The Blood Red Tavern

As if on cue, Kira jumped out of Kotaro's bag and onto the table. Kotaro looked dumbfounded. "How long were you in there?" He shook his head. She always seems to appear out of nowhere. "Well, that answers one of your questions, although it opens up others. As for the second question, I've been very busy with the damn military and their damn experiments."

When Kira jumped up on the table, Amelia got really surprised. "Hi, Kira!" She put her elbows on the table and leaned towards Kira. She began to pat er head and neck. "how are you?"

Amelia looked up at Kotaro and smiled. "oh, the military? experiments? that sounds kinda cool... and dangerous." She said.

"Amelia," he called her attention. "You seem to be forgetting that you're a military pawn, yes?" This is what she gets for not reporting in yet...

He turned to the other person. "Care to elaborate on the military experiments, kid?"

Kotaro turned his head. "It's an experiment that was led by Lieutenant Garsher. Apparently, he found a way to use alchemy to copy human DNA and create artificial clones. He created one, but it was a empty piece of flesh. On count of that, it was also labeled as human transmutation, however his years of service saved him from execution." Kotaro reached into his bag and pulled out a book. "These are his research notes. It explains how to create the clones. After the trial, he found a way to turn them into killing machines. He put the details in here. As..." Kotaro stopped. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell them that he was a Bi-product of the cloning. "... an ex military state alchemist, they sent me to destroy his lab and research after his death." Kotaro opened the book. "His methods were barbaric."

Amelia looked at Zane. "oh, yeah, i am." She laughed. "i was just cought up in the moment, you see. i got really intrested in those experiments." She smiled and looked back to Kotaro.

Amelia blinked a few times, she was shocked of what Kotaro said. "..really? thats... impressive, but kinda scary." She leaned closer to Kotaro to look at the book. "its really impressive."

He sighed. So naive, this little military spawn. He didn't know what to say, really so he opted with: "You're hopeless, Amelia."

Turning his attention to Kotaro - or so he heard from Amelia, he shrugged. "I see," he said, thinking, not willing to tell him what he knows about it. Garsher, hm... He couldn't remember who he was so he probably deemed him irrelevant back then.

"So a lieutenant. Then he wrote the details as a state alchemist. Something's wrong with that. He can't be in two positions at the same time."

Kotaro shook his head. "He wrote the details as a lieutenant. This was supposed to be his ticket to become a state alchemist. They rejected him because it was thought as human transmutation."

She shook her head and looked back to Zane. "youre the hopeless one Zane." She stuck her tongue out towards him and then looked back to Kotaro. She listened closely to what he said.

Zane looked at Amelia dully. "Seriously, your childishness knows no bounds," he said and shook his head.

"Hm. Kotaro was it?" he nodded at him. "That's rather stupid of him - he's already a lieutenant and he wanted to be a state alchemist? Why would he want to lower his ranking? Wait, lieutenant - first, second, colonel?" All the while, he tried to find in his mind a detail that could put two and two together.

If not, I can always go back and get information from the base.

"He had made a deal with his higher ups. If he passed the exam, AND showed them a new alchemical invention they could use, not only would he be a state alchemist, he would be allowed to rise in rank. He would be promoted after he passed." Kotaro put the book back in his bag. "This knowledge was known only to the guys upstairs, along with Garsher. It was labeled as classified."

Amelia grinned at Zane. "Im proud of it, you know."

"hey Kotaro, i was just wondering... why are you telling us this. i mean... you havent met Zane before." She leaned closed and lowered her voice. "aaaand, talking aboout stuff like this in a surrounding like this one... may not be the best idea."

He cut Amelia's words. "Get your facts right, kid. The military hierarchy follows a system. 'Not only would he be a state alchemist, he would be allowed to rise in rank'?" he said, aloof. "It's impossible to be a state alchemist and be a lieutenant colonel - which is the next in line, supposing that's what they promised him."

Zane looked at him.

"So I ask you again - when did this all happened?"

" I don't know the exact date, but it happened at least 3 years ago." Kotaro glared at Zane. "As for your so called "system", they always find ways around it. Years ago it was against the law to create chimera, but the military was doing it in secret for war. You think they followed the "System" then? It hasn't been followed ever since our new "Leader" came in."

He turned to Amelia. "I don't care who hears. The military and resistance can all go to hell. I just want to get rid of this abomination." He pointed to his bag. "If they come after me, so be it. They'll just be covering up another experiment gone wrong by killing me."

Amelia looked at Kotaro, with a face full of surprise. "...Another experiment gone wrong?you mean youre one of his... experiments?" She leaned back into the chair and looked with big eyes on Kotaro. "im... im so sorry to hear." She didnt know if she should feel sorry for the guy or not, what if he was proud of being an experiment? It all made her pretty confused.

Three years ago, hm... tch, I already left by then. No wonder I had no knowledge of this.

"I said, the military hierarchy has a system," he said, looking at him, bored. "I was talking about the hierarchy of positions, kid. I wasn't talking about the chimera experimentations. And if you want to get rid of that 'abomination' then get rid of it. What's stopping you?"

Kotaro looked at the bag before answering. "I gotta know what he did. It's his journal as well. I don't know what he did to make a damn deal with the higher ups, but I don't care. He's dead now." Kotaro looked at Zane. "As a Bi-product of this damn hells errand, I gotta know what he did to make me." Kotaro lifted his sleeve. "Each clone that was made was given a serial number. Mine was B-15." A serial bar was tattooed on his left shoulder. Underneath in bold nukmbers and letters were B-15. "His lab is destroyed, so I can't get any info there." He slammed his fist on the table. "I only wished it had been me who killed him for making me. The bastard had me killed just so I could be used in the experiment. I was the only clone that retained the memories of the original."

Amelia didnt know what to say. she sat there looking at Kotaro and wondering how she should act. She began to pat his back and comfort, because after all, she didnt know what to say.

"That's not my problem," he said. "I suppose it was my fault for inquiring more upon this in the first place, but I didn't ask for your angst. What's done is done."

He wasn't like Amelia or Toshi or Resha - he didn't like sympathizing with people at all.

Kotaro shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have told you. Bringing it up just got me angry. I used to be under his command when I was a state alchemist. But your right, whats done is done. No need to worry about it now." Kotaro looked outside, noticing the sun was breaking through the rain clouds. "Rains stopped. That's some good news." Kotaro looked at Kira. "You goin back in the bag, or you following on foot? OR are you just going to disappear again?" Kira hopped in his bag. "Of course." Kotaro stood up. He was about to leave, but he didn't have anywhere to go for now, so instead he walked up to the counter and ordered a drink.

Amelia watched Kotaro as he left the table. I wonder if he got mad... She looked outside and noticed the sun. "nice."

Seeing her concerned face, he said, "Don't worry about him," waving dismissively. "He was experimented on three years ago and he said he said he was a state alchemist prior to that."

He looked at her. "You can say I just find it ridiculous that he can't even recognize his general back at the time then."

Kotaro returned to the table, sitting down on a chair. "So, anything you feel like talking about?" He made sure the question was addressed to both Amelia and Zane.

Amelia looked up at Zane. "ah... okey, i guess there is no need to worry.. if you tell me not to." She smiled.

When Kotaro came back she felt glad. good, he doesnt seem mad.
"uhm... i dont know. uhm... what kind of place is this? i mean... it seems a little scary to me. usually taverns are cosy... but this one isnt."

He smiled back. "Good girl."

As Kotaro came back and sat back down, and Amelia answered his question, he sighed to himself. "This tavern's been monopolized," he said, then remembered he wasn't supposed to say anything about it. "But that's normal, yeah? Just more ruffians here than other taverns. Probably that's what makes you uneasy."

Kotaro flinched at the question. He was glad that Zane had answered. "Yeah, just a lot of guys who don't get along I guess." Unlike most, he knew what lie under the tavern and he had promised to keep it a secret.