"What's going on?" Julin was surprised to see Ling and Lan Fan in the Elric's hotel room. "What are they doing here?" She cast a wary eye in Ling's direction, remembering too well the last time he'd snuck into their hotel room.
"Julin! You're back." Ed gave a forced chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. "Is Winry here too?" He peered around Julin anxiously.
"She went to bed already, so you can cut the act." Whatever they'd been talking about, Ed didn't want Winry to hear. That could only mean it had something to do with the homunculi.
"Sit down," he sighed. Julin took a seat next to Al who'd scooted over to make room for her.
"So, what are they doing here?" She prompted, repeating her question from earlier. "What did you find?"
"They must have overheard us talking about the homunculi. I don't know how," he added through clenched teeth, shooting Ling a glare.
"I have a feeling that you know a lot that could be very useful to us," Ling explained coolly. "I thought it best to keep a close eye on you."
"Anyway," Ed went on, purposefully ignoring Ling, "When I went into the laboratory, I couldn't find that doorway leading to the basement anywhere. What I did find was some really sloppy alchemy where Al thought the door had been. Someone doesn't want us going back down there for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, that was my one chance at finding a homunculus. Luckily, I have a plan." He sat back with a confident grin on his face.
"And that's about where we were when you got here," Al concluded. "So, Ed, what's the plan?"
"We'd be happy to help, whatever it is!" Ling jovially cut in. "These homunculi are intriguing. Especially the fact that they can't die. This could be the answer to my clan's problems."
"Wait." Ed had mentioned something that was new to Julin. "You said you want to find a homunculus? Whatever for? They're dangerous!" She sputtered. "I thought the point was to avoid them!"
"I have to figure out their motives. I need to know why Al and I are supposed to be their sacrifices. We need to know our enemy." While Julin couldn't argue with his logic and was in fact rather curious herself, she didn't know how Ed planned to capture a powerful, immortal killing machine.
"So… what's your plan?" She'd promised to help them and she wasn't about to back down now.
"It involves Scar." The name was familiar, but Julin still didn't know much about him. "Al and I have to confront him. When we do, there's no way the homunculi will let us be killed by him, especially if we're as valuable to them as they claim. They'll have to come out of hiding to protect us."
"Sounds like you'll need all the help you can get," Ling was completely serious for once. "And I mean it, we're here for you." Ed squinted at Ling, gauging his sincerity.
"Why are you so eager to help, anyway?"
"I told you, whatever information we can get about the homunculi could be a big help to my clan. And besides, I owe you." He reached into his robe and pulled out a long receipt, snapping it open in front of Ed, who snatched it up, glaring at it.
"Is this for room service?" Ed squawked. Ling's giggle was answer enough. "You bet you owe me!" Ed bellowed, practically shoving Ling and Lan Fan out the same window they'd entered.
"Can't you keep it down?" Winry gave a bellow of her own, twice as loud as Ed's, from the doorway of the room. "I have an early train tomorrow! I'm trying to get some REST!"
"Oh, right. You're going back to Rush Valley." Ed twitched uneasily. "How about you just, uh, cancel that. Stay a bit longer." Winry cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "You know there's always a chance my arm could get broken, or even destroyed." He barely squeaked out the last few words before Winry pulled a wrench from who-knew-where and gave him a solid whack across the head.
"Are you planning on destroying it?" She asked testily. Julin remembered that the reason Ed had been in Rush Valley for repairs in the first place was because of Scar and thought grimly that it was a good possibility. She couldn't help but wonder what they were getting in for. "Just promise you won't do anything too dangerous," Winry finally demanded with a sigh. Ed and Al looked at each other nervously and Winry shot Julin a suspicious glance. Julin gulped but Winry didn't say anything and instead turned back to her room. "I'm going back to bed." She sighed tiredly. "You guys are too much for me. I guess I won't be going back to Rush Valley just yet after all."
"Whew." Ed let out a heavy sigh, wiping his brow as the door to Winry's room slammed shut. "That was close. Anyway, I guess we put the plan in action tomorrow. Scar's back in town so this works out pretty nice. All I need is to do some flashy alchemy and he'll be like a moth to flame."
"Who exactly is this Scar, anyway?" Julin couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. Ed and Al glanced at each other before Al began.
"I guess you deserve to know. He's the guy we had a run-in with before you met us in Rush Valley. He really has a thing against state alchemists for some reason. We just got news that he's back in town." Al gulped. "Here's the thing though, Julin. He's Ishvalan."
Julin glanced between Ed and Al. "Oh. Okay…" She paused. "What else?" She knew there was more to it than that. He was an Ishvalan man out to exact revenge on the people who had torn his country apart. She could understand his motives easily enough.
"Well…" Al glanced at Ed before continuing, "He also happens to be the guy that killed Winry's parents." He spoke softly, just in case Winry was still awake and somehow listening.
"What?" Julin felt her eyes go wide. "That's incredible. I mean, not like that. It's – what are the odds?"
"Yeah. He's really dangerous. His alchemy – it's not like anything I've seen before. He's good. He's killed countless state alchemists."
"And you actually want to go up against him?" Julin glared at Ed. "Are you out of your mind?!"
"It's a long shot," Ed admitted, "But it's our only shot if we want to get to these homunculi before they get to us. Meet us here early tomorrow morning," he instructed. "Say 7? If you insist on going with us I want to at least give you a few pointers first." Julin had half expected him to tell her she had to stay with Winry, so this was a pleasant surprise. She felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of getting her first lessons.
"Deal." She tried not to let her excitement show, not wanting to appear over-eager.
"You should get some rest," Al prompted. She was about to protest, still wanting to talk to them about everything that was happening, but she was slowly learning when to press her luck with Ed, and now did not seem like a good time.
"Okay," She agreed with a sigh, turning to her room with a parting wave though she didn't know how she'd actually be able to fall asleep.
"Julin!" A coarse whisper dragged her out of her dreams and she woke with a start, finding Ed's golden eyes mere inches from hers.
"Hmm?" She groaned. "Wha's happening?"
"It's 7:00." He frowned. Julin was suddenly wide awake, squinting toward the alarm clock on the bedside table. She thought she'd set it for 6:00 the night before, but apparently she hadn't done it correctly, because now its hands pointing at 7 and 12 mocked her.
"I'm so sorry," She shot out of bed, grasping for whatever clothes she could reach. She was already letting them down and the day hadn't even begun. "I'll be over in five minutes!" She tossed over her shoulder, rushing into the bathroom. Ed only sighed agitatedly in response. She'd wanted time to glance over her alkahestry notes one last time, just in case she needed to try it today, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. She thought grimly as she yanked the comb through snarls in her hair that she'd just have to make the best of it. On her way out she cast a glance at Winry, still cocooned beneath her blankets, relieved that she hadn't woken. If she'd asked where Julin and the Elrics were going, there'd be no way she'd go along with it.
"Guys, I'm so sorry," She gushed again once she reached their room. Ed sat with an impatient furrow in his brow.
"Don't worry about it." At least Al was more forgiving than his brother. "We've still got plenty of time. Right, Ed?" He turned to his brother.
"Yeah, I guess." Julin thought she saw his face soften, but it might have been her imagination. "Let's just get going." He jumped to his feet and practically sprinted down the hallway.
"What's the rush?" Julin turned to Al as he stood to follow.
"You know Ed," Was all Al replied with a slight shrug before dashing out the door behind his brother. Julin had to run to keep up, not having any idea where they were even headed.
"Okay," Ed began, barely out of breath, once they'd reached a secluded park. Julin was sucking in lungsful of air as she rested her hands on her knees. "I don't think we're going to focus on any alchemy today." He ignored her breathlessness and continued talking. "I just want to start with the basics of self-defense. And maybe we should try to get you more in shape," He added, finally acknowledging her gasps for air. Her heartbeat was slowly beginning to return to normal.
"Maybe," She acquiesced. "You guys sure do a lot of running."
"Yeah, well, it's necessary." Ed folded his arms together taking on the air of an instructor. "First things first, what do you know about self-defense?"
"Not much," she admitted. "I haven't exactly needed to know anything," She was quick to defend herself.
Ed tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You're small, so the evasive kind of stuff might be best for starters." Without warning, he swung his automail arm in her direction, aiming it squarely for her face.
"Hey!" She instinctively dodged the blow, heart starting to race again. "What was that for?"
"You have good reflexes," He seemed satisfied. "That's important. Another important thing to learn is blocking. Hold your arms up like this." He demonstrated, crossing his forearms to make an X. Julin copied his movements as well as she could. "You have to protect your face and your torso mostly. Arms and legs are kind of disposable." He explained bluntly, holding up his own automail arm as illustration. "Watch." He turned to Al and began to demonstrate as Al threw some well-aimed kicks and punches. Ed managed to deflect them all with some fancy maneuvering. Julin thought miserably that she'd probably never be that good.
"Think you could do that eventually?" Ed asked, finally breathing a bit more heavily.
"I'm not sure…" Julin answered hesitantly.
"Well, let's give something a shot," Ed suggested, pulling his fists into a fighting stance. This time Julin was expecting his blows, so she cleanly dodged the first fist and managed to block the second with her forearm. She could tell he was going easy on her, but she was still struggling. She still managed pretty well until his fist caught her shoulder and spun her to her side, setting her off balance. He pulled back as she righted herself.
"Balance is important too," he added as she ruefully rubbed her shoulder.
"I think my forearms are going to bruise," She examined the already-red splotches with a grimace.
"Well, would you rather have bruised arms or a black eye?" Ed asked coolly.
"Maybe you're being too hard on her," Al butted in.
"You think Scar is going to notice she's inexperienced and go easy on her?" Ed shot back.
"I honestly don't think he'll bother with her much at all." Al retorted. "I think he'll mostly be concerned with us. It could work to our advantage. She could use her alkahestry on him and catch him off guard."
Julin wasn't so sure. She still didn't know if she could even do it. "Actually, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet…" Al had more faith in her than she had in herself.
"I know you know what you're doing," he argued. "You've been reading that book practically non-stop since we got back from the third laboratory. I'm sure something has stuck."
"Theory is different than practice." She disputed. "I couldn't do it then, reading about it isn't going to help! I need to go somewhere and try it, but it's a little hard when there isn't anything I'm allowed to blow up!"
"Oi!" Ed suddenly stepped between them. "Listen. Now is not the time. Julin's right, Al. She needs to practice before she tries that again. Let's focus on one thing at a time. Are you ready to try sparring again?" he turned to Julin.
"I'm ready." She cast a final glance at Al. She hated that there was no way to know what he was thinking. She hadn't meant to raise her voice like that, but her frustrations lay more with herself than with him. She knew he was only trying to encourage her. Ed raised his fists again and she didn't have time to continue the thought. She found sparring with Ed was a great way to work out her frustrations.
"I think you're improving," Ed finally complimented with a breathless smile as Julin took the break to rub her smarting forearm. "We really should get going." He glanced at the position of the sun in the sky. She and Al wordlessly fell in step behind him, their minor squabble still hanging in the air between them. If Ed noticed their silence, he didn't mention it.
Once they got out into the city, it was easy enough to find people in need of Ed's assistance. Their first stop was a shop that had been run into by a car. The shop owner and driver of the car were in the middle of a heated argument when Ed butted in, more lively and charismatic than Julin thought she'd ever seen him. He made short work of the damaged storefront and the car's mangled grill. He truly was an incredibly talented alchemist.
The morning sped by as request after request came pouring in. Ed was really living it up, giving his alchemy a flair Julin had never seen before. Even Al was getting into it, showing Ed off proudly. Julin was almost embarrassed to be seen with them and had started to hang back slightly. Al noticed and took a seat on the bench next to her while Ed made a wobbly baby carriage good as new.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," he broke the silence. "I guess I got a little excited. I didn't mean to push you to do something you're not ready for yet."
"I'm sorry too," Julin said with a sigh, accepting his apology quickly. "I just let my frustrations get the better of me. I shouldn't have yelled."
"It's understandable though," Al was quick to reassure. "Someday we'll have to go out of town to practice. I'm sure between Ed's and my alchemy we'll be able to fix whatever you do with your alkahestry. Then you can kick Scar's butt." He teased.
"I don't think I'm any match for him," Julin responded with a chuckle. "But thanks for the vote of confidence." She was just glad he wasn't mad.
Finally, Ed showed signs of slowing down. "I'm starving. All that alchemy sure works up an appetite. Let's stop somewhere for lunch," he suggested. Julin was only too happy to comply. She hadn't had time for breakfast that morning, and the grumbling of her stomach was becoming increasingly embarrassing. They sat eating outside of a small café, and Ed was chortling about how easy it had been to attract everyone's attention when a black car pulled to a stop before them.
"When did you become so theatrical, Fullmetal?" The Colonel spoke as the window rolled down to reveal his less than pleased expression.
"Colonel!" Ed echoed aloud Julin's surprise at seeing him out of the hospital. He stood sideways at the open window and whispered something about Doctor Marcoh. When they'd learned about Lieutenant Havoc, it had been Ed's idea to suggest the doctor's services. The Colonel glanced around warily.
"People are watching us. Get in." He motioned for Ed, Al and Julin to join them in the car. Ed took the front seat beside Lieutenant Hawkeye and Al did his best to squeeze next to the Colonel and leave room for Julin. The Lieutenant had only driven a few feet when the Colonel changed his mind. "On second thought, let's get out," he rasped breathlessly as Al tried valiantly not to smash him completely.
They found a quiet ally before continuing the conversation. "Fullmetal, Lieutenant Breda went to the address you gave and Doctor Marcoh was nowhere to be found."
"He's missing?" Ed sputtered. Julin felt her heart sink. She knew he and Grandfather had had their differences, but in the end Grandfather and still spoken kindly of him. He'd been one of his Grandfather's closest friends in Ishval, and now he was missing?
"Probably taken captive," The Colonel affirmed grimly. Ed grimaced. "There's something else we need to talk about," the Colonel continued. "You do know Scar is back in town, right? So what's with all the showboating? Do you want him to find you?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I want," Ed snarked. "I need to fight him and you can't stop me."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Those had been Julin's exact words to Ed, and she still wasn't convinced that he wasn't. "Don't you remember how he tore you apart in East City?" Julin suddenly turned, feeling that strange prickling at the back of her neck again. Something wasn't right. She strained her ears for any strange sound, trying to get Al's attention as Ed began to taunt the Colonel, something about being useless against Scar. The Lieutenant must have noticed something too, because she cocked her gun, interrupting Ed's tirade. They all turned to find a tall, muscular man wearing a tan hooded jacket and sunglasses standing at the other end of the alleyway. There was no way of telling whether he was Ishvalan, but Julin had no doubts that this was Scar.
The Colonel's face hardened. "I guess he got your invite."
I was actually planning a lot more for this chapter, but it started getting long. I hope you enjoyed! Chapter 11 will be up next Monday!