riverview | UN: flame.alchemist

[Roy's smile deteriorated into confusion. None of his explanation made any sense. Turned into the Stone? He couldn't mean the Philosopher's Stone, but what else could "the Stone" be? It was something to follow up on, though perhaps not over a network like this. Could these things be tapped?]

We had just walked out of the Fuhrer's office. I let you and Edward borrow 520 cens and you both ran off.

[There were more details about that instance, but he wasn't about to speak about that over what was more or less a phone.]

[ now it's alphonse's turn to look confused. he can't remember a time they'd ever been in the furher's office, much less borrowed money off of mustang. for a few seconds, alphonse lets his mind whirl at the possibilities that might explain this. he knows there's alternate versions of his and ed's world ( he's dreamed of it, as well as the sick boy who wanted to touch the stars ), but if mustang were to come from there, wouldn't he be different? like his alter self was? do they even use cens in germany? it just doesn't seem to fall into place.

tilting his head, he gazes at mustang through the feed with eyes like mercury. he chews his lip a little, then finally comes up with a response. ]

Colonel, I think I know what's going on, but I need to test something.

[ another pause as he searches his mind for a secret only the elrics and mustang would know. ]

The night Brother and I first met you, what did you say to Brother?

Edited 2018-02-13 04:14 (UTC)

[The confusion only gets worse.]

I met you and Edward during the day, not at night. I had gotten word about you two being skilled alchemists and the records were wrong about your age, so I came to recruit you. After the Lieutenant and I found what was at your house I told your brother that he would have a chance to restore your bodies if you joined the military since you would have access to restricted research.

I've already contacted Edward by the way. I found his "Friendr" profile.

[He had mentioned that they would need to talk. Roy had to agree.]

[ so this is a different mustang. not as different as he might be if he was from the world of germany, but still different. that meant there could be a difference in the lives they knew and that would be complicated. huffing enough that some of his bangs flutter, al glances to the side for a second before continuing. ]

Then I'm not the Alphonse you know. I'm sorry, Colonel, but I think Brother and I come from an alternate world where a lot of things are the same, but also very different. It's not the first time this has happened to us.

Since you've already talked to him, Brother can explain things better, I think. He's been to another world. Several, even. I've only dreamed of one.

[This was quite a lot for Roy to swallow. First, he finds himself in a place where different "worlds" collide, and then he's told that it was possible for people of the same world to be pulled through, but that they could be from different times. Now Alphonse, in his actual body was telling him that they weren't just from different time, but different versions of the same world?! If Al had still been a soul bound to a suit of armor, Roy would be having a much harder time coming to terms with this.]

I think it would be best to discuss this in person. Are you with Edward right now?

[ he understands the confusion mustang must be experiencing right now and nods as he sighs. it's confusing enough with two worlds, but the prospect of a third just makes al's mind spin. ]

Let me get him. He's nearby.

[Ed is already up and searching for Al as his own conversation with Mustang reached a point of needing to handle things in person. The mention of the Fuhrer's office didn't sit well with him, but as he turns the corner he hears his brother saying those words and blinks in confusion.]

Al..? Mustang's here, I'm going to go meet him at the communal building.

[Whatever Alphonse had in mind could probably wait, and if it couldn't he'd say as much.]

[That was quick. Good.]

I'll be waiting outside, Fullmetal.

[ looking up from his device, he gives his brother a smile and then an apologetic look to mustang. ]

I'll go with you, Brother. I was just talking to him, and there's a lot we're going to have to explain. We'll talk more when we meet, Colonel.

Right.

[Well that was certainly convenient. He'll just lock up quickly as they leave and head over to the communal building, lifting a hand in indication when they arrive and he spots Mustang out front.]

Luckily our place is close.

[Al might have surprise him by being human and surprisingly young looking, but Edward had certainly gotten older since the last moment they'd spent together, not only was his skin darker from the year in Attollo but his hair much longer than Mustang had ever seen it. He hadn't bothered to mention any of this over text, but the comment that it had been years should have been enough to tip the older man off.]

So where do you want to have this talk? I don't think out here is any safer than a private connection on the network.

[He's aware that Roy's not used to the level of security afforded to them here, but also the chances of someone being able to get through that level of security also wasn't unheard of. It was just far less likely anyone here would care to bother about their home world affairs, and Ed knew that from experience.]

[It was surreal. For Roy, only a couple of hours had passed, tops when he had last seen Edward and Alphonse. Now, here he was again, but he looked so different. He was older for sure, though Roy wasn't sure if all of the differences in appearance were a result of age alone.]

I got the impression that you had been here long enough to know where we could talk.

[Hopefully something small and out of the way, like the house they had gone to after they had captured Gluttony.]

[ glancing between mustang and his brother, al isn't sure what to say. obviously there's a lot to cover, and in moments like this, he usually takes his brother's lead. that said, al felt he needed to speak up, to clarify that the devices were rather secure when set to private and that they couldn't be tapped.

nudging ed and looking over at him, he makes a proposal. ]

We could go back to the store. But, Colonel, you should know. If you ever want to contact us privately, the devices allow that. And they can't be tapped like normal phones.

If you were going to leave it up to us, we could have just given you directions to our place.

[How dare you inconvenience him into having to walk out here only to go back.]

Al's right, it's the safest place to talk. No one goes in the loft next to the store anymore, can't really get any more secure than that. No one on this stupid moon is going to care to hack your phone unless you're planning to make some enemies fast, Mustang.

[He's going to kindly not break Roy's brain further by pointing out any information someone gathered here can't be taken home with them so even if people showed up from their world, he'd be safe. With that, Ed's just going to turn to lead the way back where they'd come, he wants to know what Roy's getting on about regarding the Fuhrer and it doesn't sound like anything he'd been told about.]

So, what kind of job did they saddle you with?

[Might as well make some conversation on the walk, and he doubted that was classified information.]

[Roy raises a brow. Why didn't they just say so earlier? Even if they did, he's still skeptical about it. He trusts that the brothers aren't lying to him, but he had no way of confirming if what they were telling him was accurate.]

I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

[He glances back at the 'phone' before slipping it back in his pocket. Whether they were right about private messages being free from tapping or not, it was an amazing little devise.]

I enlisted with the Perimeter Guard. Just signed up as a regular recruit for now until I can feel things out. What about you?

[ bestowing mustang with a brief smile ( but not before shooting ed a look ), al slides his hands into his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels. ]

We're working for the perimeter guard too, as salvage and repair, plus search and rescue. But that's not what you want to talk about, is it?

[Pointedly ignoring that look, Ed just shrugs.]

I spend most of my time on the Surveyor Unit, Search and Rescue seems to be filled with a lot of people who go out looking for a fight. Salvage and Repair is our specialty, but we also do some freelance repairs when the need comes up.

[Yes, they have four god damn jobs. Ed likes to keep busy and in Purg hobbies weren't much of an option so this is how he dealt with it. When they do reach the General Store, Ed unlocks the door and motions for them to go in. Roy will probably notice the place looks all but abandoned since they don't use it as a shop so much as storage for repairs.]

All right, here it is. The loft is through the door on the right. I'll lock up and be right in.

[He turned to Alphonse.]

I think there are more pressing matters to discuss, but I'd like to know what you're both doing with your time here.

[Roy can't help but hide a smile at Ed's comment. It was funny to hear this older Edward complain about people picking fights, considering.

He steps through the door and takes a look around. It wasn't what he expected when Alphonse had mentioned the shop, but he was confident that they knew what they were doing. Roy heads toward the door Edward mentioned and opens it, stepping through and waiting for the brothers just inside the doorway.]

Alchemy is for the people, huh?

[Edward never did latch on to that 'dog of the military' philosophy. A big part of him was glad he was going his own way, or at least trying to.]

You both seem to be doing well.

Edited (Missing details) 2018-02-14 03:12 (UTC)

[ following mustang into the shop, al immediately stoops down to pick up one of the many cats that appear out of the shadows. he settles against the counter, leaning on it as he pets the kitten in his arms. ]

There's been some rough times. [ namely arguments between him and ed. ] But for the most part, things are peaceful here. We work, spend time with friends, do research. We've got plenty of research on this place, if you want to look it over.

Pressing matters we couldn't exactly discuss on the street.

[Just going to point that out there, and give Alphonse a look to match his own from earlier. There was no harm in making conversation while trying to be discreet, or was he expecting to walk the whole way in silence?]

Alchemy is always for the people.

[He might have had wavering conviction in the concept of equivalent exchange over the years, but one thing remained consistent. Alchemy was the people, it was their duty as alchemists to help out. Whether that was Amestris, Purg, Attollo or here. Ed doesn't comment on the concept of them doing well, letting Alphonse talk as he locked up and they got settled.]

There's more parties here than anything else, Colonel. The first thing we need to figure out is exactly what's going on where you came from. If we're from the same world our timelines don't match up, but if we're not even from the same world at all that makes things even more complicated.

[It was possible, he remembered Izumi not knowing Wrath, and the Briggs soldiers that recognized him when he had never heard of either of them before.]

I think I'll take a look since you offered. [He'd take a look anyway, but hey, at least Alphonse was being polite. He might as well return the gesture. Of course, taking a peek at their shop would have to wait until they've ironed everything out.]

Relax, Fullmetal.

[Roy was probably the last person to tell Ed to relax. He was the one who insisted on finding a private place to talk, but then again, there was no need to be so tense at the moment.

He had noticed the various stalls scattered throughout the streets with dog-themed merchandise. There seemed to be a lot of people in general who owned dogs and were pampering them, though Roy wasn't interested enough to ask about it.

His brows furrowed when Ed mentioned the 'other world' thing. Alphonse had mentioned it too, and he didn't like that.]

I heard this isn't the first time you've been pulled into a different world. [Saying it out loud made it seem even more ridiculous, but here they were.] Is that true?

Edited 2018-02-14 15:28 (UTC)

Science that doesn't benefit people isn't science at all.

[ by way of agreement with ed. then, turning to watch both mustang and ed, he steps back a bit. he's so used to being in the background, that it's a natural move for him, even though he's no longer much taller than ed. ]

Brother doesn't know how to relax around you, Colonel.

[ just because he's in the background doesn't mean he can't be a little shit too. ]

Brother has been to many other worlds. Like I told you earlier, I only dreamed of one. A place beyond the Gate where they have machines that fly.

I can relax fine. Besides, I have no reason to relax.

[He's perfectly relaxed, this is him relaxed. Mustang, on the other hand, was coming off like a paranoid mess in Ed's eyes. Which made him all the more curious about what he'd been through before he arrived here.]

This is my third. It's not my last either, after I go back home for good I'll go through the Gate and wind up in the world Al's talking about. The first world I was in there were people there from home, only they weren't from the same Amestris as me. They remembered things I never experienced or didn't know things that they should have.

[It's that moment a Vulpix appeared from the hall, winding itself between Ed's legs and rubbing a flank against him like an affectionate cat. Unlike Al, who picked up the kitten that appeared, Ed seems to ignore the small red fox-like creature for the moment.]

[Roy shot Alphonse a look that was a mix of surprise and displeasure. He knew Edward never really liked him, but he had never had the impression that Ed saw him as a threat. Hell, there were times where the only way he could get Ed to take him seriously was threatening to court martial him.

He just let out a sigh and let it drop. There were more important things to worry about. Like how Ed made as little sense as his brother. He didn't know what he was expecting. Alphonse made it perfectly clear that he was familiar with this Edward, so why would Ed's explanation deviate from what he heard from Al?

Roy opened his mouth to tell Ed and Al to give explanations that made sense when a little fox creature rubbed up against Ed. It had...six tails...

No, no. The animal was NOT the priority here.]

Back up. You're not making any sense. What's this Gate that you're talking about? Is it the portal I was told about when I got here?

[Roy could keep going with his questions, but he held himself back. They could only be answered one at a time anyway.]

[ rolling his eyes and sighing at his brother, al sets down the kitten on the floor and reaches out for the vulpix with a quiet "c'mere," then, as he's still kneeling, he looks up at mustang. he realizes that what they're talking may not even exist in whatever version of the world mustang is familiar with, which means a further explanation is required. ]

I'll start with the Gate. It resides in every alchemist and it's from where we draw power. Most alchemists don't even know it's there, but it is. Only those who have performed human transmutation have actually seen it. So, Colonel, you probably never will.

I saw it twice. [ he takes a deep breath. ] Once when Brother and I tried to bring back our mother, and again when I resurrected Brother. Those who have seen it can do alchemy without transmutation circles because we have accessed the Gate completely. The circle is within us.

Edited 2018-02-16 05:23 (UTC)

[Roy tilts his head at Alphonse but doesn't immediately move toward him, making a quiet 'pii' sound and pushing weight more firmly against Ed's leg as if trying hard enough would eventually get attention.]

The Gate's unique to our world, as far as I can tell. Or... Both our worlds, if they're not the same.

[Ed is very much convinced they are definitely not the same by this point.]

Like Al said, you see it when you try to bring back the dead. It's also a portal to another world, if what I've been told is true I'll go through that portal three times. It's how alchemy works, but it's also somehow linked to death.

[Those two things are related, but there was only so much Ed knew without his notes. Seeing his attempts ignored, the Vulpix started toward Al before ignoring his open arms to instead hop up onto the counter with a practically muttered 'vul' as if annoyed with not getting what he wanted. Edward, not skipping a beat, snapped abruptly.]

Get down, Roy!

[In response, the Vulpix gave him the most unimpressed look it could muster before curling up to get comfortable instead.]

UN: flame.alchemist

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Going to invite Ed over to this thread. That ok with you?

fine by me!

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