Room 502/4/6; Thursday Afternoonishlike
Today? Alphonse needed to make a phone call. Actually, he probably should have made a phone call a loooooong time ago, but, well... he did have a history of not doing so well on that "keeping in touch" thing. He had an important question to ask today, but that didn't keep him from dialing slowly.
After a few rings, an all too familiar voice came on the line, "Rockbell Automail."
"Ah, hey, Winry..." Alphonse trailed off, because he knew what was coming next.
"Al?" she said, then continued on with more certainty, "Al! You're finally calling! Yeesh, it's been what, months? How come you never call, it ain't that hard you know!"
Alphonse winced a bit. "Er, I-- I know. Um, sorry? I really don't mean to."
Winry made a very audible sigh. "I know, I know; it's nothing new, you know. So how've you been in that crazy as hell school of yours?"
Alphonse couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Oh, I've been fine. Classes just ended last week, so right now there's just a break going on."
"Why didn't you say so sooner? Are you coming back for a few days again?"
There was an uncertain pause. "I'm not sure," Alphonse answered. He wasn't sure why he didn't consider a short trip, and it did sound nice, especially after recent events. "I'll have to see what's going on around here."
"That busy?" Winry said, though her tone implied she knew otherwise.
"Well, no," he replied honestly. "Just... stuff has been happening."
Winry shook her head on her side, even if Alphonse couldn't see it; she knew the meaning behind that all too well. "All right," she said. "But let me or Granny know if you want to come visit for a while, okay? We miss having you around."
"Yeah," Alphonse agreed. With her saying that, the faintest feeling of being homesick tugged at him. "I think I might want to, soon. I'll be sure to let you know."
"Good," Winry said, satisfied with that response. "So, anything else?"
"Um, actually, is Granny there?" Alphonse asked.
"You need to talk to her?" Winry asked back. "She's in the back. Let me go grab her real quick."
Without another word Winry sat the phone down, leaving Alphonse holding up the phone in silence. He was growing increasingly more anxious as the minutes passed by; maybe she would tell him the answers he wanted to hear. Not only him, anyway; it seemed like Mustang was hoping for the same answers too, and Alphonse really couldn't blame him. He'd already dealt with his fair share of timelines and the crap they always threw around... Such as it had been nice to have his brother around, at least for a while, but that's all it was: a while, because something like that wouldn't last forever.
Alphonse heaved a sigh, almost forgetting he was still pressing a phone up against his face until a different, much older voice came on the line.
"Hello, Alphonse. Glad to hear you're giving us a ring."
"O-oh!" He snapped himself out of his thoughts and back into reality. "Aunt Pinako, hi! Do-- do you mind if I ask you some questions? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your work."
"No, don't worry," she assured in her usual calm manner. "It's nothing that can't wait a little bit. Go on ahead."
"Okay. It's... It's about my being here. Or coming here. Er-- here." Alphonse paused very briefly, considering to wait for a response, but found himself continuing on anyway, "This might be kind of strange for me to ask, but... how did you find out about this school?"
"Hmm." That was Pinako's tone of voice Alphonse always had a hard time figuring out. She used it for a lot of things, it seemed. "It was that Mustang fellow," she answered. "You had been at Dublith with Izumi at the time when he suggested it."
Alphonse's eyes widened. Yeah, that's right, Mustang did mention Dublith in Aly's class. But for himself, as well... "And then I came back home and you sent me here."
"Sounds about right," Pinako said. "Any reason why you ask?"
Alphonse was pretty sure answering with something about alternate times wouldn't bode well (because, hoooooboy, now was not a time he'd want to explain that, either), so a simple, vague response that very helpfully explained everything would do, instead. "Colonel Mustang is here now, too. I was just curious."
"Is he?" Pinako made a calming chuckle. "That man is something else. I'll have to thank him; it's good to have at least someone looking out for you."
Alphonse paused, mouth open, unable to come up with an appropriate response to her. "I-- I've been fine, Aunt Pinako."
"I know, I know," she replied amusingly. "I believe you have been fairing well."
"Okay, um, thank you," Alphonse said. "That's all I wanted to know."
"I'll have Winry tell me what you've been up to," Pinako replied. "I have work to get back to, so I'll let you go back to your things."
Alphonse nodded. "I'll try calling more often."
"Please do," she said. "Goodbye for now."
"Bye."
Once Alphonse hung the phone up, he plopped at the edge of his bed, thinking hard. Well, that had gotten him somewhere, at least. Apparently what she just told him fit rather well with what Mustang told him about coming here. Which meant... something really, really farfetched had happened.
Alphonse leaned back, sprawling out his arms, and let out the biggest sigh he could muster. He then turned his head towards Cuddles, who was being lazy not far from his head. "I bet living the life of a cat is nowhere near as complicated as this, huh?"
[ ooc: I'd say establishy, but anyone is welcome to hop into the room if they want! ]
After a few rings, an all too familiar voice came on the line, "Rockbell Automail."
"Ah, hey, Winry..." Alphonse trailed off, because he knew what was coming next.
"Al?" she said, then continued on with more certainty, "Al! You're finally calling! Yeesh, it's been what, months? How come you never call, it ain't that hard you know!"
Alphonse winced a bit. "Er, I-- I know. Um, sorry? I really don't mean to."
Winry made a very audible sigh. "I know, I know; it's nothing new, you know. So how've you been in that crazy as hell school of yours?"
Alphonse couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Oh, I've been fine. Classes just ended last week, so right now there's just a break going on."
"Why didn't you say so sooner? Are you coming back for a few days again?"
There was an uncertain pause. "I'm not sure," Alphonse answered. He wasn't sure why he didn't consider a short trip, and it did sound nice, especially after recent events. "I'll have to see what's going on around here."
"That busy?" Winry said, though her tone implied she knew otherwise.
"Well, no," he replied honestly. "Just... stuff has been happening."
Winry shook her head on her side, even if Alphonse couldn't see it; she knew the meaning behind that all too well. "All right," she said. "But let me or Granny know if you want to come visit for a while, okay? We miss having you around."
"Yeah," Alphonse agreed. With her saying that, the faintest feeling of being homesick tugged at him. "I think I might want to, soon. I'll be sure to let you know."
"Good," Winry said, satisfied with that response. "So, anything else?"
"Um, actually, is Granny there?" Alphonse asked.
"You need to talk to her?" Winry asked back. "She's in the back. Let me go grab her real quick."
Without another word Winry sat the phone down, leaving Alphonse holding up the phone in silence. He was growing increasingly more anxious as the minutes passed by; maybe she would tell him the answers he wanted to hear. Not only him, anyway; it seemed like Mustang was hoping for the same answers too, and Alphonse really couldn't blame him. He'd already dealt with his fair share of timelines and the crap they always threw around... Such as it had been nice to have his brother around, at least for a while, but that's all it was: a while, because something like that wouldn't last forever.
Alphonse heaved a sigh, almost forgetting he was still pressing a phone up against his face until a different, much older voice came on the line.
"Hello, Alphonse. Glad to hear you're giving us a ring."
"O-oh!" He snapped himself out of his thoughts and back into reality. "Aunt Pinako, hi! Do-- do you mind if I ask you some questions? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your work."
"No, don't worry," she assured in her usual calm manner. "It's nothing that can't wait a little bit. Go on ahead."
"Okay. It's... It's about my being here. Or coming here. Er-- here." Alphonse paused very briefly, considering to wait for a response, but found himself continuing on anyway, "This might be kind of strange for me to ask, but... how did you find out about this school?"
"Hmm." That was Pinako's tone of voice Alphonse always had a hard time figuring out. She used it for a lot of things, it seemed. "It was that Mustang fellow," she answered. "You had been at Dublith with Izumi at the time when he suggested it."
Alphonse's eyes widened. Yeah, that's right, Mustang did mention Dublith in Aly's class. But for himself, as well... "And then I came back home and you sent me here."
"Sounds about right," Pinako said. "Any reason why you ask?"
Alphonse was pretty sure answering with something about alternate times wouldn't bode well (because, hoooooboy, now was not a time he'd want to explain that, either), so a simple, vague response that very helpfully explained everything would do, instead. "Colonel Mustang is here now, too. I was just curious."
"Is he?" Pinako made a calming chuckle. "That man is something else. I'll have to thank him; it's good to have at least someone looking out for you."
Alphonse paused, mouth open, unable to come up with an appropriate response to her. "I-- I've been fine, Aunt Pinako."
"I know, I know," she replied amusingly. "I believe you have been fairing well."
"Okay, um, thank you," Alphonse said. "That's all I wanted to know."
"I'll have Winry tell me what you've been up to," Pinako replied. "I have work to get back to, so I'll let you go back to your things."
Alphonse nodded. "I'll try calling more often."
"Please do," she said. "Goodbye for now."
"Bye."
Once Alphonse hung the phone up, he plopped at the edge of his bed, thinking hard. Well, that had gotten him somewhere, at least. Apparently what she just told him fit rather well with what Mustang told him about coming here. Which meant... something really, really farfetched had happened.
Alphonse leaned back, sprawling out his arms, and let out the biggest sigh he could muster. He then turned his head towards Cuddles, who was being lazy not far from his head. "I bet living the life of a cat is nowhere near as complicated as this, huh?"
[ ooc: I'd say establishy, but anyone is welcome to hop into the room if they want! ]