The chance to speak with Mr. Corrins came sooner than expected. The air had warmed considerably, and to Selim, it hardly felt like the end of winter at all. The girls, tired because of the long ride, had lain down amongst a few of the sacks and were now sleeping peacefully under a make-shift canopy consisting of several barrels and Mandy's cream-colored trench coat stretched out between them. It tended to keep slipping, but as long as someone kept an eye on it, it didn't fall down and wake the girls.
"Hey Selim," Mandy whispered from her seat on the sack beside him. "Now's a good time to tell him."
"Good," he nodded, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Please, enjoy."
"I thought you were doing it."
He frowned. "You thought wrong." If there was anything he really hated, it had to be people pushing their own thoughts and responsibilities onto him.
"But," she started, working up a puppy-dog face that had no effect on her companion whatsoever.
Selim cut her off. "You're the one that wanted to talk to him, you talk to him. I'm not going to do it for you."
She watched him for several seconds as he fanned himself off with a large, brown leaf he'd found on their last stop. It was quickly going very limp in the afternoon heat (despite the usually cold weather); as such he was considering trying to use it to cover the top of his head to protect himself from the sun as it had started to become rather useless as a fan.
Apparently seeing that he wouldn't be moved, Mandy sighed and stood up, picked her way over to the large front seat and climbed up top with only the slightest hesitation.
"Hey, I wanted to let you know that we didn't mean to be offensive earlier with the alchemy…and all that, I mean. And anything else," she said, stumbling over her words for the first time since Selim had known her.
The old man let out a kind of ironic grunt that wasn't quite a chuckle. Over the noise of the cart and the horses clopping along, Selim was surprised he heard it. "So yeh noticed. Wondered why yeh hadn't tried to try it again since." He looked over his shoulder at Selim before turning his eyes back to Mandy. "Wasn't offended. Just didn't want t' remind the girls o' their mother."
"Oh, right," Mandy nodded, still sounding awkward. Well she had been right. Apparently explanations and apologies really weren't her thing. The thought amused Selim. "So she was an alchemist. Something happened then? I'm sorry."
He sat up a little straighter, shifting on his seat as if uncomfortable. "Guess I owe ya a bit of an explanation," he muttered.
"You don't have to," Selim cut in hurriedly, glancing uncertainly at Mandy. Both of the people in the front seat turned to look back at him, acknowledging his presence in the conversation.
"It's alright. The girls'r asleep so I don' mind. Ya see, she was a state alchemist, one sent to negotiate with the FFO. 'Parently, somethin' went wrong. She never came back." He sighed and slumped as if a weight had suddenly been set there. "Well, most of her didn't."
Mandy and Selim had both become very quiet. Selim looked away from the man, studying the rough grain of the old wood that made up the large cart that bounced beneath his feet. Mandy just stared straight ahead. Selim couldn't see her expression.
"Tha' was a year ago. The girls still don' know," Mr. Corrins continued, voice soft and only barely discernible above the clopping of the horse's hooves. "I know I can't keep it from 'em forever, but I haven't found the guts to tell 'em yet. Tha's why I 'void the subject."
They rode in silence for several seconds before their host spoke again, far more quietly—as if to himself—but with a lot more anger and bitterness than they'd come to expect from the man. "Don't know who I should blame more: those rabble-rousers who play at making the world a better place or those monsters back in Central."
Selim cringed at the latter, but couldn't pinpoint why. After a moment's reflection, he figured it had to do with something Clemin had said. Maybe something to do with his father? Or Fuhrer Bradley? Could the older man even be referring to the current Fuhrer Armstrong?
"Monsters?" he asked slowly.
Mr. Corrins blinked and looked back at him as if only just realizing his two young companions still accompanied him. Then he sighed. "I c'n see why the FFO got pop'lar. I worked fer the government. Trust me when I say it doesn' keep the people in mind when it comes to their well bein', if you get my meanin'."
"Maybe that's changed," Mandy said suddenly, sounding indignant. "It's not like it was when Fuhrer Bradley was alive."
The man shrugged. "Maybe not. I haven' seen much of a change, and if they're tryin' to improve, they've got an awful lot ta make up fer."
"So you support the FFO?" Selim asked, unable to keep out the disbelief of his voice.
"Not on yer life!" the man snapped. "They're goin' 'bout it wrong. Killin' ain't the answer. Never will be. As long as they're like that, they're just as bad as the people they're tryin' to overthrow."
"So who do you support?" Mandy asked quietly, her tone just a bit hard. Selim raised an eyebrow. Just what had Mr. Corrins said to offend her?
The older man didn't respond for several minutes. Then he sighed and looked over his shoulder at the make-shift tent his granddaughters lay under. "I support them."
After several more quiet moments, Mandy just nodded and slipped back down into the back near Selim.
"Well," she whispered, voice thick with sarcasm. "That went well. Now do you see why it's not a good idea to let me be the one to apologize?"
Selim just rolled his eyes. He found himself doing that a lot around her.
xXx
A rather harsh jostle pulled Selim out of his light (thankfully dreamless) doze and he looked around. Mandy had fallen asleep earlier and Selim had followed shortly afterwards. The dark-haired girl lay off to the side, head resting on some wheat packed tightly behind a barrel, undoubtedly to keep the sun out of her eyes. She mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Neither did the girls.
As he became slightly more cognizant, Selim realized that the sun had almost sunk below the horizon.
"Mr. Corrins?" he asked in a scratchy voice. The man didn't seem to hear him, but Selim didn't want to raise his voice and possibly disturb the sleeping girls. Groaning slightly at the various aches and kinks in his body, he forced his almost dead-weight limbs to move and hoisted himself up beside the man.
"What the...!" the man started to yelp until he saw Selim sitting there, staring up at him innocently, a little surprised at the outburst himself. "Oh son, don' scare me like that."
"I didn't mean to," Selim replied.
"I know, lad," Mr. Corrins said, shaking his head. "I've lost my touch. Used to be no one could sneak up on the likes o' me."
"Back when you were in the army?" Selim asked.
The gray-haired man didn't say anything for a long while. Finally, when he did, he sounded quiet and serious again. "I hope nothin' I said earlier offended ya."
"You mean about the government?" Selim asked. Mr. Corrins nodded. "I don't see why it should offend me. You have a right to your opinion, don't you?" The man blinked as he looked at Selim, surprised at the statement. Selim continued. "That doesn't mean I agree with you. I do believe that the people running the government today are good people doing the best they can. They're human, and have faults like everyone else, but the laws I've seen passed under Fuhrer Armstrong's regime have been nothing if not drafted with the general populace in mind. I'm sorry if it hasn't reached you here yet, but I think it's only fair to give them all a little leeway. Running a country cannot be easy."
The man huffed, looking strangely silhouetted in the light of the setting sun. "Guess yer right there. Maybe I'm jus' an old man who's tired of bein' let down. Seen too much to not try n' find hidden motives."
Selim shrugged. "I never said they didn't have hidden motives. Keep thinking like that, and you're likely to keep yourself—and your family—alive longer."
"I still hate it."
"That's the nice thing about human lives; you can. No matter what the law says, or what the government tries to make you think, you can still choose to think and believe what you want. You can choose to hate the whole situation, but it isn't always their fault."
Mr. Corrins shook his head, yanking on one side of the reigns just slightly so the horses would follow the gentle curve in the rarely-used trail they'd turned onto. "How old are yeh?"
"Fifteen. Why?"
"Yer awfully smart n' mature fer yer age."
Selim smiled, although there was a touch of sadness in that smile he could not explain. "Thank you."
xXx
"Alright girls, we're home!" Mr. Corrins said as the cart wound to a stop. Selim went to help him undo the back of it so they could begin unloading.
"Granpa?" Callie asked, rubbing her eyes. "Home?" Beside her Bailey nodded with a yawn.
"Yup. Let me help yeh go get ready fer bed." The girls were still tired enough that they didn't argue, only nodding and stumbling towards the good sized farm house barely visible in the evening light. It had two stories, but otherwise looked rather plain. They'd pulled up and around the back of the house before Mr. Corrins had stopped the cart. He'd explained to Selim on the way up that the back entrance was closer to the kitchen and storage pantry. He'd also asked if Selim would mind unpacking while he tried to get the girls to go back to sleep. If he didn't, they'd probably be up all night and no one would get any rest.
"So," Mandy yawned as she stretched and stood up. Her hair hadn't gotten any better than earlier. Actually, if anything, it had gotten worse; the very definition of frizzy. "We have to unload tonight?"
"Of course," Selim responded, finally getting the tailgate unhooked. He winced when it almost fell off; swinging precariously down once the support ropes slackened.
"Can't wait until morning?"
Selim shook his head as he hopped into the back and grabbed the first sack he could. Heavy lifting had never been a particular problem for him, but his mother hadn't ever seemed to want him to do it. Something about straining his back or what not. Frankly, he had no idea what she'd been talking about.
Lifting two sacks up onto his shoulders, he turned around only to see Mandy staring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Those sacks have to weigh 25 pounds each. I know that's not much, but you swing them around like they weigh nothing."
"I beg to differ," he retorted. "They actually weigh quite a bit. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to do what I promised I would do."
That seemed to snap Mandy out of her stupor. "Okay, cutie, just a sec."
"Stop calling me that!" he growled at her. She ignored him, walked to the edge of the cart , and jumped into the packed dirt that surrounded the farmhouse.
"Hey what...?" He started, stepping forward.
"Stay there!" she said back to him with a wink and held up a paper with an alchemy circle. Then she dropped out of sight and the familiar blue glow lit the area around them. Curious, he ignored her warning and walked to the edge. Carefully, so as not to let the weight still on his shoulders topple him, he peeked over. Mandy grinned up at him, standing beside a ramp made of dirt that curled around towards the house.
"See?" she said.
Selim blinked for a few seconds. Then he smiled and nodded his approval. The ramp would make unloading much easier. "I didn't think an alchemist would use their alchemy for something so trivial."
"It's not trivial," she said, hiding a yawn. "We have to catch a train out of here tomorrow, just in case you didn't remember. We have to be on our guard, just in case our friends decide to show up which means we need rest. To do that, we have to get this done as quickly as possible. This just speeds us along."
With that, she tucked her alchemy circle into her pocket and hopped onto the ramp, albeit rather sluggishly.
Selim nodded again as she walked past him. He wasn't about to complain. Once she didn't block the ramp, he rebalanced the bags and began the rather short descent.
xXx
It took them almost an hour to finish unloading the cart. When Mr. Corrins finally came back, he informed them that the girls were asleep, and that he'd laid out blankets for them in the living room. He'd also taken the liberty of getting them some sleep wear and let them know that they could wash their clothes in the morning. He also informed them—much to their dismay—that he did not have a shower, although he did have a working toilet.
He never commented on the dirt ramp.
As Selim and Mandy finished with the last barrels, Mr. Corrins handed them the lantern he'd been carrying and lead the horse and cart away with instructions for them to get to bed. They both agreed, gratefully.
The living room lay at the end of a short hallway, on the opposite side of the house than the kitchen. The blankets and pillows looked old and worn, but warm. The areas designated to them lay on each side of the old, worn coffee table situated between a small, fraying couch and a few mismatched but comfortable looking chairs. A bundle of clothing lay on top of each blanket.
Mandy and Selim exchanged glances before she leaned down and grabbed the closest pile before dashing to the bathroom and taking the lantern with her. Selim didn't mind. With the bright moonlight shining through the window, he found he could still see quite easily. It only took him a few minutes to get changed and settled down.
No sooner had he relaxed against the pillow than thump indicated the door opening and closing. Selim turned his eyes to the room's entrance as their host peeked in.
"Everythin' okay?" he asked.
"Yes," Selim responded honestly. "Thank you again for your hospitality."
"It's no problem," the older man said with a grin, once again showing his strange assortment of teeth. "Jus' make sure the lantern's out 'fore ya go ta sleep." Selim nodded, and the man disappeared with a smile that didn't quite hide his yawn.
Not a minute later, Mandy walked in, over-sized pajamas practically drowning her thin frame. Apparently she'd heard Mr. Corrin's comment because she set the lantern on the table and put it out before climbing under her own blankets.
They lay there in the darkness for several minutes, and Selim couldn't help his eyes being drawn to the window that framed the silver moon.
It reminded him of home.
"You okay, cutie?" Mandy's voice broke into his thoughts and he turned his head to glance over at her, only barely able to see her face on the other side of the table's legs.
"I really wish you'd stop addressing me like that," he said tiredly.
"We don't always get what we want, do we?" Her voice dripped with a fake innocence that only accentuated the fact that she would not stop any time soon.
"Goodnight," Selim muttered darkly and turned onto his side, back facing her.
After a few moments, she spoke up again. "Seriously, I didn't realize it was so dark when I left earlier. Are you going to be alright?"
Oh. So that's what she meant. He didn't respond for several minutes. Truthfully, he'd always wondered why most of the time darkness scared him to death, but he found the darkness of his room and the night comfortable. Perhaps it was because he associated it with sleep and rest?
"The dark doesn't bother me here because it's not completely dark, and I know I'm safe," he finally answered, a little surprised at his own words. Yes, he supposed safety had a lot to do with it. As long as he had a way out, he could handle the dark. He didn't like it, but he could live with it. Same with enclosed spaces. He could handle them as long as they were well lit.
"So you trust me?" she asked, sounding unsure.
He shrugged. "Shouldn't I?"
"I'm just surprised that came so easily."
"I'm your meal ticket," he muttered dryly. "And you're not too stupid."
"Hey!"
He smiled, knowing she couldn't see it. "You wouldn't endanger me like that, so yeah, guess I trust you."
"Well, when you put it that way..." she muttered. Selim kept a snicker to himself. After a moment she spoke up, sounding a bit put out. "You know, sometimes you're not cute at all."
"Good," Selim said.
After a few minutes, he heard her whisper to herself. "That wasn't a compliment."
Selim ignored her and turned on his side. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.
A/N Sorry this took so long to get out, but I do have an explanation:
1. I'm a new aunt! My nephew was born on the 24th at 9:54 pm. He's a week early, and still weighed 10 lb 11 oz (wow!). Both mother and son are doing fine. :D Been kind of worried about my little sister (the mother) because she's been so miserable in the last few months, so take that into account.
2. Been saving the stories on my favs list to my computer incase SOPA, PIPA or ACTA pass (PLEASE GOOGLE THOSE AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP KEEP OUR INTERNET FREE! FANFICTION(DOT)NET WILL NOT SURVIVE IF ANY OF THOSE PASS!). I've had a lot of stories to go through. Actually, I'm still not through all my Danny Phantom, Star Wars or Naruto fics (those happen to be the biggest sections ^^; ).
Note: If you want to start saving stories to your computer, I recommend fanfictiondownloarder(dot)net(forward slash)download(dot)php and download the program. After that, all you have to do is open the first chapter, copy the address, put it into the program, check and download, and voila! (of course, you have to get a folder to store it in, but that shouldn't be a problem, just create one on your desktop). PLEASE PASS THIS MESSGAGE ON(about SOPA, PIPA and ACTA, although you can pass on the Fanfiction downloader as well)!
3. The end of this really bothered me and I needed to take a step back for a while. Thanks to Daricio for beta-reading this for me, and I was finally able to get the end of the chapter to where I could stand it.