Ch. 11- Madame Oathe.
"Last stop! Leore! Everybody off!" The conductor yelled, as he made sure the passengers got off.
"Well Ed, welcome back to Leore." Roy punched Ed in the shoulder.
"Yeah, didn't think I'd be coming back here ever." Ed glared at Roy and rubbed his shoulder.
"You know Mustang I could easily punch you with this arm" pointing at his right arm.
"Uh...No I'm good. Lets get going."
Ed hadn't even thought about Leore since he'd left after taking care of the business with Conello.
They got into thr town, and to Ed's surprise it looked...peaceful.
"Roy?"
"Hmm"
"Did the government send in new officials to take care of things here, or..." Ed was worried now that Cornello was back.
"No Ed, don't worry, the government sent people to take care of this place, it's quite peaceful here now." Roy wanted to reassure Ed, they were here to get information, that was it.
"Alright That's good, Hey I wonder if..." Ed was looking around...
"Ed?"
"Ah HA!" Ed pointed to the fountain, he'd been there before, at the bar where he and Al first came to the town.
"A fountain, so?" Roy looked at Ed like he had two heads or something.
"No you moron, this is where me and Al met Rose." Ed remembered the pretty girl who'd given them the tour of the place.
"Rose? Oh the girl mentioned in your report." He looked over at Ed and saw that he was very happy at the mention of the girl. That bugged him for some reason.
"Ed?" A faint voice was heard from behind the two men.
"Hmm?" Ed spun around to see who it was. He was bombarded with a body, someone hugging him with a great amount of force.
"Oh my god! Ed it is you! How have you been little guy!" It was Rose.
"Oh Hey Rose!" Ed hugged her back.
"I've been fine, how are you holding up?"
Last time he'd seen her, Rose was still upset because of her boyfriends death.
"Oh I'm a lot better now! I've even taken up Alchemy! You and Alphonse really helped me set things in perspective!"
"Really! Thats great, I'm happy for you! Oh and this is..."
The two let go of each other and Ed gestured his hands in the colonel's direction.
"Colonel Mustang, he's my commanding officer, and he's...here to help me look for something, In Al's place."
"Oh..Al's not here...I was hoping he'd be here with you so I could thank him to."
"Nah He's back home for now, I'll tell him though" Ed smiled.
"Oh ok! Thanks Ed"
"Anyway, so this is Colonel Mustang...and"
Rose stood in front of Mustang and grabbed his hand.
"Thank you Mr. Mustang for keeping an eye on Ed while Al isn't here! I wouldn't want my little hero to get hurt" Rose looked over her shoulder blushing. Looking at Ed.
Roy was just standing there, looking from Rose to Ed. Confused.
'What's with this girl, she only met Ed once and shes...' He stopped his thought there.
"So Ed and Mr. Mustang, what exactly are you here looking for."
She grabbed Ed's hand pulling him next to her, and leaving Roy to walk behind them.
"Stupid...Girl..." Roy mumbled under his breathe.
"Well, Rose, we're here looking for information on anything out of the ordinary." He couldn't tell her about the stone, he didn't want to get her involved with those monsters...or anything else.
"Anything strange huh?" She stopped and closed her eyes to think.
Roy managed to get next to Ed and whisper...
"Ed, what makes you think this stup...I mean little girl can help?"
"Roy, she's our only good friend here who could actually know something."
"Hmm ok." He grumbled, happy that Ed called Rose 'friend' for some reason.
"Well Rose?"
"Well there hasn't been anything completely out of the ordinary, just a few new people moving into town."
"That's it?"
"Well yeah...sorry I can't be more help"
"Oh no that fine, your being wonderful" Ed smiled at her, reassuring her, and all the while making Roy annoyed.
"Oh ok, you know..there is one person that I think could help you..."
"Really! Where!"
"Well shes one of the new people that came here, but she's been helping people, she's like a fortune teller" Rose looked excited.
"Fortune Teller..." Ed hated people like that, he thought psychics and whatever other 'nonsense' like it were just a bunch of rip offs.
"Yeah, people have said that she looks into the palm of her hand closes her eyes, and says some stupid rhyme, then tells you what it means"
"That's all?" Ed gave her a look that suggested he wasn't to interested.
"No! She also tells you your future...!"
'Of Course' Ed gave a mental groan.
"I think you should go see her, it couldn't hurt right?"
"I guess..."
"It's free so you don't have to pay"
"Free?" That caught Ed's attention, usually things like that are used to make a profit...what was this old women all about then..
"Hmm alright Rose, I think me and Roy will check her out."
"Alright, then when your done, you and your friend can come by my place, you can stay there tonight.
So Rose gave Ed and Roy the directions to where this old women could be found, hugged Ed once more (to Roy's annoyance.) and gave the colonel a hand shake goodbye.
"Good luck!" She went off in the opposite direction.
"Well she's obviously into you." Roy said bluntly.
"What are you talking about, we're just friends"
'Yeah you little moron, that why she couldn't keep her hand off of you, and why she turned red every time you looked at her' Roy looked at Ed, kind of happy that the blond was as oblivious as he was.
"Anyway, I'm guessing this is where the old women is"
Both men were stopped in front of an old shack with a curtain hanging as the door.
"Hello anyone home!" Roy knocked on the side of the shack"
Ed walked in, pulling Roy's hand along with him.
"Just walk in you old geezer."
"Ed! That's not polite..."
"It's a shack!" Ed grumbled, then stopping as he saw the old one.
"Are you the old women who tells fortunes?"
"Aye, that would indeed be I, little one."
"WHO YOU CALLING A LITTLE..."
"Ugh Ed, settle down."
The colonel grabbed Ed on the shoulders, and sat him down on a stool in front of the old women.
"Sorry ma'm he's a bit...impatient."
"That be fine, yee here for thine fortune?"
"Um...yeah, But may I ask your name first old one?"
"Geez Roy don't act all 'bad ass colonel' on me now"
"Quiet Edward!"
Ed shut up quickly at the sound of his full name.
"Yes, Sir."
Ed was embarrassed that he was so obedient with the colonel.
"Aye, Mine name be Madame Oathe. What be yee business with Me?"
"My friend and I are to get our fortunes told."
"That be thine true reason for yee visit..."
She stared at Roy, the at Ed.
"Best not lie to an old woman such as mee self, young ones"
"Fine you want the truth you old bat" Ed hated people that spoke in such riddled language, not to mention his hatred for psychics.
"Aye, that'd be best, young blond" Madame Oathe sat down, and gazed at Ed calmly.
"Fine! We're here to get information on the Philosophers Stone! And these 'Monsters' that are after me and my brother!" He slammed his hand against the table infront of him and the old woman.
She didn't gaze away from Ed.
"Edward, calm down." Roy saw how angry Ed was getting.
"Madame Oathe? Can you tell me and my subordinate anything?"
"All tha' I can do for yee Is tell yee thine fortunes"
"That wont be-" Ed was cut off.
"Ed, shh." Roy put his hand on Ed's shoulder and smiled.
"Roy I...fine." He looked at Roy's sincere smile and looked away in defeat.
"I see yee both be more tha'n just friends, yee be -"
"We're not here to discuss that." Roy said with a bit of force, while still keeping his polite demeanor.
"Aye then. Let me gather thine hand on this 'ere table and I shalt read yee fortunes."
Roy grabbed Ed's hand, placing it under his, and setting them on the table.
He looked across the table and saw that the Madame Oathe had here eyes closer, and her hand crossed over her heart.
"Yee young blond, and yee tall one, look into mine hands and then close thine eyes."
They did as she asked.
Right before he closed his eyes, Roy noticed a blue light coming from the woman's chest.
She was using alchemy.
They sat there for a few seconds.
The Madame Oathe spoke. Her voice changed from sounding like a kind old woman, into one of a husky raspy sound.
"Yee both be connected as one, safe, Alone thy shalt be harmed, by those who've given you half of one, from there loins yee shall be unsheathed, lest yee not be together."
She gasped.
Roy and Ed felt something, like a tugging at their very cores...
