Looks Like An Honest Place

Chalybs got off his moped and sniffed the cold air. Wow... It's so clear... Damn, I should come here more often... He thought as he looked around him. He noticed some people were staring at him oddly, and wondered why. Then he realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. It must have been an odd sight in the cold. Chalybs chuckled. He didn't feel cold at all, he wasn't even shivering, and it was all thanks to his Automail heart. It seemed to have more and more uses as time went by, most of them unknown at its creation. All of them side effects of keeping him alive.

He made sure his moped was safe and decided to get a bite to eat somewhere, feeling his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten in... A day? Maybe less. It didn't matter, all that did was that he was hungry and that he needed some food. Wonderful wonderful food... He noticed he was drooling slightly and wiped his mouth hastily before wandering around in search of a place which served food.

Eventually he came across a place which looked good. The Jolly Roger it was called. "Looks like an honest place." He said to himself before walking into it and sitting down. When a waiter walked up he smiled. "Please may I have a plate of chips and a glass of cola, thank you." He said politely. As the waiter walked off Chal began to look around the place, wondering what he could do up in the north.

He tapped on the table as he waited, thinking about what he could do as Justice that night. The only nearby target was Briggs... But Briggs was filled with strong people, a side effect of their motto. What was it? Oh yeah, 'Survival of the fittest' or something idiotic and militaristic like that... Tch... Close minded idiots... When I get my hands on them I'll...

At that moment the waiter came back with a warm plate of chips and a glass of cola. Chal thanked the waiter and smiled, then stared at the chips. He reached for the vinegar and poured it all over the chips, till they were almost soaking, then grabbed the ketchup and emptied out a large pile of it. He then took a sip of cola before he began digging into his food, enjoying every moment of it. Mmmm... So good... I gotta treat myself some more... He nodded in approval quickly then continued eating.

The Jolly Roger was becoming increasingly popular, and that was definitely a good thing. More people meant more potential candidates to join the realm of piracy under Sal's command, and more people who might need assistance from the crew. The captain had been bored, and decided to head to the place to help relieve some of his boredom. He had to sneak his way out, because he felt like this might turn into some rather important work, and he knew in the back of his mind that if Jan knew he was leaving, the ant chimera would have likely tagged along. The snow crunched under his boots, and he had his hands on his head, holding the hat he loved so much. A breeze had passed through, and the homunculus really didn't want to go chasing after it if it blew away. Since he was going to the Jolly Roger, he felt that he should wear his signature orange captain outfit, which caught a few glances, but he was a more common sight around these parts, so Sal was no longer regarded as a foreigner or a stranger.

Tapping the white substance off of him at the mat, he stepped inside. The usual voice greeted him, and the small Ishvallan inhaled deeply, taking in the smells of the food and the beverages that were being prepared and consumed. His red eyes scanned each table one by one, until he spotted someone interesting. It wasn't the plate of food in front of him or the drink in his glass, it was his shirt - or lack thereof, to be precise. There was no coat near him to give the impression that he had just shed the layers while inside, and it was cold outside, almost colder than usual.

Sal's ears - which, along with his hair and tail, where as white as the snow outside - twitched and he walked over to the shirtless male. The smell of vinegar and ketchup filled the small boy's nose as he did so. Walking around the table, he took a seat that was only a couple chairs over and gave the older male a rather curious look, his tail waving about playfully. There was a friendly smile on his face, but the tone of his voice, coupled with his heavy Ishvallan accent, almost contradicted his amiable demeanor. "You are a funny one, walking around in my place here without a shirt on... You are not from here... Who are you? " To any onlookers, it would seem as though he was merely engaging in friendly conversation, but Sal wanted to know more about this newcomer. Looking him directly in the eyes, he waited for a response.

Entranced in his meal Chalybs didn't even notice the young Ishvallan Chimera dressed as a Pirate, something he surely would of taken note of normally, until they themselves came up and spoke to him. First Chalybs had no idea how to respond, so shocked that the chip that was about to be consumed slipped off his fork and back onto his plate. A... An Ishvallan... Chimera... Pirate?!

For a long moment Chalybs did nothing but stare at the apparent owner of the Cafe, his body froze in the position it was when the Chimera first talked, but eventually he placed his fork down slowly and smiled nervously at the boy. "Uhhh... Hi! I... I'm Chalybs Viscus, traveling Automail Mechanic, but please call me Chal... "

His shocked look suddenly turned into one of thought and interest in this... Strange, to say the least, person that sat before him. "I see you've noticed my lack of shirt, it must seem rather... Odd." He chucked. "Merely a byproduct of a certain piece of Automail. It keeps me warm, as well as keeping me alive..."

He leaned forward to look take a closer look at Sal, his eyes scanning the young boy with deep interest. "Though, I must point out, you yourself look rather odd to me... A sight I haven't seen before... Am I right to guess that you are a... Chimera? Specifically a Cat one? That and a Pirate... Certainly a sight most people wouldn't see... In their entire lives!" He leaned back again, relaxing himself. "You must get odd looks all the time, especially in that attire, am I right?" He chuckled. "Tell me if I sound rude, I mean not to... It's just... I like to know things, you see, and well... Seen as though you're an odd thing I must know more... Your experiences... Must be very unique." He smiled. "But first, may you tell me your name?"

Such an odd specimen... I simply must know more about them! They must of been through, seen, felt and done so many odd things in his young that most people will never experience! Knowledge about such things can only be good... Knowledge is always good. He smiled again at the young boy, his thoughts spanning off into many different directions.

"Uhhh... Hi! I... I'm Chalybs Viscus, traveling Automail Mechanic, but please call me Chal... "

Automail mechanic? Sal had heard of automail before, but so far he'd failed to actually meet someone who fashioned it. There were a lot of things that he might ask about automail, but those particular questions would have to wait. This interesting male before him stood at a high priority at the moment. An automail mechanic could be quite useful in the future, should the crew get into any conflicts that posed a more serious threat...but Sal would have to get to know him better first, to see if he was pirate material, or if there was actually a chance that this Chalybs person would even care to become part of his crew. The homunculus was usually pretty straightforward with these things, but today was different. He wanted to play around with his words and see where they got him.

Listening to the rather lengthy batch of words that came from Chal's mouth, Sal scratched his head and concentrated to make sure he didn't misunderstand anything. He was now capable of communicating well in Amestrian, with the main barrier being his accent and unnatural way of speaking, but his vocabulary was still lacking in some aspects, so he tried to pay attention to every word that seemed unfamiliar and made an effort to learn what it meant. This person was almost more curious that Sal, and that was quite an accomplishment.

"But first, may you tell me your name?"

Ah, right, his name. The proper way to introduce yourself was with your name, and it was expected that the other person introduced him or herself in return. "My name? Ah, yes, my name. I am called Salazar Masu, but I am other times also called Captain Sal, but then I am most times just called Captain....or just Sal. I think those will work." The small Ishvallan gave Chal a nod, unaware of the fact that what he had just said almost went in circles and was a very lengthy way to introduce himself name-wise. "Yes, I am a pirate, but not any pirate, no, no, I am the CAPTAIN, Mister Chal. The people in this area know me because I like to come here a lot, so they do not look at me funny anymore. They used to look at me funny in the beginning, but now I am...what is the words...common. Yes, I am common to see now." Sal looked back toward the kitchen before continuing. "I am not surprised that you think I am odd, because I remember when a lot of people gave me funny looks. They made me feel like a circus animal, but that was too long ago, when I first come here to Amestris. But I should not tell you everything about me, Mister Chal... because some of the things about me that no human should be knowing, even if some of them do. But only a little bit know. If you tell me more about you, then I will try to tell more about me too, okay? Maybe can put your food on my own...what is it...tab? Yes, maybe can put your food and drink on my tab in return?" Sal grinned at the older male, as though he wasn't such a young boy, but an established adult.

BUMP

A... Pirate? Surely he cannot be serious. A pirate in North Amestris? In ANY part of Amestris? I mean, he IS wearing the suit, but a real Pirate in Amestris? That's just absurd, there isn't any water ar- Chalybs looked at the snow outside. OK, maybe there is water. Allot of it. An incredibly large amount of water, but not the kind that a PIRATE would be around! This is just absurd, insane... How interesting.

Chal leaned forward, intrigued. "Well, Captain, what is there to say about little old me? I've lead no interesting life, quite a few things about me even I do not know." He leaned back again. "Well now, where to start... What more appropriate place then the beginning, yes? Well... I was found by my adoptive father abandoned and alone, no family in sight. He took me back to his home and decided to care for me as his own."

Chalybs clicked his tongue before taking another sip out of his drink. "Well you see, the probable reason why I was abandoned soon became apparent. I was, or am, weak... Frail, imperfect. My heart and lungs were incredibly weak, wouldn't of kept me alive past five years old. Fortunately however my father was the apprentice of a very very skilled Automail Mechanic. My father asked him to make, just for me, Automail that would keep me alive throughout the years. As you can see he succeeded. Incredibly. This level of Automail had never been done before and, to my knowledge, has not been done since. I am incredibly lucky, to say the least, to have been found by my father."

Chal smiled at Sal, deciding it was best to hold back the whole 'Justice' thing from a potential enemy. "The rest is rather uninteresting really. I spent allot of my time inside, still being very fragile, and didn't get to do much. I read allot, learned a few languages and became quite a decent Automail Mechanic, or so I'm lead to believe. Not too long ago I packed up and left my home, deciding to travel around and help people where I go. Not much else to say really." He chucked. "Wow, look at me, telling my life's story to a complete stranger... So tell me about you, I'm quite intrigued" He leaned forward, ready to listen carefully and pick up everything he could.

Asymmetrical red eyes scanned Chal as he spoke. He had been abandoned, it seemed, which reminded Sal of his own past. His mind crept back to the merchant group, who would sell all sorts of rare things to people around the world, where he was raised by a woman so kind that the homunculus struggled to make sense of it all, even after all of this time.

"I was, or am, weak... Frail, imperfect."

Sal cringed at the mention of 'imperfect', as he himself had fought against society's lack of understanding, and clearly triumphed, but the people not in the North still seemed to have trouble accepting him the way he was. Shaking it off, he listened to the rest of the story. It wasn't a very glamorous history, but it had caught Sal's interest as much as it seemed that Sal's history interested the older male.

"Wow, look at me, telling my life's story to a complete stranger... So tell me about you, I'm quite intrigued."

Flicking his tail about in a thoughtful manner, Sal leaned on the table with one elbow. "About me?" Giving a preparatory sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "I am kind of like you, Mister Chal...I was abandoned as a baby, and I did not know any of my own family...but I was found by a very nice woman who took care of me like her own. We were in a group, and everybody bought weird things from weird people, and then they sold them to other people for even more money. I grew up mostly in desert. There was a man, I think it is called alchemist... after my fake mom died, he did something terrible to me. He is the guy who gave me these," Sal said, touching his soft, white, cat ear with his free hand.

"After that I ran away to Amestris, Mister Chal....because everyone else lied to me. I did not know they were not real family to me until after that woman died...but she was the nicest person I knew...and I still don't understand it..." His mind drifted for a moment as he thought about Jie Huan. It was true that she was the nicest person that he had known at the time.

"I was alone for....more than a year, and I lived off food scraps and sometimes I helped people who could speak my language, and they gave me food and sometimes let me sleep a night in their homes as payment. I didn't have any use for money because I could not speak well enough to buy anything. I was mostly thinking that I should find Gilles and ask him what he did to me, but..." The small chimera shook his head. "I do not care about that any more. I met a man one time, and I don't know why, but I really liked him. I found him at his office and talked to him for a while, and he took me in as his brother. Another man I met was actually the first captain, but he disappeared, and I don't know where he went or why, and he could even be dead, but I don't know. After my new brother moved North, I moved with him, and I found the ship that we use as our own base." With a chuckle, Sal continued. "I named it Ole Miss. That's where the crew stays now, mostly. Oh, and I became captain because I was the old captain's First Mate. It was my job, but nobody is complaining about a boy like me being captain of them yet. I guess that means I'm a pretty good captain."

Thinking for a moment, he remembered something else that he wanted to say. "You know...who can say what is perfect and what is not perfect? I am not the smartest boy in the world, but I know enough things...who can say that someone who is weak or blind or cannot hear is not perfect?...Nobody can say something like that, because everybody has something that is not the same as other people. Does that mean that they are not perfect, or that there is only one person who is perfect? I don't think that is right, Mister Chal, not right at all." Sitting back in his seat, Sal crossed his legs and his arms. He had talked about himself so matter-of-factly, as though it had no affect on him whatsoever. "Is that enough for you?"