ꜱᴄʜᴀᴅᴇɴꜰʀᴇᴜᴅᴇ

🥀— @friigidus·  liked  for  a  starter !

        her  fingers  are  slowly  thawing  out;  the  hour  she  spent  breaking  icicles  off  the  gutters  hadn’t  been  kind  to  her  digits,  despite  the  thick  fabric  of  her  gloves.  the  warm  mugs  of  coffee  in  her  hands  feel  almost  unbearably  hot,  but  she  withstands  the  pins  and  needles.  “  time  for  a  cup  of  coffee ?  ”  an  invitation  as  raven’s  pale  hand  offers  olivier  one  of  the  steaming  cups.

AN UNCHANGING VISAGE embodies perfect neutrality; a flawless display of neither joy nor contempt. the act of kindness fails to scratch the surface of a defensive front (( DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER )), but it doesn’t go unrecognized... unappreciated... she isn’t so heartless.

❝ hmm... i suppose it may as well be. ❞

a gentle nod. she takes the mug && blows away the vapors, sipping carefully. fresh brew weaves its way through her body && revitalizes her senses. it’s almost perfect. ALMOST. as perfect as cheap coffee can get.

          the general’s stalwart &. quick - to - criticise words leave felicyta without answer . they resonate within her , though prior to this criticism there is nothing the chimera beside her has harbored that would align with the words given voice – no thoughts , no criticism of her own / merely loyalty unquestioned &. the ability to obey .

          why is it , then , that general armstrong’s words leave her with this feeling ?

          “ i … ” mere observation of the woman beside her tells her the forthcoming response will not be ideal , nor will it be something she will want to hear . “ … i do not know , sir . ” it is not in her training to think in a manner filled with questions , rhetoric . it is not impressed upon her to ask questions that others would , were they to examine the nature of her employment to the military .

– she is a weapon , and weapons have no voice .

          “ i have never questioned my existence as a weapon . ”

WHEN FACED WITH A MIRROR, she doesn’t see a visionary; she doesn’t see an idealist, choking on the smoke of their pipe dream. OLIVIER SEES A PRAGMATIST, guided by cause && effect, by gains && losses. objectively, there are many ❛ gains ❜ in recruiting such an unarguably valuable asset… why then, does her jaw tighten? why is her gaze sharper than her blade? deep down, she knows the answer.

MECHANICAL LOYALTY =/= LOYALTY.

not here.

she cannot speak for the pigs && the dogs.

❝ is that so? if that’s the case, then now is as good of a time as ever to reconsider. mindless obedience is no different than modern slavery. i’m not interested in such cheap means to an end. ❞

her sigh is latched onto an icy wind, which sweeps away at unspoken words. there isn’t much left to say on the matter. spouting philosophy does nothing to sharpen her blade.

❝ while we’re discussing neglect, is there anything else i should be made aware of? did they send you off with a broken hip or something of the like? ❞

         there’s another point on which they might have to disagree. to adopt a rank as a name ?  alphonse can’t. he can’t. to claim a title as his name would make him feel so much more like a systemic cog, & — he already has too much metal  in his makeup to distance himself from his humanity anymore than he must be. so that’s why …

          that’s why. even if he can respect formality — he can’t embody it. not the same way that general armstrong does & must. alphonse wonders if she likes it - being general armstrong. being general olivier armstrong. do the two go hand in hand ? or are they separate ?

           he is alphonse elric. he is the armored alchemist. that’s all the title & formality he needs because they garner respect for humanity, & that’s hard to come by these days. even for people who aren’t wearing a suit of armor.

            still, alphonse is a little sheepish when his superior prompts details regarding the major’s escorting mission. true — his legs can’t get restless. they can’t fall asleep. it doesn’t hurt to sit still.  but that doesn’t make sitting in a box in a train car full of livestock … any less embarrassing. but then again, the mission had been successful; so he can’t complain!

            ‘  we see his strength a lot  — he says it runs in the family,  which i believe !   ‘   cheerful, alphonse laughs.   ‘  he did do some carrying … but ed & i had lost our limbs when we were targets for … assassination, i guess. so protection too! but i didn’t know there were more armstrongs! that’s so many siblings … cool ! is it hard to stay out of touch with all of them ?   

SHE DRAWS IN A BREATH && lets it settle. withheld air coincides with withheld thoughts in a sort of limbo; when she exhales, those thoughts latch onto the air, sans one which rolls off her tongue.

❝ NO. NOT AT ALL. ❞

she’d rather not expand on it. olivier would rather disregard the complexities of filial relations – a bloodline as pristine as it is t a n g l e d. a steel mind is infiltrated with thoughts of unfair expectations && growing discontentment. oddly enough, that same discontentment added fuel to the fire (( a growing need to prove herself )). even so… it’s in her best interest to derail that train of thought IMMEDIATELY. further reflection will only induce a headache.

❝ don’t misunderstand me. i hold my family in high regard && would protect them at any cost, as necessary. i have fond memories… ❞

her idea of FONDNESS is questionable(?) she can hear the endless scolding && sniveling. regardless, those memories tease at an almost half-smile, as quick to vanish as it is to form.

♔♔♔

❛ a quick glance down the hall. first to the right, then to the left. the coast was clear, and raven was locked onto her target. she could recognize those sure footsteps of heavy boots anywhere. she waited, and listened, until they approached her hiding place: a broom closet with just enough room for two. with one swift yank, raven grabbed the general by the collar and pulled her inside, kissing her hard on the lips ❜ 

WHERE THERE IS A NINETY-NINE PERCENT chance of victory, there is a one percent chance of f a i l u r e. life is a gamble; nothing is certain. an unlikely possibility is a possibility, still, && not something to be overlooked or dismissed. it is expected of her to anticipate the worst possible scenario && be ready to recover from it…

olivier is almost certain that a seam in her uniform is torn when pulled into the confined space. the door slams violently behind her && the flickering lightbulb decides to make a mockery of her. a startled gasp is quickly stifled by soft lips pressed firmly against her own (( INSISTENT && UNRELENTING ))

HESITATION IS NEVER AN OPTION // CIRCUMSTANCES BE DAMNED

she isn’t some naïve schoolgirl who would shy away from the most innocent gestures of affection, but that does nothing to combat the red tint in her cheeks. she can’t help but wonder… if she ran STEEL OVER SKIN, would the blood go away? it’s a stupid thought… 

despite all odds, she is able to maintain a degree of control. one hand presses against the nearest even surface, while the other forces away the demon’s grip. olivier doesn’t immediately break the kiss, instead, taking one UNHOLY MOMENT to relish in the sensation – there is a gentle ❛ pop ❜ when she pulls away, white hot anger swallowed by the darkness. it’s her turn to pull the other by the collar…

❝ just what is it that you want from me? money? clout? NAME YOUR PRICE && get out of my sight. ❞

adapted from this post. bold what definitely applies to your muse. italicise what somewhat applies to your muse. repost, and do not reblog.

aries : tries to do everything at once, doesn’t know when to stop and take care of themselves, bends over backwards for everyone even if someone did them dirty, has entirely too much on their plate.

taurus : idealistic, spends a lot of time trying to impress others, doesn’t like to apologize, eating is a coping mechanism or just addictive personalities in general, a tad codependent.

gemini : the most flip floppy people ever, what’s today’s mood ?, never apologizes, in denial 90% of the time, their way is the highway, desperately needs a break, they have a hard time setting goals because their goals scare them.

cancer : the literal meaning of I’ll give you the shirt off my back, isolates themselves in fear of someone hurting them, wants to change but is scared of change, complains a lot but never takes advice people give them.

leo : no one takes them seriously because they feel they always have to portray themselves as the fun one, is actually really sad inside, honestly needs a hug, exhausted always.

virgo : can dish it but can’t take it, rushes everything, anxious,  plans their future but forgets to live in the moment,  sometimes ignores their friends because they have so much on their mind, talks about themselves a lot and sometimes forgets to ask the other person how they are.

libra : solves everyone’s problems but their own, is actually really sad and lonely, gets easily heartbroken but tries not to show it, will do anything to justify bad decisions, honestly just wants everyone to love them but doesn’t really love their self.

scorpio : easily set off, will give anyone the cold shoulder at any time even without reason, keeps a lot in, so observant that they often times find out things that hurt them, too many “what ifs” swirling in their heads, has trouble showing their true selves.

sagittarius : impatient, brash, commitment issues, body issues, doesn’t realize they don’t need to change for anyone, has a lot of different goals to a point where they get overwhelmed, just wants to disappear and do what they want without anyone questioning them.

capricorn :  scared people won’t like them unless they’re at the top of their game 24/7, takes a LOT for them to talk about their feelings, secretly struggling, fake happy, needs a plan but doesn’t know what that plan is, confident but insecure at the same time, wants to be stable but sometimes wishes they could drop everyone’s expectations of them and live normally.

aquarius : gets heartbroken like 30 times a week, trust issues, can be unmotivated and disinterested, feels they have to adapt to every person they meet so they can be liked, doesn’t know how to tap into their emotions despite being very intuitive, confused, expects little.

pisces : empathetic often to a point of no return, plays the victim, doesn’t know when to say no, cynical, hermit, is very impatient, trusts everyone too much, can be secretly very critical and judgmental, can only tolerate maybe ten minutes of social interaction, needs a lot of validation.

The Major General’s question took her aback for a brief moment and she blinked in mild confusion - it was the very last thing she would have expected to be asked. What could she ofer to Fort Briggs, something the other woman had not seen thus far? Well, Betrayal could hardly tell her about the most important thing: She was unable to die, she surpassed her other soldiers in everything that could possible thrown into their faces. Betrayal was the best thing that could have happened to them - unfortunately telling them about Homunculi was not an option. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she answered that she could protect the fort from an invasion all alone. “I am your best weapon in this entire fortress.“ Whatever they had in possession here, she thought, she would be better than that. This was her realm after all. 

“Compare my numbers with my fellow State Alchemists. You will see that my numbers are one of the highest despite the disadvantage I had because of my alchemy. It will give you an idea what I can do in an environment that benefits me. Trained soldiers or militia makes no difference - I will kill all of them either way if this is your order.“ What was remorse or hesitation? The thought brought the ghost of a smile to her lips. The horrified faces had rather been amusing than making her think about what she was doing. Maybe that was the very reason why she would be declined at such a place but really - was it not important to act fast when facing such a force?

She tilted her head to the side and regarded the Major General with her lilac eyes.

                               “I can show you, if you bring me outside.“

THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE NATION is maintained with care && precision. the offensive front relies on strength in numbers; anyone with resolve && a steady hand may find their place in the ranks. the defensive front is by no means as lenient. the men of briggs are unified not only by skill, but by a set of values of equal importance ((if not more)):

FORTITUDE // HONESTY // RESOLVE // LOYALTY

she will settle for nothing less than THE BEST OF THE BEST. from her perspective, one’s merit cannot solely be attributed to reputation &&aggregates. a kill count isn’t inherently worth it’s weight in gold && she cannot rely on word-of-mouth. her superiors have a skewed idea of what makes a GOOD soldier (( GOOD ENOUGH won’t cut it )).

❝ i’ll be the one who decides that. ❞

features set in stone form a divide between the world around her && the world within. her mind’s eye creates a list of pros && cons; the major general goes through each individual item one by one. THERE IS ONE PARTICULAR ITEM that causes her deadpan expression to falter. eyes narrow; frown tightens. (( it’s no secret that she doesn’t care for alchemy )).

however…

❛ DISCRIMINATION IS A LUXURY WE CAN’T AFFORD ❜

that standpoint will not change anytime soon.