The townspeople brought the three of them to the only inn in town where the sole doctor did an examination free of charge. At his insistence, only a handful of visitors could come into the room at a time and were to vacate and fetch him immediate if she spewed out anymore blood. Ingrid, having ignored any of the doctor's protests, snuggled with her mother in bed. The whole family unit had glared at him in unison when he persisted in saying that she couldn't do so; their eyes daring him to continue. Sweating heavily, the physician excused himself with a cough, muttering something about needing to head back to his clinic, and the vaguely menacing aura the trio had been emanating seemed to disappear as if it had never been there in the first place.

The curious and tremendously grateful townspeople of Resembool tactfully ignored the occurrence and acted as if nothing happened, slowly streaming into the room. Most certainly filling up past the capacity that the doctor had, had in mind. However, it was entirely evident that there were plenty more outside of the room wanting their turn to either thank or ogle at the alchemist who had saved their town. The ones who had entered first were men, and a couple women, who made up the authority figures of Resembool: sheep farmers, business owners, and a man who wasn't a mayor in name but acted as one in both his responsibility and duty to the town. The man had actually been the one who had been leading the sandbagging efforts earlier. Pseudo-Mayor, who's name Ingrid had failed to catch when he introduced himself, formally thanked the Curtis's on behalf of Resembool (as confirmed further with the cheers and claps of nearby townspeople) and mostly led the discussion to learn more about the small family unit.

During this, more people trickled into the room curiously, whispering and shushing each other excitedly, voices a quiet murmur that faded into the general chatter of the room's original visiting occupants. Nosey children slipped through the legs of the adults, most gawking in an awed and intimidated manner at the towering form of Sig first before even glancing at the mundane-by-comparision Izumi. The only part visible of Ingrid on the other side of her mother was the top half of her head, little glaring black eyes seemed to bore holes into whomever glanced in her direction.

"Incredible alchemy, seems even more like magic than I first thought."

"You must be a national alchemist with such skill like that!"

"So this is what a master alchemist can do..."

Izumi waved her hand dismissively before correcting, "Actually, I really just am a butcher's wife. My husband and I own a shop back home in Dublith like I mentioned before. I had been sick for the last year... Ah, I had just recently gotten cleared for travel and it was by chance the train had been redirected over here."

"Now we're in your debt, haha!"

"Wow, all the way from Dublith."

"Yeah, it's a nice change to see how green it is over here."

Some of the children seemed to gather up the courage, a blonde pair of the rushing forward boldly, declaring, "Old lady! Please take us as your disciples!"

Ingrid choked on her own spit and promptly fled from out under the covers to hide behind her father's legs as Izumi cooed in a dangerously sweet tone, "What was that? This old lady isn't sure she heard you right the first time." Ingrid wasn't all that surprised when her mother flipped the bed when the two kids with a death wish guilelessly repeated themselves, somehow not noticing the deadly and vaguely threatening undertones. "Still didn't catch that. Want to try again?"

Crawling out from under the haphazardly thrown bed, the two remained in a kneeling position, trembling rightfully from the display of wrath. Stammering, the one with the lighter hair tried again, "A-Auntie, miss, please, take us as your pupils!"

The other boy added, "We already know a little bit of alchemy, can even do some transmutation ourselves!"

"Right, and we want to learn more, so please...!"

"...No way," the older woman flat out denied, turning away from the two of them, hands on her hips. Ingrid couldn't count the number of times the other neighborhood kids back in Dublith had begged the same thing. Had parents come over and buy their meat, only to try to sell their children's hardworking and attentive attitudes to Mrs. Curtis, only to be turned away with a cheerful 'please come again'. No matter how much they pestered, her mother would not accept them as her students, and that was that.

"Wh-What?"

"Why not?!"

Izumi sighed, shifting onto her other foot, "I don't teach alchemy, period. In any case, we have a store to run back in Dublith, so I can't stay here to teach you and —"

Lunging forward desperately, the pair who had to be brothers latched onto the alchemist, one grabbing her arm and the other her leg. Both were refusing to let go. Sheer determination being the only thing that kept attached as Izumi tried to shake them off amidst their pleas and begging. "Let go, you pests!"

"P-le-eas, t-ak-ke us as disc-ip-l-les!" They cried, eyes squeezed shut and voices shaking from the force of being whipped and waved around, teeth clacking and tongues probably being accidentally bitten. "Pl-eeee-eeease!" The last bit coming out more of a shriek than anything else. Ingrid had to given them credit, they were seriously committed.

"God," Izumi snarled, finally desisting in trying to fling them off. "So damn persistent. Okay, say if I did take you on, what would you do with what I taught you?"

"W-We'd..." Leg-boy started before faltering, looking to the other for guidance.

"We'd try to help others! Make their life better!" Arm-boy continued fiercely.

"...Right," Izumi finally said, voice dripping with skepticism. "And just what do your parents have to say about you dropping school and everything else to head to Dublith with an absolute stranger for unknown amount of time, maybe to never see them again?" Neither boy could look her in the eye, their grip loosing as they looked down at the ground, expressions pained. Shaking free, she stepped away to cross her arms and look down on them severely and completely expecting them to give up at last. "Well?"

There was a long and uncomfortable pause, no one saying anything or even daring to breathe... A reaction that Ingrid never experienced after previous attempts, why were the other adults acting so solemn? Not teasing the boys for a reckless attempt in getting a teacher for a flashy skill in using magical science? A mother steeping forward to both scold her child(ren) and apologize? None of this felt right.

"Actually, ma'am, the boy's..." Pseudo-Mayor attempted to start before faltering awkwardly, his expression stricken.

"I'm their guardian now, Miss Curtis," an old lady who was easily into her late sixties, maybe even her seventies, broken in gravely. "They're orphans, and have been staying with me after their mother passed."

"O-Oh," Izumi breathed, looking more like she had been stabbed instead of punched with the news, pained and distraught. Ingrid looked away herself, hands gripping her father's pants tightly, knowing just what her mother wass reminded of. What her whole family had been reminded of. A giant hand rested on top of head, neither Ingrid or her father saying anything when Izumi glanced back at the two of them, looking as lost as any of them felt. Muttering to herself, "I just don't know how to handle this", before looking back at the two boys and measuring their worth, the twin pleading and determined expressions...and finally gave in. Crouching down to their level and placing a gentle hand on each shoulder, she sternly told them, "One month. I will give you two a trial of one month, as long as you approve of this, ma'am. A period of provisional training to ascertain their level of skill and if it would be truly worth dedicating my time and energy to accept them as my pupils."

The elderly woman, possibly their grandmother, gazed back shrewdly, expression hard. Her tone was firm and gave away nothing as she asked, "And if you find them lacking...?"

"I will immediately send them back here."

The Leg-boy piped up, question hesitant, almost disbelieving, "And if... if we pass the trial run?"

Izumi faced the two of them again, eyes scanning their faces before giving a crooked half-smile, already starting to warm up to the two of them, "Then I accept the two of you under my instruction and care as my students until either your expulsion or graduation as full-fledged alchemists."

Like a chemical reaction, the look on their faces slowly morphed and changed, smiles expanding, eyes glittering brightly, cheeks heating up in excitment, and just generally looking like they were about to explode.

"Granny!" Arm-boy shouted. "We won't be back in a month!"

Their grandmother sighed, "Somehow, I knew you were going to say that."