automailed | [Voice / Action] backdated to JANUARY 13th

Entry tags:

[Voice / Action] backdated to JANUARY 13th

[...So it's been a week. A full week since his parents had shown up in Luceti. And as of today, with the last bit of furniture in place, he and Al are officially "moved in". At least, in the sense of physically living there. Edward still finds himself looking out the window an awful lot and double-taking at the house number across the street, and at least three times now he's turned to approach the door of the Hughes' household instead of his own. He hasn't barged in unintentionally yet, at least. That would have been awfully embarrassing.

He's still not sure how he feels about this... home life. Thing. Adjustment is one thing, but actually coming to expect his mother's smiling face when he walks through the front door? It's a little scary. Wonderful in a lot of ways, but...

And that's not even getting into the issue of living so close to Hohenheim for this long, something he hasn't done since early childhood. And despite promising to give the man a chance, their relationship is tenuous at best, violent at its worst. He's still not calling the man "father", either. And there's poor Al in the middle, still stuck in his wheelchair... dammit...

Well, let's just say he's in desperate need of some distraction. So after giving it some thought, he turns to the journal-]

Hey, got a question for anyone listening out there-

I was talking to this kid a while back - Aoba - and something came up. Do we have some kind of directory of all the worlds people are from? I don't mean that world sharing class, I mean actual maps of all the different worlds, or countries within those worlds, or whatever.

Because if there isn't, then I'd like to make one. So if you wanna get involved, talk about where you're from here- show a map, gimme an idea of what it's like. I'll take what I can get.

[A little while later, he'll be venturing to his usual hotspots- the library, for some books for poor Al to read, and the Battle Dome, to take out some of his pent-up frustrations (and to duke it out with a few of the homunculus for kicks), then to the shops for a bit of perusing. He can be pestered around down at any time, looking uncharacteristically unsure, though he's been looking that way all week, so at this point it may not be anything new.

Eventually he'll return home to his family some time before dinner, carrying with him (in addition to Al's books) a toolbox, a bag containing some clothes, and a collection of sticky buns for dessert/snacking-

...but not before barging into the Hughes house accidentally. Apparently there really is a first time for everything.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...Huh? --Oh. [He blinks. The shift in conversation is unexpected, but he must be going somewhere with this. He glances down at his leg--he's not embarrassed by it, since it's a constant reminder of what he did for the vikings and dragons. He's proud of it, in a way, but it's also a bit awkward to explain because it requires him to make himself sound like--well, a hero. And maybe he was. But he didn't think about it like that.

He shouldn't feel like that, but he's never been very good at talking up his own achievements. But here goes nothing anyway.]

You know how we used to war with the dragons, right? Well, it turned out the reason they stole our livestock and crops was because they had to feed this giant dragon on their island. We called it the Green Death.

[He hops up on his own stool, leaning an elbow against his knee.] He was monstrous, and my dad wanted nothing more than to go to the dragons nest and--kill it. Kill them. But that dragon was more than all the warriors in our tribe could handle. It was big as a mountain and burned their ships within seconds.

[He takes a deep breath and watches his swinging leg.] The only ones who could do anything were Toothless...and me.

[He knew it was an awkward question to ask, so he's grateful that Hiccup doesn't seem that upset about it. Or at the very least, he's come to terms with what happened.]

So you lost it fighting? Trying to help your tribe?

[That's... a really cool way to lose something, actually. Better that than something selfish.]

[He smiles, but it's a little sad.] Heh. Yeah. Toothless was able to destroy the Green Death by burning it from the inside out, but his tail fin burned up in the process.

[The memories are only quick, vivid flashes after that.] I fell. And when I woke up, that was that. I'd lost my leg. But I was lucky that was all. Toothless protected me, and if it weren't for him, I would never had made it.

[None of them would have.]

[...Wow. Hiccup's some kind of hero back home.

He really didn't see that coming. At all.]

That's... pretty impressive.

[Equivalent Exchange is suddenly going to sound really pathetic now, isn't it.]

[Ah, man. He tries to shrug lightly, but it's still weighted.]

...Yeah, I...I guess so. I mean, I just did what I had to. If I hadn't done something, everyone would have gotten killed.

That's what makes it impressive, you know. People who do heroic stuff just for the glory don't make an impact on the world.

[But being humble is pretty important too, admittedly.]

[And he smiles a bit more earnestly now. A compliment like that coming from someone like Ed is kind of a big deal to him.]

...Thanks. That really means a lot.

It's just the truth.

[Might not think Ed is so cool after this... but it's time. He glances down at his arm, searching for the words for a moment before he speaks up again.]

Alchemists... we can be really awful human beings. We think of doing things that most people don't even consider.

[He notices the glance--is that why he asked him about his leg? Is he going to tell him about his automail? The curiosity is nagging, and he hopes he doesn't sound to eager as he speaks.]

...Alchemy is pretty powerful stuff, isn't it? [Was that it? Did he try to transmute his arm and mess it up? That didn't seem so bad. But that almost seems too simple of an explanation.]

Yeah, it's powerful. When we were little, Al and I thought there was no limit to what it could do. We thought it could change the world, make the lives of everyone we knew so much better.

[He shoots Hiccup a meaningful look, his gaze more serious than it's ever been.]

Back then we thought alchemy could bring the dead back to life.

[Bring...the dead back to life.

Mom died when Al and I were little. He was about to say something else then.

And that's when things start to fit into place. A power like that in the hands of two children who had been left all alone...]

...Your mom? [His voice is a croak.]

[Edward just nods. There's no point in beating around the bush or trying to make it sound pretty; it's a brutal truth, just as brutal as the truth he'd seen within the Gate.]

Human transmutation is taboo- forbidden by the government. We thought we could just do it and not tell anyone once we brought her back, that it'd be our secret. What we didn't know, though, was that even attempting it requires a price. To see the truth, you have to trade a part of your body.

[His eyes widen, but it's out of shocked concern rather than disgust. It isn't hard to imagine how someone could be driven to that. Especially when they're young. But still, knowing it was taboo and still trying to do it...

Something crops up in his memory--something Ed had mentioned to him about alchemy, a long while back.]

...Equivalent Exchange? [And now he's looking pointedly at his arm.] So...you lost your arm trying to bring your mother back.

[...That's a lot to take in. And to imagine someone dealing with when they're young.]

My leg. [He doesn't hesitate to correct Hiccup, sitting down on the next stool over and rapping his knuckles against his knee, making a distinct metal sound.] There's... a symbolism to it. Whatever you want or need the most is what's taken from you. I lost a leg to keep walking past the mistake I'd made, and... the only family I had left.

[When it took Alphonse away.]

[He blinks as the revelation sinks in--his leg was automail, too? But he doesn't have more than a moment to think about that.

...The only family he had left? His brother. Al. But Hiccup had seen Al. And as far as he could tell, he hadn't lost any part of his body.]

But, your brother, he's...

[And he realizes that Ed's never specifically told him Al was still around in his world. Oh, gods. Did he lose his brother, too?]

He's okay now, but... you saw the state his body's in. As payment for the transmutation, it took him away, body and soul. I tried to get him back when I woke up, but all I could do was trade my arm for his soul.

[He grips his arm habitually, eyes narrowing. Remembering that night - opening his eyes, the floor covered in blood, Al's clothes lying empty on the floor - is always difficult.]

You... remember the armor he wore around the village before? He wasn't wearing it. It was his body.

[It's just one thing after another, and while he knows Ed doesn't want his pity, he can't help but feel bad for him. He lost so much, so fast. And they may have made a poor choice, but cost of what he went through--

Of what he's still going through--

He knew Ed was strong before. But this just takes things to a whole different level.

He swallows.]

So that's why...you want to go home so badly. You want to get him back to normal, right? Like he is now? [That must have been the Malnosso's doing. Which he isn't sure is cruelty or kindness on their part.]

...Yeah. There's... there's a lot going on back home, and part of that is Al's body. A soul can't stay bonded to anything other than its real body for long- the two will reject one another. If I don't hurry up and get Al back into his real body in Amestris, I'll lose him again. And even if I could just trade another limb to bring his soul back, I... I don't want to do that to him.

[He ducks his head, hands clenching together.]

He was suffering, in that body. He couldn't feel anything, or eat, or sleep, and... I was the one who did it to him. So I've gotta fix it. I have to go back.

[He doesn't say anything at first. What can you say to that? He doesn't want to be patronizing. And it's not like he can offer advice. They just have to wait to go home--like the rest of them.

So he'll just be honest instead. He hops down off his stool, pegleg clinking against the solid floor.]

It's pretty amazing, you know. What you did to save his life. You did something like that for him--I'm sure you'll be able to get his body back, one way or another.

I know it must be...tough. Tougher than I understand. But I know you, and...well, I know you can make things work.

[Amazing? He'd never have called it that... it was an act of sheer desperation, the lonely willpower of a dying little child.]

That night, I... guess we saved each other. After that I made a promise, though, and when I get back, I'm gonna keep it. No matter what the cost, Al's going to get his body back.

[It's weird, though... usually sharing that story leaves him more drained, bothered by it. Right now he feels more relieved than anything to get it out in the open like that.]

[Most people would have given up that night, right then and there. But he didn't. And that makes all the difference in Hiccup's mind.]

...Like you said. It's...it's not doing heroic stuff for glory's sake that makes someone impressive. You did what you had to do to save someone you love. And you still are.

[He smiles genuinely. Telling him all this...Ed must really trust him. And he feels pretty good about that. So in return, he'll help out in any way he can.]

And I think that's pretty admirable. Really. It is.

[Well, he wasn't looking for an ego-boost, but... he'll take it. This sort of encouragement is important, after all- more important than he could ever say.

He's not some indomitable legend, after all. Still just a kid.]

I... thanks. Really, thanks. That means a lot.

[Hiccup nods. He's only being honest, but he's glad to know it's doing something for his friend, too.]

Thank you, too. For...trusting me. With all that.

Just... don't tell anybody. It's not really something I'm proud of.

[Not that he'd expect Hiccup to spread it around, but since it's Al's history too, he's gotta cover all his bases. Protecting his brother and all that.]

Of course. You can count on that.

[Hiccup won't breathe a word. He won't even tell Winry he knows, unless she brings it up.]

So...what are you going to do now? With her back? [What did she say about their bodies?]

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;