Nevermore Sister

A Lead to Nowhere

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The trip to Lior was quick. Ed kept looking at the paper Pinako gave to him, sharing the information with Al when they go to the station. They had no leads save for the tattoo. The only way to find this girl seemed to be that Ed would have to lift the shirt of every woman in the city.

Not a good idea. He wants to die as an old man. No need to hurry it up.

"Damn it! Where the hell are we supposed to start?"

The brothers were walking down the main road heading towards the shops and stores for the city. Ed watched as the busy street over flooded with people. He mostly watched each of the women who walked by and thinking any one of them could be the female they were seeking.

"Why don't we stop at a vendor and ask if they know the name?" Al asked. Ed stopped short and huffed.

"I knew that."

Al sweatdropped. His brother was being arrogant again. All he could do was sigh and follow his brother over to a produce vendor.

Ed tried to get the man's attention. But for some reason, the vendor wasn't paying attention.

"Hey! Hello! I'm over here!"

The man finally looked over the pile of fruits and vegetables and smiled down at the blonde. He was a very nice man, though he was kind of scary in a twisted sort of way. He looked dirty.

"I'm sorry, son," he said. "I didn't see you down there."

Uh oh…

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT A TOMATO SEED WOULD CRUSH HIM?"

Ed was trying furiously to pound the man into the ground. Al had to lock him in his armor until he calmed down. While Ed pounded on the inside of Al's armor, Al decided to ask the man.

"I apologize about my brother," he said. "He's sensitive about his height."

"I'M NOT SHORT!" Ed cried from inside the armor, his voice echoing.

"No problem. What can I get for you? The strawberries I have today are fresh picked."

"Oh, no thank you. We just wondered if there was a woman named Skye Elric living here."

"No… can't say I know anyone by that name," he said after thinking about it.

"You know, try asking Bernie. He knows everyone in this city."

"Who's Bernie?" Ed asked from inside the armor. The tone of his voice was still angered.

"Bernie is the owner of the Sandy Tavern," the man said. "He knows everyone who's ever been in that place ever since he opened it. He knows even people who have been there for two minutes. If you're looking for someone, ask Bernie."

"Thank you sir," Al said bowing slightly. The two heard a clunk in the armor and Ed's growl of pain and anger.

"Damn it Al!" he said. "That hurt!"

"Sorry Nii-san," Al said as he began walking in the direction that the vendor directed him in. Once Al deemed it safe enough to let his brother out, he did so.

"Never do that to me again Al," Ed said as he took the lead towards the tavern.

"I did what I had to do to keep you out of trouble."

Ed only huffed and fixed his eyes on the sign to the tavern. He and Al walked up to the doors and opened them. They walked into the building and took a seat at the counter. Ed and Al looked around the dim lit room, seeing that the blinds were closed to keep the sun out. Candles and oil lamps were the only source of light in the place and most of it was packed.

The men at a near by table were having an arm wrestling match and Ed quickly remembered when he met Paninya in Rush Valley. He was still pissed that Winry had her steal his watch. He turned his attention to a well-built man with light brown hair. He noticed them and walked over with a smile.

"I need to see some ID before you can have anything here," he said.

"I'm here for information," Ed said. "I need to see Bernie."

"What do you need?"

"Get Bernie and I'll tell him."

"I am Bernie."

"…"

"Not what you were expecting, huh?" Ed and Al shook their heads.

"I get that a lot. I look young for my age."

"So, if you're the Bernie who knows everyone, can you tell me if a Sky Elric lives here?"

Bernie rubbed his chin as he gazed up at the ceiling in thought. He took his sweet time in coming up with an answer, and Ed was getting impatient.

"She doesn't live here. She came in one night about eight months ago. She was trashed."

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

"She looked like she was about to die. She came in, drenched because of the rain. She sat down, showed me her ID and ordered the strongest stuff I had. One half ounce would make an entire heard of cows drunk for weeks. She downed about a cup worth and wasn't close to being affected the way she should have.

"I asked her why she was so down and she said something about her not existing or not wanting to exist or something of the sort. Poor girl was a mess. I suggested that she go home but she told me that she had no home. She mentioned something about two younger brothers who don't know about her existence before she up and left.

"That's all I can give ya. Haven't seen her since."

Ed thanked the man as he scribbled the information down on the paper he got from Pinako and he and Al took their leave.

Once outside, Ed punched a nearby wooden pole that was in the ground, causing it to fall in a mess of splinters.

Ed Elric was pushed back a hundred paces and he didn't even have a good lead to begin with. There goes the rest of his vacation…

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A/N: Well, there you have it. I'll get the next chapter up soon. I promise. Right now, please review the two chapters and tell me how I'm doing! I want to know if I suck or not!