nysalogs | (closed) Running like a dog never making connections

As much as Olivier dislikes Roy Mustang, one thing was certain - he's the only one here she would acknowledge as being competent enough not to fuck things up. Well, honestly he's the second one, but Hawkeye was ill which left the two of them to work together. She's not happy about it, but that wasn't important at the moment, finding those responsible for the attack was the only thing that mattered.

It's not that Mustang dislikes Olivier Armstrong -- she's ridiculously fun and easy to rile up -- but he's not exactly use to working with her. When they have worked together, they've still been in charge of their separate, but cooperative, units, rather than directly dealing with each other.

So this is different and with them both being fairly new to this place (and given Roy's own somewhat volatile emotional state, given all givens) it might not go well. Even so, the only other person he knows and trusts in this place is currently sick because of a biological attack, so he'll take the help and be glad for it.

"I've heard," he says, hands deep in his pockets and rocking back on his heels, "that a few people with that 'M' mark have been seen around where that fight club was not long ago."

The Ultimate Offense and the Ultimate Defense were either designed to work well together or rub each other like shards of jagged metal. They both knew this was for a bigger reason than either of them, their pride, or ambition, however.

"It's a good place to start, even if no one's there, the area wasn't in the nicest side of town. We should be able to get a lead otherwise." Olivier has no idea if Mustang knows the way, but she does and will start off whether or not he follows her.

On any other day, her striding off without a by your leave would have amused him. Today, it turns the screws a little tighter and a well of frustration begins to rise up. However, General Armstrong does outrank him and he can work within that set of parameters, even if all he really wants to do is start terrifying people into giving him useful answers.

So he follows without complaint, hands still in the pockets of his greatcoat. "Did you just tell me that I had a good idea?" Might as well try to assuage frustration.

She does outrank him, both at home and here given she joined the Royal Guard. It was a good way to start gathering power and prospects since she wasn't about to just take it easy. Plus it put her a step ahead of the competition.

Damn, of course, he'd call her out on that. Not that she's going to let him get too excited over it. "Everyone has a moment of brilliance once in a while." There's a beat before she adds,"Yours may come eventually."

That wasn't a move he had made yet; Roy was wary of anything labeled a Royal Guard just because of his own very recent attachment to a corrupt government. Given all circumstances, though, he would likely join very soon. It would give him something to do and, honestly, he had a well of experience in dealing with shadowy authority (and he rather hopes it's not as bad as Amestris' government) from within.

"You almost had my hopes up, General."

"You should know better." He really should. Any day she could get one up on him was a good day after all.

Olivier left him alone for the rest of their walk to the site of the fight club. It was no longer there, of course, but there were still people around. Someone might have heard or seen something. It was a shot.

There was only one concern... "You're not going to be stupid because of Hawkeye's involvement are you?"

There were enough people around that it gave him a little hope that there might be something here to find. Obviously, it wasn't quite as busy as it had once been, but the rumors he'd heard had been right: there was more than just a fight club here. Seedy dealings, shady agreements. That was where they needed to look and this was where they'd find it.

He raised a brow at that question (and in the back of his mind acknowledged that it was a fair one, at that, though he'd never say it aloud. Especially not to her.) "She's my lieutenant and bodyguard and one of the few people here that I already know. Of course I'm not going to be stupid about this."

He can raise all the brows he wanted to, she wasn't asking about anything beyond the obvious. That being that Hawkeye was his lieutenant, bodyguard, and one of the few people he could trust. If it were one of her men she'd expect him to wonder the same. Of course, she'd have the pleasure of telling him Briggs' soldiers were better than that - she didn't have to worry about them.

Olivier scanned the people in the area, checking faces against the ones she'd noticed either in or out of the ring during the fights. She spots one guy she remembers as having a lot of money but not a lot of luck when it came to casting bets. Nodding his way, she commented to Mustang, "Let's start with him."

"Are you sure you know where we're going?"

Olivier didn't mind working with others when they proved competent. This was not one of those instances, however. They'd been walking around the city for what felt like an hour now with no results, no clues, and no idea where they were. The question was, was it intentional or was this guy really this useless?

Richard was not the first anyone would suggest for going on any kind of manhunt. Although he did patrols, he had never been assigned one and had mostly involved him wandering through the city and getting lost until he called a cab to take him home. With how many times he had been lost, he really should have learned the layout of the city. But unfortunately this was the King who would sometimes get lost in his own castle if he didn't have someone with him. He was doing little better now.

"Well, we're looking for the shadiest part of town, right? So I've been following my tried and true method of getting there." He tapped his nose. "The shadows will lead the way."

It had been before noon when they set off. It was now after that. This posed a problem because in that time, the shadiest part of town had moved from west side of Olympia to the east.

Olivier stops to stare at him completely dumbfounded. Did he really just mistake shadiest (as in questionable) with shadiest (meaning cool or dark)?

"We are looking for areas criminals would gather not which side of town the sun is opposite." This was a test. It had to be. No one was this inept, so they had to be testing her to see what she would do in a stressful situation. A stupid move considering things were stressful enough, but she would prevail. "Besides, you do know you can't smell a shadow, right?"

"Of course you can't smell a shadow." But no, she had a good point. Of course the shadiest end of town wasn't going to be on the town most shaded. That much was obvious. That was a piece of information that he was fully and completely aware of now that she had made it sound stupid. He coughed. "But you know, I think we're all well investigated in this sector. This next one, I think, will be more revealing."

He'd heard stories of the so called Red District. It seemed like just the sort of place that lowlives would congregate. And he was almost certain that he actually knew where it was, too. Once he figured out where they were, he could even get them there.

How could anyone be so dense? Olivier had dealt with enough idiots throughout her career but this one was special. Still, she was new to the guard. She'd have to climb her way back to the top and if that meant standing around waiting for her chance by working with people like Richard, she'd do it. Olivier was good at playing the game to get where she wanted to be.

"We can certainly hope so."

Another half or more of navigating the parts of the city that were in dire need of a GPS, Richard had at last navigated them into the very heart of the so-called Red Light District. The more livelier parts of the entertainment area had gotten quieter, darker, and a little bit more revealing. There were already examples of men and women standing in front of buildings coyly trying to draw attention to themselves.

"These poor people," Richard comments quietly to Olivier. "So destitute they can't even afford all their clothing."

He caught a shirtless man casually flexing a muscle and quickly looked away. If you looked at a poor person, they would probably ask you for money.

Olivier's eye twitches at the display. She's seen enough of her brother Alex showing off that one more man doing so didn't do anything but annoy her. Richard's display of stupidity, or perhaps it was naivety, bothered her more.

"Did you live in a religious commune of some sort before coming here? You can't honestly tell me you have no idea what is going on in this section of town." She might be from the 1910s and an elite family, but Olivier recognized the signs, and usage, of a brothel. "They are dressed like that for a reason."

Richard shrugs a bit sheepishly. "I admittedly didn't go mingling in towns that often. I didn't really fit in."

For some reason going into the rough part of the neighborhood wearing a crown just didn't have the effect you would expect. People got all weird about him and his armed guard showing up with him. Either way, she's made her point and he looks at the people in a different.

"... my God, do you think they're dressed like that on purpose?"

There's a very tiny part of her that wants to ask if he ever fit in anywhere that she squashes down quickly. She's also squashing down the fact that she did something similar not too long ago, for other reasons... oh hell, she was no better than they were."Yes, yes they are. They have a service they are selling and it's how they attract attention and therefore, customers."

Why be coy when you can be blunt? "Seriously, what kind of man doesn't recognize a whore?" Maybe she should have been less harsh with her words but other than hitting him over the head, Olivier wasn't sure Richard was going to catch on anyway.

Richard stares at her, his mouth agape. He couldn't believe she would go so far as to throw accusations around like that. He turns to one of the women and smiles apologetically as if to excuse Olivier's callous words, then turns back to her and whispers sharply back at her. "You can't call them whores! My God, these are hard working women deserving of respect in spite of their wardrobe malfunction and economic misfortune!"

So maybe he thought of 'whore' as only an insult, as that was basically the only context he ever really got to hear it in. He had some pretty traditional views on marriage and sex which did not in any way leave room for anything else.

Why were her men still in stasis when she needed them?

"I am not disrespecting them for it." She might not completely approve of the job, but Olivier was a practical woman. If there wasn't a need for such a position people wouldn't take it up as employment. The women and occasional men kept morale up for troops and other patrons.

"They sell their bodies for sex. They are literal whores."

While the women nearby start to laugh at Olivier's explanation, and her obvious exasperation, one of the prettier men on the street calls out to them. Hey sweetheart. Come back when you're not working and I'll show you both a good time.

Richard pauses momentarily to shoot finger guns at the pretty man who had promised them a good time. It was only the polite thing to do since it was pretty darn nice of him to be so friendly. Richard was always for a good time, especially when it involved games!

But he grows grave as he turns back to Olivier. "Oh, so you mean... whore whores." He frowns thoughtfully as he watches a man walking away with one of the women and wonders if the man knew too. "Well I am disrespecting them, then! That's terrible!"

Olivier went to amend her statement so it included the men and then just closed her mouth. It wasn't worth it. At least the man seemed to finally understand the situation.

"They're still the same women they were two minutes ago when you had no idea what they did for a living. And it won't do to disrespect them. We need to ask if they have any information regarding the bombing."

"You think that just because they're low life sex paying miscreants that they'll know about the bombers?" Richard pauses, then seems to accept this as a likely scenario. "Oh, very good. I'll have to remember that for later. Tucking it away."

He walks away from Olivier and over to one of the women who is flaunting enough cleavage to hold a parade through. He fixes the whore with a very stern look. "Young lady, I think we both know why I am here."

After this is over, she's going to find a bar and order the most expensive thing she can afford. And then several of the least expensive things she can afford. She will have earned it.

"Well as long as you've got the silver..."

Richard smiles wanly, only a little put off that he's being asked to pay up. It wasn't really a good idea to try and pull something like this with a guard, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Oh, I think for the right price we might arrange something."

"Oh do tell."

He slyly removes a few coins from his coin purse and presents a whole five of them. "I'm sure this will get you talking."

"Honey," she says as patiently as possible. "Talking is the only thing that'll get you."

At this point, Olivier has had enough (of Richard, of this whole damn mess, of this planet) and decides to break into the conversation to save everyone from any misunderstandings.

"I'm sorry, but we're here officially." She taps the stone on her chest, "talk is all we want."

The woman has the decency to look a bit offended at that, but a silver's a silver and talking doesn't take long. So talk.

It was best to get right to the point. "I know this part of town is full of --interesting people, but have you noticed anyone that seems out of place or extra shady of late?"

"Besides you two?" The woman laughs, even as she takes the silver from Richard. "You two are guards, don't you know already? Shades Darker is where you want to go. It's not a bad place, but some of the people who go there, well...."

Richard claps his hands together. "Oho, sounds sinister!"

"It's a brothel, honey."

"Oh." Richard looks at Olivier. "I really feel like this is a dead end. Let's not."

He was not emotionally prepared to walk into a brothel. God only knew what would happen to him if he did.

While she didn't mind the idea of entering such a place - even she knew they didn't do anything out in the open, or at least she assumed so - she was not about to walk in there with Richard. Someone might get the wrong idea.

She's still able to smile, sort of, and be gracious, "Thank you ladies for your time and assistance," before grabbing Richard by the arm and pulling him back the way they came.

Richard uselessly gets dragged along because frankly he's likely to loose a contest of strength with just a regular woman, much less Olivier. He scampers after staring aghast at this whole new part of Olympia that's been exposed to him.

"I really should reiterate it's a dead end."

It wasn't about what people might think of him walking into a brothel with her. His concern was how did he even do anything in a brothel. He was a complete neophyte in the ways of... brothely things! He'd never fit in!

Once they are far enough away she lets go of him. "Of course it is, but I wasn't about to leave you there." No matter how entertaining it might have been she wouldn't have done that to anyone. Those women didn't deserve it.

"You can go give our report," what there was to make of one, "and I'll head off to do something else." Most likely get a drink or find someone to spar with, either would do to clear her head.

Olivier had given up on working with anyone else. Not that it hadn't been eventful, but too many people made it hard to hunt properly. Where one person could sneak around and not be suspicious, two or more drew attention. The right words in the right ears, or the right amount of silver in the wrong hands, or even a well-placed threat always seemed to get results.

One such result had her checking out an old building on the other side of town. Not knowing who or what she might find, Olivier entered the building quietly, her hand on the hilt of her sword ready to draw it the instant she needed it.

"You could make this easier on both of us."

This hasn't been a particularly good day for Archer. Upon hearing of the bombing, he'd naturally tried to go and assist... or so he had thought at the time. Instead, he had ended up on a list of names of those accused of causing the attack; he understood why he was on it, though he'd truly had no part in what had happened.

Still, simply sitting around complaining about that wouldn't do him any good. He'd figured perhaps the authorities would hear him out - but that had been a fool's errand. Instead, royal guard and city watch alike had come after him, not to mention other refugees after the price now on his head.

After a few such confrontations, he'd needed some time to recuperate. An abandoned building, while cliche, was good enough for the task. He'd never considered that someone might actually manage to find him out here.

"And you could make things easier still by simply turning around and leaving."

...he faintly recognizes the voice calling out to him, though at the moment he can't really pay too much attention to that. It doesn't matter who is after him; just that he can't allow himself to be caught.

As if she were that stupid. Olivier didn't care about the reward, or those caught up in the attack so much as she did the fact that this put a big target on all of the refugees. Until they captured the ones responsible and cleared everyone else, that was going to be a fact of life and one she didn't appreciate.

There are more than enough places for an ambush or trap as she continues to search. Every corner gets taken cautiously, each doorway inspected before entrance.

"That's not going to happen."

"Yes, I was fairly certain it wouldn't."

Archer stands out in the open, no pretense. There are certainly more than a few places a trap could be waiting, but Olivier will find nothing. Frankly, he doesn't really find the need to do such things - though these circumstances aren't good for him, he's nonetheless confident in his ability to prevail in a one on one confrontation.

"This is our second meeting, isn't it? I would say it's a pleasure to see you again, but under these circumstances..." A sigh. "So, what do you want?"

It's a pain to realize he's right - she recognizes him as well, not that that's going to do him any favors. If anything, the fact that he reminds her works against him. "Don't expect that a temporary lapse in sanity is going to save you." Of course, she'd say the same even if things had been completely under control.

"What I want isn't the issue here." As far as Olivier was concerned there was only one course of treatment for cowards and traitors. Luckily for Archer, she wasn't the one calling the shots. "But you can make this easier on yourself by coming long nicely."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Of course, the sentiment is mutual. What happened back then was... well, probably best forgotten about it. If anything, it's a relief that she seems to be of the same mind. The worst thing would be if either of them took what had happened back then too seriously.

"So you hope to turn me in as well? And yet, you don't seem the type to be after monetary gain." He can't say he truly knows her that well, but her military demeanor is hard to miss. "Tell me, how much do you trust the ones in charge here? Can you really say they're worthy of your loyalty?"

"There are somethings worth more than money." An easy thing to say considering she came from a wealthy family, not that that meant anything here. Justice, honor, power... Olivier put her faith in things she knew garnered true respect. Money was a fickled thing that could be taken from anyone at any time.

She gives a hard laugh at the rest of his questions. "As much as the government at home ever was." Of course, he won't understand that she means not at all. The Amestrian government had been a complete lie for all four hundred years it had been around and had proven it didn't care for its people. Something she couldn't tolerate.

"Let me guess, they're lying and you had nothing to do with this whole mess? It's a complete misunderstanding. You're perfectly innocent and did nothing wrong." Her tone is completely flat and disinterested, but she's watching him with a sharp eye looking for any sign of the truth.

"Actions speak louder than words. What do you think all of this," she waves a hand at the room they're in, "says?"

"...no, like any good deception, part of what they say is true."

His first inclination is to simply deny any involvement, but she's discerning enough that he doubts it would work. In this case, he knows he's made mistakes... that he did play into the true mastermind's plans, even if that hadn't been his intention. What makes it more frustrating still is that he had thought he'd played a part in thwarting them.

"The place where I work... Shades Darker. One of the more frequent patrons began hiring others to take a job for him: it seemed simple enough, stop some miscreants from making off with some dangerous weapons, and return them to him."

Archer can't help but laugh slightly as he says the words, shaking his head. "It should be obvious enough at this point that the job was a farce. The others who were named... I have no idea how much they played into it, but I know I didn't. I killed the men responsible and destroyed the weapons alike."

He lets that settle for a moment, as his laughter shifts to a frown. He knows the one mistake he made now - he had eliminated the carriage driver and his companions, assuming they were after the weapons for their own selfish reasons. Perhaps that was still true, but things happened too quickly for the men to trade words at the time.

"And yet still here I am, blamed for the bombing and with a price on my head. Can you see why I'm not too eager to turn myself in?"

An easy enough story to believe. Very few people would find weapons of any kind agreeable, and to let them potentially fall into the wrong hands... A very likely story indeed.

"Does this patron have a name?" What kind of idiot didn't get the name of their potential employer? She's hoping he's not that stupid. If nothing else it would be a start to proving, or disproving what he claimed. "Or a description."

"We never got a name. We were instructed not to ask by my... regular employer. The proprietress."

Thinking back, he wasn't sure why Koralle had told them not to probe too deeply. Was she actually mixed up in all this, or did she simply know it best not to pry too much into that man's affairs? At this point, he'll probably never know either way.

"Simply a man dressed in black, covered face. The type of person it's obvious you shouldn't trust."

"And yet..." She doesn't have to finish that sentence since they both know how things went.

No name, a generic description that could describe any number of people both native and otherwise - it really wasn't much to go on or to use to prove anyone's innocence. "Sounds shady as hell, but it shouldn't be too hard to prove the man exists. Beyond that..." She shrugs, it's a start.

"You do realize the guard aren't the only ones after you, right? It's still safer to turn yourself in so no one else gets hurt."

"Sacrifice myself so no one gets hurt, right? Heh... unfortunately, I've outgrown my martyr stage."

Well, he mostly has. In truth, if the situation was dire enough, he probably would give himself up. At least, if he felt it really achieved anything. At this point, he still has an alternative.

"As long as I leave this place, no one should be able to find me. That should achieve that end just as well, shouldn't it? And without having to put myself at the mercy of the ones who may be the true villains here."

Once she would have argued that a government didn't put their own people at risk - there was no reason to kill innocent civilians. Then she learned what her own country had been doing for years. What they tried to do to her people at Briggs.

"And just how do you expect to do that?"

And on his side, Archer is simply inherently distrustful. Then again, having a government martyr and execute you as a scapegoat for a war you tried to prevent has a way of affecting how you view the world.

"The walls of this city are well guarded, but not impenetrable. Sneaking out shouldn't be too difficult."

Well, it probably will be, but that's his plan all the same.

"They're paying more attention to the people leaving than anything they carry." It would be easy to hide in a basket or some other contraption since no one seems to be concerned about another attack happening - especially not in carts leaving the city. Of course, she's not suggesting anything since that would be against the whole being in the guard deal.

"And then you have to get out of here first." Olivier pulls a silver out of her pocket without taking her eyes off of Archer. She flips it in the air once and then tosses it back the way she came so that it makes enough noise bouncing around. "I suppose I should go check on that. Never know what trouble there could be." She looks at him and offers a warning, "Don't go anywhere while I'm away."

With that, she walks back into the other room leaving him alone to do as he will.

(closed) Running like a dog never making connections

Mustang

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Richard

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Archer

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