Returning Memories

[Soul Hollow]

Soulless Hollow, or just Soul, wasn't your average homunculus. He was a misfit even among his own kind. His black and white hair and purple and blue eyes were different from everyone else. He didn't remember when he was human, or even if he was human. All he knew about his existence was that a team of doctors did countless of tests and experiments on him, and they then just abandoned him. Left him on his own to fend for himself.
Creta was a cruel place, dominated by war-obsessed tyrants and power-hungry alchemists/homunculi. So Soul left his birthplace behind, and ran off to Amestris. Of course, he wasn't welcomed there either. There were hardly any homunculi where he went, and the humans and few chimera he ran into shunned him, too. So he was all alone.
But at least he found a hobby to take up the time during his lonely days.
"Hey!" one man screamed as a pea shot out of nowhere. Soul covered his mouth, giggling. He was hiding between a pillar and a trash can, holding a straw in his hand. Next to his kneeing legs was a bag of peas. Reaching into the bag, he grabbed another, sticking it into the straw, and prepared for the next launch.
POOF!
This time the pea hit a blond woman's butt, causing her to shriek hard and loud. Soul ducked down, covering his mouth and biting his tongue to stop the rising laughter in his throat. The woman turned around, he noticed, and, frowning, slapped the guy walking behind her. He just blinked at the slap, too stunned to say anything. But he didn't need to, as the woman marched off with a harrumph.
A few moments later, Soul, having been caught by a local baker, who was the husband to a victim, hid on a rooftop near the local attraction, which was a giant statue sticking out of a building. But he wasn't there for sight-seeing.
More screaming and chaos occured below, but instead of being caused by shooting peas, it was brought by water-loaded balloons, which fell from a rooftop housing the imperfect homunculus. Many would look up, and some, if lucky, would see the evil doer laughing his head off at the mischief below. However, this fun, too, had to end, although it was slightly different. Soul, in his mirth, had sadly discovered he was out of balloons. And not just water balloons, balloons in general, too. Soul grudgingly had to leave his hidout and go steal some more. On his way, something . . . odd happened.
He was in the same street as before, but something was different. Blood splashed the walls of the town, bodies covering the floor. Soul's eyes widened in horror at the carnige before him burrowed deeply into his mind.
And just as quickly as it came, it was gone. The streets were now blood free, and there were living bodies moving through the streets, again, none covered in the red mess.
A tremble ran through Soul's body, and he quickly covered his mouth, his bi-colored eyes widening again. He dropped suddenly to his knees and renched. Coughing, he renched a few more time, water dripping from his eyes. He had never seen that much blood before. Flash-backs of his old memories with those doctors returned, and he renched one more time before getting up.
A human suddenly appeared by his side, asking him if he was okay.
"I'm fine," he responded and then quickly walked away. His whole body was trembling so hard that he wrapped his arms around himself. That only made his teeth chatter together.
Behind him, he heard the human's companion berating him.
"You crazy? That was a homunculus!"
"Yeah, but he looked sick..."
"They always look sick! They're freaks!"
"But he was throwing up!"
"Okay, those things aren't human! They never will be, they're monsters!"
Monster... Soul thought. I'm a monster. But he was used to being called that by humans, even by chimera. After all, they were afraid of him.
Finding his little den that he made before beginning his festa of pranks, he began to pack up. This city was starting to get on his nerves, and besides, he probably wore out his welcome here.
Not like I was welcomed before, he thought angrily.
But to Soul, he didn't care. After all, humans didn't trust him. And they never will. All he had for company was his shadow.

[Red Loki (admin)]

((OCC: once again sorry about deleting the topic before))
Jade Roosevelt, dressed in blue jeans and black tank top with fingerless gloves on her hands and black boots, sat at a small table just to the right of the overhead "Cafe" sign. She sat alone at the table an empty cup of coffee in front of her and a lit cigarette in her hand. Also on the table was a small brown portfolio. Sighing to herself, Jade took another puff of the cigarette before she turned to the portfolio.

This portfolio was very important. It had taken a long time before she had gotten her hands on this individual file. There was nothing better then the feeling of hard work paying off. Very carefully she opened the file, and it was at that moment that a loud splash erupted just to her right. The surprise in her face barley surface before it disappeared. She cursed herself for letting her guard down. The first rule of being a solder was to expect anything at any moment.

Not more then a second later and another splash occurred in front of her, caused by a falling water balloon. Anger flashed in her eyes. What idiot was throwing water balloons from the rooftops. Chaos occurred around her, but for the most part she tried to avoid it. As long as the balloons weren't being thrown at her she was fine with the situation. Still if this portfolio was wet, things could be catastrophic.

Then as soon as the balloons started they stopped. Before Jade could even take another puff of smoke a homunculus appeared in the street. It was an odd happening to see a homunculus coughing as if he was sick. Strange because as far as Jade knew, homunculus didn't get sick. At least she didn't think they did. By the time she had raised from her chair a passerby had run to the poor creature to see if it was alright.

Then as soon as the creature had existed, he disappeared behind a pillar. Jade was used to this. Ever since her arrival in Amestris, her feelings towards their citizens filled with more hatred by the day. They had no decency. None at all. Shaking her head she walked over to where the homunculus had disappeared. "Are you ok?" She asked not entering where he was hiding. She didn't want to appear threatening.

[Soul Hollow]

((OOC: And as I said before, it's okay. I make mistakes, too. No worries.))
Soul had been busy packing when Jade spoke. He was so surprised by her voice that he jumped to his feet, knocking over his things. Angrily realizing what he did, Soul started regathering his things. Irriatated, he growled in the general direction of the voice, "Whoever you are, go away. I don't want any business of you humans."
Finished with his packing, he swung one strap over a shoulder and left his hideout, walking nearly into Jade on his way out.

[Red Loki (admin)]

Jade wasn't about to move. She did not want to fight the poor thing, but she was not about to just stand there and let him talk to her like she was some Amestrin. Crossing her arms it became quite clear she had no intention of moving out of the way for the homunculus. Shaking her head she went ahead and began to scold the creature.

"That is no way to treat someone who was simply looking to see if you were ok. I don't care if your a chimera, human, homunculus or something in between, you still were originally human and just because you gave away your life doesn't mean you can stop being polite. Here I go out of my way to help you, and your so ready to judge me as one of them. Well I can tell you soldier, I am not one of them."

Jade's face went red with embarrassment as she realized she had gone into military mode so quickly. Growing up in a military household then enlisting in the military didn't help things when it came to relations with people. Perhaps that was why she was often labeled as a workaholic back in Drachma.

Trying to make up for things she spoke in a softer tone. "Look I was just trying to see if you were ok. If you want me to back off I will. Your no different then anyone else though. You are expected to act as well too."

[Soul Hollow]

Soul stiffened at the words "gave up your life." Gave up his life? He wasn't even given a choice when those doctors took from who knows where and began experimenting on him! How dare this woman--this HUMAN--tell he had willingly gave a human life he didn't even know he had!?
Jade's smoothing words didn't even touch his heart when he whirling around, his one blue eye darkening into a deep purple with the pupil stretching up into a serpent slit. [glow=red,2,300]"Gave up my humanity?"[/glow] he repeated, pointing at him, snorting as if it were a joke. [glow=red,2,300]"Listen, HUMAN, I'm not like you! I'm not like anything that's ever lived! I didn't give my humanity away like some present! I don't even know if I was human at once! In fact, I don't even know sometimes if I'm a homunculus! All I know is that you stinking humans dragged me out of God knows where, and you acted like you owned me, treated me like some caged lab rat, then threw me out in the trash when I wasn't perfect. Then the rest of your ratty race used me, tricked me, abused me, and shunned me at every chance you got. So think about that for a few seconds, then you'll start understanding why I don't even bother with you!"[/glow]
But before he could finish his rant, his head began to hurt, and his vision blurred. The alley's shape changed, once more covered in blood. But this time with the bodies were living bodies, humans beating each other to death, shouting profanities. A child cried behind him.
He suddenly couldn't take it.
[glow=red,2,300]"MAKE IT GO AWAY!"[/glow] he cried, shutting his eyes. He dropped his bag and staggered back, covering his eyes. Tears leaked past his lids as the visions haunted his mind, the cries of hatred and pain filling his ears.
He landed on his butt and curled into a ball, wishing it to all go away. His head hurt.
And like before, it was gone, freeing his mind from the torment. He cracked open an eye and saw Jade and the blood-free alley, and his abandoned backpack on the ground.

[Red Loki (admin)]

Jade was confused. She had not expected the homunculus's response. Nor did she expect the hatred behind the word human. Even if he didn't know who he was, at some point he had to have been human. After all he still retained the appearance of one. Still she didn't know how to respond to his words. He was not turned into a homunculus of his own free will. That much she figured out. Not only that but it seemed since he arrival in Amestris he was treated like a beast.

Jade could only shake her head. If only he had been raised somewhere else. In some countries Homunculus were seen as gods. And perhaps they were. After all they were immortal. However they still could die. So perhaps god was a bit strong of a word. Before she could even open her mouth to respond something strange happened.

He backed off, tears flowing from his eyes and shouting, "Make it go away." For the second time in one day, Jade was caught off guard. She hesitated for a second. Then walked over to the creature. "Are you ok?" The words were out of her mouth before she even thought them through. In her concern for the creature she had left herself completely open.

[Soul Hollow]

Soul's heart was thubbing against his chest hard, like a hammer beating on wood. He was so shaken by the vision he couldn't respond to Jade. Finally, however, he was able to sit up, his dark-rimmed eyes wide from shock. "Y-yes," he stuttered slowly. Since the second vision, he was shock off his ground. All he could do was stare into the distance where he had previously seen battles between people. The thought of it shook him to his core, and he shivered fearfully.
In the back of his mind, something clicked almost to himself, and he asked, "What's your name?"

[Red Loki (admin)]

Well it seemed that whatever was wrong with the creature had passed. Thank goodness. Jade was no doctor. The most she could have done was apply first aid. But she was in no way a doctor. She was not trained in the medical field, but she did hold the basics of first aid, as was essential for an alchemist.

Still if Jade had to guess, she would suggest that the creature was traumatized. He had mentioned cages and such before, and Jade was very familiar with the tales told about the Amestris government.

"My name is Jade. Not that it's important." Before she could even ask what the creature called itself, another sound came from a couple of yards away.

"I think it was that way." A voice shouted loudly. Jade swore under her breath. Taking a moment she crouched beside the pillar and peaked around it. Sure enough the man who had troubled soul before was strolling down the street with a party of military personal behind him and his friend.

Almost to herself she spoke aloud, "This is bad..." She paused considering her options. She couldn't afford running into the Amestris military for a couple of reasons. The first being if they discovered that folder she had on her possession, all of her contacts would disappear and her cover would be blown. Second an open battle would bring attention. She was trying to lay low, after all she hadn't entered the nation exactly legally.

Jade didn't have time to just sit around. Sighing aloud she took of the black fingerless gloves she wore revealing two tattooed transmutation circles on her hand. She turned to the homunculus. "Well it seems there is a predicament. You can either stay here... and deal with your friends from before. Or you could trust me."

Without waiting for an answer Jade clapped her palms together activating both transmutation circles. Upon so her hands underwent a change. At first their color started to darken from peach to dark brown then completely black. In addition her hands seemed to harden and indeed they did as they appeared to have turned into some sort of metal. Making sure to keep her hands at her side she turned to the homunculus once more. "What's it going to be?"

[Soul Hollow]

Soul heard the others coming, and fear began welling up in his chest. He had managed once to escape from a military arrest before, but that had been out of sheer luck he did that. No way was he going back.
But the idea of going with a total stranger that had introduced herself as Jade wasn't on his list of things to do either. But, when put side-to-side, he would much rather prefer Jade over the military.
Grabbing his pack, he reluctantly nodded. "I'll go with you... But that doesn't mean we're buddies yet. I just don't like the idea of being arrested again."
He had seen Jade's hands change, and he realized it immediately as alchemy. He knew a lot about alchemy, which was rather funny since he wasn't even taught it. He just knew it.
When he was with those doctors that had created him, he had mentioned to them that he knew about alchemy. Granted, he never reformed alchemy, but he just knew all that was needed to know. One of the theories was because he saw the Truth, another was a more mysterious reason; "Envy knew, too." Soul didn't know who Envy was, still doesn't know, but nor did he care to know.
Right now, he just needed to get himself ready to fight. He leaned over and picked up a crow bar.

[Red Loki (admin)]

Jade was relieved when it seemed that Soul would listen to her. They didn't have much time before the military came around the bend and spotted them in their hiding place. Glancing around Jade looked around her. There wasn't much in the alley that would do them any good. Jade's alchemy worked under a certain set of rules.

Jade had done more then simply transmuting her hands into metal. What she had actually done was turn them into magnets. However such magnetic fields only worked under certain conditions. Turning her head skyward she smiled as she spotted what she was looking for. Spotting the steel rail that went around the building she figure the combined weight of the object to be at least a couple hundred pounds if not more.

There wasn't much time. Wrapping an arm around Soul's waist the transmutation on her left hand glowed as she pointed the hand, palm open, in line with the steel rail. A sudden pull brought her off her feet and speeding towards the steel rail at a blinding speed.

[Soul Hollow]

Soul was ready to fight to the death if it meant escaping the military. Though, from his standpoint, it would not be he that died.
Still, to say he was rather misplaced by the sudden jerk of his waist, and the sailing through the air surprised it, he would not be lying. When Jade took him up, he was close to crying out, but, having been jerked up into the air and having all the oxygen in his lungs pushed out, he could only manage a yep. That being said, that didn't mean he wasn't embarrassed. Soul hoped for his dignaty that Jade did not hear it, or would not comment on it.
Looking down, Soul found he was not bothered at all by the sensation of, almost, flying. He felt extremely light, not including his one arm... Remembering he was still carrying the crow bar from before, Soul figured since, by what he understood of Jade's intentions, there would be no fighting, he would not need the crow bar. So, casually, he tossed the metal stick, watching it freee fall all the way down . . . onto the tattle-teller's thick head. It made a loud gong noise, and the man stumbled, gasping before landing on his face hard.
Soul did not hesitate to laugh.

[Red Loki (admin)]

As the rail fast approached, Jade knew things were going to be tricky. Yes Soul was right in thinking that they were almost flying. In a way it might seem like that. However at the speed they were going and based on the fact that the magnetic pull was aimed at the edge of the bar, Jade knew that there was no way to simply stop the magnetic pull without them running right into the metal bar.

However Jade was quite comfortable with the limits of what she was doing. She was no novice when it came to her alchemy. She had perfected it a long time ago. However there wasn't much time left before they ran head first into the pull. "Hold onto my waist." She instructed. However as the rail grew only two seconds away, Jade could only hope Soul listened to her. She let go of her hold around his waist, freeing her other arm. If Soul did not grab onto her now he would find himself falling.

Lowering the hand she had pointed at the rail, she brought up her other one, palm facing the rail. One moment they were speeding towards the rail, and the next Jade was launched away from the rail at blinding speed. She directed her palm so that the push would push them away from the rail, but upward as well towards the opposite side of the street.

[Soul Hollow]

Soul was still laughing when Jade spoke. He, in fact, almost didn't catch what she was telling him. He tried to twist around his body, his head, any part of him so he could get a good look at her and ask, "What do you mean by that?" However, he only managed to jerked his head to the side, seeing her face out of the concern of his eye, asking only, "What--" before she released his waist.

The first thing he felt was anger. How dare she drop him like a deadweight like that?! The old familiar feeling of betrayal soon followed after, but not before a small voice spoke, reminding him of what she said. Hold onto her waist. That means she didn't want to drop him! Quickly, before she was out of reach, he reached out and wrapped both of his arms around her. Unforunately, he missed her waist by a few inches and was holding something . . . less than pleasureable. His pale face turned crimson red in embarrassment.

The whole time they sailed toward the bar, Soul silently prayed, Please, don't fart! Please, don't fart! Please, DON'T FART!

Suddenly, Soul realized they were going up and out, rather than toward the bar. Remembering where he was and what he was holding, he quickly scrambled up a bit higher to hold her waist.

[Red Loki (admin)]

Jade really didn't have time to worry about what Soul had done. She really wasn't all that happy about getting grabbed, but she was smart enough not to do anything now. After all if she slammed her fist into him now it would make securing their landing a lot harder. As they rose through the air, Jade took a second to glance at the military down below.

The one who was responsible for bringing them in the first place was arguing with one of the men in military blue. He was waving his arms in the air pointing towards herself and Soul. As they came to the top of their decent Jade took a chance to look at her destination below. They were near enough to a building to land there but not without damage. In fact at the height they were at, such a fall would break both of their legs. And unlike the homunculus, Jade could not regenerate her legs.

However a blessing came in the form of an attack. The sound of riffles firing brought Jade's attention back to their trouble maker. It seemed he had convinced the military officer to fire upon them. "Fools." She said to herself aloud. Extending her left arm forward she pushed on the bullets. They were of course not strong enough to raise them upward, especially since they weighed much more than a bullet. However it forced the bullets right back at their opponents and the result was a scatter of blood down below.

What it did though was throw off their decent a bit to the right. Enough so that Jade could pull on a large steel door on top of the building. As they shot towards the door, Jade brought up her other hand at the last second stopping their fall in mid air and letting go of the pull just before they shot back the way they came. They had landed on the building safely.

[Soul Hollow]

When the bullets came, Soul was freaked out. The thing about him was his regenerative abilties were scarce and few inbetween. His homunculus abilties, at least to him, were completely unreliable. He never knew if they were going to work or not. So when the bullets came screaming towards them, he started to panic. He wished his special powers would wake up and help him! Like make him grow wings or something. But, like all the times before, nothing happened.

But soon he noticed the bullets flying away from them. Soul realized he had held his breath the whole time, and with a huge sigh, he breathed.

After his first breathe, he saw the ground. Sweet, sweet, sweet ground. Jade landed them right on the roof safely, and Soul let go of her and laid face down on the cement. "Safe ground," Soul whispered to himself with a heavt sigh of relief. He could not believe his luck that he had managed to survive another cruel and annoying day. Even after all the setbacks, the lady, the military, and the flying through the air part, he still had another wonderful day to look forward to.