Uhn . . . tired . . . but I'll write this chapter anyways . . .
My sis is having a sleepover with her friends . . . *cringes at noise* I had some friends over, but . . . they couldn't stay. Ah, well. You take what you can get, right?
Anyways, the three of us were working on Project Falchemy, an epic FMAtastical secret that is going to be unveiled in the next year or two! If you wanna help make this project a grand success, (and to be one of the first ones to hear the news about it!) you can join http:/ projectfalchemy . webs . com. As for what Project Falchemy actually is, think AVPM or AVPS by Starkid . . . you should get the right idea!
But really, how successful it's gonna be is up to you!
Enough of the advertisationment (Like the word?). I should get on with writing the story . . .
Oh! I have sent my epical drawings with my friend so that she can scan them for me! Meaning you'll be able to see them soon!
And happy birthday, PurplePantherOfDoom. This chapter's for you!
Okay, now for the story. Sorry if the next few chapters are somewhat slow. There isn't much to do in Resembool, anyways . . .
-o-O-o-
29 December, 1916
That night, Edward and Alphonse had slept in Ed's old room, Karmyn had shared Winry's room, and the soldiers had been housed in the guest room down the hall. At first, it had creeped Karmyn out, having the men sleeping so nearby. She then realized that if one of them had tried anything, Winry would be quick with her wrench. If that didn't work, it would give them enough time to yell their brains out. With the Elrics next door, they would be perfectly safe.
Fortunately, she needn't have worried.
Well, scratch that. She still didn't like Captain Noodle.
But that's not the point.
Karmyn awoke the next morning with a yawn. Counting the days, she realized that it was her fifth day since arriving in her new world. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, she thought, getting out of bed. Winry was already gone, having left some of her clothes out for Karmyn to wear. She appreciated the offer, but luckily they had gone shopping before their trip- she had clothes of her own.
She got dressed quickly and brushed her hair before heading downstairs, where she found a couple pieces of toast on the counter (A/N- did they even have toast in Amestris? They must, I mean, it would be a sad world without toast!). Grabbing one, she slapped on the offered butter and jam. She stuck it in her mouth as she closed the lid of the jam jar, holding the slice of bread between her teeth. She moved quickly, placing both butter and jam back into the refrigerator so that they wouldn't spoil. After closing the refrigerator door, she ripped it out of her mouth, taking a large bite.
She carried her toast with her as she wandered through the rest of the house, looking for either of the Elric brothers or Winry. It felt strange being the only one in a house that she was unfamiliar with. Okay, so, it was kinda familiar . . . but still. She had never been there in person before.
Toast in hand, she peeked around doors and down hallways. She had to admit- it was kind of fun poking around the Rockbell house. There was so much more to it than what the anime had shown. She was halfway through the crispy slice of bread when she heard voices. Curious, she followed the sound. Of course it would lead to the only door that she hadn't touched yet.
Gingerly, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned, peering inside. Just inside the doorway was a set of stairs, which Karmyn presumed lead to the basement. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she began to descend the steps. As she got further underneath the house, the voices grew louder. Of course, she thought, mentally scolding herself. They'd be looking at Edward's limbs. That was the whole point of the visit!
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she carefully poked her head around the corner. Her breakfast was still in her hand, forgotten for the time being. Finally, she could see Winry, Edward, Alphonse and Pinako. Ed was lying on the table, stripped down to his boxers. Karmyn fought the urge to blush. It's just like seeing a guy in swim trunks, she thought. Not that it helped much- she had never had any guy friends to see in swim trunks . . . okay, enough about her fail of a social life.
It was Pinako that first noticed her hovering. "Come in, dear. We don't bite," she called. Karmyn blushed, although this time it was for getting caught. At least it'll cover a blush for any other reason, she thought with something like relief.
"Sorry," she mumbled, apologizing. "I decided to look around when I couldn't find anybody . . ."
"It's perfectly fine," the old lady reassured her, "It's not like we have much to hide in this house."
"That Karmyn?" Ed asked, unable to see her due to lying face down on the table. Karmyn sighed and rolled her eyes.
"No, it's the Muffin Man," she said. "Of course it's me!"
"Good morning, Karmyn," Alphonse greeted her. She smiled back at him.
"Morning." Suddenly, she remembered her toast and stuffed it back into her mouth. It was at that moment that Pinako asked her a question.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Mmpphhff," Karmyn said, holding up a finger. She swallowed, and could answer. "Yes, thank you."
"These prosthetics are amazing!" Winry exclaimed, going into her own little world. "You can't tell that they're fake and they're not even metal! What is this substance?" she asked excitedly. Karmyn answered her.
"Plastic," she called out from the back of the room.
"Plastic? I've never heard of that," Winry stated in confusion.
"Well, it's kinda hard to explain," Karmyn backpedaled.
"Forget about the plastic. I just want automail back. These things will be no good for fighting with," Ed muttered into the table. Karmyn could've laughed.
"Are you sure?" Winry asked hesitantly. "You don't even have your ports anymore, it's gonna be more difficult . . . it's the same as getting it for the first time. You want to go through that again?"
Karmyn leaned against the back wall next to Alphonse, somewhat interested in what Edward had to say. She was pretty sure she already knew the answer, though.
Ed gritted his teeth. "If I have to, then yes. I do."
Winry raised an eyebrow. "I really don't understand you sometimes, but-" she sighed. "I know that as soon as you make up your mind, nothing will change it. I'll start working on the designs . . ."
"Great!" Ed said, sitting up. He stretched and grinned. Karmyn diverted her eyes to the floor, becoming very interested in a dark spot about two feet away from her foot.
-o-O-o-
In the evening, Karmyn and Winry decided to take a walk in the cool winter air, getting away from the house and certain people in it. Not that Karmyn didn't like those certain people. However, Winry had spent the entire day drawing plans for Ed's automail, and she needed to get out. Karmyn had volunteered to go with her.
The two of them walked in silence down the Resembool road, enjoying the near-silence of the night. "Hey, Winry," Karmyn said suddenly, "When Ed gets his automail operation, is it gonna take a year for him to recover again?"
Winry looked startled. "He told you about that? Well, since he's already gone through it, he'll be used to the pain, and how it works . . . it won't take nearly as long, it will be more like a replacement, but it will take at least a month or two . . ."
Karmyn suddenly felt guilty for not telling Winry the truth. She knew the boys wouldn't tell her, but . . . shouldn't she know? It was far-fetched, but it was still the truth. A few steps later, she came to a decision. "Winry . . ." she started, "You might not believe this, but . . . Ed and Al didn't tell you exactly what happened, and- I think you should know." With that, she started telling the entire story of what had transpired over the past couple weeks and the basis of what she knew happened before the Elrics had met her. She also told her how their world was a fictional story in their world, and how it had been her favorite. In all, it took about fifteen minutes to tell.
Winry looked shellshocked. "It's okay if you don't believe me," Karmyn said, kicking at the ground. "It does sound a bit out there."
"No- I think I believe you. It seems to be too intricate of a story for someone to just make up. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around it. You say that they've been in an alternate dimension . . . for ninety years?"
Karmyn nodded. "Yes." It was amazing the affinity she felt towards this girl. She hadn't even felt this close to Katherine, and they had known each other for years. She was so busy thinking about this revelation that she didn't hear Winry's question.
"- like them?"
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't get that. Could you please repeat the question?"
"Do you like Edward?" Winry asked, curious. Karmyn was confused.
"Of course I do," she said. "If I didn't, then A) I wouldn't know who he was, and B) I wouldn't have helped him get back here."
Winry laughed. "Okay, so you like him. Do you like like him?" (A/N- that's a weird word if you repeat it too many times. Like like like like like . . .) Suddenly, the meaning behind her question hit Karmyn like a barrel of bricks. She paused.
Did she like him? She thought about it, running the question through her head over and over again. It was true that she saw him differently than she had any other guy she had ever met. She cared for him . . . was that the basic of 'like'? She didn't want to see him get hurt . . . the weight of the unanswered question nearly crushed her. I don't want this to be happening! She thought desperately.
"I- I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, I feel differently about him, and I care for him, but . . . maybe? I don't know!" she cried.
"Well, I guess you just have to figure that out then," Winry said softly. Karmyn remembered something that she shouldn't have forgotten.
"But- you like Ed, right?" she said. Winry blushed and looked down, moving to sit on one of the stone walls lining the road.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I do. But- there's not really anything I can do about it at the moment. I mean, he's always gone. There wouldn't be much room for a relationship there. You at least get to travel with them."
"Mmn-hmn," Karmyn made a noise in agreement. "The train rides kill," she said, remembering the trip over.
The two of them sat on the wall, pondering various thoughts. Time seemed irrelevant in the chilled air. Neither of them could tell how much time had passed when Winry stood up. "Come on," she said, holding a hand out to the other girl to help her up. "We should probably get back."
"Yeah," Karmyn agreed, taking the proffered hand. "Let's go."
The two girls slowly wandered back up to the large yellow house, joking and laughing the entire way. Their troublesome thoughts were pushed to the side- they could wait until another day to worry about that.
-o-O-o-
Yeah, yeah. Well, don't get your hopes up for any pairings. A possibility doesn't mean that it's gonna happen, so wait it out and see where it goes. Remember that I don't go right out and say things in my writing- I like to make you wonder. Keep that in mind. This ISN'T you average FMA fanfic, as I'm sure you've already noticed.
Sooo . . . yeah.
Happy birthday, PurplePantherOfDoom! I hope you liked your present! XP
