Sorry for the less and less frequent updates. Midterms are kicking in along with some other things in my hectic life. But on with the series…
Disclaimer: the same as before.
9 Silver Watch of the Dog of the Military
Winry skipped down the sidewalks of Central City, eagerly taking in the shops and sights the city had to offer. Her floppy, white hat shielded her blue eyes from the midday sun. Her simple cream-colored dress complimented her young figure, blond hair and blue eyes and fluttered with each energetic step she took.
"You're going to have to buy me something special," she said to the brothers trailing after her.
Ed raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?" he said, his hands negligently tucked in his pants pockets. She was the one who came down to congratulate him for becoming the youngest State Alchemist in history, and then he saved her from Barry the Chopper.
"Nope." Winry spun back around. "I fixed your auto-mail, didn't I?" she reminded him.
Resigned, the two brothers followed their childhood friend into shop after shop.
Finally Winry found her candy store. "Look at this wrench," she squealed. "Ed, Al, hurry up!" Spying the wrench, she ran up to it and cradled it in her hands. "Oh, the feel of these things are so good," she cooed, rubbing the handle against her cheek.
"I knew Central would have such wonderful things," she sighed dreamily, ecstatically taking in the displays of tools. "Mister," she called to the shop owner, "Give me five of these," she pointed. Darting to the other end of the store, she pointed again at a set of bolts. "And three of these!"
"Winry." Al's voice stopped her in mid-dash. She tilted her head at the suit of armor. "Don't you have enough souvenirs?" he asked from behind the stack of various boxes he carried.
"Of course not," she pouted. Winry tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips. "Besides, Ed said he'd buy me whatever I wanted. Right, Ed?" she turned to him.
Ed lounged against the door frame. "Yeah," he carelessly agreed, hands still in his pockets. Dressed in unrelieved black, the only color was his blond hair tied back in a simple braid down his back and a hooded red coat.
Winry's brow furrowed a little at his indifferent answer. She spun back around into the store. "Mister," she called again, "give me a discount on this oil."
"Sure" came the owner's reply, happy to oblige his day's biggest customer.
Ed's golden eyes widened in surprise when Winry spun back to him, hand outreached. In her palm lay a travel-size bottle of oil. "Be sure to take care of your auto-mail when I'm not here," she said gravely as he hesitantly reached out to accept it.
The black military sedan pulled up to the curb outside the shop. It wasn't that hard to track down the Fullmetal Alchemist. Although Edward was tiny and unnoticeable, God help you if you ever said that to his face, a walking suit of armor was very conspicuous. Since Ed hardly went anywhere without his brother, it made the soldiers' job easier.
Second Lieutenant Havoc climbed out of the car. "Edward Elric, you are requested back at headquarters."
Edward stood in front of Lieutenant Colonel Mustang's desk. "M-Mission?" he repeated, stuttering.
"Second Lieutenant Hawkeye will give you the documents," Mustang said, closing the files that lay open on his simple desk.
Hawkeye stepped forward from the side of Mustang's desk where she had been standing quietly. "You will inspect the Youswell coal mines," she told the young boy, handing him the file.
Ed flipped open the file and quickly scanned its contents. "Youswell coal mines?" He turned a questioning gaze on the Lieutenant Colonel.
"You're an alchemist," he said simply. "You have an understanding of ores and their uses." Mustang put his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his folded hands. "Be happy I gave you an easy task for your first assignment," he smirked.
Ed sat morosely on the train, staring out the window at the passing scenery. He looked over at Al who sat opposite of him. "You didn't have to come," he said guiltily. "This is a job for a State Alchemist."
"Niisan, don't say that," Al admonished him for even considering going anywhere without him. "Besides," he continued, "it's not like I have anywhere to go."
Winry stood at the train departure clutching her giant suitcase. Her train was set to leave soon, and right after she left, the brothers would catch their train to the mine. "When are you coming home?" she asked.
"Winry, we burned our house, remember?" Al reminded her. "We have no home to return to."
The brothers sat in silence for the rest of the train ride.
Ed and Al stared at the deserted town. Taking in the simple and worn structures and empty dirt roads, the two eyed their first mission with some doubt. "It's not very lively," Al commented. Before Ed could reply, he was sent flying forward, sprawled face first in the dirt.
A brown-haired boy dressed in a white shirt and brown overalls grinned apologetically. He turned around, swinging around a huge steel beam he carried on his shoulder as he moved. "Sorry about that," he apologized as Ed picked himself off the ground.
The boy eyed their strange clothes and a gleam came into his green eyes. "Hey, are you two visitors?" he pounced on them eagerly. "Do you have a place to stay? We have the best inn here. Dad!" he called before either brother could answer, "we have money spenders."
Ed and Al finally found their voices. "Money spenders?" They looked at each other, confused.
"Welcome!" a big man laughed, his broad shoulders shaking under his brown shirt. "My son, Khayal, tells me that you need a place to stay."
Ed and Al stood just inside the doorway of the simple inn. The walls and furniture were wood, but the atmosphere was cheerful and the room was clean. Miners enjoying a beer after work sat at the tables, filling the room with their laughter as they swapped stories.
"Just for a night," Ed told the man.
Candlelight glinted in the man's brown eyes. "It'll be expensive," he warned, his thick brown mustache twitching.
"That's fine," Ed responded casually, "I have more money than it looks."
The miner smiled. "Two thousand dollars."
Ed's jaw dropped. "What?"
"We don't get many visitors," he explained. "When we do get some, we have to capitalize on it."
The boy they ran into earlier stepped up next to his dad wearing an identical grin. "All the other places are the same price," he said unabashedly, "'cuz we're the only one in town."
Al and Ed both peered into Ed's wallet. Al looked at Ed who gulped nervously. "I spent a lot of it on Winry," he groaned. He shot Al a look. "I guess I'll have to…" Al nodded.
Soon Ed had gathered a crowd around a table. A pick lay on its side, the handle broken in two. Ed clapped and instantly transmuted it, leaving a completely fixed tool in the middle of the table. The crowd ooh-ed and ahh-ed. "Anything else?" Ed asked, cocking his head.
"This broke a while ago," the owner's wife wove her way through the circle cradling a broken vase, "but I treasure it too much to throw it out."
"Sure," Ed said, gesturing to the table.
The owner, Halling, looked at his wife in surprise. "You still have that?"
"Of course," she answered with a soft smile. "You hardly ever buy me anything." Halling turned red at the guffaws of his men.
"Here you go." Ed handed the vase back to the woman, good as new.
As Ed and Al sat down for a meal, Halling approached them. "Alchemists, huh? I used to study alchemy, but I gave up since I didn't have much talent for it," he admitted. Halling studied the two boys. "What brings you here to Youswell?"
Ed leaned back in his seat, enjoying the warmth of the room. "Just a little inspection," he shrugged.
All the commotion in the room fell silent at his words. Confused, Ed and Al looked around. "You're a State Alchemist?" Halling asked.
Ed barely nodded before he was yanked out of his seat and thrown out of the inn. Once again facedown in the dirt, he saw his suitcase land with a thud next to him. "What the hell?" he screamed, springing back up.
Halling stood in the doorway with his men behind him, silhouetted by the inn's lamplight. "We have no room or food for dogs of the military," he spat. He whirled on the suit of armor hovering nearby. "Are you a State Alchemist, too?" he demanded.
"No!" Ed shouted quickly. "He has no relation to me; he's just some guy I met on the train."
The men grunted. "Fine, you can stay," they said to Al as they returned to their beers. Al caught one last glance of his older brother standing out on the street before the door slammed shut.
Al sat nervously next to Khayal. "You guys really don't like the military," he ventured.
Khayal stabbed his dinner. "Of course not. No one does," he bit out with venom surprising for a kid his age. Of course, Al shouldn't have been surprised. The things he and his brother had accomplished at their age would shock anyone. "The guy who runs this town is a pig named Yoki." Khayal spat out the name like a curse.
"State Alchemists are the worst," Halling said coming to stand behind his son. "'Alchemists do good for the public,'" he recited. "At least that's what I was taught. I can't abide those who sold their soul for military privileges."
Al made a soft noise in his armor, saying nothing.
"Dammit," Ed swore, trudging around to the back of the inn. He brushed the dirt off his clothes and sat on the wooden platform. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the small bottle of oil Winry had given him. "Winry should worry more about the human than the metal." He smiled wryly and began oiling his arm. His stomach gave a loud growl, covering the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Here." Ed turned at the unexpected visitor. Al crouched next to him holding out his dinner tray. "I can't eat it, anyway," he shrugged.
Shooting a grateful look at his brother, Ed eagerly accepted the tray. Al watched Ed hungrily dig in.
"People here really hate the military," Al said breaking the silence.
Ed didn't pause in his quest to soothe his empty stomach. "I knew that," he said between bites, "when I chose to become a State Alchemist."
Al stared out into the empty town. "Maybe I should get one, too. A State Alchemist qualification," Al voiced his thoughts out loud.
"Don't be ridiculous," Ed said, putting down his fork. He, too, looked out at the deserted streets. "Only I should have to bear this burden." He turned back to Al. "I promise I'll find a way to return your body."
A loud commotion of banging wood and yells from inside the inn brought both boys to their feet.
Miners were out of their chairs, staring as a handful of soldiers burst through the front door. A small set man with oily black hair strode into the inn. "Halling," the man said, distaste and disdain dripping from his voice, thin mustache twitching, "your inn is as dirty as ever." He held a snowy white handkerchief to his large nose.
A teenage girl with chin-length black hair, long sleeved black top and short white skirt stepped up beside him. Her knee high black boots lightly tapped on the wooden planks. Yoki smiled at the girl. "You have been falling behind on your taxes," he accused the miners mildly.
Halling stepped forward. "We don't make much," he said by way of explanation.
"That's because you don't work hard enough," the girl returned calmly.
Halling started, but a man in the back beat him to it. "We're working our asses off for you to take our money to use as bribes to get promotions," he yelled angrily, his veins bulging on the sides of his neck.
Yoki dabbed at his nose again. "Then why don't you bribe me?"
"Why, you…" The man lunged forward and charged the sniveling man.
Ed and Al watched from an outside window as the girl smoothly stepped in front of a cowering Yoki and cupped her hands around the large metal-wrought pendant she wore. The circle inside began to spin rapidly and a burst of light filled the room just as a shockwave hit the oncoming man, hurtling him back into his fellow miners.
The men gaped in shock. Sufficiently recovered, Yoki smiled and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Good job, Lyra," he praised sweetly. Lyra smiled.
The First Lieutenant looked around the inn at the angry miners. "I see the rumors of this being a rebel gathering place is true," he sniffed. "I'm going to have to shut it down."
"Don't screw around with us!" Khayal picked up a nearby rag and hurled it at the officer's face.
"Who did that?" Yoki asked as the dirty rag fell from his face.
A soldier grabbed the boy by the arm and threw him on the ground a few feet from Yoki's feet. "Khayal!" his mother cried.
"I see you breed them crude even young," Yoki observed disdainfully. He gestured to a soldier. "Hurt him a little."
The soldier stepped forward, drawing his sword. Khayal's mother buried her face in her hands, unable to watch. Halling took a futile step towards the husky soldier. Yoki closed his eyes, reveling in the power of his authority. His eyes snapped open at the clang of steel against steel.
A young blond boy stood over the cowering boy, his right arm crossed with the soldier's sword. Yoki's jaw dropped. Silence fell upon the inn. "W-What is this?" he stammered.
The teenage boy brushed back his red cloak. "I heard you were coming to visit, Lieutenant Colonel, so I came to greet you," Ed said casually, flashing his silver watch.
Yoki gaped at the boy. "First Lieutenant, who's this kid," the soldier asked in a whisper.
"You idiot," Yoki frantically whispered back, "don't you recognize the watch? He's a State Alchemist. They're an elite group under the direct control of the Fuhrer."
"I'm so sorry for my subordinate's rudeness," Yoki babbled, sidling up to Edward. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Yoki. I run this humble town." Ed warily eyed the officious man. "Why didn't you let me know you were here," Yoki continued, "I would have sent someone to pick you up. No need for you to stay here."
Now standing by his mother, Khayal glared at the blond boy as he was ushered out of the inn, completely forgetting that the alchemist had just saved him.
"Damn dog of the military," Halling swore at the closed door. Al shifted his feet nervously.
Major General Hakuro paced the area in front of Mustang's desk. Roy stood at attention behind his desk, Hawkeye beside him. "You'll be transferred to East City to take command there," the Major General said expansively.
"Oh," Mustang raised an eyebrow. "A demotion? I see. If someone like me stayed in Central…"
"Of course not," Hakuro laughed. "It's a promotion, Colonel Mustang," he said, putting emphasis on his new title. "You'll be promoted to Colonel, and Hawkeye there will be promoted to First Lieutenant."
Mustang gritted his teeth. Hakuro chuckled again, enjoying the younger man's discomfort. "Just be careful," he warned. "I hear the east is a dangerous area."
"Congratulations," he tossed over his shoulder as he exited the room.
Roy sank back in his desk chair, Hawkeye still saluting the door as it closed behind the general. She fell at ease and looked questioningly at her commander.
"Looks like we're moving to East HQ."
"Colonel?"
Mustang closed his eyes. "Don't worry, First Lieutenant, I've taken the necessary steps." He smiled.
Hawkeye accepted his cryptic statement, wondering what her superior officer had up his sleeve this time.
Ed was seated at one end of an expansive dining table, an elegant dinner laid out before him. A chandelier burned brightly overhead and servants in starched black and white ruffled uniforms attentively hovered around him.
"We're so honored to have a State Alchemist in our humble town, Mr. Edward," Yoki gushed from the other end of the table. He gestured to a servant girl standing next to Ed. "Lyra, show him your alchemy."
"Yes," she nodded.
"There's no need," Ed stated. "I saw it. She compressed the air around her creating a powerful shock wave. The light was a result of an adiabatic reaction."
Yoki's eyes bugged. "You figured all that out from one glance?"
"My dream is to become like you, Mr. Edward," Lyra told Ed.
Ed frowned. "Like me?" he echoed dumbly. He didn't understand why anyone would want to become a State Alchemist.
"Yes," Lyra answered enthusiastically, "I want to use my alchemy to serve the state."
Ed turned his attention back to his meal and speared a piece of meat. "You eat very well considering the state of the town," he blandly observed.
"This is nothing," Yoki replied humbly. "I'm sorry we don't have anything better for you, Mr. State Alchemist. Those ruffians make things very difficult."
"I see," Ed said slowly, measuring his words. "You govern this mine, and in exchange, the men work hard and pay you for your efforts. In alchemy, we call this equivalent trade."
"Good," Yoki crowed. "You understand things very well for someone your age." He looked past Ed's chair and gestured slightly with his hand.
A servant appeared at Ed's right elbow, placing a small pouch on the table. Ed stared at the First Lieutenant. "Is this what they call a bribe?"
"Nothing as crude as that," Yoki insisted. "Equivalent trade. You write something nice in your report, and I repay you."
Al lay awake in his bed in the inn. He heard footsteps pad softly past his door and down the stairs. Unable to sleep anyway, he slipped out of the room to follow the late night wanderer. As Al reached the bottom of the stairs, he felt the walls shake with a loud groan.
On the street, Lyra stood before the inn, hands cupped around her rapidly spinning pendant, the force of the transmutation whipping her short hair around her face.
"Khayal!" Halling hollered his son's name. "Khayal!"
The miners were gathered outside the inn, two brawny men firmly grasping their boss's arms. "You can't go in there. It's going to collapse." Sweat poured down their faces as Halling struggled harder, his muscles straining against his t-shirt. Boards began to fall loose. With a low rumble followed by a series of snaps and cracks, Halling watched in horror as his home collapsed in on itself and his son.
After one final groan, the inn fell silent. Halling easily shook off his stunned workers. "Khayal," he yelled again.
Amidst the rubble, the shards of wood began to move. Halling once again fell silent as his armored guest emerged from the debris holding Khayal in his arms. Bruised and dirty, but unharmed, the boy whimpered, "Papa."
Ed lay fully clothed on his bed in Yoki's mansion, hands habitually folded under his head. A loud rumble in the distance stirred him. Immediately suspicious, he dashed out of the house.
Sprinting down the dirt streets, the steady pounding of his heavy boots echoed in the deserted town. Approaching the vicinity of the inn, Ed slowed to a stop at the crowd of people. He pushed his way through to see Mrs. Halling weeping in the remains of the inn, cradling her once again broken vase.
Al came up on his side. "It was them," he simply said.
"Hey, aren't you like a great alchemist?" Ed turned at the question. Khayal stood on his left, fighting to hold back his tears. "Can you transmute gold to save my dad?"
Ed met the eyes of the boy who stood only a few inches shorter than he. "Transmuting gold is a felony," he said in an emotionless voice. "They'd take away my qualification."
"Then do it so they don't find out," Khayal persisted.
"No." Ed looked straight ahead. "I have no obligation to help this town," he added dispassionately.
Khayal grabbed the alchemist by his collar. "Do you want a bribe, too?" he cried desperately.
Ed's eyes flared, but other than that, he made no outward movement. "Even if I did, it would all be taken away by taxes." He brushed aside the younger boy's hand. "If it's so bad here, why don't you move?"
"Boy," Halling spoke up from where his wife was still kneeling, "you may not understand, but this is our home and coffin."
Looking down, Ed gave a soft laugh. "Home and coffin, huh?" Ignoring the miners, he turned and strode away stiffly.
Al hurried after him. "Niisan!"
Ed continued stride down the street. "Al," he said, not looking back, "we burned our house when we left and I think that's just fine." A smile flickered across his features. "But for those who have a home still yet, they need to treasure it." Ed stopped in front of a large pile of rocks. He pulled Yoki's pouch out of his pocket.
"Al, keep what you see here a secret."
Al nodded. As if he would have told anyone anyway.
Ed emptied the contents of the pouch onto the rubble. He clapped his hands in front of his chest and placed his palms on the rocks.
Ed and Al smiled at the First Lieutenant innocently.
"What?" Yoki stammered. "You want to buy the coal mine?"
"Yup," Ed replied blithely. "Everything. The mine, the tunnels that run through it, the trade routes."
Yoki wrung his hands together. He could finally be free of this godforsaken place. But… "I couldn't do that, Mr. Edward. It just wouldn't be right."
"Aww," Ed frowned. "And I have the money, too…" he trailed off. Al opened the door revealing stacks and stacks of gold bars. "The mine has many ores and minerals that are valuable to alchemical research."
Yoki's eyes glazed over, the light bouncing off the gold bars dazzling his eyes. With all that gold he could buy himself numerous promotions. "But it would be immoral to sell this place for a profit," he protested weakly.
Ed scratched his head as if in thought. "I know," he finally said. "Why don't you sign a contract saying that you handed all responsibility and control of the mine to me for free?"
Weakened at the sight of so much gold, Yoki eagerly complied.
Halling sat in another miner's house, his elbows wearily propped up on his knees. Khayal slammed a fist down on the keg next to him. "Why won't you let me ransack the place," he demanded angrily.
Halling looked at his son's dirty and bandaged face. "No," he said firmly.
The door burst open, silencing Khayal's further protests. The young blond alchemist stood silhouetted in the doorway, the armored boy close behind. "Hi, everyone!" Ed said cheerfully, waltzing in. "Why all the sad faces?"
"How dare you come here." A burly miner stomped over to Ed.
"Is that anyway to treat the new owner?" Ed asked innocently. Al hovered in the doorway.
The miners leaned forward. "New owner?" they repeated amongst themselves. Another stepped forward. "What do you mean?" he demanded.
Ed shoved a piece of paper in the man's face. "It says right here, all control of the mine and its trading routes belong to me."
The men stared at the deed in awe. Ed held the deed between his thumb and forefinger and offhandedly bounced it up and down. "But I'm going to have to go back to Central eventually," he sighed. "This thing will just be in the way…" he trailed off suggestively.
Halling spoke up from his seat. "Are you trying to sell that to us?"
Ed dropped his guileless expression. "It's going to be expensive," he warned.
Halling frowned at having his words tossed back at him.
"This is written on very expensive paper," Ed continued, ignoring the looming miners. "Oh, it's got gold trim. And the case is made of jade and the key here is pure silver."
As Ed examined each piece and assessed its worth, Halling ground his teeth together. The little brat was enjoying this all too much.
Ed met the innkeeper's eyes. "All in all, I'd say its worth about two-thousand dollars," he finished grandly.
The room erupted with hushed whispers at Ed's pronouncement. "Only two-thousand dollars for a deed to the mine?"
Walking over to Halling, Ed extended the papers to him. "And if I remember correctly, boss, it costs two-thousand dollars for food and a night in your inn."
Halling's gaze fell to the proffered papers. "Equivalent trade, huh?" He smiled at the boy's audacity. His smile faded. "But we no longer have an inn," he said, his shoulders dropping.
Ed grinned. "Oh really?" he asked, his eyes wide with innocence. "Then what's that out there?"
The miners rushed outside. There, in the morning light, stood a magnificent inn where the remains had once been.
Smiling cheekily, Ed brushed past the astonished miners. "This should cover one night," he said, carelessly handing the deed to a dumbfounded Halling.
Shaking out of his stupor, he accepted the papers. "Yeah," he agreed hoarsely.
The screech of tires and pounding boots drew Ed's attention. Yoki stood in front of a black sedan, his arms wrapped around himself. "Mr. Elric," he cried, his knees shaking, "all the gold you gave me turned into rocks."
The miners all looked at Ed who thoughtfully scratched the back of his head, confusion written on his face. "Gold?" he repeated. "I thought you gave the deed to me for free." He rummaged in his back pocket. "See you even signed a contract saying so," Ed replied, holding up the paper with Yoki's signature. Several of the miners exchanged grins.
Yoki paled. "This is fraud," he wailed.
"Fraud?" Ed scoffed. "That's mean."
Sniffling with indignation, Yoki summoned for help. "Lyra!"
Ed whirled to see Lyra standing in the middle of the street, hands poised around her pendant. Ed twisted out of the way just as a shockwave blasted past him.
"Alchemists are supposed to do good for the public."
"You're a State Alchemist aren't you?" she demanded, ignoring his statement. "Then why are you going against the military?" She concentrated and let loose another blast.
This time, Ed clapped his hands and held his right arm forward to meet the shockwave, bracing his wrist with his left hand. Blue light radiated from his hand as he absorbed the energy hurtling at him. Lyra gasped as the light dissipated. Ed was still standing. His white glove now hung off his fingers, revealing the auto-mail beneath. "I didn't sell my soul," he said in a low voice.
She narrowed her eyes and focused on another transmutation. Quickly gauging the amount of time to reach her, Ed ran toward her. He clapped his hands, transforming his auto-mail into a steel blade. As the circle's energy built up, about to burst forth, Ed lunged at Lyra, blade poised above his head. In a swift motion, he brought the blade slicing down.
Lyra fell to the ground, knocking the breath out of her. The metal pendant clattered to the ground near her. She winced as pain shot through her abused posterior. Black boots and pants came into view. She looked up at Ed who stood above her, his face expressionless.
Yoki watched despairingly as Lyra fell back to the ground. "Seize it back," he shouted at his men, whirling back to the rest of the audience. He stopped, frozen with bewilderment. His men were pressed together, back to back, facing an outer circle of very hostile, very large miners.
Two beefy miners came up on either side of him. Yoki shrank in on himself.
"We don't take kindly to people trying to take our stuff by force," one growled, cracking his knuckles.
"We can't let that happen, now can we, First Lieutenant," the other growled into his other ear.
The First Lieutenant's cries echoed down the deserted streets and tunnels of Youswell.
Mrs. Halling laid her hand on her husband's back. "This inn is even more splendid than the last one, isn't it, honey?" she asked, resting her head on his muscular shoulder. She let her eyes roam over the high ceiling and study walls and staircases.
"Yes, it is," he agreed. Halling watched a blushing Al and laughing Ed push away another offered cup of beer. "Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist."
Hawkeye stepped forward. "Colonel, Edward's report," she said, handing him the stack of papers.
Mustang accepted the papers with a smirk. "You can relax now, First Lieutenant, about East City. Things will be much cleaner now."
Hawkeye started. "You don't mean…?"
Mustang chuckled. "I don't know." He leaned back in his chair. "But I hope the women in the East are beautiful," he mused, studying his nails.
Hawkeye's reddish-brown eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Her long lashes swept down to hide her irritation with her playboy boss. "Their reputations are growing in the East," she continued briskly. "A dog of the military that does good for the public."
Miles away, a small car puttered along in the desert. "Yeah, I've heard of this Edward Elric," the driver said to his two passengers.
"Oh yeah?" the blond one asked, absently twirling a stick. "What do they say?"
The other occupant of the car gave the smug boy a reproachful glance.
"They say he's a great alchemist. A dog of the military that does good for the public," continued the driver. The boy leaned back in his seat and grinned. "They also say he's a shorty," the oblivious man added.
An explosion rocked the car. "Who are you calling short!" Ed dashed out of the car after the fleeing driver.
"Niisan," Al called after his brother. "You're going to run out of energy before we get to Lior if you keep that up!"
Alright, I haven't finished episode 10 yet, and probably won't for at least another two weeks. But since I wrote these on a whim, I do have 11 done. So it's up to you guys if you wanna wait. Or I can post 11 and go back and post 10 when I'm finished with it.
Thanks for reading.
Flower Kid: Thanks for catching the error with Khayal's name. I actually went to go check the website and I've changed a lot of the names for the other episodes that I've already written.