Alone and cold. (OPEN TO: Reila)

[Guest]

She wore an out consisting of black: black leather jacket with a long train and a white fur rimmed hood, skin tight pants, knee high leather boots and all complete with sunglasses. The only color that stood out against her was her snow white skin and hair.
Anastasiya stood outside gates that lead to path which lead to the fortress Briggs. She managed to get into Amestris with the help of her contacts but she now realized that she may have to go back to seek further orders. Anastasiya was never given any kind of order to come here in the first place and frankly: she felt useless and bored out of her mind. To get any sort of order, she may have to go to one of the head commanders personally. Especially one she had in mind in particular.
She removed her sunglasses, causing the light to reveal her blood red eyes and looked ahead into the white nothingness, wondering if she should do this or not. Even getting past Briggs seemed like a miracle.

[Reila Tsukino]

Just then a load roar breached the quiet winter air. A wild, runaway, out-of-control snowmobile flew past the random figure of a girl at hellish speeds until ultimately...smashing into a pine tree. Reila climbed out of the driver's seat, panting and clutching her chest. Well, guess that concluded her lessons on driving from Dai. She had obviously...failed. Reila lowered her head in shame and defeat. Just how long would it take Dai to find her now...? She kicked the smoking machine and turned to look at where she was. Catching sight of another human being, Reila beamed and jogged over to her.

"He--!" Reila was seeing things. She must be hallucinating from the crash. Maybe her busted ribs had cause internal bleeding again? It had to be-- Nonono. Reila rubbed her eyes, their gold depth increasing as her pupils struggled to focus on the girl she didn't believe was real. Ilona was...alive? "Il--" Reila couldn't talk, couldn't breathe. She collapsed onto her knees in a fit of sobs, clutching her sides as tears spilled over her cheeks. Ilona...was haunting her!! It was all her fault... All Reila could think about was how much it was her fault. "I'm sorry Ilona...I'm so sorry!!"

[Guest]

Anastasiya stood frozen as the machine whizzed past her and turned around suddenly at the sound of the crash. She stood still, where she was and saw a woman come out of it.
She was jogging towards her but then froze. Something looked like, she was in pain. Terrible pain. Anastasiya, at whim, walked towards her and went onto her knees to be in the same level as the girl.
"Hey are you alright?"Anastasiya said, her accent with a hint of Drachman in it but it was hardly noticiable. Then girl could not stop saying sorry, and she kept on calling her by her middle name. How did she know her- oh yeah. The Harbinger Alchemist shared her name too..
She sighed and took off her sunglasses, revealig her blood red eyes, standing out against the white surroundings.
"Sweetie, listen; I'm not who you think I am. Take a deep breath."She said in a smoothing, gentle voice.

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila lifted her head and blinked at the woman that was kneeling in front of her. Cheeks streaked with tears, she looked like the picture of misery. Golden eyes shone as if the sun on a rainy day. "Your...right..." Reila was now sure she had lost her mind. It was the stress. Yes, it had to be that. She was sure of it. This woman had long hair...Ilona didn't. Reila shook herself out of it and shot to her feet. "I. AM. SO. SORRY." She curled a piece of her windblown long hair nervously around a thin finger. "You looked just like...someone I used to know." Her eyes hit the snow in anguish. Why had Ilona died? ...Such a terrible death. Reila never wanted to have kids. Ever.

Reila was extremely good with appearances and picking up on accents since she had been a foreigner herself. She also dealt enough with Drachmans to know one when she saw one. "Are you Drachman?" Reila smiled pleasantly, not a doubt in her mind that she could possibly be an enemy. There was a phantom of a thought though, which was quickly dismissed. If she had been an enemy, Reila would have died while she was crying.

[Guest]

"Why yes, I'm just wondering if I should go back you see."She said with a smile. Anastasiya got up to her feet, taking a look at the young woman before her: She was young but not inexperienced. Could she be...?
"I'm Anastasiya Ilona Romanov. Please just call me Ana." Her voice was sweet and clear, like a just melted spring, moving on from winter. Someone she knew...That person was obviously Ilona Szilagyi, the Harbinger Alchemist. Anastasiya herself never met the woman, only caught some glimpses of her through military files, but had her far share of rumours back in Drachma.
Anastasiya just could not understand why some people mistaken her as the alchemist when they had nothing in common.
"Is that person happened to be Ilona Szilagyi?" The woman asked with a hint of curiousity, trying to carry on a conversation and maybe use this to her advantage.....After all, manipulation was alll she was good for. The theres murder but that's something else.

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila was surprised. Could this Drachman know Ilona? She seemed to know the ex-second in command's name well enough. Face to face they stood as Reila pondered this deeply, basking in reverie. It seemed the two of them weren't related for they did not share last names, but Reila hadn't met any of Ilona's family before because she wasn't able to go to the funeral. There was a slim possibility and yet... what were the odds? Reila watched the smoke billow into the sky from her crashed snowmobile and frowned outwardly. Her eyes turned from the picture of destruction back to Anastasiya Ilona Romanov.

"It's very nice to meet you..." Reila tried to smile. "...Even under these circumstances." She laughed slightly, looking off into the horizon, searching for something. "Is the town nearby? We could get...coffee instead of standing here freezing." Then something occurred to her and she blinked in surprise. "Wait..are you going somewhere...by foot?!" Reila took a step back to emphasize her point. It couldn't be... walking from her to Briggs or from here to anywhere other than the town was suicide. Reila shivered to herself beneath the fur of her puffy white coat.

With a smile, Reila held out a fingerless gloved hand to Ana. "Do you mind if I call you Ana? I'm Reila Tsukino. You can call me Reila. And yes... Ilona Szilagyi. She passed away not too long ago."

[Guest]

"My deepest apologies...Yes coffee does sound nice at this point."She said with a kind hearted smile and started to walk back to town, slowing her pace so Reila can catch up.
The commander of Briggs who knew? Anastasiya's face was expressionless but inside, she was plotting the woman's death. Since they are going for coffee, maybe she can poison it? Slip it in without her seeing or knowing? It'll weaken Briggs line of command easily....But..
"Ilona Szilagyi was a distant relation, so I never knew her."A lie, but its not thatbig of a lie. After all, people did say they looked alike anyway. Time to toy with this woman's grief. At her weakest, thats will she will strike.
Until then, she was as she was at the moment: calm, smoothing. Maybe there could be something she could do. But what she thought of doing still needed her to go back to Drachma and to recieve official orders....Maybe she can call someone from Amestris to take her back..

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila raced after the Drachman woman with a bright smile. Well, at least she wasn't stranded alone by herself. And what if she had gotten injured in that crash!? Dai would pick her up soon... He would be dismayed to learn that his attempt to teach her to drive had ended in epic failure. The strawberry blond sulked inwardly as she thought over how disappointing she must be to Dai. And not only that!! She was the Head of Fort Briggs! You would think that she would be able to drive a simple snow mobile...

She stepped quickly to Ana's side. The tips of the buildings were coming into sight rapidly. That meant warmth! Reila rubbed her hands together violently, smiling to herself. "So you're related to her? Wow...what are the chances!" Reila's smile turned into a sad one that still held traces of her enjoyment in it. Her eyes felt frozen from the dry tears though and she was beginning to shake from the cold that was seeping through her coat.

They eventually reached a nice, warmth cafe that Reila knew of and frequented often. She instantly took off her damp coat and began stripping, hanging the heavy, yet warm clothing on the rank that was set out for that express purpose. With an exaggerated sigh of relief, Reila flopped into a wooden chair, closing her eyes and stretching. "We made it!"

[Guest]

"Very slim but we almost look like twins don't we?" Anastasiya said with an amused smile. She noticed Reila's frozen tears and offered her a white lace hankerchief, even though her tears are now frozen, she still might need it.
She followed Reila inside the warm cafe and sighed in relief as the warmth warmed her body. Anastasiya followed suit and took off her long leather jacket. She wore a black turtleneck shirt but it revealed her well endowed body. The light then shone onto her back, catching a glistening of sliver. Though it was flash before Anastasiya tucked the object away, one could of sworn it was a knife....
"It is rather nice here.Maybe I get myself a cup of coffee here or something." She said, putting her jacketon the rack and sat on the seat opposite to Reila. She kept a close eye on her, the red eyes peering itno her soul...

[Reila Tsukino]

Ana's red eyes offset Reila slightly. If she hadn't lived in Amestris all her life, the poor girl would have thought those the eyes of demon. Laughing inwardly, Reila concluded she was very fortunate to have moved to Amestris and left her Aerugese ignorance behind. Reila fiddled with the lace handkerchief that the white-haired drachman had lent her. Once Ana sat down, Reila passed it back over to her with it folded neatly. She beamed. "Thank you!"

Despite the other's kindness, Reila wasn't stupid; she knew this girl was dangerous. Just in case, Reila kept her finger tips ready at all times. Her golden eyes, though bright, appeared to be shining like the sun through a sheen of ice. She was ready for any trouble, and yet more ready to accept the Ilone look-a-like.

The waitress came over and greeted Reila personally, grinning from ear to ear like it was an honor to talk to the ice queen of Fort Briggs. Reila ordered and French Vanilla Cappuccino and then sat back with a small sigh. "So, what brought you so far from the town??"

[Guest]

"I originally came from Central. I had an..errand to do you see. Getting rid of a few flies, nothing new." Anastasiya said with a sweet smile but it hid something sinister....She ordered a tall caramel latte and looked back at Reila.
Reila must have thought she was dangerous, and she was right to think that. Judging by her posture and composure, she would be ready for anything Anastasiya would throw at her. As mush as would have loved to take her chances, Anastasiya could not risk destroying her thin facade...
"I was thinking about making a call to Drachma, if anyone can take me back home." She said, looking outside the frozen window. Did she really want to go back home though? Back to the cold and endless snow?
But did she have a choice in te matter?

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila blinked. The girl had a point... There really was no way to get across the border to Drachma around here without crossing the mountains. Was she stranded here? Reila felt some sympathy for her, but at the same time it was rather peculiar. Her golden eyes narrowed, but then she sighed, managing to smile. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. "Do you have a way back?" Reila asked, genuinely sincere. Drachman or not, no one should be stranded and alone. If Reila could without endangering herself or Briggs, she'd like to help Ana.

Her cappuccino arrived and she took a steaming sip from the paper cup. The warmth immediately entered her, tingling her throat. She felt it all the way down. Nothing beat this. She really needed to install a cappuccino machine in her office. Maybe she could convince Dai to find one cheap. Maybe ebay... or for Christmas!?

She really wanted to know about the 'flies' that Ana had mentioned. Why would a Drachman come to Central?

[Guest]

"I have a few connectionsin Drachma and in Amestris, it'll shouldnt be so hard getting back." If they don't help; Anastasiya had something to blackmail them with and they all cannot refuse the Black Widow's wishes..
Anastasiya saw her order arrive and smiled, taking a sip of her latte. She gave out a small "mmm", satisfied by the taste and texture. Better than anything, maybe Anastasiya could ask if she could be posted in North City...
"Besdies; they cannot exactly refuse me." She said with a smile. Anastasiya took out her red cellphone, that had diamonds on it, and checked the signal; she can call here.
The woman quickly dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up.
"I might as well call someone now, no?" She said cheerfully, the tone from the phone rung with the sound of her heartbeat. The two sounds almost sycncronized with eachother....

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila smiled and nodded, not wanting to interrupt the phone call in case someone answered. She took this time as well to call Dai to come pick her up. He was probably freaking out at the crash site trying to find her by now. She laughed inwardly at the thought. It would be terrible to make him worry over something so insignificant.

The long-haired girl stood up from the table, taking her cappuccino with her. She pranced over to a window with her high-tech cellphone pressed against her hidden ear. It rang. "No, I'm fine it didn't really crash. Haha...nono! It's my fault, I'm sorry. I just suck so much. Now I'm stranded in the cafe--you know the one--in North City. ...Yeah, could you? Awesome! Thank you so much~ Okay...see you soon. Bye!" She hung up.

Her coffee was gone so she threw it away and came back to Ana with a smile, hoping that the Drachman also got a ride home herself. "What did they say?" Still, there was something about her 'connections' that made Reila slightly nervous. She envisioned the small cafe being attack suddenly on all side, being cornered without her tachi. ...It would be bad. Well, for them. Reila would be pissed, but mostly she would be terrified. She never felt safe anywhere but Briggs anymore...


[So...what's supposed to happen with her going to Briggs?]

[Guest]

"Oh brother! How are you?" She said in Drachman but no doubt the woman before her would know what she is saying. That's why the message was coded, to simply put her off gaurd.
"Is mother alright? Oh no really?! Then can you get me a ride back? Thank youu~"Ana said with a sugar coated voice and hung up with a smile. Though the actual message was: "I need to go back. It's time to bring the wall down".
She tucked the cellphone inside her jacket and took another dainty sip of her latte and smiled at Reila sweetly.
"My brother can pick me up in a few hours. My mother is sick so it's important that I get back right away.."She said, though her voice was hinted with saddness. If anyone knew her longest, they would know its rather with disgust.

[Aurelius Schwartz]

[150 words!!]

[Reila Tsukino]

"Oh I see..." Reila said with nervousness etched in her voice. Well, there was no way that she was going to sit in a cafe and wait for Ana to get picked up. But Reila--the girl without a bad bone in her--could not simply leave. She stared at the freezing white world beyond the glass door and then looked at her hands. What should she do? Dai was going to be here soon. What if... Well, it was rather dangerous to except a random stranger, but... Reila sighed to herself. Why did she always get herself in these complicated situations? It was too much to handle. Seriously... She let her head drop into the palm of her hand and laughed slightly. She probably looked a bit funny to the Drachman. Well, Reila was always like this though...

She figured she may as well ask though. Who knew, Ana might be fine here by herself. Reila didn't have a bad bone in her body; she just couldn't leave the girl here. Even if it was dangerous, she figured that if they just kept a close eye on Ana, everything would be fine. Right? "I work at the Fort, so maybe it would be easier to be picked up there?" Reila had no idea what she was saying. It screamed danger! And yet at the same time, she felt ashamed of herself for being so paranoid. That was the initial reason why she decided to offer.

[Guest]

Anastasiya looked at the woman before her and yawned lightly though she was far from bored. In fact; she was wondering how to manipulate this woman to bend to her will...Then she said she could wait at the fort..THE fort Briggs? The fabled wall that seperated Amestris from Drachma? Anastasoya smiled and gave Reila her answer...
"I love to! My brother wouldn't have trouble finding me now...Though it might but hard due to this whether...And I am kind of in a hurry...You see, my mother is ill and she is asking for me.."She said with a sad voice complete with tears pooling in her eyes. Though it may seem fake at first, most people would think twice before questioning her realism. The voice, the tears and her face, how can you say it's an act?
She thought of a plan to look around the fort and see what weaknesses are within. With this weather, it may take her contact awhile to get here seeing as he was in Central but wasn't very far from her current location. This oppotunity arised in the perfect moment and she cannot let it slip from her hands. She must take it while it presents itself...

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila blinked and her hands flew to the girl's shoulders to comfort her. "I'm so sorry..that's terrible. If I had a mother, I can just imagine." The long-haired girl stood up from the table, pulling Ana with her. Reila, though suspicious of the coincidence, believed that tears could not be faked regardless. Even if every word was a lie, the tears represented something else ailing her. It didn't matter what it was. If Ana was going to attack Briggs once she was there, Reila would still be ready. For now, if she could help, she would without a second thought.

Dai arrived perfectly in the right moment. She was alerted by the load roar of the Briggs motor. The Fort's snowmobiles always sounded much more vicious than the normal ones. She didn't understand why exactly, but... it was just that way. She let go of Ana's hand at the coat rack, smiling generously. "Our ride seems to be here!" She threw on her coat and other various layers and was out the door in half a second, looking behind her to ensure that the Drachman followed.

[EXIT TOPIC]

(Ana is now at Briggs =3 but she's being watched by guards. I was thinking that maybe her plan gets called off because Briggs allies with Drachma after the Tzar is killed. What do you think?)

[Guest]

Anastasiya, pretended to be touched by the gesture, gave a heart felt thank you but in reality, she wanted to reach for her stiletto and slit the womans throat to make her job that much easier. But not yet.
"It's very painful..."She said, though it was geniune. Anastasiya never thought of her mother often and when she did, she often blamed on all her faults on the woman who raised her. Though she could not blame her father's death onto her mother, no matter how much she wanted to.
Anastasiya smiled at the man who arrived to pick them up and prepared to leave with them as she put her coat back on. She walked out and saw the shadows of the wall before the snow obscured it again. This will not be like her other assignments; which mostly consisted on recon or assasination but this will turn the hands on fate of her country and this one and will determine who shall rule....The Drachman military depended on her to break down the wall from within but inside: Anastasiya would rather be at home in his arms...

[Topic Exit-->>???]

(That would be okay xD but now she has to wonder whats her purpose in Briggs now xD)

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