Looking For Work
A/N: Story takes place after the end of Brotherhood. I have read the first half of the manga, but don't expect manga for anything after that :)
This will, eventually, be a yaoi/gay/BoyOnBoy romance story, containing explicit sexual scenes. Turn back now if you do not wish to read such things.
Things you'll need to know:
-Linda is an OC, and will have a strong presence in this chapter only.
-Soda is a generic term for carbonated water, not colas and other soda pop.
-Edward will be slightly out of character and do thing he normally wouldn't, largely due to the fact he wants to prove he's not helpless without alchemy.
-1 USD = ~120 Japanese Yen = ~120 Cenz (FMA Currency)
~Edward~
It had been roughly one year since the incident with the homonculus known as Father had finally ended. One year since Edward's father Hohenheim, whom he had only recently been able to see for the first time since he was a kid, had died. One year since Ed's brother, Al, had regained his original body. And one year since Ed had lost his alchemy...
Originally he had seen it as a challenge waiting to be conquered, but as he continued going through his life and trying to do everything as a normal person, he realized it wasn't so simple. For starters it was difficult to accurately learn about the alchemy in different countries when he himself could no longer test it. Not to mention I'm not a state alchemist, which means I have to find other ways to make money.
As it were, Ed had gathered the information he could manage on alchemy in two other countries and was on his way back to Amestris to hand them over to his younger brother. A lot of good they'd do me. Edward was always smiling and had a confident gleam in his eyes over the last year, but he admitted to himself he just didn't want people to realize he was completely lost without his alchemy. He didn't need their pity, and especially didn't need their charity. There were plenty of ways to make money without alchemy. Ed just... Didn't know what they were.
As he walked down the street Ed came upon what he thought was a bar. The sign outside read "The Lucky Mistress", but in this country that could just as likely be a seamstress' shop. Capaleo, the nation just south of Aerugo, seemed to be home to the strangest folk, and seemed to have alcohol in every building. This particular building smelled slightly stronger of booze than usual, so Ed decided to trust his nose and open the doors, happy to see a half empty bar with barrels lining the walls. Half empty, huh? He wasn't surprised to find his outlook on the pessimistic side. After all he'd spent four months in this bizarre country, and once he managed to get out of it he'd still have to cross through Aerugo and half of Amestris to get to Central.
The young blonde sat down on a stool with a heavy sigh. He really couldn't afford to waste his money here, but he absolutely could not afford to stay sober until he crossed the border of Amestris. An old barmaid stepped up in front of the new customer, notepad in hand. At second glance she probably wasn't over forty or so, but it was clear age had no grace working on her, and she had surely had more than a few smokes in her life. "Whatcha drinkin, hon?" She asked in a surprisingly sweet but raspy voice.
Ed scratched his head, unable to remember the names of the strange drinks he'd had in other bars around the country. "Anything similar to whiskey," he said, hoping she at least knew what such a thing was. Yeah, the nation had booze in every building, but he recognize a single drink he'd had yet. Sure enough the woman returned to set a glass of purple liquid down in front of Edward.
"Take a sip and tell me what you think," she instructed. Ed complied, smacking his lips together as he tried to grasp the strange taste. It was definitely stronger than any whiskey he'd had, but it was sweet and tasted almost like like peaches. "Well?"
"It's uh..." He struggled to think of an appropriate way to respond. It certainly wasn't awful. "It's the best thing I've had since I crossed over from Aerugo." Well that wasn't a lie.
"My personal brew," she said proudly as she walked to greet another customer a few stools down. Almost every bar tender had served him their "personal brews", but this was the first one he was willing to drink, let alone not spit out of his mouth. Finally someone who doesn't favor the taste of freshly spiced horse shit. Ed quickly drank down the pleasantly tolerable liquid, pulling out his wallet to count the money he had left. I could afford one more drink, but I won't have anything left. He sighed and laid down 720 cenz to pay for the first drink, deciding he should save the rest.
The barmaid returned and grabbed the money, raising an eyebrow. "Amestris?" She asked curiously.
Ed nodded. "I had some research to do out here," he said. He always avoided mentioning what kind of research it was, since typically people would ask him to show them some alchemy, which he couldn't. Luckily the woman didn't ask any more questions about it.
"Want another?" She asked. She was plenty casual, but she seemed to demand respect as well. I guess that comes with still working a bar at her age.
Ed shook his head. "If I have another now," he said, "I won't be able to afford one tomorrow."
The woman nodded, seeming to accept that answer. "Ya know if you're hurtin' for money, there's only two ways to make it fast around here," she said. "You could sell your body on the street, or sell alcohol in a bar. With your looks your do well with the former, but I don't take you for the type to bed another man, let alone the type of men around here." Every word of what she spoke drove blood into Ed's cheeks, but she was right about him needing money fast. "Tell you what," she continued, "Come back and work the counter for me tomorrow at eight, and you can keep all your tips and free drinks today and tomorrow. Sound good?"
Ed considered the proposal, weighing the benefits. There really wasn't a good reason to decline. He certainly could use the money, and he wouldn't mind the free drinks. "Sounds good," he said finally. "My names Ed, by the way."
"Linda," the woman responded, grabbing his hand in an unexpected handshake. "So want another drink then?" Ed had barely smiled before another glass appeared on the counter in front of him. It might only be for one day, but he was was gonna enjoy his free drinks as much as he could.
~And Then~
Edward showed up back at The Lucky Mistress at 7:30 PM the next day. He was hoping to get a drink before starting to work, but Linda had other plans. "Showed up early without me even tellin' ya!" He said and smacked the blonde boy on the back. "We need ta get ya in uniform before ya start, and I can't reach the damned box of uniforms up in the cupboard."
Ed sighed in disappointment. "Alright I'll get it," he said. Linda waltzed back through the door behind the bar, not waiting before Edward started following her. It was a direct route through the shabby kitchen to the only other room that served as both an office and a bedroom. Linda grabbed a stool sitting in the corner and moved it next to the wall.
"Hop on up and grab it," she said, pointing at a rickety wooden crate on top of the high standing cupboards. Edward glanced at the stool, grimacing at the thought of having to use it to reach something. Instead he moved to stool over slightly and reached up to get the box, even extending to the tips of his toes, but fell more than a foot short of even touching it with his fingertips. Linda shook her head. "I put the stool there for ya ta stand on," she said. "Yur even shorter than me, but at least you're young enough to be climbing up on a stool."
Edward clenched his fists as he heard the S word leave her mouth. He couldn't very well use his fists to teach this woman a lesson, and he really didn't want to say anything to lose the opportunity to make a little more money. And free drinks, of course. Ed gritted his teeth together and moved the stool back into place, climbing onto it bitterly without a single word the the putrid woman who had insulted him. Much to his dismay, Ed found that even on the stool he could barely reach enough to grab the box and pull it down.
Once the box was in his hands he jumped off the stool and and kicked it over for good measure, earning a demeaning raised eyebrow from Linda. He ignored her and set the box on the desk, pulling out one of the dusty green pieces of clothing from the equally dusty crate. Brushing it off and holding it up he say it was the exact same long-sleeved green shirt that Linda wore, only the neck didn't dip as low. "That one's for a boy," she said, looking through the crate at the other available garments. "Looks like the smallest one here, too. If it's too big on ya we might have to put ya in a girl one."
Ed glared at her, throwing the shirt over his shoulder and leaving the room. "It's fine," he called back, barely keeping back an 'old cow' comment. He made his way to the bathroom and shut the wooden door of a stall behind him. Once it was locked Ed began stripping his clothes, first his red jacket, then his shirt and his undershirt until his torso was naked. After putting on the heavy green shirt he found that it was, in fact, a bit too big on him. He had several inches left at the bottom, but that wouldn't matter once he tucked it in. The real problem was the extra length on the arms, completely covering him all the way to his fingertips. He could always roll the sleeves up, but he figured Linda would have something to say about that.
Instead he used the two clips that normally helped keep his hair in place to pin up the sleeves at the elbow, shortening them to just reach past his wrists. He made sure to keep the clips covered so it looked more natural, and tucked the bottom into his pants. At this particular moment Edward was glad he had taken to wearing pants with a button and zipper, making the process of tucking the shirt not as uncomfortable as trying to shove the cloth into a tight waistband. Dressed and ready to go, Ed made his way out to the bar where Linda waited for the unveiling of her new servant.
"Beautiful," she said with a smile, "though I'm impressed it fits. Still a little baggy, but it'll do." She snagged Ed's normal clothes from his hands and took them to the back before swiftly returning with some kind of booklet in her hand. "You'll need this tonight," she said, handing him the small pack of papers. The booklet consisted of several thick pages bound in the corner by a metal ring, making it easy to flip through the pages. Each page had the name, description, and mixing instructions for all the drinks that the bar had, totaling at seventeen. At least it's only seventeen.
"Most of the customers already know what they like here," he said, "but if someone asks you a question you don't know the answer to, just make up something believable." Ed scratched his head, wondering how many of the bar tenders he'd met in this country who must have done the exact same thing to him when they didn't understand the kind of drinks he was asking for. "Time to get started. Any money in the bar that isn't for the tab is your tip, so shove it in your pocket and count it later." With that Linda was off, going from table to table to get drink and, occasionally, food orders.
As Ed started his own work with people who came to the counter, he found that Linda was mostly right about the customers knowing what they wanted. Unfortunately the customers weren't the ones making the drinks, and the small booklet of instructions wasn't very precise. One part lime juice, four to five parts raspberry vodka, and two parts soda. Two parts soda, three parts Very Cherry Rum, and one cherry. One part preserved Apple juice, two parts Peachy Honey Vodka, and one part Very Cherry Rum. All the ones that gave a range for the amounts to use Ed just did whatever would have the most alcohol in the drink. He had no idea what any of the drinks were, but most of the customers seemed happy enough, and the rest were too drunk to care.
One part lime juice, two parts Very Cherry Rum, one parts Vanilla Virgin Vodka, and two cherries. Two parts apricot vodka, one part Peachy Honey Vodka, a spoonful of honey, and three parts pineapple juice. As the night progressed Ed began putting the drinks together more easily, only using the booklet for a quick reference on some of them. Some of the customers didn't remember what they ordered, but were just as happy to pay for the drink set in front of them. Two parts Pineapple juice, one part soda, two parts raspberry vodka, and a lime in the glass.
By the end of the night Ed had nearly beaten two rude bastards into the ground, and thrown out three at Linda's request. She may insist on how short he was, but it seems even she recognized how tough the small blonde could be. At any rate Ed had tips stuffed in all of his pockets, and still intended to have some free drinks. "Make some money, honey?" Linda's rough voice asked. When Ed turned around he saw the woman had two full glasses in her hands, which she on the counter in front of two stools, taking a seat at one. "Safe to count your chickens now." Ed took a seat at the counter next to her and emptied out all his pockets, piling crumpled bills onto the counter.
After flattening and counting the bills, Ed gave his report. "About thirty-six thousand cenz," he said, taking a sip of the drink in front of him. Not nearly his budget as a state alchemist, but it was more than he'd made in any week since he set out from Amestris.
"Pretty good, huh?" Linda said with a smile. "Ya know if you wanted to stick around, I could look into getting you a shirt you don't have to pin up." Ed glared at the countertop. So she did notice. "You'd make more money, too, if ya had more practice."
Ed scratched his head. He certainly needed a way to keep making money, but he couldn't afford to put off his journey home even another day. At this rate I'll probably already be a day or two late to meet up with Al. "Thanks for the offer," Ed said with as kind a smile as he could muster, "but I really have to get back to Central. I've got people waiting for me, and it'll take another four weeks to get back."
"Only if your brain is as small as your body," Linda retorted. She continued on before Ed could make a fuss about the small comment. "There's a train station three blocks from here, and you can be across the Amestris border in four days if just ask what transfers you need to take. Set half your profits from tonight aside for train fairs, and you'll still have plenty for booze on the way."
Edward scratched his neck with a stupid grin on his face. "Haha I guess that's a good point," he conceded. "Until now I didn't have enough money for the train, so I never really considered it." He swirled the half empty glass of liquid for a second before downing it in one gulp. Still half empty. "Thanks for the opportunity," he said cheerfully. "I guess I'd better head out."
"You could stay here and sleep in a bench if ya don't wanna waste money on a hotel tonight," Linda offered. "My usual bar tender is out sick, and I never woulda survived this Saturday night without your help." Ed nodded and accepted reluctantly. He really didn't want to accept charity from anyone, but since he only got the tips from tonight he saw this as Linda's way of paying him. And I really doubt I have enough for a hotel, train, and booze.
Ed accepted a spare blanket Linda gave him and wrapped himself up on one of the benches of the tables. The wood was hard, but at least the blanket was soft, and alcohol always did help him sleep. When did I become such an alcoholic? Edward had never had a drop of the stuff while he was in Amestris. Of course his eighteenth birthday hadn't come until after he'd set off, and it seemed the legal drinking age in most countries was eighteen. It's eighteen in Amestris, right? Ed never thought about alcohol back home, and now he was worried the drinking age might be higher in Amestris.
Ed sighed and audibly laughed at himself. He might not even want to drink once he was back safe and sound, and if he did and the age was different, he could always get some drinks from other people. Mustang certainly owes me a few. As Ed's worries drifted away he thought of all the things he had been missing, and trying to forget about while he was away. His brother, Granny, Resembool.
Winry.
~And Then~
Ed woke up when sun began peeking through the blinds of the bar. He said farewell to Linda, mentioning that not all people had as thick a cow hide as she did. That was awarded with a slap on the back, and nearly getting kicked out while she laughed at him.
Edward made his way down the street to the train station, approaching a young looking girl at the booth to buy tickets. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, awarding an attentive smile from the girl, "would you be able to help me plan a trip? I need to get from here to Central City, in Amestris, but I don't know what transfers I'll need to take." The girl giggled and nodded her head vigorously. She didn't say a word as she began flipping through pages in what appeared to be a book with a list of all the rail stations in the country in it. She wrote something on a piece of paper before closing the book before moving onto another, and then another.
"Here you go," she said as she handed the paper to Ed. "Sorry, the railway stations for each country are in different books, so it took a little bit of time. The first ticket from here will be thirty-five hundred cenz." Ed happily handed over the money, getting a ticket in return. "Hurry though," the girl said, "the train leaves in three minutes!" Ed hurried and ran to the train, showing his ticket as he boarded and took a seat at the back.
According to the girl's paper, the ride should take six hours before letting off at the first station in Aerugo. Plenty of time to plan for once he got back in Central.
~And Then~
Next time! A bit of irony for the young blonde Amestrian, taking place on the train! Stay tuned. Three reviews for a quicker update!
