omg_fma | 07/14/07 // IC!Ed, NPC Capt. Brandon Wainwright, NPC Lenore Wainwright

Who: IC!Ed, NPC Capt. Brandon Wainwright, NPC Lenore Wainwright
When: 07/14/07
Rating: PG-13 (brief violence)
Category: Side Plots
Summary: Ed makes a house call, as it were, to a corrupt officer and things go as planned [mostly].

IC!Ed: *standing outside the property of what looks like an ordinary home, staring hard at the address written on the slip of paper Roy gave him, checking and rechecking that this house is a match. finally draws in a breath and walks up to the door, raises a hand when he reaches it and knocks firmly*

Lenore: *the door opens to reveal a six-or-seven year old with enormous green eyes who blinks owlishly at Ed for a moment before her set upon mother catches up with her* What have I told you about opening the door! *she hisses, picking up the now-giggling girl by the middle and looking at Ed with a laugh-lined, pleasant face* Can I help you?

IC!Ed: *Oh shit, wasn't expecting that. clears throat, trying to adopt a business-like persona in front of the woman and the little girl* Yes, I'm looking for a- *checks his paper* -Captain Brandon Wainwright?

Lenore: Of course, I'll go get him. Come inside, please. *hoists the girl up onto her hip and pads back into the house, her voice drifting back through the hallway as she calls her husband downstairs, leaving Ed, perfectly secure in her own home*

IC!Ed: Ah, no, I- *stops, since she's already gone. hesitates to enter, left standing awkwardly in the doorway for a moment. finally takes a step inside, eyes wandering around at the decorations and eyeing a family photo on a nearby endtable. clenches his jaw and quickly looks away* Shit.

Capt. Wainwright: *a shortish man with close-cropped blond hair that's grey around his temples comes down the stairs; he is wearing civilian clothes, a long-sleeved grey sweater and paint-spattered jeans* Hello. *his daughter got her green eyes from him, clearly* What can I do for you?

IC!Ed: *blinks, mentally matching the image of the man he sees before him up with the photo that Roy retrieved. this man looks slightly older, but it's definitely a match* ...Captain Wainwright?

Capt. Wainwright: That's me. *gestures to the sitting room, headed in there himself* I think I've seen you at work before. Aren't you that genius alchemist?

IC!Ed: *glances in the direction he's heading but doesn't move, not exactly wanting to go in there* Oh, you have? I... wouldn't say I'm a genius but, yes, I'm Edward Elric.

Capt. Wainwright: It's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you, young man? *moves aside a laundry basket and takes a seat on the couch - there are socks lined along the arm, as though the wife had been folding them just moments before*

IC!Ed:... A pleasure. *looks around the living room, but stays resolute near the door which he has yet to shut behind him* There's something I wanted to talk to you about. *glances warily toward where Mrs. Wainwright and their daughter disappeared to, then focuses back on the captain*

Capt. Wainwright: *stands up once more, sensing the boy's unease* Do we need to speak in private? Is it a military manner? I can ask Lenore to leave us for a few minutes.

IC!Ed: *glances back and forth again* Yeah, it... I don't want your family overhearing. *lowers his voice slightly, eyes flat and serious* It's about the Ishbal war.

Capt. Wainwright: *face pales slightly and he nods* Just a moment. *he intercepts his wife at the doorway where she is carrying a tray of tea and buscuits, whispering quietly with her; she smiles at Ed and leaves the tray with her husband, who closes the door behind her*

IC!Ed: *watches with a calm facade, inching slightly toward the door to close it at last. then moves haltingly deeper into the room, still wary* ... Your daughter...

Capt. Wainwright: Lenore's going to look after her, she won't interrupt. *sets the tray down and looks at Ed curiously* What's this about?

IC!Ed: *hovers near the couch, eyes still set on the entrance that Lenore came in from. decides that it would be best to settle this quickly and turns back to the captain almost abruptly* I'll be blunt. You were in one of the field squads during one of the bloodier regimes of the war, weren't you?

Capt. Wainwright: .... *sighs wearily, running a hand over his eyes* Yes, I was. *sits on the couch once more, slouching in a melancholy sort of way before catching himself and sitting straighter*

IC!Ed: *discreetly eyes the captain's posture before turning to look out the window* You must have lost a lot of good friends in the middle of it all.

Capt. Wainwright: *bows his head, clenching his fist and pressing it to his forehead* Yes. I did.
Capt. Wainwright: But- loss is a part of life. I suppose you're a little too young to understand that just yet... *trails off*

IC!Ed: *left hand goes to clutch his right arm protectively, an unconscious, almost instinctive reaction to hearing that sort of talk. swallows hard* ... The Ishbalans... took a lot from us. From our countrymen.

Capt. Wainwright: *stands abruptly, jumping to conclusions, thinking Ed is a strange sort of messenger but not about to question* Is that why you're here? Do you have information about that murdering bastard's whereabouts?

IC!Ed: *looks back over at the captain seriously* You mean Scar?

Capt. Wainwright: *frowns* Scar? Wasn't he that serial killer who went after state alchemists, years ago? *grips the edge of the couch hard, his green eyes wide* He's the one who killed her?!

IC!Ed: *brow furrows, having absolutely no idea what this guy is talking about* "Her"? ...I'm sorry, captain, but unless "she" was a state alchemist, I doubt Scar had anything to do with it.

Capt. Wainwright: *really confused now* This ... isn't about Annalise?

IC!Ed: *looks the captain up and down, completely serious as he tries to analyze what just happened*

IC!Ed: Annalise...? *getting a vague idea now, eyes grow a little wider* Who was Annalise?

Capt. Wainwright: Annalise. My niece, Annalise. She was murdered a month ago, and the guy who did it got away, I've been trying to find him for- *cuts off, realizing who he's talking to* I apologize, Edward. When you started talking about that, I just assumed- *shakes his head* ... if this isn't about her, why are you here?

IC!Ed:...I'm sorry for your loss, captain. An Ishbalan killed her?

Capt. Wainwright: *muscles in his jaw jump* Yes. *forces a strained smile* Now, please. I'd like you to tell me why you're here.

IC!Ed: *looks at the captain a moment longer, making connections in his mind before turning to look back out the window* ...A young Ishbalan man was assaulted in an alleyway not too long ago. I was put on the case, told to find the men responsible. *narrows his eyes, sort of glaring out the window* ...But I'd rather find them for a different reason entirely.

Capt. Wainwright: *the geniality vanishes from his face, leaving those green eyes cold and his expression both resigned and wary* What would that be?
Capt. Wainwright: Care to congratulate me, off record? *perfectly seriously* It's not your fault, the jobs you get assigned. *sympathetic look*

IC!Ed: *looks back at the captain, dead serious* ... You want revenge on the Ishbalans, don't you? Revenge for your late niece?

Capt. Wainwright: *sympathy vanishes as he realizes that Ed is not a like-minded individual* Not revenge, no. Why would I want revenge on him? The boy hadn't done anything.
Capt. Wainwright: I needed information.

IC!Ed: *adopts a look of genuine interest* Information about what?

Capt. Wainwright: They're hiding in the city, these groups of Ishbalans. I thought he could tell me where, could help me so I could go and find the man responsible and bring him to justice. *mouth twitches slightly, his forehead furrowed with a frown* He refused to help me, however.

IC!Ed: *raises an eyebrow* I never suggested that you were one of the young man's attackers, captain. *starts to pace a bit* The young Ishbalan man that was assaulted wasn't from this dimension - You know about all the dimensional shifts over the past few years, don't you? So there was no way he could have given you that sort of information.

Capt. Wainwright: *raises his eyebrows back* And I've never denied to anyone that I am one. Besides, Frederick's probably blabbed everything, the brainless idiot.
Capt. Wainwright: There's something very wrong with the justice of this city. I'm proud to be looking for my niece’s killer. I will find him, at any cost. If the government takes issue...

IC!Ed: *smirks slightly* You'd be surprised at how well that "brainless idiot" has kept his mouth shut.

Capt. Wainwright: Clearly not enough, if he's gotten himself detained like I heard.

IC!Ed: *hides another smirk, secretly pleased about how that incident had turned out* Revenge doesn't get you anywhere. It just puts you on the same level as Scar. And for the record, the government is taking issue with the fact that the victim was innocent and from off-dimension. *gives the captain a look* Right now, you look like a corrupt military officer and a reckless racist bastard.

Capt. Wainwright: *scowling fiercely, but not letting the young man's words upset him* All I wanted to do was help make a city where my daughter would be safe. If I have to go to jail, I'm prepared to. *deep breath, calmly* Well, congratulations. You've apprehended me.
Capt. Wainwright: I'm curious - why is this incident receiving such special attention? Did that boy yell so loud even the Fuhrer heard?

IC!Ed: *frowns deeply, not liking this* Maybe because it's quite possibly the first reported instance of abuse against an innocent Ishbalan. It was reported as a hate crime. ...And Mal's a friend of mine.
IC!Ed: ...I understand where you're coming from, with wanting to find your neice's killer, make things safer for your daughter. But beating up innocent men on the street isn't exactly the best way to go about it.
IC!Ed:...And your friend Frederick seemed to be on a completely different wavelength than you were, captain.

Capt. Wainwright: Desperate times, desperate measures. *with conviction* I'm not proud of it, but it was the right thing to do. It's a part of being an adult, having to make difficult choices. *totally patronizing*
Capt. Wainwright: I am sorry that ... Ishbalan was a friend of yours. But he ought not to have reported it. *thin smile* That was a mistake.

IC!Ed: *turns and sets a glare on the captain, temper flaring* Oh really?? I bet it was. Y'know, I'm sick and tired of people talking down to me like I don't know what's going on just because I'm younger than the rest of you! And Mal didn't report it, his friends did, because it's high time that military officers learned they can't get away with doing whatever they want to the citizens!
IC!Ed: You wanna make this city a safer place for your daughter?! Try starting with becoming a better person!

Capt. Wainwright: *listens to Ed's ranting, a superior and almost amused look on his face*
Capt. Wainwright: Excuse me. I'll ask you not to tell me how to raise my child. You know nothing of being a parent. I'm sure your father would have done the same for you.

IC!Ed: *vein pops out on his forehead, grinding his teeth* Oh yeah, I'm very sure he would have. That was the next thing he was gonna do after leaving my mom to get sick and die with two sons to take care of!! That bastard taught us loads.

Capt. Wainwright: *genuine look of sympathy* Oh, Edward. I apologize. I had no idea your father- well, that at least explains a little to me. Why you would make friends with that sort. There was no one to teach you better.

IC!Ed: *glare of doom, advances* My mom taught us enough. There's nothing wrong with my friends. But there's plenty wrong with people like you.

Capt. Wainwright: *soothingly* I'm sure she did her best, the poor woman...

IC!Ed: *patience gives out completely, has just about had it with trying to be rational with this guy and quickly drives his automail hand into the captain's collar, hard enough to make it snap. hisses into the captain's face as he does so* I'm sorry about your neice. I really am. But as far as I'm concerned, revenge is no excuse for being an asshole.

Capt. Wainwright: *screams bloodily, slamming back into the hutch and crumpling to the ground, writhing in pain*

IC!Ed: *pulls away and straightens, anger ebbing away as he looks down at the captain* ... We'll find your neice's killer, if that's all you want. But that doesn't excuse you from what you did to Mal.

Capt. Wainwright: *gasps* Thank you.

Lenore: *suddenly, the door bursts open and Lenore is back, gasping and putting her hands to her mouth and rushing over to her husband, who chooses just that moment to cough up a bit of blood* Who are you?! *she asks fiercely, interposing herself between her husband and Ed*

Capt. Wainwright: Lenore .... wait ... *weakly, in too much pain*

IC!Ed: *backs away, slowly turning to look seriously at Lenore with a hint of sadness in his eyes* Just delivering a message from a mutual acquaintance. *averts gaze* ... I'm sorry.

Lenore: A message? You're insane, I'm calling the--

Capt. Wainwright: *places a hand on her shoulder, halting her, shaking his head* Don't. Honey, please. *gets to his feet, wincing, his shoulder slumped forward horribly* Edward. I understand what you're doing. *looks to Lenore, sad smile* I - I've done something foolish.
Capt. Wainwright: *to Ed* Just- don't hurt her, alright? I'll come with you. Arrest me, already. But don't hurt them. *almost panicked look*

IC!Ed: *watches quietly*
IC!Ed: ... I won't. I promise. I won't even bring you in right now. Just... turn yourself in, once you've gotten that collarbone checked out

Capt. Wainwright: *grim look* I will. Thank you. I- *bites his bloody lip* I am sorry he was your friend.

IC!Ed: *nods* ...I'm sorry you thought he was a killer. *nods at both of them in a gesture of goodbye, not waiting for a response but with a somewhat apologetic look on his face, and turns to go*

Lenore: Honey, what....?

Capt. Wainwright: I'll explain later. *winces, manages to grin* I'm just ... a fool.