[Thread] It was like looking into a mirror.

[payitgladly]

Characters: OU John Preston, OPEN
Where: anywhere (make it clear one way or another, please)
When: sometime in the afternoon
Summary: Preston arrives and immediately starts to explore the compound.
Warnings: Possible violence? If anyone wants to try and beat up on the Warden look-alike, be my guest. He can more than defend himself.

Comments

[payitgladly]

Preston was a bit busy studying the architecture surrounding him as he walked to entirely notice the girl at first. He buildings here were very different from the ones found in Libria; worse, they were a lot different inside. It took a lot of will power not to look for a match and start incinerating all of the EC-10 material around here.

On the other hand, one thing was all too familiar with the way things were back home: the decrepit state of things indicating a continuous, disastrous war of large proportions. Outside of their new city-state, the world still looked like this in most places of the Nethers.

Preston was very used to there being a large crowd of people walking along the city streets; where he was from that was the largest mode of transportation to the common people. The movement just before him took him out of his reverie and he glanced back down to Earth to see the blond coming in his direction. He held out a hand, palm forward, as she began to appear ready to run into him, but it dropped back down as she finally noticed him.

He gave a curt nod in acknowledgement.

[fullmet_al]

She watched him for a moment. She didn't know if he had been here for very long or not. She gave him a friendly smile as she looked up at him, since she was rather short herself. "You must be new here." She said, trying to be friendly. She didn't bother trying to hide the fact that she was missing an arm, nor the fact that she was still hurting. She just wanted to be friendly enough.

[payitgladly]

The smile earned her a curious tilt of the head that was almost instantly superseded with a slight frown. Though he had seen the expression before he was uncertain what warranted it in this such case. Not to mention it was a little more than he was used to length-wise. His face cleared a moment later and he gave another brief nod. "Yes, actually."

[fullmet_al]

She nodded. "I am Alice Elric. I haven't been here very long." She said. She was usually a friendly person and if the smile confused him...well she wasn't sure what to do about that.

"It seems that people are brought here at random times." She said idly.

[payitgladly]

"Nice to meet you, Miss Elric," he replied. The way he intoned the word "nice" might have been a bit bland. For like of a better term, Librians still used the obsolete word only when confronted with no other accurate description. Or maybe that was being a harsh on the society as a whole...

"I suppose so," he said with a nod. "Continued drafting would be the usual within states who are at war." He sounded very... logical about everything. Precise. Stoic.

Preston had in fact noticed the missing arm but he was being polite. As for the rest of her appearance... he was just trying to be polite. But curiosity killed the cat...

[fullmet_al]

"From what I have been able to find out, there hasn't been an attack since the one that brought people to this compound. And it seems that no one actually trains and that there are few true military personnel here." She said, her mind going to what little bit she had been able to find out about this place.

"I know of a few soldiers from different worlds, but most aren't fighters at all." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm a member of my country's military myself, but still..."

[payitgladly]

Preston glanced down at the ground as he digested this information. He had the general knowledge of the compound and its purpose (the usual orientation), and he understood it quite well, and was doing exceptionally well all things considered. However, anything "off the record" was new to him, and greatly appreciated--even if he didn't express it.

"You're military?" was the first thing out of John's mouth as he heard this. To say that he was surprised would be an overstatement with the look on his face however. He rectified the blurted words simply enough by continuing, "We have no military in Libria. The closest thing we have to fighters are the police, and Clerics. As a First Class Grammaton Cleric, I am the most logical choice of drafting from my world."

[fullmet_al]

"I am a State Alchemist in service of the Military. I'm known as the FullMetal Alchemist." She said. "Though before I got here something happened..." She let her sentence trail off as she looked at her empty sleeve. "Where I come from alchemy is a major science." She explained.

"I still need to get the supplies together in order to rebuild my arm."

[payitgladly]

Finally the subject could be brought up without being rude. Although why he considered being rude a bad thing was beyond anyone's guess. What happened to that no emotions thing? Guess it wasn't so much an emotion as an old habit from a society no longer in existence.

His eyes flickered to the missing appendage's joint area and back. "I'm not sure I know what alchemy is. But rebuilding your arm? You're a mechanic? How advanced are the prosthetics of your world?"

[fullmet_al]

"I'm not a mechanic. I lost my arm and a leg several years ago..." Again her sentence trailed off. "As for rebuilding my arm, a couple of people said that they would be able to rebuild an arm for me. Where I come from, Automail is the prosthetic that is used. It attaches directly to the nerves, so it's like having the limb back, but you can't feel the things you touch."

[payitgladly]

"If it's reattached to the nerves, why not make it complete with the touch sensors?" he actually looked puzzled now. It didn't make any sense to him to do most but not all of the job right. He was also blatantly trying to ignore a certain something that was throwing him off: signs of her feeling emotions.

This was going to take a lot of adjusting. Sense-offenders--were going to be everywhere here. And he didn't understand them not one bit. Even if he was an intuit.

[fullmet_al]

"Well, technology wise, we're not that advanced." She fished the PDA out of her pocket. "We don't have things like this back home. We have radios and telephones, but not a lot aside from that." She put it back in her pocket and ran a hand through her hair. At least he didn't ask how she had lost her arm, she didn't want to go into that story.

[payitgladly]

Preston blinked. "Reattached nerves for decent prosthetics, but nothing past radios and telephones. Duly noted," he intoned blandly. "We have advanced prosthetics, holograms, and satellite phones--although the later is hardly employed anymore. Unfortunately I could be of no use to your missing arm. I personally do not know mechanics enough."

[fullmet_al]

"A lot of worlds are very different in terms of technology." She said, the friendly smile back. "I just need to speak to the ones who said they would help me." She said. "I'm sure that I'll have my arm back soon enough." She wondered what the world he was from was like, but didn't ask. "There are also different versions of the same world. There's another version of me here as well."

[payitgladly]

"That's good," he said idly. The conversation wasn't in his heart, truth to be told. He did, however, perk up a bit at the mention of multiple universes. "It is not unlikely that there would be many doubles in the fabric of all reality, considering the fact that multiple dimensions, or universes if you prefer, have been proven to exist through our being here. I have to admit, it would be..." not scary, not awkward, but, "undesirable to meet one who's life is so similar. It is eerie enough to meet someone who looks similar."

He blinked once, and looked away, trying not to think back to his "interview" with the Warden.