FMA based thread (Celestial and Phantom)

[Phantom Sekai]

first I'm posting our two previous posts and CSs
Name: Vaan Feral "Armory Alchemist"
Gender: male
Age: 19
Appearance:
Personality: While he is definitely a kind person that hates seeing innocents die, he is a man of no limits. Should he have to sacrifice people to protect those close to him, he will do it without a second thought. The stranger has no value to him while the ally has more value to him than his own life. He applies this in all fields and it's also the driving force behind him trying to revive his parents.
Abilities: He didn't gain the name "Armory Alchemist" cause it sounded cool. He uses his two auto mail arms as cannons, guns, and other weapons and if they require ammo, he pulls that out of his surroundings. He doesn't even require transmutation circles because he tried human transmutation, failed, and saw "god." He can also use a weaker form of fire alchemy, which he uses to enhance the explosive power of his gun based alchemy even more.

Name: Sophia Morris
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Appearance:
Personality: Sophia is a military disciplined woman. She tends to follow her orders to the letter though they may conflict with what is and isn't morally right. Only with her comrades does she break the military discipline and show her more relaxed side. She is sardonic and blunt at times but underneath is sincerity that is hard for her to show.
Abilities: Having been in the military for quite some time, Sophia has grown accustomed to a wide variety of weapons and excels in up close and personal combat. She also has a wicked fascination of using explosives.

----

Name: Desire
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Appearance:

Personality: Desire's personality should not be confused for Greed. Though she has the passion to pursue what her heart desires, she can sometimes be confused on what she really wants. She has a cheery and serious attitude; she likes to switch in between at times.

Abilities: Like the other Homunculi, Desire doesn't die that easily. She can also create purple balls of energy to either throw or use to attack her opponents at close range.

Vaan moved through the central building as he replayed the vents that had just happened through his head over and over again. He had just shown his full ability as an alchemist the day before, and apparently it impressed the Führer enough to give him a state alchemist certification and silver pocket watch to prove his position as state alchemist. He grinned as he held the pocket watch and seemed to drift off into a day dream as he relived the events of the previous day once more.

It was the early morning as Vaan was called out to the demonstration area. Here all alchemists proved whether they were worthy or not to become state alchemists. They asked if he needed anything to prepare with, but Vaan shook his head as he stared the Führer in the eyes and said to the guards "I only need these." and held up his to auto mail arms. He slammed them down on the ground and within seconds, several gatling guns aimed at all the guards in the room were created and he aimed his arms at the Führer and they transformed into cannons. The guards were quick to react and aim at Vaan and he just chuckled as he slammed the ground once more and the constructs he made shifted to dust and his arms returned to a normal shape. He shot a smirk to the Führer and said "Alright, that's all for today boys and girls. I hope you've enjoyed the show."

Apparently, his boldness and cheekiness had won the Führer over, and his skills were just icing on the cake. He held the certification paper up as he read it, focusing on the code name he recieved, the "Armory Alchemist." He loved it since it described him perfectly. He was a master of weaponry, whether it's fire arms or blades, and because he could manifest them at will, even out of his own body, it made perfect sense to have the code name of "Armory." He chuckled as he walked along to an office where he was assigned a partner. He wasn't sure if it was to have assistance in finding ways to manifest a philosopher stone and do work for the government, or if it was just to make sure to go overboard. Either way, Vaan believed that it would definitely be interesting.

Sophia was sitting at her desk as she scanned through a leaflet of papers. Though the country had come a long way since the former Fuhrer, Sir Bradley who turned out to be the greatest monster in all of Amestries, there was still trouble abode in the nation. There were still some who were against the present Fuhrer while unrest was mounting all proclaiming how the military could no longer be trusted with their experimentations and underlying motives. So said the flyers she was reading currently anyways. Honestly, she disregarded the confiscated pamphlets as useless nonsense and put them away.

Today was the State Alchemist exam. She could hear the sounds of transmutations from somewhere far away, but didn't bother to attend the whole time. She had gone a few hours ago where she spotted the talk of the base. Supposedly there was a young man, a rare talent too, that was trying to pass the certification. She saw him amongst the older men. The craziest thing was that he was able to perform transmutations without a circle. She didn't know too much about these things, but she understood that a circle had to be created for any alchemic reaction to occur.

She sighed as she stood up and stretched and eyed a folder at the corner of her desk. "And with the kid, I've been assigned to be a babysitter," she said. She straightened out her uniform just when she heard a brisk knock at her office door. She sat back down in her chair. "Come in."

Vaan smiled as he heard the woman's voice from behind the door before she said 'Come in.' It confirmed his suspicion of whether she was to help him or keep an eye on him, but it didn't bother him that much. He opened the door to see a uniformed woman and smiled, saying "Hello ma'am. My name is Vaan feral, or you can call me by my code name "Armory". Either way is fine with me to be honest."

He had an easy going smile as he spoke to the woman and looked around the office before saying "Well, we have some work to do so lets get going." Without waiting, he began to walk out saying "I'm heading to the library so come on." He was about to head out but stopped short, turning back to her to ask "Is there anything I have to do first?"

He didn't like the idea of having to work, but knowing that being a state alchemist required him to work for the government, he had almost forgotten that he'd have to do any tasks that they had ready for him. This meant that he'd have to do what the government wanted him to do before he'd be able to go on with his research about the philosopher stones.

[Celestial]

Sophia observed the young alchemist closely. She saw the chain of the silver watch that marked the official sign of a state alchemist. She stood up and took up a new manila folder and handed it to him. "A pleasure Armory Alchemist. I've read your file ... or what was released to me anyways," she said in a cool voice. "There are some protocol papers that you'll need to read over. Other than that, we'll be free to move about unless an order does arise."

She checked her holster and felt the reassuring side arm she always wore with her. She would have preferred her rifle that she used in a rebellion state a few months ago but knew that donning one of those in public would have just drew too much attention that she didn't want or care for. "Ah, before a forget." She held out her hand as she grinned. "Captain Morris. Looking forward to working with you."

Ever since the fall of the last Fuhrer, the military reformed the system slightly to have a high ranking officer work in close relations with each alchemist. Though they needn't be in each others proximity every second of the day, it was the responsibility of the officer to take charge and oversee the actions of their assigned alchemist. Sophia had heard many ... troubling stories from some of her comrades, but she hoped the Armory Alchemist would be different. She exhaled slowly and smoothed out her uniform. "Lets go then. You can read the papers on the way."

[Phantom Sekai]

Vaan nodded and shook her hand gently, saying "Like I said before, I'm vaan Feral or "Armory". Also, don't mind the auto mail arms. It's a long story to get into, so I'll tell you on the way." With that, he took the folder of papers and began to read through them quickly as they moved along slowly. He figured the more that she knew about him, the easier it'd be for them to work together and understand their relationship. He could care less if she wanted to be friendly or not later on, he just wanted to make sure they could work together.

He finished the last paper and said "You probably don't know much besides my auto mail arms, my home, and that I can transmute objects without transmutation circles. They all stem from what I did before. I committed the ultimate alchemy sin, human transmutation. I tried to bring my dead mother and father back to life, so I paid the consequences. I lost both my arms and I saw 'god' so now I can transmute with my auto mail arms alone."

He looked the officer in the eyes after he finished, wanting to gauge her reaction. All those who have heard of alchemy know the three basic things that go along with it. One, the law of equivalent exchange. Two, alchemists skills are comparable to acts of god, changing the composition of said objects and more. Three, human transmutations are taboo, and committing the act is not only frowned upon, but the price to pay is well known. He continued his speech with "Now, I'm a state alchemist because from what I know, the way to make a philosopher stone is within the government's possession so after some research, I can make a philosopher stone, bring my parents back, and become human. I'll do whatever it takes, even if that means becoming a 'dog of the military' as many call us state alchemists."

[Celestial]

Sophia's eyebrow cocked up as she stared at the alchemist. So he carry out the forbidden taboo in alchemy she thought to herself as she wondered if the higher ups knew about it. Not that she cared, but why was he telling her this so soon? She sighed as they exited the military building and headed towards Central Library, rebuilt from the destruction it had sustained in the past revolt during the Fuhrer Mustang's coup and overthrow of the King Bradley.

"I appreciate you telling me," she said. "Though I don't mind, careful to whom you disclose this information to. Many in the military still hold state alchemists with significant suspicion. Not unfounded I suppose since the great conflict that occurred less than a decade ago."

She looked at his iron arms and then to him. Resolution was what she saw in his eyes. She turned and brushed her hair out of her face and continued at a reasonable pace. "We're both dogs of the military, Armory. However ... lets see what we can find about this stone shall we?"

[Phantom Sekai]

Vaan smiled and said "Yeah, I know... Still, I figured letting you know right now would be better than having you find out some terrible way. Better to build our trust on truth than lies." When she mentioned them both being military dogs Vaan said "At least you won't be treated with fear, or at least not as much as I will be. Alchemists are dangerous, and it's normal for us to be hated. Hell, if it weren't for the way I am, Id probably hate alchemists just as much as anyone else."

When they reached the library, he looked around and grabbed a bunch of books before returning to a sitting area. He began to meticulously read through them, not letting a single thing distract him. He knew he'd need all the concentration to decipher the books. Alchemists use a variety of ways to encrypt their work, so it'd be very hard for Vaan to decipher the text, but he knew that the pay off for his work would be worth it.

About three hours later, he sighed as he sat back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. So far, he only knew one thing. Whenever philosopher stones were made, there would be blood shed. He wasn't sure if it was because people wanted it and killed each other for it, or because it made people go insane and kill others, or if it was something even worse than that. All he knew for sure was that this was going to be a dangerous task. He decided to take a break for now and said to "Captain? Lets go get something to eat. Working this hard makes me hungry."

[Celestial]

Sophia had noted everything Vaan had told her when they had reached Central library. As a military officer, she had permission to come into the premises as she wished, but they were certain sections that were meant for the state alchemists only. If it weren't for her present company, she would have never gone into section zero, which resided in the farther reaches of the library.

She had taken a seat at the table Vaan had chosen and went about to collect some of the materials that Vaan had asked her to help find. Three hours had passed with Armory vigorously absorbing the information that had some relevance to this philosopher stone. She had no idea how to read the text herself, so she busied herself with some paperwork she brought along until her help was requested again.

As she was beginning to read another report, the alchemist finally looked up from his work. By this time, there were stacks of books stacked sloppily all around him. "Captain? Lets go get something to eat. Working this hard makes me hungry."

Sophia smiled as she straightened out her papers and put them back in a small brown bag. "I know just the place. You can leave the books here; the librarians will return them," she said. "Whenever you're ready then."

Suddenly footsteps could be heard approaching them from behind as Sophia saw a Private emerge before them. He saluted the two properly before turning back to the Captain. "Captain Morris, ma'am."

She glanced back at Armory then back to the soldier. She returned the salute. "This is a restricted area Private. Your business here?"

"Apologies ma'am, but reports of a rebel insurrection has been issued in the nearby city Limban. Colonel Dectx has ordered your company to assemble ma'am."

Sophia's eye brow rose sharply. "Order papers?"

"Here ma'am."

She took them without hesitation and quickly scanned the contents. Her face paled then she turned back to Vaan. "My apologies Armory. That dinner will need to wait. Try to behave while I'm gone, for the orders do not request your involvement."

The Private coughed. "Beg your pardon ma'am," said the Private as he procured a second sheet. "Your order, sir!" He saluted the two. "If you'll excuse me!"

When they were alone, Sophia turned towards Vaan. "Dogs of the military ... that's what we are. Are you fit to travel Armory or do you need to prepare?"

[Phantom Sekai]

Armory smiled as she mentioned a place for them to eat. He was starved after taking in so much information that could result in such dangerous consequences was something that would take time to study and understand. He stood and then noticed the private come in and this made him stall for a second. He was definitely more than just a little bit worried about what they'd have to be facing until the captain mentioned his help wouldn't be needed.

He couldn't help but chuckle when the second set of papers were handed to her. When she asked him if he needed time to pack, he simply said "I got all the things I need right here." He stood up as he stretched his arms out and said "So, Limban huh? That sounds interesting. Hopefully we won't need to do that much. I'd hate to have to hurt any of the people there."

With that said, he began to follow the captain and asked "So how shall we be getting there? Train, car, some other means of transport?" He wasn't to familiar with all the towns as he's never left his home village until now to become a state alchemist. "Also, is it in west, north, or east?" he asked a second question, only reaffirming his ignorance of the entire country.

[Celestial]

Sophia cocked up an eyebrow as she stared at Vaan. "Limban? You're joking right?" She studied his facial expressions and slowly began to realize that he was indeed not joking at all. She sighed as she motioned for him to follow. "Limban is city that lies to the far north. Not past Fort Briggs but close enough. Its been the location of where dissidents have gathered the most. If we're being sent that would mean our garrison that was stationed there isn't doing too well."

The entrance to the library neared as the two stepped into the now dusk sky. Already the military presence was abundant as soldiers ran too and fro. "We'll be traveling via military train. The Northern Weather is unkind to automail, so I suggest you go see an armorer and tell them to winter condition them. I've heard horrible stories concerning automails that go to the North without the treatment. You'll freeze within moments."

A soldier approached them as he threw a salute to Sophia. "Ma'am. Squadron four is assembled and awaits your orders."

Sophia nodded as she looked towards the station. "Finish any last preparations and board the train. We will depart shortly."

"Yes Captain."

"Armory," she said as she began to walk to the station. "Do you have an armorer or do you need help finding one?"

[Phantom Sekai]

Vaan sighed as she said it was the north. He knew that he'd need an upgrade and said "I don't have a mechanic at all. My last one and I had a falling out and lets just say, the only way we would ever even speak to each other is by me going to one of the southern cities and buying her a whole store worth of auto mail parts. Don't worry though, I know the person that trained her."

He sighed as he thought about it and said "It's just that person is in Rush valley. Unless you have someone that can do complicated auto mail procedures, I don't think we have any other option than heading south first." It wasn't pleasant, but Vaan knew that the only way he could get properly worked on was by having a true professional do it, and he knew that most of them were down south anyways.

He turned to her and said "So Captain, what shall we be doing?"