Stand Up and Walk

"Can't focus; my body is still puzzled about what to do. I'm trembling; I can't stop even if I try to control myself. Although neither sun nor moon are on my side, I've got no choice but to try... Those were the words I muttered to myself. The odds aren't on my side, but running away would be weakness. Even if I can't see the future, I'll just have to win it over with courage. I need to keep distance from the targets as I hold myself back. All that's needed for victory is pride to win! Will we celebrate with the wine of victory? Or will we end up kissing their feet in defeat? There are two outcomes to everything... I want to control destiny! I need to seize this golden opportunity with my hands! I'll finish it up with my best poker face, and drag them into a world of illusions. I'll find my way out of this endless pressure game, and leap over the borderline of honor. How many? What will I need to sacrifice to make it happen? What's the one thing I don't want to let go of?"

—Sukima Switch, Golden Time Lover

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You're tucked away in a storage closet with Ed, Al, and Captain Buccaneer. The scent of dust and oil fills the air, and the four of you lean over the portable radio that he had set up, listening to General Armstrong's voice crackle over the speaker.

You'd been down in the tunnel when she'd received summons from a visitor to the fort—General Raven.

You'd never met the man, but Mustang had told you and the boys about him. He'd told you the man was in on the corruption of the upper military, and not to be trusted. He'd warned you that the man was a snake coiled in the grass, seeming harmless and unassuming until he showed his vibrant, toxic underbelly.

Ed had asked Armstrong to pry some information out of the man, and right now, she's leading him into the perfect trap.

"You know, General Raven," she begins, her tone disarmingly pleasant; "At my age, most women are expected to have a child or two, at least! Unfortunately, I'm well past all that now!"

You hear the man let out a scoff, his disbelief palpable even through the static-y microphone. "Come now!" he protests, and you can imagine his oily smile as he grins up at the woman, declaring: "Surely men are lining up to have children with you!"

Armstrong lets out a feminine giggle, and you raise your eyebrows in surprise. She's really committed to the act! you muse to yourself, unable to reconcile the sweet, gentle woman you hear over the radio with the icy blonde General you know.

"Hardly so, Sir," she laughs lightly. Then, her tone grows slightly sad, and you can imagine the pout painted across her plump lips.

"I hate to say it," she says slowly, "but like everyone else, I'm growing older... and my body is, too." She lets out a little hum, and you can imagine her drumming her fingers on her desk. "That Drachman monster I told you about, though...! It had an outstanding body! An immortal body—like something from a dream!"

You smirk. She's got him right by the nose, and he doesn't even realize it!

There are a few moments of silence, and then you hear the sound of a chair scraping along the floor. Raven's next words are a low purr: "What if I told you that very soon, this dream could become reality?"

He continues, his voice velvety soft with golden promises, his words hushed. "Tell me, General..." he murmurs quietly, his voice a low crackle over the radio. "How would you be interested in a legion of immortal soldiers?"

You bite your lip, a dark, victorious grin twisting over your face as you turn toward Ed and Al. He took the bait!

"Imagine it!" he prompts, his voice a deep, sultry rumble that makes your skin feel slimy. "Never dying, never growing old!" He lets out a hum, low in his throat. "You want it too, don't you?" he murmurs, and you can imagine the man leaning over the table to speak into Armstrong's ear, his hot breath stirring her hair.