Chapter 63
Alphonse had gone back to the old Bradley home. There hadn't been much of a reason. It was on his way back to Resembool. It was possible if Pride ever came back, he'd show up here. It was also quiet out here, and Al wanted some quiet. What he hadn't expected was for Pride to actually be there.
Pride was wandering the halls, doing his best to act normal even without knowing he had an audience, but he was walking around too quickly and on high alert. He also looked a bit older when it hadn't been that long. But, time travel. It could've been longer for him, couldn't it?
"Mother?" Pride called. "Mother, where are you?!" Al was still deciding what to do about the situation when Pride's darting eyes focused in on him. "You!"
Pride clapped. Al had never seen him use alchemy before. It was strange to watch. But Al would rather he didn't get any hits in. It was a good thing Al had set some alkahestry traps in here on his last visit. He pressed his own hands to the ground and part of the wall came out to hit Pride from behind.
Pride quickly changed his focus to shattering the wall. No not completely shattering. There was still a round shape, but smaller. Easier to wield. Pride had made himself a shield.
He pressed his hands to the floor and spikes came charging towards Al. Al jumped and while still in the air, using some circle-less alchemy of his own, created a platform above the spikes. A little dramatic perhaps, but it would demonstrate the point he was about to make.
"Come on Pride! You know you can't best me in an alchemy contest!"
Pride gritted his teeth and glared. Oh he did not like that stab to the ego. None the less, he didn't argue with it, or fight Al, yet. "Then tell me where my mother is! Why isn't she here?"
Al frowned. "Why are you here Pride? Just to visit?"
That would be an understandable motive, but it was a risky move, and not one he saw Pride taking.
Pride was quiet for a moment longer, probably deciding what he was going to say. For a little while, it seemed like he wasn't going to say anything, and Al felt tired at the idea of continuing the fight.
Then he answered. "No. I'm leaving this planet for good this time. If she comes with me, you won't have to deal with us ever again."
So he'd found someplace live? Al wanted to ask more. It was tempting. But now wasn't the time.
"Mrs. Bradley didn't want to stay in a big house in the middle of nowhere on her own," Al explained. "She's living in Central. I can take you to her."
Pride seemed skeptical, but he followed Al as he left the house, and the two headed to the train station.
"You'll have to stay with me," Al said as they boarded the train.
"Obviously," Pride said, unimpressed. "There's worse company."
It wasn't a very long ride to Central, and Al was happy just looking out the window and practicing feeling the Dragon's Pulse. Pride seemed just as content to ignore Al. But, it seemed like there were some things Al should ask.
"You're not about to cause trouble for this new home, are you?"
Pride looked unimpressed. Causing trouble was putting it mildly and they both knew it. "I could always lie. You have no way to prove anything I say," Pride pointed out. Al didn't answer. He got the feeling Pride didn't expect him to. He couldn't claim to trust Pride, but outside of his act, he didn't seem to knowingly lie. "No. I have no reason to. And they're not exactly incapable of fighting back if I did."
Coming from Pride, that sounded like he might have positive feelings towards these people. Whoever they were.
"And you still don't have your shadows." It wasn't a question. If he had his shadows, he would've used them to attack Al. "Are you okay with that?"
Pride glared at him and looked like he might start something, before his eyes darted around the very public train. He closed his eyes briefly. "Okay is putting it strongly. I doubt I'll ever feel that way. But it's not unmanageable. And it's not as if there are many options for changing things. You wouldn't approve of the most likely method."
"So you're just giving up? I don't want to hear that. You won't get anything by giving up. You traveled with a time traveling alien in a box that's bigger on the inside. So surely there's something out there in the whole wide universe to help you." And maybe without sacrificing souls to do it.
Pride stared at him in genuine surprise, and frankly Al agreed. It wasn't like he liked Pride, and he shouldn't want him to get his shadows back. It would be much safer for the universe at large if he didn't. But well, this kind of thing was habit by now.
He realized he'd raised his voice kind of loud and glanced around the train car. Luckily, there weren't many people in this one, and if they'd heard him, they were minding their own business. Not surprising. He and his brother had had plenty of strange conversations on the train.
Meanwhile, realization crossed Pride's face. "Speaking from experience, are you?"
Al thought of his time in the armor, and the chimeras he'd been helping. He was surprised Pride had realized. "Yes."
"Noted," Pride said. He dropped back into his seat, and turned to the window. "But there's no reason to devote much time to it. I'll manage either way."
[I did try to write this chapter from Pride's perspective, but Al's worked better.]
