Days in the Mists

[Guest]

A small humming sound. That was what was coming from Euphemia's closed mouth. The music from her headphones was blaring, and she had her eyes semi-closed as she walked down the normally busy Central street. We say "normally", because you don't usually walk down a street in Central at 3am. 'Course, Euphemia had her bat slung over her shoulder, and she wasn't afraid to use it on anyone who came close enough to be a rapist. Then again... There wasn't anybody in this damned street!

Which was good enough for her.

Anyway... Euphemia was walking along, humming to the sound of the music that came from her headphones. It was... pitch black, to say the least. There were dim streetlights covering the main areas, but they were about as good as a candle in a rabbit hole. In all honesty, she'd be better off with a torch. And as Aren walked along, she saw something glint. A quick look at the glinting thingie revealed it to be...

Eh. Just a coin. Small denomination. Nothing too major. She sighed softly, and continued on walking, still humming, still blaring. Really, she had nothing better to do.

Why was she out at 3 in the morning? Couldn't sleep. Party-goers near her apartment. 'Nuff said. All she wanted to do was calm down, and she does that with loud music! Even as a narcoleptic, it was impossible for her to go to sleep in that damned racket! She sighed, and took the headphones out, turning off the mp3 player. Okay... where was she now?

Fuck.

Fuck.

FUCK!!!!!!

[Guest]

Nice and cool, so chill as the wind nips playfully at your ears as you stride down the street. It was a pleasant stroll at such a late hour, the cool late night breeze was more than refreshing to Josef, whom had left his house to escape from the stuffy confines of his study. Hardly a soul walked the streets so late into the night, but that allowed him to see a different side of Central, a stark contrast to the crowded streets the daytime brought with it.

As Josef made his way down the dimly lit, shadowy streets, he thought he heard the voice of another person not to far down the road. He grew thirsty with curiosity as he brought his hands to his mouth to warm them with his breath, his eyes searching the dim shadows before him to distinguish any figure approaching his whereabouts. His search was not long, as he caught the sight of silhouette of a figure standing just out of the street lamp's reach, standing still on the sidewalk not to far from him. An unsuspecting person as ever, Josef let his curiosity and general friendliness drag him by the nose, straight over to the stranger.

Upon closer look, Josef could tell that the strange figure was a woman, a rather strikingly beautiful woman at that. Long purple hair and lumincsent eyes that reflected the weak light of the street lamp between them, she was an enigmatic figure to stumble upon in such a place, it was as if a character from a work of fiction had found itself haunting the streets of Central that night, she seemed to unreal to belong there.

"Why hello there!" Josef chirped cheerfully, a warm smile gracing his pale face, his dark gray eyes flitting between her own gaze and the bat she held propped against her shoulder. Rather than fear or caution, his expression was more curious than anything else.

[Guest]

Still lost. That was never a good thing. The woman sighed, and gloomed. Really, what was going to happen to her? Strange images popped up in her mind. Images of rapists, men with guns and other creepy things came to her head. When she heard the man's voice, she suddenly shouted out, and buried her head in the man's jacket.

"Sc-sc-scary..." She looked up at him and blinked, before jumping back - only just noticing what she was doing. She sighed, and then looked at him carefully. Not too carefully, just carefully enough. There was something about him which confused her - namely the fact that he was out at three in the morning. You never saw anyone out at three in the morning! Even she was only here because she couldn't be bothered staying asleep. The noises in the night creeped her out. She sighed softly, and then looked at the man some more.

Hmm... Who was he? Was he a normal person? Maybe he was an Alchemist? Hell, maybe he was one of Dietrich's men, who'd been stalking her. Yes! That had to be it! The woman slapped a fist onto her open palm, now convinced that this man was some Cretan spy, one of her cousin's men, out to kill her. She narrowed her eyes, and then spoke.

"I'm onto you! Just go back to Dietrich!" She suddenly flicked a switch on her bat, and released the flammable liquid, igniting it with a single spark, and holding out the flaming bat at him with a defiant look in her eyes. She was now convinced that he was out to get her, and that was going to be what she thought. She stared at him, waiting for him to make his move, the flaming bat lighting up the dark night.

[Guest]

Josef was taken aback at the girl's sudden actions, for one second her face had been buried in his jacket and then the next moment she jumped back and brandished her bat and it ignited spontaneously. Josef hardly had the time to realize what had just happened, but as this mysterious woman shouted threats in her conviction of Josef's non-existent duplicity, her words were heard but not contemplated by the curious alchemist.

The light of the flame that danced violently over the bat lit up Josef's curious eyes, he leaned in closer to get a better look, taking not of the peculiar device. "Oh my!" Josef exclaimed as he leaned in closer, rubbing his chine with his gloved fingers like a professor lost in some perplexing thought. He gazed at the weapon for only a few seconds before looking back up at the wielder.

"Thats an interesting device! Did you make it yourself? How do you manage to control the flames? Is there not a chance of combustion? That would make it quiet dangerous, wouldn't it? Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to question you so rudely! My name is Josef, pleasure to meet you" Josef spoke very quickly, but not once did he slur his words or mumble, he was very well spoken.

Josef smiled at Aren for just a moment before his expression broke into one of concern, as he finally realized the severity of the situation he was, as well as the fact that this woman had yelled at him in Cretarian, his native tongue. A watchful eye on the bat in her hand, Josef immediately set to put aside any misunderstandings that may have arisen from this chance encounter. "Sorry again, I must be a tad more tired than I realized, I didn't mean to startle you, but I haven't a clue what Dietrich is, but I mean you now harm, so please don't strike me with that" said Josef, with true sincerity, glancing at the bat of fire once more. "Are you a tourist, perhaps? You spoke Cretarian just now."

[Guest]

The bat was still pointed at him, lighting up their faces in the night. Euphemia sneered at him, still not completely sure if she could trust him - his voice had a slightly Cretarian tinge to it, he was out at a suspicious time, he'd just happened to strike up a conversation with her... none of it fit together. She wasn't even stopping to consider the thought that maybe he was just being nice and conversing with someone! Because her mind didn't work that way - she was things in black and white, filled with paranoia and worry. She really was a strange and paranoid individual, that was for sure.

"Thats an interesting device! Did you make it yourself? How do you manage to control the flames? Is there not a chance of combustion? That would make it quiet dangerous, wouldn't it? Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to question you so rudely! My name is Josef, pleasure to meet you" Eh? That was strange. She was pointing a flaming bat at him, and he was just asking her about it's making? She sighed softly, and flicked a switch, closing up the valves on the bat, and dropping the weapon by her side.

"It uses evaporated gas, through controlled valves - no chance of back-flow and combustion that way. Also, I'm Euph--Aren." Her voice was somewhat robotic, as if she had explained all of this before. She sighed softly, and was slightly defeated by this man's cheerfulness. Was he good at hiding his own malicious intents? Or was he actually kind? She tilted her head to the side, but stiffened up at his next words.

"Sorry again, I must be a tad more tired than I realized, I didn't mean to startle you, but I haven't a clue what Dietrich is, but I mean you now harm, so please don't strike me with that" He didn't know who Dietrich was, but he was able to speak Cretarian like that? Her eyes narrowed - she still wasn't quite convinced by his argument. She spat on the ground, and stepped forwards towards him.

"You speak Cretarian, and yet you don't know who the King of Creta is? That's laughable." She laughed dryly, as if proving her point by example.

"Are you a tourist, perhaps? You spoke Cretarian just now."

"I'm formerly of Creta. I do not associate with that country, except by bloodline." For some reason, the speech, and the air that she gave off... it all showed her princess-like demeanor. Again, she still didn't trust him - in fact, her trust for him had diminished when he revealed that he knew Cretarian. If she could trust him, she might tell him, but that was unlikely.

[Guest]

"Pleasure to meet you Aren" Josef said with a warm smile. He was rather oblivious to the feelings of suspicion emenating from Aren, perhaps he was too tired to pick up on the emotions of others, or perhaps he was just bad at understanding negative feelings.

"You speak Cretarian, and yet you don't know who the King of Creta is? That's laughable."

"Oh, the king of Creta? Ohhh, I see, I see. Well I don't know him personally, I don't see why a common person like me would ever be associated with the King of Creta, especially since I am no longer even a Cretarian citizen." Josef explained, trying to clear up any confusion. Honestly Josef only really heard about this Dietrich man through Cretarian news and Amestrian reports on Creta.

"I'm formerly of Creta. I do not associate with that country, except by bloodline"

"Formerly? Ex-patriot then?" he asked inquisitively as his hand idly touched the scarf around his neck as he looked at her with bubbling curiosity. "I sometimes wonder about going back to Creta, though I doubt I would have anyone there to welcome me anymore, I haven't been there since I was a small child. Might I ask why you left, if that isn't too personal?"

[Guest]

"Oh, the king of Creta? Ohhh, I see, I see. Well I don't know him personally, I don't see why a common person like me would ever be associated with the King of Creta, especially since I am no longer even a Cretarian citizen." He didn't seem to notice that she was still suspicious of him. Was he dense or something? Really, now. She was releasing all of this suspicion and paranoia at him, and he was taking it as lightly as anything! She sighed softly, and placed a palm on her forehead. Fine. She was convinced - if only just.

"Fair enough. I'm what you'd call... an illegal ali-." She peered at him, before he spoke again - both cutting her off and asking about what she was just about to say...

"Formerly? Ex-patriot then? I sometimes wonder about going back to Creta, though I doubt I would have anyone there to welcome me anymore, I haven't been there since I was a small child. Might I ask why you left, if that isn't too personal?"

"I told you. I'm an illegal alien of Creta. I left a while ago with my Father. It's a personal story - and I still don't know if I can trust you, I'm sorry. I hope you understand." Her eyes met the ground, and she remembered the deaths of her mother and father. It was all Dietrich's fault! He was the reason that she was here! He was the reason that she was alone in this world... right? She didn't have anyone to call her's, right?

No, she would find someone to help her integrate into this world. She'd heard of a pirate crew hiring people... maybe she'd find solace in there? Who knew? Maybe her heart would find someone to call her close love - her prince?

[Guest]

"I told you. I'm an illegal alien of Creta. I left a while ago with my Father. It's a personal story - and I still don't know if I can trust you, I'm sorry. I hope you understand."

"Oh, sure, no harm in keeping sensitive information to yourself, I won't try to pull it out of you" Josef replied with bona fide sincerity. He shuffled slightly in place whilst brushing off his coat in a absent-minded manner, his gray eyes staring off into space as if he were musing over an entrancing thought. It was for only an instant, and his innocent and bright eyed gaze turned back to Aren.

"I was the son of a high-ranking military officer, you know" he began, in a matter-of-fact tone. He wasn't sure why he decided to bring it up, but Josef had never really shared his history with anyone he knew, he never felt the need to until now, that there was someone he could connect with. "We had a privileged lifestyle, I suppose one could call us something close to nobles, or at least upper class citizens. But my father was arrested for treason against the crown, though I do not remember the incident too well, I do not know if the accusations were true. But either way, he was executed and my mother took me and our things and fled the country, probably overcome with grief. My brother stayed there, I never heard from him again, he was much older than I, very loyal to the country too." He trailed on, his voice was melancholic, his unfounded cheerfulness seemed to give way for a short moment. "My mother died after we immigrated here, so I guess I was orphaned. But I don't mind, I have a job, food to eat, a roof over my head. No matter how bad things got, they always worked out in the end, one way or another" he concluded with a friendly smile towards the cautious girl, his earthen colored eyes linking with her evergreen.

"So I guess I'm just trying to say, welcome to Amestris, I hope everything works out for you and your father, I'm sure they will. "

[Guest]

"Oh, sure, no harm in keeping sensitive information to yourself, I won't try to pull it out of you" Interesting. He wasn't pursuing it any further. Unusual. Normally, people kept trying to poke for information, but they were the ones that wanted to know much more... The girl shook her head slightly, still listening to him speak, leaving him to explain things.

"I was the son of a high-ranking military officer, you know" Hm? Aren turned her eyes to the scholarly man, the slight light from the streetlight illuminating his facial features with eerie shadows. What was he revealing to her, a stranger on the street?

"We had a privileged lifestyle, I suppose one could call us something close to nobles, or at least upper class citizens. But my father was arrested for treason against the crown, though I do not remember the incident too well, I do not know if the accusations were true. But either way, he was executed and my mother took me and our things and fled the country, probably overcome with grief. My brother stayed there, I never heard from him again, he was much older than I, very loyal to the country too." Loyalty to Creta meant loyalty to Dietrich. And treason, too? That seemed strange, to her - Dietrich wouldn't do that... But... Dietrich wasn't the king that long ago. So maybe this was her stepfather's doing? She tilted her head to the side and gave a slightly questioning whimper, before bringing her head back up straight and steely.

"My mother died after we immigrated here, so I guess I was orphaned. But I don't mind, I have a job, food to eat, a roof over my head. No matter how bad things got, they always worked out in the end, one way or another" Their eyes linked, and Aren pulled her's away. She... now felt obligated to tell him her story, she felt that she would be doing something wrong if she didn't...

"So I guess I'm just trying to say, welcome to Amestris, I hope everything works out for you and your fathe--"

"My father's dead." She let the words flow out of her mouth as flatly as possible, no emotion, not a care in the world - if her voice wavered, she would shatter this illusion of certainty, and hesitate from telling Josef her story.

"I'm a princess... Was a princess." She sighed, and huddled, bringing her hands up to rub her shoulders softly. "My father... was a normal citizen, but my mother was the Queen of Creta. I'm in Amestris, hiding from my cousin, the new and current King. Safe to say, he wants me dead." She closed her eyes and shook her head, before looking away from the man. She couldn't bring herself to say anymore. Not quite yet.

"So you can understand why I was paranoid about you, I'm afraid. I'm worried. It's horrible, Josef..." She sighed softly, and leaned against a nearby pole, looking at the illuminated ground beneath her boots.

[Guest]

BUMP

[Guest]

"My father's dead."

Josef's eyes widened and his mouth held shut as she abruptly uttered those words. Dead? Was she alone in this world? That must be terrible, to be so lonely, Josef once knew the feeling, but it was the people he met in Amestris that lifted his spirits and gave him comfort. He held his silence as she continued.

"I'm a princess... Was a princess. My father... was a normal citizen, but my mother was the Queen of Creta. I'm in Amestris, hiding from my cousin, the new and current King. Safe to say, he wants me dead."

Josef pondered what she had told him in pensive silence. A former princess? He never once considered that she may be making it up, but being a princess seemed fairly far fetched. But it certainly not nice to give her any doubt, after all, she had lost her father, had she not? The sincerity in her voice was apparent.

"So you can understand why I was paranoid about you, I'm afraid. I'm worried. It's horrible, Josef..."

As she leaned against the pole that stood near them, the street light casting a shadow across her troubled face as she looked down to the ground. Josef looked upon Aren with an expression of sympathy, wishing he was able to do something to relieve her grieving heart and tortured mind, How long had it been sense she had been at peace? In an innocent act of kindness, he embraced Aren, trying to convey his sympathy and wish to console her. And in silence he stood, arms wrapped around her for a moment of empathy, before breaking away and smiling thoughtfully.

"You will prevail, you'll find your bit of happiness in this world. I'm sure of it"

[Guest]

His reaction... interested the young former princess. He was actually worried about her, wasn't he? That was interesting indeed. She smiled softly, and leaned against the pole still, watching him through blue eyes that exuded curiosity. He... he seemed worried about her still, and that... she wasn't feeling amused, or interested anymore. She was feeling pretty bad. She didn't want him acting like this on her expense.

"Josef... I--" She was suddenly taken aback by the man's touch. He had taken her in an embrace, and because of this her eyes were caused to widen. She was trembling now, wondering exactly what to do or say in this situation - this was so unusual for this paranoid woman to understand, she had to try her hardest to not scream out in worry.

"J-Josef..."

"You will prevail, you'll find your bit of happiness in this world. I'm sure of it" And as quickly as he had embraced her, he backed away to smile at her. She wasn't just frozen in wonder, but trembling, and yet thinking over everything that could've caused this man to do such a random act.

"I-...I..." She was stumbling over her words now? Idiot.

"I thank you for that... I will try!" And with that, a sudden twist caused Aren to sprint off into the distance. All Josef would've seen would have been a flurry of violet hair, and then the girl running off. Why was she running like this? Her face was red, her skin was warm, and she had been taken aback by such a simple act of kindness! Maybe... maybe that was it? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of all thoughts. She needed to get back to the safehouse. She had been out for too long - they were going to be moving to their new base in North City in a week or two, so she may never see him again...

She was kinda starting to wonder if she should've reacted to that better...

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