"Hey Danny

"Hey Danny! Hurry up already!"
"Will you shut up? I'm fried over here!"
"You didn't put that sunscreen on like I told you, didn't you!"
"I said shut up!"
On a sandy dune, a girl about sixteen years old was tapping her foot. She had black hair almost reaching down to her shoulders and four slick sets of bangs across her blue eyes. A black leather vest covered her teal spaghetti top. Her vest contained a small red symbol of a cross being constricted by a snake with wings; that being the symbol of the alchemist. Her tight denim shorts prevented her from overheating, as her white legging skirts prevented sunburn to her lower legs. However, her most noticed feature was her two steel arms.

Meanwhile, buried ankle deep in the sand, a young male with shoulder-length black hair with a hint of dark brown, stumbled to reach his sister. His pale skin was now pink and flaky due to sunburns. He wore a black tank top, covered by a small red jacket with gold colored outlining. His tight denim khakis were carrying sand out of each step he took. Hard to believe, but this young man had wide hips and unbroadened shoulders, making him look extremely feminine. Sweat dripped over his blue eyes. His bangs, soaking in sweat, covered his right eye and good portion of the left side of his head. Finally catching up to the young woman, he placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

His sister crossed her steel arms. "You know, Daniel, if you didn't wear all that long-sleeved stuff, you wouldn't be getting so hot so easily! I mean, for goodness sake's, you're wearing girl pants!"

Daniel immediately snapped back "Shut up, Naomi! Those 'girl pants' as you call them, are actually comfy! Besides, all this stuff is keeping me from getting sun burnt!"

Naomi sighed, "You know, you could always use sunblock..." She pulled a small baby-pink bottle of sunscreen from one of her inner vest pockets, waving it in his face.

"C'mon sis," Daniel whined, "you know I hate that stuff! It smells so nasty, and then it gets in my mouth!"

Irritated, Naomi smacked the tip of her brother's head. "You are such a baby!"

Trying to make a comeback, Daniel shouted back, "Baby?! Says the one who would cry over everything as a kid, be it asparagus to dark rooms!"

Peeved and unable to make a comeback, Naomi pulled off the first idea that reached her head. She immediately clonked Danny on the head with her first.

Daniel howled, covering his welting head. "Naomi! What the hell?!"

Naomi took a run for it. Daniel immediately chased after her. He pulled his sleeves up, clenching his fist and sent them flying at his sister.

"Hey! Get back here, Naomi!"

"Whaddya gonna do!"

"Hold still and I'll show ya!"

"Danny, we're never gonna reach Rush Valley if you keep this up!"

As Daniel continued to pursue his sister in zigzags, a mirage of a small city could be seen in the distant miles.

Within a couple of hours, the two teenagers were both panting and sweating from a long chase in the blazing desert into the heart of the city, Rush Valley.

Danny wiped his brows, but immediately jerked his hands from his sun burnt face. He tried to block the sun from his face with his arms. He swallowed for some liquid source in his throat. "Good god, I'm beat... Why'd we have to freakin' run the whole way here?"

Naomi, peeved as she was, immediately responded, rubbing the back of her sweaty hair, "Because you're so stubborn...?"

Her brother's eye twitched at his sister's remark, "You know, if you didn't clonk me on the head-"

She cut him off, "Oh, shut up already... Sheesh you really need to grow up."

Daniel positioned himself to slug her arms, "You asked for it now!"

Ramming his fist towards her arm, he tried to stop midway, but he was too late.

His fleshy fist crashed into her steel arms.

Danny's hands, especially the knuckles, were now swelling in pain.

He fell to the ground, almost wailing.

Naomi threw her hands up in the air, "Do you see what I mean now, Danny!? You are far to rash!"

"Shut up!"

Their conflict immediately ended when a voice from down the street could be heard.

"Hello? Can I help you two?"

Ending their reckless behavior, The squabbling siblings stared down the street. To their surprise, a man behind a kiosk was waving nervously at them. The twins' eyes began to sparkle at the idea of water, soda, or some kind of liquid to quench their dying thirst! They were charging immediately towards the small kiosk. Daniel immediately slammed his hands on the counter, "DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DRINK?! I'M DYING OVER HERE!"

Naomi slapped her brother over the head again, "Danny, don't be so rude!" She looked back at the rather frightened man, waving her hands midair. "I'm sorry about this idiot, but we came from Central and our Taxi broke down half way back. Do you have any drinks?"

"Ohoho! So you two came from Central eh?"

The two nodded as the waiter was washing dishes. He turned around towards the two, leaning against the counter, "So what can I get you two?" He pulled a piece of paper out of his black apron and a pencil from behind his ear, looking at Naomi.

Naomi rubbed her steel fingers against her pale chin, looking at the menu written on the wall.

"Hmmmm... I think I'll just take a orange soda..."

The waiters pencil glided elegantly against the paper. "Good choice, mam'." He took a glance at Danny, "And what can I get you, lil' missy?"

The air became unnaturally still around Daniel. If there was anything that totally pissed him off, it was the constant badgering of people mistaking him as a young girl because of his shoulders and hips. Furious, Daniel grabbed his victim by his dark green collar, throttling him ferociously.

"YA WANNA CALL ME A MISSY AGAIN, YOU LAME EXCUSE FOR A MAN?! ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA CALL ME?! WOMAN?! FEMALE?! GIRL?! C'MON SAY IT TO MY FACE!!"

His sister tried to yank him away from the terrified waiter, "Daniel! Calm down! He's not trying to insult you!"

"HE CALLED ME A GIRL, SIS! HOW CAN THAT NOT BE AN INSULT?!"

"TAKE OFF THE GIRL PANTS, AND WE'D BE ABLE TO TELL, STUPID!"

"WHO YOU CALLIN' STUPID, STUPID?!"

Naomi smacked her brother over the head once again. Daniel was now getting weak from the amounts of blows against the head, especially with an iron hand. He dropped the waiter immediately.

Petrified, the waiter stared at Daniel, "A...Anything I can get you... S-sir?"

Daniel rubbed his forehead, and jerked away once more from the sunburns. He continued to stare at the chalky menu, and finally mumbled. "I'll take some milk, please."

Shaking, the waiter stumbled away to gather the drinks to his customer. Naomi scoffed as soon as he left. "Geez, Danny," she murmured, "You don't have to go in an outrage every time someone mistaken you for a woman. I mean, you really need to get some decent exercise if you actually want to look like a man."

"C'mon, Naomi!" he threw his hands up in the air. "You know I hate it, of course I'm gonna pound it in their heads that I'm a guy!"

His sister sighed. "You even act like a girl sometimes..."

Trying not to start up another argument, Daniel turned his head, checking the view of the city. He paused for a moment and spoke randomly, "So..." He mumbled, "you know what this city is known for, anyways?"

She answered, "Well, from what I heard, this is like some kind of auto-mail haven." She raised her arm towards to sun as if grasping for it. "I think they made my set of arms somewhere around here... I might check it out as soon as were done here, just for fun."

Her brother tapped his fingers on the counter, "Well, before you go goggling all over this stuff, just remember what we really came here for..."
Naomi sighed, "Yes, I know, were here to see if the military guy here's gonna let us join the state."

Danny corrected her, "It's Lieutenant Vytas Vaznelis. I doubt he's gonna like us calling him 'military guy'."

Kicking her feet, she replied "Vytas Vaznelis? That sounds like an odd name..."

The waiter finally came back. The glasses shone brightly in the light. Daniel couldn't keep his eyes off the milk.

"Here ye go, people." The waiter put the milk before Daniel as the orange soda to Naomi, "Omigod, it's fresh milk!" His blue eyes sparkled, his gloved hands trembled in his excitement, "it's so beautiful..."
Naomi stared awkwardly towards her brother, "Danny... It's milk."
Daniel responded, his eyes streamed tears of joy, "You know nothing of the magnificence of milk! Milk is what keeps my bones beautiful. Milk is what keeps my bones strong for battle. Milk is what keeps my good looks..."
Naomi tried drinking her soda as her milk-fanatic brother continues rambling on about the 'magnificence' of milk.
Within minutes, both glasses were "That's three dollars, please."

Naomi reached for her pockets, when a panicked look came across her face. 'Oh crap, where's the money?'

Daniel did not like the look upon her face. 'She forgot the money again, didn't she?' He took another look at her, who was panicking at this point, and then he sighed. He knew exactly what this was going to be leading to:
A good three hours working in the kitchen of another restaurant, trying to pay off the debt.
Within a few minutes, the twins were dragged into their fate in front of the kitchen sink along with a mountain of dirty dishes.

The two could not help but stare at the massive pile.
"Do these guys clean their dishes only once a month?!" Naomi's lower jaw dropped at the mountain.
Daniel, trying not to complain (which these moments were rare) took off his white gloves, which he had a transmutation circle on each glove, and began collecting a small potion of the dishes and began running water in the sink. His face could not lie, he was definitely pissed off about the consequences of forgotten money. He sighed, "You know, this probably would not have happened if someone didn't forget to bring the extra money..."
"Shut up..." Naomi snapped. She picked up her small portion of dishes, picking up a wet washcloth.
"Eh, whatever..." Danny murmured; he began wiping portions of food from the plates. Dunking another washcloth in soapy water, he cleaned off his portion of dishes, one by one.
Aside from the clinking and clanging of dishes being washed and put away, there was silence for a good hour or so. Both concentrated diligently on their dish duties. The waiter stood before them, supervising their every move. Washcloths hanging at the edge of the sink dripped water onto the floor.

Daniel's fingers were pruning terribly from constant soaking and his arms sore from washing, as his sister's auto-mail finger joints were beginning to lose their oil, making them creaky. However, the once-mountainous pile of dishes had died down to only a few plates.
"Just a few more to go, you two," The waiter crossed his arms, "I've got some customers to serve, so these dishes better be done by the time I finish up with them."
As the waiter left to the front of his kiosk, the sixteen year duo sighed.

"C'mon sis," Danny gathered up his final share of the dishes, but instead of washing them, he placed them at another side of the sink counter.
Naomi, confused slightly, stared at her brother as he reached for his ankle. Out of one of his socks he pulled out a piece of chalk.

Realizing what he was about to do, Naomi hesitated, but spoke up, "Danny, I don't think that's such a good idea!"
Drawing a circle and within it, strange patterns of simple shapes, Daniel responded, "Why? Now that I thought of it, I think it would go a lot quicker and less painful if we did it this way. Hence, I will transmute these dishes."
Naomi threw her arms down, "Danny, you know what happened last time we did something like that! I don't wanna spend another hour trying to clean up another mess!"
He rolled his eyes, "Look sis, I'm telling you, last time I used the wrong transmutation circle! Besides, it's not my fault all the dishes shattered!"
Naomi's eyes widened at her brother's stubbornness, "Are you kidding me? You're the one who made the transmutation!"
Danny snapped back, "Just shut up and watch!" He placed the dishes on top of the circle. Taking some steps back, he cracked his knuckles. He pressed his hands against the edges of the transmutation circle.

A radiant beam emerged from the designed patterns as an small explosion occurred where the plates used to be. The waiter, hearing the commotion, marched in on the two, demanding to know what was going on, his gray moustache twitched. To his surprise, the disruptive noises had misled him. Expecting to see a disaster, the waiter gazed upon the shimmering clean dishes. His mouth agape, he stared at the twins, astonished.
"H-how'd the hell you two do that?!"

Naomi, grinning, rubbed the back of her hair, "Actually, that's pretty easy. It's just some simple alchemy."

The waiter rubbed his hands together, "Ya don't say..."

Daniel spoke up, "Yup, we're alchemists; were hoping to get into the military here pretty quick."
The waiter placed his hands over his waist, "Well, I'll be damned… I ain't seen youngster alchemists like you for quite some time 'ere."

Danny chuckled, but wanted to get down to information. "Would you by any chance-"

Some laughing behind the counter of the kiosk cut him off. Tilting his head to get a view, he spotted a man in his mid-thirties, rubbing his pale forehead, chuckling at Daniel's remark. He had pitch-black hair that was slicked back. He was cloaked in a dark desert robe, red lines racing down his sleeves. A thick brown leather collar covered his neck.

Daniel was a little peeved at the man's cockiness, "Hey, what's so funny?"

The man's icy blue eyes glared at him, as he smirked, "What makes you think that military is going to take in a couple of runts like you? Just because you know some alchemy does not mean they'll take you in. Everybody knows that."

Daniel snapped back, slamming his fist down against the kiosk counter, glaring him eye to eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Not even remotely surprised by the sudden outburst, the man continued to mock him. "So tell me kid, do you know anything about being a dog of the military? Do you have the guts to kill even a child without hesitation?"
Daniel hesitated to answer. Who was this guy?
"Answer me, kid. Do you really think you're ready for the military?"
Daniel could not get himself to answer the question. The man brought up some very good points. He has always been assuring of himself that he was ready for the military up until now.

The man chuckled, "...That's what I thought..." He rose from his seat, "Then again, why am I surprised. You humans are a foolish breed; I should have expected something like this. You get a small taste of power and you think you can control the universe…"
Daniel gazed blankly as the man turned his back, leaving the kiosk. He stretched his back, walking down a lone alley.
Naomi couldn't help but stare either. The only thing running through the twins' minds were "Who was that guy?"