Zilo: OMYGAHHH HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE AND WITH A NEW WHAT IS THIS WITH THE CAPS AND oh that's better. With a new year comes a new chapter! Hooray!
Envy: Took your sweet time, didn't you?
Zilo: SILENCE! I KILL YOU!
Zilo: The Sora-muffin! Nice maniacal laughter!
Luludja: Are we talking shrimp like seafood, or...?
Ed: DON'T MENTION THAT FOOD AGAIN!
Luludja: Someone's touchy today.
Zilo: Yes right back, Ailia Sparrowhawk! And Dragon of Twilight, you're very welcome!
Simon: You think I'm nice? Thanks!
Zilo: You mean Fritz Lang, right, Asj Johnson? Nah, I don't think they're related. And you'll see about the business!
Roy: If this Hawkeye is anything like Rita...
Risty: Um, I did make up a lot. I couldn't tell them the truth, though! They'd never believe me!
Roy: It was my sarcastic streak talking.
Ravi: It's just Ravi. (smiles sunnily)
Risty: Ed, weren't you planning to do that...?
Ed: What? No! No, of course not! Don't be silly! (looks guilty)
Risty: Oh, I didn't even think of that happening! I'm so glad I found Ed first, then!
Zilo: Never fear, more story is here! And a belated Merry Christmas to you, too!
Zilo: Ahoy, Blooming Summer Snowflake!
Ed: When she does what?
Risty: Nothing, nothing!
Zilo: Don't blame me! Blame, uhhh, blame it on the al-a-a-al-a-alcohol...uh, never mind.
Envy: Yeah, what happened to me?
Zilo: Nah, Windig's the Winry-alike. Greta's just some random girl with a knack for mechanics.
Zilo: I LOVE YOU TOO, ALEXTHEGREAT, THANKS FOR REVIEWING! Hey there, RaifuMeika!
Ed/Risty: (both blush while accepting hugs)
Al: (hugs back)
Envy: I think NOT. Why would I be some annoying little kid?
Zilo: He's not annoying, he's adorable! WAIT NO NO FIREWORKS BECAUSE THEY ALMOST KILLED ME ON NEW YEAR'S EVE AAAAAH!
Zilo: (hands tissue to Namikazelil just in case)
Ed: Hey! I hugged her, didn't I?
Zilo: Ah, I scream at the computer all the time!
Others: Happy New Year!
Others: (plug ears)
Zilo: Nice enthusiasm, CakesInTheSummer! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Ed: (eye twitches)
Zilo: Yay, chiyochan!
Ed: Uh...is there something wrong with her?
Al: Ed! She's just really excited!
Zilo: Oooh, iTouch!
Ed: Just don't kill yourself.
Zilo: That's right, Kaminari-Tsubasa! Yay for warm feelings, DeLiCiOuSlY HyPeR!
Ed: (blushes) I'm not the 'adorable' type!
Zilo: YOU'RE WELCOME SpIcYPePpEr! Glad I could brighten your day a little!
Zilo: That doesn't even matter, ZarosKnight! AS LONG AS YOU'RE HERE sorry forgot to turn the caps off, as long as you're here enjoying yourself, it's all good!
Risty: ...Huh?
Ed: Nobody asked you!
Zilo: Oooh, action! That sounds like a plan!
Risty: (faints halfway through description)
Envy: Whatever! That's the LAST thing on my mind.
Ed: (eye twitches) I really wish I hadn't heard any of that.
Al: (is blushing) I second that.
Zilo: Huh? What'd I miss? (wasn't paying attention) Oh, hey! You like my 1-shots? I oughta write more then!
Others: NOOOOO! THEN YOU'LL NEVER FINISH THIS!
Zilo: Oh ye of little faith!
Zilo: Yeah. Looks like you're right, Wandering Hitokiri. And about time too.
Ed: Hey!!
Zilo: WILL THIS BE THE LAST REVIEW I RECEIVE FROM MY NEW BETA OBSESSIONSGOTOFAR?!?!
Ed: ...That sounded like some kind of manic announcer at the end of a show.
Zilo: Silence, knave!
Risty: Aw, but I like how she writes all her reactions down!
Zilo: And then I get to pull up my latest chapter and hunt down what she was responding to! It's like a treasure hunt of awesomeness!
Ed: Why don't you just ASK her to keep reviewing?! Jeez!
Zilo: Funniest response to Al and Ed ever! Yay! I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE MORE SPLENDID TIMES WITH YOU!
Zilo: Moi! I was wondering where you'd gone! But no, it's definitely not wrong! IT'S THE BEST THING EVER!
Ed: You need to stop shouting.
Zilo: BUT WHY?
Zilo: Hello there, cwizumi!
Ed: (blushing) W-Well, I tried!
Zilo: AHA! You'll find out soon enough how you helped me! Oh, and don't worry about spoiling the manga to me—I've read every chapter! And I think I know what you're talking about anyhow!
Risty: No, I think I've got a handle on fainting, for now anyway!
Ed: I bet Zilo skips over the explanations.
Zilo: QUIET! YOU'RE MEAN!
Ed: Stop shouting already!
Zilo: Welcome, NAO-chan! (hands over an "I Just Read The Switch Glitch In 1 Day And All I Got Was Thjs Lousy T-shirt" shirt) I'm glad you like it!
Ed: You and me both!
Zilo: Yay! The idea alchemist ninja demon has finally left me a review! I'm so happy! I'm honored that this is the only story you can follow! That means you like it a lot, so yay! And thanks for passing it on to your friends too. I'll look forward to your next review!
Zilo: Thanks, Rai! I appreciate your patience! And now that they're reunited, let the adventure...CONTINUE!
Zilo: I think stapledshut liked it, what do you think?
Ed: (indignant) I did mean it!
Zilo: Thanks for pointing that out, azori. I think I might have fixed it, but I'll check. Keep looking for me!
Ed: Hmm, that's kinda intere—hey!! I'm not an idiot!
Zilo: Nah, that's not it. But who she is will be a small twist! You'll see!
Risty: Selim is King Bradley's adopted son. The one who showed up for like 3 seconds at the end of the first anime. And...I'm not going to have any trouble, am I?
Zilo: Wait and see! And oh yes! Astrid is on the horizon! And HEY! No guessing plot twists! (winks)
Ed: It's definitely just the beginning. I can tell, because Zilo has that crazy look.
Zilo: (has crazy look) What crazy look?
Zilo: The Advertisement Server made a funny! Heya, Koinu-chan!
Risty: I like this chapter too!
Zilo: And I SAW THE PICTURES! I was like "Ooooh, ahhhh!" You looked nice and sexy! (thumbs up)
Zilo: Welcome, Kimiko Otakuwa!
Risty: You and me both!
Ed: A car crash?
Al: The way you drive—
Ed: Don't finish that sentence!
Zilo: We'll see if either of them works up the nerve to start kissing.
Ed/Risty: (both red) ZILO!
Zilo: Illa Scriptor likes it!
Envy: Not happening.
Zilo: Happy New Year!
Zilo: Welcome, Saoirse Darkwind! Risty's probably not gonna tell Ed, since she knows he and Envy were enemies. So it's up to ME to make it happen!
Zilo: Thanks, Devonlizz! Ah yes, that's the big question, isn't it?
Risty: And am I ever going to get my memory back?
Zilo: Ah, another big question! As it turns out, that was something I mentioned to another reviewer, about how unrealistic it was when OCs got warped to FMA and didn't even miss their homes and families. It was one of the things I worked hard to avoid with this fic!
Roy: We'll take the compliment.
Simon: Thanks!
Zilo: Welcome, welcome, bittersweeties! I'm glad you liked it! But Hitler's evilness does loom, doesn't it? We'll see what happens!
Zilo: Don't look at me like that! It takes time to adjust to a new schedule and jobbing and stuff. And my beta was mucho patient with me and everything. At least I'm updating now, and didn't just leave the fic to die, right?
Risty: Will you at least work on getting the next chapter out sooner?
Zilo: Yes. I can promise you guys my best effort at that, at least.
Ed: Aren't you forgetting something?
Zilo: Oh yeah! WE'RE OVER 300 REVIEWS! (confetti flies) And I can't count either, because I counted twice and came up with 2 different people as the 300th. So, um, give me some time to sort it out, okay? I just want to update ASAP!
14: Don't Deny Your Feelings
//Normal P.O.V.//
"So, what happened?" Ed asked.
Risty May shifted, smoothing her skirt over her knees. After awkwardly ending the hug, the two had sat on the steps, completely forgetting about the people waiting for them below. "Well, I don't really know," she admitted. "I'm kind of an amnesiac right now."
"Oh," Ed said. He looked worried. His hand lifted as if to touch her, but he stopped and put it back on the step.
"I'm mostly okay, though," Risty was quick to assure him.
"I wouldn't say that," he commented kind of sharply. "Not after yesterday."
Risty winced, remembering. "Well, besides that," she corrected.
"What do you mean, 'besides that'? That was serious!" Ed insisted. "Whatever was going on with the Gate and those things in it, you were thinking the way they were, and we both know you're nothing like them."
"I know, I know! But I'm okay now."
"But for how long?" Ed pointed out.
Risty bit her lip and looked down at her hands, which were resting in her lap. Ed heaved a sigh and draped his arms over his legs, letting his hands hang in the air. They sat there for a few moments, not saying anything.
"I stopped using the May," Risty said suddenly.
Ed looked up. "Huh?"
"My name, I mean. I'm just Risty now," she told him.
"Really? What for?" Ed asked.
Risty shrugged. "I dunno. Risty seems more mature than Risty May, I guess."
Ed considered. "Yeah, I guess that's true."
Risty glanced over at him, a sheepish little smile on her face. Her eyes shifted to his ponytail, and she reached out and touched it. "Your hair's longer," she commented.
"Yeah," Ed said, blushing. He reached back a hand to smooth it self-consciously. "I just kinda let it grow."
"Me too," Risty said, letting go of his hair to smooth her own in the same self-conscious way.
"Yeah, I noticed. It's...really long now," Ed said.
"Is that why you thought I was the Risty-alike? Because of my hair? And, oh, it's a pretty plain hairstyle, isn't it..." She laughed, embarrassed. "I guess I just lost my touch or something. I have a feeling I used to take a lot better care of it."
"It looks fine," Ed said defensively.
"You think so?" Risty asked.
"Of course I do! You don't have to do anything special with it..."
They both blushed and looked away in unison. "Well, thanks," Risty mumbled.
"What are you guys doing up here?"
"WAH!" Risty yelled, startled. She jumped, which caused her to slam her head into Ed's face, nearly knocking him down the stairs. For a few moments, the stairwell was filled with their exclamations of "OW OW OW OW!" as they clutched their heads in pain.
"I'm...sorry," Risty said, wincing.
Ed waved a hand to assure her, his other one holding onto his nose.
"Um...I didn't mean to startle you," Al said, standing halfway up the steps to them, his hands half-extended.
Behind him, Simon looked bewildered, and Roy had a vaguely smug look on his face. "Not dramatic, huh?" he commented.
So, after collecting themselves in the stairwell, the group headed back to the inn. Simon was excitedly telling Al about their adventure in driving up to Scheden. Ed and Risty simply walked together, both of them seeming to be lost in their own worlds, but aware enough of each other to meet eyes every once in a while. When that happened, they'd both blush and look away. Roy was equally silent on the way back, his dark eyes scrutinizing the Elrics.
"...and after all that, she found you first!" Simon was saying as they returned to the table where he, Roy, and Risty had been eating breakfast. There were only four chairs, so Ed snagged one from another table and set it across from the window, sitting down next to Risty. He'd stolen Simon's seat, so Simon stole Roy's seat, and Roy was forced to sit in the new chair. "But it all worked out in the end," Simon went on, sounding satisfied.
"So you were in Hannoversch Munden before?" Al asked Risty.
She nodded.
"You weren't alone, were you?" Al asked, suddenly concerned.
"Oh, no, no I wasn't," Risty assured him, smiling. "Lu—"
"Hold on," Roy said, holding up a hand to stop her. Risty paused, and Ed frowned at Roy.
Simon sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Not again," he complained.
"First I'd like to know what business brings you two here to Scheden," Roy said.
"And what gives you the right to question us, huh?" Ed demanded, crossing his arms, his frown changing to a full-blown scowl.
"Mr. Roy, they're not dangerous or anything. They're my friends," Risty said to him, her brows crinkled in confusion.
"All the same, sensitive information is sensitive information. We didn't get as far as we have as an organization by trusting secondhand judgment."
Risty looked a little offended at this, but before she could say anything, Ed jumped in. "So you're a part of this mysterious group that's been passing secret letters and spying on us?" he demanded.
"We have spies?" Simon said in confusion.
"Quiet, Simon," Roy commanded. Simon pouted, but stopped talking.
"Sir," Al said, hoping he would make more headway if he was less abrasive than Ed was being, "we're not here to be hostile. We're just trying to find out who's been gathering information from us."
"What kind of information?" Roy asked.
"None of your business," Ed snapped.
"Brother," Al cautioned.
"Someone from your 'organization' broke into our apartment. Nothing was stolen, but they took notes about some of our own sensitive information. And we want to know why," Ed said, arms still crossed.
"And what proof do you have that it was us?" Roy asked, raising a brow.
"We found some correspondence that we believe proves it," Al said, seeing that Ed was about to fire off a retort. "We don't want any trouble—" here Ed snorted "—we just want to know why."
"We already know some people in your stupid 'organization', so drop this secrecy act and tell us what you want," Ed jumped in.
Roy glanced over his shoulder at the nearly empty room, as if to make sure no one was listening in. "We're peaceful. We'd have no reason to break into anyone's home," he said.
"Then who was it?" Ed demanded.
"I wouldn't know."
Simon, seemingly unable to resist, chimed in. "Do you think maybe it was Ma—"
"Simon, I said be quiet!" Roy's voice was stern, and it caused Simon to jump. The little boy looked hurt, then crossed his arms and turned to the window, sulking.
"Why do you keep editing names? For a so-called peaceful group, you sure act like you're hiding something," Ed said suspiciously.
"We have our reasons," Roy said.
"You're being stupid!"
Roy looked surprised at Risty's outburst, and also the finger she was pointing at him. But she wasn't done. "I already told you that Ed and Al aren't going to do anything bad. I mean, seriously, if they didn't like Roma or something, do you think they would be my friends? And secondly, all this mysterious talking you're doing makes you sound like the lackey of some villain straight from a movie! You sound suspicious to me too, and I at least know a little bit about what's going on! Now just stop it, okay, and tell them about Luludja! Maybe she can help!"
Ed and Al shared a quick glance at the mention of Luludja, which Ed instantly recognized as the possible "Lulu" from the letters. Roy rubbed his temples with his fingers, as if Risty had just royally screwed up.
"Well?" Ed said, with a triumphant look at Roy.
Roy put his elbows on the table and sighed heavily. He gave Risty a look, but she was already starting to blush profusely from her unusual outburst, and had her eyes glued to her lap.
"We just want some answers. That's all," Al reminded him.
Roy considered for a few moments. Finally, he said, "Let me make a phone call."
Both Elric brothers looked relieved. "That was all it took? Aw, how come I didn't think of that?" Simon complained.
"Because you couldn't sass me and get away with it," Roy said as he pushed his chair back.
"I didn't sass you, I just got kind of mad," Risty May mumbled at her lap.
The next day
"Is she still asleep?" Al asked, looking over his shoulder. He answered his own question a moment later. "Yeah, she is." Risty was curled up on the back seat, fast asleep, with her coat draped over her like a blanket. Ed had put his own coat on top of her as well after she'd nodded off. Al hid a smile at the thought. His brother was really in denial at this point, but eventually he'd come around.
"Good," Ed said.
Al turned back around and saw that his brother had only one hand on the wheel. Again. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" he asked. "You stayed up just as late as she did."
"I told you, I'm fine. And we didn't stay up all that late," Ed said.
"You call three in the morning 'not that late'?" Al said skeptically.
Ed rolled his eyes, but didn't reply. Al rubbed his forehead, but not from exasperation. They'd all stayed up pretty late, though Al had drawn the line at midnight. He only knew how late Risty May and Ed had stayed up because he'd gotten up to use the bathroom, and there they were, just winding down at 3 AM.
Well, it was just Risty now, Al amended. Risty had told them she'd dropped the "May".
In the car in front of them, Simon twisted around in his seat to wave at them. Al waved back. He noticed out of the corner of his eye as Ed's face set into a determined scowl.
He knew why. It looked as if Risty had become their biggest lead of all. The Roy and Selim doubles she had been traveling with were a direct link to the person or people who were running this whole mysterious operation.
Why was it such a big mystery? Al wondered. He'd noticed that Ed had never forgiven Roy for telling Risty not to say certain things. The older man was probably lucky Ed hadn't randomly decided to just punch him out. Because that had happened before.
At least Roy had agreed to let them come and meet the mysterious Luludja woman behind it all. Maybe it was the multiple death glares Ed had sent his way that helped him to decide. Sometimes Ed's temper worked.
"You know what, no," Risty mumbled from the backseat. Both brothers instinctively looked back to see if she was awake, but she just twisted onto her other side, putting her face against the back of the seat. "You jerk," she mumbled.
"Sleep talking," Ed commented out loud.
"Better or worse than snoring?" Al asked in general.
"Worse. You get used to snoring," Ed said.
Al shrugged and silently conceded the point. "So what do you think we'll find out when we get to Hannoversch Munden?"
"Hopefully all the answers," was Ed's reply. "Whatever this organization is about, though, if they're after the bomb..."
"You think they're up to no good? Mr. Mustang said they were peaceful," Al asked.
"Like I believe him. We can't be sure yet what they really are. But I don't see any good reason to want it," Ed commented.
Al glanced in the backseat. "If they really are doing something bad, you think they'll try to hold Risty hostage?"
"They better not," Ed snapped immediately. Then he seemed to think about it a moment before answering again. "I don't think they're keeping her captive. Not yet, anyway. We'll have to wait and see what happens. Just keep your eyes and ears open when we get there."
"Okay."
Luludja took a sip of her coffee and tried curling the pins and needles out of her toes. She'd been on the floor much too long, perusing through the bundle of letters she'd received that morning. The box had been too heavy to lift onto the table, so she had gotten down on the floor. Oh well.
"For the last time, you're not coming to work," she said into the telephone.
"I swear I'm better, Luludja. I haven't coughed in hours!" Nuri insisted on the other end.
"I'm happy for you, but you're not getting sent to the hospital again. Take the night off and we'll see in the morning," Luludja said firmly.
"But Zindelo's working!" Nuri tried.
"Zindelo was given the go-ahead by Cornello. You weren't. There's a difference."
It took a few more minutes to finally argue Nuri down, but Luludja wasn't in charge for nothing. She hung up with Nuri's promise to rest and sighed, still flexing her toes.
Roy had called yesterday afternoon to let her know they would be on their way back today, and bringing some "interesting characters" along, as he called them. He wouldn't go into any more specifics than that. Luludja drained the cup and set it on the table. Why did she have a feeling this would cause another headache?
There were already so many things going wrong right now. Chief among them was Rita and Marta. The two of them were causing her the most problems. And add to that everything else that was going on, and Luludja didn't feel like dealing with any characters, interesting or not.
But she would, because that was what leaders did. They led people.
There was a knock on the door, and Luludja looked up. "Come in," she said.
The door opened, and there stood Cray. "Roy and Risty are back," he said.
"Did you get a look at these so-called 'characters'?" she asked.
"Two males. Both seem to be young, maybe around Zindelo's age. One looks like that friend of Noa's."
Luludja tapped her chin with a finger. What had Noa said his name was? Ed, that was it. And he'd had a brother, hadn't he? Of course the characters would be them. "All right. I'll be there in a moment."
Cray nodded and closed the door.
"She'll be out shortly," Cray announced when he came back into the sitting room.
Ed didn't really pay attention to him, even though he looked like that one crazy guy from a long time ago. He was too busy sizing up the room. It looked like a very nondescript living room, nothing exactly screaming evil. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be on guard, just in case.
Al looked perfectly comfortable, sitting on the other end of the sofa Ed sat on. Risty sat between them, drumming her fingers on her lap, looking a little nervous. Roy sat in an armchair beside the sofa. Simon had been left in Roy's car, having fallen asleep on the way.
Ed couldn't shake the feeling of something strange going on. What was this organization about, that it had to be so secretive? Were they anything like the Thule Society? He certainly hoped not; he really didn't want to go through that again.
Nobody really had anything to say. They were all waiting for Luludja. Roy still had that disgruntled look on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. Ed couldn't believe he was just as annoying as the other Roy. Like he didn't have enough to deal with already.
Just thinking about the guy pissed him off, so Ed turned his thoughts to other things. He was still mildly in awe at the fact that Risty was really okay, and was really sitting next to him, and really wasn't angry at him for leaving her stuck in the Gate.
He glanced at her. He hadn't actually gotten around to asking her about that last night, though. He hadn't wanted to. She'd been so excited to hear what he'd been up to lately, and to tell him things she had seen and done since escaping the Gate a month ago. He hadn't wanted to ruin the moment with that kind of question.
Risty seemed to feel his eyes on her, and glanced over at him too. Their eyes met, and she blushed, but offered him a smile. She looked so cute. Ed felt a blush of his own, but he managed to smile back. Why did he get nervous just looking her in the face? There was a weird flutter in his stomach every time he met her eyes. Was it because he was so glad she was here and all right? Or was it something else entirely?
The door opened, and everyone's attention was pulled to it. Out came a tall Roma woman with short dark hair, dressed in a long-sleeved dress shirt and a black pencil skirt and heels. She pulled the door closed behind her as she surveyed the room. Her eyes landed on Risty, and she smiled. It was a genuine, warm smile, which caused Ed to relax a little. She didn't seem like someone with evil intentions, at least.
"Roy, what am I going to do with you?" was the first thing she said.
Roy raised a hand in his defense. "It wasn't my idea, trust me."
The woman, Luludja, sighed.
"Luludja?" Risty got up out of her chair. "Listen, I know that you guys can't be too careful and everything, but these are my friends, and they're not here for anything bad, promise. I mean, I know secondhand opinions aren't much, but really, I can vouch for both of them."
"I'm not sure I know what you mean. If you say they're okay, I believe you," Luludja said.
"Well, I know, but I really think you—what? You do?" Risty looked stunned. "But he—" here she pointed at Roy "—wouldn't take my word for it!"
"Roy's the suspicious type. He doesn't trust anyone except himself," Luludja said.
"Most of the time, anyway," Roy added, not sounding the least bit apologetic.
Ed found another reason to hate him.
"All right, then," Luludja said, sitting down in an armchair across from them and crossing her legs at the knee, "why don't we get down to business? Obviously, the two of you aren't here for a social visit," she went on, indicating Ed and Al.
The brothers exchanged a quick glance, then Ed spoke up. "We've got reason to believe someone in your secret shadowy 'organization' broke into our house," he said.
"Really?" Luludja said, one eyebrow raising. "And what makes you think that?"
"We found some of your letters," Ed said, as if that explained everything.
"We think that the correspondence was discussing the break-in," Al clarified.
Luludja put her chin in her hand and thought. The others waited quietly.
"Any other evidence?" she asked. "Did you see this alleged burglar?"
"We weren't the ones who saw him," Al said.
"It was a 'him'? Are you sure?"
Al opened his mouth to answer, but then hesitated. "Well, no," he admitted, "but the one who saw him going into the window described him as a small man."
"With masculine features?"
"No, just a small man," Ed cut in, sounding a little impatient.
"Then it's entirely possible it was a woman, am I right?" Luludja said.
"We don't know what he was!" Ed snapped. "All we know is he or she or whoever broke into our apartment."
"And what did they steal?" Luludja asked.
"Nothing was stolen," Al began cautiously.
Luludja looked surprised at this.
"We've got some secrets of our own, and whoever this was took down notes about them," Ed finally said.
"We just want to know if you sent him or her," Al said.
"Well, if I had, why would I tell you? Obviously, breaking into another's home is a criminal act, which means I'm after your secrets and want to acquire them in an illegal matter. It wouldn't benefit me at all to then confess the crime to you, if that was the case," Luludja pointed out.
"You don't have to tell me that," Ed retored.
"Oh, I see. So if I seemed suspicious you were prepared to beat the answers out of me?"
Ed blushed, embarrassed. Al looked very uncomfortable. "Nobody said anything about that!" Ed said defensively.
"I know. I'm just teasing. I'm sure you're not the type to abuse a woman, Edward."
At this, Ed tensed. "You know my name?" he said suspiciously.
"Noa's mentioned you before," Luludja told him.
"You know Noa?" Al said in surprise.
"We're friends. Noa isn't a part of my 'shadowy organization', however," Luludja said.
"So then why not say that in the first place?" Ed demanded.
"I wanted to know what you wanted first. And now that I'm certain you're simply looking for your own answers, I suppose I can be a little more straightforward." Luludja smoothed her skirt. "I can assure you that no one under my jurisdiction broke into your home. We're hidden, yes, but that's for our own protection, not because we're criminals. In some respects we are on the wrong side of the law, but that is simply because the law is heavily flawed."
"So then what do you do?" Ed asked.
"We strive for true equality," Luludja explained. "You can imagine that not everyone is on board with that, which is why we're so careful. But someday, we hope to see the world as a place where everyone can co-exist in peace, regardless of their heritage."
"So you're, like...activists?" Risty spoke up.
Luludja smiled. "I suppose we're something like that, though we are much less vocal than true activists. We work behind the curtain, so to speak, to undermine the current of prejudice and racism in this country. We do everything we can to help our fellow man, no matter what they look like or where they're from. That's how humanity should really be."
Al was nodding as he absorbed information. Ed looked thoughtful, but no longer suspicious. Risty felt relief at finally getting to know what Luludja's group was really all about.
"So, have I answered your questions?" Luludja asked.
Al and Ed exchanged another glance. "I guess so," Ed agreed.
"Sorry about bothering you," Al apologized.
Luludja smiled, and this time, it was a warm one. "That's all right. As long as this business is cleared up. Of course now, we need your word that you'll help to keep our secret as well."
"Of course!" both brothers said immediately.
"Then we're friends."
Risty brightened at this. Roy rolled his eyes, but shrugged in resignation.
"And as friends, you're welcome to share dinner with us tonight. I'm sure you'd like some time to rest and recover before you set out again," Luludja said.
"Sure, I'm starving!" Ed agreed instantly.
Dinner was held in the same inn/restaurant as before. Only this time, Ed, Al, Roy, and Simon were present. Zindelo and his dad had also joined the group. Zindelo seemed to like Al well enough, but something about Ed set him off, so he ignored him. Ed was fine with ignoring Zindelo in turn.
Even though it seemed like all the problems were solved and everything should be okay, Risty couldn't shake a sense of sadness. She couldn't put her finger on why she felt that way, either. It just seemed like tomorrow would be awful. So she sat silently between Ed and Al, not adding anything to the conversation, picking at her food.
It was only after dinner had ended, and everyone was going their separate ways, that Risty began to realize what it was that was bugging her. She was saying goodbye to Simon, who was leaving with Roy that evening instead of spending the night, when she looked up and saw the back of Ed's head as he and Al followed Zindelo's dad back to his house. Zindelo was still speaking to Roy, seeming unwilling to travel with Ed.
Looking at the back of Ed's head like that, Risty felt a plunge in her gut. It was Ed who was bothering her! Since they'd arrived in Hannoversch Munden, he'd said about two sentences to her. He'd look at her sometimes, but every time she would smile at him, he'd just look away.
"What are you waiting for?" Simon demanded, seeing her looking after him with a look of despair. "Go solve whatever problems you guys are having! Don't let an argument separate you two!"
Risty looked down at him. "Simon, do you read a lot of romance novels or something?"
Simon just smiled impishly. Risty found herself smiling back, and reached down to hug him. "Thanks for being my buddy the past couple of days."
"Thanks for being so interesting," Simon replied, hugging her back.
Risty laughed. "I do what I can!" She looked back up at Ed, and her laugh died. She sucked in a breath and started after him before he got away. Behind her, Simon watched, expecting drama to unfold.
"Ed! Hold on a sec!"
Ed stopped and twisted around. Al and Zindelo's dad paused as well. "Yeah?" Ed asked.
Risty stopped about a foot away from him, suddenly unsure what to say. What could she do? Accuse him of not talking to her much? "Well, um...are you guys, uh...going home tomorrow?"
Ed nodded. "Yeah, as soon as the sun's up me and Al are leaving. We want to get an early start."
Those words struck her as odd somehow, and added to the sinking feeling in her stomach. "...Oh..." she said lamely, still confused as to why she felt this way. Then it hit her. Ed and Al hadn't asked her to come along. That's what it is, she thought. Not once had they mentioned her coming along, or asked if she wanted to go with them. It was like...like they didn't want her coming with them.
That can't be true...can it? Maybe I can just invite myself. But no, that's so rude, and what if Ed says no? Or says yes, but it's obvious he doesn't really want me along?
She felt the familiar prickle of tears at the back of her eyes. Do they really not want me?
"W-Well, uh, have a good trip then," she said quickly, to cover her immense disappointment.
Ed's shoulders sagged a little, though he didn't realize it. ...She doesn't want to come with us? he thought, suddenly very disappointed. She wasn't going to ask to come? After all the trouble she'd told him she'd gone through to find them, did she really just want to stay here? Maybe she really did resent him for leaving her in the Gate after all, and this was her passive-aggressive way of getting back at him.
Well, fine then. But she wouldn't hurt him. At least, he wouldn't let her see that she'd hurt him. He squared his shoulders and said firmly, "We will. Take care of yourself here."
"Oh...I-I will. Of course."
"Brother..." Al began, sensing that something was up.
"Come on, let's go," Ed said, cutting him off. He turned around, effectively turning his back on Risty. She felt her lower lip tremble, but she resolutely turned around herself, effectively turning her back on Ed. She wouldn't give it away that he had hurt her.
The apartment was exactly the way she'd left it. Risty closed the door behind herself and set her suitcase down on the floor. Since she was alone, she pulled off her outer garments, leaving herself in just her undershirt and underskirt, and walked over to the unoccupied sofa. For a moment, she could see, in her mind's eye, Envy sprawled over the couch. She dispelled the image by throwing herself facedown on the couch.
So she really was alone again. For real this time. And there was no search for anybody to propel her forward. She could try looking for Envy, but she had no idea where to start, and doubted he'd want her to find him. He'd said as much in his note.
Risty clenched her fist and punched the pillow her face lay in. Tears leaked out of her eyes and soaked into the fabric. It looked like this was home now.
"What's this you're watching?"
"Oh, this? It's an anime called Fullmetal Alchemist. It's really good, Mom."
"Hmm. So what's it about?"
"Well, it looks like those two are brothers, and the suit of armor lost his whole body when they tried to resurrect their mom with alchemy. I'm not really sure how that happened though, because I didn't see the first episode. Some kids at school were talking about it, so I thought I'd check it out."
"There's no gratuitous violence in it, is there?"
"Mom! You sound like a movie warning. Who says 'gratuitous' anymore?"
"Just me and your cousin."
"Well, she's got an excuse; she reads the thesaurus for fun."
"I've got an excuse too: I'm smart."
"Of course you are. And pretty and sexy, too."
"I've trained you well."
Risty May laughed with her mom.
A knock on the door pulled Risty from her dream. As she lifted her head out of the pillow she was drooling in, eyes blinking slowly, the dream started to disappear from her consciousness. By the time she had sat up on the couch, rubbing her face, she couldn't even remember if she had been dreaming or not.
Risty looked around for her clothes, then realized she'd dropped them all at the door. She climbed off the sofa and staggered towards the front door, realizing that it must be very early, because the sun's light was still really weak. She found her dark brown dress and managed to shuffle it on. There was supposed to be a dress shirt beneath it, but the dress covered enough that she could answer the door.
Whoever it was knocked again as Risty tried to adjust the bow holding her hair back. It had gotten loose during the night and was now hanging pathetically at her waist, barely holding onto her hair. "I'm coming already!" Risty griped, settling for shoving all her hair behind her ears and smoothing the top. She patted herself down to ensure decency, then pulled open the door.
It was Ed. Risty's sleepy glare changed into a look of surprise. "Oh! Ed...uh, hi?"
Ed didn't respond to her greeting. He looked a little mad, actually. "Look," he said, "we're leaving in half an hour."
"You woke me up to tell me that? Ed, I was sound asleep. On the couch, but sound asleep. I thought we already said our goodbyes last night!" Risty said, indignant and a little cranky.
"We did!"
"Then why are you here? To make me feel worse?"
"No! I wasn't trying to say goodbye last night!" Ed snapped, exasperated.
Risty blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
"I thought you were going to ask to come with us, but you didn't, so I figured you wanted to stay here, so I let it go. But I'm not letting it go now! I spent three years trying to forget about you because I thought I'd ruined your life, and now you're back and you're okay and you're not even mad at me! And the fact that we had some stupid communication breakdown—whatever the hell that is, but that's what Al called it—really pisses me off!"
Risty stared at him, her eyes getting bigger as he went on. Ed seemed thoroughly worked up, but his cheeks were flaming red.
"So, look, whatever's really going on, I don't care! I want you to come with me!"
Risty's mouth dropped open. Ed's fists were clenched, and he was breathing hard, like he'd just run a marathon. "R...R-Really?" she squeaked.
"Yes, dammit! I missed you, and I'm not leaving you behind again as long as I've got anything to say about it!"
She'd been wrong. He did want her. He had from the start. Risty felt the urge to cry again, this time with joy, but she held it in check. Instead, she let a brilliant smile spread across her face. He had missed her, he'd said. She would have hugged him, but he'd said they were leaving in half an hour.
"Let me get dressed!" she said, excitedly slamming the door in his face.
Zilo: D'AWWWWWWWWW!
Ed/Risty: (both blushing)
Luludja: Omake time.
Zilo: HUZZAH! Oh yeah. Well, okay, guys, I was going to do my usual humorous thing, but 1: I wanted to put this up ASAP, like I said before, and 2: I thought maybe I'd give you a preview instead. My betas both green-lighted this new fic as good to put up next, but I want your opinion. So here's an excerpt from what I hope will be my next new story. Tell me if it sounds interesting to you!
OMAKE THEATER
Preview Of "The Houseguests"
I stood there like an idiot for a few moments until I finally got that this person was unconscious and wasn't going to attack me. Slowly, I lowered the bat and approached cautiously. I reached out and poked the figure with a toe.
They didn't stir. They were lying on their stomach, their face turned away from me. Whoever they were, they had really long, dark hair.
"Uh...hey. Hey!" I prodded a little harder and got no response. I got closer and crouched down, hoping that this wasn't a hobo who had somehow broken into our basement to die and was now a dead body.
I heaved a big breath. I would have to check their pulse. I didn't want to touch them if they were a body, but I had to. So I braced myself, grabbed the person by their arm, and rolled them onto their back.
For about a full thirty seconds, I stared, stunned. What the heck was some cosplayer doing in our basement, in full costume? Whoever this guy was, he had on a really convincing Envy costume. (And I don't know too many male cosplayers that are secure enough to cosplay as midriff-baring, skort-wearing Envy) He even had the pinkish-pale skin. And the wig looked like real hair, nothing like that Envy wig I had almost bought online. To my relief, the cosplayer's chest was rising and falling, indicating that he wasn't dead.
"Hey, can you hear me?" I said, shaking him.
He didn't stir. I visually examined him and found no injuries. So I decided to pull off his wig and check for lumps to see if he had been knocked out or something.
I grabbed a fistful of the hair, and was surprised at how real it felt. I tugged, but the wig didn't come off. No way was it the guy's real hair? But I doubted he'd superglue the wig to his head. With a sigh, I parted the stupid hair with my fingers and found that it was indeed attached to his scalp.
"You must be a really dedicated cosplayer to grow your hair out this long," I commented to the guy as I kneaded his skull, looking for lumps. "That or crazy. How the hel--ck did you get in my basement anyway? And why are you in costume? There are never any cons in High Springs. Pshh. There's barely a movie theater." High Springs is a small town in Florida, and you can bet there aren't any cons insane enough to come here.
I searched his scalp as thoroughly as I could, but I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, besides a ridiculously smooth scalp. Everybody has lumps, don't they? Not this guy. "The ladies must love that smooth scalp," I teased the guy as I checked his pulse. Then, with a second look at his costume, I added, "Or the men."
After my most extensive search for any injuries he might have (with skills that I had picked up from watching a lot of cop shows) I couldn't find anything that explained his unconsciousness. "Somebody slip you something in your drink?" I asked him, debating how to get him upstairs. "But no matter what happened to you, the question is how'd you get in my basement?"
I decided I would get him up to the couch in the living room, and call for an ambulance. I hooked my arms underneath his and started to drag him to the stairs. The fabric of his top distracted me. It was a very weird fabric I'd never felt before, kind of like velvet only...different. Really, it was a very, very convincing costume.
Suddenly, I saw the fingers on his right hand twitch. "Hey, are you waking up?" I said in relief, gently letting him back down. Good. He could walk up the stairs. The guy was freaking heavy.
He didn't move again.
"Ah, jeez, come on!" I said. "You're really heavy!" I grabbed a flashlight from a shelf and smacked it on my palm a couple of times before flicking it on. The light was initially bright but started to go dim. I bent over the guy and peeled one of his eyes open, shining the flashlight in it, to hopefully pull him back to consciousness.
"Whoa."
This guy had really gone all out. He had violet contacts with a catlike pupil. But it didn't even look like a contact. It really looked real. It was amazing. "You are one dedicated cosplayer," I commented.
The next thing happened so fast that I could barely figure it out. The guy's other eye flew open, and his eyes seemed to brighten with something that can only be described as rage. If it hadn't happened so fast, the pure anger would have made me shrink away. But in the very same moment, his hand flashed up and encircled my throat. He had an iron grip, and he was tightening it.
My next words choked in my throat. The sudden cutting off of my air supply caused my lungs to protest. I squirmed uselessly, the hand that had been holding his eye open now grabbing his wrist to try and pull it away. But it was useless. He was much stronger than me.
I couldn't look away from his angry violet eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he growled, and beneath the fear, I felt shock at how well he mimicked Envy's voice actress. He sounded exactly like Envy. And he was acting exactly like Envy. And he looked exactly like Envy. In fact, if I didn't know that it was impossible, I might think he was Envy.
But my main thought was Oh my God, I'm going to die.
"Where's the Fullmetal Pipsqueak?" he hissed in my face.
Obviously, I couldn't say anything to him, as I was struggling in vain to breathe. He seemed to get this and released his grip on my throat. I hadn't even noticed that he had raised me into the air until I fell to the ground, landing on my side. I sucked in a breath and immediately started to cough.
"Well?" he demanded. "Where is he?"
"What...are you talking...about?" I said between coughs. This cosplayer was obviously a nut who had taken the role of Envy a little too far.
"Don't play games with me!" he yelled at me. He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and hauled me to eye-level with him, which lifted my feet off the ground again. "Where is the Fullmetal Alchemist?" he hissed.