CHAPTER 8 WHAT'S COOKING AT HOME?
ED'S HOME
It was a gloomy day over at Resembool. The clouds were stratus in type, shielding the ground dwellers from the hot sun above. The winds were steady, yet calm as they shook the leaves of the trees that reigned over the rural landscape. The rain was absence and the thunderous booms could be heard from afar, but according to the forecast, Resembool would be spared of any danger. The place was relatively peaceful at the moment.
Some of the locals continued their outdoor chores while others stayed in the comfort of their homes. One such fellow was the younger elric brother, Alphonse, who did what he was told and remained in the cellar. His alchemically-designed quarters were now decorated with lit candles that hung on candle holders on each corner of the cell. A bookshelf, filled with various books mainly versed in alchemy, stood along one of the walls. A black punching bag hung at the center of the cell, swaying ever so slightly to the left and right. A small twin-sized bed laid opposite to the bookshelf, and in between two of the lit candles. It was where Al rested and relaxed, either to read one of his many books or groom the orange-colored cat.
Speaking of the cat, whose name is Gilbert, he would prance around the room and make messes everywhere from moldy hair balls to stinky urine and poop. Al would always have to clean up after him, and Pinako would occasionally bring down cooked meals for the little guy. But Gilbert usually ate from a specialized food bowl, which had his name engraved on it. It laid at the foot of the bed. The same bowl would be used for drinking water as well.
Al always enjoyed petting Gilbert, stroking his slick back, hearing him purr with delight; such scenes were adorable. Though Alphonse couldn't exactly feel Gilbert, it didn't bother him, much. As long as Gilbert purred with satisfaction, it made Al happy as well.
Even though the alchemic books were there to give the youngster a distraction, he couldn't help but be constantly reminded of his older brother. The mere fact that Edward was roaming out there in the unknown really worried Alphonse. He often regretted not going with his brother on his new journey, despite the stakes. He felt like a huge burden, unintentionally forcing his older brother to fix their mistake all by himself.
The incident with Shou Tucker and Sloth only served as a reminder of his childish naivety; he hated those memories. It embarrassed him, made him develop self-hatred for having put some trust in his enemies. It filled him with doubt, made him believe that the main reason his own brother abandoned him here was simply because of distrust. Alphonse didn't blame his brother if he felt that way, it was natural. He was literally walking deadweight that would get into trouble whether by choice or not. 'How can you trust a dog that can't obey orders properly?' Al thought to himself.
In some ways, he wished that certain memories were just fabrications from his mind, that the bloodshed and sacrifices that he witnessed were false. Maybe Barry The Chopper was onto something, he often thought. Sweet lies always tasted better than hard cold truths, and he had to embody those truths within truths; this was the price that he paid for setting out on this consequential journey with his brother, his equivalent exchange.
The bunker was a cold and empty place; The candle lights and the various other decorations livened up the room a little more, but that didn't erase what the bunker originally stood for, initially what it looked like. Though it was a hideout, it felt more like a jail cell, a time-out corner. What's more to learn?
A bunker below bunkers, a secret below secrets.
From time to time, Al would check on Pinako to get any updates regarding anything, especially Ed and/or Winry. The bunker stood 35 ft deep from the basement, both at which were connected by an elongated staircase. In this case, Al would hike slowly up the stairs until he got to the top, which housed a spot to plant a doorway with alchemy. This was how the bunker remained hidden from watchful eyes.
Pinako was cooking some steamed vegetables and fried chicken on the stove, enough food to last for several of days. All of her other house duties were finished for the day which gave her the time to cook. She stirred the vegetables in the pot, and hummed a calm tone all the while. She enjoyed her house chores to some extent, they relaxed her mind and old body. Winry hadn't come by yet, still hanging out with Sheska in a nearby town, both of which promised to return at the home the following night.
Pinako took a glance at the family photo of the Elrics, how happy they looked in the photo. The sight of such a photo always sparked a subtle, yet audible sigh from Pinako, how things have changed.
Her daydream was soon interrupted from the heavy clanking sounds that came with Al's footsteps. He approached the small elderly woman in the kitchen.
"Hey Pinako, did you get any letters from either Winry or brother?" Al asked sincerely.
"Hmmm I'm afraid not my boy, although Winry did call and said she's going to come over here tonight." Pinako said with a wrinkled old smile on her face.
Al's body moved with excitement "Really? That's nice to hear." Al said cheerfully.
"But in regards to your brother, I haven't heard from him since his departure. You'd think he would send a letter or call us by now, letting us know he's safe and all." Pinako said, looking somewhat worried and disappointed from the lack of communication.
"Oh . . ." Al said as he tilted his head downward, looking disappointed at the lack of updates as well.
"I sure hope he isn't fighting one of those so-called homunculi or into too much trouble, but who knows? You boys are always a magnet for trouble." Pinako stated, laughing a bit at her own joke.
Al didn't necessarily appreciate the laughter at a time like this, though he didn't display his offence outright, instead, whimpered a bit.
"But despite it all, Edward has matured over the years, I trust in his judgment to make the right choices, in order to see his family once again." Pinako added on, which made Al feel a little better about the situation.
"And, I also trust that you won't make any rash decisions either, now don't you dare try to go after him." Pinako demanded.
"Uh . . well I know that, but I'm really worried about him. He could be fighting one of the homunculi right now, and he might need my help!" Al pleaded passionately, truly worried about his brother and anxious of the possibilities.
"Were you even listening lad? You will not go after your brother, not like this." Pinako pointed out with an authoritative tone in her cranky voice.
"But he could be dead! Look, you've never faced or encountered a homunculus before, but we have, and they're no joke! They can and will kill anyone in an instant!" Al exclaimed, expressing his previous experiences with the creatures.
"I think you're underestimating your brother here. Have you ever thought that the boy would've come up with a strategy to counter them beforehand?" Pinako asked, really testing Alphonse faith.
"But-" Al started before getting cut off by Pinako's next sentence.
"Listen to me Alphonse. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be worried about Edward, but this excessive anxiety for your brother is having me worried, and I'm sure he wouldn't want that. He left you here knowing the consequences, and you cannot take that lightly. He's really doing you a favor; at least now, you don't have to worry about being targeted constantly because of the stone." Pinako finished before taking a quick smoke break from his pipe.
"I understand, but the more I think about, the more I feel guilty about it all. I feel like brother doesn't trust me anymore." Al admitted as his voice grew sadder in tone, and his red glowing eyes disappeared.
"Now why would you say that?" Pinako asked with a confused look on her face.
"Because I've done reckless things that could've put me and my brother in far greater danger than the norm, my actions could have costed us our lives!" Al stated with a sudden burst of energy, feeling quite passionate about his stance on the matter.
Pinako chuckled some more at Al's proposition.
"What's so funny about that?" Al asked, feeling a mixture of irritation and confusion.
"Here you are acting like this is the first time you boys have put yourselves in danger. You don't think Winry and I worry about you guys whenever y'all head out on the train? Off on another adventure? It was always tough to say farewell, knowing the possibility that you boys may not make it back home." Pinako reminded Al with a tinge of sadness in her voice as she spoke her truth.
Al calmed down, feeling bad for worrying those closest to him like that.
"But over time, I've learned that it's best for everyone's' well-being if you just have a little faith in those willing to take action."
Pinako clarified with a little more confidence.
Al lifted his head in response, not feeling that much better about Pinako's words.
"You say that your brother doesn't trust you now, because of the reckless mistakes you've made in the past, but It can go both ways as well." Pinako reassured him.
"I'm sorry, I'm not quite following . . . I mean sure, my brother has made plenty of mistakes in the past, but at least he's making up for them, right?" Al asked, showing some more interest in where the conversation could go.
"Yes that's true, and I'm sure you don't need a reminder of this lad, but you have to understand that you embody your brother's deepest of sins. Hurting a loved one, even if it was unintentional. At this moment, you've been made a desired target for the homunculi, and I believe that Ed can't forgive himself for bringing this type of danger on you." Pinako pointed out, taking a second to smoke some more from her tobacco pipe.
"That's why he feels he needs to do this alone to keep you out of harm's way, to redeem himself. You two are close brothers, do you really think that Edward would want you to beat on yourself, and shoulder all the blame for yalls losses?" Pinako asked as her eyes narrowed on Alphonse's metallic body.
Al gently nodded his head from side to side, "No . . . no he wouldn't" Al answered in as his somber voice echoed in his armor, and out into life.
Pinako hummed deeply as she nodded her head down, eyes closed for a moment. "It may not look it young man, but in spirit, you're growing into an adult. Being a responsible adult means learning from the past mistakes and attempting to correct them for a better future. An irresponsible adult would do the opposite; lacking any care in improving themself so that they might improve the lives of other folks closest to them. So, which one will you become? I wonder." Pinako worded curiously with a newly formed smile on her face.
Al started to feel emotionally better about his brother's choice. "Hehehe, you'll see." Al responded whimsically, knowing in his blood-sealed heart what his answer would be. Pinako chuckled as well.
"Sounds promising lad." Pinako finished as she walked back over to her cooking station. The vegetable pot started to boil, and the chicken changed from the raw pale color to a crisper brown color. The cooking process looked perfect as the outside clouds remained present in the light grayish sky.
"It's still too early to judge Ed's current situation at the moment, so give him some more time, to reassure us that he's safe and sound." Pinako added as she stirred the vegetables in the boiling pot of water, sprinkling bits of salt in the mix.
"You're right, thank you!" Al cheerfully said as he bowed slightly forward, paying his respects for the conversation.
"No problem Al, that's what family is for, right?" Pinako asked rhetorically.
"Yup." Al simply said.
"Oh yeah, Gilbert will have small portions of the meal ok?" Pinako remembered, reminding the armored boy.
"Ok!" Al quickly confirmed as he rushed back to his bunker to tell Gilbert of the news regarding dinner.
As Al entered his new home, he plopped onto his bed, sitting up right to invite the awake Gilbert onto his own lap. He stroked the slick orange fur of the feline with his dark gray gloves, the cat was delighted.
"Don't worry Gilbert, dinner will be ready soon, just you wait." Al reassured Gilbert; the cat seemed too careless about dinner, only enjoying the gentle touches of the armored giant, soon to fall asleep again.
ENVY'S HOME
The abandoned city that remained lifeless underneath Central stood completely still in the dark, frozen in time. The decrepit architecture looked warped and surreal, yet incredibly vast and immense. There were thousands of bats that slept quietly on the ceiling of the caved city, acting as bodyguards or alarms for intruders. The rats that scurried on the empty streets claimed the ghostly homes and buildings for themselves. The only human life that remained here resided in a grandiose ballroom with a glowing yellow interior and several rooms to go along with it.
The main room housed several sets of wooden tables and chairs on either side of the room. It stretched far in length and height with multiple arch-shaped openings on either side. The room, despite its inviting presentation, was empty at the moment; although there was a small wired radio on one of the tables, playing a soothing orchestral song with beautiful yet haunting vocals. The song echoed in the lifeless room, unattended and unappreciated.
In one of the far rooms to the left, Dante was grooming the hair of a traumatized Rose with a comb, and then with her hands. She licked her lips with her tongue as a faint blushed appeared on her face. She eyed her prize theorily
"Oh yes, pretty soon, you will be mine my dear, and life will be much better for us all, trust me." Dante whispered into Roses ear, though Rose didn't seem to register what was said, staring aimlessly at nothing with blank eyes.
Gluttony walked into the room with a lumpy index finger in his mouth, he looked rather innocent and sad.
"Lust! Master what happened to my Lust?!" Gluttony cried out, still constantly wondering what could've happened to his precious companion.
Dante sighed, as she's heard Gluttony's whimpering far too many times.
"How about this Gluttony, if you promise to stay quiet for a whole week, then I promise you that Lust will appear once again, but you have to be a good boy." Dante pleaded, giving Gluttony her fakest of smiles.
Rather then jumping for joy, Gluttony turned around and walked away whining with his finger still in his mouth. He was emotionally exhausted.
Dante exhaled, relieved that her little trick worked on the saddened dimwit. She immediately went back to what she was doing afterwards.
A few moments later, Pride showed up in the room with his hands behind his back, looking quite respectable. He bowed his body forward, paying his own respects to his master.
"Good afternoon, Master." Pride greeted in his usual voice.
"Greetings Pride, what's the latest report on your military venture?" Dante asked, still stroking the lush brown hair of Rose.
"Things are going as planned. The majority of my men are fighting a war against Drachma up in the north. And with the power of our phony philosopher stones in the possession of some of our best state alchemist up there, the drachmonian casualty count should be very high. With that type of manpower, there should be many surrenders, and prisoners of war. Perhaps, enough ingredients to make another real philosopher stone."
"Sounds very promising. Let's hope your ignorant soldiers don't catch on to the true purpose your war." Dante commented.
"There should be no problem, although, I do have some bad apples in the bunch. Roy Mustang in particular has been catching on to the ploy lately, and I imagine he's been spreading the word to his fellow colleague as well" Pride suspected.
"Well we can't have someone like that poking around in our affairs, now can we?" Dante asked, seemingly concerned with the matter.
Pride chuckled a bit to himself. "Not to worry. He can plot against me all he wants, but the truth is, he's never faced a homunculus before. He won't see what will hit him, but I'll wait for him to make his move; I don't want to ruin my reputation." Pride stated, feeling quite confident of himself to finish the job.
Dante laughed lightly in agreement. "Well then, I'll leave that up to you." She said.
Pride smiled as well. "Has Envy come back with the stone yet?" Pride asked, changing the subject to more important matters.
"Oh that? Envy hasn't shown up yet, and I don't see what's taking him so long, he's usually quicker than this." Dante confirmed with disappointment in her voice; she hummed quietly, looking elsewhere at the corner of the room. "I might have to punish him if he takes too much longer." Dante finished with a smirk as she directed her sight back to Pride.
Pride caught the the hint and smirked as well. "Perhaps, he's taking out his frustrations on some unlucky civilians, or it might be possible that he torturing the life out of Edward Elric as we speak. He did leave rather infuriated." Pride suggested.
"Hmm, for his sake, I hope you're right. After all, he's the only homunculus capable for this type of mission. Gluttony's too depressed about Lust to even care about eating, let alone the stone. And for the child, Wrath is simply too impulsive, yearning for his so-called mother, it's kinda adorable, yet pathetic." Dante reasoned as she waved a lock of hair from her face.
"Hehehe, both of my remaining brethren, out of commision because of feeble human emotions. It's a shame indeed, but I think we can give Envy some more time before resorting to any unnecessary actions. By the way, where is Wrath right now?" Pride asked.
"Oh him? He's up in his room, sobbing his eyes out like a fragile baby. Let's just say he's grounded at the moment. To be quite honest, he's been more of an annoyance than an asset to our group. If he keeps this up, I might have to send him back into the gate." Dante mentioned, still speaking in a calm demeanor.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'll trust in your judgment." Pride said as he bowed one last time before turning back the opposite direction. "I'll keep you updated if anything extraordinary happens; things are about to get more interesting." Pride mentioned.
"Oh Pride, before you go, have you been keeping the gift safe and secure?" Dante asked at the last second.
Pride turned his head. "Yes ma'am, I've kept it hidden from human eyes and hands. Only I know where it is." Pride answered.
"Wonderful. It's important that you don't lose it." Dante reminded Pride.
"Yes master." Pride finished, closing the door behind to leave the withering Dante by her lonesome.
Dante looked back at Rose's almost lifeless face. "I apologize for the delay Rose, we're having some difficulties with the preparations. After all, my son was always the headstrong type." She said.
CHAPTER 8 DONE
