that. Really, it didn't matter, but anyways, yeah, he cleaned the blood up with his hanky, and replaced it in a coat pocket.So, Captain, I believe a meeting was scheduled here at this time? Are the other crew members here already?"

[Guest]

What was this meeting for? The girl sighed softly as she followed Sec and Sal to the cafe, with Celesto and co. trailing behind her. She stretched, and watched Sal open the door with a small smirk across her lips.

"ARRRRRR MATEY!!" ...what.

"AHHHHHH!!!" Sal jumped, and collided with Sec's face, clinging on and shaking with flattened ears. Aren raised a hand up to her face and laughed softly, smiling brightly at this. That kid, even if he was their Captain, was so cute~~~! The former princess moved with Sec, who had just wiped his face, and Sal, who was back on the ground as before. The woman stepped onto the mat and looked at the room itself.

"Waaaah!" It seems like home!" She was like a little kid in a candy store, and staring at everything from the authentic wood finishes, to the authentic pirate merchandise. The jolly roger flew above the main counter of the bar area, and Aren laughed softly at this. The door to the kitchen had an arrow that said "Galley" on it, and she felt that she could stay here quite comfortably. All that this place needed was an Inn, and it would be perfect for a Pirate on the run, right?

She turned back and beckoned her blonde lover into the room with a smile. He didn't seem to be approaching as quickly, so she used a burst of speed to leave the room and grab his hand, dragging him in with a grunt.

"C'mon, Celes! We don't have all day!" His hand slipped out of her's, and she fell backwards, landing on her ass with a shout. She whined, and stood up, rubbing her tender muscle with an annoyed look on her face. That hurt! She shook her head and turned away from Celes, traipsing into the Cafe with the look on her face akin to that of the princess that she once was.

[Guest]

Things have really gone downhill for you, haven't they Ike... His inner self said to him. Ike wondered if it was really alright to keep talking to himself like this, but to be honest that was the least of his worries. This was the first time that he was going to meet the crew. Ever since the syndicate dissolved Ike had come to realised that the peak of his career was over. Ike had to leave the powerful force that was basically the Amestrian Mafia that had connections all the way to the Fuhrer and was now playing for a team of pirates. This fact and the damn cold weather had put him in a less than happy mood (He'd forgotten his coat). He could hear the loud shouting of the phrase ARRRRRR MATEY! when he was down the street outside this Jolly Rodger Cafe, he slapped his palm into his face at his own foolishness at getting involved in this. He slowly made his way to the cafe and when he opened the door he got his own cheer.
“Yeah, Yeah. I get it, your pirates; you don’t have to shove that fact down my throat by shouting at me every time I walk through this door.”
Ike had been in some weird bars in his time and seen weird people in them, but this was simply idiotic. The worst part was that, everyone who had seemingly arrived for the gathering looked like teenagers.
C-Could it be that...I’M THE OLDEST! His head suddenly hung low.
“Damn...that’s depressing. I need a strong drink of alcohol.” He walked past everyone who’d arrived at the meeting, giving off a depressed aura. He walked over to the bar of the place

“I assume that you sell rum here, after all this place is pirate themed.”
Seriously, I feel like I’m underprepared simply because I’m not in pirate fancy dress...
The bartender placed a bottle of rum on the counter, but before he could pour Ike his measure, Ike placed some cash on the counter and took hold of the bottle
“Keep the change.” He said before the bartender, somewhat unwillingly, let go of the bottle. Ike took a swig and walked back over to where the group of people had gathered. I wonder how much fighting experience these guys have. I wouldn’t be surprised if my total experience was more than all there’s combined.

It was safe to say that Ike didn’t expect great things from his crew mates, but Ike was a loyal person, and wasn’t going to back out on them. They were basically his family now, and his wasn’t going to back out on this family like he had done to his blood relatives. He would do what the captain wanted.

[Sec Invidia]

Sec sighed as he finally wiped all the blood from his face. Now there were two or three more of the crew. Aren was pretty perky and cheerful... Sec envied her cheeriness, and loathed it from the bottom of his being. But asides from that, Ike looked positively depressing, and angsty. So Sec walked to the bar behind him and ordered a big mug of rum with a pint of good old fashioned gin. He sat near Ike and drank a long gulp. "You seem kind of angsty." Sec was using his normal icy voice and tone, as he only begrudgingly dealt with the crew. He honestly didn't like them, except maybe just a bit more than the normal human beings. His gaze followed Ike's. "We have some kind of a band of misfit thieves. I only hope the crew can fight better than a soldier, at the least. Otherwise, they would be useless. And therefore, I would have no use for them." He muttered the last part darkly to himself. He drank another chug of his drink and waited for the meeting to begin.

[Guest]

Celesto: Meet me at the North City train Station.

They had indeed met them at the train station, the waving lavender hair and all that sweet jazz. Cellphones were so convenient. And when both Devorin and Celesto had gotten off the train instead of just Celesto, Aren didn't seem to pay any mind whatsoever. The blond was slightly shocked, but let the flow take him straight to the heels of his captain. "This is Devorin, Sal," he had purred to the chimera turned homunculus and then continued on his way to see his brother at the Jolly Roger. Oh so Jolly.

Celes had not wanted to come back here, and he hadn't seen Karis since he was discharged from the hospital. The truth was, he hadn't seen Aren either, but they fell right back into the same beat almost as if it were meant to be. He shook his head, blond locks straying into rays of morning sunlight. It had been a long train ride...made short. He reached out and clutched at the hem of the man's shirt, shooting wary gazes back into blue depths. He needed this man now; he couldn't face his resurrected brother alone. "You'll meet him," he whispered sticky breath into Devorin's ear, "my success, I mean."

But Celes didn't want to face him. He was afraid...totally terrified by the fact that they hadn't had a conversation. Their reunion was supposed to have been cut short, but... he had lived. Both of them were alive. And maybe Celesto was feeling selfish. Had Karis wanted to live at all? What...was it like to be locked behind the Gate of Truth? So many questions...so much catching up to do, and...nothing. There was nothing, and that ignited the fear which festered inside of him until he could no longer take it. He left to spend a day in Central, but ended up renting a hotel for another day...and then another and another... Salazar called for a meeting and that very thing forced the human transmutationist out of his hole of despair and back into the light of confrontation.

But that was also when he met Devorin.

They reached his twin brother's new cafe on foot and Celes laughed heartily when the Halloween doormat turned Pirate shrieked "ARRRRRR MATEY!!" It was amusing to no end. But then everyone made their way on inside, taking their cheer with them. Celes stood facing the doorway and a current of thoughts, still clutching onto Devorin as if he would float away somewhere and become a mirage. This was...a desert of snow after all. Sometimes it paid off having thick, Drachman skin, however pale and blond it made him. "I--" he began, about to share something more about himself until warmth grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him inside and across the joy-inducing mat. It failed...epically because he was highly anchored by the exoskeleton jaw man behind him. "Waaaaah!" He flew backwards, Aren flew backwards, and they were all a neat little heap on the ground both in street slush and on the polished floor. Celesto was glad it wasn't the other way around, except his butt was now wet.

He stood up. "No, no my butt isn't wet guys; I just fell, that's all," he joked, lacking his usual enthusiasm. Then, finally, he went inside, let go of Devorin, and helped Aren to her feet with a cold smile.

[Guest]

For the most part, everything that happen on the train earlier that afternoon was becoming a quick blur of the past. At least, I had hoped so. For some reason, I couldn’t let it go. Probably because I was being forcefully pulled by Celes…. Oh well, I sighed a couple of times before shaking it off. I hadn’t a clue where I was going in the first place, so it was in my best interest to follow the small band of pirates.

As soon as I saw the beautiful girl, I knew there was more to her than I could see with my own eyes. The way she looked at Celes was something I couldn’t compete on. She worshipped him, she wanted to be with him, and she wanted him to love her. Women were so easily read, but still, could she pull the mask off of Celes like I did?

“Ay, it’s nice to meet you, Sal” I nodded faintly when Celes introduced me to the Captain. I remember feeling oddness in my stomach when I caught hold of Sal for the first time, but I suppose that happens when one meets a chimera fused with a homunculus.

My blond partner for the day was a bit nervous to see his brother, but I didn’t fully understand why. Maybe it had something to do with the Gate? I’m not certain, but at this point nothing surprised me anymore. I just kept silent and walked wherever Celes walked. Where he went, I went. For now at least…

The north was colder than I expected, but I found warmth from Celes in my hand and that was clearly enough to heat my entire body, so I told myself. I waited to go inside, because I was puzzled. I didn’t know what to expect from being a pirate, but I guess it was okay in the end. Just before I was about to make my way in, Celes and the woman fell over onto the ground. I laughed lightly from the fall I witnessed, partially because it was my fault. I didn’t move when Celes nudged me to do so, and in the end he fell over on his bum. I let his hand go when he was fully standing again, and he was being the polite person and helping the young lady back to her feet. I waited patiently before following the pair into the small café.

[Guest]

To be honest, he loved it here. Out of every place that he had been in, this was certainly far better than most. Of course, having really only been in Lior and the Gate meant that there wasn't that much to compare it to. A small laugh left his throat from this thought, and Karis polished a few glasses, before hearing the first shout of the pirate that opened the door. He sighed softly, placed the glass and rag down, and turned around to face the door itself with a small smile on his face.

"Ahoy, mateys!" His smile grew brighter and his eyes closed, as if to greet the newcomers warmly. Of course, what he heard and saw next were... quite unexpected?

"AHHHHHH!!!" What...? He peered at the thing that was now attached to Sec's face. Was that... an Ishvallan? He couldn't help but lean forwards and start laughing. No, he could help it, but this.. this was too much!

"Kuhuhuhahahahahahahahaha!" He promptly fell over backwards, and landed on his own ass. That was seriously too funny! The man sat there for god knows how long, and wiped the tears from his eyes. Alright, alright. He was the owner of this bar, he needed to be strong and not laugh his ass off. He chuckled, and stood up, staring over the bar. Now, the cat boy was off the face of that man in white. That in itself was good. Who was going to be next through the door? Oh! It was that violet-haired woman. Uhm... Aren, right? Right! He nodded a couple of times and sighed. Well, at least that mean--wait. If Aren was here...

Then the guy helping him up was...

"Celes..." He smiled softly, and stepped out from behind the counter. Instead of walking, he was basically floating on air towards his brother, and when the girl had been brought to her feet, he took his twin brother in a close embrace.

"Good to see you, brother." He pulled away from him and smiled brightly, reaching up behind his head to rub the back of it - it itched. He looked behind Karis, and saw the next entrant. Hm. Cute guy. He smirked, and stepped back, looking at the rest of the crew.

"So, this is the crew, hm?" He grinned slightly, studying each of them from behind a pair of glasses.

[Sal]

Taking a deep breath, he let himself be pulled away from his First Mate's face. After all, it was probably very uncomfortable, maybe even painful, to have a cat chimera clinging to your face. Sal's ears seemed unable to decide what they would do, first dropping, then one of them would perk up again, only to drop once more. It might have been due to the fact that there was a lot of noise going on, each conversation catching his attention. Just one of the things that came with being someone like him, it seemed. With a sigh, he looked up at Sec after making sure his feet were firmly planted...not that he had much difficulty with balance - cat's were known for their good balance, and the boy was no exception. Though that would only last as long as he had his tail, which was sweeping back and forth behind him.

"I guess it wasn't really something a true Captain might do, but... whatever, it already happened, so it's not like I can change it, right?" Sure, he knew that's how things were supposed to be, but it did make him feel a bit insecure. If anyone ended up thinking less of him because of that little stunt, he wouldn't be too happy about it at all. Oh well. He had heard Aren's laughter behind Sec, but paid it no mind at the time. She seemed to really like the place. No, like was an understatement. Something about her behavior in the place made Sal grin childishly, as though he'd just done something to earn the approval of someone he respected. The woman turned to grab the hand of another crew member, Celesto, and that's when the boy noticed the other man. The man with the half skeletal jaw.

The homunculus had to put some effort into keeping himself from staring at it, but he just found it interesting. After all, it wasn't every day you met someone who looked like that. "Devorin?" It seemed that Celes had already talked to the man enough to know him quite well...or something. They did seem to be getting along. At least, that's what his senses told him. He smiled at the man, who was introduced to him as 'Devorin'. His Ishvallan accent was clear, but he seemed to have a decent grasp on the Amestrian language now. "It's good to meet you, too!" Once again his gaze drifted to that jaw...but he caught himself and looked down. Shaking his head, he turned around and walked over to the bar, where Ike and Sec were now sitting, taking the seat next to his Quartermaster. He leaned over the counter to get a good look at him, with a silly smile plastered on his face.

"Ahoy, Quartermaster! Why so...so...uhm...troubled?" he asked, after taking a while to find the right term. The chimera then stretched, pushing his hands all the way across the counter top, and his tail seemed to stretch with him. With a yawn, he returned to his original seating position, thinking for a moment. Sal was someone who hated seeing other people in an unhappy mood, and though Ike didn't seem angry or anything, he preferred others to be in a joyful mood. The chimera then giggled and rubbed against the man's arm and shoulder with a purr before looking up at the bartender. His eyes widened at the sight.

"Whoooaaaaaa, you look just like him!" Sal shouted, pointing at Celes with one hand and the bartender with the other.

[Guest]

"No, no my butt isn't wet guys; I just fell, that's all,"

Ba-thump. Even as she gripped his hand, she could see that something was wrong in his face. That smile lacked the warmth that it usually held. Her eyes flitted across his features, and she sighed softly, letting him pull her up and wiping her slightly wet posterior in order to get anything off of it that she needed to. She was still ever-so-slightly suspicious of the blue-haired man that Celes had invited, but he seemed nice enough - so she would be alright with him... for now. She shook her head softly, and stepped into the store with a slightly muffled sigh.

"Celes..." She turned, and saw the blonde head of hair approaching from behind the counter. Well, well, well. If it wasn't Karis Krow, the one that had been recently brought back from the dead, and the one that had... her eyes lowered.

I suppose you could call it a superpower. Aren's innate senses. She looked back at Celesto, who was now being taken in an embrace by his brother. Everything that she did, she had to be extra careful. If she no longer loved Celes, he'd die. His entire being hinged on the fact that she still loved him, unconditionally. She didn't know if it was a burden that she should've been tasked with bearing, but she knew one thing was certain. She loved him completely, so he would live. If we were to add to that the fact that she constantly had this strange feeling as to exactly what ailed him, and exactly what was needed to help him, then one could quite simply say that she was, in fact, geared perfectly for keeping this man alive...

"So, this is the crew, hm?" A voice broke her thoughts, and she looked at Karis with a pair of unblinking eyes. She looked around the room, taking in the people that were standing there. They were a ragtag bunch, that was for sure - but she actually appreciated all of these people. Her eyes softened, and she rested the bat that she kept in her pants, against a table.

"This seems like it. I don't see that young one, the ant-boy-thing." She was, of course, referring to Jan. Not being mean or anything, but that was her honest understanding of what he was - she didn't quite know his name, just yet...

[Guest]

He felt his brother's arms around him. He felt Aren's eyes on him. He felt Devorin's amusement. It all mixed together and he swallowed, trying to calm his racing heart. ...He wasn't used to this. Bewildered blue eyes shot into the abyss of the man who was once a dead boy and he smiled the coldest smile ever befit upon his pale lips. "I'm home," he cooed in a husky voice, pulling away. He moved closer to Aren without thinking and continued to stare into those eyes that looked like happier versions of himself. Crisp blue...smiling like sky reflected in pool water. There was something wrong with everything and he felt like he just didn't fit in the picture anymore.

He was supposed to die.

Celesto's breath hitched and his head spun slightly. The darkness of his left eye grew darker. The metal of his automail arm grew colder. The nightmare grew real. He bit his lip and looked the other way with a swish of wavy blond hair. They were there...all watching him with those eyes--those eyes... Blurred faces of black rose through the blindness of his eye covered with his usual ornate patch. He wanted to tear it off--wanted to gouge out his eye in hopes to rid himself if it...whatever it was. He saw The World reflected through beady balls of ebony, scratching at his soul and making his mind bleed. They blinked and stared, rolled and flitted. Sweet, sweet falsity. Gears churned with rusted hinges, creaking and cringing, loud and yet listening. Celes almost fell to the floor then, but managed a thin smile. It nearly happened with Devorin on the train. But now...

It was Aren.

Her close proximity triggered it. He knew it, but could not think it; he was being eaten alive. Yellow pointy teeth of shadow sharks delved into his flesh, tearing it limb from limb. The blood pooled through the cracks in the tiles of Karis' new place. It was ruined. Just like that. Ruined. They were curling around Aren--in her hair and through her body. They laid on Devorin's jaw, climbed through his legs, and giggled with mechanical voices. They weren't real, but they were so real. Sweat pearled on the blond's forehead, his face growing paler and paler. He could barely breathe, for fear gripped him and squeezed his lungs into his ribs. They cracked and shattered--his skin melted and fingernails peeled. They ate it all. He was gone, but still standing there horror-stricken. How could...something so grotesque exist among the living?! He gripped the sides of his coat until his knuckles turned white and he was sure that he was going to pass out, but he didn't. His eye burned and jagged pain coursed through every fiber of his being.

It was worse than when he had nearly died saving Karis.

What...what was this? The gears were spinning. They were spinning and going and doing nothing to block out the ghoulish things still there watching--watching even though he himself was no longer there. Celes was gone because he was already eaten--eaten, but still alive--standing there, but in pain. He felt his arm filled with pins reach up to tear at his eye. The eye patch once again clattered to the ground beside his white doc martens. The sound shocked Celes into realization. "Do you understand it? What it feels like? To have someone that you can finally call your own? After all the time I spent running... paranoid... scared to trust those around me... I found him. And I fell in love with him.... And I don't know if I can stand having him gone." ...What was th-- They were gone. The gears...sepia gears of copper and gold feasting on sight wiped them away. The pain was growing, but nothing was there. For once, the gears comforted him.

Reality was thrashing about in his dwindling consciousness--a tenacious grip slipping. "And this," Celesto said in a disoriented voice, "is my twin brother Karis...I," his cheery voice grew dark undertones--eyes dead and blank, "stole him from death." He collapsed onto his knees giggling with his throbbing head in his hands...long gone to the price.

[Guest]

I cannot lie, I felt a bit out of place at first. It seems my partner earlier that day had a yet another secret, he knew all these people already! It is not fair how I’m always kept in the dark. However, I suppose that is not such a horrible thing. After all, these people were going to be family-right? I remember nodding my head ‘yes’ to everyone that I was introduced to. I have a fairly great memory, so I knew I would not have trouble remember all there names.

Sal was the Captain, as he was clearly taking charge over this crew. Mental note, stick to his good side. I don’t want to cause trouble, even if that ‘creature’ stares ever so rudely at my skull. I shouldn’t be surprise; it is hard not to stare intently at it. My mind instantly fluttered back to the train, and I blushed faintly. Celes didn’t stare like the others, he was different, and that was something that drew me more to him. I guess there would be trouble there, because I couldn’t help but notice the looks he kept receiving from Aren. There was some past connection there, and for me, I couldn’t interrupt that. It is not my place, and she going to be an ally.

I still can’t believe that there are two of Celes, that he had a twin brother. Karis. That is quite an intriguing name, and I can already tell that I wanted to know more of him. I made my way over to the bar, never breaking eye contact from Karis. Celes was too busy rattling off things under his breath, and keeping things locked up in his mind. He did that a lot, but why? I remember shrugging before getting a drink of water. The water was chilling, cooling off my burning mouth.

I took the moment to walk pass Sal and ask him a quick question. “Wh-where is the jon? I need to take a leak, if you don’t m-mind.” Dammit! My stutter crept out… again. I needed to take a break, collect my thoughts, and break my eye contact from Karis and Celes. Both were so tempting to gaze at.

[Guest]

"Whoooaaaaaa, you look just like him!" ...he was being pointed at by the little cat boy. And compared to his TWIN brother. Wonder why? The man laughed softly, and reached a hand up behind his head, smiling at the boy.

"Yeah, I suppose I do." He laughed again, shrugged and took a seat at the bar, staring at everyone else with intrigued eyes. His eyes moved around everyone, until they fell onto Celes. What was... the man was in a daze, it seemed. But he was also clawing at his face, and the eyepatch fell off. Karis lunged forwards slightly, and stepped in front of him, staring directly into the blue eyes of the other.

"Celes, are you alright?" He was worried about this man, staring at him carefully. But why wouldn't he be worried? This was his twin brother. The man he'd just reunited with. He was always going to be worried about his brother's state of health. He sighed softly and stood back up, turning away from Celes to go and sit by the bar once more. His gaze suddenly locked with Devorin, and they watched each other for several tense seconds, before the cyan-haired man walked over to him, not taking his eyes from his gaze...

“Wh-where is the jon? I need to take a leak, if you don’t m-mind.” He blinked a few times and finally broke eye contact, pointing behind him with his thumb.

"Down the hall. Men to the left. Can't miss it." He closed his eyes, smiling brightly, before looking back at the rest of the crew with a small smirk on his face.

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