NOTE: This story takes place after The Amber Spyglass, and right after the end of the first FMA anime. So... there's spoilers. Also, I don't own this shiz. Also also, could anybody confirm whether alchemy/alchemists are ever mentioned in HDM?
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Ed had only been in this new, alchemy-less world for a couple of days. He was kind of exploring around, climbing on the rooftops out of boredom. He happened to glance down and see two people, a boy and a girl, emerge out of nowhere. Wait, not out of nowhere, there's some sort of portal that they came through! "Ohh! A portal! I better check this out!" So Edward made his way down to the alley.
But by the time he got there the portal and the two people were gone. "The portal's gone! What, no! It can't be gone! Maybe I can reactivate it…" So he starts in with the clapping and trying to transmute the portal back into existence. Because this world was so new to him, he often forgot he couldn't do alchemy here.
Lyra and Will were rounding a corner when they heard some sort of sound. "What's that? Are they still following us?" "No, that's not footsteps…" They were curious enough about the noise to follow it to its source. They eventually found themselves back at the entrance to the alley. There they saw a young man (he looked about the same age as them) with braided blonde hair, acting very strangely. He seemed to be frantically trying to do something… but what?
Ed tried all sorts of things in his repeated attempts to access the portal. He was midway through drawing a transmutation circle on the alley wall with mud, when he realized he was being watched. He spun around and saw … the same two people that he had witnessed emerging from the portal less than five minutes ago! They stared at him intently.
"What in the world are you doing?" the boy asked him.
"Oh, this?" Edward tried to think of a plausible explanation for the transmutation circle. "It's, uh, graffiti! I'm a graffiti artist."
"That en't like any art I ever seen," the girl said.
"Well," said Ed, "it's really more of a science than an art."
"So," said the boy, "you're a graffiti scientist, then?""
Before he could respond to this, the girl said, "Ohh! You're a scientist? That means you must have gone to university then!"
"Actually, no." He smiled. "Never been to school a day in my life."
"Well, lucky you!" the boy said, jealously.
Edward briefly considered all the tragedy in his life. "Yes, yes..." He sighed "...Lucky me."
"Look, I'm tired of this!" Will was irritated now. "Who the hell are you?"
"Who am I? Who am I?" Ed stood up tall (well, as tall as he could) and proclaimed, "I'm Edward Elric, and I'm the F-"
He stopped suddenly. Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting where I am.
There was an awkward pause.
"En't you going to finish your sentence, Edward?" the girl asked. "You're the... what?"
Think fast... "I'm the fff... friendliest guy in town!" He adopted an attitude of faked enthusiasm. "You guys sure are lucky you ran into me! Say, what're your names?"
"I'm Lizzie."
"Lizzie, huh? It's great to meet you, Lizzie!" Ed shook her hand vigorously. "And who's your pal here?"
"I'm Mark."
Edward needed information about that portal. I'll start with subtle hints. "I'm guessing you two are new in town! You probably just got here, too!" The looks on their faces confirmed it. "Well, I'd give you a tour, show you around, but I've actually only been here a couple of days myself."
"You could show us where you live?"
"Well, it is getting dark... Let's go!"
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"Well, this is the place!" They were at Ed's house. A light went on and a window opened on the second floor. A young man leant out the window.
"Is that you, Ed?" he shouted.
"Of course it's me, Al!" Edward yelled. "Who else would it be?"
"Where have you been? Don't you realize how late it is?"
"Shut up, I'm coming in." Ed said.
"Who's that?" Lyra asked as they entered the house. "Your brother or something?"
"Or something, yeah." There was a weird, kind of sad tone in Edward's reply, and Lyra wondered if maybe she shouldn't have asked.
TO BE CONTINUED...MAYBE?