Akemi Graveyard

At the sight of Lenore's scowl, Sakuda cracked a soft smile. Oh yeah, that's definitely Rosaline's daughter. That same frown was always seen on Rosaline's face when she was thinking too much. Sakuda thought fondly about it before her smile dropped, no proof of it ever being there in the first place. Sakuda met Lenore's stare with questioning eyes, wondering what the other was thinking. It seemed she was starting to put two and two together, making Sakuda look away in defeat.

Only, that wasn't helping whatsoever. She was soon pulled back to Lenore's face, so close that they could see the mere details of one-another's face. Sakuda blinked slowly, not daring to move under the grip Lenore had on her neck. Another question from Lenore, digging deep into Sakuda, to where the girl had no words. She didn't know, she didn't know! Sakuda tried to look towards the grave, but her eyes didn't move too far from Lenore's face before she had to look back at the other woman again. "I . . . I'm not sure. She could of been . . . I didn't know . . ." Sakuda stumbled through her sentences, getting nervous.

Lenore's face cracked. The hardness fell from it, and was instead replaced with tenderness, and a bit of sadness. Her eyes slowly faded from red back to gray and feverishly searched Sakuda's face. She wanted to know that the girl was lying, but could tell from the look that she wasn't. After a moment she realized that she held Sakuda more rough than she had thought she was. She loosened up her grip, her hand dropping down to the side of Sakuda's neck again. She felt over the scars once more. By the fact that they were so similar to her own, she imagined that they were made with love rather than fierceness or pure hunger.

A sudden flash of anger went through Lenore as she was upset that Sakuda wasn't sure. "With all those marks...You had to have been the one bonded with her...The one that should have known where she was, and what she was feeling..." Suddenly she pushed Sakuda back against the tree, giving an angered hiss as she bared her fangs, her eyes red once more, "I'll make you remember." She looked as if she might bite the werewolf, but soon after she pulled away, grabbing Sakuda's hand and giving an exasperated sigh of breath that formed words, "Come on." She began to walk, a determined look on her face.

Sakuda's heart began to race as Lenore watched her closely and her expressions. They changed, shifted from several different emotions. Sakuda's lips pursed in thought, while her eyes were wide. She wasn't sure what to do, especially when Lenore freed her neck. Should she leave? Should she stay? It was all so confusing. She wanted to tell Lenore what she wanted to know, just to help the girl out a bit. Sadly, she found herself in a dangerous position. This girl shifts her personalities, and Sakuda had no idea what to expect.

A soft whine of pain left Saku's lips as she was forced against the tree. Her gaze went from the grave to Lenore, rethinking her decision from earlier. "You don't know anything about that," she retorted with a higher tone, almost a yell. That was one thing that hit a nerve. Sakuda despised it when things like this happened. When Lenore bared her fangs, Sakuda actually gnashed her own canines together, glaring a bit at the girl before her. She was afraid of being bitten, but figured Lenore wouldn't do that. No, instead, she began dragging Sakuda along the way. The Werewolf yelped softly, glancing back at the grave, almost begging for help from the deceased woman. It wouldn't come, though, so Sakuda was led along with Lenore to who knows where.

Viola made a trek from the human compound all the way to Akemi graveyard, and though it was winter she still wore her usually clothes. Leather boots, pants, a short corset, jacket and gloves. It was rather clear she had a thing for leather as that's all she wore...Ever. Her long pinkish red hair laid loosely over her shoulders, and her face was rather dull. She was in quite the bad mood actually. The humans had been making progress, and suddenly that progress stopped. What brought her to the graveyard? She was looking for that half-ling that was born in her compound; the one she helped to take care of when her mother was having a mental breakdown. Viola felt responsible for her in a way, since it had been on of her human soldiers that had taken advantage of the vampire that was in her holding cell. The graveyard was her choice because that's where Lenore's mother lied buried.

Quickly she made her way to where the tombstone was that read "Rosaline Lidael" She stared at the stone a moment before turning her gaze around the graveyard. There was no sign of her half-ling. Slowly she lifted her hand and placed it over her left eye; the one that bore the large scar over it. It was a sign of her irritation, and sometimes it meant that her eye hurt, but right now it was definitely irritation. Her scent was masked with that of a phoenix, and she knew how to control the element fire to further back that up, but she had a little spat with the races leader, and she wasn't sure if he'd actually let anyone know about her yet. She wouldn't call it a spat though. More of a friendly introduction and spar. At her heels as usual...Was Arianna, her mecha in the shape of an albino crocodile.

Silence among the gravestones, a not too original idea but a true one at the very least. Row upon row of the smooth stones that told briefly of the lives of the people here was her hiding spot. She didn't fear death, she knew it would happen one day so why fight it? A dead tree leaned toward the ground on one side of the yard, it's branches scrapping the cobblestones below with the gentle breeze. Under said tree sat a young woman with bright orange hair and blue eyes, sitting at the base of the tree with a sketch pad in her lap. Her gloved fingers scratched furiously at the sight before her: the perfectly perched crow on the headstone five feet away.

But as she looked up halfway through her drawing the bird had flown away. She huffed, putting her sketch away and sighing a fog of warm breath to the cold.
"That would have been a great piece too..."
She muttered, removing dirt from her jeans and straightening her brown jacket. Her head softly tapped against the bark of the tree, now becoming lost in thought. Wondering once again where she was going with her life, and again about her sexuality as well... She just couldn't figure where she was going.

Slowly Viola knelt down in front of her crocodile, her dog tags making a slight clinking noise, and reached out her gloved hand to run her hand lovingly across it's head before she moved her hand to under its large jaws to lift it up, pressing her lips to its nose carefully. The crocodile represented her quite a bit really. Crocodiles would lay in rest, so still they appeared to be a log, and when the prey got careless and came close enough...SNAP. Its jaws would close and it would go into a death roll and the prey would be dead. Viola could wait. she knew how to wait, and she held patience. She also knew how to carry herself in a threatening manner though, and would throw her weight and some violence around to get things how she wanted them.

Something had caught the human leader's attention, and when she saw there was someone else in the graveyard she moved her arms to lift the heavy machine up, and tossed its large body over her shoulder before standing with barely a struggle at all. She began walking then. "Come along then, Ariella...Let's go home."

In mid thought Amber's head shot up. There was someone else in the graveyard this chilly evening. Approaching her was a strange sight indeed. The woman had long red hair rolling down from her head. She was dressed in admittedly scanty leather, a corset in the middle of this cold? Must have high endurance. A strange machine was on her shoulder...was that a crocodile?

Amber blinked softly, Ariella? She pushed herself onto her feet, brushing dirt off her jeans.
"Sorry, I'm not this 'Ariella' you're looking for. My name is Amber."
The young woman spoke politely with a smile. The woman before her was pretty she had to say, but she wondered where that scar came from. It was very large, and by it's placement over her eyes she could tell it hurt.

Slowly Viola turned her bluish-green gaze to the girl that had stood up and spoke. Her eyes showed a slight danger, and that she was irritated and aggressive. Her face was hard and uncaring. She clung tightly to the crocodile that she was carrying. "I wasn't speaking to you. I was speaking to Ariella." her voice came out just as harsh as the look on her face. "I'm holding Ariella in my arms." She turned her head as much as she could with the crocodile there, and glanced to it. When she looked upon her pet her face softened slightly, but it immediately hardened as she looked back to the girl.

"Why is it you've made such an assumption?" Slowly she lifted her hand to rub t the scar as if it ached though it didn't. It was probably just out of habit now. Viola was growing somewhat tired of these creatures that lived around here seeming to be a bit nosy and assuming things.

Amber blinked again, not truly phased by how angry the other female was. She brushed a strand of hair back behind her shoulder, very calmly smiling.
"I'm sorry, I just thought you were looking for a certain person and mistook them for me. I didn't mean to upset you, you have a very nice crocodile. It isn't often you see a pet like that."
Amber was calm, very calm. The stranger seemed angry, Amber wondered why. It was in her nature to be very curious, she knew it'd probably get herself killed with her curiosity. The crocodile seemed different on it's own, almost mechanic. Was this a human woman?

A slight sigh escaped from Viola's lips. Clearly she wasn't going to be able to get away from this chatty girl anytime soon. Certainly she was harsh, and dominant, and could sometimes come off as a bit rude, but she definitely wouldn't just leave when someone was talking to her. The crocodile laid very still against its owner's body, but as soon as she moved it to place it on the ground it started to squirm some, and seeming that it was a crocodile almost as big as its master in height it caused Viola's body to move somewhat involuntarily. A hiss came from deep within the creatures throat and earned a slight glare from the human. "Hush." She straightened up and brushed the metal pads on the shoulders of her leather jacket off before moving to adjust her wrist guards. "They say the pet matches the owner."

The animal squirmed vigorously as it's master went to put it on the ground. It hissed, giving Amber a slight shock and causing her to jump slightly. The stranger hushed the reptile, and spoke how the pets often resembled their owners. Amber looked back and forth between the robotic reptile and the ginger woman before her for a long moment before giving another smile.
"I've heard that too. It's a lovely evening isn't it?"
The fog from her breath hung in the air for a few seconds before fading into the atmosphere. It was cold, but Amber wasn't effected much by the cold. She rather enjoyed it in fact.

An eyebrow arched slightly when Viola noticed this girl back and forth between herself and Ariella. Was this girl a little dull? "I didn't mean by looks." Clearly Kyuzo hadn't told people about her since well...This girl wouldn't be talking to her like this if she knew, and clearly she didn't since she kept smiling at her. Never once did her face return the smile. It just remained rigid. A lovely evening? "...I suppose. Though I'm not out here for enjoyment."

"I guess you could say I'm not either. I wanted to draw something really special but I haven't been having the best of luck."
She took out her sketch pad and flipped to the page she'd been working on. A half shaded raven had it's head turned to the sky, sitting atop a disheveled grave. Vines crept all around the base of the stone...they were at least supposed to be vines but to Amber they looked more like spaghetti with candy corn sticking out every which way.
"This is not boding well for me..."
She mumbled scratching her head. She had been in a drawing funk for a long time now, it was maddening to hr.

"Is drawing not a recreational activity?" Viola had been taught that drawing and other forms of art were often done for 'fun'. She stared at the page as it was held out to her. It looked pretty good to her. What was it that this creature was so displeased with. It was likely something that she would never even come close to achieving in a drawing. "I do not understand what you are complaining about." Her tone was as serious as the rest of her face. Why did people complain when they had skill at something? It was a problem that Viola had for both the races and the humans.

Amber turned to look at the woman, she thought it was good? A smile as wide as her face came to her.
"I'm just critical is all. Don't mind me it's an artist's thing really. Our biggest critic is ourselves so I've heard."
The eternal put away the drawing and turned back to the crocodile. It was huge! She'd never seen something so big even for robotics. The thing fascinated her, she wondered why the human had picked such a design for the creature.
"You're friend here is really something else! I've never seen a robot before!"

A shrug. That's what Viola gave this girl. At least at first anyway. She decided that it was rude soon after and added a response. "I wouldn't know. I don't draw." There was no time for drawing. She was the leader of the humans; there was much to do...Except there really wasn't. At least not lately. Their progress had stopped, and there wasn't even that much sign of Kyuzo. Pity...She enjoyed having fun with him. That's what it was to her anyway. Fun. The girl caught her attention at the mention of Ariella being a machine. Quickly her eyes shot to her and narrowed down. "How did you...?" There weren't many people that were able to figure out that Ariella wasn't real just by look.

By the stranger's response she had guessed what not many could. Amber looked back to the animal and tilted her head.
"Well before when it hissed at me the hiss sounded like a recording, metallic kind of. And I can sort of tell too by the way it moved, it wasn't very natural from what little I've seen of crocodiles in zoos and stuff. I have good eyes for detail like most artists do."
She stood stretching her arms above her head.
"I'm sorry, I haven't asked what your name was but I gave you mine. So, what's your name?"

That was extremely odd. Machines were almost exact copies of what they were modeled after. Never once had anyone guessed by such things. "...Tch." She looked down at the creature at her feet and stared then. They were made so that they wouldn't be detected. They had their own personalities that could sometimes even surprise their owners; like when Ariella had hissed at being put down. Their voices while recorded had been filtered many times, and still yet...This girl managed to be able to pick up on such details. Either she could be a threat, or a great asset. She returned her gaze and stared at the girl. "Viola Fleur DuAva."

Viola. She liked that name. Amber turned and held her hand out to Viola, giving a smile.
"It's nice to meet you Viola. My full name is Amber Valentine."
The eternal held no ill will to the stranger, even if she was a human. Amber wasn't one to judge just by race or by appearance. If anyone else looked at Viola they might see a dangerous woman and avoid her. But Amber thought she deserved a chance, and Amber was lonely. She could do with at least one person she could call friend.

Viola stared at this girl's hand. This Amber. Slowly she reached her own hand out to grip onto Amber's as if she were going to shake it, but instead she pulled the girl in close to herself, spinning her around as she did so that she gripped the girl from behind. "Relax." She lifted her other hand and brought it down on the back of her neck to knock her out. Then she turned Amber around to be facing herself and slung the girl over her shoulder before glancing towards Ariella. "Sorry, doll. You'll have to walk." This earned another hiss out of the crocodile who began to follow after its Master as she began walking.

At first the smile on her face was of wonder when Viola took her hand. But then the human pulled her closer, spun her around, and the pressure on her neck sent a shiver down her spine. Black faded into the corners of her eyes and the feeling from around her hands and feet began to fade away. Her body slumped forward only to be caught by Viola. The last thing she heard was Viola telling the crocodile to walk before she was gone.

It was a miserable day by most people's standards, misty and rainy; it wasn't just a drizzle either but rather close to a downpour. The people that would consider the day miserable were probably at home or indoors not out at a graveyard. Were someone to be wandering on this day though, they would find a man dressed in army fatigues standing in front of a grave, eyes cast down towards the ground. The rain caused the messy green hair that sat under his cap to cling to his face and neck as drips of water fell from the ends of it. Slowly he reached up and placed a hand on the stone in front of him before using his opposite hand to pull off his cap and hold it to his chest.

To most the stone would feel cold and smooth, but anyone who actually knew this man would understand that he couldn't feel the grave marker beneath his skin. Alphonse had lost both his arms just above his elbows in battle and now had to function with prosthetics. They worked as any normal arms would since someone had been kind enough to enchant them for him, but that still left him with no feeling there. Sometimes he liked to pretend he could feel the stone beneath his skin, thinking back to a time when he could.

Lifting his gaze he sighed and stared at the tomb stone in front of him with a frown plastered to his face. Were someone to look at him they wouldn't know if there were tears running down his face or if it was just water from the rain. He knew though. He mourned the loss of the man buried at his feet.

After several moments of silence he finally spoke, "Hey Captain...It's been real tough around here without you. Things have gone to shit...but I'm starting to make it, you know? Finally trying to get things under control. I think about you a lot. You're what keeps me going. Sometimes when things get real rough I think back to our times together and I hear your voice." He paused a moment before cracking a small smile and deepening his voice to imitate what he remembered the other man's voice sounding like. "Stay strong soldier, we're in this together. Keep it up and stick to the plan, and you'll never fail. You definitely won't with us at your side!" He laughed lightly and allowed his voice to return to normal. "Of course, you're not really at my side anymore, but sometimes if I think really hard I can picture the three of you standing next to me, and that makes me strong."

Despite having more freedom due to recent events, Sakuda was required to still make at least one or two rounds twice a week, since she was one of their best soldiers, she was required to put in a little effort, hence why she was currently waltzing around the graveyard, a hand resting against the hilt of her saber for comfort. She had already ran into a few people along her route, none of them dangerous, but she sent them on their way anyhow. It seemed with the little amount of Human activity, the creatures were more welcoming to roaming around, which relieved and worried Sakuda at the same time. She was glad people had their freedom again, but couldn't help but feel paranoid that another Human attack would be just around the corner. She glanced around, finding herself at the entrance of the graveyard, which was a subconscious decision, rather than apart of her actual route. Her orbs glanced across each headstone as she continued her pace, brief flashes of some of the Human lives she took coming forth. Frowning deeper, Sakuda straightened her posture more, tightening her frown. She didn't need these thoughts--these memories. 

     She had promised her fiancée she would do better, that she would think before she drew her sword. It was difficult not to charge out into the night after the blood of the despicable race, but Sakuda was recovering, learning. It would take some time before she didn't go for a weapon when she smelt even a trace of Human. Still, she made a promise, and she will try her damnest to keep it. Sakuda stopped, noticing that there was a figure near a grave. She didn't know whether to interfere or not. The person wasn't doing anything wrong, almost likely visiting someone they knew. Still, Sakuda wanted to make sure the person was alright. Her eyes stayed observant, debating quietly on what she should do.

Alphonse frowned as he made a fist and hit the top of the stone with it while tipping his head downward. He squeezed his eyes shut and lifted a hand to wipe away his tears before placing his hat upon the grave. Immediately he squatted down before finally allowing his butt to touch the ground. Knees pulled into his chest he hid his face away as his body shook as a sob broke free. "I'm sorry...It's all my fault." The man blamed himself for the death of his comrades. If he hadn't messed up...Maybe they'd still be here.

He thought of his young blonde friend and frowned. "You were so young. I'm so sorry...You didn't deserve any of this." It was almost impossible for Alphonse to forget about that day...Though what could you do with PTSD? Forgetting wasn't an option anymore. That's why he avoided overly crowded areas and places where things would be loud. He couldn't risk losing it. It'd happened one too many times.

Since she had her eyes on the on the figure, it wasn't long before she registered that the person had curled in on theirselves, instantly spiking a worried chill down Saku's spine. She stepped towards the person, making out features as she grew closer. A young man--green hair it looked like. It was tough to see with the rain pouring down, but such weather didn't particularly bother the Werewolf. She simply let her eyes change shape and color, the pupil also shrinking, giving her an advantage against the storm, and now she saw clearer. Yes, a young man definitely, and he looked curled in upon himself, shoulders shaking so delicately. Saku frowned softly, her approaching steps muffled by the heavy rain. 
     
     Since she knew her usual noise would be muted, Sakuda was careful to approach the stranger, not wanting to startle him. She knelt about a foot or two away, resting her elbows upon her knees, blinking at the figure. "Excuse me," she said, just high enough to be heard over the rain. Her fingers came up to brush her long hair out of her face, finding it a nuisance. "Are you injured? Do you need help," she asked, tilting her head as she awaited the response from said person. Her eyes took in his form, surprised as she found him to be in military clothing. Their side didn't have a set style uniform, and it was nothing that she saw in the Human region. Her brows furrowed as she looked rather curious.

The sudden voice caused Alphonse to startle some, immediately sniffling in and wiping the remaining tears away from his face. Looking up he blinked at the person speaking to him, taking a few moments to register who was in front of him. A woman. Lifting a hand to wipe his face once more the dog tags around his neck jangled. "Ah...Excuse me. No. I'm quite alright." Quickly he moved his hands to rest against the ground so that he could push himself to his feet. "I'm sorry you found me in such a state. The weather gets me down sometimes..." He quickly made an excuse for his actions.

Lifting a hand he reached out toward the woman in an offering of a greeting. "Alphonse Buddy Bishop, at your service miss." He couldn't help himself, manners were drilled into his brain. It honestly wouldn't have mattered if he'd been out of service for years. His mama raised him better...or so he supposed. Since he couldn't actually remember his mother.