The next time Cecelia went to the Angels Den she was quite surprised by what she saw. The place was empty of customers as per usual, but the dusty stage was lit up and cleaned. The red velvet curtains looked vibrant and alive. A few members of Archie's stage crew continued to fix up the old curtains. Staff also buzzed around, cleaning the dance floor and seating area, taking off the dirty white table covers to be cleaned or replaced. It was quite a sight, seeing the old theater being taken care of.
"Are you ready Cecelia?" Archie asked stepping around the table he had just finished wiping down. He looked bright today under the lit chandeliers.
A grimace spread over Cecelia's face. "Don't tell me you're going to be open for my first time on stage."
Archie laughed out loud. "Are you kidding? I want to bolster my business, not run it into the ground."
"Okay rudeness," Cecelia scoffed.
"Well go on then, get on stage," he ushered her up the stairs that lead from the dance floor up to the stage.
Cecelia felt very small on this stage. "Wait wait, you don't even have a band."
Archie stepped back down onto the dance floor, "I've got a band, I just didn't want to waste their time."
"Waste their time? You've had a band all along and yet you kept pestering me about performing. No, you didn't want to 'waste their time'?" Cecelia judged.
"Customers don't want a barbers quartet, they want a charming young woman singing to jazz."
"That's awfully specific." her sarcastic tone was getting sharper.
"And yet it's true Ms. Cecelia. Now sing."
"You're kidding right?" Archie looked up at her expectantly with his hands on his hips. He wasn't kidding "This is ridiculous," Cecelia sighed and pressed her metal hand to her temple, massaging above her eyebrows. She should have never agreed to this.
"I knew it," Archie sounded at her silence, his voice filled with mocking disappointment. When Cecelia glanced through her fingers at him she saw the playful grin across his face. "I'll bet you don't even remember the songs you used to sing."
Cecelia furrowed her brows, flicking her finger from her face. "Excuse me? I memorized the entire periodic table and the function of atoms when I was six, you think I don't remember the silly little songs you forced me to sing?"
"We 'Forced' you? Please. You were always such a drama queen." Cecelia felt her face turn bright red. She hated hearing about that stuff. "Well go on then Ms. Prodigy, I'm waiting."
Cecelia rolled her eyes muttering, "Can't even be bothered to get a damn trumpet player." She took a deep breath before she started to sing. "He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way," the lyrics of the old war song left her mouth smoothly. Archie was certainly impressed the girl was able to recite the whole song with almost perfect pitch and timing but watching her up on stage...
"You're boring," he said plainly when she was done with her song.
"Excuse me?" Cecelia demanded. That's all he had to say after that?
"All you're doing is singing. You need to perform Cecelia, if you're not having fun the crowds not having fun."
"How am I supposed to be having fun if I'm singing all by myself on an empty stage?" She shouted into the air ignoring the staff who seemed to not care less about their actions
"I'm not going to pay a whole band to come if you're not going to take this seriously."
"Fine," Cecelia grumbled and kicked her feet as she thought of what song she should try next. Being up here under the stage lights reminded her of the last time she was up on Archie's stage. It had been just before she left to go study with her teacher. Thinking back to the last time she was up here certainly wasn't fun.
And yet the memory did bring a song to mind. If she was supposed to be having then there was only one song for that. She started with a bit of a huff. "Oh Miss Effie was her name, through the west she won her fame being handy with a gun," this time her feet tapped in time, keeping beat by poping her shoulders. Soon enough a smile spread across her face. "But she drove the men insane, cause she'd whip out her pistol," Cecelia held a fake gun and pointed it right at Archie who stood grinning. "And shoot most any guy and sing out this alibi!" Her pistol hand rose and she shrugged with a flirty flip of her hair "I didn't know the gun was loaded and I'm so sorry, my friend. I didn't know the gun was loaded, and I'll never ever do it again."
Cecelia carried her energy through the song, and though Archie could tell she was forcing herself to perform so well at the begging the little star-eyed dancing Cecelia he had once had on his stage started to revive and the girls dancing became more spontaneous and fun. This time when she finished Cecelia was panting a little and Archie clapped slowly. "Much better."
"I like that song," Cecelia grinned.
"I can tell," Archie smiled back. "How many songs do you remember, because these are cute but I think it's time for you to grow your taste."
Cecelia crossed her arms and glared slightly. "You and Hughes only let me do the war songs and the Andrew Sisters."
"That's because you were four foot two," Archie reminded fairly. "Do you remember the songs we wouldn't let you perform?"
Cecelia's eyes lit up, she sure as hell did. "Does that mean-"
Archie crossed his arms with a proud puff in his chest. "I think you're old enough now, but we're going to have to talk about your dancing next because you still look like an eight-year-old up there."
Cecelia laughed knowing that was true. "You got a dance coach on staff too?"
Archie smugly grinned and Cecelia could only stare as the old man broke out in a perfect swing routine. Going all out despite there being no music other than the rhythm of his own feet which created musical drumming of their own. He finished off his dance with a sharp step and threw his hands back, "you're looking at him."
For the next few days, in and out, Cecelia spent endless time at the Angel's Den relearning how to dance and practicing her singing, with and without the band, sometimes just endlessly rehearsing with Archie on the piano. It felt quite strange to be spending all this effort on music again. After all, she was an Alchemist. Usually when traveling on her own Cecelia was researching alchemy. But Cecelia couldn't deny all this production was fun. It had been a while since she had this much fun so many days in a row. The highlight of her time was the couple of times Gracia and Elicia came to visit making the grueling practice much more bearable, with little Elicia dancing under the stage lights with Cecelia. Gracia's warm smile seemed full, radiating through the entire theater watching her two girls on stage. And though none of the girls would admit it out loud they were all thinking the same thing, he should have been here.
Greed had been avoiding her the past few days. Both because he felt bad for crashing her day with her family, but also because his stupid father was bossing him around more than usual. Endless jobs to complete in preparation for the promised day. This last job was particularly exhausting for him so instead of reporting back to his old man, he decided he might just check up on his dear angry Alchemist. Tracking her down wasn't easy. He happened to see her mother and sister walk into their home without her. The question became where to look now. Where would a moping sad little alchemist spend her time if not hovering protectively over her family?
He made his way through the city. At this rate, he'd be searching forever. Greed didn't have to return to his father's dingy lair tonight, he could stake out her house until she went home if he wanted to. But that wasn't nearly as fun and felt just a bit too stalkery for him. He decided if he couldn't find her Greed would find his own fun in the city. With his hands deep in his pockets, Greed walked through the lively side of Central filled with bars and restaurants, people hopping from place to place. Couples smiling walking hand in hand and groups of friends walking shoulder to shoulder grinning and laughing. It was mid-afternoon and the bars were not quite as rambunctious for Greed to slip in and start having genuine fun; he was in the body of a 16-year-old after all. Not to mention these bars seemed boring. Maybe he wasn't in the right part of town but something about this city seemed too damn civil for him. So instead Greed really just ended up exploring, which was good. Stretch his legs, get to breathe air that's not pumped in through metal pipes. As he looked from building to building one caught his eye. It was pretty lavish, if not slightly run-down. The Angel's Den was written in bold gold font, surrounded by symmetrical black and silver spires, lined with deep red on its edges.
Something about this place made him smirk. He liked the name of it, not to mention the style. He crossed the street and walked into the theater unsure of what he was expecting. He walked down a darkened hallway to another set of doors which he was pleased to see were unlocked. Greed was a little shocked at the size of the place. It had high ceilings with little booths for bands and lights looking down at the stage. The floor created an elongated staircase, filled with the maximum number of round tables, covered with clean white tablecloths neatly placed with utensils and napkins. Lush red curtains framed the walls that were trimmed with detailed flowing designs. A huge bar spread across the corner of the theater running along the right wall of the lowest level, decorated with a mirror and an endless amount of alcohol. In the center of this level, a large circle was lowered into the ground creating a clear space for dancing.
"I just can't get it right!" A voice sounded with a glaring tone of frustration. Greed finally fully noticed the stage that was populated with only a few people. A bright stage light washed them out and showed just how dark the rest of the theater was.
"Cecelia just look at his feet," a short buff man demanded, gesturing to the boy who stood awkwardly between them.
"I don't even get why I have to do all this. We're not performing a musical," a red-headed girl with her locks pullback in a falling ponytail tapped her foot with her arms crossed. Greed felt his lips curl rapidly. This couldn't be real.
"Have you ever heard of dinner and a show?" the short man responded.
"Zack is a trumpet player," Cecelia shouted. "How are you good at this, huh?"
The stout man continued to defend this Zack. "He was in his high school marching band Cecelia. You could learn from Zack. You didn't even finish your secondary schooling."
"My name is Zachary actually," the boy monotonously interjected but neither paid any mind to him.
"I'm a state alchemist Archie!" The girl shouted back leading the two to shout thoughtlessly at each other over Zachary's head. "My brain holds three times the knowledge of a testosterone-filled high school boy!"
Archie crossed his arms and leaned back. "You're just mad he's a better dancer than you."
"GOD!"
A hand was brought down on Greed's shoulder and the man turned to see a very large bouncer appearing. "Hey, we're closed buddy."
"You mean I can't stay to watch this comedy special?" Greed joked only earing an angry stare from the man. Greed shrugged with a relaxed smile on his face. "I was just leaving anyway."
Cecelia hadn't seen him thanks to the blinding stage lights, Greed couldn't ruin this prime opportunity.
"I'm thinking Friday," Archie said tapping a pen on his paper calendar.
"Is it going to be busy?" Cecelia grimaced.
"That's the goal Cecelia," seeing her face fall Archie sighed. "We could do a small opening Friday as a rehearsal, then a full open on Saturday."
The strange look on Cecelia's face didn't go away, but she nodded nonetheless. "What does a small opening mean?"
Archie thumbed through the papers behind his calendar. "Regulars only. We could do a veterans show. Only Vets and their families, proof of service required"
"Meaning?" Cecelia prodded.
"Soldiers from Ishval probably, and then some," Archie replied.
Cecelia's mouth fell open, "What?"
"They were the ones who watched you sing in the first place." Archie reminded. "You know 'hello my baby hello my darling'" Archie rehearsed with an entertaining smile. "Hughes had you dancing and singing all the time on the front lines."
"Yeah okay, I remember a bit of that," Cecelia laughed still feeling uneasy.
"Why are you worried?" Archie relented.
"I'm a state Alchemist. My image as a real professional is about to be replaced with Hughes pretend darling daughter again."
"Cecelia." Archie demanded. "Don't say that about yourself,"
Cecelia mulled her words over in her mouth, knowing they felt wrong to say. "I'm just... struggling to see myself a both."
"It doesn't have to be an either-or situation, Cecelia. You're allowed to have fun. A hobby other than taking down the Fuhrer," Archie said with a heavy laugh to cover his words.
Cecelia partially laughed and put a finger to her mouth. "You can't joke like that now that your staff is back."
Archie gave a confident shrug. "None of these guys would go running to Bradly's hand."
Cecelia turned her head sharply. "Are you serious?"
"Don't cha know?" Archie asked. "I got shit for letting an anti-war band play a political song about our dear King and his extermination of Ishval, we all almost got tried for treason over it."
"When was this?" Cecelia asked quickly.
"You and all the rest were still in Ishval. The order had just come into public knowledge," Archie explained with a long sigh, "back then any anti-war sentiment would land you in prison for treason if you weren't careful."
"And you weren't careful," Cecelia summed up earning a shake of Archies head.
"I was downright catastrophic! The Fuhrer himself came here to shut us down. I think that's why so many Vets came here after the war. They knew they could speak openly in these walls." Archie started to smile recalling how much of a threat his simple words were to such a high and mighty man.
Cecelia couldn't help but feel proud knowing Archie had always hated Bradly and that it ran both ways. "Still we should keep the talk about you know who and you know what to a minimum."
Archie nodded in understanding, he motioned to the back door where Cecelia had started to use to enter and exit the Theater. "You've practiced enough today. We'll do a full rehearsal tomorrow then practice in the morning on Friday. Then we'll be open baby," the greedy smile that spread across Archie's face made Cecelia roll her eyes.
"By full rehearsal, I hope you don't mean that stupid theater number."
Archie slapped the papers he was holding down on the bar and pointed an accusatory finger at Cecelia who was slowly making her way out with a nervous smile knowing he'd react like this. "Yes obviously. You're doing that performance, Woods. No discussion."
"Come on Archie! I look like shit up there and you know it! I need at least a week before I'll look even competent doing all those moves." Cecelia pleaded.
Archie crossed his arms, "How do I even know that you'll be here in a week?" His question was fair. "I'm dedicating all this time to you when we both know you'll leave the second that Full Metal boy calls."
Cecelia turned fully to Archie with a resolute stare on her face. "Elicia's birthday is next week, I am not leaving until after her birthday, no matter what."
Archie felt a small grin breach his face but quickly shook it off giving a dismissive wave. "Fine fine, we'll hold off on the fancy number until next week. But I want you performing all next week you got it? We practice in the morning, break, come back for opening."
"You got a deal." Cecelia nodded. His demands were expected and Cecelia made her way out of the bar with a bright smile on her face. The city was mostly silent when Cecelia left, darkness had settled over central a while ago. Central wasn't overly lively on Wednesdays but she couldn't help but wish the streets were at least a little more populated. Cecelia was usually accompanied on her walk back home by a few members of the stage band, but tonight it was just her. She had a sneaking feeling that someone was watching her. Her stalker was back.
Her feet stopped and she waited on the sidewalk for Greed to drop down behind her. She whipped her head over her shoulder when nothing came and looked behind her. The street was empty, the street lamps buzzing in the silent city. Still looking behind her Cecelia took a deep breath, scanning her surroundings. If Greed were here this would be exactly what he wanted. Cecelia couldn't let herself feel needless fear.
She turned around and slammed into a black-shirted chest. Cecelia's metal first reared back as she stepped away from him and she screamed as Cecelia launched her punch. Her fist was caught with a metal clank and Cecelia could finally fully see exactly who she knew it to be. "Awe, you really missed me that much, huh?"
"Just when I thought I got rid of you," Cecelia chided glaring at Greed's smug face, trying to pull her fist away, but Greed didn't let go.
He pulled her hand, drawing the girl back into him forcing Cecelia to brace her other hand on his chest. "Where are you coming from so late huh?"
"I'm going home," Cecelia responded stiffly, trying fruitlessly to keep away from Greed who was still holding onto her metal fist with what she could now see that his hand was blackened with his shield protecting his hand. Did he do that because he expected her punch to hurt? It was her left hand after all. "You should run along."
"That's not what I asked," Greed said, running his tongue over his pointed teeth, "It's pretty late. A nice little lady like yourself shouldn't walk home alone."
"You're right," Cecelia growled into his face. "Because strange men like you will harass me in the dark scary city."
Greed laughed out loud before smoldering his lips "Oh please, I don't fight women."
"Then release my hand," Cecelia hissed, killing the cocky grin on Greed's face. After a moment of contemplation, he robotically let her go and Cecelia snatched her arm away from him. Neither one of them spoke, both silently waiting for the other to make their move.
"Well, I can't just let a weak thing like yourself walk home alone," He decided. "I'll walk you back home."
Cecelia scoffed rubbing her metal wrist. "As if."
"Relax Cecelia," Greed hummed gently placing his hands back into his pockets. "I won't let your family see me."
Cecelia's glare continued but Greed could tell she was mulling it over. What were her choices here? Let him walk her home, or have him follow her home and annoy the shit out of her with his comically bad stalking. "If anyone I know sees us, you run," she demanded, dictating her point with a flick of her finger. "As in poof! You're gone."
"It's like you're ashamed of me dear," Greed joked with mock hurt on his features.
Cecelia rolled her eyes and started walking in the direction of her home, Greed wasn't going to let her vague permission go to waste, and soon the two were walking silently in long strides through the city, Greed having to keep up knowing she wouldn't wait for him. But this silence wasn't what Greed had in mind when he offered to walk her home. "You never answered my question, where are you coming from?"
Cecelia had heard his question but didn't respond, only letting her lack of response speak for her. The last thing she needed was him waiting outside of the Angel's Den, or trying to come inside when the place fully opened up.
But again this silence wasn't going to do for Greed who had a whole arsenal of information to tease her with. "You know I've been doing a lot of exploring around this Central place." She still didn't speak so he continued, "We should go on a date. That way I can see what's up with these cool lookin' places."
Cecelia scoffed loudly. "There's not enough money in the world to make me ever even think about going on a date with you." Seeing the city with him in Ling's body, even at this moment, just walking home, felt disgusting in her stomach. She glanced over at Greed and saw Ling's face before they had reentered the hotel after their ice cream trip.
You'll keep your promise, won't you? You'll take me on a date next time?
She hadn't agreed to that but the memory brought a flush to her cheeks and she snapped her eyes forward.
"Awe but come on, I've got a whole list of places I want to see now. There's this place called the One Reep, it's got live music. And like a block from that, there's this pizza joint with a sky patio, I forget what that's called. Oh and there's this place that has balconies stacked on top of each other and serves these drinks in giant weirdly shaped glasses. It was crazy but they were packed so I couldn't get in," Greed started to list. His brow quirked and a devious grin started to spread across his face, he turned his eyes toward her and said "Oh yeah and I saw this sick-looking theater downtown, what was it called again?" Greed placed a contemplative hand on his chin before snapping his fingers as if he had actually needed to recall the theater's name. "That's right it was the Angel's Den."
Cecelia's step stalled for only a second before continuing like the name didn't affect her. "What made that old dump catch your eye?"
Greed's cocky smile faltered for a moment not seeing Cecelia freak out as he expected. Had he misidentified her on stage? There was no chance of that but he'd play her game. Putting his grin back on he said "I like the name."
"The name?" Cecelia asked, her brows furrowed as she caught a thread in his reasoning. Archie's connection between the Angel's Den and the Devil's nest and the intention names buzzed in her mind. "Why do you like the name?"
Greed really hadn't put much thought into it actually. He just liked it. "It's pretty cheeky, no? I mean you'd expect a den to be a place for monsters, not Angels. What's that called, huh? Subversion of expectations?"
Cecelia looked back at him now. "What would the opposite if an angel's den?"
Greed looked at her strangely now, giving her a sideways stare trying to figure out where she was going with this and why. He was expecting her to freak out about him even knowing about this place but now she was asking him English questions? "I suppose... a devil? And the opposite of a den would be, a home? Yeah, Devil's home."
Cecelia had stopped walking, looking at him with a judgmental stare. "Really? Devil's home?"
"What you got something better?" Greed asked defensively.
The girl shook her head and went back to walking, at a slower pace now. The two fell back into silence with Greed more confused than he had started. Her reaction was not what he had expected, but he still didn't want to drop the bomb that he knew she had been flaunting around on a stage. If he told her now, she'd only hate him more and that was much more annoying to deal with than her begrudgingly tolerating his presence. Meanwhile, Cecelia was silent thinking desperately on the implications. He didn't remember the name of the Devil's nest but he did like the juxtaposition. He had a general idea. If she kept scratching on that wall separating Greed from his memories of his former life, was there a chance that he'd abandon the Homunculi? She had to learn more about the Devil's Nest, about the people with who Greed had surrounded himself. And she had to understand exactly what kind of relationship the old Greed had with the rest of his family.
"Nest," Greed said suddenly, causing Cecelia to completely stop in the middle of her step, whipping her head to look at him. He kept walking until he realized she wasn't beside him anymore. He turned back and asked "What?"
"What did you say?" Cecelia questioned in almost a whisper.
"Dens are in the ground, nests are in the air. So the opposite is Nest," Greed explained, fully turning his body towards her. "The opposite of Angel's Den is Devil's Nest."
Cecelia stared at him silently, waiting for the dots to connect in Greed's head, but they very clearly didn't. "You ever hear of a place like that?" Greed's face started to turn into a glare, realizing she knew something he didn't. "A place called the Devil's Nest?"
Greed tilted his head to the side and stepped towards the girl slowly curious now on where this was going to go. "It exists doesn't it?"
Cecelia didn't nod or confirm, his tone was darker, almost an unconscious warning telling her to back off. And yet Cecelia couldn't stop herself. "It was run by a strange guy, with lots of friends, badass chimera's who all chose on their own to follow him. He was independent. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and he got what he wanted."
Greed's nostril twitched and the two stood staring at each other, the outcome of this conversation becoming increasingly unclear. "Sound's like a kind of guy I'd get along with," he said vaguely
"Easily," Cecelia stated lowly.
Greed stepped toward's her again. Ling's towering height made a hundred times more intimidating without the young man's friendly grin, but it was Greed's blood-red eyes boring into her. "Where exactly was this place run out of huh?"
Cecelia didn't say a word staring up at him, her eye intently challenging his lack of memory. Looking into her eyes Greed felt himself get increasingly worked up, though he really couldn't pin down why. The two silently fought, waiting for the other to choke. Greed found himself staring deeply into Cecelia's eyes, and a weird form of recognition sounded in his head. Static filled flashes of her snarling up at him, a curtain of hair being pushed behind her ear by his own hand. He had never done anything like that. Not with his hands.
Greed took a wide step away from Cecelia and shook his head, shock started to fill his eyes. When he looked back at Cecelia he saw her eyes wide with a similar level of surprise. Greed's eye narrowed at her, realizing Cecelia had been leading him to this. He wasn't exactly sure what this was, but Greed had been the one to choke. A thoroughly annoyed 'Tch' left his mouth and Greed shook his head, clear frustration filling his features despite the plastered grin on his face. "You're trouble aren't you, Alchemist?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cecelia asked genuinely, taking a step towards him. Did he just see something? For a moment the red in his eyes, did they flicker?
Greed shook his head and let a chuckle leave his lips and he started to sulk away. "I'll assume you can make the last block by yourself. Wouldn't want your family seeing me."
As he stepped off the sidewalk Cecelia found herself chasing after him for a moment, yelling "Greed wait!"
The man only raised one hand waving goodbye without looking back at the girl. "I'll see you around, little lady."