A.C.: What do people of Amestris speak anyways? Hmm the encounter with Izumi was kidnapped from Kalika Maxwell's 'Gold and Charcoal'
Summary: Upon finding the diary of the legendary Phoenix Alchemist, Edward is thrown into a plot long since launched into motion by the fabled war hero...
Timeline: Sometime before Hughes is dead.
Warnings: oocness, grammar/structure/spelling mistakes, spoilers?
"Who is he? How come we've never heard of him before?"
"If he's created the philosopher's stone..."
"His name sounds familiar."
Winry
"Familiar?"
"I sometimes have to organize records, some date back from way before... Ryan Mogust... I might have seen his name somewhere... we can phone grandma to find out."
"Makes sense doesn't it? Philosopher's stones, he would have to have lost something in order to create."
Ed leans back looking out the window sleepily,
"Ryan Mogust, who are you?"
-
-
We all get promotions, or promises of one. All those who survived that is, physically and mentally. I consider it lucky that I'm writing in this journal at all, it's been so long since I've had a taste of normality, I doubt it rings a bell in that hollow cavern making up Ironblood's head. I doubt he shares the alchemist's guilt, I doubt that he desires to recreate those who we've killed.
The stone's almost complete, I am ordered off duty, an unofficial time period in which the military weeds out the weak, the unstable that dares to try and overthrow the government. For now... I'll go along with what they have to say, I'm thinking of a vacation in the south, I've heard the women there are beautiful. Then perhaps I'll turn over to one of those automail cities, might find a good replacement for my missing humerus.
-Ryan
-
-
He rents a small apartment allowed in his meager allowances. He buys biscuits and suspicious looking jerkies that are beginning to look more and more like one of the stray dogs had played a tug-o-war with it. With rationing, he hopes that the food will last him. His contract with the landlord is a month, he's assuming the guise of a traveler who's seen the beauty of the city and has decided put for a little.
In the light his glasses free face was clean shaven, a clear cut difference from the Lieutenant Colonel who had fled from this country.
His eyes glinted gold in the sun,
He was staring towards the Central Headquarters.
-
-
The entry is strange, coated with a near undetectable layer of formality.
Ed is puzzled by the recent development.
Lately the pages had been sporting the smell of a cleaning solution not unlike ones that greeted them when they stayed at an inn.
And now this page... nothing
The smell skipped pages for some reason.
So far Ed had figured out that pages with blank spaces at the back carried the scent.
The ones written front and back did not.
Ed had taken his own notes of course, in his own codes. The journal had shaken him, greatly. He did not know how but he knew...
It wasn't in standard Amestrisian.
He didn't know if he should be troubled that it was in an unknown language or the fact that he could read it.
-
-
A grand ceremony, really, ones he had only dreamed about in his brief childhood.
Hawkeye to his right, Havoc to his left, he smiles politely as the officers come and go, even as eventually the fuhrer shake hands with him on how the country needed more young military minds like him.
He just bears it silently, slipping into a mask that smoothly covered up any lingering traces of discomfort.
He had to.
-
-
Ed is taking a nap,
And so is Winry.
Which left Al rather bored on the train.
As a suit of armor, he did not need to sleep.
As he was on a fast moving train, there were no cats and kittens to rescue and to rescue him from boredom.
Peering quietly at Ed's snoring face, Al quickly snitched (well not quite snitched) the scarlet covered journal off of his older brother's hands.
He knew from his past tries that he could not read the language but if he could just...
The book fell open in his lap
Nothing
-
-
Ed and Al receive a courteous welcome at the Headquarters.
Winry had excused herself earlier, seemingly uncomfortable about going back to Central. She said she was going to look for the Hughes' family, that had been an hour ago. They were now seated across a table, sharing lunch as the 'adults' shared a discussion over their heads.
Al tries to put a dinner roll into his body, for Martel who was still hiding in it.
"Alsphonse, you don't need to pretend around us."
Al can hear Martel silently cursing Riza Hawkeye as he sets the roll down.
-
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While trying to file the report Ed found that he couldn't ignore the calling any longer. Entrusting Al to edit the script, Ed sets out on a hunt to for one of Mustang's crew, the only ones Ed grudgingly believes.
Within a few minutes, he rustled up Havoc, who was taking a small cigarette break outside. From the length of the cancer stick stuck permanently at the corner of the blue eyed blond's mouth, it seemed that it had been going on for some time.
He approached,
Then hesitated.
What if this was just like with any other leads?
What if he had to go on another goose chase cross country?
He couldn't afford to loose anymore time.
He hissed and bit his teeth.
"Hey Second Lieutenant Havoc..."
-
-
"They're starting to move."
"Are you sure?"
"Very, they now have high enough of a position in the military to throw sequential weight if needed to be."
"What about our allies?"
"The alchemist hunter has been effectively maneuvered, he is now currently residing in Liore."
"Good, anything else?"
A note of satisfaction,
"Lust,"
"Ah..."
A pause, then,
"Ever since the rouse with the fossil disease..."
Hesitation,
"Perhaps I was wrong in sending Envy."
Amusement,
"Watch her for a while, if she does anything to endanger our plans..."
"Yes mistress Dante."
-
-
I don't know
where I am exactly, somewhere in the south I'm guessing. I've
seen soldiers returning from war, the Southern Headquarters must be
close. I met a nice girl while I was in town, afraid I accidentally
buried my face in her rather large 'assets' while I was window
shopping. After a bitchslap, bitching, and oh more bitching, we
decided to get tea. She introduced herself as Izumi Curtis, an
apprentice of Lady Dante who lives in the forest not far away from
here. I tell her I'm from the military, she seems to be surprised.
She asks if I'm an alchemist and when I confirm it, I am confronted
with a river of questions much like one of Strongarm's speeches.
After a while she seems to realize what she's doing and stop. The
blush looks really nice on her. She asked if I was going to stay
around for a while, I said I was.
She asked me to accompany her to Lady Dante's place.
-Ryan
-
-
"Who is the Phoenix Alchemist?"
The blue eyed blond is incredulous, his mouth parts slightly.
"Ahh shit boss... you really have a great timing you know that?"
Havoc looks around wearily,
"He's a taboo, we're not supposed to speak of him or suffer the consequences."
"But...!"
"The library probably has some stuff on him, I'm sorry boss." he grinds the cigarette butt under his foot and goes back into the building. "I'm not supposed to tell."
"But...!"
"Please don't ask again..."