So here we go! We begin our story soon after Ed's (re)appointment to the military and before he gets his first assignment, which is why Winry is still in town. Where will we end up after my twisted mind has finished? We'll have to see!
Seal One
"That is the last time I come to see them!" huffed Winry as she lugged her suitcase to the train station in Central. "Let's see how Ed likes it when I just up and disappear."
Winry fumed as she stomped her way down the streets in the dark. The late hour hadn't deterred her; if it were possible it made her more cross. The sun had set hours ago, but she hadn't seen Ed or Al since breakfast. Receiving Al's message that he and his brother wouldn't be back until very late had been the last straw. Winry had packed up and decided to catch the last train to Risenbul. Tramping through the Central streets, she was too furious to see the strange man following her.
When she arrived at the train station, only a few people flitted about. She quickly bought her ticket and, after double-checking the Arrivals and Departures board, set off for platform four. But before she could get out of the main lobby, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Thinking it was Al, she said as she turned, "Look, I'm not going back..." She abruptly trailed off, realizing that the tall man who had accosted her was definitely NOT Al.
The man holding her shoulder sported grayish hair, and his eyes were mostly hidden by blue-tinted sunglasses. But what caught Winry's eyes was the crisscrossed scar on the man's face. She clutched her suitcase harder, and vowed to keep her wrench in her pocket from now on for the rest of her life instead of packing it in the suitcase. "W-who are you?" she stuttered aloud.
The man ignored her question. "You know that young State Alchemist." It wasn't a query. He spoke harshly, but quietly. The arrival of a train had brought more people into the station, and while most left the station, eager to get home, some were starting to notice them. One woman in particular stopped to chat with the ticketman behind the counter. The man glared at the back of the woman's head, but turned his eyes back to the blonde girl he held in front of him. Winry could feel those eyes boring into her own even through the glasses, and when she tried to laugh nervously, it squeaked out more like a mouse.
"I think you've got the wrong girl. I'm just an automail mechanic."
But the man wouldn't let up. "I saw you with the young State Alchemist yesterday." He was growing more agitated, and his grasp on her arm tightened. "What's his name?"
Winry wilted a little; she hadn't bargained on him already knowing that she knew Ed. Nonetheless, she was determined. "Why should I tell you?"
She wrenched her shoulder out of his grip, but he grabbed her wrist. With a cry, Winry tried to hit him with her suitcase. The man simply knocked it back and it fell to the tiled floor with a bang. "Let me go!" Winry cried as she struggled to free herself from his grasp.
"Leave her alone." A woman's voice rang out against their commotion. The scarred man stopped his struggle to control Winry but kept his grip on her wrist as both he and the girl looked for the source of the voice.
The woman who had stayed to talk to the man selling tickets now strode toward Winry and her captor. Winry watched the woman approach, keeping an eye on the man. His hand tightened on her wrist and she cried out in pain. The woman stopped when Winry yelled, but stayed where she was. "I said, leave her alone."
"I'm not after this girl," the man snarled. "If I wanted to kill her, I would have already. I'm looking for someone she knows."
"Well, threatening her won't get you very far," the woman remarked, green eyes glittering dangerously. Winry looked at the woman's face fearfully, and thought she saw the slightest bit of warmth from those green eyes when the woman looked back at her, but it was replaced quickly by hardness.
The man glared at his opponent carefully. Aside from the piercing eyes, there was nothing special about this woman: long black hair in a braid; a bony, crooked nose that appeared to have been broken several times; large feet in black boots. She wore plain clothes and a bag, and she looked tired—dark smudges were etched beneath her eyes. But what caught the man's attention were the small bulges at her wrists and the black gloves she wore.
The woman sized up the man with equal care. Tanned skin made the white scar on his face stand out, but the bottom of the X was hidden by sunglasses. When the man peered menacingly over the rims at her, she realized why he wore them—his eyes were a fiery red. The mark of an Ishballan.
"Final boarding call for the night express to Risenbul!" came a call from the platforms.
The announcement distracted the scarred man just long enough for the woman to get between him and his captive and break his grip on the girl's arm. She quickly pushed Winry back toward her fallen suitcase and the platforms. "Get moving, kid, can't miss your train," the woman said, still facing the man. With a shout, the man attacked the woman, trying to get to Winry.
Winry didn't need further prompting. Grabbing up her suitcase, the girl ran as fast as she could out to the train, her feet thudding against the floor. When she reached the train, the conductor ushered her onboard. "You alright, miss?" he asked gently.
Winry just nodded, panting. By the time she took a seat, the train had begun to move. Looking out the window, she could barely see the pair fighting in the lobby. Then they were out of sight.
Kindly review if you feel so inclined! I won't be able to update often, but I'll try to at least put up one chapter a week.
TheFerryman'sDaughter
