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FRANK ARCHER

COLONEL OF THE AMESTRIAN MILITARY

Determined to warmonger his way to fame, Archer is an aggressively ambitious man who while Lawful Evil, absolutely uses the law to enable the evil. He's not opposed to underhanded methods like blackmail and recruiting a supposedly-dead man, and he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants (war).

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You know I don't like staying inside.

[For what are likely obvious reasons, especially since their last discussion.]

[...You know what.]

You have my apologies for that.

[He's actually going to say it. He isn't going to try to explain himself because frankly, it'll sound like he's trying to excuse his actions when there isn't really any excusing it. He knows Kimbley doesn't like to be locked in anywhere. He's behaved himself better than Archer thought he would for the time it took them to get to Liore, so he's willing to overlook the mess that followed, primarily because he knows at least half of that was directly in response to being shoved in a small room and told not to leave.

So yeah. He acknowledges he fucked that one up.]

[That seems to catch him off-guard and for a long moment he just stares; he actually wasn't prying for that, it was just one of those things that he said because it happened to be true and it was a technical answer to the question.

It takes him a moment.]

...So I'm going to assume that conversation's been digging at you or something lately.

[Is this how Kimbley feels every single time he manages to stun Archer into silence? No, because surely Kimbley feels way more pleased by it than Archer's feeling right now.]

It... has been, yes.

[It's true enough. It isn't as though it's constantly been on his mind, but since Kimbley brought it up again, he thought it best to address it.]

I wanted to offer you that much, at the very least. I should have handled that better.

[It isn't anything he's beating himself up over, of course, but it was a failure on his part and one he isn't particularly interested in repeating.]

[His gaze shifts; he seems annoyed, though it's hard to say at what.]

I don't regret what I did to that guy. He needed to get out of my way; it's not my fault that he didn't figure that out.

You don't need to worry about that, I've already taken care of it.

[It was easy enough to pass that off as a death as a result of the fight with the chimera woman, after all. A shame to lose someone who values orders over his own damn life, but he can be replaced. Kimbley can't.]

Yeah, Mustang's probably not going to leave that one alone.

[Seeing as he kind of...well, he didn't see the guy die, so maybe? Who knows.]

Either way, I did what I did and people are going to throw a fit about it then I don't know if I care.

[He is getting agitated for someone who doesn't care, good lord.]

I'll deal with him, if it comes to that.

[Yeah, of course Mustang's going to be all up in arms about it, but that's Mustang for you. He's going to have a harder time explaining their absence whenever they return, anyway...

But yeah, Kimbley's agitation at the whole situation is new. Usually when he doesn't care, it's... you know, pretty obvious he doesn't care.]

It's fine if you don't. As I said, I'll handle it. It was my mistake in the first place that led to that, so it's my job to take care of it.

Yeah. ...Like I said, it's just been on my mind lately, due to all the stuff that's been going on.

[It's been a bad month, Archer. At least whatever hideous injury he had on the left arm seems to be healing up?]

[Oh good, he has admittedly been trying to get a look at that without drawing attention to it, so that's good to know!!]

Of course.

[There's a brief pause, while he considers it.]

Do you miss Amestris?

[Kimbley's probably the last person in the world he could ever imagine getting homesick, especially when he spent ten damn years in a cell, but Archer's really not sure what about all of this is causing the agitation.]

[It's still bandaged, but it doesn't look like it's bleeding through or anything.]

Not...really?

[He doesn't really seem to have thought about it before.]

I mean, I'd probably rather be there than here, yeah, but this isn't all that terrible. And besides, I asked to be here.

["Asked to be here" is one way to put it, he supposes...]

I am glad that you've been doing well here.

[But he's said as much before. So...]

What happened to your arm?

[Oh, that. He shifts, right hand straying slightly over the left before making himself stop.]

Why?

Curiosity.

[He's not going to reach out for it, but damn if he doesn't want to. Just let him fuss over you, okay!!]

Is it healing well enough, at least?

I guess. It's kind of a weird injury so it's taking a while.

[...]

There were spirits possessing people last month. Some of them just grabbed you, others embedded themselves in you. This one had my left arm and my spine from the inside. Ripping it out screwed me up a bit, physically. That's all.

[...]

I'm sorry that happened to you.

[How do you even treat something like that... and of course he doesn't get healing magic this time so he can't even help!! Awful.]

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[All he's really got is basic medical training so like, probably not, but.]

My back is probably more screwed up than my arm is, but it's not the worst in the world. I've been to the clinic a few times, they've helped.

I'm fine though. Really.

[Are you really... you were possessed by a ghost and it fucked up your back and arm...]

I'm glad they've been able to help, then.

[But Kimbley does sound fine so he's just... going to let that go because there's nothing to be done about it now, anyway.]

[He's pretty not fine but hey, nothing to do about it now.]

It's been a pretty bad month, all things considered. Possession wasn't great? I tried to kill a few of my friends.

["Are you sure you're fine?" seems like a dumb question because this is Kimbley we're talking about, but like... Archer's expression probably gives it away, anyway.]

It certainly sounds like it. I suppose this place had the decency to wait to return me until afterwards.

[The bonfire was bad enough, let alone possession!! No thanks!!]

[That is all over your face, and honestly you know what- ]

I would have preferred it if you were here, actually.

[...Oh.

Oh no, does he look like he has any idea how to handle that?? Hold on, he's having a feeling and he doesn't like it—]

I'm sorry I wasn't, then. I would have preferred to stay here rather than whatever actually happened, for what it's worth.

[Not because he likes it here, but because he'd rather be hanging out with Kimbley than whatever limbo state he was actually in.]

Oh, come on, pick one. Either you're grateful you weren't here or you're not. It doesn't matter either way; there isn't any point in changing your mind because of me.

[He sounds easy enough, but the whole thing is obviously kind of digging at him in a way he doesn't like.]

Edited 2023-11-21 23:22 (UTC)

[It gets a scoff out of him, but yeah, he can tell that Kimbley's having A Time.]

I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, but I am glad I didn't have to go through anything of the sort. Is that better?

Makes you less of a hypocrite about it, at least. So yeah, I guess.

[He's trying so hard to calm down. It's not working too well.]

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sadisticwarfare - 2023-12-02 22:02 (UTC) - Expand

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