A Beautiful Hue of Teal (before battle)
Oh, please don't use your right arm to parry my strikes. It hurts me to see a good ingredient marred.
Nngh... Silence!
I would much rather remove my own arm than have it be a part of thine iniquitous art.
In the absence of aesthetics, self-harm for the sole purpose of survival is a rather hideous thing, but...
... perhaps your arm, removed in a moment of great passion... has the potential to be a decent piece of art.
Oi... don't you bother answerin' his drivel, lass. Let 'im tire himself out talking.
... We're gonna have to attack him all at once. All four of us.
You're gettin' it, lad! You're a right proper brawler now!
...!
No, you must wait. This is -
Whassit? If we don't deal with that git right this instant, he'll -
Assistant...?
This is...
Hohenheim...!
.......
.......
W-what is going on?!
... I think she was about to ask for forgiveness.
This situation is certainly... an outlier, isn't it?
Could the threads have unraveled...? Oh, or perhaps they have been dragged away by their threads.
The City boasts many a work of art, yet Yoshihide found the marionette dolls particularly distasteful.
That child believed those puppets to be... how should I put this? Mere simulacra. Simulacra may be infinitely similar to what is "real," but to her, no matter how meticulously their details were recreated... they were worthless next to the living, breathing "reality."
But please, one should not be in such haste to dismiss their qualities as mere simulacra. Do try to assume a flexible perspective; from a certain point of view, they may be what constitute a utopia.
Perhaps, despite our disparities... if we were to together ascend the strings that bind us, inch by inch...
... we may find, at their end, a single hand that puppeteers us all.
It is indeed fascinating that a card-carrying member of the Ring would spout a baseless Backstreets rumor that the Five Fingers are, in truth, one hand. However, such unverified conspiracy theories are useless to researchers like ourselves.
Regardless, it seems that the assistant's bold plan has fallen through already.
.......
This is yet another demonstration of why we can never have too many backup plans. Hm. When was our last battle test? 3 days ago?
... 4 days ago.
You grumbled about how disappointing the results were, given the budget that went into the project... and bought us coffee. From a vending machine.
You've got... quite a sharp memory, too. But going by the exact number of hours that have passed since then, it is closer to 3 days.
Anyway, you have nothing to worry about. While I cannot deny that I still have some misgivings about your expertise in electrical engineering, I am not exactly at liberty to choose. Let us elect Plan B as our -
Boss.
.......
I've just come up with a more surefire plan.
Your Plan B's full of holes, and I don't like its odds. I know you agree.
... Do not entertain that foolish thought.
I know what you're thinking. I suppose... that could be the most one can expect from an ordinary mind such as yours. But -
Hohenheim. Boss.
Stop - not another word. You... you have to give me some time to think of another plan.
Remember our last test with my Lantern E.G.O Gear? It had a pretty respectable energy output at 70% Attunement. Not to mention how it activates its "charm" effect at that rate.
If I were to raise that output to 120%... I should be able to draw his attention for a maximum of 5 minutes. For you, Boss, that's more than enough time to conduct the remaining repairs.
The E.G.O gear cannot handle the energy output at 120% Attunement. It will explode, and you will end up taking the full brunt of -
... Will my words... my objection... do anything to change your mind?
... No, it won't. I'm sorry.
.......
As for Alyssa... Well, I'm sure they'll keep their word, no matter what. If they manage to rescue her, then... please look after her, okay?
Marton...
Such composure. You don't seem to care much that your pupil has abandoned you.
If only that were true.
... If only that were true... I wouldn't be in this pit of devastation.
Have you any last words to impart to the world? Most ingredients I use for my work like to let out a dying cry as though its volume is the determinant of life and death... Usually, around this point in my creative process.
... No, I do not.
The accomplishments I have achieved in this life are far too extensive and significant to be condensed into a mere few words.
... A rather grandiose statement to be carved into such a frail, unremarkable body.
But I like it. Rest assured, I will carve them with utmost care.
.......
This may not be the end you had in mind, but please don't let yourself be so crestfallen.
You... and your fleeing friend... were no more than spalls to be chipped away to sculpt the core into a most beauteous form.
Every being exists in mutual similitude, yet each of them leads a life of their own.
... What is that light?
"Spalls to be chipped away"... I might be compelled to agree, had you referred to only me. But your assessment failed when you thought of me as highly as you did him.
For who in the world would be so blind as to see such brilliance as a mere spall?
Ohh...
Indeed... what a beautiful, incandescent hue of teal...