angcrmanagcmcnt

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

" I saw'im when we got here. "

She tugs at the collar of her sleeve. Takes a breath. This will be fine. Kumo will keep her safe. He's said he will. He's promised, and sure, people break promises all the time, but Kumo isn't like that.

Maybe she's still trying to convince herself, but. He's not like that.

Kumo's shown her as much. Hasn't he?

" He's tall. Stupid tall, really. " She can imagine him, in her mind's eye. It isn't hard; she's seen him enough to know what he looks like. She doesn't even know if she ever could forget. Sometimes she wants to.

" Not as tall as Black Wind, though. He...He's still big though. More'n 6 foot. He's got curly hair. Short, but curly, kinda. An' he's blonde. Amestrian. An' he's got bright blue eyes, like... "

Like ice. They're cold enough to be ice, really. She can never forget that look he would always give her. Somewhere between hatred and...something else, that she can't quite place. Maybe regret.

It's a nice thought, at least.

" His name's Axel Arlott. He's... "

Kumo deserves the context. He said she didn't have to tell him anything she didn't want to, and yet—she wants to tell him the truth. He deserves the truth after all of this. After all he's put up with. Fuck, he was burned from the inside out because of her. He needlessly died because of her.

She just needs to bite the bullet at this point.

" He's the person who made me, an'—an' he's after me 'cause I—I wasn't— "

I wasn't made right, she tries to say, but the words won't leave her, despite how she tries to force them from her throat. She takes a breath, stares at the buttons on the cuff of her sleeve. She starts to count the holes, the little spots she's nicked over the years with sewing needles. Four, eight, twelve.

The words come out easier this time, even though her chest feels tight and it almost feels like she chokes on them.

" I didn't—I...I wasn't right, at first. I didn' turn out how I was supposed to. "

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "I know what you mean, Miss Lyssa." He confirms as he shifts in place to watch her and he can only imagine how much of an effort on her part this all has to be to tell the truth. She doesn't seem practiced in it and from what he can tell she's been lying through her teeth to most everyone from the minute she got here.

Just how close to the Soil is this girl?

It's not really his place to question her motives or situation and he doesn't know who the person or people who don't want her safe are but he can at least sympathize with it.

He doesn't even know if the people after her, are even here.

His however....

"I have people that don't want me safe either."

It's a saying of camaraderie. It's an attempt to connect through a mutual understanding. He doesn't know her situation entirely and part of him doesn't know if it's even his place to ask. Yet he does so anyway.

"Is there anything I should know about these people so I can better protect you?"

There's a smile on his face even if half of it is covered by thin metal. His eyes do a well enough job to let the other know the expression he is attempting to convey. He knows she doesn't feel safe and he can sympathize with the sensation of never being able to proper rest one's head for the danger that lurks in the world is unknown and even when you know where the source is coming from it's hard to rest when you never know when will the next time you'll need to run.

He can sympathize where he fails to under and thus he listens and tries to ask the questions that will provide him the needed facts without forcing her to convey too many of the messy feelings that are far to complicated and scary to put into words.

She's a child and he can't imagine living the way she is at her age. Even if he was a boy when he landed in this world, he was nearly a man but she is - she is no where near the adulthood he was when His Excellency sunk his claws into him....

"You needn't tell me anything that makes you uncomfortable, Miss Lyssa. Only what I need to know, to protect you. I told you as long as there was a heart beating in my breast you would be safe, and as such anything you can tell to make this task easier, I would be much appreciative."

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #where lonely ones roam.{threads.} #shiroi---kumo #arc: Amestris No More #v: fatal fault at the start #tw burn mention #tw death mention #ask to tag #tw panic

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

//Before I head to work: I am chipping away at the Lyssa Origins Drabble(Brotherhood Flavor) and telling y'all right now you are Not Ready. We know how this story ends but y'all ain't ready

#voice beyond the gate.{ooc.} #//i'm having fun. this will be horrible #//I'm also looping music. to nobody's surprise.

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

⨳ — SEND A NUMBER;

Send a number and I’ll write a starter based on the icon. If the number exceeds the amount of icons, start counting again from 1.

#games to play.{memes.} #//pls specify which kiddo you're asking

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

@alchemic-elric said: "Dyin' keeps movin' lower on the worst list'a things that could happen ta m'."

Horror Themed Starters. | Accepting!

She very nearly laughs; as someone who has died before, Anger can agree with the sentiment.

There's a great many things that are worse than death. She can list each and every one off by name at this point, it feels like. She's certainly had enough experience to make a list by now. Of course, Edward doesn't know that—and she'll keep that secret tucked close to her chest for now.

She's been thinking about fessing up for a while at this point, but—it was just never the right time. Things just kept going sideways...and she didn't want to distract them. Her presence here was bad enough...

" I can't disagree, " she hums, beginning to grin. " I can't say that you aren't a danger magnet. An' there is, unfortunately, worse'n death. "

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #little voices.{asks.} #alchemic-elric #tw death mention

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

@shiroi---kumo asked: "No one is coming for you."

Horror Themed Starters. | Accepting!

It almost feels like an insult, how he says it, but Anger knows it isn't. It's more fact than anything else—at least, technically. There's one person here in this place that will never stop going after her, and she's already seen him a couple of times.

It's all she's been able to do, to try and avoid him.

Kumo doesn't know that—not...not really, at least, she thinks he doesn't. He seems to know a lot about her without her having to say anything, though, so maybe that's just wishful thinking at this point.

Honesty is the best policy, or so they say. So far, lying and stealing is what's kept her alive, but here...she didn't necessarily have to do that. She could have some idea of safety here—all she has to do is...tell the truth.

She takes a breath. Something in her screams about rules and how she's broken enough of them already and she just needs to shut up and play nice. But the fact of the matter is...

He isn't human either. He's different. He's protected her before, he's comforted her without her having to give anything at all, he broke the rule of Equivalent Exchange.

Maybe it was about time she restored the balance, if only a little.

" ....Kind of. I mean....there's someone that doesn' want me safe, if y'know what I mean. "

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #little voices.{asks.} #shiroi---kumo #Arc: Amestris No More #v: fatal fault at the start

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

A roll of the eyes is what comes next, and Anger moves back a few paces from the poster. Wrath earns himself an elbow jab to the ribs—not too hard, but hard enough for him to feel it.

" You're one t'talk, y'know. Y'look eight. Maybe nine. Maybe. " She jests, of course, but hey, Wrath was the one that started this. Talk shit, get hit, and all that. Speaking of being small, though—

" Y'know, I could'a given you my jacket. " She eyes him, specifically looking at the too-big coat. Sure, her own was probably a little too small, but it's better than....whatever this was. Really, this would probably draw more attention to them than his nodes would....

Anger sighs, tugs her bag a little so it's now resting at her front, and starts going through it. Why did she have so much shit again? She'd either have to get a new bag or clean it out at some point...

" C'mere, Wrath, " she says, finally tugging out a small pack of safety pins. " 'm gonna pin the bottom of the jacket, so it's not draggin' all over the place. You really couldn' find a smaller one? "

Wrath knows that Anger has more than enough history with this place- as much as he has history in Dublith. In fact, in an incredibly similar vein as his own history- this makes him uncomfortable enough to be here. But he is detached enough from this place an the history associated with it to be able to find some amusement in seeing Anger's face on the poster.

Anger doesn't seem to find as much amusement though, and he almost regrets bringing it up.

But then the tone shifts, and Wrath realizes she.. isn't getting upset at him. He really expected it. He could handle that, of course, they get frustrated at eachother plenty! It just. Wouldn't have been fun if she did.

Of course, that means there's the grim reminder of how each of the Homunculi looks so very close to who they were meant to be, and as much as he despises this fact, Anger seems.. not necessarily unbothered, but at least calm about it.

It's unnerving, that look on her face.

".. Good to know the baby-face was intentional," he tries to tease. "Don't worry, I know you're way cooler than that twerp." He locks his hands together behind his head- the coat he stole from a clothes-line on the far side of Pendleton to hide his markings (hiding them at Anger's request, stealing the coat to do so without her approval, of course) sways with him, just an inch longer than he is tall and brushing at the ground around his feet.

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #where lonely ones roam.{threads.} #alchxmical-rxduction #v: a memory so vivid

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

@alchxmical-rxduction asked: ❛ this missing poster has your face on it. ❜ (to Anger) - @alchxmical-rxduction (Wrath)

Horror Themed Starters. | Accepting!

The statement pulls her from her thoughts.

It was hard to not try and escape into them, in this place, the town where she was made.

It's bad enough just being here. It's bad enough to have people give her all these odd looks.

But this is the only option she has. Those stones that she ate, when she first formed—by now she's figured out that they were the reason she healed, and with how many times she'd died at this point....she probably needed more. Wrath had offered to talk to that 'Dante' lady, or see if he could sneak some away for her, but she had declined.

It was easy to see from how Wrath had spoken of her that it was not a woman Anger wanted to owe.

But as Wrath speaks, Anger lifts her head, stops walking for a moment.

The poster on the telephone pole is torn. a good chunk of it is missing, nearly half; she was surprised any of them still survived, after all this time.

The face is familiar, even though it's torn. Anger realizes too late that she's stepped closer, reached a hand up to touch the battered piece of paper; she stops just millimeters short. She knows this face.

Of course it's familiar.

It's her own face—or, it should have been, once upon a time.

Unfortunately, that particular story never got a happily ever after.

Her expression slips into something ever so slightly fonder.

" That's not me, " she says, tilts her head to the side.

" That's Lyssa. See? The hair is lighter... "

It's so odd. They look so similar. Part of her is upset, deep down, that Wrath could not tell the difference—another whispers that he can't be blamed. Of course, that comes with the territory of being what she is.

She is so close to that cherished final product, so close and yet not quite.

" She's....she's who I was supposed to be. "

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #little voices.{asks.} #alchxmical-rxduction

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

&. 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

(  various  non - halloween  themed  dialogue  prompts  for  all  your  slashers,  final  girls,  and  other  horrors  beyond  your  comprehension.  trigger  warning  for  dark  themes.  feel  free  to  edit  as  you  seem  fit.  ) 

❛ it’s the silence that scares me. ❜

❛ i’m every nightmare you ever had. ❜

❛ i want to see your true face. ❜

❛ one way or another, you’re going to die tonight. ❜

❛ just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not already here. ❜

❛ by the time anyone finds your body, they won’t be able to identify it. ❜

❛ you’re playing a dangerous game here, girl. ❜

❛ i’m playing the villain, just like you wanted. ❜

❛ i won’t give up on you, i know you’re worth it! ❜

❛ scream all you want. no one will hear you. ❜

❛ what are you going to do to me? ❜

❛ there you are, my darling! ❜

❛ i knew you would come back to me. ❜

❛ don’t you want to be consumed by what loves you? ❜

❛ i’m going to send you back to hell where you came from! ❜

❛ you can’t keep me here forever! ❜

❛ how are you still alive? i killed you! ❜

❛ sometimes human spaces make inhuman monsters. ❜

❛ please. why don’t you just let me go? ❜

❛ this missing poster has your face on it. ❜

❛ that wasn’t so bad, was it? ❜

❛ what’s wrong, you don’t trust me? ❜

❛ i know a lot about you. more than you think. ❜

❛ you want me to shut him up for you? ❜

❛ we could have been beautiful together. ❜

❛ when you think you’re alone, someone watches. ❜

❛ rest while you can, because i will hunt you and eat you whole. ❜

❛ what you want is very wrong. ❜

❛ you look so pretty all tied up like this. ❜

❛ what, you like to watch? you goddamn sicko. ❜

❛ god isn’t here. god doesn’t even know about this place. ❜

❛ there is something at work in my soul which i do not understand. ❜

❛ i am the devil, and i am here to do the devil’s work. ❜

❛ you know what they say, an eye for an eye. ❜

❛ why don’t you scream for me? ❜

❛ are you… smelling me? ❜

❛ we’re going to die out here. ❜

❛ i’m not afraid of anything. not anymore. ❜

❛ we will be what everyone wants to be. perfect. ❜

❛ no offense, but i think you might be just a little too crazy for me. ❜

❛ we all go a little mad sometimes. ❜

❛ the harder i try to escape, the further i get into this awful place. ❜

❛ this was not how it was supposed to go! ❜

❛ this is the end of your little game. i win. ❜

❛ don’t leave me! i can’t be alone! ❜

❛ no one is coming for you. ❜

❛ you hide. and i’ll try to find you. sound fun? ❜

❛ fuck this place. seriously, just fuck this place. ❜

❛ what’s the matter, honey? you’ve barely touched your dinner. ❜

❛ don’t be afraid. dying is much easier than living. ❜

❛ i won’t let them kill you. i won’t let them even touch you. ❜

❛ let’s get you some clothes before i get too turned on. ❜

❛ you weren’t putting that tongue to use anyway. ❜

❛ shall i drink your blood fresh, or slice your neck and spill it out first? ❜

❛ dying keeps moving lower on the list of worst things that could happen to me. ❜

#games to play.{memes.} #//obviously none of the suggestive stuff #//specify which girl it's for please

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

Reblog if your inbox is always open to:

Memeless Asks

Headcanon Asks

IC Anons

OOC Anons

Anything and everything pertaining to your muse and how you depict them.

#games to play.{memes.} #voice beyond the gate.{ooc.} #//yessss this #//ask me about my girls please #//it may take me a bit but eventually i will get to it lmao

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

Do you blame yourself?

Audio from Lucids by Nicholas Podany. Art & characters are all mine. Do not repost under any circumstances.

#time isn’t on my side.{visuals | lyssa} #the roots i couldn’t keep.{canon v.} #tw blood #tw eye contact #tw death #tw scopophobia #//reblog for the night crowd :D

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

Do you blame yourself?

Audio from Lucids by Nicholas Podany. Art & characters are all mine. Do not repost under any circumstances.

#time isn’t on my side.{visuals | lyssa} #the roots i couldn’t keep.{canon v.} #//have some brotherhood lore. :Dc #//this took an ungodly amount of time to line up holy shit #//but I did it #tw blood #tw eye contact #tw death #tw scopophobia

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

They are two different beings made to coexist as one. They are two different ends of a spectrum, arguably; human and 'monster'.

They are simultaneously sisters and complete strangers.

They are two and they are one, and they are halves of a whole and two complete people, and neither would be alive without the other. Perhaps that in and of itself is the cruelty of their particular circumstances; they cannot do anything without the other, and there can never truly be silence in the little space that lies between them.

They coexist well enough, for two beings so different.

Lyssa is sunshine personified, a ray of joy and light that radiated hope and adoration to those she held dear, and Anger is.....well, she is Anger. Ire and spite, fury that hardly knew any bounds, all condensed into one small little form, ready to burst at the seams at any slight; whether it be perceived or genuine.

Such a wonder it is, that these two ended up stuck together.

It is not such a wonder that they have their ornery moments.

It starts with them being worried about their family's disappearance.

Lyssa would argue that worried is not even half of it, and all Anger wants to do is argue lately, it seems. Argue about what they should do, about whether to stay inside and await everyone's return or go out and actively search.

Anger wants to stay put, to wait for them to come back because of course they're going to come back. They can't not come back.

Lyssa does not share the sentiment. She does not hope and she does not wish, she's run out of patience for both of those things, and she is tired of waiting. The last time she was a sitting duck hadn't ended very well and she does not want a repeat of history.

They can both feel the tension in the air, feel the dread pooling in the recesses of their shared existence.

Neither of them like it, of course; who would?

It all comes to a head a week after Ed, Al, and Mr. Mustang disappeared.

It had been calm, for the most part. They didn't know what was going on outside; they hadn't even set foot outside of the house since the day everything turned upside down.

Lyssa had been looking at the food that was left in the cupboards. There was still plenty enough for them to eat, as long as they were careful, but food for the pets was running low. She was making plans, mumbling to herself about trying to get more food for the animals, when Anger spoke up in the back of her mind.

" We aren't gonna go outside, right? "

They've had this conversation a million times, in a million different ways.

And it seems they have to have it again.

" We have to, Anger. Yuki needs food, and we have to look for everyone. "

" I don't want to. "

The response is so fast that Lyssa startles and almost knocks a can over, but her response comes easily despite it, accompanied by a sigh.

" I don't care, we have to and you know it. We can't stay here forever, Anger. "

" Don't just say that. "

The words have a bite to them that Lyssa is, at this point, familiar with. It's difficult not to, with her little head roommate being the very incarnation of someone's Anger. As a fortunate side effect, she's grown accustomed to dealing with said head roommate when she gets a little too snappy.

But Lyssa is tired of it.

" I get that you're mad— "

" 'm not fuckin' mad— "

" You're Anger, your default is mad— "

" Y'know what, go fuck yourself! I don' give a shit, 'm not leavin' this fuckin' house 'til they come back! "

" And if they don't? "

There is a sudden quiet in their shared space and Lyssa knows she's made a mistake, misstepped in the worst way possible, but she's come this far and has to stick to her guns. This isn't part of the latest script, but it needs to be acknowledged.

It is a horrifying possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.

" …They will. They always do. "

A possibility that Anger refuses to accept.

And Lyssa is tired of it.

" Anger, they're alchemists— "

" The fuck're you tryin'a get at here— "

" If you shut up an' let me finish maybe I could get to it! "

Silence fills the air with a kind of dread Lyssa knows well. The other shoe hangs in the air, a hair's breadth away from collapsing to the ground, but she waits in the silence for a few moments longer. She doesn't want another interruption, even if she knows it's inevitable.

" They're alchemists, Anger, they're not invincible. They're human, an' you.....you know how breakable they are. "

" I swear, if you're— "

Being reasonable? Being logical? She isn't listening to Anger anymore as she prattles on about something and all Lyssa knows is that there is a ringing in her ears and her nails are digging into the palm of her hand so hard it hurts.

All she knows is that she is angry. And she needs to calm down because the rage that bubbles within hasn't gotten her anywhere before.

Even if her anger is how she survived, she doesn't like to think about it.

She doesn't want to go back to the rage, not today, but Anger is making it oh so very hard, and Lyssa can feel the dam cracking. It could break any moment and all it needs is one wrong step before—

" Aren't you listenin' to me? "

The dam shatters and she is yelling.

" Well it ain't like I got much've a damn choice is there?! You're always in my fuckin' head and you never shut up! Nothin' ever shuts up, either ev'ryone is screamin' or you're goin' on some damn rant about God knows what! I don't care, Anger, we're leavin' and that's that! You can't stop me! "

One beat, two. She pants, out of breath and Lyssa thinks for one, feeble moment, that she's won.

The sense of victory is ripped away from her reach as her right arm is suddenly moving without her input. It reaches up and grabs a strand of her hair and tugs violently, hard enough to jerk her head to one side. She cries out and grips her rogue limb with the one she can still control, holding it in place.

She's barely aware of Yuki barking, and a hollow feeling floods her at the words that come from Anger, eerily quiet and worst of all, calm.

" I can an' I will. "

Dread worms its way into her, and the terror helps adrenaline flow faster even if Lyssa can't use it. She doesn't want to go back. She doesn't want to be stuck in the dark again, she doesn't want to have her own body ripped away from her grasp.

" Anger, please— "

" No! You think 'm gonna let you waltz outta here an' get us killed?! Nice try, but that ain't happening! You might have a death wish, but I don't! "

And then there's silence. It fills the space between them and fills Lyssa's thoughts with fear. It's hard to breathe. Why is it hard to breathe? It feels like her lungs are seizing in her chest, like—

She tries to draw in a breath. It feels like her lungs rattle with the effort it takes, yet there's still no reprieve, and she can feel herself sinking, hear the screams growing louder as her vision blurs and fades. She doesn't want to go back. She doesn't want to be drowned out again. She—

She's scared.

She tries to grip the counter, and she tries to stay, but it's no use as her vision swims and spirals. She can still hear Yuki barking, closer now, as her legs fold beneath her and Lyssa gasps. Tears burn her eyes.

" Please, " she tries again, and nearly chokes on the word.

Silence is her only reply, and just like that, she's forced back down into the darkness and the screaming.

Three days pass before Lyssa is able to wrangle control again.

She doesn't bring up the idea of leaving again.

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #picking up the broken shards.{ic | lyssa} #and it’s lovely to live in.{house a habit v | alchemicelric | flameleads} #Arc: Amestris No More #tw long post #ask to tag #//here's what the girls have been up to :D #//will start working on part 2 eventually here

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

Malice vs. incompetence.

There's an idea.

And yes, perhaps Kumo is right. Anger is loath to admit it, but he could be. He probably is. At least, about some of it.

And that's the thing, isn't it? This isn't something she thinks about very often—in fact, she pointedly tries to avoid thinking about it sometimes. Sure, people are good and bad, and perhaps it just depends on your perspective.

She was supposed to be a person. And if people are supposed to be good and bad, then perhaps that is simply another failing that wasn't taken into account. Arlott tried to make her his daughter, his child who had sunshine in her eyes and sweetness in every aspect, or so he thought.

The few memories she has are so very limited, too. She was supposed to be Lyssa, and all she truly knows is that this child existed.

She existed, and she was loved. What else was she missing? What key component does Anger still lack? She exists, and perhaps she isn't quite loved, but someone seems to care. And still, it isn't enough.

When will it be enough? When can she be more than just Anger?

Kumo speaks of trust. More often than not, all that trust has earned her is misfortune and hurt.

And if it's not her that gets hurt, equivalency still demands a price. In the end, she did something stupid and it resulted in Kumo dying. He's already explained this to her, and yet there's still a part that doesn't understand.

She doesn't want to be hurt. That's why she runs, that's why she avoids getting attached, that's why she has her rules. The moment she began to break them is when she started feeling like this. And in all honesty, all it does is make her mad.

Which in itself is no surprise; she is Anger. What makes it so much worse is not having anywhere to direct her rage. At herself? She was just trying to survive. At Kumo? No, he saved her, so he doesn't deserve her ire. The Flame Alchemist? In some roundabout way, perhaps, he was trying to do something good.

Existence is frustrating. If she was just made right the first time, then she wouldn't have to deal with this.

" Do you think I'm ignorant, then? "

It's a valid question, maybe.

" I mean—I go off of experience. There's a reason I was on my own. If it's for safety, is—is it still ignorant? "

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ As he listens, he learns. Their situations are not quite similar. Miss Lyssa has constantly been on the move with no sign of stopping and no place to do so, while he - he was a bird in a cage that only recently found the space to stretch his wings in the truest of freedoms. She says she doesn't stay in one place for long and he half wonders why and means to ask her and the other half tells him its important and he own personal business.

Her question longs for someone to relate to and guidance from a life that has seen years far longer than her own. She is looking for advice. She says that people are rotten and she wants to know how does one even begin to know who isn't.

His lips pull into a frown behind his mask as he thinks about it. When he first landed in this world, he thought His Excellency wasn't horrible but found out how wrong he was quickly. When he landed on Windaria he knew everyone around him was wretched only to be proven otherwise by the very first person he met.

He's met so many people in his life and even as far back as he could remember, he was met with new faces all through the palace. Piipsa Sumu was presented to him as a friendly old man who lead the church and someone who would never ever hurt him when in reality the man of silver mists was a slippery viper that would ultimately lead to his -

There's a bit of a groan as he thinks for a moment, hand touching his head as he does and he tells himself to not linger on such a thing and to keep his thoughts moving. He was told by His Excellency that the people of Wonderland would tear him apart if they ever got their hands on him but yet the Comodeen has accepted him like family even after all the times he's stood in the way of their progress or brought turmoil into their lives....

"You don't." He offers plainly for a moment before the years of his life come to take residence in his eyes. Even if his body doesn't reflect the years he's lived, the wisdom he's obtained over the course of them is coming to dance like sparkling twilight within his gaze.

"Life isn't about knowing who or what is good or bad. We're all both those things at the same time, Miss Lyssa. It's not an obtain of being able to avoid the pain that comes with someone hurting you, it's about being able to recover from it after it's happened. Darkness will come for all of us, but it's about what we do with it.

My counter has moments of extreme displays of darkness but that does not make him any less worthy of my love. Everyone in the whole space of the cosmos needs someone to love and support them. It is the nature of being a living being regardless of being human or Misterican or Windarian or whatever else kind of person they are. You don't know if someone is good or bad. They're both. I'm both. You're both. We're different things for different people. There in people in this world who would sing you my praises and there are similarly people in this world that would damn my name without hesitation.

You don't. You trust. It's all we can do. We trust that we won't get hurt. We trust that the person in question won't hurt or betray us. We trust that our presence is cherished and valued and we love with the full scope of our hearts because only loving others in fractions is a disservice to both them and ourselves.

You simply cannot know if someone is such a thing from the start when you have no information of your own. It's a judgement you have to make from experience and the only way to do that is to learn and to trust. There are people in the universe who would wish for my death, and they've never even met me. Is that fair? Is that just? Does that make them a bad person for casting judgement without knowledge or understanding? No, it makes them ignorant.

Most beings in the world aren't malicious in nature, just ignorant. You should give people a little more grace. It's a fool's errand to mistake malice for what is actually simply incompetence."

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #where lonely ones roam.{threads.} #shiroi---kumo #Arc: Amestris No More #v: mistakes and ghosts #tw long post #tw death

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

My ears are yours, Kumo says, and to her credit, she does manage to fight the laugh that instinctually attempts to bubble up. Not because he's lying; no, Anger has grown better at telling when people lie. She just knows that more than half of her problems can't leave her lips for the simple fact that she'd really be outed then.

It isn't that she doesn't trust Kumo. She does, of course she does, but there's other people here too that may be far too happy to use this information against her. In that sense, though, wouldn't it be better for her to tell Kumo first? Before he could hear it from anyone else?

Regardless, she needs to think about it a lot more before she does anything.

" I mean, I've been in crowded cities an' stuff, which is kinda like this, but—I guess part of it is that 'm also used to movin' lots. I don't stay in one place very long, most've the time. "

And already it feels like she's giving away too much.

Really, she doesn't want to adjust. She doesn't want to get used to this; she knows it won't last. It never does. The idea of allowing herself to get used to have someone around, have multiple people surrounding her for long stretches of time?

She's broken enough of her rules by now. She doesn't need to make a habit of it.

And yet, she was still here. Does she even know what she needs anymore?

She knows what being alone is like. She always has been, technically. But she is familiar with the kind of alone that seeps into your very existence, that slowly creeps in on the edges until it is all you can remember being there. Until it's become more of an old friend than an enemy.

That kind of lonely is perhaps the worst. Especially when one gets used to it.

That old friend in particular had helped her stay alive this far though, so she couldn't say much. Any average human may not have been able to stand it; thankfully, Anger isn't human at all.

" How did you do it? Get used to it, I mean. Being around people...it doesn't always end well. How do you stand it? "

Perhaps he couldn't relate as far as tolerating people in the first place, but...

" Humans—people, really, there's so many rotten ones—how do you even start to know who isn't? " People can be cruel. She knows this firsthand—and with how those people in the clearing spoke of Kumo, she has a feeling he does too.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ The book in his hands closes as fingers gracefully slip a marker in it without jade eyes ever leaving their company. She sets next to him and he gives her his full attention. The way her body shifts and the way her awkwardness shows in her posture. She says everything is on her mind and that a lot has happened - and he can't say she's wrong.

She's ended up in a new world, experienced a death that wasn't her own, is talking the to man who died as if it never happened in the first place and now she's surrounded by people who's faces she doesn't know. The only grace that seemed to have been shown to her is the fact that the people around her are speak the same tongue that she is.

At the very least, she's not having her first experiences here being made wrought with language barriers. At the very least, she has that.

She says she doesn't want to mess and that she's not used to being around people and he can relate to both those sentences more than he cares to take claim to, if only because he doesn't know if she needs to know of his twelve year stint in hell. He wasn't in total isolation but at times it certainly felt like it.

So his hands fold over the book in his lap as he shifts his weight every so slightly so he can turn in his chair a little bit to face her fully. She's worried and she deserves to have someone who will listen without judging her. Has she ever even had that before? Does she want it to be him? Something tells him that he is part of the problem, because he can't imagine that making eye contact with eyes you've watched light fade out of is a simple task.

His immortality was both a blessing and a curse.

He doesn't know what it feels like to have someone he cares about rise from the dead. He's never been there to see Black Wind go down and even if he does know the man will rise again, he can't imagine watching him do so will be a simple task to swallow.

"Being around people can be a task when one isn't used to doing so. You're welcome to simply set with me if it helps acclimate you. You said everything is on your mind, so why don't we break that down into smaller chunks. You have my full attention Miss Lyssa. My ears are yours as long as you need them. A lot has happened, and I can't imagine Wonderland has been very easy to adjust to, all things considered. It doesn't sound silly to be uncomfortable around others to me at all."

The light in his eyes shifts as his shoulders drop a little and his gaze shifts to his lap and back up again while his lips hang into a frown behind his mask.

"I was - alone for a long time when I first arrived in this world. It's only been within the last year or so that I've been around people. I don't think there's anything silly about what you're saying. We all need time to adjust to things and how much of that time is up to us and no one else."

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #where lonely ones roam.{threads.} #shiroi---kumo #Arc: Amestris No More #v: mistakes and ghosts

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

@alchxmical-rxduction | cont.

She's sure that if Wrath had any proper energy to spare, he would've thrown her across the room by now. The fact that she had even managed to get this far was a miracle on its own, really, but she wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

" I should've bullied you into this sooner, " she teases gently, looking up from Wrath's hair for a moment. " with how much we move all 'round, maybe I should try and get you a hairbrush, too. "

She knew from experience, unfortunately, how easily tangled hair could get. There was many a day where she'd had to spend a while getting the knots out of her own hair. At least it allowed her experience with this, which would make the task far easier.

A helpful little wonder called conditioner was also proving quite useful in her little endeavor.

Speaking of, she carefully grips a new section, taking care not to hold too tight; but just enough to make sure the bristles wouldn't tug too hard. She's thankful for the quiet; there hadn't been enough over the last couple of days, what with Winry fussing over the both of them(which didn't surprise her much, with how little she knew of the lady).

" Y'know, though...we can take a break whenever you want. I know sittin' still ain't always the greatest. "

Anger herself had already become wary of going outside. Last she was aware, they'd lost Arlott a few towns ago, but...he did have a bad habit of catching up to them easily.

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #where lonely ones roam.{threads.} #alchxmical-rxduction

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

" I mean, you'd be surprised. " She frowns a little, pulling the top of her bag open wider.

" I swear I had that thread in here....aha! " Finally she tugs the thread out, before diving back in to try and find the little case of sewing needles she'd managed to swipe a few weeks back.

" I've seen real big ones that're meant for blankets an' quilts, an' they're probably 'bout as big? But those're curved. Hold this for me? " She doesn't wait for an answer, shoving the spool of purple thread into his hands, pulling her bag closer and squinting a little as she examined its contents.

" I know I had a pack of 'em in here....shit, did I drop'em somewhere? 'course I probably did, just my luck— " Anger groans, rolling her eyes and going back to looking through her bag. She should have some safety pins in here somewhere...they'd have to do for now.

She does, however, spare a glance over to the other homunculus, raising a brow at the quill he holds. She doesn't know much about Wrath, but one thing that is painstakingly clear is his lack of pockets. And something like that quill would probably get lost...

She returns to her bag, finally finding the safety pins in an inner pocket.

" Y'know, " she begins, sticking a couple between her fingers and opening up the third, " I could hold onto it for you, if you wanted t'keep it. "

Another thing that's pretty clear about Wrath is his lack of subtlety.

Wrath logically understands that not all creatures have to hunt or fight for their food, but he'd lived on that quiet little island for a long time, and while there weren't really any predators, there wasn't much to eat either- he'd made himself sick countless times in attempts to forage, so he'd stuck to meat and fish instead. Reminding himself now that most creatures didn't have that struggle is a chore.

And he hates chores, almost as much as he hates Edward Elric and that's a lot.

He hates these things so much so that he's a little lost in his namesake while Anger talks, riding a train of thought he can't jump off of until he sees something moving in the corner of his eye- oh, Anger is setting the little thing free. Good. Maybe it will find its mama.".. Bye bye, little guy." He waves with an oversized hand, before turning to Anger again, shuffling over so he can sit next to her, legs crossed and leaning in- just far enough that they can both guarantee he won't be jabbed in the eye..

Again, he thinks, recalling one incident when she was just a little too frustrated to be extremely aware of where she was gesturing. When he leans, however, he finds a little shape on the ground.. a spike from the little hedgehog. So small, but, when he tests it, it is already so sharp.

Human babies cry, horse babies run, and apparently hedgehog babies.. poke. He can see why- so small, so easy to hurt. It could probably fit in his mouth no problems, but those spikes seem like they could give even Gluttony issues. Good defense. He wishes he'd learned that idea earlier.".. This looks too thick and short for a needle, huh. You wouldn't be able to put a thread in it either." .. Maybe he does want to keep something for once, but he can't find a way to ask Anger to hold onto it for him.

Besides, such a small thing would be lost so easily. Like Anger.

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #where lonely ones roam.{threads.} #alchxmical-rxduction

[angcrmanagcmcnt]

@kuroki--kaze asked: 🎁 -> 72

Wrapped. | Accepting! | No. 72: It Should've Been Me.

" Please, don't think less of me—I'm but a lonely soul, you see.... "

#you would be angry too.{ic | anger} #broken and callow ; cautious and safe.{03.} #little voices.{asks.} #kuroki--kaze #Arc: Amestris No More