a place for fear [open]

[sachi bianchi]

[/i] in the thought that you could always rely on petty criminals and desperate homeless thugs to do what they did best.

She was almost home now, but the closer she got to the building she had made her home in, the more amped up she became. Finally, when she noticed that she had slowed her walk and was straying closer to alleyways and dark bars she passed, she stopped beneath a street light, one hand on her hip. She just stood there, as if prepared to cross the road. She could hardly believe this...was she hoping for a fight? She could not deny that she had grown used to the violence of the years prior, but did she really crave them? That was just unhealthy. How long had it taken her to break her habit of scrapping so that she could be around civilized humans?

"Oh, I swear..." she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief at her own folly. She was going to get herself killed. It was utterly ridiculous. She had to get herself under control if she was going to--

Her mind screeched to a halt and her body stiffened as she heard a sound she had not heard for quite some time: footsteps. She had chosen a route that was out of the way, and it was just getting to be that time of night when all good girls and boys should be asleep. The only reason she was still here was because she'd had to stop and get ahold of herself. She wondered with a thrill what this person's excuse would be.

Her excitement inside did not match the quiet, almost shy voice she had been born with as she called out in a voice that shook ever so slightly on the first word, "Who...who's there?" Whether it was fear or anticipation that made her hands shake, she did not know or care.[/ul][/size]

Tags: None at the moment
Soundtrack: Will Not Break
Author's Note: Sachi is so fun ^.^
Words: 500
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[ashur grey]

The man known as Ashur Grey made his way through the rapidly darkening streets of Central. Even though he had only recently returned after two years away he still remembered them like the back of his hand. He had no real destination set in his mind, he merely let his turn this way and that in an attempt to forget the past, present and future. . . besides he could not find sleep this evening.


Of course, he had not considered how many memories the streets brought up for him. On one street he remembered getting into a fight with a few other soldiers when he had first came to Central, another street and he found himself before the cafe' his sister owned and lived, but where he never visited save to drop off money.


It seemed the harder he tried to escape thinking of the past, the more memories he stumbled upon. So instead he set himself to wandering the alleyways, cutting across streets instead of traveling up them. He did not have many memories there and was thankful for that.


Stepping out of an alleyway he was suddenly back in the present, looking up the street a short distance he saw a woman standing under a street light. Before he could even finish trying to get an idea of who she was she was calling out to him asking him who he was in a voice that he took as being nervous. It was not hard to understand from Ashur's point of view, most women would be nervous on the streets of Central at this hour; the fact that she was out at all was a surprise in itself.


"A man out for a walk."


Sighing slightly Ashur turned and started towards her, after all he felt obliged to make sure she got home safely. Of course, Ashur must have looked quite the odd site as he was in a fine tailored suit with a black cloak atop it, finishing the garb with a cane he held in his right hand. While the clothes might have looked fine, Ashur did not. As said before he had not been sleeping very well and his black locks were in disarray and worst of all was his eyes. The dull gold orbs similiar to a wolves. It took only a few moments to close the distance between them and soon enough Ashur stood at the edge of the light from the streetlamp.


"It's dangerous for a woman to be out by herself at night, allow me to escort you home."


The words came out in Ashur's normal monotone, after years of keeping his emotions from his words it had become pure habit. Of course, his intentions were purely innocent. He just hated the thought of finding out something happened to her in the morning. . . after all, how would that reflect upon him?

[sachi bianchi]

[/i] Who answered like that? It was so...so vague, so...suspicious. Her mind protested immediately, and the scrapper who had been successfully subdued woke up again eagerly, and this time manifested herself physically. Sachi's body was ready and practically shaking with excitement as she turned slowly in the direction the voice had come from. At first, she saw only a shadowy form in the shadows, though the moment her eyes finally adjusted to the difference in lighting, he was so close that it was too late. She took half a step back, her eyes widening slightly as she looked him up and down.

The man's appearance was more suspicious than his words, if that was even possible. His clothes were fine, and he carried a cane in his right hand that her mind immediately classified and analyzed as a weapon. But most frightening of all was his face and more specifically, his eyes. He looked half-dead, or perhaps only half-alive. What his intentions were, she could not begin to guess. Though she had faith in the kindness of people's hearts, she found it a bit hard to believe that a man would just approach a woman in the middle of the night and just expect to walk her home. His appearance was not altogether horrible, but it inspired the tiniest inkling of fear in her, and that tiny seed of fear of course grew immediately to a flowering of aggression, a reaction pounded into her by an upbringing of chaos.

That aggression manifested itself immediately, as soon as he came within a certain distance. By the time his foot hit the pavement for the final time, Sachi's leg had already lashed out, her body sliding lower as she put all of the force she felt she had to into the strike. She aimed for his left leg, hoping to unbalance him. Whether she would stay and fight, or run to safety was something that was yet to be seen.[/ul][/size]

Tags: The one who made a mistake
Soundtrack: Cold-Blooded
Author's Note: XD I repeat my previous statement
Words: 500
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[ashur grey]

Instead of a polite thank you or no thank you, Ashur instead watched as the woman moved in to attack him. Her lean body moving low and her leg darting out to kick at his left. Of course Ashur did not just watch this happen, naturally his experience and instincts did their job.


In response to the quick attack his right hand moved even as his body twisted to the left slightly. The end of his custom cane found itself planted at the seam where two stones of the cobble street met, this small dip while shallow allowed Ashur to merely put pressure on the top of the cane so that the kick would now for all intents and purposes meet a unyielding steel rod.


Even while being attacked Ashur kept his composure, pushing pesky emotions to the back burner of his mind and he spoke once more. Just as before his voice was calm and for the most part monotone. . . perhaps just a slight hint of annoyance this time.


"I would advise against this."


The words were simple enough really, he did not particularly want to fight someone. Not because he was not confident enough to fight without his alchemy, if he had not been then he would not be outside at night in the first place. No, he merely did not wish to harm the young lady. That was when a question whispered from the corner of Ashur's mind where it had been shoved out of the way.


Might be she wasn't here by chance. . .


It was then that Ashur took two quick steps back and repositioned his cane to be held by the handle in the right, while his left hand acted almost like a sheath of sorts, keeping it to his left hip. It may have looked unusual, but it also allowed him to attack or defend in a variety of ways if necessary.


He was still doubtful that she had been waiting for him, but the small thought kept popping back in his head. He knew there were people in Central as well as other areas of Amestris that had a grudge against him, but could not reason out how someone would even know where he was going. After all he had been wandering the streets and alleys.




OOC: Oddly enough he still does not see that he did anything wrong. ;>>

[sachi bianchi]

[/i] And it really was. Sachi too often found herself spending too much time delving into the past, thinking about what could have been or what she could have done. This habit was doubly so when battles came into the equation. But she had recently decided that such thoughts were best left behind; the past was the past, and she should leave it so.

Oh, what was she doing getting distracted like that in the middle of a fight? Those thoughts came to her quickly, as long as it took for her leg to complete its journey, but the harsh impact snapped her out of her musings.

The man's cane served him well immediately; he used it to stop her kick. The impact smarted, but she shook it off and returned to a defensive standing. His words gave her pause; his tone was still monotone, but there was an inkling of emotion. She didn't really catch just what emotion it might have been, but his voice was a tad less cold than it had been before. Given that the words were said without aggression or any clue as to his intent, Sachi may have called off her attack in that moment. The statement gave her pause, made her think that perhaps he hadn't been here with the intent to harm her.

Unfortunately, he completely undid the effects his statement had on her by returning to a fighting stance. Then, more out of habit than immediate feeling, Sachi followed suit, though her stance was all offense. She set her jaw and repeated the question she should have asked first: "Who are you?" Yes, that little question might have saved all of this from happening, had she only asked it at the right time. But Sachi didn't often think things through all the way, and it hadn't gotten her killed yet. As she spoke, she shifted slightly so that she could kick him again, this time with other attacks in plan.[/ul][/size]

Tags: Mystery man
Soundtrack: Cold-Blooded
Author's Note: *sigh* Neither does she
Words: 391
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[ashur grey]

Ashur watched with a slight indifference as she moved into her own combat stance. His mind assessed the variables between them, their environment and even the brief on hit clash. The fact that she had not been phased at her shin meeting the steel cane made Ashur believe she was no stranger to pain and the fact that she had any sort of stance showed she knew how to fight.


As for their environment he believed he might be at a slight advantage even though it was night. After all he still held a firearm while she carried no visible weapon save her own body. Not to mention the small amount of white lamplight could provide luxin if he needed it, as could his flares.


It was in the middle of his analysis that he heard her question. Who was he? He had said a man out for a walk earlier because he had wanted to avoid conflict with someone who disliked the military which was still somewhat common in central. Now though she had asked directly who he was and of course. . . Ashur hated to lie.


"Ashur Grey, Colonel in the Amestrian Military."


He left out that he was a state alchemist just in case she did decide to fight him for some reason. While he did not like to lie there was no point in giving away extra information when she still posed a possible threat. So Ashur stood there in his stance, waiting for the young lady to make the first move.







OOC: Gah, such a horrible post on my part. Sorry. V.v

[sachi bianchi]

[/i] That possibility gave her pause...it was...highly unlikely. That was not the kind of thing you just lied about, especially not in Central, where reactions to the military were so mixed and strong. Feelings of resentment still rose up, even after the events of the years past, to the point now where being military may not be as much a source of pride as it had once been.

Sachi hesitated briefly before answering. "I...see..." She wondered if that meant she could trust him now, so she relaxed a tad more, her expression cautious, but slightly hopeful now. And, of course, disappointed. Part of her had thrilled in the battle, brief and one-note though it had been. "Do you mean me harm?" Once again...if that had simply been asked or spoken up front, they may have avoided all this. But, as she was so fond of reminding herself, it was too late now.[/ul][/size]

Tags: Colonel Mystery Man
Soundtrack: Cold-Blooded
Author's Note: Eh. Same here....
Words: 300
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