garbagechild | 008. [Text / Action]

[As soon as Envy sees this pop up on the network, the first words to leave his mouth are a slightly panicked "oh, fuck". Because while they've all been upset about the disappearances (even as complicated as Al's is), Envy hadn't realized that Wrath didn't get it. That he thought they could still be found.]

[He's gonna have to explain, and he isn't looking forward to it.]

[So he goes out in search of their youngest monster, and fortunately he has Lucky to and sniff out where Wrath had gotten to. So what could have taken all day only takes an hour or so. When he finally spots the unmistakable disheveled black mop of hair, he's both relieved and doubly dreading the coming conversation.]

[But this is something that he needs to do, if he's going to really be Wrath's brother. He hops down off of the Houndoom's back as they approach.]

Wrath! Hey.

_{[When Envy finds Wrath, the littlest Homunculus is outside a diner, moving systematically from one table-window to the next and pressing his work of art to the glass for the diners' consideration. A few look annoyed at what's otherwise a pleasant meal being interrupted by... that, and some of them seem kind of enchanted and are chuckling about it and waving to him before turning back to their food, but it's safe to say that none of them can actually tell that the picture is supposed to be a Missing Persons poster.]

[At the sound of his name, Wrath turns, frustrated expression brightening.]}

Oh!

Envy!!

_{[c8 THIS IS GREAT.]}

You can help me look!

I'll make another picture.

_{[He starts digging in the pockets of his oversized hoodie. Which, judging by the colorful stains coating MOST OF THE FRONT OF THE THING, have been used to transport unsealed tubes of fingerpaint. RIP Wrath's clothes.]}

[Oh no, it's worse in person. Envy's mouth screws up.]

[It's really tempting to just lie and pretend to help look and let the kid keep the false hope up, let someone else deal with it later.]

[But he promised.]

I...yeah, sure. But while we do that, we've gotta talk about something.

_{[Wrath is pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, too. He sounds distracted when he replies.]}

Okay. What about?

[Envy does not want to have this discussion standing on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant. He looks around and spots a little park area nearby. It's got benches and things, and nobody's really hanging around it. He points.]

Why don't we go sit over there, we can talk and paint at the same time.

[If this is stalling, he doesn't care.]

_{[Moving is a good idea.]

[Especially because sooner or later, the manager in there is gonna notice that there's vaguely humanoid-looking paint splatters on every single window.]}

Okay!

Good idea.

_{[He trots over to the grass and wastes no time in plopping down on the grass in front of the benches-- he needs a good flat surface to do his important paint work on.]}

Do you think I made Scar's scar big enough on the first one?

I think maybe I should make it even bigger.

It needs to really be noticeable if anybody's gonna be able to tell it's him.

[Envy almost sits on the bench instead, but with a sigh decides to sit on the grass next to Wrath. Will that help with this? Will anything help with the news he's about to give? He has no idea.]

Ah--I think it's big enough on the first one.

But Wrath...

[How does he do this? He's only ever explained this to adults before, who would get it right away.]

I don't think that missing posters'll help. They're...not here for anyone to find. Not anymore. Has anyone you've known here ever just not been around anymore?

_{[That makes Wrath look up from his new masterpiece, wearing a vaguely-annoyed frown.]

[Really? Envy too?]}

Well, they're not dead.

I already found out people can't die here. They come back just like we do back home.

_{[As for Envy's question, well yes, there's been a few, but no one Wrath... knew well enough to really pay attention to. Especially with the fact that he was barred from all contact with the outside world for a couple months there. That didn't exactly help when it came to keeping track of everybody.]}

So they have to be somewhere.

_{[C'mon Envy aren't you supposed to be the brains of this outfit?]}

[Envy just...shakes his head. It's all he can do.]

No, they're not dead. If they were, we'd have found them. And they're not lost somewhere in this world.

You know how you and all of us...we just show up one day, when we weren't here before?

Sometimes people go back the same way. The three of them were sent back to Amestris.

[Where two of them at least are dead, but he's been trying not to think about that too hard.]

It's nothing any of us can control, they didn't decide to vanish. They just...went.

_{[Fully distracted from his drawing now, Wrath continues to frown up at Envy.]

[The gears in his head are clicking away, but his reluctance to accept what the older Homunculus is saying shows plainly on his face. It's not the same violent hostility as what had been behind his screams and accusations back in that first month in the basement-- that hasn't been present since Envy had made that promise to be honest.]

[Instead it's milder, the frustration of talking to someone who clearly thinks they're right but can't possibly be. It's the same look that Wrath still sometimes wears when the others talk about Dante.]}

That can't be true.

Why would we be here if we were just going to go back?

_{[It sounds preposterous. But then again... showing up here in the FIRST place had always been inexplicable. No one had ever offered Wrath a real explanation for how he had somehow traveled through time and space to a completely different dimension.]

[His annoyance starts to take on an edge of "oh shit I can't think of a way to refute this".]}

I don't know.

[Envy's hands clench some as he says it. It's the truth. He doesn't know, nobody knows what makes people suddenly vanish away, and that's what makes it so damn difficult.]

But that's what happens. Sometimes people who vanish get brought back, but a lot of the time they don't.

You know when people are gone like that if you call their 'Gear and it says there's an error instead of them just not answering...I can show you.

[Maybe that will make it seem more solid, more real.]

_{[He'll watch as he's shown, but it's obvious that his mind is diligently tunneling its way to a conclusion with this new not-so-new but now CONFIRMED information.]}

--Does this mean I might go back?

Back to Amestris?

[Envy hesitates. But he can't lie, and he'd started this.]

[He just hadn't expected that Wrath didn't already know, and that he'd have to explain it to him for the first time. He's so used to it being a fact of life here that anyone could go home that he'd just assumed that it was something that people knew. But he's going to see this to the end.]

...it does. Anyone can go back.

But that doesn't mean you will. I've been here almost since people started showing up. And Heather, she's been here even longer, since the very beginning.

_{[Envy's doing the best anybody can, but unfortunately there's one nasty truth that no amount of gentle reasoning can waft away, and the fact that it's only a possibility doesn't matter to a child.]

[Wrath lifts his hands to clutch at the sides of his head, paint-fingers and all.]}

Back to Master.

I'll be going back to Master.

_{[All their words about their iron-fisted puppeteer having no power in this place may be true but they're meaningless if there was a possibility that they'd fall right back into her clutches on her own home turf.]}

Edited 2016-05-08 21:35 (UTC)

[Envy swallows hard, words sticking in his throat. He's never wanted to lie to Wrath more than in this very moment.]

[Because he knows exactly what the young homunculus is going back to. He knows that he himself is going to contribute just as much pain and cruelty as their master is, and that there's nothing he can do to stop it. He's past that point in the timeline, even if he was able to go back and remember and change things.]

[There's nothing he can say to take the truth away.]

[So he doesn't say anything. Instead, he reaches out and pulls Wrath into a tight hug, something he's never, ever done before, and holds onto him like he's trying to hold him into this world right now.]

_{[It's a testament to how far they've come that Wrath doesn't struggle when he's yanked into the embrace, even if it's nothing short of one of the most surprising things Envy has done to date. Physical contact with Envy back home was limited to punches and kicks, sometimes deserved but usually not.]

[Things are different here, that's for sure.]

[But the undeniable fact that all that difference could be meaningless in a heartbeat is paralyzing.]

[Wrath's bony little raccoon hands clamp down on the arms around him and cling so hard it's almost certainly painful.]}

[Envy winces at that grip because it's definitely painful, but he doesn't let go at all. Instead he only ducks his head, throat tightening and making his voice thick as he says the only words that he can think of.]

I know, I know, I know...

_{[As much as the three disappearances genuinely are a big deal, they pretty much vanish from Wrath's mind in the wake of this revelation.]

[He's silent for awhile. Which is better than having a complete meltdown, but at the same time, silence from Wrath is historically worrying.]

[Finally, he speaks.]}

If we don't come up with a plan, we're all going to die.

[Envy loosens his grip enough to actually look down at Wrath.]

[This is not at all where he'd expected this conversation to go. He's also really not sure how to explain why a plan wouldn't matter in the long run...except maybe for Wrath himself.]

[The mechanics of going home are vague and uncertain. Even if it probably wouldn't matter, the idea that it might is a tempting one. There's already two versions of Amestris. What if Wrath could make one more? One where he turned traitor at just the right moment, and he and Lust could both run?]

What...kind of plan?

[It's not a lie to hope, is it?]

_{[Wrath is staring right back, expression grim but determined. But he doesn't say anything right off the bat. He's clearly still thinking. And hey, he has shown some strategic promise in the past, so maybe he's got something!]}

... Well, I'm her only servant left except for Gluttony and Pride, and she knows how good I am because she trusted me to take care of the traitor Lust.

So if I tell her that you were all traitors and I destroyed you, she'll probably believe me.

And then you and Lust will just have to hide forever and never come out.

_{[THERE. A PERFECT PLAN.]

[... Oh, wait, but Pride might be a problem. He's always so nosy.]

[Wrath frowns again, before deciding--]}

I might have to kill Pride.

[...he's really not sure he should have expected much different.]

We'll...work on that. How about that?

I mean, it's a start. But we should plan it out a little better.

Okay.

It's true, there's always room for improvement.

_{[Maybe they can help him brainstorm ways to successfully kill Pride. Because hell if Wrath has one in mind, that guy is scary.]

[He puffs out a sigh, finally letting go of Envy's arms and frowning slightly at the ground.]}

Why didn't anybody tell me that we might go back to her sooner?

You all seemed so sure we'd never see her again.

_{[But he's still not accusing Envy of lying like he might have before. He just seems confused. And disappointed. HE REALLY DID THINK YOU GUYS WERE SMARTER THAN THIS. >8/]}

[...What is this. Are they Pokemon?? She can barely make out proper faces.]

Hi, I saw your poster! I don't think I've seen anybody who looks lost, but it'd be a good idea to include more information to help people look!

What are their names? Where and when did you last see them? Are they wearing or carrying anything distinguishable?

_{[HE'S NOT A VERY GOOD ARTIST]

[He is, however, very excited that someone has replied!]}

helo!!

ther nayms r allfonz gred and scar

allfonz wers a red cote

gred somtyms haz a cote with fur all a round the neck

scar loks angry always

i am loking 4 them vere hard they hav ben gone 4 at leest 5 days

[With spelling to match his artistic ability! Yachi holds her gear out at arms length and reads the message aloud, using needing to sound these words out so she can understand what they mean.

It's hard, with vague descriptors like red fur, a mane, and anger, but it's a start.]

Okay. I'll keep an ear out for those names. Allfonz, Gred, and Scar.

5 days is a long time. Were they all together? In one of the cities or on the road? If they're ill or injured, people would have to focus on hiding places, but if they got lost wandering around, we'll have a much larger area to cover.

_{[His written language education thus far has been very hooked on phonics. But he's trying!]}

they mite b speld rong i am not vere good at speling

they all livd in a hows but they were gon 4 awile b4 now

i thot they were with LUST who also livs there but she sayd no she haz not seen them

they r strong probaly not injord but i wud lyk them back i mis them

It's okay; spelling's hard, especially foreign names. But this way, it's easier to pronounce!

[Well... Greed might not appreciate Yachi rhyming his name with "red," but he's not here and the rest come close enough.]

Is LUST the one who looked after them? Where does LUST live? [And why is the name in caps? Is it a title? Whatever, Yachi just copies it]

If they're strong, then they're probably fine and just lost. Maybe they don't have a way of communicating, like in a cave where it's hard to get messages in and out. But we'll find them, so try not to worry.

no LUST is an ali of them tho espeshuly SCAR

_{[Oh, now we're capitalizing all the names apparently. Wrath does what he wants.]}

she livs in the hows 2, with NV and HETHR and the tired man HENRE

but GRED and ALLFONZ and SCAR r sposed 2 b ther to and there not! !!

no 1 knos wher they r

pls help

pls

[ QnQ

She wants to help, she really does. But she isn't sure how, other than what Wrath's been doing all this time and asking people to keep a lookout. Do you go to the police in a time like this? There's no minimum time to wait before filing a missing persons report if you believe they may be in immediate danger, but with just that picture to go on... All they can do is look.]

I'm going to try my best to help you, okay? I have a Pidgey, which are said to have a very good sense of direction and can find their way around no matter where they are. I'll have her fly out and look-- if they're anywhere visible from the sky, she'll be able to find them!

I'll print out your picture and write a letter to GRED, ALLFONZ, and SCAR saying that you're looking for them, so they'll know she's come for them. If she finds them and they're in trouble, she can get help, or go to you, or return to me.

She's a very smart Pokemon. I think she'll be be able to do it.

a pidge yes i hav seen those they are gud

i do not hav ane flying pokymon aside from pipsqek but he is vere smal and not gud at flyign i am worred he wud get lost

thank u

u r vere nice

my naym is rath wat is urs

I'm happy to help! My job at home was to look after people, and being able to be of use like this makes me happy too.

My name's Yachi! I hope we can meet in person someday, Rath-- you can introduce me to Allfonz, Gred, and Scar after you find them all again!

rely??? thats a nice job myn was not nearle so nice

thank u 4 helping yachi!!

What was your job? Sometimes all you need is a change of attitude to see a job in a better light.

o it was mostle killing pepl

somtyms it was fun but then somtyms they wud try 2 kill u back and then it was not so fun

[o wait what

She could maybe reason her way around that first "killing," but with that second "kill," she can't pretend he's made the same typo twice. There's a sudden distressing thought that maybe this isn't a missing persons poster as much as it's an assassin's hit list, but she forcefully swallows that down with a shake of her head. Jumping to conclusions has gotten her into trouble too many times, especially when she's thinking bad thoughts onto people who don't deserve it.

Kill... Killing... There's kills in volleyball, in which you successfully score a point for the team. Maybe he means this sort of kill? A game? A violent but fun video game?]

Yeah... I can imagine it'd be frustrating, and really scary! But you don't do it anymore? Did you win, or did something happen?

_{[Wrath may or may not be the worst-spelling assassin in existence.]}

wel

my tem mate LUST was on a mishin with me but it turnd owt she was a traytor and she stabd me in the hed at which poynt i dyed

then i woke up heer

now i hav a difrent job!

but its a sekrit i cant tel u that 1

[what D:]

are you a zombie??

no i am a homunculus

wat is

a zom b?? ???

homunculus????

[That's even more terrifying than a zombie, granted the first image of a homunculus that pops into Yachi's head is the cortical homunculus and probably-- HOPEFULLY!!-- not what he means. How does he know what a homunculus is but not a zombie?]

A zombie is a person who's died and come back to life. What do you mean by homunculus??

_{[There's a long pause, during which he may or may not have gasped out loud.]}

O!!!

i gess i am a ZOM B to then!!!!

_{[Lust and Envy are gonna be SO surprised to hear that there's another word for what they all are!!!]}

a homunculus is wat hapens when an alchemyst trys 2 bring a ded hyuman being back 2 lyf

insted of the hyuman they get a homunculus which is a damned being frum hell

usually that is not what they wanted!!! but they just keep doin it aneways

alchemysts r stupid

[She stares at the screen and tries... really hard... not to throw it to her feet. What is this. Poor child is mixing reality and video games --or so she desperately tells herself because she does not want to believe this. He's messing with her, right? Has to be.]

Hah... yeah, they're silly! I've never heard about the corpse reanimation, but what I've read about alchemists are that they worked to turn rock into gold. But even though turning things into gold is impossible, they contributed a lot to basic science! You mom? must have tried really hard?? with the whole birth thin g

[?? ???? Sometimes a baby's heart is stopped at birth and needs to be restarted but they're technically 'dead' and they get revived and his mom is a scientist or something WHO KNOWS]

_{[... Well, the irony here is that she's spot on about alchemists (they DID largely want to figure out how to create infinite gold), and more importantly, also about Wrath's mom.]

[Izumi Curtis had been one of the most gifted alchemists the world had ever seen.]

[Her baby had been stillborn.]

[The rest was history.]

[But unfortunately, bringing it up may have been a mistake. Because after a few minutes of stunned silence on Wrath's end...]}

THAT IS NOT MY MOTHR

SHE THREW ME AWAY AFTER BRINGING ME BACK BCUZ I WAS NOT WHAT SHE WANTED!!!

SHE WAS LIKE ALL THE OTHER ALCHEMYSTS I HATE HER

DONT EVER TALK ABOWT HER AGAYN!!!

[Cripes. She stepped on a landmine and there goes her head]

I'M SORRY I'M SORY THAT'S TEERRIBLE OF HER WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE I'M SSORRY

YOU HAVELOTS OF PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU NOW! LOST OF FRIENDS!!

**LOTS!!!!!!!!

[oh crap that was a terrible typo]

_{[POOR HITOKA YOU DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER]}

thats ryt i DO

i hav lots of frens they r good

they dont throw u away just bcuz u r not a real baby

or try 2 kill u when u com back agayn layter

i dont want 2 talk anemore

):

Okay. I'll work hard to find your friends! Who care about you!! And won't try to kill you!! I won't try to kill you either, promise!!!!!

_{[Ever since the bike promise, Ralph has been unconsciously hovering around Wrath. Not going so far as to follow him on missions, but if he is around the base, the wrecker does his best to keep an eye open for him.]

[But today, Wrath finds HIM. Ralph looks down from where he's been busy giving a guy across the street the STINK EYE for looking at him funny only to be met with that poster.]

[Oh...awh no.]}

Any luck, kiddo?

_{[Still holding the poster up, Wrath just shakes his head wordlessly.]

[He could maybe use a hug. :c]}

_{[OW his heart. Ralph sighs and reaches down with an arm, almost instinctively at this point. He grabs the kid by the back of his shirt and lifts him onto his shoulder.]}

Maybe you can spot 'em easier from up here.

_{[He knows it's a little cruel to give him false hope but...Ralph isn't good at this FEELINGS thing.]}

_{[Wrath goes up like a sack of feathers. He barely weighs anything, especially to someone as big as the wrecker. Hopefully Ralph won't mind tiny paint fingerprints on the back of his head.]

[Once he's situated, Wrath sighs.]}

I've looked everywhere.

Lust says Alphonse and Greed weren't with her so they had to be here, in the city, somewhere.

_{[Ralph winces again, glad that Wrath is behind his head so that he can't see. He starts walking, his feet taking them in the direction of the circus grounds by habit.]}

Maybe they're not in town. This g--place has a lot of 'em. Somethin' like...fifteen? Sixteen towns?

_{[At least the kid's not crying.]

[Maybe he did some earlier but for now, he's dry-eyed.]}

You think so?

That is a lot of towns...

And Alphonse one time went away without telling anybody for awhile. That's why I know he'll be back even though everybody says he's gone.

Yeah....

_{[HIS SOUL FEELS LIKE IT'S DISSOLVING.]}

So chin up! You might not find 'em for...y'know...a while. A while a while. But. Some day, yeah?

[THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CARE ABOUT PEOPLE, RALPH]

Someday sounds really far away.

I'd rather find them soon.

_{[Another cringe as he waits for someone and their two Furfrou to pass in front of them.]}

H-hey, some day might come sooner than you think!

I hope so.

_{[Wrath sighs again and plants his chin in the middle of Ralph's spiky hair.]}

Can we get something to eat?

My stomach is starting to snarl.

I hear ya loud'n clear, kiddo. Wanna swing by the hotdog place? I could suddenly go for a chili dog.

That sounds good. I like hot dogs. I didn't know they had chilly dogs, too. Are they as good as the hot ones?

They're hotter than hot dogs if you'd believe it.

... What?

How does that work?

I cannot decipher their appearance, forgive me. When was the last time you saw them?

sory i am not a gud drawr

i hav not seen them 4 a long tym

longer than 5 days

sory i am not gud at cownting ether

You needn't apologize.

So you haven't seen them for almost a week? Where were they staying?

We will uncover this mystery together.

they all liv in a hows 2gethr

2 of them i thot were with anothr who went away 2 somwher els 4 a wyle but it turnd owt they wer not

the othr 1 just sudenle was not ther ane more

all of there pokymon r stil heer tho

wtf is this

it is my frens hav u seen them

[Squint. Squuuiiiint.]

uh
is one of those
me

probaly not if it was u i think u wud kno bcuz u hav ben mising and ther r pepl worred abowt u

is ur name allfonz scar or gred

nah my name is dave
though allfonz sounds like an awesome name and one i might take under consideration if i ever feel the need for some kind of alternate identity

NO!!!!

U CANT HAV ALLFONZ NAME IT IS HIS

_{[Pardon Wrath, the last time he had to come up with anything involving alternate identities, his response was to panic and yell "ANGRY! ... I mean, TIM!"]

[And for reasons he's not quite a sophisticated-enough thinker to grasp yet, he doesn't like the idea of more than one person having the same name. It's troubling.]

[No one tell him that there are definitely other people out there with the name 'Alphonse'.]}

whoa dude ok i get it
please locate your nearest chill dispenser and pop a few dozen before you blow a blood vessel or something
no identity theft for dave we have all learned a lesson today

I DONT KNO WAT A CHIL DISPNSDR IS

_{[He may or may not have turned on the capslock and not actually know how to turn it back off.]}

HOW DO I KNO IF THER IS 1 NEAREST TO ME

i just want you to know i read that as child dispenser instead of chill dispenser and almost gave you advice that would righteously piss off every plus sized lady in a fifty mile radius
the tales of your instantaneous annihilation by sheer panties crapping fury would have been legendary
but anyway you know those soda vending machines?

WHAT

I WAS JUST TYPNG WAT U SAYD!!!

U KEEP SAYING WORDS THAT I DONT KNO WHAT THEY MEAN

_{[Poor Dave's frankly impressive wit is pretty much lost on this horrid child.]}

BUT I DO KNO WAT A VENDING MACHENE IS I GET PUDING CUPS FRUM THEM I LYK THEM THEY R GOOD

ok well if you go to one of those and buy yourself a lemonade
thats pretty much liquid chill right there
i mean apple juice is better but for some reason thats harder to find around here??
like you gotta go to stores and shit and man sometimes i just aint got time for that runaround
i demand fruit flavored sugar water delivered into my hands as instantaneously as thought

A LEMON ADE?? I HAV NOT HAD THAT

IS IT LIKE ORNJ JYUSE

MAMA LETS ME HAV THAT SOMTYMS

huh
well sure i guess its kind of like orange juice in that lemons and oranges are both citrus fruits
lemonades yellow instead of orange though
and sourer
but they put hella sugar in lemonade so it still tastes sweet as fuck
hey kid how old are you

I DONT LYK SOWR THINGS BUT I DO LYK SUGAR

I ALSO DONT KNO HOW OLD I AM

A YEAR I THINK

?

MAYB 2

[...Okay...well then.]

you type very well for your years

_{[He's not counting the eight years or so he spent in The Void.]}

THANK U

ANOTHR PERSON TOLD ME THEY CUD TELL BY HOW I TYPD THAT I WAS YONG BUT THAT I DID WELL

IT IS NYS 2 HEER THAT FROM ANOTHR PERSON AS WELL

ARE YOU MISSING POTATOES, HUMAN????

wat?

no!!!!

and i am not a hyuman!!!!!

[*OFFENDED!!*]

[OBLIVIOUS]

WHAT A COINCIDENCE! NEITHER AM I!

then do not call me 1!!!

_{[He won't really be human until he has completed his body part collection and claimed them all for himself, thank you very much!]}

and aneway i do not lyk potaytos they r hard and tayst bad

i am mising my frens

BUT, YOU'VE BECOME ONE UPON ARRIVING HERE, YES? JUST AS I HAVE!

BUT! POTATOES ARE THE MOST VERSATILE VEGETABLE OF THEM ALL! YOU CAN MASH THEM! ROAST THEM! BAKE THEM! GRILL THEM! PUT THEM IN STEWS! WHY, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!!!

!!! YOUR FRIENDS! I'M SO SORRY! WHERE DID YOU SEE THEM LAST? THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ASSIST IN YOUR SEARCH!

that dos not cownt!! it waz 2 ezy

bcoming a hyuman is hard not evn the best allkemists bak in amestrs cud do it

and if u lov potaytos so much then u can hav them i dont want any

_{[There's more to being human than just having a heartbeat, needing to eat and sleep, and being functionally alive. Because none of that is particularly spectacular but it's also the only thing that's discernably different from how everything felt to Wrath back home! SURELY there has to be more to the thing he was desperately striving towards than this.]

[But also the joke's on him, he loves french fries and has no idea they have anything to do with the lumpy brown "organic rocks" that he has constantly scorned since arriving.]}

aneway i saw them a long tym ago lyk 5 days at lest

but i saw gred sooner than the others

he is the 1 whos eys r purpl

WELL, I CAN'T SAY I'VE SEEN ANYONE LIKE THAT AROUND. BUT, I'M SURE HE'LL SEE YOUR DRAWING!

i hop so

HAVE FAITH!

[...oh no
it's the cute abomination kid who also might be a little terrifying
what does she do--]

I haven't seen anyone like that, but I'll look for them! I just need a little more information. These are people or Pokemon?

_{[This post honestly probably hasn't done anything to dispel the "cute AND a little terrifying" image he's created for himself.]}

they r pepl i dont kno ane pokymon that look lyk the things i droo!

_{[He's a little surprised at the number of people who can't tell what the pictures are of!! They look perfectly passable to him...]}

they r my frens ALLFONZ GRED and SCAR

they r gon

hav u seen them

[Allfonz? Oh, the one who helped him read her old responses. Gred and Scar she can't make heads or tails of.]

I don't think I have. Where did you last see them? Maybe a location will help narrow down where they might be?

the last tym i saw them it was at the hows they liv in

but they r not ther

they hav not ben ther 4 a long tym

i hav luked all over the sity

i am tyred

Which city is your home in?

You won't be able to find them if you're so exhausted you can't walk. Do you have anyone else looking with you? Or any Pokemon that can carry you? I won't tell you to stop looking, but you should get some rest too.

the yello 1

goldn rod

i hav mama she is my first pokymon i am ryding her sholders

she is slo but vere strong

[Oh no he calls his Pokémon Mama??? Oh no she doesn't even have maternal instincts a lot of the time but she wants to make sure this kid is okay]

I'm in Azalea right now but I'll look around here. And when I get to Goldenrod I'll check in with you alright? I want to help find your friends.

_{[HE SURE DOES.]}

i hav not ben to that 1 but mayb they r ther

thank u

u r vere helpfull

You're very welcome.

Can I see what you look like so I know if I run into you? I promise I'll do the very same.

ok i wil turn on the video

_{[Wrath has literally never grasped the importance of stranger danger despite being kidnapped MULTIPLE TIMES.]

[Wrath needs an adult.]

[The video pops on and reveals Wrath in all his glory. Who knows what Ashley had been expecting after their last conversation, but what she GETS is a grubby, deathly-pale little boy with a wild, tangled mane of black hair (there's one or two visible leaves stuck in it) and blue eyes so intense that they're edging into purple territory.]

[He tilts the camera a couple of times until satisfied, peering at the screen to make sure it's on.]}

Here I am.

[The deathly pale part is a surprise, but she did kind of expect a wild child. Especially since apparently everything becomes human here, so abomination didn't automatically translate into horrible awful monster.

But still, she blinks for a moment before responding in kind, studying his eyes and his...accessory leaves, as it goes. A face to words, especially that well-meaning but severe advice he offered last time; what gives her pause, more than anything else, is that he really does look like the perfect mix of innocence and...what to call it, anarchy? Maybe.

Either way, she makes sure to offer a kind smile when she flicks on her camera, and a little wave.]

And here I am. If I find anything, I'll report it right to you, um... [...a name oh jeez he probably wrote it but-] Rath?

[She certainly tried.]

_{[Innocence and anarchy pretty much sums Wrath up, all things considered.]

[He lifts a hand and waves back, a little more listlessly than usual. He's normally a bundle of energy, but he's pretty worn out. Which she can probably tell, especially when he then uses the same hand to rub at one eye despite the fact that his knuckles are coated in dried paint.]}

Yes, that's me. I'm Wrath.

[The name clicks now. Wrath. It's a word, one she wasn't expecting, but...]

Well, Wrath, I'm Ashley, and I'll do whatever I can to help. Your friends' names, what are they again? Uh...Al...phonse, right? And...

[She's. She's leading somewhere with this, really.]

Ash-lee?

Oh. Like ashes. Okay.

_{[He doesn't entirely understand the logic behind human naming schemes, but he knows what ashes are! He's been reduced to ashes on several occasions!]}

Their names are Alphonse, Scar, and Greed.

_{[He repeats these names, fairly patiently. He's gotten used to doing that for everybody who asks.]}

[Sure, alright. Like Ashes, if that helps him remember it.

She nods along, alright. Alphonse, that's what she thought. Scar, that's a weird name, and-

...Oh.] Greed?

[Blink.]

Kind of...spiky hair, sharp teeth? That Greed? Oh, what am I saying, of course that Greed, it's not a common name... My gosh, I talked to him... Not recently, but.

_{[He snaps out of his droopy slouch immediately.]}

--YES! Yes, that's him! That's Greed!

He is mostly composed of spikes and sharp things.

If you talk to him again, will you tell him to come back to his house? His sharks are sad.

[Oh no, she really hopes she didn't get his hopes up. Ashley tries to stay neutral.]

I- of course, I will, I'll send him right along. I- like I said it wasn't recently but-- if I see him or hear from him, I'll...I'll kick his butt until he goes right back to you!

_{[Wrath pauses, frowning slightly and rubbing his chin. That's very heartening to hear, but...]}

... How long are your legs?

_{[... he's asking for a reason he swears]}

[...That is. Not the question she's expecting, she just goes slack and tilts her head.]

Uh. Not...very long...?

_{[His reply is matter-of-fact.]}

Greed is very tall.

If you wanted to kick his butt, your legs would need to reach it.

[Ah...

You know, fair.]

I'll. I'll use a ladder.

Oh, he's not that tall. You could probably use a stool.

_{[But he seems appreciative of the effort she's willing to put in.]}

O-oh... Okay. I'll... I can carry one around.

[As long as the kid smiles, she's willing to deal with it.]

008. [Text / Action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text; OH GOOD LORD i hadn't looked at a pic of that thing in years and forgot how creepy it was

text; I'M SORRY psych class was more recent than my fma rewatch so that's all i could think of asfdj

text; tbf FMA homunculi are pretty f'd up when they're first born MAYBE ONE LOOKED LIKE THAT

no subject

2/2

no subject

no subject

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

Action]

Action

(Text)

(Text)

Re: (Text)

(Text)

TEXT

TEXT

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]