"Hey guys come 'round back cuz you've got to see this!"
Brody grabbed Chanty's arm and pulled him to the backyard.
"Just wait till you see it! It is so cool!"
The trio was glad a bit of happiness had made its home here since it would probably get kicked out after the message had been delivered.
"Is everyone else in the backyard already?" Al asked.
"Yeah, we've all been itching for you to come so we could show you."
They rounded the last corner.
"TA DA!"
"Oh you have got to be kidding."
Taking up nearly the entire backyard was a pool of water the size of a small lake.
"Where and how did this get here!" Ed blurted.
"Lame found it." Annie said. "Horse instinct I guess. He said he felt something beneath his feet so we started digging. Much to Clen's dislike a spew of water got him in the face."
"KUN!" Dixie pointed at him and laughed.
"Turns out it was an untapped underground spring and after a bit of digging and some alchemy work on Mark's part we made this big hole to serve as a pool." Ren said.
"There's a deep and shallow end and if you look in the middle you can see where the water is bubbling from." Brody said and pointed to the center. "And the bottom is all sand so it's like being at the beach!"
"CLEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
Clen froze, face close to the pool and tongue trying to lap up the water before he was caught.
"What?"
"Get your tongue out of the water." Luke ordered.
"Why? It's clean."
"The water may be but your tongue isn't. If you're going to drink out of it use a cup or something not your tongue! That's just gross knowing other people are going to swim in it."
"Kun."
Dixie came from the house carrying a metal bucket, filled it with the spring water and started slurping out of it.
"See? A six year old has more manners than you."
"Lets keep some of the water." Lucus suggested. "Get a few buckets or barrels and fill 'em up before we get our bodies in it."
Splash!
Dixie decided that she wasn't thirsty and dumped the bucket over her head.
"She's so adorable." Annie giggled.
"We actually gonna get in or are we just going to talk and sweat?" Lame asked showing signs of impatience.
"What about you three?" Mark asked Ed, Al and Chanty.
"Are you kidding? You bet I'm in!" Ed jumped excitedly.
"Um, No thanks, you guys go ahead." Al said shakily.
"All right! Lets ride the waves!" Lucus yelled.
"What do you mean by that?" Luke asked. "You get seasick in the bathtub I can't imagine what will happen to you in here."
After a short brotherly fight everyone was in the water, jumping, screaming, splashing and having a great time. Even Gox got in after sitting on the edge and dragging Dixie back and forth with the foot she'd grabbed onto. Al sat in the grass and thought how cool it would be for Winry to join in on the fun but she'd probably forbid Ed to get in just in case it would damage his automail. Well, if it did it would be his own fault if he gets another wrench chucked at him.
The guess was cold water did something to the glowing whatever on Ren's back cuz it kept blinking.
"We need to do this at night then that'd be really cool." Ed laughed before jumping in. (I'm sure all you Ed fangirls are having fun imagining him in a swimsuit and no shirt)
"Shut up."
Once Ed surfaced Ren splashed him in the face. That started a splash fight between the two of them, then they got Lame who joined in so there was so much water the three of them couldn't be seen.
Annie thought about joining in but her eyes had somehow become magnetized to Chanticleers bare chest and how hot he looked with his wet hair plastered to his face.
He and Brody were doing something strange with the water. With cupped hands they'd throw the water in the air and before it came out of its big droplet form they'd smack it so hundreds of little droplets splattered everywhere. She tried doing that but only succeeded in getting little droplets to begin with.
"Need a little help there?"
Annie jumped when she realized it was Chanticleer who addressed her.
"Well, I was curious as to how you did that."
"Simple, let me show ya."
He stood close to her and gave instruction as to how to do it right and correcting her if she didn't get it the first time.
It was an innocent act of kindness between friends but it struck Clen's ever-growing jealous bone. He'd been standing in the shallows since cat instinct strongly said water was bad news and scowled furiously at the pair.
"You all right?" Mark asked as he walked by.
"I'm fine. It's just…the water's cold." Clen lied.
The splash war ended and now almost everyone was at the ledge of the deep end and was jumping in trying to see how far and how cool they could look. After that it was time for races and then drying off in the sun. The hours flew right past lunchtime and only after the games ended did the alchemist trio remember what they came for.
"I really hate doing this." Al said.
"I guess it's better dampening the mood after the fun and not before." Ed tried to encourage.
"Yeah," Chanticleer rolled his eyes. "Excellent philosophy."
"Just trying to look on the bright side."
"What do you guys want to tell us?" Gox asked.
"You could hear us?" Al asked amazed. "We're on the other side of the room!"
"With ears this big there isn't much I can't hear."
Now that everyone else had their eyes on the trio, waiting for them to explain since at this point there was no way around it.
"Um, Brother, you tell them."
"Uh, no you can tell them. You can do it."
"That's all right, you're a better speaker."
"You're no worse a speaker than I am so you tell them."
"Oh will the two of you shut up?" Chanticleer snapped at them. "You keep quiet and I'll tell them."
(Whispering to each other in the background)
"Perfect acting, works every time."
Ed nudged Al in the side both feeling mighty proud of themselves.
"I'll tell ya all as soon as Clen gets his stick tail over here, stops talking baby talk with Dixie and pays attention."
Clen jerked up his head up from playing with Dixie and was glaring daggers.
"Me no got stick tail, me got fluffy tail."
"Kun, Kun!" (Yeah me too!)
She grabbed hers and cuddled it like a teddy bear.
"(Sigh) The Fuhrer wants us to take the six of you to Naunting…" Chanticleer started.
"Where's that?" Lame asked.
"If you'd shut up I'm sure he'd tell you." Annie scolded.
"It's a town in a dessert area and Caradon wants to see you there."
The room went quiet except for a cricket.
"But, we didn't," Ren stuttered. "We left when he, what did we do now?"
"Don't know." Ed shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it isn't a trap for you lot to be killed so calm down."
"Calm down?" Luke said as though what Ed requested was on the side of impossible. "This guy has proven to be mentally unstable and you're telling them to keep it cool?"
"They'll have the three of us to protect them." Al encouraged.
"Oh and we have to leave tomorrow." Ed added.
"WHAT!"
"I like the way you can say things like they are." Chanticleer sarcastically said as he rolled his eyes.
"Kun?" Dixie looked at her brother as though hoping he'd say something to keep them from going.
"What happens if we say we're not going?" Ren asked as if he had a hold on the situation.
"KUN! Kun, kun." (YEAH! What if we don't wanna?)
"Then Naunting will be destroyed and all the people living there will die."
Crickets…
"Kinda've cornered this time aren't we?" Gox said calmly.
"I don't see anyway around it." Lame said, hanging his head.
"I suggest then y'all best hit the sack early. Who knows what you'll need to be prepared for." Mark suggested, failing to hide the worry he felt for his new friends.
"Good idea," Al said. "We need to be at the train station by noon."
UH OH! What's going to happen in Naunting? To start off with nothing, they arrive early so they're in no danger yet. But, heeheehee! I mock someone whom (inspired by AlchemysBloodandDarkEco when we were just leisurely talking) I've been itching for a chance to do so.
Chibi me – Grrrrr!
Me – WOW! So you finally managed to swallow the bear that's been seen around the neighborhood!
Chibi me – No…I saw that picture you and AlchemysBlood drew and turned me into a tiny mermaid!
Me – Yeah so? It happened to me too (except the tiny part)…and AlchemysBlood and her 3 personalities…and Jak, Daxter and Torn.
Chibi me – IF NOTHING ELSE YOU COULD HAVE MADE ME TALLER! Next to you I look dinky! I'm 6.7 inches not 4! And ah ant ust ade eple…EY!
Me – (used the caramel) Hey, when you've got a pencil and a sliver of imagination…(in some cases) chaos breaks loose.