Life Lesson #9
Keep an open mind
(-Ana-)
"You know what I've realized?" Ana asked conversationally to her companions.
"That you don't know how to walk right?" Ed rolled his eyes. He referred to how she'd been prancing down the sidewalk swinging her arms in long arcs back and forth.
She sniffed at him, holding her head high and proud, "Bitch please, I am a beautiful gazelle." How could Edward not appreciate her graceful strides? She should push him into oncoming traffic.
"More like a bumbling elephant," Ed corrected. "You've ran into two poles since we've left the library. You're klutzy."
"No I'm not! Life is just out to get me! Now prance with me!"
"No thanks."
"I will!" Alphonse chipped in like the nice guy he was. He began to mimic Ana's movements, skipping down the sidewalk alongside her and her heart burst with joy because holy crap, Al was prancing with her! His bulky, clanking armor only made it better. "Well? How am I doing?"
Ana grinned broadly, "You're fabulous, Alphonse!"
Edward deadpanned, watching them as if they were the bane of his existence, "You look more like morons to me. Knock it off! People are starting to stare."
Haha, like she cared. "Let them stare! Let them be jealous of our awesomeness!"
Alphonse laughed and that made Ana happy. Al was having a good time. Why couldn't Ed stop being so uptight and live a little? It was like he was trying too hard to be the adult and wouldn't allow himself to have any fun.
"What was that realization you had?" Ed asked, attempting to distract Ana and make her stop.
To Ed's relief, Ana did stop. But it wasn't because he wanted her too! It was only because they had to stop at the crosswalk or get flattened by the few cars coming by. Speaking of the vehicles…
"Ya'll drive on the wrong side of the road. And your steering wheels are on the opposite side too, like how they do it in Europe or wherever."
"What's Europe? Is that a place where you're from?" Al inquired. Ana noticed how he didn't mention 'her world' while they were out in public. The rest they could talk about and people who overheard would write it off as something else.
She nodded, "Yeah, it's a country on like the other side of the world." Ana became thoroughly distracted by giving them a small geography lesson on the layout of her world's countries. It shouldn't surprise her that they were very interested in her explanations, asking questions for the duration of their walk back to Hughes's house. Al's was nothing more than innocent interest while Ed held more of a challenge to his gaze, like he was asking several questions to see how quickly she'd answer them to test if she were making it up. To his disappointment, she had an answer for everything.
It would take longer to earn Ed's trust, she saw. Neither of the boys would ever believe her bogus story. Hell, no one she had told would. They were too smart for that. It didn't matter, as long as she could get them to trust her. Ana hadn't deluded herself that making friends with them would be easy. She hadn't wanted to be friends with them until that morning, because they weren't supposed to exist and she would be leaving soon anyway. But why not? And it would make things easier. Alphonse was the easiest to get along with, and the strongest supporter of going along with this. He wanted so desperately to believe that Ana knew something to restore him, which factored greatly into his support. But Edward…he was skeptical and looking for lies and danger at every corner. What led them to act this way?
The question was rhetorical. She knew, but she didn't really know. It was worlds different (literally) to see and talk to them first-hand. She knew of them and their lives, but she didn't truly know them. They were people. They were children forced to grow up too fast due to extreme circumstances. The two of them hadn't known much of happiness, having their childhood ripped away from them. Their parents had abandoned them, one willingly, the other taken by death's hand. And then they were thrown into a life of military, of constant fights and nearly fatal experiences on a daily basis.
Well damn, no wonder the kids had trust issues.
Compare that to Ana's life, she'd had it easy. She had never had to question who to trust, nor had she known much of pain or fear or the struggle to survive. She could smile and laugh without strain, something she'd yet to see them do. Ana had wondered a couple of times why the brothers had to act so tense most of the time, why they couldn't crack a smile and live a little.
Now she comprehended why. She would find it hard too, if she were them.
"Ana?" Alphonse asked.
Ana blinked, turning to look up into glowing eyes dulled by the bright rays of sunlight reflecting off of his armor, "Yeah?"
"You went quiet rather suddenly. Is there something on your mind?"
"Yeah," she answered truthfully.
Edward sent her a glance from the side as they strolled by a small park with a few kids playing with their parents watching over them. She recognized this place as down the street from the Hughes's house.
"Just gaining some appreciation. Or perspective, or whatever you wanna call it," she waved her hand in the air
"About?" Ed questioned, watching her carefully.
"You know how I know of ya'll and things about you? Well, I don't really know ya'll. And I was just thinking of the kind of people you are and your lives, and I've come to a conclusion."
"And?" Al asked.
"Your lives suck."
Ed growled under his breath, "Who asked you?"
"You did," she pointed out gleefully. Oh Edward, why must your questions be so stupid? Must be the blonde hair. "Anyway, it's just an observation. I was thinking about your lives and how you've gotten to be where ya'll are today… No wonder why ya'll are so depressing."
"I wouldn't…say that," Al denied awkwardly. Poor boy, trying to make it seem like they weren't off so horribly.
Edward's response held anything but denial. His words were heavily laced with sarcasm and irritation as he rolled his eyes, "Excuse us for having a less than stellar childhood. Should I smile more often? I'll put on a fake smile, just for you, Ana."
"Edward, I'm not your toilet. Don't give me your crap," Ana retorted sassily. "I'm the last person you have to fake a smile for. If you're unhappy, then you're unhappy and faking a smile doesn't change that. I already know you're unhappy, meaning that it's a wasted effort. But I think I read somewhere that the act of smiling makes you feel better because it triggers something in your brain, kind of like if you listen to certain types of music it can influence your mood."
"You sound indecisive," Al said gently.
"Yeah, I think I'm making my brain hurt," she scratched her head.
"Did you have a point to your rambling?" Ed asked, peeved.
"No, not really. Just establishing that ya'll have depressing lives, which makes me sad."
Ed's body stiffened, his teeth grinding together as he spat out, "We don't need your pity or for you to analyze our life. Butt out."
"Edward, does it look like I pity you?" she asked, giving him a blank stare.
"It sure sounds like it," he growled.
"Silly man and your male ego. I don't pity; it's not my style."
"Then what were you going on about being sad because we have depressing lives?!"
"I say what I feel, Edward. Get used to it. If I'm sad for you, then I'm gonna say it."
"That's pitying!"
"You guys," Al tried to intervene, but the two hard-headed teens continued to duke it out.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is t-, AGH! I'm not stooping down to your childish level!"
"That's funny, coming from you Ed," Al muttered, commenting on how childish Ed could be sometimes. Ed might like to think he acted like an adult most of the time, but he was still a kid. A very depressing, grouchy kid, but a kid nonetheless.
"What was that, Little Brother?" Ed rounded on him, his eyes blazing brighter than Mustang's flames. Al squeaked, looking ready to run.
To divert Ed's wrath from Al, Ana yelled, "Stoop down to my level? If you haven't noticed Edward, I'm taller than you!"
"DON'T CALL ME A BEAN SPROUT MIDGET!"
"I CAN CALL YOU WHAT I WANT, BITCH!"
"AGH!"
"AGH!"
"I swear, I don't know them," Al said to a random passerby who stared appalled at the arguing teens.
Edward ran his fingers through his hair roughly and shouted in frustration, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
Ana shouted back at the top of her lungs, "FOR YOU TO BE HAPPY!"
The fire in Ed's eyes extinguished as if she'd thrown a pail of water at his face (Oh damn, now she wanted to do that. It'd help him cool off and give Ana a good laugh.). He stood suspended in his shock, his mouth hanging open in preparation for the next insult that never came.
Ana placed fists on hips, smirking easily at the flabbergasted alchemist, "Sweet buttery Jesus, what's this? I've gone and made the Edward Elric speechless."
Edward took her swift change of mood the wrong way. He blew up, "Quit toying with me! What are you up to? What do you hope to accomplish by trying to be friends with us? Because I'll tell you now, that's not happening."
He assumed that she had said what she did to mess with him. She needed to rectify this.
"Brother, that's not-" Al sought to defuse the situation. Ed would not have it.
"No, Al! She's been trying to gain our trust since the beginning. I want to know for what purpose."
Ana didn't deny it, "Pfft, duh I'm trying to gain your trust."
Ed's gloved forefinger snapped in Ana's direction, "Hah! She admits it!"
"Yes Edward, this is all a part of my evil plot to seduce ya'll and make you my sex slaves."
"I KNEW IT! Wait…wh…what?" Ed's finger drooped as confusion blossomed in his cheeks in the form of a light pink hue. Al had no reaction whatsoever, standing frozen to the side. Imagine what his facial expression would be if he had a true body.
She had way too much fun messing with these guys.
"Dumbass, that was sarcasm." Ed bristled at the insult but Ana marched on, "Of course I've been trying to gain your trust. Things will go smoother if we get along, and I told you this morning that I don't want all this drama."
Ed's face remained suspicious (the standard since the beginning), but now it pinched in a way Ana could only describe as pouty. It made his gold eyes stand out noticeably and for several moments they distracted Ana. "Then what were you going on about for us to be happy?"
She shook herself and sighed. It had only been one full day with these people and already she'd had enough of them questioning her motives. "I'm not toying with you, Edward. I told you, I say what I feel. And I mean what I say. Which means…"
With renewed energy, Ana spun in a circle and struck a pose, one hand on her hip and the other pointed to the sky. "I hereby make it my mission to make the Elric brothers happy before I leave this wretched world! I swear upon my half Mexican blood that I will do it!"
And then both brothers were doing that staring thing but she wasn't paying attention. She could see Hughes's house down the street and her stomach growled at the memory of Gracia's cooking.
"Last one to the house is a rotten egg!" Ana declared, running down the sidewalk.
She'd done her good deed for the day. Now to forget, move on, and let the pieces fall where they may.
(-Edward-)
The brothers leaned towards each other, staring after their crazy ward as she sprinted away.
"What…just happened?" Ed questioned, feeling like he'd been spun in a circle numerous times.
"I have no idea," Al said, not faring any better.
The two alchemists trudged after Ana, heavy thoughts weighing on their minds. For Edward, that meant he stewed in his frustration and questions surrounding Ana.
His anger and mistrust towards Ana was not without reason. She knew things that no one else knew, couldn't possibly know. Some of their secrets were laid bare yesterday, the facts coming from the eccentric girl's lips as if they were commonplace, as if she didn't realize that none of this was her business. Who was she to bring up the burden Edward carried in his pocket every day? Granted, he'd challenged her, but he'd doubted her knowledge of anything that personal. Still, she shouldn't have known. Not even Alphonse knew what Edward had carved into his pocket watch…
How did Ana know of this? Perhaps the more prudent question would be what else did she know? Ed could sense it, the vast amount of information she was hiding from them. The process of returning Al's body back to him was the tip of the iceberg.
That right there irked him more than everything else. Ana had waltzed into their life and promised them what they'd been searching for, holding it out to them but keeping it at arm's length. It went beyond mere irritation.
It was cruel.
Whether she had the information or not, Ed couldn't be certain. What made it a possibility was her proof of knowing things no one else knew. He hated to admit it, but there was a good chance she was telling the truth about this. This made it infinitely more difficult to hold himself back, to restrain himself from shaking the information out of her with some good ole fashioned force. If she really did know something…then Ed despised waiting a minute longer. That's why he'd lowered himself that morning and pleaded with her for the answer, because he'd do anything for his little brother. Every day they would spend researching Ana's predicament (something that could be a lost cause) was one more day Alphonse had to spend in that unfeeling armor.
And the worst part?
Al didn't mind!
Ed wanted to pull his hair out at how willing he was to go along with this! His little brother could be so naïve sometimes. He didn't understand the phrase, "if it's too good to be true, then it probably isn't." Edward could understand him wanting to help Ana (Al would have badgered Ed to play hero even without Ana's little deal). But jumping on board with this so quickly? Trying to be reasonable with Ana when she was obviously hiding much more from them? Not to mention the load of psychic crap she'd given them. It rubbed Edward the wrong way. He didn't like Ana coming in and dishing deals they had no idea she would make good on. Alphonse was blinded by hope. And hope could be a very dangerous thing. It could destroy a person once they lost it. That's why he worried for his brother and disliked Ana.
That afternoon, Edward continued to brood. He covertly watched Ana interact with everyone else, trying to figure her out. He paid attention to her body language, the lilt of her voice, her doe-like eyes, anything about her that might betray her. He came to one startling revelation.
Everything Ana did appeared absolutely sincere.
Edward had only ever seen such sincerity in his own brother, a hard feat to match to be sure. However, Alphonse wasn't nearly as outspoken, confident, or vulgar, nor did he say such weird things. No, Ana's sincerity came off in other ways. Everything from her words to her emotions, whether she was insulting you or laughing happily at a joke, appeared pure and natural. For all the world, Ana did not seem the type to hide things, Edward having quickly experienced first-hand how she did not hesitate to speak her mind. In fact, she openly admitted to not telling them things.
Hughes had tried to manipulate a conversation with her that night, subtly asking her the other things she'd said she knew that could be dangerous if the info landed in the wrong hands. Ana wasn't willing to reveal much more than the fact that not everyone in the military could be trusted. When asked who, Ana shrugged and mentioned Brigadier General Basque Grand was up to some shady stuff along with some others which wasn't that big of a surprise. No one trusted the merciless general. Hughes pressed for more, but she claimed that revealing the rest might influence their future in negative ways. Knowing Hughes, he wouldn't give up on it, but he let it go for tonight.
Ed chewed at his thumb pensively. Either Ana was the best actress he'd ever seen, or she was being genuine. The former was not that farfetched. The issue with that was he never caught her slipping up in her act no matter how much he observed her. Nothing appeared forced, not even when she comforted Elysia that night.
It had been early into the night, yet late enough that Gracia had put Elysia to bed. The rest of the household were chatting in the living room when the young girl had snuck back downstairs an hour later, her small hands fisting the material of her pale green nightgown while tears formed in her eyes.
"Baby, what's the matter?" Gracia asked, swiftly rising from her seat to swoop her daughter into her arms. Elysia hid her face into her mother's shoulder, letting out tiny whimpers and a few sniffles.
"There's a m-monster in my closet," she cried.
Ed gave a nostalgic smile. This was like when they were little kids and Al would wake him up in the middle of the night to take him to the bathroom because he was afraid of the monsters that might be lurking in the dark. How long had that been? It felt like a lifetime ago.
Hughes popped up from behind Gracia to pat Elysia's head, "It's alright, Elysia. There aren't any monsters in your room. If there were, Daddy would protect you."
Elysia shook her head stubbornly, tears streaming down her face, "But I saw it!"
"Then what did it look like?" her father asked soothingly.
"It was big…and dark…and scary!"
Gracia smiled at her reassuringly, "I think you just had a bad dream."
"How do you know?"
Everyone looked to Ana who had spoken. She'd stood from the couch, watching the three of them with an unreadable expression.
"Did you check?" she asked.
Ed frowned at her. What was she doing? "There's no reason to check because-"
"Shut up, Edward," she hissed lowly, thumping him in the forehead. He growled at her but she whispered at him, "Obviously, you don't know how to handle kids. So shut up and let me work my magic."
"What magic? You going to decapitate another one of her dolls?" he whispered back furiously.
She smirked, "Watch and learn, pretty boy."
Did…did she seriously call him pretty?
She walked past his chair to stand beside Gracia. Elysia watched her, pausing in her crying at Ana's sudden interest. The dark-haired teen smiled gently at the toddler, "Want me to go see, Elysia? I'll find that monster and beat 'em up real good for ya."
Her parents glanced at each other. Hughes shrugged and both of them let Ana do her thing, whatever her thing might be.
"Mh-hm," Elysia nodded, sounding a little unsure. "But won't it eat you? Aren't you scared?"
"Nah, I'm a tough gal. I eat closet critters like that for breakfast! Now come on, follow me. We'll go teach that monster a lesson, okay?"
Elysia nodded, allowing her mother to set her down to let the girls play their game. Ana led Elysia to the stairs, turning back to the girl and crouching down to her level to say in a faux whisper, "Okay Elysia, we've gotta be really sneaky. Think you can do that?"
"Yeah," the child nodded once again, her loose curls waving around her. Her tears had subsided as she gained courage from the older girl.
Ana grinned, "That's what I like to hear. Now let's go!" She began to ascend the stairs by crawling on her hands and knees, Elysia following beside her in the same manner. The whole display made Ed want to laugh.
"There they go," Hughes chuckled, scratching his head.
Ed looked to Al and their gazes met. In silent agreement, they slid from their seats to go after the girls. No way were they missing this.
They inched down the second story hallway, encouraged by the light that spilled out from Elysia's room. They could hear Ana putting on quite a show in there and weren't surprised when they peeked around the corner to see Ana digging around in the closet like a madwoman.
"She's making a mess," Ed noted dryly.
"Shhh," Al bonked him on the head. "Just watch."
Ow. Why did people keep hitting him?
"Where'd it go? Is it over here?" Ana asked her small onlooker as she snooped around the hanging clothes of the closet. Then she gasped, "Or is it up there?! On the shelf?"
"Yes! Yes!" Elysia pointed at the closet's shelf, dancing in excitement.
"C'mere you!" Ana pounced on the top shelf, but found nothing. "Darn it, it got away!"
"Where'd it go?" Elysia asked fearfully, looking around the room that could be hiding the monster.
"It must have went to Narnia," Ana answered gravely. "We'll never be able to catch it now."
"Narnia?" she asked, clutching the skirt of her nightgown.
Ana smiled and jabbed her thumb at the closet, "Narnia is a magical land you can only get to through your closet. All sorts of beasts live there, and they can talk too!"
"Really?" Elysia asked in awe, her eyes wide with childish wonder.
"Yep. Some are bad, but a ton of them are friendly critters!"
"Was…it a bad one?"
"Nah, all the bad ones are anti-social and stay at home in their caves."
Ed sighed, "Where does she come up with these things?"
"I think it's neat," Al giggled. They continued to watch from the doorway as Elysia stared uncertainly at her closet.
Ana sensed her unease and closed the closet door, "There, now nothing can get through. But if you're still scared, here." Ana pulled from her pants pocket her weird rock pet and presented it to Elysia.
The girl stared at it curiously, "What is it?"
"This is my friend, Michelangelo. He protects me from bad monsters. If you put him on your bedside table, I'm sure he'll protect you too."
"But…it's a rock," she pouted.
Ed nodded in approval, "Nice going Elysia. Don't believe anything she says."
"Stop being mean," Al reprimanded him quietly, lest they be overheard.
"This isn't just any rock," Ana said, going on to explain some silly story about how the rock would come to life while everyone was sleeping and watch over her and fight evil creatures. And Elysia bought every word, taking the rock and sitting it beside her bed like the teenager told her to.
"Now that that's done, how about I tell you a bedtime story?" Ana asked, flopping down on the bed and patting the spot beside her. Elysia crawled on the sheets and sat beside her as Ana recited the tale of how a bunch of kids saved the realm of Narnia. It was a bunch of bogus…but the girl knew how to spin a story. The brothers sat there for the longest time, listening to Ana's story and hanging on to every word.
"She can be really nice, don't you think, Brother?" Al asked him.
Ed didn't answer either way but Al accepted his silence as if it spoke for itself.
(-Edward-)
The night went and a new day replaced it. Ed awoke relatively early, his brain far too active for him to go back to sleep. Along with that, his body itched with pent up energy. He needed to clear his mind, relieve some of his stress. Alphonse suggested they spar for a bit. They hadn't for a while, and it was a good idea. The brothers slipped out to the fenced in backyard and began their match.
Edward lost, of course. Not that he minded too much. It'd been a good fight that left him sprawled out on the grass panting from exertion.
"There's something on your mind…isn't there?" Alphonse asked him, sitting beside him.
Leave it to Al to read him like a book.
"I can't get a good read on her," he admitted. The two of them were always able to talk to one another, share their thoughts. It did both of them good and he realized he wanted to talk to his brother about this.
"You're talking about Ana, aren't you?"
"It's bugging me. You can't honestly say that this isn't bugging you too."
"It's not," he seemed to shrug as much as armor could shrug.
Ed rolled over onto his stomach, scowling up at him, "You buy that load of psychic crap she gave us? You know she's hiding stuff."
"…no, I don't believe she's psychic. While what she knows is impressive, I think she's using that as a cover." Ed began to smirk, but Alphonse continued, "But everyone's entitled to their secrets. If you recall, we're not exactly the most upfront people either."
Ed pouted, glancing to the side, "Yeah, but that's different."
"I don't think so," Al denied.
Edward rolled his eyes and no words were exchanged for a few minutes. They sat there, listening to the early birds chirp as the sun rose up the horizon steadily. A lazy breeze picked up, sweeping Ed's bangs into the air in light wisps.
"I think she's scared," Al eventually commented, perking Ed's interest from the patch of grass he'd been pulling up.
Immediately, Ana's words from yesterday ran through his head. She'd sounded sincere then too, but she never acted like she was scared of anything. Ed wasn't so convinced. Then again, Al was better at reading people than he was.
"Of us knowing the truth?" Ed asked.
"Among other things," Al agreed.
"It begs the question, what could be so bad that she would lie?"
"Maybe she doesn't think we'd believe her."
Edward snorted, "Yeah, like being psychic is sooo much more believable."
"At any rate, I don't think she's lying about the rest. She does mean well. I know it." Typical Al, always trying to see the best in people.
"…listen Al, I know you're set on trusting Ana. But there's a chance this won't play out well. What she thinks she knows, it might not amount to anything. Or she could be lying."
"Why do you have to be so pessimistic about this?" Al asked, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Ed sat up, facing his brother, "I'm being realistic. There's a difference."
"No, you're too busy trying to see all of the bad qualities in her that you refuse to see any of the good. I know that you think I'm being foolish, but I think you're wrong. If we questioned every good thing that came our way we'd never get anywhere."
Ed was taken aback slightly by how strongly he defended Ana, "You're that adamant about this?"
Al didn't answer with a conventional affirmation. He explained his reasoning in other ways, "Last night, Ana stayed up late to talk to me. I asked her why and she said she didn't want me to be lonely. She even apologized to me when she was too tired to stay awake."
Anger and guilt spurred within him. The guilt of what he put Al through would never leave him for as long as he lived. Al had to spend his nights alone, stuck in that unfeeling suit of armor. In the beginning, Ed had procrastinated going to sleep because Al couldn't and he didn't want his little brother to suffer alone, not when the burden should be on him. But even if Ed wanted the entire burden, he could not have it. His body would give out on him without his consent, the result of not getting enough rest or eating enough. Ed hated to do things that Al couldn't, especially around him. He didn't want it to serve as a reminder. But Al, being Al, mothered him and made sure he took care of himself. Ed had come to terms with the issue as much as he could and kept himself in top shape, if only to give his everything to getting Al's body back. That didn't stop the guilt though.
And now Al was telling him that Ana was fulfilling the duties that Ed should as an older brother. It heightened the guilt and brought anger…and he loathed to admit it, but there was some hurt mixed in too. Al let Ana stay up with him but not Edward? Did that mean he wanted Ana's company over him? Or did it mean he cared more about Ed's well-being and wanted him to get some rest, while on the other hand he didn't care as much for Ana? It didn't matter. If Al needed someone, Ed wanted to be his first choice. Call it jealousy if you want. Ed was more concerned about Al knowing that Ed would do anything for him.
Facing away from him, Ed muttered softly, "If you wanted some company, all you have to do is ask me."
A niggling in the back of his mind asked him, What if he didn't want your company.
Edward wouldn't blame him…not after everything he'd done to him.
Ed couldn't see it, nor could Al's armored body perform the action, but he felt the smile in his voice, "I know you would, Brother. But, although I don't require sleep, you do."
"What about Ana then?" he couldn't stop himself from asking, barely managing to keep his tone even.
Al chuckled, rousing Ed partially from his darker mood, "I tried to tell her to go back to bed. Several times. She wouldn't listen. She's as stubborn as you are."
Ed frowned, "I prefer the term, 'strong-willed'. Rolls off the tongue better."
"Riiight," Al said, amused. "The point is that, while I hate for anyone to inconvenience themselves like that, it made me happy to know that Ana was willing to do that. And someone who's that considerate…do you believe she could be the kind of person you say she is?"
Ed could answer that in a lot of ways, except his answers would make him look like a total ass. And did Al have a point? Was Ed overthinking things?
The backdoor slammed open, jolting the brothers from their tense conversation. Ana stood in the doorway, clothes a rumpled mess and thick, black hair in crazy gnarls like she'd rolled out of bed two minutes ago.
"BACOOOOOOON!" she shouted gleefully to the world.
Then she ran back inside in a manic frenzy, forgetting the open door behind her.
Ed covered his face with his flesh hand, "Our supposed savior is a bacon raving lunatic. Just do me a favor and kill me now."
Al laughed, "I guess that means breakfast is ready." He stood carefully and went to go towards the house before he paused and looked down to Ed, "Please think about what I've said and try to have an open mind." Then he left to let Ed think on those words.
His hand dropped and Edward stared down at his mismatched hands. He curled both sets of fingers, only feeling the movement of one of them.
"Open mind, huh?" he asked no one.
(-Ana-)
Blood seeped down from the nasty cut, dribbling over his eye and interfering with his vision. He wiped it away hastily, breathing heavily. He couldn't give in to his exhaustion. The fate of everything rested on his shoulders.
Nick stood up from his kneeling position, facing his opponent unhesitatingly. Around them, the fabric of reality had begun to unwind and ravel at the seams. Past, present, and future were on a collision course and if they crashed, he could kiss goodbye to everything he knew and loved.
"I won't let you win," Nick vowed, gripping the hilt of his sword. "I don't care what the prophecy says. It doesn't end here! You hear me, Michael?"
Michael was not intimidated in the slightest, "You are a fool, Nicholas. The power of the Timekeeper is wasted on you."
The blade of his sacred sword began to glow gold, the weapon reacting with his rising emotions. Nick pushed off the ground, raising his trusty sword as he sprinted and intending to spear Michael through. "I AM NO FOOL!" Nick roared, thrusting the tip straight for Michael at the same time Michael raised his gun and-
The book disappeared from Ana's hands, deeply confusing Ana for several seconds. She blinked rapidly, her mind coming back to the real world as she looked around the area frantically for her MIA book. Across the table, Edward sat holding the novel (the same one from yesterday) that she'd been reading since they'd arrived at the library that morning. The story had reached its climax and Ana had been on the edge of her seat.
And Edward had just stolen her book from her.
Right at the good part.
That diabolical fiend would pay for his evil deeds.
Glaring coldly at the blonde, Ana seethed, "Edward, you give me that book back right now or you'll wake up tomorrow morning without any toes."
A sly grin lifted his face, "Don't blame me. I tried to get your attention several times but you wouldn't answer me."
"Because it was at the best part!" she nearly shouted, barely restraining herself from ripping out her hair. She needed that book. In her hands. Now. "People were about to die! I need to see who dies so I can laugh at their pain."
Ed's eyebrow twitched in something akin to horror, "That's a bit twisted, don't you think? What are you, a sadist?"
"You don't know my life story, Edward. You don't know the things I've seen. The things I've done."
"I don't think I want to," he muttered.
"No, you don't. Now hand over the goods or I'll do bad things to you."
Ed seemed more amused than intimidated, "Not yet. I've got some questions for you."
He wanted her to wait? Ha…ha hah ha…ha, no. "Ask them later. Give me my book now."
A shit-eating grin formed as he clapped his hands together and used alchemy on the table-top. The wood swam over her precious book and sealed together, leaving a book sized mound in the surface.
Ana's jaw dropped, her hands clawing at the newly sized mound and not finding any give in the wood. "You did not do what I think you just did." Damn it, where was a freaking librarian when she needed one? Wouldn't they, like, kick him out for misusing the books? It would serve the bastard right.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Ed feigned ignorance, raising his arms behind his head and leaning back in his seat.
"Don't test me, Edward. I will gouge out your eyeballs."
"I thought you were going to cut off my toes?"
"Oh, I'll get to those piggies too. Now undo this monstrosity."
"Not until after you answer my questions."
Ana crossed her arms, "Two can play at that game, Edward. I can hold out longer than you."
For once, Ed didn't rise to the challenge. His mood became serious, "If you haven't forgotten, Ana, we're here because of you. The more you comply, the faster we can get this over with. Or don't you want to go home?"
That…that little shit, how dare he ask that? After all the effort she'd put in to get here, he had the gall to say that? Ana wanted to punch him, curse his name…
But he was right, no matter how much it irked her to admit. They were at the library for a reason, one that Ana couldn't easily forget. And she needed to cooperate with the brothers as much as possible if she wanted to get home. Fighting over a book seemed silly compared to the larger picture.
It sobered Ana and reminded her of her priorities. She raised her hands and groaned, "You win. Ask away."
Ed nearly fell out of his chair at her sharp change of attitude, "That's it? I thought you'd put up more of a fight."
She scowled at him, "Do you want to ask your questions or not?"
He overcame his surprise swiftly, cocky grin settling into place, "Why yes I do."
That asshole.
Alphonse approached the table, having gone earlier to collect a couple of books they needed to reference. The books were laid down as he glanced between Ed's victorious face and Ana's scowling one.
"Did I miss something?" he asked, probably worried that they were fighting again.
Ana pouted at him, "Alphonse, your brother is an ass."
Al gave a long-suffering sigh, "I'm aware."
"Hey, who's side are you on?" Ed spat, taking great offense.
Ana held her fist to the sky and declared, "The side of justice!"
Al laughed and sat down at the end of the table, "Yes, the side of justice!"
Ed's eye twitched and Ana was eating it up.
Edward eventually got to ask his questions. He wanted to know more about Ana's world. Shocker. Ana wondered at what relevance this could be to their research and Ed assured her that it would help him spot similar occurrences or info related to the other world. The reason was valid, although she suspected more reasons behind it. Ed, and Al for that matter, were insatiably curious about the unknown. Plus, Edward still wasn't one hundred percent on board with Ana's story about being an unwilling, other-worldly traveler. After a few questions, Ana could see that he was testing her, like he had yesterday to see if she were making things up or if the information was held ready on the tip of her tongue. He saw that it was the latter.
"What I don't get is how we can speak the same language," Ed said, getting really into the conversation now. "If you're from a completely different world, your languages should have developed differently."
Ana played with the hairband on her wrist contemplatively, having taken off the accessory a few minutes ago to let her hair flow free and not pull at her head where an ache was beginning to form. The mane of hair probably looked like a rat's nest but she didn't care. She had other things to worry about.
"I didn't think about that," she said. "I'd imagine we wouldn't have the same languages."
"And yet you're speaking flawless Amestrian," came Al's input.
Ana giggled, "Okay, maybe we do have the same languages but we call them different things."
Al caught on to what she was implying, "What do you call your language?"
"English," she gave a wry smile, finding a bit of amusement.
"And the people where you're from speak English? You said your country was called America, right?"
"Yeah. Well, United States of America. Same difference, just a bunch of states dividing the country, kinda like how ya'll have a Central area, an Eastern area, and so on. Except we have fifty. And most people speak English there, but there's a lot of different languages. Like Spanish, the language of my people."
Ed's brows creased together, "Spanish is the language of your people? Thought you said it was English."
"That too," she agreed. "I'm two different races for the most part, Mexican and American. My biological father is Mexican, from Mexico where people speak Spanish. And my mother is American where the majority speak English."
They seemed to be following…somewhat.
"And you all live in America?" Al asked.
"Pfft, well my father doesn't. They sent him back over the border. He was in America illegally," she put emphasis on the word as if it were scandalous when really she found the whole thing funny.
Al became saddened by the news, "Oh, that must be terrible to be separated from your father."
Ed muttered a few words under his breath that Ana couldn't catch but she suspected he was saying something nasty about fathers, what with his issues with his own.
Ana shrugged, "Nah, I've never met the guy. My mom and him split up looong ago. She's been with this other guy ever since I can remember and he's who I call my dad. He helped raise me and Kaylee. And we live quite happily together, if I must say so. Like happy little turtle ducks."
"Turtle ducks?"
"I meant doves. Turtledoves."
"…"
"I think they're a type of bird. Don't judge me."
"You make it so hard not to," Ed said, causing Al to elbow him. Ed gave him a dirty look but carried on, "I'm confused about the difference in the countries' names and their languages. Why do they sound so different?"
"Oh, because hundreds of years ago the areas were colonized by Spain and England. Those guys live across the ocean."
"Across the ocean…" Ed hummed, staring into space like he was trying to visualize everything she'd told him. "Think you could draw us a map?"
And that's how Ana resumed her world history lesson from yesterday. She drew the map and labeled what she knew and they discussed it for a lengthy hour. It was safe to say that Ed's doubt was diminishing as Ana explained her world's past and into the present and its technological advancements, and as it did they were able to have a decent conversation. Ed dropped the asshole-ish remarks and Ana followed his lead, happy to get rid of the petty drama. Who knew they could be civilized towards each other?
"Okay, is that everything?" Ana asked once their questions had trickled off. She'd been talking for so long, she was parched. Too bad she didn't know where any water fountains were. Had 1914 invented water fountains yet? Ah, whatever. She didn't want to get up and find one anyway. Too much walking involved.
"Yes, I think we've covered all the bases…for now," Ed smirked at the end. He dove into his books yet again, this time with more zest, "If there's anything in these books pertaining to your world, we'll know what to look for now."
"Are you sure, Edward," she asked, wanting him to be completely positive.
He arched a brow, "Yes, I'm sure. Here, have your book back." He did a clap-and-slap on the table and returned it back to normal. The book was tossed back to Ana and she stared down at it blankly.
"You trapped her book?" Al asked. The way he asked it sounded funny to Ana but she was tired and chose not to laugh. In fact, she just kind of sat there, continuing to stare at the book and wondering why Al hadn't commented before on the noticeable lump in the table. Maybe he was extremely unobservant. Or maybe he thought it'd be rude to bring up the subject, similar to someone pointing out a mole on a person's face, and Al didn't want to hurt the table's feelings…
Because tables totally had feelings.
"I couldn't get her attention otherwise," Ed explained, ducking behind one of the tomes.
"Brother, that's mean."
Ed humphed and ignored him. He looked over to Ana and asked her exasperatedly, "Well? Aren't you going to read it?"
In answer, Ana slumped forward, her forehead connecting with the hardcover of the book.
"You're doing it wrong," he pointed out.
"I don't care. I'm going to sleep."
"The library is not a proper sleeping area," Ed said almost snootily. Then his voice returned back to normal, "At least that's what Al always tells me."
"Because it's not," Al said firmly. "You tend to push yourself too hard. I try to remind you that you should leave and get your rest, but nooo. You've got to be stubborn about it."
Ed grumbled, "I've got too much to do. I can sleep when I'm dead."
"Snore," Ana mumbled, curling up around the book and using it as a pillow.
Al turned to her and said in concern, "Maybe we should head back. If you're tired Ana…"
"But it's not even noon!" Ed complained. "And we've barely made a dent in this."
"Brother, you're not being very considerate."
Ed frowned at the reprimand and glanced at Ana. His frown deepened as Ana watched him through heavy-lidded eyes. He peeked once more at Al, shifting uncomfortably before switching over to her again. After a long pause, he spoke, "…hey Ana…"
"…hey Edward…" she repeated back.
He peeked at Al, who waited patiently, and then back to Ana, "…you seem tired."
"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night," she said matter-of-factly.
What was that odd look Ed was giving Al? And why was Al scratching the back of his head like that? Armor doesn't itch. It must be a habit.
Ana sat up and stretched her arms upwards, "It's no bigie. I can chill here for awhile longer."
"Great!" Ed flashed a grin. "Now that that's taken care of, let's get to work!"
She deadpanned, "Gee Edward, don't second question me or anything. You might look like you actually care."
For a moment, she swore she saw guilt in his expression. It vanished just as quickly as it came though, and he brushed it off to return to his book, using it as an escape. Did that make him bad at socializing or just an ass?
Why not both?
MEXICAN FIESTA!
Finding herself in a much better mood (if the grin on her face was any indicator), Ana meandered away towards the maze of bookshelves, throwing over her shoulder, "Later 'gators. I'm gonna go build a book fort."
"Don't break anything. If you do I'll be the one who has to pay for it," Ed said, not even questioning her statement. He didn't believe she'd do it. She wasn't being serious when she said it, planning to go find a comfortable couch to nap on, but now she would definitely do it. And what the hell was that 'don't break anything' comment about? She'd break what she wanted to, damn it!
"I make no promises," she replied slyly.
"Have fun!" Al called after her. Oh God, he was too sweet. Ed should be taking notes. He could learn a lot from his brother on how to treat a gal.
(-Alphonse-)
It'd been hours since Ana had wandered off, although neither brother took much notice. In the midst of researching Ed and Al's judgment of time was skewed and the minutes would breeze past them without being felt. Only when an irate librarian approached their table was it brought to their attention.
"Excuse me, are you the ones who came here with the young, dark-haired girl?" the older woman asked, her frustration given away by the pursing of her lips.
Ed's eyes bulged, his gaze immediately seeking the large clock on the wall framed by swirling woodwork. Seeing how much time had passed, he jumped out of his seat, "Damn, we got distracted! What has she been doing for nearly three hours?"
"I'm sure it's nothing bad," Al assured, feeling the need to defend Ana because Ed had continuously jumped to conclusions about her. Although, he had to admit, today was going much better than yesterday. That had to count for something.
Taking that as an answer, the librarian nearly huffed, "Your friend's made a mess of things. Come with me, if you'd please."
The librarian led the way at a fast pace, the two teenagers trailing behind cautiously. Edward's gaze roamed past the shelves, the tables, the people, searching for anything incriminating. Nothing jumped out at them. No fires. No vandalized property. Alphonse took that as a positive sign.
They walked swiftly down another row of shelves to a small sitting area, two off-white sofas placed back to back cutting across the middle. Two black, leather chairs were placed parallel on each side of the sofas with coffee tables positioned in the center of the arrays of furniture…except one of the tables had been moved to make room for an elaborate structure of books…
Now that he noticed, the shelves around them were mysteriously vacant…
Ed's jaw dropped, "What the hell?"
Al chuckled nervously, "Well, she did say she was going to build a book fort."
"Yeah, but I didn't think she'd actually…" he trailed off, staring at the house of books that formed a somewhat large, square tunnel closed in on three sides complete with a roof. The opening faced them with a pair of feet conspicuously sticking out at the end. Light snores resounded from inside. Ed shook his head, "Don't tell me she fell asleep in there!"
Her patience running thin, the librarian crossed her arms, "I tried waking her, but she wouldn't respond. You must realize how much this library doesn't…appreciate its books being mistreated. I'm going to have to ask you to clean this up and leave until your friend understands the proper way to handle our books."
"Yes ma'am!" the brothers all but saluted her. They couldn't help it. She had that authoritative air about her reminiscent of Lieutenant Hawkeye, or even their teacher.
The woman, although not completely satisfied, nodded once and left them to it.
Ed turned back to stare at Ana's feet, "We can't take her anywhere."
Al sighed, "Should we wake her?"
"What do you think? We're not cleaning up her mess by ourselves!"
They removed the back portion of the construct, clearing enough space to see Ana's head. She slept like a baby, hands folded and tucked neatly under her head like the picture of innocence. Alphonse would have laughed at how sweet she appeared, though that would serve to annoy his brother further if he pointed that out. Edward was not in the mood and leaned down to roughly shake Ana's shoulder. It did not work. Nor did any of their following attempts elicit anything more than a sleepy mumble saying, "Go away, Bryton." She then curled closer in on herself and resumed her snoring.
"Who's Bryton?" Al questioned, looking to Edward despite knowing that he had no idea.
He shrugged, "A guy she knows? She said she had a brother... Could be him. Not that we could ask because she won't wake up!"
"Let's just let her sleep," Al suggested, sympathy rising in him. It was…incredibly sad to think that she was separated from her family. He wouldn't know what he'd do if he were separated from his brother, the one constant in his life and the only family he had left.
Ana had mentioned her family a few times, and from the way she spoke of them she was very close to them. Al wondered what toll this must be taking on the poor girl.
"I think she's scared," Al eventually commented, perking Ed's interest from the patch of grass he'd been pulling up.
"Of us knowing the truth?" Ed asked.
"Among other things," Al agreed.
What Al had meant earlier that morning was a more basic type of fear. Ed wasn't the most skilled at reading cues like this, but Al had picked up on it. Whether Ana had admitted it to herself or not (and Al had a hunch she hadn't), she was scared she wouldn't see her family again.
For now though, she had put her faith in them. She wore her confidence like a second skin, a confidence that this would pan out smoothly.
Al fervently hoped the same.
Hiya, party peoples! Been awhile. Blame college. BLAME IT! It's been working me to the bone all quarter and I've been so stressed. But good news! Finals are next week! ...wait, that's bad. But it means the end is in sight! Just one more week baby. ONE MORE WEEK! And then I'll have a few weeks off before next quarter. And I've got my schedule of classes done up for next quarter, so I know I'll be having more time. I'm taking it easy this coming round because I sorely need it, and I'll be able to get back to Fanfiction writing! Now that this chappy of LHM is complete, and now that I'm about to be on break, I'm going to put my efforts solely into Reprieve. That's what I'm telling myself anyways. Here's hoping!
Oh, and I apologize for lying. I said that this would be the last chapter before we get on with the FMA plot train, but I tend to underestimate myself. A lot of scenes in this developed on their own. But in light of this, I'm cutting some scenes I had planned for the next chapter that'll fit better later on, meaning we'll definitely, 100% be boarding that FMA train by the end of next chapter and ya'll will finally get to see when this is all taking place. Big plans, my furry friends. Ana and I have big plans for you. I think I keep telling you guys that, but it's true. The way we've manipulated the plot... This definitely isn't going to be a regular FMA fanfic with a tag along OC. I'm pretty sure this is going to be bigger than TBA, my first fanfic baby. So much to do, so much to do...
No books were harmed in the making of this chapter.
