A Fateful Dinner (Briggs Brigade, Xanthus Icarus, Menoitos, Teimo and invite only)

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus was relaxed, calm, and enjoying his shower. Some of his silver-white hair was hanging down in front of his face, and he used his hand to push it up, only to have it fall back over his face all over again. The hot water was nice, and Xan was using the peaceful moments to think about the upcoming chaotic dinner that he was about to attend. Steam rolled around Xan as he chuckled to himself. A chaotic dinner this would be indeed.

Reila, Houka and Dai, three officers of Briggs who held less than absolute trust for the Ishvallan, a homunculus; not just any homunculus, but the Furious Homunculus at that, and a Xingese boy who was skilled in Alkahestry.

Tonight is going to be quite interesting. However, assuming that everyone makes it away from the table alive and in one piece, I'll have almost a perfect force with which to oppose the Fuhrer. It won't be long now until the first of my many plans reaches fruition. Oh well. Until then, I might as well stay in this shower a little bit longer and let the rest of my stress just flow away...

The Ishvallan closed his eyes and started to daydream about comical versions of the dinner that he was about to attend in about an hour or so.

[Guest]

Once Houka had left Teimo in the room that had been chosen for him she headed to her own room. Her body ached and she was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep, but she had to fulfill her duties and obey Reila. She hoped a shower would replace her need for sleep a bit. She stood naked staring at the cascading warm water her slender body shivering slightly due to the cold air on her skin. Her body was bruised, including a large one on her left breast, which she couldn't remember how it had happened. She stepped into the warm water her entire body aching, but soon it was soothed by the liquid. Her bruises and cuts hurt, but at least the aches in her muscles were gone and any gore from fighting was washed away by a mixture of shampoo and shower gel.

"Truth, it feels good to be clean." she whispered calmly as she eventually steped out of the shower and dried herself off. "Now all I have to do is survive this dinner then hopefully I can sleep."

[Dai]

He'd been rudely awakened about half an hour ago with, of all things to wake him up with, a bucket of cold water dumped onto his face. Fun. He sighed, and stepped out of the shower, steam billowing out behind him. He grabbed a couple of empty shampoo bottles, and threw them into a nearby rubbish bin with a smirk. He wasted a lot of the Briggs budget on the stuff, and that's what made it funny. He smiled, and yawned, before sitting on his bed and tying his hair back to it's usual ponytail with his white cloth. He dressed up in his clothes, slightly nicer than usual, and stood up, still staggering slightly. He wasn't back to his usual strength, not after the battle had taken it out of him before, and as a result, he was likely to faint at some point in time. Again. He sighed, and flexed the fingers on his right hand a few times. He smiled, and started to walk towards the dining hall, aka the cafeteria.

He looked through the door, and moaned. There was no-one there, it wasn't even set up for dinner. He thought for a few seconds, and put a finger up into the air. Of course! It was in a specially built dining hall! He sighed, and turned around, walking towards the hall that Reila had given him directions to.

He rubbed his forehead with his left hand, head pounding slightly in the cold. He had to make it through this dinner - he didn't know enough about what was going on at the moment. He'd been told some things, but he needed to know more. As he made his way into the room, he saw that he wasn't the first there. That was a good thing. That meant that he didn't have to wait alone...

"So... What now?"

[Reila Tsukino]

The green-haired man didn't seem to be paying much attention as he followed her to the next floor. They took the stairs because she needed to make sure the ice was melting in the stairwell--which it was. This also allowed her time to radio the medical wing to order a nurse to dump a bucket of cold water on Dai's head. That should give him enough time to ready himself for the mandatory dinner. She needed him for this and she was sure he would keep her emotions in check.

They reached the top and Reila scanned her card, holding the door open for Ares. She caught a glimpse of Houka as she passed the cafeteria, but she didn't stop. The long-haired girl continued on, assessing the situation. Everything seemed to be draining nicely. The clean-up teams were also completely their jobs with ultimate perfection. Still, it seemed the temperature wasn't rising fast enough for her expectations. She bent down suddenly to the floor and brushed her fingertips against the tile. The ice all along the hallway instantly turned to water and ran in rivers down the drains. At least the plastic coverings had been a success and kept carpets, beds, desks, paperwork, and everything else dry. That was one thing that allowed her to breathe easy. But... Reila rose to her full height and looked Ares straight in the eyes. Behind him, she noticed Houka and Teimo's retreating form towards the elevator. Her hand stroked her tachi in readiness.

"Now tell me. What is a homunculus doing here?"

[Guest]

Menoitos followed Reila religiously. He needed to place not one foot in the wrong spot, otherwise he'd be kicked out, and wouldn't be able to hear the Ishvallan man's... 'interesting' sounding plan. He smiled, and kept following her, doing whatever he had to do, until she turned around and confronted him, very bluntly. Asking him what a homunculs was doing in Briggs... Menoitos was both taken aback and impressed that she'd managed to discern his true identity so fast. He smiled, and sighed.

"So, you worked it out, huh? Ah well, I wasn't guarding it too closely. Before you draw our weapon, and I can see that you will, I want you to know this." Menoitos cleared his throat and sighed. "I will reveal everything at dinner, but this I can tell you now. I am no ally of Father." He smiled, and motioned for her to keep moving. He needed to get the trust of these humans as quickly as he could.

[Guest]

Houka slowly dressed herself in simple functional black underwear and her usual attire. She sat on her bed brushing her crimson hair back into a neater form forcibly removing the knots that had formed. She sighed deeply before strapping her sword back to her waist and heading back down to the cafeteria. As usual she had an earpiece in for a radio, but it was barely noticeable.

When she eventually reached the room she found that it was empty, but this didn't bother her and she took a seat awaiting the arrival of anyone else. She didn't have to wait long as Dai walked in soon. She rose to her feet and gave him a quick salute before sitting down.

"Take a seat and wait for the others I guess." she said with a shrug in answer to his simple question. It was a pain having to wait, but it gave Houka time to resolve herself to the fact that she would have to dine with possible enemies.

[Reila Tsukino]

"Not good enough," Reila hissed, her grip tightening around the hilt, her thumb ready to set the blade free. Hardly anyone in Amestris knew that Father was still alive or that homunculi still existed, but she did. Yes, very well. Reila had become aware at an extremely young age when she had been saved by Danny (also know as Lust). His mere name rung through her head, leaving a long echo of uncertainty and abandonment. She couldn't trust this guy; he would turn on them all and paint the walls of Briggs with their blood while laughing. That was the kind of things these homunculi were. She had met all of them... every single one, but she had never seen this one before. Were there more? Just how... was that possible?!

She withdrew her tachi and pointed it at his neck with conviction, raising her chin in defiance. "How..." Reila began in a light voice that held traces of pain and anger, "I've met all of them, but you..I've never seen or heard of you before." She dropped her sword with a loud clank and stared down at it. How many more of them were there that she didn't know about? There could be homunculi at Briggs right now fooling her and waiting to rip her fortress down. What...what should she do? She tried to steel herself against the shock she had felt before, but it gripped her, wringing out emotions she could not contain. The major general collapsed to her knees and threw her face into her hands, holding back the tears that burned angrily in her eyes. Why had he left her? Where had he gone? Now she was alone...so utterly alone. Like before...fending for herself.

She looked up at him, trying to discern if he was going to take this perfect opportunity and attack her. Taking deep breaths, she tried to will away the memories from her past, flooding her mind and skewing her reality. The tears had vanished from the edges of her eyes as she glared at him from the floor. "I knew someone like you. His name was Danny, but he was also known as Lust. He owned a hospital in Central. He took me from the streets of Aerugo and raised me...But he just disappeared one day." She stood up and grabbed at her sword, whipping it out to the side. A gust of wind followed it, spiraling around her and drying her long hair that had fallen into the small rivers. "Tell me now, why are you here?" She sheathed her sword angrily and moved closer to him, her eyes boring into him. "If you aren't an ally of father, then you could easily be one of Drachma infiltrating my fortress."

[Guest]

With a sword aimed at his throat, Menoitos could all but laugh. She dared to aim a sword at him? Wrath the Furious? He stood there, heartily laughing for a few seconds, before retaking his original, serious disposition. He shook his head.

"My name... is not really Ares. I gave you that name... as a safeguard. If Father was to find out that I had come here, he would question you all about me until you either broke, or died. And if I was a Drachman spy, would I have approached from the Drakkar side? No, I am a mercenary, and a damned good one. I was originally hired by the Drakkar rebels, but chose to change sides for reasons of my own." His eyes went to the ground, a solemn air emanating from them.

"My name is Menoitos, the homunculus known as Wrath the Furious. I was born human, and deemed to become a homunculus from birth, against my will. So instead of fighting for Father, I have lived for myself and others, and will not be at peace until Father is dead. Do you understand? I am on your side." In case she needed more proof, he raised his hand up to his eyepatch, and lifted the black material off of his eye, revealing his ouroboros tattoo. He then walked over to her and put a hand onto her shoulder, voice as kind as it could be.

"I mean Briggs no harm. And I didn't know anybody named Danny. The Lust I knew was... uh... Ever Silk." He looked down, disappointed that he couldn't be of any more help. "Sorry. Now, can we please keep going? I believe that Ishvallan friend of yours might have an announcement to make."

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila slammed her palm into her forehead before she realized what she was doing. Another mercenary?! What was she a merc-magnet?! Wasn't Dai supposed to be the only one who could draw things to him like that? Seriously... She gripped her sweaty, blond bangs and let out a deep breath. A mercenary homunculus not named Ares who was originally on the Drakkar side, but switched to what...theirs? She shook her head in mild confusion and blinked past her arm. A homunculus on their side...what was Amestris coming to?! She finally dropped her hand and stared at the ground with him. So he had reasons...but they had nothing to do with Xan since it had seemed they had simply run into each other and knew one another previously. Fancy that. She looked back up hesitantly as he continued to speak.

On your side. On...her side?! She almost fell over. She had to hold onto the slick wall behind her to keep herself up. So it was true... as he said. There were no hints--no secret codes--no faint indications; he just flat-out declared it. Her golden eyes quivered at him and she leaned her head back, looking up. She wished the sky was there instead of the dull Briggs ceiling. She felt the sky always made her realize reality--so she knew she wasn't dreaming. "Menoitos," She repeated in a soft, almost girlie voice. Reila was starting to sound her age and less like the commander of a fortress. "But...I've already met Wrath? A long time ago so how...?" She stared at him in question for a moment, feeling his warm hand on her shoulder. It was genuine...trusting--nothing like the others. It was real and she felt it was something that wouldn't easily betray... for now. She had to get Dai's opinion and Houka's, but that could wait until dinner.

Her eyes transfixed upon the oroboros tattoo again as if pulled in by it. It was the same...as that guy named Endavi... it matched Danny's and all the others. They were all the same... And then it hit her like a brick scraping at her skull. "The old Wrath was killed...wasn't he. And Danny--." That would explain it...why she never heard from him again after he went to invade Creta. Father had killed him. Did that mean there was another Lust now too? Was anyone left that she had known from the past? She felt her vision going black, but she tried to blink it away, planting her feet in reality. She wanted to cry, but now was the time to appear strong. As Dai had taught her, she pushed it away and shone brilliantly. "I'll show you to your room then," She bowed elegantly, but her head was swimming. "You can stay in mine...it seems the guest rooms are all occupied, I hope you don't mind." Reila nodded as a small smile escaped to her lips. She put a hand on the side of her head as if trying to hold her consciousness in, but it wasn't working. She sunk lower and lower as if she were being drowned slowly, and soon, she was falling. "I'm the one who's sorry," She mouthed instants before her mind went blank.

[Guest]

(Fuck forget it then, Im dropping XDD sorries about that x.x)

[Reila Tsukino]

[Hey Hyo XD Reila isn't in the dinning room, she's two floors above. She also just completely lost consciousness. I'm sorry for not making it clear T_T And you do know that only a few hours passed since the battle, right?]

Edit: [It's okay!! I'm sorry =( <333 -hugs-]

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus finished with his shower, dried himself off, then put on some underwear and sat down on his bed. It was always warm in his room, despite the chill outside, so he could do this without catching a cold. The Ishvallan sat on his bed for a few moments, debating on what to say and what not to say at the dinner. Eventually, he got up and went to his closet to pick out what to wear at said event. Feeling sentimental, Xanthus opted to wear his military uniform, laughing at what the others might say about his choice of clothes, provided they said anything at all.

After putting on his black State Alchemist military uniform (complete with State Alchemist pocket-watch), Xan walked out of his room and began to head down to the specialized dining room that this fateful dinner would be held in. The trip was not a long one, and when he arrived he saw that he was not the first one to get there.

Hello Daigoro and Houka. Looks like all that we're missing are Teimo, Ares and Reila unless I'm forgetting about someone. Ah, Daigoro when was the last time that we all ate in this dining room together, as the full Briggs Team? Been a while hasn't it?

So saying, Xanthus went over to the dining table and pulled out his chair, which was on one of the ends of the table. That would make things much easier when it came time for the deathmat...discussion....

[Guest]

Houka stared at Xan as he walked in. Him wearing that uniform after what he had done would normally make her attack him, indeed her hand had gone to her sword, which she had still brought with her. However, she relaxed her grip and after taking a deep breath she placed her hands on her lap and sat quietly. If he had not been a guest and also if he had not been needed to gain information she might of still attacked him. She still did not trust him even though he had helped Briggs in the battle. Afterall, his reasons for that were still unclear and it might just be to gain more information on Briggs or something. Information, those words made her think of Mura and her calm face turned to a frown, which only grew when Xan said about people being missing.

"Mura is missing, but he is comatose." she whispered. She did not say it was her fault. Her face showed that thought she tried her best to hide it and a few seconds later her face returned to an almost emotionless facade though the sadness could still be seen in her eyes.

[Dai]

Dai's ears perked up at the unfamiliar names. He turned to Xan with a slight look of confusion, but shrugged it off. He was sure that he'd be properly briefed later, and that was all the confirmation that the red-headed Alchemist needed. He smiled softly, and took his seat at the table. He could wait until everybody was ready for this - he needed to, for Reila's sake. He sighed, and lant back slightly with a smirk.

"I... guess that you could say that, Xan. I mean, I don't know if Jay will be attending, and if what Houka says is true..." He sighed. They were dealing with so much bullshit. Wasn't that the job of Central?

"Alright, Xan. You're hiding something - but what? I mean, why come back to Briggs? You don't have any need of anything here, right? Or do you... is there some part to your plans that involves our people? Because that's the only plausible explanation..." His eyes narrowed slightly, wondering what the other Ishvallan had up his sleeve...

[Guest]

Menoitos listened intently. She had a lot to say, and he had to make sure that he got it all, as it was imperative that he kept the trust of the Soldiers of Briggs. She seemed to have some sort of trust for him, and that was surely a good thing. Breathing a sigh of relief, Menoitos kept nodding as Reila spoke. But it hit him. Something was about to happen, he could tell with his Ultimate Eye. He went to speak, tell Reila that she needed to slow down a little, but he was too late, and she began to fall to the floor. He moved as fast as he could, and the homunculus caught her, just in time too, as her hair touched the ground below them. Wrath sighed, and stood back up straight, holding her up with one arm, and reaching into his pocket with the other. He pulled out a small bottle, and held it to her nose. The smelling salts inside would do the rest.

TIME SKIP - 10 Minutes Later

Instead of going to tidy up, Menoitos and Reila both made their way to the dining room, Meno being lead. He watched her from behind and smirked. She had someone very happy, didn't she? That, and that person should've been a very lucky person. His smile faded slightly, however, and he regained a serious composure as the two of them walked into the dining hall.

"So, we ready?"

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila strode down the hall clearly in a mess. If she looked like a wreck on the outside, her inner turmoil was something to be feared. She was angry at herself for her display of weakness, reaching outside her reign of control. How could she lose consciousness in such a dire situation!? She wanted to smack her head into the wall in shame, but she knew that would in no way help her throbbing migraine. Instead, the head of Briggs threw open the doors to the dining hall and strut in as elegantly as one could with bags under their eyes. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She said simply, acting as if her hair wasn't sticking out in every direction. She pulled up a chair across from Xan and collapsed into it, trying not to show the relief it brought to her feet.

She folded her hands on the table and smirked darkly at the white-haired man, her golden eyes gleaming viciously as she spoke in a cold voice. "Let's get to the point, shall we?"

[Guest]

Houka watched as they walked in and nodded to her commanding officer giving a quick military salute. Seeing the state of the commander's usually neat hair she pulled out a comb, which she kept in case of hair emergencies, from her pocket and slid it over to her. However, she remained silent and did not address anyone in particular Reila who looked as bad as Houka felt. Afterall, she did not want to exsacivate her annoyed condition. She sat in silence whilst she waited for the dinner/de-brief/information gathering to start. She wanted to know why Xan was back. She wanted to know why this 'Ares' had suddenly swapped sides and tried to help them. She also wanted to know where the hell that Xingese boy had got to. He had been shown the path and even if he had forgotten or got lost he had a radio in order to contact her for help.

On top of that she also wanted to know why Dai was using Ishvallan to talk to Xan. She only knew it was Ishvallan because she recognised the dialect though she could not understand a word of it. This was supposed to be an information exchange that everyone could understand so why were they speaking a language some of them, or at least her, couldn't understand.

[Xan]

As Xanthus Icarus had walked into the room and taken his seat, he had noticed that Houka's hand had gone to her blade. He smiled at her; his most amused, and slightly mocking smile. Upon her comment that Mura was in a comatose state, the Ishvalan almost asked who could have put him in such a state, until he looked at Houka's expression. He nodded with a knowing (and again slightly amused) smile.

He then heard Dai's accusation that he was at Briggs for something other than merely to help them. His smile turned into a slight frown as he looked at the other Ishvalan.

Why Daigoro, I'm not hiding much of anything. You should be more trusting of your former secondary leader, shouldn't you? Although, I suppose that you are right about Briggs having a part in my plans. You should feel honored to have such a role in this story of mine; the one that I'm going to give you, that is.

Xanthus looked up briefly as Reila and Wrath entered the room. When his former commander sat down and commenced the 'lunch,' Xanthus merely chuckled for a moment.

As a point of courtesy, I will speak in the language that is the most common between all of us; as is obvious, that language is Amestrian. *sigh* So Reila, you want to get straight to the point, do you not? Tell me, what do you know of the past of our great nation? Or more specifically, what do you know about the years in which Fuhrer Bradley ruled Amestris?

When Xanthus had said the name of the old ruler, he had winked at Menoitos. Hey, if Reila didn't already know their little secret, she would soon know anyway right?

[Reila Tsukino]

Of course Xanthus had to answer her question with another. It frustrated her to no end. Now the prospect of smacking her head into the wall was becoming more and more tempting. She sighed heavily and set her chin into the palms of her hands. From there, she proceeded to stare blankly at Xan. It seemed Dai and him were having a pleasant conversation in Ishvallan that no one else could understand. So...it was a nice change to be able to understand what was transpiring for once. She closed her eyes in fatigue. When was this day going to end?! Was she really obligated to answer that ridiculous excuse for a question...? Clearly she wasn't at her best...

"Xan...I'm the head of Fort Briggs. How could I not know it's history?" She smiled in the slightest and settled back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. She shed a glance at Dai and Houka, noticing a hair brush close to her. Now how did that get there? She tucked it discreetly in her pocket and shot the girl a soft grin. "I also know that Meno here is in fact a homunculus and if it isn't obvious, you're plotting something again, only, you're including us this time." She gave an exaggerated bow. "For that I am sincerely grateful." She narrowed her eyes. "Now, before dinner arrives, let's cut to the chase, ne?"


[Let's get this dinner moving so the plot can start going again. It seems the idling is making people bored thus the slight inactivity...]

[Guest]

Houka stared at Xan and then at the so-called homunculus now reffered to as Meno. Just what was going on? Xan's plan somehow involved Homunculus and something to do with the old fuhrer? Things were starting to get incredibly strange. She wanted to know what was going to happen next and was glad Xan was now using a language she understood. Houka's knowledge of Amestris' past was limited and most of it had been supplemented by rumour so she was unsure of what the truth was. However, if this man was truly a homunculus then the truth about the former fuhrer being one might be true as well. That was an intriguing prospect and made her feel that some of the stories about her idol Roy Mustang might be true as well, such as him destroying the homunculus known as Lust.

"Before you speak Xan...I would like to request that you are to the point and don't talk in circles." she said calmly. "I want to know why your here, why this Homunculus is here, why that boy from Xing tried to kill Reila and how whatever plan you have involves us. If speaking of history is necessary do so, but don't dawdle."

[Xan]

Xanthus laughed; or rather, he chuckled louder than he would normally chuckle. He couldn't help it. Here he was being mysterious and subtle, and everyone else wanted to get straight to the point. It was enough to make him laugh a bit.

After he had stopped his laughter, Xanthus resumed a more stoic expression and straightened in his chair. His eyes had taken on a more somber, serious quality. It was time to get to business.

Well, since the cat seems to be out of the bag about Wrath here, I'll get straight to the point. For all those who didn't pay attention in History class, this nation was once ruled by Wrath's previous incarnation, Fuhrer King Bradley. During that time, the nation became highly aggressive and militarized, at one point issuing Order 3066, which we all know as the order that sentenced Ishval to a bloody end for example. Now, to get to the point. During that time, the Fuhrer was but a puppet of a higher power in the form of the first homunculus; Father. This being was the cause of the destruction of Xerxes, and the cause of the temporary death of the entire country of Amestris. This being was banished to the Other Side of the Gate of Truth by Edward Elric a very long time ago.

At this point the Ishvalan stopped talking for a moment, taking a sip of water from a glass that had been present before his arrival. He needed to drink something before he said what he was to say next.

The reason that I am here, indeed the motivation that I had to return to this place where I am known as a traitor, the reason that we are even having this dinner is this...Father has returned from the Other Side. He has created new homunculi, corrupted several higher ups in the military, and has generally resumed his work from all of those years ago. However, that's only the beginning. Father...is the Fuhrer.

Now Xanthus looked at each of the people in the room (except for Wrath) as he wanted to see their reactions to such information. Doubtless they'd probably need a moment to absorb such information...

[Dai]

Dai seemed slightly confused by the new entries to the table, but listened nonetheless. That's when Xan said it. That the Fuhrer was Father. He'd heard it all before, the stories of old, where the Fuhrer had been the homunculus Wrath. But for the record, he wasn't as surprised as one would expect. In fact, he simply yawned, and stood up, walking over to Xanthus with a small smile, slipping Reila a look from the corner of his right eye. He'd talk to her later. For now, the red-haired Alchemist walked, wait no, stumbled towards the other Ishvallan.

"I believe you. I don't know why, but there's something about your words which tells me that you're not lying. So you'd better not be fucking with us. Otherwise what happened to the leader of RIOTE will come down onto your head. And I'm sure you don't want that..." He smirked, and then stumbled to the green-haired man in the white suit. So, he was supposed to be the homunculus Wrath, right? Well, he'd need proof of that. He'd need some sort of proof that this... Meno was in fact who everyone said he was.

"I heard that the original Wrath had an eye with the ouroboros. If you are truly him, do you have it - or is there something else that is proof of your being Wrath? No, wait, you'd better announce that to the entire dinner." With a small sigh, Daigoro Ito turned away and sat back down, really tired. Good - he wasn't as badly exhausted as he was when he fainted during the battle... He laughed, and took a sip of drink - brandy would give him a little more strength...

[Guest]

Meno was slightly taken aback when Reila simply announced to the entire room that he was Wrath. Y'know, he wanted to announce that himself! But of course, they all decide to speak for him. He sighed, and looked around scanning the room of people that stood there. It seemed to be everybody - and that was all he needed. With a small laugh, he stepped forward. He was about to speak - when Xanthus announced that Father was the Fuhrer. So that was what it was all about? A sly grin came to his face... Perfect... The green-haired, white-suited man threw back his head and laughed.

"Perfect. Just what I wanted to hear. The sound of those words brings joy to my heart. You know why? Because my name is Menoitos." He bowed slightly. "My apologies for deceiving you. It was so that Father could not torture any of you about my where... abouts. But I am indeed both Menoitos and the homunculus known as Wrath. You may be suspicious of me, but I will tell you now - I am no ally of Father's. My own goals in life are to both kill Father and to find a woman to accept me for who I am. So far, I've failed... in both. But anyway... I'll help you kill Father if that's what you're going to do." He smiled, and then the red-haired man came up to him and asked him to remove his eyepatch. Not a problem. The man reached up to his face, and pulled the patch off, revealing the ouroboros on his eye.

"I wish for you to trust me. I really do. I may be Wrath, but as long as you do not anger me, you will live..." He smiled brightly, and took a seat.

[Reila Tsukino]

Words... they cascaded around her like waves, thrashing glacial waters against her skin, staining it with salt. She didn't move--couldn't move. She only realized she was holding her breath when the thought to speak crossed her mind. Her eyes quivered--the only movement that indicated she was still alive. An eerie light gleamed through them, tainting the gold with vicious intents. Her heart barely beat as if time was standing still. Dai was stumbling around the table to Xan and Menoitos, but she hardly grasped what his intentions were. She was locked onto Xan as if he was the only thing left in this world.

Reila smirked maliciously, lifting her head from her hands and removing her elbows from the table. She leaned back in her chair and began laughing. Knowledge and strange intelligence radiated from her eyes as she found her voice. "So that's what it was...that explains everything..." She shifted her cruel gaze onto Meno's oroboros tattoo and bit her lip. "The homunculi I met had to have been created by Father to begin with... He has been alive ever since. Then... he survived only to resurface now, parading as the Fuhrer--pulling the strings in his own play. Hah! We've been fooled all along. Actors--no--puppets trapped in his grasp." She clenched her fist, barely containing the anger that surged through her. It all made sense. What Xan said, all made sense. No, she didn't even second guess it. He was right--she trusted him.

The strange light in her eyes grew in intensity, burning now with such deep-rooted anger that she was hardly the same Reila everyone knew. She slammed both her fists into the table and rose to her feet, holding her head high. Ribbons of long, strawberry hair flared out around her in shambles of beauty. "He will die."

[Guest]

Houka stared increduously at Xan when he made this announcement. The Fuhrer, the ruler of Amestris, was its greatest enemy? If that was true then could everything that had happened so far been part of his plot? Manipulating all of Amestris for some purpose. When Reila declared that the Fuhrer would die she rose to her feet.

"I agree with Reila. Strangely, I don't doubt your words Xan." she said looking at Xan. "However, before we plan his removal I have a few questions that perhaps you can answer Are...Menoi....oh whatever the hell you want to call yourself. What is Father's plan this time? I did not have history lessons having wandered...but I heard he was trying to wipe out Amestris with transmutation...and that Ishval was one stage of that plan...is it the same this time?" Houka thought about what she had heard of Father. He could cancel the ability to use alchemy, he did not have to obey equivalent exchange, he could perform alchemy without even moving. "Is is true he can cancel out alchemy and disobey equivalent exchange?"

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