005. [Video]

[explosivecombat]

[VIDEO]

[Good evening, Johto

Comments

[eliciadaddy]

1/2

[ You should've gotten something from Maes too in the mail! Though, probably nothing as exciting as whatever you've got there in your hand. Which, by the way, Maes can't see too well right now.

Not that it matters. He has more important things to discuss with you. ]

Oooh? You've received something strange as well?

[eliciadaddy]

[ But don't bother responding to that. Maes isn't going to give you a chance. ]

ISN'T IT AMAZING? I don't know where it came from, but when I woke up this morning, it was in my bag! Something from home~

[ He's shoving something into the camera. ... It's so close to the camera that you can't actually see what it is.

A pause.

Oh wait, he's realized you can't see it. Pulling back now. It's an... album... of some sort... ]

Now I can look at my beautiful girls every day!

[ Maes is... happy...? I bet you can't tell... ]

[explosivecombat]

[...may whatever deity that happens to be listening, if any, save us all.]

Congratulations, I suppose.

[eliciadaddy]

[ ... maybe if you'd killed less people in the war, the deities would be more willing to save you... ]

Isn't it wonderful~? Look, there are so many pictures from it! How did whoever that left this to me know that this was my favorite album~?

[Video]

[vengefulyears]

[Well, at least one of them is pleased by the gift they got from home. Clive is much less thrilled with his, though he's been trying not to show it all day.]

Indeed... By the way, I received your gift this morning, as well. Thank you very much.

[Video]

[explosivecombat]

Believe me, it's quite the pleasure.

[...no, really, it is. He does not want to think about where that thing came from.]

Ah, consider the sentiment returned, by the way - it's appreciated.

[Video]

[vengefulyears]

You're very welcome. Also, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is that stone in your hand?

[Video]

[explosivecombat]

It's something from Amestris; a rare stone that tends to be of interest to certain fields of study back there. It's rather nice to have it back in my possession.

[sadisticwarfare]

[...Well that looks promising. Of course Archer is familiar with the Stone - or rather, the "incomplete" version Tucker was using in Laboratory Five. This looks exactly like that, except perhaps a little larger. Archer can't decide if this is a horrible thing or a hilarious thing. Hopefully Kimblee still can't use alchemy here.]

[Anyway! He'll be showing up to examine it in person soon enough; you don't mind if he lets himself in, right? Of course not! He'll pick the lock if you've decided to try to shut yourself in anyway.]

Well, seems as though you certainly got something interesting for the holidays.

[For the time being he'll just smirk; even if Kimblee can use alchemy there's not guarantee that he'll decide to kill Archer. Right?]

[explosivecombat]

[Oh, come now - as though this can be anything but horribad in the most hilarious way possible?

But no, at this point he knows better than to lock himself in entirely, if only because he can't see Archer having the patience to finish picking the lock and imagines he'd just smash it instead. And surely we can't have that.

As it stands, when Archer enters the Gear is nowhere to be seen; Kimblee at least has the chair firmly on all four legs on the floor by that time, though he's still playing with the Stone, toying with it between his fingers.]

That's one way of putting it, yes.

[He doesn't seem hostile at all, nor does he seem entirely overstimulated; if anything, he's just very, very pleased. Keep him that way and no one needs to die today!]

[sadisticwarfare]

[We don't need any more broken locks, now do we?]

Well aren't you pleased.

[It's not a question. Archer shuts the door behind him before leaning on it, folding his arms.]

I take it you still can't access your alchemy?

[Like Kimblee would still be in the room if he could?]

[explosivecombat]

[And seeing as it's not a question, Kimblee sees no reason to dignify it with a response; he tips his head slightly in acknowledgement before moving on to the actual query at hand.]

Unfortunately not; I think we're both aware enough of that, circumstances being what they are. However, that's hardly a reason to be ungrateful for what I've received.

After all, this place may deign to let me use it eventually; it's hard to tell, knowing Johto.

[snapandscoot]

Ah, Mr Kimblee!

[[It's so good you popped up on the video feed; Emmy was just trying to work out how to call you!]]

Thank you very much for your letter! I just received it. Did you have a good Christmas?

[explosivecombat]

Ah, Miss Altava - it was quite nice, yes, for several reasons.

I trust yours went well?

[snapandscoot]

Quite! My friends got me some excellent presents; I was overwhelmed! All I have to give out are cookies. You're more than welcome to some when we meet!

And if they've gone off by then, I'll just have to bake you some more.

[explosivecombat]

Ah, you cook, then? A rather useful skill here, given the amount of traveling required to get by in this world.

[...yeah he

kind of hasn't left the towns/cities yet himself

this is gonna suck]

At any rate, I definitely do appreciate it.

[homofuckiens]

[ and Karkat is going to be bold enough to ask. ]

What the fuck is that gem?

[explosivecombat]

[Well, well.]

Ah, and good evening to you, too! Straightforward as always, I see.

[...that aside.]

It's a bit of a rare commodity, where I come from. Rather sought-after and highly valuable, though I imagine it won't be nearly as useful here as it is there.

[homofuckiens]

Don't tell me you're a fucking jewel hoarder, Kimblee.

1/2

[explosivecombat]

Not...at all...