I don't know what I was expecting for lunch, but it certainly wasn't…this.

There was a bowl full of strange, colored water sitting in front of me, in which floated odd orange and white chunks, and an unidentifiable meat. I had only ever eaten fish; I had no idea what this was, or how the water was considered food.

I glanced over at Roy. He was digging in, using a metal tool with a sort of dip on the end to scoop up the water and drink it, chewing the bits of other food inside.

I picked up my own tool cautiously, making sure it didn't slip out of my automail fingers, and placed it in the bowl, scooping up some water and a particularly large chunk of the meat. Carefully, carefully, I placed it in my mouth.

"Mmm!" I couldn't stop the satisfied sound from escaping my lips. It was delicious! The water was flavored, and the meat tasted so different from fish that I didn't know how to describe it, other than good.

Roy glanced over at me. "You like it?" he asked.

I swallowed. "Yeah! What's it called?"

Roy looked puzzled. "It's soup. You've never had it before?"

I shook my head. "What kind of animal is a soup?"

At this, Roy laughed, just as he was bringing a mouthful to his face. Water dripped onto the table, which he dabbed at with a napkin as he calmed down. "The whole thing is soup. The meat is chicken. It's a kind of bird."

Oh. That was embarrassing. My face red at my mistake, I continued eating silently, while Roy chuckled. At least he didn't seem irritated by my ignorance.

"Finished?" he asked a few minutes later. Once again I nodded, feeling pleasantly full.

"How about a drive?"

Again, I was forced to display my lack of knowledge. "A what?"

At this point, Roy seemed to be used to my silly questions. He grabbed my hand, not letting go as he pulled me away from the table. "C'mon, I'll show you."

Roy entered a side room that looked like an unused office, and grabbed a wired machine from the wall. He spoke into it. "Lieutenant? Meet me at the car. We're taking our guest for a ride."

I was slightly concerned for his sanity, talking to a piece of plastic like that, but allowed him to lead me out of the house. There sat a large machine, big enough to fit inside and I could see that was the point; there were seats visible through the windows. I didn't know what it did, but it looked impressive.

Just a moment later we were joined by the only woman in Roy's company. I had only ever heard her be called "Lieutenant." That weird thing in the office must have called her here.

Roy opened the door near the back of the large machine—didn't he call it a car?—and gestured me inside. I stepped in, scooting to the far side, pleased when Roy sat beside me. The woman sat in front, behind a circle. She must have done something, because the car suddenly roared to life, shaking beneath me. "Whoa!" I jumped, clinging instinctively to Roy's shirt. He laughed, patting my arm.

"It's all right, Ed."

Just then we began to move. I was about to shout out, warn them that we were about to crash into a tree—though they clearly should have seen it—when the Lieutenant turned the circle, changing the car's direction.

I laughed in delight. That was genius!

We rolled along, slowly, as Roy instructed. I was awestruck by the surface world, pressing my face up against my window and even leaning across Roy to get a better look at the trees, the birds, the little animals that scampered in the bushes. It was so filled; everything underwater seemed much more spread out.

As we began to complete the wide loop the Lieutenant was driving in, we neared the beach, and Roy asked her to stop the car. He got out. "C'mon, Ed, let's walk."

As much fun as I was having in the car, I thought a walk would be nice, too, especially since I would be alone with Roy. I jumped out, following him eagerly, and giving the Lieutenant a little wave goodbye.

He didn't speak, and so, neither did I. We came upon the beach, and I caught sight of Al in the ocean. I barely held back a chuckle; even restrained as he was to the water, my little brother was looking out for me.

A flash of inspiration hit me. I could have Al tell Roy about merpeople, and me saving him, and…that idea was dismissed quickly. Alphonse, now, looked very similar to me. Roy was liable to think that he had rescued him, and Al, with his tendency to be unable to speak when flustered, would not be able to explain the situation properly if that happened. No, I was on my own.

"You know, I think sunsets on the beach are the most beautiful thing," Roy whispered, slowing and eventually stopping. I recognized the area as the place I had brought him to after his near-drowning.

"I prefer sunrises, myself…" I said absently.

Roy sat, patting the ground beside him. "Really? Why?"

I cocked my head, thoughtful. "Well, this is the first sunset I've ever seen," I said slowly, gazing out at the water and sky, both painted a rainbow of colors. "But even so, I can safely say I like sunrises better. That moment when the sky is lighting up and the first flash of the sun comes over the horizon…it's breathtaking."

Roy murmured his agreement, settling in comfortably next to me as we watched the sunset. As darkness fell, the air grew colder, and I scooted closer to the man, who didn't seem to mind. He even drew me in closer with his arm.

Just as I was getting my hopes up, thinking maybe now would be a good time to make a move, Roy began to speak. "You know, I woke up here after that merman saved me."

I nodded, hoping to convey a bit of the truth through this. Roy, however, didn't get the hint. "I couldn't see him very clearly—I was still groggy from passing out in the storm. But I woke up, and saw his face for just a second. He was illuminated from above, so he was all shadowy…he had long hair. It fell almost to my face…"

Hmm…I reached up, pulling my braid out and allowing my hair to fan out across my shoulders, but Roy, lost in his memory, didn't notice.

"It looked like he had dark hair." I panicked. Wrong, wrong, wrong! "But that could have been the shadow." I breathed. Of course Roy was smart enough to consider that. "He laughed, giggled really. And he smiled at me, and cupped my cheek. I can still feel it, his hand, his right hand, I remember, on my face…and then he disappeared."

I looked down at my right hand, now made of metal and screws, containing nothing more than wires within. Now thoroughly put out, I said nothing.

"You know, Ed, sometimes I think you look a little bit like him when you smile," Roy breathed, turning towards me. I smiled then, begging for him to connect the dots in his head.

But no. Roy stood after a moment, pulling me up with him. "Well, no sense in reminiscing like that. C'mon, you should get some sleep, and I want to practice fire alchemy some more."

I followed after him silently, dragging my feet. How sad was it that my actions as a merman were exactly what kept distracting Roy from my human self now?