Chapter 10 – Reunion
"I hope she's ok," Adele's tone was worried.
"So do I," Wrath replied, quickening his pace. The two of them were walking swiftly down the sidewalk to the hotel. It was early morning and the sun had just barely risen above the horizon, painting the sky with lavender, pink and gold. The morning air was crisp, though the fresh, sweet smell of country air was lost in such a large city, tainted by the thin vale of smog hanging over the streets. Wrath and Adele had risen early since Adele was eager to go and check on her friend. Titus had refrained from accompanying them, stating truthfully that his presence would cause more harm than good. Wrath and Roy had settled on a time to meet in the Flame Alchemist's public office later that day so the former homunculus could be formally introduced to Roy's 'secretary', Miss Hughes. Then Wrath and Adele had said their farewells and left.
They reached the doors of the hotel a moment later and Wrath pulled open the door, allowing Adele to step in first. The two of them made it half way across the lobby before they were accosted.
"Adele?!" The voice caused the two of them to turn in surprise to see Sara sprinting towards them across the room. Adele gasped as she was nearly tackled to the floor by her sister's enthusiastic glomp. "I was so worried about you! We all were! Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" the Luminescent Alchemist demanded in a rush as she clung tightly to her younger sister.
"I'm ok," Adele assured her bemusedly. Sara abruptly pulled back, holding her sister at arm's length to look her over critically.
"Did they hurt you?" she demanded severely.
"Not seriously," Adele replied quietly. Sara frowned, but before she could say anything the younger girl cut her off, "I'm fine, honestly. They let me go as soon as Mina found me. I ran into Wrath shortly after and then on the way here Titus found us and told us we shouldn't try to visit you guys. We stayed at his house for the night," she explained. Sara nodded.
"Yeah, Titus came by the hotel last night to let us know Wrath had found you and you guys were staying with him, but Dad's been worried sick. He'll be very relieved to see you," the older girl replied.
"How is Mina?" Adele inquired anxiously. Sara hesitated, expression sobering a bit.
"She's…well… she's not quite herself. At least, she wasn't last I saw her. I was just heading back to the room after grabbing some breakfast," she stated carefully. Adele's expression grew more concerned.
"Take me to her. Please," her tone was almost pleading. Sara let out a soft sigh but nodded.
"Alright, follow me," she said, turning towards the stair case.
The three of them ascended the stairs swiftly and soon came to a stop outside one of the rooms. Sara knocked on the door and they stood in silence awaiting a response. A moment later the door opened to reveal a tired looking Edward. When his gaze fell on his youngest daughter he let out a gasp and a moment later Adele was grabbed into a hug.
"Oh, thank heavens you're alright," he breathed, voice hoarse with emotion. He held her tightly for a moment, then he pulled back to stare at her, "You are alright, aren't you?" he asked, his tone uncertain.
"I'm fine," Adele reassured him.
"Adele?!" Elmina's voice could be heard from within the room.
"Mina!" Adele called anxiously. Sara stepped in front of Adele guardedly as the dark haired girl appeared at the door, standing between Elmina and her younger sister.
"It's alright. She's back to normal now," Edward told her. Sara blinked, clearly unsure, but she reluctantly stepped aside. Immediately Adele was caught up in yet another enthusiastic hug as Elmina threw her arms around her.
"Oh Adele," the dark haired girl's tone was filled with a mixture of guilt and relief, "I'm so sorry," she whispered brokenly, "So, so sorry," Elmina rested her face against Adele's shoulder. The blonde hugged her back tightly, keenly aware that her friend was fighting to hold back tears. It was slightly shocking. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the dark haired girl cry. And her words sent a wash of surprise through her.
"Mina, what on earth are you apologizing for?" she asked, clearly puzzled. Elmina pulled back to stare at her.
"I let you get kidnapped!" She snapped, expression filled with guilt, "And then when I found you, I just left you behind!" her voice wavered slightly as she fought to remain in control of her emotions. Adele's eyes widened in understanding and then her expression filled with grim determination.
"Don't you dare blame yourself for any of that," she ordered sternly, "None of it is your fault. I'm alright," her tone left no room for argument. Elmina swallowed hard, expression still troubled, but didn't attempt to argue with her. Both girls knew getting into such a debate would be pointless. Neither would be willing to admit the other was right.
"Adele?" A voice from the doorway drew the blonde girl's attention. AJ stood beside his father, expression filled with relief. She smiled at him, stepping around her dark haired friend to wrap her older brother in a hug. Apparently he was the only member of her family with the self-control not to throw himself at her, which didn't really surprise her. His calmer personality mirrored hers in a way, and just because his emotions weren't all loudly displayed for the world to see didn't mean she hadn't worried him sick. "You really are ok?" he asked softly. She couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
"I really am ok," she replied, pulling away with a smile. Her gazed moved back to Elmina. "But enough about me. Are you ok?" she asked, eyeing her friend with concern. Elmina's dark circles were like bruises against the paler than usual skin of her face and her eyes were reddened; whether from sleep deprivation or crying it was difficult to tell.
"I'm ok now. I don't know what Mania was doing to me, but he stopped when mom showed up earlier," Elmina said, rubbing an eye tiredly.
"You look exhausted. I think you should try to get some sleep," Wrath spoke up, a concerned frown creasing his brow.
"I agree. You were up all night. Your body needs a chance to recover," Edward told her. Elmina nodded slowly.
"I think you're right. Maybe I'll go lie down," she said, turning back towards the door. As she stepped forward she swayed and staggered unsteadily. Adele made a surprised exclamation as she saw her friend's legs give out and she started to collapse. AJ was there in an instant, his arms going around her and halting her fall.
"Mina!" Adele cried in alarm.
"It's alright," Edward assured his daughter, "She's just reached her limit. She's looked like she was on the verge of passing out ever since Mania released her. I think her worry over you was the only thing that kept her awake this long," he explained. Adele's expression was mixed as she watched her older brother lift the now unconscious Elmina into his arms carry her back into the room. "Why don't you come down to the lobby with me while I call your mother? She'll be desperately relieved to hear your voice," Ed suggested. Adele wavered a moment, gaze flickering from the door to the room, to her father, then back. Finally she nodded.
"Alright," she agreed.
"I'll come with you," Sara said, resting a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder.
"We'll be back in a little while," Edward said to Wrath. The dark haired man nodded and the three of them set off down the hall. Wrath watched them for a moment before turning and heading into the hotel room. There were some things he needed to discuss with Elsie and Envy.
He found Envy sitting in the living room alone. He raised his eyebrows at the green haired man questioningly.
"Elsie went with AJ to help him tuck Mina into bed. They'll both be back in a minute," Envy explained. Wrath nodded, moving to sit in one of the chairs across from him.
"You look like hell," he informed the older man bluntly. Envy massaged his temples with a hand tiredly.
"Not surprising. I'm pretty sure I just spent the last twelve hours there," his tone was dry.
"What happened after we split up?" Wrath asked with a frowned. Envy let out a sigh.
"Well I chased my daughter through Central City traffic for a while until we ran into Ed and he managed to grab her. Then we looked after her for the rest of the night while she buzzed about the room in various delusions. I had no way of knowing whether it was a temporary thing or if I'd lost my daughter for good," his voice went slightly hoarse and he cleared his throat. After a moment he continued, "I'm just glad Elsie knows what's going on with her, because I don't," his tone was resigned.
"Well, I don't completely know what's going on," Elsie commented, walking back into the room followed by AJ. "I understand the symptoms she's getting. But in my experience they aren't supposed to come on this quickly and then instantly leave. My disorder just didn't work that way," the curly haired woman sank down onto the couch next to her husband. Wrath blinked in surprise.
"Your disorder?" he questioned.
"My husband left out the part about my old disorder showing up in physical form and deciding to mess with our daughter," Elsie's tone bordered on bitter, "That's what caused last night,"
"How do we stop Despair from going after her next?" AJ asked, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.
"I don't think we can," Elsie replied quietly, expression deeply troubled.
"There has to be something we can do," Envy insisted, slightly exasperated. Elsie frowned, glancing at him.
"You don't get it. I struggled to keep those two under control at the best of times when they were inside of me, and I used medication for that. We don't have that medication in this dimension, and the disorder isn't even inside of her in this case," she explained.
"What about alchemy?" AJ asked. Elsie blinked, glancing at him.
"What about it?" her tone was puzzled.
"Could we use it somehow as a substitute for the medication you used to use?" he clarified. Surprise washed across the dark haired woman's features.
"I…don't know…" she frowned in thought for a moment, "It's a possibility. Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain… The meds we used were meant to correct that. So if it were possible to somehow use alchemy to alter the balance of chemicals in her brain then…maybe it would work… But alchemy isn't typically used for medical purposes. And playing around with her brain chemistry is dangerous," her tone was wary.
"Well then. It's a good thing her best friend is a talented alchemist specializing in the only known form of medicinal alchemy," AJ pointed out dryly.
"Do you think Adele would be capable of attempting something like that?" Envy asked skeptically.
"I don't know. But she's the only possibility we've got. I suspect she'd have to do some experimenting and studying up on it, but she's got more than enough incentive to figure something out," the brown haired mechanic replied.
"I'll talk to her about it," Elsie said, still clearly deep in thought with the idea.
"I hate to say this, but we've got an even bigger problem than Mina's mental health on our hands," Wrath spoke up, tone resigned. All gazes in the room snapped to him.
"What?" there was an alarmed edge to Envy's voice.
"We're going to be invaded by Aerugo before the end of the year," Wrath dropped the bombshell on them bluntly. Silence reigned in the room. It was a moment before anyone was able to come up with a response. It was such an out of the blue statement that it was almost hard to take seriously. But Wrath wasn't the type to joke around in a situation like this. Envy was the first to find his voice.
"What?" he repeated, eyes wide with shock.
"Aren't they our allies?" Elsie's expression mirrored her husband's. AJ remained silent, clearly going over the implications of the statement in his mind.
"That's what they've led us to believe," Wrath replied, "But they suffered heavy losses of life during the long years of war with our country. Those in power haven't released their grudge. The apparent goodwill has all just been a front to allow their economy some recovery time while they conspire with Drachma against us. Their nation was an economic powerhouse to begin with, so they've already recovered from the extended war to a large degree. Better than our country in fact, although that's mainly due to the high cost of maintaining our large military," he explained.
"Conspire with Drachma?" Envy questioned, a frown creasing his brow. Wrath nodded.
"Drachma will tie up our military in the North. The Aerugan forces aren't as strong as our military forces, but that won't matter if our military isn't there to stop them. They'll take South City and the surrounding towns and then move on to East City," the dark haired man replied.
"But that means Resembool is right in their path," Elsie pointed out in alarm.
"So is Dublith if they intend to make a move on Central after they take the South and the East," AJ commented, expression grave.
"How is it that you know all of this and yet our country's leaders are entirely ignorant of it?" Envy demanded.
"Roy had a lingering suspicion about our southern ally, so he sent me privately to infiltrate Aerugo. That's why I disappeared for two years. It was a secret mission which I wasn't at liberty to discuss with you," Wrath replied, "And not all of our leaders are ignorant. There are some who are working on the side of the Aerugans. They're going to assassinate the remaining council members and assume control,"
"When?" AJ demanded.
"Soon. If they plan to invade before the end of the year then that leaves less than four months for them to put their plan into motion. I would be surprised if they didn't attempt the assassination before the end of this month," Wrath replied.
"What do we do?" Elsie asked, appearing slightly distraught by the news.
"I'm working with Mustang to try and salvage the situation if at all possible. But we need to prepare for a worst case scenario," the dark haired man replied gravely.
"We can't just leave Resembool," AJ pointed out skeptically, "If my family suddenly abandoned the automail shop and moved that would raise numerous questions. It has the potential to give away the fact that we know about the invasion. My father might be retired, but he's still a prominent figure. And my mother is just as well known. If they suddenly change locations, people are going to take notice,"
"I know," Wrath replied grimly, "I'm not suggesting that you move immediately, but it's something you need to keep in mind. The only other alternative is we try and come up with a way to defend the town," his tone was slightly skeptical.
"And how are we supposed to accomplish that?" Envy demanded, "The place has no form of defenses and no military protection to speak of. I don't think it's had to fend off an attack for as long as it's been in existence," there was an edge to his voice.
"Therein lies our problem. Mustang is going to quietly inform those in South and East City of the threat. I'm not entirely sure how well the news will be received, but it should at least put them on alert. They might be able to stall the invading force long enough for some military support to arrive from up north, depending on how things go. But if things don't work out…unless we can come up with some sort of suitable defense of Resembool that will last until that northern support arrives, the Elrics may need to prepare to evacuate," Wrath replied. There was a heavy silence around the room. None of them had been expecting to receive such grave news. After a moment AJ cleared his throat. The others glanced at him.
"I have an idea," he told them, a calculating expression on his face.
Wrath strolled down the street towards an official looking government building. His thoughts swirled with ideas from the conversation he had just had with Envy, Elsie and AJ. The possibilities which the young mechanic had presented them with were encouraging. They offered a much needed flicker of hope. Though at the moment Wrath had other things to worry about. He glanced up at the doors he was nearing. Would he be able to come up with some sort of plan with Roy's other agent? It had been years since he'd laid eyes on Elycia Hughes. He remembered her vaguely as a girl about Elmina's age, with wild ash blonde hair and wide green eyes like Elsie's. Of course, she would have grown up quite a bit by now. She was only about five years younger than his own age of thirty-one. But he was having trouble picturing the energetic girl of his memories as an undercover agent.
He strolled into the lobby of the large building and came to a stop at the receptionist's desk.
"Hello, can I help you?" the lady behind the counter greeted him.
"I'm looking for Roy Mustang," he stated. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"I take it you mean Brigadier General Mustang?" her tone was dry, "His office is on the left at the end of the hall," she gestured to one of the halls leading out of the lobby.
"Thank you," Wrath replied, turning and heading down the indicated hall.
The office door was unassuming, with only a small name plate to indicate that it belonged to the Brigadier General. The rank, much like the rank of Furor, had become little more than a title after the cutbacks and restrictions placed on the military by the Council. His knock on the door was met with a call of, "Come in!" from inside.
The room was larger than Mustang's home office. Large windows overlooked a courtyard and the desk sitting in front of them was, not surprisingly, covered in paperwork. Behind it sat Mustang, appearing much more official in his military uniform than he had in his plaid pajamas the night previously. Beside him stood a woman with a clip board in hand. She too was dressed in uniform, although the skirt and crisp white blouse marked her as one of the civilian staff members rather than a trained soldier. Her blonde hair was braided over one shoulder in a practical way. She glanced up at him as he entered, large eyes bright with curiosity.
"Good afternoon," Mustang greeted him, "I hope things are going a little better on your end today,"
"They appear to be so far," Wrath replied, coming to a stop in front of his desk. He glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye, wondering how exactly Mustang planned to handle the situation. It seemed doubtful that he would want to strike up a conversation about invasions and conspiracies while sitting in his office at the military's intelligence headquarters.
"That's good to hear. Thank you for stopping by on such short notice. Here is the letter I need delivered," the Flame Alchemist handed him a blank envelope. Wrath took it, expression skeptical. Apparently he'd been demoted to mailman. Was that really the best cover Mustang could come up with? "I don't believe you've been introduced to my secretary Miss Hughes. She wasn't working for me when you left on your trip. Miss Hughes, this is Mr. Curtis. He's a friend of mine who is being kind enough to run some errands for me while he's in town," Mustang explained. The blonde woman nodded, smiling knowingly.
"Oh I know who Wrath is," she replied cheerfully, "You're Envy's brother aren't you?" she addressed him, setting down the clipboard and stepping around the table extending a hand to shake.
"…Yes," he replied guardedly. She couldn't possibly realize how awkward it was for her, the daughter of the late Maes Hughes, to bring up Envy so casually in conversation. He extended his own hand and it was swiftly caught up in an enthusiastic handshake.
"It's good to see you again! How has Elsie been? I haven't seen her in ages! Then again, with you being away on vacation I suppose you haven't seen her much either. You'll have to say hi to her for me when you see her next; unless I see her before you. Or maybe we could visit her together at some point! That would be fun, don't you think?" She beamed at him.
"Uh…" Wrath retracted his hand from the younger woman's surprisingly firm grip. He was slightly blindsided by the unexpected bubbly chatter. He barely knew the woman. Her forward friendliness was a little awkward.
"Elycia, give the poor man a second to breathe," Mustang ordered, a bemused smile on his face. Elycia rolled her eyes, turning back to her superior.
"You know, Mustang," she stressed the name pointedly, "You might be practically my uncle, but shouldn't you address me a little more formally in a working environment?" her sharp tone wasn't meant to be taken seriously if her dancing eyes were any indication. Mustang raised an eyebrow.
"Pardon me. It's just with you suddenly jumping to a first name basis with Mr. Curtis I assumed we had moved past formalities," his tone was dry. Elycia's smile grew slightly sheepish and she glanced at Wrath again.
"You'll have to forgive me. I have a tendency of getting carried away," she informed him, sounding more amused than apologetic. He regarded her for a moment, his expression coldly unreadable.
"It's fine," he replied finally, tone stiff. If first impressions were any indication, this woman hadn't grown up in the slightest over the last ten years. If anything she'd just gotten more forward. Working with her was likely going to be a trying experience. The blonde woman bit her lip, clearly attempting to maintain a more serious expression while her eyes laughed at him. Wrath's own eyes narrowed slightly, not appreciating the mirth in her gaze. Most people were put off by his cold demeanor, not amused by it.
"I didn't realize you two were already acquainted. How nice," Mustang commented blandly.
"Yes indeed! I need to take the rest of the day off," Elycia informed her superior abruptly. Mustang raised his eyebrows.
"Do you have somewhere to be?" he inquired.
"I'm going out for coffee with Wrath," She replied, turning and walking to the coat rack in the corner to grab her purse. Wrath stared at her blankly. What had given her that idea?
"Well then. I suppose I can spare you for the day," Mustang leaned back in his chair smirking slightly.
"You know what you need to get done. Don't make me tell Riza you're falling behind in your paperwork again," Elycia leveled a serious look at him. The Flame Alchemist raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright, I'll get it done," he assured her.
"Good," She nodded in approval before turning to Wrath, "Ready to go? I know the perfect place," she informed him cheerfully, strolling across the room to him. He opened his mouth to object but was cut off by Mustang.
"She really does know the best coffee shops. It'll be good for the two of you to have some time to catch up," the older man's tone was amiable but his pointed gaze made it clear he was giving an order, not a suggestion. Wrath held back a sigh. Why had he agreed to help this man? Having to spend time alone with his chatty secretary was not an experience he was looking forward to.
"Alright, lets go," he said, tone utterly resigned.
"Have fun," Mustang told him, smirking again. Wrath gave him an unenthused expression. Then his eyes widened in surprise as the blonde abruptly linked arms with him and began pulling him towards the door.
"Come on, daylight is burning!" she told him, tone slightly impatient. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to yank his arm out of her grasp. If he had to work with the woman it would probably be best not to be utterly rude. But did she not understand the concept of keeping a socially polite distance from strangers? He did not appreciate the uncalled for familiarity. He was going to have to have a talk with her about it.
-Author's Note-
*Chuckling into hand* I'm sorry Wrath. But you need an Elycia in your life. You just don't know it yet.
Yeah. Elycia's personality was inspired by a suggestion from my best friend, and I am exceptionally grateful for it because it turned her into a character that I adore. x'D As you get to know her more, I suspect you will too. First impressions rarely show all there is to know about a person.
Yeah. She takes after her dad. I miss Hughes…