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Mustang sighed, looking back from Edward to Alphonse.
"You're not missing anything Edward?" He began to rub his temples again, becomming more and more displeased while he hung his head low. With a sigh he spoke again, feeling drained and all around irritated. "Well, this is what I asked for anyways. I guess it doesn't matter much but I still wish that I could have kept an eye on her."

Mustang calmed down a bit, sitting up straight and leaning back a bit in his chair. "I've gotten word that your friend isn't in Central anymore, I'm surprised that you didn't know. She's always with you right?"

Mustang looked at both of them and then sighed, already he was tired out. His schedule had been hectic and now it felt like the enemies were just closing in around Central. "It's what I asked for anyways, so it's fine. Be more careful, if you're still sick go get some rest. If not then take up a mission," he leaned back into his chair, making it rock back a bit before he opened a drawer and took out some files.

"Pretty much any place could use some help, pick a file and take the job." He slid them across the table and waited, his demeanor calming down more than it had been before.

Rush Valley was nice, but a bit more odd than she expected. It was her first time there, so naturally she spent the first hours wandering around. But she felt good about the day ahead of her, she had money in her pocket and a fresh new start - or how she wanted to look at it.
Because it was her first time ever visiting the town, she didn't realize that everyone there were gearheads. Of course she didn't have any metallic limbs herself, the rest of the town did, and it didn't seem like they got tired of talking about it either.

"Amazing! The craftsmanship!"
"Hm? Why this is just the right bolt I need! It's hard to order, where did you get it?"
"This metal is thin but still strong, what did you combine it with?"

She couldn't make one step without hearing the towns love of metal. But at least it was thriving.
Kari had turned down one side of the road, discovering that many - if not most - shops were devoted to parts, materials or tools; the other remaining were just miscellaneous.

Since she had plenty of cash she wanted so stretch it out, so staying in an inn wasn't an option that she wanted to choose. Kari just walked down different streets, not wanting to get introuble so she stuck to the sidestreets.
"Hm? You're not from around here, are you hunny?"
Kari stopped, turning around and feeling like a child while she peered over her shoulder and held onto her backpack. The sidestreet was lowly lit, not too much light leaking through the small slit between the homes. But she could still make out the woman talking to her. She was largely built, stalkly and a smoker. The smoke whisped around her, a broom stick holding up her elbow while she looked down at Kari.
"Yeah, I'm sort of new. Just visiting," she'd gone through the routine enough times to know the correct thing to say. Don't give too much information, state your business early and go with the flow; it was the only way to really survive with unknown people. "Why don't you come on in for a drink?"

The woman turned, facing the side wall while she leaned her broom against it and walked through a flappy door. Kari stood there for a moment, watching and tilting her head just a little bit. The room wasn't much brighter than the sidestreet, but if the prices were cheap then she couldn't complain much; so she followed in after her.

The pub was filled with smoke, so much so that one could see a slight fog in front of them. That wasn't the only thing, it smelled of alcohol and it was actually quiet for a bar.
The stalk woman walked behind the bar's island, the little flap door swinging behind her as she went near the drinking supplies. "Have a seat, hun." She looked at Kari before looking down. Kari obeyed, taking on one of the singular seats that was attached to the floor near the island's bar. It was then that Kari noticed that even though the woman was very rounded, she was feminine. The girl held long eyelashes, something that was visible even while she looked down, and the ends of her hair were curled from the heat. Sure the color of her hair was fading, but if you looked deep enough she didn't seem like she didn't care about her appearance.

The woman had been fiddling around with classes, doing something under the bars wooden plank. But Kari didn't take too much notice as she looked around. Not to her surprise the bar was filled with men, men with automail, they were older - late forties - and most of them sat alone; just sipping on their drinks. "They're depressed," Kari turned around, looking back at the woman who's eyes hadn't drifted from her work. Her words were murmured low, her cigarette still hanging from her lips as the ash almost fell off. "I-I'm sorry?"
"They're depressed, thats the type of customers I get in here. Depressed, good-for-nothing men." As she finished her sentenced she slapped a glass onto the wooden surface in front of Kari. Even before the smell hit her she knew what it was, a drink, the color sloshed around into the glass before settling. "Oh, I um, I don't drink." Kari put one hand up between her and the glass, but not in front of her face so she could still see the owner's back as she had turned around to mess with something else. "It's alright, it's on me."
Kari winced as she knew the woman had thought she couldn't pay, but it wasn't that, it was really because she didn't drink. She looked down at the yellowish drink, it was a muted yellow, something that she couldn't understand why it would please those men.

"Hey, Peyko! I need another drink!"
The woman turned around, snarling at the man in the corner as she became rabid. Her hand rested on her thick hip, while the other had smacked onto the bars table so she could lean forward to shout back. "What does this look like? A charity? Where's my damn money?"
The man's words slurred into something that wasn't even understandable, but he stood up anyways, yelling more to try and make those slurred words audible. "Aw, Peyko! I'll pay it later!"
"Get out of here you bum!"

The manager had, had it. She stomped out from behind the bar, grabbing him up by the collar of his shirt before she dragged him across the room. It surprised her how strong the woman was, sure she was veluptious but she didn't think she was tough.
The drunkard struggled, trying to pull himself back to the table, but he was no match for the manager.
Peyko threw him out, the pubs back door swinging behind him making him visible sometimes but not others. "Don't come back till you have my money!" Both hands laid on her hips before she walked back to her post, stopping to stand and look at Kari. "My name's Peoni, but everyone calls me Peyko."

Kari had leaned forward, taking interest in this woman who seemed to be able to hold her own.
Was it her age that yielded her? Was she wise?
"I don't understand, why do you help them if they're like...like that?" Her fingers had cupped around the cups entity and she was listening intently to Peyko.
"They need someone don't they? Even if booze is their only friend, I'll be their shadow."

Kari watched as Peyko's back was turned against her, once more she was sweeping up on the counter, cleaning it with a rag that she had whipped out. "Or something like that, ha. Was I inspiring?" She turned her cheek toward Kari, but Peyko didn't know that her words were a bit true.
Somewhere during along their mingling Kari had taken a slow swig out of her cup, putting her forearms onto the counter and slouching a bit.

Peyko's eyebrows rose as she looked at Kari a bit harsher, her retinas burning into Kari's pale skin. "Hm? Impossible, you just took a sip and already you're slurry?"
Kari too raised her eyebrows, snorting just a bit in arrogance. "Please, I can hold my own." She turned around, her side facing the bar while the other faced the remaining lobby. "Here, here!" Lazily her arm lifted into the air and she was greeted back by a few groans, to which she smacked her glass back down onto the counter and faced Peyko with a smirk. "I can handle myself well."

Peoni sighed a sigh of wisdom, she'd seen this situation before no doubt. But already Kari was sure of herself somehow.
But even this little sigh had somehow flipped her sure heart and turned it around, getting her a bit flustered. "Alright, alright. I get it, I'll walk it off or something."

Peyko's eyes widened a bit in surprise, surely she'd never seen a drunk take responsibility.
Peyko didn't doubt her safety, in a town full of metal wielders she was sure that Kari would be safe, it was a town swift on sure justice. But even so, Kari was warned. "Alright, even so come back to me. You'll need a place to stay right?"
Kari waved her hand in the air, tilting her head back while she chugged the rest of Peyko's free drink. Peoni let out her own tiny chuckle of arrogance, watching as Kari spun out into a weird wobbly direction before taking off through the flap of the door.

It was unnatural, her path of thinking she hadn't thought about that way. Was it the inhibition? Kari wobbled down a path before coming toward some of the metal gear shops.
What was her purpose now? Even Peyko had a purpose, taking care of the drunks, healing their wounds with alcohol. Compared to her, Kari was rendered useless.

Kari wandered about in a slight drunken stupor, huffing just a bit out of dissatisfaction. Even when she worked with the Homunculi she was useful, even if it was for the wrong reasons. Now, what did she do? Nothing.