[WORLD TWO | THE OTHER HALF]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Others not on the list of the Chosen 12
Where: Around Shehui
When:
Open/Closed: Open to All, though top levels shouldn't be made by Chosen 12 members -- however, direct telepathy links can be sent to Chosen 12 members, and Chosen 12 members can respond to open telepathy prompts. This post is meant more for those who aren't part of the Chosen 12 so they can react with others or plot their next move.

[ While your name isn't on the list that has been circulating, it doesn't mean that you're unaffected by this issue. Did someone you know -- someone you have a fondness for, perhaps? -- wind up on that list? And did they manage to evade the monitors or have they been captured?

You may have the resources to do something about it, or you may want to stay out of harm's way. Either way, changes are on the horizon -- and that horizon is now looming closer than ever before. ]

Comments

[ telepathy for all ]

[insubordination]

a.

[ it's a fairly remarkable punch to the gut feeling, that happens, when roy sees riza's name on the list. the feeling of some powerful overlord dragging you into their specific court isn't a new feeling, but it's the same sinking, skin-crawling, anxious pit in his stomach as it was when the investigations surrounding maes were going on, and when the fuhrer tore his team apart to send a message, and when the homunculi separated them again.

riza hawkeye and roy mustang aren't meant to be separated. they have an agreement.

so when he sees her name on the list, he immediately goes to find her. and can't. he practically tears apart where she was staying, systematically asks questions of every passerby who may have seen her, only to have nothing. nothing. and then the messages start pouring in, and roy posits an open message: ]

Any information possible on the whereabouts of those taken would be appreciated, otherwise I'm going to follow the trail of dead bodies that surely accompanied whoever was stupid enough to take Riza Hawkeye.

b.

[ roughly an hour later, a message targeted to said riza hawkeye: ]

I'm on my way.

[ that's it, that's all you get ]

[efface]

[ she's settled into her cell by this point, as settled as she can be. she's not happy, and she's feeling restless, and she's being held captive, but the second she hears roy's voice in her head, there's a kind of relaxation that washes over her. ]

Sir [ a list of things rolls through her head. apologies, information, explanations...but what she does send isn't short on her frustration. ]

Don't do anything stupid.

[insubordination]

[ relief doesn't even begin to cover it. as much as he loathes the idea of people being inside his head, hearing that she's safe is worth the discomfort. ]

Define stupid.

[ he's already doing something stupid, sorry to say. THAT BEING SAID: ]

Any details on where you are that could help? Who are you with?

[efface]

Anything that would end you up in one of these cells.

[ a celled roy mustang is of no help to anyone. ]

Underground. The architecture is different than around the city, more clean-cut. [ aka authoritative. ] There are eleven others besides me.

[ she wants to say 'they all seem to be children' but that is just par the course anyway in this place. ]

Greir, Ruby, Madoka, and Jade are included.

[insubordination]

That still sounds negotiable.

[ he'll behave. probably. ]

Anyone in the cells that are capable?

{ aka: more people like you, less people like the crying child that is ruby. ]

[efface]

General.

[ don't make her say it again.

there is an...extended pause. very extended. ]

I don't have information on the others. I can't be sure.

[insubordination]

I heard you.

[ which is the closest he will get to promising he won't do anything stupid, because breaking into a jail is the definition of stupid, but he's hardly allowing her to sit in there without doing anything about it. and roy has long since learned that lying to riza hawkeye is a pointless endeavor.

. . . and that's a hard no from riza on whether anyone else is capable, which is great. ]

You already know what to do. [ say nothing. watch for people who cannot watch for themselves. play stupid if necessary. don't make yourself a target. don't act like you know what you're doing. play by their rules until an opportunity affords itself to strike. ] If anything changes, let me know. Big or small. Any detail provided would be useful to know where we're going. Stay safe over anything else.

[ do not play hero, says the person who always plays hero. hypocrite. ]

[efface]

[ if expressions could be communicated through telepathic communication, roy would be getting a lot of :| ]

I do. [ and she hates it. hates that she's here again. hates that it's her, and a bunch of children. hates that she has no idea what they're up against and how to even react to it. but whether or not she likes it doesn't change the fact she's here.

riza sighs, even if roy can't hear it. back into the same place once again. ] I'm checking in with everyone now. Should have a better idea. No one seems harmed, or informed in the least. They're keeping us for something else.

[ he doesn't have to tell her not to play hero. she will do what needs to be done and nothing more. but him, that's who she's worried about. ] Everyone is safe for now.

[insubordination]

[ indeed. but of the two of them, it's likely best riza was the one taken, and not roy. riza, under pressure and being told what to do, plays it smart, and can quietly navigate being watched without much showmanship. roy, on the other hand, threatens to shoot the fuhrer in front of the entire high council of the military, and only manages to escape with his life because he's "special."

it's not a good situation, by far. but if anyone is good at circumnavigating a government who wants answers, and a government who is capable of getting blood out of a stone, it would be roy mustang and riza hawkeye. ]

At least this time it's not my fault. [ some morbid humor, because the last few times this happened to her, it was definitely his fault. ] But it would be my luck that I would mind my own business and still wind up pissing off the unseeing eye of the government.

[ this is so fucking stupid. ]

I imagine they want information, of some kind, as to why we're here. The only problem with that is that none of us have any idea what this Qri wants or why we have the abilities that we do. Even if they interrogated the people who don't know how to withstand an interrogation, they won't get anything of value, unless they're seeking something else. But I can't think of anything we know that they don't. They hold the damn cards.

[ which is frustrating, because roy is typically the one who is six steps ahead, and now he is not. ]

We need to figure out what the common thread between all of you is and why they selected you, instead of the ones on the outside. There has to be something we don't know, that they know, that we can use to our advantage. Governments only take people when there's something to be lost if we're allowed to wander around. What is it?

[efface]

[ it is definitely best, as far as riza is concerned. she can keep a cool head in these situations, and can maneuver under a watchful eye. roy, on the other hand, gets restless and angry and feels that shows of confidence get him further in the end. sometimes, he is right. others, he nearly gets beheaded by men like scar.

for now, riza hates it, but she'll handle it. she'll do what she can and she'll figure out what information there is from the inside. there might not be homunculi breathing down her neck, but the pressure is still there. ]

That we know of. [ morbid humor for morbid humor. ] Especially considering the list of captives. You know most of them, don't you? [ aka she recognizes a lot of the names from him, which is the first connection she'd drawn. ] Ruby, Haru, Geir, Madoka, Jade, Julius, Jusis, Shirley, Orga, Noctis, and Akechi are the names I saw. I don't know yet if they've all been brought in.

[ they are never going to escape this bullshit government issues, are they. ]

If they're after information, they haven't mentioned it yet. There has been no talk of interrogations, conversation, or why we've been chosen to be brought in. I'm checking in with everyone to see if I can find a connection, but so far nothing.

[ but then there's...that. that thing picking away at the back of her head. the thought she's had since she made the connection, and further after she's started talking to everyone here. ]

Unless they're wanting to push others into action. [ roy mustang. ] Possibly others who they haven't brought in. [ roy mustang ]

1/2

[insubordination]

[ the thought had occurred to him, too, but he had dismissed it, simply because roy is no one here. he's just another prisoner brought here against his will. he's no more special or unique than anyone else. but the lingering thought is still there . . . quite a few of the people taken were the same ones who contacted him about organizing. ]

This isn't Amestris. [ that is the first thing he says, but from his tone, it is obvious that he quietly is weighing what riza said to him inside his mind. ] I'm not special, wanted, or unique here.

[ he, arguably, isn't special, wanted, or unique in amestris, either, but we all know that would be a lie. ]

The only thing I've done is ask people a question.

[ which, as they both know, could result in much worse things than arrest, depending on the question. ]

[insubordination]

[ there's a pause. ]

But, if they would like an introduction, they can have one. I'm not staying behind.

[ he isn't so arrogant to believe it's him, but roy certainly isn't going to sit around and wait to be told what's going on, particularly when the people taken are the same people who offered to help. ]

[efface]

[ no, it's not. and riza realizes, now, that she might have been taking that for granted. let her guard down for too long. it's no amestris, so roy has no official target painted across his back, but they are still at the beck and call of whatever magical being has brought them here. manipulated into helping them by being brought around to different cities, different places, and now being brought in for...something, but whatever authority at be there is.

it's no amestris, but there is still something going on. ]

The only people brought in today are those of us who are here because of Qri. Unless this questioning will be done by this Qri, we were most likely targeted because of that.

[ aka, guess what roy, you're still special, wanted, and unique. ]

Sir, I don't think that's necessary yet. [ and okay, so this is riza butting in, maybe, but over the years she has kind of earned that right. ] We don't know why we're here or why we were taken. If given enough time, I can probably figure out what it is they know and what they don't know, and why they've decided to act now. I just need more time.

[ would she rather all of these kids were out? yes. but she's keeping an eye on everyone (trying to) to make sure no one will get hurt. ]

[insubordination]

[ if it were any other individual, roy would ignore their warning. but riza is the one who curbs his impulsivity, who reminds him that immediately jumping down the well is not the right thing to do. and it's because it's her, roy gives it a long, quiet, thoughtful pause.

but, unfortunately for riza: ]

I'm not in charge, here. I don't have the room to tell people to wait, or not wait, and I would rather go, with them, than wait, and not.

[ there's a pause. ]

You don't have time, not when we don't know what could be done. There are too many unknown variables to act, and there are too many known variables to not. The people you're trapped with aren't soldiers.

a.

[deem]

They took her too...?

[That's not good. But that means there are two soldiers, at least, among those captive]

2B, A2, and I are scouting for whatever information we can gather. It's something we had to do pretty often, in the past, so I don't doubt we'll turn something up.

[insubordination]

They did.

[ which, honestly, is more aggravating than it is terrifying. roy is worried, but he's mostly irritated that big brother continues to be an ever-encroaching nuisance in their lives. how many damn revolutions do they have to stage before they're just left alone. it isn't as if the 'bad guys' have a very good track record against them.

. . . and, because 9S is A Good One and riza has shared that she's spoken to him too. ]

I've managed to contact her. She's safe, for the time being. Any information you and your colleagues can find would be appreciated, 9S. I would be in your debt.

[deem]

That's good to know. Julius said he's alright too, and I told him that Riza's a soldier like him. Different experiences I'm sure, but... I thought it'd benefit him to know he's not the only one.

I hope they won't need to rely on that before we can help them.

[Because of course they're going to help them. As different as they all are, it's clear they're of one mind on this matter. At the very least, that it can't go unanswered]

None of this debt talk though, okay? This sort of thing's what we were made for. And we're a team now, anyway.

[insubordination]

[ there's a soft 'hrm' at the what we're made for line. he's not so sure he's satisfied with that answer, but roy will let it go. ]

My thanks all the same. The faster we move, the better. I don't think they're going to wait around to make their move; we should strike the moment we have enough intelligence to do it.

[deem]

I agree with you. There's no telling what they might do, and the less time we give them for it, the better.

[He knows what it is to be a captive, and furthermore, to be subjected to invasive and brutal treatment. The others, he's quite sure, can't be hacked into... But he imagines, much as he hates the thought, that other methods exist.

And he'd rather they not find that out]

It looks like others are thinking the thing.

[insubordination]

All of this would be easier if I had my abilities from home.

[ it's a quiet frustration that slips through, angered, for the first real time, at what's been taken away. had roy had his alchemy, the door to this damn prison would be crumpled and tossed aside, and these people would be safe by now. ]

What an aggravation. We'll make do with what we have, and move quickly. You and your team are already on the move?

[deem]

I can imagine. YoRHa like me are products of technology, so we're not affected in that way. If we can be of use then, especially in a situation like this, we'd want to be.

[Their combat abilities are unchanged, nor is his hacking, which is more than can be said for others. That means they're a resource that ought to be used accordingly in a place like this.

Knowing this man has been in a position of command, he only thinks it right that he know that information]

And yeah, we're scouting now. This...is far closer to what we were intended for than shopping trips and odd jobs, so we know what to do.

[insubordination]

I'm glad some of us do.

[ unfortunately, this has happened to roy before. being being taken in the dead of night, people being moved without their consent. shadow governments aren't a new thing, to him, and this is fairly by-the-book in how king bradley operated whenever people disobeyed him.

people just go missing. or they go awol, and run as fast as they can, like marcoh. either way, you tended not to hear from them ever again, unless you were roy mustang and his band of merry misfits. ]

I doubt they're anticipating such a rapid response from people who know what they're doing, at any rate. We'll be fine. We just need more information.

For one, what connects the prisoners? Are any of the people taken people you know, closely?

[deem]

I've wondered that, myself. It seems like the only unifying factor is that they're part of this coven-thing we were conscripted into. But only taking some of us...maybe they're testing the waters, or felt a small number would be easier to control.

I know Julius better than I do the others. He thinks he knows where he was taken, so we'll check that out. When he went without resisting I didn't see the sense in it, but maybe...

[Maybe going without a fight might have allowed him to see where they had been taken to. 9S can only hope it's an accurate lead to follow, because it'd be incredibly helpful if it were.

No point in telling everyone they do know unless they've got confirmation however]

[insubordination]

Colonel Hawkeye went without resistance as well.

[ but he sees why. resisting when you don't have the cards is a pointless exercise. better to play stupid and play along with their game until you get your moment to do otherwise. riza did the right thing, even if roy can't say for certain he would do the same if he were in her position. ]

Certain people have certain connections, but some make no sense. I know nothing about some of the people who were taken, and the others I have weak theories at best. They certainly left a lot of capable people on the outside.

[deem]

I'm pretty surprised they left me out here. But then, I'd be just as much of a problem for them either way. Still, what's to gain from who they chose? Doesn't make much sense.

[At least they're equally stumped on the matter, for what that's worth. The selected group could be a random sampling, but then it would suggest scientific experiments...and he doesn't want to consider that a viable possibility]

Guess we'll just have to find out.