Marcus smiled as he took out his violin, completely unnoticed by the other State Alchemists. "Well, as a old thief, I suppose I should take that as a complement." Still, he couldn't help a tongue-in-cheek response as Tasha walked out the door. Pouring as much emotion into it as he could, Marcus began to play the most romantic song he could. Cutting off about halfway through, Marcus smirked at Victor.
"Perhaps I should come along with you two, set the mood." Marcus laughed as he packed away the violin and slung it once more over his shoulder. Marlin burst in the door and Marcus nodded his head in respect. "Ah, Deep Blue Alchemist, right?" Marcus asked as he noticed the signature flask. "A pleasure to meet you. Anyway, I'll be on my way. I doubt there's going to be too much trouble- but then again, we seem to attract it wherever we go." On his way out, Marcus paused, as if remembering something. "Oh, and if you see State Alchemist Isaac, give him my best. I hope he recovers quickly; I also hope the same for you, Victor." And with that Marcus made his way past Tasha and out the door.
As he waited for the train, Marcus decided to make people a little happier and took out his violin. Opening his case for donations, as any wandering ministrel might do, he began to play a jubilant piece, one that quickly drew a small crowd. Hidden by such a crowd, Marcus watched as several of his fellow Alchemists boarded the trains, one by one. Marcus resisted the urge to hop on with them, and instead decided to wait until he was the only Alchemist boarding. A beautiful woman,bedecked in pearls and surrounded by bodyguards, paused to listen to Marcus finished the piece. He grinned at her, then whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush bright red and throw a large amount of money in the case. Marcus smiled even more, then began to play again as the woman walked away. A minute later, a shriek pierced the air, splitting the sea of people better than Moses ever could.
"My purse is missing!" the rich woman shrieked. Looking for a target, her eyed clapped on Marcus, and he knew what was coming next. "Oh God. Here we go again." As per his usual preparations, Marcus closed and locked his case and steeled himself.
"Him! That... That.... That gypsy must have taken it!" The venom within that one word was palpable. "In three...two...one..." Marcus muttered, and his timing was perfect. Everyone immediately began to pat pockets, searching for their own wallets and purses. "You would think people would realize by now they just showed the gypsy exactly where they keep their money." Marcus stood up, still playing, as the rich woman shrieked her next command, laughably cliché as it was.
"Get him!"
Marcus sighed as the majority of them pulled out switchboards and other knives of the sort. Turned his attention to the rich woman, Marcus readied his next insult even as the crowd screamed and fled. "What, spend all your money on paste diamonds, so you couldn't hire anything more than two-bit thugs? I guess you're selling your body to the wrong kind of gentlemen, huh?" The woman turned red once more, but this time it was anger, not attraction, that drove the metamorphosis.
"Kill him! In the name of the Rinoa house, kill him! You can search that... Bastard for my purse later, but I want his blood on the ground. I will not let such a vagabond sully my name like that!" Marcus smirked once more as the well-dressed thugs menaced closer, forming a circle, each one of them ham-fistedly holding the knife with the blade extending past the pinky.
"Oh, it's an honor killing now, is it? Well that just makes everything right 'n dandy, now doesn't it? I'll just lie down and wait for your dogs to slit my throat, now won't I?" Marcus shook his head as he turned away from the airheaded woman and back to the immediate threat. "Would it help if I mentioned that I'm a State Alchemist?" The circle grew tighter, and Marcus shook his head. "No, I didn't think it would. Still, I think we should have a bit of background music, to set the mood." Marcus becan strumming as quickly as he could, opting for an... explosively suspenseful piece. With all of the preparations in place and his violin warming up, Marcus began his attack.
"Oh, come on!" He jeered. "You guys can't be serious. The only mugging you've ever seen must be in a picturebook if you're holding a knife like that! You're killing someone, not spearing a steak!" As several of the bodyguards took their attention off Marcus and focused on their hands, the cunning Alchemist struck. Using his powerful Automail legs, Marcus sprang towards one of the fumblers, introducing the man to his foot with a satisfying crack. The second bodyguard fared no better, as Marcus pushed off the first and delivered a bone-shattering roundhouse kick to the man's shoulder, taking him out of the fight and Marcus out of the circle. "Alright boys, playtime's over. Last chance to run away."
The bodyguards did run. Unfortunately, it was towards Marcus. "He's just one man! What can one man possibly do? There's a bonus to the man who can take him down!" The leader shouted. As one, the group charged. "Well, at least they're holding their knives the right way now. That makes things a little easier."
Marcus breathed in deeply, stopped playing, and began to transmute. The Array on his back activated, the light shining through his clothing, even if faintly. His bow began to sing as the energy from the transmutation flowed through it. The first bodyguard swung his fist forward, intending to impale Marcus. Smiling, Marcus quickly raised his leg and stopped the knife, catching it in the fabric of his pants. Bringing his arm down, Marcus cut through the knife using nothing but the string of his bow. Completing the motion, Marcus gave the man two quick cuts across his chest that would make it all but impossible to use his arms through the pain.
Gleefully dancing backwards, Marcus avoided the next knife, and began to play once more. The violin glowed as the low note growled, slamming into the bodyguard and sending him flying. Smiling once more, Marcus switched to a Minor key and began playing "Devil went down to Dublith." He made the violin wail for all it was worth, and the effect was immediate. The bodyguards caught in the area of effect all began to act as if they were drunk, swaying and falling over. One even vomited. Marcus finished playing, and carefully wiped down his bow, making sure to take good care of it. The bodyguards, afraid of what they now knew to be a State Alchemist, turned as one and stumbled away, desperately hoping to escape with their lives.
"In answer to your question, That's what one man can do." Marcus called after the fleeing thugs. He counted his money and pocketed it, placing his violin carefully back in its case. Whistling, Marcus approached the woman, who was too afraid to even move. "I think that's your purse over there in the alley. You dropped it, and it got kicked away by the fleeing crowd when you sicced your bodyguards on me." The train pulled into the station as Marcus once again strapped his violin to his back.
"If you're still looking for a bed to share, honey, mine is a bit cold sometimes." Marcus said bitterly, still irritated at the woman's prejudice. As he stepped onto the train, Marcus paused to give one final piece of advice. "Next time, think before you accuse someone. It saves a whole lot of misery on both ends, and next time, you might not meet someone as lenient as I was." Spinning his State Alchemist's pocket watch, Marcus boarded the train to Dublith, still whistling.
