exeggutorhead | 64th Transformation [FOURTH WALL]

_{[Well ... okay.]

[You know, it hasn't been that long, all things considered. A few weeks tops while him and Miguel and Chel have been trying to figure out how to get back to Spain, scavenging and conning here and there in whatever settlement they've come across, but mostly living off the forest and trying to figure out the next step.]

[It's a while until the ships are set to return home and playing stowaway worked out so well last time, and their boat was wrecked (in anger, probably), so they're just lying low for now but enjoying the freedom that is. While also coping with the shift and change and loss from the pokémon world, or the halfhearted memories of it.]

[And then ... there it is again. Just suddenly. And Tulio has to gape as he looks around, cause uh, he definitely recognises the place right off, but this was definitely not how it went last time he wound up here, and ...]

[... well, he's kind of alarmed and having some mixed feelings, but okay.]

[And what the hell is this song? That wasn't there before, either.]

[Buuut apparently he's not the only one finding it kind of grating, judging from the figure pacing around aggressively, but it only takes him a second to recognise him, so he just walks right up to him.]}

Woah, hey? Envy?

[It's been a long, long time since Envy's heard that voice. And damn is it a good one to hear. His head goes right up from how it was bent down to look behind a trashcan, and he whips around to just make sure he's not hearing things. And then his face breaks out into a wide grin automatically. He's very nicely distracted from the music.]

Wh--Tulio! When did you get here?

[BOSS-AMIGO!!]

[And if Envy looks a liiittle bit more on the emotional side of glad than he'd like to show, shhhh don't tell anyone.]

_{[Hey it's cool Tulio's hiding some of his own emotional, but he grins right back at Envy and grabs him affectionately by the arms for a moment, in what's probably in lieu of a hug. In a way, it's making sure he's really there, cause this whole thing has such a feeling of unreality - he was just trying to sleep beneath a gigantic leaf, you know?]}

Don't know! I guess I just got caught up in this ... whatever it is ... thing. It is one of those times, right?

_{[Needs to make sure before he decides what to feel properly, and Envy should know better than anyone. Vaguespeak aside, Tulio figures he'll get it.]}

[Arm grabbing instead of hugs works just fine for Envy, and he even reaches to grasp Tulio's shoulder for a moment himself. Even if it's just for now, he gets to see his friend again, and that kind of luck is something he's been sorely needing lately.]

[But he still sighs as he nods.]

Yeah, it is. So…hey, even if you're not here long, we can make the most of it. Yeah?

[He certainly doesn't want to waste the time moping about it being over soon. He shakes his head, letting out a little noise that's nearly a laugh. He's still having trouble believing Tulio's actually HERE, and the more it sinks in the more the emotions are pressing up insistently and he can TELL that it's making his grin look weird.]

It's been a long time.

_{[A hulking THING is lingering at the street corner. It was amazing to think something so big and thorny could look frightened. The birch man hunched his shoulders and lashed his long spiny tail as the chaos parted around him as if he were a rock in a stream. Occasionally he let out a soft growl and swatted at the Pidov that tried to land on him.]}

[Fortunately, it's during a period of blessed freedom from The Music. Frightened treemonsters don't need that mournful wailing approaching them.]

[The normal background 8-bit might not be much BETTER, but y'know.]

[Envy's approaching more out of curiosity at first; he's never seen anything like this guy show up, but the first thing he thinks is chimera. Maybe he IS a chimera. Time to investigate. He walks up fearlessly, because after all he can't die right now.]

Hey, what's up with--

Henry?

[HE'D RECOGNIZE HIS FRIEND'S GENERAL SHAPE ANYWHERE BY NOW. Even if he's mostly a giant thorny treeman. This is officially weirder than a Leafeon. FRIEND, R U OK??]

_{[The monster's leafy ears lifted at the sound of his name and he turned to observe...some human with the weirdest hair he's ever seen. It was most certainly Henry from that ever so slightly worried blank face to the tattered double pocketed button up shirt.]

[But what he didn't have in his knothole-shaped eyes was the spark of recognition.]}

[While Envy can recognize faces and body shapes like nobody's business, he's not so great with knotholes.]

[And this HAS to be Henry, right? Same shirt, even. He's probably just in shock from waking up a tree.]

Hey, c'mon, come with me. We can go back to the house for a while.

_{[His tail winds around his feet as an awful rattling hiss starts coming out of the zig-zag mouth that looks all but carved into Henry's face.]}

Who are you...

[THIS...IS NOT RIGHT.]

[A bit more cautiously, he says:]

Envy...you are Henry, aren't you?

Stop...stop saying that!

_{[Pasty disgusting vermin! Walking fertilizer! He even smells like a Rotan! Henry snarls and then he lunges, twisted tree claws swinging.]}

Hey, hey look--

[Envy could probably have dodged that. He's got the speed, the reflexes right now.]

[But even this strange tree Henry...he was still thinking of Henry. And he just honestly didn't expect to be attacked.]

[The claws go right into him in a spray of blood, and he crumples around them. His last thought is oh, goddamn it. A homunculus can be killed just as easily as a human can...at least before they get back up.]

[But for now, Envy appears to be as dead as dead can be. It always takes a second or two to come back.]

_{[When the 'human' falls, Hentree pauses for a moment, shaking with rage and fear. Then the instincts kick in because what else are you going to do with a freshly dead or dying body?]

[WE goin' to Wendy's.]

[The tree looms and its root-like claws prepare to extend downward to push into Envy's flesh and start eating him as only a tree can.]}

[They're about to go in when Envy's eyes snap from glassy to alive and aware. The wounds from Hentree's claws are already starting to knit back together in a glow of white alchemic sparks.]

[On a scale of unpleasantness from one to ten, waking up from the dead to see a treeman version of your best friend looming and about to stick roots in you is somewhere around a twelve.]

[He also sees those roots headed in the general direction of his stomach HEY HELL NO THAT'S WHERE HIS RED STONES ARE. THOSE ARE HIS. He reaches out with his arm that's not still healing and tries to grab for the claws, cat's eyes narrowed in extreme annoyance. He doesn't know precisely what Hentree is going to do with them but he has an idea that it wouldn't be good.]

HEY! Quit that, what the hell'd you go and do that for?! I didn't do anything to you!

_{[Henry leaned in to continue the circle of life when his meal suddenly popped awake. Before he knows what's happening, a strong hand is wrapped around his wrist.]

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[This was exactly as alarming as your burger suddenly biting you back. The tree creature was so alarmed that he wound up shutting down, the only sound escaping him being a long, high pitched screech of dismay.]}

[Envy takes the opportunity to try pushing the roots further away from him and scooting so that he can stand up. The wounds are mostly healed up by now, although the blood doesn't disappear from Henry's claws or the ground.]

[He's tempted to leave Tree Henry here in the street; he's still really annoyed and this clearly isn't his friend. But...he looks enough like him (y'know, for a tree), and he's clearly freaking out...and what if it IS his Henry, but something's happened to him?]

[SIGH. But if he gets attacked again, this time he'll be ready. Maybe if he just talks calmly and firmly, that'll work.]

Okay, yeah, I come back to life. And I can do that as many times as you kill me. So you might as well not.

I'll give you that ONE time, got it? No retaliation. And if you come with me, I can tell you about what's going on.

Understand?

[After a moment's consideration, he extends a hand. It's mainly a symbolic gesture, he doesn't really expect Hentree to take it.]

_{[Henry's knothole eyes widened in terror as Envy rebuilt himself from the core outward. No! No no no! This couldn't be happening! ROTAN! ROTAN SCUM! When the hand was offered, the nymph recoiled and let out a screech.]}

What ARE you!

...Uh?

_{[Drawn by the sounds of his friend in danger, Henry had abandoned trying to get a really good photo of a very real actual car from Cars. With his camera at the ready, he's frozen on the corner, staring at his bloodied friend and...a really familiar looking tree.]}

I'm--

[Envy looks over when he hears Henry's?? voice, confused. So...there are two Henrys?]

[what]

[At least HIS Henry hasn't been turned into some kind of plant chimera. Envy would be more confused if he didn't come from a world with multiple versions of people, but uh still this is weird. He backs up a few more steps from Hentree, getting a little between the two of them, and calls without taking his eyes off the tree version.]

Henry, do you know anything about turning into a plant?

[FROM WHAT HE'S HEARD OF SILENT HILL, IT'S A VALID QUESTION. IS THIS NORMAL??]

_{[He gapes for a moment not unlike a Magikarp before snapping back to reality.]}

I know that I'm not one for once!

_{[The towering Hentree just balked at the other Henry. It was like seeing a ghost, but there he was! The way he was supposed to be. His face with real skin and eyes! His feet that could fit into shoes! Was this some trick of the Fourth God? Was this the strange case of the Two Walters he'd seen back on his original adventure?]

[Whatever it was, Hentree didn't like it. So he spread his thorny jaws in a scream and lunged at his human double.]}

[Killing Envy? He can let that go, it's not too big a deal. Yeah it hurts and it's annoying, but ultimately he's died plenty of times and in worse ways before.]

[Attacking one of Envy's friends though? His human friend who doesn't regenerate, no less?]

[NOPE, NOT HAPPENING.]

[Envy darts forward to straight up TACKLE Hentree as hard as he can, hoping to knock him to the ground and hold him there if he can manage it.]

HEY!

_{[The nymph lets out a roar of surprised when he's rammed into and goes down like a...well you know what he goes down like.]}

_{[Henry had already bolted, still having some of his horror protag instincts in tact. When the monster fell with Envy attacking him, he wheeled around.]}

DO THE DRAGON THING!

[You know what? The dragon thing sounds like a GREAT idea right now.]

[Envy transforms, his body going from a tiny human one to the giant, scaled loops of the serpentine dragon he'd showed Henry once before.]

[Except this time, he gives himself a pair of dragon arms too. He coils in a circle around Hentree to box him in, and aims to pin him to the ground with one clawed hand.]

Stay down, I'm done being nice.

_{[Henry is ready to get up, he's ready for a second round. He makes another savage noise and twists his body around in an unnatural way to slash at Envy, but suddenly the pasty, long-haired man is gone and in his place is an enormous green noodle of death. He is slammed against the ground.]

[He writhes and scratches at the dragon's claws but there's not a lot a stick can do to a very real literal dragon. This is the worst day.]}

_{[Henry, meanwhile, is panting, hands on his knees. It looks like the Monster Him is contained for now. Perhaps against his better judgement, he approaches the scene, wide-eyed.]}

I've been here for a long time...but I've never seen anything like this.

[Satisfied that Hentree isn't going anywhere, Envy turns his attention to Henry.]

I haven't either...I've seen other versions of people, but nothing like THIS.

What should we do with him? I tried getting him to calm down, it didn't work.

[THEN THINGS ESCALATED he's pretty sure that Hentree isn't going to calm down anytime soon. Considering that the tree is Henry's weird double, he figures his friend should have most of the say in what happens--he's decided already that Hentree had his chance to have a say and very promptly lost it.]

_{[He leans around Envy's coils, trying to see the weird leafy mirror of himself. The nymph just hisses and tries to bite through Envy's scales with his poisonous teeth.]}

We need to tell somebody.

[Sadly for Hentree, the scales are difficult to get through, and even if he does then poison doesn't really work on homunculi. But it still hurts, like a bee sting, and Envy bares his teeth warningly.]

Not the cops, they'd probably just think he was some new Pokemon and we'd get in trouble.

Let's take him back to the house, we can stick him in the basement or kitchen or something and call around.

[He straightens up like a cobra, picking the angry monster up as he rises and holding onto him with both clawed hands. Not too tightly; he still doesn't want to badly injure him.]

[But maybe a little tighter than he'd strictly have to. He's still mad.]

You can hitch a ride if you want, it'd be faster.

_{[It's rare for Henry to smile wide enough for it to reach his eyes, but this? This was a fucking grin that would put Totoro to shame.]}

Yes please!

_{[The ride will have to wait, because a bolt of black streaking down from above promptly collides with the back of Envy's head, right behind one of those earlike fins sprouting from the sides of his jaw. And then it proceeds to SINK A WHOLE LOT OF CLAWS AND TEETH IN.]

[Because that is HER TREE that the dragon has clamped in his coiled claws.]

[HARPY HEATHER HAS JOINED THE PARTY]}

[Envy lets out a genuine ROAR of surprise and pain when the harpy slams into the back of his head, shaking it violently back and forth and twisting his neck to try and get the attacker OFF of him.]

Oh, come ON!

[But he keeps a tight grip on Hentree, and the end of his tail coils around his Henry protectively, just in case whatever this is decides to go for the smaller target next.]

_{[Henry knows that unholy blur of black.]}

HEATHER!

_{[They fought a horrible twisted shadow of a god together. They can fight a stupid dragon! HE kicks against Envy's scales with his roots.]}

HEATHER?

_{[It came out as a squawk. Henry had recoiled when the devilbird appeared but now that he's looking up at it--at her-- he sees it.]}

Stop the ride, I want to get off.

_{[Okay, so, when she swooped down to attack the dragon, she hadn't actually SEEN the non-monster'd doppelganger of her fellow godslayer. She'd been more focused on the giant string-bean holding the Henry SHE knew captive.]

[But at the twin shouts, she finds herself momentarily distracted from her assault on the thrashing dragon's head, which she'd been clinging to doggedly.]

[What? WHAT? What was THAT?]

[Impossible. There couldn't be two Henries. Especially not one that was fully human again. She hadn't even SEEN him as a human in MONTHS. She'd known him longer as a tree than as a man.]

[Her own reply comes in a piercing shriek as she drops away from Envy's head and dives down towards the hands currently holding Hentree captive. NO TIME TO WORRY ABOUT TIME PARADOXES. FRAND IN TROUBLE!!]}

[Envy can't see the bird latched onto his head, but he's pretty sure that both Henries wouldn't be wrong about who exactly this bird is.]

[And then when she dives for his hands and he actually gets a look at her, he can see that they really ARE right. Even covered in feathers, there's not any mistaking Heather.]

[But if she knows monster tree Henry, then he's willing to bet that they're from the same place. And he wants to know what's going on. So he does the first thing he can think of.]

[Transform himself an extra set of dragon arms, just below the first, and quickly reach them to grab at bird Heather the moment they're formed enough.]

_{[The tree man gave another cry of dismay as his friend was snatched at and Henry couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He knew he'd do the same thing if he and the HEather he knew were being attacked by a dragon.]

[And if it really was him...maybe he could talk some sense into him.]}

H-hey! Hey, me! Stop fighting, no one is going to hurt you!

_{[Given everything that she's been through, Heather's prepared to anticipate a lot in the heat of the moment.]

[But rapid, spontaneous limb growth?]

[Not one of those things.]

[The arm erupting from the beast's previously-smooth side catches her off-guard and she shrieks as the scaly fingers close around her, beating her wings and thrashing like a snared tiger.]}

[Envy's careful grabbing her; she's a bird-thing, for all he knows her bones are hollow. The last thing he wants to do is break them by accident, even if she was just attacking him. Henry's shouted reasoning was a reminder to him too. He even loosens his grip on Hentree a little bit.]

He's right, I'm not going to hurt either of you. Look, Heather, he's fine. You're both fine. [He lifts the hand holding her so that she's on level with Hentree and they can see each other.]

If you'll calm down, we're going to figure out what the hell's going on.

[He nudges Henry with the end of his tail, trying to prompt him to get up on his back without actually saying anything and alerting the two monsters. He's still planning on heading to the house, and if Henry gets on he'll start slithering his way down the street.]

I don't know you!

_{[This time he said a full sentence instead of roaring...but it was still sort of a roar. The white fungus was peppering his body now--a ticking timebomb of bad times hallucinations that would make the berries he and the more human Henry shared run home crying.]}

_{[It's so weird to hear that shouted in his own voice.]}

Yes you--we do! He's our best friend!

Heather.

The damn thing said her name.

Baring her teeth, she twists in the giant fingers holding her, trying to sink her teeth into them but not really getting anywhere. The disconcerting chorus of two Henry voices arguing is enough to make her brain overheat, and she doesn't bother with the niceties.

The first words out of her mouth come in a horrible ratcheting scream.

"I'LL BURROW INTO YOUR CHEST LIKE A FUCKING REVERSE-XENOMORPH AND FEAST ON YOUR STILL-BEATING HEART, YOU GIANT PIECE OF OVERCOOKED SPINACH LINGUINI!!"

Edited 2015-06-24 01:41 (UTC)

You might not know me, but I know you. There's some weird multiple worlds shit going on right now.

[But Envy's just becoming increasingly sure that calm talk and reasoning aren't going to do a thing here. And the insult from Heather just gets him to let out a huff.]

Oh, yeah? Big talk coming from an oversized featherduster.

Fine, if you're not going to calm down, I'm not going to put you down.

[At his size and speed, it's not much longer before they're coming up on the house. He calls out as they approach, loudly enough that there's no way he won't be heard by anyone in there.]

HEY! Greed, Lust? You guys home? Heather?

[HONESTLY HE'S HOPING FOR GREED OR LUST. They've got the powers to make monster wrangling a bit easier.]

_{[Henry quickly hops down. But wow, that insult the bird girl spit out. That sure is Heather. He opens the door so that Envy's roars for help could be heard.]}

Heather? GOOD Heather?

_{[3...2....BA-POOMPF! The fungi poking out of the distressed tree man fruited and spread open dozens of pale parasols, sprinking the dragon and any nearby birds with spores. Weird times ahead, yall.]}

_{[Good Heather is seemingly not around-- at least not right now, anyway. There is nothing to stop her weird feathery doppelganger from continuing to throw a giant tantrum in the dragon's grip.]

[Shrieking and flapping and gnawing on Envy's giant dragonfingers continues.... until the spray of spores just kind of.]

[Erupts all over everything.]

[HarpyHeather lets out a squawk before going silent, her squirming swapped out for a weird shiver as the dusty substance settles over her body.]

[????]

[??????????????????????]}

[Envy did not expect the spores, shaking his head and sneezing in surprise as they settle all over his face. But he doesn't avoid breathing them in; after all, they shouldn't have any effect on a homunculus. Right?]

[He notices angry bird Heather go quiet and stop chewing on him, and thinks that maybe this was more helpful than anything.]

[Except...]

Henry. [His vision swims and he starts to sway.] I'm feeling weird...hold the door open.

_{[Henry pulls his attention from actually looking inside the house for any other craziness and turns to find a very wobbly dragon. He shoves the door open and dives out of the way.]}

Envy! What's wrong?

_{[....Eugh! Why are his eyes so itchy suddenly?]}

_{[Meanwhile, Hentree is lucky enough to be (mostly) immune to his own spores. He starts struggling in Envy's grip again.]}

_{[The harpy's vision is swimming.]

[She'd done pot a number of times back before her life was turned upside-down, and this is... similar.]

[But not.]

[A dribble of saliva runs out of her mouth-- her jaw's gone slack. Vaguely aware that she should keep struggling, she starts to wiggle erratically.]}

I don't know, I think it was the...the plant stuff.

[Slowly, he leeeans down and just. Sticks the arm holding Harpy Heather through the front door, trying to maneuver it so that he can just put her down in the kitchen. He can't see exactly where he does put her down, and in his state he doesn't think to look through the window.]

[Next is Hentree, inside you go you terrible monster children. While he's dumping Hentree in the house, he twists his neck so that he's facing Henry. The pupils in his big purple eyes are HUGE.]

Henry. Henry I think I want to lie down.

_{[At the sight of his friend's HUGE BOTTOMLESS PIT pupils, Henry actually backs away. He hasn't actually seen his reflection in a monster's eyes before and it is spooky. Until Envy opens his mouth.]

[Henry is a professional stoner so for the moment he's just noticing colorful pinpricks in the air that he really really wants to try and catch.]}

You...you do that. Can you curl up around the house so they don't push the doors open? I think I need to sit down too. I'm...I'm going to try and call our Heather.

_{[He tugs out his gear and starts punching numbers.]}

_{[She is successfully plopped down in the kitchen, where her talons proceed to not do particularly well on the linoleum.]

[Flopping around like a fish out of water, she crawls away from the dragon's claws, letting out a noise that's somewhere between a growl and a gurgle.]

[MUST HIDE.]}

Yeah...yeah, okay. I can do that. I'm long right now.

[And he's not so sure that he could turn back into a person right now and not have some extremely out of proportion limbs and he doesn't want to look like a Picasso painting.]

[Not even bothering to hold his head up anymore, he languidly starts curling up around the house. Haha, shoving his face across the grass feels so weird. This is great. Everything's great. By the time he gets his head back around to the front door, he thinks that part of his middle is in the pool, but he doesn't bother moving it. He situates his head right in front of the door, trying to look over Henry's shoulder.]

Okay, they won't get out. And all these bubbles won't get in either.

[He opens his mouth and snaps his teeth, as though very lazily trying to catch one of said bubbles.]

Did Heather pick up the phone? Or Lust?

Not yet! I keep trying but she's not answering...I hope she isn't being chased by those nurses again.

_{[Henry frets and keeps trying to call her--then changes tactics and attempts to text.]}

our evil twins are here im so high envys a dragon com home

_{[Hentree was next to tumble into the house. He still spilled spores everywhere and while he had a lot better traction on the slick floor than his fellow godkiller, he was ungainly tall in this form and instantly smacked into the hanging pans in the kitchen.]}

Fuck!

_{[Oh god. The spores everywhere make things even WORSE. The harpy scrambles awkwardly until she straight-up smacks right off of the counter on the far side of the kitchen. And there she stays, swaying balefully and hissing. SHE AIN'T SCARE. SHE AIN'T SCARE OF NO THING.]

[But meanwhile, on the other end of Goldenrod City, Heather finally gets that text. She holds up a hand, signifying that the giant squid monster she's been fighting should wait a moment while she gets this, one sec.]}

wtf

are you guys hurt??

no but were rly high

its not my fault

well it is but not me it was the me that is a tree

i swear to god it makes sense just come home

_{[Oh god.]}

shit okay i'm coming

don't do anything stupid before i get there

well be outside we have them trapped in the house

[Envy is just trying to read over Henry's shoulder, but isn't having a whole lot of luck with that. The screen is much too small and he is much too high. Slowly, he extends his ear fins out as far as they can go, and then slowly pulls them back in again.]

[And then just keeps on doing that.]

[HE AIN'T MOVING ANYTIME SOON.]

_{[About ten minutes later, Heather appears, huffing and puffing. She didn't have Carousel, Sunny, or Hurricane with her, so she'd had to run.]

[Wheezing, she jogs up to the house and... kind of pauses to marvel at the giant GARDEN HOSE surrounding the house. Whoa. Henry hadn't been lying.]}

--Okay, WHAT the hell is goin' on?!

_{[Henry looks up with one hand clapped over an eye. He's so high. It's not a fun high either.]}

Okay, so...there are two very unhappy monster doppelgangers of us inside the house. I heard a crash. The TV might be gone.

[Envy doesn't even move his head, just his eyes.]

You're a bird and Henry's a tree.

Henry tried to eat me, I think.

I'm keeping all the doors shut. Everyone's high.

Sorry.

_{[Not YOU, Henry. The other Henry.]}

_{[It is REALLY WEIRD to hear Envy's voice coming out of that thing.]

[She takes a moment to marvel at what they're saying, blinking rapidly.]}

... I'm a what?

_{[CLEARLY THEY'RE TOO HIGH FOR THIS so she marches over to the window and plants her face on it to peer inside and--]}

Oh.

Okay.

Whoa.

_{[Harpy Heather is skulking against the counter, shoulders hunched, hissing lowly and dangling a long ribbon of drool from her bared teeth. She sways back and forth and VIBRATES WITH RAGE.]}

_{[Like fucking Freddy Fazbear, Henry pops up against the window glass letting out a strange, windy screech of his own. He is the responsible sibling in this situation. No illusion of the 4th god is going to get to Heather!]}

[Great. Ash finally decides to step out of his mobile suit for some fresh air, and the very first thing he sees is a man attacking innocent shrubbery. That sort of thing only happens to him, he swears.

And to make it worse, the Chatot on his shoulder starts singing along to- Wait, what is that music?]

[Envy looks up from yanking the bush out of the ground when he hears the Chatot, and scowls in its and Ash's direction.]

Great, now it's coming from your bird, too.

[ENVY'S NOT FEELING VERY POLITE TODAY.]

The song...? Haro, shut up.

So rude! So rude!

[But the bird does shut up, so there's at least that.]

Do you have something against that singer, or what?

[THERE IS THAT. Envy looks a little less grouchy when Haro does quit singing, and crosses his arms, standing casually and shrugging.]

The singer? Nah. But the person I used to live with played it nonstop for years, and I'm sick of it.

I'm trying to find the phonograph so I can break it, but it could be anywhere around here. I could use some help, if you're interested.

Sure, I can do tha- Wait, are you saying there's an actual, physical object playing that music? It's not just the usual background sound effects?

[This is quite possibly the strangest thing he's heard or seen today.]

{SUP DEADBRO. IT'S BEEN A WHILE.}

Where is that ungodly racket coming from?

{That is not the usual background music for this place, what is happening.}

[HEEEY DEADSIS]

[Much like with Tulio, Envy's head pops up from looking for the phonograph like a cat who's just heard a bell. But unlike with Tulio…he's not sure if this is the Nanao who remembers him as a brother, or if she still doesn't remember that. So he's more reserved in his posture and doesn't go right up to her, even if he does look glad to see her.]

If I knew, I'd have stopped it already. Want to help me find the stupid machine making it?

Edited 2015-06-01 05:07 (UTC)

{Now that's a familiar voice - and when Nanao spots Envy, her face lights up like it's Christmas.}

Envy! And of course I do.

[THAT LIGHTING UP LOOKS PROMISING. He hadn't gotten that close to Nanao when she'd come back without her memories. He gets a sort of hopeful look on his face and starts actually walking towards her now.]

You, uh...wouldn't happen to remember what was going on last time I saw you, would you?

....I'm fairly sure that I was getting thrown around like a ragdoll by the god of this place.

{w h o o p s}

[Well. This is awkward.]

[Ed had been separated from Al a while ago, as the Fourth Wall is wont to do, and was wandering around trying to find him again. But then that goddamn song started playing and...curiosity took hold. Who the hell would even have that old record, much less be playing it out on the street?]

[Edward comes upon Envy as he rounds a corner and freezes in his tracks. For a few seconds it's just pure shock, then a quickly smothered by a glare and clenched fists.]

[No words, this time. He's already anticipating the first punch.]

[Envy WISHES he didn't have that record playing out in the street. Too bad he hasn't found one of those wish slips to send it away with.]

[Envy freezes too when he sees Ed come around the corner. He's not nearly as shocked; Ed has been here a lot of times before and it IS one of these weekends. But it is a surprise, and Envy's face twists from startled into a sneer as his whole posture tenses up. His hands curl into tight fists. He doesn't throw a punch quite YET, but he's clearly wound up enough to do so at the slightest of even imagined provocations.]

[The overload of feelings that comes with grief can take more than one form with Envy, and anger has always been the easiest channel for them.]

So, you're back here again, and all alone. Find your brother yet, or did you lose him already?

[Al might be Complicated right now, but Ed sure isn't.]

Edited 2015-06-01 05:57 (UTC)

[When has Ed ever been Complicated for Envy, really?]

How about you go fuck yourself, Envy? I don't have the time to deal with you.

[Edward knows well enough of Envy's current situation, the changes and the uneasy truce between the eldest and youngest Elric. But he never really bought that Envy could change enough to be worth dealing with. Granted, he has a much more...personal reason than even Al does to loathe Envy with every fiber of his being, but it's kind of justified. Hard not to hate the guy that killed you just because of who your father was.]

[Approximately sometime in between Never and Not Even Once.]

[Envy practically bristles...and decides that being brushed off is close enough to a real insult. Really, he was just looking for a fight no matter what.]

Really, because I think I've got the time to deal with you.

[HERE COMES THAT PUNCH NOW, ED. But Envy's not as bad a fighter as he used to be; years without being able to just rely on his powers like he did before have forced him to get better.]

[It's only the fact that Ed's expecting it that he doesn't get hit by Envy's charge--and even then only just. His form's improved, and Ed's not in the shape he used to be.]

[He needs to end this quickly, if he doesn't want to find out what happens when you truly fade away.]

[Clapping, he transmutes that familiar blade from his arm and swings at Envy, aiming for his exposed side from that swing.]

[The blade hits its mark, and Envy shouts as it cuts into him. But the problem with fighting homunculi is that hits like that don't take them down. They barely slow them down.]

[Instead of aiming another punch, Envy reaches down to try grabbing the automail and tossing Ed to the ground, hard.]

[Envy catches Ed's arm easily, and he curses as he's yanked and swung over the homunculus. He has enough time to clap his hands for another transmutation, and once he slams down to the concrete the ground beneath Envy erupts into a flurry of spikes.]

[If Ed's gotten rusty at fighting, Envy's gotten rusty at fighting alchemy.]

[He tries to get out of the way, but the spikes catch him in one leg. Envy practically snarls at Ed, wrenching the limb free painfully before Ed has a chance to do something ELSE.]

You won't get another chance to do that! You've gotten older, and I've only gotten better!

[He didn't throw Ed very far away, close enough to use that momentum to get over and aim a kick with that ruined leg directly at Ed's gut. It'll hurt his own leg like hell, but the limb is healing and enough of a club. Envy's not exactly feeling picky about his blunt force trauma right now.]

[Well, when the worst thing you have to deal with is a drunken asshole at a bar for two years, you tend to lose your edge by just a tad. Give him a break here!]

[Ed coughs and pushes himself back up, but is caught by that kick and goes rolling again. This time he's actually able to get to his feet and snarls before charging back in with a stab aimed right for Envy's throat.]

I'm not that old yet!

[Envy's leg hasn't quite healed yet when Ed comes at him, so when he tries to dodge he stumbles on it. He's also gotten out of the habit of fighting on healing severe injuries. Whoops.]

Damn it--!

[Of course, he can't give much more of a comeback with that blade through his throat. Fuck. He sends a poorly aimed fist swinging in Ed's direction, but after a few seconds of bloody gurgling, he's down for the count.]

[MINUS ONE (1) LIFE]

[You know what the important thing to do here would be? Get the goddamn hell out of dodge, or maybe create a sealing circle to drain the stones out of Envy. You know what he's going to do?]

[A whole fucking lot of not that.]

[He steps away for a moment, breathing heavily and staring down at Envy before he starts viciously kicking the homunculus in the sides and face. Violence is a version of PTSD therapy, right guys?]

[ENVY'S HAVING SOME BAD LUCK WITH WAKING UP FROM DEATH THIS WEEKEND.]

[But while getting kicked isn't fun, Envy keeps playing dead even after he's awake again. No, he's going to wait for that injury to heal, wait for the right moment.]

[When he sees Ed's leg coming at his face again, his arm shoots out with that superhuman speed and grabs at his ankle so that he can swing Ed right around and smash him into the ground again.]

[The frightened yell that maneuver pulls out of Edward should be entirely pleasing for Envy. The impact is hard enough to drive all the breath out of his lungs, and he hits his head fairly hard against the concrete as well. His vision blurs, and Ed struggles against Envy's grip to get free and upright again, kicking at him with the free leg.]

[Oh, you bet it makes him happy to hear that.]

[Envy lets Ed kick him as he quickly gets to his own feet; it's not doing anything to stop him. He still hasn't let go of Ed's ankle, holding it up to keep Ed from gaining his own feet, and that's got to make it more difficult to kick him with enough force.]

[Envy aims a few sharp kicks of his own at Ed's side, grinning viciously, before suddenly dropping Ed's ankle and crouching to partly kneel on Ed's chest, one knee digging into his stomach and the other foot stepping on his flesh-and-blood hand. He holds the automail arm down with one hand. He doesn't want Ed transmuting.]

Looks like you're not doing so well, Edward.

[It would be so easy to just kill him. Nobody's around to see, and Ed's not a permanent resident. Nobody would find out after the fact, especially not if he hid the body. It would be satisfying as hell.]

[Wouldn't it?]

[Now that he's actually got Ed down...he's not so certain. He'd been certain, once. Back when the only person who was important enough to influence him was Dante.]

[Had killing his half-brother even been his intention, when he started this fight? He'd wanted to kick Ed around, sure, he'd wanted the chance to take out his anger and grief on someone he already hated. Who he still hates. What is he doing?]

[How would France look at him, if he could see this? How would Heather, or Tulio or Henry? 'Even you deserve help.']

[For a moment, the uncertainty shows through, replacing the sneer on his face. Then he scowls, frustrated and furious...and lets go, stands up, and takes a few steps back.]

Tch, I've won, I'm done here.

Edited (I wrote viciously like five times in that tag it is 2 in the morning) 2015-06-22 06:54 (UTC)

[Ed's struggles don't lessen in the slightest. Quite the contrary, as panic and real fear send the adrenaline rushing and he thrashes in Envy's grip. The kicks make him cry out in pain, and he's pretty sure he felt something crack before a wave of pain flooded through his chest. A rib, and while it's probably a fracture it doesn't make it hurt any less.]

[What little breath he'd caught is forced out again when Envy drops and pins him, and despite the hopelessness he still struggles, fighting like a rabbit with it's foot in a snare. It's an apt description for him right now, and whether it's the blow to the head or something else he's back in that ballroom, back below Central City looking into a face too much like his own as something sharp and smooth punches clear through him and Al, he has to save Al, he can't let him die too, this isn't right it isn't right--]

[Edward cries out and scrambles back in sheer terror when Envy let's him go, heart pounding painfully in his chest as he stares in confusion. The differences in what happened and what he knew should be happening right now, what his brain very nearly thinks did happen again are jamming up the metaphorical gears, leaving him staring wide eyed with confusion for a few moments.]

Edited 2015-06-25 05:48 (UTC)

[Al had seen the last few moments of the fight, the way Envy had pinned him, was going to take his brother away from him again--]

[Maybe later he'll remember that Envy backed away. But right now? He's just running on blind rage.]

[The yell that tears itself out of Alphonse Elric's throat is nothing short of a god's burning fury, every last bit of the wrath in his being focused on one, singular target.]

ENVY!!

[The spear is flung with amazing force and speed right for Envy's head, and Alphonse himself isn't far behind ready to force it the rest of the way through if it doesn't do the job.]

[Envy, you're about to have a very bad day.]

[Envy doesn't feel at all bad for the terror he sees in Ed's eyes. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't satisfying.]

[It's why he doesn't leave right away, even though he's not so sure he wants to be here anymore. And it's why he's still standing there when that spear comes flying out of nowhere.]

[He doesn't have time to get out of the way, even with the warning of that shout.]

[The spear buries itself in his head without needing any further help, and he drops like a rock.]

[It's right as an entire bush has been uprooted and the phonograph is destroyed that an achingly familiar voice will speak up from behind Envy. Old and familiar and warm.]

Now what did that poor shrubbery do to you? I hope you'll apologize to it.

[Dee is smiling, hands tucked into her pockets with all the ease in the world.]

[IT'S BEEN QUITE THE WEEKEND FOR REUNIONS. This is a voice he hasn't heard in a much longer time, but…he recognizes it as though he'd only last heard her yesterday.]

[He tosses the bush off to the side, carelessly, and pulls his foot out of the wreckage of the phonograph. Those things don't really seem all that important right now.]

[He even manages a laugh.]

It was hiding something I wanted to get rid of. Completely deserved.

You know me, do you think I'd really apologize to a bush?

Hey, I've seen stranger things. [Dark eyes glimmer in mirth.] Remember when things got a little glitchy?

Ha! As if I could forget that. Do you know, that happened again a few years later?

[He starts heading towards her. It's funny, how even though he hasn't seen her in such a long time, the conversation comes just as easy as it used to. The real difference is him; he walks taller now, the grin is a genuine one instead of just a carefully maintained persona. There's a shadow of sadness and loss behind his eyes, but he's clearly happy to see the very first real friend he made.]

Whaaaat? No way. I thought they only did repeats on, like, late night TV.

[Once he's close enough, Dee smiles and lets her arm sling over his shoulders just as casually as if they've been around each other for months now, instead of her having disappeared some years ago. Well. 'Dee' did, anyway.]

[She's always around one way or another.]

You look good.

Excuse me, sir!

[...Why is this man...digging...in the bushes...]

Hello, sir! I was wondering, do you happy to know the way to East City? From here, I mean — which way do I go?

[MY GOD IT'S JOE EVERYMAN, THE HERO WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR]

[Any smartass remark Envy was going to make is abruptly derailed by three things:

1. Military uniform.

2. Talking about East City.

3. Envy has never seen this man before in his life.]

East City's a long way from here.

[COULD IT BE]

[THE MYTHICAL MR. NOTINVOLVED]

...but I know the way, I could help you out if you'd answer some things for me first.

[Winning, friendly smile. Envy knows he already looks like a punk teen in a miniskort, he doesn't want to scare the human away right off the bat.]

Edited 2015-06-02 05:05 (UTC)

I'd appreciate that, sir!

[...Also you are really badly dressed, also very decidedly a teenager, and you probably don't warrant that "sir" at all but it doesn't hurt anyone anything to be mannerly.

His mother raised him that way, don't you know. Good, polite, and honest.]

Though I don't know that I'll be much help, being a little mixed-up myself! But if there's some way I can, I surely will.

Ah, it's nothing to do with the area, don't worry about that.

But you wouldn't happen to know someone named Edward Elric would you?

[Because Envy hadn't known who the fuck Russell Tringham was either but he'd still known the Elrics.]

[His brow furrows slightly, as concerted thought is poured into racking his brain for any connection with the name.]

I'm afraid I can't say as I do, sir. I did know an Edmund Miller, once, but that was years ago as a lad; I believe he married a young woman named Tillie, who came into the inheritance of a respectable little sheep farm somewhere.

[...]

[This man doesn't know Edward Elric. In fact, he might be the most average, ordinary non-Johto-native person Envy's seen in some time.]

[...YES. FINALLY. ENVY'S FOUND HIM. He lets out a triumphant crow of a laugh, and grins at the man widely.]

That's great, that's great! That's all I needed to know. Sure I'll show you East City, no trouble.

[Is there any way to get to East City from here? Nope. Does Envy give a single shit about lying about it? Nope.]

64th Transformation [FOURTH WALL]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject