FOURTH REBELLION ❅ ACTION [LAKE OF RAGE] | FOURTH WALL

[glaciates]

[The very first thing Isaac did this morning was accidentally freeze his Surskit. He learned the hard way back home that getting a whole array tattooed on the palm of your hand was a stupid idea. He had gotten used to it though, and had worn gloves at all times. Besides, he used the gauntlet for the most part. It had worked well enough when he was constantly on the run. After taking the Surskit to the Pokémon Center, freaking out a bit, and apologizing to the Pokémon, he was finally able to reflect on just what had happened.]

[Why is he suddenly capable of freezing things again? He couldn't do it before. The tattoo was useless here. He didn't have to wear gloves, and he's just gotten used to not wearing them. The tattoo itself is pretty ragged - the ink hasn't fallen out yet, but that's just a matter of time. If he can use his alchemy again, he really should get the tattoo fixed.]

[So after herping at his hand for far longer than was really necessary, Isaac set out to test his alchemy on something. The Lake of Rage, to be specific. He's always liked water and for some reason he woke up here in Mahogany Town. That didn't bother him half as much as it probably should have.]

[If you happen to be in the area, you may notice that Isaac is doodling something near the edge of the lake. He has his Mamoswine out as well, but she isn't paying much attention to what he's doing. Isaac finally sits back on his heels and examines the drawing.]

Done. Let's see if this works.

[Isaac presses his hands to the array; blue light crackles around the array - it's a much weaker version of the one he attempted to use to freeze Central over. The lake begins to freeze slowly, gaining momentum as it spreads out across the lake. It's a weak cover - the Magikarp in the lake will be fine. Isaac smiles; he's glad he can still pull this off. Not that he has the Philosopher's Stone or any interest in freezing over an entire city, but the capability is back.]

[Needless to say, it feels good to be able to use his alchemy again.]

Comments

[glaciates]

[Isaac tips his head a bit at that in thought.]

I'm not sure. I don't think it is. What I did wasn't in any sort of attempt to atone for past wrongs, though.

[bloodcrests]

Perhaps not, but you would think such things would balance out after a while.

[glaciates]

Balance out?

[...Oh god Kimblee. Normally Isaac doesn't get upset at something you've said. This just crosses the line way too many times.]

That's not how this works. There isn't some sort of quota you're supposed to meet in order to get into heaven. You can do all the good in the world and it won't "balance out" any evil you've done. That isn't how this works. This isn't Equivalent Exchange, Kimblee.

[bloodcrests]

Well, I have to admit that I don't see why not - Equivalent Exchange has been shown to have metaphysical as well as purely physical properties. The world has to remain in some sort of balance, otherwise alchemic rebounds wouldn't happen. Taking that into account, I don't see why balance wouldn't be a factor when it comes to whether redemption is a possibility or not.

Bear in mind that this has no relevance to me at all, as I personally don't believe myself to be redeemable, nor do I care to seek redemption in the first place. I'm just trying to understand your reasoning and frankly, I'm not following.

[glaciates]

[Well, it's good that you can admit you have no idea what he's talking about! It's equally good that you aren't seeking redemption. No offense, Kimblee, but you'll never get into heaven.]

Not everything follows Equivalent Exchange, Kimblee. This doesn't. If that was the case, then we could have serial killers getting into heaven just by doing a bunch of "good deeds" to balance out all the bad they've did. Yeah, it would be nice to know that you could get into heaven after doing something horrible, that's not how it works. I think it's possible for people who've done really minor things to be redeemed - like stealing and lying and all that - but for those of us who have killed? There's no redeeming that.

[bloodcrests]

[Well, according to Arakawa

Let's face it, he'd be bored as fuck in heaven anyway.]

Bluntly put, most who commit mass murders and crimes against humanity in general don't truly care about redemption in the first place. Any attempt they may be making to get into heaven is a fear of consequences, in which case no, it certainly wouldn't balance out because the intent or willingness to do evil remains. Self-centered attempts at redemption quite simply aren't attempts at redemption to begin with; they're an attempt to save oneself.

A case can be made, however, for the actions of those who were present in Ishval as being done under coercion - there was no malicious intent, simply survival instinct. It hardly seems logical to consider everyone that was present there to be on the same level of a mass murderer who kills for fun.

[NEVER MIND THE PART WHERE I AM A MASS MURDERER WHO KILLS FOR FUN. THAT ISN'T THE POINT HERE.]

[glaciates]

[KIMBLEE YOU'RE HORRIBLE.]

I never said we're on the same level. There are different levels of hell for people like that, after all.

[But he suspects that's not the point you were trying to make.]

Yeah, it wasn't something most of us would have done willingly, and yeah, it was for survival. But we had a choice to join the military. None of us were forced into that. We had plenty of chances to leave before the actual fighting began. None of us did. We had chances during the war to leave. And afterwards? It was too late. We'd already sealed our fates. There's nothing that can be done to change it.

[bloodcrests]

[...oh, Isaac. You've amused him far more than you should have with that, you know.]

I suppose it's good to know that you were paying attention when I was discussing this with Mustang.

[glaciates]

[Isaac's expression softens a bit at that. Did you really think he wasn't?]

Well, it was kind of hard to ignore.

[................]

That was a legendary bitching.

[bloodcrests]

[asjkdfhgfhjfgh how dare you make him laugh stop it]

It left that much of an impression?

[glaciates]

Yeah, it did. There were a lot less complaints after that, from what I remember.

[Unless they did it in private. They probably did it in private. orz]

[bloodcrests]

[Probably. But the point was that they weren't doing it in public!]

Their complaints were repulsive, bluntly put.

[glaciates]

Yeah, they were. I didn't realize just how bad it was until you pointed it out though.

[And honestly he thought his own complaints were pretty bad for quite some time afterwards. There's a big difference between "look at what I'm doing" and "look at what they're forcing me to do."]

[bloodcrests]

[He studies Isaac in silence for a moment. Thinking.]

Yours were decidedly more understandable, as I said at the time.

[glaciates]

Thanks for that.

[......]

You really helped me out. I... don't think I would have made it through Ishval without you.

[bloodcrests]

You survived through your own merit. If you hadn't had the strength to do so in the first place, nothing I could have said to you would have mattered.

You're welcome, however.

[glaciates]

[Wh-what does he even do with that compliment...?]

Thanks again. I guess I just... didn't really get a chance to tell you how much that meant to me.

[bloodcrests]

[That will just get you a bit of an odd look there, Isaac.]

I wasn't expecting you to thank me for it, you know. It's fine.

[He...isn't quite understanding exactly how important this is to you, there, bb.]

[glaciates]

[Not... at all... And to be honest, it's a bit frustrating. Writing off praise is fine (Isaac does it all the time when his whole brain's not crying), but this was literally life-changing.]

Well, it would be pretty rude of me not to thank you. Your advice is what got me through the war. I mean, yeah, survival instincts would have kept me alive, but I guess I mean... you got me through it in a way I couldn't have done on my own. I don't really know how to word it.

[bloodcrests]

[He's silent for a long moment after that; that...actually seems to have gotten the message across, at least better than it had been.

Oh.

Rather than staring straight-on, as the version Isaac has known here tends to when he isn't sure what else to do, he seems to be having some difficulty maintaining eye contact, shifting his gaze to the left and shooting it downward slightly.]

...I understand. I hadn't realized.

[He's quiet for another moment, uncomfortable, picking at his sleeve idly with his left hand; when he does look up again, he's smiling again, however.]

I'm glad you told me, then. Thank you.

[glaciates]

[Did Kimblee do this back in Amestris? He must have, but Isaac doesn't remember it. He was different before prison, Isaac is sure of that much, but... this really shows just how different the two versions of Kimblee are. The one he's dating never breaks eye contact.]

You're welcome.

[He relaxes a bit more then, smiling.]

It's good to see you again. And to actually... talk about this.

[That's true; he really did need to tell this version just how important those conversations in Ishval were.]

[bloodcrests]

[It's something he hadn't done much of before prison, because he'd never seen the need to - before that, he had been in control of everything. The adjustment from having literally nothing in his life go wrong for him to having no control whatsoever over what happened to him hadn't been good to him and he knows it.]

Anytime, Isaac.

[............]

Although honestly, I'm still a bit surprised that you would want to talk to me at all, given what happened in Central Prison; I suppose this other version is good to you, hm~?

[glaciates]

[He can't even imagine what Kimblee's been through. It's not something he really focuses on, though. It happened, it sucked, but you've moved on. That's life.]

[...and then Kimblee just had to say that. Don't mind him while his whole brain cries!]

Y-yeah, he... really is. I mean we talked through that when I first showed up here.

[It's not like he's really good otherwise! Of course not! What gave you that idea!]

[bloodcrests]

[...to his credit, Kimblee will manage to refrain from indulging in the first facial expression that comes to mind.]

Oh, Isaac. Something you're not telling me?

[glaciates]

[Thank you. He would have no idea how to react to dat face.]

No, what gave you that idea?

[WHOLE BRAIN IS SOBBING, KIMBLEE Y U DO THESE THINGS]