⁰¹ video (𝗎𝗇: 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽)

[alkahestic]

[ the feed opens up with a little bit of jostling until it's settled on a nearby bedstand. then, there's a flash of red cloth before al settles down on the floor in front of it. in his white-gloved hands is a broken lamp. he sets it on the floor in front of him. ]

Hello! [ he's rather cheerful. ] I'm Alphonse Elric. Some of you may have already met my brother, Ed. We're alchemists and though we're working in the Perimeter Guard, I also wanted to let people know that we're here to help. If you have something broken, we can probably fix it.

[ he gestures at the broken lamp with a grin and then slaps his palms together. they're then placed above the lamp as a bright, blue light encompasses it. there's a spark of energy and soon the broken pieces are molding back together. ]

See? Just like new.

[ switching it on, the light flickers for a second and then begins to glow steadily. ]

So again, if you need something fixed, Brother and I are on floor 6. Have a nice day!

Comments

permaprivate

[couldkillthedevil]

[She sees the direction where this conversation is going and notices him changing the privacy setting, and does so in turn. She's silent as he speaks, not wanting to interrupt him while he's sharing something that's obviously painful for him to recall. It's hard to imagine going through something like he and Ed have. While they aren't exactly children, both of them are still young.]

Well, even aside from what that man did to his daughter, I wouldn't see how someone could compare you two to that. It's not really the same, but I'm a cop. Murder is illegal, of course, but even in the eyes of the law, circumstances can change a verdict. Someone acting in self-defense wouldn't be considered the same as someone who murdered in cold blood. [A beat.] My dad's been gone for a long time now. And if someone told me I could've brought him back, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have considered the same thing.

[A pause as she mulls this next part over before she speaks.] Ed also told me about... his arm. Or I found out on accident, anyhow.

[alkahestic]

[ looking up with concern in his eyes as she recounts the loss of her father, he can't help but feel his heart go out to her. losing family is hard; he knows this first hand, which makes it all the easier for him to sympathize with her. ]

You seem like a nice person, Miss Chloe. I'm glad Brother and I met you.

[ a nod and then he considers the realization that she knows about ed's arm. ]

Brother usually likes to keep his automail covered. He lost it saving me, but since it was something taboo, he can't really talk about it. I would do anything to see it restored.

[couldkillthedevil]

[She's taken aback at the abrupt compliment, blinking a bit before a soft smile rises to her face.]

Thanks, Alphonse. You seem like a nice person too.

[He certainly loves his brother, that's for sure. She's quiet for a moment, processing that next statement and feeling a rising dread in her chest.]

So that's the 'equivalent exchange'? Saving someone from death leads to them losing their limbs?

[alkahestic]

[ beaming at her, al nods. but the grin soon falls again as the topic of equivalent exchange is broached. ]

Equivalent Exchange is Alchemy's first law. Nothing can be gained without sacrificing something of equal value. Brother only lost his arm because he didn't resurrect me fully. He could only bind my soul to the armor.

[couldkillthedevil]

Only lost his arm...

[It sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to her. And less like a science and more like some kind of dark arts.]

But you're in an actual body now.

[And Ed's still missing his arm, she doesn't say.]

[alkahestic]

[ trust him, he knows. it pains him every day that ed didn't get his arm back, but he also knows that's the consequence for the things they did. ]

I am. Brother was able to bring me back completely, but the exchange was that I lost a lot of memories for a while. I have them back, but Brother...

[ he doesn't say it either, merely looks down. ]

We were separated for two years as part of the exchange. Brother ended up trapped in a world without alchemy.