DEAD 04

[thecomputer]

[Welcome, Anthy, Sakura and Simon!]

[You regain consciousness in a waiting room of some sort. Something is clearly odd - your entire body is slightly transparent, and everything you were carrying with you aside from your clothes is gone. On the plus side, you seem to be impervious to all harm.]

[There is an end table with two stacks of papers. One is a large area to write in (there is a small assortment of pens next to this), and the other all bear the same message:]

Congratulations! You have died.

Please wait in this area until such time as the exercise is terminated. At that time, you will be transferred to your appropriate afterlife. If you were assigned a Communist role, rest easy knowing that any ultimatum given as part of your motivation was false.

If you have any questions, please shout them into the air, and a representative will get back to you within 5-100,000 business days. If you have any final messages for the living, please write them on form B and submit it into the slot in the south wall. Delivery is not guaranteed.

[Sure enough, there’s a slot. In addition, a hallway connects this room with a much larger room, not unlike a movie theatre. A large screen on the far wall shows various events back in the facility as they unfold in real time. A side alcove provides slightly transparent popcorn and a water cooler, although hunger, thirst and exhaustion don’t seem to exist here.]

Comments

[ossifragant]

[That gets Greed to look at him, his expression tense.]

You aren't worth the effort.

[alchemicals]

And you are full of shit, but whatever turns you on.

[ossifragant]

[That's the wrong thing to say, or maybe the right thing, because a moment later Greed's right up in Kimbley's face.

He's barely able to stop himself from grabbing Kimbley's collar.]

Do you want me to snap you in half, is that it?

Dead or not, I don't give a damn, I'll do it.

[alchemicals]

[Well, hello there, Greed. Really, he seems more interested in where this is going than intimidated.]

Do you see me stopping you?

[ossifragant]

I'll fucking do it!

[alchemicals]

Do you see me stopping you.

[It's decidedly less of a question than before, rhetorical or not; he's waiting.]

[ossifragant]

[Apparently we're doing this because Greed has gone from calm to pissed off in a few seconds.

He's still as quick as he was when he's alive, but the fist aimed at Kimbley's face is probably not impossible to dodge, and it won't hurt if it connects anyway...

...not that Greed knows that, of course.]

[alchemicals]

[AHAHAHA WOW

OKAY, APPARENTLY WE'RE DOING THIS

To his credit, Kimbley isn't going to move; he'd meant what he'd said, he's not stopping the guy, and he fully intends to let...it...connect...

...???]

...Wait, that's it?

[That...oh come on, that's just disappointing...]

[ossifragant]

[...Really?

Even if they're both dead, that should have hurt at the very least. He should have felt something, because feeling Kimbley's jaw break was probably not going to happen either way.]

Dammit all.

[He should have figured something like this would happen.]

[alchemicals]

At least we figured that out before I went after Himemiya.

[BECAUSE THAT IS THE IMPORTANT THING TO TAKE AWAY FROM ALL OF THIS.]

[ossifragant]

[To Greed's credit, he acts like this doesn't bother him at all. He fluffs up that ridiculously ugly collar, shrugging.]

She doesn't react to anything as it is. It wouldn't have been satisfying.

[....he says to the man who provoked him into throwing a punch.]

[alchemicals]

It probably would have worked something out, satisfying or otherwise.

[He is going to be so mad about this for a while.]

[ossifragant]

[Well now what?

He hadn't exactly planned anything too far in advance here.]

Leave it to that damn computer to make this as boring as possible.

[alchemicals]

Boring's one word for it.

Are you just going to keep standing there, or what? If we're done here, I'd rather not stick around.

[ossifragant]

[He moves back to where he was standing before, his expression awkward.

Greed is also not leaving because as far as he's concerned they can continue to play this ignoring each other game. At least for a little while longer.]

He's been making it obvious he's the Loyalty Officer from the beginning. Yomiel isn't subtle, everyone else has just been thick.

[alchemicals]

[Kimbley has every intention of leaving, really, but that manages to stop him; apparently somebody wants conversation today, though hell if he can see why.]

...Why do you think I was trying to keep an eye on him?

[ossifragant]

He's like me.

He was dead before he showed up here.

[It's not like he had the chance to confirm that with Yomiel, but Yomiel is something similar enough that Greed picked up on it and he's nearly positive Yomiel got the same vibe.]

[alchemicals]

[That tenses him up a little, as though he's not sure whether this is heading toward another fight or not; none seems to be forthcoming, though, and he...isn't really sure what to do with any of that.]

...What do you want from me, Greed?

[It's not what he wants to ask, but it's close enough.]

[ossifragant]

[He shrugs.]

You're the only person remotely interesting to talk to in this place, and I don't like being bored.

[alchemicals]

[That shrug is returned with one of his own.]

I'm not worth your time, remember?

[ossifragant]

[He folds his arms across his chest. He doesn't know what to do with their relationship. They're not friends, but they're not enemies either, not exactly.]

It's something to do before facing oblivion.

[alchemicals]

[He's quiet for a moment at that.]

You really are full of shit.

[...okay then.]

[ossifragant]

[He lets out a laugh, but it's quiet.]

You're the only one who's ever known me well enough to say something like that and be right.

[alchemicals]

Maybe I'm flattered.

[ossifragant]

You should be. It's not something I admit often.