Edward sighed for the thousandth time. He was getting agitated with the silence. Alphonse had been ignoring him due to a slight disagreement. It was so stupid! Over a little cat at that.
"Al, it's just not possible! How do you keep finding them anyway? I swear you must have some kind of cat attractant hidden somewhere!"
"There is something special about this cat, brother! Let's at least keep it for a little while!"
"NO. We can't take care of a kitten! We don't even stay anywhere permanent!"
"Brother! Please?"
"NOO! We just can't do it Al!"
They were starting to cause a small scene walking down the road to their hotel room.
"Al, look at the cat! She obviously isn't a stray anyways. She's too well fed. Even out of the trash cans, cats don't look that healthy."
"I guess you're right brother, but there is just something special about this cat."
Al shoved the cat into Ed's face. Ed sighed again but looked at the cat and his eyes widened marginally. There was something otherworldly about this cat.
"I see what you mean, but we should find its owner."
"Okay, brother." Al resigned.
Al set the cat down, but the brindle thing followed him.
"We are almost to the hotel, we have to stay here a few days so you can keep the cat until you find its owner or we leave."
"Thank you brother." Al said cheerfully.
As they rounded the corner, Ed ran smack into someone.
"Dammit. That hurt! Watch where you're going!" Ed said.
"Sorry," a female voice started and then was interrupted by Al.
"Please don't apologize, brother you shouldn't be so rude." He scolded his brother while helping the girl up.
"No, it's ok. I wasn't really watching where I was going…even though I was looking at the ground, I still didn't see you. My name is Tala."
Ed's eyes narrowed at the girl while Al introduced them.
"Was that a short joke?" He half growled.
The cat started hissing at him.
"Brinley! There you are!"
"Is she your cat?" Al asked.
They both completely ignored Ed.
"No, not really. More like I'm the person she has chosen to follow for now."
"She seems pretty special."
Ed tuned them out. Talking about a damn cat. Ed scoffed, but evaluated the girl in front of Al. She was shorter than him. Her braided hair was dark brown and came down over her shoulder and ended under her bottom rib. She wore black fatigue like pants that tucked into her black leather laced up boots. Her black shirt was cutoff at the stomach, showing off her piercing. It was long sleeved and skin tight as well. He could see a slight muscle tone in her arms and stomach, indicating she did some sort of physical labor or sport. She was tanned, which meant she spent a lot of time outdoors. Looking at her face though, that's what startled him.
Her eyes were the oddest shade of brown. They seemed to be dark brown but at the same time reflected hints of gold. Her face was slightly rounded and bangs swooped off to the side. The top of her hair had a few lightened streaks through it which contrasted against the dark tone. Ed's eyes narrowed at the seemingly innocent female.
"Just who are you? You aren't from Amestris, are you? You don't look like a Xingese or an Ishvallan. You have similar features of the Cretans, but you don't have the stature of one."
"Excellent observation! You have more common sense than they say!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT" he yelled.
"Oh, everyone says the Full Metal Alchemist is amazingly intelligent, especially as far as alchemy is concerned, but has very little common sense. Tends to rush head first into things."
"Now that's a back handed compliment if I ever heard one."
Tala shrugged her shoulders.
"Take it how you will."
"So, if you aren't from around here, then where are you from?" Al asked, a lot more politely than his brother had.
"Honestly, I don't really remember. When I was younger, I traveled different places with my mother's sister. My parents had been killed and my aunt didn't like to talk about them so I don't really know anything. When she died, I was kind of left on my own, so I continue to travel on my own."
"Wow. That must have been difficult to get used to." Al said sympathetically.
"Nah. I was kind of used to being on my own anyway. Auntie certainly wasn't the most familial of sorts."
"Well, where are you headed now?" Al was just full of questions for the female.
"I'm not really sure. I usually just follow my instincts and go wherever they take me."
"Do you have any goal in mind?"
"I'm searching for something."
Ed studied her movements as she talked. Her posture and body language spoke that she wasn't lying about what she said.
Strange, though. She has no knowledge of her family. Her aunt seems suspicious though. Why would someone hide information like that?
"So are you staying at this hotel too?" Al asked.
"Yeah!" She said cheerfully.
"Why don't you hang out with me and brother?"
"Al, are you asking so that cat can stick around?"
"No! Well, not entirely. It's not often we get to talk to some one who has traveled as much or more than us!"
"Al can see Brinley whenever he wants," Tala said cheerfully, "she usually follows who ever she wants. She's actually very intelligent. She wanders wherever she wants. Sometimes she separates from me at times and meets back up with me in another place."
It was really the first thing she said, specifically directed to Edward.
"Is it some kind of chimera?" Ed asked.
"No. As far as I can tell, she is just a regular cat with some extraordinary talents."
"What kind of talents?"
"If she chooses to show you herself, then you will know."
Ed rolled his eyes, tired of the cat already.
"Well, I'm headed in. You two can stay and chat, or whatever."
"Tala, would you like to hang out with us?"
"I don't know...It seems to me that you two are ready to relax for the night. Brinley and I couldn't impose. Besides, we have got to get back to our own room."
The trio walked into the inn with the brindle colored cat behind them. Al and Tala still conversing while Ed went to pay for their room.
"Alright, Al. Our room number is 230."
Tala gave Ed a strange look.
"Really? You are right across the hall from us. There was scientist in that room. When I talked to him, he told me he was staying there for the next two weeks."
"That's really not unusual." Ed said.
"I guess you're right. It just feels weird though."
Tala walked with them to the hallway their rooms were located in.
"If the scientist were to suddenly leave, would he have left his research papers scattered across the floor?" Ed asked rhetorically.
"No. Especially if they meant as much to the scientist as they did to Dr. Marcoh." Tala replied in the same shocked tone Ed had used.