Sloth and Gluttony make good companions (apparently)

[Guest]

The serene and partially forested Central Park was quite that evening, as the sun had set some time ago and the vibrant colors of of the afternoon had faded into twilight. With light shed upon her by the glowing orange street light that stood beside the bench she sat on, a young woman sat contently, eating her pizza with such vigor that one may assume that she had never eaten in her life. Despite the rate at which she devoured her food, not a single bit fell on her light green sweater (recently stolen), or her worn blue jeans.

Úna Sinclair was lost in this new world, she hadn't a clue where she was or who she was or why she was even here. In the past few hours of her existance, she had been taken in by criminals delinquents, sexually assaulted, "murdered", several men, died, stole a pizza, learned to talk, and was now sitting here eating. Quite a first day indeed. Still, other than hunger, pain, and euphoria, Úna had managed to experience very little human emotion since her birth. Human interaction was kept to a minimum and hadn't been of the best experiences. She was like a lost soul left to wander the earth without purpose, only her insatiable hunger, for she was the reincarnation of Gluttony, one of the seven homunculi whom Father had created.

[Guest]

Food. Shio's mouth watered as she peaked her head out from under the bench. Slowly inching herself in the grass, she managed to crawl through the girl's legs and stand to her full height in front of her. With a finger to her lips, she tilted her head to the side and drew her face closer. "Ano sa...Etooo" Her ears twitched and she pulled away slightly, the glorious smell of pizza overwhelming her senses. "Ex-excuse me...uhm wh-where..did you..." She trailed off and darted at the speed of light behind the closest tree. Peering cautiously out, she noted that nothing had changed. There were no angry words, no flashing knives, or guns, or weapons, or anything. It was safe...ish. She sped back to where she was and bowed courteously, blushing. "I-if you don't mind...I was wondering where you got that?" Her stomach growled.

The customs of this country utterly confused her. Culture shock was coursing through her entire body and she was completely unsure what to do. Alone, starving, and insecure, she looked in every direction as if expecting to die in any moment. Strangers were everywhere, emitting terrible, hideous auras that hurt Shio's heart. But this person didn't have that feel to her... She different--similar... But why?

[Guest]

Úna looked upon the mysterious girl who had appeared so suddenly with a curious gaze. She listened as the girl spoke with a nervous and uncertain stutter, her strange ears twitching as she leaned closer. Úna simply observed the girl first, not really listening to what her words meant, but as she nibbled the pizza in her hand, she noticed the curious looking girl's mouth water and heard her stomach growl in discontentment. It didn't take long for Úna to put together the pieces and think over what the girl had asked of her. Una gave a faint smile, likely because of her joy of discovering a source of wonderful food, and pointed toward the pizzeria that sat across the street from the Park both girls were at.

Though, it seemed that just as she revealed the location of this oasis of food, the lights flickered off and the "closed" sign reared its ugly head in the window. Úna stared at the empty pizza place she had been to only ten minutes ago, bewildered by its sudden change in appearance. "Closed...?" She mouthed the word in her puzzled daze, not even noticing she had read for the first time, despite never learning such things. A few seconds elapsed as Úna just stared off into space, her train of thought completely lost, that is, until Shione's growling stomach beckoned her to come back to her senses. Úna turned her head to the side, looking at the girl once more with such a distant gaze, one could not fathom what thoughts danced across her mind. The incarnate of Gluttony immediately reached into her box of warm, pepperoni topped pizza as soon as she finished the slice she had. As she brought yet another slice up to her mouth, she stopped, and her thoughts spun around her head once more in silence. Without a word, Úna held the drooping slice out to the strange girl that stood before her, smiling softly, her dreamy violet eyes glinted a hint of sympathy. Though likely invoked by relating to the strange girl's hunger, this new emotion of kindness was the first emotion Gluttony had felt aside from hunger and curiosity. Besides, Una felt that this girl was different from the others she had encountered so far, there was something different about her, something…. akin

[Guest]

Tentatively the girl reached out with quivering hands to take that very drooping piece of pizza, but she did not know that was what it was called. In fact, she had never smelled or seen anything like it before. Her soft ears perked up in intrigue and she cautiously took a bite. The hot cheese caressed her feline teeth and slid easily down her throat, warming it. The lynx chimera gasped, placing a hand over her mouth in surprise. Bowing immediately in thanks, a stream of long black hair fell against her right shoulder. "Ari-arigatou--Th-ank you very much!" Shione's voice began as a soft whisper of silk, but grew in volume as she declared her gratitude.

She raised her head after a few minutes, but only when she was sure that the other wasn't going to admonish her for doing so. This was Amestris after all, surely their customs were different, but Shione was unfamiliar with their way of showing thanks... Thus she was forced to opt with the only way in which she was familiar: bowing. Shione suddenly dropped to her knees in the dirt. Her hair fell over her face and her ears fell in dismay. She finished her pizza as quickly as it came and then humbled herself before the other. "I am in your debt. If...if there is anything I can possibly do for you--anything at all..." She trailed off, raising her head unworthily just enough to read the girl's expression. A fallen leaf that had survived winter, clung to her hair from where it had been pressed to the ground.

[Guest]

Úna gazed at the girl with a slightly puzzled expression as Shione looked back up at her with such a humbled appearance. As she did not understand customs of any sort, Úna did not respond as most normal people would, which would likely be a nervous reply, unable to cope with the cultural difference. Úna simply reached her hand out toward the bowing girl and petted her on the head. She didn't really know why she made such an odd gesture, but she felt compelled to do so, perhaps her own way of saying 'There is no need, I'm just happy to help', if one would interpret it that way.

After patting the girl on the head, the homunculus know as Gluttony picked the dead leaf off Shione's head, and brought it up to her mouth. She nibbled on the leaf for a few seconds, and then realized that the pizza in front of her was much better. She grabbed another slice, only two left, and began to gulp it down, showing no sign of being filled up. despite the seven pieces she had eaten before.
"I...my name.... is Úna" the voracious girl said, between the mouthfuls of greasy pizza. "Ú-Úna Sinclair". She looked to be as old as twenty in appearance, but the truth was, she was less than a day old in this world, and she struggled to find the words she wanted to say. But at least she was born into this world with a name.

[Guest]

"Ú-Úna," Shione tried, blinking soft brown eyes in struggle. Her tongue was unused to foreign words mostly because she had never really practiced her Amestrian in Aerugo. This was her first time in real-time use. What a strange name, she thought to herself. Shione could still feel the older girl's hand on her head and smiled sweetly to herself. It was comforting...just like her mother had been like so long ago... The thoughts made the lynx chimera shudder to herself, thinking back to the day when her house burned down. That was the day her entire life changed. Now... she had become inhuman in both aspects, being both a ninja and a lynx... Her tail flipped back and forth until her thoughts stopped and then it curled around her waist to keep her warm in the night's cool, spring air. She suddenly realized that she hadn't introduced herself in response and bit her lip with a sharp tooth. "My name is Okiza Shione. Yoroshiki onegaishimasu!" She dropped her late name: Tokugawa, when she had been part of the royal family for...they were now all dead and it felt pointless to carry that shame with her. Maybe this way...she would eventually find her brother. If she submitted to his will rather than killed him, maybe he would help her? "Do-do you have a place where you live?" Shione asked insecurely, fearing that she was being rude. But if Úna was alone too without a place to stay, maybe Shura would help her as well? She could teach Úna Aerugese if she desired...or do anything else! Shione felt it was the right thing to do in exchange for her kindness and the strange food she had shared with her.

[Xan]

As though in direct defiance of the natural laws of light and shadows, dark tendrils appeared to slither across the ground like snakes toward Una and Shione. They were shaped like hands and being followed by more tendrils, though these appeared to be sharpened into points instead of hand-shaped, and they themselves were followed by a massive shadow moving across the ground slowly. As they came closer to the apparently new Homunculi, the shadows began to slow down and then eventually stop completely, only a few feet away from them.

But the strange occurrence was only just the beginning. A voice issued out from the darkness; a cold, metallic voice that would have been familiar to the ladies had they known a certain former alchemist turned Homunculus, or if the memories of the Homunculus spirits inhabiting their bodies could remember the voice of their older brother.

Hello Una Sinclair and Shione Okiza, might I ask how you are both feeling on this lovely night?

[Guest]

Úna repeated the strange words Shione had just spoken with apparent difficulty. "O-oki...za...shio..ne...yor-r-r-r-r" Úna stumbled awkwardly over the strange sounding words, not even realizing half of it wasn't even Shione's name. She could barely speak to begin with, but for some reason, she could not understand these odd words that Shione said so often.

Úna simply dropped trying to say the words altogether and turned her attention back to her food. With a loose string of cheese drooping from the corner of her mouth, he answered Shione's question with a puzzled gaze. "A...place to live?" Úna repeated with some confusion, her words were spoken with more clarity and fluency as she went on in conversation, she stuttered on words less and less often. She understood what it meant to live in a place...a home, right? But what she couldn't understand how such things applied to her. Before Gluttony could even give a proper response, an ominous presence made itself known to the two.

Úna felt no fear when the voices called out to her and Shione, as she did not know what fear was. She instead, looked upon the newcomer with her usual dazed expression, taking another bit of her pizza as she looked at him. "Oh, I...I am Úna" said the youngest of the three homunculi, just realizing that he had used her name. "Hello...." she greeted. oblivious to the eerie vibe Pride radiated. Úna became even more confused by the 'feeling' that this shadow gave off. It felt familiar, like the way Shione did, someone that she should recognize, despite never seeing them before in her short, short life.

[Guest]

Shadows. Dark, jagged shadows were moving. Moving! They moved towards her... Shione let out a yelp and was up a large oak tree in half a second. It towered over the bench, and Shione gazed on as a human materialized in her line of sight. White hair, red eyes...It was a demon! She placed both hands over her eyes and took a deep breath, panting in fear. What had she done that was so terrible in this life as to constitute such a haunting? Was it that government official she had killed--whose home she had razed? She could almost hear the voices of those she killed, wait... she could! Shione gasped, just then realizing she was falling from the tree. It seemed she had been holding on with the hands that now covered her eyes.

The air was soft as it blew through her furry ears. Her tail whipped up and she peeked through her fingers. But she was failing towards it! Nooooo!! She cried, landing on all-fours, and making a small indent in the mud. Cats always landed on their feet... She stood up and met his gaze, brushing the tears out of her eyes. "Begone demon!" She shouted, darting behind the bench. How could she fight an evil spirit?!

[Xan]

Xanthus smiled with amusement as his 'body' materialized underneath the park tree. He was wearing casual attire; a clean white t-shirt tucked into black slacks that were secured by an equally black belt, a black jacket to cover the t-shirt, black socks and stylish black boots. Basically, he looked like an ordinary civilian except for the scythe that he carried in his right hand.

Ambition's blade glinted with light from an unseen source as Xanthus gave a light bow in the direction of the Homunculi. When he straightened back up, his smile had become much more warm and friendly than it had been before.

Don't be afraid Shione, I mean you no harm, nor am I a demon, at least not the kind that you're thinking of. I merely came to introduce myself and to have a little chat with you both. First, the introductions; my name is Xanthus Icarus, though you may be more familiar with my new name, Pride the Arrogant.

Just as suddenly as they had arrived, the unnatural shadows disappeared, leaving no trace that they had ever existed; only Xanthus' natural shadow remained, and it was firmly locked into position, and not moving around like a nest of snakes.

[Guest]

Úna watched in confusion as Shione darted around like a scared animal spooked by a disembodied noise. Maybe Shione did not like this person...Úna wondered why that would be so? While she thought over these trivial things that she could not fully grasp, the ominous presence that had spoke to them now manifested itself into physical form. Úna did not think much about the way this man looked, however, the scythe stood out more than anything else, and she did try to contemplate what it might be used for.

Gluttony's distant, violet gaze did widen for just a moment, a quiet revelation with that sinister man did introduce himself. Pride? The homunculus Pride? Why did that name sound familiar to her? Úna delved deep into her own mind. Hazy shadows of memories that never belonged to her, a blurry mess of obscurity. "B-b-brother?" The young homunculus muttered to herself. Úna did really understand why she uttered such a thing, she was sure she had never seen this man in her life....her life....what was her life? Úna was beyond reach now, her expression had gone from confused to a complete trance, her gaze reaching far beyond anything in the view of her eyes, her thoughts no longer dwelt on what was occurring around her.

[Guest]

Demons could lie, right? This one was surely lying, she knew it! She didn't understand what he was saying. What was he saying?? What was-- Shione's soft brown eyes drifted onto Úna and then widened in surprise. "He's your brother?!" She squeaked, trying hard not to revert to her native language. But Úna didn't seem to hear her, for the older girl was now staring off into space. Had the demon possessed her?! Shione dropped to her knees behind the bench and thrust her arms over her head. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she struggled to hold them back. Why was this life of hers so unforgiving, so torturous?! She had become this thing to assist her master, but now that he was dead... She was alone. So alone! She had to face this demon on her own. Was this a trial to overcome in order to free herself of sin?

Shione peeked around the bench, a tear nearly falling from her left eye. No! Resist! If she admitted weakness to the demon, she would definitely fall to his power as Úna had! Shione took a deep breath and tried to glare at him, failing. "What are you after?" Whatever it was, she would give it to him so he would be satisfied and cease his haunting--that is, anything but her soul. That...just wasn't something she could abandon so easily.

[Xan]

Xanthus leaned his scythe onto the nearby tree put his hands into the pockets of his pants. And this was only after being sure to show the two that he possessed no form of firearm. At the moment, he was positively defenseless, and completely vulnerable.

To answer your question Shione, yes, I am Una's brother. In fact, I'm your brother too; not by blood, but by the Stones that bind us all together. Now to your second question; I find myself wanting to seek out the Homunculi and gather them together again. No sense in all seven of us being alone in this land, am I right?

On a sudden impulse, Xanthus decided to attempt a change in languages. Shione Okiza was an Aerugese name, so Sloth had probably been born in Aerugo. Perhaps hearing her native tongue would help her to feel more comfortable?

Don't worry Okiza Shione, I promise that I mean you no harm. See? I have rested my scythe on the tree and put my hands into empty pockets. All that I ask is that you consider my proposal and help my find the other four Homunculi. Join me, and you will be well rewarded; you'll even have all the pizza that you can eat.

Xanthus laughed a little when he tried tempting Shione with pizza. Then he stopped and wondered about how much Shione could possibly know about her brothers and sisters. That was probably not much, unless the former Sloth were to begin sending her memories...

[Guest]

Shione heard her language resound from another's mouth, the familiar sounds wafting over her and bringing tears instantly back to her innocent brown eyes. The lynx chimera fell to her knees in the dirt, burying her face in her hands as she stifled sobs as best as she could. Her small form shook with the effort it took not to break down completely, but she could only hold back so much. Shione's ears flopped flat against her head, long black hair cascading, untied over her shoulders. It was too much for her too handle. The darkness of the night around them closed in on her, suffocating her with long menacing hands of cold. Sucking in a shuttering breath, she wiped determinedly at her watery eyes.

This man whom she had thought was a demon--an evil spirit, was actually her brother? She felt she couldn't believe that...though, she felt some connection. Through his Aerugese words, she felt she belonged with him. Not just that though...he felt, right--safe. Was this what fate was showing her? From the dark world he came, offering to rescue her from loneliness. He said it...that Amestrian word: alone. In Aerugese it was hitori (一人). Even the word itself was painful-sounding. The few nights she had spent sleeping in a tree without food, without a home, without aim, abandoned, were the worst since she had watched her mother murdered in front of her, the news of her father's death, or see her master beheaded.

Shione threw herself at Xan on impulse, wrapping her arms around him as if he were the only thing in this world that could save her. She cried warm tears into his shoulder, and through them, begged him. "Please, take me with you, Zan, I'll do anything. Just don't leave me alone! I can't stand it anymore! I don't care if you use me, just don't leave--don't abandon me!" If he was the ruler of hell himself, Shione felt she could now welcome it. She couldn't die anyway...what did it matter anymore? If someone was willing to take her...to take this sin-infested creature, then she would follow him to the ends of the earth.

[Guest]

Úna slowly came back to reality, regaining conscience awareness of the here and now with some hesitant reluctance. She hadn't been able to grasp the strange feelings that told her that this man was a 'brother' to her, nor the same feelings that told her that Shione was the same as her, as well as Xan. All she knew was that they smelt familiar, they felt familiar, so she felt a strong affinity toward them. Some may have called it instinct, but Úna could not even comprehend that much, all she understood was that these two were her 'family', in some way.

For once in her life, something that did not pertain to food grabbed hold of Úna's attention. She watched Shione shed desperate tears and cling to the man who called to her in words that Úna could not understand. If Úna was capable of feeling such bitter-sweet emotions, then she too would perhaps shed a few tears in this scene. She was touched at least, perhaps she was even happy, maybe that was why this smile spread across her lips, maybe that was why she felt this peculiar feeling of warmth in her chest. It was joyful, not in the way she felt when she indulged in her meals, it was...different, she couldn't explain it, she could only accept it.

With little control or though over her actions, the third homunculus made her way over to the other two, smiling softly, lavender eyes glimmering with just a hint of emotion, as faint as it was in her distant gaze. She reached out to Xan and Shione, who was still racked with uncontrollable sobbing, and embraced them both. She closed her eyes and let their 'smell' reassure her of their presence. For once, she didn't feel lost in this strange and confusing world.

[Xan]

Xanthus was surprised, though not particularly so by Shione's burst of emotion in the form of uncontrollable tears. When he saw her leap up, he instinctively opened his arms, and it was a good thing that he did, for she promptly flew right into them and began to cry into his shoulder. Soon afterward, Una appeared and embraced both him and Shione. Smiling lightly, Xan hugged both of the other Homunculi closer to himself, enjoying a rare moment of pure emotion, something that had not happened in a long time.

Shh...it will be okay Shione-chan. I will never leave your side if you choose not to leave mine. You will never again need to fear the loneliness. I give you my word that I will not abandon you.

After some time had passed while the Homunculi stood bound together in a deep embrace, Xan let the other two go, releasing his hug. Walking to where he put his scythe, Xanthus picked it up and stood it up on the ground, leaning ever so slightly onto its gleaming metal surface.

Come sisters, we have a lot of work to do if we're to find the other four Homunculi before they disappear again. And even when we do, we might need to spend a little bit of time persuading them to join us. I have a pretty good feeling that I know where to find Greed and Envy.

[Guest]

Shione's ears perked at the white-haired man's words. She raised her head carefully from him and let go, stepping away out of the warmth. What was this feeling? It was different...so aside from all other emotions she had ever witnessed in herself. She gaped wordlessly at him, mud-colored eyes tainted with a flood. Una was standing close to her as well. She had also felt an unusual bond with the older girl... Except with Zan it was different. She smiled softly through her tears, attempting to wipe them away on the sleeve of hand-made dress.

Right then and there she decided that she would follow this man to the ends of the earth no matter what. Regardless of what he wanted to do or accomplish, she would complete any task. Even if...she had to kill people again. The ninja stared at her hands, eyes shimmering with memory. If it was for him... Such words... She had never heard words so kind before--she had never been accepted into the arms of another before. Not since...not since her mother's death so many years ago. She could hardly remember what it felt like... Her skin was crawling, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shutting her eyes.

"I-I..." Shione murmured softly, "Zan, I..." Her voice trembled and she couldn't seem to get it out. Instead, she dropped to her knees and touched her forehead to the ground. "I'll do anything you ask! I'm good at cooking..I can steal and...I'm adverse in ninjutsu, but sometimes I fall. I--I can...be of use to you in any way..if I don't know how to do it, I can learn fast." She had raised her eyes to meet his, giving him a determined look. It glistened upon the surface of her eyes like the first frost of autumn. It was clear that her devotion now belonged to him.

[EXIT THREAD]

(Onto the next?)

[Sponsored content]