There. I feel nice.

Don't expect much tomorrow; I've got a Christmas Concert. Maybe after, I'll update Drugs and IRATE, but I might be tired and wanna watch videos and read fanfics (as opposed to writing them) and listen to music.

On second thought, I'll probably be sick of music tomorrow.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

The train ride was quiet. Mostly.

Ed refused to say a word. Instead, he stared out the window and grunted in reply to anything anyone said to him. Al kept up polite conversation, but only half of Sylvia's mind was concentration on it. Eventually, they both gave up any attempts at chatter, and the train ride became awkward and rather sad.

"Hey, Alphonse," Sylvia piped up finally. She wasn't very fond of silence; quiet just wasn't her thing. Silence made her feel self-conscious.

"Just Al, please," Al corrected.

"Oh. Sorry." Sylvia paused. "So… what's your mechanic like?"

"You mean Winry? That's her name. She's been our friend since we were little kids."

"Makes the best automail around," Ed mumbled. Al and Sylvia stared at him in surprise until he added, "Every time I bust up my arm, she bashes me upside the head with that stupid wrench of hers." A small smile came to his lips.

"I don't blame her," Al teased. "I've never seen anyone mess up automail as much as you do."

Ed shot him a playful glare, then grinned at him.

Al turned to Sylvia. "So, Sylvia. Do you have any childhood friends?"

"I do," Sylvia confirmed. "His name is Jerimiah. His family has worked for my family for generations. My mother is always cooped up her lab- she's a scientist- so she put him to, sort of, being my big brother. I can tell Jerimiah anything."

"Sounds like a nice boy," Al said. "Don't you agree, Brother?"

Something in Al's voice scared Ed into replying. "Eh, more or less," he grunted. "Sounds like he's your friend only 'cause your mom told him to be, though."

"That's not true!" Sylvia protested.

"If you say so."

They fell into silence again, broken only by the clack, clack of the train going over the tracks.

Sylvia sighed, propped up her arm on the armrest, and decided it'd be more fun to go to sleep.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Al turned to stare at Sylvia as she drifted off to sleep. He decided she was cute- not gorgeous, but pretty enough to turn a few heads.

She had long, auburn hair that she kept in a braid- not quite red, not quite brown. Her bangs framed her face. Even though her eyes were closed, Al knew she had big, blue eyes that smiled when her mouth did. She wore a white, short-sleeved jacket over a navy blue T-shirt underneath, with a matching miniskirt. Her shoes were white tennis shoes with navy blue knee-high socks.

Her gloves were white, the transmutation circles on the palms sewed in with navy blue thread. Al wondered absentmindedly if her favourite colours were navy blue and white.

"Brother?" he called softly.

"What." It was a statement.

"Why don't you like Sylvia? She's nice."

"Just gonna get in the way."

"You could try to get along with her," Al insisted. "We barely even know her. You could try to be nice."

"Worthless. Spoiled brat." Was all Ed said.

In her sleep, Sylvia frowned and her eyebrows twitched. She mumbled something and shifted.

Al sighed exasperatedly. Ed was just too stubborn. Sometimes, he wondered if he and Ed were really brothers. They were so different, sometimes.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Phew~!

I know it seems as if Al's infatuated with Sylvia, but he's not. I'm not big on that love-triangle crap. Oops- did I let something slip??!!

Tell me what you think of Sylvia in your reviews.