Day 22: Shift 3, Library

[rage8]

Saïx had been known to keep to himself, limiting his interaction with even his own peers in the Organization to the Superior as much as possible. Of course, he gladly took up the task of chasing a few, random traitors here and there, but solitude and the company of those whom could be considered competent was something Number VII almost took

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[clockworkblond]

Well... so long as Hughes didn't feel too bad, that was the important thing. And he rather hoped that Maes stayed away from whoever it was that had that 'history'; if he could make even the older man upset.

He couldn't help his soft reaction, though; a faint blush appeared on his face when his hair was ruffled, and he squeezed the petting hand with a smile. He liked contact, and it had been his eternal source of frustration than Edward had never seen fit to give him much of anything. He would have patted Maes on the shoulder, but his arms wouldn't reach without stretching, and that might have been a little much.

"What did he say about me? And how is that even possible? Roy did say that this Ed would have become my Edward if nothing had happened. It just... doesn't make sense. But I do know that he's not my Edward, or at least not entirely, so you don't have to worry about explaining that to me. And Roy said further that he'd help try to get Edward talking to me again, so I hope that it will be fine. I can take him rejecting me a few times, so long as there's the hope that in the end he'll be fine."

There was a genuine smile at that; Alfons was used to Edward pushing him away, especially during the last few months, so this would be old hat. So long as there was the hope Edward would tolerate him in the end, he could take any amount of rejections.

[felled_hero]

"I can't really explain it," Hughes admitted, honestly, withdrawing his hand with a smile. He couldn't help but take a fatherly role with every young person he ran into. He'd always wanted a lot of kids, after all. It was just his nature. And he had a habit of finding the ones who needed that kind of thing.

"They've got power I can't even begin to understand. But that's how it is. And Ed told me you guys lived together, and you took him in, and that you were a good friend. He didn't give me many details, but he'd get... well, you know he is sometimes, when he's talking about stuff that's happy and sad at the same time."

The older man shifted, crossing his legs and rolling his shoulders to get more comfortable. He was a bit stiff from carrying Alfons the night before.

"And I've already talked to Ed, it's fine. You just caught him really off guard and at a bad time. He feels bad about how he flipped out on you. When you talk to him next, he'll be a lot friendlier."

[clockworkblond]

"...yes, I know exactly." He nodded slightly, his smile widening just a little, to a soft and happy sort of grin. That Edward had thought so much of him, had talked about him in that manner, reassured the boy that he hadn't been thrown away or forgotten. Which, really... was what he wanted to know.

"I'm glad that next time will be better. Edward meant a lot to me, and even if this isn't the same Edward that I knew, I still feel the same way. Silly, isn't it? He doesn't know me from a complete stranger, and yet I still feel this way." It was rather silly, he knew, but he did want Maes to know how much this meant to the young blond. It was vitally important... moreso, at that point, than his missing memories.

[felled_hero]

"Well, he is and he isn't, you know?" Hughes said. "I mean, he's still Ed. Even if he hasn't gone through all the same things at this point, he's still Ed. Hell, Ed's been through more than the Ed I remember, but it's still him. Doesn't matter if he hasn't had all or has had more experiences than me or you remember." He grinned.

"You meant a lot to him, too. I can tell that much. It must be tough, to go through that. I can't even imagine what it'd be like to have a close friend and then have them not know me."

[clockworkblond]

"I suppose that's true," Alfons softly agreed, having to accept that as best he could. Edward was Edward, even if he wasn't quite the same... and at the same time, Maes was Maes. Even from another world, there were similarities there; enough, at least, that Alfons didn't think he was talking to a complete stranger.

"Well... as for how it feels... it must be a bit like what you're going through now, wouldn't it? Reno said that you escorted me after that incident, and if we had come to an understanding with each other, then we had to have become closer friends, right? But I don't remember it... it's something like that." Alfons gazed at the older man for a moment, the softly confessed, "I wish that I did remember it, however. To know that someone would look after me, even after I did such a foolish thing... that means a lot to me."

[felled_hero]

"I guess it is," Hughes agreed. "You... you were a little shook up after that. So I took you back to my room. You had trouble walking, and you weren't looking too good. Anyway, we spent some time there, talking, and then you started coughing, really badly. And almost having a seizure. I didn't know what was wrong but that thing that went into you.... came out, to put it as delicately as possible."

The memory still shook Hughes. It had been the sort of thing of nightmares. But that nightmare was over, and he'd rather go over the more warm and fuzzy parts of the night.

"And then you were pretty much in shock and couldn't really move, so I carried you out of there and tried to keep you warm and just sort of talked to you for the rest of the night. Then it was morning and we always wake up back in our rooms, no matter what."

Maes glossed over a good deal of the details for now. If Alfons wanted them, then he'd offer them up.

[clockworkblond]

Some of the things that Hughes said made complete sense. Others made none at all. And yet Alfons found himself trusting this man, at least for the most part; while he was still a little skeptical about the demon girl and such, it was rapidly becoming the only logical explanation.

"Was this 'demon'... inside of me?" The teenager shivered, unconsciously wrapping his arms around himself like a shield. "Did I... seem to be acting weird? Right up until the coughing fit, I don't quite know what was going on, but after that I think I can understand."

Still, there was one other obvious question that Alfons had to ask. "And if I was in shock, how did you 'keep me warm', especially with that girl still there, or I assume she had to be? For that matter, how can I be sure that she isn't still inside of me now? If someone's possessed, aren't they supposed to be forever tainted by it?" He had no idea how the occult worked- he was a scientist, after all- but he didn't want to take chances. Nor did he want to be a risk to the others, if the girl came back for him.

[felled_hero]

"She went into you," Hughes said, nodding. "And then came back out and got... pretty upset with me. Still not sure why, but she was pretty crazy as far as I could tell. And you were.. I dunno, maybe kind of woozy while she was in you, but you seemed fine." He shrugged.

"I got you out of my room and just kept you close," he said, with another shrug. He didn't want to come across as some weird old guy, after all. "She let us get away, more or less. I left her in my room, we went out into the hallway and I rubbed your arms and kept you close and watched for monsters. And as far as I know, she's gone. I don't know anything about possession, but I know there's no trace left that I can see now."

He wasn't going to tell Alfons about the brackish taint from the night before. He didn't need to know about that. And it was gone, as far as he could tell.

"Things that happen at night, they usually don't carry over into the day. Unless a doctor does it."

[clockworkblond]

"I... guess I really should thank you for keeping me close and looking after me." Alfons's smile was weak, but still there; even now that he had an idea of what he had gone on with him, knowing that someone had looked after him was more than buoying. "I can't imagine I was good company afterwards, but... thank you."

If anything, Alfons was more happy with the situation, now that he knew that it was, than before when he had only questions. Even though it had to have been painful for himself, he now knew that Maes had been there, and that the man hadn't left Alfons to suffer alone. Not like last time.

He offered a sheepish look, and added, "Though I'm a bit worried; if I seemed fine with a demonic girl in me, doesn't that say something about how I am normally?" He meant it in a joking manner, but with the sheepish look on his face, it could be hard to tell.

[felled_hero]

"Hey, no thanks needed," Hughes said, holding up his hand. "I wasn't gonna leave you. I wouldn't ever leave you." It hadn't mattered that Alfons had been silent and unresponsive after the incident in Maes' bedroom. He couldn't conceive of leaving someone who needed help. That just wasn't him.

"Well, to be fair, you really hadn't seen anything weird that happens here yet. And it isn't like she'd attacked us directly, she'd just... made the walls looks sick. I can understand, coming from where you do, not fully comprehending what happens at night until you've lived through it. I've done some stupid things myself. And hey, you were doing it to help."

[clockworkblond]

That... was almost cruel, but it was the sort of cruelty that Alfons would happily take to himself. After being killed in his own world, and after being abandoned by Edward- so he always saw it, anyway- the promise of never being left was a very sweet one indeed. Still, it wouldn't do to slow down the older man, either.

"I know I was doing it to help, but that still forced you to look after me. So I'd understand if you wouldn't want me tagging along tonight; I don't have many skills, and I wouldn't be able to fight, so..."

Even still, though, Alfons couldn't help his curiosity. "Wait, you've done stupid things here?"

[felled_hero]

"Well, you know, we can always get you skills," Hughes said, with a wink. "If you wanna come by my room tonight, I can give you a few tips that'll probably help you out." He'd been planning to teach Alfons how to handle a knife anyway.

"And yes, I've done some stupid stuff. I nearly crippled myself my first night here trying to knock a pipe out of the wall. And I've taken on things I can't handle, by myself. It happens, sometimes." He shrugged. "I'll probably do stupid stuff again, I'm human. It's what we do."

[clockworkblond]

"Ah, well... if you really want to spend that much time on it." The teenager ran his hand through his hair, honored but at the same time a little nervous. He wasn't athletic at all, and while he wanted to be as much help as he could be, he wasn't sure what kind of 'skills' he could be taught. "All I know is how to pick locks and how to make explosives, which isn't exactly the height of usefulness. But if you tell me where your room is, then I'll be sure to see you again."

Nor something that he would enjoy, turning chemistry for use as a weapon. Nor would it be particularly useful against a demon, if one even existed. Still, it would be something to offer.

"And... Mr. Hughes..." He couldn't help it, hearing that the older man had tried to knock a pipe out of a wall sounded like something that Edward would do, and Alfons laughed softly. "Yes, I'm afraid that all of us do foolish things at times. But so long as we have someone to look out for us, we'll be fine."

The expression on Alfons's face, hopeful and determined, made it clear that he hoped he'd be able to look after Maes the way the older man had looked after him. Even if he was fully aware that the likelihood of that happening was... not so high.

[felled_hero]

"You can pick locks and make bombs?" Hughes raised his eyebrows. Hadn't Alfons mentioned the picking locks before? Yes, he had. "Alfons, those are two very, very helpful skills. And I can teach you how to throw a knife. And my room's M6. I think. Maybe it's changed, but I don't think it did. So you come see me tonight, and we'll get you set."

Maes grinned and shifted, reaching out to pat Alfons on the shoulder. "We look out for each other here. You're gonna do fine here, Alfons. And I mean it. You're gonna do just fine."

His smile brightened. "Wanna see a picture of my wife and daughter?"

[clockworkblond]

Alfons nodded in response to Maes's question, looking a bit more tentative than before. "It depends on if I have the materials I need, but yes, I can."

He squeezed the hand on his shoulder, feeling a warm and pleasant weight on his heart, like a comforting blanket had been wrapped around him just with those assurances and that firm grip. "If you can 'get me set', I'd really like that. So I'll look forward to seeing you tonight; I'm sure that so long as you're looking after me, I'll be fine."

Alfons honestly meant that, too. After all, if Maes could look after him after a demonic possession and the boy's coughing fit, what more could be expected of him? At that latter question, Alfons just brightly smiled. "Ah, so you did get married after all?"

[felled_hero]

"What kind of materials do you need?" Hughes asked. He'd make a note of it and see what the alchemists could do.

"Oh, I'll get you set alright. Yeah, it'll be fun. I like to teach, when I can, and I haven't had too much of a chance to. And it'd be nice to spend more time with you that you can remember - and don' you ever worry. I'm gonna have your back." He grinned and chuckled, and then pulled out the creased photograph of his family.

"I did. That's my wife Gracia and our daughter Elysia. She's... well, she's seven now. She was only four when I... well, ended up here, as far as I know. But.. life went on without me, as it tends to do. Isn't she the prettiest little girl you've ever seen? They're my angels."