Dissonant. Very dissonant.

[Envy]

Envy had started to realize things about himself. Most of them weren't that interesting and/or important, but this one was. Whenever something didn't go according to how he thought it would, he would find someplace quiet and think stuff trough. This place happened to be lately destroyed Kremlin. It was quite nice and calm in there and was excellent place for that kind of thing, after he had found a bench to sit on and dragged it there, next to a building, and then proceeded to lie on it. The building was still somehow intact, only a lot shorter. His appearance had been slightly altered. Instead of a white hooded jacket, it was now black. And added with some resistance to cold to not to seem too suspicious. Same thing had happened with his trousers, which were still grey. He had also bothered to put some boots on, for the sake of realism. They too were gray. He was back in his original appearance, which was a skinny albino with a tattoo in his front torso. However, Envy had allowed to let his hair grow to his upper back from the back. There was no particular reason for that, he just had felt like it. ''I have confirmed that Vanity is truly the one in head of this country'', he started to summarize the current situation inside his head. ''She is also probably with this RIOTE, which is the reason why I came here in the first place. I should probably approach her, but it might be difficult at the moment with all this stuff that has happened''. Few snowflakes landed on his face, but frankly Envy didn't care at the moment if it would start to snow. ''So where to proceed from here?''

[Guest]

So, it was a bit odd. But, the Kremlin still was a wonderful symbol in blessed Drachma. Or something like that . . . actually, Hei could really care less.

Right now, they were dealing with the wreckage of Moscow, every conscript , office and member of the penal troops were being put to work to try to get things moving. Just because they had won the war didn't mean they could sit around and drink festively. Drachma was in a highly fragile state, even if the might of RIOTE. So, first things first, making sure Moscow was functioning as a whole and then expanding the control outward to the whole of Drachma.

And that's where he and many others in similar positions came in. They had spent the past days after the war purging the city of Czar loyalists. The duty was rotated, so the burden could be equally shared.

So, now ... he had been managing ... stuff. For some reason, he had taken upon himself to check through the whole issue of financing the current military. Needless to say, his blood was boiling at how skewed all the numbers were, but oddly he felt that this wasn't the worse. . . .

So, he kept his figuring and emotions to himself, writing all sorts of things. If all went well, he'd end up the Head of Military Operations and Affairs: Technically the limited his responsibility to the activity of their military and nothing much else. But, ... eh

'Such quiet ... I'd never imagine this was possible, especially given that war . . . ' he pauses in his brisk walk, taking in how ... truly peaceful the world about him seemed, now that the cacophony of war had faded.

And that was about when he noticed a little bit off to his right, someone was lying on a bench . . . why was he lying on the bench? His curiosity piqued as to why there was a bench and someone on it, brought him closer to this individual.

"Good morning~! What're you doing, lying on a bench out here?" he calls out in a firm, but friendly voice. After all, he didn't want to scare or terribly surprise this person, whoever it was. The Drachman of Xing descent remained upright, still feeling a little stiff from the uniform he was wearing, and a whole folder of papers underneath one of his arms, but still his attention focused on ... whoever this person in grey was, while maintaining a sort of small smile to them.

[Envy]

Envy was annoyed to hear someone to talk. This was his moment to think stuff trough. On the other hand, he could use this opportunity to mutilate this cheerful fuck who happened to stumble there. His eyes wandered to take a look of his face. And he recognized him in an instant. That Xingese bastard who had identified him back when Central City was still intact. ''You'', Envy said with relatively calm, yet wrathful voice. That had to be that tranquil fury some people speak of. He stood up slowly from the bench, but his hand, which helped him to get up, wasn't as calm as Envy's words could say and accidentally broke the bench a bit. His grip didn't seem to care about this and squeezed harder to break those already broken pieces. He was staring this man directly into this man's eyes, which was easy seeing that they were around the same height. ''Mr. Bai, what makes you think you can ruin my day second time and get away with it?'' Envy was barely keeping his act together. One could tell from his voice. And his other hand. It was shaking a bit from all that squeezing. Not noticeably though. Whatever the case was, it wouldn't be hard to tell that he was angry.

[Guest]

That one accusatory word caused Hei's eyes to widen a little. Not of shock, nor of fear, but rather to open them so as to allow his eyes to give a full on stare at the person who was apparently pissed at him. . . . Oh dear, was he a relative to some Czar loyalist who he had executed in the past few days? If so, this was going to be horribly awkward.

And then there was a massive disconnect. Yes, he knew that this person apparently hated him ... or something like that, and was so upset he crushed the side of the bench, and his hand seemed to be uninjured from that (and even more surprising feat in Hei's eyes). He knew that this fellow was glaring right at him, his eyes focused directly at him and glaring with intense hate ... but ... his words. What he said confused Hei, and the Xingese-Drachman was so taken aback that he took a step backwards, confusion slipping into his expression. His mouth opened, as though he were trying to say something ... but at such a lost for words, he just stood there mouth slightly agape.

"Pardon . . . ? My name's not ... Bai. It's Hei ... and ... I've never met you before today . . . ?" he says, finally, after a pause and incredibly thick tension. His expression, namely his eyes (especially considered they had considerably widened from their default state), display his utmost confusion prominently, hell ... even his tone of voice was a bit hesitant, as he didn't know exactly what was going on. . . . ? Had he been mistaken for someone else?

"And ... is your hand alright? I mean, you ... did just a crush part of the bench . . . " he tentatively adds, actually worried for the individual in front of him . . . or at least, a little worried that there didn't seem to be any actual injury . . .

[Envy]

Part of Envy's hatred had turned into a surprised. The object of the said hatred was acting weirdly. He seemed to be in a complete state of surprised, that one could never expect to happen. This made Envy's chain of thoughts a bit less murderous and enough clear to think about this situation and what was happening. The correction that that Xingese man made didn't correct anything. It was contradicting. He had claimed that he wasn't called Bai and his name was Hei. From Envy's point of view, both of those names were correct. And Hei should have known that. The fist of homunculus loosened up a bit, enough to let those bits of wood out of his hand. And now Hei seemed to be worried about Envy's hand, while he should have possessed the information of him being a homunculus. And that meant that he should have known that Envy could just regenerate any damage he would take.

Envy's expression changed from fury to curiosity. ''Just one more test'', he decided as he started to explain things. ''What are you talking about?'' It should be noted that his tone of voice was noticeable more friendlier than before. Even his fist had stopped shaking. ''We met in Central City before it got blown up. You caught a thief who had stolen your wallet. And you introduced yourself as Hei Bai''. Envy took a little break in his speech. If that person really had changed that much, he would need some time to let that information to sink in. ''So both of us were right on the subject of your name, were we not?''

[Guest]

''What are you talking about?''

. . . Oh dear. Those were NOT comforting words . . . so, the confusion was probably mutual, but if it was, then there was practically no way for either of them to figure out just what in the name of the Soviet Bear's sake. All Hei could manage, in addition to his puzzled expres​sion(furrowed brows, a frown, and a curious look in his eyes) was a bit of sudden blinking . . .

''We met in Central City before it got blown up. You caught a thief who had stolen your wallet. And you introduced yourself as Hei Bai."

. . . Okay. Now Hei was officially weirded out. If anything, he looked terribly confused, or really, even more horribly confused than earlier, if that were possible! He was in Central? He had met this man? His name was Hei Bai? Central was in Amestris, no? It's capital, right? And this fellow, he did not know his name, but apparently Hei once lived in Central and met this fellow while chasing down a ruffian, and called himself Hei Bai? Well, he was Hei, but his surname was Jin, not Bai! Silver, not White!

Hell, he hadn't notice that the fellow had stopped talking, instead, he was reviewing what he knew and ... quite frankly, all these statements and their implications were almost too much, his right hand (still bandaged from prior wounds) was now massaging his temple while his eyes shut for a moment. Clearly, he was having a serious mental issue with everything he'd be told.

'As far as I know, I've been in Drachma all my life. That's it. None of my memories suggest I've been anywhere else. But ... they did say I had come from the South, in other words from Amestris. . . . But, I knew my name was "Hei Jin" not ... "Hei Bai" . . . so, even if I was in Amestris, why would my name change all of a sudden?! . . . But what if what he says is true? ... And that means he knows of my past?!'

''So both of us were right on the subject of your name, were we not?''

. . .

"No ... we still are not. I have never used the surname 'Bai' before . . . only 'Jin.' And, also I . . . for as far back as I can remember, I have resided in the lands of Drachma, and have never once left its borders to enter Amestris." His response came after several awkward pauses later . . . he seemed to be thinking, how exactly to phrase his words. And well, when he did speak, he still had the genuinely frightened and puzzled look, fear that what this strange person was saying was true. If it were true ... no. It couldn't be true, nothing he could remember could support it, and no one else knew anything about those circumstances so . . .

"Just ... It's just ... . . . You. Who are you? And how on Earth do you know me?!" fear was seeping into him. Irrationality, really, as he began to lose track of what is was he was saying. To be honest, that was an honest question, since he considered (or at least seemed to be) the words of this stranger to be false by default since it conflicted with his memories, and thus wondered just how in the name of heck he ... 'knew' him, or at least recognize him on sight . . . Still, he kept his voice level, though anxiety could be clearly seen from him. Although that was perfectly normal, considering it's not everyday someone comes along accusing to have met you (or more accurately had a day ruined by you) while you were using a different last name during a time in which you knew for a fact you were in a different place than than suggested area, since you would never be in that area in the first place.

Things ... were ... weird ... now. And he could feel his right arm shifting a bit, unfortunately at the beginning stages of morphing, responding to his anxiety much like it responded to his anger . . . . . .

[Envy]

Envy was now sure about it. This man, Hei, didn't remember him at all. Or any of his time in Amestris either. Envy's curiosity changed into something most people would call happiness. If he had been lucky, this man hadn't told anyone about true nature of Riku Silver to anyone before this surprising amnesia. He could use his form more freely, although he was doing it already. But there was another reason for his change of mood. Since Hei didn't exactly know HOW much Envy knew about his own past, Envy could use this chance to torment him a little. Or much more, depending on how well that would go.

Envy's facial expression remained determined as ever. For now, he had to seem like he was dead serious about this matter. Which he was just moments ago. But now it was pure joy of tormenting this annoying foreigner. ''That's quite rude, isn't it? Forgetting my name like that. I bet you don't even remember that Amestrian colleague of yours, who was so dedicated to her duty as an Amestrian militant to catch a single thief''. Envy took few steps forward and brought his left palm in the middle of his chest, as to indicate that he was talking about his own experiences. ''You even went as far as to speak to me in your native language, so that only you and me would understand what you said''. Envy was still keeping his serious tone of his voice. Otherwise this dialogue would have seemed too exaggerated.

Envy brought his hand back down, as to use language of his body to strengthen his own words. ''And still you don't remember me or the horrible thing you did to me''. Tone of his voice went lower and so did his head lean forwards and downwards a little. He wasn't actually sad. Of course not. He specifically didn't want this man to remember the thing he had done. But speeches have never cured an amnesia before. Especially when they were from such a small and insignificant memory like that. Suddenly he raised his head to make an eye contact again. This time his eyes weren't that sharp or intimidating. They were sympathetic and sad. ''What do you even remember, if nothing at all?''

[Guest]

. . . This was ridiculous. Here he was, trying to reconcile seemingly incomprehensible streams of madness from this individual's mouth with whatever pits of madness were locked up inside his head. And the fellow in front of him kept rambling ... and rambling about how he had done something. It was absurd!

Or so went the reasoning behind Hei's fractured mind. To be honest, while he was a bit afraid of what this conversation could mean, when the person in front of him resumed talking, that irrationality was starting to fade out. And be replaced by an ever-gnawing sense of hate.

". . . I suppose I have to be honest. I remember nothing, not one single thing further back than seven months ago, when Amestris was devastated." Fear had drained out of him, his expression was beginning to even out a little, returning to a state of normalcy. It was clear he was still unhinged about this whole affair, but he wasn't shocked or scared out of his wits or anything of the sort.

"Before we go any further with this conversation, though, I would like to ask for your name . . . and as to whether you hail from Amestris or not . . ." he asks calmly. To be perfectly honest, he wished to know this exactly who this fellow was. By name. And whether he considered himself a Drachman or an Amestrian, that was more important. If the fellow were Drachman, back in a time of peace in Amestris, that would explain why he was here in Drachma, now that hostilities had resumed. That, and maybe the name would help him a bit ... and his next question would be about that 'Amestrian' colleague and how he could find her and kill her, since it was too ridiculous.

[Envy]

Envy's face took its more serious and sharp appearance as he noticed that Hei's temporal instability was fading little by little. That wasn't good. It would be hard to bring that state back. On the other hand, he could just do what he had planned to do right from the beginning. Kill this man called Hei. Which didn't seem like a bad idea at the moment, as he doubted that he could bring that insecure state back. Envy sighed before he would answer to those questions directed towards him. ''I suppose that telling you few things can't harm me. Very well then''. His right hand saw as its duty to start cleaning his left arm from falling snow as he started to speak. ''First of all, I don't hail for Amestris. I don't hail for Drachma. I hail to no one''. Left hand did what the right one had done just now. ''Secondly, I don't think that this conversation will go much further''. Envy's left hand moved back to its original position. ''And thirdly..''

Envy brought his right arm near his left ear, like he was about to hit someone on his right really hard. However, he lashed his hand back to his side, to a place where it was before. But there was an additional thing with that swing of an arm. Envy started to change the form of his arm just before the swung started. It transformed during the swing and when the arm had reached the end of this swing, Envy's hand had been modified. Instead of fingers, there were now 150 centimeter long blades replacing his fingers. Metal went up to his wrist and after that it was quite hard to tell where his skin ended and metal started. The swing had also moved Envy's right leg a bit backwards, to get a better footing for an upcoming conflict. ''My name is Envy''. Modified hand was moved over his neck, so that his eyes were seen between two of his blades. ''And that's the only thing you'll ever have to worry about in your shortened life''.

[Guest]

. . . He knew about Chimera. RNB was a division of RIOTE, and given he had met a couple of the underlings working in there, he knew about Chimera. That and the issue with the Brotherhood in Creta. Yeah. That was annoying, but still that helped him understand what Chimerae were.

Then he knew about Alchemist and Alkahestrists. They were odd people, and he still had an innate hatred for them, but he had come to be a little more accepting and understanding of these researchers and practioneers.

So . . . considering he knew about these two groups and the crazy things they could do, seeing the individual's hand turn into blades wasn't as shocking as he had expected. I mean, yes, he was concerned about his life and ready to fight, but he wasn't freaking out (like a normal person would), especially since the way this person had been talking earlier had seemed odd ... and threatening.

So, Hei, already sidling back a bit, but ready for battle, was more amused at this scene than anything else. That, and this fellow had called himself 'Envy' . . . and that name felt off.

Why did it feel off?

. . .

"Envy." he repeats ...

"Envy . . Lust . . Gluttony . . Greed . . Sloth . . Wrath . . Pride . . Vanity." he speaks, despite the pauses between each word, quickly. Eyes blinking for a moment . . . as something was trying to click.

"Ahhhh. I see now. You are like Premier Alena ... and the Left Rook. You are Envy . . . they are Vanity and Greed. You are ... what the Amestrians call . . . Homunculus . . . But we Drachmans like to call you monsters."

And as if to further emphasize the point, gunshots rang out. And a number of bullets, like a storm of metal, came flying at Envy, while the other Drachman militants (dozens of them) who had been working around the Kremlin to repair it (or find injured and wounded) all screamed the very word Hei used.

"MONSTER!!!"

'RIOTE has taught me much about your kind. And those that stand in the way of RIOTE and Drachma, are aligned with the true monster: The original Homunculus, Father. So, you, Envy, must be here to try to sabotage us. I won't let that happen . . ." he does voice the last of his thoughts, but only sounding them aloud, rather than trying to speak with the opponent.

The Xingese-Drachman immediately bolted. His weapons were left behind, fortunately closeby in a Colonel's vehicle, but as to where the vehicle was parked was a good number of meters away. So, for once, he was thankful that Drachman militants were trigger-happy people, and were shooting like crazy at Envy, while he made a quick (two to three second) break to get armed. The prior mentioned cowardly Colonel was ducking behind said car with his firearm drawn, and Hei standing beside him demanding for keys to open up the car and get his arms. He had clear line of sight to Envy, but . . . his whole attention wasn't quite there, considering he was more worried on getting a gun, or at the very least his 'blade.'

[Envy]

Envy was receiving some new information here. First of all, even though Hei seemed to have forgotten about his time on Amestris, he still knew about homunculi. Secondly, continuing on the first subject, he had met Vanity and Greed. Quite interesting. Thirdly, he was apparently capable of immerse into his acting quite well, being able to ignore other details.

Fourthly, Drachmans didn't like him very much.

Envy decided that it was best to start making some preventive dodging as other soldiers started to took aim. He remembered that there was a building quite directly behind him. And it was not in its best shape. He took a leap backwards. He was still in mid-air when Drachman's started to fire. They didn't quite hit him before he crushed a part of wall with his back, with a help of momentum. That short jump ended after that and Envy landed inside of that building. Hiding wasn't his tactic. Not even close. He just needed some extra time to make his trick. Envy's body started to emit red flashes as his body started to transform again. If his skin would have been actually visible, it would have been seen to be covered with a black layer of something. This was carbon and the trick was to actually copy Greed, for he had the best shield. Although Envy's wouldn't be actually that tough. He would have to practice more to make that happen. But he was quite positive that it could stand anything those Drachman drunks could throw at him. The black was then covered with shiny metal. Only because it made this armor to look better. Although he was unable to protect his eyes, but hopefully it would go unnoticed. He had also reverted his finger-blades, but that was entirely another reason.

Envy walked calmly out of the building, which caused the soldiers to resume their fire. The fact that their target was looking so different than before didn't seem to stop them. Envy picked the closest soldier, made a surprisingly quick sprint to him and hurled a very heavy fist right on his chest. It was much more stronger than it looked. Envy could actually feel his sterrum to break. He also seemed to make a small flight trough the air, but Envy couldn't verify that. His eyes were locked on the pistol that guy just dropped. He would take any chances on a group this big. He took it with a firm grip from it and tried to shoot few soldiers. Emphasis on ''try''. Envy didn't have that good aim with a gun, mainly because he didn't really have a need to use it. But this was an exception. And he seemed to be causing even some damage with it. The magazine was already nearing to an end, so it was only natural that he ran out of bullets quite quickly. Deciding that it was time for another tactic, Envy tossed the gun away and started to make another sprint. This time towards Hei.

[Guest]

Well, it was annoying, to say the least. The Colonel had lost his keys. More accurately, that bumbling coward had dropped his keys into the snow, and was now fumbling to find them. So, while the buffoon was trying to dig them out, Hei had to focus his attention back to the Homunculus, and noted that he had fled inside a building. Well, more like jumped backwards through the air and landed into the entryway of what appeared to be the remains of a window into the building to avoid fire.

Whatever it was planning on doing in there was going to be hell. You see, there was a few problems, which originated Hei's memory: Number one, although he knew the names of the Homunculi, he did not recall what all their powers were. Number two, he knew well enough that creative enough Homunculi could invent good uses for their powers, regardless of the seemingly-limited use they have.

So, while the asinine colonel kept digging for keys, he just simply gave a word of apologies. "Hope your car's insured."

And smashed his right hand through the wretched thing. And ripped off whatever was obstructing his means of acquiring weapons. Yeah, he basically tore off the covering of the trunk with little effort. This was about when Envy was getting out of the building, and Hei was not unaware of this: He clearly saw the Homunculus walking out with that blasted armor and getting shot with minimal damage.

'But that can't be right . . . the shield ability belongs to Lord Greed . . . Unless he's mimicking it?' muses the Xingese-Drachman, as he removes his chainsaw now modified for appropriate use in the cold northern regions. He also noted there was a nice shotgun in the trunk, as well . . . couldn't tell where it came from, but it had a nice design to it, what with a barrel drum magazine and all.

"Sorry, colonel, but I'll have to borrow this: Could be useful against that monster" he plainly states, gripping the shotgun with his left hand and stepping back to see how things were going. And things did not look pretty. One poor soldier had been brutally knocked down, hopefully still alive, but at this point in time, he couldn't tell.

Fortunately, as the Homunculus was opening fire with the firearm he swiped from the downed soldier, the others scrambled for cover, a number of them were wounded (five, it seemed, though the injuries weren't that severe, blessed be the Soviet Bear) but at least they could still fight.

"IF ANY OF YOU HAVE SPECIALTY ROUNDS, ARMOR-PIERCING, FOR INSTANCE! USE THEM NOOOOOW!" he shouts, which apparently drew the attention of the Homunculus (maybe), who had used up the ammo for the gun and tossed it aside. Now, the Monster from Amestris was turning towards Hei . . . who was expecting this. To put simply, he had laid the shotgun (dropped it, actually) onto the ground and was already bending down shortly after he shouted (and noted that Envy was facing him).

It took about a second for him to lift up the car, just as the Homunculus (at least from what he could see) was starting a quick dash towards him. PERFECT. It took less than a second to fling the car forward at the charging Homunculus.

Now, there were two ... no ... three scenarios that seemed most likely for Hei: Scenario one, the Homunculus fails to dodge and the car slams into him with the force of a boulder dropping down from the sky and sends him back into the building he had earlier jumped into. The most unlikely scenario, but the most favorable. Scenario two, the Homunculus jumped off to the sides, therefore evading the worst of that attack. Highly probable, as Homunculi still don't unreasonable put themselves at risk. Alright, he supposed, as after throwing the car he was stooped down a little, enough to snag the shotgun by the handle with his left arm and grab the chainsaw/sword he had earlier impaled into the ground with his right. So, his enemy would be minorly off-guard (or not) and he could begin his assault. Scenario three: The Homunculus jumps over the car. Highly likely. Also favorable, as moving yourself while in mid-air is hard to do: So that makes an easy target for him to fling the chainsaw/sword like a giant spinning thing of doom and even if his serrated weapon didn't cut him (which was unlikely given that the teeth on it were powerful enough to grind just about anything into powder), the impact and weight of it would be enough to leave a mark ... and knock him back.

Well, there was a fourth scenario: He just stops the car or slices it in half. Well, that's why he had a shotgun. So, let's see what happens, from the Homunculus who was only seven meters away from him when a car thrown longways at ludicrous speed. How would he react? Either way, Hei was more than ready to slice him, shoot him, or throw something else rather heavy for the sake of it.

[Envy]

Envy didn't want to find out whether those ''specialty rounds'', which were mentioned by the amnesiac Xingese, would be able to penetrate his armor or not. It wasn't his primary thing to worry about either. What was his primary worry then? Well, maybe it was that car the said foreigner had just thrown at him. Which was, at least the last time he had checked, quite hard for a human to do. But this wasn't time to ponder this question. Envy had about few seconds before he was hit by that car. This was all getting too difficult to handle in the current state of this homunculus. ''Screw it'', he announced to himself as he stopped his movement and brought his hands to protect himself

The impact was... amazingly hard. It was actually hard enough to be able to send Envy flying with it. And considering his mass, it was pretty impressive feat. His arms weren't much of a help, but they did protect his more vital parts. Even if only a little, it would still increase Envy's chances to not spending another life out of his stone. And decreased when he was slammed into the building he just got out of, still by the force of the car. Luckily it wasn't inhuman enough to send him trough the building. Some red light emitted out of his body shortly after the movement had stopped. The impact had gotten trough his armor, which wasn't really a surprise. But it somehow hadn't killed him. ''Well what do you know, it truly is my lucky day''. Sometimes he regretted working alone. There were so many snarky comments just going waste. Envy crammed himself out of the inner wall he had hit and the car that had pushed him into it and made a brief look on the car's condition. Smashed-up. And unfortunately, it wouldn't start anymore. ''Oh well, at least I can repay the favor''. He then proceeded to make a firm position and started to lift the car himself.

A car was thrown out of the building, right back at the sender. Envy may not look like a very strong individual, but that doesn't change the fact that he possessed a mass of two tons. Certainly his throw would have more power in it. He emerged from the hole once again, with a bit more torn outfit and a piece of the very same building, which he had picked up from the inside. ''Pathetic!'' was the yell, aimed mostly towards Hei, which could be heard as he threw that piece of building as well. But this time, he aimed at the other soldiers. ''Try that with something bigger and maybe you'll make a scratch!'' Envy picked up a metallic pipe near the ''entrance'' of the building. He would need some range for his attacks.

[Guest]

A red flash. Alchemy . . . no. What was he told, when he interrogated that Amestrian Alchemist? . . . That's right, red lights for transmutation means there's a Philsopher's Stone involved: And all Homunculi have a stone they must use for their powers or their regeneration.

Odd. He didn't even throw the car at full force since his right arm was recuperating from being blasted with lightning, and his left still had a partial fracture, from the war. Was that shield not as tough as it looks? But then why couldn't bullets puncture it? Unless, they actually dented the armor, since speed can easily compensate for mass in terms of power . . . that means normal bullets didn't have the power to punch through however thick an armor that is, whereas the mass and speed at which the car did?

'Armor-piercing rounds, then, should easily strike through the armor on the entry, but . . . since that shield seems to be tough, it's more like they won't go through but remain lodged inside the Homunculus. . . . Perfect, I don't think he can regenerate and have that shield on still at the same time, especially not if he has to remove bullets from inside him.'

The Xingman's thoughts were interrupted as he noted the car was coming back to him, which elicited a cry from the troops. Not that it mattered. It was a piece of plastic, mostly, anyway. And his chainsaw was already up and ready, considering after he threw the car he made sure to start the engine. So, while the car was flying back at him, the Xingese raised the chainsaw, pointing it towards the sky, as he made sure that the shotgun's strap were around his neck, so it wouldn't fall to the ground.

Moment til the car, flying at a pretty quick speed, hits him . . . one second: His hands were both on the hilt of his blade. And with a swift cut that was the combination of gravity and absurd force in his arms, the chainsaw broadsword dropped down, halt the car's course by directing it downwards, and eventually slicing its way through the car also. The men were impressed, the Homunculus didn't seem to be as he then called out.

''Pathetic! Try that with something bigger and maybe you'll make a scratch!" while throwing a piece of a building at the men. Hei just grinned, seeing where the fool was aiming, rushed over in the trajectory (close enough) of the projectile and smacked that fragment aside with the blade. Wordlessly, he gestured the men to come closer, a good number of them were using AP rounds, now, with their trusty foreign rifles. . . . Well, they didn't look like they were Drachman-made, at least.

The entryway the Homunculus was surrounded, the building itself he was in had collapsed during the war, meaning unless he made another exit, the only face of the building that still allowed entry and exit was this one that they all had guns pointed at. With him in front to deal with any more thrown objects, they were taking cover behind cars, large chunks of concrete, anything, with their sights trained at the cornered Homunculus's building.

"You know, you gave a lot away to me, Homunculus, when you told me your name. Don't think I didn't notice. That car tore away part of your armor ... or perhaps it damaged the flesh, but either way, that means this battle is in OUR favor. How do I know it did damage to you? Your had to use your Stone of the Philanthropist or Philistine or something to recover whatever just happened to you. That means you don't have the Shield. No, now I remember. Greed has the shield, and you are imitating him.

Envy you mimic others, don't you? That Shield can't stand up to the genuine article, can't it? AP rounds will punch through that armor, no problem. The problem is, will they go through YOU and the back of the armor? I don't think that'll happen, meaning we can fill you up with lead!!

Hei paused a moment, if the Homunculus Envy shouted anything back it him, he ignored it. If the Homunculus attacked by throwing something, he struck it down with ease. But he only paused for a moment, and resumed speaking, choosing now to speak in his native tongue, that he was sure the Homunculus understood (based on their previous conversation) and no one else did.

". . . Listen carefully, Homunculus. I am not a cruel man. You never told me why you were here in Drachma. Tell me why, so I understand what you are doing here, and whether or not these men should shoot you. If you have a good enough reason, then there is no need for more bloodshed." this was the last chance he would offer to the Homunculus. . . . To be fair, now that he wasn't in a life-or-death situation with Envy and they were at a stalemate of sorts, he did recall that his question never did get answered and he attacked on assumption that this fellow was here to harm the goodwill of Drachma.

[Envy]

The pipe Envy was holding, and initially planned to use as a projectile, was noticeably bending under his strengthening grip. He hated to admit it, but that Xingese man was right. He was outnumbered in that situation and it wasn't even hard to tell. And even worse, the whole situation was caused solely by his annoyance. And on top of all that, his opponent seemed to love to explain every flaw he had noticed on Envy's current situation. However, it all changed when he started to speak in Xingese. He was actually offering Envy the opportunity to get himself out of that situation. And if wouldn't take that opportunity, he would deserve to get shot. Envy went as far as to drop the pipe and put his hands behind his neck as a non-hostile signal.

''You are experienced, I give you that. And now for my reason to be here. I can assure you that our meeting was a coincidence. And it got a little out of hands. But my reason to be here is to meet one of my siblings. I'm here to see Miss Alena. One could say it's a family matter''. Envy had a brief pause as his last sentence reminded of him about something. Hei seemed to know more about homunculi than normal people should. ''Speaking of which, would you care to tell how do you know so much about us? Especially about her. It's been bugging me for a while.''. It was a little risky to ask information in his position, but he could always give it a shot.

[Guest]

The Homunculus was now standing in clear view, Hei noted he had dropped a pipe but had not disengaged the shield. Which was a fortunate thing, since the men almost started shooted had Hei not shouted (upon spying that Envy was not trying to attack them), "HOLD YOUR FIRE!!"

"You are experienced, I give you that. And now for my reason to be here. I can assure you that our meeting was a coincidence. And it got a little out of hands. But my reason to be here is to meet one of my siblings. I'm here to see Miss Alena. One could say it's a family matter."

Ah? . . . So he was out looking for Sekretar Vanity? Peculiar. Well, it'd explain why he was around the Kremlin, and with luck, the Sekretar would assuredly be somewhere in the area. It still made Hei a little uneasy, since he wasn't sure what the exact purpose of Envy's visit was, but . . . well, they could compromise, now could they?

"Speaking of which, would you care to tell how do you know so much about us? Especially about her. It's been bugging me for a while."

The million dollar question. How did he know so much? Well, it helped he was in the higher echelons of Drachman military, number one. Candidate to either the Drachman special forces, the Kuvalda, or to one of the various open positions of power in this country. Number two, it also helped he was an operative to RIOTE, of whch Vanity is aligned to. Random chatter from other servants of RIOTE also suggested he among others were likely candidates to fill the empty spots for titleholders, but that was best saved for another day entirely. Point is, he learnt mostly from higher-ups about Vanity and the Left Rook's conditions and more about what those conditions meant through his connection with RIOTE. That and he had tortured alchemists and Amestrian agents and had some viable and knowledgeable contacts tell him what they know and just compiled it altogether in his mind.

But how much of that would he tell Envy? At the present moment, zero. They were going to have to invoke Quid Pro Quo here, and considering Envy didn't provide too much detail, Hei wasn't going to give much back. Or at least, not here in front of all the men.

"I see . . . Stand down!! We were mistaken . . . he is an Alchemist, not a monster. And, more importantly, he is a relative to Sekretar Alena! Stand down, I repeat, STAND DOWN." Hei mutters at first, refusing to answer initially. Then he started shouting to the others, getting them to ... relax just the tiniest bit. Not helped by the fact that Envy still had his shield on, something noticed by Hei. "Envy . . . you might want to remove your shield, it'll help calm the men down. And while you're at it, come down here. If you want answers, I'll only give them to you face-to-face." the Xingman calls out to the Homunculus, as he switches on the safety for his shotgun as well as stopping the ever-purring engine of destruction that powered his saw. A deal was a deal. The reason Envy gave, though lacking in details and explanation, was still valid enough. For all Hei knew, the Sekretar could have been expecting Envy.

The Xingman was now patiently waiting for Envy to come down here, and also patiently waiting for the men to just go attend to their other duties. Hopefully, Envy would comply with his request. After all, though the men were lowering their arms, raising them back up to shoot again was a relatively simple feat. The sooner Envy proved he was just an 'alchemist' or in the minds of the plebs 'a human with almost unnatural, yet scientific powers', the sooner they'd be less willing to shoot him. Oh, and amusing enough, just as he stabbed his chainsword into the ground (so as to leave it there and return to pick it up, since no normal man would be able to rip it out of the ice and concrete in the first place and be able to carry it in the second place) and adjusted the straps to his gun so that the shotgun was slung over his shoulder behind his arm, he noted his folder of paperwork that he had dropped when he started running was sitting directly in front of him. So, the Xing-Drachman just stooped to pick it up, as though getting threatened by a Homunculus who mysteriously knows about your past that you conveniently forgot and then got into a massive firefight with and caused a stalemate afterwards into negotiations was a perfectly normal thing when on the way to deliver reports to the individual that said Homunculus wants to see that happens to be the leader of the county. Yeah. Perfecctly normal new day in Moscow.

[Guest]

BUMP

[Envy]

Envy could feel some tension as Hei seemed to think a bit before answering. But he was positively relieved that he made the soldiers to lay down their weapons. The excuse was a bit lousy, but it worked. For now, at least. After that, Hei continued to speak. But this time, it was directed only towards Envy. He hadn't answered his question but he had promised answer once they were alone. ''I'm glad we have reached an understanding, of sorts''. Envy's hand were slowly drawn towards his chest and he touched his chest with both of his palms. This action started his de-shielding. Or at least it was made to look like that. If Envy had to pose as an alchemist, he would do it properly as well. His skin started to expose under his torn pieces of clothing he used to have. Envy would have fixed it, but that would have been suspension of disbelief. Still, his clothes weren't torn enough that he wouldn't be able to walk in public.

Envy had also made the de-shielding to seem as it withdrew to the point where his hands were. And he looked normal again and took his hands away from there, one could see some kind of transmutation circle from the holes. It wouldn't stand a closer inspection, but as those people would get one. After this seemingly amazing feat his hands raised themselves up again. ''Just don't let me touch that circle and you can guarantee that I'm unarmed''. After those, hopefully calming, words, Envy proceeded to make his way towards Hei. Drachman weather did feel a bit cold and thus annoying, but it was always better than being shot at. He reached a distance of few meters. And while his face had been positively stoic for a while, he formed a bright smile on his face. Obviously it was a fake one, but his intention was to seem friendly. ''Let us hope that misunderstanding like this doesn't repeat itself, right?''

[Guest]

And lo, the deshielding process deterred the men from shooting. All too soon, buying the lie as the best justification for how a monster could be here, they were soon back to work. Well, except the Lt. Colonel who was still kneeling, pale, and muttering out words of grief over his destroyed car.

''Let us hope that misunderstanding like this doesn't repeat itself, right?''

"Very well, Envy. ... Come, the Sekretar's Office is not that far from here." the Xingman gestures the Homunculus to follow, while turning aside and going on his merry way. It was funny, he was on his way to see the Glorious Leader before he was rudely interrupted by this cretin, but that was of little concern. He had been posed a question, and it was the least he could to speak politely in return.

"No doubt you've learnt that Sekretar Alena is a member of RIOTE. That information is almost common knowledge, nowadays. As you are her 'relative,' I suppose I'm obligated to tell you what I know, as such the law would be in this country.

She is RIOTE's elite, a Titleholder, Aphrodite to be specific. And her connection to RIOTE is how I know much about her identity as a Homunculus." Hei explains, calmly. His voice was composed, friendly even, as though he were idly chatting with a friend. But, still he continued a bit, not allowing for a pause, as he had one more thing to add.

"I am an informant to RIOTE, and contributed to them when they brought about the Communist uprising, providing as much intel as I could. Then I sabotaged our information network so the rebellion could swiftly trample the Czar's uncoordinated men.

In exchange for my work and my continued service, I was allowed some answers. Whoever leads RIOTE is extremely knowledgeable. The Leader explained to me what Homunculi were, and also told me about Sekretar Alena ... no ... Vanity's condition." The half-truth spills easily from his mouth. Yes, he had provided intel to RIOTE, but he was not just a mere informant, he was just another soldier in their ranks. That, and his knowledge of Homunculi, oddly, was already present before he got a lecture from the higher-ups. Still, he was used to giving that answer, and considering he wasn't looking towards Envy (as well as easily maintaining the pleasant tone), there wouldn't be anyone who knew that he was lying at the moment. Well, not really lying, since it's true from a certain point of view.

The Xing-Drachman pauses at this point, the two of them have gone a fair distance away from the sight of their earlier encounter. Hei always walked with a brisk pace, one that wasn't too hard to keep up with, but still would go far over time. Right now, they were outside the still intact portions of the Kremlin, within lay Vanity's office. The Xing-Drachman politely opens the door for Envy.

"The Sekretar's office is not much longer. Now, I must ask: How exactly did you make it into Moscow? I was under the impression the border patrols prevented anyone from coming in and out without identification."

It wouldn't be long now.

[Envy]

Envy did start to follow Hei after he had gestured so and so their journey, or at least Envy's journey, to meet Vanity began. Hei started to talk during the walk. It was half pleasant, half informative. Maybe their feelings were mutual on the subject of future clashes and that they would be avoided. Or at least that was the impression Envy had received. He hoped that it was correct. Nevermind his personal feelings, Xingese had told something new. While it was true that Envy had recently found out Vanity's affiliation with RIOTE, he had no idea that she was quite high in their ranks. That was another thing he would have to discuss during their meeting. But there was more, although it was about Hei's identity. He had, apparently, been informant to RIOTE about Drachman's. And it sounded a bit like he had some kind of affiliation with RIOTE, seeing that he had even met its leader.

''I see'' was all that Envy had to say about that information. As he focused on his surroundings, Envy noticed that they were going towards one building. And as they stopped before it, it was quite clear that this was the place. Hei even opened the door for Envy. Envy accepted the offer and walked in as Hei presented a question of his own. He answered once he had stopped on the inside of the building. He wasn't facing Hei. ''Well, to be honest, I didn't bother dealing with the border patrol''. Envy's hand wandered to scratch the back of his head. ''But the border was very busy when I arrived here. You see...'' Envy performed a fast and elegant turn. He didn't move from the spot where he was standing, but he did face Hei now. There was a slight grin on his face. ''With a help of some Amestrian morons, I managed to get here during the great battle. Disguising as a Drachman civilian was a lot easier than that''.

[Shula Brighton]

{BUMP}

[Guest]

"I see." was the only thing Hei heard from the Homunculus. It was a bit odd that those two words were all that was said, considering Hei had given him a large influx of information. Were those carefully chosen words, while the Homunculus mulled over what had been given to him?

Still Hei had posed his question, pleased that the Homunculus was willing to enter through the door he held for him. If had wanted to, he could slam the door and trap Envy in the frame, possibly breaking him and the door, just for the sake of causing him trouble. But that would mar the Kremlin! Something that he was very much loath to do.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't bother dealing with the border patrol."

The Xingman noted Envy's hand wandering to scratch the back of his head. Another odd gesture, coupled with the odd answer. He did not go through the border patrol? Then he'd have to been here before the uprising, to dodge the guards.

"But the border was very busy when I arrived here. You see..."

And the Homunculus turned to face him, the beginnings of silly grin upon his face. Those words and that gesture, Hei could only guess what had happened. He did not slip in before the uprising. No. Had he come in in the middle of it all? When Amestris's men marched into Moscow?

"With the help of some Amestrian morons, I managed to get here during the great battle. Disguising as a Drachman civilian was a lot easier than that."

And indeed he did. He had slipped in during the war, crafty monster. But, then again, that was probably the easiest means of getting into a city unseen, hidden amidst the chaos and confusion. Particularly for a being such as Envy, who could assume the form of any living thing he could envision . . . if memory served Hei well, about what powers Envy had.

"I see, I see!" Hei smiles, entering as well, and walking onward, continuing to lead Envy on. Although they were supposed to play Quid Pro Quo with this questioning, Hei still felt compelled to pose another small question. Mostly since it'd be equal to the fact that he revealed two bits of information, Vanity's position and his knowledge of Homunculi.

"My apologies, but I do have one last question. About your 'visit' ... I'm taking it in good faith that your business has importance, but could you spare me any details on why its so important? No need to reveal sensitive information, I just wish to know your purpose, or at least part of it." he inquires once more, this would be his last question. After that, since Vanity was the master of this nation, and Envy was a relative to her, Hei would oblige him and his requests.

[Envy]

Envy started to follow Hei once he started to lead the homunculus again. This had actually gone pretty smoothly from Envy's opinion. He thought that the exchange of information had already ended, seeing that he thought that they had shared equivalent amount of information. But wait, there was more. One final question before Envy could meet Vanity. But Hei had formed the question in a way that could be used by Envy to just refuse to answer. Envy had to think a bit as he pondered what to say or to say nothing at all. However, answering would cause no harm. After all, the man had said that Envy wasn't required to tell anything vital.

''While I'm not entirely sure what we will discuss during that meeting, I am aware of something far more important than that''. Envy kept a small pause before continuing. As an actor, he knew that that would create some drama. Envy felt that neccessary in this situation. ''This meeting will decide whether my alliance with her, Vanity, will continue or dimish''. After that he proceeded to head towards the direction they had been walking, which was most likely the way for Vanity's office. It was time.

//Exit//

[Guest]

"While I'm not entirely sure what we will discuss during that meeting, I am aware of something far more important than that ...

This meeting will decide whether my alliance with her, Vanity, will continue or diminish"

These were the exact words of the Homunculus, and they instilled ... an odd sense in Hei. Primarily, he felt a little annoyed at Envy for not being this straightforward twenty minutes ago. Then they wouldn't have tried to get to each other's throats, Envy would still remain incognito, Hei wouldn't have to draw his weapons, and the Lieutenant Colonel's car would still be intact.

The possibility that Envy could become allied to Drachma was a bit ... comforting. Yet another Homunculus to possibly carry out the ideals of RIOTE, if not the plans? Yes. Most comforting.

"I see. Well, now . . . in the Truth's name, I hope all this shall go most well, then." Hei merely responds, again in his presently native-tongue. There's definitely a much more warm and polite tone in his voice, now. Not that it was absent before, but those qualities are ever made more present, while Hei leads Envy on to meet his sibling.

[EXIT THREAD]

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