Blood and Water
Joshua grinded his teeth as he sat next to Trisha and across from Khali on the train, Nina sitting next to him. Nina was telling Khali about the circles and runes in a novice alchemy book she had bought for him during their short stop in Central City.
They had stayed a few days. Long enough for Joshua to report and get chewed out by his father and for them to stop by his place to rest, refuel and wash any clothes they needed done. Joshua also took Khali around the shopping district of Central to buy him clothes and a suitcase for his trip to Risembool. Their shopping "adventure," as Khali called it, went pretty well. Khali was a pretty good kid, as it turned out. Kinda snotty and bratty, but Joshua figured he was just acting like a typical twelve-year-old boy. He was like the brother Joshua didn't have. They picked up lunch for them and the girls and headed home. Khali gloated about all his new clothes to the girls. Nina watched him actively and Trisha passively, just to indulge him.
The next afternoon they were on the train to Risembool, Khali's new clothes packed in his suitcase, his knapsack packed with snacks and things to entertain him on the train. Joshua sighed, looking out the window.
"It's kinda weird seeing you in such casual clothes," Trisha said as she rotated her shoulder, wincing as she worked the kinks out. Once she put her arm down she looked over at him. "Well. Casual formal anyway."
Today, in lieu of his typical button ups, dress shirts, slacks or his military uniform, he wore a gray long sleeved shirt that hugged his torso, white pants, gray shoes and a gray sport jacket with his typical black, formal coat, which he had taken off and set in his lap for the duration of the trip. The sleeves of his shirt and sport jacket were pushed up to his elbows. His hair was more messy than neat, deciding that he didn't feel like fooling with it that morning.
"You always dress so grown up. It's hard to believe you're only in your early twenties," Trisha grinned.
Joshua chuckled and shrugged. "I guess I kind of adopted the style from my dad. He said he always dressed older than his age since he got into the military so young. He hoped that people would look at him and see a mature young man instead of an inexperienced kid."
"It fits you. The style that is. It's a good style for you. You make it look good," Trisha turned her head away, her cheeks and ears turning pink.
Joshua smiled as he noticed this. He ruffled her hair. "Thanks. You make delinquent alchemist look good too."
"Eh?! 'Delinquent alchemist'?! What the hell does that mean?!" She glared at him. She crossed her arms and looked away again. No blush this time. "I'm not a delinquent!"
"You're kinda cute when you're angry," Joshua admitted, laughing at her typical "I'm angry" mannerisms.
"Whatever." The blush that dusted her face was worth it.
"Hm," he hummed, turning back to the window in a better mood than he was.
"So you're going to stop sulking now?" Trisha leaned over a bit, placing her hands on the seat between her knees, looking over at him curiously.
Joshua blinked and looked at her. He sighed and straightened up in his seat. "You noticed huh?"
"Of course. It's not like you're a closed off person. You're actually more open than most guys I've met." She swung her legs back and forth. "So what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just nervous I guess," he turned back to the window once again.
"About what?"
"Just… stuff…"
"Let me guess… You're worried about my dad?" A frown set deep into Joshua's features and he made a half groaning, half growling noise in his chest. "Oh come on. He's not all big and bad and terrible. He's actually pretty sweet when he's calm."
"And how often is he calm?"
"Uh… well, let's just say it's not a rare occurrence."
"Uh huh."
It wasn't too much longer and the train arrived in Risembool in the late afternoon. The station was quiet and peaceful. The only souls around were the station master, the woman in the ticket booth and a couple of grounds keepers cleaning up after whatever the day brought them. Green plains stretched as far as the eye could see on the other side of a small, quaint little town where Joshua could make out small restaurants and cafes, a bank, a post office, the town hall, a school, a market place, several mom and pop stores, and other small shops and businesses. Joshua could count the times he'd past this station while heading somewhere else on one hand. And all of those times he barely paid attention to his surroundings.
As they hopped off the train with their luggage, Joshua looked around, taking deep breaths of the country air. It was completely different from the muggy city air. Even in the setting sun—which produced the most beautiful sunset Joshua had ever seen—the grass was such a luscious, deep green that he wondered if there was a crayon color somewhere with the name "Risembool grass green." And if there wasn't someone needed to create coloring materials with the color of the grass here.
"Wow," Khali breathed. "And I thought the forest was nice."
"Yeah," Trisha smiled as they walked out of the station area. "It may be boring sometimes, but it's got its charm."
"And Papa and Uncle Ed helped expand the town too. It gets bigger every year. Lots of new people come here every season to set up festivals and fairs. Agriculture, ranching and tourism has boomed here. Everyone who knows about the 'Elric Brothers' and their home town has come here to see what it's like," Nina added.
"Seems like a good place to retire for people who don't want to be bothered," Joshua nodded.
They had made it halfway through town by the time it had started to get dark. However, when he began to see the stretching plains of Risembool more clearly, Joshua's stomach started to twist in on itself. The further they walked through the edge of town, the more reluctant he became to the thought of appearing before the house where the Fullmetal Alchemist lived. More and more he was reminded of his own blood ties, and more and more that blood felt thicker and thicker in his veins. Most of it seemed to pool in his feet and legs as his head filled with thoughts of his father's stories about Edward Elric and how often they fought and disagreed. He couldn't shake the thought of what it would be like for him to stand in front of the famous, hot blooded alchemist.
Suddenly, his feet couldn't carry him anymore. He froze in place.
"I can't go with you."
Khali and the girls turned to look at him. Trisha raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about? Let's go. I want to get home before it gets too dark."
"I'm not going, Trisha. Not to that house," Joshua shook his head at her.
"Dammit, Joshua! He's not going to eat you! Now let's go! Mom is probably making dinner by now. We're going to be late!"
Joshua sighed and took a slow step forward. When they turned back around to continue walking, Joshua silently turned and ran off down a side street, disappearing from view.
Trisha blinked and turned around to see Joshua gone. She clenched her fist and growled. "That bastard! You coward!"
"Should we go look for him?" Nina asked her in concern.
"Don't bother! If he wants to run off with his tail between his legs, let him!" Trisha turned once more and stomped off.
Khali tugged on Nina's sleeve. "Why doesn't he want to go with us?"
"It's… complicated…" Nina frowned. "He probably doesn't feel like he belongs here."
Trisha and Nina continued down the dirt path until the road split into several different paths. Nina headed left and Trisha and Khali continued straight on, waving at Nina, much to Khali's distaste. Trisha only rolled her eyes and said that she and her parents would be over for dinner anyway. Not long after, they arrived at the old Rockbell house. Laying outside on the porch was a white, black and tan dog. The dog perked up once it smelled them. Immediately it leaped off the porch and ran up to them barking.
"Woah! A dog! You have a dog!" Khali dropped his suitcase and knapsack, kneeling on the ground when the dog practically tackled him. The dog sniffed and licked his face, making Khali laugh wildly.
"Yeah, this is Duke. He's the son of my mom's previous dog," Trisha patted Duke's back, his tail going a mile a minute. As if on cue, Winry came dashing out the door to see what the commotion was. "Hey mom! I'm home," Trisha beamed at her.
Winry's face lit up and her eyes watered. "Welcome back! Now get in here, young lady! It's almost dinner time," she said as if Trisha had only been gone for a few hours.
Khali picked up his stuff and ran to the door with Duke. Trisha followed behind quickly. "What's for dinner?" Khali asked as if he had lived there his whole life.
"Uh… P-pot roast?" Winry blinked down at the boy. "Trisha, who is this?"
"I'm Khali Andrews!"
"He's from Pendleton. He wanted us to teach him alchemy but we told him no, so he jumped the train. I told him Dad and Uncle Al might take him on," Trisha rolled her eyes.
"Where's your parents? Are they okay with this?"
"Don't know. They gave me up when I was born," Khali replied monotonously, scratching Duke's ears.
"O-oh… I'm sorry. I didn't," Winry put her hand to her mouth, as if she could push the words back in.
"It's okay. I can't miss what I never had," he stood up and but his arms behind his head.
"Is Dad here?" Trisha asked.
"Yes, he's up in his study," Winry walked back into the house and rushed over to the stove. "Khali, would you like to help me with dinner?"
"Can I?" Khali followed her over and stood next to her.
Trisha set her things near the stairs and hiked up them to her father's study, pulling his travelogue out of her jacket pocket.
Time to get chewed out…
Nina marveled at the tall, two-story house with the tree next to it. Her father had told her that he and her uncle had reconstructed the house of their childhood from memory with help from a little alchemy on her father's part. They also ripped up the decayed, burnt tree trunk and planted a new one Alchemy had gotten the tree through its first few years, and since then it remained untouched. Nina walked up the stairs to the front door, turning the knob and pushing it open. Once she opened it, she was nearly tackled by a black and tan dog.
"Daisy! Careful! Don't knock her down the stairs!" The chipper voice of her mother sounded as she ran over to her. "Nina, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mama," Nina laughed, petting Daisy's head. "I'm home."
May giggled and held her hand out. "Welcome home."
"Is that Nina?" Alphonse came down the stairs.
"Papa!" Nina trotted over and hugged her father.
Alphonse hugged her tightly, smiling down at her. "Welcome home. How was your adventures so far?"
Nina set her suitcase down near the couch and sat down as her mother sat next to her and her father sat across from her. Daisy laid at her feet. "I've had a lot of fun. We've had ups and downs, but nothing we can't handle. Oh! I got to visit Nina Tucker's grave in Central."
Alphonse's eyes lit up in both surprise and concern. "I see… How was that?"
"I used my alchemy to grow flowers around all the graves," Nina held her arms out wide.
"Did you?" Alphonse laughed. "But what if the families of the other people wanted to leave flowers of their own?"
"O-oh… I didn't think of that…" Nina covered her mouth, flustered at the thought that she had done something inconsiderate.
"I'm sure all the families will be grateful," May hugged her daughter. "I'm proud of you."
Nina hugged her back and turned back to Alphonse. "I also read Mustang's files and Uncle Ed's reports from when you were kids. And Trisha and I were trying to decode Uncle's travelogue."
"Brother told me they were stolen as well," Alphonse grabbed the back of his neck, looking down. "And that Charity most likely took them."
"She did. We ran into her in Pendleton. She coerced an orphan boy named Khali to steal a banned book. And in return she told him she'd bring back his deceased friend."
"We heard about Pendleton," Alphonse handed her a copy of a newspaper from two days ago. "But not that much. They didn't say too much about what happened. Only that a State Alchemist and two female companions helped retrieve it."
"They were right to not say more than that," Nina looked over the article in the paper.
"Nina," Alphonse frowned. "Since you read the files and reports, I'm sure you know by now what really happened to Nina Tucker… and I can't help but feel that naming you after her was a mistake."
Nina dropped the paper and looked up at her father. She raised her hands and shook her head. "No, no! Please don't feel that way!" She put her hand over her heart. "I'm glad you named me Nina. That way I can live for her. I want to experience all the things she didn't."
Alphonse smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay. So long as it doesn't bother you. You always have your middle name of Lei Fan to go by if you decide otherwise."
"It's okay. I like my first name," Nina stood up and hugged her father, kissing him on the cheek. "Please don't worry."
"Okay," Alphonse kissed her cheek back with a smile.
Nina took her suitcase and headed for the stairs. "I'll be upstairs in my room."
Once Nina was gone, Alphonse stood and moved over next to May. "Even though I said that, I'm still worried about it."
May moved closer to him and leaned against him, her hand on his chest. Alphonse put his arm around her. "I wouldn't worry too much. She's strong like the both of us, and she has Trisha to help her."
"You're right. Those two are joined at the hip. More so than Ed and I."
"She'll be okay," May smiled up at him.
"Right," Alphonse smiled back and kissed her.
Nina slowly and silently crept up the stairs after listening to the two of them talk.
Back at the old Rockbell house, the chewing out wasn't nearly as horrible as Trisha thought it would be. But it was long and filled with "what if this happened" and "why didn't you just ask me?" One might usually expect Winry to be the master of parental lecturing, but Edward was pretty damn good at it too, if you asked Trisha. Part of her wondered if Mustang had rubbed off on him, but thinking about the Fuhrer only made her think about Joshua, and that irritated her much more than the lecture.
As Nina and her parents walked into the house, Edward and Trisha came down the stairs, Trisha holding the travelogue out to him as they descended. "I'm telling you I'm giving it back! I'm sorry okay? I should have asked first. There, you happy now?"
"And I'm telling you that it's not about the travelogue anymore," Edward stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned, crossing his arms at her. "You took it so you could decode it right? You wanted to know more than just bedtime stories. I get it. I knew there would come a time where you wanted to know everything." He turned back around and headed to the kitchen. "Finish what you started. No daughter of mine is going to quit things half way."
Trisha blinked at her father's back then looked down at the leather bound journal. She sighed and shook her head, pouting slightly. "Why does he always have to be so difficult?"
"I heard that!"
Nina and Alphonse laughed and Trisha stuck her tongue out in the general direction of her father. "It really is terrifying how alike you two are," Alphonse patted Trisha on the head as she walked past.
"Speak for yourself," Trisha rolled her eyes. "Both you and Nina are deviously innocent."
"'Deviously innocent'? Isn't that contradictory?" Nina giggled.
"Not with you two!" Trisha called back as she moved into the kitchen.
"Trisha!" Edward called from the kitchen.
"I'm coming!"
"Who is this kid and why is he saying I'm going to teach him alchemy?!" Edward shrieked.
"Uh oh," Nina quickly ran into the kitchen, Alphonse following close behind.
"But she said you would!" Kali looked up at Edward, clenching his fists. "She said they wouldn't teach me so you guys would."
"I said 'maybe'!"
Edward grabbed Trisha's head and squeezed firmly. "You do realize that I'm incapable of performing alchemy, right?"
"W-well, yeah, but that doesn't mean your knowledge is gone. I mean, you could put it to good use. You teach Kali the foundations and Uncle Al demonstrates them. Easy peasy," Trisha visibly sweated. She said under her breath, "Besides, he's stubborn as a mule and he won't leave till he gets what he wants. He snuck onto the train without buying a ticket just to get alchemy lessons!"
"So you told him that Al and I would?!"
"I said maybe!"
Kali grabbed Edward's shirt sleeve and pulled on it. "Come on, you have to teach me alchemy! You just have to!"
Edward turned and knelt down to Kali's eye level. "And why do you want to learn alchemy anyway?"
Kali blinked and looked at the ground. "Well… I saw how it can hurt people. And Trisha and Miss Nina explained to me about bringing back the dead. I don't want to see people suffer, so I want to use alchemy to help people and show them the good sides of alchemy."
Edward was silent for a long moment before sighing and looking back and up at his brother. "What do you think?"
Alphonse chuckled and shrugged, raising hands. "I don't see why not. What harm can it do, after all?"
"Alright, fine. We'll teach you everything there is to know about alchemy." Edward sneered and got in close to Kali's face till he was barely an inch away. "But just to have you know, we're strict teachers. Hellish even."
Winry smacked him over the head with a skillet. "Don't scare the boy!"
"Damn, Winry! I was kidding!" He growled, holding his head.
"Dinner's almost done, so Kali, why don't you help Trisha and Nina set the table?"
"Yes, Miss Winry!"
"Trisha, has Joshua been by? Have you seen him?" Nina asked.
"No! And I don't care! If he wants to act like a stupid little kid, then let him!" Trisha stomped over to the cupboard to get plates out.
"Joshua?" Edward blinked. "He's here? Where is he?"
"We lost him in town. He chickened out and ran off like the coward he is," she angrily clattered the plates down on the table.
"…" Edward walked over to the living room window and peeked out. It was dark and there was no sign of anyone coming down the dirt road. "Winry, delay dinner for a bit, but don't let it get cold."
"Huh? But why?" Edward didn't answer as he grabbed his coat and slipped his boots on. "Ed? Where are you going?"
"To find Mustang's knucklehead," he replied as he threw his coat on and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Nina turned and watched Trisha as she ignored the scene.
"He shouldn't even bother."
Edward blew into his cold fingers as he walked around town, looking for anyone that even remotely resembled the most annoying man in the country. Several people who were out late either closing up shop or making late night runs to the store before things shut down for the evening stopped to ask him why he was out so late. He simply replied that he was "looking for a lost puppy," not offering much explanation other than that. He checked all of the coffee shops that were still open, to no avail. He sighed and made his way towards the town square. And there, in the distance sitting on the edge of the fountain—which had been decorated with marble sculptures of himself and Alphonse, both as a proper human and his suit of armor—was Joshua. More specifically he was sitting there with a bottle in his hands, his shoulders slumped over. As Edward approached him, he knocked the bottle back, taking a large swig from it. As he did, he spotted Edward walking towards him. He froze then swallowed slowly.
When Edward neared him, Joshua lowered his head back down, rolling the bottle in his hands. He didn't look at him as Edward plopped down next to him. "Why wouldn't you come to the house?"
"Straight to the point, huh?" Joshua scoffed. He raised the bottle to his lips again. "I knew I wouldn't be welcome there."
"And why would you think that?" Edward raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're joking right?" Joshua looked over at the former Fullmetal Alchemist. "Did you forget what my name is?"
Shaking his head, Edward sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets, crossing his left leg over his right. As he did, his pant leg rode up, flashing the metal ankle of his left foot. He stared at it as he considered what to say to the young stallion.
"Look, Joshua. I don't hate Mustang. In fact, I respect him in a great many ways. I just don't like him. Is he a total asshole? You bet your ass he is. But there's no one else I'd want leading this country. He's the only one out of all five of the human sacrifices the Father gathered that wouldn't perform human transmutation, no matter what. Not even when your mother's life was in danger." He turned and looked sternly at Joshua. "And to be able to look at your dying loved one and refuse to commit an alchemy taboo… that's the bravest god damn thing I've ever seen in my life. And all it took to talk him out of it was your mother giving him a look that would strike anyone down in their place."
Joshua's eyes widened, then he looked down at his shoes. "That… wasn't in any of the reports or files… All I knew was that he was forced into it." He sighed. "In any case, my father's reputation follows me around everywhere like the plague. It decides my friends and my enemies for me. It even affects how I myself act sometimes."
"I get that, but you can't let it get in the way of leading your own life. Don't let blood relations decide your life for you. Live your own life and be the best person—the best individual—you can be. Overcome your blood relations and the judgement that comes with them. Overcome judgement based on who your father is. I can't tell you how to do that, but I know you can do it. That seems to be one good quality you got from your father. You both got fire in your bellies and skulls made of steel harder than my leg." He rapped on his metal ankle with his knuckles.
Joshua laughed and nodded. "You're right there."
Edward stood up, stretching. "And another thing. Roy Mustang may have been seen as some untamable wild stallion by certain people, and maybe he was for a time. But it took a good, strong woman to prove it could be done. You're in the prime of your life. Make it last. And by the end of it, find a strong woman that will be willing to stay by you through thick and thin, no matter what crap you get thrown at the both of you." He leaned over and stared Joshua straight in the face. His golden eyes burned like wildfire. "Just don't make it my daughter. Got it?"
"Y-yes sir, Fullmetal, sir! I understand completely!" Joshua leaned back as far as he could without landing in the cold water of the fountain.
Edward snorted in amusement and stood up. There was something undeniably satisfying about making Roy Mustang's son address him in such a subordinate, formal manner. One thing was for sure, if he ever did set his sights on Trisha, he'd wring as many "yes, sir"s out of him as he could before he dare hand his one and only baby girl over to Joshua Mustang.
"Heh," he chuckled to himself, putting his hand on his chin. "Heh heh. I could get used to this."
The blood drained from Joshua's face to his feet. I don't like that laugh one tiny bit… One thing was for sure. Edward Elric threatening you—especially over the welfare of his daughter—was a very quick and effective sobering technique. He barely felt the effects of the spirits he'd bought from the one and only liquor store in Risembool.
"Alright, colt. Let's go. Dinner is waiting for us. And don't make me drag you there by your two color hair," Edward began walking back towards the outer edges of town.
"Yes sir!" Joshua bolted up, running to catch up with Edward's surprisingly wide gait.
"What the hell were you drinking anyway?" He snatched the brown bottle from Joshua and looked at the imprinted label. "Is this Old Man Johns' special brew? This crap knocks even the most seasoned drinkers on their asses! What the hell is a kid like you drinking it for?!"
"How was I supposed to know I got the strong stuff? I'm not from here! And I've had stronger honestly. Dad and I are heavy weights I guess. That and it's pretty easy to sober up when you have the Fullmetal Alchemist in your face."
Edward growled, scowling. "People still call me that even though I can't use alchemy anymore. It's depressing when I think about it." He took a swig of the spirits and immediately spit it out, coughing up a storm. "DAMMIT WHAT THE HELL!? DID HE MAKE IT STRONGER?! IS HE TRYING TO KILL EVERY PERSON OF DRINKING AGE IN TOWN?!"
Joshua panicked as several stores flashed their lights on. He held his hands up to Edward. "Sir, maybe you should keep your voice down before you wake up the whole town."
Joshua sighed as Edward stomped over to a trashcan and dumped out the vulgar liquid before dropping the bottle inside. He groaned as he was instantly reminded of Trisha. "Why the hell does that cute, adorable little brat have to be so much like her dad?"
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"N-nothing, sir! Thank you for having me over for dinner!"
Once they returned to the old Rockbell house, dinner was served, but not after a good scolding to Joshua by Trisha. Joshua apologized almost a dozen times before she simply yanked him down to eye level and smacked him on the head. After that she forgave him and let it go. Edward growled low in his chest as he watched the two of them, Alphonse laughing and composing his older brother. Winry's pot roast was served with creamy mashed potatoes, braised vegetables, gravy and fresh bread with a cherry pie afterwards for dessert. After dinner, they all gathered in the living room, listening to Nina and Trisha talk about their adventures so far since they left. Once it came out that Joshua had taken his own father's alchemy research and they paid Jean Havoc a visit in order to decode it, Edward immediately launched a full blown interrogation on Joshua as to the contents of Mustang's research. Like he was, Edward was completely disappointed at the total lack of compelling information on the topics in Mustang's research.
"I guess since you know Trisha took your travelogue, I'll just ask you directly," Joshua said to him. "Do you know anything about my father's alchemy? How it works? The missing keys to its formula?"
"Sorry, kid. I know as much about flame alchemy as I do about Mustang himself. All I know is that you don't want to be on the receiving end of it. I've almost lost a few layers of skin myself that time I decided to fight him for my assessment. I don't know what the hell I was thinking." Edward shook his head. "But… I've got a few theories. Nothing I can prove of course, but theories none the less. Some of them are on the possible runes and inscriptions he uses on his transmutation circles. The other is on his ignition gloves."
"Really?"
Edward nodded and pulled out a notebook and pencil. He drew several different alchemic runes and inscriptions. "I've never seen any runes or inscriptions on the circles on his gloves. Only the salamander. But with as powerful and complex as flame alchemy is, despite its simplicity visually, there's no way he doesn't have some kind of runes somewhere on his circle. Since you're an alchemist, I'm sure you know the circle is only half of what's needed to perform alchemy. The other half is the runes. I haven't seen your mother's tattoo myself, but I imagine that the portion Mustang burned off was a vital portion of the runes and inscriptions, along with where and how to put them on the circle. Without that, the tattoo would be useless."
Edward ripped out the paper and handed it to him. Joshua looked them over carefully then nodded. "Most of these I've seen. Some of them I use in my own alchemy. But the others I've never seen before."
"This is just my educated guess, but those are the most likely runes he uses in his circles. As you know, most of them have to do with elements of fire. Some of them represent oxygen, an others represent other chemicals in the air. But I'm sure there's way more to it than that." Edward leaned back and crossed his arms and legs. "As for the ignition cloth, I'm positive he gets those tailor made somewhere. And the fibers in the cloth are probably a rare metal only certain people with certain connections can get."
"But, my father told me he made them himself," Joshua blinked.
"Think about it, Joshua. That man can barely peel potatoes. What makes you think he'd be able to hand sew together a pair of ignition cloth gloves? Or any gloves at all, let alone a hole in his pants."
"I… I guess you're right. So then he was lying to cover up how he got them made. And where."
"I've never seen his gloves up close, but I can tell just from watching him perform alchemy. Those gloves are definitely something to look into if you're really serious about aiming for your father's alchemic style. Just make sure this really is what you want to do."
Joshua was silent before sighing. "I… I don't know. But I've come this far. I can't just stop now. I have to know how it works."
Edward stared hard at him before shrugging. "Well, I'm not going to ask you why. That's your business. But I'm sure Mustang didn't name you the Phoenix Alchemist for nothing…"
Those words resonated loudly in Joshua's mind. He always thought his father named him the Phoenix Alchemy because of his alchemic style, but maybe that wasn't the whole case. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to know just why he named him that. Why a phoenix of all things?
"In any case," Joshua moved on. "Thank you for telling me all this. It's really helpful. And… I don't mean this to sound depressing or like I'm pitying you, but it's a shame that you had to lose your alchemy in the end. It would have been a great honor to see you perform your alchemy."
Edward blinked then turned his head away. Simultaneously he grabbed Joshua by the head and mussed up his hair. "Flattery will get you nothing, colt."
It was part embarrassing and part refreshing to be treated like a kid by the former Fullmetal Alchemist. He also had to admit that it was pretty damn ironic he was getting along so well with his father's rival. He chuckled and fixed his hair, then folded up the paper after taking a few notes on it, placing it into his pocket. At least now he didn't have to wait for Trisha to decode her father's research just to find out Edward Elric only had theories and not answers for him. Still, asking the famous alchemist himself was remarkably helpful.
"You know, technically you should be calling me 'stallion' since I'm over four years old."
"I'll call you that when you're older than me."
"That's not possible!"
"Then get used to colt."
"…"
It was late at night. Nina and her parents had headed home a couple hours after dinner. Kali and Joshua stayed at the Rockbell house with Kali settling into Allan's old bedroom and Joshua bunking on the couch in the living room, Daisy curling up near his feet.
Nina had been asleep for only a few hours when it started.
The nightmare for tonight.
It began sweet and innocent with Nina and Alexander running around chasing each other in the front yard. Nina laughed happily, rubbing the huge dog's belly, telling him what a good boy he was. In one of the many windows behind her, a dark, shrouded figure watched her, the curtain pulled back slightly. The peach twilight glinted eerily in the figure's rounded glasses. Nina picked up a dog bone next to her and held it out to Alexander. The dog gently took it from her in its huge muzzle before tearing into it happily. Slowly it grew darker as the minutes passed, and eventually the dark figure retreated away from the window. Several long minutes later, a tall man with short blond hair and rounded glasses, wearing a seemingly empty yet depressed expression appeared from the front door.
"Nina. It's time to come in. It's starting to get dark. It'll be bedtime soon."
"Aww. But daddy! Five more minutes?" Nina pouted, hugging Alexander around the neck.
Shou Tucker shook his head, putting on a fake smile. "No, not tonight. Five more minutes and it'll be too dark to see."
"Okay," Nina agreed and ran up to her father. She hugged him tightly around the waist. "I love you daddy."
A single, weak thread snapped inside of him and he knelt down in front of his daughter, the huge family dog sitting behind her. "Nina. Daddy has some work left to do. Very important work. I think you'd be able to help me with it. Would you like to help daddy with his work? Alexander can come too."
Nina's face lit up brightly. "Really?!" When her father nodded she hugged him tightly around the neck. "Yaay!"
Tucker stood up and took Nina by the hand, leading her inside. "Come, Alexander."
The dog barked and skipped up behind them, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
For a moment, everything was black. But there was noise in the darkness. Screaming, crying, begging, and growling. There was a click of a door, then hushed voices.
"Brother… Big brother… Let's… play…" The silver pocket watch of the state alchemists clinked loudly against the cement floor.
Again, there were hushed words, then finally, crashing and the sound of solid metal meeting flesh.
"Brother, what are you doing?!" Metal armor clanked and rattled.
"Save it, Al! The first time he used his wife! And this time… he used his daughter… and his dog."
Her father's young voice gasped, resonating against the metal shell. More hushed voices between her uncle and Tucker. He was validating his decision—making it sound okay, no matter how depraved it actually was.
"You're the same as me, Edward. You did it just to prove you could. When you get down to it, you and I are just the same."
"No… I didn't… I would never… I'm not like you!"
The darkness lifted and she watched as her young, teenage uncle slammed his metal right fist into Tucker's already bloody face over and over. "Brother stop! You'll kill him!"
He didn't stop. Not until the fused Nina and Alexander padded up and grabbed the red fabric of her uncle's coat. "No Big Brother… Hurting people bad…"
Suddenly she was looking into the watery, golden eyes of her uncle, his face streaked with Tucker's blood. "Nina, this will hurt, but I want you to bear with me." He raised his hands to clap them together.
"What are you doing?! You don't know how to separate them! You don't know what will happen!"
"I have to try!"
"Careful," Tucker choked on his own blood. "Or do you want them to end up like your mother?"
Her uncle flinched and slowly lowered his hands. Her father clanked over to the chimera. The chimera padded up to him as he knelt. "You promised you'd come play with me…"
"… I know…" Was the last thing she heard before her eyes snapped open.
She gasped and panted hard, her body drenched with cold sweat. But more than that, her chest hurt. It burned painfully. So much so she rolled over and cried out into the pillows underneath her, curling up and clenching her chest. It seemed like centuries before the pain fully went away. But when it did, she was left a sobbing mess, unable to fall back asleep without seeing the deranged face of Shou Tucker and the pitiful, warped body of Nina and Alexander.
This had been the worst nightmare yet, since she read the reports on Shou Tucker and his crimes. And the most painful.
In the morning, Nina scampered off before her parents could wake up, leaving a note saying she was going over to the Rockbell house and that she'd have something for breakfast over there. She didn't want them seeing through her that something was wrong, especially her father. If they saw her like that and found out she was having nightmares about her namesake, they'd never call her by her name again. She would no longer be Nina to them; she would be Lei Fan. It wasn't that she didn't like her Xingese name. It was that going by "Lei Fan" went against her promise to live for Nina Tucker and experience everything she didn't get to, and she desperately wanted to keep that promise, no matter how painful it was sometimes.
The walk calmed her down and gave her time to think, and to compose herself. By the time she reached the house she was able to smile easily, and then genuinely once she reminded herself that the nightmares were an easy sacrifice to make in the name of living for Nina Tucker. And it was way less painful compared to what Nina Tucker had to go through. Nightmares only came in your sleep. Nina Tucker had lived it.
"Good morning, everyone!" Nina chirped as she opened the door.
Winry looked up from the kitchen table where she laid out fresh fruit, bread, butter, jam, fried eggs, juice and milk and smiled. "Good morning, Nina. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
She shook her head and smiled, skipping up to the table. "No. I left before Papa and Mama woke up. I decided to come over here and let them sleep."
Winry giggled and kissed Nina's cheek. "Maybe you should have slept longer too. You still look tired."
A bit of panic washed over her, but she pushed it away and smiled brightly. "That's okay. That just means I look like a panda. I can be Xiao Nina!"
"Well, you're tiny enough to be Xiao Mei," Edward yawned as he came down from the stairs, his hair damp from the shower. He kissed Winry's cheek and took a strawberry out of the bowl of mixed fruit.
"But Uncle Ed, weren't you smaller than I am now when you were my age?" Nina tilted her head innocently.
A vein popped in Edward's forehead and his eye twitched. He took the strawberry and rubbed it hard on her nose until her nose was red with the strawberry juice. "I told you never to bring that up again, Nina dear."
Winry and Nina laughed as Nina picked up a napkin and wiped her nose clean. She looked around, expecting to see Joshua awake and helping with breakfast, but her eyes landed on his still sleeping figure, sprawled out on his stomach on the couch, the blanket he was borrowing twisted around him. Daisy laid on her stomach on top of him. Joshua's right cheek was smushed into the pillow and his left was being smushed by Daisy's head. She laughed and walked over to the two of them, petting Daisy's head. The dog grunted and Joshua grunted in return.
"Heavy…" he mumbled in his sleep.
"He's probably sleeping off that nasty ass liquor he bought," Edward shook his head as he looked at Joshua.
Nina blinked and looked at her uncle. "He was drinking?"
"If you can call it that."
"Is Trisha still asleep?"
"Soundly," Winry nodded. "Want to go wake her up? Ed doesn't dare to touch her even with a fifty foot pole when it's this early in the morning. Especially now that she has a right fist made of metal."
"Hey, I'd rather not be on the receiving end of a steel right hook. I'd rather not taste my own medicine.
"Yeah, twenty-year-old medicine at that," Winry rolled her eyes.
"It's okay. I'll go wake her. I have faster reflexes in case she does take a swing at me."
"Your funeral," Edward scoffed, sitting down at the table and placing eggs, fruit and bread buttered and slathered with jam on his plate. "Wake the other kid up while you're up there."
"Milk or juice?" Winry smirked at him.
Edward gave her a look that only he could give. "You're kidding, right?"
Winry laughed and poured orange juice in his glass, kissing the top of his head. "Juice of course. Unless the milk is in stew."
"Just like it's always been," Edward smiled. "And just like always you're the best cook in the world."
"I don't know about that."
"As someone who's been to over a dozen countries, trust me, you are."
Winry smiled and moved over to the couch to wake Joshua. She shook his shoulder firmly. "Joshua? Breakfast is ready."
"Mmmnngg," Joshua groaned, his eyes flickering open. "Huh?"
"Breakfast is ready. Are you hungry?" She chuckled.
"… I don't know… My whole body is numb… What the hell was in that alcohol?"
"No one knows. It's a family secret and he won't tell anyone. He's got his brewery fenced off three meters high," Edward said as he set the rest of the table with plates then picked up one for Joshua. "Milk or juice?"
Daisy hopped off of Joshua's back as he sat up. "Got tea?" He rubbed his face. "Or coffee. Something with caffeine."
"I'll brew some of Mrs. Willanger's breakfast tea blend," Winry took out the tea canister and filled the kettle with water.
"You guys have tea plantations here?" Joshua blinked as he hobbled sleepily over to the table.
"A lot of people grow a lot of things here," Edward set Joshua's plate down in front of him then began preparing everyone else's plate. "Mrs. Willanger grows tea leaves, wine grapes which she sells to Old Man Johns and the other brewers in Risembool, herbs and spices, and some other crops. She sells her tea blends straight from her home. We buy tea from her and she buys fruit and jams from us."
"Wow. So the people of Risembool barely have to import items from the city, huh? Seems like you guys have everything right here."
"Yeah, life is pretty easy here," Edward sat back down after filling Nina's glass with milk and Trisha's glass with juice.
"Why did you twist my bad arm?!" Trisha whined as she and Nina came down the stairs, Kali rubbing his eyes behind them. Trisha groaned and rubbed her shoulder.
"Oh sure! Like I'm going to be able to twist your automail arm behind you! I'm not that good. Besides, you swung at me!"
"Morning," Edward grinned and shook his head. "Plates are ready. Kali, do you want milk or juice."
"Juice. Milk is gross," he plopped down in a chair.
"See! He agrees with me!" Edward held his hand up for a high five.
Winry rolled her eyes and pulled the kettle off when it whistled. She steeped the tea leaves in a cup of water and drained it into a teacup. "How do you take your tea, Joshua?"
"Milk and honey please."
Edward and Kali made simultaneous noises and faces of disgust. Joshua laughed and took the cup from Winry, thanking her. "If you like the honey, the florist in town also sells it. She keeps bees in order to pollinate her flowers. The milk comes from Mrs. Robinson's prized cows."
Joshua took a sip of the tea and hummed in bliss. "It tastes like heaven. I want to retire here when I'm done with the military." He smiled and took another sip. "It's amazing to hear about an entire town of people working together to grow, raise and cultivate everything everyone needs to live. Country life may not be for everyone, but you can still appreciate where the things you use every day come from."
"I have to do some shopping in town today, and I also have to visit some of the people we mentioned. Would you like to come with me?" Winry smiled and sat down at last.
"I'd be happy to."
Suddenly the front door swung open, revealing a flustered looking Allan. Joshua turned and nearly choked on his tea at the sight of him. Allan's eyes went wide and before Joshua could blink, he stomped over and grabbed his collar, pulling a wrench out of nowhere and holding it underneath Joshua's chin as if it were a knife.
"You have five seconds to explain to me what you're doing in my childhood home having a nice breakfast, and if I don't like your answer, you'll be getting some free dental work."
"I-I just came here with Trisha and Nina! I didn't want to at first but your dad dragged me back here," Joshua held his hands up in surrender.
"Relax, Allan. He's welcome here," Edward told him.
"Welcome?! He's—"
"Joshua Mustang. I realize you have a grudge against him, but the two of you will just have to work that out by yourselves. And don't assume that people remain stagnant their whole lives," Edward said firmly to his only son.
Allan growled and glared at Joshua who refused to touch a single thing on the table in front of him. "Whatever. I didn't come here to fight with you, Mustang. I came here to tell you guys that Sergio Black is missing."
"What?!" Trisha jolted up in her seat as Nina gasped.
"What happened?!"
"Sergio Black?" Winry blinked, her expression pained. She put her hand over her heart. "Anthony and Zoey Black's son?"
Allan sat down as a space at the table was made for him between Joshua and Trisha. He talked while Winry made him a plate, her hands shaking. "I hadn't seen him since you guys left. Usually I see him in the markets every day. So I went to check on him. He didn't answer, so I looked everywhere around town and asked everyone who sees him on a daily basis. Nothing. So I went back to his house and picked the lock open. His place was trashed. Like it had been ransacked. All of his mechanic's tools and large chunks of his supplies were gone, and he was nowhere in sight. So I went to the station."
Allan paused to breathe and eat, continuing to talk after he chewed and swallowed. "The station master told me that Sergio left with two guys a couple days ago. And if that's the case, since he was seen leaving, no one is going to be looking for him. He didn't just disappear, people saw him leave Rush Valley."
"Then we have to go and look for him!" Trisha was hysteric. "Who knows who has him?! Or what they're going to do to him!? They could be blackmailing him into doing something awful! What if this is Charity's doing?! Imagine what she'll do to him! Especially if he refuses to work on her automail ever again! We have to go and look for him!"
"Trisha, calm down," Edward sighed. "Be reasonable. They're long gone by now, and it's just like you said. Who knows who took him? You'd be chasing dirt in the wind."
"Your dad is right," Joshua put his hand on Trisha's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do right now."
Trisha fell back in her seat, putting her head in her hands. Edward sighed and rubbed Winry's back, who was still rattled by the news that one of her customer's and best friend's son was missing. Edward picked up the newspaper for the day and unfolded it. The headline popped out at him like a slap in the face. He raised his head to his mouth, clenching his jaw in disbelief as he read.
"Dad? What is it?" Allan stared at his father.
"Someone… Someone broke into the hospital blood bank in Dublith. Several dozen bags of blood were taken. Apparently the blood came from a deceased donor. They're not naming the owner of the blood."
Trisha shot up and dashed up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Joshua raise to follow her but was painfully forced back into his seat by Allan's rough, calloused hand. "You sit down. I'm going up there," he said firmly.
Allan hiked up the stairs and was pleased to discover that Trisha hadn't locked the door. He pushed it open and closed it behind him. Trisha sat on her bed, her knees up to her chest with her face buried in them. Her golden hair fell around her back and shoulders. Allan sighed and walked up to her, sitting on the bed next to her. He pulled her against his chest and hugged her, her automail shoulder digging into his chest.
"It's my fault. Charity had him taken and she had that blood from the blood bank stolen while she was in the west. I don't know how she's doing it, but I know she is. If I find Charity, I'll find Sergio. I have to find him. It's my fault he has to go through this."
"Trisha… It's not your fault. Charity is the one making these decisions, and don't give me that 'I gave her the journal and told her how to decode it' crap. She could have damn well told you what the journal was, but she didn't. And she didn't listen to you when you tried to stop her."
"Still, I have to find him," Trisha looked up with watery eyes. "I got him dragged into this."
Allan sighed and kissed his sister's forehead. "If anyone dragged him into this mess, it was Charity's family friends. They could have chosen anyone else to be her mechanic, but they chose the most expensive one."
Trisha rubbed her chest, suddenly feeling Sergio's necklace beneath her night shirt. She pulled it out and looked down at it. "I swear, if she hurts him…" She clenched the obsidian necklace. "I need to find him."
"And you will, but right now, you can't do anything. Take it one step at a time. Things will turn out better that way if you do," he stood up and pulled her up, hugging her to his chest. "He's one tough bastard. Don't underestimate him, okay? He can take whatever Charity dishes out."
Trisha hugged her brother back, pressing her face into his chest. She clenched his shirt in her fists. "I know what she's trying to do now… She's trying to resurrect Gloria… She just can't let go of her. She's going to destroy herself trying to bring her sister back."
Allan smoothed her hair down and laid his cheek on top of her head. "Don't tell Dad… but part of me thinks that I'd do the same if I ever lost you… If I didn't follow you in death first that is."
"Dad would bury you up to the neck if he ever heard you saying that."
He grinned and pulled back, holding her shoulders. "Come on. Let's go finish breakfast." Trisha nodded and wiped her eyes with her flesh and blood hand. "And don't even think about letting that prick Mustang hit on you."
"Ew. That just makes it sound like the Fuhrer has a thing for me."
"Good, keep being grossed out."
Any other time, Trisha would have told her brother to let go of the unhealthy grudge on Joshua, but she was too preoccupied with worrying about Sergio to scold him. She took the necklace out again and pressed the cool stone to her cheek.
"Please be okay…"
Hundreds of miles away in North City, two men, one with short black hair and one with medium blond hair, both wearing inconspicuous outfits led a sullen looking Sergio Black into one of the many inn and taverns scattered throughout the town. The black haired man carried two suitcases and a knapsack filled with the young automail mechanic's tools and supplies. The blond stood directly behind Sergio, assuring the youth's continuous movement forward to their destination. They had walked into the ground level tavern and had gotten halfway through the boisterous, congested area when Sergio came to a halt, looking around and observing his surroundings.
Suddenly the barrel of a gun pressed against his spine. "Move," the blond growled in his ear. "Don't do anything stupid."
Sergio let out an uneasy breath and slowly moved forward. They reached the check in counter on the other side of the tavern floor and the black haired man approached the female attendant. "We're here with another person. Name of Jun."
"Yes, he just recently came in with his niece. He left for a bit, but his niece is still up there. They're in room 12. Your room will be 14, right next door," the young woman nodded, handing him a set of keys marked 14. "Have a nice stay."
"Thank you."
The black haired man ascended the stairs first, followed by Sergio and the blond behind him. His insides shook violently. He had no idea who this "Jun" was, but he was certain that the "niece" with him was Charity. He took several breaths to compose himself as the black haired man disappeared into room 14, and the blond led him to room 12. The blond knocked on the door and sure enough, Charity opened the door. She let out a wide smile that Sergio found disturbing.
"Good! He's here! Come on! Come on!" She stepped aside and the blond man behind Sergio pulled out a pair of handcuffs, cuffing him before he shoved him forward. "It's sooo good to see you again Sergio! I can't thank you enough for giving me my legs back!" Charity skipped over to one of the beds and plopped down.
"Charity Gordon. Too bad I can't say the same for you," Sergio quipped with venom in his voice.
"Don't be like that," Charity pouted. "My mother's friend paid you enough, didn't she?"
"That doesn't mean shit," he gritted his teeth, internally regretting how greedy he'd been.
"Well, here's how it's going to go. We're heading to Xing, and in that country there won't be any mechanics who can work on my legs. So if I'm going to Xing, it's a given that you'll have to come with me. On top of that, I could really use some upgrades," Charity swung her automail legs, making the joints creak and clatter. She wiggled her feet. "I'm thinking maybe something to help me fight better. After all, Trisha will eventually find me. I need to be ready for her."
Sergio scoffed and glared at Charity, his nose scrunching in anger. "If you think I'm going to continue handing over my services to a crackpot chick like you, you're seriously messed up in the head. Find a new damn mechanic. I quit. In fact, why don't you have this bastard uncuff me so I can come take those legs of mine back. Then you can crawl around on your stumps instead."
Charity shot up and took several quick steps over to Sergio and swung one of her legs out, catching him in the stomach. Sergio grunted in pain and fell to his knees, coughing up blood and gasping for air, his forehead nearly touching the floor. The irony of being kicked with his own automail was laughable.
"I'm not crazy. I made a promise to two very important people in my life, and I plan on keeping those promises. And you will maintain my automail whether you like it or not. You don't have a choice." She placed her booted foot on top of his head, keeping him knelt down in front of her. "And I'll take down anyone who gets in my way."
Sergio growled in both anger and pain. He knew his next words were going to be dangerous, but he needed Charity off her A game. If he got her angry, she'd mess up, and if she messed up, someone would find him eventually. Someone would notice something was up.
"Trisha…"
"Hmm?" Charity took her foot off of Sergio's head. "What was that?"
"Trisha… She'll find you… You won't get away with any of this. Trisha will find you, and me. And when she does, you're finished," he glared up at her, raising his head slightly. "She will find me. She's probably looking for me as we spea-"
Charity snatched the gun the blond was holding and shoved the barrel in his mouth, grabbing a handful of his thick, black hair. Sergio's eyes turned panicked. "What do you know about Trisha? Did she come to you looking for me? Huh?" She took the barrel out of his mouth and pressed it to his forehead. "Why would a sweet, loving, caring girl like Trisha have any interest in a penny pinching, greedy, arrogant and rude brat like you? Other than information on me? You really think she needs you? On the contrary, you need her. Especially right now."
Sergio looked up into Charity's piercing eyes, almost going cross-eyed as he looked past the barrel of the gun. He looked at her as he wondered how she managed to turn his words against him. "I… I never said any of that…"
"You don't have to, Sergio Black. It's obvious." She moved the gun, this time pointing it at his throat and trailing it down so it pulled down the collar of his shirt. "Where's your necklace? You always had a chain around your neck. There was a pendant on the end of it, wasn't there? So where is it?"
He swallowed hard. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Charity cocked the gun and a chill shot its way down Sergio's spine. "Don't lie to me. You gave it to her. I saw her the other day. She had a chain around her neck. Why? Why would you do that? What purpose would that serve?"
This time he picked his words carefully. Part of him soared that she actually wore the necklace. Yet at the same time he worried that Charity wouldn't let him live long enough to get it back from her. And then he remembered. Charity needed him. She couldn't kill him. No matter how angry he made her, she needed his skills. After all, she was wearing his automail. A smirk slowly grew on his face.
"I gave it to her as incentive for her to come back to me. I told her I wanted it back. And for her to give it back to me, she has to come see me in one piece. And if she's wearing my necklace—the most important thing to me—what does that say about her thoughts on me? Huh? Maybe she likes assholes like me. After all, she's tagging along with that Mustang guy. Who knows what he's like. He's the Fuhrer's kid after all. But she's not wearing anything of his. Not that I'm aware of. So what does that tell you? Still think I'm just a piece of crap that only serves one use for her?"
The look of anger on her face was truly satisfying before she pistol whipped him and everything went black as he fell to the floor. Charity handed the gun back to the man and spun on her heel, plopping back down on the bed.
"Y-you weren't actually going to shoot him… were you?" The blond sweated visibly. "He's just a kid. The same age as you."
"Don't be stupid. I need him. And even if I didn't I can't move around freely with blood on my hands. I'm an alchemist, not a murderer," she crossed her arms and legs, her legs clattering. "He just made me angry. I wanted to scare him a bit. That's all."
Suddenly the door opened and in walked Jun, his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and his dark eyes calm. He carried a metal suitcase and a shoulder bag. "I have everything I need, and the most important thing you need. We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon." He looked down at Sergio out cold on the floor. "I trust you left him in traveling condition."
"Yes sir," Charity stood and nodded.
"Good. The rest of the day is yours then. Do not attract attention. Be back here at a reasonable time."
"Thank you sir," Charity bowed to him. She grabbed a shoulder bag of her own and scampered out the door.
"Hey Boss? Do you really think she can be of any use any longer? She got what you needed her to."
"Yes, and then some," Jun set the suitcase down near the second bed and the shoulder bag next to it. "She's a very obedient girl, and I made a promise to her. Keeping promises is much more beneficial than simply promising them and never following through. Those you keep your promises to are highly likely to assist you again in the future."
"I see."
"For now, you may take the young mechanic next door. Make sure he cannot escape once he wakes up."
"Yes, Boss." The door creaked and clicked as he left.
Jun smiled and pulled a thick stack of files and documents out of the shoulder bag, flipping through them. "Not long now... Everything is playing out beautifully."
Posted this chapter 30 minutes before class starts, at the campus, on their sucky ass wifi...
So. Lots of character development here. Lots to talk about. First I'll start with Risembool. (BTW, I'm using this spelling because it was the first one I remembered. Yes this is predominantly a Brotherhood/Manga based fic with a few elements from the 2003 anime because they work well and fit well, but I remembered "Risembool" before I remembered "Resembool" and by that time I'd written it quite a few times and posted stuff so... It's staying I instead of E.) In the series Risembool seemed very small and maybe even slightly underdeveloped. Either that or Arakawa-sensei just chose not to show much of how the small little bity country town worked. So for this chapter I took the liberty of fleshing out the brothers' hometown. Hope you enjoyed the little tidbits about how Risembool functions as a "boondock" town as Edward put it in the manga. lolSecond, I'm slowly figuring out my conflicts/plots with Nina. She's going to have some large parts in the future, so for those of you who are Nina fans, please look forward to them.
Third, I honestly REALLY REALL REALLY enjoyed the Edward and Joshua moments. Their interactions are so fun to write and different from Edward and Roy's relationship. I laugh every time Ed pulls a "your last name is Mustang" horse joke. I also thought it'd be refreshing for Joshua to treat Edward with such respect (and a bit of fear) that Ed is just like, "Whoa, imagine if Roy talked to me like this. *evil smirk*" I figured he'd get a kick out of that. XD I might write more interactions for them in the future. Joshua is so different from Roy sometimes it's hilarious and shocking.
PS: I really hope Edward was written to everyone's liking. He's an easy character for me to just get into the roleplay zone with and just totally get into his character and GO.
Also, I'm kind of worried about the nightmare scene. I wrote it from memory and I haven't seen that episode in YEARS. Some lines stuck out more than others. I tried to get the parts I remembered written VERBATIM, so feedback on that would be awesome.
Sergio. Poor Sergio. *tear* I kind of imagine his voice to be like Matthew Mercer's. (Levi, Attack On Titan. Leon Kennedy, Resident Evil 6.) Also, we know Charity's last name now. That whole part turned out longer than I expected. Hope it worked out.
I think that's about it for this chapter. Next chapter will be a new "arc" so to speak. Mini arc? IDK. Anyway, we'll finally get to see what Joshua's alchemy is all about. *smirks*
Enjoy!