The group was made aware of their arrival by a large crash that sent them all staggering. Under normal circumstances, all of them would have collided with the floor. Since the shed was so crowded, they just all fell against each other. Except for Armstrong, who fell against the wall because he was standing in the back.
"Isn't this cozy?" Lavi grinned at Winry, who had fallen against him. Winry giggled.
"For you, maybe," grumbled Kanda, who stood beside him.
"Alphonse! Please be careful!" Lenalee begged Al. Standing in front of Kanda, she tried to prevent Elicia from being squashed.
"Move, Tin Can!" Kanda shoved Alphonse somewhat (okay, very) rudely with the hilt of Mugen. At that moment, the shed gave a great lurch forward. The motion, combined with Kanda's shove, made Alphonse stagger forward. Of course, that also pushed Ed forward, and Ed pushed Allen forward. Allen was right against the door, and he fell against it. The door opened to reveal the very street the exorcists had entered the portal through. It was nighttime in Munich, and the street was not lit. After a while, everyone warily stepped out. As soon as the last person exited the portal, it vanished.
"I guess we're stuck," said Ed.
"Until we defeat the Earl," agreed Riza.
"We should go to Headquarters," decided Lenalee.
Allen looked around. "How exactly are we going to get there?"
"Sir Exorcists! You made it!" three men dressed in white appeared from behind a building to greet them. They were Finders for the Black Church. Allen examined them carefully, then nodded to show they were trust-worthy.
"There are many of you," a thin, blonde Finder noted.
"Some of the useless ones decided to tag along," Kanda glared at the Ed in particular. Ed made a face at him.
"How will we get to the Headquarters?" asked Armstrong.
"By train, of course. The last one should be arriving in 40 minutes," said a large Finder with red hair.
"Come on!" the third Finder, who was tall with dark hair motioned for everyone to follow him, and the group started running through the streets of Munich.
They eventually arrived at the train station. Soon after they arrived, their train also came. Everybody trooped in and found seats. The train departed. Alphonse received quite a few stares, but things went smoothly. Edward kept on looking around him curiously.
"What is it, Edomaru?" Lavi, who sat across from Ed inquired after he did that for about 20 minutes. He had decided to stop calling Ed the word he hated so much.
"It's strange. It's almost like we didn't leave Amestris at all," commented Ed. "Everything looks and sounds the same as back home. The train, the buildings, even the people. It's like we're in another version of Central in another dimension."
"I know what you mean," agreed Winry, who sat beside Lavi. "They have no clue we're not from this world. We don't stand out at all."
"Except for Alu-chan," Lavi teased good-naturedly.
"At least this train ride is better than the time Major Armstrong put me in the luggage section," sighed Al.
"What? Really?" Lavi turned to the seat behind him. "Is that true, Alex-kun?"
"Yes, because putting him in the luggage department was more inconspicuous," replied Armstrong.
"That, and cheaper," added Roy, who sat beside Riza across from Armstrong. "The pay for that train ride came out of my pocket, and money doesn't grow on trees."
"As you can see, Roy's cheap," commented Ed.
"And lazy, too," Jean Havoc added from beside Armstrong.
"I don't think Mr. Mustang is cheap," argued Allen, who was sitting across the aisle from Ed. "He gave us money for food and a hotel."
"You don't know lazy until you've met my brother," across from Allen, Lenalee laughed. Elicia was napping beside her, and Lenalee patted her head.
"She's right about that," agreed Kanda, who sat beside a window on Elicia's other side.
"So what exactly do exorcists do?" Sheska asked from her seat beside Allen.
"Well, we mostly battle akuma," said Lavi.
"We also go to investigate strange occurrences when our Finders can't," added Lenalee.
"When the Finders are too incompetent," corrected Kanda, who earned some glares from the trio of Finders sitting behind him. "Sometimes, we go on idiotic missions Komui Li assigns to us."
"And we fight the Earl," concluded Allen.
"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it," Lavi assured Sheska.
"Is Elicia going to have to fight?" asked Winry. "I mean, she's only a child."
"But she's compatible with Innocence. That's the only quality you need to become an exorcist. And the Black Church needs every exorcist it can get; young or old, eager or unwilling," said Lenalee. Her own induction to the church came back to her again, and her eyes darkened at the terrible memories. The rest of the train ride passed in silence.
When the arrived at their destination, everybody followed the Finders off. They had quite a bit of a walk before they finally reached Headquarters. Everybody had to enter from the front, but the useless Gate Guard let them in without any trouble. When they entered they building, Reever Wenhamm was waiting for them.
"Hi, I'm Squad Leader Reever Wenhamm," Reever smiled and shook hands with each of the Amestrians, who introduced themselves in turn. Reever took a careful look at them. "I thought there were only supposed to be four new exorcists?"
"There are," replied Lavi. "But some of the others wanted to come."
"Okay. You guys can leave," Reever told the Finders. They went off to their rooms. Reever turned to the rest. "Come with me to Komui's office. Allen, Lavi, Kanda and Lenalee, you come too."
The group obediently trailed after him. They walked through hallways and past many rooms, Reever giving them a small tour. They finally arrived in front of a large office. The door was open. Reever and the exorcists walked in without knocking, so everybody followed them. They all gasped at the state of the office. Paper and books were strewn everywhere. Roy's office at least implied that he was hardworking, while this man's office screamed procrastinator. The Amestrians were unsure where to step. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves were filled with every type of texts imaginable. Sheska's eyes sparkled behind her glasses. Reever and the exorcists confidently walked right over the documents, so they did the same. They walked up to a table, which was just as messy as the floor. A few documents had been shoved aside to make space for a man whose upper body was sprawled onto the desk. It was Komui Li, and he was sleeping.
"Head Officer Komui," Reever addressed the man. He kept on snoring. Allen, Kanda, Lenalee and Lavi all rolled their eyes.
"Head Officer Komui?" Reever tapped the man. "Head Officer Komui!" Reever smacked him on the side of his head. When he made no signs of waking up, Reever sighed and turned to the group. "Everybody, stand back."
"Why?" asked Winry.
"Just do it," Lavi guided her away from the slumbering man. Reever leaned over Komui and whispered three magic words.
"Lenalee's. Getting. Married."
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! LEEEEEEENAAAAAAALEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! DOOOOOOOOON'T LEEEEEAAAAAAAAAVE MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" Komui sat up straight and shrieked. His hand shot out as if reaching for her. But he failed to pull his sister from the evil clutches of her suitor. Unfortunately for Sheska, she had ignored Reever's warning, and was standing right in front of Komui. His fist connected with her left eye.
"OWW!" cried Sheska. Komui's outstretched fingers had sent her glasses flying, and his knuckles struck unprotected eye. She had been knocked off-balance, and she fell on her rear.
"Brother! What do you think you're doing?" scolded Lenalee, helping Sheska up.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Komui fully woke up. He walked over and lifted Sheska's chin up. He looked at her swollen eye. Sheska blushed. "That's going to bruise. Reever, get her some ice, will you?" Reever started to go. "Oh, and get me some coffee." Reever sighed, and walked towards the door.
"Um… do you mind getting my glasses, too?" requested Sheska. Reever sighed harder as he walked over, picked them up, walked back and handed them to her. Luckily, a pile of paper had broken their fall, and her glasses were not broken. He was about to complete his other tasks, when Komui stopped him again.
"Does anyone else want anything to drink?" asked Komui.
"Komui, the new exorcists have arrived! Please deal with them!" said Reever before making a beeline out of the office.
"Well, I'm Komui. I'm the Head of the Science Department at the Dark Religious Order. I'm also Lenalee's big brother. Welcome to the Black Church Headquarters," Komui smiled at them. The Amestrians introduced themselves. Komui looked closer at them. "I thought only the four exorcists were coming?"
"We decided to tag along," explained Winry.
"Which of you have Innocence?" asked Komui. Armstrong, Riza, Sheska and Winry, who was carrying Elicia all stepped forward.
"Okay. Please follow me. I need to introduce you to Hevlaska," Komui took Elicia from Winry. He walked to the door, and the new exorcists followed him. "The rest of you, please wait here."
"Where are we going?" asked Sheska.
"To Hevlaska. All new exorcists have to see her," replied Komui. The five of them stepped onto an open-roofed elevator. They traveled down a few floors before they came to a stop. They were surrounded by black. Armstrong, Riza and Sheska struggled to se.
"I've brought the new exorcists to see Hevlaska," Komui called into the darkness.
"New exorcists. Holy soldiers to fight against the darkness," a voice said from somewhere above.
"They will be judged," said another voice.
"The new exorcists." A figure loomed over Komui. It was blue and translucent, covered with tough armor. Riza guessed that was Hevlaska. She was huge. Armstrong thought she sort of resembled a dinosaur. Sheska took one look, let out a muffled shriek, and turned to walk away. Komui caught her wrist.
"I probably should've told you that Hevlaska has a scary face," Komui explained sheepishly.
"Do not be alarmed by my appearance. I am not your enemy. In fact, I am also an exorcist," Hevlaska assured them in her gentle, dreamy voice. "Who will be first?" Armstrong and Sheska looked at her reluctantly.
"I'll go," Riza finally volunteered.
"Very well." Hevlaska reached out her long tendrils and enveloped Riza. She picked up the First Lieutenant, and lifted her close to her face. Riza stared at Hevlaska fearlessly. Hevlaska pressed her lips down on Riza's forehead. "10 percent… 27 percent… 55 percent… 63 percent… 75 percent…81 percent. Exorcist Riza Hawkeye, your syncronization is 81 percent. Who is next?" She set Riza down.
Komui turned around. "Sheska, do you want to go?"
"Um… okay?" Sheska took a deep breath, and walked in front of Hevlaska. Hevlaska lifted Sheska up, and pressed her lips to her forehead.
"4 percent… 15 percent… 47 percent… 67 percent… 72 percent. Exorcist Sheska, your syncronization is 72 percent." Hevlaska set Sheska down. Komui patted her on the back. She picked Armstrong up, and did the same. "22 percent… 35 percent… 65 percent… 75 percent. Exorcist Alex Louis Armstrong, your syncronization is 75 percent."
"I guess Elicia is last," said Komui. He gently set her down on the ground. Elicia looked at Hevlaska with wide eyes. Hevlaska lifted her up.
"28 percent… 54 percent… 79 percent… 88 percent… 94 percent." There was a slight catch in Hevlaska's voice. Komui gasped. "Exorcist Elicia Hughes, your maximum syncronization is 94 percent." She set Elicia back down.
"What does that mean?" questioned Sheska.
"Your maximum synchronization determines how well you can activate your Innocence, and how strong your weapon is," explained Hevlaska. "Elicia's weapon seems to be parasitic. Her percentage is extremely high."
"Parasitic means part of one's body can be converted into a weapon, right?" Riza recalled Lenalee explaining this. She held up her gun. The Innocence flashed. "My Innocence is on my gun. Armstrong's is his gauntlet, and Sheska's is her book. What kind is Elicia's?"
"That was what I was hoping you could tell me. Did anybody see her use it?" asked Komui. All three shook their heads. "Such strength, and at such a young age. Very impressive." He looked back at Hevlaska. "You know of the urgent missions we have lined up. The more exorcists, the better. Can these exorcists work right away?"
"Exorcists Hawkeye and Armstrong seem to have very good control over their weapons," said Hevlaska. "They may go on the mission. However, make sure their teammates look after them. Exorcist Sheska still needs to train before she can take on missions. You must find out more about Exorcist Hughes' Innocence."
"Thank you." Komui and Hevlaska bowed at each other. Sheska, Riza and Armstrong saluted her. Hevlaska bowed towards them and slithered away.
"What is the mission, Head Officer Li?" inquired Riza.
"Ah, yes, the mission. I still need to explain it to Lenalee and the others. Let's go back to the office. Then, I can tell everyone." The elevator transported them back up to Komui's floor. He took Elicia's hand, and they all walked towards the office. However, the five of them stopped at the door. There was a fight going on inside.
"Don't you dare call me short!" screeched Edward. His right arm had Kanda in a headlock, and his left hand was pulling his long ponytail.
"Don't you dare touch my hair!" yelled Kanda. He had Mugen lifted up to Ed's shoulder, threatening to lop his automail arm off. His other hand was strangling Ed.
"Don't you dare ruin the best automail I ever made!" screamed Winry, attempting to bludgeon Kanda with her infamous wrench.
"Edward! Please calm down!"
"Don't you guys think you're over-reacting?"
"You're being so immature, Yu-chan!"
"If you don't quit, I'll burn both of you!"
"Winry! You're going to hurt someone!" Meanwhile, Lavi, Allen, Roy and Jean were trying in vain to pry Ed and Kanda apart while Alphonse restrained Winry.
"Um… Kanda?" Lenalee tried to catch her fellow exorcist's attention. Kanda ignored her and kept on sawing automail. "Ed?" Lenalee tried to speak to Edward, who kept on pulling hair. "Don't you think you should stop?"
An anger vein on her forehead grew bigger and bigger. Finally, she had enough. Lenalee grabbed a wooden clipboard off her brother's desk. She hopped onto the nearest chair and took a deep breath.
"STOP FIGHTING OR I'LL HURT YOU!!!" yelled Lenalee.
The volume caused a few books to topple off Komui's desk, and everyone's hair to fly straight up. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to look in her direction. Lenalee's usually gentle face was now a mask of fury. She brandished the clipboard like a shuriken, and whipped it at them. Kanda winced and ducked, recalling the effects of wood on skull when it was in Lenalee's hands. Ed also winced and ducked, her expression reminding him of Winry right before she pulverized him with a wrench. Both let go of each other. Winry quickly calmed down after she realized her masterpiece was no longer in danger. The clipboard soared above them all and bounced harmlessly off the bookshelf.
"Lenalee! Where did you learn that?" Komui walked into the room, grinning broadly at the knowledge that Lenalee now knew how to protect herself from rapists. "What happened, anyway?"
"Ed asked Kanda if his hair was too long to be battling with. Kanda made a comment about Ed's height. And, well, here we are," Lenalee shrugged. "How did it go?"
"Fine," replied Komui.
"So what's the mission, Head Officer?" Riza didn't want to waste any time.
"Okay, everybody, gather around," said Komui. Everybody trooped over to where he was standing. "Recently, Exorcist General Kevin Yeegar was fatally wounded. We found him hanging-"
"Are you sure we need to hear?" Winry quickly walked over to Elicia and covered her ears.
"What's the mission?" Lenalee nodded approvingly at Winry's efforts to keep the story PG.
"I'm getting there. Anyways, it turns out that whoever hurt General Yeegar was after the Heart of the Innocence. The murder attempt broke General Yeegar's nerves, and his last breath was spent singing about the Innocence. He died shortly after. Now, I believe it is necessary to take immediate action to protect the heart," explained Komui.
"What's the Heart of the Innocence?" asked Riza.
"It is sort of like the most important unit of Innocence. If it is destroyed, none of the other units will function. If it is destroyed, there will be nothing left to protect mankind," Komui's eyes trained on each exorcist seriously. "Because it is so important, we believe one of the other Exorcist Generals hold it. We don't know for sure who has it, but we're not taking chances. Each of you will be assigned to protect one of them."
"Head Officer!" Reever entered the room. Two more exorcists followed him. One of them was Bookman, and the other was a burly man with dark hair pulled up into a topknot. Reever and the burly exorcist both held black robes in their arms.
"Oh, did you bring me my coffee?" asked Komui. Reever sweatdropped.
"No. I brought some exorcist robes, and the remaining exorcists," said Reever. "Daisya Barry was supposed to join Tiedoll's team, but he said you told him he could leave? He left with Sokaro's team."
"That's right. We have more exorcists, so I decided Sokaro's team could use one more person," nodded Komui. He turned to Kanda. "Kanda, will you bring me the clipboard Lenalee almost sliced you in half with?" Kanda muttered something very rude, but went and retrieved it. When Komui got it, he consulted the list. "Ah, yes. Yu Kanda and Noise Marie, you will be part of the group that protects General Tiedoll. He will be fairly easy to track, so I'll assign Riza and Alex to your team. Noise, meet your teammates Riza Hawkeye and Alex Louis Armstrong." Riza and Armstrong shook hands with the burly man.
"Wait a second! Why are the newbies are joining the mission?" complained Kanda. "First Beansprout, now Hawkeye and Major Clean. Why do I always have to take care of the rookies?"
"I was a sniper during the Ishbalan War. I am very capable with a gun, and quite capable of using my weapon. I don't need to be 'taken care of'," Riza was appalled by the fact the Kanda thought he had to look out for her.
"The way of the fist has been passed down many generations of Armstrongs! I am capable with my weapon as well!" announced Armstrong. To show that he wasn't a weakling that needed taking care of, he ripped off his shirt and flexed, displaying all his muscles. Everyone sweatdropped.
"That's right, your exorcist robes!" Komui took one from Reever's armful. He held it out, and looked at it. He looked at Sheska, and smiled. "Here, this one's for you." Sheska took it. Lenalee helped her put it on. Komui gave her a thumbs up. "Perfect fit!" Riza was also given a robe, which she exchanged her army jacket for. After some trouble, Armstrong also found one. Komui and Reever decided that Elicia's robe could wait.
"I have a question," said Jean. He glanced at Lenalee. "Since, um, Riza and Sheska are female exorcists, do they get the same… skirt?" a trickle of blood dripped down his nose.
"It's not mandatory. They can choose to wear pants," replied Reever.
"And I will," agreed Riza, glaring at Jean. Roy smacked him on the head.
"Anyways, on with the list. There are only 4 Generals left, which means that Allen, Lenalee, Lavi and Bookman will be looking for… Exorcist General Cross Marian," Komui looked up at everyone. "Any questions?"
"How long will the mission be?" asked Roy.
"I don't know. It depends on how long it takes to track them, and so on," replied Komui.
"I want to go," said Roy.
"What? You can't."
"I want to go. I want to go with Riza," Roy told him firmly. "She has been supporting me for a long time. It's my turn to support her."
"But… it'll be dangerous…" protested Reever.
"I don't care," Roy stated stubbornly.
Komui sighed. "Since you seem quite strong and capable, I'll give you a position as a Finder. Roy, you will go with Froi's group. Now all of you go with Reever to get the rest of your uniforms. You leave first thing tomorrow." Everyone said their good-nights, and left. Ed and Al were assigned a room next to Allen's. They walked the whole way in silence. Edward stopped Allen right before he turned into his room.
"Allen, remember what you told us earlier?" asked Ed. "About how you experienced what we did? What did you mean? And how did you know?"
"Well, you told us how a homunculus was made. You also told me that Ed lost his limbs in an alchemy accident, and that he had prosthetic limbs called automail. Roy later told us your mother was deceased," said Allen. "When I saw you with the homunculus Sloth, and I sort of pieced everything together." Allen looked at them. "You tried to bring your mother back, and Ed's arm and leg was taking away, right?"
"Yeah. But that's not all that was lost," said Ed.
"You must wonder why I always have to wear this suit of armour, right? Well, it's because I have to." Alphonse lifted his head off. Allen gasped. Al and Edward told him the whole story.
"We're trying to get back what we lost. What we lost by making terrible mistakes. And we want to atone for our sins. We want to fix our mistakes," Ed looked down at his feet. "Allen, you said our situations aren't so different. Did you try to bring someone back?"
"Yeah, a long time ago. His name was Mana. He was my father," Allen told them his story.
"We're really similar, Allen," Ed smiled. "We were both driven to do forbidden deeds by our grief. We both failed what we envisioned. We both miraculously survived. And we're both making up for it."
"The same story, in different worlds," Allen smiled as well. "We've both gained something powerful from our mistakes. And we supposedly even look alike!"
"You know, I don't really want to stay here, at HQ. We won't be of much use around Headquarters. And if we venture out into the world, we may even find what we're looking for," mused Ed.
"Maybe we should go with you," suggested Al. "I've never met someone whose circumstances are so similar to ours. Maybe we should stick together."
"Yeah!" Ed grew excited. "I'm sure we'll find the Philosopher's Stone in the process!"
"Let's do it!" Al shared his brother's excitement.
"But guys… it'll be really dangerous. You don't know Cross Marian. We'll probably be searching for months before we even find our first clue," Allen wasn't so sure.
"Who cares! It'll go faster with more people!" Ed and Al each took Allen by an arm and dragged him out of his room. "Let's go tell Komui that we're going, too!"
--------------
"I'm not wearing this," Ed told Komui flatly as he held a white Finder uniform in front of him.
"Come on, Ed. Don't be a baby," said Roy, adjusting his backpack. He was all zipped up in his own uniform.
"You have to," said Reever.
"Edward! Just put it on so we can leave!" snapped Lavi. "It's not that bad!"
"Easy for you to say. You get a nice, warm jacket while I get… this." Edward made a face at the suit.
"Tsk. Finders should know their place," Kanda glared at him.
"What are you implying?" Ed growled.
"Ed, it's not that bad," Komui told him. "All the other Finders wear it. Even Roy is wearing it."
"How come Alphonse doesn't have to?" demanded Ed.
"I think you can answer that question yourself," Kanda sneered at Al's giant body.
"Okay, we're ready." Riza and Armstrong entered the hall, fully clad in exorcist garb.
"I'll show you where you'll leave," offered Reever.
"Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! I am so happy to be able to help!" Armstrong enveloped Komui in a bone-crushing hug.
"Take care," Sheska told them.
"You too. Don't get into too much trouble," Riza looked at Ed in particular.
"Whatever. Bye," Ed rolled his eyes.
"Good-bye!" Everybody else said their good-byes. Riza, Roy, Noise, Armstrong and Kanda followed Reever to their exit.
"Look, brother! Everybody else left! Please just put it on!" pleaded Alphonse.
"You can even wear your old jacket over it," suggested Komui. Edward sighed. He nodded reluctantly.
"Great! Lavi and Allen, you guys help him," commanded Komui.
"I don't need any help," grumbled Edward. They trooped off towards one of the bathrooms. When they got back, Ed was grimacing at his outfit. He had buttoned his red jacket up quite tightly. His legs were clad in poofy white pants and boots. Lavi retrieved the phone, and strapped it on Ed's back while Komui strapped another phone on Alphonse's.
"You look good," Lenalee smiled encouragingly.
"Liar," muttered Ed.
"Everyone ready?" asked Komui. The exorcists and Finders nodded in unison and lined up in front of him. "You all know that you will be looking for Cross Marian. This mission will be the hardest of all. Cross is very evasive, and dislikes Headquarters. The only contact we've had from him over the last few years is the letter he sent to introduce Allen. All of the other Generals send their expense bills to the Headquarters, which helps us pinpoint their locations. However, Cross does not use the Order's money."
"That's right… he borrows it…" Allen sweatdropped, remembering how he often had to repay the people Cross owed money to.
"Timcanpy will be useful in tracking Cross down," Komui indicated to them golem perched on Allen's head. He looked at Ed and Al. "According to Allen, Cross was last seen in India. That's all the way across the world, in another continent. This will be a dangerous mission. I realize that you have talent, but let the exorcists handle the akuma, okay? Exorcists, I expect you to look out for the Finders."
"Okay," everybody nodded.
"One more thing. I told Riza, Alex and Roy earlier. The Commanders at the Black Order know about where you come from. But we don't want the information to leak out of the Black Order. So keep quiet about Amestris and alchemy. I don't even recommend telling the other Finders and exorcists about this. If anyone asks, you're all from Munich, and we discovered you we Allen and the others went to investigate the portal," said Komui.
"Understood," everybody agreed. Reever returned.
"They're gone. Are you ready?" he asked the others. Everybody nodded. "Say your good-byes."
"Edward. Don't you dare ruin the best automail I ever made!" Winry took Ed's arm and shook it menacingly. She turned to Lavi and smiled sweetly at him. "Take care, Lavi-kun!"
"Please be careful," added Sheska.
"Don't do anything stupid," agreed Jean.
"Good luck," said Komui.
"Thanks!" Allen smiled. "Bye!"
"See you soon, I hope!" Lenalee grinned.
"Bye, Lena-chan!" Elicia piped up. "Bye everyone!"
"Bye!" Ed, Lavi, Alphonse, Allen and Lenalee waved. Bookman walked down the hall, and the teenagers followed him. Komui turned back when they went out of sight.
"The four of you can go get some breakfast," said Komui. "I have some work to do. Come see me when you're done. Reever, please show them to the cafeteria."
Reever, Jean, Sheska, Winry and Elicia all traveled down the elevator and to the cafeteria. Reever told them he also had to work, and left them at the door. The four of them walked into the cafeteria. There was no line, so they walked directly to the booth.
"My! Haven't seen you here before! You must be new!" a large, muscular Indian man with dreads stood behind the booth. He smiled at them. "Aren't you a good-looking bunch?" he caught sight of Elicia, and squealed. "Oh my goodness! What a sweetie pie! What's your name, darling?"
"'Licia Hughes," replied Elicia, giving him a big grin that made him squeal louder.
"Well, my name is Jeryy. What's your name, sir?" Jeryy turned his million-watt-smile towards Jean.
"Uh… Jean Havoc…" Jean felt a little creeped out.
"Well, what would you like today, Jean?" asked Jeryy. "I'll make you anything you want."
The group received their food. They walked towards a table, noticing how Jeryy had conveniently ignored Winry and Sheska. They sat down in an almost-empty one. Jean and Sheska sat across from Winry and Elicia. Winry had taken a seat beside a thin, mournful-looking woman with brown hair. Her eyes seemed to be dodging everybody else, and she looked down at her half-empty plate when they sat down
"So what do you think so far?" asked Jean. He pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it into his mouth. He lit it, and inhaled deeply.
"Edward and the others left so fast," observed Winry.
"I know. I feel sort of bad that I have to stay here while they fight. It kind of makes me feel… useless," admitted Sheska. The brown-haired woman's ears perked up at the word she was very familiar with.
"Don't worry, Sheska. Just a little bit of training, and you'll be fine," Winry assured her. "So, what do you think of the people?"
"Jeryy scares me!" announced Jean.
"I think… Komui's kind of cute," Sheska blushed.
"He reminds me of Mr. Hughes," said Winry. "Reever reminds me of you, Jean."
"That Bookman guy is sort of creepy. I wonder if that's his real name?" wondered Jean.
"Noise Marie is like a non-hyper version of Armstrong!" laughed Winry.
"I really hope I can join them soon," said Sheska. "I really want to keep this job. I hope I don't get fired like my other jobs."
"Well, the job with Mr. Hughes wasn't your fault," Winry comforted her.
"Yeah, but the job before? I really loved that one, but I felt so bad that I lost it for such a stupid reason," sighed Sheska. "I've actually lost a lot of jobs for the same reason." The brown-haired woman looked up. Losing jobs was her area of expertise.
"Oh, is my smoke bothering you?" asked Jean. Now that he'd gotten a clear look at her face, he noticed that she wasn't as old as he thought. She was perhaps in her mid-twenties, as old as he was. She was also rather pretty, with dark, haunting eyes.
"Oh… no. It's not. I'm sorry," the woman ducked down again.
"My name's Winry Rockbell," Winry smiled and offered her hand. "My friends and I just got here yesterday. How long have you been here?"
"I'm Miranda Lotto," said the woman, weakly shaking Winry's hand. "I'm new as well."
"Jean Havoc," Jean shook her hand next. "You know, you can tell me if my smoking is bothering you."
"Really, it's fine. I'm sorry."
"Sheska. I'm an exorcist. But as I'm sure you've heard, I'm still too weak to go on missions," Sheska shook hands with Miranda and grinned sheepishly.
"I also possess Innocence. I am still training as well," admitted Sheska.
"This is Elicia," Winry introduced her. "She's an exorcist, too, but she's only five."
"Only five!" Miranda's eyes grew wider. She quickly looked down, apologetic for her outburst. "I'm sorry. I know age has nothing to do with Innocence."
"So where are you from?" inquired Winry.
"Germany," replied Miranda. "A pair of young exorcists named Allen Walker and Lenalee Li discovered me."
"I know Allen and Lenalee," said Jean. "They just left for a mission this morning."
"What's your weapon?" asked Sheska.
"It involves time."
"Sheska's weapon's a book. We don't know Elicia's yet," said Winry. "Two of our other friends who are new exorcists have a gun Innocence and a gauntlet one. They're on missions right now."
"Three of our friends became Finders. Two of them left with Allen's group, and one left with Kanda's," added Jean.
"So you're also an exorcist that could take part in the mission?" asked Sheska, feeling slightly better about her position.
"Yes. I am too weak and useless," sighed Miranda. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, don't say that!" urged Winry. "Where's your self-esteem?"
"But it's true. I've been fired a hundred times because of my uselessness," Miranda sighed harder. She finished the last of her breakfast. "Please excuse me. I must go. I promised Head Officer Li that I would see him after breakfast. I'm sorry."
"Oh, us too," said Winry.
"Do you think you could wait for us?" asked Sheska. "We don't really know our way around."
Miranda agreed. They left the cafeteria together after everyone was done eating. Winry held Elicia's hand as they traveled up the floors. They reached Komui's office, and walked in. Komui was sprawled across his desk, snoring.
"Head Officer Komui?" Winry tried to get his attention. Komui kept on snoring.
"Head Officer!" Jean walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. No results.
"Head Officer Komui, please wake up!" Winry also walked up to him and talked into his ear. Zip. Reever tugged on his hair. Zero. Winry tried pulling his eyelids open. Nada. Everyone looked around. Reever was nowhere in sight.
"You know… there's one other way to wake him up," said Jean.
"No way!" protested Sheska, remembering what had happened last time. Her eye was still a little sore.
"It's the only way. This time, just stand a little further away?" suggested Winry.
"This is ridiculous! Head Officer Komui!" Sheska marched up to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder, and shook him violently. And, miraculously… Komui woke up!
"Oh, hi!" Komui sat up and straightened his glasses. He surveyed the room. "Miranda, you're here as well. Sheska, this is Miranda, a fellow exorcist."
"We've met," said Sheska, smiling at Miranda.
"Since you're both currently training, I thought maybe you two can train together," suggested Komui. "We're rather short on exorcists, so the sooner you can go on missions, the better."
"We understand," Sheska and Miranda chorused.
"Good. I made a training schedule for you… somewhere…" Komui overturned a few pieces of paper he had been sleeping on top of. None of them was the schedule. He grinned sheepishly and held up a finger. "One second." Komui began pawing through the piles of paper crowding his desk. Everybody sweatdropped.
"Incoming, supervisor!" Reever entered the room with his arms full of papers.
"Reever, have you seen the schedule I made for Miranda and Sheska?" Komui looked up from his digging. There was an ink smudge on the tip of his nose.
"No, sorry."
"That's okay," Komui straightened up. "Why don't you take them down to the training room Miranda was using? Might as well as get started without the schedule. I want them to have some battling experience as soon as possible."
No sooner were the words out of Komui's mouth, when the glass in the windows shattered. Everybody ducked. When they looked up, they saw four gigantic metal spheres enter violently through the walls. Each had a mask of a sorrowful face embedded into its body. They had cannons for arms, and darkness for fuel. They were creatures neither Winry nor Jean ever wanted to see again.
"How did they break through?" demanded Reever.
"It doesn't matter!" replied Komui. He turned to Jean and Winry. "They're still Level Ones, but they're dangerous! Run for cover!" Jean picked Elicia up, and he and Winry stood at attention, ready to dodge bullets.
"Head Officer Komui? Should we fight them?" asked Sheska uncertainly. Miranda shuddered at the thought.
"Yeah. You're the only exorcists here," Komui rested his hand on Sheska's shoulder. "We're counting on you."
Sheska and Miranda turned and walked towards the akuma. They faced the akuma with their weapons in hand.