The Cat's Meow

[Sal]

Shouts could be heard throughout the entire building. A small, Ishvallan chimera of unknown identity had been making his way through Central Headquarters. This was certainly unheard of, but so far, the attempts at catching the young boy had been unsuccessful. He was quick, and he was small. In addition, he could change direction on a dime, much like a wild rabbit would. This was definitely no ordinary boy. The shouts traveled along the entire building, from the first floor to the second, and now he had reached the third. Why was he here?

The higher-ranking officers seemed to ignore the shouts, which grew louder now as stragglers scrambled up to the third floor in an attempt to trap the child. As Sal ran along, he felt a pang of disappointment. He came here to find someone, but since the first reaction he got as he entered was not a friendly one, he had no choice but to try to find the man himself. At this rate, he would never be able to, and he was starting to get tired, causing him to let his guard down.

An uneven spot in the carpeting caused the chimera to trip, and as he struggles to catch himself, one of the military personnel caught up to him, grabbing the back of his shirt.

"GOT YA, YA LITTLE PUNK!" the man shouted, causing Sal to let out a surprised yelp. This certainly wasn't what he wanted to happen, so he wasn't going to give in this easily. Slowly, the Ishvallan began to walk forward, pulling the man across the bump in the carpet, which caused the latter to fall on his face. This allowed Salazar to break free of his grip and continue running from the other personnel, who were deeply disheartened by this sudden event.

"M-mister XAAAAAAAN!" the boy shrieked, now practically surrounded by the militants.

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus was sitting at his desk yawning when he heard a very loud commotion begin to proliferate from down the hall. It had originated from the stairs, meaning that someone or something had come up them either looking for something or someone on the third or that they were looking for either of the two on the fourth or fifth. Judging by the lack of screaming and or bullets flying, Xanthus imagined that the threat was not that serious, if a threat it was. Then he heard a very loud and very obnoxious yell: 'GOT YA, YA LITTLE PUNK!'

Now that made the Ishvallan slightly curious. Surely they weren't referring to who Xan thought that they were referring to? A single eye moved into the vent that was located on the ceiling and traveled through it until it reached the calculated source of the majority of the yelling. Peeking downward, the Homunculus saw...a small Ishvallan child with cat ears and a tail. Sal? Back at his office, Pride retracted his shadow and stood up from his cozy chair. Reaching outwards with his right hand, he grabbed a microphone placed there on his desk (conveniently) and cleared his throat audibly over the loud speaker.

This made all of the personnel on the third floor pause for a moment and look up at the speakers, hopefully giving Sal enough time to escape, or at least time to make escape easier.

"Sal, my office is a bit further down. Not the one with the gargantuan doors; that's the office of the Fuhrer, which is not my cup of tea. My office is a bit closer to your position, and has more elaborate and doors decorated in a more Ishvallan style which are quite a bit smaller. Try not to get caught on the way here! But here, let me help you out before you get apprehended."

Xan turned off the mike then turned it back on to give the appearance of another speaker talking. Then, after another clearing of the throat, Xan adopted a much less jovial sounding voice, one that sounded serious and more...Colonel-like. And thankfully it sounded nothing like him at all, so he wouldn't get in trouble for this at all when the Fuhrer heard about it.

"Attention Central Command! Fridays are now to be considered...tiny miniskirt day by order of our own Fuhrer Schwartz by the advice of her...advising generals!

Naturally, nearly every man on the third floor (and on the first, second, and fourth floor) leaped into the air in a great 'woot!' not able to tell that what the voice had said was complete and utter bull. The Fuhrer wasn't even in Central at them moment, and besides, she would never have authorized such a thing! But either way, it distracted the men from Sal's tiny cat form...hopefully long enough for him to run to Xan's office.

[Sal]

The boy jumped up as a voice sounded. Wait a second... he knew this voice. It was the voice of Xanthus, that much was certain, and he was speaking Ishvallan. Where was it coming from, though? From his office? Ahhh....it all made sense now. His office was... down the hall, and the directions should be enough.

He went through the instructions in his mind, and tried to picture the door as he heard Xan's voice once more, this time he spoke in Amestrian.

As the man proceeded to distract the men in the hall with an announcement that the chimera was unable to make out properly, the latter snuck his way down the hallway until he found the right door. Behind him, the men in the hall cheered happily, while the women didn't seem too thrilled at the declaration. Salazar slowly opened the door and peeked in a little bit to make sure it was the correct door before stepping in and closing it. With an embarrassed smile, the small boy looked at Xanthus.

"Uhh....hi," the chimera said, looking around the office. It was actually quite nice, contrary to his original belief. He took a few more steps in nervously. Now that he was here, he had to begin to figure out what exactly he might say to the man.

"Uhh...nice office, Mister Xanthus," the boy said, clearly a tad nervous with the location of their meeting.

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus was chuckling as he placed the phone down, amused by the ease with which he had done such a magnificent job. The sun poured in its light from a window behind him, and some of the rays hit his State Alchemist' pocket-watch, which he still had from his days as an alchemist. The watch reflected the rays brilliantly onto many different parts of the office, and created fascinating beams of light, one of which was momentarily broken when Sal walked into the room.

The Colonel smiled even wider when he saw the younger Ishvalan, and a look of amusement made itself present on his features when he noticed the child's nervous expressions. Xan waved in greeting at the little chimera and motioned for him to come closer to the desk that the Colonel was sitting behind.

"Hey Sal. I'm glad you like the office, I requested that it have a predominately Ishvalan theme to it. Oh, and there's no need for the 'Mister' kid, I'm only 21 and you'll make me feel old! Here, take a seat, I'm sure that running around Central must be tiring; need something to eat or drink?"

Xan placed his hands on the back of his head and fully reclined in his chair, and waited to see if Sal wanted anything after his undoubtedly long struggle through Central HQ.

[Sal]

The decor in the man's office did have a very familiar air to it, though since the boy was never really raised with any particular cultural influences, it was hard for him to really feel at home. He approached the desk while keeping his eyes set on a seat that looked particularly comfortable, and changed direction to place himself on it. It was quite comfortable, and the boy pulled his legs up to himself instinctively. Normally he would have been keeping tabs on his behavior, but since he wasn't in the presence of a complete stranger, he didn't mind so much. He sighed as Xan spoke, and felt a pang of guilt. It was pretty much given that someone he knew wouldn't particularly like what the boy was going to do, but as a young Ishvallan, he felt that some things were better taken care of (with the help of those who could).

"Uhh... could I have some water? I was kinda running for my life out there..." the boy asked with uncertainty. He couldn't tell exactly what was going on in this man's mind, and he didn't know if he would be able to find the right words, but after a moment of thought, he began to state his case.

"Well, Mi-- I mean, Xan... I've been thinking a little, and, well... I realized it's been kinda hard for me here. I don't really have anything... I don't speak Amestrian, either, which makes it even harder... I don't have any money, and I don't have any fam--" Sal cut himself off abruptly and swallowed hard. He really didn't want to make himself think about the subject of family right now. Definitely not now, not in front of this man, here, in the headquarters of the Amestrian military. He realized that he wasn't normal, he barely considered himself human anymore. The ears, the tail, the senses...even his eye was a clear indicator that he was something different.

The boy wiggled his feet uncomfortably. What exactly was he doing? He didn't know if he could really trust this man at all. Maybe it was just that, since Xan did feel (for lack of a better word) different from most normal people, he felt that the man could somehow relate. He hugged his legs and looked out the window at a passing bird with a sigh, and wondered, just for a moment, what it would be like to live free, like that bird.

[Xan]

When Sal asked for water, Xan snapped his fingers, which apparently caused a nearby metallic construct to begin to move around the office, albeit somewhat hesitantly at first; this small metal man, barely Sal's height, walked over to an unseen refrigerator and pulled out a nice sized pitcher of water. It then poured some of this water into a glass that was quickly presented to Sal himself.

Meanwhile, Xan listed intently to what the young chimera said, and then was silent for a while whilst he thought of a good response. What could be said to the boy at such a time (or rather place) such as this, here in the heart of Amestris?

The Infinity Alchemist ceased his reclining backwards and actually leaned forward to place his elbows on the desk in front of him.

"Well kid...Sal, I'm glad that you're here, because it sounds like you've been having it rough since we last met. Hmm...If I recall correctly, I told you to come and find me when you needed something; be it something material like money, or just someone to talk to, like we are talking now. I know that this will sound a bit odd coming from me, someone you barely know, but trust me when I say that I genuinely want to help you."

Something stopped the Ishvalan's train of thought, then he sighed and looked around for a moment for whatever it had been that had apparently stopped his thoughts. Looking up, back, and to the left, Zan saw the very bird that Sal had just been looking at himself.

Whereas the boy had imagined a life of freedom from seeing the bird, the alchemist stopped for a moment to think about what freedom meant in terms of the bird's life; he then thought of his own version of freedom and sighed again, this time with more emphasis. The sigh apparently became a yawn, because the Ishvalan covered his mouth with his right hand, a motion that was itself then turned into a small stretch. Feeling refreshed from his stretching, Xan returned his attention to Sal.

[Sal]

The bird passed and the child slouched unhappily in his seat. His bright red, asymmetrical eyes gazed up at Xan for a moment, then at the floor. Money wasn't important to him, but company was. It was unpleasant for a child of his age to be alone for most of the day, without any set place for him to stay. What he truly needed was an element of stability in his life. It didn't matter what it was, he needed something that wasn't going to change. Day to day life for Sal was always something different, and with so many changing things, he needed to know that he would be able to "come home" to something.

The chimera nervously tugged on his pants. He was surprised that Xanthus did care, and wanted to help him, but it was a relieving fact, as well. Salazar stood up and quickly moved across the room to the man. At first, he hesitated, looking at the latter with sad eyes before hugging him. He gripped Xanthus rather tightly, and buried his face in the man's uniform. Even if he didn't know what it was he wanted or needed himself, he did know that a little human contact always made him feel better. "I... I don't know," he muttered into the fabric, "I just... I don't know..."

[Xan]

Time passed by more slowly than usual as Xan and Sal sat in the Colonel's office waiting for one another to speak. After some time, Sal looked up at Xan, and Xan looked at Sal before the smaller Ishvalan's gaze returned to the floor. It seemed that the young chimera was trying to make a decision of some sort. Apparently it was something of a big decision, because even now Sal was pulling on his pants somewhat, a sign of nervousness. Icarus decided to simply wait and allow Sal to take as much time as he wanted or needed.

Eventually, the young chimera rose from his chair and crossed the length between them in a few quick strides. When he reached Xanthus, he hesitated for a while and then...

Xan felt pressure and warmth as Sal hugged him and buried his face in the Amestrian uniform. For a moment all was still and even Xan had nothing to do or say. Then, after hearing Sal muttering, he raised his hands and began to hug Sal, pulling him closer and into a full embrace.

"Hey hey, don't worry kid. Everything's going to be fine."

Xan was speaking quietly, in the most calming tones that he knew. He didn't know what Sal had been through recently, or what he would be going through later on, but whatever it was, it was probably too much for a child his age to be trying to go through or handle alone. At least he, Xanthus Icarus would be able to provide support for the boy from now on, and part of that support was being for the boy here, at a time like this when what he needed most was simply someone to talk to, and someone to hug.

[Sal]

The cold uniform became warmer as the young boy felt himself being pulled into an embrace. It was the first time in a long time that he'd ever felt like this, and it... it felt good. There was no doubt in his mind now that coming here was a good thing, and although it was a bit of a hassle at first, it was well worth the effort in the end. His hands were gripping the man's uniform enough to put creases in it, but he didn't care. Right now he felt calm, despite what had been happening.

Salazar remained still for a while and was able to relax completely. He didn't want to think about what he would do next; Sal wanted to stay in the moment. The fact of the matter was that it reminded him of the woman that he had considered his mother, and even though he knew full well that she was no longer living, for a moment it felt like she was right there.

Xan's words echoed in the chimera's mind. At the end of the day, all he did was worry. He would worry about whether he would even wake up in the morning, what the day would bring, if he would be able to eat... and even though he had met Jack, and became a member of his crew, something was still missing. Even though that crew was supposed to become like his family, he still felt that there was something else that he needed.

The young Ishvallan shook the thought aside. Not knowing how else to respond to the situation, he began to purr, keeping a firm grip on Xanthus' uniform.

[Xan]

Xanthus looked down at Sal for a moment, then looked back up with a small exhaling of air. It seemed that the boy had quite drifted off into his own little world of bliss for the time being; he became more relaxed and began to purr not unlike a small cat would at a time like this.

The light from the sun shined into the office through the window and reflected off of their silver-white hair amongst other things in the office. The light and the embrace reminded the Ishvalan about times that he had spent with Lyte and Ado, two young ones just like the chimera partially buried in his uniform. They'd been in need of help to, and he had given it to them. Sal would be no different, but there were certain things that had to be done beforehand, things such as the quiet, warm, peaceful moment that was happening right now.

The alchemist was perfectly content to allow the younger Ishvalan to remain there for as long as he liked, and simply waited for Sal to do what he needed to do next, even if that meant just sitting there for quite a while longer.

[Sal]

The intense atmosphere seemed to crescendo the longer the two of them remained in the embrace, but at this point it was no longer something completely negative. Sal looked up at Xan with an expression of resignation. He was truly tired of his "adventurous" lifestyle. It wasn't so much that he didn't like to explore Amestris as it was the fact that so much could happen in one day when he was more of a migratory bird than a stray cat (as much as he hated to admit being a cat). He was sure that Jack wouldn't be necessarily happy right now, but he felt that for once in his life he should try to be a little selfish.

"Uhh... sorry, was that... weird?" Sal asked after he stopped purring. He was sure that it was definitely a bit odd, but given that Xan was in the military, he probably encountered (and will continue to encounter) a number of strange things. Right, the military. Sal sighed as he remembered how he arrived in this office. He hoped that everything that had happened wouldn't cause trouble for Xan. If it did, well... He didn't want to think about that right now.

"Well... now that I'm here, I guess I might as well make the best of it... is there anything that you can help me with?" the chimera asked politely. After all, if he left without making any progress, it would have been a waste of a trip as well as a waste of Xan's time.

[Aurelius Schwartz]

Bump. PM Xan.

[Xan]

Xanthus looked down at Sal while the latter looked up at him with resignation written on his face. Studying the child for a moment, especially reading what he could from his face and eyes, the Alchemist wondered not for the first (or last) time exactly what the boy had experienced in his young life. As held true for many Ishvalan children in Amestris, the answer probably was not good, unfortunately.

Sal reminded Xan of Adokenai, and of Lyte, which provided a great deal of mixed feelings for the older Ishvalan, who thought about what said 'feelings' meant. His thoughts were to be short-lived however, as Sal broke the silence with a rather weird question: "Was that weird?" Xan was speechless for a time, then he smiled and began to chuckle, a sound that eventually erupted into a small laugh. He shook his head lightly, still smiling, an obvious gesture that meant 'No, it's fine.'

The Colonel was almost caught off guard by Sal's second question. Almost. When the younger Ishvalan asked if there was anything that he could do to help him, Xan cocked his head to one side, feigning deep thought into the issue. In actuality, he'd been expecting that question and had already prepared an answer. The question was, how would Sal respond to it?

"Well, it's pretty obvious that a kid like you needs somewhere to stay that isn't going to put you in too much danger. And you'll need someone to properly look after you since you are...well, a kid.

Hmm...since I myself have nothing really to do during the day and even less to do after military work, which is mostly paperwork by the way, it wouldn't be a problem if you stayed with me. It's about the best way that I could think of to help you.

The older Ishvalan down at Sal now with a curious look in his eyes, waiting for his response. It was an odd offer to make, considering the short length of time that the two had known each other, and he was sure that Sal would probably have questions to ask.

[Sal]

The room darkened from a passing cloud as Sal watched Xan, who at first seemed to be thinking heavily about the question. His red eyes were wide with anticipation and seemed to be focused on the man's face, his ears perked when the other male began to speak. It was true that he needed someone to keep an eye on him and place to stay, but the boy felt that it wasn't just because of his age. Nonetheless, it was the truth, and whether he liked it or not, he really was still a child. What came next came as unexpected as his entry into the building.

In truth, he did want someone to stay with, but he felt that asking Xan directly would have been a little uncalled for. As he listened to the man, countless thoughts passed through his mind, some about his past out in the desert, and some about the way things were now. He wanted someone he could call family, but it wasn't that easy to find someone in Amestris who was kind enough and could communicate with Sal, who only spoke fluent Ishvallan and terribly constructed Amestrian. He would have to worry about that later, though. Then Xan stated that since he wasn't too busy for the job, Sal could stay with him. With him!

"Stay....stay with you?"After processing that fact for a brief moment, the boy's entire face lit up and he was grinning from ear to ear. He could hardly believe it. Sal began to imagine what it might be like having Xan as his "big brother", so to speak. The two of them could do all sorts of things together when Xan wasn't working, and the boy was so excited about it that he jumped up and brought his hands up to his face, almost as a girl would upon seeing a new article of clothing to match her new pair of shoes. His tail became extremely animated, waving around (seemingly) uncontrollably. The boy seemed to glow with happiness. "Really? Really really? You mean it?"

[Xan]

Sal's reaction to Xan's answer caused him to smile, clearly holding back a small laugh. Well, 'small' was quite relative in this case, considering. The cloud that had passed overhead temporarily darkened Xan's office, but when it passed, the resulting light seemed to be even brighter than ever. It practically made the room glow, and made Xan's hair shine platinum. Looking back, Xan blinked into the light for a moment, gathering together some words to say to the very happy Sal, who was apparently his new...

"Yep, I really mean it Sal. You can stay with me at my place for as long as you like. It'll be like I'm your big brother huh?"

The Ishvalan then reached down and patted Sal's head gently for a moment. He smiled down at the feline chimera, clearly happy just with the fact that Sal had accepted his offer and was so happy himself. It looked like he had found himself a new little brother, and a new friend in the form of this little kid named Sal.

[Sal]

This was beginning to be extremely exciting! He could stay with Xan for as long as he liked! Xan truly was going to be like his big brother. Wow! A big brother! As if the thought of having a place to stay wasn't reason enough to be happy, the fact that it would be Xan that Sal was going to stay with was even more wonderful! Incredible! The chimera could hardly contain his excitement as Xan patted his head.

"Alright! Yes!" He jumped for joy, then wrapped his arms around Xan's torso into a bear hug, burying his overly excited face into the uniform with a playful giggle. It was interesting how quickly the boy seemed to be so full of energy. He then let go and began to skip around the office. "Brother!" With another giggle, he turned around to look at Xan, and then continued to skip around. "We'll be able to do all sorts of thing, like get ice cream together, go to the park..." The young Ishvallan trailed off while skipping around the office happily, listing countless things that they could do together if time permitted.

[Xan]

Xanthus watched Sal jump around his office for a little while speaking in Ishvallan and bits of Amestrian. His red eyes followed Sal as he ran around the relatively large office, though he seemed to be concentrating on something else; he was making a mental list of all of the things that Sal wanted to do, time permitting. Or at least he was doing this until something struck him.

Sal had called him 'Brother.' Even though he had been the one to suggest it, Xan had not really expected to get such an enthusiastic response; that one really made him a much happier Ishvallan. He stood up from his office chair, walked over to Sal, and without any obvious effort hoisted the smaller Ishvallan clear off of the ground and onto his shoulders.

"You know, since I'm not doing anything right at the moment, perhaps I should take some time off and he could go do some stuff now?"

The Colonel had a slightly mischievous look in his red eyes, and though his smile said that he was possibly joking, his eyes themselves said that he was dangerously serious. All in all, he looked like a teenager contemplating sneaking out long past bed time.

[Sal]

Sal was still skipping along when he felt himself being lifted off of the floor and up...onto Xan's shoulders. With a giggle, the young Ishvallan hugged the older male's head. This was the first time anyone had ever carried Sal on their shoulders, and...it felt good. It made his heart swell up and it gave him butterflies. After rubbing his face in Xan's hair, he took in a good, long breath. He almost felt a bit drowsy from his place on the man's shoulders, but it was more of a feeling of comfort. His white, furry ears perked up when Xan offered to take some time off so that they could go do...something. Sal grinned and put his face back into the man's hair for a moment before responding.

"Could you? Really? That would be totally awesome!" The chimera swung his feet a little as he spoke, and his tail twitched back and forth as though it had a mind of its own, occasionally grazing Xan's back. This was going to be the best day EVER!

[Xan]

Xan enjoyed the feeling of having Sal on top of his shoulders. Truth be told it was quite a new experience for him to be carrying someone, as he had never done such a thing before, though he had seen others do it and he figured that it was probably the right thing to do in the situation. Luckily for him, he had been right judging on Sal's reaction!

The warmth emanating from the young chimera's body spread along Xan's head and through his hair, and for a moment he was at a loss for words as he thought to himself for a moment that this idea was perhaps his best one in a long time. Then, he remembered something...something very important. With a laugh, Xan began to walk around in his office randomly.

"I just remembered something! There are a bunch of guys outside that we'll need to sneak past. Unless..."

The Colonel eyed one of the windows of his office with the same mischievous glare from before as he began to walk briskly towards it. What was he up to?

[Sal]

Small white ears twitched as Xan walked around his office with Sal on his head. The young Ishvallan chimera purred and rubbed his face in Xan's hair. It would seem that he had a newfound obsession for rubbing his face in his newly 'adopted' older brother's hair. Maybe it was just his animal side showing through again. He was starting to get used to being more cat-like than human sometimes, but it was still a little strange. Nevertheless, if Xan could accept him for what he was, then Sal should be able to accept himself as well. This new brother of his was appearing to be more like a brother by the minute, but maybe it was just because Sal never had an older brother...or any siblings, period.

It wasn't long before the older male responded by noting that they might have some trouble if they tried to just walk out of the building the normal way. This was definitely true, considering the trouble that Sal had when he was on his way to the office...so how difficult would it be to go from the office?

"You're crazy," he giggled as Xanthus glanced toward the window, "...but I like it!"

[Xan]

Xan walked over to the window with the same smile on his face. With deliberate slowness, he began to undo the locks that kept the window sealed shut, until finally with a dull sound the window was fully unlocked. Now, he opened the window wide and looked directly downward. Sure enough, the ground was three floors down; and if things were not bad enough, these were three Central Command floors, meaning that the ground was even further away than had it been a normal building that Xan was occupying. His windows being relatively long, Xan was able to climb up onto the window sill...and stand up, looking down at the ground three Central stories below.

A breeze now found its way into the office, blowing Xan's hair around and making his uniform billow out in certain areas. The bright sun shined directly into the the Ishvallan's face and into his office, which he was about to unceremoniously 'sneak' out of. Thinking about the fact that Sal might not approve of his current thoughts despite him enjoying the Colonel's craziness, Xan looked up at his newest adopted brother.

"You wouldn't happen to be afraid of heights Sal, would you? We could find another way if this is too risky for you?"

[Sal]

Red eyes watched as Xan slowly made his way to the window and began to unlock it. A gentle breeze passed through the office as the glass contraption was opened, and the young chimera looked down at the ground below. They really were up quite high, but something about leaping out of windows that were up too high was exciting for the boy. Maybe it was his sense of adventure, and maybe it was the fact he was a boy that made him to easily drawn to anything beyond the normal and the mundane. Not to mention he was highly curious. They say curiosity killed the cat, but in this particular case, curiosity had created the cat. After running his tongue along his fangs, Sal rested his head on Xan's.

"Afraid of heights? I can't say that I am. They say that cats always land on their feet, you know," he said jokingly. He may not have been experienced when it came to leaping out of buildings from unfathomable heights, but new things were popping up everywhere. What harm could one more brand new experience bring?

[Xan]

Sal's answer pleased Xan; at least he would not have to worry about any strange warm liquids running down his back after the free-fall had ended. And speaking of free-falls...Xan looked straight from his position atop the window sill and beheld Central City below him; his office actually had a very nice view, and being where he was only enhanced said view. Finally, the Colonel took a deep breath, blinked his eyes for an extended period of time...and stepped off of the window sill.

Free-falling through the air was quite an interesting experience, and one that Xan swore to himself that he would have to repeat someday. Central Commands' windows flashed by in streaks of color (mainly the color of what was behind said windows), and if Xan focused his vision, he could, for a fraction of a second see some of the Central Command personnel going about their day to day business.

After a few seconds of course, the fun had to end. The ground came up with the expected suddenness, and how Xan avoided damaging something was to place his feet against the Central building and quickly push off, changing the direction of his forward momentum and consequently shifting the force direction and amount of his fall. A frontal flip through the air resulted in Xanthus standing perfectly upright and balanced upon the ground of the citadel that was Central Command.

"...Well, that was FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ah, you are okay back there, right Sal?"

[Sal]

The young boy's red eyes widened at the view from the window. His heart dropped for a second at the thought of falling to his death, but he had faith that his newfound big brother wouldn't let that happen. Nonetheless, he gripped Xan's shoulders and waited for the man to leave the building via the window. A split second later, the older Ishvallan stepped off of the sill, bringing the two of them into free fall. Sal's grip on the man's shoulders tightened and he closed his eyes.

The falling sensation was more alien than he had originally thought it would be. In fact, Sal felt that it was a rather unpleasant sensation, and hoped that it would end quickly. Unfortunately for him, time seemed to go by slowly as he felt his stomach rise into his throat. Maybe it wasn't just the thought of hitting the ground with a massive force and dying from it, but rather the feeling of free fall that bothered the chimera. It seemed to be the latter, as he almost lost feeling in his legs and felt the wind cut through his eyelids. Then Xan pushed away from the building, and their landing was softened. Once on the ground, Sal dropped from Xan's shoulders and walked over to a nearby tree.

"That was...my stomach...feels really weird," he muttered before gripping the tree with one hand and his stomach with the other. He made a mental note to avoid free-falling as much as possible. Definitely.

[Xan]

Xan felt Sal's weight roll from his shoulders and onto the ground, and watched him walk shakily to a nearby tree with his hand on his stomach. The Colonel laughed a little bit as he walked over to where the boy was and placed his back against the tree's trunk. Reaching out, he placed a hand on top of Sal's head and laughed again.

"Sorry, maybe I should have given you a bit more warning before free-falling from my office; I feel like I have to ask whether running from the Central personnel would have been better of an idea."

Shrugging, Xan lifted Sal up again, placing back onto his shoulders like before, if not a bit more gently. Slowly, but with a deliberate pace, the Colonel began to walk away from Central Command. He looked back for a minute, if only for a minute, with a thoughtful expression on his face before turning back and continuing on his way.

"So, I suppose that your stomach will need time to recover from that? Ah well, you probably need to eat something anyway right? Right! We're going home to rest for a while!"

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