”DADDY!!!” Tori exclaimed entering the house and barreling into her father’s arms. She had just returned on assignment and had been gone for nearly two months and had finally returned home after reporting to her chief.
Ed laughed spinning his daughter around before putting back down on her feet, “I didn’t think you would be getting back for another week or so.”
“Come on dad did you really think this last assignment would take me that long? Found the chimera’s owner and brought him back, wasn’t too hard really, the trip was longer then the search. I am starving! Has mom made lunch yet?”
“I have, though daughters who can’t greet their mothers don’t get to eat,” Winry said entering the room, wiping her hands.
“Aw come on mom you know I was coming to say hi to you next,” Tori retorting hugging her mother tightly, she was very petite, something her father said she got from him though she didn’t understand how despite the ‘short’ stories about her father.
“Uh huh, just like your father,” Windry muttered into Tori’s golden hair kissing her forehead, “your father and I just finished eating but there is some stew left, get yourself a bowl then wash the travel dirt off yourself. Give me your coat and I will get it cleaned.”
“Uh…I’d rather keep it on if it is all the same to you,” Tori said hesitantly.
Winry narrowed her eyes, “Tori Elric remove that coat now."
Tori took of the red jacket, a perfect replica of her father’s, and handed it to her mother, who gasped for two reasons.
“A TATTOO!!!”
“Mom!” Tori said lightly touching her’s father’s symbol inked in black on the inside of her right wrist whose’s forearm was heavily bandaged.
“WHEN DID YOU GET THAT DONE?!”
“Um…when I was in Tulsa investigating the Chimera…one of the victim’s family was a tattoo artist and he wanted to repay me somehow and offered a free tattoo.”
“Winry, leave her alone, she is old enough to make decisions about these things on her own. I want to know about this injury,” Ed said putting his hands on his wife’s shoulder to calm her.
“Oh my goodness listen to me ranting about a tattoo when you are hurt, honey what happened? Now your sister is going to get a tattoo..” she added under her breath.
Winry shuffled the family into the kitchen and to the table, before rushing to serve a bowl of stew to her daughter sitting next to her and fettering by trying to tuck loose strands of her daughter’s hair behind her ears.
Tori took a mouthful of stew before answering, “well to begin with it was a lion chimera and huge, nothing like I have seen before. Its master sent it after me and trying to evade it and protect myself its claws got me. Nothing serious some stitches but it should heal alright, will have some nasty scars but thats part of the job I guess.”
Winry tsked getting up and serving a glass of juice and putting it in front of her daughter, “I think you should come and work with me in the automail shop, really you alchemist skills can be of use and you would be out of harms way.”
“Mom, we have had this discussion before must we argue about that now?” Tori ask half way through her bowl, her arm stretched out as her father unwrapped the bandages to look at the three claw wounds on the side of her forearm.
“Winry leave her alone,” Ed said looking the wounds over, his wife giving them a glance and making a noise before he gently rewrapped it.
“It's your fault she is doing all this, trying to live up to your name and her sister's. You shouldn’t have taught her alchemy, I was dead set against it! Skye as well! They should be in the automail shop with me not out there risking their lives! I told you we could try again for a son but-”
“Winry…”
Tori watched her mother storm out of the room, “dad leave it alone. Mom will never understand why I choose alchemy and state, she will always thinks it because of you and Skye no matter what I tell her.”
“Tori is it?” her father asked studying her.
Tori looked at her father from under her eyelashes, “No.”
She stood up and kissed her father’s cheek putting her dishes in the sink, “I’ll be back going to say hi to some friends and I have to get my arm checked, doctor’s order were to have the stitches exam to see if they can be removed today or not.”
Ed stood up and ruffled his daughter’s hair, “ok kiddo be safe.”
Tori smiled and left the house not bother to get cleaned up or changed, her mother needed some space, she always did after she came back from assignment or her alchemist classes that were less then safe.
She arrived at her friend’s house, she use to be over all the time when she was younger, Casia had been her sister's friend since they had been closer in age but she has known the the Armstrong family her entire life and saw them more as family. Tori knocked on the door and was greeted by Alex, Casia’s uncle.
“Hey Mr. Alex!”
“The Celestial Alchemist, what a pleasant surprise!” Alex exclaimed being over dramatic.
Tori laughed, “ha ha ha Mr. Alex, ugh I hate that name.”
“Why Tori it suits you, you are a very angel like,” Alex said with humor, gesturing for her to come in.
“HA HA HA, my mother and father would say a little demon child would be more accurate.”
Alex made a ‘thinking’ look, “hmm..the demonic alchemist…now that would scare the enemies..until they took one look at you…”
“Hey! They called dad the Fullmetal Alchemist when he was 12 for crying out that and that is heavy name! This Celestial crap makes me sound like some goodie two shoes with gentle alchemy, no one takes me seriously especially in a fight.”
“Maybe that is why your name works to your advantage, they underestimate you both for your gender and size but also by your alchemist name, which give you a huge upper hand, soon your name will be thought of not as a gentle caring angel but as an Avenging Seraphim like Michael or Rafael. You’re back from assignment I assume! Have a good trip?” Alex asked.
“It was alright, had a nasty run in with a chimera but ended up ok,” Tori replied.
Alex nodded, “CASIA!!! TORI IS HERE!” he called up the stairs for his niece.
“I’ll leave you girls to chat, there is some cookies in the kitchen I just brought from the market have Casia get you guys some drinks and enjoy them.”
“Thanks Mr. Alex!” Tori said as he walked out of the house, she always liked him.
---------------------------------------------------
Ed walked into the automail shop connected to the house, finding Winry banging and clanging away releasing her emotions on the metal.
“Winry?”
She looked up from the metal tears in her eyes, she threw herself into Ed’s arms, who held her close running his hand through her hair.
“Winry, its ok, she’s ok. She’ll be just fine. She’s our child after all, she’s tough,” Ed murmured into Winry’s hair.
“You got into so much danger as a State Alchemist…I knew if we had a son he would become one but I hadn’t except our daughters would. I thought they would follow my steps…not yours…not danger…” Winry looked up at Ed tears streaming down her face.
“Winry times are different now, and they aren’t on some crazy mission like Al and I was. They are in a lot less danger then I was.”
“Tori got hurt! What if next time its worse? What is next time..she or Skye…doesn’t come home!” Winry broke down and cried, Ed holding her up.
“We have to have faith that they will always come home. She is the Celestial Alchemist after all, so I am sure heaven is on her side and Skye is the Phoenix Alchemist, she will rise from the ashes stronger then ever,” Ed said trying to reassure his wife, she merely buried her face in his chest and cried.
-----------------------------------------------
Casia walks in to the room, already eating one of the cookies. "Hey Little Alchemist." Casia smiled and handed Tori the tray, before siting down next to the radio.
"I heard you fought a chimera. Those things can get pretty nasty." Casia reached over and grabbed another cookie. "I remember a chimera I fought once. I was in New Ishval and this wolf thing came out of nowhere and it was HUGE."Casia lifts her arms in the air, pretending to be giant monster.
"When I saw it, it was trying to punch down a building." Casia proudly retold the tale emphasizing every slash and explosion.
Casia smiled siting back down. "I guess even my alchemy can be useful in a fight." Casia rarely bragged about her faulty transmutations but their shear destructive power earned her the nickname StrongClaw.
Tori snagged a cookie and sat down, “hahahaha! This one had been lion based, huge monster never seen one so big! Strong too, got some nasty claw wounds on my arm trying to subdue the beast. I think I might have to change my transmutation circle from my necklace to gloves or my hands like Skye, that was how I got wounded reaching for it, luckily I was still faster then the beast.”
Tori tugged up her sleeve to show the bandaged arm, also revealing her new tattoo which she knew Casia would exclaim about it which she did admiring the artist's work. Tori grinned tugging her sleeve down once Casia was done examine the tattoo.
"How is your Skye?" Casia asked.
"Good. She was on assignment when I left no idea if she is back or not, mom and dad didn't say anything about it but they were kind of distracted so...." she shrugged wondering if her sister was back or not.
"I got to head to HQ. I'll see you later!"
She hugged Casia before she left the house adjusting her jacket as she walked down the street smiling and returning greetings as they called out to her. They had lived in Winry’s and Ed’s home town until she had been 5 when they moved to Central, she loved it here, there was always so much things to do.
Tori walked into central HQ and headed to the infirmary, knocking of the doctor’s door.
“Celestial Alchemist you are late,” the crabby old woman snapped, “sit down.”
Tori sighed but sat down on the hospital bed, shrugging off her red coat, underneath she was wearing a black no-sleeve shirt revealing both her arms and her injury.
The woman tsked and she grabbed Tori’s recently tattooed wrist, making her hiss in pain. The woman let go and looked at the tattoo.
“Foolish girl, if that ink was tainted you could get your wound infected and lose your arm!” the doctor groaned.
Tori snapped back, “so I’ll get some automail you old bat. Would you just tell me if I can get the stitches out and stop lecturing me!”
The old woman of a doctor had had it in for Tori since she became a State Alchemist.
“Disrespectful brat!”
“I outrank you, you old crone and you disrespected me first!” Tori snapped as the woman roughly removed the bandages.
“Ouch! Seriously!?” Tori yelped tugging her arm away as the woman tugged on the stitches to check them.
“They can come out, hold still while I cut them!”
Tori held super still as the doctor snipped the stitches’ knots one by one, then went through the process of tugging the stitches out, which stung smartly but Tori kept her mouth shut, she wouldn’t get the old woman the satisfaction of seeing that it hurt. Plus she had a nasty feeling the woman was being a hell of a lot rougher taking them out then it needed to be.
The doctor pour alcohol over the wounds without regard whether it would sting or not then re-bandaged it, “leave it wrapped for two more days then expose it to the air to finish healing.”
Tori shrugged her coat back out, “thanks,” she walked out without another word, no way in h3ll she was staying with evil witch longer then needed.
