[Log] Second Chance
WHO: Alphonse Elric and Edward Elric
WHEN: After The Syndicate Fights Millenium
WHERE: An alley in Rio de Janeiro, Mundane Sector
WHAT: The truth.
"...It all happened months ago, after the events that took place in the white desert. Hueco Mundo. Remember? We went to help rescue Orihime." Assisting the Syndicate in obtaining one of their 'belongings' was the actual story behind it, but it was already known. Alphonse shrugs, his head tilting down and off to the side. "You know what happened next." The part when they were all standing outside under the night sky, the punching, the questions about the gigai and how it's even possible for the younger to be walking around without the suit of armor. And then the trip across the sands in the dune buggy. The images are still fresh in his memories, down to the faint strains of music coming from the radio.
His right hand reaches up to tug on the loose black sleeve, his left arm limp. "The weeks following probably gave Li- Greed some time to see where we were staying. He...invited me to a pizza party," Al says awkwardly, wrinkling his nose. "And there was mingling. Many recognizable faces. So it was mainly another hangout for him and his gang." His people, his possessions. Everything belongs to the homunculus, and he isn't stopping any time soon in his pursuit of worldly goods.
The boy's frow furrows. "It was just a talk. He wanted to meet with me to discuss some matters in detail without interruption. I...I didn't think I'd actually become a member of his faction myself, but he already said it. But as I said, Greed wanted to...go over a few things."
"......" Edward hasn't spoken once ever since Greed and the other Syndicate members had cleared out. He and Alphonse had also relocated in the meantime, not wanting to get caught up by the local authorities during clean-up. It's obvious that the alchemist is in a mood, avoiding meeting his brother's gaze, even now as they stood in an alleyway. Finally, some answers.
He should have known, should have been paying more attention. Alphonse might not even realize that Edward doesn't blame him at all- no, the boy blames himself. Of course he's upset with how things have turned out- with Alphonse becoming involved with the Syndicate, with Greed. He should have expected it. With their research not going anywhere, there's been no excuse for the lack of productivity. An obvious answer eluded them, and it's been that way for so long that Edward was finally about ready to let himself believe that there was going to be no straight-forward approach to solve the problems that they had brought upon themselves several years past.
He stood with his back against the wall, arms folded as he glowered at the adjacent wall, listening to his brother's explanation. He'd been able to get through the events not hours past relatively unscathed, but his stubbornness has held him off from showing any concern for injuries his brother might have sustained. Some older brother you've turned out to be, he tells himself, his gaze falling away from the wall to look towards the ground.
The way Edward is taking all of this simultaneously worries and frustrates Alphonse. He knows his brother and his sudden bouts of rage, and he knows the older doesn't do it all of the time. But this moment is enough to break the calm Al's been holding onto for so long. Golden eyes flicker as they fall back on the other alchemist for a few seconds, darting off onto a spot on the opposing wall.
The quivering tone in his voice is noticeable as he continues. "He s-said...he said he was willing to help me. Greed isn't stupid - he figured we were still trying to find a way to restore our original bodies." Hands raise up halfway, gesturing lightly. "The Philosopher's Stone, the one item we weren't going to ever try obtaining again, is something he has in his possession. As a homunculus. He said he'd let us use it." For a price. Everything for a price. Al's voice tightens as he clenches his left hand into a fist. "And working with him was one of the things he wanted out of this. Equivalent exchange."
Equivalent. Exchange. A horrible but viable truth.
Eyes finally stay upon Edward, arms swinging out to the boy's sides as he takes a step forward. "I know! I know the Syndicate is a questionable group. But they're people too! People who have different views on the world. People who aren't limiting themselves to the general rulings of society - something that is both good and bad depending on whatever situation they throw themselves into! And I know we've been trying to find a way on our own, but we can't do everything by ourselves!" The tone quiets down, growing louder again with each sentence before shrinking back to almost a whisper, the emphasis on their plight hurting him.
"Ed. It's been years...and we have nothing! We both know this, even if we haven't mentioned it," Alphonse says weakly. "...Research can only go so far."
That stings. No, it more than stings, it's a blow to the gut. They'd both known it, Alphonse is right, but to hear it spoken then is practically crippling. It's the final chip that Edward can take in the wall of calm he's constructed about himself, and under such words, it completely shatters. His eyes flash with the pent up anger and frustration, reflected in the set of his jaw as he turns sharply, away from the wall and towards his brother. His right hand snaps out and slams against the wall inches from Alphonse's head, dislodging dust and causing a few cracks and crumbling rock to cascade down to the ground.
"I KNOW THAT!" he shouts, exasperation squeezing at his tone. He winces as he realizes yelling won't solve matters, and it hurts him to see his brother like this, to hear him speak like that... Edward clamps his teeth together, squeezing his eyes shut as he curls his hand on the wall into a fist, the metal of his fingers scraping against the brick and plaster. "....I know...." he whispers raggedly, sinking to his knees, leaning his forehead against the wall in front of him. "...we should have figured things out long ago... things shouldn't be like this..."
He feels like all the energy's been sapped from him. It's a hollow feeling that's settled within, leaving him numb. "...I'm sorry." He's known all this time, and yet he's been able to do nothing for his brother. Words will do nothing, but it's all he has right now, it's all he can say. "...I'm sorry...."
Alphonse doesn't flinch the moment Ed's fist goes flying. Feeling the rush of air and hearing the sound of the metal crashing against the wall just reminds the younger alchemist that he really did say all of what needed to be said. His brother's outburst is the thing that jolts him from his current state of shock, eyelids fluttering as golden eyes stay rounded.
Yet, there is a sense of surrealness tying itself to the tired, simple apology. Alphonse's teeth clench together in a grimace as the look of frustration fades back into worry. It's painful seeing Edward, the prouder of the two, down on his knees, apologizing. Sad. More weight settles upon his chest as he breathes, bowing his head. "D...Don't..."
Hands snap out toward his brother's shoulders as he suddenly leans forward. "It's NOT your fault! I'M the one who got myself into this!" he screams, the collective nature of the boy shattering piece by piece. "I didn't want you to suffer! I didn't tell you and it still happens!!! I should be the one apologizing for everything that's happened! ME!! Not you!"
Alphonse then collapses, knees scraping against the floor as he kneels near his brother. Arms encircle the Fullmetal Alchemist, a trying embrace weakened by the show of emotion. "...You always do everything before I even have the chance to," he sobs quietly. "I don't want you to bear everything yourself! I'm sorry...!"
His head bows, lower with each wince brought upon by Alphonse's words. It's like the threads decide to start unraveling all at once and from all sides, and he can't grab at them fast enough to keep it together. "It's not just that...!" Edward points out, his words partially muffled with him being hunched over as he is. And it isn't just the whole thing with the Syndicate. Who cares about the Syndicate at this point? "...you're.... you're right. We haven't done anything, haven't gotten any closer to what we set out to do years ago."
And then the extra weight settles over him, and he feels his brother's arms draping loosely around him. He lets himself sag closer against the wall, his forearm folding to cushion his head. "...what have we been doing all this time..." he says quietly. "...I don't blame you. You were given a chance... you took it. You have every right to... ...to have done what you did." It's hard for him to say it, but he manages. "...your body... the gigai.... it's been slowly starting to reject your soul, hasn't it...?"
The response is delayed as the younger of the two stays silent. Questions. Answers. Theories. There's just too many of them. Being right or wrong, it doesn't really help them. Especially if they've been lingering on the idea of body restoration so long.
The sobs are stifled while Al tries to control his breathing. He wipes his face off with his sleeve, taking another breath before giving a small sigh. "...Yes," he says softly and just as muffled. "I-it just...started happening, but it hasn't been too bad..." Distracting? On several ocassions. He's not losing complete control over it, and he doesn't want to get to that particular stage either.
Edward nods slowly, looking at the ground in front of him as he remains curled over. He's calmed down a little, but he hardly feels better, especially after verifying his concerns regarding his brother's substitute body. He knows Alphonse had tried to hide it, but there had been a few occasions where the elder Elric had taken notice of the little things. It scared him and he wouldn't admit it.
"...still. It was inevitable." He's thankful that Urahara's gigai had held up this long though, but both brothers had been aware that it was only a temporary thing.
Edward sighs, lifting his head from his arm, slowly bringing his left hand up to set over one of Alphonse's arms. "...all right.... so what all does Greed want. Just service?"
"...Yes. That's...pretty much it." Greed did say he was being honest and straightforward about the contract they discussed. Use of the stone without many of the strings attached. No other hidden additions, no extra requirements that lead to inevitable problems with other people and/or factions, and anything else that hasn't come to mind right away. There's still a fair share of people who may or may not antagonize such plans, but that's how it's suppose to go. Although Alphonse does believe the Syndicate Don, he also had a repetitive voice asking if this belief is true.
The boy peeks over the arm that has Ed's hand on it, blinking slowly. "But who knows what might happen." Al shrugs a shoulder with a sad smile. "We're just going forward, then? Like we always do?" he asks.
"....where else can we go...?" Edward replies, smiling wearily back at his brother. He pushes away from the wall to sit up a little straighter, letting his right arm fall into his lap where he looks down at his hand before making a fist. "Forward and onward. We're getting your body back. We'll talk to Greed again." The smile's vanished all too easily, but the situation is serious, even if it will get them out of the rut they've been in all these years. "He's expecting that anyway, right?"
Alphonse nods, his own expression changing into one of fatigued determination. Hands and arms slowly retract from Edward as the other alchemist moves to sit normally. Eyes stare at the metallic fist, nodding again as he concentrates on it and the words spoken. "Exactly," Al says as his gaze rises to meet his brother's.
That's all they need to know- what they're getting into and who's involved. It's not that much for information, but it's enough to work with. It's like basic alchemy, knowing what the materials at hand are- figuring out what you can do with them comes later.
"All right." Edward smirks, nodding at Alphonse. "Now let's get outta this hell hole and get you checked up."
WHEN: After The Syndicate Fights Millenium
WHERE: An alley in Rio de Janeiro, Mundane Sector
WHAT: The truth.
"...It all happened months ago, after the events that took place in the white desert. Hueco Mundo. Remember? We went to help rescue Orihime." Assisting the Syndicate in obtaining one of their 'belongings' was the actual story behind it, but it was already known. Alphonse shrugs, his head tilting down and off to the side. "You know what happened next." The part when they were all standing outside under the night sky, the punching, the questions about the gigai and how it's even possible for the younger to be walking around without the suit of armor. And then the trip across the sands in the dune buggy. The images are still fresh in his memories, down to the faint strains of music coming from the radio.
His right hand reaches up to tug on the loose black sleeve, his left arm limp. "The weeks following probably gave Li- Greed some time to see where we were staying. He...invited me to a pizza party," Al says awkwardly, wrinkling his nose. "And there was mingling. Many recognizable faces. So it was mainly another hangout for him and his gang." His people, his possessions. Everything belongs to the homunculus, and he isn't stopping any time soon in his pursuit of worldly goods.
The boy's frow furrows. "It was just a talk. He wanted to meet with me to discuss some matters in detail without interruption. I...I didn't think I'd actually become a member of his faction myself, but he already said it. But as I said, Greed wanted to...go over a few things."
"......" Edward hasn't spoken once ever since Greed and the other Syndicate members had cleared out. He and Alphonse had also relocated in the meantime, not wanting to get caught up by the local authorities during clean-up. It's obvious that the alchemist is in a mood, avoiding meeting his brother's gaze, even now as they stood in an alleyway. Finally, some answers.
He should have known, should have been paying more attention. Alphonse might not even realize that Edward doesn't blame him at all- no, the boy blames himself. Of course he's upset with how things have turned out- with Alphonse becoming involved with the Syndicate, with Greed. He should have expected it. With their research not going anywhere, there's been no excuse for the lack of productivity. An obvious answer eluded them, and it's been that way for so long that Edward was finally about ready to let himself believe that there was going to be no straight-forward approach to solve the problems that they had brought upon themselves several years past.
He stood with his back against the wall, arms folded as he glowered at the adjacent wall, listening to his brother's explanation. He'd been able to get through the events not hours past relatively unscathed, but his stubbornness has held him off from showing any concern for injuries his brother might have sustained. Some older brother you've turned out to be, he tells himself, his gaze falling away from the wall to look towards the ground.
The way Edward is taking all of this simultaneously worries and frustrates Alphonse. He knows his brother and his sudden bouts of rage, and he knows the older doesn't do it all of the time. But this moment is enough to break the calm Al's been holding onto for so long. Golden eyes flicker as they fall back on the other alchemist for a few seconds, darting off onto a spot on the opposing wall.
The quivering tone in his voice is noticeable as he continues. "He s-said...he said he was willing to help me. Greed isn't stupid - he figured we were still trying to find a way to restore our original bodies." Hands raise up halfway, gesturing lightly. "The Philosopher's Stone, the one item we weren't going to ever try obtaining again, is something he has in his possession. As a homunculus. He said he'd let us use it." For a price. Everything for a price. Al's voice tightens as he clenches his left hand into a fist. "And working with him was one of the things he wanted out of this. Equivalent exchange."
Equivalent. Exchange. A horrible but viable truth.
Eyes finally stay upon Edward, arms swinging out to the boy's sides as he takes a step forward. "I know! I know the Syndicate is a questionable group. But they're people too! People who have different views on the world. People who aren't limiting themselves to the general rulings of society - something that is both good and bad depending on whatever situation they throw themselves into! And I know we've been trying to find a way on our own, but we can't do everything by ourselves!" The tone quiets down, growing louder again with each sentence before shrinking back to almost a whisper, the emphasis on their plight hurting him.
"Ed. It's been years...and we have nothing! We both know this, even if we haven't mentioned it," Alphonse says weakly. "...Research can only go so far."
That stings. No, it more than stings, it's a blow to the gut. They'd both known it, Alphonse is right, but to hear it spoken then is practically crippling. It's the final chip that Edward can take in the wall of calm he's constructed about himself, and under such words, it completely shatters. His eyes flash with the pent up anger and frustration, reflected in the set of his jaw as he turns sharply, away from the wall and towards his brother. His right hand snaps out and slams against the wall inches from Alphonse's head, dislodging dust and causing a few cracks and crumbling rock to cascade down to the ground.
"I KNOW THAT!" he shouts, exasperation squeezing at his tone. He winces as he realizes yelling won't solve matters, and it hurts him to see his brother like this, to hear him speak like that... Edward clamps his teeth together, squeezing his eyes shut as he curls his hand on the wall into a fist, the metal of his fingers scraping against the brick and plaster. "....I know...." he whispers raggedly, sinking to his knees, leaning his forehead against the wall in front of him. "...we should have figured things out long ago... things shouldn't be like this..."
He feels like all the energy's been sapped from him. It's a hollow feeling that's settled within, leaving him numb. "...I'm sorry." He's known all this time, and yet he's been able to do nothing for his brother. Words will do nothing, but it's all he has right now, it's all he can say. "...I'm sorry...."
Alphonse doesn't flinch the moment Ed's fist goes flying. Feeling the rush of air and hearing the sound of the metal crashing against the wall just reminds the younger alchemist that he really did say all of what needed to be said. His brother's outburst is the thing that jolts him from his current state of shock, eyelids fluttering as golden eyes stay rounded.
Yet, there is a sense of surrealness tying itself to the tired, simple apology. Alphonse's teeth clench together in a grimace as the look of frustration fades back into worry. It's painful seeing Edward, the prouder of the two, down on his knees, apologizing. Sad. More weight settles upon his chest as he breathes, bowing his head. "D...Don't..."
Hands snap out toward his brother's shoulders as he suddenly leans forward. "It's NOT your fault! I'M the one who got myself into this!" he screams, the collective nature of the boy shattering piece by piece. "I didn't want you to suffer! I didn't tell you and it still happens!!! I should be the one apologizing for everything that's happened! ME!! Not you!"
Alphonse then collapses, knees scraping against the floor as he kneels near his brother. Arms encircle the Fullmetal Alchemist, a trying embrace weakened by the show of emotion. "...You always do everything before I even have the chance to," he sobs quietly. "I don't want you to bear everything yourself! I'm sorry...!"
His head bows, lower with each wince brought upon by Alphonse's words. It's like the threads decide to start unraveling all at once and from all sides, and he can't grab at them fast enough to keep it together. "It's not just that...!" Edward points out, his words partially muffled with him being hunched over as he is. And it isn't just the whole thing with the Syndicate. Who cares about the Syndicate at this point? "...you're.... you're right. We haven't done anything, haven't gotten any closer to what we set out to do years ago."
And then the extra weight settles over him, and he feels his brother's arms draping loosely around him. He lets himself sag closer against the wall, his forearm folding to cushion his head. "...what have we been doing all this time..." he says quietly. "...I don't blame you. You were given a chance... you took it. You have every right to... ...to have done what you did." It's hard for him to say it, but he manages. "...your body... the gigai.... it's been slowly starting to reject your soul, hasn't it...?"
The response is delayed as the younger of the two stays silent. Questions. Answers. Theories. There's just too many of them. Being right or wrong, it doesn't really help them. Especially if they've been lingering on the idea of body restoration so long.
The sobs are stifled while Al tries to control his breathing. He wipes his face off with his sleeve, taking another breath before giving a small sigh. "...Yes," he says softly and just as muffled. "I-it just...started happening, but it hasn't been too bad..." Distracting? On several ocassions. He's not losing complete control over it, and he doesn't want to get to that particular stage either.
Edward nods slowly, looking at the ground in front of him as he remains curled over. He's calmed down a little, but he hardly feels better, especially after verifying his concerns regarding his brother's substitute body. He knows Alphonse had tried to hide it, but there had been a few occasions where the elder Elric had taken notice of the little things. It scared him and he wouldn't admit it.
"...still. It was inevitable." He's thankful that Urahara's gigai had held up this long though, but both brothers had been aware that it was only a temporary thing.
Edward sighs, lifting his head from his arm, slowly bringing his left hand up to set over one of Alphonse's arms. "...all right.... so what all does Greed want. Just service?"
"...Yes. That's...pretty much it." Greed did say he was being honest and straightforward about the contract they discussed. Use of the stone without many of the strings attached. No other hidden additions, no extra requirements that lead to inevitable problems with other people and/or factions, and anything else that hasn't come to mind right away. There's still a fair share of people who may or may not antagonize such plans, but that's how it's suppose to go. Although Alphonse does believe the Syndicate Don, he also had a repetitive voice asking if this belief is true.
The boy peeks over the arm that has Ed's hand on it, blinking slowly. "But who knows what might happen." Al shrugs a shoulder with a sad smile. "We're just going forward, then? Like we always do?" he asks.
"....where else can we go...?" Edward replies, smiling wearily back at his brother. He pushes away from the wall to sit up a little straighter, letting his right arm fall into his lap where he looks down at his hand before making a fist. "Forward and onward. We're getting your body back. We'll talk to Greed again." The smile's vanished all too easily, but the situation is serious, even if it will get them out of the rut they've been in all these years. "He's expecting that anyway, right?"
Alphonse nods, his own expression changing into one of fatigued determination. Hands and arms slowly retract from Edward as the other alchemist moves to sit normally. Eyes stare at the metallic fist, nodding again as he concentrates on it and the words spoken. "Exactly," Al says as his gaze rises to meet his brother's.
That's all they need to know- what they're getting into and who's involved. It's not that much for information, but it's enough to work with. It's like basic alchemy, knowing what the materials at hand are- figuring out what you can do with them comes later.
"All right." Edward smirks, nodding at Alphonse. "Now let's get outta this hell hole and get you checked up."