Hello! I'm keeping up with my schedule of weekly chapters for you guys-quite an accomplishment for me. Unfortunately there's no Greed in this chapter, but he'll definitely be in the next one so please be patient. The main catalyst for the plot shows up in this chapter though, compliments of my reader Makkaka. (I'm pretty sure that's how it's spelled? I might have added an extra K...) Thanks again for all the support! Enjoy!
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The dining room was awfully quiet. Jelso had recovered from his dehydration, although he was still hanging onto a water bottle to suck on every now and then, so he and Zanpano had joined Al and me at the dining table. The two chimeras occasionally exchanged awkward looks; Al sat one seat down from me looking especially uncomfortable. Ignoring all three of them, I scribbled away at a piece of paper. The icy atmosphere around me was almost tangible.
Alphonse cleared his throat for possibly the third or fourth time in an hour—the previous times he had lapsed into silence without saying anything, but now he managed a couple of faltering syllables. "Um…Well."
I didn't look up at him. Jelso and Zanpano looked at each other again. Swallowing, Al tried again.
"So, uh…" Although he was looking at the table, it was clear whose silence he was trying to break. I decided to reward him with a baleful sigh and a long, flat stare. Moistening his lips, Al finally collected his words. "Look, Selena—"
"You don't need to apologize again, Al," I interrupted, rolling my eyes before returning to the diagram I was working on. "You're just doing what you think is best."
Another brief eye contact between Jelso and Zanpano. They knew as well Al did that my words hardly signified forgiveness.
"Sorry," Al mumbled. "I know you're disappointed."
I grunted. "You say it like I've given up."
A crinkle appeared briefly between Al's eyebrows, and then he glanced at the diagram I was drawing. It looked like a crappy version of the Vitruvian Man with notes and estimations scattered around it. Al frowned. "Selena, you know brother and I can't help you."
"I don't need help."
"I won't let you perform the transmutation. You could get killed."
I shrugged. "Bite me."
Rare as it was, I think Al was starting to get a little angry—at least, that's what his tone implied. "Look, sometimes things don't turn out the way we want them to, but you've got to move on. It's no use chasing after something if you won't be around to enjoy it."
"Like you can talk," I scoffed, slapping my pencil down flat on the table. "How many times have you and shorty tried to sacrifice yourselves for other people?"
"This isn't about saving Greed! You know it isn't! He's alive and well but you just can't picture yourself without him." Alphonse ran a hand over his face. "You've forgotten all those times you spent with us, with everyone else. You have a life outside of Greed, Selena. You just want things to be the way they used to."
I glared at my diagram. "You've forgotten something too, Al. You forgot what it was like when you found out you could never see your mom again."
It was a tense moment before Alphonse replied, startled by the accusation. "This isn't like that."
"Isn't it?"
"Stop being childish, Selena."
"I'm being childish?" I snapped, getting to my feet. "You're sticking to a principle that applies to dead people because you don't want me to go through what you did. But our situations are different, Al. I want this. I'm prepared for sacrifice, and I'm not a little kid like you were."
"You can't just—"
Before Al could finish, the door swung open and Lin burst in, stretching his arms over his head and yawning loudly.
"That was so boring!" he complained. "It lasted much longer than I expected. So many skeptics. I'm just glad I don't have to be there while the advisors discuss with the emperor." Rubbing at a cramp in his neck, he flopped into a chair at the table. The four of us blinked at him, thrown by the sudden change in atmosphere.
"Uh, welcome back," Al greeted him. "How did it go?"
"Oh, not bad. Nothing out of the ordinary—just old men bickering with each other." Lin glanced at me. "Selena? Aren't you going to sit down?"
I realized I was still standing up from my argument with Al. Grudgingly settling back into my seat, I asked, "So have they agreed that you're the next emperor?"
"Basically. There are still some things they need to settle, but it's unlikely that that will change. As of now, the philosopher's stone is being transferred somewhere safe."
"Won't they try to use it to make the emperor immortal?" Jelso asked. Lin shrugged unworriedly.
"They don't know how. Besides, even if they knew to put it in his bloodstream, it would probably kill him first."
I snorted. "That would certainly make things lively."
"Lively indeed. But then I would gain the throne."
"You're rather cutthroat, Lin," Al observed.
Lin smiled innocently. "I prefer the term ambitious."
"More like greedy," I muttered, shooting a sideways glare at Al. He responded with a stern glance, and Jelso and Zanpano exchanged looks again. Lin raised a brow.
"Did something happen?"
"No," Al and I replied simultaneously. Jelso groaned, but when Lin sent him a questioning look, he hid behind his water bottle.
Lin was probably about to ask what was going on when the door burst open and Lanfan rushed inside, mask in hand and anxiety on her face. Frowning, Lin rose and asked, "What is it?" but she didn't have time to answer before several more guards crowded in after her, shouting in Xingese. One of them approached Lin.
"What's going on?" I questioned as Lin exchanged words with the guard. Al shook his head.
"I can't tell, they're talking too fast…"
"It's the philosopher's stone." We all turned to Lanfan, who was looking increasingly worried. "It's been stolen."
"By who?" I demanded, but she shook her head.
"We don't know, but the prime suspect…" Handcuffs were pulled out of a pack. "…is Prince Lin."
I gaped as the guard secured the handcuffs around Lin's wrists, my mind in a whirl. "But—how the hell—?"
"He went off without any servants, so there are no witnesses to his whereabouts between the throne room and here." Lanfan gritted her teeth. "The emperor wants him imprisoned until it is found."
"But why would Lin steal the philosopher's stone?" Al insisted. "If he wanted it to himself, he wouldn't have brought it here in the first place!"
"To gain the throne and then prevent the emperor from attaining immortality. The emperor won't listen to any other reasoning."
"This is insane," I growled, making to grab Lin's sleeve, but Lanfan stopped me, even though her eyes made it clear that she was itching to do the same thing. As the guards began to lead Lin from the room, I called sharply, "Lin! Do something!"
Turning to look over his shoulder, Lin flashed an apologetic smile. "Don't worry, my friends. I'll be fine. Wait up for me, won't you?" The door closed firmly behind the last retreating guard, leaving an uneasy silence in its wake as we stared blankly across the room.
I don't think May Chang expected such a lackluster welcome when she tackled Alphonse from behind a few hours after Lin's arrest. There was about a hair's breadth between the sun and the horizon, casting fire-tinged light through the windows to match the moody embers crackling in the atmosphere as we explained the situation to her.
The little panda's tiny, furry face matched the expression in May's knitted brows. "So Prince Lin is going to be imprisoned until the stone is found? But why would he steal it? Is there any proof?"
"We tried to argue the same thing," Al told her. "But they wouldn't listen because the emperor—"
"—Is a dickface," I finished for him, ignoring Lanfan and May's scandalized looks. My nails drummed the table restlessly. "Damn it, I can't believe this happened. I need to go kick someone's ass. Preferably the thief's. Of course, stupid Lin didn't do anything about it, so I wouldn't mind beating some sense into him either…"
"Calm down, Selena. Getting worked up isn't going to solve anything," Lanfan urged.
"Sitting around talking about it isn't going to get anything done either!" I argued hotly. "Lin is in prison because some asshole stole the philosopher's stone, and we'll all sitting on our asses!" I would probably have gone on if I hadn't caught an odd look from Alphonse. "What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
That just made me irritated. "If you've got something to say, say it, Alphonse."
Exhaling slowly, Al rubbed at his neck, the expression on his face saying that he knew he would regret his next words. "I was just thinking that you're overreacting a little, and was wondering…" He started to trail off, but I urged him with a look to keep going. "Is it really Lin you're worried about?"
I didn't get it at first, but when it hit me, it hit hard and fast. I jumped out of my chair, livid. "Alphonse Elric, that was the lowest I've ever seen you sink."
"It was a legitimate question," he started to defend himself, but I slammed a hand against the table.
"Legitimate, my ass! If you wanna go, say it! This passive-aggressive shit pisses me off!"
"Okay you two, that's enough," Zanpano stepped in. "This isn't the time to be fighting with each other." I heard Lanfan mutter, "Since when do those two fight?" as I sank reluctantly back into my chair, exchanging disgruntled looks with Alphonse over May's head. Meanwhile, May peered around at us with a pair of large, questioning eyes.
"Why don't we just break him out?"
The rest of us turned to the little girl with a panda in her arms, hovering between surprise and interest, as she continued off our looks, "It wouldn't be that hard. Mr. Scar broke Dr. Marcoh out of the homunculus hideout and got away. We would just have to escape into Amestris while everything settles down."
We glanced at each other, surprised partly because the idea came from such a little girl and partly because it was actually a pretty good idea. Of course, this is Xing idiot number four we're talking about, so it probably shouldn't have been that much of a shock.
"That would make it seem like Prince Lin is guilty," Lanfan responded, but the argument sounded feeble and half-hearted.
May shrugged. "Only until they find the real thief."
Again, we all glanced at each other, but our eyes weren't sharing debate so much as making mischief. Alphonse stood up and said he needed to make a phone call, and Lanfan excused herself in order to retrieve some things from her quarters. The sun dipped a toe into the horizon, casting an ominous glow over the capital of Xing. In May's arms, the tiny panda grinned.
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The plot thickens... Well, thank you for reading this (somewhat short) chapter! See you next week!
