Part the Eighth

Child Prodigies

Edward took the cloth away from his nose to see how much more blood it had absorbed. It was only a little, but he was still very irritated by the whole thing. "Dammit, Nuala. Why'd you have to go and do that?" The group had just left the local hospital, and was now back on course to the home of Charles Bailey. Alphonse had insisted someone look at Edward's nose, just in case it was actually broken. Fionnuala, in spite of the fact that she was rather preoccupied with suppressing her laughter, had also encouraged a visit to a nurse. By now, her laughs had died down.

"Do what?" She asked nonchalantly.

Irritated, he glared at her out of the corner of his eye. She pretended not to notice. Admittedly, she was enjoying this, in a twisted sort of way. Of course, she felt bad that he had a sore and bleeding nose after suffering a hard fall, but the circumstances were almost amusing.

"You know what I mean."

"Are you implying that I should have let you kiss me? Because when I was given the choice of that or your nose smashed in–"

He seemed a little embarrassed by the prospect of kissing, but he barely let it show. "I wasn't going to kiss you. And you shouldn't have even been walking in front of us in the first place."

"Whatever..."

Charles Bailey turned out to be a pleasant, almost cheerful, middle-aged man, though it seemed to Fionnuala that his age was just starting to catch up with him. He coughed every so often, and when he started off briskly down the hall, he promptly found himself aching and walking more slowly, and with a most disappointed expression on his face. Fionnuala concluded that these changes in his daily life were recent; that not but a few months ago, he could breathe easy and walk quickly, and for that she pitied him.

His house was not very large, but his entire basement was a shrine dedicated to his interest in science. Probably the largest room in his house, it was filled with books and neatly organized into rows of bookshelves that created the illusion of a maze. Biology, physics, chemistry, alchemy, name it and there was a pile of books on the subject. Much to the group's delight, Mr. Bailey granted them full access to this mountain of knowledge. Apparently, Edward was relatively well-known in these parts, because after seeing his watch, and hearing his name and title, the Fullmetal Alchemist, Mr. Bailey's eyebrows rose, and he eagerly ushered them into his library.

While most girls at Fionnuala's age would be completely bored when left in such a room, it was not so with her. Once Mr. Bailey had left them, she followed the brothers to the alchemy section. She picked out a shelf and ran her finger along the spines of a number of books, until she selected a certain one bound in navy leather. Alchemy for the Elements it read in faded gold lettering on the cover.

The brothers chose their books with an uncommon deftness and certainty. It couldn't have been more than thirty seconds by the time they each had four books in hand and had made themselves comfortable in the aisle they were in. Fionnuala sat down as well, and choosing to not to comment on the nature of their actions, she opened her book and began to read.

It was almost awkward to have a silent moment. They always seemed to be cracking jokes or bickering or making small talk, or at the very least there was noise nearby. Fionnuala ignored the uneasy atmosphere after observing it for a little while, and engrossed herself in her book.

For an hour or two, the only disturbances were the occasional check-in from Mr. Bailey. The group had remained quiet during this time, until Alphonse broke the silence.

"Hey, brother. Read the second paragraph on this page." He handed his book to Edward, and pointed to the page on the left. This piqued enough of Nuala's interest to make her avert her eyes to watch the brothers.

For a brief moment, there was quiet. Edward's golden eyes were moving quickly across the page, processing the information that the passage contained with an optimum efficiency. Admittedly, Fionnuala had a strange fascination with his eyes. They often seemed thoughtful, and were expressive in a vague sort of way. Now they were sharp and acute, making him seem far more mature than he had acted before. She had never seen him so... focused.

Once Edward had finished, he made a noise resembling a "hmph", as if he were approving the composition. "What's interesting is how he explains the process of–" After that, it was a complete and total blur to Nuala's ears.

Both of the brothers began to use incomprehensible alchemy lingo—stuff she had dreamed of breaking down and understanding as a child, and still to that day. It was then that she realized why Edward had the authority and power that he did, why everyone put up with him, and ultimately, what it was like to be in the presence of a complete genius. Alphonse was right in there with him, discussing this wordy and complicated topic, which apparently was about the reconstruction stage in a transmutation. She was surprised with Alphonse as well, since he was timid, and only shed light on his intelligence with modesty; and here he was, talking about alchemy in lengthy sentences on a professional level. They were almost different people; and she thought to herself, they must love what they do.

By the time she had finished contemplating this, the exchange had died down, and she said bluntly, "Holy crap. You guys are 14 and 15 and you understand that stuff?"

Edward blinked. "Yeah, I wouldn't be a state alchemist if I didn't."

Fionnuala had the widest, most childish expression on her face. "That's amazing. Will you teach me?" This took the elder Elric by surprise. She had changed from being the independent girl he had seen her as, to an eager student, ready to consume the knowledge he provided. It didn't at all match his impression of her.

"Teach you?"

"Yeah. My mother never got to finish my education in alchemy. Maybe you could teach me what I need to know to be more than a novice."

This was the first thing she had ever really asked of him. Her joining in the group had been forced by Mustang without his permission, therefore he felt unsure of how to respond. Finally, he replied. "Sure."

This made her smile—a bright, pleased smile. "You, too, Al. I want you both to teach me."

Al nodded. "Okay." Both the brothers were speechless from the revelation of this new side of Nuala's personality. She suddenly seemed much sweeter, more benign.

About an hour or so later, Fionnuala left the house to buy some fruit to snack on. Mr. Bailey had stepped out only a little before she did, leaving the Elrics alone to their studies. She was walking through the open-air market when she spotted a stand that featured Red Delicious and Fuji apples, her favorites. She began to examine the fruit, picking out a few good ones. She decided to buy five. Edward had lent her money for just a little more than that. That way, she would return with a little change, and wouldn't have to suffer the guilt of spending every penny of the allowance. She leaned forward to select last apple, and then reached for it, when suddenly she felt a light tap at her back, and then a slightly sharper tug at the crook of her arm.

Fionnuala straightened her back and looked around confusedly, until she looked to her right. A few feet away stood a young boy, dressed in rather uniquely styled outfit, and brown hair that became blond at the ends. He looked up at her with innocent, round eyes, but then they thinned out as he grinned. Fionnuala didn't know what to say. Who was this kid? He was a cute little thing, whoever he was.

"Wolfy! Why did you do that?" A young blond-haired woman, who looked to be about eighteen, ran over to the child. "I'm very sorry." She said in a much kinder tone to Nuala. "He isn't usually like this." She looked back to the boy. "Now apologize."

The boy looked up at her blankly, but then made a motion with his hands to Nuala and bowed his head to her. She wondered, was he too shy to actually say anything? Maybe he was embarrassed by being reprimanded by this woman, and that's what kept him from talking.

"Your apology is accepted." She said warmly, in hopes of remedying his shame. He looked up quickly, with his burnished, caramel-colored eyes. He might have seemed to be expressionless, but now that he was making direct eye contact, Nuala suddenly felt like she was peering into a mind full of flickering thoughts, one coming rapidly after another. But at the same time, she felt like she was being closely examined, much deeper than she was into him. Nuala almost had to shake her head to rid herself of her trance. She had never been so intrigued by a person. "Wolfy? Is that your name?"

He nodded. "It's short for Wolfgang." Said the lady, putting her hand on his shoulder. Let him speak for himself, Nuala thought irritatedly.

"Well, Wolfy. My name's Fionnuala. Is there anything I can do for you?" Wolfy nodded. "What's that?" He pointed to her, and then made a gesture that seemed to say, "Come with me."

Then it occurred to Fionnuala why the boy had been so quiet, and the following moment supported her guess. "Wolfy," the lady said in a hushed tone. "You shouldn't ask people you don't know to come to your house." He looked up at her, as if to say, "Why not?" He was mute. This aroused a great deal of pity in Nuala.

The woman sighed, and then looked to Fionnuala. "Would you like to come to our house for lunch?"

Wolfy turned his imploring gaze to her. "I'd love to." She replied. She simply couldn't say not to those eyes.

"My name's Lydia. I'm his older sister." Said the young woman, and she held out her hand with a soft smile.

Fionnuala paid for her fruit and then walked with Lydia and Wolfgang to their home, which was simple, and a little smaller than Mr. Bailey's. It had a warm, cabin-like feeling, but also a certain degree of loneliness, and quiet.

No matter where Nuala went in the house, Wolfy always seemed to be very close, skittishly following her about. Fionnuala smiled each time she turned and saw him right behind her. Obviously, he couldn't explain it, so she didn't bother asking.

Lydia made sandwiches for lunch, and the three of them sat outside on the porch. They talked for a short while, Nuala explaining in summary how she got there. In so many words, she was a temporary "assistant" of sorts to a traveling state alchemist. As it turned out, neither Wolfy nor Lydia had a strong interest in the sciences, but they were intrigued that Fionnuala was in cahoots with a military officer. As the conversation subsided, Nuala's curiosity got the better of her.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what brought you two to this small town?"

"Actually, Wolfy doesn't live here with me. He's visiting me for a couple weeks. Our parents live closer to Central. I moved out here a while ago to begin living independently. This place is more than a little quiet compared to home, isn't it Wolfy?"

Wolfy had been paying close attention to the conversation, and thus he promptly nodded. He then made some motions to Lydia, and though Fionnuala could not understand what he was saying, it was clear to see that he was asking for something, and that he wanted it very much. "Of course you can play, Wolfy. Go and find some sheet music." Quickly, he nodded and walked to another room.

"He wants to play piano for you." Lydia said, turning to Fionnuala.

"F-for me?" She asked, a little surprised as she watched the boy's older sister rise and walk inside. Fionnuala quickly followed her to a corner of the room just inside, and took a seat in one of the chairs, just as Lydia had done.

"Yeah. He's barely played it since he got here. I've never seen him so focused on one person."

Fionnuala felt her head grow a little warm, partially in embarrassment. "Is that… so…?" How silly, she thought quickly. Why would a little boy suddenly have a crush on her? "Maybe he never gets a real audience."

Lydia sipped at her glass and glanced at the piano in the room. "Oh he has plenty of people to play for back home. It's very unusual for him to walk up to someone like he did earlier, and now he insists on playing once lunch is over. Our parents always make him practice at home, so he never does it on his own time." Lydia looked back at Fionnuala. "I bet he thinks you're pretty."

Fionnuala giggled before taking another sip of her drink. "That'll be a first."

Just then, Wolfgang reentered the room, and with an air of excitement, he sat down at the piano, and laid out some sheets of music. He then began to a play a cheery folk-inspired tune. Fionnuala rose in mild amazement, and walked over to watch him play more closely. He was extremely talented, that was clear. His fingers curved and floated over the keys, just as a professional's might. She understood what Lydia had meant by having an audience at home. Anyone would want to see such a talented youngster play.

But the piano also held special meaning for Nuala. It brought back memories: pleasant, warm memories.

Wolfy ended the tune with cute high note, and then he looked up at Fionnuala. "That was wonderful," she said with a smile. Wolfy smiled back, and then looking back to the keys, he made his fingers flutter over them, as though pretending to play, and then he pointed at her. "Do I play?" Nuala asked, hoping she understood his message. She had guessed correctly, for he nodded in reply. "Only a little; I haven't in a long time."

Wolfgang seemed content with this answer. He put the sheet from the previous piece he had played aside, and spread out another piece, a longer one, and commenced playing.

Fionnuala felt her heart skip a beat. It was sad in a certain way, but more importantly, she knew it. Images of her father at the piano, playing this very song, flashed in her head. At the same time, she began to recall the words.

The thunderous storm obscures my sight

As I try to push through with all of my might.

To where do all of the roads lead?

Do they reach out to places where

I ought to be?

Yes, yes, you lost soul.

Find yourself in the swirling fog

Yes, yes, you lost soul.

Go and seek out your distant goal.

Fionnuala felt her fists tighten as she sang the last line. There was something about that song. It filled her with nostalgia and regret; it hit close to home.

"You sing very well," Lydia said, pulling her mind back into consciousness.

Nuala shook her head slightly, as though she was ridding herself of the darkness that had been creeping near. "Thank you," she said, smiling, and then looked down at Wolfy at the piano. His eyes conveyed that he was mildly concerned.

"I was happy to sing to your music, Wolfy. Thank you." He then smiled. "Well, I ought to go. My friends will be wondering where I got to. Thank you very much for your hospitality." She said as she picked up her bag of apples, gave a quick bow, and headed for the door.

"It was a pleasure to have you. Come back and visit some time."

"Oh, definite—" Fionnuala's eyes went wide as she felt something prevent her from walking out; something tugging on her shirt. "…ly?" She looked back. There stood Wolfy, with a tight hold of the back hem of her top.

"Wolfy?" Lydia said, also a little baffled by his action.

Wolfy continued to stare right at Nuala. She found herself blushing at how awkward the moment was, but slowly she began to understand him. She turned to him, at which point he let go, and she gave him her sweetest smile. "You wanna come with me?" He nodded. "You can come, too, Lydia," she said, looking to her.

Lydia also nodded, and both followed her out the door and back to Bailey's home.

Unbeknownst to Fionnuala and her new friends, they were being observed from down the street. "Who's the kid she's with?" Said one of the two, a young adult male.

"No idea." Replied a woman, only a year or so older than the other.

"Have you even mentioned her to Keanan?"

"No, haven't yet. I was planning to later tonight, but now I'm not so sure if it's such a good idea."

"Ariana, Keanan told us to keep an eye out for anyone of relation to the group."

"Yeah, fine…"

The pair turned and continued to walk down the street, in the opposite direction that Fionnuala had been moving. Both were wearing headbands that came across their foreheads.