The Truth Within the Truth: A Fullmetal Alchemist RP

[JokerboyJordan]

"U-um... I kinda wanted to try those candied apples they're selling. But I can't afford them."

*Sigh*

"Of course you can't. Come on, you can have as much as you want, every kid deserves to get spoilt once in their lifetime."

Richard led him to the stall where they were selling the candied apples, there was a rather long line.

"Must be popular" he said.

Richard's mouth began to water ever so slightly, he tried to hide it from Roland, but his excitement got the better of him. It took a few seconds to reply.
"Oh yeah, they're a kinda tradition down here, everybody gets one at the festival"

Roland looked from Richard to the front of the que. They could be stood here a good 10 minutes. He saw the price for one of the candied apples, what the vendor was charging for caramel and toffee apples on a stick was ludicrous, he was glad he didn't have to worry when it came to money.

 

[Pappytech]

"I take it you didn't know all of that. Or have I been grossly misinformed?"

It took Isaac a second to process the information, as Frieda poured all her rage and anger into those words. He could the logic behind her arguments, the reason backing her actions. He may not have agreed with it, but he still understood it. Now it was his duty to destroy it.

"Ah, I see. You disagreed with the politicians' decisions, so you decided the best course of action would be to leave your comrades behind, betray your oaths and break your word, flee your post, and throw your hat in with a known traitor and terrorist. Of course, that was obviously the best course of action you could have chosen."

Isaac allowed the derisive statement to linger in the air for a moment, silently watching as Frieda attempted to formulate a response. He didn't give her the opportunity.

"This isn't about desertion, or the Ishvalan war, or whatever schemes the top brass are playing at. This isn't about your motives or influences, your reasons or self-righteous justification."

Isaac paused for a moment, leaning forward as he resumed speaking, "This is about you willfully joining and supporting Lieutenant Colonel Octivar, a known traitor to Amestris. Had you merely been a deserter, do you think things would have gone this far?

"You're an accomplice to some horrible crimes against the people of Amestris. Attempted bombings, assassinations, illegal experiments! Explain to me how you can possibly justify that!"

Reclining back slightly, Isaac scrutinized the girl, offering one final statement: "Who knows? If you're capable of defending yourself well enough, you might not face the firing squad alongside the Lieutenant Colonel."

Isaac had seeded his words with lies and half-truths, for a variety of reasons. The accusations of bombings and assassinations to force Frieda to defend herself; most people's knee-jerk reaction to such horrible allegations would be to respond with their actual, but less severe, crimes. Purporting that Octivar was still alive, however, was a bit of a gamble. There was no way that Frieda could have heard that information from an official source; odds were she had heard it in passing from some gossiping soldiers or nurses, hardly a reputable source.

Still, if she fell for it, then such a realization could cause her to open up entirely, doing everything she could to defend her commander.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Marlin spent a bit of time walking around the town and seeing what there was to see of the festival. Occasionally he would try a bit of the food vendors were selling, but the games and other events didn't hold interest him much. Instead he was simply content to watch the others enjoy their time at the festival and witness the peace he was helping to protect.

Eventually, his lack of sleep caught up with him once again and he thought that maybe it would be time to take a break. He found a bench in the shade and took a seat, intending to rest for only a few minutes. But sleep quickly claimed him and he found himself drifting off again.... Until a voice disturbed his sleep yet again.

"Hey, a soldier like you shouldn't be sleeping on the job ya know!" Marlin groaned quietly and opened his eyes to see a woman about his own age standing in front of him. She seemed to be a few inches shorter than he and was wearing a lovely dark red dress that matched her short red hair. Her warm smile and bright green eyes gave her a very pleasant aura even though she seemed to be chastising Marlin. "... Well? Come on, get up before your commanding officer comes around and you get in trouble!" She continued after Marlin simply stared blankly at her for a moment.

That jolted Marlin out of the half asleep daze he was in and he quickly answered. "I'm.... uh, not on duty right now.... I appreciate your concern though...."

"Ohhh! Gosh, I'm so so sorry! I just assumed you were because you're still in uniform." The woman apologized and Marlin expected the conversation to end there. He was ready to resume his nap, but she continued. "Why are you wearing that if you're off duty at festival? Even a poor gal like me dressed up for the occasion!" She said with a giggle, clearly pleased to have someone to show her dress off to.

Marlin didn't mind the company, but he was clearly unused to such persistence and became a bit flustered. "W-well.... I actually didn't even know there was a festival until just a few hours ago... I've never been to a festival like this before so I didn't know this would be inappropriate... My apologies."

This response only elicited more laughter from the woman. "You don't have to be so serious... I was just poking fun at you! So you're not from around here eh? I thought as much. Mind if I sit with you?" She inquired, getting closer to the bench. Marlin nodded and then realized that his jar was occupying the rest of the bench. He set it on the ground between his feet and the woman took a seat next to him. "Say, what is that anyway? Seems like an odd thing for a soldier to be carrying it around." She asked him, staring curiously at the jar.

"Ah... It's the results of my current research. I'm a State Alchemist you see. I specialize in alchemy that manipulates water. The circles can change the state of the water in the jar and manipulate it's contents as I see fit. And the large one is my special circle... It can absorb moisture in the air around it and fill the jar with water. Ideally it would be used to increase access to water in dry regions. Although, it's not quite complete yet..." Marlin explained, more comfortable now that the conversation had switched to the topic he was most familiar with.

"Wow... A State Alchemist... This is my first time meeting one!" The woman turned her gaze from the jar back to Marlin, eyes wide with awe. "What do you mean, it's not complete though?"

"Oh... Well, the military is most interested in it's combat capabilities. They'd like me to be able to use it to drain the water from a person, but I haven't yet been able to devise a way to..." Marlin began to trail off and mutter to himself, but was cut off by an involuntary yawn.

"Oh, shoot! That's right, I woke you up for nothing... I'm sorry, you go ahead and go back to sleep. I don't mind, honest!"

Marlin thought that such an action would be rude, but he was much too tired to object. "Ah yes... Forgive me, I've been so busy with my research lately that I haven't slept much..." He said as he closed his eyes. ".... What is your name, if I may ask?"

"Name's Lila. Lila Jennings. Pleased to meet ya, Mr. State Alchemist!" Came Lila's cheerful reply. It seemed she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

"... I'm Major Marlin Fredric, the Deep Blue Alchemist... You can just call me Marlin..." Marlin muttered as he drifted off to sleep.

 

[nuba km]

Ken didn't hesitate he started running straight towards to source of the gun fire and explosions, he took longer then expected having to push past the crowds before getting to the alleyways. When ken arrived he saw a hole in the side of a warehouse, the approached it carefully, just as ken was about to look through the hole a series of metal arrows shot through it narrowly missing his head, he stopped for a few seconds before looking through the hole were he saw leo launching a pillar while shouting "What am I, Archer?", 'my ally and someone who needs to remember that' ken shouted into the warehouse, ken placed his hands onto the floor warehouse ready to help leo in the fight.

 

[Averant]

"Well damn. Still needs work I see. Well, that's all folks! What'll you do now Major?"


Amon panted and sat on the ground. "Hell, I dunno. I wasn't doing much before I got assigned here. Mostly playing around in iron mines." He transmuted a bit of his spear into a small hoop and swung that around on his finger absentmindedly while he thought.

Amon eyed Anton for a moment before opening his mouth. I figure this is as good a time as any. What he just pulled can't have been easy on the muscles.

"S'cuse me for being nosy, Lieutenant, but what is Dimitri's a cover for?"

 

[CJ1145]

"What am I, Archer?"

"Somebody who REALLY needs to stay down." Kessler explained. With the arrival of Ken, the Archer Alchemist realized his predicament. He was prepared, however. He first slammed a palm into a wooden chair to his side. The thing splintered and twisted into a volley of arrows rifling towards Ken in the hopes to catch him off guard. He swiveled on his feet and then smacked the other palm into a cement and stone pillar currently holding up the ceiling. It morphed into a rapid-fire barrage, dozens of arrows firing out and pestering Leo. It didn't seem particularly strong, or even coordinated. Barefoot couldn't help wondering what was planned.

[hr]

Victor let a bright smile shine as he nodded at Elias. "All right." he said with a tinge of excitement. He'd already been sure; but hearing it from the both of him dealt with a lot of the anxiety of it that had been building up. "One year." he told himself. "One year, and I'll be stronger than ever. I'll be... strong."

A second later, the doctor peeked his head in through the door to let the visitors know that Victor still needed his rest, so if they would be ready to go in about ten minutes that would be perfect.

[hr]

Isaac's words hit Frieda hard, but not in the way he expected. Her eyes dilated, and her mouth dropped. She looked mortified. "W-what? We--I never--bombings??" she almost looked ready to cry. "B-but... we never hurt anyone! We were just trying to help! We gave people food, and shelter! All Amaud cared about was trying to help everyone the government had forgotten, he never even thought of hurting people! I've only ever even seen him use alchemy once!"

She bowed her head, trying to hide the shock of Isaac's words from him. If she was a liar, she might have been the best that Steel Web had ever seen.

[hr]

"Excuse me! Miss Jennings!"

Lila looked up from where she sat, and a hairy arm waved at her from behind one of the stands. She recognized him well; her old neighbor Mr. Bount. She waved back at him, but realized that he was calling for her to come closer. She looked at Marlin, worried about what trouble the poor man might get into, but stood and walked over to her neighbor. He shook her hand vigorously, and she tried to keep her entire arm from snapping off as he spoke.

"You enjoying the festival, Miss Jennings?"

"Oh, yes, very much!" she said happily. "What were you calling me about?"

"Oh, right!" Mr. Bount threw a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the alley behind him with a friendly grin on his face. "Me and my sons were hired to make the poundcakes this year! We've got a few extra boxes, so we thought you might like to take one!"

Lila's face lit up. "Yes, definitely!"

"Great!" Bount said, directing her back into the alley where his family business' truck was stored, the back stuffed to the brim with pastries of all sorts. As they went back, she noticed the sounds of the festival dying away. She never realized how secluded these alleyways felt. She kept walking, and bumped right into Mr. Bount as he looked down at her. She stared up at him confused. "Mr..?"

Suddenly, a pair of thick arms grabbed her from behind and lifted her into the air. She tried to scream, only for Mr. Bount to clamp his meaty hand over her mouth, totally stifling it. "Sorry, miss. But you've gotten involved in something bigger than yourself." A tweed sack was thrown over her head and tied securely to muffle her screams. A few moments later, one of the back alley doors opened, and Mr. Bount and sons carried Lila through. For a brief moment, had any passers-by been there, they'd have seen a face pale as the moon and gaunt as death itself staring out at them through the doorway before it closed.

 

[nuba km]

Ken quickly reacted to archers attacks, first stone walls sprung up in front of ken blocking the arrows, then a stone spike sprung out of the ground smashing the part of the pillar archer was touching, 'I will handle the defensive you handle the offensive' ken shouted at leo.

 

[Jedoro]

"You're already strong, champ," Elias commented as he moved towards the door. "A word when you're ready, ma'am?" Stepping outside, he leaned against the wall as he thought about where the building's phones were. I'm gonna need new plating, if we're off the front lines. Lighter, faster, but can still take a hit. He waved his left arm around, again making sure it had full functionality. She knows her automail, but I'd prefer to have someone I trust work on it, as well. Throughout the war, he'd gotten roughly one call a year, so it had mostly been the letters and care packages that kept him going. Visits had been special occasions, reserved for major repairs and replacements.

"Time to call up the old man."

 

[JdaS]

"S'cuse me for being nosy, Lieutenant, but what is Dimitri's a cover for?"

Anton's reaction to Amon's question was noticeable. His smile gave way to a somewhat worried look.

Alchemists... So damn curious. So damn intelligent.

"Eeeeeeh... That's a re-he-heeally troublesome question right there, Major. Maybe we should talk about that outside."

Anton got off the floor, his legs mostly recovered from the strain. Only a light stinging remained, warning him not to try that again. He led Amon outside. The sounds of the festival could be heard coming from the centre as Anton and Amon sat down on a bench on the other side of the inn.

"Traitors." Anton said while gauging Amon's reactions. Nothing much. His suspicions had apparently hit the mark. Anton continued. "Dissidents, anarchists. Ex-soldiers betrayed by their leaders, citizens tired of having no say in their own matters. My relationship with them is... Heh, well, it's complicated. A long and sad tale that I don't wish to share with you. All you need to know is that they're only idealists. Demitri is a realist. He would never attack the system. Not yet, anyway."

Anton had known Demitri and his "family" for 5 years. He was an excellent mechanic. Even after Anton was comissioned by the Fuhrer he continued to use his services, all the while keeping them away from the military's gaze.

To anyone else it would look weird, contradictive, suspicious even. But Anton had his reasons. He had his plans.

"Demitri is a good mechanic so, for this once, look the other way. Okay?"

Anton pleaded his superior, as his smile returned to his lips.

 

[Viking Incognito]

Vlad had been studying Leo's alchemic technique for the last hour. At the same time he was sewing new transmutation circles into a pair of gloves. They would help him in his task since he was less suited for direct combat than the Barefoot Alchemist.

There were diagrams of Leo's kinetic transfer of alchemic energy spread across the table in front of the Vampire Alchemist. Points of impact were paired with the equation of the applied force of his movements affecting the shape of the transmuted ground. Trajectories, arcs, variations of material and movement, everything Vlad needed to get the edge on his opponent.

The free-flowing style and stunning adaptability of the Barefoot Alchemist's "dance fighting" was just another problem to be solved. Alchemy, after all, is just science.

By keeping his highly trained senses on Leo's movement, Vlad would be able to recall the equations and predict his attacks.

-------------------------------

Music drifted through the private lab as Vlad trained. He was already quite agile, but Vlad's fang-and-claw style of close quarters fighting, while unique, would also be less effective against the Barefoot's dance fighting.

Vlad dived and jerked out of the way of imaginary attacks, while at the same time countering with the weapons his new circles provided. A fight between alchemists was never a quick affair, but Vlad knew he had one thing Leo didn't. A killer instinct.

 

[TheIronRuler]

"Ken!", Leo shouted before he jumped to his left and dodged a volley of arrows, "I got to close the distance", he screamed back at him. Like a runner, Leo shifted the angle of the ground and launching himself forward. He spun on the ground and jumped ahead one more time, landing on both of his feet. They glowed and threw two stone spines at the Archer.

"Got bored of killing Ishavalians, Archer?", Leo said as he leaned against the metal wall and trans-mutated it again, seeing as Archer dodged his last attack. "See you in hell", Leo shouted, releasing dozens of spikes from the metal wall, effectively shortening it by one feet.

 

[Pappytech]

Oh, dammit. And there's the guilt. It was all Isaac could do, to merely sit there and watch as this poor girl had her world yanked apart. It was painfully clear that his words had stung Frieda to her core, that his lies had caused her unbearable pain. This wasn't what he wanted; this wasn't what he had signed on for. Unbidden memories suddenly pulsed through his mind, images of his mother and father coaching him before his first school dance, attempting to calm his nerves as he went to go pick up his date. A few simple dance steps, how to properly escort a woman, a few jokes that might help to break any tension. Most importantly, however, was the simple warning they had given him: Never make a woman cry, Isaac. You know you're doing something terribly wrong when you've hurt them that much.

Had Frieda looked up, she would have noticed Isaac's tightening grip, as he squeezed more and more on the pen clasped between his fingers. It was the only sign of emotion that the soldier allowed himself; regardless of this girl's beliefs and actions, the fact remained that she had sided with Octivar. Whether or not the traitor had let her in on his secrets, Frieda was still an enemy of the state.

Still, what was there to do? It was clear that the girl could not give him any useful information; she clearly knew nothing of Octivar's darker schemes, assuming such things even existed. Odds were the best she could offer would be hideout locations and names of other deserters, who were just as likely in the dark as she was. Useful information, perhaps, but nothing that required a State Alchemist to obtain.

And what if someone else was sent to acquire it? Someone else determined to destroy whatever remnants of Octivar's followers who still hid in East City, regardless of their guilt or intentions? Could he really stand by and watch...?

"Right, very good then." Isaac's voice was trembling, ever so slightly, as he swiftly rose to his feet. "I think we're done for today," he continued as he packed away his things, "Someone else should probably stop by in the next few days to interview you further. I'd suggest you prepare yourself for that."

Isaac paused for a moment, contemplating his decision. Turning around, he offered his hand to Frieda, not surprised in the slightest when she refused to shake. "Have a nice day." Just before his arm fell to his side, a small object dropped from Isaac's hand, bouncing onto the bed sheet: his pen. She was an alchemist. She knew what to do.

Without another word, Isaac replaced the chair in the room's corner, slung his backpack onto his shoulders, and walked to the door. He could really use a festival right about now.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Roland and Richard finally met the end of the que. He bought three candied apples, one for himself, and two for Richard.

That'll keep him occupied...

He walked around the festival, taking in the ambience and the general joy of people. He looked up. The stars looked like pinpricks in the velvet sky, the light of the heavens shining through. A night such as this one, filled with festive and joyous air, would be one to remember.

"Hey mister alchemist..."

Roland turned to the direction of Richard, he held a bare stick in each hand, his face covered in bits of apple and sugar, no doubt he was feeling incredibly sticky.

God... He must not have ate in a while...

"You enjoy that?"

Richard smiled a wide grin, and nodded his head vigorously.

"Thank you Mister Lightning!"

Roland patted the boy on the head, he had seen people do it as a sign of affection, he hoped he was doing it right.

"Err.. No problem. Least I could do real.."

Richard grabbed onto his cuff and dragged him off before he could finish.

"Come one Mister! We don't want to miss the fireworks!"

 

[sage42]

Tasha nodded to Elias before standing. "See ya later Victor. Get some rest." She said before walking out int the hallway. She turned and walked up to Elias. "You needed something, Sergent?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

 

[Averant]

Amon rubbed his neck while Anton talked. He spoke up when Anton reached the part about them being idealists.

"I figured as much," Amon said, rubbing his neck. "A lot of closed doors, but no movement, not even at night. And," he tapped his nose knowingly. "no weapons. Unless ya covered them up with coffee. Food for thought, by the way."

"Demitri is a good mechanic so, for this once, look the other way. Okay?"

Amon looked at him in surprise, then grinned. "Lieutenant! I thought you knew me better than that. I really don't care about politics and coups and that sort of thing. And I can't really be upset if they get in a fight with the army. That's kinda our job, shoot 'n be shot at, 'n such."

Suddenly, he chuckled. "Besides, I'd like to see them go up against Ol' Bradley and win. When they can do that, they can do whatever they want, in my book."

Amon strode to the edge of the road and peered down the street, towards the main part of the festival.

"So no worries about Demitri. God knows I love a good mechanic myself. But, enough of that. Want some food?"

 

[Jedoro]

"You needed something, Sergent?"

"Yes, ma'am, I was hoping you could help me out," Elias began. "Well, me and my father. When I first got each piece of automail, my father made the plating much lighter than what I'm wearing now. I'd take notes for him, then he'd come back with something more suited to the combat zone I was in. Right now, my plating's suited for taking direct fire from every direction. It's tough, heavy, and useful for Ishval. For the missions we'll be doing now, I think I should go back to the lighter plating I originally had."

"I haven't called him yet, but I will soon. So, would you mind helping him swap out my plating? I'm sure either of you could do it, but it'd be quicker if you both did the work."

 

[CJ1145]

Kessler snarled as he started slamming his palms wherever they would go. The floor, the pillars around them, and various objects. Wood splintered, stone twisted and metal crunched as it was all transmuted into spikes, darts, arrows and bullets, all of them flung into the air to counter Leo's own barrage. The projectile struck each other mid-air, their awe-inspiring clash knocking nearly all of the darts to the floor, harmless. But neither side came out unscathed. Leo took a trio of metal bullets to his right leg, spinning him around as a wooden arrow embedded itself in his lower back. Barefoot yelped in pain and fell to the floor.

Archer himself took nearly half a dozen darts into his outstretched arm, and several more cutting and scarring his face. Blood dripped down and forced one eye shut, and his left arm hung limp. "It's got nothing to do with killing!" Kessler insisted. "I don't care what I do, so long as the money's good. And Mr. Zero? He's offering me A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY!"

Suddenly, bullets ricocheted off the wall as one of Mr. Indigo's boys opened fire on the rogue alchemist. The other men seemed to all be absent, fighting in other parts of the warehouse. Kessler recognized his opportunity and charged the man, using his bad arm to flop and smack the gun away. He grabbed the man by the shirt and swiveled to face Leo and Ken. The three of them plus the hostage stood in the wreckage of a warehouse nearly as devastated as the one the former had faced Octivir in. Shrapnel and shreds of materials littered the floor, stained red by the spilled blood of freshly dead gangsters. Kessler cackled as blue alchemical sparks began to light up the room. His hostage convulsed, eyes bulging.

"You know, I don't really GET to use this circle all that often! Thanks for giving me a chance to show off!"

A blood-curdling wail bounced off the walls as the entire front half of the gangster's body was torn away. Skin and flesh peeled back, and blood gushed out of his throat like a fountain as all of his bones were converted into small, razor-sharp darts and fired at the rate of a machine gun. The fracturing sound was nearly too much to bear as the volley bore down on the pair of the Fuhrer's Alchemists.

[hr]

As the day went on, the sun rose in the sky, and was now getting close to be ready to sink. In a country as warm as Amestris, it was hard to remember that in the East, snow was a thing that rarely came. As it happened, it was actually late in winter, and the sun was still going down fairly early. People were already beginning to pick out spots to sit with their families and friends to watch the fireworks.

And other groups were making preparations of their own. Sparks would light up the night sky, but they were in no way celebrations.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Marlin awoke after awhile to find that he had slept much longer than he intended. The sun was already beginning to set. He also found that he was sitting on the bench alone. "... I suppose that's to be expected.... No one would sit around with a total stranger during this festival..." He mumbled to himself and stifled a yawn. He was no worse off than before he had met her, but he felt a bit sad for some reason he couldn't quite place.

"... Well... I suppose I was rather rude, just falling asleep like that... I should apologize.... Yes, that's the least I can do...." He continued muttering to himself as he stood, convincing himself that it would be wrong to leave things like this. With that in mind he walked off in no particular direction since he had no idea where to start, keeping an eye out for a familiar face or anything of interest really.

 

[Redryhno]

After spending most of the day by Victor's bed, Kallu left the hospital still surprised to see the Founding Festival still in full swing. After stopping by a vending cart and picking up something to eat, he wasn't really paying that much attention to it, his mind was occupied by other matters, most prevalent Dr. Marcoh, Victor's arm, and the fact that the code Marcoh's notes he had found still eluded him.

Wandering around, he saw Roland walking around with a child, a strange occurrence, but he still wasn't concentrating on it. There were more impo- What was that? He realized he'd wandered into an alley far from the music,cries of joy, and sounds of the streets and he felt a presence watching him, taking him back to his days in the wild with Ikasti.He just couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, and hunted, something he hadn't felt since his childhood. Turning his eyes skyward quickly he caught a flash of movement leaping from roof to roof.

Something's not right.

Kallu took his gauntlets from their place on his belt and put them on, unsure of why he needed to, but it was better to have the circles prepared before hand than need them and not have them. He turned and wandered back into the streets of the Festival. This time he tried to keep a good memory of his surroundings, and anyone out of the ordinary that happened by. The fading sunlight clawed at his eyes, but he endured it as best he could by shutting his eyes almost closed, but still able to see out of them. He paid special attention to the rooftops, throwing hidden glances whenever he saw another flash of movement. Nothing gave him any reason to keep the feeling, but that didn't make the hunted feeling dissipate.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

James walked around the festival enjoying himself. He had left his gun case back in his hotel room. Normally he would stay at the bunks but sometimes he felt like treating himself. Besides the government gave him near limitless funds, sometimes it was nice to take advantage of it. So James had left the case behind and left carrying only his gun and five magazines that he had engraved with alchemy circles. Two were pepper spray, two were stopping bullets and one was piercing bullets. He also carried his gloves, equipped with his cannon making alchemy.

I'll need to find a black smith to make more pieces, James thought as he wandered the various booths and tents that had been set up. As James walked around the festival he let himself relax a bit. He was off duty and the past days had been hard. He had beaten one of the shooting galleries that had been set up, winning a large stuffed elephant. He had given to a small girl who had been crying because her balloon had broke. That had earned him a big smile, a hug from the little girl and a flower that he kept tucked in his shirt pockets.

Everything was going fine when he felt a chill run up his spine. Looking around he tried to spot anyone who meant harm to anyone but all he could see were happy festival goers. But James had enough experience, even at his young age, to sense when something might not be right, so he kept his hand close to his holster, ready to fight if need be. He made his way through the crowds, carefully looking for anything suspicious, anything out of the ordinary. Breaking through a group of people he saw Kallu, not surrounded by the hordes, looking at the rooftops. James made his way to Kally causally, trying not to try any attention.

"So Kallu. Have you been enjoying the sights?" James asked.