Somewhere With You

[Guest]

The temperature in Dublith was much warmer than Ryuichi had recalled; the sun was blazing overhead and he found himself miserably hot. Then again, it was not as if he had been here often nor had vivid memories of the few times he did escape to the smaller town. Dublith had been a refuge of sorts for Ryu as he grew up; whenever his parents upset him he took off on foot to the Southern community to hide away and scare his parents into feeling guilty. Some called him spoiled and foolish for doing such things, but he saw it as a necessity. As Ryu walks along the dusty streets, he finds himself reminiscing about things he had not really considered worthy memories until now. The solitude he could find in this town was oddly pleasing to him suddenly. He purses his lips together and stops in his tracks, a part of his mind and body missing Central HQ. His amethyst eyes narrow soon after, despising himself whenever he actually missed that dreadful military office.

He tilts his head backwards, craning his face up towards the sky as his eyes close soon after. The warm sun consumed his pale skin and body; which was not too bad considering his unusually casual clothing for the day. Ryuichi was dawning a simple light blue t-shirt and jeans; something far too inexpensive for him to normally wear.

"Life is getting far too boring...and simple," Ryu complains aloud to himself. He was done paying attention to those around him as he slipped away into his own little world. Wallowing in self-pity was something he did best when left to his own devices and solitude. At this point only another person could break him out of his awkward mood, as he begins to trudge along his pathway once again towards Kauroy Lake.

[Sal]

Salazar let out a heavy sigh as he looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brilliantly, and yet here he was, wandering around for the world to see. He realized that, first and foremost, that it was hot, and secondly, that his attire was certainly not meant to be worn in this kind of weather. Black vest, black pants, black shoes...the only thing saving him from completely drying up and withering was his bright white hair. Being in a strange country was definitely not something the boy enjoyed, but he had other concerns at this point. He wanted to know what he had become, if he was not human anymore, and how he became this way. It was a strange feeling, and his heightened senses definitely didn't make it any easier on him. That was to say, it was even harder for him to act like a normal human being when he so clearly wasn't. Not that he would admit it.

His second priority was moving inland, to the center of the Amestris. He was bound to find an answer there. There were only two problems with his plan: he had no clue where he was, nor which direction he needed to go in order to get to his destination. It seemed that this wasn't a very lively place, so he definitely had not found his target location yet. The lack of people was understandable - he found this heat absolutely unbearable. The part that bothered him the most was that he had been fine with heat until that night when Gilles had him sit on the center of that strangely adorned circle in the dirt. Surely, there had to be someone that could help.

Most of the people he saw were in one way or another preoccupied, and were around at least one other person. He knew he wasn't the best when it came to speaking with strangers anymore - again, the fault of Gilles and whatever sick maneuver he pulled - but if it was too many, he would have some problems. he would get too worked up, and it would cause the pins he had to come loose, and his ears - those white, furry, non-human ears - to become exposed.

Then he saw him: a single person, walking. Sal decided that he should step in now, before he goes for hours, lost in the maze that is the country of Amestris. "Sir!" the boy shouted, as he broke into a jog, only to remember that he was in Amestris. As he approached the stranger, he began to correct himself. "Ah! Excuse! Mister!" Sal wasn't very confident in his language skills, but he hoped that he would be able to get the man's attention nonetheless. It didn't help that he had an Ishvallan accent to top it all off, so he made sure to try and pronounce each syllable carefully and clearly.

[Guest]

Ryu stops in his tracks as a person calls out to him and blinks his amethyst eyes curiously. As they narrow, he scans the area around him to see who might be possibly calling out to him. Ryuichi was not the sort of person who felt compassion for strangers he did not know; especially if they clumsily called out to him for no apparent reason. But the Ishvallen accent was clear as day in the words of the stranger who was reaching out to him. That, and only that, is what made him curious enough to speak with the person shouting out in his direction.

Aside from the accent, the other person's clothes was what the head of defense first realized. The amount of clothing the stranger adorned was poor for this sort of weather. That and that alone made a streak of concern wash over Ryu for the briefest of moments. He clicks his tongue in a disapproving manner as he approaches the person, shaking his head along with it. "Tsk, tsk. Poor choice of clothing for visiting Dublith. No sense of fashion either..." Ryu mumbles.

"Well, what is it? What do you want?" Ryu snaps slightly, not meaning to sound so rude but unable to help himself. His arms cross over his chest in a graceful and delicate manner. The military man's feminine behaviors and superior attitude was practically radiating off of him.

[Sal]

The boy stopped moving as he was approached by the man he had called out to. Sal definitely got his attention, that much was certain. As he came near, however, the boy sensed he was not happy. Whatever he mumbled, the boy couldn't grasp completely. Clothing was a word he understood, but fashion, that was a word he didn't know, and he didn't think he had even heard it used before. Whatever it meant, the tone of this man's voice didn't seem pleasant. Shaking his head definitely meant he was unhappy with something. Salazar looked up at him and winced as he questioned him and crossed his arms. Unpleasant weather yields rather unpleasant people, he supposed. The boy gulped and blinked a few times before answering to the man.

"I-I need help," he muttered, pausing before continuing, "Please?" He fidgeted with his fingers and switched his gaze repeatedly between the ground and the man's face. Now that he realized it, this man seemed a tad intimidating, despite what he was wearing. At least he didn't ignore the boy. That probably would have been less pleasant. He hoped that the man would at least hear him out, and, even better, help him. It wasn't a matter of trusting him as much as just having a set direction to go in. Wandering around like a lost kitten was no fun, nor did it feel healthy right now. He winced. Kitten? Ugh. That was not the best comparison to use, though it seemed the most accurate right now. He touched his left ear as he waited to see what this man would do.

[Guest]

Ryuichi's eyes blink mindlessly at the male before him as he pleads for help. Initially he found it rather amusing, because it was aiding to Ryuichi's constant need to feel above people. He smiles menacingly at the other male while adverting his eyes towards the not too distant lake. In his mind he was pondering the possibility that he might help this stranger; though he wasn't sure what compelled him to do such a thing. He bites his lip before examining his finger nails closely to portray how bored he felt with the current situation. While he fully understood what Sal was saying, he had the odd urge to pretend as if he did not. But he fought back that cruel thought and looks back at Sal; staring him dead in the eye with an odd determination.

Suddenly that flash of curiosity crosses Ryu's deep purple eyes as he notices something. The space between Sal and Ryu quickly disappears as he takes a long stride forward. He tilts his head to the side and examines Sal's head without touching him. "What are you hiding?" He asks in a voice that sounded like silk. When Ryuichi wanted information, he had a seductive way about getting it. His mind was almost certain about the person standing before him, but he couldn't know for sure until he was told.

"I'm...Sergeant Ryuichi Takado," Ryu says slowly so that Sal could understand him. He was also careful to annunciate each word clearly, for it was apparent the stranger could not speak Amestrian fluently. "Call me Ryu."

[Sal]

'Please don't ignore me, please don't ignore me,' the boy thought, looking up at the stranger. That would definitely be much worse than not having gotten his attention at all. Sal felt a bit disappointed when the man looked at his nails, seemingly ignoring him. If this was the case, he felt he might have trouble finding anyone at all to help him out. He tossed this feeling of being ignored aside when he saw those determined eyes staring at him. It was as if he saw right through the boy. As if that wasn't enough, suddenly he stepped forward, and his face came very, very, uncomfortably close to Sal's. The boy, of course, was taken by surprise, and was unable to conceal the "things" that he was hiding.

The white cat ears popped up, and Sal felt his face grow hot. He shrunk back and rapidly tried to cover them with his hands, but he was so mixed up that he barely managed to get his index finger on them. He crouched down and put his hands on his head nervously. "U-uh, I...Um...." It was no use. He couldn't think of any way to explain it that would work, nor anything he could say that he would be able to say completely in Amestrian. He just looked up at Ryu, and his ears hung down at the sides of his face. He seemed so vulnerable in this position.

So his name was... "Ru...Ruish....Ta....Mister Ryu..." the boy stated, making a futile attempt at learning this man's name. Great, another reason to be embarrassed. He fell onto his bottom and sat, borderline content, in the dirt. There was no reason for him to try to make excuses for himself, and it wasn't as if he would be able to, anyway.

[Guest]

An amused expression makes its way onto Ryuichi's face as he watches the chimera react to the closeness of their proximity. He remains still as the scene unfolds by itself; Ryu did not have to do a thing to get someone else flustered. Oh how he loved the feeling of power he had over this boy; it was sickening but interesting at the same time. He found himself wondering how far he could push this situation before it got out of hand. Ryuichi snickers, unable to hold that back even though he would have preferred doing so. It was clear as day on his face, the smile that was present and the amused twinkle in his amethyst eyes. Being happy, or what he thought he was feeling right now, was unusual for Ryu. He often spent his time in loathing of other people or feeling angry about things. To say the least, it was nice feeling this awkward happiness for once.

He kneels down in front of Sal before he resorts to falling over on his bum. As this occurs, Ryuichi moves forward to get closer to Sal's face. Inspecting his ears as close as he possibly could manage, he could feel his own breath coming back at him from hitting the chimera's ears. His obsession with chimera and creatures unlike himself was welling up in his mind and he felt like he could burst. Ryu's first instinct was to whisk this stranger away and put him in a cage to watch for hours on end. Sadly, this event was unlikely to happen and he knew it would be borderline criminal to do such a thing anyway.

"Your name?" the Sergeant attempts to ask cautiously, still very near to Sal but having moved away just enough to see his face instead of only his ears. "So difficult...speaking to you," he grumbles to himself under his breath, but due to the nearness there was no doubt Sal could hear him; even if he did not understand the words.

[Sal]

Salazar felt a strange pull, as if some instinct was telling him to run from this man, but at the same time, something was keeping him from doing so. He couldn't explain what it was, but... it wasn't a bad thing. No, it actually felt kind of... good? The boy looked up at Ryu, and wiggled his feet. His mind was seemingly aging backwards now. Someone his age wouldn't act like this... or so he thought. Maybe it was the soft nature of his animal parts. Maybe it was just that this person, this man...Ryuichi Takado, had somehow gotten Salazar's attention. "Mm....M-my name...S-Salazar..." He seemed to be processing something for a moment, and then he began again. "Call, Sal...yes, call Sal..."

Yes, Ryu had gotten his attention. That much was certain. Now that Salazar thought about it, he wondered if maybe this closeness made him feel happy because he hadn't had such closeness with anyone for years. Hiding out in the darkness was certainly no way to live for a young boy. He needed something to sustain him, he needed... what did he need? As Sal looked at Ryu, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Why did he run off? What possible reason could he have for leaving the only people he could have called family and wandering around in a strange country? Of course, he remembered that they had kept a secret from him. Not any secret, something very important to him. He never knew his real parents, nor did he know that he didn't until he saw that note.

Lie Huan...the woman who took care of him, the woman who acted as his mother. She knew he would need to know, but she passed on without being able to convey the message.

Salazar felt tears well up in his eyes, and he instinctively reached out and grabbed Ryu's shirt. He tried to ignore the liquid that began to run down his face, and made an attempt at asking what he was going to ask in the first place. "N-need...need help...to learn..." He paused and wiped his face with his sleeve before trying again. "Need help, go to center to learn ears! Have learn ears! Glow circle, and ears!" Sal gripped Ryu's shirt and looked up at him with half-determined, -half-grieving eyes. He just wanted to know what happened.

[Guest]

"Sal, okay, I got it. You're Sal." Ryu nods his head slowly as he replies to the poor boy cowering before him. He felt a pang of guilt, almost sure that this was entirely his fault that he was acting like this. Suddenly the power he held over Sal was not that appealing, but instead, somewhat scary. Of course he did not know the actual reasons the chimera was behaving in such a manner, but he jumped to the conclusion that it was completely his own fault. Ryuichi grimaces as he feels bad for invading his space, just now realizing what he had done.

"I'm sorr-" he starts to say, but Sal grabbing his shirt quickly stopped him from being able to continue on with that sentence. Ryu was growing dismayed with the power he felt this Ishvallen starting to have over him. Other people touching his clothes was not something he liked and his first instinct was to snap at the other male. For a brief moment that expression of rage was visible on the Sergeant's face, but he wiped it away before Sal could register what it meant. The last thing Ryu wanted to do at this point was upset the other even further.

He was officially puzzled as he struggles to figure out what Sal meant as he speaks. "You're fine now. Stick with me kid, you'll be okay. I'll help you...I'll try, anyway." Ryuichi gives him a pathetic and completely forced smile, but his grip on his shirt was causing him to fall forward a bit. Awkwardly, he fought to keep his balance so he didn't end up pinning the poor kid to the ground with his body. "This is a precarious position...let go? Please," Ryuichi's tone was a little breathless, actually becoming flustered with an event he couldn't fully control.

[Sal]

The young boy sniffed and looked up at his new acquaintance. Even though he understood pretty much everything in the offer to help, he wasn't quite sure what he meant by "Stick" with him. Well, he had an idea, but he thought that phrase was a little odd to use. "R-really?" the boy said softly, "You help me?" This was a pleasant surprise. He wasn't so sure that Ryu would help him at first, not after all the fuss he made. It seemed he was wrong. He made a mental note to try not to do that in the future, though. Just realizing he was still holding the man firmly, he let go, embarrassed. He wiped his face furiously, and it was almost comical.

Now that he knew Ryu would try to help, what would he say? Sal raised a finger and his eyes lit up, but then he put his hand down again and looked a tad disappointed. This would be somewhat difficult, if only because of the language barrier, but he was determined to try and get his point across. For a brief moment, he looked puzzled again, but then he resumed his enlightened expression, and he stood up, wagging his white tail excitedly. Maybe Ryu could tell him what he needed to know. "What is, circle glow color water?" It was quite the interesting sight to behold. As he asked his question, he brought his arms to his chest, and then thrust them upward as he said the word "glow". This action wasn't intentional at all, and he didn't even really notice he did it.

"You know what is?" Sal gave Ryu a rather confused look, and clasped his hands behind his back. His ears had perked up, and his tail moved side to side in a very smooth motion. He paid them no mind whatsoever right now, being completely elated by his new companion's willingness to assist him.

[Guest]

It was clear that Ryuichi was dumbfounded as to what Sal was trying to explain to him. He blinks hopelessly at the other male and gives him a pathetic smile in return. Ryu shakes his head, trying to show he was not entirely sure what the chimera meant by a circle glowing the color of water. Then he starts to blink again as his mind attempts to connect the dots together and he snaps his fingers suddenly. "A blue circle? Or...well...a transmutation circle?" Ryuichi speaks slowly, trying to get on some common ground with the Ishvallen.

Suddenly he felt like a fool for not having learned Ishvallen at an earlier date. This language barrier was becoming annoying and tiresome very quickly. Ryu tilts his head to the side, still rather near in proximity to Sal, and quirks an eyebrow. He smoothes out the creases in his shirt that Sal had caused by grabbing his clothing so suddenly. Sighing he stands to his feet and offers out a hand for the other to grab to help him back up. "I don't like the...heat," the Sergeant explains as he points to the sun for further emphasis. "Come with me." Was all he said; Ryuichi planned on leading Sal to his secret home that he had hidden away here in Dublith for when he needed to escape his normal life.

[Sal]

It was clear that Ryu was trying to understand him, and the boy felt a bit uneasy about that. Nonetheless, he figured that trying to explain was better for him right now than not explaining at all. He wiped some sweat off his face as his companion pondered what those words meant when put together. The moment he snapped his fingers, Sal's face lit up. Ryuichi Takado knew what it was! Well, maybe not all of it, but the circle was a good start. The chimera had to process the wording again. "Churr...ans...myuu...tay...shawn...circle..." He sounded out the syllables, nodding his head with each one. "Churr ans myuu tay shawn circle! Good?" The boy looked up at Ryu, and grabbed hold of his hand, allowing himself to be pulled up, smiling and searching the other's face for approval.

When his newfound "friend" pointed up at the sun, and he spoke the words "don't" and "like", Sal knew exactly what he meant, and he nodded in agreement. He was definitely starting to like this guy; he knew exactly what Sal was talking about, and he knew when too much heat was TOO MUCH HEAT. Salazar skipped alongside him, and each time his feet hit the ground, he said a syllable: "Ry-u, ih-tchy, talk-a, do, Mis-ter, Ry-u, is-my, friend!" The boy chanted with a large grin on his face.

He wondered where Ryu was going to take him, but he had a feeling it would be a place to get them both away from the heat. Still filled with that sensation of joy, he continued to hum, and his steps began to gain a lot of bounce.

[Guest]

Ryu gave Sal a curious look as he begins to walk, finding that he did not need to drag the other along. Sal was gladly walking beside him with quite the cheery step in his walk. Luckily, Ryuichi knew that his small cottage was not far away from where they were now. The cottage was just on the edge of the lake and had a beautiful view of Yock Island in the near distance. He points head of them to a brick home hidden behind the very few trees that were in the area. Lush emerald green grass spread out in front of it; the place looked like it was dropped from a fairy tale and did not belong in this warm town. The Sergeant gives Sal a quick and sideways smile as they stroll along, the cottage getting closer and closer in distance.

"Sal, I have books...that will help me understand you...at my home," he says in a careful tone once again. His hands make motions like opening and reading a book, then he makes motions at his mouth to emphasize the speaking idea. Ryu had many books on every language there was; now he was making a mental note to actually learn every language instead of letting those books go to waste. "We can talk better then." Nodding, he opens the wooden door to the cottage as they finally reach their destination.

On the inside it was very humble; it looked clean but also looked comfortably lived in. It had the feeling of home, but was also open and welcome to friendly strangers. Most of the furniture was vintage or Victorian, but it was oddly well decorated for a male's get-away home. "Make yourself at home." Ryuichi's long arms sweep across the area as he bows slightly to let Sal walk in before him.

[Sal]

Salazar skipped along as if he had an endless supply of energy. The farther along they went, the more obvious their destination became. A house with lovely green grass came into view. It seemed modest, but it was all the while an enchanting sight, and didn't seem to really fit in this area. The boy had to giggle at Ryu's gestures, but the fact that he used those along with his words really helped get the message across much better. He nodded happily to let the other know that he understood some of what was going on, and looked back toward the brick structure. It was a lovely sight in spite of the weather, and the chimera had high hopes.

As they arrived at the door, Ryu added something else about communicating, opened it, and gestured for the boy to enter. Taking a few steps inside, Sal looked around and noticed the comfortable, very neat arrangement. He walked around and examined the furniture, curious about every little detail that he could spot. Sometimes he would even trace the designs with his finger. This small home was clearly well taken-care of, and it was a nice change of climate from the heat of the outside world.

Having completed his inspection of the front room, he looked at the furniture made for seating. Without another thought, he sat down on the nearest cushioned piece of furniture. It was much more comfortable than it had originally looked, and it had already been so inviting, given that the boy had been walking a lot recently. With a sigh, he sank into his seat, clearly happy that the surface felt cool and was so incredibly comfortable.

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