January 2nd, 1974

All too soon the holidays were over, the Central part of the family had packed up and headed home, and things once again grew quieter –they were never entirely quiet- in Resembool. At least now Edward had a project to work on for the next couple of months that was sure to take advantage of his creativity and mental faculties; helping Aldon get elected as mayor. He had insisted he'd be the head of his son's campaign ever since Aldon had come to him and informed him that he had finally decided to go ahead and do it.

Now seemed like the right time. Little Callista was eight-and-a-half, so aside from getting to play with their granddaughter –now soon to be followed by two more grandchildren- there were no really small children in Aldon and Cassie's house requiring constant care. They were both keeping busy with work, and most of Aldon's projects were for the town or other towns in the surrounding countryside.

Fortunately the whole family was in on the campaign. Otherwise, Ed surmised, Winry would never have been so patient as he and Aldon had determined their house to be campaign headquarters, and were already spending evenings with the dining table littered with papers and reports and information as they started putting together the campaign platform. Official announcements to run were being made at the City Council Meeting on the eighteenth, and they needed to be ready to hit the ground running.

"You know you can't live on coffee right?" Winry commented wryly as Ed poured his third cup and sipped from it.

"You're right," Ed nodded agreeable, and smiled up at her. "Isn't there cake in the fridge?"

Winry rolled her eyes. "Yes, I believe there's a few slices left. You can get it yourself."

"And what are you up to?"

"Working, what else?" Winry shrugged. "That new leg for Mr. Varalmund needs to be mailed out tomorrow. He's still at the hospital in Parkool, and they have a surgeon who can attach it, but they need it."

Of course. Work as always. Ed remembered Varalmund. He had moved out of Resembool a few years ago to live nearer his children, but suffered an unfortunately violent accident. "I'll get my own cake," he assured her, watching Winry cross the living area and vanish into her workshop. When he turned around Aldon was grinning. "What's so funny? I know for a fact Cassie's already commiserating with Deanna and Winry about how she doesn't expect to see you until this is over."

"And how would you know that?"

"They were talking about it yesterday over tea, while you were working on the new bridge downriver," Ed grinned, standing up. "When they thought I was upstairs writing."

"Weren't you?" Aldon asked as he watched him cross into the kitchen and open the refrigerator.

"Not then." Ed set the plate of cake on the counter and cut off a large hunk. "You want some?"

"Sure. What have you been working on?" Aldon looked at him curiously. "I didn't think you were doing another fictional work right now."

"I'm not." Ed cut another slice, put away the cake, and brought both plates to the table. "I told my publisher I needed a break to, you know, refill the creative reserves," he winked. "The truth is, what I'm really interested in is doing something different for a while. I mean, writing a few books was fun, but I feel like I've already distilled the best of Al's and my adventures into the books I've written. And the worst well… no one really wants to read those, nor should they. I've published alchemy books, adventure novels, and even got a note in there on Will's research on the nature of souls, and that's as much philosophy as alchemy."

"So now you're working on a political essay?" Aldon suggested as he held up the sheaf of papers in his hands, and smiled. "Or are you actually writing your memoirs in something other than travelogue?"

"I'm not really sure." Ed took a bite of cake. "Like I said, I'm not really sure everything I've been through needs to be published. Most of it's written down in some form or another already, and I don't like to spend most of my time ruminating on the past. There's so much going on here in the present that's a lot better." Like working together on this. Ed had always wanted a project that was something he and Aldon could really get into together, and his son had never been an alchemist; he'd always been the engineer.

Aldon seemed to get what he meant. "It means a lot to have your help with this, Dad. Just do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Don't get me run out of town."

Ed barked a laugh. "Oh come on now, even Al and I never managed to get run out of town, even when we tried."

January 8th, 1974

It was great to be back in Pylos. Minxia had already begun to think of her school as a second home, and arriving back in her dorm the night before, to find her roommate Angelique hanging up new posters of her favorite Cretan rock band, the Cracked Bass, and music blasting, and her own half of the room as clean as she'd left it and waiting, had certainly felt like she was coming home to just another place she belonged, despite the long train ride on the Central-to-Pylos express train that had brought her back to school as fast as was possible.

Late as it had been, Minxia hadn't gotten to see any of her other friends, like Thrakos, who was a year older than she was and lived in the boys' dormitories, which were kept –naturally- on the opposite side of campus from the girls' dormitories. The dining hall, which was part of the larger student center, sat near the middle of campus around the grassy area known as the quadrant, since it was a large rectangle surrounded by the primary administration building, the dining-and-student-center (usually just called the DC), the massive library, and the performing arts building, which was the auditorium in which all-school meetings and assemblies were also held. Often professors who came to guest lecture from the University would hold open lectures there as well.

So Minxia had to wait until the next morning before she got to see anyone who didn't live on her floor.

As always, she laid her clothes out the night before, so when it came time to put on her uniform in the morning, all she had to do was slip into the burgundy knee-length skirt, cream blouse, burgundy blazer, and her sneakers. Her long red-brown hair she pulled back in double-tails, enjoying the contrast of her hair with her relatively Xingese features. Not that she was vain, but she had always kind of liked not looking like everyone else.

Neither did Angelique, who had thick, shiny black hair that was also incredibly curly, but always looked perfectly styled. Minxia had no idea how she did it, because Angelique never seemed to spend any more time than Minxia did preparing for the day.

:Ready to go?: Minxia turned away from the mirror and grabbed her bag with the books for her morning classes. She was really looking forward to this term, because this term the freshmen were taking a course called "Research Methods and Archaic Subjects" which sounded absolutely fascinating, since it combined how to do and compile research with looking at fascinating old things. Back in Central, she knew half her class would have been bored to tears at the idea of that much work, but Minxia was looking forward to the challenge.

:Yes, though we should hurry if we don't want to get stuck at the end of the breakfast line,: Angelique agreed, and together the two girls hurried down out of the dormitory –which was really more like an overly-large three-story manor house built with lots of rooms meant to fit one or two girls, though the top floor single-story rooms were mostly reserved for senior girls, and juniors lucky enough to get a shot after room assignments were done.

The dining hall was even more raucous than usual when they got there, as everyone greeted each other after the break. By the time they got through the line and Minxia picked out a breakfast of hot cereal with fresh fruit and honey in it, and a tall glass of orange juice, the tables all looked to be nearly full.
Fortunately the eagerly waving hand of Thrakos Argyros, and his good-looking smiling face, were hard to miss. The girls joined him and his friend-and-roomate Kerr Jones, who had saved them seats, apparently with many threats of violence.

:How kind of you,: Minxia chuckled as she sat down across from Thrakos. :Did you really tell Hamash you'd punch him in the nose? That's really not nice.:

:Aww, c'mon, Minx, you know we'd only threaten violence for the benefit of you and Angelique.:

:Feeling the love?: Angelique giggled, smiling coyly at Kerr, who smiled back but couldn't speak since he had a mouthful of bacon.

:So, anyone know who's teaching this new class?: Thrakos asked between bites as he went back to eating. :No one seems to know other than it's someone new.:

:Maybe a graduate student from the University?: Angelique suggested, pulling out her schedule. :There's no name down.:

:How mysterious,: Minxia chuckled. :Maybe they want to keep us in suspense?:

:Or maybe they had trouble finding someone to teach it,: Thrakos grinned. :Maybe our class has too scary a reputation.:

:As what?: Minxia asked him. :Goofballs?:

The school term began with the usual opening-of-school assembly, in which the Headmaster gave a little speech –far shorter than the one at the beginning of the year- and then let students make various announcements regarding clubs and student groups before everyone hurried off to their first class.

Minxia had her Cretan for non-Cretan Students class and her Continental History course the first two periods of the day. Since most of her friends were Cretan or already fluent, she didn't see them until History, and then they all trooped across the way to the Archaeology building, where their research class was the continuation of what had last term being their basic Introduction to Archaeology.

The room was packed, and they got seats up near the front, eager to find out who the new professor was and so as not to miss a thing, hoping the class would be as interesting as it sounded instead of turning out to be dull.

Minxia settled herself into her desk, pulled out a notebook and pen, and looked up as the teacher entered the room-

:Good morning,: Alphonse Elric said in Cretan as he smiled at the class as he moved up to the podium in the front of the room. :I am Professor Elric, and I will be teaching Research Methods and Archaic Subjects this term.:

Minxia nearly dropped her pencil.

From that moment on the class was a bit of a blur. Minxia was fully aware that her hands were taking notes on what was going to be going on in class that term –several papers, based on actual archaeological trips they would be going on and getting hands on experience- but her mind was still wrapping itself around the fact that her grandfather was teaching her class this semester, in Creta, and he hadn't said a single word about it all through the winter holidays!

:Wow, Minx!: Thrakos was looking at her with a touch of awe as they left the class an hour later. :You never told us your grandfather was teaching! The Alphonse Elric? That's like, the most epically awesome teacher we could possibly have for this class!:

Feeling mildly dumbfounded, Minxia didn't really want to admit, with everyone else around, that she had never been told. :Oh, yeah. Well it wouldn't have been fun to spoil the surprise, would it?:

:Here he comes!: Angelique beamed, stopping them in the hall and smiling. :Hello Professor Elric.:

:Good morning,: he stopped and smiled at all of them, then grinned at Minxia. :I hope you all enjoyed the lecture.:

:It was riveting,: Angelique assured him enthusiastically enough that Minxia was beginning to wonder if he friend might not be developing a crush on her grandfather. A slightly creepy thought, though she supposed he was good looking enough for his age.

:Is Grandma Elicia here too?: Minxia asked, trying not to sound like she'd had no idea he was coming.

:She'll be around later,: Grandpa promised. :She's taking care of getting things settled into the apartment over in faculty housing, which I get to escape by spending my day in classes and faculty meetings.:

:Sounds good to me,: Thrakos grinned. He had never really been one for cleaning. Minxia had heard his room was almost supernaturally messy. :Did my dad know you were going to be teaching here this term, sir?:

:He did actually,: Alphonse grinned.

Minxia felt a little better as Thrakos shook his head and laughed. :I'm going to have to give him a hard time for not telling me.:

"Alphonse, is that you?" Elicia called from the bedroom of their little apartment as Al came in the front door.

"Yes, it's me," he replied, sure the smile he wore carried in his voice as much as he could feel it on his face. It was not a large apartment. In fact, it was barely larger than the little one above Rockbell Auto-mail had been in Central before the addition. The one he'd lived in as a bachelor, a lifetime ago. But it was very nicely appointed, with hardwood floors and halfway up the walls, all stained dark, but with large windows that were open to the cool ocean breeze coming through the window. He couldn't see the ocean from where they were on campus, but they were close enough to smell it, and hear it in the distance in the quiet of evening. A bedroom, a bathroom, a living area, and a kitchenette; all they really needed, but so little to care for after living in their house in Central for so long.

"How was your day?" Elicia asked as she came out into the living area.

"Fantastic," Al grinned, crossing the floor and taking her in his arms for a warm kiss. "Thank you so much for agreeing to come with me. I think this is going to be a wonderful term."

"I'm glad." She returned the kiss. "Did you see Minxia?"

"I did," Al chuckled, feeling mildly guilty. "Though I think I shocked her more than I planned to. And her friends seemed to think she knew about it, so I tried not to give it away."

"That's good of you," Elicia smiled as they sat down together on the large striped couch. "There's nothing worse at that age than being humiliated in front of your friends."

"I do remember that, actually." Al leaned back, relaxing for the first time in hours. He had actually enjoyed all three of the classes he had taught that day, and the meetings he'd had with the department afterwards. He could see why Will loved teaching at the university in Central so much. "I also got to meet her friends. Nice group of kids. Not that I thought she'd be foolish enough to choose otherwise."

"But you can write back and give intelligence on her with a clear conscience?" Elicia suggested knowingly.

"I am not here to spy on my granddaughter for my son," Al replied with a slightly insulted expression, though it was spoiled by a smile. "I'm here to keep an eye on her for myself." In truth, he was there because they had needed a professor to fill in for a term, and President Argyros –who was also on the board of the school- had suggested him. "You've done great things with this apartment already," he complimented as he looked around. They hadn't brought a lot of stuff with them, since they hoped to pick up a few new items while they were in Creta, but there were hints of home. Elicia's favorite tablecloth on the little table barely big enough for two; his most important alchemy books on a shelf by the window. Everything appeared to have been unpacked.

"Thank you. It's not like there was much to do," Elicia pointed out, though she looked pleased anyway.

"There's only one thing missing," he said, looking around as he laid a hand on her thigh.

"And what's that?" Elicia asked him with a curious expression.

"We should have brought a cat."