Strange encounters [Traverse Town; Open to Greed; COMPLETE]

[secondmetal]

The not-so-peaceful streets in the second district of Traverse Town were particularly noisy this day. The dimness of the empty roads did nothing to muffle the noise as Al ran along the cobblestones. It had been a long time since he had moved about without considering the hollow clanking his footsteps tended to make, but he could not bring himself

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[ultimate_shield]

Living for over three hundred years left a person (or homunculus, but let's not be picky) with a bit of street smarts, a sense of when something bad was going to happen, and... a certain amount of grace.

That is, Greed wasn't one to crash into people - let alone a very loud, very obvious suit of armor.

It was a bit of a shock when it happened, then. The hard metal smacked right into his chest as he rounded a corner. His instincts had a shield up in seconds, but it soon became obvious that he didn't actually need it.

Eyes narrowed, he stared at the armor suspiciously. How had he screwed that one up? This whole situation had a little unsettled, even if he was trying to keep his calm. He'd been thinking about his plans and hadn't been focusing on the environment.

This wasn't something he saw every day, though. Placing a hand on his hip, Greed tilted his head. "What's with the outfit?"

[ultimate_shield]

Elric. Greed was fairly sure that name was important, but he couldn't place it at the moment. He knew he had heard of two Elric brothers who had been traveling all over Amestris for some reason, though. This was definitely a good thing to have stumbled upon.

"The hangar?" He hadn't actually been there, so even if this did end up being a false lead, at least he'd get a better idea of his surroundings - especially if he was planning on leaving via gummi ship the next day. "All right, Al. I'm Greed." Hopefully that name wouldn't seem too suspicious. The homunculi were more or less a complete secret - just a myth to most people. He doubted the boy would put the two facts together.

[secondmetal]

Greed? What an interesting name. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Greed," Al said as he tried to bow and continue moving at the same time. It was nice having a travel companion. And Mr. Greed seemed to be a good-natured sort of person. He pushed back a strange uneasiness he had about the guy, blaming his surroundings for it. It would get better once he found Ed. "It's just this way."

Al continued down the street at a good pace. Normally, he'd slow down, but this Greed had good height on him, and long legs, so he probably would be able to keep up.

[ultimate_shield]

The fact that this Alphonse was attempting to bow while walking gave Greed a good idea as to the type of person he was. Basically, he was polite to a fault - and it was also obvious that he was gullible if he'd decided to take him along.

"You too, kid," he responded. He could really go for a smoke at the moment. The cold weather put him in the mood for one. "You are a kid, right?" He sounded and acted like one, after all. Then again, just about anyone was a kid to him, considering his age - except for the old hag and that ugly bitch, Envy.

[secondmetal]

"Yes, yes I am." Al felt sheepish about the observation that Greed made. He knew that thanks to the size of the armor that harbored his soul, people usually mistook him for an adult. It never ceased to amaze him how people would immediately look to HIM rather than Ed as the great Fullmetal Alchemist, like height had anything to do with it. It annoyed Ed all the time, too, as if he were less dependable because he wasn't as hulking as Al. He wondered, though, if Mr. Greed would think he would be a problem for admitting to being so young. "I'm sorry if you thought otherwise, but I'm still kind of young. But please don't think I'll be a burden or anything. My brother and I have been on our own and travelling for many years."

[ultimate_shield]

"No, I don't mind," Greed said as he waved him off. Age didn't matter much, anyway. Even though he sometimes bragged about how much experience he had after having lived for so long, a good amount of that time had been spent sealed. Even if someone was young and new to the world, they could still have smarts and an overabundance of determination. He wasn't yet sure what he thought of his kid, but he knew one thing - he could prove very, very useful. And that was what mattered most. "Just didn't want to call you a kid if you weren't one."

[secondmetal]

Al wasn't sure if he liked the idea of being called a kid, even though he was young, but he just nodded and made an agreeing noise. He sincerely hoped that Mr. Greed would not treat him like some baby or anything just because he now knew how young Al was. Still, he was pretty sure he could prove himself the first time that happened. And he was pretty sure his brother would set the man straight. His brother was even more an adult than he was, despite his...er...temporary height challenge. Most of the time.

Reminded of his brother once again, he quickened his pace, though he made sure not to hurry too much for his companion. A large building had come into view as they followed the curve of the road. "That must be the hangar," Al said, excitement coloring his voice.

[ultimate_shield]

The boy (armor, whatever) wasn't moving too fast for Greed. He was a fairly tall guy. While he wasn't as tall as Alphonse, he had long legs and wasn't lagging behind by any means. He didn't have a problem with rushing, considering he was rather eager to meet this alchemist himself.

"Looks like it." The town wasn't that big, after all, so he hadn't perceived having any trouble finding it. Now hopefully it would be just as easy to find the kid's brother.

[secondmetal]

Al immediately forgot about his companion as his mind filled with just one thing-Ed. He hurried to the door and pulled at it. Thankfully for it, it opened easily. He thrust his head in the building. "Brother!"

And he paused at the echo that he heard. "Brother?"

Nothing. And that non-answer was like a chill. He stepped into the building's cavernous space and felt disappointment overwhelm him. He tried calling out again, but only echoes answered him. Nobody was there. Not even a trace of someone. His mind whirled dizzily as he tried to think of what could have happened. Maybe he was out shopping? Or had gone to grab some food? Or...or...

[ultimate_shield]

Greed was more interested in checking out the hangar. Completely unaware of the existence of things that could fly through space, he wanted to see how the things worked.

The ships that were docked looked - there was no other way to put it - absolutely ridiculous. It was as if they had taken a kid and had him mash a bunch of squishy, colored blocks together. Greed would have liked them to be a bit more stylish, though he supposed if they got the job done, he couldn't complain.

There were a few people around - waiting to leave or just arrived - but apparently none of them were the kid's brother, judging by the way he was acting.

"Not here?" he asked with a tilt of his head. That was rather unfortunate. He hoped this whole thing wouldn't turn out to be a waste of time.

[secondmetal]

Al shook his head, sagging as much as he could in his armor shell. Ed wasn't there. Where could he have gone? Had he already left?

His eyes fell on a stranger and he hurried towards him. "Excuse me, but I was looking for my brother." Al motioned with a hand. "He's about so tall, and has blond hair tied back in a braid."

The man thought for a bit. "Oh yeah. Feisty kid. Him and his friends just left on the last gummi ship."

Al stared at him. It felt like his whole spirit had been crushed. Missed. Again.

[ultimate_shield]

Well, that confirmed it. Greed exhaled and slumped, letting his posture become even more slouched than normal for a moment before straightening and glancing at the armor kid.

He wasn't one to offer comfort in these sort of situations; not unless it was going to benefit him somehow. Still, there was a possibility the boy would start to trust him...

Walking forward, he stood next to Alphonse, silent for a moment as he considered his options.

"At least you know he's around. He's not dead," he said, not sounding particularly caring, but at least making the effort. After all, as far as Greed knew, all of his chimeras were gone. The kid at least had some concrete confirmation that his brother was all right.

"You'll find him. If you ask around, you might even be able to figure out where that ship was headed."

[secondmetal]

Al almost didn't hear Greed's consoling words, his mind still deep in depression. He couldn't believe that he'd been so close and missed. It was hard to try and be cheerful, but he was too polite to ignore the man.

He straightened from his slump and nodded, his reply only half aimed at Greed. "Yes. You're right. At least I know he's okay. He must be. That's something." His words gained strength and determination colored each syllable. "And I'll find him somehow. Yes. You're right."

He turned to face Greed. "Thank you. I'm sorry you followed me here for nothing."

[ultimate_shield]

"It's all right." It wasn't, really, but Greed got the feeling it would be best to stay on the kid's good side until he got a chance to meet his brother. Besides, even if he insisted that he wasn't a child, the homunculus got the fact that if he did act irritated, Alphonse wouldn't understand. It seemed wrong to take advantage of someone that naive.

"Guess I'm going to head back to the hotel and see if I can get a room." At this point, he didn't really care what the kid did. He figured he probably needed some time to himself to mope over the fact that he'd missed his brother.

So he turned on his heel, hands in his pockets, and started back toward the First District.