I've made an edit to chapter 1, simply because I stated that Alphonse had no friends, but I decided to take that in a different direction for chapter 4 which I am currently halfway through writing, so I changed one word XD nothing extensive but at least now Al's not a complete loner
It was never easy to move to someplace new, especially when that place just happened to be a whole new world, there were so many things that were different, and yet so much was the same. It had been two years since he had left Amestris to be with his brother...two years, it seemed longer than that somehow, and although he had become quite used to the new and somewhat strange quirks of this world, there were still times when he could still become baffled by it. Who would have thought that people could create machines that could fly?
Well it had certainly been a lot to take in when he had first arrived, but of course Edward had helped him through it, even if everything was confusing at times, he was glad that he could spend his time with his brother, finally, and he was determined that they would not be separated again, no matter what. Sighing deeply, Alphonse closed the book that he had been reading, finishing the last page with a smile, he stared at the title 'The World Of Physics' before he looked up at his surroundings, allowing them to come into focus.
The library, the one place in this whole city where there seemed to be at least some silence, after all, library's were a place where most people went to study, or simply to read a book that they would not normally get the chance to read. Of course with most library's you could always just loan the book for a couple of weeks, but most people would still prefer the silence within these walls, the atmosphere itself held a sort of warm feeling to it, it was sort of like being somewhere you belonged, after all, everyone inside the library was there for pretty much the same reasons, to read. Alphonse studied the book that lay on the table before him, his right hand propping up his head as he leaned forward slightly, turning the pages slowly.
He liked to come here whenever he could get the chance, the comfortable silence was refreshing for one thing, and it also gave him an opportunity to leave the somewhat dingy flat that he shared with his brother. It wasn't that he minded sharing with his brother, oh no, far from it, but their flat was small, and was only just big enough for the two of them, it had all the essentials of course, but still, Alphonse felt that there could have been somewhat more space.
Shaking his head slightly he stood picking up the book before moving towards the stacks to place the book back from where he had taken it, there were so many that he had yet to read, so many that he wished to read, and yet somehow it seemed as though there were not enough hours in the day. He'd had to find something to occupy his time, what with Edward working, and reading was after all, something he enjoyed doing, though he admitted to himself that once or twice, he had wished he could read an alchemy book or two.
Moving through the stacks he eventually found the place he had retrieved it from, the shelves stacked alphabetically, well, it did make it somewhat easier to find things, well most of the time anyway, some people would occasionally put the books back in the wrong place, whether this was through laziness or sheer confusion though was unknown. He glanced to the side as he saw someone walk past him, a young girl, he didn't really get a good look at her, but he smiled all the same and placed the book back on the shelf before moving back somewhat staring at the selection.
"Which one?" he said as he studied the shelf closely a thoughtful look on his face.
It was then that he saw it, an old looking book, the pages slightly yellowed, dust covering it somewhat, it looked as though no one had touched it in a very long time, his curiosity heightened, Alphonse smiled, reaching out to grab the book.
As his hand clasped around it he felt a force pulling at it, trying to take it from him, to be honest at first he was rather stunned, and simply kept his hand upon it, gripping it tightly but after feeling the book be jerked again he fought back, was it stuck? The struggle seemed to go on forever, and the more the book was tugged, the more confused he became, it hadn't occurred to him that there might be someone else with their hand upon it, as eager as he was to discover what was within the confines of its pages.
"Huh?" he said quietly, he didn't even know what the book was about, and here he was, apparently struggling with the shelf to retrieve it, how strange this must have looked to any walking past the stacks.
Eventually with a defeated sigh he gave up, releasing the book to the shelf, if it wanted it that badly he was inclined to let it keep it. It was then that he heard it, a rather loud crash, and some rather surprised screams before he peered through the newly made hole where the book had been, his eyes widening as he realised that there was a young girl on the other side of the shelf, laying on the floor, paperwork strewn about her..it was then that it hit him, the realisation that she too, must have been interested in the same book. Feeling an instant guilt for what had happened, he rushed around the shelf moving over to her swiftly, watching her pick up the papers from the floor, he sighed lightly before he kneeled down on the floor, looking to her for a moment, noticing the book.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were trying to get that book....I thought it was stuck" he said, an embarrassed smile lighting his face.
The young girl jumped with fright as he spoke, she had been so caught up in collecting her papers that she had not noticed his presence. She glanced upward at Alphonse, staring at him for a few moment, noting that he had already collected some of the paperwork for her. She gave a small smile back in response her dark blonde hair falling over her shoulders as she continued picking up her work.
"It's okay." she said sweetly, nodding her head slightly as she looked back at him, sapphire eyes glimmering somewhat.
Truthfully, she didn't mind, after all it was just a mere accident, they had both interested in the same book it seemed, that in itself was rather an interesting turn of events if not a somewhat humorous one. To think that she had believed the book was simply stuck, much in the same way as Alphonse had.
Alphonse smiled back at her before he returned to being helpful, his fringe passing in front of his eye-line, the least he could do was help her pick up her paperwork, after all, it was his fault in the first place, perhaps if he had not let go of the book so abruptly, she might not have fallen, but then he'd had no idea that there was someone else on the other side, so he could be forgiven for that.
His eyes glanced over a few words on the pages he handled as he tidied the few he held, gently tapping them on his knees to make them all sit in line with each other, he looked serious for a moment, before his eyes lit up somewhat....this was physics....yes he was sure this was physics, she was also interested in the science? How curious that a girl should like such a subject, after all in this world it seemed, women were not as willing to pursue their interests as they were in Amestris, society telling them to do otherwise.
"So....you like physics?" he asked making conversation with her, well, it was always polite to talk to someone, especially in this case.
The young girl stopped as he spoke, her hand poised over a page on the floor before she withdrew it, sitting back somewhat on her knees.
"Yes...." she said quietly, her eyes lowered to the floor for the moment.
"Rather silly isn't it.....a girl having an interest in Physics...".
She raised her eyes to look at him, giving him a half smile, her tone showed her obvious embarrassed on the situation, and it seemed she found the conversation somewhat unsettling. True, a young woman of her age would not usually be interested in such things, but she had always found Science fascinating, there wasn't a day that went by when she would not be reading about it.
She would often travel to the library, to escape her sister for a few hours at least, and in all the times she had been here, she had never seen Alphonse, did that perhaps mean he did not come here often? Or was it merely that she was usually so engrossed in taking notes that she had never taken much interest in those around her?
At her words the younger Elric looked somewhat panicked and he shook his head from side to side, bringing his hands up before him, waving them back and forth as he emphasised his own thoughts on the matter.
"No of course not, It's not silly!" he said quickly, his tone showing obvious signs that he was a little flustered, his cheeks flushing red.
"I think people should do whatever they enjoy, there's nothing wrong with a girl liking Science, I used to know one who was a mechanic!".
Alphonse closed his eyes at his last comment cursing himself mentally. In an effort to reassure the girl it seemed he had let slip something he shouldn't have, there certainly weren't any female mechanics around here, how strange would that sound? The redness in his cheeks spread somewhat, and he ground his teeth a little, it was a simple mistake on his part, letting his mouth run away with him, he was usually so level headed in situations such as this....but then, this wasn't one of those normal day to day situations now was it?
The young girl stared at Alphonse with a somewhat bemused look, holding her paperwork tight to her chest and for a moment it seemed she was somewhat unsure of what he had said before she giggled slightly, a smile passing over her lips.
"Well...she must have been quite an interesting person" she said sweetly, her left hand moving to wipe strands of her hair from her eyes. It seemed he got flustered all too easy, and she had noted that redness spreading across his face, he was nice enough, if a little nervous too, but that didn't matter really.
"Oh!"she cried suddenly, closing her eyes rather tightly before opening them again, a small look of embarrassment on her face.
"I'm sorry, here I am going on when we haven't been properly introduced".
How silly of her to forget her manners at a time like this.
"My name is Jayne" she said quietly, lowering her eyes somewhat for a moment before she looked back at him, that sweet smile of hers returning.
It seemed she was somewhat amused at what he had said, and he wasn't really sure if it was because of the fact that he had mentioned something unusual, or for the way he was reacting to his own words. He was a little nervous he had to admit, mostly through the whole embarrassment of this situation, first he had caused her to drop her paperwork, and now he was perhaps giving her cause for mild confusion, it seemed nothing wanted to go right today. He jumped slightly as she shouted suddenly, blinking slowly before her words hit him fully, yes of course, introductions, here he sat trying to help her and he had yet to say his own name, that in itself was embarrassing and poor manners on his account.
Alphonse was always polite, always proper, that was just the way he was, of course like most people he knew when it was a good idea to break away from it, but it seemed this was one of those times where a proper introduction was needed, given the circumstances.
"My name is Alphonse" he said bowing his head slightly to her, a smile creeping across his lips as he watched her smile back.
"It's nice to meet you".
Well it perhaps wasn't the best way to meet someone, especially a young girl, but it had been an interesting turn of events to say the least. Grey eyes trailed back to the papers he held within his hands and a flicker of knowledge crossed over his mind, knowledge that it was her paperwork he was holding.
"Oh, sorry!" he cried, laughing a little shortly afterwards as he held the papers out to her, he had almost forgotten he was still holding them.
Jayne's smile remained as he spoke to her, the urge to giggle all too great, and she did not fully understand it herself. There was something about him, the way he acted, so sweet towards her and yet he seemed so nervous, he wasn't still feeling sorry for what had happened was he? Well, she hoped he wasn't after all it had been an accident, and she did not blame him for it, how could she? For she too had been pulling at the book, believing the same as he had, that it was simply stuck to the shelf, but of course that thought had been proved wrong for both of them.
"It's nice to meet you too....Alphonse" she said quietly, glancing at his eyes momentarily before lowering her own again....she was beginning to feel somewhat flustered herself, though perhaps for a different reason than he was.
As he held out the papers she simply stared at them for a moment, before slowly raising her hand to take them from him, her eyes remaining lowered for a moment, before she finally looked him in the eye, a flush of crimson moving over her cheeks.
"Oh.....thank you....." she said. It seemed to last an age, just sitting there staring into his eyes, she wasn't even sure why.....why was she staring at him this way?
There was something....something so different, so intriguing....and yet she could not put her finger on it, but it caused her embarrassment nonetheless when she realises what she was doing and she stood instantly, wiping the dust from her dress as she held the papers in her other hand.
"Well, thank you for your help Alphonse.....but I really must be going..."she said quietly, returning to a somewhat more shy state.
As she took the papers from him, Alphonse felt the light touch of her hand, and it made him withdraw rather quickly, almost in fright before his eyes caught hers. That moment, that one moment seemed to last an age, to see within those sapphire eyes....there was something giving about her, a kindness and purity that seemed to resonate from her very soul, and he could feel it. He watched the redness in her cheeks, his eyes widening a touch...was....was she blushing because of him? As she stood he frowned somewhat, standing almost instantly, not bothering much about the dust that lined the lower half of his trousers, it would brush off later. "It was nothing" he said with a smile again, it was his fault after all, so it was the least he could have done.
"Maybe....I'll see you around?". Those last words seemed hopeful, perhaps a little more than they were meant to be.
Jayne giggled a little, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth, embarrassed at her small outburst.
"Yes, that would be....nice" she said in reply to his words, somehow she was glad that he has asked her that, after all, it saved her the trouble of doing so, and the way she was feeling at the moment, she would not have had the courage to ask.
"Well...goodbye".
Before she left, she handed him the book that he had been so eager to retrieve, that smile of hers brightening her face.
"Let me know...if it's any good".
With those last words she left for the doors, seemingly quite quickly, but not quickly enough...to prevent her from glancing back at him, before stepping out into the street once more.
Alphonse felt some elation at her words, and his smile grew somewhat wider, it seemed she would actually like to see him again, and honestly he would not mind seeing her too. Though it pained him sometimes to admit it, he had no real friends here, it was...difficult to talk to people sometimes, they never seemed to share his interests, but this girl...Jayne, she seemed to share at least something in common with him, that love of physics, which was a turning point for him.
"Bye..." he said before he lowered his head to look at the book as she passed it to him, he scanned the cover slowly, before looking back at her, nodding his head to her words before he watched her leave.
He stood there for a moment before looking back at the book again, turning it on it's side to read the spine, barely making out the word 'Physics' written along it, well...at least it would be interesting to read. Alphonse shook his head somewhat, eyes glancing to his right hand, the hand that had lightly touched hers, he stared for the longest moment, before that smile of his widened and he clenched his hand into a fist, lowering it before heading to the front desk to check out the book.