Alphonse had first been puzzled when he heard an unfamiliar man's voice. It quickly turned to concern when he saw the man's blue military uniform, and the thunderous look on his face upon seeing Ed in the wheelchair. Marching up, he grabbed his older brother by the collar of his shirt. "We saw that mess!" the man shouted. "What the hell did you do?!"
That moment, Al did not know what came over him. Next he knew, the man fell back, as if he'd been shoved…
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Al himself had, somehow. The man's demeanor changed rather quickly, and he introduced himself as Colonel Roy Mustang. Basically, he'd come to recruit Ed for the military.
Roy launched into a bunch of explanations afterwards, including the theory that they may be able to find a way to restore Ed's limbs.
Then Ed asked, "What about Al?"
The Colonel looked confused, while Pinako went rigid. "I've been meaning to ask, Ed," Winry's grandmother started. "Where…where is Alphonse?"
"He's right there." The blond boy pointed to where Alphonse was, above the table.
Silence. "There's nothing there, Edward," Pinako said.
Ed scowled. "No, he's right there! You just can't see him, that's all!"
It was then Alphonse noticed Winry peeking in through the slightly-open door, quickly retreating. He followed.
Their friend had gotten the other military person—a blond-haired woman—some tea, and the woman called herself by Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.
Curious, Al drew himself forward for a closer look. And then the most bizarre thing he'd come across yet occurred.
First he heard the rush of blood with the slightly-garbled sense of listening that he retained, and then he felt his head jerk back a bit. Alphonse blinked rapidly a few times, his eyes flitting all around a bit. Best of all, he could feel—the slight weight of the clothes, what was definitely a handgun in a holster, and the warmth of the sunlight coming in through a window. There was a whole numbness about it, but he didn't pay much mind.
It was then he realized what exactly was going on. It wasn't really him—it was Riza. He'd somehow taken control of her…and the fact that it was a her suddenly made him feel awkward.
"Miss Riza?" Winry asked, sounding confused. "Is something wrong?" The girl tapped the lieutenant's hand—and Alphonse abruptly found himself floating in front of them again.
Riza blinked a few times and shook her head, looking puzzled for that moment, saying, "It's nothing." While Al was wondering how in the world that had happened.
Edward stared at the piece of paper that had been put in front of him by the Colonel. "So, this…Alphonse," the man started. "He's your…younger brother, correct?" Ed nodded.
Then the pencil was placed on the table. "Could you try to draw him for me? What he looks like now, anyways?"
Ed was dominantly right-handed, although he did know how to draw with his left, which he was stuck doing. When he finished, he could easily tell that neither Pinako nor the Colonel knew what to think, really.
To be honest, what Al appeared as now didn't look that human at all. Just a vague, dark shape, with some sort of tether connecting them.
