Accommodation had been relatively easy to find the night before and luckily, there were rooms to spare. The inn that they had stumbled upon was quite small but it reminded Anna of the inn that she had stayed in during her stay in Central. It gave off that same warmth that Anna had come to associate with home and she enjoyed immensely because it allowed her to feel a sense of peace.
Their rooms had been acquired and Anna said goodnight to the brothers as soon as she reached her door. The rooms were conveniently next to each other and Anna appreciated the fact that they were close by in case of an emergency. It was a little funny to think that Anna was already starting to feel comfortable with the Elric brothers.
Those that knew her well, they knew it took time before she could properly place her trust in someone. There were questions that needed to be answered by the person's actions alone. If they were truthful in the way they spoke and acted. If they did something with pure intentions instead of ones shrouded with evil. People weren't the nicest species to exist and Anna had to watch herself in this world so she wasn't played for a fool.
But the Elric brothers didn't seem like they harboured such maliciousness and it was easy to tell from the aura that they gave. Alphonse's was warm and comforting despite the fact that sorrow lined the edges with jagged spikes. It came from his soul which she could feel but there was that emptiness that Anna simply couldn't ignore. Most of the sorrow stemmed from within that void but there was nothing she could do to confirm her thoughts. But she felt more than sure that Alphonse didn't possess a body within that armour.
Edward's aura held something far different though it still kept the warmth that his brother's had carried. His own was alive with a confidence and a certainty about something hugely important to him. It held the same fire that danced within his golden eyes whenever Anna had a chance to gaze at them. That was an aura that burned bright but also carried an enormous guilt that struggled to get past the blazing flames. The guilt which matched Alphonse's sorrow with edges that looked like sharp razors.
They had both been through something tragic to earn such staples to their energies that both dull and drain the soul. Anna's only hope was that they could find what they were looking for and free themselves from the repetitive cycle that was strong enough to kill any normal human. But Anna knew that those two weren't normal and carried a strength that was enough to knock whatever came their way onto its knees. She hardly knew them but Anna had faith in them and her belief in them settled freshly among the surface as it hovered above the doubt.
She got herself ready for bed as she dressed in a simple pair of cotton pants and a black tank top due to the warmer climate of the city. The next thing she did was open her windows which provided her the view of the quiet street below. Everywhere was so quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of Central. Even East City was louder than this and while the quietness proved to a nice change, it was strangely unsettlingly. There was a flow in Liore that seemed mismatched and like it didn't belong among the people of this town.
Anna closed her eyes to find her centre before pressing her palms against the wood of the window frame. With a gentle push, her mind reached out and Liore's energy whirled around with its colour being a soft green. But then there was a underlining of red and the vibe that it gave off was one of malicious intent. She tried to pinpoint what it was which didn't amount to anything. It was definitely frustrating until a huge tower of red energy came into view as she slowly turned her head, her eyes still closed. Then she opened her eyes and they widened when her sights fell on where most of the malicious energy from.
In the distance rested the Church of Leto and that was where the red energy hailed from.
Anna cursed before running her hands down her face and sighing deeply.
"This isn't good." she whispered.
The next day found the trio seated at a food stall as the man who ran the place served them some lunch. Most of the morning was spent with Edward and Alphonse gathering the information they needed while Anna slept in until eleven in the morning. She came to find the brothers at the food stall where Edward had finished his meal while Alphonse sat beside him. It had been quite easy to find them considering that one of them was huge and made out of metal.
"Morning." Anna greeted with a yawn as she took a seat next to Edward and folded her arms on the metal counter.
"Anna, good morning." Alphonse greeted her cheerfully and Edward huffed as he turned to look at her.
"More like afternoon," he told her before raising a brow. "Do you always sleep in this late?"
"I was tired," Anna said, greeting the man behind the counter with a smile. "We got in really late last night and I was exhausted." She then moved her hands to her lower back and arched her back to stretch it out. "And my back is sore." There was a subtle whine to her voice before she rested her head against warm metal. "I'm also hungry, I missed breakfast."
Edward rolled his eyes. "If someone had woken up on time then you wouldn't be hungry." He then shook his head in feigned disapproval.
"You really want to get me going right now?" Anna asked him in a monotone voice as she turned her head to face him, her eyes were narrowed in a slight glare. "Because I'm ready to go."
"I'm ready to go too." Edward replied with a challenging frown and soon the two were glaring daggers at each other. Alphonse looked at them before sighing and helping them order the meal of the day that the chef was serving. But his soul couldn't help but laugh as he listened to the two of them playfully bicker about wake-up times.
The arguing had ceased after a short while and their food was soon placed in front of them. Both Anna and Ed thanked the man kindly for the meal before digging in. Anna squealed and wiggled in her seat as delicious flavours danced over her tongue.
"This is so good!" Anna complimented with a vigorous nod of her head. Edward agreed with a happy mumble due to the food in his mouth and ended up giving a thumbs up.
"Thank you, miss," the chef told her, smiling kindly as he wiped his hands with a dish towel. "It's simple food but it sure tastes good."
"I'll say." Edward said with a mouthful of food and Anna elbowed him for his lack of table manners. That earned her a yelp as Edward almost fell off his stool and Anna covered her laugh with a well-placed cough. The chef then slid Edward a glass of water and Edward kept those golden eyes narrowed at her as he thanked him and took sips. Anna ignored him and continued to eat her food.
She then glanced over at Alphonse and saw him write into a small notebook while murmuring something to himself. Anna then noted that he didn't have a plate of food in front of him and a swell of suspicious grew slowly within her chest. Usually, she didn't ask as they were many reasons as to why someone wasn't eating. But there was many other things that kept leading to the fact that Alphonse may be hollow after all.
"Hey, Al?" Anna asked and smiled when she caught his attention. "Are you not hungry?"
It was at the moment that both Edward and Alphonse froze. Anna maintained an innocent expression even though her suspicious continued to increase.
"That's true," the chef chimed in as he came to lean against the counter. "And aren't you hot in that armour? It's bound to get pretty heated in there especially in this weather."
Anna nodded in agreement. "That is true," she said and was quick to catch the slight and panicked glance that the brothers shared. Her eyes narrowed but it was only for a second as she placed on a voice of concern. "Aren't you hungry and hot, Al?"
"I'm not hungry and I'm not hot really, the armour is fine!" Alphonse rushed and Edward nodded in haste as he laughed forcefully.
"Yeah, he had a big breakfast since he's a growing boy!" Edward supplied and Anna only felt herself grow more disbelieving as he continued on. "And he wears his armour because it's a part of his training for alchemy and such!"
It seemed like a more than a convincing answer for the chef who accepted it all but Anna wasn't going to be fooled. She eyed the brothers who looked back at her and it soon felt like a staring contest. Her eyes moved from the red glow of where Alphonse's eyes would be to the fierce gold that were Edward's.
There was something hidden between them and it felt would help her in this quest that she had set out on. But she remembered that she had no right to ask because it wasn't her place. The curiosity itched at the inside of her throat with the desperation to ask for answers. But that wasn't hers to ask for.
"Alright." she replied and dropped the subject. Anna pretended not to see the tension partially leave from Edward's shoulders as she went back to eating her meal.
That discussion had been forgotten for a short bit as both Anna and Edward nursed full bellies. The trio had settled into quiet conversation regarding their plan to visit the Church of Leto before they were interrupted by the chef turning on the radio. All conversation halted between the three and they listened to the broadcast that played throughout the city.
God's children, who live upon this land, pray in faith and ye shall be saved. The sun God Leto illuminates footsteps-
Anna deadpanned as the nonsense continued to spew out of the radio. She turned to exchange a look with Edward who seemed to be thinking the same thing. If his expression was anything to go by. Alphonse remained expressionless which was understandable considering that he (was in) a suit of armour.
The chef had been busy dealing with other customers but then made his way back to them when he had less to handle. It was at this time he decided to take a more proper look at them before asking, "You guys street performers or something?"
Edward spat out the remaining of his orange juice while Anna raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that idea from?" she asked before pointing at Alphonse. "Is it the guy in the armour or the shorty in the red and flashy coat?" She ignored Edward's offended 'Oi!' before gesturing to herself. "Or the girl with the shocking white hair?"
"Come to think of it." Alphonse took one look at them and himself before resting a gloved hand over his helmet. "He does have a point."
"So you are street performers." the chef said with a grin.
"No!" Both Edward and Anna barked with bared teeth.
It honestly feels like we're not going to get to Cornello at this point but I promise you that we'll get to meet that him soon and there're going to be a lot of secrets spilled. The hard part is not knowing when to reveal certain things about Anna to the brothers and to you guys. And it comes down to the point of not reciting every episode word for word because it becomes repetitive pretty quickly. I want to be able to tell Anna's individual story while working her into the plot. So it's taking some planning but I'm hoping that it shall all fall into place soon!
