Oh man, when I said it would take a while I didnt mean like 3 months I swear, I'm so so so sorry it took so long. Luckily while I was stuck in several ruts during this chapter I wrote the one after it too, so that DEFINITELY wont take too long.
Also i guessed with what Nina was wearing and i was wrong but Nina in overalls? Cute! Enjoy~!
Deliylah found car rides to be very much like train rides, except slower so she could see the scenery. She was amazed by how green everything was. In Ishval everything was warm and dusty and almost none of the houses went above two stories tall, but Central was filled with huge buildings that reached into the sky, and everything was colorful.
Although she had understood little of what the brothers and Mustang had talked about, she did know that they were going to visit a state alchemist, a specialist in chimera research named Shou Tucker. She knew she wasn't going to be actively engaged in the conversation, but she hoped to learn at least a little bit.
"Excuse me, Miss Deliylah?" Mustang's voice caught her attention, causing her to jump and pull her eyes from the rows of apartments and hotels that were beginning to thin out into individual estates and houses.
"Y-yes?" She answered. She was still quite wary around him, and would have preferred not to talk to him. But, none-the-less, she was polite, and if he needed to ask her something she would listen. Which he did.
"Are you sure we haven't met before?"
"I don't think so, sir…" she replied a little too quick, turning back to the green lawns and painted houses, hopefully getting her point across that she didn't want him to know that he did indeed know who she was.
The car pulled up to the gate of an enormous mansion. Ed, Al, Mustang, and Deliylah exited the vehicle and began making their way to the house, which seemed to get bigger with every step they took toward it.
Deliylah's ears perked and the hair on the back of her neck stood up; something was moving behind her. She turned around and promptly lept out of the way of an enormous white dog that planted itself onto Edward with a howl, flattening him.
"Alexander, no, don't do that," an adorable voice playfully scolded the dog. Deliylah turned around to see a very young child wearing two braids and a loose pair of overalls holding the door open. A man she recognized from the photo in the file to be Mr. Tucker appeared behind her, looking mildly distressed.
"Nina, this is why I told you to keep the dog tied up…" he sighed, pulling the door open all the way. "Alexander, come here." Alexander, apparently the dogs name, hauled himself off of Edward, who groaned in pain as he slowly sat up. "I'm so sorry about that, come on in. Nina, please go tie up the dog…"
"Awww, okay daddy. Alexander, come on!" The girl raced into the yard, having no intention of tying the dog up.
Mr. Tucker led the four into a very dirty living room, clearing a space for them to sit and discuss. "Can I offer you some tea? I'm afraid the place is a mess, so finding a clean cup around here may be difficult…"
Deliylah piped up shyly. "If you don't mind, I could make the tea. I'm not an alchemist, I won't really be of any use to the conversation."
"Why, thank you, young lady! I usually keep the tea over in that cupboard near the sink, the cups should be there too." He pointed toward a sink overflowing with dishes caked with grime.
When she finally found enough clean mugs and space and finished four cups of tea, one for everybody with a mouth, Edward was explaining how he got his automail and why he needed to see Tuckers research.
"I see… so you lost your mother…" He remarked, gazing at Edward's automail arm.
Colonel Mustang nodded. "I've told my superiors that he lost his limbs in the civil war in the East. I must ask you to please keep quiet about this attempts at human transmutation."
Tucker nodded standing up. "Sure, no problem. I'm sure the military couldn't afford to lose such a brilliant individual." He reached forward, taking their now empty teacups and dropping them into the already full sink. "Well then, I'm not sure if it'll be any help to you, but let me show you my laboratory. Right this way please."
The word "laboratory" made Deliylah feel a little anxious, but she followed Edward down a dark hallway into a dimly lit room filled with the sounds and smells of animals. Edward looked around, wide-eyed and in awe. Jars on shelves were filled with specimens, and misshapen animals sat in corners in cages.
"It's a bit embarrassing, really. I'm supposed to be the authority on chimeras, but in reality it's never easy. Lot's of failures and false starts… ah, miss! I'd advise you not to touch that one, she's pois-" he stopped mid sentence. Deliylah had crouched by a cage and slowly stuck her hand inside. The chimera held within, which had snarled when Colonel Mustang passed by, was giving off what sounded vaguely like a purr, rubbing it's scaled head against Deliylah's fingers.
"Oh, I'm sorry, she just looked like she wanted some attention…"
"How? I've never been able to touch her…"
She rubbed her neck with one hand. "I-I've always been good with animals, I suppose…"
Tucker gave a breathy chuckle. "Well, that certainly is unique~" He tossed a handful of pet food to the chimera and stood up, straightening his shirt. "Well if you'll follow me again, I'll show you my file room," he said, bringing them down another hallway.
"WOW!" Edward cried out in amazement. They had entered what looked light an enormous library practically overflowing with books and research materials. Edward looked like a child had just entered a candy store and was told he could pick anything he wanted off the shelves. "This is incredible!" he remarked, gaping at the tall shelves.
Tucker laughed. "Feel free to look around. I'll be in the lab."
Deliylah gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but I noticed that your kitchen needs a bit of cleaning. As I said before, I'm not much of an alchemist, but if you'd like I can help you clean up a bit."
A large smile ran across his face. "Why, thank you very much!"
The kitchen wasn't that easy to clean, but Mr. Tucker was willing to help as much as he could, and with a little team effort and a bit of frustration Deliylah was able to clear out all the dishes and dust off all the shelves. After the last plate was placed in the cabinet, she decided, since a few hours had gone by, she'd check in on Edward and bring him a cup of tea.
Edward was still in the library, and a large pile of books had accumulated around him. He looked up from his extensive reading only when Deliylah leaned over and held out a saucer with a cup of tea on it.
"Oh, thank's Deliylah!" At that moment the bell tolled, signaling the turn of the hour. "Oh, I didn't realize the time!" He stood up, stretching his limbs that were cramped from hours of reading. "Al! Hey, Alphonse! Where are you?" He called out to his brother. Delilyah could faintly hear the movement of his metal joints from the other side of the library, and a high pitched giggle from the same place.
"I think he's this way…" Before they found Alphonse, however, something else found them first. Her ears perked and the hair at the back of her neck stood up again, and on instinct she moved quickly out of the way just in time for a large white dog to once again land directly on Edward.
"Oh, hey big brother~" Alphonse's childish voice made Delilyah look up. A soft giggle made her look higher. Nina was perched on his shoulders, and apparently they had been playing for several minutes.
"What do you mean 'Hey, big brother?!' You're supposed to be looking through data, not babysitting!" Ed shouted, pulling himself out from under the dog, who immediately licked his face with a long, slobbery tongue.
Nina, still on Al's shoulders, giggled loudly. "Alexander says that he wants to play, too!"
Edward flew into a playful rage, chasing the dog all around the library, forgetting that he was supposed to be reading, too. By the end of the day the dog had once again flung himself on top of Edward.
The door opened and Tucker, followed by a young soldier smoking a cigarette who she recognized as one of Mustang's men, walked in. The smoking soldier raised an eyebrow, surveying the scene of Edward struggling to lift a large white dog off him. Deliylah coughed as quietly as she could. She hated the smell of cigarettes.
"Mind if I ask what you're doing?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," Ed groaned, "Lets just say I'm taking a break from a long day a research."
"After all that you must be…" Deliylah took in a sharp breath. Mr. Tucker was about to make a pun. "Dog tired." Edward cringed, grinning. Deliylah snorted, clasping her mouth with her gloved hands.
Edward pulled himself to his feet, swaying. Deliylah gently put a hand on his shoulder to steady him, and he patted her on the back gratefully. The soldier turned back to say something to Tucker, then escorted them to the car. Deliylah sank into the seat, softly smiling to herself. Today was a good day.
The next day was pretty similar, but Alexander instead plopped down in the library and Nina sat down next to her dog and the four of them talked a bit. She told them about how her mother had left them and apparently gone to live with her parents, about how her father had always been working since then after he got his state licence and about how she was a little bit lonely.
Edward snapped his book shut, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. "Ah, man, all this reading is making my shoulders cramp up."
"Exercise is the best cure for shoulder cramps, big brother."
"You're right, I guess I'll go work out a little on the yard." He turned around and pointed a finger at Alexander. "Hey, dog! I'll play with you for exercise!"
Al turned to the girls still on the floor. "Deliylah, Nina, you should come too!" Nina giggled and Deliylah nodded, pulling herself up and straightening out her skirt.
The rest of the day was spent laughing while Edward struggled to not become a pancake under Alexander, who usually won the rounds. Deliylah pushed Alexander off of Edward, using her back strength to lift the dog. She glanced up and could have sworn she saw Mr. Tucker glaring out his window with a pained face.
A tiny hand pressed firmly onto her side. "Tag, you're it!" Nina had tagged her and was now running as fast as her little legs would take her. Both Alphonse and Edward were running from her as well. It seemed that everybody was playing. She grinned and hiked up her skirt.
By the end of the evening, Deliylah, Edward, and Nina collapsed on the cool grass with Al looking over them, exhausted and still laughing their lungs out. That's how the rest of the week was, at least for Deliylah. She would make tea, then Edward would finish his day's reading and invite Nina, Alphonse, and herself outside for some exercise and fun. However, the joy didn't last.
Alphonse knocked on the door, announcing their arrival. Deliylah shivered; she could smell rain in the air and feel a sharp chill. Something wasn't right. There wasn't an answer, and the three let themselves in the unlocked door, calling out to Mr. Tucker and Nina.
The whole house was dark. The now clean kitchen and the dining room were empty. "Ed, I think I can hear something… in the lab…" she whispered, pointing the brothers in the directing of soft whispering she could hear from behind the closed door.
The door opened with a creak, causing Deliylah to shiver again, this time not from the cold. In the room she could barely see Mr. Tucker leaning over something alive; a new chimera, one she had never seen before. She had a very bad feeling about this whole situation. It all felt very wrong.
Mr. Tucker invited them inside. Something told her to hang back, to not go in, but she ignored it and followed Edward and Alphonse, leaving the door just barely open so that a sliver of light was all that illuminated the room.
"Look, it's my newest creation," Tucker beckoned the brothers to get a bit closer. "It's a chimera that understands human speech~" Deliylah flinched. She couldn't tell where from, but she could have sworn she recognized the chimera from somewhere. She stayed by the doorway, unable to bring herself to go farther into the room.
Edward, however, marveled at the new chimera, absolutely amazed by Tucker's skill. "Wow, it talks! It really talks!"
Deliylah faintly heard it whispering hoarsely. "Ed… ward… Ed… ward… Ed… ward..." A large grin spread over it's face. "Big… bruh… ther… Ed?" Deliylah's blood ran cold, and she heard Edward draw in a sharp breath. They realized it at the same time.
"Mr. Tucker… when was it you got your state licence certificate?"
"Lets see… that was two years ago."
"And when did your wife leave you?"
"... that was two years ago, too."
"One last question." Deliylah saw Ed grit his teeth. She almost didn't want him to ask. But she had to know, so she stayed silent. "Nina and Alexander… where are they?"
Tucker sighed, the look in his eyes changing to that of almost a madman. One she recognized. "I hate perceptive brats like you."
Edward jumped forward, slamming Tucker into the wall with one fist, screaming at him. Eventually, after enough taunting, the screaming turned to punching.
Deliylah flinched with each hit. Finally she had enough. "Alphonse, do something!" She cried out over the sound of Edward screeching and hitting Tucker over and over. But Al was already in motion. He reached forward, easily stopping Edward with one hand.
"Edward, stop it right now. Any more and you'll kill him." He pulled Ed away to where Deliylah could put her hands gently on his shoulders and guide him to the door.
Behind her she heard Tucker mutter, "Heh, pretty words don't get anything done."
Al stopped and sighed. "Mr. Tucker… if you say one more word, this time I'll be the one to snap." Deliylah swallowed nervously. She knew Al to be the gentle and kind giant, hardly ever raising a hand to anyone before talking it through. She had never heard such hate in his voice before.
She looked down at Nina, now a horribly made chimera. 'What awful work,' she thought to herself, choking back tears.
cries a lot Nina's story always makes me sad i just want her to be ok
anyway, leave a review and tell me how you liked it! again im so sorry for how long it took wow