Danielle
"Are you ready?" Danielle called, waiting patiently.
"Yep! Are you?" Bailey replied getting into her fighting stance. Danielle didn't reply, but simply started running full force at Bailey. Bailey started to laugh at her, and in the last second moved to the side. "Are you trying to put on a show, or fight?"
"Fight!" Danielle shouted as she kicked Bailey to the ground. "You know that thing where you hurt someone else."
"Sounds familiar," Bailey laughed as she jumped back up and punched Danielle. "I told you not to hold back."
"I know you did." Danielle smiled as she moved to punch Bailey. Bailey blocked her punch, and a shock of electricity sent Bailey flying. "I had to get a charge going."
"Of course you did." Bailey smiled before quickly drawing a circle in the ground. She took a deep breath and slammed her hands to the ground. The ground in front of Danni crumbled, pulling Danni down with it.
"Damn, so she is an alchemist." Winry laughed.
Danielle jumped out of the hole quickly, moving to attack Bailey. "Cheap alchemy isn't going to help you here."
Bailey ran toward Danielle and landed a hit on her shoulder before pulling Danielle to the ground. Danielle kicked Bailey off of her and onto the dirt road.
Bailey laughed and started working on another circle. She took another deep breath before the ground quickly moved around Danielle's foot, trapping her in place.
"Bailey!" Danielle cried out, trying to move her foot.
"Can't get a charge if you're stuck in the ground," Bailey shouted back as she charged for Danni. She struck Danni head on, crashing her to the ground.
"Bad choice in moves," Danni laughed before sending a small charge through her fingers, throwing Bailey off of her.
Bailey smiled as she stood, looking down at her hands. "I told you I wouldn't cut my hands, but I never said that I wouldn't allow you to cut them for me."
"Shit!" Danielle yelled realizing the charge scratched Bailey's hands.
Bailey pulled slightly on the newly formed ribbon and looked back at Danielle. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She called as the ribbon flew from her hand to wrap around Danielle's wrist.
"Ok, I will not allow this to go any further." Pinako stepped out, the ribbon wrapping around her wooden spoon.
Bailey took a step back, and released the ribbon. "I… I've never missed before."
"Honey, there's a first time for everything." Pinako pulled out a pair of scissors for the ribbon.
"No, wait!" Bailey and Danni called out before running toward her. "Don't do that!"
Pinako looked at them like they were crazy as she snipped the ribbon. Bailey stopped where she was as the ribbon instantly turned back to blood and fell to the ground, causing Bailey to faint.
"What? What did I do?" Pinako looked over at Bailey.
"She uses a lot of energy to use the ribbon. It knocks her out if the ribbon gets cut, like a circuit." Danielle ran over to Bailey. "Are you ok?"
Bailey sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "I think so, just need to work on that." She replied with a small laugh before looking down at her hand.
"Bailey, you never said how you do that." Danni helped her stand. "In all the time I've met you, you never use a circle for it, so how?"
"Danielle, you don't want to know how to obtain this 'skill'." Bailey turned to Pinako. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. The ribbon uses a lot of my blood, and when it breaks, I lose that blood. So, it takes a lot out of me."
"Child, I'm sorry." Pinako replied. "Let's get some fluids into you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Rockbell." Bailey smiled at her before looking at Ed and Al. "Now you know why Mustang wants me to learn from you. I have a lot I still need to learn."
"Does he know how you do that?" Ed asked, motioning to the healing scratch on her hand.
"Yes, he was there." Bailey nodded to Danni to let go of her. "I think I can handle walking. It's about the same as giving blood, kind of."
"Yeah, totally," Danielle laughed, "If you're scared of needles."
Bailey nodded as they all headed back inside. "Danielle, where's my bag?"
"Here," Danni ran over to it and handed it back to her.
Bailey pulled it open and took out a map. "Ok, Mustang said that Masked was headed to help with the war in South City, and last seen in Dublith."
"Yeah," Danni looked at the map over Bailey's shoulder. "So, we should start looking in Dublith?"
"No, we should head to South City, but we'll hit Dublith first. Travel this road there." Bailey pointed it out, looking up at Ed. "It's technically your mission. What do you say?"
Ed took the map as Pinako handed out glasses of lemonade.
"Thank you, Mrs. Rockbell." Bailey and Danni said as they took their own.
"Well, first thing we have to do is clean up your yard." Bailey looked outside to the hole in the ground. "I'll get it fixed right away."
"Bailey, remind me, wasn't there a rule against destroying stuff in the fight?" Danielle laughed. "You never did listen to rules, did you?"
"You can ask my father that next time you see him." Bailey started outside to fix the road.
"Danielle, is Bailey ok?" Winry asked as they watched out the window.
"Bailey will be fine. Sometimes she just needs to battle it out." Danielle smiled at Winry. "It is how she deals with her frustrations."
"So, you're an electric alchemist?" Ed asked, walking over to them.
"My specialty so far is working with the static electricity in the air," Danni replied, "But I haven't really mastered it, as you saw."
"Danni is getting better every day," Bailey walked in. "I still remember when you had to create the charge from rubbing your hands together."
"Yeah, I guess I have gotten better." Danni smiled at her. "Bailey, the circles still bothers you, don't they?"
"Yes, Danni, they do." Bailey slid on her gloves, covering a small mark on her wrist. "I don't think I'll ever get over the effect they have."
"May I ask, what happens?" Winry sat down on the couch, curious as a cat.
"Since I was little, I have been having the same issues with the transmutation circles. I don't know why, but the smoke from them makes me cough." Bailey picked up her drink and took a small sip. "There are some things that I can do without them, like the ribbon, but it takes a lot out of me."
"It must be hard to be an alchemist if you have issues with the transmutation circles." Winry replied as Ed sat down next to her.
"It's difficult, but I can't give up." Bailey looked over to Danni, "I'm going to be a State Alchemist. I don't know when, but I'm going to be one. I'm going to have a watch of my own."
"I think you can do it." Al spoke up from where he sat on the floor. "If Mustang wants you to protect us, he thinks you can do it."
"Mustang's punishing me," Bailey opened her bag. "I got into trouble with him a few months ago. He almost turned me in to my father, but decided that I would work for him instead. Since then, I've been helping the alchemists get out of Ookani, including you, Ed."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Ed smiled to her.
"Yeah, sure," Bailey pulled out an alchemy textbook and started reading. "Ed and Al, what do you say about leaving tomorrow? I think we all need a good night's rest before we head out."
"Sounds like a good idea." Danni smiled at Bailey, "I just hope you actually get some sleep this time."
"Danni, don't worry. I'll get some sleep." Bailey looked up from the textbook and smiled back.
Bailey kept smiling as she dug herself back into the textbook, waiting for everyone else to fall asleep. She looked up after a few minutes to see Danni sound asleep next to her on the floor.
"Danielle, always trying to take care of me," Bailey softly closed her book and grabbed a blanket to lay over Danni. "Sweet dreams, my friend."
"You should be getting some shut eye also, dear." Pinako tapped her wooden spoon on Bailey's shoulder.
"I couldn't allow myself to sleep before them." Bailey replied as she glanced out the window. "I promised to protect them, and I meant it. Even if that means I have to stay awake a little longer than them, I'll do it."
"You're bound to wear yourself out, child." Pinako sighed, "But I believe that to be a very honorable gesture to your friends."
"Mrs. Rockbell, I don't think it's very honorable. You know, I used to have days when the world seemed black, and all the light had vanished." Bailey looked back at Pinako as she spoke, "It was then that I would remember the times when I had to struggle to survive, and the light seemed to shine brightly again. I can't forget those days, because they make me that much stronger."
"Child, there will never be a day when the light won't shine." Pinako hit Bailey with her spoon. "There are merely days when that light is dimmer than usual."
"Thank you," Bailey slowly rubbed where Pinako hit her arm. "I'll be sure to remember that."
"You should." Pinako smiled, "now get some sleep."
Bailey nodded to her and watched as Pinako went to her room. She waited a little longer before sneaking out the front door. For the first few minutes, Bailey wondered around Resembool again, taking in the sights of the moonlit town. She walked back over to the cemetery and sat on the ground looking at the stars.
"Angelica, I'm sure you would love it here. The night sky is so beautiful, and it's always so peaceful here." She said as she lay down on the cold grass. "I've really missed you and the boys, and I know that I may not see you again. I just hope you are okay." Bailey sighed as she sat back up.
"Please, don't leave because of me." Al said from behind her. "I couldn't sleep, and heard you leave. I just figured you might need someone with you."
Bailey smiled at him, "thank you, Al. I didn't realize you were still up."
Al smiled back as he sat down next to her. "Sometimes, you have to leave something before you realize how much you love it."
"Yeah, but sometimes once you leave there's no chance in returning." Bailey looked at the headstone in front of them. "Every once in a while, you make that choice that dictates what you are going to do for the rest of your life, and you can't ever change that choice."
"Bailey," Edward walked up to them. "Just because you make a choice to do something, doesn't mean it has to be all of what you are. Choices are simply that, choices. What we do with the choices we make is what makes up who we are as a person."
"You two have lost so much, and yet you still find a reason to smile. It reminds me of something my teacher used to tell me." Bailey glanced between both of them before ripping the ponytail out of her hair, causing her bangs to cover her eyes. "There was a young girl walking through a forest with a cowardly lion and a tin man. The forest scared the girl, and the cowardly lion was too afraid to help her. When the girl started to cry, the lion got mad and growled at the forest as loud as he could. At that moment, the girl's fears were met by the cowardly lion's courage, and the tin man's heart broke in two."
"Um, ok?" Ed replied, totally confused on the connection.
"You see, you two don't seem to care about your own fears when there are others who need you. You help them, even if it means you might get caught or hurt." Bailey stood up and started back to the house. "You help them because you want to, and don't ask for anything in return."
Ed stood up and grabbed Bailey's sleeve, "Bailey, why did you come here?"
"Huh? Ed, Mustang told me to." Bailey looked back at him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, why did you sit down here?" Ed pointed to his mother's headstone.
"Well, I just felt safe there. I kind of felt like I could tell her what was on my mind, and she would listen. Even if she didn't know who I was." Bailey replied, starring at the tombstone.
"Mom always was a good listener." Al said as he stood up. "Let's head back before Winry notices we've gone."
Ed nodded before getting hit in the head with a wrench, "Too late, Al."
"What are you two doing out here? It's freezing cold out, and you should be asleep!" Winry yelled at Ed, holding another wrench in her hand.
"Winry, it wasn't their fault. I couldn't sleep and came out here. They just came out to check on me." Bailey stepped between them, only to be hit with the wrench. "Will people stop hitting me with inanimate objects?"
"No," Winry yelled back, pulling out another wrench.
"Where does she keep all those wrenches?" Bailey asked herself as she ran toward the Rockbell's, trying to avoid getting hit again.
