"You know kid, you'll have to talk again sometime." Docletto informed the small Ishvalan child.
He squinted at her as she rested in Roa arms, she squinted back at him.
Martel watched the pair stare at each other, a spark seemed to be shifting between them as they continued to stare.
Docletto let a small growl escape his mouth and Martel was by his side in a second, slapping him upside the head with an annoyed sigh.
"Stop growling at her you idiot."
"I swear the kid did it first!"
"SHE AIN'T NO DOG AND SHE HAS A NAME!"
"OW! OW! OW! STOP HITTIN' ME MARTEL!"
Time passed, Roa ran ahead with Tauriel and Docletto watched the wind fly through the kid's hair. She seemed to enjoy the feeling as well as seeming extremely fascinated by the feeling of the wind hitting against her skin.
"She doesn't like me." Docletto told Martel as he broke his eyes away from the child.
"You haven't given her a reason to. None of us have but you just keep shouting and I guess, being stuck in this war, she's sick of the loudness."
Docletto sighed, his eyes once again found Tauriel, she was facing him – well her head was turned to stare at him, the eye that was not covered by bandages stared blankly at the young man. Docletto tried to smile, Tauriel lifted her chin and turned back to stare ahead of her.
"You can leave me behind you know, I would not mind." Tauriel's small voice told Docletto.
The young man turned to his side and quirked an eyebrow at the girl.
"Yeah well, we'd mind."
"Why?"
"Because we ain't assholes who do that shit to people, we wouldn't leave anybody behind who needs us."
"I do not need you."
"I'd like to see you crawl your way across this land."
"I could."
"Could you?"
"I could try."
"And what if you find out you can't? Then what?"
"Well….Then I would….I'd stop."
"Who told you that? Who told you should just give up?"
"My Mother and Father, they taught me to never try anything you cannot finish, to always stop when you find you cannot go further."
"You know what I do when I can't go any further?"
"What?"
"I keep going."
"What if you couldn't move any further? What if it was impossible?"
"I don't believe in impossible. People said creating successful Chimeras was impossible but look at me? Look at us? We're here aren't we? And you, most people would think it impossible for someone to live after losing as much blood as you did but you're alive, you're here with me right now."
Tauriel peered at Docletto curiously, his words swam around her head; her mind was trying to make sense of them.
Docletto scratched the back his head, his lips quirked trying to find something to break the silence.
"I guess it's just me, I'd never run away from a fight or give up in a challenge….especially if it meant saving someone I loved."
Tauriel didn't know if she had anyone she loved, her parents hardly spoke to her or to each other as they were paranoid they could be heard by soldiers and other Ishavlans from underground. Tauriel had never had the overwhelming need to protect those people, she had only cried when they died because she realised that she was now alone.
"Now, why'd you ask me to leave you behind?" Docletto broke the silence once again.
"I am a burden."
"You're our responsibility now."
"I do not want to be."
Docletto hit Tauriel upside gently, her arms flailed as she fell forward on her face. Docletto's eye twitched as he watched the child spit out sand.
"What did you do that for?"
"Because….BECAUSE YOU STUBBORN BRAT, YOU'RE OUR RESPONSIBILITY WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! YOU HEAR ME!?"
"Of course I hear you because you are yelling!"
"GOOD! MAYBE YOU'LL GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD!"
"YOU ARE VERY LOUD!"
Docletto laughed as the kid's face went bright red.
"Jesus kid, you sure do have a set of lungs on ya."
"I do not mean to…."
"No, no! It's a good thing! It means people will listen to you."
"Are you alright Miss Tauriel?" Alphonse asked.
"Just call me Tauriel, it's weird being spoken to so politely." Tauriel waved a hand at Al. "And I'm thinking about all the Automail around me, around Dublith it wasn't normal to show off things that made you different, that's why Devil's Nest was so special – freaks and weirdo's were welcome." A wave of nostalgia passed through Tauriel, she shook her head and tensed her shoulders. "We're almost at your friend's shop are we not?"
"Yep, actually we're here." Ed stopped at the door, a shiver ran up his spine and he turned to face Al.
"SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!"
"YOU CAN DO IT BROTHER! JUST OPEN THE DOOR!"
"AL I'M SO SCARED!"
"I BELIEVE IN YOU BROTHER!"
Ed took a breath of air.
"I can do this, I have to believe I can do this."
Ed reached out his hand and knocked on the door.
A beautiful young girl opened the door, her blue eyes were large and matched perfectly with her long blonde hair which was tied in a high pony tail. Her body was amazing, the perfect figure which all girls would want – Tauriel herself had a lean, muscular type build.
"Ed! Al! What are you guys doing here?" A large smile formed on the girl's lips.
Al waved and greeted the girl. "Hey Winry!"
"Hey Winry!" Ed repeated, he lifted his broken Automail arm and pointed at it with his flesh arm.
Winry's smile froze as she opened her eyes and stared at the broken arm. She laughed, slowly took out a wrench from behind her and in a split second Ed was on the ground, blood squirting out of his head as he groaned. Al waved a fan to cool Ed down as he groaned louder.
Winry was about to slam the door shut when she saw Tauriel who was still standing outside in complete confusion. The blonde girl gasped and stepped closer to Tauriel, their noses almost touching.
Tauriel suppressed a growl as a deeply hidden insecurity bubbled within the girl.
Why is she staring at me? Is it because I'm Ishvalan? Is that it?
The Devil's Nest gang were so accepting that Tauriel had to remind herself there were still people who despised her people.
"You – You – "Winry started.
Tauriel narrowed her eyes as Winry seized hold of her shoulders. The Ishvalan girl barred her teeth but before a biting comment could leave her full lips Winry's eyes seemed to shine with joy and awe and she squealed.
"Your eye! Your beautiful glass eye! It's so amazing and detailed, the design! I can't even! Who made it? Where did you get this? Oh and your legs!" Winry kneeled down and lifted up one of Tauriel's legs up to inspect it. "It's so light! That so Automail is amazing! And so beautifully made! I need to know who designed these!"
"I uh – it was some old man where I – where I grew up but he – well he died a few years back."
"Who does your repairs then?" The concern in Winry's voice unnerved Tauriel.
"A friend of mine he could be a bit of a dog sometimes but he learnt how to deal with Automail to help me." Tauriel grinned at her joke as Winry nodded.
"WHERE ARE MY MANNERS?!" Winry exclaimed. She jumped up and shook Tauriel's hand. "My name is Winry Rockbell and you?"
"Tauriel."
"Why are you with these idiots?"
"WINRY WHY?!" Ed and Al moaned in disappear.
*Oh hey Tauriel is meeting normal people. Sorry about this chapter being so short!
GUESS WHO'S GONNA BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER?!*