"Ughgggg…..so hot." I groaned as the Liore heat seeped through her clothes, boiling her pale skin. I came back to Liore to see an old friend I hadn't seen since Cornello's scheme had been unraveled and the cities uprise began.
"It's the hottest its been in weeks. I don't understand how you could possibly wear a coat this time of year." a familiar voice rang from behind
"Oh, hey Rose." I said turning around with a grin on my face. "It's been a while, huh?"
Rose replied with a beaming smile. "Yeah it has." and giggled softly. We walked around the city of liore, recapping the past year we'd spent away from each other. "You know…" Rose started, looking off into the distance, at the destroyed church of Liore "I met an alchemist just like you, the one who revlied Cornello's truth…." she trailed off, stopping in her tracks to lock eyes with me, her closest friend. "He tried human transmutation and it rebound, causing him to lose his left leg and his brother lost his whole body." my eyes widened. 'Someone else tried human transmutation?' I thought, gripping my automail arm tightly. I figured others had but just hadn't lived to tell, or had passed on before my time; I didn't think anyone else would be so foolish. Given the amount of information there was on the topic.
"Is that so?" I finally spoke, meeting Rose's eyes with a smirk on her face. "Us Alchemists just don't know when to give up, do we?" The look I was giving Rose, she knew that look. I tried to hide the truth but Rose knew me well enough to know I felt pain for the fellow alchemist. She also knew what my next journey would be. Meeting Edward Elric.
It was now 9:00 pm, I stared at the ceiling fan above, watching the blades move one by one thinking of what Rose had told me earlier that day. 'I met an alchemist like you' rang in my ears over and over as if it was on repeat. 'An alchemist like me? Maybe I could find him and get some answers….' I thought to myself but soon dismissed the idea. 'I need to let go of the past, move forward and never look back.' but maybe this alchemist could help me do just that.
I woke up early the next morning and greeted Rose downstairs, sitting down at the table and admiring the food in front of me. "This looks amazing Rose!" I exclaimed with gleaming eyes. "I knew you'd love it!" Rose replied, I was too busy devouring everything on my plate to respond. We sat quietly at the table, the only noise was the sound of our chewing.
"So Rose…" I said with food still in my mouth. "About that alchemist you were talking about yesterday…" I swallowed. "What's his name?" I asked as I took another bite. "I knew you'd get curious Lux! His name is Edward Elric" she replied with an excited smile. "I think you should really meet him, he could help you cope with that happened when you were younger." she looked down, staring into her coffee mug with sadness in her eyes. I took the last sip of my coffee and set down the mug.
"You're right Rose.." I looked down at my lap and paused for a moment. "I need to let this go." I said, her voice trembling as tears formed in her eyes. "I need to move on and leave the past behind me. It's a weight I carry on my shoulders everyday, and this arm is a constant reminder of my pure arrogance." my voice grew soft. Rose stood up from the table and hugged me, the scent of coffee still lingering on her. My eyes widened and my breath stopped for a moment, I'd never been comforted before, even after the accident I didn't accept anyone's pity. Yet here I am being pitied by the only sense of family I had, and it infuriated me.
"I told you not to pity me, Rose." I snapped. Rose removed her arms from her in utter shock, I had never snapped at her before. "You're right. My mistake Lux." Rose choked out obviously hurt by the way I responded to her. She then walked away and gathered the dishes from the table to wash them in the sink. I immediately felt regret for how I treated Rose just then but still stood by what I said. "I know you're just trying to help and I appreciate it Rose. I just don't want people feeling bad over my own mistake, that's all." I said apologetically, looking up from my lap and at Rose, who met her eyes with mine, she could tell they were full of regret and replied softly with a smile. "You're just like him Lux." and then returned to washing the dirty dishes.