use_everything | [IC Inbox]

Who the fuck—

[The voice, a little uncertain beneath the layers of annoyance coating it, grows muffled for a moment, speaking to someone further from the phone's microphone. When it returns there's a distinct air of arrogant confidence and even more exasperated annoyance to it.]

Aral? I heard you had a talk with Mustang, but I want to hear what you've got to say for myself. What's your aim? Just how many of you Vor-guys are there? And why the hell are you all interested in us?

Edited 2016-04-09 16:03 (UTC)

[The bemusement, honestly, starts at the name 'Aral' and only increases as the young man continues. The man's voice on the other end of the line is deep, raspy and lightly accented with something approximating Russian. It's also very dry.]

Mr. Elric, I assume. Would you care to meet to continue your interrogation or do you prefer remote communication?

[Two sentences in and already this guy annoys Ed. Something about the way he speaks reminds him of Bradley—formal and somehow agreeable at the same time.

It really did nothing to help his impression.]

Haah? Who the hell calls it "remote communication"? Are you gonna answer my questions or not?

[Abrasive, indeed. Certainly not, in this case, a detriment. In some odd way it seemed familiar.]

My aim was simple. He struck me as an officer with integrity. My interest is habitual, but my offer genuine. Though I admit curiosity, who have you met?

Greg and Miles. But that's not really what I meant by aim. Any idiot would be smart to try to get us on their side, but that doesn't tell me shit about what your goals are. What do you want to use us for? What's your endgame?

And don't try to sell me some bullshit about how you just want to work with good people. That's just empty talk that doesn't mean anything. You work with people to get something done, so what the hell is it?

The endgame hasn't been entirely decided. [That was honest. The Emperor was still enthralled with his vacation, even with forceful intrusions of reality, such as Lucifer.] For now, readiness and a concentration on protection is not remiss. I can think of any number of names I would not like to see from my world.

[There's a light snort on Ed's end of the call; not quite derisive, but not very impressed either.]

Tell me about them. I want to know what you'd expect us to go up against if these names from your world show their faces.

You seem to have made the presumption that I'm negotiating from the position of weakness.

Or undermining your superior's authority by negotiating at all.

If you wish to exchange information, that is acceptable.

Equivalent exchange, huh? Well, our biggest enemy wants to devour the souls of every living person in our country to gain immortality. It wouldn't even be the first country he's destroyed that way.

[There may be some yelling in the background, but it's fine. That can be ignored.]

[That does, in fact, answer that question of where his superior is. "Fullmetal?" The answer takes a moment, as Aral gives it due consideration, turning it over. He has to take it out of the context of the supernatural and into the motives of men... and then, then it's not so hard at all.]

... There are those that simply transplant their brain for the same hideous task. The evils of my world are little more than acutely brilliant men with morals that may be soothed by their own arguments of 'necessity.'

Here we have found ourselves in a quarrel with theist's deity representing sin and evil. With your experience, you may find that tactical evaluation of more use to you than my personal demons.

Just hum . . . ans . . . [It takes a moment for Ed's brain to catch up to the conversation now—the idea of actual deities is just too repellent to him. The pause drags out while he processes that and changes gears to focus on something he can actually address.]

. . . What powers has this deity got?

Just humans. [It's dry, incredibly so. But he doesn't push the point or justify it.]

The extent is largely unknown at this point. We do know he is invulnerable to all injuries except what is delivered from one weapon. He may teleport and is both superhumanly fast and strong. The rest is conjecture.

I take it your enemies typically are of the inhuman variety?

Edited 2016-04-10 19:15 (UTC)

Most of the major ones are. Creations of that big country-destroyer guy.

[It's too bad Roy can't see or he'd be able to spot the gears starting to turn in Ed's head. A guy that can only be hurt by a single weapon??]

What weapon is it?

I see.

A sword, currently in my possession. I assume it has mythological significance beyond merely being unrealistically sharp.

Are these creations of concern to you?

[The yelling in the background has a new voice now, and it's getting more irritated in general. Ed is continuing to do his best to ignore it.]

Ah—it will if we sign on with you, but the leader of Rise is looking into us too so you've got some competition. [Probably not Mustang, but Aral doesn't need to know that.]