Story: It is What it is, Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA
Replies to Reviews
MachuPichu310 said: I neeeeeeeeeeeed more. This is so good!
I'm so glad you like it! I hope you'll stick through it with me!
AEW Dragon said: Great chapter! I loved the ending with Roy and Riza. And I have always loved all the parental stuff with Ed. It's all so cute. Can't wait for the next update!
Thank you so much for reading! Parental Roy and Riza is always fun to write about(though I actually haven't posted any others aside from this one :D;;;;). I'm glad you're enjoying it. x3
(Also be warned of a couple short jokes
in this, though, they are taken a little bit serious. And the first one is actually similar to a personal experience that I went through, so... ha..haha? :D;;;;) (SERIOUSLY, BEING SHORT HAS SUCKED FOR ME, and it's genuinely frustrating too at times.) (Funny story, I'm only two inches taller than he started out as.)
Hope Roy's comfort in that scene seemed charming and in character enough, because I swear I tried, though he does turn around and scold him, of course for being reckless...
Also, because I wrote Riza craving more deviled eggs in this chapter, I had to go and make some of my own deviled eggs. XDDD
(Hope my action scene in this chapter isn't shitty, I'm not made for writing action...)
And I hope this chapter doesn't seem rushed or anything...
The next morning, Riza opened her eyes, squinting at the sunlight flooding into the room. After getting up, her hair slightly tousled, she headed to the kitchen.
"Good morning, beautiful."
She looked up to see Roy sitting at a black table, leaning his elbow on its surface. He was resting his head in the palm of his hand, grinning at her like a fool. Three cups sat in front of him, and a kettle of coffee was in the middle of the table. It was obvious he wanted her to drink it with him.
"What are you doing?" Riza asked, slightly unamused, but poured herself a cup of coffee anyway.
"I'm playing the role of a husband. So how's my acting been?" Roy wanted to know. It was clear that he was having a fun time with this charade, perhaps a little too much fun.
"It's good." Riza said after taking a sip of coffee, sitting down at the table.
"Why thank you. I've put a lot a lot of thought and effort into it." Roy smiled, proudly.
"I meant the coffee." Riza told him impassively as she averted her gaze, causing Roy's wall of confidence to crack just a little(not really). "You can actually make something, after all."
"I told you I'm not that bad in the kitchen. It just so happens that I'm better at other things. Besides, you always make me cups of coffee when I request it. I figured I'd at least repay you for one of those cups." Roy admitted, wanting her to know that she was appreciated by him.
Riza gave a small smile in response, undeniably charmed by the gesture. "Thank you, sir."
"I walked down the road to the market and got some groceries, since we're gonna be here for a week and all." Roy told her.
"I see." Riza mused.
"So are we gonna eat out again, or are we going to make something?" Roy inquired for Riza's thoughts.
"Did you get eggs?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Mayonnaise?"
"No... Why...?" Roy was confused.
"Go get it." Riza told him. "Salt, vinegar and mustard too, if they don't have any of that here. I'll make deviled eggs if you get the ingredients."
"Why not just scrambled eggs?" Roy asked, not wanting to go out again just to get some ingredients if he could help it. However, the expectant look on Riza's face made him give in. "Alright, I'm almost done with my coffee anyway. I'll be back in a little while. The eggs are in the fridge in case you want to go ahead and start boiling them."
In truth, Caspar's deviled eggs had given Riza the craving for more. She would have went to get the stuff herself, but she didn't know where the market was, so she figured it would just be more convenient for Roy to do it.
...
Edward woke up in cold sweats, gazing around the bedroom to notice that Riza and Roy had both already got up. He didn't really feel the greatest and his arm hurt like hell to move, but he forced himself to get up anyway, his hair unkempt and flowing down to his shoulders. He headed straight to the bathroom, deciding he didn't feel like bothering to change clothes for the time being.
Locking the door behind him, he slipped off his shirt. Blood had dried into the bandage wrap, sticking to his arm. Slowly, he began to pull it off, hissing as several of the cuts reopened. However, eventually he caved in and turned on the water, Running his arm underneath the sink, he was able to take it off easier.
He was never a fan of wearing bandage wrap for a long period of time, because it was uncomfortable, and irritated his cuts, causing them to itch even more than without it. He only wore the bandage wrap when there was an immediate need. Fortunately, the bleeding didn't appear to be that profuse at this point, so he figured it would be fine to go without it. He threw it in the trash, dabbing at the bleeding spots with some toilet paper until he figured it was calmed down enough. Afterwards, he slipped his shirt back on, before then stepping out of the bathroom.
It wasn't long after Riza had turned on the stove and started to boil the eggs that Edward came traipsing in.
"Good morning, Edward." Riza said.
"Mornin'..." Edward mumbled, sitting at the table, before realizing that he hadn't seen Roy yet that morning. "Where's Mustang...?"
"He's gone off to get some ingredients at a market that I asked him to get." Riza explained. "He should be back shortly. Feel free to help yourself to the coffee on the table in the meantime."
"Alright..." Edward looked down to see an empty cup on the table. "Is this cup clean?"
"Yes, the Colonel left that one there for you." Riza replied.
"Okay, thanks." Edward said, reaching out and grabbing the kettle to poor some of the coffee into the cup.
For a long time, the room was silent, as Riza occasionally got up to check the timer.
Finally about ten minutes later, Roy came in, holding some bags. "Alright, here's the stuff you asked for, dear."
"Thank you. Set them over there on the counter top, if you will." Riza said, getting up. After Roy did as asked, Riza got out the ingredients out of the bag, throwing the bag into the trash.
"Ah, Fullmetal, you're awake." Roy noted, noticing Edward sitting at the table.
"Mornin', Dad." Edward grinned. If he was gonna be stuck with playing the role for a week, he might as well have a little fun with it, or as much fun as he could have, all things considered. A small part of him felt a little pained a joking about it, however. He almost wished he could be saying it for real.
"Mornin', kid." Roy lightly ruffled his hair, giving a wry smirk. Edward couldn't deny that Roy's response brought him a little happiness, but also surprise.
"Everybody's really enjoying taking advantage of this family act." Riza mused, as she turned off the stove in response to the timer going off. Edward was unable to bring himself to say anything in response.
"I was initially prepared to choke Fullmetal when he volunteered us as husband and wife, but now I'm a little appreciative because I get to tease you all I want for a whole week." Roy smirked.
"Tease me too much and you're liable to get the boot." Riza said nonchalantly.
"Oh, come on, Elizabeth. You should try to loosen up a little. I wouldn't actually do anything to you..., unless you wanted me to, of course."
"Good, because I want you to help me prepare this food."
"Oh?" Roy rose an eyebrow. "And here I thought I was 'useless' in the kitchen?"
"If you can follow directions to go get things from the store, and were capable enough to make coffee, you should be fine."
Edward once again felt a certain happiness consuming him as he watched the two playfully banter. Down deep, he wanted it to stay this way, but knew it couldn't.
That's when he realized something.
"Wait, the Colonel made this?!" he exclaimed, surprised.
"Of course I did." Roy said, as a matter-of-factly.
"Well, that's surprising. I thought you'd blow up the kettle." Edward muttered, teasingly.
"Just shut up, I can do some things, okay?" Roy retorted, flustered, before turning back to Riza.
"So what do you need my help with?" he asked, after washing his hands. Edward smirked, choicefully not saying anything.
"I need you to find a bowl, a knife and two tea spoons", Riza told him, draining the hot water, refilling it with cold water several times.
Roy found what she needed, bringing it over as she was beginning to crack and peel the shells off of the eggs. She started putting the eggs onto a paper towel.
"Now I want you to get a teaspoon of vinegar, twelve teaspoons of mayonnaise, 1/8 a teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of mustard, and mix it all into the bowl." Riza said. At seeing the knife, Edward began to feel uncomfortable.
"Um..." he uttered, suddenly feeling like there was a lump in his throat.
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
Roy and Riza looked over at him as he spoke.
"Do you... Is there anything I can do to help?" Edward fumbled over his words, awkwardly. He scratched his arm sheepishly. After all the hospitality and kindness they had shown him, he couldn't just go without trying to repay at least some of it. "I don't feel really right doing nothing."
"Hm..., alright." Riza thought for a moment, her finger on her chin. "How about setting the table for us?"
"Sure thing." Edward smiled, as he got up. That's when he remembered how his mother used to have him and Alphonse do the same thing. Him and his brother would often argue over who did it, because the other one had to be the one who ended up doing the dishes. He had to admit he was kind of a brat back then, because he would sometimes blackmail or bribe Alphonse into washing the dishes for him.
Looking around, he finally realized where the plates were, but...
I can't reach it.
Immediately, Edward found himself cursing his height more than ever.
"Did you say twelve teaspoons of mayonnaise?" Roy asked.
"Yes." Riza answered.
"Okay, just making sure..." Roy said, a bit nervously, insecurity evident in his voice, both him and Riza oblivious to Edward's... dilemma.
Edward wanted to use his alchemy, but he knew it would attract attention, which was the last thing he wanted at the moment, and same thing with using a chair.
He refused to give Roy a reason to make fun of him for being short.
But what could he do?
There had to be some way he could get to the shelf.
Maybe...
Smirking, he got an idea. He jumped up and clung to the floor of the cabinet with his automail hand. He used his other hand to reach up and grab what he was looking for.
Hah. Piece of cake.
However, what he didn't foresee was...
CRACK
"Ack...!" Within an instant, the entire shelf bottom collapsed, sending both him and all the dishes topping to the ground. For a few seconds, the kitchen was filled with the sound of plates, bowls, and cups shattering as he shielded his head from the falling glassware.
"What in the...?" Roy uttered, looking up to see him surrounded by broken glass.
Immediately, he and Riza rushed over.
"What did you do?!" Roy demanded.
"I..." Edward couldn't bring himself to speak, realizing just how stupid and childish his reasoning would have sounded.
"Were you trying to reach the plates? Why didn't you just get a chair?" Riza asked.
"I guess I didn't think to..." Edward lied. In reality, he had wanted to prove that he didn't need height to do something like this. Of course, his pride had led him to a floor full of glass.
Roy suddenly stifled a laugh. "Oh, that figures. You were feeling inferior, weren't you? You wanted to prove that you could reach it on your own; that you didn't need to be tall to accomplish such a simple task, didn't you?"
Edward grew tense at being found out. His height wasn't only a simple tick, it was something that genuinely frustrated him, especially with all the pressure society put on men to be tall. It was like if you were short, you were nothing but a laughing stock, and he hated it. Not to mention all the limitations that came along with it.
Edward was taken aback when he felt a hand on his head as Roy gave a small sigh. "Being tall isn't all it's cracked up to be, kid."
"Yes," Riza interjected. "In some cases, being shorter can even be an advantage."
"Oh, yeah?" Edward pouted. "How so...?"
"For example, you would be a lot more nimble than Hawkeye or myself, simply because you're smaller. And you can fit through areas that we can't." Roy explained.
"But nobody takes you serious when you're short!" Edward retorted.
"Exactly," Roy said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's why you have the advantage. You're one of the talented alchemists out there, yet they won't even see it coming, which is why it makes it a lot easier to deceive your opponent and get them to let down their guard."
He then kneeled closer to whisper into his ear, pretending to avoid letting Riza hear him.
"Also, just between me and you, if you were a Colonel, you might even have less paperwork than me."
Edward couldn't help but smirk. "Thanks, but I'd rather avoid as much paperwork as possible all together if I can help it."
Roy smiled, unable to resist ruffling the boy's hair once again that morning. "Now, let's get this cleaned up so we can get back to making breakfast, alright?"
"Right." Edward nodded. Boy, was he glad he had alchemy and this was Roy and Riza. If it had been Izumi...
He practically shuttered at the thought.
...
"Here's the eggs." Riza said, placing the deviled eggs she and Roy had prepared on the table. "The Colonel can do something a little valuable in the kitchen after all." Edward teased. Roy had mixed the yolk in with the other ingredients, while Riza had refilled the eggs with the concoction.
"Quiet. I'm not the one going around breaking dishes, because I'm too stubborn to use a chair."
"At least I fixed them." Edward grumbled.
"What if you hadn't had alchemy? What would you do then?"
"Alright, boys. No more arguing. Eat." Riza scolded.
"Hey, why are you lumping me in with him? That's no way to treat your superior, Hawkeye...!" Roy muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Edward glared at Roy. However, before either of them could continue quarreling, a deviled egg had been shoved into their mouths by Riza.
"I said to eat."
"Fine..." Roy grumbled, mouth full.
"Woah, this is pretty good." Edward commented, chewing the egg. "Thanks, Hawkeye."
"I did help too, you know..." Roy mumbled, feeling a little dejected.
"Yes, you did. Good job, sir." Riza said, caving to his fantasies.
"Yeah, thanks, Colonel..." Edward added, surprising Roy, before grinning. "for trying."
...
"Are you trying to braid your hair?"
Edward looked up at Riza, who had noticed the frustrated look on his face as he was trying, once again, to gather his hair the way he needed it to be. He'd been through the same process multiple times, but couldn't seem to get the braid right no matter what he did. It was usually something Edward had Alphonse do for him, but since Alphonse wasn't there, he had no choice but to do it himself.
"Yeah, but I can't get it right..." Edward explained, miffed.
"I can do it for you, if you want." Riza offered, a bit amused.
"Well, are you sure...?" Edward murmured a bit uncertainly, not wanting to be any trouble. (Since when did he become like humble Alphonse?!)
"Please, I'd be glad to." Riza insisted. Doing hair was something she had some experience in and it was a rather enjoyable feat at times.
"Alright, thanks..." Edward turned away uncertainly, as she moved around to gather his hair into three even sections.
"It's no problem, really. Down the middle right?" Riza asked, giving a small smile.
"Yeah." Edward answered. Her fingers worked away at braiding his soft hair, bringing a tinge of warmth to his being.
After they finished, everybody soon left the house. Roy and Riza told Edward that he didn't have to come with them as long as he didn't leave the town, as well as warning him to use as little alchemy as possible, which worked out fine, because he wanted to explore some stuff on his own anyway.
However, he didn't get very far before something hard and heavy suddenly hit him in the back of the head. He cursed, rubbing at the spot in pain, when he looked down to see a rock.
"Hey!" He swiftly turned around to see a boy standing near a tree a little ways over, smirking mischievously at him. His medium length white hair glistened in the light, lightly blowing in the breeze, just as Edward's was. It only took a moment to recognize him as the same boy as he'd seen the night before.
It's him!
Within a second, the boy took off running.
"Get back here!" Edward shouted following behind him.
They darted in between and swerved around buildings, Edward calling after him the whole time. Eventually, the blonde was led into a field of flowers.
"I didn't want to do this if I could avoid it, but looks like you leave me no choice!" Edward clapped his hands together, quickly putting them to the ground. Within a few seconds, a fist made out of dirt formed and headed towards the white haired male.
However, he deftly moved out of the way, smirking at him again.
"An alchemist, huh?!" He sounded excited, running towards him faster than Edward could have anticipated. "What a coincidence. So am I!"
The boy clapped his hands, sending immediate warning signals off in Edward's mind. Placing his hand on the ground he created spikes, sending them hurdling in Edward's direction.
Edward quickly created a wall, shielding himself from the speleothems. Unfortunately, his defense only held up so long and as a result, gravel was thrown everywhere, a large rock soon hitting him in the stomach and causing him to fall back. He reached out, creating a spear just in the nick of time to thwart the boy's oncoming attack.
Spear met spear.
"Who are you?" Edward glared at him.
The boy slipped down to tower over Edward, slightly sitting on top of him.
"Hm... I don't really know if I want to tell you. How about you put away the weapon first, since we both know you're not going to kill me. And maybe then we'll talk." the boy's pink eyes dangerously narrowed at the blonde.
"I don't think so, pal. You're the one who started this fight by throwing that rock at me." Edward wasn't deterred at the slightest.
"Very well." The albino sighed. Within an instant, he managed to break Edward's spear, then putting the tip of his own to the blonde's throat.
"Now, it's not very dignified to ask for somebody else's identity without giving out your own first. So what's your name?"
Edward averted his gaze. "It's Alfred."
The boy could tell he was lying. "No, I meant your real name."
"Edward..." Edward muttered.
"Edward what?"
"Elric..."
"Wait, the Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist?" The boy's eyes widened, interest in him apparent on his face.
"Yeah, that's right. What of it?" Edward wasn't particularly in the mood to sing the glories of his fame at the moment.
"I've heard of you before, but where's your big brother; the guy in the suit of armor?" The boy inquired.
"That's none of your business, and for your information, he's my younger brother." Edward scowled.
"Oh?" The boy stifled a laugh. "How ironic."
"Yeah, whatever. Just shut up." Edward grumbled, glancing off to the side for a moment.
"My name is Kanon." The boy introduced himself at long last, as he got up, still not removing the spear from his neck.
"Do you have something against me? If I did anything to piss you off, then just tell me instead of throwing rocks at me." Edward said.
"Aww, it was only a little one. Surely, it didn't hurt that bad..." Kanon smirked. "Or is your level of tolerance just as small as your body?"
"Shut up, you're even shorter than I am!" Edward retorted. Screw Mustang's words. He was still pissed all the same.
"So?" Kanon shrugged, nonchalantly. "I couldn't care less about my height, but you..."
He snickered. "You have such a short fuse."
"You really like trodding on people's sore spots, don't you?!" Edward fumed. In that moment, he dared to reach up, knocking aside the spear, taking the moment as a opportunity to jump up. He threw a punch at Kanon, who edged back, catching his arm.
"Of course, it wouldn't be fun any other way." Kanon grinned. Before Edward could say anything further, he continued, noticing his automail. "Automail, huh? I can tell yours has some really nice craftsmanship. I almost envy you, but I think mine does the trick quite well."
He used a finger to pull his left sleeve back to reveal an automail arm of his own, the metal shining in the sunlight. The design wasn't anything overly fancy, but Kanon seemed quite content with it.
"Speaking of which, you didn't have to use a transmutation circle." Edward pointed out, throwing out a kick, causing Kanon to let go and jump back. Edward gave an all-knowing expression. "Mind telling me what that's about?"
For the briefest moment, there a was a flash of what appeared to be bitterness and regret in Kanon's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
"I'm sure you've already figured it out yourself, so there's no use hiding it." Kanon shrugged casually. "I'm the same as you, at least to a degree."
Their eyes met. "You treaded on forbidden ground and tried to bring somebody back to life. Let me guess. You lost a limb in trying to bring them back, and your brother lost his body, so in a desperate attempt to keep from losing him too, you sealed his soul to a suit of armor. Now you two are facing the consequences of your actions. Am I right?"
"You're pretty sharp with deduction, I'll give you that much." Edward said regrettably, before creating another spear and then advancing towards him.
"Well, I am good at putting rumors together and differentiating the truth from lies... Or more importantly..., filling in the blanks." Kanon explained, as he gracefully moved aside to avoid the oncoming slew of attacks. "You see... I love puzzles. Whether it be the puzzles you can buy at markets, or even the puzzles of life. How does it all tie together? What makes people into what they are? Why do people do the things they do? These are the kind of questions I constantly ask myself."
"From the sound of it, I highly doubt you do it out of a desire to actually help people." Not impressed by the philosophical babble, Edward gave his own input, before being kneed in the solar plexus by Kanon, causing him to fall, the wind knocked out of him. Even though Kanon was smaller than him, Edward hadn't managed to get a single hit on him. Maybe Roy was right after all. Not that Edward had really intentionally underestimated him or liked admitting it.
"You're right." Kanon admitted without shame, standing over him, as he proceeded to kick him in the face. "It's mere curiosity. I couldn't care less about the individuals themselves. A dead body could be lying right in front of me right now and it would just be another puzzle for me to solve."
Edward felt a chill go down his spine, beginning to feel sick to his stomach at hearing him. Kanon honestly sounded like some kind of psychopath. He couldn't even help but feel like he was the type of person that would shoot somebody in the face or torture them just to see their facial expressions.
"You're sick...," Edward choked out, scowling, creating a spike in the ground, forcing the other to back off. Kanon did a back flip, landing on his feet in a lithesome manner.
"Call it what you want. It makes no difference to me what you label as right or wrong. Society puts too much pressure on that crap, anyways." Kanon shrugged.
Before Edward could say anything, a voice shouted out catching their attention:
"Kanon...!" It was a girl with short brown hair. She wore a yellow kimono-style dress with a brown strip of fabric holding it together.
"Lana... What are you doing here?" Kanon asked, sounding uncharacteristically irritated.
"I was looking for you, because part of Remi's house collapsed, so we need your help... Hey, are you picking on people again?!" Lana demanded, putting her hands on her hips. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop?!"
"I was just having a little fun, sis, as I've told you every other time!" Kanon said, clearly not seeing his actions as wrong.
"A little fun, my ass. He busted me in the back of the head to pick a fight with me!" Edward retorted, after getting up.
Kanon sighed, shrugging nonchalantly. "And you were totally asking for it, so what's the problem?"
"I was not!" Edward stomped a foot down as he threw his spear at Kanon, scraping his cheek ever-so-slightly. Kanon caught the spear.
"Kanon, stop it!" Lana shouted.
"Fine, you win," Kanon smirked coyly, giving in, ignoring the blood dripping down his face. "but I do have one other thing to say."
Before Edward could defend himself, Kanon wisped him towards him by the flesh wrist. "Actually, two things. One, your secret about being Fullmetal is safe with me, and secondly..."
Edward's eyes widened, as the next words came out of his mouth:
"You know... You really should learn to hide your cuts better." Kanon whispered into his ear.
As Edward froze up, Kanon got off of him, letting go of his arm.
"Bye, now." Kanon smirked maliciously, as he walked off. "It's such a shame that I have to leave, though because I was really enjoying our little chat, dear Alfred."
Edward wanted to throw up after that. He couldn't bring himself to go after him and instead just stood there, rubbing his arm.
"I'm sorry if my brother caused you any trouble..." Lana said softly, walking over to him. Edward looked up to see Lana approaching him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her sky blue eyes meeting his golden ones.
"Yeah, I think so, but I have half-a-mind to sock him a good one if I see him again..." Edward muttered. "Is he always like that?"
"I'm afraid so..." Lana scratched the back of her head nervously. Her sleeves were incredible wide and even longer than her arms. She looked downcast. "Ever since our sister died, he changed... But I probably shouldn't be talking about this. Sorry."
"I see..." Edward looked down at hearing that, a pained look in his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if he could have turned out the same way if Alphonse had died.
Briefly, he recalled Riza's words from the day before, thinking back to Kanon's love for 'puzzles' and piecing things together:
"When we face painful experiences... We often try to rationalize them, whether or not there's a logical reason for it."
As much as it sickened him, it made him wonder if it was some twisted philosophy that had he started clinging to as a way to cope with everything he'd been through.
I can't think about this. There's no excuse for the way he acted.
He quickly forced himself to avoid thinking about it for the time being. He was still pissed off at the guy and that hadn't changed. Even so, Lana seemed to care about him.
"You should probably go after him in case he tries to start something with somebody else. I'll take care of returning the area to what it was before all of this."
"Right... Thank you. Sorry, again..." Lana smiled, running off after Kanon.
Edward was left staring after them, deep in thought, several questions lingering on his mind. Anger was consuming him.
"What's with that guy, anyway?" He muttered, but nobody heard him.
...
"Oh, they say a lot of bodies have been turning up in the forest lately..." Caspar said that evening.
"Is that so...?" Roy looked down at the corn on his plate, a melancholic expression on his face.
"Forest?" Riza inquired.
"Selbstmordwald..." Roy murmured.
Riza looked at him, confused.
"It's the name of it." Caspar explained. "And it has several other names too. 'The Silent Forest', 'The Crimson Forest', and... 'The Suicide Forest'..."
"I see." Riza understood the implication.
"People sometimes go there to kill themselves, but lately there have been more and more people coming here for that sole purpose, yet others suspect that's it's not just suicide. Some people are starting to suspect there being another party involved."
"They think it's murder?" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I don't really know what to believe myself, but I don't want to completely count out the possibility, you know?" Caspar said.
"It's probably better that you don't," Roy admitted. "It's smarter to be cautious about something like this."
Edward sat listening, but didn't say anything.
"Maybe, we should check into the rumors, to see how much base there is to them." Riza thought aloud.
"Yeah." Roy agreed.
"Well, whatever you do, try not to get yourselves killed." Caspar warned. "With all the antagonism between the military and citizens lately, it's been hectic enough, so to think there might be some crazy serial killer on the run that's this good at hiding his tracks... It's rather unnerving to say the least."
"I can only imagine, keep yourself safe too, Caspar..." Roy told him.
"I'll try. Also, I'll give you a ride again tonight if you want it." Caspar smiled lightly.
"Sure, we'd appreciate that." Roy said.
...
That night Edward lied in bed, thinking back to his unpleasant fight with Kanon.
Not only did he not have to clap, but his personality was incredibly unsettling. And then there was the murders.
Could Kanon... have been connected to it somehow?
He knew that it was terrible to jump to those kind of accusations, but even so, he couldn't help it.
He guessed he could only wait until he saw him again to get to bottom of the crap. He still didn't even know why the bastard had picked a fight with him in the first place.
...
A/N: The plot will begin to pick up in the next few chapters. Don't know how big the actual plot is going to be, but Mustang and Riza will soon begin to suspect that something's wrong with Edward. And still no Alphonse, I'm so sorry... :'( I hope this was satisfactory haha...