temperance, part.... 4.2?
Sep. 13th, 2004 03:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mikkenekoWell, something like that. Next section. I wasn't sure if it was worth posting just this bit, but ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
windandwater said to.
Previous sections can be found here:
part 1.
part 2.
part 3.
part 4.
part 5.
Fandom: Full Metal Alchemist
Title: Temperance (working title only.)
Warnings: Angst, action, drama, drug use and abuse.
Rating: R
Pairing: None
He opened his eyes, in the interests of experiment. Closed them, and then tried again.
Well. No gods or angels were swooping out of the sky to grant cosmic revelations. On the other hand, neither were the buildings moving, so Ed couldn't bring himself to be too disappointed.
He stretched his arm, carefully, and was pleased that the cramps in his muscles had faded along with the craving. He stood, and despite a slight buzzing, he felt almost normal.
"How is it?" Al was standing several feet away, radiating uncertainty. Ed swallowed, trying to moisten his throat, and shrugged.
"So far, so good," he said. He took a step, testing his balance, and nodded in satisfaction when the ground stayed firm under his foot. "Let's go, before that changes."
He could feel Al's eyes on his back, the rest of the way up to the mansion, but ignored them. They had spent too much time already on this mucking around. It was time to get to work.
As they came up to the mansion from the foot of the hill, a long iron fence stretched across the property, cutting it off from the rest of the town. The road lead up to a gate, manned by two guards. Ed considered avoiding the gate, and making a hole in the fence to go through, but discarded the idea -- the whole of the front would be clearly visible to anyone looking out of the mansion above. Besides, they weren't trying for stealth right now; they'd already lost the element of surprise. Daring would have to do.
Fortunately, boldness was a quantity Edward Elric had no lack of. He marched up to the gate, Al clanking imposingly at his back, and addressed one of the guards. "I'm here to see this Doring guy," he told them roughly. "Get out of the way."
One of them men scowled at him, lifting his pike warningly. Ed kept one eye on their hands, but neither of them seemed to be moving for a gun, so he just planted his feet and glared. "Master Doring won't see just anybody," one of the men was saying.
They probably could have stood there for ten minutes, arguing and trading insults, and it would have come to the same thing in the end, so Ed didn't bother to check his impatience. He ducked forward, dropping under the man's shaky guard, and drove his automail shoulder into the man's stomach. The guard whuffed and folded over, and met with Ed's metal knee on the way down.
The other guard started forward, a yell on his lips as he raised his weapon. It was almost too easy, Alphonse thought pityingly, as he took one step forward and grabbed hold of the polearm's shaft, arresting its motion before it could really build up any momentum. The man looked up at Al in shock, yanking at the handle of his weapon as though he couldn't believe the strength of Al's grip. He probably would have done better to let go, however; the scrape of boot against stone alerted him, and he looked down just in time to catch Ed's fist right under the chin.
There was a whump as the man's body hit the ground, and a clatter a moment later as Al dropped the pikestaff across his prone form. The first guard groaned and stirred, coming up on hands and knees; Al saw the gleam in his brother's eyes and quickly landed a blow on the back of the first man's neck, sending him flopping like a fish to the ground again.
"That wasn't even challenging," Ed complained, cracking the knuckles of his flesh hand. He poked the second man with the toe of his boot, gaining a small twitch, but no more action than that. "Do you think all Doring's goons will be this pathetic? 'Cause if so, how the heck has he kept power this long?"
"He has other means of control, Brother," Al reminded him. "And we won't be able to catch the next pair by surprise, I bet. He knows we're coming."
"You're right, he does," a high, reedy voice spoke unexpectedly. Ed startled, and whirled around to face the gate, where the sound had come from. A small, skinny man was standing behind the gate, watching them. Neither of them had heard him approach.
"Who're you? Their relief?" Ed started forward, intent on violence. "You look even more pathetic than this pair, I'll --"
"Brother, wait --" Al began. "I don't think he is."
The man danced backwards out of Ed's reach, looking nervous. "You'd better not attack me, or you'll regret it!" he warned them. "Master Doring sent me to guide you to him. He's gracious enough that he'll meet with you now, but if you attack me, then you'll really be in trouble!"
"Why, you little weasel..."
"Let's go with him," Al interrupted. "We might as well, Brother. If he's willing to meet with us peacefully, we should go along with it."
"Peaceful? Not likely!" Ed snorted. "Fine. We're going up to the overgrown house of his. You can come along, if you like, or not."
The reedy little man sniffed as in disapproval of this bravado, but turned and headed back up the perfectly manicured driveway without another word. The brothers followed.
The hike was a long one, and Al shifted uncomfortably; there were a lot of questions he wanted to ask his brother, but with a stranger present, neither of them said a word. Ed's expression was a dark scowl, anyway; angry and brooding, and Al didn't think he would welcome interruptions.
They reached the end of the driveway, and came to the foot of a shallow flight of stairs, leading up to a set of massive doors set into a stone edifice. Ed stopped in his tracks, and Al halted, confused, and looked down at his brother.
Ed's hands were clenched into fists, by his sides, and shaking. His eyes were huge, fixed on the doors. Confused, Al ventured an uncertain "Brother?"
"Al." Ed's voice was low enough that it would only reach Al, and not their guide. "Al, tell me if those things are real or not."
"Things...?" Al turned to follow his brother's gaze, and his eyes fell on the stonework around the portal. He hadn't noticed them before, but there were a pair of dark gray gargoyles facing each other across the doorway, sullen and ugly, their twisted faces opened in silent screams. Looking at them gave him an unpleasant twinge of memory, and realization hit him all at once. "Oh -- The gargoyles. Yes, they're real. Don't worry."
"Oh. Good." Ed let out a breath, and took another one, and brought up the heel of one hand to rub at his eyes. "And they aren't moving, right?"
"Moving?" Al said uneasily. "No, Brother."
Their guide had stopped when they did, and had turned around to watch them closely. Al didn't think he'd been close enough to hear them talk, but he had an unpleasant smirk on his face all the same, one which gave Al the urge to smash that gloating look in. He really was on edge today.
"Good. Just checking." Ed dropped his hands to his sides. "Let's go."
The inside of the mansion was as much a sprawling pile as the outside, and Al had to pay close attention to the turns and distances to keep from getting lost. A lot of the architecture looked like old, stonework, with newer wood additions built here and there. Unfortunately, the building's previous -- or current -- occupants seemed to really have a liking for the gothic theme. Al was torn between keeping an eye on the turns they were taking, and keeping an eye on his brother.
Just before Al lost his sense of direction entirely, their guide stopped in front of another set of double doors. "This is the place," he announced, unnecessarily. "Master Doring is expecting you."
Ed growled, and moved forward to push the annoying little man out of his way. He pushed the doors open, and Al moved up behind him, well aware of how imposing the contrast between their heights would make him look. He had a feeling they'd need all the psychological advantage they could get.
The room within was large, cheerfully lit, and comfortably furnished. On a wide-plush couch in the middle of the room lounged a man, looking about in his forties or fifties judging by the gray streaking his light brown hair; a little on the thin side, hidden beneath loose clothing. He had a slightly rabbity look about him, thin cheekbones and slightly bulging eyes. He had a drink in one hand, and looked up with an air of affected casualness as the doors swung open.
"Ah, Mr. National Alchemist," he called out carelessly, smiling. "Welcome to my city, Elliotsburg."
~tbc~
Sera: rabbity
Sera: T_T a disservice to all bunnies everywhere
Sera: hey, can Al scare him so much that his heart bursts?
Sera: that would be cool and rabbity
Mikke: maybe that will be his eventual fate
Mikke: I haven't yet decided if he gets out of the story alive or not
Mikke: it depends on how mean he is to Ed, really
Sera: he can be really mean!
Sera: as long as his heart bursts
Mikke: will take it under consideration ^_~
windandwater said to.Previous sections can be found here:
part 1.
part 2.
part 3.
part 4.
part 5.
Fandom: Full Metal Alchemist
Title: Temperance (working title only.)
Warnings: Angst, action, drama, drug use and abuse.
Rating: R
Pairing: None
He opened his eyes, in the interests of experiment. Closed them, and then tried again.
Well. No gods or angels were swooping out of the sky to grant cosmic revelations. On the other hand, neither were the buildings moving, so Ed couldn't bring himself to be too disappointed.
He stretched his arm, carefully, and was pleased that the cramps in his muscles had faded along with the craving. He stood, and despite a slight buzzing, he felt almost normal.
"How is it?" Al was standing several feet away, radiating uncertainty. Ed swallowed, trying to moisten his throat, and shrugged.
"So far, so good," he said. He took a step, testing his balance, and nodded in satisfaction when the ground stayed firm under his foot. "Let's go, before that changes."
He could feel Al's eyes on his back, the rest of the way up to the mansion, but ignored them. They had spent too much time already on this mucking around. It was time to get to work.
As they came up to the mansion from the foot of the hill, a long iron fence stretched across the property, cutting it off from the rest of the town. The road lead up to a gate, manned by two guards. Ed considered avoiding the gate, and making a hole in the fence to go through, but discarded the idea -- the whole of the front would be clearly visible to anyone looking out of the mansion above. Besides, they weren't trying for stealth right now; they'd already lost the element of surprise. Daring would have to do.
Fortunately, boldness was a quantity Edward Elric had no lack of. He marched up to the gate, Al clanking imposingly at his back, and addressed one of the guards. "I'm here to see this Doring guy," he told them roughly. "Get out of the way."
One of them men scowled at him, lifting his pike warningly. Ed kept one eye on their hands, but neither of them seemed to be moving for a gun, so he just planted his feet and glared. "Master Doring won't see just anybody," one of the men was saying.
They probably could have stood there for ten minutes, arguing and trading insults, and it would have come to the same thing in the end, so Ed didn't bother to check his impatience. He ducked forward, dropping under the man's shaky guard, and drove his automail shoulder into the man's stomach. The guard whuffed and folded over, and met with Ed's metal knee on the way down.
The other guard started forward, a yell on his lips as he raised his weapon. It was almost too easy, Alphonse thought pityingly, as he took one step forward and grabbed hold of the polearm's shaft, arresting its motion before it could really build up any momentum. The man looked up at Al in shock, yanking at the handle of his weapon as though he couldn't believe the strength of Al's grip. He probably would have done better to let go, however; the scrape of boot against stone alerted him, and he looked down just in time to catch Ed's fist right under the chin.
There was a whump as the man's body hit the ground, and a clatter a moment later as Al dropped the pikestaff across his prone form. The first guard groaned and stirred, coming up on hands and knees; Al saw the gleam in his brother's eyes and quickly landed a blow on the back of the first man's neck, sending him flopping like a fish to the ground again.
"That wasn't even challenging," Ed complained, cracking the knuckles of his flesh hand. He poked the second man with the toe of his boot, gaining a small twitch, but no more action than that. "Do you think all Doring's goons will be this pathetic? 'Cause if so, how the heck has he kept power this long?"
"He has other means of control, Brother," Al reminded him. "And we won't be able to catch the next pair by surprise, I bet. He knows we're coming."
"You're right, he does," a high, reedy voice spoke unexpectedly. Ed startled, and whirled around to face the gate, where the sound had come from. A small, skinny man was standing behind the gate, watching them. Neither of them had heard him approach.
"Who're you? Their relief?" Ed started forward, intent on violence. "You look even more pathetic than this pair, I'll --"
"Brother, wait --" Al began. "I don't think he is."
The man danced backwards out of Ed's reach, looking nervous. "You'd better not attack me, or you'll regret it!" he warned them. "Master Doring sent me to guide you to him. He's gracious enough that he'll meet with you now, but if you attack me, then you'll really be in trouble!"
"Why, you little weasel..."
"Let's go with him," Al interrupted. "We might as well, Brother. If he's willing to meet with us peacefully, we should go along with it."
"Peaceful? Not likely!" Ed snorted. "Fine. We're going up to the overgrown house of his. You can come along, if you like, or not."
The reedy little man sniffed as in disapproval of this bravado, but turned and headed back up the perfectly manicured driveway without another word. The brothers followed.
The hike was a long one, and Al shifted uncomfortably; there were a lot of questions he wanted to ask his brother, but with a stranger present, neither of them said a word. Ed's expression was a dark scowl, anyway; angry and brooding, and Al didn't think he would welcome interruptions.
They reached the end of the driveway, and came to the foot of a shallow flight of stairs, leading up to a set of massive doors set into a stone edifice. Ed stopped in his tracks, and Al halted, confused, and looked down at his brother.
Ed's hands were clenched into fists, by his sides, and shaking. His eyes were huge, fixed on the doors. Confused, Al ventured an uncertain "Brother?"
"Al." Ed's voice was low enough that it would only reach Al, and not their guide. "Al, tell me if those things are real or not."
"Things...?" Al turned to follow his brother's gaze, and his eyes fell on the stonework around the portal. He hadn't noticed them before, but there were a pair of dark gray gargoyles facing each other across the doorway, sullen and ugly, their twisted faces opened in silent screams. Looking at them gave him an unpleasant twinge of memory, and realization hit him all at once. "Oh -- The gargoyles. Yes, they're real. Don't worry."
"Oh. Good." Ed let out a breath, and took another one, and brought up the heel of one hand to rub at his eyes. "And they aren't moving, right?"
"Moving?" Al said uneasily. "No, Brother."
Their guide had stopped when they did, and had turned around to watch them closely. Al didn't think he'd been close enough to hear them talk, but he had an unpleasant smirk on his face all the same, one which gave Al the urge to smash that gloating look in. He really was on edge today.
"Good. Just checking." Ed dropped his hands to his sides. "Let's go."
The inside of the mansion was as much a sprawling pile as the outside, and Al had to pay close attention to the turns and distances to keep from getting lost. A lot of the architecture looked like old, stonework, with newer wood additions built here and there. Unfortunately, the building's previous -- or current -- occupants seemed to really have a liking for the gothic theme. Al was torn between keeping an eye on the turns they were taking, and keeping an eye on his brother.
Just before Al lost his sense of direction entirely, their guide stopped in front of another set of double doors. "This is the place," he announced, unnecessarily. "Master Doring is expecting you."
Ed growled, and moved forward to push the annoying little man out of his way. He pushed the doors open, and Al moved up behind him, well aware of how imposing the contrast between their heights would make him look. He had a feeling they'd need all the psychological advantage they could get.
The room within was large, cheerfully lit, and comfortably furnished. On a wide-plush couch in the middle of the room lounged a man, looking about in his forties or fifties judging by the gray streaking his light brown hair; a little on the thin side, hidden beneath loose clothing. He had a slightly rabbity look about him, thin cheekbones and slightly bulging eyes. He had a drink in one hand, and looked up with an air of affected casualness as the doors swung open.
"Ah, Mr. National Alchemist," he called out carelessly, smiling. "Welcome to my city, Elliotsburg."
~tbc~
Sera: rabbity
Sera: T_T a disservice to all bunnies everywhere
Sera: hey, can Al scare him so much that his heart bursts?
Sera: that would be cool and rabbity
Mikke: maybe that will be his eventual fate
Mikke: I haven't yet decided if he gets out of the story alive or not
Mikke: it depends on how mean he is to Ed, really
Sera: he can be really mean!
Sera: as long as his heart bursts
Mikke: will take it under consideration ^_~
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 03:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 04:36 am (UTC)^_~* Just go back a bit in her LJ. It's been a while since the last part.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 09:29 am (UTC)temperance, part 1. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mikkeneko/3672.html)
part 2. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mikkeneko/5129.html)
part 3.
part 4. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mikkeneko/5890.html)
part 5. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mikkeneko/6584.html)
These are not actually all chapter lengths, btw, just the sections that they got posted up in. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mikkeneko/5536.html)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 01:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 07:13 am (UTC)I like where this is going. Please continue! ^^
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 09:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 02:09 pm (UTC)It's a good fic. I bet Ed is sexy as fuck when he's jonesing. *adds to watch list*