Returning to Central was strange. Partly because of the world-bending revelation that I'd had that I was still not thinking about, thank you very much, but also because of the test that was held immediately after I got back. Maes wasn't there to meet me at the station, I tried to convince myself that he was busy, not that he had been told what happened by Roy. They'd both been in that war after all. He could be grieving what he had been a part of, contributed to, like Roy; or he could be furious, take my connection to those who had killed friends and comrades of his, and run with it. It didn't really jive with what I knew of him already, but all the same, the fear made it hard to concentrate.

I was able to pull myself together for the exam. The paper portion was new to me but I figured why not take it this time for variety's sake, the physical exam slightly less demeaning than the one that had allowed me to enter the military of this dimension. The scars were more or less ignored, I couldn't help but overhear the theory that I practiced my medical research on myself. Slightly insulting, but I liked the theory better than people assuming I was from some sort of 'barbaric' place.

The practical portion was different enough that I didn't even have to pretend to be interested in what was happening. Before what I'd had to show off had been physical and showy, and some part of me shivered in anticipation at the fact that no one would know what I could physically achieve in battle this time around. Because as far as the people reviewing me were concerned, I needed several circles and a shit tonne of prep time to get anything accomplished. A group of five was set up to watch me, with copies of my notes relevant to all of this in front of them. Two were actual alchemists, two were doctors, with the remaining one being a chemist, the head of some pharmaceutical project.

I had two 'presentations' to go through, one was actually making the vaccine that I had given my entire team and allowing the assembled group to examine it and give it to test subjects. The other was to show the already formed Penicillium fungi and give a couple of demonstrations and explanations as to what had to happen with it. The head alchemist, who would be in charge of the whole shebang, wasn't even military. Doctor Reed was a thin man, struggling to grow a mustache, who looked way too exhausted to be in charge of anything other than a coffee machine at the moment.

"All right Arcaro, explain the setup, then get a move on, we don't have all day."

We actually did, in fact, have all day, but I let it slide, instead naming the various components, explaining the composition of some of the circles, and then getting into the function of the completed product. One of the doctors was skeptical about the concept of vaccination, and I only barely held off from having anti-vax flashbacks and starting to speak in meme format. Luckily the entire anti-vax thing had prepared me for this and I had plenty of 'research' to throw in his face.

Things were going surprisingly well, with the alchemists of my judging panel being grudgingly impressed with how many transmutations I could accurately juggle at once, breaking records one after another. I wasn't able to summon up any irritation when most of my success was attributed to Roy 'teaching' me. Any success that was tacked on to his name could only help everybody in the end. The only real snag was when it came to penicillin, of course.

Doctor #2, Something M. Graham, wasn't on board with being careful with its usage.

"People are dying, this could revolutionize medicine! Why shouldn't we take advantage of it? Some silly fears from a little girl?"

I wasn't even finished gathering my indignation before the argument erupted among my judges, I didn't have to lift a finger. The yelling almost devolved into a fistfight, but in the end, the law was on my side for once. My research, my rules. The government could try to seize research and do with it what they wanted, and they could order me to look into certain things, but they couldn't force me to use it a certain way outside of official wartime. And they hadn't even attempted to straight-up seize research in years, ever since the strike happened. Alchemic research was a big portion of the country, and trying to take something like that damn near ended in revolt before. They weren't anywhere near desperate enough to try that again, especially since four out of five of my judges agreed with me.

I was left sitting in a chair in front of a desk, once again holding a familiar pocket watch. Roy had been required to be present for most of it, but wasn't allowed to be there when I presented the practical portion, for fear that he would somehow coach me through it. The scene was familiar, and I couldn't help grinning at him.

"So, I'm assuming I passed?"
He rolled his eyes, only a slight hesitancy to his smile, previous revelations still sitting between us.

"Of course you passed."

"Then hit me with whatever dumbass title they chose!"

He sighed, glancing back down to the paper then up at me again.

"Did you ever speak to the Elrics about their experience with the Sewing-Life Alchemist?"
The nerves he was uncharacteristically displaying made more sense, unrelated to our previous issues. My expression turned cold and I rearranged myself from where I had been lounging in the chair with my legs thrown over the arm. My boots hitting the floor made a sound too loud for the moment as I leaned forwards.

"I'm aware. Are you telling me they're paying homage to him, using my name?"

He didn't answer, sliding the paper towards me and leaving his chair to stand looking out the window of his borrowed office instead.

'Remedy-Sewing'.

It barely made sense, and it was a direct punch in the gut. 'Sewing' didn't apply to me the way it did that man. There was no way for the people of this world to know the carnage I had seen related to him, it was a world away after all. This was a direct snub for Roy. It could be seen as a threat to not let his student go the same way, a subtle link to make others wary of me, or a different threat altogether. A threat to force me down a similar path.

"Fucking rude. Barely makes sense. Add this bullshit to the list of stuff you're fixing."

"Of course."

I paused at his tone, not looking up from the familiar paper. With what had happened before, what he had found out, and how he felt about it...I could probably ask him for damn near anything right now. He was so vulnerable. I hated it.

"If you don't make some sort of effort to treat me as normal then I swear I will spend all of my time and effort creating a transmutation circle to forcefully launch things to the moon."

He choked, turning back around to look at where I was smirking at him, his expression disbelieving.

"What?"

I groaned, "Why is that always your reaction when I talk about space travel? I know that's not the way to go about it, but explosions of that proportion just sound like so much fun."

He stared at me for a second before laughing, it wasn't a good laugh, it was just as hysterical as the last time I'd squeezed one out of him. He collapsed into his chair, covering his face with his hands, and I worried that at any moment the wheezes would become sobs. I'd never more wanted to just give him a hug, or wrap him in a burrito blanket, but I doubted it would be welcome. I gave him a few seconds, waited for it to die down mostly, before speaking timidly.

"Roy?"
He let out a loud sigh, exhaustion hanging over him almost like a visible force.

"You were my most trusted operative."

I was stuck between many thoughts, including confusion that Riza hadn't taken that spot, but the one that demanded the most attention,

"And now you don't trust me anymore."

He didn't bother to look up at me,

"Could you really set aside what I've done, follow my orders, and not be tempted to stab me in the back?"

I leapt to my feet, beginning to pace, hands flailing as I ranted.

"Were you even listening to my speech before? I manhandled you and everything, FUCK, you're too stubborn for your own good! There's probably nothing I could say to you to prove-"

At the thought of proof my memory flashed back to golden eyes, familiar to me but without an ounce of recognition in them. I still had the pictures, the old IDs, my old pocket watch, hell, even one of his own gloves. I could prove I've done this before...I reached a hand in my coat pocket, but faltered, chickening out at the last moment, pulling out blank paper and a pen instead, leaning forwards to scribbling something for several long moments before practically throwing it at him. He caught it of course, as well as the journal that followed it.

"What's this?"

"My favorite research." He looked up at me sharply, expression furrowed, and I continued, unconcerned. "The other bit...is the cipher key."

The blood fled his face and he tried to shove it my way.

"I can't take this!"

I danced away as he kept trying to give it back to me. In alchemist circles it was probably akin to promising your firstborn, or a marriage proposal, anything of equal importance. Little was worth more to an alchemist than their research. He'd seen a chunk of mine already, but he had apparently realized that it was all stuff I was going to put out in the open anyway. This portion would likely never see the light of day.

"I'm not taking it back. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather show it to, well, give to, in this case."

He made a noise like a deflating balloon, sinking lower into his chair and eyeing the singular piece of paper as if it could bite him at any second.

"I...I don't know what to say."

"Hmmm, maybe that you won't push me away because of something outside of my control? Decide to mistrust or hate me for something that's actually my fault, like my terrible personality."

I glanced at the time, absently storing the new pocket watch in the uniform pants pocket regulation mandated it go in.

"If you're done having a crisis, and giving me one of my own, we're supposed to meet Maes for drinks, and I really don't want to go out drinking wearing this nonsense."

I cast my eyes around the room, finding his traveling case, as I had expected.

"Please don't tell me you were planning to stay in the barracks?"

He blinked owlishly up at me from where he had been memorizing the key,

"Maybe? Why?"

"Maes is going to murder you if he finds out."

"Then don't tell him?"

"I don't know, those barracks mattresses are pretty shitty. For the sake of your health I might have to tell him anyway."

"What, so you can stay in the barracks when visiting somewhere but I have to stay with a friend?"

"Ah, but I didn't wish to inflict my presence on you. However, you and Maes have to talk through recent happenings anyway."

I was relishing my victory, or getting ready to, when he responded, sounding despondent again.

"I didn't tell him."

I raised an eyebrow, "Tell him what?"
"...about what we learned recently."

I gaped at him,

"But-you-he, he's your best friend! A big fuckin' part of your support system! Why the fuck-"

"It's your secret. I won't betray your trust."

He was refusing to meet my eyes and I groaned, collapsing down back into my seat again and rubbing my face with my hands.

"Won't betray my trust, all the while being so certain that I'm just waiting for my chance to betray you. Unbelievable. You aren't real, you just aren't."

I heard a snapping of fingers and didn't bother to look up, knowing the cipher key had met a fiery end. I spent a few more seconds massaging my temples as he dusted the ash off his borrowed desk before taking in a deep breath.

"Alright then, tonight, I'll put up some transmutations to limit sound leaving our table area-"

"I-privacy or not, this isn't something he should learn in a public setting."

"...fine, before or after, we'll figure out timing later."

I stood to leave, straightening my uniform again before pausing,

"Hey Roy, theoretical question, what does one wear to go out drinking with friends when not in uniform?"
He groaned, much more playfully, a small but genuine smile on his face.

"So young!"

"You're barely older than me!"

I hid a smile of my own in my coat collar, and tried not to let my relief show. Perhaps things could still be salvaged.

Still not dead~TimeLordOfPie