Allie.
Teresa uttered a sleepy laugh. "Why are you staring at me?" Al blushed, and turned away. "Umm..." Teresa stood off the bed, letting the covers fall away from her exquisite figurine. The golden sunshine spilled in from the open window like water from a faucet. "Hey, don't worry about it." Teresa turned around, pulled her hair up and tied it. A meow erupted in the room, shattering the peaceful silence that blanketed the two. "Wh-what was that?" Al asked, staring up at Teresa. She had a nervous grin on her face. Something black crept off the bed; it was really small, only about the size of Teresa's foot. When she turned to look at it, she laughed out loud. "Xiaosuke!" She squatted to pick the creature up. "He's my cat." Al cocked his head. "I didn't know you had a cat..." Teresa smiled, stroking the forehead of the feline. She went over to Al and held him out. "I found him wandering around in an alley in Lior," she responded. "Look at that bite in his ear--I'm thinking he used to be some kind of rebel." Al ran his hand over the cat. "When I found him, he was hungry. As soon as I took him in, though, it was love at first sight!" She brought the cat to her face. "He must be hungry...he usually stays in my bag while I'm moving around or travelling. He doesn't eat much." She handed the feline over to Al.
Al laughed. The feline crawled all over his shoulders, on top of his head, then fell into his hands. It meowed. "Well, I'm off to freshen up. I'll see you downstairs in a minute," she said, then went toward the bathroom. "Go ahead and play with him if you want. I'll be out soon." Al nodded, took the cat, and went downstairs. Teresa waited until she could hear them talking. She shut the bathroom door, and continued with what needed to be done.
"Aww, he's so cute!" Winry cooed, lifting up the pitch-coated feline. "Keep him away from the dog, though..." Ed leaned in his chair and yawned. "What's Terrie doing, Al?" he asked, with a cocky smirk on his face. "Still sleeping?" Al shook his head, watching the cat move across the floor after being put down. "She's bathing," he responded cooly. "She said she'd be out in--" They heard light footsteps on the staircase. "Morning, everyone!" Teresa announced, stepping off onto the floor, her hair pulled back neatly. She wore slightly new attire--another black cropped shirt and blue jean trousers. "I see you've met my cat." She bent over to look at him. Then she turned to Al. "Hey! You wanna feed him?" Al took a moment's hesitation before he answered. "Okay," he said humbly. She motioned for him to follow her as she went up the steps. He did.
They entered the room they were previously in. Teresa reached into her bag and pulled out a small can. "I have about a millenia's supply of these," she stated, then handed it to Al. She reached into her bag a second time, and pulled out a clean, round cup. It had no handle. "This is his food bowl. It's actually a kind of tea cup I bought somewhere in Amestris. The place slips my mind nowadays." She went back down the stairs, Al following. She began running, anxious to get downstairs and socialize with Ed and Winry. Al did the same; the cat, however, lay in his way, and he lost his footing; then began rolling. When Teresa turned around, she screamed, Al's helmet flying toward her. She caught it, too shocked to move. When Ed noticed, he shrieked, and as Al was about to fall on Teresa..."AL! Now's not the time to start rough housing!" he stated, catching the rest of the armor before it could squash Teresa. With the force, however, he tumbled backward. "Ed!" Both Winry and Teresa cried, lifting Al off of him. "Sorry!" Al apologized rather loudly. Teresa slowly placed the helmet on his shoulders. She patted it. Xiaosuke crept down the steps and plopped on Ed; he meowed, then pounced off.
Teresa growled at the feline. "Xiaosuke!" she roared, grabbing the feline by the scruff. "Look what you did!" She turned to Ed, then let go of the cat, so that it dropped onto the carpet. "Sorry, Ed." she said sweetly. She sighed, then stood up. She helped Ed up, as well. "What time is it, Winry?" she asked, biting her lip. Winry checked her watch. "A quarter past eight." Teresa nodded. "Okay, thanks." She turned and opened the door to the backyard. "Come on, Xiaosuke," Teresa said, patting her leg lightly. The cat followed her outside, where she placed his bowl. "Al!" The suit of armor stood, looked at the can in front of him, then reported outside. He opened it, then watched as the chunks of pork or whatever the slimy substance was dripped onto the bowl.
"I cooked eggs and sausage!" Winry announced proudly. "Dig in!" Ed did not hesitate; he immediately began cramming as much food as he could into his mouth. When he stopped, it was for a long gulp of orange juice. Winry stared at him in amazement. Al only watched them eat, and Teresa took little bites of her food--yet she still managed to finish before Ed. When she was finished, she turned to Ed, a cocky grin on her face. "Let's spar!" she vociferated. She smirked, her teeth exposed. Ed nearly choked. "Wh-What?" Teresa leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "You heard me! Let's spar. If you win, I'll tell you one of my deepest, darkest secrets. And the royalties I earned last night--" She tossed the bag full of her royalties in the air, then caught it as it fell. "...are all yours." Ed quirked a brow. "And if you win?" he asked. Teresa's smirk broadened. "I get to spar Al." Ed, Al, and Winry all cried out in shock. "You better win this, Ed," Winry told him, her expression serious. "We don't want Teresa losing an arm and a leg like you." Al didn't say anything.
"Heh. Okay, sure. I'll accept. Down by the pond, in one hour." Ed stated, confidently. "Wait, that doesn't seem like a fair trade," Al finally stated. "Think of something else, Teresa. Something equivalent."
Ed poked Al. "You're afraid you're gonna crush her, aren't you?" Ed asked, mockingly. Al lifted his hands and quickly shook his head. "N-No! Of course not! Have you ever seen Terrie fight? I-I just don't think what she's offering is sufficient." Teresa bit her lip. "Okay," she hissed. "If I win, I get to tag along on your little journey." Ed dropped the glass. He didn't even wince as it shattered against the table. "Are you kidding me?" he roared, standing and placing his hands on the table. "If you come with us, we'll be carrying dead weight the whole time!" Teresa growled and stood. Her fists were clenched. "At least I won't stunt your growth like that metal leg of yours!" she howled back. Both Al and Winry watched them intently. "Are you calling me short?" Ed screamed, raising his fist. "I'm calling you a runt!" she growled. Al quickly stood as Ed lunged for Teresa; he held him back. "AND WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?" Ed hollered, fuming. Teresa leered at him. She had nothing else. Sneering, she crossed her arms and turned to the side. "Impressive," she said. "Let's just hope your skills in arguing are as good as your skills in fighting." She began to walk away.
"YEAH, YOU BETTER START RUNNING! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE A GIRL, I'LL KNOCK YOU SENSELESS!" Ed shrieked. Teresa stopped to glare at him. "Yeah, yeah, save it for later. Hopefully you can keep your word about that." Ed stuck out his tongue, then finally calmed down. Al set him on the floor and watched as he dusted himself off. "Brother, save your energy for later," Al said softly. "We don't want Teresa to come along. She might get hurt or killed." Ed glanced at the ground. "Yeah..." Yet he said nothing more.
The sunlight dripped upon the two as they faced each other, exchanging malicious glances. Al and Winry stood close by, watching them with full interest. "Okay, you two!" Winry called. "Fight in a clean manner! Anything goes, and Ed, don't kill her." Teresa growled at Winry. She then looked back to Ed, whom had a smug expression on his face. "I'm only doing this to hear your 'deep, dark secret' and get your royalties. Fighting against you, it's a complete steal." Ed put his hands on his hips cockily. Teresa clenched her fist. "Like I said, little man, let's just see if you can keep your word!" She shot back. Ed threw a fit. "JUST DON'T START CRYIN' ON ME! I'M NOT GOIN' EASY ON YOU!" They both bowed in respect, and the fight was on.
Ed shot at her like a bullet. His fist raised and he let out a cry before he attempted to sock her. She moved out of the way, grabbed his arm, and helped him to the floor with her left shin. He only stumbled, managed to regain his balance too late in exchange. Teresa came charging at him like an upset bull, then leapt in the air to sit on his shouders in the opposite direction of where he was facing. "Brace yourself, Eddy," she whispered, then lurched forward. She extended her hands, so that she could hold both her weight and Ed's momentarily before she threw him on the floor, all the while sitting on him. "You like the butt bone, Ed?" She stood up quickly, regaining her fighting posture. Her fists were raised and no smirk nor any kind of cocky expression rested on her fair face. Ed stood as well, staggering a bit. Both of them raced toward each other. Teresa threw a kick, but he caught it easily. He lifted her in the air and tossed her like a ragdoll to the ground, where she caught herself just in time with her arms to stand back up.
She charged back at him, just as his fist surged toward her. She leapt, standing on his fist. "Delivery for Mr. Elric," she said, in a mock sweetness. Ed cried out as her foot found its way to his face, knocking him backward. She landed on his chest, her right forearm on his neck. She pressed down on him. Lifting his knee, he managed a hit in her stomach that threw her off of him, only to roll and start charging back. Ed had enough time to start plotting in his mind. His arms moved like daggers; he stabbed at her madly, and each time she dodged or blocked them. That is, until his leg sunk into her hip and sent her into the pond. Ed crossed his arms. "I guess I win," he muttered with a smirk. He seemed surprised, actually. "Not...exactly," Winry corrected, pointing to a rather angry Teresa. She stampeded toward him as though her life depended on it; she tackled him, hurling them both onto the ground. Ed used his legs and the ground to propel Teresa off of him like a reversed round off. She landed on her backside, quickly rolled out of the way as Ed stomped on the ground, and lifted herself again. One of Ed's gloved hands appeared out of nowhere. She barely dodged it by throwing herself to the ground. It also gave her an opportunity to knock him to the floor as well. She turned and let one of her legs do the work; she let the crook of her ankle (where the foot meets the start of the shin)hook behind Ed's to fling him onto his backside, where she grabbed both his wrists and pinned them to his chest.
"And I say amen to that," Teresa muttered, letting all of her weight fall gently on Ed. "How does it feel to be beaten by a girl?" She felt his leg come up, but she quickly sank the front of her feet into the crook of Ed's ankles. "Nah ah ah, don't be like that." After a while, Ed loosened up, then smiled in his defeat. "I guess I lost, then," Ed said, watching her grin to his statement. "You okay?" Teresa nodded, then planted a swift kiss on the tip of his nose. Whatever whirled through Ed's mind was unknown, yet his expression was that like of a child in a candy store. Teresa stood off of him, then held out her hand to help him up. "Brother!" Al cried, rushing toward them. Ed started laughing. "I'm in shock!" Ed announced, his laughs ringing throughout the woods. Winry slowly appeared next to them. "You know what this means, though, right?" she asked, her eyes glossening. "Terrie has to go along with you." Al turned to Teresa. "We'll protect her," Al responded. "She'll be like a rose no one can touch." Teresa blushed, then turned away, smiling. "I don't know, Al..." Ed stated doubtfully. "There's a lot of danger out there." Teresa started to guffaw. "I'm sure whatever danger out there will be as dangerous as a child let loose with a toothbrush," she shouted. "If I beat the youngest and greatest State Alchemist ever." She winked at Ed. He felt only a tad better. He laughed through his nose. "Yeah," he said. "You're right. TeresaStonewall can handle anything if she beat the, and I quote, "youngest and greatest State Alchemist ever". I'm sure she'll be fine." Al put his hand on Teresa's shoulder. "I'm glad to have you on our team." Teresa smiled.