File: Roy Mustang.jpg (109 KB, 1280x720)

109 KB JPG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-W7xveVzUw&

Mustang's sentiments are not so different from those you heard from Hakuro just a couple of short weeks earlier. That man is now dead. He had the support of a large number of troops, and all on his home turf over in New Optain. You can't imagine that things would go any better for Mustang, especially when you take into account his lack of followers and location right here in Central.

"Now, I'm not stupid." the Lieutenant Colonel continues. "I'm not going to try and make any play now. For all I know, the situation may still be salvageable. There's too much we don't know. So at this point, I only care about finding out the truth. What's really going on in this country behind the scenes. And only then, if I determine that there is no other option than to remove Bradley from his seat, will I attempt to take him down. The reason I'm telling you now, is because I was hoping that you would all be willing to play a part in this. I realize that while I am your commanding officer, I can't call you my soldiers. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I understand. As alchemists, our allegiance lies to knowledge first and foremost. Which is why I decided to reach out to you. Surely you also want to know what's really going on here in Amestris. It's simply not in us to let the truth pass us by. I don't need your loyalty now. I just want to know that you'll try to keep uncovering the truth, and that when you do, you'll use that knowledge to decide what's really best for this country. Whether that means working with me or otherwise."

After Mustang finishes, the room is totally silent. You can tell that Ed and Al are still debating in their heads about whether or not they still want to keep a lid on absolutely everything. Though you expect that they'll stick with it just out of stubbornness at this point.

Leah looks quite nervous. She's always been the type to try and avoid trouble wherever she could, and the prospect of opposing the nation's government itself seems to be unsettling her.

>A.You'll think about it

>B.We planned to uncover the truth on our own, anyway

>C.I'm afraid I can't let you do this, Sir

>D.We should all work together on this

>E.What exactly do you plan to do?

>F.Other

>>751005
>B.
>D.

Welcome back Laze, missed you last week.

>>751005
>C.I'm afraid I can't let you do this, Sir

>>751005
>B.We planned to uncover the truth on our own, anyway
>D.We should all work together on this

>>751027
+1

>>751005
>B.We planned to uncover the truth on our own, anyway
>D.We should all work together on this

>>751005
>B.We planned to uncover the truth on our own, anyway

>D.We should all work together on this

something is most definitely rotten in amestris, time to play G.I Scooby doo

>>751027
>>751055
>>751084
>>751085

There's not a whole lot of thinking to be done. You and the Elrics were going to keep on pushing forward regardless, and your CO having your back can only help. You get Leah's attention and sign your answer over to her.

"Sir, Iskander already intended to uncover the truth, anyway." Leah tells Mustang, after a heavy sigh. "He also thinks that we would be best served by all working together on this matter."

"I'd prefer that as well." the Lieutenant Colonel replies. "Since you exist somewhat separated from the rest of the command chain, you can move a bit more freely than I or my men can. And you can do so without arousing nearly as much suspicion. However, if that is the way we're going to be operating, I'll need full disclosure. We're going to be uncovering the military's secrets, so that means no keeping secrets from each other, either. You'll have to tell me what you've been told not to divulge."

You could just relay what Ed told you, but you figure you'll leave Mustang to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

"Alright, fine." Ed sighs. "We'll tell you what happened. We met Tim Marcoh, and learned about his research on the Philosopher's Stone. After decoding his notes, we learned just what it really is. The Philosopher's Stone is made from the souls of living humans. But, we decided not to let that stop us. There has to be some other way. So we went to check out the Fifth Laboratory to learn more about the Stone, since that's where it was made. While we were there, we met three former inmates who had been experimented on. Their souls shoved into armor bodies just like Al here. I fought two of them, and that's what got me laid up in the hospital for a while. Afterwards, this woman who could extend her nails to impale things came and knocked me out. She had an ouroboros tattoo on her chest. She carried me out of the lab just before having it collapse."

"It was later in the hospital that the Fuhrer came by and saw us discussing it." Al picks up. "That's when he told us not to let anybody know about the details. Actually... Lieutenant Colonel, how did you know that it was the Fuhrer who told us to keep quiet?"

"That? Hughes told me." Mustang states bluntly. "I asked him all about it, but he said 'No can do, Fuhrer's orders. Those Elric boys might be willing to tell you anyway, though.' I think he really just wanted me to hear it firsthand."

"Or he could have just done it himself and saved me the trouble..." Ed grumbles. "Now I feel stupid for trying to keep it a secret."

>A.Ask Mustang what he plans to do next

>B.Suggest a course of action (Write-in)

>C.Take your leave for now. You'll get to work after some rest

>D.Other

>>751144
>>A.Ask Mustang what he plans to do next

>>751144
>A.Ask Mustang what he plans to do next

whats next sarge? I'm not even sure where to really start looking or what we should be looking for.

do we look for the military connection to the stone/strange woman, why we have been getting our asses kicked so badly for some time or something else?

>>751144
>>A.Ask Mustang what he plans to do next
>D.Other
Suggest to check what ouroboros means in alchemy.

It looks as our main lead to discovering identity of strange woman and this should be a first step in discovering who makes stones out of humans.
Also we can ask Hoenheim, world first expert in alchemy.

>>751155
>>751178

With the matter of allegiance settled, there's still the problem of what to do now. You and the Elrics were lamenting earlier about the lack of leads to act on, and you were about convinced that you were at a dead end. Maybe the Lieutenant Colonel has some kind of idea. You sign the question to Leah.

"Sir, we're all going to be working together, but we had essentially reached a roadblock on our end." Leah explains. "So, we were wondering just what you had in mind. What do you plan to do next?"

"Well, I had to come up with something that could have worked without your involvement, just in case." Mustang begins. "So now that you're all here, we may be able to find more options if we look. But as I was saying, My men and I can't do a lot of digging without arousing suspicion. That's why we have to use new developments to our advantage. That, or cause the developments in the first place. Bradley has his fingers in pies the government over, but I know of one thing that is guaranteed to be out of his purview. Scar. Scar got away after the commotion in East City, and I'm sure he's still alive. I made sure that rumors got circulating about all of Amestris' State Alchemists being consolidated in Central. He's sure to be on his way back here already. And when he gets here, we can take advantage of it. It's the only thing I can be certain of that Bradley has no hand in. Other than that, I also plan to keep an eye out for any other rogue pieces. For instance, these mysterious figures that Iskander has been seeing might turn up if we look for them, and we could potentially use them to our advantage."

"In the meantime, you're free to take any measures you think may get us some results." Mustang stands up from his seat. "As long as you're careful about it. Lieutenant Hawkeye, go tell Fuery to reconnect the phone."

"Yes, Sir." the woman responds before leaving the room.

"I'll be counting on you guys once everything gets rolling." the Lieutenant Colonel tells you. "Against an opponent like him, I'll need all the help I can get."

"Yeah, alright." Ed grumbles again. "We were hoping to run into Scar again, anyway. For now, let's just relax a bit. Come on, Al."

The Elric brothers get up to leave, and you and Leah follow suit.

>A.Say something to Mustang before you go (Write-in)

>B.Join the Elrics in heading back to your rooms

>C.Go see someone else (Write-in)

>D.Do some investigating of your own around Central

>E.Tell the Elrics you've got an idea for a next move (Write-in)

>F.Other

>>751270
>F. Go to the library, research the Orouboros in Alchemy.

>>751270
>B.Join the Elrics in heading back to your rooms

>>751270
>E.Tell the Elrics you've got an idea for a next move (Write-in)

>F.Other

"what are your plans guys?" "I think it would be best if we pursue multiple avenues of attack. me and Leah are going to head to the library to see what connection this Orouboros tattooed lady has to all this." while keeping an eye out for scar or those black figures that keep howing up everywhere.

*turn to mustang* who can we trust? aside from everyone in this room? can we trust Armstrong? what about huges?

>>751296
>>751321

Before the Elrics can leave the room, you get their attention and sign a message over for Leah to relay.

"Iskander says we should try to approach the situation from multiple angles." she begins. "We'll go to the library and read up on this orouboros business to see if we can't uncover anything. We should all try to keep an eye out for Scar or the cloaked figures too, so we can jump on those as soon as they pop up. Who all do we have working with us?"

"Besides us in this room, we're looking at my men, Hughes, Armstrong, and his two subordinates that guarded the brothers." Mustang replies. "Now, if we need to convene later, I'll arrange things. For now, we can't know if someone is going to start listening in. We should keep our movements known to as few people as possible."

As the Lieutenant Colonel says that, you can hear the dial tone start to go off on the phone he has laying on his desk, and he hangs it up.

"Well, it was good to see you all back in Central." he waves at you. "Make sure to stay out of trouble. I'll call you in if I have something for you."

After that, you and the Elrics leave. As you walk down the hallway, you can see two of Mustang's men coming the other way. One of them is the guy from earlier, Havoc.

"Breda, I'm telling you this girl is amazing." you hear him say to the other guy. "Solaris, what a classy name. And she's as classy as they come. I don't even know how I was able to get her to go out with me."

"Yeah, me neither." Breda grumbles, rolling his eyes.

After leaving HQ, you and the Elrics split up. You and Leah head to the library, and you start looking into the orouboros. You don't really find anything that you didn't have an idea of before. The orouboros, the serpent eating its own tail. It represents the eternal cycle of life and death. All stuff you learned back under your teacher. It's a symbol that's not too uncommon in alchemy. But you've never heard of someone getting a tattoo of it. What could it mean?

"Assuming this isn't just this one woman with the tattoo..." Leah begins. "Then those with it may have chosen it for a reason. Maybe they're looking for a way to escape the cycle of life and death. Immortality."

The theory seemed plausible. It would fit with the military's research towards the Philosopher's Stone, anyway. You don't find much more useful information, so you eventually decide to head back to your room for the night, making your way across the city streets dimly lit by the street lamps.

>Roll 1d100, first three

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>751425
Oh boy encounter rolls! Fingers crossed for Sloth or Pride.

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>751425

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>751425

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>751425

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>751438
>>751425
well i fucked that up

>>751440
yay 92 counts!

File: Shou Tucker2.png (81 KB, 628x359)

81 KB PNG

>>751440

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UJ6U_wwMbo&index=13&

As you and Leah are walking down a street, Leah holds out her arm in front of you to stop you. The two of you stand still for a while, and you can tell she's listening for something. You try to figure out what's she's hearing, but you don't really catch anything. However, Leah motions for you to follow her, as she heads down a nearby alleyway. After a couple of turns, you can hear a noise, like some animals fighting or something. As you get closer, you realize these sounds couldn't be made by stray dogs or cats, it sounds like something way bigger is fighting.

You and Leah close in on the source of the noise, peeking around a corner. You see a person that seems to be wrestling with some sort of creature. A creature that seems to be a combination of different animals. Some kind of bat-wolf? It can only be a chimera. Then, you manage to get a better look at the man. You've seen him before, in Dublith. He was the doorman at the Devil's nest. Roa, you believe his name was.

Roa manages to tie up the chimera's limbs, and you see another familiar face emerge from the shadows of the alley behind him. It's Shou Tucker.

"Nice work, Roa." Tucker says to the man. "Martel and Dolcetto were able to capture the other one that we led out of the tunnel. Let's get them back to the hideout."

"Sure." Roa says, hefting the chimera over his shoulder, ignoring its struggling. "How many of these things do you think you'll need? I mean, we lucked out and found a tunnel filled with the things, so there's no shortage, but I'd still like to know."

"I'm still not sure." Tucker answers. "But with a good enough sample size, I should be able to figure out exactly how these chimeras have been synthesized. From there, a method to separate you all should become evident. Of course, I'll only do so after we've gotten our revenge. We'll need your powers for that."

The two men disappear further down the alley and out of sight.

>A.Follow them stealthily

>B.Follow them and greet them

>C.Turn back and head to your room for the night

>D.Go find someone to tell this to right now (Specify)

>E.Other

>>751505
>>A.Follow them stealthily
O shit, Tucker, what are you doing?

>>751505
>B.Follow them and greet them

>>751505
>D.Go find someone to tell this to right now
Either Armstrong or Hughes. Mustang is a little hotheaded.

>>751505
>>A.Follow them stealthily

our old pal tuck tuck and the funky bunch. we should follow them back to see what there up to and if we get found out we can try and reason with himgreat idea I know after all were the ones who put him on the trail of whatever it is he's doing now that's got to be worth something, Oh! and our teacher is looking after his daughter I'm sure we can use that info if we need to as well

>>751505
>>A.Follow them stealthily

>>751510
>>751530
>>751574

You make the decision to tail the two of them, and along with Leah carefully follow them while staying far enough away to not be noticed. Eventually, they reach an abandoned building in a scarcely populated part of the city. You can see several other human chimeras from Dublith inside, as well as the two mentioned earlier, Martel and Dolcetto, carrying another chimera that's been tied up. Looking more closely, you also see yet another familiar figure. This one in a black cloak, wearing a mask. It's the Far Eastern man you met in Leore. You can't even imagine what he's doing here.

All of the people head into the building, and you and Leah stop. You can't get any closer without giving yourselves away. You'll either have to make yourselves known and try to talk to learn more, or drop it here. Though at the least, you do know where they're hidden. You'll have to remember this location.

>A.Pay them a visit for a chat

>B.Stay out of it, head back for the night

>C.Go tell someone about this (Specify)

>D.Other

>C.Go tell someone about this (Specify)
Armstrong or Ed & Al
whoever we see first

>>751608
>A.Pay them a visit for a chat
We know Tucker and Not!Ling seems decent.

>>751608
>C.Go tell someone about this (Specify)
Let's get Ed and Al before we confront him, this could turn ugly if we aren't careful.

>>751608
>>A.Pay them a visit for a chat

we need to find out what's going on here and if we go to ed/al or mustang we risk either losing them or calling attention to ourselves and this place and then we will never know what's going on or how it relates to everything.

besides tucker and not ling do owe use a solid at the very least. and weve grown a bit so we can handle ourselves in regards to the chimeras at least.

>>751608
>>A.Pay them a visit for a chat

>>751614
>>751663
>>751671

If you leave now, you can't be sure you won't lose them. And you should still be on good terms with Tucker and Yi. Hopefully the chimeras don't have too many hard feelings either. You manage to convince Leah, then go up to the building and knock on the door. The door creaks open just the slightest bit, and someone looks through.

"Eh? Leah and her pal again? What are you doing here?" you recognize the voice as Roa's. "Wait a minute, you're in the military now, aren't you? Come to try and bring us in?"

"No, we don't have any intention of that, I promise." Leah tells him. "We just want to talk to Tucker. We've been looking for him since he disappeared. I'm sure he's worried about his daughter."

The door remains ajar for a moment, then shuts on you. You hear a sliding noise, then watch as it swings back open all the way.

"Alright, fine. No funny business, though." Roa insists. "Make sure to be on your best behavior, and we shouldn't have any problems."

Roa leads the two of you through the building to a room in the back. On the way there, you can see a whole lot of human chimeras lounging around. There must be every single one of them from the Devil's Nest here. No wonder the place was empty. There's no sign of their boss, though.

You're led into a room in the back, where you find Tucker along with Yi, Martel, and Dolcetto. You don't see either of the chimeras they brought back, so they must have put them somewhere else. This room is just a few tables and chairs, so they probably just eat or relax here.

"Hey Tucker, these two came knocking. They say they know you." Roa waves Tucker down. "I'm gonna take my spot back up at the door."

Roa leaves, and everyone else in the room has their eyes on the two of you.

"Iskander and Leah..." Tucker notes. "I didn't expect you to find us. I was trying to stay off the grid, you see. If you managed to track me down, I'm quite worried about the rest of the military doing the same."

>A.Ask why he's working with the chimera

>B.Ask why he's with Yi

>C.Ask what he's planning to do

>D.Tell him Nina is doing well

>E.Other

>>751738
>>C.Ask what he's planning to do
>D.Tell him Nina is doing well
>E. worried about her dad though

>>751738
>A.Ask why he's working with the chimera
>B.Ask why he's with Yi
>C.Ask what he's planning to do
>D.Tell him Nina is doing well
>E.Tell him that we didn't track him down, they should be more careful

>>751738
>D.Tell him Nina is doing well
>E.Other :Ask what Yi is doing here

>>751738
>>C.Ask what he's planning to do
>
>>D.Tell him Nina is doing well

>>751738
>D.Tell him Nina is doing well
>E. tell him that she worried about her dad though
>A.Ask why he's working with the chimera
>C.Ask what he's planning to do
>F. Greet Yi and ask what he is doing there as well.

HAHA TIME FOR PLOT

>>751738
>C.Ask what he's planning to do
>D.Tell him Nina is doing well

Sorry about the wait guys, I was eating dinner

Back and writing

>>751742
>>751743
>>751755
>>751761
>>751765
>>751801

You decide to open up with some friendly conversation before trying to get some answers. You sign a message over for Leah to relay.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Tucker." Leah begins. "We've been worried. As has Nina. She's still wondering where her father's gotten off to. But other than that, she's doing well. The Curtis' are taking good care of her, and she's having a lot of fun."

"That's good." Tucker smiles. "I knew as soon as I met them that Nina would be in good hands there. That couple seemed so happy just having her around. Apparently they were unable to have a child of their own. Yes, it's wonderful to hear that they're all getting along just as well as I'd hoped. And I'm sure her worries will fade away in time..."

Despite the ominous trailing off, the atmosphere in the room seems to have lightened a bit, so you and Leah move on to the questions.

"Mr. Tucker, What exactly are you trying to do here?" Leah asks, before motioning to Yi. "And what is this man doing with you?"

"Ah, yes. He came upon us by chance shortly after we arrived in Central." Tucker explains. "He was able to tell that they were all different from regular humans at a glance, without even seeing any of their chimera abilities. He could sense it, he said. Quite fascinating. Anyway, he decided to join us after hearing about our goal. We intend to exact revenge on the military, and the higher ups that conducted the human chimera experiments. Then once that is done, we'll return all of them to regular human forms. Yi here is after another bit of the military's research, so he's along for the ride until he can find a lead of his own. He's been quite helpful with his strange senses. He can tell when someone approaches with ill intent, and he was even able to locate a tunnel filled with chimera. Not to mention that he has some very advanced skill with some kind of Eastern medical alchemy. Thanks to that, my research is progressing quite nicely. Separating chimeras is no longer a mere pipe dream."

"Now that you know what we intend to do, I could ask the same of you." Yi speaks up. "Will you continue to honor your word and keep my presence here quiet? If you did honor it, that is. I'd like to believe that we can not be a problem for each other."

>A.You won't tell anyone

>B.Tell them your commanding officer also has intentions against the military's higher ups

>C.Inquire further about something (Write-in)

>D.Other

>>751873
>A.You won't tell anyone
>C.Inquire about the tunnel

>>751873
>>B.Tell them your commanding officer also has intentions against the military's higher ups
>D. Other Tell Yi what the stone would cost

>B.Tell them your commanding officer also has intentions against the military's higher ups

Dont drop any names but ask if it would be acceptable to inform them of this group.

>C.Inquire further about something (Write-in)
How far have you gotten into that SECRET TUNNLE

>>751873
>A.You won't tell anyone

>B.Tell them your commanding officer also has intentions against the military's higher ups

>C.Inquire further about something (Write-in)

how do you intend to get your revenge? and just how high are you targeting ? we might have some people within the military that can help you if you help us. also a bit of caution Yi we have seen other black clad figures jumping around roofs and logic dictates that they are in some way connected to you.

>>751879
>>751885
>>751886
>>751905

They have a decent sized force here, but nothing that could even put a dent in the military. Unless that is, they are able to combine their power with another group. You sign to Leah your idea, for her to suggest.

"Mr. Tucker, Yi. We won't tell anyone about this." Leah insists. "However, our commanding officer also has intentions against the military's higher ups. It might be possible for us to work together."

"Really, now..." Tucker rubs his chin. "That could make things a whole lot easier. If I'm honest, how exactly to carry out an attack like that was my biggest concern. The help of an officer would make it possible. I'll consider the offer, for sure. However, I need to make some more strides in my research first, either way. Come back to me later and we can talk it over."

"I will not be against such an alliance myself." Yi adds. "If the current regime is overthrown, I might be able to walk around in safety. However, my demand will still be the destruction of the Philosopher's Stone."

"We have another question." Leah goes on. "You mentioned a tunnel with chimera in it. How far have you searched within it? What kind of explanation could there be for it?"

"I have no idea." Yi answers. "My only theory is that the military has them there to guard something. We have not been able to explore very far into it at all, as wave after wave of chimera will set upon you if you enter. We have only been in far enough to lure a chimera or two out to capture. As for the tunnel itself, well... I feel an awful power from deep within it. It must hide some terrible secret. But I'm not foolhardy enough to try and delve into its depths alone. For now, I will do what I can out here."

"Oh right, Leah." the woman, Martel, speaks. "Sorry about what happened back in Dublith. You're clear as far as your debt goes. Donovan won't be trying to collect anymore."

"Well, this was nice." Tucker starts to head out. "I'm off to continue my research. Good luck to you two and your commander. I hope our goals can come to align."

>A.Say goodbye and head home

>B.Leave and go see someone (Specify)

>C.Stop Tucker and ask him something first (Write-in)

>D.Talk to someone else before you go (Write-in)

>E.Other

>>751873
>>B.Tell them your commanding officer also has intentions against the military's higher ups

>>751950
>>D.Talk to someone else before you go (Write-in)
Yi about his goals

>>751950
>>D.Talk to someone else before you go (Write-in)
Tell Yi what we learned about the Philosophers Stone and how it can be created.

>>751950
>A.Say goodbye and head home

>>751950
>>751953
>>751960
D.Talk to someone else before you go (Write-in)

Tell Yi what we learned about the Philosophers stone and how it can be created as well as how that affects his goals .

>B.Leave and go see someone (Specify)
now may not be the best time but it certainly is a relevant time. Leah what was that whole debt business that kicked off this bizarre adventure about and why did that snake woman , she said her name was martel say that repayment was no longer needed?

>>751953
>>751960
>>751990

Before you leave, you and Leah head over to Yi. You figure given his mission, he should know the nature of the Philosopher's Stone.

"Yi, we have something to tell you." Leah tells him. "We were able to learn how Philosopher's Stones are made. They use the souls of living humans, which act as energy for transmutation."

You can see Yi's eyes narrow, even through the mask.

"I see... Truly an evil object." he practically spits the words out. "I have to destroy any samples, as well as notes on their creation process. If the Xingese emperor finds out about this, he will sacrifice any number of his countrymen to create Stones for himself. After exhausting all of mine, of course. Thank you for telling me about this. It has brought me one step closer to fulfilling my duty. I hope we can continue to support each other in the future."

With that, Yi took off in another direction of his own, while you and Leah left the building and headed back to where you left the main streets.

"I can't believe my father's debt was settled so easily, after weighing on my shoulders all these years." Leah sighs. "It really was only Donovan who cared, it seems. Somehow... that makes me kind of upset. Like it was all completely pointless. Well, no use worrying about it now, I suppose. It just means that all the money I make from now on is my own. That's good enough for me."

Even if you wanted to tell someone about what had happened, it was getting to be the middle of the night. At the very least, you didn't want to disturb anyone's sleep. It could wait until morning. You and Leah make your way back to your room, and get some rest for yourselves.

Taking another intermission, will continue tomorrow

>>752051
Thanks for running bud.

>>752051
night laze see you tommrow

>>752051
Thanks for running, I'll look forward to it.

>>752051
God damn it. I can never catch you.

And well done /tg/.
>Let us enter in a secret conspiracy against the government
>It is wite secret, we could be killed if we are not careful
>It must be kept in absolute secret.
>Oh, hey, there are those guys we saw a grand total of three times! Let us tell them all about it!

After sleeping through the night, you and Leah manage to catch the Elric brothers downstairs at breakfast. If you're going to tell anyone about yesterday's encounter, they would be as good a place to start as any. And you did say you would tell each other if anything happened. After a greeting, you begin to sign over the start of an explanation, but Leah stops you.

"Edward, Alphonse. Something quite interesting happened to us yesterday, you see." she begins. "We should go out today and we can tell you all about it."

As Leah says this, she transitions from a smile to narrowing her glare right at the brothers. They seem to get the message. You didn't really think to deeply about it, but you never know who could be listening in here. In the future, you suppose you'll have to exchange information more securely. Mustang has already been operating as such, so you'll have to get on the same page.

After you all eat, you head out on the town. Trying to remain inconspicuous while at the same time making sure you find a place with no one else around to listen in, you all eventually reach an abandoned lot. You're sure you weren't followed, and there's no sign of anyone in earshot. Absolutely desolate.

"Alright, is this out of the way enough already?" Ed whines. "It must be pretty important to bother with all of this. Well, it'll stay secret, so what's up?"

You begin to sign over to Leah how you want to convey the events of last night, and she takes it in before addressing the brothers.

"Last night, we ran into Shou Tucker." she tells them. "He's here in Central. And he's accompanied by all the human chimeras from the Devil's Nest at Dublith. I caught the sound of them as we were walking home last night, and we found them in an alley way tying up a chimera. Tucker said it was for research, and that he'd be able to eventually return the human chimeras to normal. After they get revenge on the military, that is."

"Woah, hold on a second. Slow down." Ed holds his hand out to interrupt. "So that's what Tucker's been doing all this time?"

"And he said he wants to get revenge on the military?" Al chimes in. "But why?"

"From what we could tell, he felt humiliated by the more advanced chimera experiments being kept secret." Leah explains. "But that's only a guess. We haven't really pried too far into that one. Anyway, we followed them to the building they were hiding out in, and went to meet with them. We told them that we may be able to help each other. The Lieutenant Colonel could always use some more willing and able hands, right? He said they'd consider it."

"Oh man, maybe you should have run that by Mustang before you told them all about it." Ed goes on. "Hopefully that won't come back to bite us."

"It sounds like we should be able to work together, though." Al adds. "They're trying to get normal bodies back, just like me."

>A.Mention something else (Write-in)

>B.Suggest Ed and Al meeting them

>C.Go fill Mustang in

>D.Other

>>753765
Welcome back

> Mention Yi
> Tell them about the tunnel, ask what they think that might be about
> Go to Mustang, phrase the fact we spilled the beans in a careful and tactful manner

>>753765
>A. Mention Yi
>C. Tell Mustang

I figured out the Homunculi's plan, Laze, goddamn.

>>753777
>>753810

Before heading off to let Mustang know, you figure you'll tell the brothers about the other person you met last night. The Far Eastern man. You give Leah the explanation, and she relays it for you.

"There's also something else." she continues. "We met someone else that was working with Tucker. He was a man from a country in the Far East, named Yi. We had met him earlier in Leore after he had crossed the desert, and he wanted to know about the Philosopher's Stone. He intends to destroy any trace of it so he can keep it out of the hands of the Xingese emperor."

"Huh. From the Far East, you say." Ed rubs his chin. "You know, now that I think about it, you never hear anything about over there. Most books barely give you any details about the place, and I don't think I've ever heard of a person coming here from there until now. Most of what we've heard about it is just passing comments from our father. He apparently visited the place a long time ago and studied a bit about the alchemy they do there. What was it called? Alkahestry, I think? He said it was used for medicine or something."

"Tucker actually said Yi knew something to that effect." Leah replies. "He also had some kind of power to sense things, apparently."

"That is weird. But interesting." Ed grins. "This guy just might have some answers for us. If we're lucky, we may not need a Philosopher's Stone after all."

Ed and Al split up with you from there, as they apparently intend to go see Winry. Meanwhile, you and Leah make your way to HQ, and Mustang's office. You find him in it, along with all of his regular subordinates.

"So, the Silent Alchemist is back again." he notes. "Do you have something to discuss?"

>A.Tell him you found Tucker

>B.Try to get him to meet you somewhere else alone to fill him in

>C.Ask if this place is secure enough to talk

>D.Other

>>753810
Really? They haven't even shown up yet, though

>>753890
>Sure, can we talk? About what we spoke last night?

If he understands, tell him about tucker, carefully.

>>753810
Please, do tell. I am guessing every player in this thread already has a theory, but I'd like to hear yours

>>753947
or, better yet, don't. I don't want to have the fun spoiled.

>>753894
Wrath has, and Lust appeared to the Elrics/is dating Havok(?). And I can think of a very good reason for Bradley to be consolidating his forces and letting the country be picked at like this.
>>753890
>C.
If so,
>A.
If not,
>B.

>>753890
>>753958
this

>>753947
>>753958
>>754002

You figure that if this place isn't safe to talk right now, Mustang will find somewhere that is. All you have to do is subtly convey that you have something to tell him. You sign over a greeting to Leah.

"It's good to see you again, Sir." she tells the Lieutenant Colonel. "We actually have something to discuss regarding last night. Is now a good time?"

You can tell Mustang gets the message. He shakes his head and sighs.

"Well, work has just been piling up since the transfer, you know." he says, as he stands up. "I can barely find time in the day, so I have to multitask. I can spare a few minutes for lunch, so we can talk as we go."

The Lieutenant Colonel nods to his subordinates, then motions for Hawkeye to follow him. You and Leah do the same, and he leads you to a car. Hawkeye takes the wheel, while you and Leah sit in the back. From the passenger seat, Mustang addresses you.

"Alright, we don't have a lot of time if we want to stay inconspicuous." he says. "We'll have to make this quick. And for reference, we can't use any one trick too often unless we want them to catch on. Whether it's talking in the car or cutting the phone. We'll have to be smart about how we communicate. Not like you two. You can have conversations all you want, and even if someone is eavesdropping, they won't catch a word. Anyway, if you came to me now, I assume this is important. What's on your mind?"

>A.We found Tucker

>B.We may have found some more people that will support you

>C.Mention something else (Write-in)

>D.Other

>>753890
>>753958
thirding this missed the start because of dinner

>>754113

>A.We found Tucker

>B.We may have found some more people that will support you.

we may have some useful info about a suspicious tunnel. and some allies in waiting. prepping for operation: Valkyrie electric boogaloo is fun

>>754113
>>A.We found Tucker
>B.We may have found some more people that will support you

>>754113
>A.We found Tucker
>B.We may have found some more people that will support you
I hope we're able to destroy our first waifu again. And that she doesn't get a pity ending.

>>754136
>>754147

There's no time to try and approach the topic tactfully. Hopefully Mustang will just appreciate the possible new manpower. You feed your explanation through Leah.

"Sir, last night on the way back from the library I heard a suspicious nose, and we decided to investigate." Leah begins. "We happened to come across Shou Tucker, along with the human chimeras that we encountered in Dublith. They are here in Central, and working together. They intend on getting revenge against the military for performing the human chimera experiments."

"I see." Mustang replies. "That is some interesting news. They may prove useful."

"About that, Sir." Leah goes on. "We took it upon ourselves to meet them face to face. We were able to learn a bit more from them, and we brought up the idea of cooperating together against the military. Tucker said he would consider it."

"You what?" Mustang snaps at you. "Are you trying to get me killed? Just because they're also against the Fuhrer doesn't mean you should just spill everything. Well, I was thinking of how to approach this, but if they already know, I guess we can cut straight to the chase. I'll try and meet with them later to discuss some things. As human experiments of the military, they're living proof of its transgressions. It doesn't really bring us any closer to finding out what's really going on, but it's a start. If we can keep this momentum up, it'll eventually snowball into enough to topple the Fuhrer himself. Tell me where you found them."

You draw a map out for the Colonel, who writes some coded notes for himself before burning it. Afterwards, you all stop back at HQ. You never actually went to lunch, Hawkeye just drove around for a while.

"Thanks for that." Mustang tells you as he heads off. "I've got to get back to work. Make sure to stay on your toes. Especially concerning Scar. I'll call for you two again later when I need you."

With that, Mustang and Hawkeye head back inside.

"Well, that's that." Leah says. "So what now? Do we check in with someone else? Or do you have an idea to look into something else?"

>A.Go see someone (Specify)

>B.Go see Tucker and the others again

>C.Coming across things randomly seemed to work out, let's try that again

>D.Other

>>754242
>>A.Go see someone (Specify)
Armstrong

>>754242
>D.Other
Let's do some training, things are getting more serious so we may as well prepare ourselves for when shit hits the fan.

>>754242
>C.Coming across things randomly seemed to work out, let's try that again

going back to see tucker right now is way to risky especially after a meeting with the Lieutenant Colonel. right now we should just wander around to make sure nobody or nothing is following us. unless someone has a better idea on who to meet.

in hindsight reveling that info may have not been the best idea but it seemed like a now or never idea as they could disappear at any moment. we will probably have to be more careful with our government toppling secrets in the near future, but the good news is we never namedroped mustang so he should be alrightmaybe....

>>754260
Seconded. Studying can only help us so much.

>>754260
>>754315

You've done a whole lot of studying recently, but another idea crosses your mind. If your next move is supposed to be made when Scar resurfaces, you've got a problem. You just barely got away with your life last time. How much can you really accomplish if Scar can fight circles around you? You'll need to be tougher. Your teacher has given you combat training, but you didn't take to it quite as well as the alchemy study. It did give you a good foundation, however. By supplementing that with your alchemy, you've been able to hold your own so far. But that's not enough to fight Scar. You tell Leah about your thoughts.

"That makes sense." she agrees. "We don't know when Scar will show up, and we can't count on new discoveries falling into our lap all the time like before. Spending this downtime to hone our skills can only help. Even if we're going to be ready this time, Scar is still quite dangerous. We don't want to be a burden to the others when the time comes."

Even though you decided to train, it's not something that can accomplish very easily on your own. Leah can't really help you much here, either. However, you're able to track down the Elric brothers and tell them about your idea. They're all for it, and you and the three of you spend quite a few days training against each other. The brothers didn't receive any combat training, so their form is sloppy. They basically just do whatever they find that works. Al is still able to put you on the ground easy enough thanks to his body, though. Ed however, has grown accustomed to using alchemy on the fly to do just about anything. It's among the most versatile use of alchemy you've seen, and it's clear how he's been able to handle himself in fights, even with middling hand to hand ability. Over the course of this time, you all manage to pick some things up from each other and become more competent fighters all around.

Leah spends some time sharpening her aim, not that you think she needs it. While Winry is here, she takes the opportunity to just hang out with her, though she should be back to Rush Valley soon.

"So it's been quite a while, and still no Scar in sight." Ed says one day, after practice. "Won't it all be pointless if he catches us off guard?"

>A.We'll lure him out

>B.We'll go find him

>C.We should go over the plan with Mustang

>D.Other

>>754624

>C.We should go over the plan with Mustang

Even supposing we get the drop on him, he finds us and we beat him or some such nonsense and we don't kill him we still have no idea what to do with him should we win and I have a feeling he's a bit more connected with this then we know so it would behoove us to get mustangs input so we can figure out what we need to do and don't go off half cocked.

>>754624
>A.
Sometimes you need to chum the water.

>>754624
>>C.We should go over the plan with Mustang

>>754624
>A.We'll lure him out

Well, I'm back from eating dinner, but now we've got a tie. So, first response decides it

>A.Lure him out

>B.Go over the plan with Mustang

>>754976
>>B.Go over the plan with Mustang

>>754113
>A.We found Tucker
I've made contact with him and a chimera resistance cell. They have uncovered a vast network of tunnels flooded with beastial chimera created by the military in secret likly guarding something. Along with another unknown foe of great strength.

The stranger is from the east and I'm on good terms...they may be useful.

File: 250px-079Slowpoke.png (46 KB, 250x250)

46 KB PNG

>>755019

>>754624
>>D.Other

Maybe we should look into materials that react violently when deconstructed with alchemy and use it to create some manacles, so if he tries to bust out of them with his powers, he would get serious injuries and maybe lose his arm.

File: Maes and Elicia Hughes.png (693 KB, 1280x720)

693 KB PNG

>>754979

It's true that you don't really know what you'd do if you were to confront Scar right now. Maybe it would be worth going over the plan first. You're sure Mustang has come up with something. You have Leah forward the idea over to the brothers.

"We should ask the Lieutenant Colonel what he plans to do at that time." she tells them. "It's about time we all got together for a discussion on the topic, anyway."

"Yeah, alright." Ed replies. "We don't want there to be any confusion. as soon as we catch sight of him, we need to know how we plan to deal with him. Just capturing him is one thing, but Mustang said he was going to use the confusion or something."

You all head to HQ, but Mustang waves you off for now.

"Why don't we meet up after I get off for the day?" he asks. "Surprisingly, I should be able to get off at a decent time for once. Hey, go get Hughes in the meantime. It's been too long since we hung out. I'd like him to come along too."

This meeting will probably cover a lot, if Hughes is also going to be present. Mustang seems to trust him quite a bit, and must intend to involve him in the plan. You all head to the Hughes residence to find him there with his wife and daughter, along with Winry, who was visiting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79uXZKUKFUs&

"Hey, good to see you boys." Hughes greets the brothers, before turning to you and Leah. "And I believe I've only seen you in passing. The Silent Alchemist, right? Good to meet you. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. This is my wonderful wife Gracia, and my darling daughter Elicia. Isn't she just precious?"

Hughes starts hugging his daughter, while rubbing his beard on her face, much to her amusement.

"I was here to visit one last time before heading back to Rush Valley." Winry explains. "I don't know how long I might be this time."

"Leaving for Rush Valley..." Ed mutters, as you watch the gears in his head turn. "Hey, you think you could stick around just a little bit longer? Just in case?"

You figure Ed is worried about getting wrecked by Scar again, but trying not to tell Winry anything about it. It doesn't seem to be going well.

>A.Introduce yourselves to the Hughes family

>B.Tell Hughes he'll need to come meet with Mustang

>C.Help Ed out in getting Winry to stick around

>D.Talk to Hughes about something (Write-in)

>E.Other

>>755171
>A.Introduce yourselves to the Hughes family
>B.

>>755171
>A.Introduce yourselves to the Hughes family
>B.Tell Hughes he'll need to come meet with Mustang

>>755171
>>A.Introduce yourselves to the Hughes family

>>C.Help Ed out in getting Winry to stick around

I'm sure Leah can use her girl powers to convince Winry to do girl things together to keep her in the city for a few more days.

>>755171
>A.Introduce yourselves to the Hughes family

>B.Tell Hughes he'll need to come meet with Mustang

>D.Talk to Hughes about something (Write-in)

"nice to meet you Lieutenant Colonel, mustang speaks highly of your work. The Lieutenant Colonel sent us to ask if you could meet us for dinner after he gets off from work, speaking of which how long have you known the Lieutenant Colonel sir? judging from how he speaks of you he seems to consider you a dear and loyal friend."

this way we can see how amenable he is to the plan

>>755226
this but also
>E.Other
Go outside grab some flowers, come back in and alchemy them into a flower tiara for Elicia

Win big points with everyone

File: Bido.jpg (7 KB, 210x240)

7 KB JPG

>>755181
>>755182
>>755193
>>755226

You leave Ed to his fate, and have Leah give your introduction to the Hughes family.

"This is the Silent Alchemist, Iskander Steiner." she begins. "My name is Leah Crawford. Iskander's been rendered unable to speak, so I function as his interpreter."

After chatting a bit with the family, you and Leah pull Hughes aside.

"Sir, Mustang wants to meet with us all later." Leah tells him. "We have some important matters to discuss."

"I see. He'll tell us all about his plans, huh?" Hughes' face that had been carefree up to now gets sharper. "Roy and I go way back, you know. He never stopped telling me about how he wanted to become Fuhrer and help the people of Amestris. And ever since I agreed to help him, he's always been dragging me into trouble. He really should have been more quiet about that intention to become Fuhrer, though. Maybe if he had more tact, he would have been a Colonel by now. Well, that's in the past. For now, let's just do what we can. Let's get ready to go. Honey, I'm going out for dinner with Roy and these guys tonight. I'll be late."

"Alright dear, have fun." Gracia tells her husband. "Alright Elicia, its just you and me tonight. Why don't we bake something?"

Hughes puts on a coat, and all of you leave his house. Winry splits up from the group here.

"Sorry, but I have to go back tomorrow morning." she tells Ed. "I've been gone too long as it is. You just be careful, alright? I better not see you again too soon, or you're in big trouble."

You all tell Winry goodbye, then head off to where you're to meet Mustang. A fairly unassuming restaurant, not too fancy, not too plain. You take seats on the patio outside that faces away from the street. It's not too long before Mustang and Hawkeye arrive.

"How is it? Jean recommended the place. He came here with his girlfriend last week, and said it was much better than you'd expect. And conveniently not too busy right now."

The two of them take a seat. You also see some short person scatter up the side of the patio that leads back into an alleyway, and set up near your table, just out of sight from the restaurant from the table blocking the view. It's some kind of gray skinned person in a cloak, and they have a tail.

>A.Ask what's up with this guy

>B.Ask about the plan for Scar

>C.Ask if there's been any other developments

>D.Get dinner first

>E.Other

>>755392
C

>>755392
>>D.Get dinner first

>>755392
>D.Get dinner first

surely the others have noticed the guy as well, lets get some dinner and see how this develops before we discuss anything.

>>755392
>>D.Get dinner first

>>755422
>>755461

You don't do anything for now, and just let things progress. You're kind of hungry, anyway.

"Alphonse, can you order something and give it to Bido over there?" Mustang motions to the small man. "I promised he'd get a good meal. Don't worry about the price, I'm footing the bill for everyone tonight."

Eventually, everyone orders their meals and makes small talk while they wait to be served.

"So Lieutenant Colonel, is this everyone that'll be involved?" Ed asks. "Everyone that knows about things besides the Colonel and his two subordinates are represented here."

"For now, yes." Mustang answers. "I didn't want to Colonel to get too deeply involved. I want him to still have deniability. As he is, he can still provide help as interference for us without any risk to himself."

You all get your food and eat, which has the bonus of letting all of the restaurant's other patrons leave before you start talking any business.

"That was pretty good." Hughes says, sitting back. "Nothing will beat Gracia's cooking of course, but a little variety now and then can't hurt."

"Alright, enough of this." Ed groans. "How about we get down to brass tacks here."

"Getting impatient, Fullmetal?" Mustang replies. "But fine. That is what we're here for, after all."

>A.First ask about Bido

>B.Ask what he has planned to deal with Scar

>C.Ask if there has been anything else going on that he's learned

>D.Insist on getting more help from Armstrong

>E.Other

>>755557
>C.
>B.

>>755557

>A.First ask about Bido
>B.Ask what he has planned to deal with Scar
>C.Ask if there has been anything else going on that he's learned

well now that we know he isn't spying on us lets get some more info on how mustang got our tucker connection, what's the plan for scar and any new happenings.

I think hes right we should leave Armstrong where he is for now, im sure he has our backs and would gladly join the cause at a moments notice but for now hes safer and more useful where he is now.

>>755557
>A.First ask about Bido

>B.Ask what he has planned to deal with Scar

>C.Ask if there has been anything else going on that he's learned

>>755576
>>755591

You want to get right down to the most important topic, that of dealing with Scar. However, you also figure you should ask about any other happenings. You sign as much to Leah.

"Sir, we've been occupying ourselves for some time while we've waited." she begins. "Have there been any other developments during that time?"

"Well, I came into contact with Tucker, Yi, and the chimeras." Mustang explains. "We've hammered out what might become the terms of our alliance in the future. They'll be quite useful if things to come to a head at some point. There are three dozen human chimeras there, and most of them are former military. Also, all of them except Bio here have no problem functioning as combatants. I don't intend to get into any reckless fighting of course, but even knowing we have a force like that in the wings is helpful. For confidence, if nothing else. Other than that, there hasn't been much. However... I have heard a rumor. One that is quite unnerving. They say Kimblee has been seen walking around Central. However, you were the ones that told me of his support of Hakuro in New Optain. I don't know how he got out of prison to end up supporting Hakuro in the first place, but there is no way he should be walking free even after pulling that. Something's not right. That is, assuming the rumor is true. I haven't seen any sign of him, myself. But it's something we'll have to take into account."

You find the possibility a bit unsettling yourself, but there's not much you can do right now. You move on to the main topic.

"Now Sir, about Scar..." Leah continues. "What exactly do you plan to do when he turns up?"

Getting late, so I'll leave off here for the night. I'll be back tomorrow

>>755715
Thanks for running, once again I look forward to the next one.

>>755715
Thanks for the run laze.

Thanks for running, I can't participate due to time differences but I enjoy the reading.

After making sure one more time that no one else is in earshot, Mustang begins to explain himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWHtSsbbJbA&index=44&

"If we were to simply capture Scar right off the bat, we'd have gained nothing and only made their job easier for them." he begins. "Which is why we're going to be taking a slightly different approach. You see, I was able to put a theory together back in East City. Before we lost track of him entirely, we tracked Scar down to an underground passage that ran along a waterway. The place had been collapsed, and had the sure signs of a fight. Someone clearly attacked Scar there. The question is who. As much as I dug into the matter, I couldn't find anything. But that only made me more suspicious. Not just anyone could go toe to toe with that man. Much less keep the entire thing a secret. After talking with Tucker and the others, I concluded that it had to be an operative of the government, working in secret. Someone sent to deal with Scar. But they failed, and he got away. My theory then, is that they'll send that same operative after Scar again if he turns up. Whoever they are, they'll be able to lead us to the person giving orders behind the scenes. We'll keep the main forces of the military busy, while stalling Scar. They'll have no choice but to send in their big guns. We'll force them to reveal their secret weapon. Though... this is just speculation on my part. I'm taking into account the fact that I could be wrong. So even if no one like that shows up, I still have a backup plan. That's where Bido here will come in handy. We're going to let Scar get away from us. We'll make it convincing, of course, but he'll get away. Bido however, will be on his trail no matter where he goes. We'll have Scar in the palm of our hand."

"Oh yes." Bido insists. "I can slink through the shadows like no one else, thanks to my lizard physiology. I'm agile enough that no one can lose me, not that they'll know I'm there in the first place. I've had to get quite used to moving around unnoticed, you see. And now that skill is about to come in handy. It's funny, all this effort at skulking around where no one can see me is all so that one day I can walk around like a normal person again. Anyway, I'll stick to Scar for you guys. You can count on me."

"That's the overview of the plan, basically." Mustang continues. "Anybody need any more clarification?"

A.Object to stalling against Scar, it's too dangerous to get in a prolonged fight

>B.Ask who all is actually going to be out fighting, and what those who aren't are going to do

>C.Ask what the plan is if this mystery operative does actually show up

>D.Other

>>757356
>B.Ask who all is actually going to be out fighting, and what those who aren't are going to do

>C.Ask what the plan is if this mystery operative does actually show up

>>757356
>>B.Ask who all is actually going to be out fighting, and what those who aren't are going to do
>>C.Ask what the plan is if this mystery operative does actually show up

>>757408
>>757409

You get the feeling that it isn't going to go quite as neatly as the Lieutenant Colonel has laid it out, but it's as solid a plan as you could imagine in this scenario. you do however, try and get some more details. You put your questions through Leah.

"Sir, we assume we're going to be stalling Scar, but we'd like to know what everyone else is tasked with." she begins. "And further, just what do you plan to do if this mystery operative does actually show up?"

"The ones on the ground will be you two and the Elric brothers, in addition to Yi." Mustang explains. "Don't get too carried away with Scar, your top priority should be your own well being. It's not him we're after. While you all are handling Scar, my men and I, along with Hughes, are going to be keeping the military's forces busy. Kain will have all the communication channels intercepted, and the two of us will be giving false directions to keep them all away from you and Scar. Hughes, Falman, Breda, and Havoc are going to be out with contingents of soldiers, doing what they can to buy us even more time. If all of this fails, and we don't get a bite despite our best efforts, we'll let Scar go, and Bido will tail him so we can make use of him later. Now, supposing we do find ourselves face to face with our mystery man, we'll have to capture him. At that point, you shouldn't give too much attention to Scar. Bido will still be tailing him if he gets away. You four should focus on the new arrival, and get them tied up. You'll then let Yi get away with him, to take him back to their hideout where we can do the interrogation. As a side note, try to do everything you can to make it look like you're not working with Yi. We need as much deniability as we can get, here. Understood?"

>A.The plan seems perfect to you

>B.You'd prefer if something was changed (Write-in)

>C.When is this all going down?

>D.Other

>>757508
>C.When is this all going down?
Let's get down to brass tacs

>>757508
>>C.When is this all going down?

>>757508
>>C.When is this all going down?

>>757508
>>C.When is this all going down?

>>757579
>>757585
>>757589
>>757603
>>757603

You can handle working along these lines. You're a lot more prepared to face Scar than you were last time. You just have Leah ask one last question for you.

"Sir, we'll follow your instructions." she tells the Lieutenant Colonel. "But when exactly are we going to be performing this operation?"

"That's the bad news, I'm afraid." Mustang sighs. "We can't pull it off until we know Scar is here. I've got all my people out constantly with their ears to the ground, but there's no sight of him yet. So you guys should try to keep an eye out for him too. As soon as we know he's in Central, we'll have to work fast. I need to get hear it as soon as anyone knows. We have to be the ones to act when the time comes, and we'll need a few hours to get everything in place before we begin, so we can't afford to waste any time. I know it'll be difficult to keep alert like this. We could hear word of him tomorrow, or it may be weeks. But this is our best chance to get an advantage. I'm counting on all of you."

After that, everyone begins to disperse. Bido heads back into the darkness of the alleyways, Hughes heads back home, catching a ride from Hawkeye and Mustang, and the Elrics start heading back to their own lodging.

>A.Go back with the Elrics and get some rest before you really get to work

>B.Stop someone before they leave, you've got something to say (Write-in)

>C.It might be late, but you should start your search now, anyway

>D.Other

>>757668
>>A.Go back with the Elrics and get some rest before you really get to work

>>757668
>B.Stop someone before they leave, you've got something to say (Mustang)
If I'm still alive but suddenly break notable contact with you Mustang it means I'm being watched, compromised or have been approached by an unknown party, I will resume contact asap

>>757668
>A.Go back with the Elrics and get some rest before you really get to work

time to get some shuteye

>>757695
seconding this

>>757695
>>757708

Before Mustang can take off in his car, you run up with Leah and rap on the window. He rolls it down, and you sign a message for Leah to relay.

"Iskander says that if he's alive but suddenly breaks contact with you, it means he's being watched, compromised, or otherwise approached by an unknown party." she tells
the Lieutenant Colonel. "He says he'll resume contact as soon as possible. if that happens."

"Well, that's how you would usually handle it." Mustang replies. "I've considered the possibility. Don't worry, I can have contingencies in place. An inability to communicate is what kills a team. We have to take precautions to make sure that doesn't happen. Anyway, take care."

With that, Mustang drives off. You and Leah run and catch up with the Elric brothers, and chat a bit as you make your way back to your rooms. Once there, you lie down for the night, and get a good night's rest.

The morning eventually comes, and find yourself discussing things with the Elrics over breakfast.

"Well, Winry took off early this morning. She's on her train for Rush Valley right now. So what do we do about these vague orders of ours?" Ed asks. "Do you have some kind of idea, or do we just wait things out until we get word?"

>A.Let's comb the city and search

>B.Let's just wait until we hear something, and not wear ourselves out

>C.You'd like to go see someone (Write-in)

>D.Other

>>757805
besides our CO and company who do we know in central that we could see.

>>757805

>D.Other
Figure out the locations of the other alchemists in the city. Or atleast where they are commonly seen. We can create a Web and track his movements

>D.Other
Go out and have a nice day with leah, scar may just pop up, also we havent taken a "break" in a lil while and if this shit goes down we may not have any down/quality time for a while.

Does Mustang know about the tunnels the chimeras found? And are they the same Scar used to escape?

We need to remember to ask him about it next time we meet.

>>757826
>>757844
Okay, so we're doing one of these two things

>A.Find out the identities and usual places you can find the city's alchemists and use that info to keep an eye out for Scar

>B.Use this day to relax and get a break while you still can, go out with Leah

>>757936
>>A.Find out the identities and usual places you can find the city's alchemists and use that info to keep an eye out for Scar

>>757936
>B.Use this day to relax and get a break while you still can, go out with Leah

>>757936
>>A.Find out the identities and usual places you can find the city's alchemists and use that info to keep an eye out for Scar
Get our job done

>>757936
>C Do option A while making it look like option B.

>>757955
Alright, you are a smart cookie. Voting this.

>>757955
Switching to this.

>>757955
voting this its the best of both worlds or the worst of both

we can bond with her over hunting a serial killer, were such a romantic.

>>757955
mkay i can back this

>>757955

You manage to form a plan in your head. One you're quite proud of, in fact, let's you multitask quite nicely. You just have Leah tell the brothers to keep their eyes out, then after breakfast, you head to Records. Hughes is there, and he's able to give you info on all of the current State Alchemists. There's a lot less than you thought. That exam seemed easy to you, but it must be more stringent than you thought. Or maybe it's just that applications are low. Either way, it's a manageable number for you, so you set out to find where they can usually be located. Once you've done that, you should be able to find out if Scar is targeting any of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScFNQPLXq64&index=18&

While you do that though, you decide to make a day of it. This'll take you all over the city, so you tell Leah that you'll spend a day out on the town. After all, since you got here, you've done practically nothing besides work. At the very least, you can take this opportunity to see the sights.

"This is really the kind of thing we should have done earlier, Isk." Leah tells you, as you make your way across town, currently headed to find the Silver Alchemist. "It's kind of hard for me to enjoy the sights when I know trouble is just around the corner. I was always more comfortable out in nature compared to the city, anyway. But I'll try to enjoy myself, anyway. Who knows when we might get our next chance."

You find yourselves downtown, surrounded by all kinds of shops and restaurants. Surprisingly, you haven't been here yet, even though you've spent weeks in Central. You're able to learn that the Silver Alchemist does a lot of shopping here. Good to know.

>A.Get something to eat together

>B.Suggest some shopping

>C.Sit and talk for a while (About what?)

>D.Stick to your investigation

>E.Other

>A.Get something to eat together
While eating talk about Ed Al and Whinrey, we dident talk to her much, whats she like?

then when thats over
>B.Suggest some shopping
While keeping an eye out for silver alchemist

>>758068
>>B.Suggest some shopping
>C.Sit and talk for a while (About what?)

lets go buy Leah some pretty dresseseven though she will probably hate it, perhaps a nice evening dress in a sliming black

"How are you taking all this? its been a while and I haven't really asked your opinions and feelings on, well all of this. Becoming a part of the military, what we've done so far, our encounters with scar and the chimeras and tucker or even this "conspiracy" that were all wrapped up in investigating."

>>758098
>>758117

You decide to take a bit of time out of your investigation to go shopping while you're here. Maybe talk a bit. Who knows, you might just see the Silver Alchemist around. Before anything else, you make sure you know what to look out for. There are a few stores here that specialize in the trade of precious metals, gold and silver. The Silver Alchemist seems to frequent these places, as well as another shop nearby. His personal tailor runs the place, and he gets his suits there. The man apparently comes by almost every day that he isn't out of the city on assignment, to at least one of the places. Must have money to burn.

Leah isn't really big on the the jewelry form what you can tell while you're scoping the store out, and that's just as well. You don't like the idea of losing all your new money buying anything there. You find a nice shop for clothes, one that's fairly high-end, but not too out there. Of course, until just a while ago you'd never buy anything from here, but with your new salary, it's in your price range. In fact, you might get some new threads yourself. You haven't bought any new clothes since you left Dublith, and you realize just how cheap you look.

>A.Splurge and get yourself something fancy

>B.Just get something that doesn't look beaten up and cheap

>C.Suggest that the two of you get some formal wear

>D.Try and get Leah into a dress

>E.You'd rather not spend any money

>F.Other

>>758367
>>B.Just get something that doesn't look beaten up and cheap
>C.Suggest that the two of you get some formal wear
We're an Alchemist. Shit blows up all the time around us and who knows how many fights we'll get into. Get something that makes movement easy, feels nice, and not to expensive. But still pick up a decent suit for gatherings and important dinners..

>>758367

Get something good, but not fancy, for both of you. Also, if we're going to try them on, take turns so there is always someone looking into the street.

>>758367
>B.Just get something that doesn't look beaten up and cheap

>C.Suggest that the two of you get some formal wear

>D.Try and get Leah into a dress

File: black-lace-evening-dress.jpg (137 KB, 800x1200)

137 KB JPG

>>758367
>>D.Try and get Leah into a dress
>C.Suggest that the two of you get some formal wear

"we've been here for a bit how about something to make us look a bit more presentable besides our uniforms. *hand Leah a dress* I think this would look great on you *smile the cheekeyist smile we can smile*"
undercover work in the mandatory formal military ball. Laze come on its a great idea for a scene somewhere down the line

>>758394
I second this.

>>758367
>>758389
seconded

>>758367
>>B.Just get something that doesn't look beaten up and cheap

>>758389
>>758394
>>758396
>>758401

At the very least, you need some new clothes. Leah's are actually doing alright, but yours are showing their wear. You pick up a decent outfit, something that's easy to move around in, comfortable, and isn't too expensive. Nothing too fancy. However, you do have another suggestion for Leah.

After you purchase your nice new outfit, you sign over to Leah that the two of you may need some formal wear. You don't know when you may have to attend some kind of important gathering, and you'll need to be presentable. You find a suit that fits, and try it on as Leah stays at the window to lookout. Once you get fitted, you come back out to get Leah's opinion.

"Looking pretty good, Isk." she smirks. "I'd never have thought you were a kid from the streets if I didn't know it personally. You were always buried in your books, so you never cared much about what you were wearing. It's a bit different now that you have to make a good impression on people, though."

With your formal wear out of the way, it's Leah's turn. You hand her a dress you found that you think would work. A simple black dress, nothing too out there. You sign that you think it'd look great on her, and shoot her a smile. Leah has never worn a dress as far as you know, and the possibility of her wearing one never really seemed likely before. But with you in your suit, and the topic of needing formal wear, this is the likeliest it's ever going to get. Leah takes it a bit nervously, but keeps her composure for now. She heads into the back to change, while you take up the spot at the window. Soon enough, she comes back out. You picked the longest dress the store had, one intended to reach the floor while in heels, but Leah is tall enough that you can still see her feet. In fact, you underestimated just how slimming the dress would be, and it really accentuates her height. Leah's clearly very embarrassed, as evidenced by her red face. Now that you think of it, this might be the first time you've ever seen her blush.

"I knew this wouldn't work." she says, looking down to the floor. "I just look even more like a lamp post. But... I think this is the closest I'm going to get, unless I get one custom made. I'm really not looking forward to wearing it, though..."

You don't even get a chance to sign anything to her, as she goes right back to change before looking at you. You can still see a pit of pink in her face once she's back in her regular clothes, and she won't look you in the eye. You all bring your purchases to the front.

"That'll be 50,000 Cens." the salesman tells you.

That kind of money for clothes would be insane just a few months ago, and Leah still flinches just hearing the price, but you can afford it with your new salary.

As you and Leah leave, you see a short man in a suit take a seat at a table outside a restaurant. It's the Silver Alchemist.

>A.Go meet with him

>B.Get a table of your own and eat/chat while you keep an eye on him

>C.Other

>>758603
>>A.Go meet with him
keep the new kid act up

>>758603
>B.Get a table of your own and eat/chat while you keep an eye on him
If Scar is lurking, I don't want him to see us with the only guy more excited about killing Ishvalans than Kimblee.

>>758603
>>B.Get a table of your own and eat/chat while you keep an eye on him

>>758603
>B.Get a table of your own and eat/chat while you keep an eye on him
Poker face

>>758603
>>B.Get a table of your own and eat/chat while you keep an eye on him

were on the hunt here. but I don't think scar will strike out in the open. its not his MO he usually ambush's when his prey is alone and isolated like the time he killed boss grom or got the drop on us. still we should wait and see we have no idea what the silver alchemist will do let alone what scar will do.

>>758619
>>758631
>>758634
>>758658

You decide against actually meeting with the man, and get a table at the restaurant with Leah. You order something to eat while keeping an eye on the old man.

"Giolio Comanche, the Silver Alchemist. They say he was rare in his enjoyment of his time in Ishval." Leah says, quoting what the jeweler from earlier told you. "Given that, I wouldn't be surprised if he was next on Scar's list. We should keep a close watch on him."

Time goes by and you eat your meal, yet Comanche doesn't leave. He just sits, enjoying his tea and the conversation of anyone that takes a seat nearby. This seems to be how he passes his days, not too different from a regular old man. It's strange to think that he apparently had an unquenchable lust for battle. You and Leah just do the same as he does, and pass the time drinking tea, trying not to arouse any suspicion as you do. Though you are both getting terribly bored.

>A.You've seen enough of the Silver Alchemist, move on now

>B.Pass some time with Leah by making conversation (Write-in)

>C.Just keep this up and stay focused

>D.Other

>>758802
>>B.Pass some time with Leah by making conversation (Write-in)
Dress teasing, but also flatter her.

>>758802
>B.Pass some time with Leah by making conversation (Write-in)


this>>758807 but also
How are you taking all this? its been a while and I haven't really asked your opinions and feelings on, well all of this. Becoming a part of the military, what we've done so far, our encounters with scar and the chimeras and tucker or even this "conspiracy" that were all wrapped up in investigating."

>>758822
assuming scar doesn't show up in the next five minutes we should go over and introduce ourselves and just get a feel for the guy.

>>758802
>D. Talk to him, it won't look suspicious if he converses with most passers by.

File: Scar vs Giolio Comanche.png (226 KB, 640x360)

226 KB PNG

>>758807
>>758822

While you wait, you decide to make some conversation. And by "make conversation", you mean "tease Leah about the dress". But however many times you tell her she looked great in it, she just won't have it.

"No way, I just look unnatural in it. It's not made for someone like me." Leah insists. "You keep telling me otherwise, but I think you just don't know any better. Did you ever really talk to any girls besides me or your teacher? Women aren't usually like that, you know."

Leah spends this entire time talking downwards towards the table. She never doubts herself when it comes to shooting, or anything outdoorsy, but her confidence always takes a dive when it comes to things like this. Something to work on. You decide to change the subject and ask what she thinks of all this business that you've gotten into recently. You haven't been getting her opinion on anything lately, and that's not quite fair.

"I was wondering if you were going to ask me about that." Leah says, her composure back completely now. "It's gotten pretty crazy. Conspiracies, and all of that. We're putting ourselves in a lot of danger. I would have been firmly against it, but... we're not alone. We have our friends and comrades to help us, and that makes me think we'll be okay. I was worried about protecting you by myself, but I won't have to, now. The more people we have looking out for each other, the better chance everyone has of making it through everything. So now I can just focus on doing what I can do. Now, whether I believe in it, well... I never felt very strongly about the current military, anyway. It's because of them that my father ended up like he did. I think Mustang's Amestris could be better. So I don't have a problem with it. I just want us all to make it out okay, one way or the other."

You and Leah keep talking for a while, as the day drags on. Eventually, it becomes night, and Comanche finally leaves. He heads off on a road along the river, the way back to his residence.

You and Leah tail him from a distance, if for nothing else, to check his route. But you're surprised when your target reveals himself far sooner than you expected. Scar stands in the road ahead of Comanche, ready to fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=302Xbp7LRTo&index=6&

"So, you wish to challenge Giolio Comanche, the Silver Alchemist to battle, do you?" the old man asks, holding up his hands on which he's engraved transmutation circles. "You've got guts, I'll give you that!"

The old man and the Ishvalan then begin to fight as you and Leah look on.

>End of Chapter 7

So it's getting late now, and I'm calling it here. Expect shit to go down for real and not let up next thread

Which is unfortunately not until the week after next. I've got a lot of work to do, and and I need to get to it without any distractions for the next week. Sorry about that, guys

Twitter is @LazeQM, keep an eye on it

>>759055
thanks for running Laze was a good run.

>>759055
Thanks for running, I'm really looking forward to the next session.