riverview | UN: flame.alchemist

[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.]

[Roy was an intelligent man. He was a State Alchemist, and he had gotten that title due to his hard work and studies. (Though the secret to flame alchemy given to him by Berthold and Riza Hawkeye certainly helped, though even that had to be decoded.) Regardless, he felt that he shouldn't be having this much trouble following what the Elric bothers were trying to explain to him. He was about to counter their explanation with his own argument when Ed yelled at the fox creature. And called it "Roy."

He shot a look at the little thing, then at Ed.]

Really, Fullmetal?

[He had to give the little thing some credit though. At least it knew not to listen to Ed too much. Still, it wasn't very flattering to know that such a cute, fluffy looking thing was named after him.

Anyway, back to the argument at hand.]

I was skeptical about you two coming from a separate world from myself, but the more you talk the more I believe it. None of what you're telling me makes any damned sense.

[He turns to Al first. The fact that he said he resurrected Ed was very concerning.]

The Elric brothers I know were both done with human transmutation. I don't know what happened to Fullmetal for you to have to resurrect him, but I do know it was trying to resurrect your mother that got you in this mess in the first place.

[The only reason he wasn't going on to lecture Al was because they must have figured out something since a flesh and blood body was standing in front of him instead of the empty suit of armor he was used to.

Then he turns to Ed.]

And I don't know what the hell is wrong with your alchemy. The energy for transmutations comes the the energy released from the earth's tectonic plates. It doesn't have any link to death.

[Roy clenched his jaw and mentally took a step back. If he wasn't mistaking what he was hearing, then why should he get worked up over any of this?

He doesn't wait for either brother to invite him to take a seat. He picks out the nearest chair and collapses into it, head forward and rubbing his temples.]

Let's forget about the alchemy for now. I'm more interested in if the same things happened in both of our worlds.

Edited 2018-02-16 06:30 (UTC)

[ scooping up the vulpix, al casts his brother a disparaging look ( no yelling at their pets! ) and then focuses again on mustang. so alchemy worked different in his version of the world. if he didn't have the connection to the gate, that also meant there was no alter world. no blue-eyed version of him and no alter version of hughes. which gives al a pretty good idea of what to lead with. ]

Well... when we came to Central to take the exam, we stayed with the Tuckers. That... didn't end well. Then Brother and I broke into the Fifth Laboratory, where the Homunculi attacked, but Brother and I were saved by Scar and also Major Armstrong. Soon after that- [ a pause because even now after all this time, having learned that the kind Hughes had been killed trying to solve their mysteries still feels fresh, just as the death of Nina. ] Soon after that Brigadier General Hughes died. He was given the rank after...

We didn't find out about that until much later, though.

[ he looks at ed, waiting for his brother to carry on the story. ]

[He's just going to glare at the 'really' before glancing sideways in Al's direction as if to indicate it wasn't his fault the damn thing was named after him. If Roy wanted to know where it got the name, he'd have to see the "cute fluffy thing" spitting fire sometime, something Ed would rather not happen in the kitchen.]

Most people are skeptical when they first hear about it, it didn't make much sense to me either, but some of the people I met - people supposedly from our world - I've never even heard of.

[Ed doesn't comment on the whole ressurection thing, it wasn't really his subject to approach and one minute Roy is commenting on what's wrong with their alchemy and the next he says forget it. Unsure if he should even touch on that topic as Mustang switches gears his gaze falls on his brother instead, golden eyes narrowing at the look. He'll yell at the damn thing all he wants, the last thing they need is an evolved Ninetails trying to hop on the counter.]

Wait a minute, Al. You're all over the place. The lab didn't happen until years after-

[Nina, but he can't bring himself to say it, still remembering not only what her father did to her but her time in Purgatorium, so he switches tactics.]

I got certified. Before Lab 5 we went to a place called Liore, we went to a lot of places between the Tuckers and Lab 5 but Liore.... we exposed their phony prophet and the military tried to turn the place into the next Ishbal. You didn't tell us. In the end it was Scar that stopped them.

[His tone might come off accusatory there, remembering Mustang back home keeping the truth from them but it was more in pointing out that it would be a difference Roy was aware of if their timelines added up at all.]

You didn't tell us about Hughes dying, either.

[Ed straightens up again, arms crossing over his chest as he gives Roy a measured look.]

I'm more concerned about what's going on in your world, Mustang. When I met General Armstrong she was pretty concerned with undead soldiers and a fight with the Fuhrer. I had to convince her there wasn't anything like that where we were. If you're from her world instead of our's you might know about it.

Does that sound familiar to you at all?

[Roy switched his gaze from one brother to the next as they spoke, letting everything sink in. From the moment Al opened his mouth and mentioned Tucker in Central, he knew they wouldn't be sharing many memories, if any at all. The Tucker in his world had lived in East City, and while Ed and Al were invited to study his research, they didn't stay there. Al also said 'We took the exam.']

So you both took the exam? You're not certified, are you Alphonse?

[At least the situation with Liore seemed fairly accurate, at least until Ed mentioned it as being the 'next Ishbal.'

And that's where the accusations started. Roy hadn't told Ed about Liore because the riots were well known and he figured Edward would have heard about it.]

I don't know what you mean by 'the next Ishval,' but the riots in Liore were news all across Amestris. I figured you would have heard.

[There was something deeper there though than just letting Edward know about riots. He had to wonder what his counterpart's role was in all of this.

In any case, it seemed that said counterpart was as soft as he was for not telling the Elrics about what had happened to Hughes. He had apologized for it, though it wouldn't surprise him in the least if Edward still carried resentment about it.

What Ed had to say next was the most interesting. So, he had met the Major General, the Ice Queen. Roy had experience with her due to the east troops training simulations every year with Brigg's forces. He almost wished he had been there to see it.]

I can't say I've heard of anything about undead soldiers. [Unless Ed meant the homunculi, but he had a feeling Ed would have just said they were homunculi in the first place if that was the case.] If there is something like hiding around somewhere I haven't heard of it yet. From where I am, King Bradley just acknowledged that he was a homunculus. The entire military system is corrupt and run by the homunculi. You came in at the end of that meeting with Alphonse and tried to cut your ties with the military before the Fuhrer pointed out that he had Winry hostage. [Roy leaned back in the chair. Undead soldiers, huh? With what he's seen was that really much of a stretch?] Perhaps Major General Armstrong was from a different point in time.

[ it's al's turn to look a bit confused. he glances back and forth between his brother and mustang, trying to understand the intricacies of the different timelines, which was hard given they were talking about things all over the place, time-wise. al frowns, fingers stalling on the vulpix and settling in its fur as he makes a noise in the back of his throat. ]

Hm. Winry was only ever held hostage by Barry the Chopper. That's when Brother was twelve. You know, the first case he ever solved. As for why I'm not certified... That's because I would've had to take the physical exam and that just wasn't possible as an empty suit of armor.

[ he pauses, setting "roy" down before rounding the counter and shuffling around for a piece of paper and a pen. ]

It's obvious some things are the same, but other things aren't. Maybe we should figure out the point when things diverge?

[Ed lets them talk, listening to the points made and trying to stack them against the information he'd gathered over the years - that is until Mustang mentions Winry. Golden eyes narrow in confusion, surprised that Al doesn't even bat an eye at the mention of the military taking Winry hostage.]

Bradley never announced that he was a homunculus, we found out from one of the chimera the military created in Lab 5. At the time we told you, you had no idea about it. When, exactly, was Winry taken hostage, Colonel?

[More importantly, how and why? No one he'd met in Purgatorium had mentioned that bit of information. Quite frankly she'd suffered enough from these bastards, but Ed hardly had it in him to lay out that accusation all over again considering recent events. Accusing Mustang from some other world of murdering his best friend's parents probably wouldn't get them very far right now.]

The only time I tried to cut my ties with the military I was twelve, you ordered me to continue Tucker's research after what that bastard did to his daughter!

[Sure, he'd left after Al became the stone, but they'd been on the run from the military, he hadn't exactly confronted the Fuhrer himself with that information, it was so that they could remain safe.]

As far as Liore goes, Scar turned it into a Philosopher's Stone. The military was planning to anyway but the people escaped through an underground tunnel. Scar tricked the soldiers into entering the city, becoming ingredients for the stone themselves.

Al's right, we should probably work on a linear timeline to figure out just how much is different.

[Roy quietly lets Ed speak his mind. He's already convinced that this cannot, in any way shape or form be the same Edward and Alphonse he knows. Edward was far to adamant about events that did not take place, and too much of what he and Al told him just didn't make any sense.]

I agree.

[Roy pulls out his own small notebook and pencil from his pocket and flips it open to the next available page. It's already quite full of information, but there's still room for more. If he's going to be working with these Elrics, then he'll have to know where they stand with him and try to understand where they're coming from, even if it doesn't make any damned sense.]

So, we know that our memories of meeting each other are different. I can tell you right now that the issue with Tucker is also different, as you were what, about fifteen at the time? [The question is more for him to try to remember. He's not their dad. He doesn't keep track of how old they are.] As for what happened after he transmuted his daughter, I know you took it pretty hard. I told you to go home and rest.[But not before scolding him for getting so wrapped up in depression and despair for something he'd likey come into contact with again while he was a State Alchemist, but Roy didn't think that to be the important detail here.] Tuckers case was moved to Central since he was going to be transferred there for his trial anyway. Hughes and his team were in charge of it.

[Roy is disturbed with what Ed has told him about his counter-part's orders. He couldn't blame Ed or Al for being upset about it. Hell, he wanted to get upset about it and teach this doppelganger a lesson about how to treat his subordinates, not to mention question his logic about continuing the research of a man who was desperate enough to turn his own family into chimeras.

He looks up from jotting down his own notes, waiting for either of them to continue.]

Edited 2018-02-28 23:26 (UTC)

[ glancing between mustang and his brother, al begins jotting down notes. he writes out a rough timeline of his and ed's lives before shifting it towards ed to check over it. ]

Here, Brother. You'll have to fill in the blanks for what happened after Envy kidnapped me. Oh- That's probably another thing that's different.

[ he's thinking back to the grand ballroom where his stone had been activated and envy had turned out to be the homunculus of their half-brother. even now, it seems like some bizarre nightmare, one where he'd been forced to watch his brother die. shuddering a little, he sighs and hands the pen to ed. ]

The Tucker we knew did the same thing, but later tried to use me and the Philosopher's stone to bring Nina back to life. [ his eyes dim at the memory. he'd been such a fool. ] It didn't work. Last I saw him, he was still stuck in the chimera form he'd been turned into.

UN: flame.alchemist

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