015. [Video/Text]

[explosivecombat]

[It's been several days since Kimblee spoke to Archer in Olivine City; he had decided the morning after that conversation that it would be for the best that they keep their distance from one another, at least for the time being - the last thing they needed was to be unsure that this was going to work, after all. He needed space.

And he certainly has gotten space! The room he's in when the feed flickers on is rather spacious, all things considered; of course, the actual size of the room is a bit difficult to determine, given that the place is kind of the most retina-searing green imaginable. Like a factory of limes exploded in here, people. That is the level of green we are looking at.

Kimblee is pretty easy to spot, however; he's wearing the usual white, which is incredibly ill-suited (no pun intended) for his current activity, all things considered: namely, he's getting rid of all the green. Clearly, he's decided that he's somewhat unimpressed with the lack of activity lately - he's still working those mutations out of his system, and flooding his system with electricity has left his motor skills...uh, lacking, for want of a better term - and he's decided to remedy this by simply having at the room with a can of paint and a roller brush. Never mind that he grew up incredibly spoiled and has never painted a damn wall to save his life, and the fact that his motor skills are, again, shot to all hell; this can't possibly be that hard to figure out!

...needless to say, there's a huge amount of dark red paint just kind of everywhere on that poor wall. There are several good solid sections that are painted in a perfectly normal, rational manner, of course - and then there are sections where he's really obviously slipped, thick red haphazard streaks all over the place, before he seems to have worked out what he's doing and reset himself on some sort of halfway sane path...somewhere else entirely.

It's fairly clear that he's been at it for a while; this entire room is going to need to be redone by the time he's finished with it, but at least he's trying?

The camera follows the wall for a moment, showing the room in all its...uh, glory, before flicking back to Kimblee, kneeling by the wall and smiling in an incredibly content, if a bit vacant, manner. He's completely alone in there, just amusing himself with a can of paint.]

...still haven't made any progress...

[Kimblee's voice is soft but clear; he sounds as though he's speaking to someone, despite...being...completely alone in the room...]

...they'll probably never find whomever did such a number on the Centers. Such a display...I understand that they will be down for some time now. And they haven't a clue who was responsible for it. For any of it.

[He doesn't sound bothered by this, nor does he sound particularly pleased; he's just making statements. At no one. He pauses for a moment; his hand's slipped again on the brush, drawing another jagged streak against the wall. He looks momentarily displeased at that, linefacing hard, before moving on to pick up where the line stopped.]

Shame that the infection spread to so many, though, especially with the vital cities running so low on medical supplies; I wonder how many were hit by it. My own mutations will fade shortly, I'm sure - it will be unfortunate if this keeps up for much longer. It's incredibly inconvenient...not that I don't miss the power, however. That was lovely, while it lasted.

[He pauses again. Smiles to himself.]

It wasn't quite like alchemy, but it was close enough. Such a beautiful feeling...I wouldn't mind feeling it again. Perhaps someone can assist with that, if they ever work out -

[There's a rather odd, blurred flash of green-and-white across the screen before Kimblee can finish that thought, then the video feed shuts off; it takes a moment, but a bit of text goes out to the Network before too long, also from Kimblee's 'Gear.]

i think my trainer is broken

[...yeah, Kimblee's Gardevoir is getting a bit...concerned about this talking-to-the-walls business.

Kimblee will definitely answer responses as they come in, though; he's not that out of it, though it may take him a few minutes to get on it.]

Comments

[VIDEO] - LOCKED

[determinator]

[You know, he really shouldn't be surprised. Archer's mutation has finally worn off - not that he was ever fully aware that it was still broadcasting his feelings to begin with, but that's not important. Kimblee's powers were much stronger though, he certainly can't say he's surprised to see that he's still twitching about.]

[The fact that Kimblee's talking to no one doesn't surprise him either. Kimblee has done it on numerous occasions; Archer usually engages him in conversation and eventually lets him know that he was doing it again - talking to himself, that is. He is marginally more surprised by the fact that this is being broadcast, but the Gardevoir always has seemed to care about Kimblee quite a bit - even that isn't too surprising.]

[What is surprising is the fact that Kimblee is painting. Did he get a job or something? But even if he did, why would he bother? The last time he got a job, someone was poisoned. This doesn't seem like it will result in anyone's death (though his eyes are certainly not faring too well thanks to that hideous lime green paint), so he has to wonder just what Kimblee is up to.]

Amusing yourself, I see.

[He's smirking when he turns the video feed on, though; it is good to no longer be arguing with Kimblee.]

Is there any particular reason why you've decided to paint, Kimblee?

[He pauses for a moment before adding onto that, locking the video feed as he does so.]

Ah, I suppose you should know that your Gardevoir - I believe it was your Gardevoir, at least - posted a video of you painting and... ah, talking to yourself. I imagine you'll get some rather interesting responses.

[Locked video forever/until stated otherwise]

[explosivecombat]

[...well, the response from the 'Gear is a bit unexpected, given that Kimblee wasn't exactly aware there was something to respond to in the first place; he clicks the feed on quickly, though that last part will see him shooting The Most Irritated Look Ever off-camera, presumably in the Gardevoir's direction.]

It's been a bit of a slow day, I suppose - at any rate, I imagine you can see the green? I'd assume that would answer any questions you might have regarding the paint.

[determinator]

[Oh come now, he was probably just concerned for you! He is named after Archer, after all...]

Yes, it certainly does answer why you're painting. I suppose I should be more specific, then: where are you painting and for what purpose? This isn't another job, is it?

[Judging from the tone, a job is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to you. Just saying.]

[explosivecombat]

[...Kimblee won't argue with that assessment; look at how well the last job turned out. He spent pretty much the entire time playing Tetris.

Also befriending a few potential targets and poisoning Lightning Farron. But mostly playing Tetris. He had Korobeiniki stuck in his head for practically forever; for several days, he was the man who arranges the blocks. It was horrible, and whomever invented work like that should feel horrible.

...never mind that he works at the Center here in Mahogany Town once in a while if he wants money. That isn't the point.]

I suppose you could say I've found somewhere to stay long-term; I certainly wasn't going to put up with the color in here any longer than I had to.

[He's fully aware that he's probably going to be pressed for deets; that doesn't mean he has to volunteer them.]

[determinator]

[Oh you poor, poor man. Not even desperation would drive Archer to stoop that low!!]

...Somewhere to stay...?

[Archer isn't quite sure what to do with that. He talked about settling down in Mahogany, but that was with Archer, not alone. Did he seriously go ahead and move up there without him?]

Well you'll have to tell me more about it.

[Deets.]

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee pauses for a moment before he continues; since they reconciled a short while back, he's been incredibly aware of the arrangement he had originally made with Archer regarding Mahogany Town. At the same time, he can't say that he regrets moving forward with it at all; after all, he hadn't known that he would be reconciling with Archer, and he certainly hadn't even had any intention of doing so originally.]

I believe I told you before that I wanted to find somewhere in Mahogany Town, to use as a permanent residence. This one was available, the price seemed decently manageable, and the only thing that really required much work was the color. The rest was a matter of "why not?"

[determinator]

You bought a house on impulse.

[.....................why is he not surprised...]

[That said, Archer's expression is unreadable and his tone isn't exactly reflecting anything either. He's not sure what to think. He wants to press - when did Kimblee buy this house? did he think they were going to reconcile? or was this just a place for him to stay on his own? - but he doesn't. They've only just made up and he doesn't want to start questioning things now. He doesn't want to get in another argument so soon.]

Well, I hope the rest of the place is worth the money. The paint job certainly can't be.

[It's obvious he's trying to get back to the light-hearted conversation he started with, but it's not quite reaching his expression.]

[explosivecombat]

[It's never a very good sign when Archer goes blank like that; Kimblee has known him long enough to recognize it, and he doesn't hesitate before he replies.]

I would ask you to talk to me, but at this point I'm wondering if it would just be easier to take care of both things at once and invite you to come out here and see the place yourself. Assuming, that is, that you aren't occupied otherwise?

[determinator]

[Archer does hesitate there, but it's only because he has to marvel - again - at how well Kimblee knows him. It's something that really shouldn't surprise him by now. When he replies, he's smirking again.]

I'd like that. I assume you're in Mahogany, then?

[It shouldn't take him too long to Fly there!]

[ACTION]

[glaciates]

[...Oh Kimblee, honey...]

[Isaac has certainly been aware of Kimblee's... movement issues for the past several days. It's kind of hard not to notice when Kimblee's still giving off shocks every so often and twitching. He hasn't said anything about it - Kimblee isn't the only one affected by the mutations, after all. Isaac is still sporting blue flecks all up his left arm and eyes. He's been avoiding town for the most part because those marks haven't faded, but even before then he wasn't all that interested in showing off his ice powers. It wasn't alchemy, obviously - but it was very close.]

[Several days ago he met up with Kimblee in the ice caves. Of course Kimblee knew where to find him. Judging from the video, Kimblee is back in his home - yes, he bought a house, something Isaac still hasn't quite gotten accustomed to - and they've been spending the past few days there. The atrocious lime green walls are something Isaac's been meaning to get to, but he wasn't exactly expecting Kimblee to try to paint them first.]

[...Needless to say, Kimblee is making a wreck of things. It'll take him at least a day to fix that room. Not that Isaac minds, of course, it does give Kimblee something to do. It's the talking that weirds him out. He's seen it before, but that doesn't make it any less weird.]

[He's done with his training for the day anyway; he was just checking the 'Gear to see if anything new had come up in regards to the mutations. Isaac doesn't respond to the video or the text, instead returning to the house and locating the room Kimblee was last in.]

Kimblee? What are you doing?

[...Hopefully not still painting...]

[...action forever]

[explosivecombat]

[Of course he's still painting, Isaac; what else is he supposed to do with himself?

However, he just kind of smiles a bit when Isaac comes in; the expression isn't exactly a normal one. It's sharp, a bit too manic to look completely rational, and the look in his eyes is extremely vivid, but he seems reasonably settled, outside of whatever's been going on inside his head. At least he doesn't look too inclined to do anything completely impulsive.]

I'd think that would be obvious, Isaac.

[glaciates]

...Painting. Yeah, I got that. Do you need any help?

[...Please say you do... That will make this a little less embarrassing...]

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee takes a moment to kind of headtilt at that question - it's incredibly obvious that he's considering being stubborn and saying that everything is fine - before he glances back at the wall.]

...I wouldn't mind the company, at any rate.

[THAT IS THE MOST ROUNDABOUT "YES" IN THE WORLD, ISAAC.]

[glaciates]

[He knows how you work, Kimblee...]

Yeah, of course.

[Now then! Let's see how much of a wreck this place is! The paint job isn't bad in places, it's just not exactly as good as it could be. And then there are the jagged streaks that Kimblee has apparently decided to abandon for the time being. Isaac's going to have to redo this entire room. What a waste of paint...]

Do we have any other brushes?

[Admittedly, it would probably be best to kick Kimblee out and do this entire thing himself. However... it is Kimblee. And Isaac has a ridiculously hard time saying no to Kimblee.]

[explosivecombat]

[Ask him if he cares about the wasted paint; he's been entertained, at least. And it was a learning experience! He's learned that next time he wants to paint a room, he probably should just hire someone else to do it. However, he's a bit too stubborn to up and ditch it; he's going to make this room his bitch, Isaac.]

Ah, I'm fairly sure we do, yes.

[...over...there, have a vague gesture over there, his hand shaking a bit as he does so. Clearly, he went on a bit of a spree buying supplies earlier.]

[glaciates]

Thanks.

[Are you sure you shouldn't be resting, Kimblee...? Of course he doesn't ask; he already knows what the answer would be. No, Kimblee doesn't need to rest. He's fine. He can handle this. Isaac picks up the brush and selects one of the places where Kimblee left off painting after a particularly nasty spasm and picks up from there. He's obviously done work like this before - at the very least, he knows what he's doing.]

You feeling alright, then? I mean, I know the shocks are dying down and all but...

[He trails off there. He's... trying, okay...]

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee nods a bit at that, refocusing his attention on the wall.]

Of course I am; the worst of it has passed, I believe.

[private video]

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

[Cobra’s definitely seen his share of weird things from his employees: machine gun poetry, having a summer home full of cultists, a downright bizarre fixation on grape soda, and so on. So while this is odd, he’s seen stranger things. Also, the red is definitely an improvement over that godawful lime green. The way Cobra sees it, whoever owns the room should thank Kimblee when he’s finished.

And then Cobra was very glad that video cut off when it did.]

I had no idea you were a painter! Perhaps they should commission you to do official portraits!

[This is Cobra trying to be subtle. He's not very good at it.]

[private video]

[explosivecombat]

[...machine gun poetry. You will have to introduce him to this one day, Cobra; they actually have machine guns in Amestris, and it sounds like the sort of hilariously stupid thing Kimblee would approve of.

But that is neither here nor there; it takes a moment of playing with the 'Gear, but Kimblee will respond! Looking as twitchy as ever, admittedly, but still.]

"They," Commander?

[private video]

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

[Yes, machine gun poetry.]

Yes, they. The same they, that you just told anyone listening in, could help you feel that power again. You didn’t know you were broadcasting your…conversssation?

[private video]

[explosivecombat]

[...that...certainly is a thing, goodness.

AND SO IS THAT QUESTION, hold on - ]

I'm hardly having a conversation...but no, I wasn't aware of the broadcast.

[private video]

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Whatever it is you were doing! Your gear was on, and it recorded you talking about everything from the Center explosions to that!

[There was also that text, but Cobra Commander's not really concerned with that.]

Thankfully, it cut off before anything else was said.

[private video]

[explosivecombat]

From the sound of it, nothing that wasn't public knowledge, then. "They" could really be referring to anyone; it's an incredibly vague pronoun.

[private video]

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

[He's just paranoid, okay?]

While our powers were ssstill active, I had the displeasure of speaking with someone who was beginning to connect the dots between what powers people were catching and the source of said powers. They were wrong of course, and I did my best to convince them that their hypothesis was correct, but still, you might be ssssurprised by the connections people can make from ssseemingly vague information.

[private video]

[explosivecombat]

[Honestly, Kimblee is rather aware that the paranoia isn't entirely unfounded, given what it is that he does. However, he's kind of a prideful thing, so...]

I'm rather aware of the connections that can be made, Commander; you could say it's a specialty of mine.

Are you looking for an apology?