MISSION: Operation Central City Festival II - Space Race

The disquieted feeling in Shula's stomach pronounced itself, making her wonder if she'd even be able to hold down her nerve pills, let alone alcohol-laden coffee that she really did know better than to mix with pills. It was tense, seeing Spade and Alisa there, and even though things were more or less settled and smooth between them all, the last time she'd seen them in the same place was in Moscow. Shula remembered how she'd run away, seeing them... And she wondered now, if that feeling was the same for Alisa. "Yo Shula," Alisa said. The fierce woman smiled at Shula, the look a mix of uncertainties yet pleasant. it was kind of like mixing dogs at a park where you could only hope for the best. "I-I'm good. I couldn't...Er, I'll be out--"

"It's cool you can give her mine. Sure she can handle it. I'm just hangin' here. Won't be able to escape for a while." Spade didn't want his cofee. Shula tensed very slightly. Sunglasses slipped down the slope of Spade's nose, resting over a smile as genuinely fake as a twenty Cenz Michael Kors handbag. But it was that look in his eyes... It was Spade without being Spade, and yet, it was Spade all over again, and it made Shula take the smallest step backwards, unsure entirely of the sugar glass they all stood on. "Dunno why this has to be so complicated; they just spin, right? You'd think they'd get a professional to handle this. They should know I'm better at pullin' triggers." She retracted a bit more visibly, almost afraid of that burning look that she hadn't seen in forever coupled with what Shula knew was going through his head. Sāthina, stop it... Please...

But Spade wasn't telepathic, and now was not the time Shula would test pushing him. The truth was, at the moment, Shula was very slightly frightened by her fiance, and more than anything she wanted to find someone to shove in the booth, grab Spade's wrists, and drag him home. Hell, Alisa could help her drag him, she'd probably be able to strong-arm him better than the tiny Ishvallan could. She remained quiet, holding onto the two cups of coffee even as Alisa finally bared her teeth at the Xingese smokaholic. "Lighten up. Yeah the festivals a waste of fucking time, but at least you got Shula here hm?" .....Yeah, maybe now as a good time to excuse herself and go return to the 5 by 5 torture chamber she'd left her lackey in.

Shula didn't hear the buzz of Spade's phone, but watched quietly as he glanced at the screen, and then burst into laughter that wasn't befitting the festival, his mood, or even the kind of laugh from when Booger was alive and would say soemthing to crack Spade up. It was hollow, shrill, and sent shivers down Shula's neck."Now. It's now," Spade said desperately to Alisa. Oh Ishvalla, what now. [color]green]"Go look for a Cretan man with blue eyes and white hair, six feet, approx. 200 pounds. Arrest him."[/color] Shula hadn't noticed Jocelyn approach them from behind, and only glanced to the Lieutenant Colonel as she stepped closer to Alisa.

"Lieutenant Colonel Jocelyn Veska, sir, nice to meet you. Ms. Brighton, I'm going with her to make the arrest. She looks like she could use some help." Shula nodded in response, watching as they ran off to chase down whoever this was that so easily had gotten under Spade's skin. They ran off, leaving Shula alone with Spade at last. Unfortunately, it wasn't alone in any way that shula wanted, and at the moment she rather doubted there was anything she could do to help de-stress Spade without a time machine.

"The launch is rigged."

For a moment, Shula wasn't sure she heard that right, and made sure she was still processing things in Amestrian. The launch was rigged. the stupid freaking launch that they'd all put their bets on and gathered all these people here who probably were just as hesitant to come to this stupid affair as everyone else was. If it was rigged innocent people were in trouble, as well as the political affairs of at least two or three different countries. The coffee was put to rest, and the well-trained dog that was Shula began planning. This year would be different. It had to be. Too many people died last time when everything happened with no warning. Alkahestric energy dripped off Spade like water with an electric current hiding in the ripples, the feeling akin to when he put his fist through her wall.

"I'll get the area closed off," Shu said, looking around at the crowds. Ishvallan was a less common language, especially her dialect. the last thing she wanted at this point was someone to overhear and it cause a panic and all hell break loose because they were trying to fix it. A Cretan man with white hair and blue eyes. Alisa and Jocelyn were out to find and catch him, but Shula would keep a lookout just in case she ran into him before Spade or Alisa did; Ishvalla help the mess the man would be after Spade ran into him. "If we get the area closed off, we can keep people from panicking and safer that way." Spinning on her heel, white braid whipping around, Shula turned to run toward the heart of the fairgrounds, hoping to rope off the area long enough to change the way the cards were being laid.



{PLEASE NOTE: I've left this open-ended for now until I'm filled in on things a bit more since I'm a tad behind, or if anyone needs to impede/assist her. Left it like this so it's easy to alter.}

Women were demons. Never make deals with demons.. but they were at the same quite tempting. Something about them always seemed to grab a man and lead him along like he was on a rope. They were so.. confusing... so.. desirable to most. They could manipulate men to do dumb things. They had succeeded in the past, but since then, he'd hid away from them. God Aaron hated that feeling and as such normally when confronted by a woman.. he would RUN. Unfortunately that would be very rude, for some reason this woman wanted to speak with him. Speak? With HIM? She must have hit her head through hitting her ass. That-- wasn't something he wanted to think about- Her ass anyways. It was inappropriate and he definitely would NOT look towards it. Association got him in trouble last time. Apparently he was a lech for looking at the Queen's chest. It was HER fault though! She shouldn't have mentioned it! HRRGG women. They grit his nerves and tested his wit every time. The only successful response was to get away, but that put him back at square one.

She seemed all too-forgiving for the whole tumble. just like that? Where was the "Watch where you're going, jackass"? Where was the look that accused him of some sort of lecherous notion? Why was he not being hit? What was this black magic. Maybe that made this woman a witch of sorts? He narrowed his eyes in wonder. It seemed like he should probably know her. Obviously she was Cretan, but he really just couldn't tell. So many people were Cretan and every file he'd glanced at. For all he knew, she was somebody's sister. She was someone's lover- she was someone's ex-lover. She could even be a mother. In the end, he knew as much about her as anyone else. A stranger in his midst. Too bad his brother wasn't with him. That would be helpful. At least Robert was better at speaking to people.

"Now, Aaron, is there anything I can do for bumping into you so? I do feel rather dreadful for causing you to also fall down." If nothing else would scream TRAP, that was it. Aaron shifted his feet and ran a hand through the hair over the back of his neck hair with nervousness. Well- fuck. This woman really WAS trying to get something from him. What did he have to even offer? Nothing.. as far as she knew anyways. SUSPICIOUS. His eyes shifted away from her, which was followed by the clearing of his throat. Rather unnerved, he shoved his hands into his pants' pockets. "Err.." His smart response was just a slur of a thought. QUICKLY! He had to pick up his thoughts and create a sort of evasive way. What was the best way to deal with this situation? A part of him screamed to just walk away, but his pride wouldn't budge. "Look, it's no problem. That's not the worst I've been through and if it were to be the worst, well I'd lived one Hell of a life, I guess."

Shift. Look at her. Brief smile. Look away. Nope, he couldn't do this. He couldn't make eye contact, couldn't look at her. God he was no social butterfly at all. He wanted his home, his peaceful abode with his computer. This was so far away and the nearest hide-away was the computer shop that his brother helped run. Dammit, this was one of those times he needed a 'bail' button. "So uhmm... do you .. want a .. like.. coffee or something?" Oh God. Now it sounded like a date. Coffee was his only crutch at the moment though. He used it to help calm his nerves or at least distract them enough to be tolerable. Of course he tried to avoid the more awkward part in trying to correct himself but- "Err.. never mind, forget I asked. Just uhh-- How about you take this five and go buy yourself one?" He turned again and turned scarlet, his hand extended with the money. Yup.. Aaron was such a social genius.

But he wouldn't break. Spade was a man of-- well, he was a man it didn’t matter. So even when he saw potential disaster, he hoped for the best while also knowing that that wasn’t always the case. Usually not. Usually people were fucked and then tossed to the wind. Fuck if anyone else cared or even if the world gave two shits about your sorry ass. That’s why bombs scares and shit happened—that’s why people like Shinku Kamogaya were constructed—by the criticisms and mal-hope of the ruined populace: already so low that loneliness sets in and they want to drag everyone else down with them. Fucking psychos. They all should be strapped to those damn spinning teacups and forced to relive their childhood. Sure, it might drive them insane, but it beats prison right? Get some laughs out of it. Maybe. Still, still, there are times in his own mind when something just cracks, you know? It’s kinda hard to explain, but after jumping through hoops over the years for a county that should probably give you a raise, then being tossed haphazardly into the unquelled flames of remorse…sorta is a bit unnerving. Understatement. Spade was a mess and even he could see that. Surely the two ladies about him could as well. Not that he was complaining about the lady part, but really, space maybe? He was like a cornered fish out of water (not that he needed booze to breathe [well, maybe]). On top of that: "Nah,” was shot right back at him. He expected nothing less from Alisa. “Come on Spade. Enjoy a sip of booze." It was like his fucking inner conscious. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. Over and over it was telling him ‘just a sip. Oh come onnnnn it won’t hurt any.’ His mind was too fucking slick for him; it knew that the second the liquid touched his tongue it’d be guzzled and that’d be the end of the resistance—that’d be the end of who he had spent the last couple years becoming. Some things shouldn’t be reversed.

"Lighten up. Yeah the festivals a waste of fucking time, but at least you got Shula here hm?" And that was the reason why. Shula was here, so why? Why drown again when he could just turn away and solve those problems eating at him. Swallow them instead. Even if they taste fucking horrible, mother always said green beans were good for you. Still he was glad Alisa was here, without her he was sure something worse would have transpired in that moment. He wouldn’t have sent Shu after a criminal mastermind, no, he would have gone himself and that was what Kamogaya wanted. Bastard loved toying with people. When Spade found out he was released, everything began to feel just a little more fleeting—as if he could see more than five minutes into the future. Just a glimpse—just a prediction, but this life: this it was coming to an end. So kiss it goodbye Aeries, knew you couldn’t be happy for too long. "On it." Oh, and by ‘arrest,’ he meant kill. Whoops. Not like he expected the mercenary to come back dragging that monster in tow…unless that monster wanted to be in tow. God forbid she doesn’t just pull the trigger. Write it off as self-defense. Hah, he was scared. Him! Aeries, scared. He was terrified. He was crushing his last cigarette in his fingers. The fuck was so wrong with him that the law lost its luster—that the rules became ash? Doubt. Oh, it was wafting off him. Couldn’t they just take a few shots, shake hands and call it a day?

"Lieutenant Colonel Jocelyn Veska, sir, nice to meet you."

“Mm,” Spade responded, hardly paying attention when the two of them left together. At least Alisa wasn’t alone. When a person was alone, that was when Kamogaya was strongest. He took your mind and made it his weapon; he infiltrated dark corners that you yourself never dared question. He belonged back where Spade sent him the first time, but cases can be recalled, evidence can disappear, and criminals—monsters can walk among the innocent.

"I'll get the area closed off. If we get the area closed off, we can keep people from panicking and safer that way." Spade’s head snapped up, his jade eyes wide as if he suddenly realized that Shu was there. That’s right, Shu was— she was gone. Soft Ishvallan, and then she was running. He had half the heart to sprint after her and whisk her off her feet to some uninhabited island somewhere far away, but reality stopped him. No, she had the right idea. He didn’t move, well, not until…

"So it's true I was told it wouldn't be boring when I was forced into the role of your second in charge, yo...." Spade was beside himself at this point, in a what-should-I-do-what-should-I-do-what-should-I-do haze, then…Axel showed up. Spade pushed his shades up his nose and leaned against the door frame, hot cheek against cold metal. "Information...."
"you know my specialty is spying, yo! What have you got and i most likely an double it!"

“Triple or I won’t call it even.” Spade smirked and pushed off from his perch, prancing towards the occupied door outside. “The Creig spaceship set to launch, I need to know what potentially suspicious mechanics, maintenance workers, whatever anything that entered past security in the last hour. Alisa and…Lieutenant Colonel Veska are in pursuit of the man responsible: Shinku Kamogaya (recently released from prison). Shula went to evacuate. I’m going after the bomb.”

With those final words, the great Spade Aeries dashed off in pursuit. Scouring the festival grounds with his doc martens, he eventually made it to the launching pad, but was immediately apprehended by some muscle dude who def didn’t speak Amestrian. His burly buddy helped him out.

”He said you can’t get in without proper identification.”

“And I said I am Spade Aeries LIKE IT SAYS RIGHT HERE on my driver’s license.” He slammed his finger into the printed name and shoved the piece of plastic into the man’s face. “Now get out of my way.”

”Where is your badge then?”

“I told you it’s CLASSIFIED. I gave it to someone who is apprehending a criminal so m—”

”Then I must take you to Roarke.”

“Is this some kind of joke!?” Served him right trying to go through the back. Shoulda took it from the front goddammit.

“AHHHHH!?” The Ishvallan was frantically pointing at that girl—that girl from the library. WHAT WAS SHE DOING HERE AND “WHAT’S THAT GROWTH ON YOUR STOMACH OH GOD!?” He had to save her! There had to be a way…just think—THINK. He took a few deep breaths and wheeled around to look at Artemis. “WHAT SHOULD WE DO!?” Enough about her woes, someone was in trouble here! Oh shit was he panicking? He was panicking. There was no time! It looked like it was going to burst—just what was it?! It kinda looked like… Oh wait. Fuck, was she…? Like before Hanna was born. Toss’ expression went quickly from worry to dejected horror. His hands were on Peyton’s shoulders where he had been about to wheel her out of the bar and to the nearest doctor, but yeah. Yeah… He uh—he kind of just stopped. Like a remote control car that ran out of batteries…that was him. “Shit uh…damn haha slow on the up take? Sorry it was just so sudden I thought something was… wrong with you, but clearly it’s not. I—uhm… congratulations.” The homunculus broke out in glee, grinning like the fool he was for just a few short seconds. It seemed he hadn’t saved just one life that day… Well, endangered too. The fire was kinda his fault. But only kinda. He removed his hands quickly and dusted her off. “Yeah, uh, sorry about that.”

”Honey, don't get so down about it" faded off into the background before Toss could even realize that Boobface was being assaulted by his mechanic. Toss was too busy hating himself for making a scene about a pregnant woman who was definitely not nearly are pregnant the last time her saw her. For crying out loud how fast did those things grow?! Okay, alright, he just had to calm down. Calm down and pull Dunstan off of Artemis before the other half of his face was ripped off. Heartless, yes, but in the long run it was for the guy’s own good. Artemis swung with that fuckin’ giant for a reason and honestly, Toss valued Dun’s life perhaps more than the guy did his own. Made him strangely think of Iris who had spent a good long time with him in Carraig. Why, he wondered, but at the same time he already knew the answer. That’s right. He cringed and looked away, rubbing at his white locks with a fairly unreadable look. Why were things always so complicated?

“Alright I’m going to head to the Launchpad now. Can’t leave ‘er alone for too long. You should head back soon t—” He blinked. Dunstan was half smothered in the refuse of Artemis’ chest. Toss turned away. “Molly come with me.” He didn’t even look at the musician, just assumed she would compensate as per usual. Artemis could take care of herself, that he knew…and he had the scars to prove it (they were mental). His eyes, instead, met the librarian’s again and he handed her a small smile. “Sorry about your library. I have to go to the Launchpad now to finish preparations. Hope you stay to watch!” With a wave, Toss FINALLY escaped, meandering a little ways off before practically colliding with some poor sucker. Panting and in a flurry, the man was immediately recognized as one of the Creig militants they broke for security purposes. Something didn’t bode well.

“What happened?” Toss blurted. The man, Kenny, filled him in, leaving the immortal speechless beyond compare. “A new inspection!?” Dancing around crowds, they skirted past the commotion and drew quickly back to The Fallacy, which looked quite like how he left it. What was the problem then? He grit his teeth at Kenny and pointed at his ship with a quivering finger. “Well it looks fuckin’ fine to me!”

”The name is Reaver...this is my servant Barry and I'm here as Dietrich's plus one...” Immediately the ostentatious man was met with a scornful glare from the redhead at Dietrich’s left. A faint feral growl would have been the octave for the symphony had not the royal guard been surrounded by the world’s best: leaders. Towering, burly things that liked to stand around and talk at a festival entrance, boasting silently of their opinions. It made his stomach churn—it made him want to draw his sword and see what color those royal’s blood turned upon meeting oxygen. Certainly they didn’t breathe it; this was a meeting of demons. He refrained, albeit reluctantly. On no one’s orders, he remained in the friction zone between the two Cretans clashing, not as a dog returning to its master or as an idle soldier, but as a man prepared to take any measure that would entail his country’s seams. Needless to say he was glad Lord Dietrich had woken up; it was time to shift the balance away from the naïveté consuming current Cretan politics.

”You shouldn't really call yourself 'prime minister' yet.” Elastor Ito smirked, icy blue eyes in a deluge of amusement. Oho, she wanted Dietrich to prove his worth before she approved of him? His eyes narrowed. Perhaps this would not go as smoothly as he was just anticipating. Queen Rachel would be smoked, that much he knew, but sometimes the best is borne from the smog. He secretly crossed his fingers, not necessarily hoping for an encouraging reply from Lord Dietrich, but for a confluence of ideals at least. Civil war, whatever this was insinuating would not bide well. In the end, did it matter so much to him whom he served under? This was still Creta. He crossed his arms and looked to the side, hoping to avoid the rest of this conversation entirely. Whatever the results, he would stand firm in both his beliefs and his position. That was his way. And if he wasn’t satisfied, he would leave. Just like that. So why bother getting involved? He shimmied back a step, hovering out to the side where he felt more at home in the shadows. The spotlight was no place for a Royal Guard.

Franklin was glaring at him. Ela shot him a what-are-you-looking-at-fag glance back, turning away almost instantaneously. Leave me alone. He was in no mood to scuffle again with Rachel’s absurd body guard who hardly followed any sort of protocol and pretty much did more harm than good. Yeah, it could be summed up by the word hate. Hatred, that was what the swordsman felt for the man. It wasn’t just the typical kind of hatred either; it shifted and changed, formed under different circumstances. Sometimes he didn’t even want to kill him; he wanted to torture him first.

One such occasion was this one: that moment when the foul being dared touch him. Hans meandered off further into the festival grounds, Rachel and company in tow. He went to follow, but was thwarted by a certain someone. Ela winged around, barely containing the apparent rage glowering through his eyes. ”Let them have their fun, we need to chat in private.”

“No thanks.” He treated it as an invitation; Franklin had no authority to give him orders. Yet still, his feet remained planted, eyes deadlocked on the party moving but further away. The bouncer or whatever he had been went to make another move at his collar seemingly to remove him from the crowd, but the smaller man ducked under it, glaring daggers that could make even Nu fidget. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed. “Unless you want to lose that hand.”

”Alright, sword boy. Let's talk about Rachel a little."

“And if I refuse?”

”I know you don't think I get it, but I do. Rachel is not the queen you wanted. She wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth and she doesn't pretend that she was. She can be abrasive, she acts like a child, she's a shake-up to the system, I get what your beef is. I don't agree with you, but I get it.”

“…” Definitely didn’t sound like he got it. And he went on, making Ela rub his ears in frustration. He didn’t have time for this.

”But if you get any funny ideas into your head, if you think your friend is your enemy, if I see that katana…leave that sheath, I will take your spinal column…and tear every single disc out…one by one, and I will ram them so far up your arse that you will choke on them.” That was creative. ”Have I made myself clear?"

“So you would prefer it if I didn’t safeguard Queen Rachel with my sword and would go to such lengths as to threaten me?” Ela laughed from where he stood, running a casual hand through his wavy hair. In that moment, his demeanor completely changed. “You are entirely mistaken, Franklin. Do not pretend to know me or my intentions. I'm leaving." And with that, he turned on his heel and went after the Queen whom he was sworn to protect with his life. Lord Dietrich just happened to be in the vicinity. While he was relieved such was the case, he hardly had any outward devotion one way or another towards the now two leaders of Creta. This was his country, and regardless of who was in command, he would obey. Ela stopped. "You should be more worried about yourself, Franklin." It wasn't a threat...at least not on the surface.

[Note: Ela is following Rachel.]

Aurel carrying a massive teddy bear... Would make AMAZING pro-RIOTE propaganda, hehe. "Aurelius Schwarz: Cruel Man of Pure Evil? Or soft-hearted man deadset on a better world for the children?" Nyx had to giggle at the thought, and as she did, she glanced up at Aurel, who seemed to be enjoying himself as well, despite the fact he was now being forced into lugging around a child's toy, which couldn't possibly look more counter-intuitive to his normal demeanor. Imagine if Hans and Dietrich could see him now... Nyx grinned once more to the thought of searching the fairgrounds for Hans, who was sure to be present, though as far as Dietrich would go, ehh... Well, he was less capable of reacting to Aurel's current level of smushy adoraqbleness, whatwith his coma and all. Though as they neared the entrance, as they walked, she could've sworn that she'd caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. Peculiar, but she could be mistaken.

Anywho, as she and Aurel walked on, and met up with Sal and the large man, apparently called Second-Under-Blah-Blah-NASCAR Invidia, she paused to recognize both of their reactions toward one another. Sal seemed SLIGHTLY INTIMIDATED, but otherwise played along quite well. Meanwhile, Aurel, for a minute there, seemed ready to tear his own hair out... But he soon got a hold on his surprise, and spoke calmly, only really seeming slightly dismayed at the presence of the guy with the weird name she couldn't pronounce... YAY, SAL DIDN'T FEEL LIKE HE WAS ABOUT TO EXPLODE, AND AUREL DIDN'T WANT TO EXPLODE SAL!~ CLOSE ENOUGH!~ At that, she decided to take such an opportunity to speed off, and speed off she did, dragging with her a posse now doubled in size with the addition of two members. She had a brief thought of how cool it would look if they were all wearing black suits, fedoras, and sunglasses, and were all walking as a group. Probably snapping with one hand, the other hand in a pocket. Would be so cooooooool.

Snazzy suits aside, she figured that she needed to find something fun to do, rather than just randomly walking around. So, she decided on the best ride in the world ever: The Merry-o-Round!~ Why was it the best ride ever, you may ask!? BECAUSE SPINNY HORSES OF AWESOMENESS!~ Plus, she could see, in her brain, Aurel and Sal's oddly named friend RIDING ON A CAROUSEL. It would be like, the funniest thing EVER. But that was only a side-thought, the important thing was it'd be really fun, and nobody hates merry-go-rounds! And thusly so, Nyx dashed off, gesturing back to her little gang of awesomeness, as she carved a path in the crowd, towards the ride. As she got there, it was just as the riders previously on it were getting off, so she grinned at Aurel, before skipping cheerfully to the ticket booth, where a pirate and a pretty pinkette were posted. Patiently, she properly pronounced her words, disguising her dialect with distinctly decisive diction. "Four tickets, please~" And she prepared to get on the ride as the tall Sec-blah-blah guy tipped his hat to the pirate lady with a hello. Odd, they knew each other. Same crew, probably? Eh. All Nyx knew was MERRY-GO ROUND TIME!~

(ACK. THIS WAS WIP FOR LIKE, SO LONG. X_X NEVER. AGAIN.)

Jocelyn would rather rather face an army of gun-wielding soldiers than play mind-games. She was much more direct than this silver haired gentleman, who dragged on and on about this situation. He produced dossiers and information on the bomb strapped to the Fallacy and its planter. Spade Aeries...impossible, she though. Jocelyn didn't know much about body language, but something seemed just too weird here. He was incredibly calm for a life or death situation and seemed...cocky in a way. On the other hand, he was an intelligence officer, he'd most likely been in these situations enough. His amount of information and evidence was rather immense.

There had to be an explanation. There was always something, always a second dimension...and a third in her case. She was not having this today. So many civilians and a possibility of explosions? Not a good day and definitely was going to cause trouble. So, what does she do? She clapped her hands together lightly, the little alchemist she was, and touched the floor gently. With intent to trap his feet in the solidified concrete, she created boxes to trap him, but if he noticed in time, he could jump. Either way, she left soon after. She'd let Alisa deal with him if he was or wasn't caught. Now was the time to find Lisbeth. It was too early to start worrying or to tell if things were going down. So, in a rush to put some distance in between the two, she rushed off to the photo booth...but what to tell her?
...She was not designed for these delicate missions. What a lapse in judgement.

Oh she hated playing nice. She really fucking hated playing nice. And she had to play nice because her other methods would definitely involve people near her getting shot. Yeah she was fucking Two Hands, but that didn't mean she worked miracles. Stray bullets would find targets in a crowd big enough. At least uh.... crap.... she had just said her name... Meh, Blondie over there was aiming to cut him off. "Quite a bold way to approach a person, huh?" Alisa just chuckled and shrugged slightly, now standing at least five feet away from him. "Oh you know, dodging around crowds can give that impression." Now he was being pleasant. Just drop the fucking charades already! "However, I appreciate the offer. I am fine though. But I have to ask if it's necessary to have your weapon ready to draw?" Shit. Spade knew that she wasn't exactly built for subtle, right? Whatever. Fuck it.

Now she allowed her smile to fall to her usual smirk, those chocolate eyes locked upon her target and she knew it was him. He smelled just like she did. Gutters smothered with blood and smoke on the breeze. "If I am that suspicious, I will gladly give an explanation as to why I am here." "By all means do." She murmured quietly, hoping that she was buying Spade enough time to get his ass over to do whatever it was he needed to do. She knew this terrorist guy must have done something and that Spade didn't want to tell her. Fine with her, this countries bullshit wasn't any of her problem unless it came to Spade. Then it became her problem. "My name is Anthony Redgrave, Major and head intellegence operative of an elite task force out of Aerugo. I have been tracking your general Aeries illegal activities for quite some time.." Her eyes narrowed as her spine crawled with disgust. If she were actually a dog, her hackles would be up. She wasn't about to trust anything that this man threw, or handed to her.

She reached a hand out to take the dossier, opening it to find Spades picture there. Her smirk became a grimace. He wouldn't do this shit. He wouldn't do anything that this "Anthony" claimed he had done. She closed the folder, both hands now in view as she stared calmly, evenly at this terrorist. She didn't care that he had dog tags, didn't care about this folder he had given her. He screamed wrong. And when her senses screamed something that they made her ears ring, then they weren't wrong. Shit. But what if she was wrong? Argh, NO! THATS WHAT HE WANTED! Her hand tightened on the folder as she took a single, calming breath, calculating the ratios and dangers of what she really wanted to do. "If I were you, I'd take your blonde friend and report this to your Chancellor. If you keep wasting time, not only will innocents die, but you will also jeopardize relations with Aerugo. I have already told you enough." "I'm not the only one on this pretty boy." She snarled at him, subtly moving towards him because she saw him moving away.

Did he think her some Amestrian militant? Some regular person under Spades employ? Ohhhh no. She--"Near Spade's person, I have spotted the location of a detonator of Xingese origin in the Teapot's Operating Booth. With an engraved symbol of a spade." What the.... Now she paused as her eyebrow raised, glancing back towards the tea cups even though she knew it was wrong for her to do so. SHIT. She could already sense that he was gone. FUCKING... FUCKING DIPSHIT IDIOT, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU FUCKING..... "Fucking idiot." She snapped to herself, glancing back down to the folder in her hands, now completely lost on what to do. A) She would hunt him down like a bloodhound and rip his head off before stuffing it up his ass. B) She ran to give Shula the information and let her figure out what to do because this was SO far from Alisa's department. Or C-- Her thoughts paused as her eyes focused on something out of place. Between the Tea Cup stall and the one beside it, there was something leaning juuuuust out of view against the side.

She stepped forward and picked it up, finding it to be a PDA of some sort. She pressed a button and it lit up, a list of names and numbers greeting her. "What the--" It was as if ice went streaming down her back, creating an immediate change in her temperature. "Oh shit..." Taking two hopping steps back, she didn't care she bumped into someone, she needed to get to Shula. Running back to the booth, she burned those names and numbers into her head because she knew what she was going to do. What she did best. She looked as if a whirlwind had hit her as she burst into the control booth, tossing the folder down on the control pad. "Guy called himself Anthony Redgrave, claimed to be a Major and intelligence operative of Aerugo. Said he was tracking Spade and "illegal activities," load of bullshit if you asked me." She glanced around the booth, looking for where in gods name that fake fucking detonator would be. "Said that there was a Xingese detonator in here with a spade carved into it. I think he's trying to set Spade up." She straightened and shook her head, that wasn't the important thing.

Her voice caught as she clutched the PDA in her hand, running a hand through her hair. "It's gotta be a setup Shula... it's gotta be. I know Spade wouldn't pull this shit, and so do you." Show her the PDA. Show her the fucking PDA Alisa. "Shu... He left this." Her arm moved as she held out the PDA with the names and numbers of Xingese people, lowering once Shula took it. If she didn't, then she placed it down on top of the folder. "This ain't my country, and normally I wouldn't give two shits, but he does. So lets go save the fucking day. I'm going after these Xingese folks. I'll fill in Spade." And with that she bolted outside, her cellphone already in hand and calling him.

"Spade, we gotta problem. Dude's trying to frame you. I swear he is. Had a dossier claiming this was you, and probably a fake detonator in your booth." She was walking very quickly, trying to think of how best to track the Xingese folks, or even that fucking dickwad. She didn't follow any fucking protocol. "But there was a PDA with names and numbers of Xingese people. I'm guessing that they are the ones behind it. I lost the guy." She was panting as she cursed to herself, wondering if she should have stayed to help Shula. "I gave the dossier and PDA to Shula in your booth, I'm out looking for them now. What do you want me to do?"

It was so very adorable to watch the families that strode up to her booth, giggling and pointing with excitement at whatever shenanigans could happen if they were to partake. Even though the park had only opened a little while ago, many were still flooding by, hoping to get their pictures done. She was more than happy to oblige, although as time went on she was starting to get rather hungry. And those funnel cakes smelled particularly delicious. She sighed lightly to herself, what was a girl to do? As she waved good bye to the last family that came up, she took the time to smooth out some of the costumes since some people were less than attentive to putting it back the way it had been. Lisbeth was happy though, that so many found enjoyment in such things. Heh, maybe she should take her mother back up on her offer to slide her back into the fashion industry. Ahhh but that was another life long ago now, no sense in going back to it. She was going to have her hands full with South! She knew that for sure.

Maybe she should call Shula to check in? She hadn't gotten a chance to see her all morning. Oh! Or maybe Jocelyn. Mmm, but the rock climbing wall was probably popular.... But it wouldn't hurt to--She was just turning back around to go and sit in her chair when she noticed a bouncing blonde figure that she knew coming towards her in quite the hurry. Her brows furrowed, "Jocelyn...?" She murmured to herself as she squinted, trying to pick her out better amongst the crowd. It was her! Lisbeth began to smile, but it faltered as she could now see Jocelyn's face clearer as she drew closer. That... was not a good face. That was not a happy face. Something was wrong. She rose from her stool and came out of her booth, meeting her subordinate just as she arrived. "Report. Whats wrong?" She asked her very quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder worriedly. She may not have gotten to know Jocelyn very well, or even known her very long, but she was still worried.

Hmm.... She reaaaally wanted to pick through this one. There was a complication to him that screamed delicious, called her to try and puzzle it out more. It really was so very adorable that he couldn't even figure out a simple answer to her question! "Err.." Selina only smiled sweetly to him, ignoring a rather odd tingling in her senses. Perhaps something was wrong somewhere? She sensed crime. Or maybe that was just her longing to go do some crime. Was it a crime to do what she wanted to do to this handsome man? Probably. Inwardly, she shrugged the whole thing off. "Look, it's no problem. That's not the worst I've been through and if it were to be the worst, well I'd lived one Hell of a life, I guess." She giggled at that, her curiosity only more peaked now that he said that. Her expression softened, that smile of hers growing slightly as she saw his own brief smile. God he really was too adorable! She just wanted to pack him up and take him home to Club Vivid! Oh... but then there was that thing of his position in his government..... Now wasn't that a downer!!

"So uhmm... do you .. want a .. like.. coffee or something?" Eh? Selina blushed a little as she tilted her head, having a feeling that it didn't mean what the sentence sounded like it meant. Especially with how he said it too. "Err.. never mind, forget I asked. Just uhh-- How about you take this five and go buy yourself one?" Her movements were very gentle, as was her expression as she closed her hand over his and pushed it back towards him with the money still in his palm. Odd for her to deny a person giving her money hm? "I'll buy. And don't worry, this isn't a date or anything. I'm only paying you back--" She paused as she heard the popping of toy guns, her ears perking up as her hands let go of him. She was right in what she thought it was. "Ooo! A shooting range! Hey, Aaron, do you want to play a game with me?" She asked him with a big smile, hoping that he would say yes. She was playing a very dangerous game right now, but she was willing to risk it. It wasn't like the Dresden twins didn't have multiple fallback plans in case they needed to get outta dodge!

“Please join us, Miss Quinn, I was merely going to show these gentlemen around the festival, before letting them off to experience it for themselves.” Rosaleen nodded her head graciously to Hans for his offer, resisting the urge to touch her head at the storm of vibrations and sounds that were throwing her senses off a bit. Offering a small smile to Gavin, she did take his arm, very grateful for the added support. Otherwise... she'd probably somehow make a fool of herself due to her alkahestry fudging up or some such. And then... there were all of the other dignitaries that were right there. Xing, Creta, Amestris, and then everyone else. Gods she was not going to be able to keep anyone straight for there were just so many! She could probably guess Rachel though since she was one of the few women out of the group. "Hans, I must say, it's a wonderful carnival you've got going on. Mind if I join you boys, I've not really seen everything yet and us kings and queens need to stick together, right? Besides, I want to say I beat all of you at drinking contests." Yes, that was Rachel. She was quite familiar with her voice. She had to chuckle though at the thought of a drinking contest, wouldn't that be delightful hm?

”It’s nice to see you again, Queen Rachel, I would happily supply a few barrels to see you take on the Chancellor.” "I would also love to join in on this competition." Heh, in her younger days Rosaleen could drink any of the regulars at her parents pub under the tables. How would she fare against the former club owner, Queen Rachel? Or even Gavin for that matter? It wasn't as if they had gone drinking or anything together. ”Late as usual, I see,” She sensed the immediate change in Gavin, and most others, at the sound of this voice. It was a voice she wasn't as familiar with, and her brows furrowed as her head tilted to identify it. Honestly, she couldn't be sure, but it was clear that Gavin must have known him for she felt him shake his hand. She offered the mysterious voice a smile and a nod in greeting, falling quiet with Gavin as the rest began to talk. Oh politics... you never cease to be dull and twisted with giant thorns to step on if you aren't careful. These were the only times that she longed for the quiet, simpleness of being in the tavern or perhaps sparring with Gavin.

“Now please, I encourage you to all go explore the festival for yourselves,” Oh! Well, good. She was wondering if they'd actually get to go into the festival or just stand around its entrance. ”There is a special section near the showcase sectioned off and I would like for all of you to join me there this afternoon. Have a beautiful day!” Rosaleen didn't need any other urging as she immediately began to drift away with her King, exhaling a breath of relief when she was sure they were far enough away. It was amusing that he did the same, causing her to chuckle softly. “Well, this is going well.” "It does seem to be, and isn't that a relief." She remembered the amount of stress that he had felt about this whole event, so it was good that it was going so well. "Think we should brave a few rides, or go check on Toss? I haven’t heard any updates from anyone else attending.”

Oh boy. Blinking, Rosaleen glanced about at their surroundings, quickly regretting the decision to for it made her brain her with the fuzzyness of her image. "I'm sure Toss has everything under control, and he could always call on the others for help as well." She answered, before flashing a rather coy smile to her beloved. "Why don't we go have some fun hm? You've been buried in work lately, and we certainly haven't had anything like this at home in a while. Lets be five again when the world was open and we were on its very peak." Huh, she wasn't expecting a poet to reveal itself within her! But it was true, she felt it was best for them to unwind a bit, have some fun. It wasn't like they could really go on any dates back home without having hundreds of thousands of whispers spark up. So what if they would spark up here? A king was still a person, and he needed a break. "What sort of ride would you like to go on?"

Taking one last puff on his pipe, Wei felt that he had been sitting here, watching people float by for quiet long enough, tapping it out into the ash tray. The pipe itself vanished within his clothes, taking a moment before striding out into the crowd. It was a very good day today, wasn't it? Was it time for the fireworks yet? He was extremely excited to see how the batch came out for he was sure that it was his best yet. His hand grasped the top of his jacket before slinging it over one shoulder, his other hand sliding into the pocket of his pants as he whistled a tune to himself. Amestris didn't hold anything back on these events, did they? Hey, he wasn't going to complain. It was more fun for everyone else right?


His voice rumbled as he strode back towards the entrance of the Festival, following its curve back towards the beginning. He was surprised to find that Qin was still there, a bright grin rising to his lips as he saw that Lian was there as well! How excellent! He walked up behind Lian and clapped her on the shoulder, stepping out to bow to Qin rather low from his waist. "Please pardon my intrusion, and excuse me for being late my emperor." He then turned to the rest that were with him, bowing again to them. "Please pardon my intrusion, I admit I got a bit lost amidst the crowd. I am Wei Zhao Han, clan leader of the Han." And with that he fell into step with Lian on the other side of Qin, his jacket still slung over his shoulder as his other hand slid back into his pocket. Yeah... he didn't look like an actual royal guard at all.... But then again, he wasn't! And this was a festival day! "Hey, Lian, how're you holding up?" He asked her quietly, keeping his eyes ahead and on the surrounding area. The time was coming soon, and he would enjoy every moment of his creation. The cause that this was for? It did not hold his full attention, if it helped his country then whatever. What was far more important to him was that they had asked for his fireworks, and that made him giddy as a school boy. He was glad, however, that Jeu-Hee was not here amidst this mess for she should not sully her hands like this. She probably wouldn't have enjoyed it either.

Laughing lightly as the ride slowed to a stop, Feona turned her head to look at Chester, finding that he was leaning in to place a soft kiss upon her lips. She did not fight this or pull away, but instead leaned into his kiss a little more, keeping it sweet and gentle. He touched his forehead to hers as he pulled away, her violet eyes watching his expression through half-lidded eyes. "Thank you for this Feona." He murmured quietly, a small smile rising to her lips as her hand came up to touch the side of his face. "You're welcome." He seemed to come out of his thoughts as he offered her a hand to help her climb down, her fingers delicate between his as her heels touched the ground. Glancing back towards the booth, she offered a smile and a nod to the pretty young woman inside of it, noting how lovely her pink hair was. It was unfortunate she seemed a bit bored behind there.

Ah, but Chester wanted to move onward, and so she moved onward, catching the greeting of a rather enthusiastic woman clad like a pirate, “Iris!” Ahhh, so that was that woman's name.... She made a note of it for her report that would come later. Yes, this wasn't just some pleasure date or job for her. Though she was truly happy to help him work through his grief like this, and she was sure he was thanking the anonymous tip or recommendations that he received about her. "So, where would you like to go next?" She asked him with a smile, looking up at him as her arm tightened a little in his. He paused to ponder this as he glanced around, his smirk making her cock an eyebrow as he leaned close to her ear. "I will be right back. Meet me by the Ferris Wheel." And so she was left alone there as he vanished into the crowd, Feona wondering how he could have done that so well for being a Duke. Heh, he must be used to escaping his guards and such hm?

She did not really mind for this was her second day with him, much of the information she needed already obtained. And so she began to meander through the crowd towards the ferris wheel in the distance, her eyes glancing all about at the various people that were there. It was odd being in an event like this, and it made her wish that her brother were here. Sure he was just out of college so he may feel it silly, but at the same time it would have been something to do as a family. She almost pulled out her phone to call him, but she didn't really get to as she bumped clear into someone. She immediately turned and appeared apologetic, even moreso when she saw it was a bandaged man with a crutch. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" She asked, biting her lower lip. Something seemed a little off about this disabled person though, but she betrayed nothing of this thought. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" So what if Chester made it to the ferris wheel before her, it wasn't like she was that far away from it. This was a little more important at the moment.

"Prime Minster, if i was to judge you and your nation on the actions of your queen you would be found sadly lacking. I hope this does not turn out to be the case." Noticing the Emperor's bow, he gives one in return. Different strokes for different folks, as the commoners say. "I am Qin Shi Xun Emperor of Xing and head of the Xun clan."

”A pleasure to finally meet you emperor. I do apologize on behalf of the Queen. I'm afraid she's merely a commoner that bought the crown, and has romanticized notions about what the job entails. Kings and Queens hold no power in our country, Emperor.” Pulling out a business card, gold with black writing and red embellishments, he hands it to his counterpart. ”Should you ever need Creta's assistance, please contact me.”

Turning to Rachel, he tilts his head. ”Miss Ascot, please, I'm Prime Minister until the people decide otherwise. Besides, I've proven my worth time and time again. My word is more sure than the Cretan Pound, a fact that any politician, in Creta or internationally, would more than likely agree with. After all, only those with little resolve make vague promises, while the untrustworthy make grand ones.” Seeing Elastor nearby, he smiles and gives him a nod. ”And may God have mercy on anyone that makes both.”

Turning away from Rachel dismissively, he basked in the warmth of happiness for once in a long while. However, his somewhat lightened mood was unfortunately interrupted by Wrath's entrance. A small sigh escaped him as the homunculus took to his side. ”Ah, Reaver, I was wondering when you'd show up,” he lied, giving the good sir a handshake. ”Though, remember that it was a 'plus one' and not a, 'plus one and butler.'”

Eying Franklin and Ito talking, he shook his head as he soon refocused on the Chancellor and his tour of the grounds. Watching the rides, he noted how they seemed just as dangerous as his last visit, and vaguely listened to what Hans was saying. A fairly standard ordeal, but Dietrich had been through the motions for this sort of thing all too often. Besides, no one had to convince him of Creig ingenuity or worksmanship.

At the end of it all, Dietrich shook Han's hand again. ”I plan on being on the move in Amestris for a bit longer, so I'll arrange something for later this week, should your schedule permit. Being Chancellor doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy the carnival, after all.”

Bidding farewell to the other leaders, looks at Rachel and company wander off, shaking his head. Not even a minute with the Emperor and she created a bump in the relations process. Spinning his cane, he decided to head off, hoping to lose his faux guest in the crowd, were it possible. After some wandering, he couldn't help but gravitate back towards the Fallacy, watching the engineers scramble around it in preparations. Checking and double-checking... He hoped that, just once, things would go smoothly.

The attractive couple was leaving (not that she could blame them). She was still a bit jealous of how tender they were to each other, but then she began to not care. It wasn't worth brooding over. Working with all the children was. Not that Iris hated children or anything, she just didn't know how to act in front of them. Especially when she saw the couple then the children and then she thought of maybe one day having her own? Though maybe now that she was a monster she wouldn't be able to? The thought eased her mind, after all she was only twenty and to her that was FAR too young to be having kids. Maybe in normal circumstances she would have aimed for twenty-six. Wait- Why was she even arguing with herself about that? Her eyes closed and she pinched the bridge of her nose. She needed to slow down. After all, she needed to be WITH someone before she should even THINK about kids. Though she was kind of with Toss she kind of wasn't? It was complicated... sort of an unofficial-official thing. Hell even SHE was confused now.

"Iris!" A voice called, snapping her back to the ride. Right she was supposed to be working. For a moment she thought she would be yelled at for slacking on the job, but then- A familiar face came into sight. Her magenta eyes picked up on the form of Marcelina, a pirate she'd met not too long ago. Iris had to admit, she was pleased to see her. It got her mind off of her strange line of obsessive-compulsive and over-analytical thoughts. For the first time all day, Iris smiled full-heartedly. "Marcelina!" The ride slowed to a stop and a new group of people bustled on. "You don't know HOW happy I am to see someone who isn't drooling or screaming that they want their mother." Her eyes pulled to a small child about two who was with what seemed to be his father. He screamed and hollered until the man set the kid on the ride and stood nervously beside. How ridiculous. "Sir, you need to hold the child on the ride or he'll fall off." Her voice was probably colder than she intended. Things were getting.. easier she guessed. Time was slowly easing the painful memory, gently ebbing it away. Though she technically lived with Toss now? Well she wasn't even sure about that. Toss seemed to have this strange fixation with keeping her around. Maybe she'd ask about it.. but not right now. There would come a time.

Her pink irises came back to the pirate with a gentle and content embrace. "I'm glad you decided to join the festival. Hopefully it will be better than last year."

Despite the early hour, the fair was already starting to fill in with enthusiastic crowds from all over Amestris and neighboring countries. There was a small breath of relief to finally be away from the other world leaders that had so suddenly amassed like some world cabinet meeting with all the polite hostility that one could handle. But he and Rosaleen had been excused and were back in the crowds, and the newsflies were more interested in bothering Hans and looking at the launch site. Gavin knew that as annoying as they could be, Toss was probably loving his time to talk about just how awesome he and the Fallacy were.

Gavin held Rosaleen's arm close to his body with his own, looking around the fairgrounds. I'm sure Toss has everything under control," Rosaleen answered, "and he could always call on the others for help as well." Hm, Toss.... Gavin hadn't heard from Toss or Artemis all morning, but Rosaleen was right; if they needed him, they would have sent some message to him by now. It wasn't like Toss to leave the Fallacy unattended for long periods of time, and Artemis needed a holiday to perk back up. Maybe he'd drag her on a few rides later, or see about having a few fun nights with her once they got home.

There was a moment, and then Rosaleen turned to face Gavin, her smile surprisingly warm and playful, immediately capturing the King's undivided attention. "Why don't we go have some fun hm? You've been buried in work lately, and we certainly haven't had anything like this at home in a while. Lets be five again when the world was open and we were on its very peak." When Ros was right, she was very right. Gavin hadn't just been buried lately; he'd been buried, antisocial, and more than a bit frazzled trying to get everything organized and make sure things were still smooth at home. Tensions were rippling the waters and Gavin had been going more our of his head trying to keep all of Carraig happy while not causing a fuss, and his personal life was suffering a bit for it. His Artie was unhappy about a lot of things, his Sorcha was missing a few dinners with her Da, and his Rosaleen had been extremely patient. Gavin let out a small breath, smiling with his surrender. "What sort of ride would you like to go on?"

Five again. He didn't know about her, but even at five Gavin rarely had much free time, even after Axel started trotting him around the country to meet his future people. But some fun... definitely sounded like a good idea, and the newsflies here weren't as interested in the king of a neutral rock off the coast of Creta. His smiled warmed as his hand moved upward to cup Rosaleen's cheek and hold it there, his tumb petting against the corner of her mouth. A wicked, playful thought ran through Gavin's mind but wouldn't lend itself to be voiced, instead translating itself as a small, teasing kiss on the woman's lower lip before pulling away.

He had an idea, but there wasn't immediately time to mechanically voice it out - for now, it could just be a surprise, and it wouldn't take long. Gavin turned, still holding Ros' arm as he gave her a gentle tug in the direction he wanted to go, heading across the way and down a few booths. It wasn't far from where they'd stood, and he'd seen it when Hans had been mentioning attractions. It wasn't a ride, really, but it was something he'd certainly never done before, and probably wasn't anything Rosaleen was expecting. That alone made it much more fun. When he'd finally reached where he'd pulled them to, Gavin's grin was certainly not that of a King - it was of the playful prince he had been that never got to act on his desires. His hand slipped down to lace through Rosaleen's fingers, knowing she'd be wondering where he'd pulled her to as he lifted a little curtain aside and moved inside.

The booth was small and cramped feeling, and the bench certainly wasn't made for more than two. But Gavin quickly sat, smling and wondering if Ros had figured out where they were as he let go of her hand only long enough to dig out a few Cenz. He patted the space beside him, waiting to insert the money. A carnival photo booth; something most people thought nothing of. They were a hit in Aerugo, but in Carraig, it was just a photo booth. Silly teenagers did this stuff, not royalty and soldiers. But for the moment, they were neither. He reached down to turn her hand over, and tapped her palm to let her know he was about to let her in on it. P-H-O-T-O..O-F...U-S He couldn't contain his smile for the moment. Coins slipped in with gentle clinks, Gavin's arm wrapping around Rosaleen as the machine warmed up. His cheek rested against hers as the first flash went off.

Sure, the tabloids loved shooting inconvenient pictures of them back home, but this was different. This wasn't two people trying to dodge pictures and step away from hushed remarks about scandals. This was a happy couple enjoying themselves at a carnival, and for the moment, Gavin couldn't be happier.

Peyton could only freeze up in terror as the dragon man yelled at her and bounded over to her. OH GOD SHE WAS GOING TO GET EATEN, DEFINITELY EATEN. When Peyton thought all hope was lost and was mentally saying her goodbyes, she felt herself being walked out of the bar. "W-what're you..?" Toss was babbling loudly about helping her to get rid of the growth on her stomach. Peyton was actually quite fond of said "growth" and didn't want it taken out until it was damn ready to be taken out.

When Toss suddenly stopped, Peyton dared to look at him again. His mutterings of apologies and congratulations confused her. So Toss wasn't going to eat her up...? "H-huh?" Peyton sat there, dumbstruck with confusion as Toss babbled on and on. He was a rather frantic man today...

“Sorry about your library. I have to go to the Launchpad now to finish preparations. Hope you stay to watch!”

Woah, wait! He was involved in the launching of the rocket?!?!?! No one was safe now! Peyton's face went white as she watched the dragon-man run off to the launch pad. She had to do something.. she had to stop this! Peyton had to tell everybody what he was! "G-gotta find the authorities.. or somebody who'll believe me." She facepalmed a little. Of course, who would believe the ramblings of a pregnant lady? No, she'd just have to do this on her own.. and maybe a little help from a certain general she was rather close to. Peyton dug into her bag and grabbed her cellphone. It was a pretty nice one, and very high-tec. Marcus had bought it for her.

"Marcus, I think the rocket is going to be sabotaged by the pilot. He's not human. I'll explain later. Please send help to the festival quickly. Love you." Peyton quickly texted him and pressed send. Hopefully this would help somehow...

"No, no." The use of Ishvallan indicated that 'Sal' was caught off-guard, setting the leader of RIOTE immediately on edge from the get-go. Something wasn't connecting here, but the question really was...how serious should he be about it? Was he purposely being mislead or was there some other underlying meaning in all of this? "It's alright, sir. A lot of things can happen in a small amount of time, and it's not like we really knew each other that well yet." He was understanding, but unneedingly so. Did this boy know the condition with which Aurel was undergoing? It was highly unlikely that Nyx would leak such classified information to an Ishvallan chimera the size of a six grader. Actually, they were the same size now that he thought about it. It made some nuance of sense that they be linked at least by age, connecting them to that degree; however, boyfriend? He took a step back, noting how uncomfortably close Sal had gotten as he spoke. "I've only met you a few times. Maybe like twice. I thought you liked me enough since you didn't try to kill me when you found about me and Nyx, so I guess she's right about us getting along." Why were others citing his life to him? That could only mean that Sal too knew about his lack of memories, whether he pieced it together from: "...but you don't know that, because your memory and all..." or prior knowledge from a previous engagement in which he was not present. This scenario was giving him a headache. Regardless, Nyx spilled highly hazardous information to this child and expected Aurel to play along? His frown deepened.

"This, good sir, is my right-hand man and First Mate, Secundinasci Invidia." Sal put on a display like a performer on a paper-cut stage. Aurel blinked, unsure whether or not to take him seriously. Se--Secu--what? Secundina...Secundinasci. Secundinasci Invida, no, Invidia. He gave a curt nod in recognition of his existence, which was quite more than many others received. "Oh, that's right, if you don't remember who I am, I guess I'll re-introduce myself to you. I'm Captain Salazar Masu, sir." Masu! Red and blue widened in sudden shock, the raw emotion rare and fully visible. That was the surname of the butler who had waited on himself and Hild when he first set out into the future. They had broken Ogihci Masu out of jail upon discovery of mysterious disappearances in the area. That case alone had propelled Hild's reputation skyward and accented her skills for becoming second in command to the Fuhrer. They had been close. Where was Ogihci now, he wondered, albeit briefly. According to Nyx, the country had be pivoted into chaos during his...absence. Easily, the man could have passed. Aurel tapped his chin in deep contemplation for a moment. There was no mention of him, however...perhaps... Alas, it was needless to extort any form of hope for the man; he had only known him for a short time. Still, there were dark secrets that escaped his lips the frequent times he was writhing on the cusp of suicide that only that man heard. While he could very well blackmail him, he could also be potential firepower wherever he was. Alive, dead, there was worth right before his eyes, latent in the simple name, Masu.

Sal was already gone before Aurel had time to respond, following after Nyx in a childlike manner. He hung back, lingering beside the tall man, Secundinasci Invidia, plotting his next move. He stuffed the look-a-like bear under his arm, feeling the need to have mobility of both just in case. Somethings were highly uncertain... For instance, what did the previous him do that would result in the disappearance of Ogi? He would have ensured his survival, unless he was unaware of a potential threat of some sort. He mulled and mulled over this, taking painstaking lengths to thread out any underlying prerogative with which to make him vanish. None. He could conjure nothing from himself but blurry memories oftentimes with him in a hospital bed begging the butler to end his suffering. The leader of Drachma made a helpless face and quickened his pace in the pursuit of... what was that. He stopped, watching Invidia pass him in its direction. Another one of those things called 'rides'. He quirked an eyebrow and made sure his sunglasses and hat were in check before approaching. What horrid cheerful music. It made him cringe. How could people enjoy this horrible-- "Four tickets, please~" Oh no, no. He'd watch. It would be fine if they just went on it together without him. Although, Salazar Masu may be plotting revenge for the disappearance of his father, (which may or may not be RIOTE's fault; he didn't know). Aurel was entirely unsure, which put Nyx at a large risk considering she was easily caught off guard in situations like these, and he could hardly reveal his identity so easily (despite Nyx calling him Aurely out loud in the middle of a crowd). Maybe this slowly spinning, music box playing, colorful horse ride wasn't so demeaning. It couldn't be that terrible. It was okay. He was scowling, but it was okay.

The next wave shuffled in, Nyx, Sal, and Invidia ahead of him and already taking their...seats(?). He wasn't sure what to call them, mounts? Regardless, he was about to select his own (which happened to be one of the coaches that didn't move) when he witnessed a woman with pink hair who highly resembled the late Reila Tsukino. She appeared driech and rather annoyed at the human stupidity he also found undesirable.

"Sir, you need to hold the child on the ride or he'll fall off."

"Common sense is it not?" He responded to her apathetic underlying tones. It was better that the ride started sooner than later. The faster he got off, the longer he would be able to keep his sanity.


[NOTE: List ALL the characters, guys! Please, don't half-ass it; it makes it harrrdd!]

Roarke was antsy. Extremely so. He paced back and forth across the launchpad endlessly, keeping down the urge to fly through the fair and all fours. He reminded himself for the hundredth time what a bad idea that would be. Kenny was a smart kid and knew the essence of “DANGER.” He would find Toss or Dunstan. Maybe even both. That would be kind of nice. Roarke's eyes brightened as Kenny and Toss came towards the launchpad. He felt like roaring in delight but refined as Toss came up and pointed an accusing finger at the Fallacy. Roarke frowned, coming to stand by Toss. “Of course it LOOKS fine. The guy I saw leaving had white hair and was not one of us. If he did something it could be in the engine, Toss. That's why I sent Kenny for you and Dunstan. New inspection.” Sometimes Toss was a little thick-headed, as far as Roarke was concerned. But the pilot was here.

Roarke turned from Toss and Kenny as a slight commotion on the side of the launchpad caught his attention. Two of the burlier Creig guards that he had sent around the back of the launchpad were coming forward, not-so-gently tugging someone. They hailed Roarke, indicating that the man named Spade Aeries was trying to get into the launchpad on important business. The name wiggled at something in Roarke's mind, but as he couldn't place the name he decided to go for intimidation. He rose up to his full height and looked down at Spade, paws crossed over his chests and claws on his footpaws digging into the ground. He spoke in Cretan, considering his Amestrian was somewhat atrocious. “They say you were trying to get in. I'd like an explanation; a good one. Because I'm in the mood to rip intruders to bits.”

Iris didn't seem particularly happy, but Marcelina supposed running the merry-go-round wasn't a pleasing job. Iris confirmed that easily when she scolded a man who didn't know how to take care of his son on the ride. Marcelina remembered going on rides as a small girl; her father had always been an attentive man when she went dashing through festivals. She felt a surge of longing to see her twin brothers and take them out to some summer Esparian festivals. She would have to arrange a trip home as quickly as possible. Summer was still some months away so she pushed the thought to her mind and focused back on Iris. She smiled brightly at her pink-haired friend. “I have heard about last year's events, it is a saddening thing. So far this festival has been quite good, though I haven't walked around much.”

She shifted easily from foot to foot. She looked around the festival for the moment and noticed a tall man waving at her across the way. Her smile brightened for a moment as she waved at her fellow pirate, Sec. She would have to speak to him later if she could... and that meant the captain was also in! Splendid. She returned her gaze to Iris. “Are you working this all day? It'd be nice to have a friend to walk around with.” Yes, this may be the second time Marcelina had seen Iris, but she felt a kinship towards her. Iris seemed a little lost and confused the last time they had met and Marcelina wanted to help. Marcelina could see the great pirate potential in Iris, or at least the finer sides of piracy. And Marcelina was an excellent piratical teacher!

It had begaun simply with practicing tying shoelaces, those tricky devils. Why they couldn't all just wear velcro sneakers forever, Kitaro couldn't fathom; besides, the velcro sneakers were cooler than grownup sneakers since they didn't get Batman on their shoes. Something was wrong with grownups. But the shoelaces tied and pushed through the annoying little holes had quickly made the little boy more and more frustrated, leaving his mother only with the option of opening a new pack of laces and tying one around her own wrist to help him practice.

"Over, then under, Taro," Nu said encouragingly. The little boy huffed, trying over and over. He could tie the lace in a single knot just fine, and then double another right on top, that was no problem. But it was making those stupid rabbit-ear loops! Hold two loops, cross them, push them through... The little boy growled in frustration, and Anouk had to hold back a small laugh because if she wasn't looking at her little brother all over again... Bored with Elmo, Kenta slid off the sofa to investigate, dragging his bunny behind him by the ears; whatever mama and Taro were playing, he wanted to play, too!

The three-year-old looked at the shoelace wrapped around Anouk's wrist, the pile of shoes beside them, and the packages of unopened shoelaces. The bunny was put aside, propped up to sit and watch carefully as Kenta helped himself to the other shoelace and proceeded to mimic Kitaro, wrapping it sloppily around Anouk's other wrist. Well, now she was just caught, wasn't she? So much for the lesson.

--

Half an hour and two dozen shoe laces later (including the longest laces from Ela's boots), Anouk found herself rather tied up around her arms and legs, and Kitaro very satisfied that he had figured out the trick to tying the damn things. Anouk didn't mind so much being tied up on the floor at the moment; certainly wasn't the worst time she'd been tied up, and Elmo had changed (mercifully) to Between The Lions She was just happy that Kitaro was happy as he tied knots and bows in the laces over and over, keeping his mother quite immobile on the floor when a soft clatter caught his attention. Nu's cell phone slipped out of her pocket.

There was a pause, Anouk and her eldest looking at each other and then the phone, Anouk suddenly finding a reason to dislike being all tied up as Kitaro rushed for the phone, slid it open, and pushed the button in the middle. These were Mama's important people, and Uncle Ela was number 1. He wasn't home today; he had to drive to Mestriss. Uncle Ela was at a carnival without them!! Kitaro scampered off, holding the phone to his ear as it rang, at a safe distance from his mother and little brother.

"Unca!" Kitaro didn't really wait for Ela to say anything, deciding to start talking as soon as the phone picked up. "I tied laces!" It was the most important news on Kitaro's mind, the boy sounding more than triumphant, "Mama can't talk, Unca- she's tied up." Anouk briefly pulled a face before laughing, raising herself up enough to shout at the phone.

"Ela! You should see this," Nu said, total amusement in her tone. "I'm being held hostage by... what are you two enterprising gentlemen, again?" Kenta sat in the dip of Anouk's waist as she laid on her side, the toddler making sure his and his brother's prisoner didn't get away easily; after all, it wasn't lunchtime.

"Piates," Ken offered up happily, bouncing on his mother.

"Nooo, Ken! We're sassins!" Anouk laughed loudly, then groaned as Kenta bounced a little too hard, lamenting that that was Mommy's spleen and she did, in fact, need it. "But Mama's prisoner and you left without us!" There was a slight pout to the boy's tone, not liking that his favorite uncle wasn't home today and off having fun adventures without him.
Anouk was cracking up by the sofa as she wiggled, trying to tickle Ken while her hands were tied up to her elbows, amused to hell that her eldest was issuing demands. "Can you bring us back something fun, Unca? An I can show you my laces!"

Kenta slid off his mother, moving at surprising speed to take the phone from his brother, the bottom half of it almost in his mouth as he tried to fit it right. "Kisses!" Loud, ear-grating and wet kissy noises were pressed to the phone far too loud for anyone's ear to comfortably take by the enthusiastic toddler. "Love you Unca. I got Usa-chan!" There was a squeal and a click as the phonecall ended abruptly in the attempt to pass the phone back to Anouk. Ela was at a festival, hopefully getting to enjoy himself while at home... it was just another day with a tired mother praying for the sweet release of lunch and naptime.

His phone was ringing. He didn't answer it. Why? Well, because some tall mother fucker with curly red hair and freckles looked about ready to roast his sorry ass if some dude named 'Roarke' didn't show up in the next thirty seconds. He couldn't move his hand the inches to his pocket, the fervent buzzing setting off all sorts of alarms in his head. Mother fucker of all fucking times?! He was getting frustrated? He was DEFINITELY getting frustrated. And he knew it. The whole fucking time. It was bound to happen. Gather a bunch of world leaders together for a show, and OH YEAH PSYCHO MURDERER LOOSE. Totally happened. ALL THE TIME. Lady luck handed him the slots, but hell if she was going to cut him a break when it came to BLOWING THINGS UP. Oh right, AND PEOPLE DYING. Couldn't forget that part. Hey, it was best part! Spade was livid, his bright green eyes were practically swimming with the Dragon's Pulse, ready to tear that dipshit body guard's head off if another thirty seconds dared pass before said 'Roarke' showed up. They were practically down each other's throats. FINE, you know, LET the mother fuckin' rocket explode and kill thousands of people. IT'S COO' YO. No problems here. Just need to, you know, make a new cemetery TO FIT THEM ALL. Yeah, if you couldn't tell. His phone was still buzzing by the time Spade was able to snap himself out of his moment of insurmountable rage. Short-lived, but explosive. LIKE THEIR SHIP WILL BE IF THEY DON'T FUCKING--

"Let's go." What was that garbled attempt at language? It sounded more like 'RAGHAYYGHH!!!' Spade allowed them to cart him in the direction of the front of the red-colored hunk of metal wherein

"Motherofchrist don't Creigs come in small sizes?!"

“They say you were trying to get in. I'd like an explanation; a good one. Because I'm in the mood to rip intruders to bits.”

Spade rolled his eyes. For fuck's sake. "First off, do I seem like I'm Cretan to you? Look, buddy, I want to be your friend, I really do, but I seriously don't have time to mess around here. That ship there," point, "has a bomb in it. YES A BOMB. I am Lieutenant General Spade Aeries of THIS city and there's no fucking way I'm letting your toy kill my citizens, uh uh. So move aside or I'll plow you over." It was good to know he could still sound menacing in Cretan; it was ages since he had last had a practice partner. Partner. Cretan. His mind immediately delved into the refuse of Markus Samaris. With the ferris wheel beaming off in the distance behind them and cheerful music as the backdrop for Spade's showdown with Roarke, it was all rather...platonic. In that, history was about to repeat itself. Orrrrr he was getting a ride up to eye level with a vicious beast that looked about ready for supper. Spade's eyes were deadlocked on the chimera's. He didn't flinch.

"Show some respect, asshole."

"This is how you show yours?" Spade's feet hit the ground hard from the height and he immediately took off in the direction of the spaceship, but seriously it would be like finding a-- Alright that was an overused adage. He'd find the fucker or die trying. No more of that on his shoulders. He'd had enough. Being here in general was grating on his nerves. Somewhere, he wondered if he'd ever be happy again after this--if Kamogaya would slip away only to reemerge later and plant some more fun headlines in his life. There was a catch, and in all of Spade's detail-infested mind he could not come up with the reason why the bastard texted him the answer. It was like laying the hand, starting with the ace of spades. He grit his teeth hard together, fanning away wires and all sorts of shit in the dash.

"WOAH what do you think you're doing?" Oh great. Another obstacle. This just wasn't his day, was it? Hell, it never fucking was.

"Dismantling a bomb, what else? I enjoy cutting life-or-death wires on my off-days." He shoved his sunglasses on top of his head, lifting his hair out of his eyes since he didn't really have something to tie it with on hand.

"Really, 'cause I would've sworn you just cut the configuration line five of the generator." Smart ass.

"Oh is that so? What a shame. Have duct tape?"

"YOU ARE NOT FUNNY. You know, just in case you actually thought you were. In fact, you're sabotaging this entire project now get the fuck off my ship before I light you on fire."

"Would you like to light the city on fire too?" Spade retorted back without turning his head.

"N-no...WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT you are making NO sense."

"ARRGH okay fine, clearly you don't speak Cretan, huh. There's a bomb on board and I'm removing it, so if you could kindly...get out of the way we won't have to worry about fires starting." Even though Spade did have a knack for those unfortunate events... At any length, with trouble now in the distance, Spade proceeded with his bomb-removal methods he learned while on the force. Man, those skills came in handy often. While he was glad, he also really didn't want to be the one to accidentally trip a wire and end up exploding the entire festival. What? Could happen. Even without the detonator handy. The ex-playboy shook his head. Couldn't think like that. Focus...focus!! With the voicemail long out of his thoughts, Spade managed to sever a few chords that he was only 70% sure belonged to some complicated device hooked up to whatever that thing was called. He really was at a loss, but at least he had found its location. Yet somehow, he didn't feel as though he had saved the day. (That, and it was still enabled). How was he supposed to remove the thing without damaging the entire engine and 'sabotaging their entire project' as that hothead Ishvallan had accused? He rubbed his scruff and rolled his eyes skyward, thudding down from the cockpit with a bunch of dead wires in hand. He checked his watch: there's was only thirty minutes until take-off. Well, this would be a problem.

"Got it!" Spade declared, following up with a melancholy mutter, "...save for the fact that it's still there, activated and ready to kill us all..." Nothing too much to worry about.

“Of course it LOOKS fine." What, was this some sort of camouflage test?! Toss clenched his fist and opened his mouth to demand if the chimera thought he was stupid. (Which actually wouldn't come as a big surprise. Surprisingly, it seemed a lot of people thought that way. Keyword: thought. He had his shining moments like the rest. Just not...a lot, you know? He deserved more attention actually. It wasn't fair always being in the background and all. It made him angry, you know?) "The guy I saw leaving had white hair and was not one of us. If he did something it could be in the engine, Toss. That's why I sent Kenny for you and Dunstan. New inspection.”

"Wait, whhhhaaattt?" Red eyes widened in sheer horror. He ate his words. NOT ONE OF THEM? ENGINE? OH MY. He writhed at the thought that someone else tampered let alone touched his precious space ship. Away his eyes drew, locked on The Fallacy as if to hold her there in stasis. PAUSE EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW. He was strangely quiet after his fairly subdued outburst (by Toss standards). Listening, watching, observing, he wasn't himself, no; he was on overdrive: the calm before the storm. His attention gathered; the Ishvallan slowly shifted to look at the newcomer and two guards in tow. Half-caring, he caught the tail-end, which just so happened to be the important part. Save for the fact it was in some other weirdo language. Glorious.

"Kritewiu yuibo ewoiurq verggflurgg sajkey. Defaska ship djaase, maeuwry turp. REGWHUJ NARFASK DJ. Vouer eiud ssjaja hhh General Spade Aeries markamarkaluey IOFUUU city weur ksjdf43 nid fucking aguew kewal wiity sauiew toy kill srrrhjkarr larrjlooll, uh uh. Koeir kashkase jadge siodfy weklyn."

"TOY!?" AJDKEWHRJFI34HEFIUUUUU3$@!!!1 From what he could understand, that oriental surfer dude with the long hair and shades in the Amestrian Military just called The Fallacy a--a toy!? Something about it killing--what? Was this fool... a lunatic?!

"Fluergge tuyeeed defrrerferre fasyu, asshole." That's more like it.

"Jdhjfkds iewhriwhrui34fjkdsnfma dsjgfjas?" Got nothin'.

"Hold on. What. Some guy with white hair got in, not this guy? And this is for sure? You saw him? What's this guy goin' on about? How the HELL did this bastard get through you guys?!" Without waiting for answers and without receiving any attention whatsoever, Toss drifted after Sputnik or whatever he had said his name was. The man started rooting through precious wires with. a. pocket. knife. Toss froze upon immediate discovery. WHAT WAS ROARKE DOING?! "WOAH what do you think yer doing?"

"Dismantling a bomb, what else? I enjoy cutting life-or-death wires on my off-days." Who was this retard!? Toss was about to tear his face off and feed it to small children in Esparia if this kept up. Carrying on about bombs and all, who made jokes like that!?

"Really, 'cause I would've sworn you just cut the configuration line five of the generator."

"Oh is that so? What a shame. Have duct tape?" That was it.

"YOU ARE NOT FUNNY. You know, just in case you actually thought you were. In fact, you're sabotaging this entire project now get the fuck off my ship before I light you on fire."

"Would you like to light the city on fire too?"

"N-no...WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT you are making NO sense."

"ARRGH okay fine, clearly you don't speak Cretan, huh. There's a bomb on board and I'm removing it, so if you could kindly...get out of the way we won't have to worry about fires starting."

"..." He didn't know what to say. Instead of reacting, Toss turned silently away with his back to the General in muted bewilderment. Was he just... He was just... His feet padded through the dead winter grass back in the direction of Roarke and Molly. "I'm calling Gavin," he muttered forlornly. Ring...ring... "There's a bomb," he blurted, "someone got through security. An Amestrian is removing it now." Silence. "We're still going to go through with it, right?"

In the distance: "Got it!"

Beside him Kenny was elated: "Excellent! You should go thank him, Toss!"

Toss pulled the phone away from his ear for 0.5 seconds. "I'm not talking to that guy."


[Sorry for the repeats! There was no way to do it without combining characters into one post.]

Oh god. OH GOD! She touched him. His body stiffened. Feeling slipped over his fingers and he couldn't breathe. This was not a good feeling. Feeling was what he avoided and it was as if she was TRYING to get something from him. Well too bad for her, he wasn't going to back down. Okay, so he could handle this, he had enough in him to tough out this little shindig. Or he would die trying. At least she knew he wasn't asking her out. that would be so awkward to explain. 'Didn't want you, just wanted to buy you coffee.' Why did he bother? Socializing was not his forte and it would probably NEVER be, not that he cared. His best friend was probably the only person who understood that.

"Ooo! A shooting range! Hey, Aaron, do you want to play a game with me?" Well hopefully he wouldn't make too much of a fool of himself through trying to shoot a toy gun. He shrugged his shoulders in response and muttered "Sure". Not like he had anything better to do, not like he WANTED to do anything else. Really, he didn't care about going, but it required more social skills, which Aaron severely lacked in. Then again, while shooting a gun, he could focus on that, instead. A good idea, he liked it.

The money was shoved into his pocket and his whole posture went back to slightly slumped. Not that he was just like that, but because he was oddly, extremely uncomfortable with being in public. Wait- no- that was normal or him. After a second, he checked his phone to see if he had any messages. Nope. He wasn't missed. There were no last-minute escapes for him. He nodded to her, rubbed his shoulder and looked around. "Lead the way, I'll be right behind you." And he would. Dammit, why couldn't he be a liar and just sneak away like a person with common-fucking-sense!?

"Hey Lian, how are you holding up?" His words started to come and go. It was Wei, from what she could tell. Her ears were burning and soon her stomach was on fire. That wasn't good. From her medical experience, usually things like that meant she was sick and the weakness in her body didn't help. She couldn't even make a smile with all her energy pumping into just keeping her legs strong, but even that was running out. "I'm fine- I think- Oh no- I don't." Sentences couldn't be formed, only stuttered starts and broken pieces.

Something.. wasn't right. there was something in the very air that was almost sickening Lian. If evil could manifest into something toxic, she could feel it. She couldn't breathe, her vision was coming and going. That- wasn't good. Had she been attacked? Was there some sort of airborn- Her stomach made a weird noise in her ear. Or she ate something wrong? Or was it something off of anything she knew? Actually, she didn't know anything more than the fact she her knees were buckling. Next thing she knew, she was on the ground. She couldn't breathe, well not well at least.

A shaky breath came from her, as she hugged her body tense against itself. "I can't- I need to go." She said, when she finally managed something understandable. She could feel herself losing consciousness with a vicious nausea.