Apocalypse How

[Guest]

It was a mess. All of it. It was one big clusterfuck that thumped right over Moscow, and nobody did anything. There was no communal support that comes from Communism, no support for others. Only a shattered people picking up after the remains of themselves. Picking what weakling remained behind, their dead, their belonging, everything lost in this one battle she came back to see. Only rubbles mounted upon each other, this capital city everyone has to ask, was it worth defending this ancient dwelling? To sacrifice so many men? That all this blood shed?

This left such a bitter taste in Marynia's mouth, she hated it all, this whole destruction was like many years ago, which landed her in the Gulag. Looking at all of the results of Amestris's boldness from an intact building's highest floor at sixth story, converted into a barracks. She was lucky to be in Kuvalda and more importantly a pilot. She had the room with a working radiator. Reflecting upon all things that gave her a bad taste in her mouth, especially in this moonless night.

At least Ivanka was fine, but she couldn't say the same of Marismo being missing. Kidnapped for some odd reason, which puzzled her a lot. Maybe they were gonna ransom her on some piece of shit propaganda that would make a puppet of her and mock Kuvalda? Drachma's finest beaten by the likes of Amestris she'd imagine. Which no doubt would give their citizens a patriotic boner, or some shit like that. Not that she'd care, it was their taxpayer's money, a huge waste of it, and a stupid embezzlement for a worthless goal.

Taking a bottle of whiskey left on her table, she abandoned her room. Taking a quick L shaped turn through the corridor to take a quick look at the map. Knowing this was a new headquarters for the head of defense, maybe that uptight stiff man would be there. Zabulon was it? Yeah, sounds like his name. He needed to loosen up, and she contemplated on giving him a whiskey, but then contemplated again. Oh screw it, may cost too much money to replace the contents of the drink, she'll have him pay for it now that she approached and entered the war planning room. No doubt abandoned by all but one.

"Oy, anyone without a life here?" She beckoned, peeking her head right through to look for herself.

[Guest]

"Sir, if we-"

"Did I not make myself clear? We sacrifice in order to better protect all, understand? Now, fortify those locations." The man didn't immediately move. "NOW." To have a deep voice rumble at him with such force practically caused the man to fly right out of the room, leaving the tall Drachman alone. Idiots... Why were there so many idiots? Zabulon sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes, leaning one hand against a table. It was as if their entire country had flat out lost their minds in the middle of all this rebuilding, leaving all their competency at the door. Did they not realize they had to bring it inside with them? That NOW was the time they needed to be at their best the most? How else were their loved ones going to get any kind of shelter or protection? Not at all if they were all like that buffoon that just scrambled out of the room.

Straightening up, he let his trench coat fall from his shoulders to be placed upon the back of a nearby chair, staring up at the large map that was on the wall. So many areas were circled red... So many had pins or something sticking out into the air... So much had been lost. Due to his own incompetency. Was he a hypocrite for criticizing others so? Quite possibly. But at least he was striving to rectify the wrongs that had been done. Ivanka was in the hospital. Sablya was having a crisis of self. Marismo was missing. Alena was now in charge. Hei and Marynia... Seemed no worse for wear. Little Sveta was even doing well, the papers having just gone through for her adoption. Yes, he was now a father as strange as that sounded to himself. He now had to take care of her even though he knew nothing of how to raise her. How in the world had Svetlana done it when she found him all those years ago? At least she was a woman and had some kind of motherly instincts. He was stumbling about in the dark here!

But he was digressing, getting distracted from his duty at hand. Thank god the little girl was understanding of the importance of his position otherwise there would certainly be consequences. Hrm... would his absence affect her... No. No, he had to worry about his people for now. Even if he despised so many of them. He still had to do his best to ensure that they could all live another day. His uniform rustled slightly as he shifted his weight, his long black hair hanging free down his back.

"Oy, anyone without a life here?" Hm? He knew that voice...

Zabulon turned slowly with his hands clasped behind his back to see that it was indeed Marynia, her statement causing only the slightest tilt of his head for his features were impassive as usual. "I do have a life Warrant Officer Marynia. It is merely a busy one." He commented as he turned back to the map in front of him, trying to plan some kind of strategy to fix southern Moscow. A communications tower down, damage from various explosions, and a crashed helicopter. The area about the Kremlin was already enough of a mess, but south of it wasn't much better either. How to redirect.... Ah right, a guest. "What brings you here?" His crimson eyes shifted to gaze upon the woman, his head turning ever so slightly.

[Guest]

Why wasn't Marynia exactly surprised by Zabulon here in the planning room of all places? Especially on such a dark midnight? Sheesh, it's as if he was married to the place, and that every moment spent here was his friggin' honeymoon. Everything he could ever want, from a map of Drachma to maybe some radio tucked in some corner to check up on an obsessive compulsive need to look around and know everything that's happening in and out, a perfect robot... which leads her to ask, just why does EVERYONE in Drachma she met has a sort of mental problem?! Not that she is "normal" herself.

"I do have a life Warrant Officer Marynia. It is merely a busy one."

"Busy with nothing fun, all work and no play makes Zab a dull boy." Yep, she just screwed over months of military hierarchy and skipped the whole rank naming system. What a rebel! Or an anarchist. Or something.

She stepped through the door, shutting it right behind her with a click that assured her it was indeed closed. Okay, good, so now she is down with part 1. Part 2 is about to begin! Which honestly she has no idea what the Hell part 2 is, she just made that up on the spot as she went and goes. Setting the booze on the table on top of the map, nicely on the imprint of Amestris's territory.

This room was a lot like Zabulon, very stale, grey, and without much life in it as she saw but for utilitarian necessity. May be nice with a paint or two, but she figures it won't really make a difference.

"What brings you here?"

She pops open the whiskey, and slides in the dehydrating fluid into her mouth. Streams of booze poured down her chin and dripped into the map, setting down that devil's finery over at the map once more. This time it landed on Drachma.

"I wanted to brush up on my geography, the sort of geography where you know, a place holding Marismo is." Marynia says to the taller male, pushing the whiskey over the table his way, an offer to drink, "Because see, I am not fond of losing someone I care about, I am just that selfish."

[Guest]

"Busy with nothing fun, all work and no play makes Zab a dull boy."

"Adaptation from The Shining..." He murmured softly, making no comment upon the informality that she was displaying with him. He didn't really care if his subordinates called him such nicknames, for they were just that; names. It was worthless to waste energy getting all worked up over someone not calling you the right rank, or correct department. Respect was very important, he wasn't downgrading that at all. He merely... didn't get hung up upon such trivial things. He had bigger things to worry about. Like how to safely transport all the debris out of the cities more populated residential areas, or how to better fortify buildings for future bomb attacks. Perhaps he should speak to the Head of Military Affairs (whoever that was now), or maybe even Sekretar Alena herself. They really needed to update their defenses, but would they have the funding to?

Ah, the door had closed. Meaning Marynia was now "officially" in the room with him. What in the world did she want with him? It was true he hadn't really spoken to anyone within Kuvalda besides Ivanka or Hei, and that was only a little bit at that. Perhaps he should listen to little Sveta and become more acquainted with those he would be working with more than anyone would expect him to. Not that socializing was really a preference for him. Humans could be so... disappointing. His eyebrow twitched as the bottle was placed down upon the map, raising his eyes away from the fresh imprint that was left. Joy. Now it would smell of alcohol. As if Moscow, or Drachma for that matter, didn't already reek of vodka and booze. At least she had placed it on Amestris. If only they could just imprint that land into the ground like they had reduced their home to naught but rubble. Destroy whatever they had managed to rebuild since their skirmish with Creta.

Zabulon observed her taking a drink from that bottle of whiskey, and... a small frown bent his features. She spilled...it on..the map.... A finger twitched behind his back at the frustration that was beginning to grow within him. Was there no respect for a persons office anymore? For heaven's sake, he needed to be able to read the map! Not have to deal with it being warped from having gotten wet and drying! ESPECIALLY over their country! His finger twitched again as his crimson eyes watched her very cooly, the frown slowly vanishing back beneath his calm demeanor. Calm.. yes... calm. It would do no good to create a gap between a member of Kuvalda and himself. "I wanted to brush up on my geography, the sort of geography where you know, a place holding Marismo is." Oh? Marismo--She... The corner of his mouth was what twitched now as she pushed the whiskey towards him, a lovely little trail of moisture getting left in its wake. God.. dammit.. all... Yet he was as unreadable as ever as he observed this offering to him. "Because see, I am not fond of losing someone I care about, I am just that selfish."

Unfolding his hands from behind his back, he carefully lifted up the bottle and produced a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping off the bottle before placing it down in front of her once more. He was not a whiskey man in the least bit. "It is most regrettable that she was taken by that devil of a man, Nikolaus Stuka. Major Hei has already spoken to me about him and his... activities." Lord, he sounded like some diplomat. "It is not selfish to want to rescue your teammate and friend. It shows concern for their well-being, which is generally an admirable trait," He continued, his gaze now resting upon Marynia. "I do know for a fact that she resides in Amestris, however where beyond that is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps in their ruined Central City. I have been looking into the matter amidst my other work." Let her stew over that for a moment if she wished to. Upon seeing how strongly it had shaken all of the Kuvalda members, Zabulon had to take it upon himself to use what resources he could to gather information. Even he did not like having one of his own being taken away by that bastard. Especially not that bastard. Not after the destruction he had caused, nor the soldiers he and his men had violated. Not after the numerous people he had slaughtered in the name of his country. "I already have a personal vendetta against Stuka. So if you should wish to give chase to him, I would not hesitate to accompany you."

[Guest]

(OOC: Lawl, so awkward talking about my character in this thread.)

She took the whiskey that he oh so stiffly declined, which honestly didn't surprise her. She kinda half-expected him to get rid of it from his view, given how his only nourishment was the friendship of maps, radios and maybe the occasional companion which is called Mister McDoesn'tExist.

So, she drank the drying liquid once again, of course, with the lid off. Feeling a bit off now that she had two swigs of it, things just seemed a bit... blurry. Crap crap crap, she needs to maintain her footing! This is an impression she needs to make for Kuvalda is not made up of drunkards but of professionals. Otherwise Ivanka will have her skinned for this. And the thing about being skinned is, she is fond of having her blood on the inside.

"It is most regrettable that she was taken by that devil of a man, Nikolaus Stuka. Major Hei has already spoken to me about him and his... activities." Major Hei, eh? That Xingman she heard will be joining Kuvalda? This was just... disgraceful, how... how could they replace Marismo just like that? She bit her bottom lip at the mention of that name in some scorn, her superiors were too dispassionate. Marismo was still alive somewhere DAMNIT! She has to be.

"It is not selfish to want to rescue your teammate and friend. It shows concern for their well-being, which is generally an admirable trait," Did... did he just compliment her? That's rare, REALLY RARE, something is wrong with him, in a good way. Maybe she was too hard on him in thought, BUT HE IS STILL STIFF. Gosh. "I do know for a fact that she resides in Amestris, however where beyond that is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps in their ruined Central City. I have been looking into the matter amidst my other work. I already have a personal vendetta against Stuka. So if you should wish to give chase to him, I would not hesitate to accompany you."

She set her whiskey on the table once more, making a forced smile at Zabulon. Easing into a more genuine smile at him. "Damn Zab, nicest thing anyone's told me before. I... won't let you down when we're chasing him," Doing the best impression of a REALLY naive cheer, which she knows she'll regret later, she points a thumbs up, squints her eyelids to a close, and grins widely like some REALLY CHEESY Aerugese manga hero, "That's a guarantee! Datteba-- *shrinks expression to a subtler smile and opens up eyes* I mean Hell yeah!"

She turned her back on the giant, so that was dumb. REALLY STUPID. She went too far. Hopefully he forgot. Does anyone forget in a span of five seconds? Yeah, in a minuscule miracle that probably WOULDN'T happen, it should happen though. Probably. "So... erm... how'd this Hei guy get information about that douche?" Yep, she is still showing her back. Not anytime soon she's turning.

[Guest]

He had to wonder if she was merely concerned for Marismo, or if there was some other kind of frustration that existed within her at this point in time. After all, his mention of Hei hadn't seemed to be a pleasant thing for her. Perhaps she felt some kind of animosity towards the young man? While his performance in the war was certainly excellent (if a little crazed), he didn't seem half bad to the Head of Defense. Polite, obviously skilled, what was wrong with him? It was true it was rather sudden that he may very well replace Marismo, such was the way within the military structure. With such an important group like Kuvalda and their job, it wasn't wise to leave a vacuum amongst their ranks for too long. It was like having a weak link in a chain. That was the cold, hard truth. But maybe he was speculating too far into the matter, it wasn't his place to in any case.

So when she suddenly seemed to smile at him, Zabulon merely tilted his head ever so slightly since it was a clearly strained motion. Well, she was still worried for her friend. Smiles may be very hard to summon forth at such a time. "Damn Zab, nicest thing anyone's told me before. I... won't let you down when we're chasing him," Was it really? He had to admit, that seemed somewhat hard to believe but he wasn't going to comment upon the point. So he merely nodded his head slowly to her in understanding. He held no doubts that she would hardly be disappointing were a man-hunt to begin-- But now he had to pause. What...kind of gesture was that? He stared at her with his ever impassive gaze for a good moment or two as her eyes squinted, then that... that.. smile. It was like something from those cartoons that Sveta would watch from time to time. It was... disturbing. "That's a guarantee! Datteba-- I mean Hell yeah!"

What... had just happened? The tall man shifted his weight as he slowly turned to face her while she resolutely faced away from him. He could hardly blame her. The faces she had just made were most... odd. "Of course." He muttered in his deep, resonant voice, hands shifting in his discomfort. For Svetlana, that was a normal enough occurrence considering her age and the simple fact it was good to see such a child being happy as opposed to otherwise. For Marynia though? It was... strange. Very very strange. It was as if an invisible sweat drop rolled down his head as he observed the obvious embarrassment that plagued the member of Kuvalda, almost clearing his throat until she spoke again. Oh thank goodness. "So... erm... how'd this Hei guy get information about that douche?" Taking a deep breath, he sighed softy as his uniform rustled, walking over to a nearby desk and reaching down into one side of the cabinet. A bottle of wine was procured, the cork being made quick work of while he pondered his answer. With a resounding *pop*, he took a sip from the bottle before turning on the ball of his feet. "It seems he had some contacts that acquired this information for him. Perhaps militant acquaintances, perhaps a bit more... seedy. Either way, I double checked what he found and it all checked out so it was at least relatively reliable information." Perhaps he did work too much....

[Reila Tsukino]

archiving (Shu it's been two weeks; you don't bump)

[Sponsored content]