Edward Elric stared blankly at the unmoving form in front of him. It was a rather short man, only slightly taller than Ed himself. Dressed in a dark long cloak, dark trousers, and black boots, the stranger held a suspicious aura of distrustfulness. Edward could not see the face; the hood was pull up, obscuring his view. Roy had said he had found a promising new State Alchemist that should be tested. Agreeing was the only thing Ed could do to end Colonel's ridiculous remarks about being "scared" and "a midget chicken".

"Well, what's the worst he could do?" He asked himself cautiously. He called out, putting two hands to his mouth, "Hey, you over there!"

"Yes?" Now the person turned, locking eyes with him. It was an intense look, stronger than anything Ed had ever felt. Even Winry's "you-broke-my-automail" look.

"Um… are you here to become a State Alchemist?"

"Yes." The outsider put down the hood of his cloak. He turned out to have a rather handsome, boyish face, long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and, as said before, very intense green eyes. Ed noticed a small scare tracing itself down the left side of the man's face, cheek to the chin.

"Well, uh. I'm here to see what you can do." The alchemist said finally, lamely.

"Okay."

Then to his dismay, Edward noticed that the man, cleverly thinking beforehand, had drawn a transmutation circle around the room. But it was different than anything else he had seen…

"Wai…!"

"Nah. I won't kill you. I promise. How about this?" Instead, the stranger created something hard and walked toward Edward.

"H-hey! Back away!" Edward felt very nervous of the prospect of having someone this skilled attacking him.

"It's okay. Look." Holding out his hand, the man showed him an intricately carved dagger, a incredibly sharp blade and beautifully made handle.

Edward was lost for words. Never had he seen something so easily made, none the less quickly and accurately. "Y-you," He stammered. "Y-you're a master!"

Hearing this, the man shook his head, slightly. "No, not quite, little boy. I can only assume that you are the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Uh oh. Thought Al and Roy from the screening room. Edward, on the other hand, managed to keep a calm face, even if he was blowing up inside.

"A-h. It's nothing. Yes, I am Edward Elric! If you would, make your way to the second testing room. That is where we do mental testing, like tests, games, and other activities.

"Okay." Sweeping past him, the stranger left the room.

"Well that was a strange character." Ed said to himself. Roy entered the arena.

"You two didn't fight much." He observed, disappointed. Riza Hawkeye stood beside him.

"Isn't that for the better, sir? Then we don't have to keep paying to keep this place in check.

Edward rubbed his chin. "He seemed rather, how should I put it? Cold. Definitely not the cheery/friendly type anyhow. How old is he?"

Thinking, Colonel said, uncertainly, "I'd say around fourteen or fifteen."

"Sir! Exams are done!" Edward and Roy looked at each other in disbelief. No one had ever finished the exams this quickly. Not even Ed, as he had been the fastest so far.

Once again, the man entered the room, leaning against the walls. Uninterested with everything. Uncertain of everyone. Like a barrier had been put up between him and real humans.

"Colonel!" Riza put a hand to her face and whispered. "This kid is genuine! He answered every question correct and every activity perfect. So, are we going to keep him? Seems like a good choice to me.

"Really? Okay. Yes, let's let him join. I'll sign the paperwork and everything will be ready."

"Hey." Edward tried to act friendly. "I never got your name." the blue orbs turned on him again, making him gulp.

"I'm Jodie. Jodie Lincoln."

"I'm Edward, as you know, and this is my brother, Alphonse."

The suit of armor blushed. "Hi."

"Nice to meet you."

"Well, I'm going to say that you are way more skilled than some guys I've seen. And I'll be glad to have you join."

"Thanks. I'm going to my home now. It isn't that far away. I come back tomorrow."

"Okay!"

"Oh, and by the way," Jodie turned to face the two brothers. "I'm a girl."

Edward was frozen. Alphonse was frozen. Roy was frozen.

Then one by one:

Edward: "A girl!?"

Alphonse: "A girl?"

Roy: "A GIRL NOT WEARING MINISKIRTS!?"

Riza: "Uh, please excuse all three of them. Good night!"

A/N: Fun, so fun. Sorry about the Roy miniskirt thing. I just had to throw that in there. Well, did it leave you surprised? Or shocked? Or stunned? Or just plain bored? Let me know!"

D.E.W