Oh, a Trap

[Guest]

Chalybs rode on his moped around South City, trying to distance himself from the madman he had just met. That man... He was sickening... Sickening beyond words. Chalybs had hardly contained himself, hell he ended up punching the crazed maniac across the jaw... But nothing extreme... That madman was so lucky, he didn't even know it.

He suddenly stopped when he noticed something off about the ground ahead of him. Something about it... Didn't seem right to him. He got off his moped and went to go investigate. He walked up to the edge of what looked odd and went down to his knees, proceeding to move his hand over it. Glass... A thin layer of glass... Enough so that if a person stood on it it'd fall... So a trap. Obviously a trap. Good thing I noticed it.

He stood up and turned around, about to walk back to his moped, but slipped on a rock on the ground. He fell backwards onto the glass and fell through, landing on his back with a metallic thwack. "Ow... Crap..." He muttered to himself. "Pain... A bit of pain... Nothing a guy like me can't handle... Ow..."

After about a minute of lying down doing nothing he stood back up and looked around himself. "Just need to climb up... Nothing too difficult..." He walked up to the side and tried to climb up, only to fall back down again and land on his feet. "Huh... Guess I need a run up..." He walked back a few steps then ran full pelt at the side, jumping up. He put his foot on the wall in an attempt to fling himself upwards, but only found himself falling back down. "Oh crap." He landed on his back with a familiar metallic thwack.

He lay there for a few minutes, contemplating what he should do. After a while he came up with a solution. "Hello?! Somebody please come help me! I... I fell down a trap... My back hurts... I can't get back up! Some... Some help wouldn't go unappreciated! All I need is a small hand... Nothing big!" He began to yell out, asking for help from anyone nearby. Please someone come... Please someone come soon...

[Shula Brighton]

Shula lifted a hand to her forehead, squinting slightly in the warm afternoon sun. The walk to the nearest villange had been long, but well worth it. She loved long walks since they gave her time to think alone and not have to explain herself to anyone. There was so much onher plate right now it wasn't funny, and if she didn't escape off to be alone to think she knew she'd lose her mine. Besides, she needed some supplies and a few groceries as well as the breather, and though things were so very different now, Shula still remembered that little village very well from when she'd lived here before. The people didn't remember her, but that was fine; at least something stayed more or less the same when the world turned upside-down.

She sighed faintly, pausing to put the small sack down and pull the pale silk scarf off from her head and tie it around the hips of her jeans. The deep red tones of the silk scarf stood out against the darker blue and the warm brown skin that was exposed by the black choli top. So much of her clothing had been ruined, but she was more than grateful for what wasn't. Now was a bad time to just casually wear your military uniform and going to tiny villages to ask for help; she had no intention of going back into the hospital any time soon if she could help it. NO. No thinking about depressing serious things right now! That will just make you sicker and die before you can do what you're supposed to. Today had been a good day. She'd had her painkillers, yoga, meditated, got some things taken care of, and in the village had gotten some new poi swings made and found the materials to make new fire bracelets.

It would be a decently long walk back to where she needed to be, but Shula was bored and didn't have her headphones anymore since her house caved in. But she had her head! Taking in a deep breath and loving that there was nobody nearby to care, Shula opened her mouth and bounced slightly as she walked and sang at the same time.

"When darkness fa-alls... Leavin shaaadows in the night. Don't be afra-aid. Wipe that feeear from your eyes! Your des-per-ate lo-ove keeps on driiiiving you wrong. Don't be afraid. You're not a-lo-o-one. The song was very dated and bouncy, and came out when her brother was a baby. The pop artist was long-since forgotten, but dammit Shula loved this song!

"You can run with us! We've got everything you neeed! Run with us! We are freee! C-C-Come with us! I see pa-ssion in your e-e-eyes! Run with us!" Shula's smile returned as the bouncy song played through her head and she sang along, walking up through the area that had, not too long ago, been a bloody battleground. She glanced up as she sang, seeing the very area where Raistlin had found her not too far away, as well as the field she'd booby-trapped. If any haven't been triggered, I should probably set them off so they can refill with dirt so nobody gets hurt. And it wasn't like she didn't have time.

Shula leaned down, looking closely. Most of them had been set off already. Good. She walked through her "mine field" with relative ease, especially since the traps were so large. She continued to bounce along, the ring bouncing against her inconsequential chest as she moved. "Ho-oh-oh, RUN with us! We've got ev-ry-thing you ne-e-eed! Run with us! We are--" "Hello?! Somebody please come help me! I... I fell down a trap... I can't get back up!" Shula stopped in her tracks, listening. Someone else was out here in the nothingness and calling for help? Her stomach sank. Someone fell into one of her traps. Lovely. She picked up her pace, running to where the voice was coming from and looked down into the pit. It was... a teenager.

"Are you hurt? I have a chain if you can climb up..."

[Guest]

Chalybs had closed his eyes, thinking that he would be there for quite a while when he heard... No... That couldn't be right... Singing? Huh... Thank god. It seemed that the person had heard his previous cries for help as they looked down at him from atop the trap. "No... No I'm not injured, thanks!"

He stood up to the sound of his back making a metallic crank sound. "Just feel a bit weird landing this steel back of mine, doesn't normally happen, I try to avoid it. Heheheh... Ow." He looked closer at her a noticed that she was Ishvallan. Oh, an Ishvallan... Never met one before... Well this may be an interesting experience. Or rather a more interesting experience.

He smiled at Shula for a moment. "I heard you singing, you've got quite the voice if you'll allow the compliment." He smiled again. "Though we can talk about that more once I'm out this hole, yes? Its rather stuffy and I think I'd prefer to be out of it then stuck in, wouldn't you?" He chuckled softly.

[Shula Brighton]

Dropping her sack beside her, Shula looked Chalybs up and down. He didn't look hurt, and he said he was just a little sore from landing on his back. Couldn't blame him there. "I heard you singing, you've got quite the voice if you'll allow the compliment." She blushed faintly with a soft smile as she opened up herback with one hand, rumaging though it. "Heh, thank you! Didn't realize I had an audience." Moving down to her knees, Shula began to pull her new poi swings out and the small steel ring she bought for a key ring. That should hold the chains together better than tying the wrist bands and ripping them would. "Though we can talk about that more once I'm out this hole, yes? Its rather stuffy and I think I'd prefer to be out of it then stuck in, wouldn't you?"

Shula nodded as she tugged at the chain to test it. "I'll have you out of there in just a minute! I just need to make this a little longer to reach..." Shula pulled out the coil of Kevlar wicking and quickly began to unroll it, looping through the last link of the chain before the poi and knotting it so that the two ends hung loose. Chains and wicking combined it was now over twelve feet long. She bundled the bulk of it together and dropped it down the side, holding tightly to the end of chain above the second poi.

"I'll hold onto this end and step backwards so you'll have enough tension to climb up... I'd offer to try and pull you myself then I think we may both end up down there."

[Guest]

Chal nodded and grabbed onto the chain. I best pretend to strain myself, just in case... He began to climb up slowly, feigning struggle, puffing and panting all the way until he reached the top. He lay down on the floor and began to force himself to breath heavily as if he was under strain.

"I'm sorry... I'm not very fit... As you can... See... I would've been... Stuck down there... If it weren't... For you." He said between pants. After a while his breathing slowed down and he sat up. "Again, thank you. Who knows how long I would've been stuck down there if you hadn't come along. I can't thank you enough, really." He smiled warmly at Shula as he began to stand up.

He stumbled backwards slightly, then stood straight. "As I said before, you have a nice voice. Are you a professional or something?" He smiled. "My name is Chalybs, but please call me Chal. I'm a traveling Automail Mechanic. I was just passing through on my moped..." He pointed out his moped to Shula. "When I saw something weird on the ground. I went over at and well... Heh... Turned out what I saw was a glass floor..." He rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "I guess I'm clumsy like that... Only I could notice a trap and then fall into it accidentally..." He put his palm on his face. "Such an idiot. Oh well, at least I'm aware of it. Yeah?" He chuckled.

"Wow... I talk allot don't I?" He chuckled again as he rubbed the back of his head. "What's your name?"

[Shula Brighton]

Shula held tight as she felt Chalybs take a hold of the Kevlar and chains, and gave a small Urk! as the sudden weight surprised her, causing her to dig her heels into the dirt as she pulled back in order to keep from falling forward or dropping him. The boy felt like he outweighed her easily by fifty pounds... But then again, she'd been ill for so long that her weight had dropped far below what was healthy, especially after her little run-in with Raistlin screwing with her body. She winced faintly as she held tight, the strain tugging slightly at things that had only just mended back together.

Finally the boy climed out, huffing and puffing, and sat in a heap to catch his breath. Shula slumped back down to her knees, her right hand moving around to rub at her left side just at the edge of her choli where the bandages peeked out slightly. It was mostly healed but still pretty tender. Glancing to Chalybs, Shula gathered her chain and recoiled it, shoving it back into the sack as she pulled out a small bottle of water and offered it to him with a soft smile. "It's no trouble at all! I'm just glad you weren't hurt... It's kind of a long walk back to the village."

"As I said before, you have a nice voice. Are you a professional or something? My name is Chalybs, but please call me Chal. I'm a traveling Automail Mechanic." As he stood, Shula remained sitting and looked up at him. He was young but taller than her... No real stretch there. But he certainly didn't look older than her and might have even been the same age. She shook her head with a small laugh. "Nah, I just amuse myself with it is all. But thank you for saying so!" Slowly she stood, dusting off her jeans and pulling the hem of her top down a little lower to cover the exposed edges of the bandages. She laughed softly as the boy rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed that he fell into the trap that he'd found. "Could have happened to anybody, and the ground around here is pretty loose... And it's very nice to meet you, Chal. I'm Shula."

[Guest]

Chal nodded. "Nice to meet you too, Shula." He said with a smile, then turned to look at the trap which he had fallen into wondering whom might have put it there and for what reason... It seemed like an odd place to put a trap. He shrugged. Eh... Does it really matter? Whoever put it there's probably long gone by now.

He turned around again to look at Shula. "This is just my luck really, ending up falling into a random trap. Whoever put it there's probably long gone... Though I have to wonder, why? Oh well, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that I am not in it anymore, thanks to you." He gave Shula a quick thumbs up with a huge smile before stretching his arms out.

"Phew... I'm getting a bit tired now. I just drove all the way from central, without a break, you see. My guess is that most people would be sleeping for the amount of time I've been awake... Oh well, I guess it just means that I have more energy then most people... It'll probably go away when I end up older, sadly or not so sadly depending on your view." He shrugged and walked next to his moped to sit on it.

"Say Shula, are you from the village then? Or are you a traveler like me?" He asked, curious. Can't rule out that she's a traveler, seen as she's an Ishvallan. Though her parents might of moved here before she was born, possibly. He smiled. "Wow, I'm so nosy... You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I just like to know little things for absolutely no reason. I'm weird like that, you know?"

[Shula Brighton]

Once he caught his breath the boy certainly seemed... chatty. At least he was the friendly sort! Quite a nice change of pace since the world had gone to hell and everyone was so damn gloomy... Not that she could blame them, being that she was pretty down about a lot of things herself, but when you're only surrounded by sad people or angry people and talking about sad things that make you angry, it ameks it very awkward to be the only person trying to stay upbeat in all of this mess. Shula pulled out a second bottle of water for herself and took a long sip, glancing down at the trap and then out into the distance toward the crater as Chal wondered why it was there in the first place.

"They're leftover from the war," Shula replied quietly, her hand raising to gesture to the vast plain and then toward the crater in the distance. "The area's been cleaned up pretty well, but it looks like they missed a few. I"m glad you weren't hurt, though. I said, it's kind of a long walk back to the village for a doctor." As Chalybs walked back to his moped, Shula picked up her sack and put her water back into it, trading it for a power bar and unwrapping it.

So he was a traveling automail mechanic and he'd just drove all the way from Central. That was some stamina. Shula smiled softly, slightly envious of al the energy he must have had; back when she was still going to the clinic she at least had some energy. She broke off a bite of the bar and downed it before breaking off another piece to offer to Chal. "Say Shula, are you from the village then? Or are you a traveler like me?"

"Nope, not a traveler. More like a refugee. I've just come from Central." Shula's smile saddened slightly but remained up. "I was actually born here in South... Lived and worked here, too, until it was destroyed last year. Since then I've been living in Central, but now..." Shula rubbed the back of her neck lightly, her smile tired and a little sad but still there before perking back up. "But they say third time's the charm, right?"

[Guest]

"The war, didn't you say" Chal clenched his fists. "You know, as an Automail Mechanic, I've heard that tragedies like war are good for my business... That I should look forward to them." He spat on the floor. "Such a disgusting thought, it totally negates why I became an Automail Mechanic. Because I wanted to help people gain back what they lost, or gain what they never had before. I'd offer my services for free, but we all have to earn money somehow."

He relaxed his fists again and smiled. "And yeah, third time's the charm indeed. I hope you're lucky enough so you don't have to move around again, stuff like that can be stressful I hear." He looked in the direction of the crater. "Didn't the person who did this see how much he was going to hurt people? Or didn't he care... I hope it was the former, I like to think that people aren't so malicious to do such things..."

He chuckled then looked at the floor in thought. "I like to think that people, that life, is inherently a beautiful thing. That above all humans want to protect rather then destroy..." He looked at the sky. "But the last person I told that to... He said I was stupid and naive, or something to that effect..." He tilted his head to the side. "Something about that guy... Something wasn't right... He shoved a gun in my hand and moved it to his head. I didn't pull the trigger, I could never bring myself to kill someone, but when I didn't he... He called me weak..."

Chal sighed. "I think that having to resort to killing... That's true weakness... But I'm just a kid, and it seems that most people disagree with me... But who gives a damn! Though I had to wonder..." He looked Shula in the eye. "Shula... Am I weak for not killing a man who was clearly going to go on to kill others, even telling me that he would? Am I naive for thinking the best of people? I... I have to know whether or not I did the right thing..."

[Shula Brighton]

"War is good for business." Yeah, that was a pretty old rule of almost every trade if you had one that supplied any sort of goods. Food, repairs, metal-crafting and artisans... even bartenders and shopkeepers became valuable assets during wartime. Automail mechanics were highly prized for their skills. But Shula hardly agreed with the rule; having just been through one she still didn't see what good would come of all the fighting. While it seemed RIOTE would have attacked regardless of Creta's invasion or not, neither certainly helped achieve any peace anywhere. Shula shook her head softly. "No... That's the reason someone should pursue their love or trade. The common good; not profit. My paid job only does so much good; it's more paperwork than anything. But the things I believe in and work toward..." A small hand moved up to hold the ring on the chain, following Chal's gaze to the now water-filled crater.

"I wish I knew what they were thinking, or even how or why they would do this... South really was a beautiful city. It was a lot cleaner than Central was, and so many of the people were so nice and came here to make better lives for their families." Shula's voice trailed a moment slightly as she let out a deep breath. It had been a year, but the wound still felt so fresh. That really had been a hurt that took some serious grief counseling to get through enough to return to work. It had taken months for her to stop rushing for her cell phone every time it buzzed, waiting for it to be her cousins wanting to catch her for breakfast, or her coworkers needing her to do another teensy little favour that would take all day, or Gustav wanting to study... Working at Central had eased a lot of that ache, but nothing would ever fill that void. And now with so many more friends and loved ones lost to her, part of her wondered how she'd manage to hold together.

"I like to think that people, that life, is inherently a beautiful thing. That above all humans want to protect rather then destroy..." Shula took another sip of her water, listening. The kid really got on a soap box once he got going, but it was nice at least to listen to someone who wasn't just after taking the reins to be top dog. South was their's again, and Shula had such large hopes and dreams for the area. She didn't know what would actually happen, but life was built on dreams and ideals somewhere along the lines. She blinked in surprise. "...Seriously? He handed you a gun and dared you to kill him then and there? That's sick."

Shula met Chal's eyes and held his gaze unwavering. "Shula... Am I weak for not killing a man who was clearly going to go on to kill others, even telling me that he would? Am I naive for thinking the best of people? I... I have to know whether or not I did the right thing..." The tone of his voice. The pure confusion that almost bordered on hurt. She knew that voice and that feeling all too well and shook her head. She didn't know the boy, but... He sounded like he needed it. Taking a small breath, Shula stepped closer to him and opened her slim arms, closing them around his torso gently. She gave a small squeeze. "Sometimes the greatest weapon we can use against anyone is genuine mercy and pity." She let go of the teen and stepped back, smiling gently.

"You aren't weak, and you aren't a fool. If you know what you believe in, fight for it and never lose sight of it, or let anyone turn you away from it. Since I was little I've been fighting and defying everything that I shouldn't in order to do what I feel is right, even though it's caused me more problems than not. As much as that hurts, I refuse to be broken or falter because I know what I have to offer is what is needed." Shula glanced down at her supply bag, putting her hands in her pockets, and smiled back up at Chal. "So no matter what Fate throws your way, stand your ground. All of us are capable of going one way or another, but sometimes sharing a little kindness will make it easier for those around to do the same."

[Guest]

{BUMP}

[Guest]

When Shula wrapped her arms around Chalybs he was utterly confused, this being the first time anyone had hugged him ever. This was due to both his parental figures being male, and thus more 'hands-off' when it came to parenting, and him never knowing any girl enough to ever get a 'girlfriend'. Flabbergasted, not even knowing what a hug was even called, he did nothing until she let go of him again.

For a little while he continued to do nothing, until he finally snapped out of his confusion. "I... Thanks. Thank you Shula. I know you're right, you're completely and utterly correct in every single way!" Chalybs smiled at Shula. "When I set out to become J- When I set out to become what I am, I had the idea that I would never give up on my dream! My dream to help others, no matter the cost to me."

He raised his hand to head level and clenched his fist. "Maybe that way I can set an example, making others do the same!" Chal's cheeks suddenly turned read as he scratched the back of his head another time. "There I go again, sounding like some kind of cheesy hero off of a TV show... Heh. Kinda silly, ain't it? Perhaps I should stop shouting that kind of thing out loud..." He shrugged. "Ah, what the hell, I'll say whatever I do say. It's not like I ever cared about what people think of me before..."

He looked at the floor as his cheeks turned red again. "Um... Shula... What was that thing called when you wrapped your arms around me? N... Nobody's ever done it to me before, so I don't really know..." His cheeks grew even redder, made even worse by his incredibly powerful heart.

[Shula Brighton]

The look on the tall teen's face as Shula hugged him was beyond adorable; did he just get bitten by an insect and didn't want to say anything. Guess he wasn't big on personal space invasions. Slowly the expression faded and he smiled again, feeling she'd been right. Well, he'd be one of the few, but that was sweet at least and good that she'd made him feel a bit better. After meeting a psychopath most peoeple either needed therapy or ice cream. Or theraputic ice cream.

Helping others no matter what the personal cost, and hope that others ould follow the example and continue to pass the kindness on themselves. That really was all anyone could do, but it was nice to see someone take some initiative for a change. Shula reached out her hand and patted the side of Chal's arm encouragingly. "There ya go! Just stay confident about your goals and you'll get where you want to be eventually." It was tired old advice and sounded horribly cliche, but it was true. Shula had worked her ass off in the Military, fought blatant racism and favortism, stood against bets and people doing anything they could to get rid of her at times to the point of putting her safety at risk, but over the years she'd withstood them all.

"It's taken me a few years to get anywhere and start really getting things into effect. Lots of trial and error. ....Mostly error. But still! Just keep at it." She had no idea what these boy's goals were, but he'd set out to make them work for him, and that was good enough; the fact that he wanted to help people? Even better. Her grandfather's wisdom rang through the back of her mind as she picked her bag back up, listening to Chalybs. The kid kinda had a soap box thing... But as long as it worked for him. "We need not fear the dangers of evil men, but the indifference of good men. I think as long as you're being proactive, people will pay more attention to what you do rather than what you say."

While people would hold you to your word, actions did still speak louder than words and would define who you were as a person. Even in the little nearby village, Rosenhelm, Shula had had to make a few agreements and make good on all of her offers before she had been able to set up transactions to sell supplies to the Military. "Um... Shula... What was that thing called when you wrapped your arms around me? N... Nobody's ever done it to me before, so I don't really know..." The question threw her slightly off guard. So he really didn't know what she was doing?

"It's called a hug. Not always appropriate for everyone, but it's a physical gesture for affection or comfort. It makes people feel better!" Shula smiled warmly, her bright eyes shining happily.

[Guest]

BUMP

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