Tourists and tourising

[Iris]

As soon as she stepped out of her car, she immediately regretted it. Was this place even somewhere to tour? Smoke hit her hard and for a passing moment, she wondered if perhaps, the car was smoking from over exertion and as if she knew anything about cars, she strolled around the front and pushed up the top. Her face was hit with the sudden heat that made her eyes water. Curses! The car MUST have been overheating and after a few taps that could have left her scorched, she decided to slam her fists on the engine. As if that would accomplish anything. "Must be broken." Her brilliant diagnosis. What at the moment didn't occur to her was the fact that the car had still been running smoothly. Iris was no car expert. Good thing she WAS in East city where someone could look for a mechanic with ease.

After shutting the door, she waved over a man whom she convinced her car was broken to. A bit worried that the girl would be stranded, he scurried over to the car. With a swift movement, he opened the car door and slid inside. Then, he placed the key into the ignition and turned. The car revved warmly and welcomingly, not a stutter in the start. He seemed baffled, looking at her with a crooked grin. "Ma'am, this vehicle is fine."

Iris scoffed and pushed out her lower lip. "Then what's that terrible smell?" Her hands placed on her hips and the pink-haired woman looked about. It was everywhere now, it smelled of.. burning rubber and rather old garbage.

"This is East City, Ma'am. That is the smell of manufacturing." His smile was warm and greeting then turned awkward. "So.. since your car is obviously working fine, I'll just get going. I have a job to do." Straightening himself, he pulled himself out and pat the car once before looking at her kind of oddly. "You might want to find better suited clothing, it gets kind of hot around here." A swift salute and he was off into the crowds of the populated place. Her pink eyes ran over left to right and back and a sigh played at her lips. Where to start? She had so many things she wanted to see and well- wait.. the man was right. It WAS kind of hot for her petticoat and scarf. So, as she stood by her car, she slid off the wrap around and then coat along with it. Her top only a tight white and tan tank top that crossed in the back with thin straps that connected in the front.

She was already wearing a pleated beige skirt beneath that brushed at her thighs. A thin string of silver loops making the belt. Feeling much better, despite being in bulky boots, she pulled her hair back, flipping it up in a sort of ponytail that fell closer due to the hair clip. A quick brush of clear lip gloss and she felt perfect. Out of her coat pocket, she rummaged free a piece of paper which she proceeded to pull open. Well this was embarrassing. She had no clue where to start and no giant map stores were open, so as she paced the streets, she decided to confront the first white-haired person she saw.

Flattening her skirt, she pressed forward, diving in front of him, as if giving him no other option but to talk to her. "Uhh, hello, sorry. I'm looking for the bell. Could you show me where it is?" Her smile was bright and friendly. Being a tourist meant asking directions and well, other than the man earlier, this was the first face she felt she could ask. Her Amestrian accent fluent and well placed with her words. Her posture posed with her hands behind her back and her posture straight. She hoped he would help her, because otherwise she'd have to nitpick another person and probably bully them into listening to her pleas.

[Toss Ivanova]

He had been damn near interrogated by the likes of his parental unit. It almost made him regret visiting them today...almost. The thought of going alone without Hanna now was a nightmarish slew of scary voices in his head, sporting his mother's questions and beady red eyes like a monster. Welcome to his life. She was the epitome of fear, domineering even over the likes of King Gavin and his repeated efforts to get him to behave like a normal Coróin to no avail. She was the only one Toss submitted to and the only one who knew that he hated it when anyone touched his ears let alone pulled them. That was the cue to turn him into a ravenous beast, in which he had literally gnawed at her hand until she let go. One day...one day, he'd tell her what he really was. One day, he'd answer all those questions without tainting them with white lies to cover the truth. And he knew somewhere that she would accept what her son had become, since because of it, he was alive right now, able to visit, able to court around the multitude of inquiries, and able to destroy a pie truck without even trying. But right now, wasn't the right time. It always hurt just enough when he left his childhood home, enough to put him in a somber mood.

Toss kicked over a trashcan. He was trying to imagine how he would even go about telling them the truth, but got lost somewhere along the way. There weren't words for it; he'd never be able to tell them. His father...a man of planes--a man of machinery, oil, grease, whose hands were so rough he could barely feel the softness of his wife's. So engineered by hardship that pride was long thrown to wind. He couldn't even imagine how painful it must have been to nearly lose a daughter--to have their son disappear for a time on the excuse that it had been too hard for him to face. No. His life--Toss' life was a mishmash of disaster, saved only by Cayden. If he had died that day test piloting that clunker of a plane, maybe their lives would have been better. There was no way to tell, no way at all. Pondering it was also a mistake; it made him realize that maybe Hanna could have woken up without his help--without him forcing it and turning her into the corrupt like himself. What happened, happened. Toss wasn't really good at letting things go. He picked up the trashcan and placed it upright, glaring feebly at those who had witnessed his rare outward aggression. Something about today.

White fingerless gloves reached up to undishevel his mess of white hair. Splayed out in tiers of spikes, pieces had flopped over each other in the heated wind of East City's industry sector. After somewhat fixing it in the reflection of the trashcan (as much as he really didn't care), Toss stood up and adjusted the zipper that was threatening to choke him via the thick collar of his Creig uniform. Adorned in all white it was, the zipper leading all the way down like a normal jumpsuit save for the various leather straps. Separate zippers lead down his sleeves as well as his legs, but the legs seemed more for appearance than for use. He unzippered his arms and rolled them up with a feral snarl at the passerby eyeing him as if he were some kind of store display. Damn tourists. It's not like there was really anything to see in this city anyway. West City was strewn with war museums, memorials, and the like while East City was the suffering realm of flea markets, down-on-their-luck individuals, and various industrial factories. One of which belonged to Toss' father, who though old, still was a top-of-the-line airplane designer. Even with Greed's help, Toss knew he was still no where near his father's expertise, which was why they had just spent countless hours pouring over the hangar his father owned. He had extracted as many lessons as he could from the ailing old man, knowing time was short for those not immortal.

He turned from the trashcan, re-zippering his now short sleeves so they stayed. His parents loved the uniform, but in this heat Toss really wanted to streak. He watched from afar as a car pulled up across the trucking lane in front of an old rusty meter. No one hardly parked there. The street itself was thick with air pollution. Amestris really needed to do something about the stench before people started getting lung cancer and-- A pink-haired dainty female with a scarf stepped out. The hell? Toss ducked behind a brick wall, peeking around it to see if maybe she was some elite rich daughter of one of the polluting fools that ran this part of town. She didn't look familiar, however. All well. He shrugged and kept walking, minding his own business when suddenly the girl, having had stripped off her winter clothing, cornered him on the cracked sidewalk. ...What. Toss halted, tilting his head with a snarl. "Uhh, hello, sorry. I'm looking for the bell. Could you show me where it is?" Toss' hands went to his hips, his eyes glowing as they scanned her for her worth.

"Why, are you some kinda princess or sumthin'?"

[Iris]

"Why, are you some kinda princess or sumthin'?"

What? Iris was a bit shocked with his response. Oh Lord, she'd run into one of those really arrogant ones! Or maybe he was just a really big kids that still believed in princesses? Did he believe in fairies too? What if she dressed like a fairy princess? He'd probably shit himself- err wait that was not the point at all. Besides, having pink hair was no reason to dress as some fashionable myth. Not even fashionable, really. Iris wasn't into the whole tutu thing. Ugh.. ballet. Just no.

Right! She was talking to this man. He wasn't happy to see her obviously, but she was okay with that, because she was stubborn. "If I WERE a princess, you seem a little scary to be a knight in shining armor. You're cute though, so I guess I'd let you save me!" ...Okay that was kind of bad. She sounded like a dummy. That was ALMOST a very bad pick up line, mixed with a playful wink and it was aiming for probably the WORST line in history. Gah- cute boys... It wasn't like this man would see her again after this day, right? So the very poor line could be forgotten for now. Or later.. after all, she planned on spending at least ten more minutes, because it was a pain to ask someone else for directions.

She laughed a bit, "Not a princess that I'm aware of. You never know though! What if I were, hmm?" Normal, playful Iris was playful. This was kind of fun, though the man with his hands on his hips didn't seem to have as much fun as her. That was fine, after all, life was only as fun as you let it be. Her pink eyes scanned him curiously. What she saw only made her blush more. She was such a teenager at heart, then again she was still 19. A few more months at gawking at cute boys would be okay- right? Though Iris wasn't 'staring', she was simply observing her surrounding. Turning her head, she looked down the street to see the semi-bustling city awake.

"Sooooo.." Her head turned back to him. "You're gonna help me right? It would be the nice thing to do!" Her face beamed as her next sentence seemed ominous. "After all, I'm stubborn. So I'm not gonna leave you be until you do!" The way she spoke made her words lilt with an almost singing beat to them. Of course she wouldn't STALK him, she just would bother him until he gave up. Whether that was in that same spot or not was a very curious question she didn't know the answer to. This was meant to be a vacation, so she was determined to have some fun.

[Toss Ivanova]

"If I WERE a princess, you seem a little scary to be a knight in shining armor. You're cute though, so I guess I'd let you save me!" was her reply.

...

On his heel he turned right around, red eyes rolling up skyward, and a shrill whistle of an old jazz song pouring out of his lips. Yep, nope. His hands slid into his pockets and a leisurely pace ensued as if that moment in time never happened. Not. At. All. It was just some horrid imaginative thought--some trick of the mind. He was hearing things. Yeah, hearing things. That's what this was. It was some strange, thought up occurrence that never did transpire--the kinda thing that kids hear about from their grandparents. But Toss never did have grandparents so he wouldn't know; he only witnessed it happening a few time, overhearing the stories he would have partaken in had he had grandparents, but alas... he did not. There was only this strange happening that he had and really, he was just walking away now. Because walking away was easier than trying to convince himself that this was actually happening. Who said that?! 'You're cute so I'd let you save me', what?! Just what. What the hell, right? Toss had stopped whistling his tune at this point, shaking his head in disbelief. AND THAT WINK. It was like something out of a porno. He shuddered, hair standing on end. He peeked behind his shoulder stealthily, winging back around. Shit. She was still there. Still there. Still there... This really was happening. He ran.

But stopped. "Not a princess that I'm aware of. You never know though! What if I were, hmm?" Toss slowly turned around, still within decent hearing distance. A ruffled mechanic bumped his shoulder with a muffled apology, heading towards a garage down the street with a subway sandwich grasped protectively in his hands. The homunculus paid him no mind, staring straight ahead at the girl as if he had tunnel vision.

"What." Kind of question was that!? He picked at dirt between his nails and bared his teeth, white spikes going all rilely in a swift zephyr. She turned into a copy machine--the kind of copy machine that made that annoying buzz sound. He hated that buzz sound. Like that time he was forced to sit in that room and wait for Gavin on orders and it just so happened to be next to the copy room and people were making copies constantly--it never stopped. The whole time he had to sit in that conference area and listen to it go off and off with that beeping buzzing annoyance. He wanted to eat it--break it with his jaws, but the only thing that stopped him was that animistic craving to destroy; it made him...feel less human. Her scanning of him done, she looked like she had a fever or something. "Oy, you have a fever or sumthin'?" He blinked sharp red eyes at her--a look that could cut, but was mildly curious despite not really caring about the answer. She turned her head, Toss' heart nearly skipping, a knife buried in his palm, poking at the skin. On edge. He was too on edge, about to fall over with how sensitive to movement he had become. Frowning he looking away, pretending to be entertained by her parking job.

"Sooooo.." Great. She was looking at him again. He marched up to her, pointing a finger, and-- "You're gonna help me right? It would be the nice thing to do!" Help...her? This was another 'why me?!' moment. He sighed, running a vacant hand through his hair and staring at her devoid of emotion. "After all, I'm stubborn. So I'm not gonna leave you be until you do!" What if he had work? What if she was making him late? No consideration. There was absolutely no consideration in her words at all!! She was young though. His eyes narrowed in mock scrutiny, eyebrows furrowing, and lips moving to the side. Hm. Just looked like she wanted to enjoy herself. Best she stopped him. Toss looked around. Wasn't really anyone else around. Menjekrq. He crossed his arms and faked a nervous smile.

"Fine. Ehh where was it you said you needed to go?" He paused, staring blankly at his silver rolex. The hell he even cared what time it was, not like he needed to be anywhere. His eyes caught the worse-for-wear meter in the background, which got an immediate reaction out of him. Point. "First, you might wanna feed the meter before you get a ticket, yeah?"

[Iris]

Well.. that was rude. In the middle of her talking, the man just turned away and started walking off as if she had insulted him. Or as if she didn't exist. What was up with that? the way he acted was close to either being without manners or just ignorant to them. Though the way he seemed all riled by her words was kind of.. cute. Adorable she could say. Just when he seemed to be escaping, he turned his head back, as if see if she was still there. What, did he think she was some kind of ghost? If that were the case the man was doomed, after all being haunted by Iris was not something most people could enjoy. That was if ANYONE could enjoy it.

Her pink eyes took in all from his pretending to look uninterested, to the baring teeth and the way he picked at his fingernails. He'd asked "What." But it seemed more of a rhetorical question that wasn't full-heartedly known. What could mean a lot of things. What are you talking about? Was that what applied or was it just a genera "What the hell did you just say?" He didn't seem to be the angry type, but the way he was passive assertive was quite amusing. One second it looked like he wanted to eat her and the next it looked like he wanted to run away, yet he stayed as if he also wanted to know her. Kind of a weird situation, like trying to feed a wild squirrel. She wasn't sure what the outcome would be, but either way she had his attention now.

Her red face had been caught, but either he was dense and didn't understand the concept of the blush or he was ignoring, she wasn't sure yet. Either way, it was passing off as a 'fever' which was fine by her. After all, it was kind of hot out beneath the chemically covered son. Smoky towns did not help bring the heat index down and humidity poured from factories as if they were intended to make such a dis-pleasurable thing. Either way, she did feel over heated despite losing some clothes. He seemed to be entertained by her parking, staring at it a while. What was she a poor driver now? Well she WAS apparently sick, so that would be her excuse.

It only got better as he stormed up to her with his finger extended, pointing to her. As if he had a lot to say, as if he rejected the idea of her being around and then- it all dropped quickly. Almost like he'd forgotten what he wanted to say or he was just unarmed by what she said. Being around him made her feel like a charismatic genius, though she felt abruptly bad about thinking that. She was having fun already and they'd only been talking a whole five minutes.. give or take. His posture spoke annoyance and yet he had to be loving the attention or else he would have kept going. Right? It made her wonder. This man was so complex, then again, that was probably just the lack of knowing him very long. She caught herself getting ahead of herself once again.

His hand ran through his hair and he crossed his arms. What was going through his head? Crimson, judgmental eyes were on her, first impressions were the most important and so far it seemed she had him guessing. That was good, Iris liked to be something unpredictable. Besides, the way this man was reacting only made her feel more bubbly inside. Did that make her a bad person? She wondered on that thought, at last hearing that cute voice again. Oh accents! How very.. sexy. She couldn't place it, as it was one unfamiliar to her, but it didn't keep away the fact it was steal really neat. A smile?! That was impossible! Well, actually it was possible but it seemed unlikely and only made her smile back. Despite how forced she could almost feel it was.

"Fine. Ehh where was it you said you needed to go?" He asked her before pausing and deciding to look at his watch. Then he spoke again, his hand almost dramatically pointing to the meter by her car. "First, you might wanna feed the meter before you get a ticket, yeah?" Her eyes followed his hand to see the hunk of junk he mentioned and debated on the thought. She COULD probably SHOULD feed it, her mind weighed. Then again, she was half afraid her new friend would sprint away in the process. Then she'd be all alone without a nifty guide for the bell. She groaned. It wasn't like she was rich enough to afford a ticket, but parking meters were a pain in the ass. Nevertheless, she had to do what was right- even if she was kind of freaked out by them.

How long would it take, she would wonder while her hands grabbed at her large bag and grasp deep in its contents for any possible wallet. Curses to herself for keeping too much damn stuff in her purse. It all came down to her kneeling down and pulling out her sketchpad and about half a pound of pencils before she could unearth the wallet that was barely the size of her hand. A needle in the haystack was not nearly as difficult.

After standing, she proceeded to dust herself off and she looked around swiftly. "I'll be right back." As usual her voice carried an upbeat lilt, lifting the tune and her overall mood. What was the worst that could happen almost get hit by a-

ZOOOOM. Yeah, Iris stumbled a bit in surprise as she realized she nearly got run over. Crazy damn drivers. Of course looking both ways should have worked better. Wouldn't it be her luck too, that the man in the car was a police officer who pulled over then scolded her for a whole two minutes about the safety of walking in busy cities. Yeah.. that was awkward. She nodded and agreed not to do it again (which was kind of a lie because Iris was a bit of a scatter brain) and back to name business. The meter! What her luck- a man was bringing out his pad to write up a ticket and Iris was running. Yes, she had wonderful luck. After yelling at the man for a minute and a half, she finally got him to go on his way by begging for him not to give her the ticket. Though he looked kind of creeped out.

At last she had to fight with the meter as it rejected her coins. It took kicking it a good three times for it to accept the change. Increasingly frustrated, she was at last done feeding the meter and turned around, headed back to the man. Secretly she prayed he was still there, she made her way across the street, obviously learning her lesson to look both ways before returning to his side and grumbling maybe more to herself than to him, "Next time, I'm just taking the ticket. That was NOT worth the trouble." Her voice showed her annoyance and yet it all faded away soon. It was never in her blood to stay mad too long and let a few bad things ruin her day. "Anyways! Eh-heh, sorry about that.. uhmm I'd like to see the bell.. if it's not too much to ask." Of course only for now she was a bit less.. aggressive. It would take a few more minutes to completely recover.

[Toss Ivanova]

Wait. She was actually thinking about it? Of all the things to contemplate, it was whether or not she wanted a parking ticket? Toss' finger drooped, his hair falling down into his face to darken the expression of bewilderment there. Then, his entire arm cascaded limply to his side, hanging pathetically like a loose flag on a mailbox, always showing there was nothing inside WHEN THERE WAS. His head shot up, eyes refocusing as the red ate up some black around the edges of his pupils. She had groaned, looking more than a little lethargic. What about the letters EH!? With her smile long faded, the Ishvallan had to wonder if maybe she had lived in a hole her whole life. Dirt and darkness, but she looked too pristine and pink for any of that. No, maybe something more suitable like a castle for princesses only, lavish and orderly without the need for patrol or parking tickets. Her car was junk, but perhaps it had a royal parking spot on velvet with a manslave that opened doors for her. Toss spat to the side towards the sewer and cocked his head at her. Lazy. That's what she was--a pampered pauper who couldn't even spare the change for a meter. The paradox baffled him to a strange yet heavy silence, his eyes beholding her as she bent down to the sidewalk and pieced through a mess of random variances of objects. Pencil after pencil was clicked onto the filthy sidewalk along with sketchpad and whatever the hell else she was taking out to rifle further for what, a penny? He tapped his foot and wondered why he even bothered.

"I'll be right back." Despite the odd situation, her words were cool and oddly refreshing like a sip of water after sweating your balls off.

"No you won't; I'll follow." Standing there waiting for her would make him look stupid. Okay fine he'd wait. Toss witnessed her rise and head right for the-- His left arm shot out, clasping her shirt tightly in his tanned grip. ZOOOOM. Yeah, she had just nearly been hit by a...fuck, was that a police car?! God, they'd never hear the end of it! And he was right... The fatass exited his vehicle and with an accent that made him want to cry, ranted on and on about the safety of the road. If he wasn't going to give them a ticket, HE SHOULD JUST LEAVE. LEAVE DAMN YOU. Take a step back, Toss; it's nothing to get all riled up about. He's just a bored, sad bastard with too much damn time on his hands. He'll go away when he's sick of looking at their faces and--

"You need to take better care of your girlfriend. If you hadn't have cau--"

"No," Toss growled, his eyes shining dangerously with a teethy smirk curled onto his lips. "She's a princess." He wiped away the sweat from under his bangs with one motion, tilting his head and getting into the police officer's face. He whipped out a fancy-looking ID card from a chain in his pocket and flipped it open in front of the guy's eyes. "If you hold us up too much longer, the embassy will scold me for keeping the ambassador out after hours. I might just...give them your name." Cold-hearted laughter was in his voice, the man much smarter than he looked.

"I am very sorry to have held up your time. You be careful now," he stammered. The white-haired devil grinned sheepishly and waved the car away, two minutes wasted. And damn did this girl even have parents? She didn't bother looking for cars before prancing out in the middle of traffic? The place was not only buzzing with the fuzz, but the truck lane was right there! Did she have a death wish, or did she just think that the engines would stall just as water parted for...some religious dude? Seriously. He'd take his eyes off her and she'd be roadkill. He really didn't need another strike on his ledger; taking out the Kremlin by accident was enough for a lifetime. He never wanted to see that look on Gavin's face again--he didn't want to betray that friendship--his friendship. Ahaha. King Gavin, he was like a ray of light in a dark place, vacant of stars. He was Polaris, yet wielding such an array of constellations that they dared revolve around an inhuman condition. He laughed under his breath just in time to see that the orderly who checked the parking meters was jogging over as if he were in some kind of Olympic marathon. Toss just stood there dumbfounded.

"Did you like break a mirror or something?" His voice drawled to her across the street, eyes wry with conviction. "Walk under a ladder? Trip over a black cat?" No? Because it sure as hell seemed like it. But she would have none of it. Miss pink-haired lady spun on the sprinter who seemed horrified at the challenge. She won her way out of the ticket, brandishing her wallet like a mallet in smack-a-mole. God forbid he get on her bad side...it was kind of terrifying. Show her the bell and then get the hell outta there. He observed as she attempted multiple times to get the piece of shit to take her cenz, but again and again it spat them out like peas. Violent streak too, huh? The rusted old thing took a beating via her foot and eventually gave in to a stubbornness more powerful that the inanimate objects own. Not bad, not bad. He nodded in approval as she headed back to him standing on the curb like a damn tourist attraction himself. However, it seemed she did have money after all because putting coins in a meter was much less work that slaving away at a job to pay for the excessive parking tickets that the bleeding Amestrian economy conspicuously charged.

"Anyways! Eh-heh, sorry about that.. uhmm I'd like to see the bell.. if it's not too much to ask." Yeah, yeah he hadn't really forgotten.

"Actually, can we eat first? I kinda just escaped my parent's place and all they have is shit no one else wants."

[Iris]

Iris felt a bit winded. Having ran and fought with two men about her ticket. World zero, Iris and guest two. Yeah, they were on a roll! She'd high-five him if he didn't look like he wouldn't get the concept. Smacking her guide in the face would be counterproductive. So far though, she witnessed him saving her life and some time by helping shoo the police officer. Along the way he mentioned her poor luck. GOOD! She wasn't the only one to notice! That meant she wasn't completely insane in thinking the universe hated her. It seemed common for her to get in some kind of trouble, but it seemed this man was the only one who had the logical reason for it all. Although, she couldn't recall black cats, mirrors or stairs. Then again, it was possible for her to trip over a cat land under a ladder and then smash into a mirror. That would cover her entire life with bad luck, right? Maybe she had a concussion and couldn't recollect the events. Possible, but not feasible.

Which reminded her, she didn't know her guide's name. How rude of her. She should introduce herself. "Actually, can we eat first? I kinda just escaped my parent's place and all they have is shit no one else wants." Side-tracked again she looked at him blinking a couple times. At first she was confused. Why would a man whom seemed to be so annoyed with her want to stick around for a meal too? Then a second thought hit her: Why did she care? A devilish grin slid on her face, the kind that always warned something coming. Her eyes flashed to his with amusement while she made eye contact. "Aaa! So sweet! You're going to give me a tour and take me to lunch?" Again she winked, probably against her better judgement. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've taken a little liking to me!" Of course she was just teasing in her slightly flirtatious tone.

Her brow furrowed and her face became serious. Her left index finger relaxed on her lip, pointing up as if at something. Of course nothing was up there, just sky and some clouds. Thank the lord for clouds, they were beating back some of the God-forsaken heat. She wasn't exactly used to these temperatures, having lived in Briggs for a while now. Too bad this was East City and not South. She'd heard there was a rather popular amusement park she had wanted to check out. Oh well, she'd check into that another day.

"Hmm... Welll, I can't go anywhere with lots of seafood..." She murmured about, as if thinking of restaurants they could potentially go to. It wasn't like she knew the place, so mainly she was trying to decide on a food that would be good. Burgers. Oh yes. Iris loved hamburgers. The delicious flavor she could almost taste on her tongue already. Was she drooling again? Indiscreetly, or at least an attempt to be indiscreet, she rubbed her mouth. Silently her stomach roared, asking for more food-related thought and a food-related answer. Red stole a hold on Iris' cheeks only for a second, her stomach's outburst making her feel a smidgen uncomfortable. "Uhm.. It's up to you where we eat. I just request something without seafood." She had reasons, she'd explain later- or now- or whenever he took interest in it. The why wasn't really that important and he could PROBABLY figure it out.

RIGHT! Side-tracked. She turned back to him, face glowing with her excitement. "Oh! By the way, I never introduced myself. My name is Iris." Chipper as always, her voice bounced every few syllables. She offered her hand to his in hopes of a handshake she might not get, but it was the thought that counted. She did have manners. Well. Sometimes she did. Internally she was overexcited. Though containing it all wasn't working. Through the way she couldn't stand still, showed how happy she was to spend time with the guy. After all, she hadn't been lying when she called him cute. That just wasn't something to lie about! She hoped to get a name in return, to void any awkward situations in the future. There were no needs for last name, just something more than 'Hey you!' would suffice. Especially if they were going to eat somewhere, it would be rude for her not to know his name.

[Toss Ivanova]

Boots dragged haphazardly against the pavement, the bottom grips grinding into the gum-coated cement. Toss looked at her like an innocent child expecting a beating, her eyes piercing through him in an effort to warn him that the inevitable was coming. He grit his teeth together and narrowed his eyes. He would win this...especially if she had a fever. If she wanted to overdo it, she could be his guest (if she wasn't already). Her obvious confusion was long gone, replaced by a look that could probably rival boobface's everyday sneer. He braced himself for the worst, wondering exactly what it was that he said that was capable of bringing this change of demeanor on. The instant pink met crimson, Toss knew it was already too late to run. "Aaa! So sweet! You're going to give me a tour and take me to lunch?" ... He took a deep breath to avoid-- "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've taken a little liking to me!" You've got to be kidding me. Give? The homunculus' forehead met his palm, red eyes blaring inklings of amusement, bleeding through his slight smile. Laughter erupted, his eyes closing against the unbelievable. Not only had she shared with him the porn star wink once more, but she dared pull his strings like he was some sort of puppet in place for her hands. He shook his head and looked up with a devious smirk of his own.

"You're right I do like you, but I never agreed to a tour or paying for your lunch." He paused, pretending to look through his wallet. "But you're in luck; I seem to have brought a small sum of my fortune with me." He smirked, walking around her and stopping to look back. On the surface, she was one of those ditsy girls whom one would assume didn't know right from left, however, as Toss found, her appearance was very much deceiving. In fact, she knew how to worm her way into people in order to get what she wanted, in a sense, reminding him of himself. It was like looking into a mirror, pointing, and laughing, but it was quite a different feel. For one, she was a girl. Shivers ran down Toss' spine, his shackles rising. And as if to mock him, her hair was pink. Of all the colors. AND THAT WINK. It was like a specter haunting his every move, watching him with transparent eyes that never blinked. Maybe it would have been better not to get involved at all, and yet? He honestly didn't know why, but he was enjoying himself. If only to gain another moment of amusement, Toss continued the charade.

"Hmm... Welll, I can't go anywhere with lots of seafood..." Allergic? was Toss' first reaction, a finger tapping his chin in thought. Well, that was a good thing; East City, bordering the Great Dessert Desert was quite uncommon to have seafood of any sort. It was practically the middle of the continent and one of the driest habitable places in the world. Seafood was already a luxury in the area, probably a commodity only the rich could afford. He was thankful for that, spending all his money really wasn't on his to do list. So then what was some cheap food they could grab? Her stomach was growling at the mention of it, Toss' silent but thoroughly in pain. Hm. Some fast, good food that didn't induce heart attacks upon ingestion. Probably a good burger place would suffice...none of that chain restaurant shit though. Without the grease and the various diseases injected into the meat--a family place maybe... Mcdonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Five Guys, Sonic... Oh right. They could just go to The Joint. Damn, how long has it been since he went there? It was the hangout place when he was a teenager. He'd sometimes drag his little sister with him on demand by his parents, but really it's where all the cool kids went. At this time though, all the school kids would still be confined in the jail of studying so it should be fairly void of the obnoxious, rambunctious children that indulged in the same style of play as he had so many years ago. Yeah, that'd be a good place, he guessed. "Uhm.. It's up to you where we eat. I just request something without seafood." As if he'd let her have a say. Toss started walking.

"You comin'?"

"Oh! By the way..." He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder with a disrupted look. "I never introduced myself. My name is Iris." She looked...way too happy. Toss blinked for a few seconds, barely helping the ghostly smile that found its way onto his face.

"Thought Irises were purple." He walked backwards a few steps and turned to shake her hand with his deathly grip. "I'm Toss, just Toss." When she let go of his hand, they continued forth down the disastrous sidewalk in the direction of his childhood. It was only a few blocks of walking until they reached the flashy industrial atmosphere of The Joint. The automatic doors opened when they reached it, happy waitresses surrounding them with 'Welcome!' Toss ignored them and held up two fingers, being told to wait a few moments. Meanwhile, he looked over the changes, noting a new paint job on the baseboards and that one of the booths was finally replaced. After that one time a kid named Gunther stabbed it with his father's pocket knife to see how sharp it was, a gaping hole was always present in that one booth in the corner. They was their jam. Toss couldn't help his smile growing.

"Follow me," their waitress, Julie, said.

"We need a kid's menu for her," Toss replied with a hallowed look. Julie responded with an eyebrow raise, but the white-haired Ishvallan was already laughing at his own joke.

[Iris]

"You comin'?" He had already started walking, but at that point, Iris was still daydreaming. Food did that to her, all the time.

As she introduced herself, his body stopped to look at her. A look that seemed a bit disgruntled with her standing there. It was only when he retreated and grabbed her hand that she realized he had been moving. A firm grip was around her fingers and a handshake was given that would not be forgotten in a long time. Partially because it kind of hurt. She'd never felt a grip like that and for a moment, she feared he'd crush her hand. "Thought Irises were purple." She snickered inwardly. "Guess that makes me one of a kind, huh?" Her voice showed the jovial attitude upheld with the whole interaction.

"I'm Toss, just Toss." That was certainly a unique name. She'd never met anyone before by the same one, but then again she hadn't been from.. wherever he was from, obviously. She wondered if only for a second if he had a brother named Catch... though it was ridiculous, unfair and absurd, it didn't stop the thought from being amusing. She smiled at him, obviously satisfied that introductions were aside and after him, she followed like a duckling.

The area around her was less than familiar, so as they rounded corners and crossed streets, she was more than lost. Her eyes took in the scenery while her body moved as if on its own. Step by step, she followed at a distance that wasn't too close or too far. Let him have his personal space, but not look as if she thought he had the plague.

At last they reached a small dining place. Upon entering, Iris could tell it was older. It looked nice enough, but it also looked well worn. The seats a color too shabby from use and the floors scraped with an occasional flaw, but in all it looked nice enough to count as a restaurant. The automatic doors they came in she found a bit odd, but didn't question it. The set up was nice with a theme to match. People moving about as was common at eateries. Iris was astounded. Her visuals moved wildly until she heard a voice that hit her ears familiarly. "We need a kid's menu for her."

Iris stood there a bit dumbstruck for a minute. Did he really just-? Kids menu. He was laughing about it. That was just so.. so mean! Her cheeks puffed for a minute as she followed him to the booth. Along the way, they passed a few families and single eaters, but Iris was a little lost at what to say. The phrase 'Cat got your tongue', held true for the moment. Anger? Frustration? No, it wasn't right. The words she wanted to describe what she felt weren't there. Instead she tried to figure out a response for him. The only sad thing was.. normally she DID order from the kid's menu. Therefore, she had nothing to say about it. The menu had smaller portions that didn't make her stomach sick just looking at, but still... CONCEPT! She didn't like being called a kid! Not even kids didn't like being called kids, but that thought was put away as that made her feel like a kid in denial.

ON ANOTHER NOTE. He had laughed. A cruel laugh to Iris, but a laugh nonetheless. She liked it. Her lips pulled into a grin. At least he was enjoying himself, it was all she could ask for. She had kind of sprung the decision on him, though now she was stuck having lunch with him. Not that she cared, eating was always good. The woman who had led them, asked for a drink and Iris spoke quickly, "Diet Soda." Then, as if she couldn't sit still, her head began craning to peak at what other people were eating. The delectable scents all around made her stomach rumble again. She pressed a hand to her belly before sitting straight in her seat to look at the man. "So, Toss. Where are you from?" There was no point in silence,b besides Iris liked to talk anyways.

She thumbed over the menu but it was already decided what she'd get. There was no real question in it. Her main problem was that she needed to check on the usual stuff, but she also didn't want to weird the man out. She shifted a bit in her seat and stared at her bag for a minute. Should she wait or should she just go on and do it? Ah, decisions. She had a little while before she was ready to eat anyways. She'd wait and probably take it to the bathroom, yeah.. that was a better decision on its own. "I love your accent." She blurted out. Her own words made her blink, confused by the randomness of her own words. Oh well, it was said. It wasn't like she was the type to take things back.

[Toss Ivanova]

"Guess that makes me one of a kind, huh?"

"More like a tulip." It was strangely amusing conjuring comebacks like a age-old pro, but at the same time it was almost too easy. Toss was used to getting teased by Boobface and all them; the kind of atmosphere was normal to him, but a random stranger? His carefree attitude was starting to worry him, which was already making him not carefree... Arrghh it was too much to think about! So not worth it. Toss trudged on towards their booth and plopped down across from her. It was the Jupiter booth--the gas giant: a planet you couldn't stand on...yet they were sitting on it. Kinda didn't make sense. But anyway, it has a storm the size of their entire planet (Great Red Spot)!! And the largest planetary atmosphere in their solar system! In fact, Jupiter's magnetic field is fourteen times stronger than Earth's! Toss was too starry-eyed to even care that Iris was smiling kinda at his retarded joke about the kid's menu, but he did realize with sudden lucidity that the waitress was giving him the look. What? Oh. Whoops he'd spaced out.

"Diet Soda," The girl covered for him, Toss raising his eyes innocently up at the crossed arms of the waitress. He paused for a second. Wait. A diet soda wasn't a type. He stared cross-eyed across the table at her. What kind of diet soda? Sprite? Pepsi--Coke? Sierra Mist? What?! He traded his eyes with Julie who was still eyeing him like a bug--a cockroach--a snail. He shook his head, indicating that Iris' answer wasn't appropriate for his to come next, but she didn't get it, tapping her foot in retaliation. WAITRESS FAIL. She'd realized her mistake later and come crawling back, delaying their order, but it wouldn't happen on Toss' watch!

"Ah, fuck it," Toss muttered, flipping open the menu to the soft drink section. "Bring me all the diets, strawberry lemonade, chocolate milkshake, anddd le'see Root Beer, and an iced tea. That's it."

"That's it?" He didn't appreciate her sarcasm.

"Yep." The second she left, the Ishvallan spun around towards the girl with a troubled look. "Seriously...diet?" She was busy staring at other people's food, which irked him into a pouty silence. The next table over...they had triple burgers that no one could possibly fit in their mouth unless they were Gluttony and could unhinge their jaw...but they looked so good, oozing grease with melted cheese and lettuce still with condensation on it! Drool pooled in the corner of Toss' mouth, making him feel like he was the wrong sin--Get it...for yourself. He laughed nervously, paging through the menu only to come across a single word...a single amazing word that defined all that he could have wanted: the BACONATOR section. No--no, what set him apart from Gluttony was VARIETY not quantity. And in this glorious section was just that. All of them--he wanted all of them!! His eyes lit up with a strange energy, his fingers sailing over the descriptions like wild fire in ethereal wind. This one and this one and--

"So, Toss. Where are you from?" ...wut? He blinked, baffled into stupidity. Where was he...from--where was he from--WHERE!? Toss cleared his throat, shaking away annoying pieces of hair that got in the way of seeing her fiddling with the menu like she was nervous or something whatever.

"East City, duh," He mumbled like she should have known the answer already, but she didn't look like she had a clue. She kept looking at her bag like it was going to suddenly sprout wings and fly around the restaurant like those miracle pigs. It remained stationary, thwarting them both...conniving bastard!!! He glared fervently at the bag, growling slightly under breath.

"I love your accent." ...he had an accent? Toss blinked wildly at her, his cheeks suddenly hot like he was contracting a fever as well. Contagious? His hands instantly clapped over them, finding he could do nothing but continuously stare. Had he acquired an accent from living in Carraig too long? Was his silent King rubbing off on him by not speaking?! WHAT WAS THIS?!?!?!!?!?!

"Creig," Toss replied calmly with a smile, watching the waitress trolley over with their abundance of drinks. He made a 8D face and received them, skidding the ones with lemons towards Iris. More unhealthies for him.

[Iris]

"Ah, fuck it. Bring me all the diets, strawberry lemonade, chocolate milkshake, anddd le'see Root Beer, and an iced tea. That's it." Iris was a bit deterred by that. EVERYTHING? The- THE ACTUAL HELL? Was he going to drink all of that? Her eyes held 'the look'. One of disbelief and surprise. She'd never heard of someone order so many things and not even reach the actual menu. So in shock, she was. A few seconds later and the conversation was back on track.

His lack of interest of what she stated made her feel a bit.. like a nuisance and she sank in her seat a bit. Was she being a bother? She'd hoped he was enjoying himself and yet her self conscious was saying that she was a pain in the ass. he even scolded her with his eyes about the diet soda. HEY she couldn't help it. For now, though, she wasn't going to bother explaining that to him. After all, then she looked like a girl with EVERYTHING wrong with her. At times she felt like it. Sick constantly, Diabetes, allergies. What WASN'T wrong with her. Mentally she slapped herself, then turned her attention to the options at hand. A meal!

A second passed and she could have sworn his face was red. It made her heart flutter. Though she couldn't dictate why, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Her face sank behind the menu. It was set like a fort and her nose and mouth were hidden behind its protective walls while she gazed on the choices. So many! So much! How would she ever choose? Silence she didn't fret in, soon enough, she would decide on what she wanted. A simple cheeseburger. Of course, upon gazing over the other plates, the cheeseburgers were more than simple. A bite was only a dent in the massive behemoth (In Iris-vision). Of course, sometimes she forgot her stomach was smaller than her eyes. She should have ordered from the kiddie menu, but she didn't want more odd looks from the man. It looked like stuffing herself til she literally popped.

The waitress returned with the multitude of drinks she managed to balance on one tray. How she didn't spill a drop was a pure miracle. Toss took it upon himself to sort the drinks via lemon and not lemon. It looked like tonight, Iris was a lemon lover. Not that she really minded, but it seemed kind of strange that she had a bunch of drinks that all looked the same. Even she, herself, looked rather oddly at the mess of assorted lemon-tainted drinks. Of course a comment was to be found. "Are you saying I'm too sweet?" She would ask with a cheerful demeanor. OPTIMISM! of course she could think of such a wonderful thought, though she knew they'd likely be soon struck down. It was worth it if he blushed again. In all honesty, even if he didn't blush, it was still worth saying. After all, she wouldn't have said it anyways.

The waitress turned towards her with a disgusted look. Iris acted as if the eyes weren't given. "I'll have the cheeseburger, extra onion and a fry please." The woman gave a further annoyed look. "Side?" Dumb moment. Iris stared at the woman as if she had two heads for a minute. "Your other side." Of course the way it was spoken was akin to 'Hey dumbass, pick a second side.' After processing the possibilities (which involved a quick glance at the menu again), she made a quick decision.

"Corn. A side of corn, please." Afterwards, she turned towards Toss, with an expectant look. Her hand grabbing anxiously at the menu that Iris held out. Iris couldn't help but feel the vibe of 'I'd rather not be here.' It wasn't ideal, but her attention was more on Toss. No longer able to hide behind the menu, her every expression would be readable. How she hoped not to make an idiot out of herself or rather.. more of an idiot.

Lazily, she leaned her head in and lathed her mouth on the straw of a lemon-flavored drink and suckled. The flavor covered her tongue in an explosive way that made her ears tingle excitedly. She loved the first taste of fresh soda. It always tasted the best. Meanwhile, she looked up at her newest friend with curiosity, wondering what he would order. After his onslaught of drinks she wouldn't be surprised.. would she? Maybe, she was lying to herself.

[Toss Ivanova]

"Or are you saying you're too sweet?" Toss replied instantly without thought. He was too busy eyeing up all the drinks to really process the implication of her question. That, and well, the Ishvallan was rather ignorant to flirtation. It came as strange to him, usually passing over his head like he was a child despite being pretty up there on the age spectrum. Condensation gathered on the surface of the glasses, pale hands brushing against them lovingly. Ah, variety, so refreshing. His taste buds got sick and tired of the same old things all the time. Having this display before him was quite satisfactory. He took his first sip of the strawberry lemonade, staring at the chocolate milkshake as his next victim. Why he went straight for the strawberry lemonade must have been because he was craving vitamin C or something because usually he'd go for the one that would melt the fastest, i.e. the ice cream shake. By now, his focus was entirely on the drinks, but even so his mind was beginning to wander to her comment about his accent. Had he really been living in Carraig so long that he had adapted their thick accent into his own speech? It clearly seemed that way. The stranger part was that he hadn't even noticed until she said something. He guessed being in Amestris made it more obvious. In Carraig, that was just normal. What kind of accent had he had before? Ishvallan? Toss blinked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

Tulip or whatever her name was, Iris, ordered just a normal cheeseburger seemingly oblivious to the waitress' disgusted evil eye. Toss, however, saw it immediately, returning it with a super intensive narrowing of his red eyes. The woman back up slightly, touching her hair nervously as she took down the pink-haired girl's order. Toss turned his eyes away as if an exchange never occurred in the slightest, opening his mouth with a finger glued to the BACONATOR section. His order was silenced before it could begin by the waitress' obnoxious "Side?" dialogue. He turned in his seat and folded a leg over his other with a sneer. How long was this going to take?! She couldn't remind them about sides beforehand? She was so new. Part time for sure. Hiring her was a mistake. He wanted to complain, but really he just wanted their damn food. The pause dragged out for far too long, Iris clearly stumped beyond reason. "Your other side," she added with a hint of pepper. Toss, of course, was not amused. At his wit's end, he slammed his fist on the table with a growl. Translation processing... 43%...56%...78%...94%...100%: 'hey dumbass, pick a second side.' His neck cranked over in the curly brunette's general direction.

"Corn. A side of corn, please."

"And by corn she means fucking patience," Toss barked, tapping the table with a few fingers. "You see, it's not written anywhere that we get two sides; it's your job to inform your customers of that before you take out your little notebook, missy. I suggest going back to training." He met Iris' eyes with a keen smirk before pointing back to the BACONATOR section. "I'll take all the burgers under this section. You better step it up if you even want a 5% tip." The waitress was horrified, nodding as she scurried off in a frenzy most likely to gossip about it in the back instead of do her job. Absolutely livid, Toss turned away from her retreating clicks of heels, meeting Iris' expectant stare. What was she doing drinking the C.C. Lemon soda imported from Aerugo first? He cringed at the thought of the aftertaste of diet. Ugh. What was anything without sugar?!

The time before the food was past by swapping around drinks. Toss forced Iris to try the chocolate milkshake because it was always positively to-die-for. With bits of Oreo and cookie pieces, it was heaven for sweet tooths. The shake was gone now including the extra that came in a metal cup. By the time the table was filled with plates and plates of food, most of the drinks were consumed save for the Hank's root beer that had a strange vanilla aftertaste that made it all that much better. The smell of bacon filled the entire area, grease and cheese galore. Iris' solitary burger was placed directly in front of her, but all around them were scattered five others in which the greedy homunculus already knew he could not attempt to finish. Still, he attempted, finishing off one and scattering bites around the others. He called for boxes and filled them to the brim, having denied sides he was satisfied with just the BACONATORS. Yes.

Once they were both plump, he called for the check, slapping a gold card on it without even looking at the price. The tip was calculated fairly despite a slim sum being deducted due to her lack of finesse. All done with that, Toss pocketed his wallet, the connector chain jingling with anticipation. He turned to leave, looking over his shoulder at the girl. "Hey," he said, "where are we going again?"

[Iris]

The seconds had passed just barely, when her new friend found a foothold where she, herself never could. "And by corn she means fucking patience, You see, it's not written anywhere that we get two sides; it's your job to inform your customers of that before you take out your little notebook, missy. I suggest going back to training. I'll take all the burgers under this section. You better step it up if you even want a 5% tip." Her pink eyes were captured by red ones and it felt as if they changed the color of her skin with the intensity and the smirk. Her brain melted a moment. Just like a school girl hanging out with a high-school crush, her heart was pounding and her heart racing. What was so intriguing about him? The fact he ordered-

THE HELL? He ordered about eight burgers. It was a slow realization that occurred to Iris. She would brush the whole scolding the waitress as wanting some damn food. Really, she needed to stop reading so deeply into things and getting her hopes up After all, she barely KNEW this man. Why would he- Why did she CARE so much? ...Well there were reasons, but likely she wouldn't admit them. Her brain was mush, she'd use that as an excuse. Sure she was lying to herself, but HELL she could daydream that way. "A little hungry?" She decided to tease while the woman fled away.

Soon, Iris was being swayed to try a great multitude of everything he had. Kind of mixes she'd never think of trying on her own, but she didn't argue. Actually a lot of them were amazing, but she couldn't indulge like she wanted to. Pout. Oh well, grateful for even the tastes, she was enjoying her time with this fiery man. He was so.. alive. At home there were so many people that moped around or even ignored her existence, she got into a rut of monotony. This man sure was a wrench in the gears. wait was that even the right saying? Bah, she didn't need to impress herself! After all, she was the only one who could hear her own thoughts. If he could- well. she'd have been humiliated. She was sure he probably would have thought she was some sort of creep. That would ruin the day, most definitely. She could imagine it though. 'Why are you fantasizing about me kissing you!?' Yeah.. Her face reddened a bit again and she sighed heavily. Her imagination just ran wild when a boy so cute was giving her attention. It didn't mean she'd act on it though.

Her burger was placed before her and his portions spilled over the whole table. The waitress would have a hell of a time picking up all the empty glasses. Saving some room, Iris shifted a few empty glasses, piling them and setting the aside. Then, she would arrange them so all the plates could fit and they both had room to breathe again. How many different types of bacon-based burgers could be invented?!! It was definitely amazing. What was more amazing was the fact the man downed one and still ate a few bites out of all the others. Meanwhile, halfway through her own burger, she was already about to retire. Scooping a few fries into her mouth, followed by spoonfuls of corn, she quit early. She couldn't fit anymore into her stomach. She had reached the point that the THOUGHT of food made her sick to her stomach. A box for herself and she watched him balance all six or so of his own.

As the payment was made, Iris didn't DARE wonder the horrors that would be the price of his lunch. Was it always this much? Did he spend so much money on food? Good lord! She'd hate to see his other expenses and- wait. she was just as bad. Every cent she made was placed in payment for art supplies... Yeah, but still! That much was ridiculous for food. Her conscious told her to shut up. As disturbing her curiosity was, she didn't dare feel guilty- even though she only had a smaalllll fraction of the total.

Without a word, Toss got up and turned to her. Iris returned the look with a nod. Sliding out of her seat, she found herself in step with the man. "Hey, where are we going again?" All the food distractions must've made him forget. She couldn't help but smile Her whole body felt a bit sluggish and sleepy after eating so much, however she could ignore it for a while. "We're going to the bell, remember?" There was no snarky tune or cruel tone to it. Simple answer with a grin. "Thanks for lunch." It had taken her a moment. "Remind me to never go dutch with you, though," she said. Her eyes raised to his and gleamed playfully. A joke of sorts , although also she was serious. If she ever had to buy lunch for this man, she'd be broke for months! Of course, that was with her own positive mindset that they would even meet again.

Motioning for him to lead the way, she stood near his side A shift of her bag and a stature that was ready for a walk. Sun blazing above did not help a sleepy factor, though. She could go for a nap, but some things were just more important! Like spending time with a cute boy who had an accent. Yep, that was a dream date.

[Toss Ivanova]

The door jostled closed behind them, Toss having a time at balancing four large take-home boxes made of styrofoam. However light they were, they lacked the necessary weight to make holding them easy. The place didn't even have bags so he'd have to march all the way across the city like this. He frowned. It was impossible--so utterly impossible that he nearly considered just storing them in her car despite it being a decent walk away. He looked around him, deciding that his own mode of transportation was a better bet. In fact, what was better for a sightseer than to have an entire view of the city? She reminded him that her objective was to see the bell. Like a true tourist, her ignorance of its rather boring display was apparent; no one really went out of their way to see the bell unless they were idiots. Still, it was a landmark that signaled the birth of Amestris, so he understood its importance in history. But why the need to see it? He guessed, maybe it just wasn't his thing to worship objects that were from the past; Toss was too busy making history. Right? It wasn't like it mattered, and he didn't necessarily want to give it too much thought. Relics like the bell weren't important to him. Maybe it was also because he wasn't even from Amestris. Despite being raised within the boundaries of East City and Amestrian being his first language, Ishvallan always felt more like home on his tongue. Yet somehow in the few years he had been living in Carraig as a test pilot, engineer, and all around cororin, he had adapted the accent of Creig into every aspect of his speech. It was integrated inside of him, became a part of him he'd never noticed until now...when the girl pointed it out. In fact, he was starting to get nervous. Being around her was so unlike anything he had experienced before. 'kay, just show her the bell and be gone.

"Thanks for lunch." He practically jumped out of his skin, turning slowly with a flustered smile. He waved it off, but really was caught on a sudden realization. She hadn't asked why he ordered so much. Normally, people would be surprised, horrified(?), something akin to worried about his wallet-crushing choices, but she only seemed happy, bubbly. Like--it was like just being with him was completely entertaining to her. This was why he'd never understand women. They were flighty, vile, confusing things that almost always resulted in an eyebrow raise. He'd never get it. That was why, for once, Toss Ivanova gave up. "Remind me to never go dutch with you, though." A coil of white rose and he turned his head to look over his shoulder. His point. So she did have something to say about it, but it wasn't rude, offensive, or in anyway intended to be accusing. So he laughed, speeding up his pace and shaking his head in time. No, it definitely wouldn't be a good idea considering resistance wasn't his forté in the slightest. He couldn't even venture to try because he knew it would end in failure. His response remained only as laughter while they headed down the sidewalk towards a large parking garage. He turned into it after some time, waving to the guard on duty that knew him by name. They stopped in front of the chipped elevator, Toss grinning teethily.

"I'm going to show you something amazing." The door binged open, allowing the two entrance inside. Upon them shutting automatically, he jammed his finger into the highest floor, and they ascended. To the top they eventually reached, getting out into the spring of summer heat waving off the cement. The bottoms of Toss' boots suddenly felt like they were going to melt off, an agitated look simmering into his red eyes. "You've got to be kidding me. Why's it so damn hot up here," he muttered under his breath as he shielded his eyes from the blistering light. If it wasn't for the tall industrial buildings crowding East City, he was sure that the human population would be fried like ants under a magnifying glass. That, or this whole damn place would bleed into the desert, becoming more of Ishval than of Amestris. He shook his head, beads of sweat flying off the squeezed white tips of hair. Blindly, he headed straight for a giant ship parked in the center of what was the roof of the parking garage. In the dazzling light it sparkled a deep, iridescent red, a long electromagnetic barrel sprouting from the pointed face. Toss' grin remained, stretching out like a child's on Christmas day. He'd never be able to contain himself standing in the shadow of something as magnificent as this. "The Fallacy. That's her name." He marveled at the spaceship for just a moment more before pulling out a set of keys and clicking a button. In response, a hatch unlocked, the seal opening with a beep. The Ishvallan took steps towards it. "How 'bout it? Free ride?" He climbed up, leaning over the side, and extending a hand towards her.

[EXIT THREAD]

[Iris]

A laugh! Huzzah! That excited her. Iris was very pleased that he seemed to enjoy the joke as much as she did. Either that or he was faking. Either way, she didn't care. She'd felt humored, haha, funny irony. Her humor was humored. Try saying that five times fast. Her pink eyes had watched his face glance at her. Was he checking to see if she were still there? Or was he trying to see if by some miracle she had left. For some reason, Iris didn't care she was being a pest IF she was. The man was enjoyable company to her. She wasn't about to give him up any time soon. Well, unless he turned and pulled a knife on her. Hell, she was pretty sure most sane people would stop if someone was pulling a knife on them. Who the hell would want to stay in the presence of some homicidal maniac? Risk getting stabbed in the throat over a few minutes. NO THANK YOU. She was losing her train of thought again and found her attention pulled back to the white-haired cutie before her. She'd rated him a seven or an eight for now. It was force of habit, kind of arrogant, but hell, she didn't like staring at the same stop signs that had the same white letters in bold on a bright red octagon.

"I'm going to show you something amazing." Oh god. No. That phrase never ended well. Normally men who said that burped the alphabet or spoke about their extremely phallic vehicles. Soooo between the options in her head, she wasn't exactly sure what was worse. Iris knew nothing about her piece of junk so as a person prattled on about some sort of high tech car her face was nothing but a smile of not knowing what the hell it was they were talking about. Yeah.. what the fuck was a carburetor anyways? Her knowledge of cars extended from the needle of the gas tank and the speedometer showed you how much you were breaking the speed limit when it wanted. Yeah, fuck you speedometer, there was no way she had traveled that fast it the beat up mobile trash heap she called a car.

Never the less, she followed him into the microwave that nearly made the Briggs-accustomed lieutenant colonel nearly melt. She was short of hyper-ventilating when it finally came to a stop and the doors pried open. Unfortunately.. heat rises so stepping out was only another frigging heatwave that was less than welcomed. "You've got to be kidding me. Why's it so damn hot up here," Oh sorry, should I leave? She laughed at her own mental joke, but decided to not say it out loud. That one would have seemed WAY to ignorant of her. So instead she shrugged and smiled at him. No need to answer when you didn't have to. Besides, saying the reverse sounded significantly worse. Now to this point, Iris wasn't paying much attention to the world around her. She was too amused with her inner conversations until she looked up and heard him speak. "The Fallacy. That's her name." Well score point for Iris and- OH MY FUCKING GOD IS THAT A SPACE SHIP? The man was an alien?!! Was that the next step in this story? Because- Oh my god. Who the hell has a-

After a moment she fixed her face and cleared her throat. Yeah, act cool, Iris. As if there's nothing weird about-"How 'bout it? Free ride?" And naturally in her shock-ridden mind she replied, oh so smoothly; "No probing, right?"

Oh yeah.. smooth move, Iris. Smooth move. None-the-less! She would walk forward and take his hand, letting herself follow some strange man with red eyes into a strange craft he may or MAY NOT know how to drive. Eh what the hell? "I mean, sounds cool!" Her smile beamed at him as she laughed off the awkward statement.

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