Scouting the West (and the BBQ platter)

Brilliant sunlight illuminated the streets of West City, and the paths were all bustling with activity. People were everywhere, it seemed, but today was a day where the noise of a busy street couldn't ruin Sal's mood. Today was a day that he decided would be used for something productive. He was going to check out all the food places here in West City, mostly because this was his first time here, and partly because he heard that West City was a place where the food was excellent. Being the glutton that he is, Sal couldn't pass up the opportunity to see for himself just how the food was here. However, he didn't want to go alone, so he asked Jan to go with him. Despite the fact that Jan really didn't eat much other than sweets, he thought that it would be good to go with him. They just recently met, so this should be something to help them get along even better, right? "Hey....do you smell that? It smells really good!"Picking up the smell of cooked meat, the homunculus held the ant chimera's hand and pulled him along in the direction of the place he thought the smell was coming from.

As they reached the building, Sal looked up at the giant sign on the front of the building. It was a "BBQ" place, whatever that meant. With a laugh, Sal let go of Jan's hand and rushed in, only to be greeted by the strong smell of sweet, cooked meat. It was true that he preferred raw meat, but even cooked meat could be pretty good. His eyes were closed, and he started to run forward, but he bumped into someone rather forcefully, causing him to step back and look up at...well, whoever this guy was.

Jan walked down the streets of West city with his friend and leader Sal, the stowaway being the newest to the pirates and to Jan it seemed like Sal's wanting to bring him along on this trip was sort of a test of some kind. and he was not about to disappoint, Sal already knew a lot about him, notably that he was a chimera of an ant, and it has affected his personality to the point where most of what he does comes at least in part from the hard wiring the change has done to his mind. Jan learned that Sal was a glutton, and an astonishingly big one at that, the fact he was not huge make Jan wounder what else was in this world he had found himself in. positioning himself behind Sal at all times as they made their way thought he streets, everyone doing their own thing, Jan was easily able to ignore them thanks to his focus on one thing, how to make Sal happy with him.

Than, he spoke, it seemed like he had caught the sent of something he wanted to consume and without a moment to comment he was dragged into the BBQ, looking at their hands together making Jan feel a little strange, the glove on his being smooth, at least, he thought it was a glove, ignoring it for now he looked up and around the place, keeping himself silent for now as he stood in an "at ease" position, something he had learned to do by watching the officers that had kept him as a child. he knew he was going to wait for Sal to be done, that is, if he had not run directly into a stranger, walking up behind Sal and at the stranger, a little tense and unable to really think what to say, but his voice did not falter that easily. "Sir Sal, I don't have any money on me, are we sure eating here is a good idea?" Jan had no real since of what "good food" was, as the only thing that did not make him spend weeks in his room puking was candy.

Jet walked the streets of West City alone today, his Honor Guard preparing for the battle to come and Cironis was busy as always. He wanted to walk alone today, it was nice to have some time to himself for a change. It was part of the reason he went on the walks in the first place, to get away from the pressure and nerves coming from the foreign tension. Even now he could feel it in the air, it was tough sometimes. He was a general though, a man sworn to protect this land no matter the cost, and he swore so on then honor of his family. These walks were good for Jet, at least he thought so. Izzy thought it a bit lazy, but it's not like he was a seasoned general. This was going to be his first battle as the leader of the Western Army, there was a lot resting on his shoulders.

As he thought about this during his walk, he was caught off guard when he ran into a child. Jet took a step back and looked down at the child. "Silly kid, you should watch where you're..." he said, but cut off when he saw something especially odd about the child before him. He had cat ears and a tail. A chimera? Out in the open like this? It was strange to say the least, for most were either military property, on the run, or hid the truth from everyone else. This kid seemed almost proud of his cat side however, it wasn't normal. "You should be more careful," Jet said, looking the boy up and down. Then suddenly another boy walked up, very normal looking in comparison to the one he just ran into. They seemed to be together, good friends perhaps? "You boys must be more careful."

Standing above him was a man that he felt was important in some way...or at least had a rather commanding presence. Despite looking mostly regular, save for the sword, something was different about him. Sal dusted himself off as he heard Jan approach from behind, and turned to face him, grabbing his hand with a genuine smile. "We'll be okay! I have some money with me, okay?" The homunculus swung Jan's hand around a little bit while turning around to face the man he'd bumped into. With a polite bow, he addressed him in a more formal manner. "I'm sorry, I'll try to be more careful, mister." Other people had noticed the three of them, and the boy's ears dropped slightly. It was that same feeling from before. He never really liked this kind of attention. In fact, it made him feel uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassed. Not wanting to draw any more attention to himself and the situation, he turned back to Jan.

"I think we should go in, we don't want all the good tables to be taken, right?" That wasn't quite the reason, but he wasn't going to tell Jan right here, where there were more people watching by the minute. After all, people tend to be curious, and when they see one person gazing in a certain direction, they most likely look in that direction as well. Unfortunately, that meant that more and more people would look unless they did something to get out of the proverbial spotlight. Sal gently tugged on the other boy's hand as he looked around nervously. He wanted to get moving as soon as possible...

Jan looked up at the man, he seemed interested in the two of them, particularly Sal, it was clear to Jan that this man was someone you did not want to cross, and so as Sal bowed so did Jan. "We did not wish to be a bother Sir, we give you our leave now." Looking back at Sal noticing that he had taken his hand again, not about to put up a fight about it, he focused in on their hands clasps around each other, a little confused as to what it meant, having seen it done before with other people, and wanting to learn how other people act to each other so he can do the same. Smiling a little bit, his other arm still around his back, and his feet close together, worried the man may take offense, considering he might be part of the military and the child was mimicking him.

When Sal said he thought that they should head inside, Jan was ready to do so, he did not need a reason to do as he was told, in fact, once he knows Sal well enough, he does not plan to be told anything, as all he is needed to do would be wired into his brain. nodding slightly. "As you wish Sir Sal, please lead the way. you have not eaten within the last hour."In a way, Jan saw Sal as his queen, he went out of his way to keep track of when and how much he eats, and makes sure he eats enough so he does not end up wanting the ship's rations. "If you do not eat your 3rd lunch soon, you may go hungry until dinner Sir Sal.."

Jet smiled gently at the two young boys. Odd they may be, but it was obvious there was a strong bond between the two of them. Reminded him of younger versions of himself and Sky. Even a little of his sister, Lily. Instead of the usual sadness that came with the thought of his long lost little sister though, there was happiness. It surprised Jet a little bit, but it was a good surprise, and it made his smile that much more genuine. They will grow up to good men one day, that much he could tell. As long as they have each other, nothing can stand in their way. They were going in the dinner? Perhaps their parents or guardians were in there. Jet knelled down to be closer to their level. Black stood at 6 feet, 3 inches, very tall compared to most people. Not to mention he had wide shoulders and a strong build. He was the definition of a big man, surprising for someone at the age of 21. The Black family was always known for being tall and well built, part of it being that they were all knights and blacksmiths, the rest of it simple genetics. Even his sister was predicted to be 6 feet tall. Kneeling, he was still taller than the two young men before him. "You two young boys have a nice day, stay safe," he said, ruffling the hair of the young boy without the ears. He'd always been pretty good with kids, he hoped one day he'd have some to call his own. Then he thought of Saga... she'd prolly slap him for that. He just grinned his goofy grin at the thought though and stood up. "Goodbye young ones," he said as he continued his daily walk.

Despite the fact that Jan was ready to head inside and had made a valid point about the small amount of food that he'd eaten so far, Sal felt that this business was unfinished. It was clear that the man had some reason for walking around as well as a reason for his pause earlier. The way that the man looked at Sal earlier was a clear enough indicator, but when he ruffled Jan's hair and not Sal's, it was pretty obvious. This made Sal somewhat frustrated, because even though he knew that what he was likely caused a lot of people to pause in that manner, he didn't enjoy it at all. Turning to the man, he grabbed hold of the sleeve of his jacket, his other hand still holding Jan's. The jacket was leather...Sal liked leather. Not wearing it, of course. Resisting the urge to lick his lips and suppressing the saliva that was building, he gave the man a rather serious look. "I do not like it, not one bit." It was clear that Sal was not going to let go until the matter was settled, and his insane strength wouldn't allow for him to be shaken off so easily. He gave Jan a quick glance before turning his attention back to the man. Who cared if he did have a sword and was built as he was? Sal could handle hand-to-hand combat with a grown man without problems.

"...I know what I look like, mister, and I know exactly how strange it is...but you did not think I would notice when you stopped your sentence earlier? And when you touched him on the head, but you did not touch me...I am not happy that I look like this, you know, and it would be nice if someone could ignore it for once." He paused for a moment before continuing with a question, hoping that the man would understand where this was coming from. "...Can I ask why you have a sword on you, then? That is not a normal thing to see, either." The frown on the boy's face clearly displayed his discontent with the situation, and he didn't even care to try and cover up his Ishvallan accent.

Jan was focused on Sal, their hands clasped together, and was ready to leave when it seems Sal had gotten upset at the stranger they had just met, looking up and turning he saw the man on his knee reaching to pat his head, this instantly triggered a warning sign for Jan and he backed off before he could, Sal grabbing his arm tightly, with what looked like enough force to keep it in place, Jan opening his mouth to show off his insanely sharp teeth, barbs on them making them cause as much pain as they could with each bite, reveling that he too, was not a normal child.

"P-Please don't touch me sir.." Slipping up in his speech, he started speaking Cretan rather than the Amestrian that Sal was able to at least understand, it was a language rarely used by him, only speaking it when he was afraid and he could not gather what else to say. both his hands open, the palms of witch seeming to have small hairs on them, however when one looks closer, Jet would be able to see the 'hairs' where barbs, like ones insects use to climb walls and the like, and they where long enough to tear flesh from bone, or get in the cracks of armor and cause even heavily defended men distress. "A-and say sorry to Sir Sal, he still has not eaten his third lunch, and that is his second favorite meal!"

Jet stood there with probably the most confused look he's ever had in his entire life. The child with the ears had just told Jet off, discrimination being the case. The other also stood up for him, speaking in Cretan oddly enough. He sighed, knowing what would happen next. He reached up to his earpiece and pressed the studding, activating the comm connection to the protection team, which was currently heading towards them, weapons ready. "Stand down men, stand down. Everything will be okay, I'll handle this," he told his men, knowing violence was not necessary in this situation. Jet allowed the chimera to hold his hand and knelled down again. He looked into his eyes and smiled again. He reached out with his free hand and patted the cat-boys head just like he almost had with the other chimera. "I'm sorry young man, I didn't intend to hurt your feelings. It is not common to see a chimera, I was merely surprised is all, just as I'm sure you found it odd to see a man like me walking around with a sword. And there's two of, that's wonderful. You two must have a strong bond to stand up for one another, I respect that. If I have offended either of you in any way, then I hope you accept my sincerest apology," Jet said, looking back and forth between the two boys as he did.

Alert, the boy took note of the man's actions before he knelt down to speak to them at - almost - eye level. So...he was either in the military, or there was some obscure explanation as to why he would be speaking via radio. However, the calm demeanor of this man was a pleasant surprise. Sal realized that grabbing him probably wasn't the best decision, but at least it wasn't anyone else that he had grabbed. Clearly this situation wasn't going to escalate any more than it already had. If anything, the anger and frustration would dissipate in no time at all, as if nothing ever happened. Sighing, Sal's asymmetrical red eyes met the man's dark blue eyes, and he felt a slight pang of guilt. As he looked around, he noted that some people had left to keep away from what seemed to be a violent situation, while others still stood by to watch.

"Uh, it is all okay, I should not have grabbed you like that, so I am sorry," he said carefully, turning his attention back to the armed man. By now his features had changed; His ears had drooped and his tail had stopped waving and was now curled around his leg. Letting go of the man's sleeve, Sal looked at Jan for a moment, hoping that he would calm down as well. "Mister...you are in the military?" He didn't really expect an in-depth answer, but he just wanted to make sure. If his original hunch proved truthful, then this man was no ordinary soldier.

Jan, his hands out and ready to defend Sal if need be, or back him up rather, where now down by his sides, he was surprised that the man had not reacted with at least, a little more surprise or panic, it was clear that he did not feel threatened, and that almost made Jan disappointed himself, he had no idea if Sal had a kill count going, but Jan himself has killed before, and was easily ready to do it again if he had to, seeing that Sal now was calming down, Jan did as well, following Sal every step of the way now matter what, and tucked his hands into his huge coat. with not much more to say or do however, he simply stared down the man they had just met, his light blue eyes looking at him with as much seriousness as they could, his mouth puckered as an attempt to keep him from smiling at how calm and kind he was being still "...."

Jet smiled and looked around, nodding to the men nearby. They nodded in return, backing away as casually as they could. It was good that they were understanding, the men and the kids before him. The chimera that had grabbed him let go, embarrassment etched into his features. His friend also backed off, his chimera traits slowly going away. "Uh, it is all okay, I should not have grabbed you like that, so I am sorry," the cat-boy said, apologizing for his last remark. "Oh it's okay, don't worry about it. You have nothing to be sorry for," Jet replied, standing up.

"Mister...you are in the military?" the child asked, looking up at the towering man. "Why yes young one, I am Jethro Black, Brigadier General and leader of Western Command. May I ask who you two are?" he asked the two boys. Jet was curious about the two, why would a couple of chimeras be walking around downtown West City in the middle of the day? It was strange, but surely they have some kind of reason for it.

It seemed that Jan had gone back to being quiet, just giving the man a rather silly look. When the latter explained who he was, Sal paused for a moment, almost in shock. Jethro Black, head of Western Command, huh? It was no wonder he said those things to the other men that were obviously here to keep an eye on him. Even though Sal wasn't too clear on the war looming over Amestris, he could tell that something big was going to happen soon. His instincts were telling him that this place would be dangerous pretty soon. It was interesting how Sal was meeting militants in such important positions, let alone that he was meeting them in some fairly casual circumstances. He had yet to meet the head of Central Command, but he didn't think it would be too long before he did. Shrugging inwardly, the homunculus turned his attention back to the man, who asked about the two boys.

"Oh, my name is Sal, and this is Jan. We live in the north, and we have a really big family," Sal beamed. It was technically true, since he considered his crew to be his family. Celes, Aren, Grimm, Karis, Sec, Ike, his father, Ogihci, and Jan were all his family now. Jumping up, the small Ishvallan grabbed onto one of Jethro's shoulders and moved in close to whisper in his ear. "I'm the captain of my own pirate crew, Mister Black." Letting him self slide back down, he grinned up at the militant. Whether he believed him or not, Sal did tell him who he was.

Jan looked at Sal in shock, he was so open with who he was, witch scared the hell out of him, if he took Sal for real, we both would be in a world of hurt, and the fact that This man was from the military also scared him even more. Still what Sal said goes, and Jan was not about to deny anything that he wanted. Bowing slightly. "I am his little brother...Jan Eisenhauer...at yours and Sir Sal's service." he spoke again in Cretan, a language he only spoke when he was stressed out, even though he could speak and understand it fully, it was a bit of an annoyance to him as he had no clue where he had learned it from, it just came to him naturally. Smiling a tiny bit, however it would be clear to anyone good with children that he was afraid, his feet where shifting, his eyes darted around, there was no why something was not on his mind. and in this case, what was going though his mind was "has Sir Sal gone insane?!?!?"

Jet laughed loudly, the kind of laugh that was contagious. The Ishvallan chimera had introduced himself as Sal, probably short for Salazar. He hadn't really thought about it, he was a chimera and an Ishvallan. Jethro wondered how he had become one, well he did for the other child as well. His name was Jan, maybe short for something but Jet didn't know. He had seen the barbs, somewhat like that of an insects. Because of his size, the first bug to pop up in Jet's head was an ant, which made the Templar smile. It was not any of this oddness or curious behavior, nor the randomness of this meeting or their strange attitudes that made him laugh though. It was what happened after the two had told Jet their names. Sal had jumped up onto Jet's shoulders, a surprising feet since he was much taller than the child. The chimera then went on to tell him that he had a large family up in the Northern section of Amestris, and that he was captain of his own pirate crew. Now Jet did not laugh to insult, but just that it was plain funny! A pirate crew? Really? It must have been some kind of little club he had, and his "crewman" were very good friends from back home, close enough to say they were a family. Almost adorable, to be honest. "You must have a great time with your family little ones. What kind of pirate crew?" Black asked, more just entertaining the two chimeras at the moment.

The grin that was visible on Sal's face seemed endless, as though there was nothing that could dampen his mood. It was apparent that this man, Jethro Black, was more amused by the mention of the pirate crew than unsettled, meaning that he wasn't quite convinced that the small Ishvallan was being serious. Ah, well, that was alright. After all, nobody could know what the future might hold, but Sal knew he'd be around for quite a while longer...possibly long enough to be involved in something bigger and more military-oriented. Then this Brigadier General could really see what such a small boy was capable of. It would be fun to play along with the notion that this pirate crew was nothing more than a group of really close friends, but Sal knew that it would be a lot easier to just tell him at least part of the truth.

"Well...we are not big, like your military, but we are still strong, and we help people who ask for help from us. We live in a really old ship in the North that's stuck in the snow." Knowing that Jan would feel less than thrilled about the fact that he was saying these things to the military man, Sal looked at the ant chimera, grabbed his hand, and gave him a (more or less) reassuring wink. He wasn't going to give away all of their secrets, just the small bits that he thought would be interesting, but not enough to get the big picture. After all, if the military knew about some of the things that he'd been up to, he knew there'd be a lot of trouble. It was a good thing he had a friend that would help keep the military off of the pirate's trail...for now.

"We are helpers, Mister Black, that's the kind of pirates we are," he said with a smile. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was still true in certain situations. They did help others, but for a fee, and sometimes the "help" was more or less something that the military would not approve of...not that Sal would say any of that to the large man standing in front of him.

Jan could not even begin to understand what could be going though Sal's mind that this was a good idea, looking at him very confused and concerned, looking again at Jet seeing that he was just smiling, and not taking this seriously at all. it was somewhat of a relief, however it was also a tad annoying that he did not seen to take things to heart even though he was from the military, where from Jan's understanding where all very literal. Jan looking at Jet stopped for a moment and just stared at him. he had never really gotten to see the face of an Amestrain military man, even when he lived among them as an experiment they had prepared for him to do anything from spit acid to shoot spines from his body, things he never really ended up being able to do, but they still where prepared, and thus their faces where all always covered. when Jan saw Jet, he did not see a man, with face, hair, eyes like his, emotion, he only saw a void where his face should be, and no matter how long he stared at Jet his mind, with the knowledge that he was military, would not allow there to be a face there.

he was soon dragged out of his daydreaming however by Sal's touch, holding his hand, as he had done quite a few times already, making Jan look down at it, trying to keep a straight poker face he turned his head slightly, blushing a little bit, Sal had shown him so much affection already as a friend. it was something he had never felt in a very long time. as a leader however, Sal did not fit the bill. and it just not started to occur to Jan that Sal has not ordered him to do anything yet. he has done all he can on his own, and with a slight frown he started to wounder if he would ever find a proper leader for himself.

As Sal finished talking, Jan shook his head from his daydreaming yet again, looking at the 'faceless; man know to him as 'Sir Black' and bowed slightly "I plan to dig us out of the snow one day....but it will take a long time...Ice is thick in the north...and my hands can only do so much" smiling slightly, he held up his over hand, and at the palms Jet could see clearly indents and scars on the fingers from digging with them, as well as scars covering the knuckles, as if he punched something so hard he skinned them.

Jet just kept smiling, curious as to why they were like this still. A strong family of 'pirates' that live in an old ship in North City that's stuck in the snow... It was almost too much for Jet, he had to hold his chuckles in. There was no way that was true, it sounded to far fetched and imaginary to actually exist. Then again, Jet didn't believe Philosopher Stones existed until he came here almost four years ago, yet there they were. He needed to be less skeptical, but it was hard to believe the two children in front of him. So innocent, yet there was something almost dangerous deep in their eyes. Perhaps they were telling the truth, or a version of it maybe. Jet didn't know, but they seemed happy and unafraid. If they were in need of help or in trouble, he would have sensed it, but they were not. Black continued to smile as they went on about how they help people. "Oh so you're Pirate helpers huh? Well that is a very noble thing to do," he said, looking over the two of them. They were in good shape, and seemed well taken care of. That was good, it always was. Suddenly the communicator in Jets ear beeped, warning him of an incoming transmission. He reached up and pressed the ear bud, allowing the transmission to come through.

"General, our scouting team has just returned from Creta, I think you're gonna want to hear their report in person."

Jet nodded. "I read you, I'm on my way now. Over and out," he replied, cutting off the communication. Jet looked over the two and smiled again. "I have to go, important General stuff to do. You two stay safe okay?" he said, standing up as he did. "It was nice to meet you guys, and I hope you have a wonderful day," he finished as he waved goodbye, turning and walking off into the distance...

{BUMP}

Not long after the homunculus had given Jet his explanation, the man seemed to be needed for something important. It didn't particularly matter to Sal, because he had other plans that still had very high priority, and this conversation had started to drop in importance. He didn't really feel the need to give the militant a proper goodbye, but it was what people normally did in situations like these, right? Right. The man stood up and turned to walk away from them after bidding them farewell. "Bye bye, Mister Black!"

Turning to Jan, Sal gave the other boy a rather energetic smile. "If you dig us up a little at a time, then there will still be time for meal times!" Despite the fact that Jan wasn't one to really eat anything other than sweets, Sal felt that it was more or less beneficial for Jan to be present whenever he ate - Not only to make sure that Sal didn't go overboard, but also as a way to get Jan away from the ship for a little while. Sal enjoyed Jan's company - he was a friendly ant chimera, and one of the few in the crew who could really relate to him in that way. With an excited grin, Sal grabbed Jan's hand once more and began to run back in the direction of the sweet barbecue smell.

"But first, I want to have some lunch!"

[EXIT TOPIC]

Jan looked on to the large, faceless military man stand and give him and sal his goodbyes, bowing slightly and lowering his head a bit to show respect as he did, while Jan felt that he was under sal's rule, he did not want to seem impolite to others. however, he could not bring himself to say anything, as he was normally left alone for long periods of time anyway, and the same man would always be back, goodbyes where never really necessary.

Looking to Sal he looked at him with a curious stare, sal seemed to want him to pace himself? the notion was fairly strange to him. as he did not have much to do anyway. working was all he knew, and Jan felt that Sal did not seem to understand that fully. still, he was the pirate king, and what he wants Jan was going to give. "I will always be there if you desire me, Sir Salazar.." as Sal grabbed his hand and lead Jan away, Jan put no no resistance and followed him eagerly, looking on to see what it was the Sal wanted to eat now anyway.

[EXIT TOPIC]