(no subject)

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Who: Roy Mustang and OPEN
Where: Around Goldenrod
When: first two weeks of October
Summary: Roy Mustang runs into Homunculi, jerks, and makes himself at home in pokeworld
Rating: PG
Log:


Goldenrod was a decent sized city, and Roy preferred that to the forests and roads. They obviously had enough technology for cars and trains, but the absolute lack of them was startling and strange. On the other hand, this was a place where small ledges were completely impassable and music followed where-ever he went, so expecting anything to make sense was a questionable proposition at best. He was also slowly acquiring an entourage of Pokemon. The only one he regularly kept in her pokeball was the water creature, so he could often be seen with a Growlithe trailing behind him and a Hawlucha perched on his shoulder or backpack.

It was ridiculously easy to find a job, despite the fact that he had no work history, and no education, and no proof of identity beyond his trainer information. That was creepy in a way that made him incredibly uneasy in the quieter moments. He found a place to stay located near a library and all manner of recreational diversions, including several he had never even heard of. The game corner in particular warranted further investigation.

Comments

At the Gym (for people)

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Working out back in Amestris was primarily a solitary activity. Mainly because his usual workout time was at odd hours of the night or morning when he couldn't sleep, drinking wasn't an option, and his eyes were too tired to focus on reading anything. That wasn't the case here, he had an overabundance of free time even with a job. Working only during work hours and not being required to stay late all the time was far less demanding than his military career.

Part of that extra time was dedicated to keeping himself in shape, and it was one of the few times he had everyone in their pokeballs or left at his place.

[a_sin_for_him]

Lust was enjoying having her gym back.

It had been a particularly good workout today. She was fully bounced back from her month of not taking care of herself, and just in time for the circus busy season. Speaking of, she ought to meet with Envy to work out their costumes for their act. She'd shower at home.

She did have one Pokemon with her, her abnormally round Spheal. She used him as a yoga ball. As she was just done with an intense workout, she was makeup-less, sweating and her hair was half straggling down from the high ponytail she'd tucked it up in. She was in her usual workout wear of a tank top and yoga pants.

She wasn't expecting to run into the Flame Alchemist at her gym in Goldenrod, and didn't even notice as she inadvertently approached him. She was frowning thoughtfully at Guttle's running eyeliner and thinking about Halloween.

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Roy knew that there was a version of Lust here. He just hadn't expected 'here' to be quite so close by. His eyes caught the tattoo in its unfortunately familiar position and his already elevated heart-rate shot up. Fingers twitched, but there were no gloves to reach for, and no need either, if Alphonse was to be believed. It was an extremely unpleasant surprise that brought incredibly unpleasant memories into an otherwise lovely morning.

The only thing that helped was the fact that she was sweaty and dressed to work-out and didn't look quite so put together. There was no little black dress, and there would be no stabbing fingers trying to kill him and everyone he cared about. Roy looked upward at her face. "Lust."

[a_sin_for_him]

Lust honestly noticed the staring before she realized just who it was.

"Have my breasts somehow wronged you?"

She knew the answer to that damn well, but she wasn't about to change her snappy quip just because she stumbled into the Flame Alchemist. She still didn't know if it was the one from her Amestris or not, but she supposed she'd be finding out. The fact that he knew her name meant nothing, she knew Edward and Alphonse had told the military all about her. Including the placement of her oroborous.

What was he doing working out in her gym? She'd just gotten it back to normal, and she couldn't just plant Rattata feces on him and be done with it.

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Roy had to swallow his first two responses before he came up with something suitable to say out loud. "I'm very glad to say that I have never been wronged by a pair of breasts," He said evenly. He studied her face intently. There were differences now that he was looking. More than would be explained by her being completely human and not a Homunculus.

"I've already spoken to Alphonse and had the 'other Amestris' explained to me. It's safe to say you're not the Lust I met." This was not something he wanted to deal with this morning. If Roy was honest with himself, it was not something he wanted to deal with at all. "The resemblance is uncanny, but not perfect."

[a_sin_for_him]

"That you know of."

Lust folded her arms and gave a small nod. So it wasn't their Mustang. That made it better, as far as she was concerned.

Guttle looked anxiously between his trainer and this strange man, rolling his weight back and forth nervously. Sometimes trainer got into loud fights....

"I never even met the Mustang from my Amestris," she pointed out. She didn't think she had, not beyond once and a while being in the same general place as him or passing him in a hall. "And I'm better looking than her."

What little Lust knew of the other woman who bore her name had left an unflattering impression.

[rocketralph]

"Hold these for me, will ya, pal?"

Ralph was used to pretty well having his run of the gym (just look at him) so when Roy came into range, he thought nothing of handing off a few round weights that he needed to get out of his way in order to reach the better ones on the back of the shelf to a perfect stranger. He didn't want to just throw them on the ground! That would be noisy and rude.

[ifwishesweremustangs]

With the weights being handed off to him, Roy had little choice but to hold them. He wasn't going to let them drop. That would be dangerous and disruptive. And the man who handed them over was incredibly large. Armstrong levels of large and muscular.

Looked like his workout was starting a little early. "No problem." Although if he handed him any more, there might be a problem. These were not light weights.

[rocketralph]

Ralph stood on his tiptoes and reached and reached until--

"GOTCHA!"

Once he touched back down to earth, he turned to saunter off before a thought came to him. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Hey, just wonderin'. You don't go to that sports bar across the street, do ya?"

[ifwishesweremustangs]

When Ralph turned, Roy resigned himself to putting the weights back where they belong on his own. Getting into an argument with a strange giant was not on his agenda for the day. He took one step when the giant man spoke again.

"I've been a couple times, they don't have bars like that where I'm from. Why do you ask?" It was a novelty, a sports bar, with all the giant screens everywhere broadcasting different competitions or people talking about said competitions.

For Blake

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Roy was dressed somewhat casually. He had yet to build up his wardrobe to a respectable level so today it was slacks and a button-down shirt. No jacket, because he'd worn it entirely too often lately. His less than productive conversation finished at his usual public 'i have nothing to hide so go ahead and look at me' volume, Roy turned and took a few steps.

Only to come face to face with someone he was rather hoping to avoid meeting in person for some time. "Excuse me," He said, moving to step around him. Roy hadn't given his name and face at least.

[lieutenantantichrist]

Blake was walking down the street with his shoulders hunched. He'd been laying low for a while, trying to figure things out and think about what to do next.

Then, for the moment at least, that problem was solved.

It was that son of a bitch who was giving him shit not long ago. The sneering, arrogant bastard who looked down on him. Blake's eyes lit up, and he moved to stand in his path like a brick wall.

"Not so fast, asshole," he said. "You're not going anywhere."

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Roy knew that look, and he normally didn't mind having it directed at him, but this was just not convenient. He didn't have his rank and connections going for him, or his Alchemy if it came down to it.

"That's Brigadier-General asshole to you," As much as Roy would have preferred not to deal with this, he wasn't going to turn away from a challenge like that. He had tried to politely extricate himself, but he had no incentive to put with Blake's bullshit and try to defuse the situation.

[lieutenantantichrist]

"If my rank isn't shit here, neither is yours."

What Blake had been needing for quite a while is a good target. It was a kindness of the universe to drop one in his lap. He stalked closer. He didn't have the height to loom over the guy, so he attempted to make up for it by grabbing or the front of his shirt.

"You have a hell of a lot to answer for."

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Definitely not how he wanted today to go. He brought his hands up to pry Blake's grip off his shirt, an offended, supremely annoyed look on his face over being grabbed like this. He wasn't going to show it, but he was moderately relieved to be confronted with a more traditional display of anger instead of a challenge to a pokemon battle.

"There you go, overreacting again. Half a conversation is hardly 'a hell of a lot' by any measure."

[exeggutorhead]

Envy doesn't really follow other people's conversations on the network much anymore, unless there's a pressing reason to or the gossip looks interesting. He has better things to do with his time.

As far as he knows, there haven't been any pressing reasons.

Maybe after today he'll start paying attention again.

But for now, he is blissfully unaware of the presence of That Fucker Roy Mustang in the world, and is just walking down the semi-crowded street with his Lucario and carrying a plastic bag of "groceries" (read: sugary cereal, cheap candy, and pokemon treats).

[ifwishesweremustangs]

There was really no mistaking that hair. Roy stopped immediately, and the recently hatched Ralts trailing along beside him stopped as well. He had to remind himself that this wasn't his Envy, wasn't the Envy that had killed his best friend. And even if he had been the same, Roy had resolved that.

It was over. But that didn't stop the bitter anger that welled up inside him at first. It was like a bad dream. Roy reminded himself of the pathetic little worm he'd seen rip the stone out of its body, and let out a shaky breath. "Envy."

[exeggutorhead]

The thing about having an unusual name is that there's no mistaking when somebody's trying to get your attention.

Envy looks up and glances around, confused at first; it's been a LONG time since Mustang was last here, and he can't quite place the voice right away. But when he sees the man, of course he recognizes him, and his eyes narrow in annoyance immediately.

"You again? When did you get here?"

[ifwishesweremustangs]

"Again. So you have met me," Roy said. He forced himself to remain calm. It got a little easier with each passing moment. Not asking Al about Hughes and Envy seemed more a terrible oversight than calculated decision.

He didn't immediately notice his Ralts closing in on Envy. "Vanessa, no." But she wasn't listening, so Roy dug in a pocket for her Pokeball.

[exeggutorhead]

"Not in Amestris, but you've been here before."

And the frown on Envy's face and his narrowed eyes say a lot about how that went, but at least he doesn't look like he's about to attack.

"You're not going to start going on about how I should be dead, are you?"

'Or about your dead gullible friend' he bites back from adding. He doesn't want to start a fight in the street. The Ralts coming towards him is a distraction, and he glances down at Vanessa in confusion. What does the little thing want?

[ossifragant]

Making his usual rounds isn't a big deal, as far as Greed is concerned. He has a list of things he needs to do-- mostly upkeep for his house, which is downright boring for a homunculus, but needs to be done anyway. At the moment, he stands due to a huge bag of groceries he's carrying in both hands, and of course, the ouroboros he has tattooed on his left hand.

Unfortunately, never having heard of Roy Mustang means he has no idea he should be on the look-out for the man.

[ifwishesweremustangs]

Roy caught sight of the tattoo on the hand, but the face was only familiar to him from watching people talk to Greed. The Greed he knew, at least. This was the other Greed, and Roy had to admit he was curious about Greed's counterpart. So far he'd had far less hostile interactions with the counterparts of two of the Homunculi he had the worst experiences with, so how would it be with the counterpart of the one he respected.

"Greed, right?" Would Greed even recognize him?

[ossifragant]

Greed stops, staring the man up and down. He's met a lot of people in the time he's been in Johto, though he normally does a good job of remembering faces-- and he would certainly have recognized someone who he'd spoken to well enough to be recognized by sight.

The fact that he can't isn't a terrible concern at the moment, as he always has a team of Pokemon on him, but it is a little confusing. "That's right," he says to the stranger, still managing to smirk like there's nothing wrong. "Have we met?"

[ifwishesweremustangs]

That answered that question. The other Greed had either never met Roy Mustang, or didn't remember him. Roy was betting on the former, he was pretty memorable, and his counterpart was similar to him.

"I know your counterpart from my Amestris," Roy said, deciding that was the simplest way to explain it. From what he'd observed of Greed, they were similar, too. "Roy Mustang."

[ossifragant]

"I see," Greed says, tipping his head, looking curious. He shifts the groceries in his hands, studying the man with interest. It's been a while since someone else from Amestris has shown up, and meeting two so close to each other is... well, it's interesting.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you."