Ennis

"If you'll let me make one selfish request...Please don't forget me."

- Ennis to Isaac & Miria Ennis Prochainezo (エニス・プロシェンツォ  Enisu Puroshentso) is one of Szilard Quates' homunculi. Originally created with no thoughts or emotions, Ennis experiences a sense of being 'human' for the first time after devouring an alchemist threatening Szilard's life.

Ennis betrays Szilard in November 1930 in order to protect Isaac and Miria, and is saved from death by Firo Prochainezo. She moves in with Firo soon after. A year later she adopts Czeslaw as her younger brother per Isaac and Miria's misguided wishes.

She and Firo marry in the early 1980s and honeymoon aboard the cruise ship Entrance in 2002, accompanied by Czes.

Appearance
Ennis has short red hair, and red eyes. She normally wears a black business suit. On her 2002 honeymoon, however, she wears a sleeveless black dress and a thin gold choker. Her hair is also much smoother.

It is likely that her appearance takes after the woman whose genetic material Szilard used to create her.

Personality
Ennis was Szilard Quates' emotionless, obedient servant until she devoured an alchemist who was threatening his life. Through the alchemist, she learned what it meant to be "human" for the first time, and learned the concepts of sin and morality.

Though plagued with guilt over the alchemists' and others' deaths, Ennis continued to serve Szilard (who had ensured from early on that she feared death). She envied the people who complained that there was no meaning in their existence, because she knew her purpose all too well--she was the tool and weapon of a man she could never hope to escape, and was expected to fulfill her orders without thought or hesitation.

Ennis was able to do this for the most part, since Szilard tended to prefer devouring people himself rather than having her do it (mainly so he could have their knowledge for himself), but when she was faced with killing Barnes (who'd failed to keep the elixir safe) she instead brought him back to her master so that he could explain himself properly. Szilard ended up devouring Barnes anyway, and she was berated for being weak.

Ennis savored the moments of silence in-between orders, causing her to become a quiet and withdrawn individual. She only talked when necessary, and even then only in formal and clipped speech. Outside of her comfort zone, though (such as when interacting with loud and nonsensical people) Ennis can be very hesitant and shy. She became skilled in suppressing her feelings in his presence and while fulfilling orders; doing so likely made it much easier for her to accomplish her tasks. Furthermore, she could set aside all personal thoughts in order to fully focus on one thing at a time (such as following a detailed map of Manhattan stored in her memories in order to reach various destinations).

After meeting and befriending Isaac and Miria, she became honestly and fiercely loyal to them to the point where she nearly sacrificed herself to keep them safe. Additionally, remembering what her life was like back when she only knew what Szilard told her, Ennis began to feel sympathetic toward Firo once she understood that he had no idea what was going on or why Szilard was attacking Maiza. She willingly explained the situation to him--even going so far as to talk simply upon his request when she got a little too technical.

When Szilard was killed, Ennis became more carefree and slowly began to express herself, openly wishing that she had people she could call family.

Ennis is mentally and physically mature, but slow emotionally. Still, she's extremely intelligent and observant, noticing the minutiae that others might not. While she tends to keep to herself rather than approaching others on her own, she can be easily pulled into others' shenanigans with minimal effort, and is able to have fun alongside them.

Chronology
Ennis is Szilard Quates' last homunculus, created after his previous ones betrayed him. Ennis' emotional capacity first emerged after she devoured an immortal alchemist per Szilard's orders. She feels immensely guilty about her involvement with others' deaths, but she has no choice to obey his orders.

1930 - The Rolling Bootlegs
Szilard and Ennis return to New York City in November 1930 for the first time in three years at the news that Barnes and their blender have completed the Cure-All Elixir. While Ennis drives Szilard to the building that houses the secret undergound meeting place for his elderly sponsors, Szilard muses that if the liquor has been completed then the elders will be useless - which means that he'll go ahead and devour them while Ennis holds the criers back. Ennis obediently agrees, thinking him truly egalitarian

During the drive, Ennis accidentally hits a couple dancing in the middle of the street. Once she confirms that the two aren't deceased, she exits the alley and returns to a broad street at Szilard's command and explains that she'd tried to avoid them but couldn't brake in time.

She and Szilard puzzle over the couple's strangeness, and Szilard concludes that he does not understand today's young people - but then, he hasn't been able to understand the thoughts of young people for a very long time. Ever since that "stripling" lost his mind over two hundred years ago, Szilard has refused to trust anyone younger than himself. Ennis points out that compared to him, everyone in the world is younger. T

They eventually arrive at a building south of Grand Central Station, and at Szilard's complaint Ennis holds a parasol out for him as they cross the "paltry five yards" to the building in question. Inside, Szilard strikes a certain patch of floor with his heel several times. When the signal exchange is complete, an elderly man opens up a trapdoor and greets Szilard eagerly. It has been twenty years since they last saw each other.

Inside their secret meeting room, Ennis listens attentively as Szilard is brought up to speed by his elderly consorts. They inform him his blender was stabbed the day before by a certain robber, but that Barnes is keeping about three dozen bottles of the finished product secure. Szilard orders Ennis to head to the Barnes Company Granary to pick up Barnes and the liquor, and adds that she should kill Barnes if he has either consumed or poorly preserved the elixir.

When Ennis arrives to pick up Barnes, she is shocked to find the granary ablaze and Barnes missing. She eventually finds Barnes lying injured in an alleyway, and she brings him back to Szilard instead of killing him. Szilard devours Barnes and learns that he'd managed to save two bottles of the elixir from the flames by putting them into a box - which has since been stolen by a group of thugs. He sends Ennis out to find them and bring them to him. Walking the streets of New York, Ennis finds the group (led by Dallas Genoard) assaulting Isaac Dian in a side street (with a thug holding Miria Harvent). She knocks the thugs out.

Isaac and Miria do not recognize her as the driver from the hit-and-run and thank her profusely and say that they'll do anything for her. She asks them to help her carry the men to her car, and they eagerly comply. While they talk, Ennis learns that the couple are on a path of atonement, and she admires them for their strength (thinking herself to be weak and sinful). As they part ways, Isaac and Miria shower Ennis with kindness and shout that they'll see her again someday. Ennis smiles naturally for the first time, and cries a little as she drives off.

Twenty minutes later, she arrives at the basement room and delivers the four lowlifes to Szilard. There, she injects the incomplete immortality elixir into their veins per Szilard's instructions. Szilard promptly devours the one called Scott and learns that the elixir is now in the hands of the Gandor Family. He asks Ennis what happened to the witnesses, and she lies and says that the couple ran away; he also informs her that a young man has been searching for her. Szilard decides to use Dallas and the other two for his own gains, and he orders Ennis to inform them that they'll give the trio a reward if they steal back the elixir. Giving him a mechanical bow, Ennis leaves the room and makes the deal with the trio.

Ennis follows Dallas and the other two to the Gandor hideout. The three successfully snatch the box, but around fifty yards from the Gandor hideout are ambushed by a disguised Isaac and Miria. Ennis pauses, wondering if she should help Dallas and his crew (who are thrashing on the ground from pepper) or go after the box. She chooses the latter option. As she runs through the alleyways, she comes across a discarded helmet, mask, and tuxedo jacket. Stunned, she realizes that Isaac and Miria have stolen the crate, and briefly stops her pursuit as she figures out what to do.

In the end, Ennis decides to find the two and listen to what they have to say. She can't be too long though, for if she takes too long to return Szilard will grow suspicious and kill her. Her search continues on to the next day, when she finally spots a priest and nun in the distance. Ennis wonders if God really exists, and if He does - what does she have to do in order to get His help? Ennis catches sight of the priest's face, and realizes he is Isaac. She thinks to herself that if God really does exist, then He is far too calculating...and far too cruel.

Ennis tails the couple to a certain honey shop. She waits outside, but they do not reemerge. Ennis is about to enter the shop when she spots a group of four heading her way: two of them are Isaac and Miria; one of them is the young man who was searching for her, and the fourth is...Maiza Avaro, whom she knows Szilard desperately wants to devour. Confirming that they have the crate, Ennis leaves immediately to return to the basement room.

Once she arrives, Szilard demands that she explain her tardiness. Ennis leaves out Isaac and Miria, and informs him that she's found Maiza Avaro (framing it so that it sounds like Maiza stole the liquor). Szilard immediately orders Ennis to bring the car around - he'll go to devour Maiza himself. He's been searching for the man for over two hundred years, after all. Ennis cautiously asks that if Maiza knows about them, won't he distribute the elixir to his friends? Szilard is certain that won't happen; Maiza hates immortality more than than anyone. In fact, if he finds out about the elixir he'll likely smash the bottles then and there.

With vigor, Szilard tells Ennis to bring a gun - he'll give her permission to let loose a little for once. She can kill all of New York for all he cares! He is acting far more livelier than normal, in such a way that it frightens her. She drives Szilard to The Alveare and the two of them exit the vehicle and separate. As Szilard enters the speakeasy to find Maiza, Ennis goes to guard the back door in case Maiza attempts to escape that way. When the back door opens, Ennis immediately launches a surprise attack - except it's the young man who was looking for her, not Maiza.

The two fight, and the young man (Firo) asks her to explain what's going on and who she and the old man are, because he's the only one around here who "doesn't know a thing" and if it stays that way he'll look like an idiot. At his words, Ennis recalls her life before she'd devoured the alchemist. How she hadn't known anything except what Szilard had taught her. Those memories make her nauseated; "after she'd learned everything, she'd felt, and continued to feel, the pain of not knowing."

She asks him if he won't regret it, and he tells her to talk to him anyway. He might regret it, but he's good at forgetting things. Fixing her eyes on his face, she asks him if he doesn't think she'll run away, and he blushes and says not to worry about it. He's dumb, after all. Ennis recounts to him the events aboard the Advena Avis, revealing that Maiza is an immortal. Firo says that she shouldn't call a jerk like Szilard her master, and asks what is she to her. Ennis bleakly replies that he might say she's Szilard himself.

She explains that she is the product of Szilard's own cells and the cells of a woman he'd kidnapped. Szilard used the incomplete immortality elixir as the "culture liquid" when she created her, and so she grew to the same age her 'mother' had been when she'd been kidnapped inside a cultivation tank. And then Ennis had stopped growing. She is an independent mobile colony from Szilard, able to receive knowledge from him. And as Szilard's cells gave life to her, he can choose to kill her at any moment.

Anger flashes across Firo's face, and he calls that the most selfish thing he's ever heard. Ennis tells him that she's something like a daughter to Szilard, and he viciously asks her what kind of father would use his own daughter as a slave. He assures her that she's "way too pretty" to be the daughter of a "crafty old guy like him." The conversation is interrupted by the appearance of Dallas and his crew, who plan to plug Firo and Ennis with bullets. However, the three Gandor brothers arrive and aim their guns at the thugs' heads, one Gandor per thug.

Dallas (who had murdered Gandor men to obtain the elixir) lies to Luck Gandor and pins the blame on Firo. His lie is quickly unraveled and the Gandors shoot the thugs in their craniums. Berga Gandor asks Keith Gandor how they should hide the bodies, and Ennis exclaims that they must tie the three up - they're incomplete immortals. Her warning comes too late; the three regenerate and gun down the Gandors, Firo, and Ennis herself. Before Ennis is gunned down, she wonders in shock how they'd regenerated so quickly.

Ennis is the first of the felled group to regenerate, and she rounds the corner in pursuit of Dallas's group only to be greeted by an appalling sight. Her own car is stopped down the narrow alley, with Isaac in the driver's seat and Miria in the passenger's seat. Before the car is Szilard, with a knife to Isaac's throat. Szilard greets Ennis, and the couple shriek her name in relief. Szilard slowly asks how they know her name, and decides that he'll listen to her reasons later. He orders that she take over for him while he goes to devour Maiza. If Maiza tries to exist, she should kill the couple.

Ennis takes Szilard's knife and holds it to Isaac's throat as Szilard walks over to Maiza. She warns the couple to run away as soon as Szilard touches Maiza, but the two refuse to abandon Maiza - whom they consider a 'good guy' since he treated them to dinner. They beg Ennis to save him. Ennis asks if they'd come to save Maiza themselves, but they clarify that they in fact came to save her.

She is overwhelmed by this revelation, and after contemplating the situation apologizes and expresses how glad she is to have been able to talk to them one last time. After requesting that they remember her Ennis charges toward Szilard and stabs him in the back just as his hand touches Maiza's forehead. Firo rounds the corner, and Szilard reveals to Ennis that he'd made several homunculi before her, all of whom had betrayed him as soon as they had acquired "unnecessary knowledge." Szilard had thought things would be different with a female, but Ennis has turned out just like her deceased brothers.

Ennis attempts to nail Szilard with a kick, only to collapse to the ground at his will. Her physical functions begin to break down - Szilard has opted to make her suffer first instead of killing her instantly - and Isaac and Miria pelt Szilard with pepper balls in outrage. Meanwhile, Firo drags Ennis and Maiza away from the scene.

Pale and cloudy-eyed, a dying Ennis asks Firo to devour her (it's obvious that he's immortal), and to convey her feelings to Isaac and Miria. She admits that she does not know if a homunculus like her will be able to go to heaven or hell, an uncertainty that had frightened her and prevented her from taking her own life in the past. Ennis then admits that no one has ever called her pretty before, and she was so happy when Firo did.

Firo retorts that he has no obligation to deliver her message, and that as an atheist he believes that heaven and hell don't exist. Ennis weakly laughs and calls him "harsh," a little disappointed. Her heart is very close to stopping completely.

Randy pours liquid fuel over Szilard's head, and as the regenerated Martillos jeer at Szilard Pezzo lights a match and throws it in his direction. Szilard's head bursts into flames, and Firo rushes him. He uses his knife to gore Szilard's hand and reaches his right hand out, devouring Szilard a moment later.

Very soon after, Edward Noah and his police backup arrive at the scene, and Noah demands that Firo explain - they'd heard a torrent of gunshots, but nobody appears to be dead. Isaac and Miria distract him by shooting bullets into the air before tossing the machine guns aside and taking off down the alleyway (claiming that they're stealing the 'Martillo treasure'). Edward realizes that they're The Thieves and sends his men after them. Bill Sullivan and Donald Brown arrive on scene soon after, and the three of them head inside the Alveare. While the authorities talk, Maiza and Firo puzzle out how the Martillos had become immortal.

Firo uses Szilard's knowledge to restore Ennis to life - Ennis, who is now irrevocably a part of him.

Maiza is anguished at the thought that his friends must suffer the curse of immortality, and pleads with Firo to devour him, but Firo deftly rebuts him. When Ennis asks Firo why he'd saved her, he formally introduces himself as Firo Prochainezo and admits that he'd been looking for her earlier because he'd found her attractive...and that he's saved her because he wants to ask her for her name. Ennis points out that Szilard knew her name, and he awkwardly grins and says he wants to hear her say it. The Martillos mercilessly tease him, and he protests their immaturity.

It's decided that Ennis will move in with Firo, and he cooks a meal for her when they first arrive at his apartment. Ennis concludes that Firo is a kind person, and that he'd saved her out of that kindness.

1931-1932
Ennis and Firo exchange regular written correspondence with Isaac and Miria over the following year. In one particular letter (which is delivered to the couple in December 1931), Ennis mentions that she thinks of the two as her own siblings. She writes that she is saddened when she think of her deceased brothers, but thinking about Isaac and Miria brings her great cheer.

On the night of December 30, Firo returns to their apartment after talking with Berga, and remarks to Ennis that he plans on heading over to the station the next day to welcome back Claire Stanfield along with the Gandor brothers and Maiza. Since Ennis is also planning on heading to the station to pick up Isaac and Miria, she and Firo agree that she should meet up with him and Maiza at the Martillo casino tomorrow so that they can head to the station together.

Late into the night, Firo notes that he's heard that Isaac and Miria have been mining for gold out in California. He's baffled by this, and wonders why they've been mining for gold instead of panning for it. Ennis corrects him - the mineshaft they've been digging used to churn out gold, so there's still a slight chance they'll have found something. And at any rate, there are lapis lazuli veins in California as well, so they should be able to keep themselves fed at least.

Firo points out that they're immortals, so it's not as if they'll starve, to which Ennis counters that it's generally more efficient for immortals to eat even if they can't succumb to malnutrition. One should not forget the psychological effects of hunger either. Even a non-human like herself can feel hunger after an extended period of starvation...although she's gotten used to the feeling, since Szilard did not provide her with food unless she was accompanying him.

Firo stutters and apologizes for making her remember unpleasant memories, but Ennis is flustered and doesn't understand why he feels the need to apologize in the first place.

Ennis wakes up early on the morning of December 31, and Firo wakes up later (around five AM). Ennis can't wait to see Isaac and Miria again. Firo comments that Claire will be coming in on the same train as they're travelling on, and Ennis remembers Claire as the childhood friend Firo had been telling her about the previous night. She asks what kind of person he is, and Firo says that she'll find out his personality when she meets him. At any rate, he says that Claire is quick and strong, which Ennis interprets to mean that he's an athlete. Firo remarks that Claire used to be in the circus, so many a better word would be 'acrobat.'

Firo, Ennis, Maiza, and the Gandor brothers arrive at the Pennsylvania Station (Grand Central Station in the anime) a little ways before 12:00 PM, which is when the train is scheduled to arrive. They end up waiting over two hours for the train to arrive. Around 2:00 PM, Firo quietly asks the Gandors if it's safe for them to be out in the open like this, given their ongoing feud with the Runorata Family. Luck reminds him that they're immortal.

Luck asks Maiza who the alchemist friend of his is, and Maiza describes him as a loner who tries to shoulder everything upon himself. Berga (or Firo) says that Claire's like that, but in the opposite way. Ennis remarks that "Miss Claire must be a strong-willed, outgoing person," not realizing Claire's actual gender. At that moment, the arrival of the Flying Pussyfoot is announced, and the group makes their way to the platform.

They are shocked to find that the train before them is not the famed Flying Pussyfoot, but a completely normal train. Maiza informs them that due to some trouble, they'd had to switch out all the cars along the way. Firo asks if Maiza's heard that the terrorist Huey Laforet has been arrested, and Maiza confides that Huey is also an immortal. The car doors open, and the passengers spill out, looking either greatly relieved or greatly tired.

An injured woman in fatigues exits the car, and Ennis briefly wonders if she is Claire - but the woman limps away. A grey magician steps out (followed by his assistant), and the Gandors wonder if he is Maiza's alchemist friend - but he too goes off down the platform. They are soon followed by an injured tattooed youth (supported by a woman) whose cries ring out across the station. Eventually, the last of the passengers step out of the train: the first of the last are Isaac and Miria, dressed as a wild west gunslinger and dancing girl respectively.

Isaac exclaims that they've brought Ennis a gift, and he and Miria re-enter the train and reemerge with a young boy. They introduce the boy as Czes, and insist that Ennis take him as her new younger brother so that she and the boy can both "have someone." Czeslaw turns out to be Maiza's immortal alchemist friend, and he ends up moving in with Ennis and Firo as their third roommate.

On January 2, 1932, Ennis along with other Martillo Family members (Lia Lin-Shan, Randy and Pezzo, Ronny Schiatto, Yaguruma...) set up dominoes in the underground bar. The event is masterminded by Isaac and Miria, and the geometric design that they're setting up was designed by Maiza. Isaac and Miria knock down the dominoes once they're set up (Firo knocks them down in the anime), and Ennis exclaims over how pretty it all is as she watches the dominoes fall.

The domino craze sweeps through the Alveare, and over the next few days the Martillos (including Firo and Ennis) set up a myriad of designs with their enormous dominoes collection. Firo tries to work up the courage to ask Ennis out to lunch on one such occasion, as the two of them are setting up another design. His plan falls through when Isaac and Miria show up, having just learned that Firo works at a casino. Resigned, promises to take them to the casino; as he prepares to leave Ennis stands, gently calls out to him and tells him to have fun.

1933
In September 1933, Firo upsets Isaac and Miria after he knocks down their dominoes on purpose, and his ensuing tirade reduces them to tears. The two flee the Alveare, and when Firo confesses to Ronny what he's done Ronny decides that he'll go look for them while he's out (since he'd been planning on leaving again anyway). He mentions as an aside that he's heard some riverside construction workers were assaulted, so it won't hurt to be cautious.

Ennis elects to join Ronny on his search, bothered by his words. Before she and Ronny leave, she advises Firo to come up with a proper apology to their friends.

She follows Ronny to a certain street until he stops and remarks that they are 'too late'. He closes his eyes and adds that Isaac and Miria 'appear' to be heading to the same place he'd been planning to visit, and he sets off. Ennis decides to follow him without asking how he knows what he knows.

The two arrive at the Genoard Mansion on Millionaires' Row, and are greeted by a strange sight when they are invited inside. Around thirty people have gathered in an opulent room, the majority dressed like "street rats and hoodlums." In the middle of the room stand two women: one holds a spear, and the other a pair of knives.

Isaac and Miria wave frantically at Ennis and ask if she is here to see the magic show too, much to her bewilderment. The room's atmosphere changes abruptly when Ronny follows Ennis inside, and Ennis (who had upon their first meeting quailed at his force of personality) herself only just manages to keep her composure. Unperturbed, Isaac and Miria ask Ronny if he's brought Firo along.

Tick Jefferson greets Ronny, admitting that he didn't expect Ronny would come to the mansion in person. Ronny didn't expect to see Tick here either, and figures the Gandors must have been impatient to send their infamous torture specialist to the scene. He informs the crowd that he is here both as the Martillo Family's representative and as an observer who intends to witness everything that will occur from this point on.

As Jacuzzi Splot and his friends nervously confer amongst themselves, Isaac and Miria belatedly remember that they'd planned on stealing something precious to Firo. Isaac realizes that both Ronny and Ennis are Firo's 'treasures', and Miria grins once she catches on to Isaac's plan. Within the minute, a man lying limply on the ground regenerates and reaches out to grab Tim's neck, only to pause at the tense atmosphere.

After a moment, Ennis recognizes the man as Dallas, whose fate she'd never been made privy to in 1930. Dallas remembers her in turn; furious, he charges towards Tick and snatches a pair of scissors from the man's belt, knocking him over in the process. On the floor, Tick grabs him to stop from attacking Ennis and cries out that Dallas can't use his scissors "for hatred or revenge." Dallas raises the scissors high (intending to stab Tick's hand) but a woman (Maria Barcelito) severs Dallas' hand with her katana. She is surprised when his arm regenerates, but laughs and says that he's just like her boss (Luck). The crowd titters, and Maria cheerfully cuts off Dallas' left hand.

Tim sidles up to the spearwoman (Adele) and quietly tells her to stop Maria. The two women begin fighting, and blood is spilled. As they fight, Ronny approaches Jacuzzi and asks him if he plans on becoming the Martillos' enemy or joining them. Jacuzzi chooses neither. The two talk for a moment longer, and Ronny decides to deal with the "distraction." He brings the women's fight to an end by teleporting the women's weapons into his own hands, and he places the weapons on the ground. Fear fills all the onlookers save for Isaac and Miria, who applaud Ronny for turning out to be a magician too.

The duo advance towards Adele as she picks up her spear, and compliment her earnestly for her 'magic.' Adele ignores them and thrusts the spear to the side of Isaac's head; one of the prongs nicks Isaac's ear and cuts it. Miria rushes to Isaac's side, and in the next moment the onlookers are shocked to see Isaac's wound has disappeared.

Ennis grabs the shaft of Adele's spear just as she is about to impale Isaac and coldly demands that the spearwoman apologize to her friend. Adele jerks the spear back. Ennis somersaults over Adele and lands behind her, once again demanding that she apologize. Isaac and Miria argue that Adele was only showing them a magic trick. Adele furrows her brow at Ennis' name, and asks if she is involved with Szilard Quates.

Stunned, Ennis opens her mouth to grill Adele on what she knows about Szilard, but is foiled by Dallas regenerating. Jacuzzi hollers the house doesn't belong to him, which means that he and his friends will be in trouble if the women continue fighting. His partner Nice throws a smoke grenade high into the air, filling the lobby with white smoke. Everyone scatters, and Isaac and Miria grab Ronny and Ennis and lead them out of the mansion. They hand Ronny a note and ask him to leave it on a counter for Firo to find. He complies, and when he returns the couple promptly 'kidnap' him and Ennis.

Thirty minutes later, the eccentric duo take Ronny and Ennis halfway up the Empire State Building per Ronny's suggestion. Ronny explains to Ennis that the offices here deal in small goods. He happens to be their director, though he hardly bothers coming to the building. Ennis cocks her head to the side, and he explains that the Martillos have to take care in hiding their less than legal businesses - but he didn't come here to boast. He thought it'd be a decent place to take shelter from the rain.

Ennis contemplates how different Ronny had been back in the mansion, how forceful and powerful he'd felt. She wonders what exactly Ronny is. How had he found Isaac and Miria so easily? What had been the cause of the commotion at the mansion? How had he stepped in so easily and managed to take away weapons that had been in the middle of killing blows mid-strike? Most importantly, Ennis wonders how the spearwoman knew who she was. Had the woman meant to call her a secretary (which wouldn't have been cause for alarm) or a homunculus? What bothers Ennis more than anything is that the woman did not know her face, but she knew her name, "Ennis." Ennis resolves to ask the woman if they ever meet again.

Isaac and Miria are pleased as punch over how events have turned out, having sworn that they won't return to the Alveare until Firo apologizes to them. The two proceed to cackle over their success at having stolen the things Firo treasures most. Ennis asks what they mean, and the pair dance a little jig and explain that they mean her and Ronny, of course: Firo's faithful beloved and his venerable old master. Ennis' eyes widen in surprise at the word 'beloved', and she says that they must be mistaken - she merely lives with Firo. Isaac calls her slow on the uptake when it comes to love, and Miria exclaims that Firo's love must be tragically unrequited.

Ennis has no idea what's going on; amused, Ronny heads into the offices to check in on their business and leaves her alone to ruminate. She had never even considered the possibility of her and Firo being lovers. Her life is in his hands - that should be the sum of their relationship. But Ennis can't find a word to qualify what their relationship really is - it isn't a master-servant relationship, and since she is part of Firo they can't be called siblings nor father and daughter - so perhaps it's no wonder others think of them as lovers. She nods, but finds that she can't completely accept that conclusion.

The concept of romance is almost entirely foreign to her. Ennis knows what it means to cherish someone and to love them, but she still can't fully comprehend the difference between her love for Firo and her love for Isaac and Miria. At any rate - regardless of others' opinions, what does Firo think? And what does she think of Firo? If Firo does love her, and she is incapable of thinking of Firo as a lover in return, wouldn't that be a deep betrayal on her part? Not understanding her own emotions, Ennis is helpless in the face of Isaac and Miria's teasing. She wonders what Firo, the "owner of her life" is doing at the moment and how he'd react if he knew she was kidnapped.

Time passes. Ronny eventually notes that he intends to find and talk with Jacuzzi tomorrow, and that Ennis is free to come along or not, as the case may be. At her confusion, Ronny looks down at the streets below and comments that she has some business "with that other group," doesn't she?

Again, time passes. Isaac and Miria fall asleep on the couch, Ronny continues muttering to himself, and Ennis continues to be at a loss as to what she should do. Ronny suggests she could simply return home and relieve Firo's worry if she doesn't feel like playing along with Isaac and Miria's games any further. Ennis is torn between fulfilling Isaac and Miria's request that she play along, and the increasing guilt she feels over having left Firo alone. Even stronger than her guilt, however, is the feeling that if she goes back to Firo as she is now she will lose sight of something important.

Ronny correctly identifies the root of her troubles as the conversation she'd had with the spearwoman; he vaguely says that Szilard's mark still lurks in the shadows of the world, and comments that it might be faster to stand and confront them rather than running away. Ennis is even more confused, wondering how exactly Ronny knows who "Master Szilard" is.

The realization that she still calls Szilard 'Master' in her head complicates her heart even more. Ronny intones that he could tell her who the spearwoman is, but if she wants to find the answer for herself, she should visit the Mist Wall tomorrow, where she will find Adele and her friends. Ennis finally asks what Ronny is, and Ronny asks in turn which answer does she want. Does she want him to tell her that he's an omnipotent being, or a normal man? Perhaps she wants something else, for him to brush it off or say that it's a question he can't answer. Whatever he chooses to say, it will be up to her to accept it or not accept it. In that case, it's pointless to tell her.

Ronny's answer, while seemingly deep at first glance, is in actuality deliberately obtuse and deliberately not a real answer. Ennis can't find it in herself to press for one; she feels like something precious will break inside her if she learns the truth. Ennis is not unaffected by his words, but with great effort she puts them to the side in favor of Firo. The four spend the night together at the Empire State Building, and upon morning Isaac and Miria accompany Ronny to go find Jacuzzi while Ennis returns alone to the Alveare and reunites with the Martillos.

Ennis and Maiza talk for a little while, and Maiza notes that Firo's probably still out looking for her - considering that he took a whole day off. Newfound guilt surges in Ennis' heart as the phone rings. Seina picks up the phone, and after a moment holds it out to Ennis - it's for her. Thinking it might be Firo, Ennis takes the receiver, intending to apologize for the trouble she's caused.

Instead, The voice on the phone belongs to an unfamiliar woman. "Hello, darling," the woman says. "Ennis, was it? I'm so very disappointed in you, dear. We waited for you all night but you didn't come home." Ennis is bewildered - to her, 'home' means the apartment she shares with Firo and Ennis. What had the woman been doing there? She hesitatingly asks who the woman is and what does she want, and the woman introduces herself as Liza (note: she is speaking as Hilton, not with Liza's typical speech mannerisms).

Liza cuts to the chase: she and others currently have a hold of Firo. Shock rolls through Ennis, and Liza clarifies that while they don't really have any business with Firo yet, one of Liza's friends is simply dying to chat with Ennis, so won't she be a dear and come alone to the place Liza's about to name?

Maiza notices the change in Ennis' demeanor and asks if something is wrong. Ennis cannot reply, and wonders desperately if there has been some sort of misunderstanding, if perhaps Firo is pranking her. Liza adds that Ennis should meet her and the others on the restaurant on the top floor of the Mist Wall. Ennis recognizes the name instantly. The woman warns her not to bring any of her friends along; the invitation is for her and her alone. It certainly doesn't extend (for example), to the handsome fellow wearing glasses who's sitting right next to you...

Ennis gasps, lightning running down her spine. The woman teasingly says "weren't you wondering how I knew to call the moment you walked in the door, darling?" and Ennis surreptitiously looks left and right, despite knowing that she won't see anything out of the ordinary. The woman advises her to keep in mind that the Twins are always watching (note: the twins would be Sham and Hilton: Liza is a vessel of Hilton. Ennis does not know this).

A distressed Ennis asks who the woman is, and with a taunting tone the woman replies "I'm Liza. But my friends...my friends are the successors of Szilard Quates' will." The words leave Ennis gasping for breath.

Ennis travels to the Mist Wall, becoming progressively more soaked by the rain. As she approaches the entranceway, she sees Fang Lin-Shan and Eve Genoard standing near the building alongside Chané Laforet, Tick, and Maria. Claire is attempting to pick the lock on one of two front doors. Running forward, Ennis jiggles the handles of the other front door. Locked. With one kick, Ennis knocks the door completely off its hinges, and it falls inward in a twisted mess of metal and glass. Once she steps inside, she surveys the people lying scattered about the lobby, none of whom are Firo.

When she reaches the restaurant via the elevator, the place is absolute chaos, with customers running around in a panic. Firo spots her and cries out her name; relieved, Ennis tells him how worried she'd been. The frightened patrons ignore the touching reunion and funnel into the emergency exits. Only a few people remain: Firo and Ennis, Ronny, Jacuzzi, Christopher Shouldered, and their respective companions.

Christopher complains loudly about his aching jaw as he gets to his feet, adding that "why, not even my own parents ever laid a hand on my face, let alone a foot..." Despite his words, he looks very much unhurt and grins wildly at Ennis, amending his statement. "Not that we ever had parents, you know." Brushing the dust off his clothes, he tips Ennis a friendly wink, acting as if he's known her all his life. And then he says: "I suppose you'd know something about that too, right?"

Ennis freezes in distress. Firo demands that Christopher explain who he is. Christopher supposes that he'll tell Firo the truth as a gift to commemorate the occasion. After all, it's not every day that he gets to meet his "long lost little sister." At Firo's confusion, Christopher elaborates that he and his companions are incomplete homunculi, created based on Szilard's research. He says that although Ennis here is a far cry from being a perfect homunculus, she's at the very least immortal. Christopher and his friends on the other hand were created based on notes that were stolen before Szilard's final discovery, so all they got was the ageless part of the deal. On the bright side, he and his friends don't need someone to sustain them like Ennis does.

Firo processes the information, and asks that if the research was stolen, does that mean Szilard isn't Christopher's father? Christopher jumps on the word 'father', delighted that Firo is talking about artificial creatures like him and his friends as if they're actual people. At Firo's agitation, Christopher dismissively reminds him that he has Szilard's memories. Something should surely be ringing a bell. Firo mumbles Huey Laforet's name, and the elevator bell rings. Christopher frowns and reaches for a handful of steak knives from a nearby table.

Firo protests, but he is too late as Christopher hurls the knives at the opening doors. Claire exits the elevator a moment later, juggling the steak knives. Accompanying Claire are Chané, Maria, and Tick. Firo is shocked to see Claire (they haven't seen each other for a couple of years), and Claire observes that he's as much of a babyface as ever. Ennis is surprised at the banter, having previously witnessed Firo break off a man's fingers after the man taunted him for his youthful looks. Witnessly Firo laughing Claire's jibe off without a second thought is hard to take in.

Christopher aggressively queries who the redhead is and Claire looks over at Jacuzzi and guesses that something or other has gone wrong. From the way everyone down on the first floor was asleep, he can at least tell that the 'gas trick' worked fine. From the kitchen, Isaac and Miria cheer over a 'magic trick' and the group looks over to see them crouched by the restaurant manager (whom Christopher had shot in the head). Ennis and the others freeze as the dead man gets to his feet, groaning. Realization dawns on them, and at that moment Hong Chi-Mei calls out to Christopher from the stairwell that the building is dangerous and they've got to get out. Every single Nebula employee, Chi says, is an immortal.

A chill runs down Ennis' spine. The others' reactions are more varied, and Christopher loudly wonders why that means they should make a run for it. Chi shouts that there's no possible way they can follow Huey's orders and massacre people if they're immortal. Christopher points out that they have two people (Ennis and Firo) among them who are capable of killing immortals. Angered, Firo mutters to Ennis they should just up and leave. Ennis is reluctant to leave; she is intrigued by the homunculi's similarities with her and would like to talk with them further. However, she feels like if she starts talking to them, she'll never escape their clutches.

Christopher grins, and asks Ennis if she's sure she doesn't want to learn more. Ennis responds that she understands who they are, but she no longer has an connection with Szilard (nearly calling him Master). Christopher points out that she did once, and Huey is interested in her past as it is. Christopher wages that Ennis has "the knowledge," and if she doesn't Firo certainly does. What knowledge? Why, the secret to making a near-complete homunculus. Ennis gasps. Christopher says that Szilard kept that secret very close to "what passed for his heart," and the homunculi never managed to learn it.

Ennis' palms go cold and clammy, the questions about her origins shaking her to her core. Firo shouts that she shouldn't listen to them, and Christopher asks Adele to keep Firo quiet for a while. Before Adele can stab him, Claire grabs the tip of her spear between his fingers and stops her attack. The impending showdown is halted at the arrival of Tim (who'd run up from the research centers). Tim asks Chi what's happened, and Chi tersely replies that "Christopher happened." Tim calls the plan off, but Christopher disagrees. Tim says that as the leader of the Larvae he's ordering them to get the hell out and that he'll take responsibility for the fallout.

Christopher slowly lowers his gun and gives in. However, now that he's off the job, it only makes sense that he can do what he wants in his spare time, right? He lunges at Claire, and the man lashes a kick out at Christopher, who says "God might love you..." as he leaps over Claire's leg and brings his knee up to Claire's chin. With a sharp crack, Claire's upper body reels back as the knee connects. Christopher finishes his sentence: "...but I don't, human." The battle continues, during which Claire purposefully breaks one of the windows and states that they should continue the fight outside and away from the others. Christopher follows, and the two step outside and onto the dangerous pyramid slope. Chi shakes his head and tells Tim he'll watch after Christopher. With that, Chi dashes forward and into the the rain before Tim can stop him. A moment later, Chané follows Chi through the window and out onto the pyramid.

Left alone in the restaurant are Jacuzzi and company, Firo and Ennis, Isaac and Miria, Tim and Adele, Tick and Maria, and Ronny. Afraid, Adele swings her spear downwards towards Jacuzzi, only for Maria to block the blow.

On the sidelines, Firo leans over to Ennis and whispers that he'll step in if it looks like Maria can't handle it. He swears, and wonders why none of Ennis' "brothers and sisters" are like her. Ennis gasps, realizing that one of them is missing - the one who'd called herself Liza over the phone. They watch the fight, and eventually intervene in an attempt to stop another massacre from occurring (Maria, along with Tick, briefly talk with Ronnie). Ennis and Firo end up fighting Adele themselves, but since they don't having much experience fighting a spearwielder Adele easily stands her ground.

Maria calls out to the two that Adele is hers, and the two of them pause. Adele takes a step back from the pair and focuses her attentions on Maria. The two resume fighting, and ultimately Maria emerges the victor after stabbing Adele in her shoulder. Ennis and the others turn their attention to the fight outside, not noticing the arrival of Dallas (and his subsequent goring courtesy of Adele) at first until they hear him and Tim shouting. Nice Holystone looks over and sees lit explosives burning under Dallas' jacket. She shrieks for everyone to hit the floor.

In the aftermath of the explosion, Ennis and the others pick themselves up from wherever they'd been flung. Ennis, along with Firo, locate Isaac and Miria and slightly slap them back to consciousness. Having made sure that the two were fine, Firo turns and sees Dallas dragging Tim and Adele over to one of the open windows. Before Firo or Ennis can move to stop him, Tick walks up behind Dallas and stabs him in the spine with a pair of scissors. And then another (in his right shoulder). And then another (into his left side). Tick when finishes quietly talking to Dallas he pulls out the scissors from Dallas' spine and nudges him through the window. Dallas falls to his temporary death.

Just as Tick pushes Dallas out the window, Chi enters through another one, carrying an unconscious Christopher older his shoulder. He asks what happened to Tim and Adele, and Tim orders him to take care of Adele. Chi yells Sham's and Hilton's names, asking if either of the twins are present. A waiter emerges from the kitchen at Chi's call, and Chi (calling the man Sham) asks him to help with Adele. The waiter nods. Chi and Sham take the elevator down with Christopher and Adele draped over their respective shoulders.

Claire and Chané enter the room moments later, and Claire asks what happened to Dallas. Tick simply replies that "he had to go," and Ennis and the others shiver at his words. The different groups head their separate ways. Firo asks Ennis if she thinks that Chi was telling the truth when he said that all the Nebula employees were immortals, and she awkwardly replies that there is nothing much the either of them can do about it if he was. Firo has another question: does Ennis think the Lamia guys will come back? Ennis calls them her 'siblings,' and Firo says that she shouldn't let what they said get to her.

She smiles and replies that she won't. After all, she already has two fine brothers - Firo and Czes are all the siblings she could ever ask for. The two return to the Alveare, where Ronny (who'd likely teleported there first) snarks at Firo, calling him "the man who didn't spare me a glance when a bomb exploded not ten feet away from where I was sitting." Firo asks how negotiations went with Jacuzzi and the others, and Ronny replies that although they refuse to work for the Martillos, they've agreed to give the Martillos a cut of their profits in exchange for working on their turf. Firo is slightly confused - weren't they in cahoots with Dallas to kidnap him and Ennis?

The Martillo members eavesdropping on the conversation snigger to each other, and Firo shrugs and goes over to the counter, ordering Ennis and himself sandwiches. Ennis sits next to him and whispers that she thinks they don't need to tell Maiza about the Lamia or what Nebula did, and Firo agrees. Isaac and Miria greet the couple, and Firo finally apologizes for the dominoes incident. Unfortunately for him, the duo have forgotten all about the incident - but Isaac snaps his fingers, remembers, and the two order Firo to cry uncle. Firo says the word 'uncle', bewildered, and Isaac and Miria cheer at their success.

The two obliviously reveal that they'd heard that Firo had been running around in the rain calling out Ennis' name when he'd learned she'd gone missing, and Ennis is visibly surprised at this. Firo demands to know who told them, and when he learns that it was Czes he tears out of the restaurant to look for the boy. In his absence, Ennis is asked what Firo means to her. She smiles softly and answers with the truth. "Firo is very precious to me. He's...family."

1934
Ennis learns that Firo has been arrested and sent to Alcatraz and surprised when she is greatly shaken at the news. Only now that he is gone does she quietly realize just how much he means to her. But Firo isn't the only one gone - Isaac has also been arrested (at the Alveare), and the Martillos can only assume that he's locked away in a jail somewhere. Though Ennis hadn't been there to see Miria's reaction, just picturing her friend's face feels like a vise clamping down on her own heart.

A week after Firo's arrest, Ennis mopes about in the Alveare, frustrated beyond words at her own powerlessness. She knows that it will do her no good to wallow in depression, and sits there attempting to think of something -- anything -- that she can do to ameliorate things. Czes approaches her and asks if she is alright, and informs her that she shouldn't be worried about Firo. She asks if her worry was that obvious, and agrees that she should let it get to her so much. Czes says that it's only natural it's getting to her, but she really doesn't need to worry - she and Firo have all the time in the world to see each other again.

Ennis smiles and comments that Czes would know - it took him over a hundred years, but he'd finally had his own reunion with Maiza. Czes looks away, and Ennis loses the smile, wondering if she's made a mistake. Their attention is drawn to a commotion at the front door, where Seina is telling a man that the restaurant isn't open yet. He brusquely says that he has an appointment with the Martillos, and demands to know if Maiza is inside. You could say he and Maiza go way back. He rudely tells Seina to move, and shoves past the shopkeeper and into the room.

Ennis notices that Czes has gone white as a sheet, and she looks over to the man to see what the issue is. She realizes that she recognizes him from the alchemist's memories, and she shudders from a wave of regret and guilt - pain that only Firo could have lessened. Her face begins to betray her emotions but the man doesn't appear to notice, spotting Czes sitting beside her. His face softening ever so slightly, the stranger greets Czes and asks him how long it has been since they last saw each other - about two hundred and twenty three years, give or take?

The man - Victor Talbot - seats himself at Czes and Ennis' table and the two old immortals set to talking (much to Czes' reluctance). Irritated at all of Czes' questions, Victor asks Czes what happened to Fermet, and at Czes' horror he bluntly says that everyone has questions they don't want to be asked, so he'll leave it be and he'll ask Czes to to do the same.

Ennis wants to interject on Czes' behalf since he is clearly distressed, but every time she looks at Victor she backs down. To the alchemist she'd devoured, Victor had been a fast friend - and knowing that Victor had been friends with the man Ennis had murdered she finds it rather hard to think straight. Had Victor come to kill her and get revenge? Or perhaps he wanted to claim his friend's memories. Victor glances over at her and seems to notice her unease. He opens his mouth to say something, but the three are joined by Maiza at that moment. The two exchange strained greetings, and Maiza sighs and asks what business an assistant director of the Department of Justice has with the Martillos.

Maiza's words draw the attention of all the people in the restaurant, who turn to glare at Victor. Victor is unperturbed and brings up their mutual fellow Huey, who he'd arrested and dumped in Alcatraz. He irritably informs Maiza that Huey has somehow been managing to send orders out to his factions even from within the confines of prison, and that he and his men haven't been able to figure out how Huey's done it. And that's why they sent in Maiza's boy Firo after him. The men in the restaurant rise to their feet at that, and Maiza frigidly asks Victor to explain himself.

Victor stands as well, and he looks over at Ennis, a complex mix of emotions flashing across his face. He says that Firo took the fall for Ennis; they'd made a deal that Firo would do a job for the government and in exchange they'd erase Ennis' crimes. Ennis looks him squarely in the eyes for the first time, and Victor holds the gaze as he neutrally lists the crimes in question. Ennis pales as he talks. Victor moves to leave after warning Maiza to stay away from whatever show Huey has planned for the city over the next few days. His exit is delayed by Yaguruma and Ronny, who threaten him in their own ways.

1935
In February, Ennis finishes helping carry some objects in the back of the restaurant and sits at the counter. She notices an unfamiliar child (whose hands and face are covered in scars) looking at her, and first wonders what the child's gender is and then wonders why the child is staring at her so intensely. The child seems to be interested in Ennis herself more than the business suit she is wearing. As Ennis take a sip of herbal tea, The child speaks up and asks if her names is Ennis. Ennis acknowledges that it is, and asks who the child is.

The child remarks that Ennis is different from what they'd been expecting - they'd thought Ennis would look rougher like "old man Szilard." At her old master's name, a chill runs through Ennis' body. Thinking that perhaps the child might have come to devour her, Ennis tenses. The child assures her that they are a homunculus as well, so they're on the same side. Ennis is shocked, and the child clarifies that they're a little different from her - they're incomplete. Ennis learns that the child's name is Rail, and thanks to the tension between them they don't notice the pair that enter the restaurant until one of the newcomers calls out to Seina, asking to talk with the Martillo Family.

Ennis is troubled by Rail's lack of expression and turns to the source of the voice. It was a youth who had called out, one year or two older than Rail. The second newcomer sings the shop's praises, and Ennis stiffens when she recognizes the second one as Christopher. Thinking that he's hear to harm the Alveare's patrons, Ennis stands and prepares to charge. She holds back only when Rail calls out Chris' name, and Ennis is confused at the tears in Rail's eyes.

The youth (Ricardo) enters the Martillo office (where Jacuzzi is speaking with Molsa Martillo). Ennis returns to her duties. Later, Jacuzzi, Rail, and Christopher head off towards Firo's casino at Molsa's suggestion. Ennis tails them, blending in with the crowd only for Czes to call out to her and ask if she's following the group for work. Ennis vaguely says that it's nothing like that, and Czes clarifies that he was talking to both of them. A girl emerges from under the awning of a nearby truck and Ennis recognizes her as Annie, a waitress who had started working for the Alveare since last year.

Ennis asks her why she's here, and Annie says that since Ennis looked upset earlier she'd followed her to see what was going on. Watching Jacuzzi disappear out of the corner of her eye, Ennis apologizes for possibly causing Annie trouble. Annie gets straight to the point and says that Firo's casino ought to be just up ahead, and Ennis falters, not wanting to lead Annie into trouble. Annie asks Ennis what Firo is to her, and Ennis tilts her head quizzically. She says that Firo is like her family, and Annie says that that's good.

The three reach the casino, and Annie asks if Ennis is going to enter. Ennis cautiously says that she doesn't want to interfere with Firo's work, and Annis pushes her a little, saying they can enter as regular customers. Ennis says that Czes and Annie should probably leave and not get involved; Annie pulls on her cheeks and points out that if it does get dangerous Ennis will be in equally as much trouble. The waitress stands arms akimbo and says that Ennis is a "frail, helpless girl, same as me! So the conditions should be the same!" Ennis asks what conditions, and Annie flushes a little.

Their silence is broken when a man dashes between them and disappears into the casino. Annie accuses her and Firo of "just not caring" and Ennis apologizes if they've caused some trouble for Annie. However, she knows that Firo does care. He's very serious and considerate of those around him. Czes breaks the tension when he alerts them to the fact that the man who'd gone inside just now looked like he had a large gun.

Ennis hurries down the stairs and plants her feet into the gunman's collarbone (it cracks with an audible snap) and plucks the gun out of his hand. She slams the butt of the gun in his open mouth, knocking out his teeth. He collapses to the ground. The casino patrons applaud Ennis enthusiastically. Firo raises his voice and announces that the casino will conclude its business for the day since the police will probably come and investigate the gunshots, and promises to compensate the patrons tomorrow. The customers scramble for the exchange counter and out the door.

As Firo grits his teeth in frustration, Ennis approaches him and asks if he's alright. He says he's fine, and asks if she's hurt. She says no, and that when she'd heard the gunshots earlier she thought someone might have been hurt. Christopher pops out from behind Ennis and says hi to Firo, much to his unamusement. Graham Specter soon enters the casino and attack Christopher, and during the commotion Ennis moves this way and that, unable to take in the situation.

Ricardo grabs Firo and draws his attention to newly arrived Ladd Russo (Firo's fellow inmate from Alcatraz) and Lua Klein. Ennis watches as Firo pleads with Ladd to make Graham stop, but Ladd says that when Graham gets like this you can't stop him unless you douse him in alcohol. They all continue talking and Jacuzzi shouts at Ladd to look out - Christopher has grabbed hold of Graham's wrench and throws it in Ladd's direction. Ladd grabs it with his metal prosthetic and sends it flying. Ennis kicks the wrench away before it can hit Rail, and Rail thanks her. Ennis asks if Rail is okay, and Rail moodily replies that Ennis didn't need to do that. Ennis looks at Rail in relief and says "Good....you're okay," much to Rail's consternation.

Ladd asks if he can join in on Graham's and Christopher's fight, and Ennis feels a chill as she looks at Ladd's bloodthirsty smile. The chaos in the casino becomes even more jumbled with the arrivals of Melvi Dormentaire and Claire, as well as Carzelio Runorata (guarded by the twins and his entourage). Ennis witnesses the ensuing events without interfering.

Sometime after the casino incident, Melvi's men blow up Firo's apartment and kidnap Ennis (who was caught up in the blast along with Czes). She is taken to a warehouse basement and her hands are cuffed behind the back of a chair and her legs bound with barbed wire. Her clothes are scorched and torn.

Ennis asks who Melvi is, and his shoulders slump. He reminds her that he introduced himself at Firo's casino as 'Melvi', a casino dealer for the Runoratas. Ennis says that if that is true she cannot think of a reason for her abduction. Melvi casually replies that he can think of plenty of explanations. For example, what if the Family had taken a Martillo member hostage in order to take the Martillos down?

Ennis (who suspects that her kidnapping is immortal-related) calmly responds that she remembers the Runorata Family is large enough that it doesn't need to take roundabout measures. Melvi spits out a question of his own - is her memory of it really her own memory, or one that Szilard gave her? ...Or maybe it's the memory of someone she'd devoured. He asks if his face is familiar to her and though she does find it vaguely familiar she can't place it.

As she seriously mulls over the question, Melvi boredly clicks his tongue and remarks that it seems like the alchemist she devoured wasn't very people-observant. Melvi says it's simple - an alchemist like the one she'd devoured should be able to remember Melvi's face But it's clear the one she'd devoured was a bit hazy on the details. Although -- the face the alchemists saw was the real one, not Melvi's. He doesn't know how identical their faces are. Ennis wonders if Melvi is one of the surviving alchemists from the Advena Avis, but she thinks there is something strange about him.

Melvi hmphs that it has nothing to do with a newly-born homunculus like Ennis. She asks what his connection to Szilard is, and his answer is instantaneous. "I am Szilard Quates." Or technically speaking, he should have been. He says that his full name is Melvi Dormentaire, and asks if the surname rings a bell. Ennis instinctively gasps House Dormentaire in recognition. Szilard had told her that the Dormentaires were nothing more than his stepping stones, and that once he'd taken control of the country he'd crush them.

Ennis says that she doesn't understand what he means, and Melvi lifts her chin with his hand and brings her face close to hers. He asks if she thinks the alchemist she devoured is alive inside of her. He calls the question important, since Ennis has essentially stolen all the man's memories from him - who he loved, what he felt and when, who humiliated him. Is Ennis the same person she was before she devoured the alchemist? Is her personality the same, her soul the same? Melvi eases up, observing that she won't even look at him so he probably won't get an answer out of her. He says that Ennis can take as many days as she needs to think about it.

Walking a few steps up the stairs, he stops and says tonelessly that he was born as Szilard's "spare." Or to put it another way, a "new vessel." Ennis' question dies in her throat at Melvi's eyes, which look like stagnant pools filled with endless darkness. He states that Firo "stole my future. He killed me." Ennis protests, and Melvi spits that Firo devoured Szilard. That's all there is to it. Melvi had been positive it was Maiza who had devoured Szilard though - he would have never thought Firo would be the one responsible.

Melvi says that he's been far more concerned about Ennis than he should have been, and with emotion he asks Ennis how many years she thinks he spent investigating her. How many of his colleagues does she believe were watching her, and for how long? Ennis is shaken at the implication, and her good memories of her everyday life feel tainted with this new, ugly truth. Melvi smirks and informs her that his organization's reach is longer than she thinks - even bigger than the Runoratas' power. He resumes ascending the staircase, and threatens that since she's immortal he can cause her as much pain as she likes; the only reason he hasn't done so already is because he is a gentleman.

Ennis protests that their conversation isn't over, and he reminds her of what he'd told her previously: a conversation is like a game of catch. If she wants to ask him something, she'd better think long and hard about her own answer to his questions. It'll help him continue to be kind to her. Ennis is doubtful at is words - if he frees her limbs from their bonds, she'll have a much better chance of escaping. He warns her that if she tries to run, he'll kill everyone he captured with her, immortal or otherwise. Ennis immediately pictures Czes, and she pleads with Melvi to let him go (not knowing that Melvi doesn't have Czes).

Melvi calls her an idiot, and repeats that he'll only kill her friends if she tries to run away. And if she thinks that Czes won't die because of his immortality, she's mistaken. He reveals that he is capable of devouring an immortal as well, and of course, Ennis knows how to kill an immortal intimately. Ennis' throat tightens at the implication that Melvi is an incomplete immortal versus an incomplete immortal, but she can't tell how much of what he is saying she should believe. Ennis realizes that Melvi is capable of killing without mercy - just like Szilard, and she watches his retreating back as he laughs.

Several days pass, during which time Ennis is unbound and she is moved to a first class cabin aboard a ship. She still has yet to find an easy answer to her situation, and she uneasily thinks back to what Melvi had said about sending spies to watch her. Rail's face comes to mind, but Ennis doesn't believe that Rail was one of the spies. Ennis regretfully thinks that she should have been more careful, should have realized that an immortal-related incident was imminent in the city.

She thinks back to what Melvi had said. If he really is an immortal, then Ennis could put her hand on his head and....her gaze falls to her right hand, and she thinks back to the first time she'd devoured someone. Can she devour another person again after such a traumatic experience? Would she even be able to reach Melvi's head in such an uncertain emotional state? She hears a knock at the door, and before she can answer it the door swings open anyway. In walks Melvi, and he makes a vulgar joke at her expense.

Melvi asks her if she's thought of an answer to the question he'd asked her in the cellar. He repeats the question verbatim, keeping a fixed distance away from her. Ennis replies that she didn't have a soul, by its traditional definition. She has become a different kind of being from before thanks to absorbing that alchemist. Melvi triumphantly declares that she's just admitted her past self died. She notes that "that may be so. But I'm a different being today than what I was yesterday, too."

Melvi smiles a little and tilts his head questioningly. Ennis elaborates that people change thanks to accumulating knowledge and experience as they grow. And with things like the human heart and the soul, we observe those in others and not in ourselves. If there is nobody there to observe us, we may as well be dead. Melvi asks what she's trying to say, and Ennis continues that by devouring that alchemist, she'd gained a link to the world through his knowledge. However, the first time she truly connected with the world was when Szilard died. The day she had met so many people...and her world expanded.

She adds that people can change in solitude as well, but she thinks it's because those people know what it's like to not be alone. "Life" is a well-defined concept, but the 'soul' is ambiguous. Her personal philosophy is that the countless connections she has to the world are what forms the thing Melvi calls her own soul. What makes her herself is the people who acknowledge her. As she continues to meet people, she will continue to change into someone new.

Melvi labels her answer as awfully convenient, and asks if she thinks that she is a different person from the person she was back when she didn't know right from wrong, can she be forgiven for the things she did in the past? Ennis doesn't think so, and says that her connections now are the results of what she's done in the past. If someone who knew the alchemist accused her of being a murder, she would have nothing to say in her defense.

Melvi's smile is faint and devoid of humanity when he replies that by that logic, does she mean that she won't care if Firo calls her a murderer? It was Firo who killed Szilard, anyway. She states that Firo had been acting in justifiable self-defense and Melvi sneers that Firo is mafia. How can she want to claim justifiable anything for someone who's probably committed more crimes than she can count? His smile weakens when Ennis looks at him with her eyes shining with strength. She corrects him: Firo isn't Mafia. He's Camorra. Melvi mumbles that she needn't be so pedantic; nobody cares.

Ennis decisively says that Firo cares. It's very important to him. She continues her refutation: she won't deny that he's a Martillo, and she will acknowledge that he perpetuates illegal gambling and commits crimes. Yes, Firo's work may not be legitimate, but that's a completely separate matter from the Szilard incident. Melvie wants to know if she thinks it would have been better for the world if Szilard had wiped out an organization "like that" and Ennis admits that although Firo is her benefactor she can't say that he's a good person for society in general. Firo is prepared and willing to do "certain things" but she doesn't believe he'll have to act on that resolve.

In comparison, the Szilard she knew was horrifically evil and he had a will and action to match that evil. Melvi remarks that Szilard must have been a true monster if his own creation speaks of him in such a way. He reminds Ennis that Szilard's memories are inside Firo, and she doesn't know what they'll do to him. Hasn't she ever considered that those memories will corrupt him? Ennis shakes her head, and states that Firo is stronger than she is.

Melvi cracks his neck and heads for the door, saying that he didn't come in to argue with her. He was just running an errand and decided to drop by. Ennis calls out to stop him and asks him "who are you...really?" He supposes that she did give him an answer after all, and decides that he will give her something in return. He reveals that although his name is Melvie Dormentaire, he doesn't actually have any Dormentaire blood. In fact, he's an incomplete homunculus created by the Dormentaires, same as Ennis.

He divulges that House Dormentaire got its hands on some of the elixir, but only enough for a few people. One does was for the "greedy woman," another for the woman's little toy, the injured girl. The last dose was for the head of a ruined aristocratic family, upon whom the Dormentaires experimented for two hundred years to eventually create Melvi, though the man hadn't known that when he'd drunk it.

Melvi pats his face, and smirks that apparently Maiza took after his mother while Gretto looked just like his father when he was young. Ennis is speechless, and as Melvi leaves he says to her "see you, puppet. It won't be long before I'm human. Just like I promised before...I'm going to be reborn as Szilard Quates."

Sometime later, Ennis reanalyzes her situation when she is alone. Melvi has threatened to kill those he has abducted alongside her should she make an attempt to escape - so she shouldn't move carelessly. Ennis can't help but wonder if she can really just sit in her room and do nothing. Can she afford to let herself fill the role of captive puppet, can she continue to trouble the Martillos and Firo and Czes like this.

She contemplates how accepting Firo, Isaac, Miria, and the rest of the Martillos had been of her, and how their acceptance could have only been rooted in strength. She cannot allow their strength to be harmed through her own 'weakness of will', so she resolves to do everything that she can in her present situation. And in order to carry out her resolution, she will use all the 'knowledge' that she has been avoiding up until now: the knowledge of Szilard Quates, that he had reaped through the deaths of others.

1980s-2001
Ennis marries Firo in the early 1980s, and thus takes his surname and becomes Ennis Prochainezo. By this time, she has developed romantic feelings for him - though overall very little about their interactions and day to day relationship has changed. As implied by Randy and Pezzo, their wedding was a bloody mess thanks to some "weirdos" who crashed the wedding.

2002
A few decades pass. In the first half of 2002, Ennis and Firo assist Maiza and his friends (who are in a certain European country) from New York via telephone; Maiza and his companions need Ennis' and Firo's advice on a solution that would ensure that certain homunculi could survive in the outside word (or in other words, to make them 'human').

In August 2002 (at the Alveare) Miria notes that Ennis always closely watches "stuff like that" (alluding to wedding/honeymoons) whenever it comes up on television. That night, Firo returns to the apartment where Ennis is, and suggests they go on 'vacation.' Ennis says that she'd love to go anywhere with him, and asks why the sudden decision. Czes answers the room, and a nervous Firo blurts out that it's a 'family vacation' instead of a honeymoon. Ennis had said that a Denkurō fellow might be in Japan, and well - Firo'd made friends with a certain Japanese photographer earlier that month who said that Firo could visit him. It would be odd if Firo went by himself, so...all three of them should go together. The next day, Firo receives three suite room tickets from Molsa to a luxury cruise ship which cost over ten thousand dollars per person. Two weeks later, Firo, Ennis, and Czes travel to the west coast and prepare to board the Entrance with falsified passports (courtesy of Victor). Ennis looks up at the enormous ship and reflects that she never could have imagined that technology would improve so rapidly in less than a century. Czeslaw quips that he was more impressed with the railroads back in the 19th century. As Firo ask an attendant about liquor availability, Ennis goes over to ask another attendant about checking in their luggage. The trio make it through immigrations without incident and drop their luggage off in their suite before heading up to the deck to look at the harbor from the bow. Firo catches sight of a large mechanical shark being hoisted onto the deck via a crane beside the cruise liner, and one of the other two marvels at the fact that the shark is a robot. At Firo's surprise, Czes informs him that the ship is going to host a publicity event in Japan, and Ennis chimes in that they might also hold other events during the cruise. Firo wonders what movie the shark is for (Jaws V, perhaps?) and pulls out his pamphlet. Before he can puzzle it out, a girl calls out "Uncle Firo." He turns to see Claudia and Charon Walken on the deck, and he greets them delightedly.

Ennis greets Claudia, and the girl says it's nice to see her again. Firo asks about the siblings' great-grandparents, and laughs bitterly when he learns that they're both fine and Claire is still going strong, even past ninety. A girl in a yellow-and-black gothic dress approaches the group, and Claudia is immediately taken with her. The two girls run over to the shark, while Charon talks about "Uncle Keith" with stoic admiration.

Ennis laughs that it looks like it'll be a lively cruise, and Frio (inwardly conflicted) smiles at her and says that she's right.

After the grandiose departure ceremony ends and Firo changes out of his tux and into a more comfortable jacket, the three walk through the ship's corridors. After they order room service for dinner, Ennis heads off to a beauty salon under Czes' advisement. There, she is curious to see if human treatments will have the same effects on a homunculus, though she is absurdly worried that the consultants will notice the differences in the makeup of her skin and accuse her of being non-human. Those worries do not come to pass; instead, the masseuse compliments her on how clear her skin is.

Three hours later, her treatment is done. Wondering if she looks strange, she returns to their cabin in order to ask Firo or Czes for their opinion, only to find the two missing. Remembering that Firo had intended to visit the casino, Ennis heads over to the casino but finds Firo absent. She returns to her room and waits a while, but neither two contact her. She finally decides she'd better go find them, but as she stands she hears the card key beeping at the entrance. In walks Firo, and Ennis' sigh of relief is quickly stifled when she realizes his clothes are peppered with bullet holes.

Firo laughs bitterly and says that he took care of it and he's used to this sort of thing by now. He takes out his glasses from his breast pocket and is disappointed to find that they are mangled (they were expensive). As Firo buries himself on the couch, the internal phone line rings and Ennis hurries over to answer it. It's Czes, and she lets Firo know that Czes apparently plans on staying over at someone else's tonight, so they won't have to worry about him. After a moment, Firo flushes and Ennis moves closes to Firo out of worry, thinking him ill. His face only grows even more red at her approach, and she becomes more concerned. She reminds him that even immortals can get temporarily feverish if poisoned or infected, and he assures her that's not it at all. Calming down, Firo tells her that her face and arms look "really soft." She looks away nervously and asks if she looks strange, and Firo says that she looks beautiful.

Ennis blushes, and she looks at him shyly. Before they go to bed, Firo tells her an edited version of what had happened earlier that day, mentioning he'd met a man called Angelo at the casino. The couple's first day aboard the Entrance comes to an seemingly uneventful close (excluding the fact that Firo had been gunned down earlier).

The next day, Firo and Ennis head to the ship's shopping mall and sit on a bench, people-watching. Firo remarks that he slept very well the night before, and Ennis agrees; she had been worried that it would be difficult to fall asleep in such an unfamiliar environment but the quality of the bed made things so much more comfortable.

Angelo walks up to them and apologizes for keeping them waiting. Firo laughs and introduces him to Ennis, and vice-versa. She greets the man, and he says that she's really quite beautiful, and he's a little jealous. Almost enough to want to trade for his wife. At Firo's look, he assures the two that he was joking, all though he might just be every so slightly envious still. Ennis tells him that he's too kind, and Angelo apologizes to her for the bullet holes in Firo's outfit. Angelo asks Firo if it's really alright to get Ennis involved, and Firo assures him that Ennis won't be in any danger. The Mask Makers have women on their team, so Ennis can check the places that only women can go to. Besides, neither he nor Ennis are happy about being on the same ship as those "creeps."

Ennis falls into thought as she listens to them talk. Neither of them had delved into the specifics of what had happened to Firo the night before. Firo had told her everything that occurred up to a gun being pointed at him, and Ennis could tell by the state of his clothes that he'd been shot at least four times. But Firo hadn't told her anything else, nor how he'd gotten out of that misunderstanding. All she knows is that Angelo found out about Firo's immortality and that Firo feels like he has to help him after everything Angelo had told him. That's reason enough for Ennis, and she has no intention of prying or getting angry as long as he can forgive the culprit with a grin.

Firo, she knows, always tries to take too much on by herself. And that's what draws her to him. So, she isn't angry - but she's resolved to do whatever she can to ease the burdens Firo has taken upon himself while they live together, and that makes her happy. Still, something has occurred to Ennis as she watches Firo conversing with Firo, and that is that Firo is good at using people "without telling them the important things." Not manipulation, per se: rather, he has a knack for making other people think I want to help too. Ennis isn't sure if this is all a calculated effort on Firo's part, or if he's just oblivious but competent - but she feels that this is something that Firo is exceedingly adept at.

No matter the case, she is certain that she likes Firo, the man who needs her and stays by her side even when he does not need her help. She'd expressed these feelings to Czes in the past, and he'd laughed and said that Firo probably thinks the same about her. "Like husband, like wife." Ennis had thought at the time is that what it means? Mulling over the thought now, Ennis recalls the moment when Firo had proposed, and and her face turns bright red. Firo worriedly points out that she's flushing, and asks if she's okay.

The trio move to a nearby cafe and order coffee. As they talk, they overhear Claudia chatting away by the fountain, and Firo and Ennis cheerfully talk about how Claudia has always loved the limelight. Angelo curiously interrupts and asks if they know her, and Firo guesses he could say that they're family friends. Angelo admits that he's a bit envious, since he's a fan of her work. The three start scanning their surroundings for signs of the Mask Makers, and the animatronic shark is rolled into the hall. There they see a cog-clad hero waving beside the shark, and Ennis notices that Charon is acting more awkwardly than normal (the boy inside The Gear suit is actually Bobby Splot).

Angelo spots the Mask Makers and alerts Firo and Ennis to their presence - they're the two people who've just sat down at the table beside them. The three decide to tail the duo when they move to the second floor, but things go south when the gothic lolita girl from before points at Angelo and asks excitedly if he was the gunman from the other day and isn't this such a coincidence? Unless he happens to be here to kill people. The trio's cover is blown, and the Mask Maker duo pull out their guns. Angelo draws his gun and shoots the shoulders of the men as they fire, and Firo just barely manages to block the two bullets from reaching Angelo's forehead with his shoulder.

Ennis is the first to react, standing and kicking the table in mid-air towards their enemies. The duo are thrown to the ground, and the hall is thrown into chaos as the passengers panic. Firo and Ennis dash inside the cafe, soon followed by Angelo. Gunshots follow, shattering the cafe windows, and the customers and employees vacate via the back door. Angelo, Firo, and Ennis are the only ones left. As they take cover, Angelo (the only one with a gun) apologizes for dragging them into a shootout after all, and asks about Firo's shoulder. Firo self-deprecatingly jokes that at this rate he won't have any clothes without bullet holes left over.

Angelo continues to coldly shoot their enemies down until he and Firo spot individual clad entirely in black on the fourth floor, holding an assault rifle and wearing a mask and goggles. Firo advises Ennis to stay back, since the man looks like a "serious sicko." Angelo doesn't think the man was one of the people he saw back in South America, and he receives a call from the Demolisher.

As soon as Angelo's caller hangs up, a powerful explosion rocks the hall. Firo peeks outside and sees that their enemies have gone, and he asks Angelo if his caller was responsible for the mess. Looking out again, Firo spots the Gear demon running toward the animatronic shark. Thinking it's Charon, Firo runs out from the cafe shelter and toward the Gear demon, ignoring Angelo's and Ennis' protests as they follow his lead. Firo sees a young girl inside the shark and pulls her out, by this time having realized that the boy inside The Gear is not Charon. Ennis and the others return to the cafe interior, where Firo lays the girl down.

When the girl comes to she cries out Angelo's name and embraces him, relieved that he is safe. Shocked, Angelo hugs her and asks, "how...how did you get here, boss?" Firo is flabbergasted that Angelo's 'boss' (Carnea Kaufman) is as young as she is; Carnea admits that she'd stowed away thanks to "Mister Demolisher," who'd promised her that if she were on board the ship Angelo wouldn't start any gunfights.

Angelo's ice-cold fury overwhelms Ennis and the others, and the boy in the costume lets out a little scream and takes a step back. Firo takes the opportunity to ask the boy who he is, and the boy lies and says that he is Charon's stuntman. Ennis and the others take the two children back to the suite room, and the adults discusses their next course of action. Firo leaves the room to go find Czes.

In the aftermath of the events aboard the ship, Ennis approaches Czes and Firo, the latter of whom who lies spread-eagle on the topside deck. Czes leaves the two alone, and whatever happens next is left unsaid. Once the Entrance makes port Ennis and the rest of her family are excused from detainment thanks to Claudia, who asks her director John Drox to count the three as part of their publicity crew for Japan. The three subsequently fly with Claudia on a chartered plane to their destination, where they report to a beleaguered Victor. Firo and Czes spend half a day of Victor's complaints and lectures.

In the end, Ennis, Firo and Czes meet up with Firo's photographer friend, and the photographer returns to their hotel so he can prepare his camera. The three go off on their own to stroll around Kyoto, and since the three of them are well-versed in Japanese they don't need a translator to help them get around. As they walk, Firo apologizes and admits that all this time he's been scared of Szilard's memories, and that he'd been confident he could protect them without resorting to that damn knowledge. He regrets not using the memories earlier - if he had, he feels like things would have been solved much quicker. At any rate, things will be different now.

Ennis is worried, but Firo nods resolutely and promises that he will always be himself. Even though he has Szilard's memories, he'll never become "like that old bastard." Ennis is overjoyed at his confidence.

Abilities
Ennis possesses absolute immortality, unable to die, age, get sick, or be permanently wounded. This is due to the fact that her cells are linked with complete immortals.

Despite the fact that she is a homunculus, Ennis is also subject to the 'rules' of immortal humans; she cannot use pseudonyms among other immortals, and she can 'devour' other immortals through her right hand by touching their head and wishing to 'eat' them, effectively ending the other immortal's life and granting her all of the deceased immortal's knowledge.

Ennis possess extremely sharp senses and quick reflexes. She is a capable fighter, easily combatting multiple armed thugs without weapons of her own. She has extensive knowledge given to her by Szilard in order for her to carry out her duties.

Relationships
Isaac and Miria - After getting off to a rough start when she almost runs them over, she meets them personally after saving the pair from Dallas Genoard and his gang. They thank her enthusiastically, becoming her first friends. The three reunite outside the Alveare, where Isaac and Miria steal Szilard's car and run over him, Dallas, and his gang. After recovering, Szilard orders Ennis to subdue the couple while he attempts to devour Maiza. Knowing that Szilard will kill her, Ennis asks Isaac and Miria to remember her before she turns and literally stabs Szilard in the back. Ennis continues to be good friends with them from then on. In fact, Ennis has written that she thinks of the two as her own siblings.

Szilard Quates - Her creator and former master. He viewed her as a worthless insect, though she had thought she was something like a daughter to him. Their relationship was one of master and servant - cold and emotionless. He did not even provide her with food unless she was accompanying him on a trip.

Firo Prochainezo - Both met outside Barnes' burning house, bumping into each other. In the novels, Firo follows her simply because he finds her pretty, not because she loses her cufflink. Ennis moves into his place after 1930, and for a long while views him as a brother and not as a potential lover (stemming from her stunted emotional growth). She eventually develops feelings for him, and the two get married sometime in the early 1980s. They do not go on their honeymoon until 2002.

Czeslaw Meyer - Czes is Ennis' adopted 'younger' brother. He was given to her by Isaac and Miria as a 'gift', thanks to them misunderstanding a letter she'd wrote to them about her deceased brothers. It's mentioned that Czes and Ennis frequently spend time together, so it's safe to assume that they have a close relationship. The fact that Czes is nearly two hundred years older than her does not seem to trouble her as he rarely acts his age around her in to avoid being awkward, making their role as siblings more enjoyable.

Trivia

 * Ennis is 'well-versed' in Japanese according to 2002: (B Side) Blood Sabbath.
 * In an interview, Ryohgo Narita revealed that Ennis was originally conceived as a succubus acting as the villain's familiar in his early ideas for Baccano!, and that the main character was supposed to fall in love with her at first sight. The gangs were supposed to have several big fights with the 'evil sorcerer' (presumably the villain) and steal her away. (Translation here.)