Chapter thirty-two: Ryoko
"This is the inn you'll be staying at." Edward stopped in front of the inn. "Sasami can share a room with Ayeka, Mihoshi can have her own room, and Ryoko can stay with Washu…"
"No way!" Ryoko lifted off the ground, floating. "I'll sleep on the roof, thanks!" With that, she flew onto the roof. Edward, of course, was shocked.
"Aliens, Edward." Washu explained with a single word. "She's an alien. We all are."
"Hey, are you okay?" Edward walked up behind Ryoko, who was sitting on the edge of the inn.
"I'm fine. I'm just surprised that we're all the way back in 1910! No electronics, no sake, no boys…"
"Ahem."
"Oh. I mean no cute boys."
"AHEM!"
"Sorry."
Edward sat next to her. "I know 1910 isn't exactly what you are used too, but there are tons of things to do for fun."
"Hah. Like what?"
Coniniaue peeked over the trap door, watching them secretly.
"Alchemy! Watch." Edward slapped his hands together and put them on the ground. A stone rose lifted from the building. "See?"
"Wow! What's alchemy?" Ryoko asked, plucking the rose from the building.
"Alchemy is a mix of art, magic, and science. The base rule of alchemy is equivalent exchange; that means mankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return…"
Coniniaue watched. What the Hell? Edward never gave her a stone rose…
"Neat. So, um, why do you have metal limbs?" Ryoko asked.
Of course, Edward explained the human transmutation incident again.
"Oh…" Ryoko blinked. "And that girl… Coniniaue, why does she have a metal limb?"
Edward explained, but he left out how Coniniaue became bloodless. Her sister, the gun, the bullet, her arm…
"That's just terrible." Ryoko got a mischievous look in her eyes. "You like her, don't you?"
Edward blushed. "I… I do not!"
"You do too! I can tell how you stare at her."
"I do not!"
Ryoko just stared at him, a knowing look on her face.
"I… I do like her. She's amazing, she's wonderful. She's much better than Winry. Her life is so interesting, so dramatic…"
"Tell her what you're telling me. Haha, let's hear Ayeka say I'm a useless freeloader now!"