"Is that what Rosco told you?" Fahren asks, setting out tea for Ed and Al.

"Mhm. He said that you use the chimeras to intimidate people." Ed studies Fahren's face for a reaction.

"..I did that once or twice, in the beginning. I wasn't as careful as I am now. Now, I pretty much keep to myself. When I do go out, I take Ruvie with me. We only go to the store and the postal office.." He pauses. "Ruvie is talked about a lot, but-"

"I no mind." Ruvie hops into a chair at the table, claws resting on the edge of the table. He looks up at Fahren, who smiles.

"Okay, I'll make you some."

Ed looks at Ruvie expectantly.

"Mah bread. Is mah bread!"

"Garlic bread," Fahren chuckles. "Row-ah, Ruvie's favorite food as a human was pasta and garlic-based."

Ed picks up on Fahren's faltering and nods, then turns to Ruvie again. "Ruvie." When he has the chimera's attention, he continues. "As a human, was your name Ruvie?"

Ruvie looks at Fahren, then to Ed. "..No. Was Row-an. Rrr.. Rowan." Putting effort into it, Ruvie gets the name out all at once.

"Rowan? Isn't that a type of tree?" Al offers.

Ruvie just gives Al a look. "Is what mama named me. Rowan."

Al holds up his hands apologetically. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way. Sorry."

Ruvie just smiles, the best way he can. "Is o-kay!"

"Fahren, there's one thing I'm wondering."

Fahren looks at Ed, a quizzical look on his face.

"If you were worried about the military showing up here, why do you have a file on you in Central command?"

"Oh, I-I.. wrote to someone in the military about my work. Someone I can trust."

Ed blinks curiously. "..You trust Mustang?"

"I do," Fahren replies. "He's a good man."

Ed gives a little shrug. He decides not to share his viewpoint on Mustang right now, and just enjoys his tea.

While Ruvie waits on his garlic bread, he spots Al sitting next to Ed, not touching his tea. "Ar-phonz, why no drink tea?" Damn, someone always notices.

Al jumps a little, then shrinks down. Luckily, Ed answers for him.

"It's a disciplinary thing, for his training."

Ruvie looks at Al, then sniffs. He continues sniffing, then climbs up onto the table, walking over to Al, sniffing him. "..Have no scent. No.. bo-dy?" Ruvie nudges Al's armor, and Fahren turns around.

"..No body?" He walks forward, the garlic bread on his plate. He hands it to Ruvie, who sits on the table and begins eating right away. "Just a soul..?"

Ed stiffens in defense, but Al speaks, and looks down at Ruvie. "No, I don't have a body. I lost it in an accident, but Ed here kept me with him. Because we're family." Ed looks up at Al, and he gains a soft smile.

"..Fam-a-ree." Ruvie looks down, and sighs, putting the bread back on the plate. "..Miss famuh-ree."

"Why don't you let them know that you're okay?" Al asks. "Even if you're not the same as before.. they'll still love you. I know it."

Ruvie is silent, just stares at Al for a while. "..You no bo-dy. You no same.. as be-fore. Bro-ver rove you.." He looks down at himself, at the talons and the fur, and starts crying, something Fahren had never seen him do. "Fam-ree rove me too may-be. Fah-zer I want go to fam-ree. We go to Cen-traw?"

Fahren takes a deep breath, nodding. A tight knot is in his throat, and Ed finishes his tea, nodding. {Since Fahren knows nothing of the stone, the search is still on. Still, I'll see this through.} "When shall we leave?"

"Not yet," Fahren says. "I have to make sure the others are cared for. The other chimeras."

Ed nods. "I may have an idea."

"W-wait, why-why are we here?"

"I told you Rosco, I need your help."

"But Ed! This is where those monsters live!"

Ed sighs. "Rosco.. they're not really monsters. They only attack when they're attacked. If your father had stopped attacking, so would that chimera. I'm sorry.. but the chimera was only defending itself."

Rosco growls at Ed. "You're lying. How could you believe what-GAH!" He points, as Ruvie comes running out, stopping at the two.

"Rosco, this is Ruvie. Ruvie is the one who needs your help. You see.. his real family is in Central. His wife and daughter. But for us to leave, we need someone to care for the other chimeras while we're gone."

Rosco stares down at Ruvie. "How can you have a family? You're just a monster."

Ruvie cringes at the word. "I not a mon-ster! I hu-man. Have new bo-dy. But am stiw hu-man, in here." He pats his chest with the back of his talon, and Ed smiles, proud at the effort Ruvie's been putting into talking lately.

Rosco stares at Ruvie with buggy eyes, then looks up at Ed. "He's a person? That Fahren is messing with people now?"

"No. It's a long story, but he's actually helping them. I know, I don't support it either, but it's done now. And now we want to help Ruvie. Will you watch the chimeras while we take Ruvie to his family?"

Rosco looks down into Ruvie's sad, pleading eyes, and groans. "..Fine. Just tell me what I have to do."

With Rosco to hold down the fort in Mistwell, Ed, Al, Fahren and Ruvie are aboard the train. Ed had shelled out big bucks for first-class tickets to avoid trouble due to their appearances. Sure, he could handle them messing with himself.. but if anyone tried to go after Ruvie; well, it's just a lot simpler this way.

For the entire train ride, they talk. Well, mostly it's Ruvie talking. And the more he talks, the more he practices and the more effort he puts in; the better he gets, the better he sounds. To be fair, he still talks like a kid.

As for right now, he's talking about his favorite kind of book. "Before I animar, I read. Many books. I no read about ar-kamy. Ar-che-my. Ar-chemy. No, none dat. I read about fanta-sy. Knights, dragons, prin-cess..es. Favorite kind of books!" Ruvie suddenly pretends to be holding a sword in his little talon, leaping to his rear legs, balancing precariously, and pointing it at Al. Moments later, he loses balance and comically falls onto his back, but laughs. "Is best story! Is true too. Not happen much now-a-days, but is true!"

Al and Ed can't help but laugh with Ruvie, but Fahren just stares out the window as they near Central. He looks thoughtful, but neither brother pry, because it's more of a wistful expression than a worried one.

"You sure they live around here?" Ed asks, and Ruvie nods.

"Very near. Is.. ye-woh house."

"..I thought dogs were colorblind?" Al muses.

"No, can see some. Ye-woh and boo. Uh.. bu-woo." He groans. "Bad chi-mera mouth."

Heading down the street, a car passes them. It suddenly screeches to a halt not far from them, the door flying open. Roy Mustang suddenly leaps out, still in full military attire. He stares at the group, then points at them. "F-Fahren?"

Fahren's eyes widen and he suddenly turns to bolt, but before he can, Al grabs him and holds him in place. If Mustang wants him, he's got a reason. "Fahren, what are you hiding from us?"

As Mustang approaches, Fahren groans and gives up his fight. As Al releases him, he turns to face Mustang.

"Fahren. It's been a long time."

Fahren looks at Mustang. He's slightly shorter, but they actually look a little similar. "..Hello, Roy."

Ed looks between the two, then nods. "Right, the correspondence."

Fahren smiles. "Yes, Edward. The correspondence." Before Roy can say anything, Ruvie sits up on his haunches, holding his talons up in a begging position. "Herro, friend!"

Mustang leaps into the air, landing with a startled look on his face. Ed can't hold in his sniggering as Roy points at Ruvie. "What is that? It talked!"

Ruvie looks up at Fahren, who nods. He turns to Roy again, and offers his hand in the handshake gesture he had used when he was still human. "I am Ru.." He pauses, then decides to use his human name. "Rowan. I am Rowan. I come to see my fam-aree."

Roy stares at Rowan, his face registering only confusion. He finally looks up at Edward, not even caring that Ed's still laughing at him. "Ed? Explain?"

Thankful that they can trust Mustang, Ed nods and begins explaining. He explains only what's relevant to Ruvie. Rowan. Ed has to correct himself, since Rowan seems to want his human name to be used now.

Roy's expression changes as he absorbs the information, and he looks down at Rowan, frowning. "..Human, huh." He looks up at Fahren. "So this is what you've been doing, Fahren?"

Fahren nods slowly. "I want to help people, Roy. I want to save them."

"I told you what use the military would have for your research. That's why you can't trust them to help you. That's why I asked you not to get into this research."

"I know I can help people, Roy! I'm not far from perfecting the chimeras to really help people! To save lives! You know that's why I do this."

"No, Fahren," Mustang says again, in his strong voice. "We've been over this. One day someone will get hold of your research and use it, and it won't be for the benefit of mankind. It'll be the benefit of whatever country that pays the spy that steals your research!"

Fahren clenches his fists, tears coming to his eyes. This is the most emotion that Ed and Al had ever seen from him. "I-I just want to help the world, Roy. Why can't I help the world? Why is it than whenever I try to help something, I only make it worse?" He curses, and Mustang pulls him into a hug.

"Calm down, Fahren. You mean well, don't be hard on yourself. It's just the way the world is; it takes advantage of the innocents."

Fahren sighs and relaxes in Mustang's arms, pulling away not long after. He looks down at Ruvie, who is looking up at him curiously. Though Ed and Al are staring at the two men and wondering what's going to, Ruvie isn't quite as wondering; just curious.

"Mustang, what's going on here? How do you know him?"

Mustang looks at Ed, and smiles. "Ed, this is Fahren Mustang. My younger brother."