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 Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:03 pm
Bryna was beginning to wonder if she'd said something wrong... or... maybe the wrong way. But Al needed to know, right? Sure it might be weird... apparently he'd been thinking he'd find only his brother, but... Ed had been here a while. Obviously he had to have made some friends by now, and why not a mate? Of course it was a lot easier for Bryna to think about this logically than Al... being emotionally impaired made it easier to think about just about everything logically. Except that Bryna's brand of logic didn't often seem as... logical to everyone else.
She patted Al on the shoulder. "Don't worry! You'll like Lily after you get to know her. Cousin is nice and very sweet and considerate and all the stuff people say about people they like." She nodded sagely. "Oh! And you can meet the other cousins later! And Atae and... what'shisface with the feathers. I only met him once. We've all been trying to help Nii-chan find you and we get to meet you now. It's like... like..." She trailed off for a minute. "It's even more awesome ninjas. ...Maybe more awesome than my arm-socks, but I'm not sure about that one."
ADD seemed to be kicking in about now and she wandered over to the bookshelf, browsing over the titles before pulling one down. "Oh, Nii-chan? Atae wanted to borrow this one too, that book she's got now said something about something in this one and... I wasn't paying attention because Shoom stole my new paperclip box and I had to chase him."
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:26 pm
"I, uh..." Alphonse began, stopping soon after. He took a moment to properly take in his brother's appearance, still in a mild state of disbelief over fact itself. Both of them, the other occupants inside the room, all of them were strange looking quadrapedal animals. Liliana and Edward had wings like him, but Bryna didn't. That in itself was confusing. Maybe he would ask about that part later, though. There were more pressing things on his mind.
"Nonsense, brother." Al quickly replied to Ed's statement. "You've changed, really." He turned his attention down to his elder brother, giving him a broad grin, before nodding in determination. "In fact, I think... yes, I believe you've grown taller now!"
He grinned as Edward moved a paw around his shoulders, and found his tails wagging not long after. He turned his attention back towards Liliana, burnt-golden eyes focussing on her, taking in her appearance. He wondered to himself if she was a nice girl, and if she would be friendly towards him. Realizing that he was probably staring longer than he should have been now, he gave Liliana another friendly grin, before averting his attention away again. He would have to learn more about her later.
"Huh, how'd I get here? Oh, um," He drifted his attention to the ceiling for a moment, thinking hard. "I, um..." He stopped again, hesitant. The dirty-blonde haired youth furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if his brother would be angry with his story. He DID risk his life afterall... not even he knew what was going to happen when he stood in front of the Gate.
Instead, he sighed, deciding to just tell his brother the truth.
"Everybody really missed you, brother." He lowered his ears, sounding sad. "Ever since, well... ever since I got my body back, you were gone. But I knew you were alive again, somewhere. And I had to find you. I looked all over, but found nothing. Years passed, and well..." A small shrug of his shoulders. "I got tired of searching. I think a little bit of you rubbed off on me, brother. I did something dangerous. I..." He paused, biting his lower lip. "I went to the Gate. I met with it, and... I yelled at it. I couldn't help it, brother, I wanted you back so badly. And then, well..." He glanced around the room. "I ended up here. Not quite the same as I was before, but still kind of the same." He tugged at a sleeve cuff, grinning again. "Then this lady here found me." He pointed a paw in Bryna's direction. "Now I'm here."
He grinned over at Bryna. "I'm sure I'll like her, don't worry. I'd like to get to know everyone here. Any friend of my brother's is a friend of mine!"
"I do have one question though," He sat on hinds. "What are we? Kitsu-sagi...? And why do my brother and I have wings? Can we fly?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:57 am
He's changed? Had he really changed? This caused Edward to think. Well considering he'd been born here without any memories... of which slowly came back to him... living an entire lifetime in a new world... he supposed that was certainly possible. However, Ed's face lit up as Alphonse told him he'd gotten taller. "Ha ha! You really think so?" he asked joyfully, a huge silly grin on his face. Although the fact that Alphonse probably wouldn't really know that considering he just came to this world... didn't really register in Ed's mind. He was just happy to know that someone thought he was taller!
But, when Al started to talk about how he'd gotten here... Ed's grin faded more and more with each word. He was... missed? Ears tilted back... but that had him wondering. That meant the world he knew still existed! Ed's paw slid off his brother's shoulder, "Al... you know better. Why would you risk your life like that. You knew what happened when we tried to bring mom back. Now I know that our world is still there... and now... neither of us can ever go back." Atleast... he hadn't found a way. Alphonse had given up that life... life as a human in Amestris. A look was then given to Lilianna... but even if there was a way back... could he bring himself to go?
Edward just sighed and shook his head, mustering a faint smile. What was done, was done. "That's right.. we're Kitsusagi." He then took a look at Al's wings, before nodding, "Yeah... you should be able to fly, but I can't." He pulled back his coat sleeve to reveal his automail arm, "I'm too heavy."
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:20 am
Green eyes blinked, kind of in shock. Bryna saying that something might even be cooler than her arm-socks? To her knowledge, that would be a first.
"You would risk your life trying to find him, Edward... are you really surprised he would do the same?" Her voice was soft and tender, her green eyes having returned to a gentle lovingness in an almost eerie calm.
But she shrugged lightly at Alphonse's question, while looking sad for her mate's inability to enjoy his wings. "No one knows why some kitsu have wings while others don't. My mother has wings, but Daddy doesn't. Of 10 siblings I'm one of only 3 who have wings."
Lowering her head she brushed the symbol hanging from her neck with a gilded paw. "I'd hoped mythril would be light and strong enough that if Edward's automail were that he could fly... but he's concluded it's titanium if I remember right. Something too fragile to be automail." Her gaze had gone far away, rethinking something often thought, still trying to find an answer.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:16 am
Al lowered his head, looking abashed as Ed spoke to him.
"I... I'm sorry brother," He whimpered. "I just wanted to see you again. You understand, right...?" He blinked, raising his head again, burnt-golden eyes focussing attentively on his elder brother at his next statement. "We can't go back?” He blinked, eyebrows raised. “But why? I got here alright, didn't I? I remember the transmutation circle I drew, I'm sure if we really tried, then..." He trailed off again, going silent.
The young civilian alchemist soon found himself looking at the floor, thinking hard. When he had last stood in front of the Gate, he had ignored the dangers involved because his desires far outweighed the risks. Did he really want to go through all that again, just to go back where he came from? Did he really want to mess with the Gate again? His brother had not fared so well with his own encounters there, and he certainly hadn't either in the past. Alphonse closed his eyes and shivered as a rather painful memory came to mind - the memory of being literally torn apart by the arms of the Gate, him flailing his limbs in a desperate attempt to get away, reaching out for his brother, screaming at him for help.
His whole body tensed as he came to the realization that he had taken an enormous risk challenging it again this time around, and he could only wonder how the hell he had come through in one piece. He flinched at the thought of what might happen to both him and his brother should they venture back there yet another time... No. They had already messed with it too much as it was.
“Maybe later...” He muttered, more to himself than anything.
He looked up again, seeming curious as Ed motioned to his limbs. "Oh, yeah, that's right... your automail. That's a real shame, brother. I bet you would make a really great flier if you weren't weighed down."
His curiousity was soon turned to Liliana, and he blinked at her. She seemed sad at this fact, too, it seemed. "Mythril?" He blinked. "I've never heard of that one, before. Maybe we could find some other alloy to make Ed's automail out of, it would be easy enough to transmute. Although..." He scratched the side of his head. "Your automail works fine now, doesn't it?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:27 pm
Edward sighed heavily at his brother, "Yeah... I understand" he said to both Al and Lilianna. He knew that he would have done the same thing if he had been in Alphonse's position. However, when Al talked about going back, Ed gave him a stern look. "No Al... I don't want to risk losing you again." What would they have to offer the gate in exchange anyway?
When talk of the mythril came up, he shook his head at Lily. "That's not nessecarily true... titanium is a strong and light metal, but... even though I can transmute metal... I'm no automail engineer. If something went wrong... well." It something happened to his automail, he'd be up the creek without a paddle so to speak. He needed his automail. "It works well enough, but it was rebuilt last time I grew. Its not Winry's work..." If only she was here.
"How is Winry, anyway?" he asked with a sad smile. The talk of everyone missing him, really struck a nerve in Edward. He really missed them too. If only things could be different. He wished he could go home.. but he'd be leaving so much behind here as well. It was a shame he couldn't have the best of both worlds.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:02 pm
"Oh." Liliana blinked, slowly smiling again. "I must have gotten confused. Your alchemy science..."
Again thoughtful, though very glad the boys would not be trying to leave. for a moment there she had felt an unreasonable fear... Edward would leave her. Or ask her to leave, which she was not certain had he asked what she would have answered. To be with Edward and lose her family or to keep her family and lose the alchemist... Liliana was simply glad she would not have to make such a decision. Her last big decision (and her first) had been tough enough.
But that was not the centering of her thoughts. Nor was it negative in anyway. She barely remembered when they had helped Edward with refitting his automail, the winged witch was so tired from levitating the fullmetal from headquarters to her home. Lily did remember his cry of pain as it was reattached and a shiver went through her, ears flattening. He was still growing... likely they should see about doing that again but...
Liliana could hardly bear to remember that sound, much less know it would come again. Still they had been lucky with the room and Rikku being able to figure out the workings of automail at all. "When Kitsyn said Alphonse was on his way... did she say so of Winry as well?" Soft, curious. Liliana simply could not remember.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:14 pm
"And their mom! I snuck a look before Ed left, their mom's coming too. One of em's here now so the others gotta show up too, right? And Mr. Roy's here... he's from their world too, isn't he?" Bryna had tucked the book into her coat since she never really got an answer.
The problem with his automail, though... hmm. "Heeeey cousin? We should ask Uncle if he knows of a way to enchant stuff to be... lighter. If I could make my anti-grav stick to stuff I would but I can't. But maybe if you guys do some research or something you could find a way? I know you can like, make things invisible, at least for a while..." She trailed off and shrugged, suddenly lacking anything more to say at the moment and instead lapsing into one of her bouts of silence again.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:11 pm
Alphonse crouched low on the ground, before sitting on his haunches, curling his tails up around himself. He seemed troubled as Edward told him that he didn't want to lose him again. He didn't want to do that either - at ALL. He just got here! But now he was conflicted - did that choice mean staying here? As he was now? He pinned his ears back and sighed, inching up to sit beside his brother, finding comfort in his mere presence.
He looked up again as Winry was mentioned. "Oh, ah..." He sat upright again, then began to pull at a coat sleeve, not meeting his brother's eyes.
"Winry's alright. Last time I saw her, anyway. I should have gone back and said hello before I left." He shook his head. "She misses you very much."
His eyes widened at Liliana's last statement, and he looked up at her. "Somebody here knew I was coming? How?" He promptly turned his head towards Bryna as she spoke. "M...mom? But..." He stared forwards now. The youth was tense, his teeth gritted in his upset. Hot tears pricked at his eyes, but he turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut, holding them back.
Their mother was dead. Both him and his brother had tried to bring her back to life, but... that was the incident that got this entire mess started in the first place. Now that he had heard news that she was coming here he simply didn't know what to think. Would she be a human? One of these weird animals, like everyone else around him? A homonculus?
"No..." A weak whimper rose up in his throat, and he began to visibly shake, his wings quivering. "How is that possible!?" He suddenly yelped at Bryna, anguished. "How do you know that!?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:32 pm
Edward was visibly saddened to hear that Winry missed him... but he'd pretty much expected that. He didn't answer Lily's question though, for that's when Bryna decided to bring up their mom. He stiffened, looking as upset as well... but containing it better than his brother.
Draping a paw over Al's shoulder again, Ed dipped his head and sighed. "I think you guys need to leave us alone for awhile" his voice soft, but urgent. This was all simply too much for Al to take in, and he hated to see his brother upset. Still.. the same thoughts about their mom were floating around in his head... and Ed's free paw clenched tightly.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:52 pm
Sympathy filled her green eyes and she stood, softly crossing the small distance that was between her and the brothers. It could take time, for Edward's younger brother to come to grip with the differences here. She had seen it with the others of her family that arrived as other species from their 'befores'. Remus told her how her own Godfather, Sirius Black, had been dead in his own 'before', and after reading the forbidden books her aunt Ginny had looked at Liliana's father with an odd expression that the crimson furred femme still wondered about -though not enough to cross the tempered red-head when the older witch insisted that there were good reasons those books had been forbidden them; that they were happier not reading them.
But these were things that she could not say or share just yet. Not when it all seemed too much for Alphonse. Sitting upright in front of them Liliana wrapped her wings around the brothers Elric in a warm embrace. Then she nuzzled Ed, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. "If I can be of any help... you know all you have to do is call & I'll be at your side, Edward." Her eyes shone with love for him.
Then she turned her head to smile softly at Al. "I can only imagine how this is for you... yet I cannot express how glad I am you are here, Alphonse."
"Bryna..." Drawing away she tried to catch her cousin's eyes as she lifted her wand. "How about a game of apparating?" How else was she to distract her cousin away? If Ed said to leave them alone... then that's what Liliana would do.
((Feel free to have the disapparation happen in your post if you want, Hai.))
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:05 pm
In all honesty Bryn was now puzzled and upset. The Nii-chans should have been happy... right? But she did not know how to express this aside from a flattening of her ears. She didn't mean to... "Sorry."
She readily agreed to the "game"... She wasn't as oblivious as she seemed, and this moment wanted to disappear. She padded over to her cousin and gave Ed an apologetic look before they disapparated.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:48 am
Alphonse could only stare ahead, his body still visibly shaking as he waited for the answer to his question. However, that stopped as he felt the paw drape over his shoulder. It was warm and soothing, and he felt calmed, placidated by it. It didn't do anything to quell the tangle of questions in his mind or his fears, though. That probably wouldn't die down for a long time.
He made a small confused sound in the back of his throat as a mass of dark brown feathers suddenly entered his field of vision. His mind had been miles away when the wing wrapped around him, embracing him. Although it was comforting, the younger Elric brother found it strange - he had never been hugged by a wing before. It was completely foreign to him. He lowered his head as Liliana spoke to him, and he slowly shook his head.
"Thanks," He said meekly, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm glad I found my brother again, but, I... I'm so confused..." He furrowed his eyebrows, hesitating for a moment, then opened his mouth as if to add more to his statement. But before he could say any more, the pair of females were completely gone in the blink of an eye.
Al found himself staring at the now empty spot, wide-eyed. "T-That..." He stuttered. "W-what was that?!"
His attention immediately turned to the floor, as if the answer to his question would be there. He had been expecting to see an transmutation circle or something similar. Instead, he saw nothing but the polished wooden floor.
"Where did they go?!"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:32 pm
Lilianna's comforting words and kiss, caused Edward to smile softly, returning her loving gaze. "Thanks Lily" he said quietly, before he turned his gaze towards Bryna and her apology. He just gave her a smile as well... knowing she hadn't meant any harm. Alphonse was always just... very sensitive, and as always... Edward strove to protect him.
When the two girls disappeared and Al voiced his confusion, Ed sighed lightly. "Its alright Al... this world... there's many strange things here. Some Kitsusagi use magic, like they just did. It happens all the time." He didn't know how to better explain it at the moment. He didn't care much for magic, but well... he couldn't help but acknowledge its existence.
Edward hated to see his brother so confused and well... frightened. There was no helping it though. Alphonse was stuck here now, along with Edward. He would just have to get use to it. But to help... he tried to change the subject somewhat.
"You knows its funny... you came through the gate full grown. When I got here... I hatched from an egg. Pretty strange, huh? I didn't even know who I was, until I started having dreams of our world... any my memories. It took my a long time to remember everything." He was surprised how their trips here had been so different.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:38 pm
Al was still staring at the place on the floor where the females had disapparated from when his brother spoke. He straightened himself upright again, a small sigh escaping him. He turned his gaze downwards, glancing down at his gloved paws. He turned them over to look at the palms of his paw-hands, also at the transmutation circles drawn onto the cloth. It was then the thought came to him that it was silly, really - to be afraid of magic, that was. He was acting just like some of the civilians back home who had never seen alchemy before.
He blinked in confusion when his brother was finished speaking.
"You hatched from an egg?" His burnt-golden eyes were staring at Ed now, widened. "That IS really strange. I don't know how that's possible. Then again, I still don't know how this is possible..." He nodded downwards, as if motioning to himself. "The Gate sure has a weird sense of humor, huh...?"
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