A/N: Thank you guys so much for the 100+ reviews. I totally disused your trust when I didn't update sooner like I promised, instead I'm updating like three weeks later. I could blame D. Gray-man but that would mean blaming Lavi. And I don't want to blame Lavi. :P

So if you've kept up with my outrageous profile updates, you'll notice I've recently gotten into D. Gray-man. And no…this is no phase. To add to that pile, I haven't seen ANY good Lavi x OC. In fact, I haven't read one at all. So it's my duty to create one of my own…got it?

The thing is I have too (two) many stories I need to finish. So…I will suffocate myself and finish the stories I have sworn I would complete.

Just a note, this fanfic may be like 20-30 chapters. Rough estimate. Maybe more. Who knows? Truly sorry for updating late.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or FMAB. Nor do I own the lyrics to "Again" by Yui. I own only my trusty Garchomp, Anraku. It's actually a girl! And girls rock.

Rapacious

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I'll even welcome enemies and allies…

So I can open the next door. |

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Chapter 11

Desperate Measures

A dark-haired man strolled through the washroom, self-consciously stroking his chin. It felt rough, as if there were traces of stubble. That meant that Roy had spent enough time digging, and should have spent more time lazing off. But because of the loss of his friend, he felt that the dark circles and facial hair were enough payment.

But still, he really needed to shave.

After grooming himself and leaving nice baby-soft skin, the self-indulged Colonel tiredly walked into his office in Central, covering a yawn as he pushed the door open with only one lazy eye open.

As soon as he did, that one eye was met with two, familiar stoic ones, "Colonel."

"Hawkeye. Were you waiting for me?" Another joke, like all of the other times.

And she returned that annoyed face, hidden behind a mask of apathy along with a change of topic. Just like all of the other times, "Someone's here to see you."

At first Roy lifted his head, anticipating just who might want to meet with him. That was before he quickly, mentally scanned through a list of possible candidate(s).

"If it's Fullmetal, tell him I'm busy—"

"It's not, Sir. He's a representative body from the Fϋhrer himself."

The Colonel stood fast, blinking with a bewildered face before acknowledging what his First Lieutenant just said, "…The Fϋhrer?"

Roy stepped into his room, noticing everyone in his squad (Breda, Fuery, Havoc, and nameless faces) seated formally, saluting. As Hawkeye stepped to the side to allow Roy to meet this mysterious military man, he mentally noted to ask those idiots why the hell they didn't act like this when it was just him around.

Just as the superior officer glared at each of his sweating subordinates, a male voice gathered his full attention.

"This is the first time we've met, Colonel Mustang. As you've might've known, I'm here on behalf of the Fϋhrer."

Roy quietly eyed him before responding. A man slightly younger than him, with hazel eyes and messy black hair that bangs parted at the right looked quite flustered, standing before him as he offered his hand to shake.

Roy raised an eyebrow. What was this? What was the meaning of sending this kid to meet him? Roy blinked.

Was he a spy?

"It's nice to meet you. What can I call you?" Roy glanced at the soldier's shoulder, where his rank read "Second Lieutenant". [1]

The black-haired man looked away from Roy, face displaying some form of worry. As his hazel eyes traced back to the periodical, he muttered, "I'm Cain. Cain Ashford. I transferred from Dublith."

From first impressions, this boy looked like he couldn't even handle a gun the way he was speaking so timidly to Roy. The older man frowned, trying to cover up laughter at how pitiful of an excuse this "spy" was, "…Um. Okay. So what did you need…Lt. Cain?"

"I honestly don't know. The Fϋhrer arranged my dispatch from Dublith a month ago…but since then, I've only been serving as his personal guard or whatnot. He ordered me to acquaint myself with you, but I don't know the reasons."

Maybe this was what Hughes was talking about…corruption in the military. This is probably the Fϋhrer's way of keeping an eye on me.

"If you're just here to keep an eye on me, then I suppose we won't have any problems."

A lie.

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Bright, vivid orange-colored peels fell down into the alleyway. It might have been considered littering, but Catalena would have argued it was "fertilizing". She popped an orange slice in her mouth, and winced once she found it to be unimaginably sour.

She stuck her tongue out, holding the fruit out the window, "Bleh. This is disgusting. That's the last time I accept offerings from Ed."

If you want to get on his nerves some more, you can say the fruit matches his mood.

"I wouldn't put it past him. But I understand that that Hughes person was really special to him. To them all," Catalena stared at the alley out from her hotel room window, "…We haven't even spoken much lately since then."

Where are they, anyway?

"There was this one night the two of them left the hotel really late. That was the same day we heard that huge explosion. I think maybe something big happened without us noticing."

Shame. It's all your fault, you damn hermit.

The human scoffed, dropping some more peels into the alleyway and watching them crash into an old puddle, "How is it my fault? Do you really want to get involved with the military again? You damn delinquent."

Just because you don't want a life doesn't mean everyone else doesn't.

"Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with me? I'll get rid of you right now, Zeal, really, I will."

Please. If getting rid of me were that easy, you would have done it a long time ago back in Dublith.

"…"

Ouch, I see I hit a nerve. I thought you were past all of that.

Catalena stared at the windowsill through the slits of her fingers. "It doesn't make it any easier to think about. If there was just one survivor, I think it would make living easier. Because right now, I don't know what I'm fighting for."

Maybe you should just hand over your body completely…I'll find us something to do.

"You always say that," the human forcefully tossed the fruit in some random direction, scowling, "But you and I both know you're lost too."

Before Zeal could find anything to say back at the human, the both of them heard scratching noises against concrete. Catalena tensed up, glancing around for any explanation.

Don't tell me Al brought another cat home.

Catalena stared out the window, completely stoic as she answered, "It's not a cat…it's…"

A quiet whimper reached her ears. It was slightly nostalgic, and the human-based homunculus immediately crawled out onto the windowsill, leaning half of her body on the outside.

W-wait, Cat, this isn't the way to go! I take back everything I said, just don't jump—

"Shut up, idiot. That thing on the wall…could it be…"

A stout, gray figure hidden beneath a scrappy looking cloak was seated against one of the walls of the alleyway, way below Catalena. He must've been scaling the walls and was struck forcefully down when she tossed the orange.

"Is that…Bido?"

Bido…hey. Ain't that one of your friends from—HOLY—

Without warning, Catalena jumped from her position at the window, landing squarely on the ground before the human chimera, which was rubbing his scaly head. The action almost gave Zeal a heart attack. Meanwhile, she might have spotted tears in Bido's eyes, but she didn't care, "Bido! Is that you?"

Once his name was called, the tiny animalistic-being opened his large, watery eyes, "…Miss Artenie! You have no idea how happy I am to see a friendly face like yours!"

I wish I were in control right now. Then he wouldn't be so happy.

Catalena knelt down in front of the lizard, almost having the urge to hug him. That was before her face cringed and she pinched her nose, "…Say…you kind of stink. Have you taken a bath lately?"

Bido hopped up on his feet, discretely sniffing himself, "…Um…if I said no to that, what would you do?"

Catalena smiled, however crunched up her face was, she found the strength to un-pinch her nose and pat his head lovingly, "I'd pat your head."

At the warm touch, the lizard chimera laughed rather creepily, but then he looked up at her, "What happened to the other homunculus? Where's Zeal?"

"Unfortunately, she's still here. But ever since Dublith, she's been handing me control of my body."

Out of the few fragments of good I have.

"Really…that's great."

The human tilted her head to the side, wanting to question Bido about the incident, "…Do you know anything about Dublith? I didn't exactly see Greed drop dead for myself."

At the fatal question, Bido fidgeted with his fingers, looking away from Catalena. That made the female much more curious and flustered. Her calm, friendly nature was replaced with a worried, hasty one.

"Bido? Where is Greed? Is he alive? Do you know where he is?"

"Ummm, I didn't really want to tell you, because I knew you'd search for him, Miss Artenie."

Catalena suddenly looked utterly vicious despite displaying no emotion on her serious face, "Bido…"

Fear out threw him, "Um! I saw the one with the eyepatch take Greed's body out of the pub! He said something about 'sending him to meet his Father' so I think he's still alive!"

The blank look on her face was replaced with raw, uncontained emotion. Her red irises widened. She felt her heart and hopes rise. A month of lingering around and following Edward mindlessly, and she was finally offered an alternative in fixing her past.

She could get Greed back…

"I've been looking for him myself, but I haven't had any luck…"

Catalena's open mouth closed, revealing a smile, "…That's okay, Bido. I really can't thank you enough for this information. To tell you the truth, I've had a lot of time on my hands lately."

He opened his mouth in protest, "I've been looking everywhere for you! It took me two weeks to realize you left Dublith!"

That's because. You, sir, are a dumbass.

She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, trying to calm her friend down, "I've been following that armored boy around. It's better than sitting in Dublith alone, sulking."

"Maybe, but I would have found you sooner, and initially, we might have found Greed already."

Catalena secretly wished Bido hadn't mentioned Greed again. She couldn't sustain her glee in just hearing that he was probably still alive. Getting everyone else back from Dublith was impossible, but having Greed back was enough for her. She didn't know about Cain and if he was alive, but she thought it easy to find that out since he was part of the military. She just didn't really care about her former childhood friend.

"…Do you have any leads?"

"All I know is he's connected to the Fϋhrer somehow, since he was the last person he was with."

The female immediately lunged for the human chimera, wrapping him in her arms and just hugging him for a few tantalizing moments, "…Thank you Bido. You're one of my few, trusted friends." After which, she released the now red lizard, and smiled at him, "…You might be the only."

Bleh. Take a shower after this, would you?

He rubbed his cheek, the blush still occupying his gray, scaly face. After a minute of uncomfortable gazing, Bido exclaimed, "No problem! I'm going to disappear for a while to look into Greed's whereabouts. If I find anything, I'll be sure to come back here!"

Her smiling expression hardened.

"Be sure you do. I'll look into it myself."

With that, Bido pulled his hood over his head, standing up on two clawed feet and scuffling to the end of the alleyway. He paused once he got there, and looked back at Catalena, smiling.

"Goodbye Miss Artenie! I hope one of us finds Greed in the end."

She smirked at the creature, "It'll be me. I'm sure of it."

Bido made a puzzled face, as if he wasn't so sure about that. After one final wave, the human chimera disappeared into the light, and Catalena prayed for his well-being. She couldn't pretend he was her child anymore and shield him from the cops.

Catalena then made her way back into the hotel, the whole time remaining silent and pondering about just where she could find her lost friend, Greed. Zeal had kept quiet the entire time, and Catalena could only wonder why. She inquired the homunculus,

"What's wrong Zeal? Not happy to see Greed again?"

Told you I didn't like him.

Catalena smiled softly to herself, becoming reminded of the childish side of Zeal, "Can you be happy for me for once? It may be selfish, but having Greed back is greater in comparison than having my body back."

In my defense, just having your body is enough for me.

The female stopped in front of her hotel room, hand fitted on the knob. It reminded her of when she was standing in front of Warner's door. At that point, she was unaware that that door opened many other doors. She stared at her dress shoes that nudged the bottom of the entrace.

"…Zeal. I may like you…and I may owe my life to you…but having Greed back could be the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I need some light in my life, Zeal. Ever since Dublith, I've never been able to see things the same way."

…

"Remember when you called yourself an ass? It's my turn, now. In case you didn't know, all of this happened because of you. What more do you want to leech off of my life, Zeal? I've given you everything."

…

Catalena stared at the brown color of the door, holding the knob tightly as she eagerly awaited Zeal's response. She did need Zeal. She needed Zeal to fix the problem the homunculus herself made.

…Okay. I'll help you find your boyfriend, Cat.

Utterly satisfied to no ends at the homunculus' response, Catalena exhaled a sigh, smiling and twisting the knob. They'd open the next door together; this time, not as two separate beings, but as one, mutual person.

"…Thank you, Zeal."

…Just remember. I don't like sharing you. I plan on keeping this body as my own forever.

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After speaking to Winry about how long his body would last him, the giant armored boy attempted to seclude himself in his hotel room. Closing Winry's door behind him as he left her to sleep, Alphonse cautiously glanced at Catalena's door and Edward's door.

Staring at the surface of his brother's door, Alphonse open-mindedly sighed, "Hm…I wonder when brother's coming back from Resembol."

After shaking his head once, the armored boy turned the handle of his own door, opening it and then hunching over to fit through the frame. Upon entering though, Alphonse found that he was not alone.

A window was wide open, the curtains welcoming the humid, night breeze into his room. On his bed were two visitors, one who had distinct squinty eyes and the other a seemingly permanent scowl on her face.

The smiling eyes one noticed the hulking mass enter the room, and raised his hand in salutation, "Oh, hello, Al! How have you been, buddy?"

"…" Came the silent reaction of the second party member. The familiar red eyes only stared deep within Alphonse's hollow armor, screaming 'help'.

Alphonse slowly closed the door behind him, antagonized and confused as to how and why those two snuck into his room. Okay, so he wasn't that antagonized. But the reasoning behind it all couldn't be pleasant.

"Ling? Catalena? What are you two doing here? And Ling, where've you been?"

"In case you've forgotten, I was recently arrested for being an illegal immigrant…but it's okay now, since I broke out."

"W-wait…you broke out of Central Prison?"

"Oh yeah~ It wasn't that hard! There was this absolute maniac already parading through the place so I thought I tag along," Ling explained with a smile on his face before continuing, "His name was Barry. And he's just like you, Alphonse."

The boy stood in place in front of the door, considering the thought. Then he quickly remembered that Barry was a soul bonded to a suit of armor, just like him, "…Oh, I see. You're wondering about the whole 'soul binding' thing. You sound like someone else I've met before."

Catalena, opposite from the springy Xingese prince, surprisingly did not harbor a frown on her part. Instead, she disdainfully grimaced towards Ling's direction as he cheerfully replied, "Really? I must meet this person."

"He sounds like a swell guy," Catalena had added, shutting her eyes and smirking to herself. Alphonse eyed her suspiciously. Normally she would face palm or look away. Maybe even leave the room. Had she a change of heart after meeting Elicia and spending weeks inside her room?

Maybe she had finally seen the reality.

"So, um…" Alphonse started, looking towards the bewildered prince, "…Why is Cat here? Did you want to speak to me or something?"

The only female in the room opened her mouth to speak, but the other one blurted out happily, "Oh, I saw a mouse in your room! So I got a cat! Meow~" Ling curled his hands like paws and gestured towards Catalena.

"…"

"…But aside dead mice, there's something I wanted to ask you, Alphonse," Ling stated matter-of-factly, smile deflating.

"…Can I guess what it is?"

Before Ling could speak up, Catalena waved her hand from her seat, voicing aloud, "Let me guess, it's something like 'How'd you get your body!' or something else ambitious like that. Am I right?" She gave Ling a scrutinizing look.

He looked daft, "…Actually, that's pretty much it. Wow! How'd you know?"

Glancing between the two, Alphonse thought it best to just crush Ling's dreams while they were still stable instead of inflating them to the point of spontaneous eruption, "Erm, unfortunately you'll have to ask Ed. He was the one to bind me to this body."

"Are you serious? Come on, that's no fair! Barry promised me that…"

"I'm telling the truth, Ling. But brother won't be back from Resembol for a while. You're going to have to be patient and wait."

The spoiled prince pursed his lips and frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. For a split moment, Alphonse swore he saw a dark, masked figure looming over the window. It was probably Lan Fan, but now wasn't the time to assume things.

Spreading one of her arms across the couch, Catalena mentioned to the youngest person in the room, "…So, Alphonse…since you're in a giving mood, can I ask for a favor?"

The suit of armor only stood there, twiddling his thumbs. This was the first time Catalena ever requested something. Truth to be told, he had never really gotten to know her. Aside from the fact that she may have had a soft spot for children…

"…What is it?"

"Recently, I have heard of a man called Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. He was the best friend of Elicia's father, correct?"

"…Yes. What of it?"

Catalena looked painful for a split second, glancing from the glowing red of Alphonse's eyes to the slanted ones of Ling Yao's, "…There's no doubt he would want to avenge his friend's death. Have you thought about that before?"

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Roy pulled his ignition gloves off, slapping them into his pocket while at the same time pulling his seatbelt on. Looking out of the vehicle's window to notice the day dying out, he turned his attention to the driver's seat, "Hawkeye, step on it. Follow that lunatic."

The blonde woman gripped the steering wheel, putting slight pressure on the foot pedal. Hearing Havoc pull out a cigarette and begin to light it, Riza bent over from the driver's seat, glaring at him, "No smoking in the car."

Jean bit the butt of his cigarette in quiet remorse as he threw the newly lit fag out the open window. After doing so and noticing Riza's intense gaze on him, he protested, "Well what are you staring at me for? We've got a killer to catch!"

The blonde First Lieutenant turned back forward, her eyes blinking to adjust to the light that flared against her window shield. Roy also had to shield himself from the light, becoming noticeably irritated, "Get us out of this damn light, Lieutenant."

Trying to gain sight through squinted eyes, the woman obediently affirmed, "Yes sir."

That is until a large shadow suddenly appeared over them, wiping the rays of the setting sun clear from their faces. Roy had yet to open his eyes, instead rubbing them and thanking Riza, "Good job, Hawkeye. Now let's—what the. Alphonse?"

Standing in front of the small car, the armored boy poked his head through Jean's open window; a brown-haired woman accompanied him. She looked very normal, despite the odd red eyes, "Are you searching for Mr. Hughes' murderer?"

The three adults inside the car studied Alphonse carefully before Roy replied, "…Yeah. You in?"

It was surprising he would offer the boy, much less even allow him to accompany him. But even Roy understood the connection Maes developed between those two boys. That very connection was the reason why he died, but he wouldn't have died in vain after they finished this.

Jean scooted over, allowing Alphonse to huddle in and take over the entire back seat. Catalena stood beside the car, raising a very distraught eyebrow. Roy and Riza also stared at her, although Jean couldn't because he was sandwiched against the window.

It was a good thing he couldn't.

"…Alphonse. Who is this?" The Colonel asked, locking his door.

"That's Catalena. She needs to come with us; she'll be a lot of help."

"I don't know, Al. She looks pretty useless."

Hawkeye secretly glared at her superior officer. After which she unlocked his car door from her end, looking at the woman from her window, "Get in."

…

They passed Barry along the way; in fact, they were speeding along the empty streets with him. The feral-infused used-to-be Barry's body hopped along the rooftops, and they were powerless to engage him. Along the way, the five people inside the vehicle began talking about the most unimaginable things.

"Do you think we're going to see anymore of that thing back at the tower?" Riza asked the dead silence within the vehicle, mostly towards Roy Mustang, who had saved her from the blubbery beast.

"I doubt it. I burned him to a crisp. No human could survive that."

"Wait. What are you talking about? Did you guys fight someone weird?" From behind the back seat of the bulging vehicle, Alphonse asked two of the three in the front seat.

Catalena was on the left, Riza was on the right, and Roy was sandwiched smack in the middle, feeling uncomfortably small as his subordinate replied, "Someone weird? …There was this large man I encountered while covering Havoc and Barry. He brushed off numerous sniper shots to the head like it was nothing."

Hearing the words of the trio, Catalena, who was leaning her head against the window with her eyes closed, opened one of them.

"Did he have a tattoo anywhere on his body?"

The woman stared at the handle of the steering wheel, imagining the scene of the round being lifting her up by her neck as she desperately fired gunshots into his cranium. He opened his mouth wide as if to swallow her whole, revealing an odd imprint on the surface of his tongue.

"…Come to think of it, he did have a tattoo. On his tongue."

Staring through the clear glass of the window, Catalena murmured loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Then you're probably fighting against a homunculus."

Roy squirmed around, meeting the back of Catalena's head, "…Wait, a homunculus? Are you saying that…"

She heard a rasping sound from the back of his throat and craned her neck to face him.

"…I reduced fatty back there to a bubbling puddle. You're saying he's still alive?"

The brunette lowered her hand, lessening the bored expression she was portraying, "…Yes. Very much alive, in fact."

They turned a corner, and the last bits of the sunlight began to disappear. Barry still sprinted beside the car, not getting tired despite having only a single arm. Maybe this was why the invention of having an armored body was appealing to Greed and Ling.

"…So Miss Artenie, is there any story to why a stranger like you would know about a homunculus? And if so, why is this sob story imploring you to help us?"

Catalena fingered her lip, thinking it over for a while. After figuring a valid response, she smiled at the military officer, "Let's just say we'll both gain something from this. I may have an idea as to who would've wanted your friend dead."

Her words reached all of them slowly; even the smothered Jean Havoc temporarily regained consciousness. She spoke with such seriousness and certainty Roy began to wonder just who she was. And what did she want?

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"It looks like my body went inside that building there," Barry proposed in a singsong voice. He spoke to five other people who were also creeping along a corner as they spotted a pair of guards in front of the brightly lit building.

"Body, body, body. I'm getting tired of hearing that word, " a feminine voice grumbled, obviously irritated. Or maybe she was just tired; after all she was stuck inside a room for a few weeks.

"That's the 3rd Laboratory. Unlike the 5th, it's active and in use. Usually it's heavily guarded, because Central Command keeps some classified stuff in there."

"Like human chimeras…" A metallic voice whispered.

"No, not that classified. The chimeras were all created in the 5th Laboratory, but that place is ash now."

"Colonel, I think we need to retreat. We have all the information we need," another female voice stated in the dead of night.

"Yeah, now we know the baddies' hideout is in the 3rd. We should come up with a plan before—" Jean's proposition was cut off by a heavy, armored being knocking him away from the wall as that said being stormed through the walkway towards the Laboratory, swinging one of his meat cleavers.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting my body get away! This is my chance and I'm not letting it go!" Soon Barry was face-to-face with the two guards, and all he had to do was shove his cleaver in their faces to get through, "Out of my way! I don't want to cut any of you!"

His insane rants struck terror and confusion into the guards and scientists he shoved past.

"Barry!" Jean, sprawled out on the ground, cried out. He hoisted himself up and looked at Roy for help, "What are we going to do now, Colonel?"

The black-haired man stepped out from the corner, pulling a pistol from its holster. He lowered the gun and motioned towards the laboratory, "This is our chance to take a look. Come on!"

Quickly the five remaining people caught on and followed the older man inside the building. The whole time they ran through the bustling white hallways, Roy shouted something about 'important business' and 'arresting a killer'.

Once they proceeded into a lower level and were face with two separate hallways, Roy proposed,

"Let's split up. Jean, come with me. Everyone else, go the other way." He calmly gave a notion to Hawkeye, which would have seemed like a normal nod to normal eyes. But to Catalena, she had been given that reassuring nod before.

It secretly meant be careful.

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She followed after Alphonse and Hawkeye through the dark corridors, even though she—Zeal would have been the best fighter amongst them all. Red eyes stared at the pinned up hair of Hawkeye.

The problem was having someone like her knowing that she was a homunculus. How would they treat her afterwards? It's clear that they'd seen the horrors homunculi are. Though some feeling inside of her was reassured somehow that another homunculus besides Greed lingered somewhere within Central.

Who knows, maybe she'd find him later and interrogate him.

"Ah…" the woman gasped as soon as bright light blinded the trio's eyes. After they'd adjusted, a vast, infinitely white room was shown to them. The only flaws in the canvas were a colorful door and two bodies in front of it.

"Barry!" Alphonse hollered, and that cued for the newly arrived trio to run into the room and gape at the scene.

The true Barry stood over his mangled, stinky body. He shook his head, and voiced, "Poor thing never had a chance. I guess a body can't survive without the right soul inside of it."

"…"

Catalena quickly looked at Alphonse, who wasn't taking the words Barry voiced well. She had never met this Barry person before, but it would appear that he was just like Alphonse. And the scientists who did this to him put the soul of an animal inside his real body. That of which could not survive because the body and soul could not synchronize.

That resulted in a stinky mound of flesh and bone. And flies.

Riza still had her gun lowered, and stayed quiet and alert while everyone else might have done silent prayers. They probably didn't, but she still kept an eye on the door. Riza, however, did pray that Roy was fine. He may have been a Colonel and an experienced alchemist, but sometimes he wasn't that bright and unbelievably reckless.

The hawk's eyes seemed to penetrate the darkness that filled the corridors they had just left, but they failed to discern the human figure that melted with the shady color.

"…Colonel? Is that you?" Riza raised her pistol and aimed it at the midst of the black.

Alphonse, Barry, and Catalena also noticed Riza's quick movement, and focused their vision the respectable way. Barry was the only one who knew right from the start what was stepping foot in the room of white.

A silhouette wrapped in black…a rustic red tattoo of a serpent devouring its own tail…

Catalena's red eyes widened, and the homunculus blood inside of her boiled.

She'd know the feeling when she'd come face to face with another homunculus.

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[1] – Yes, that means Cain was promoted from Sergeant Major.

A/N: I have to say, there was quite a lot of foreboding in this chapter. Really…there was.

I always wondered these things about my OCs…who do I think is the prettiest? Who's the strongest? Who can stay sober longest? Etcetera, etcetera. Well today, friends, I shall answer these questions for both you and I.

Question 1. What would you describe your OCs as? (Cute, sexy, tomboyish)

I honestly think Sofia Landt is the most gorgeous of all my OCs. Not that I think any of my OCs are insanely beautiful, but she'd fit that mark. (Sofia Landt is my -man OC)

Zhen Ji is for sure the cutest, and also has the most unique design.

Catalena/Zeal is kinda just there. She's pretty and I guess can act 'sexy' in her own way. Elicia did think she was a guy…

Question 2. Who can stomach the most alcohol?

Zhen Ji is the most tolerant, Catalena has an average tolerance level, and Sofia Landt can't stomach any of it. Zeal is a scene kid. She acts like she's done everything, yet she hasn't ever had a drop of alcohol. Her tolerance level is unknown.

Question 3. Who's the strongest?

Catalena/Zeal is obviously the strongest. But when Zeal isn't a part of Cat's body, Zhen is the strongest. Sofia's an exorcist ( -man term) but she isn't as acrobatic or flexible as Zhen, so. Catalena is actually the most human and normal out of them all. She doesn't have any fighting ability, except her brain and quick wits. Oh and amateur alchemy.

Question 4. Who's the smartest?

It goes in this order: Catalena, Sofia, Zhen. Zhen's not very educated. She was raised as a puppet/bodyguard.

Question 5. What do they think of love?

Sofia is too innocent and religious so she would be totally inexperienced in the matter. Zhen would be a little flustered at first and surprised but would soften up to that person in time. Catalena just has trouble expressing her feelings, so it takes a very persistent person to coax her out of her shell.

A/N: Aaaand that's it. For now. If you have any questions let me know. Also, I don't think I'm going to do that Pride x OC thing. In truth, Sofia Landt was supposed to be the heroine for that story, and I did have some cute things I wanted to write…but I don't really have the drive.

To sum things up, thank you for staying with me this far. It means a lot. Really. I haven't given up on you guys or this story.

Oh and...NOW you can review. :)