UN: flame.alchemist

[snapkaboom]

[Roy’s face appears on screen wearing his trademark smirk.]

So, are there any kind ladies to show a newcomer around? Don’t worry, I’ll pay for dinner.

While I’m here, I’d also like to ask about all the other worlds people were pulled from. I’d be willing to share about my own, of course.

Comments

[alchemyfreak]

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.]

[snapkaboom]

[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.]

[alkahestic]

[ 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.

[alchemyfreak]

[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.]

[snapkaboom]

[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.

[alkahestic]

[ 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. ]

[alchemyfreak]

[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?

[snapkaboom]

[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.

[alkahestic]

[ 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?

[alchemyfreak]

[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.

[snapkaboom]

[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.]

[alkahestic]

[ 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.