Chapter 4: The Flower That Shattered the Stone
Winry was hard pressed to believe she might be the first one awake. Al, for one thing, didn't sleep. Ed slept like the dead but had nightmares so she was never sure if he slept the whole night through or not. A snippet of their conversation the last time she had been with the brothers flashed in her mind, about Ed thinking that maybe he was feeding Al when he ate. Maybe Ed slept for Al, too? Winry screwed up her face, deciding that was a pretty weird thought. It would explain how Ed could be awake one second and just drop off the next, though.
Shrugging those thoughts off, Winry left her bedroom to make use of the bath. On her way there, she noticed the door to the boys' room was still closed; pretty much proof that Ed wasn't up yet. Alphonse, she realized, wasn't in the main room, which was something of a surprise. She was accustomed to finding him up whenever she got up. Winry wondered if Al had found a stray cat somewhere.
After she finished in the bath, Winry went back out into the main room. A piece of hotel stationery with a pen atop it waited for her attention. Brother, Winry, it read, I thought I'd go by the library this morning. I should be back around ten o'clock. You don't have to wait for me if you want to do something. Have fun! – Al
"'Have fun'?" Eyebrows reaching for her bangs, Winry shook her head. Al's little attempt to send her off with Ed alone last night hadn't slipped past her. She could've told him the way he'd suggested it would guarantee Ed would blow a gasket and insist Al come along.
Patting a yawn, Winry wondered if Ed would be hungry when he woke up. Scratch that, Ed was almost always hungry. She'd stocked the little ice box with things to eat; fruit and cheese; some eggs, tomatoes and bacon, plus milk and butter; and figured she could make them egg sandwiches to eat. Those were always good for breakfast, even as late in the morning as it was now. Besides, one of the easiest ways to get Ed out of bed was to start cooking something. His nose would haul him out of the bedroom almost before he was totally awake.
It didn't take long before the inevitable happened and Edward staggered out of his bedroom, the hem of his a-line shirt hanging partially out of his shorts. With a deep, rough morning voice, he mumbled, "Somethin' smells good."
"Breakfast." Winry glanced at him over the stove. "Go get cleaned up and you can set the table.
Giving her a piteous whine, Ed blinked, puppy-like, through the thicket of his bangs. "I'm hungry." His stomach growled in emphasis.
"Your hair's a mess. I don't want to look at it while I'm eating." She pointed the spatula at Ed first, then the bathroom door.
"Close your eyes, then." Ed shuffled from one foot to the other and yawned, nearly cracking his jaws. "Eh." He scratched his stomach absently as he staggered off to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Breakfast was on the table by the time he came out, with tea steaming in a pot and an apple cut into wedges alongside the sandwich on his plate. Winry was already chewing on her sandwich when Ed sat across from her. "Smells good." He offered her a quick, though genuine, smile as he picked up his own sandwich, taking a bite. "Mmm…just needs that old bat's hot sauce."
"I didn't know I was coming here or I'd have asked Granny to send some." Winry set her sandwich down to check the tea. The fragrant vapor tickled her nose and she inhaled the scent hungrily. "This is ready if you want some." She set the lid back on the pot.
"Mmhmm," Ed mumbled around his sandwich, nodding vigorously. Winry filled his cup first, then her own, setting the pot back on the table. A sugar bowl had been provided but she had to get up to get herself the milk bottle, ignoring the face Ed made as she brought it to the table. "You ruin the tea with that crap."
"Do not." Winry stuck her tongue out at him as she poured the milk into the tea, stirring it. "Just because you like your tea black."
Ed gave the bottle of milk an evil glare. "That stuff is vile."
"If you drank it, you'd have a reason for me to lengthen your automail." Winry took a bite of her sandwich, thinking that it really did need some of Granny's hot sauce.
"Are you calling me short?" Ed's eye twitched as he leaned partway over the table, lips curled back in a snarl.
Really, he made it too easy. "If the automail fits."
"What do you know? You're a machine junky!" Ed nearly knocked over his chair in his haste to stand.
"A machine junky who's taller than you, remember." Winry took another bite of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully as Ed did his angry dance around the table.
He stopped next to her chair, glaring. "I'm still growing!"
"Yeah? Prove it." Winry took another bite of her sandwich. "Last time I saw you, you were," she thought back, her eyes widening suddenly at the memory. Ed's back…he really is growing, followed by a hasty, And I'm not telling him that!
"I was what?" His expression turned sly and the way Ed looked at her was enough to give Winry shivers. She ignored him to concentrate on her sandwich.
"Short."
"Gyah!" Ed danced in place this time. "I am not short!"
"Oh, please." Winry finished her sandwich, licking her fingers indulgently. "If I didn't know it was you, I'd swear a mosquito was buzzing around my ear."
Ed's screech was so high pitched, Winry thought he'd break the milk bottle.
Winry made Ed clean up the dishes – "It's only fair, I cooked" – while she reviewed the guidebook left on the end table. "There sure are a lot of flower things in this town."
Ed snorted in response. "Flowers, who cares about flowers? Does it say when the library opens?"
"You could ask Al, since he went there before I got up." Winry turned another page. "Carriage rides, boat tours, walking tours."
"Boring." Ed stretched the word out to four syllables.
"The boat tour could be nice." Winry then considered being on the water with Ed and Al and shook her head. "Maybe a walking tour."
"You could do that without a guide." There was a clatter of dishes from the kitchenette.
No mistaking the, 'have fun, I'm not going,' tone to Ed's voice. "I suppose we could look for a machine shop." She flipped to the next page. More flowers? Was this a city or a garden? "I might need one to repair your arm." Raising up, Winry half turned to holler over the back of the sofa, "You'd better not break any of the dishes, either, Ed."
"I'm not!" She heard him growl, "Slave driver," just loud enough for her to catch it.
"Hey, at least I'm counting this trip as a holiday," Winry called back, "and not charging you for the work I'll have to do on your arm."
"Three weeks, I can't believe I'm stuck here for three weeks." Completely missing Winry's glare, Ed came out of the kitchenette, drying his hands on a towel. He tossed it at the table, where it defied gravity, part of it dangling over the edge. "Maybe Al'll find something good at the library." Ed hopped into the chair, swinging his legs up over one arm and curling his spine to use the other arm as a pillow.
"Maybe we ought to look for Tony." Winry raised her eyes over the top of the guidebook to watch Ed's reaction. "Or for Anne."
The corners of his mouth tilted down, his eyelids lowering over his eyes. "About that, Winry."
She sat a little straighter, marking her place in the book with her forefinger. "What about it?"
"I…just don't want you to get your hopes up, okay?" Ed didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on his knees, as far as Winry could tell.
Winry considered her answer, knowing Ed would expect her to say something. "Yeah," she said finally, "I know. I hear the stories, too, Ed. People vanish; just disappear. Sometimes they get found, though. That's what I'm hoping."
Still refusing to look her way, Ed nodded once, an abrupt gesture. "Yeah." He sighed gustily, blowing his bangs up with the force of his exhalation. "Look, Winry, maybe you should just fix my arm and get back to Rush Valley. It could be," he hesitated, his voice trailing off.
"Dangerous?" Winry sat the rest of the way up, setting aside her book. "You mean like it was in Central?"
The expression on Ed's face told her almost everything she wanted to know. "I don't want you involved in that."
"Speak up, Ed, you're mumbling." Winry stood, her hands going to her hips. "I am involved, if in no other way because you and Al are my friends. Do you think I wanted to know just how dangerous your lives are? But I know now. It isn't going to stop me from worrying about either of you." She softened her stance a little bit. "So, if you think you need to worry about me, I guess that's okay. But I'm not the one who's out there, getting involved in trouble."
"I don't go actively looking for it." Ed swung his legs off the arm of the chair, glaring at Winry.
"I know you don't." She gave him a smile in response to his glower. "And I know you're not going to tell me what you and Al are involved in or why you got hurt." Gesturing at his arm, she added, "Or how you screwed up your arm." Ed's lower lip was poking out. "It's okay, Ed. I mean, you told me what happened to Mom and Dad."
"Yeah, well." Ed scratched the back of his head, turning his face away again. With another heavy sigh, he got out of his chair. "Look, why don't we go find Al and see if there's anything to do in this town that doesn't involve flowers." He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.
"There's always the guidebook." Winry nodded at it, earning another eye roll from Ed.
"Yeah, let's use that as a last resort." He motioned with his head. "C'mon, get dressed. Let's get out of here."
Grinning, Winry nodded, heading for her bedroom. "I'll be ready in just a few minutes!"
The sky outside was clear and just a few shades lighter than Winry's eyes – not that Edward was looking or anything; he just noticed. He also wasn't looking at her legs or the way the hem of her sundress whipped around her knees. Really. Walking beside her, his hands tucked into his pockets, Edward stole glances at her from the corner of his eye. At least she looked happy, even though there weren't any automail shops around. Or mechanics, as far as Edward could tell. He was sure Winry would've mentioned it if she'd found listings in that stupid guidebook.
Mentally shaking his head, Edward wondered again just what the hell Mustang had been thinking, sending them here. And Winry, too. His arm wasn't in that bad of shape; it could've waited a while longer. And now, Edward had to think about the possibility of some weirdo freak snatching girls. Wouldn't it be just like the bastard to have heard of this and send him and Al here to take care of this problem – and thrown Winry into the mix as bait? If I find out he had a clue about this….
"I can hear your servos whining, Ed. What's wrong?" Winry sounded curious rather than irritated.
Even so, he pulled his hands out of his pockets, flexing his fingers. "Sorry. Just thinking about something." He tried a smile; gave it up with a shrug.
"About Anne?" Winry twined her fingers behind her back.
"Yeah, I guess. A little bit." How did she and Al do it? Was it written on his face? "So, did you see something you wanted to do?" Changing the subject, that worked, right?
"I thought we'd go check on Al first. If I can pry you two out of the library," she rolled her eyes, "then maybe we can find something we'd all want to do."
"Right. Right!" Edward bobbed his head in agreement. "Okay, so we won't stay at the library too long and we'll do something after we get Al."
Winry shoved him. "You're not paying any attention to what I'm saying, are you?"
Holding his hands up in a placating manner, Edward grinned brightly. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm a little distracted." By more than just the hem of your dress. "I'll try to do better, okay?"
Her mouth tightened for a few seconds and Winry followed up her shove with a poke in his chest. "You'd better, Ed. I told you this is my vacation. I want it to be a good one." With that, she turned away, her skirt flouncing, and Edward had to drag his eyes up again. Well, at least Winry hadn't noticed. He was pretty sure if she had, it wouldn't be a finger poking him in the chest but a wrench upside his skull.
"I'll do my best." Edward followed her, picking up his pace so he could catch up. Walking behind Winry just wasn't a good idea. "So, do you have any idea of what you wanna do?"
"Oh, I'm sure we'll come up with something." Winry had one of those mysterious smiles on her face. Those never boded well.
"Yeah." Well, maybe whatever she had planned wouldn't be too bad. Edward could hope for that, at least.
There were so many beautiful flowers out when the sun shone like it did today. He watched through the window while working on an arrangement, Xing lilies mixed with baby's breath and fern. The lilies added an exotic hue to the commonplace baby's breath and the fern provided a complimentary backdrop to it all. He studied the display thoughtfully, turning the vase from side to side, deciding that the plants were arranged to his satisfaction.
A glint of metal caught his eye and he frowned, looking out the window. While the steel had caught his attention, the pale petals, nearly white, kept it. Rich gold complemented that dawn fair head, both of them rare; unusual. He stared after them thoughtfully, going so far as to leave his work area to exit the shop, standing on the stoop, watching after them until they left his sight by turning a corner.
The pang started soon after; too soon; the strange compulsion to uproot those flowers and set them in his own, private garden. Those two flowers wouldn't grow so well with metal beside them; it was too harsh. They needed pampering, to be rooted well, and when they reached their fullest blooms, he would make them into a bouquet the like of which he'd never been graced with before.
"You. Pat…Patsy." Yes, that was her name, that odd little girl who stared into his windows and got the glass smeared and smudged. "Do me a favor?"
"Yes, sir?" She trotted across the street, pushing her glasses up on her nose, her ruddy hair like a bristle brush around her head.
"Did you see those people who just passed by? With the armor?" He nodded down the street.
"Yes, sir." She nodded enthusiastically. "That was a big piece of armor, wasn't it? My daddy says - "
He interrupted quickly, smoothly. "I'm sure he what he says is important, Patsy, but I need you to go after them. I want you to find out where they're staying." They certainly weren't part of the regular town folk, he'd know them if they were. Visitors. Tourists. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out some sens, flashing them at the girl. Her brown eyes widened behind the glass. "If you can find that out, and bring me that information, this is yours as a reward. And," he stooped down, laying a hand on her bony shoulder, "I'll give you one of my special daisies as a present."
Her face brightened like a morning sun and she nodded so hard, he thought her head might fall off. "Yes, sir!"
Turning her in the right direction, he gave her a little push to start her on her way. "Don't tell them about me, all right? If they see you, tell them what your father says about armor." That would bore them to tears, he was sure.
Going back inside, he turned the sign on the door from 'open' to 'closed'. After all, he didn't want to waste any time. The girl would return soon. And in the meantime, he'd prepare a pair of special beds, so they'd be ready for his newest acquisitions.
"I can't believe you." Edward kicked at a rock, sending it skittering along the sidewalk to drop off the curb and into the street.
"What?" Alphonse couldn't help the cheerful note in his voice.
"You were…you weren't…gah!" Shoving his hands deep in his trouser pockets, Edward hunched his shoulders.
Next to him, Winry patted Alphonse's arm, making the metal ring softly. "Good for you, Alphonse."
"Admit it, Brother," knowing he was gloating, Alphonse said it anyway, "Lena's cute."
Edward made some inarticulate sound, stomping his feet. Winry grabbed his braid, giving it a quick yank. "Don't you damage your leg, too, Edward."
He jerked free, showing teeth over his shoulder like a rabid dog. "Don't you start, woman."
"Start? Start what? I was complementing Al on his taste in girls." Winry folded her arms, all but sticking her tongue out at Edward. Her expression brightened as she glanced up at Alphonse. "So, tell me about her, Al. Is she as nice as she seems?"
He nodded, metal squealing as he moved his head. "Uh, huh. Her dad's one of the town florists. She's interested in alchemy, too, that's why we started talking." Alphonse noted Edward's grumble became both more incoherent and louder. "Lena wants to go to places where it's hard to grow food and help make the land arable."
"That's cool, isn't it, Ed?" Winry seemed as determined to bring him back into the conversation as Edward was reluctant to join it. "What's that?" She cupped a hand to her ear. "Did you say 'that's a good idea and Lena is clever for coming up with it'?"
"He's probably jealous he didn't think of it, himself," Alphonse said, enjoying the way Edward's shoulders hunched and twitched.
Winry grinned wickedly. "Or just jealous that a cute girl's paying attention to you, Al."
"Oh, the hell I am." Edward whirled around, stalking back to them. "I don't care if Al flirts with some girl! He can flirt with every girl in this town, if he wants!"
"Really?" Alphonse loved the furious glare he got from his brother. Edward was too easy sometimes.
"See, Al, now you have your big brother's permission." Winry nodded, her smile turning smug at Edward's suddenly dumbfounded expression. "You go on back and talk to Lena. I'm going to do some work on Ed's arm." Walking past Edward, she called over her shoulder, "unless he wants to stand on the street and pout."
Edward's teeth showed again, his pulse pounding in his temple, his fists clenching. The veins stood out in his neck and Alphonse could hear the hydraulics in Edward's automail straining. "Don't break anything more, Brother, or Winry probably will charge you for this trip." With a cheerful wave, Alphonse spun on his heel, heading back the way they'd come, leaving his brother to steam, noticing but not really paying attention to the little girl with the frizzy hair, watching all of them intently.
