Rebound

[avaricious]

Who: Greed (and sorta Alphonse)
Broadcast: Yes
Action: A park on the Starlight
When: February 28th, after this post

[The transmission starts abruptly with a flash of red light. When the image clears, there's a few blades of grass in the way and a grotesque image of a man's back, only it's embedded with pieces of metal armor as well as what looks like an armored hand sticking out from the side. It's all the result of some hideous rebound. The man sways unbalanced and seemingly oblivious to the mess made upon his back. He stands there for a few seconds before stumbling forward and kneeling to something beyond the angle of the camera.]

Alphonse!? [There is the sound of banging on metal.] Alphonse! Dammit, answer me!

[There is nothing. No answer. Just silence.]

Say something you shitty brat! We were getting out of this shit hole together! Don't say you--

[And then, just like that, the feed cuts out without explanation.]

Comments

Re: [ action ]

[beardstrokes]

[ A little firmer now. ]

And what can you do? Concern or not, something has gone wrong. Can you even fix it?

[ action ]

[avaricious]

I don't know. But talking about it won't get us anywhere.

[Maybe if he could focus and think. But he's all reaction right now.]

Re: [ action ]

[beardstrokes]

Then calm down so we can figure out an action, Greed.

[ A mind trick would not work here. Greed's will was far too strong for that and Obi-Wan would rather not. ]

action ]

[avaricious]

Neither one of us can do anything. Alphonse's soul was bound to that body by alchemy. Unless you happen to be one, then he's shit out of luck.

[And he truly doubts Obi-Wan is. Or anyone else, for that matter.]

Re: action ]

[beardstrokes]

Then we had best see to you.

[ Although . . . ] I did not sense anyone dying. So he's clearly not dead. There's no way to retrieve the soul?

[avaricious]

I'll be fine. But I don't have any way of dealing with his soul. Hell, the prince can't even sense his soul on a normal day. I have no idea if he's even in there anymore.

[beardstrokes]

Well, a lost soul returning to the Force would have been noticeable. Big enough for any Jedi to perceive. Perhaps it is not yet time to lose hope.

[avaricious]

I don't know anything about your Force, but his soul is different than the kind you're dealing with.

[Which he could describe... if he understood it. Instead he's left frustratingly useless.]

[beardstrokes]

[ Hm. ]

Even so, there would be some . . . echo. It may not be . . . gone, but displaced?

[avaricious]

Displaced or not, that's hardly a body he's going to return to and there's not going to be anyone in this fleet who can fix him.

[beardstrokes]

[ He eyes Greed quietly. It is not despair he senses, but a sense of futility. Greed wanted to fight, fight the situation. But he recognizes that he cannot. ]

Then perhaps we can construct one for his return. It's not like you to give up.

[avaricious]

It's not giving up. I like testing the impossible more than most, bit we don't even have the ingredients for what's already possible. It's out of my hands.

[Which even just realizing that is frustrating, but perhaps gives him less reason to be so wound up.]

[beardstrokes]

It can't hurt to ask around to see if there are alternatives.

[ Until the right ingredients show themselves. ]

I doubt the Atroma would just let him go. They have their ways.

[avaricious]

His wouldn't be the first soul I've used up since I've arrived. They haven't done much about that yet.

[Maybe the Atroma are only concerned about the package, not the contents.]

[beardstrokes]

Do you mean the souls inside of you?

[ He considers this. ] Alphonse was an actual member of the Fleet though. There lies the difference.