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wondering eyes, left behind
Fate and Ellie in Fullmetal Alchemist
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It's been raining for three days straight.

As far as Mary Elric is concerned, this fits her mood perfectly.

She's moping under a tree - one that at least mostly blocks the pouring rain - and listening to the river in the distance. It sounds angry.

(She's angry. They're not being let in to see mom, even though mom's super sick, and Mary knows she's going to die, you don't keep people from seeing someone who's gonna recover easily - )

Which pretty much adds up to the younger Elric sister sulking out in the cold and the rain and contemplating stabbing the out of town doctor with his annoying, condescending smile. The Rockbells were way better doctors. Much.

She's out of easy rocks to throw, so she's left occasionally kicking or hitting the ground. Her knuckles are getting a bit scraped.

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El pokes her sister in the back of the head. She's naturally sneaky, especially when Mary's distracted like this.

"You're going to need the doctor next if you stay out here."

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"Maybe they'll let me see mom then," she mutters, swatting in El's vague direction.

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"Maybe, but then they won't let me see you and I'll be so bored."

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"You don't want to get sick too?"

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"I don't get sick," El says primly.

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"Even if you fell in a river?"

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"Don't fall in rivers, either."

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"You can be my nurse next time I get sick, then."

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"Okay. Not today, though." She pokes her sister again.

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Swat.

"Fine, I'll come inside." She gets up, stretching.

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El pops open the umbrella and waits for Mary at the edge of the tree.

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She follows along.

There's a crash as they're walking back, a few shouts - all from the direction of the river nearby.

"Wanna see what happened?"

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"Yeah. Let's go." She swings over to walk that way.

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The river seems to have overflown its banks, washing away fences and spilling in a rush towards the town. They're downstream of the breach - up on a little hill, but it seems likely that the water's going to wash around them.

Mary steps forward, looking around.

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Figures.

She heard shouting; does it look like people already know about this?

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They seem to. One person's in the water, clinging to a rope someone else threw him, and people in town are trying to get to high ground. The spill is gradually worsening, and there's a distant roaring upstream.

"Wonder if everyone's gonna be washed away," Mary says.

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"Could be. That happens sometimes. Though not here for a long time, I don't think."

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"Maybe the river'll get that annoying doctor."

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"He's with Mom right now."

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"Awwwww."

She squints out in the distance.

"Think it's gonna get that woman."

She points at someone walking towards the river.

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Strange.

"Think she wants it to get her." El squints. "Don't recognize her, though."

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"Out of town weirdo?" she asks, laughing.

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And then the woman claps her hands together, kneels -

And in a rush of alchemical energy, new dikes form, earth rising to block the wave of water just before it reaches her.

A curl, and those who've been swept into the water are lifted out, those trying to rescue them brought to safety on a wave of moving earth -

The landscape reforms, massively, grandly.

The river obediently rolls back into its path.

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Wow.

El is stunned silent.

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She keeps moving, repairing other breaks, strengthening the river, forming a new, higher bank at the weak points -

She doesn't seem to use arrays at all.

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Mary takes a few steps down the hill, then starts more urgently heading over to the woman.

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El shakes herself, then goes after Mary, catching up quickly and taking the lead.

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The woman glances up at them as they approach. "Hello," she says, quietly, walking briskly to the next threatened part of the river.

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El trots to keep up.

"How are you doing this?"

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"Alchemy."

She shores up another worn-down bank, still with the same clapping and kneeling motion.

"To answer your next question: I have a deeper understanding of what is involved than most. My body forms the circle, and my mind the array."

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"Can you teach us how to do it?"

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She keeps moving.

"Not trivially, and I do not take students lightly."

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El follows.

"We're good at learning."

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Mary keeps up, running a few times when she starts to fall behind.

"Really good! We've been teaching ourselves alchemy out of books. We'll be the best students you've ever heard of."

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"That won't be easy. Do you think you two can impress me?"

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"Yes!"

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She indicates an almost collapsed section of dike before them.

"Fix that, then."

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Mary starts pulling chalk out of her pockets, then frowns at how wet the ground is.

"It won't hold chalk like this..."

She glances at her sister.

"Unless we dry it first? Then use the umbrella."

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"Here, you hold this-" El passes the umbrella to Mary and wipes her hands on her shirt, then gets some chalk of her own and begins sketching an array to dry out the ground on her left hand.

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Mary holds the umbrella to block the rain from where El's working.

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The woman observes, gaze keen.

"Show me the array you're using. Explain what it does."

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El starts explaining as she goes. Defining what she intends to work on, they already know what the ground is made of here so that's fine; the area, just big enough to hold another circle; minimum and maximum rates of energy transfer she's allowing, she catches an error in her math as she talks through this part and fixes it.

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The woman nods along.

"You have a good grasp of what you're doing. I want to see you and your sister work together on fixing the dike."

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El nods. Once she's finished her array and used it to dry out a patch, she takes the umbrella back from Mary.

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Mary talks faster than El, skips around more - but she also has an intuitive grasp of shape and movement, and makes fairly large mental leaps as she talks the dike repair over with her sister. She takes over sketching this, though still consults El on math and symbol position and bounces ideas on how to get the dike properly sturdy off of her.

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El has a solid grasp of the foundational and structural principles, and backfills Mary's logic like she's being doing it for years. Which she has.

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And together they can get the dike fixed.

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The woman examines it, pronouncing their work stable enough to hold, then starts listing and explaining flaws in what they'd been doing.

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Wouldn't be much a teacher if she didn't know more than them. El listens carefully.

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Mary's capable of focusing when she wants; right now, her attention is centered on the woman's words.

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The woman finishes her lecture.

"I assume you have someone around who would object if I whisked you off to be apprentices without warning."

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"Our mom is sick and they won't let us see her."

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"Do you know what the problem is?"

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"No. She coughs a lot, though."

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"I have some training in biomedical sciences. I can at least see if I can be let in to speak to her."

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"...Thanks. I'm El, and this is Mary."

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"I am Akira Curtis." She straightens, looking around. "That appears to be the last of the weak points. Your town should be safe for a while."

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"I don't think it's ever rained this much."

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"Good. Then those should hold for decades yet. Still, I'll let the mayor and anyone else interested know how to maintain them, and how to identify problems before the dikes fail again."

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"That's very thorough."

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"It behooves any scientist, alchemist, and student of natural law to be as thorough as circumstances permit."

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El nods, seriously.

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"El-El's really good at being thorough," Mary says. "I'm the creative one."

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"A good combination."

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El smacks her sister on the shoulder.

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She laughs and sticks her tongue out at El.

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El tries and fails to keep a straight face.

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"Awwwww, don't be mad El-El, you're still my favorite sister."

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"Yeah, well, you're still in last place."

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She laughs. "So good I beat myself!"

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"Whatever makes you feel better about it."

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"I feel quite great, actually!"

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"You usually do."

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"It'd be horrible if anyone thought I was shy and unsure of myself."

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"I'm pretty sure no one who's around you for more than thirty seconds at a time could possibly think that."

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"It has not been my impression at all."

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Mary laughs. "See? My plan's working!"

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"I'm still mad at you for the next ten minutes, though."

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"Nothing can be gained without sacrificing something of equal or greater value," she says, primly.

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She smacks Mary again.

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She sticks her tongue out again. "You're only mad 'cause I'm right."

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"I decline to comment."

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She laughs again, then points ahead. "Our house's just over there, Miss Curtis," she says. "Doctor's name is something something Acker. We're supposed to be staying with the Rockbells over there, though, while mom's sick."

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"Thank you. I assume you two will be fine out here while I talk to Doctor Acker?"

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"I'll try not to drown. No promises about Mary."

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"People seem to think I'm reckless for some reason!"

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"Well, as long as I don't return to all my hard work ruined, I'll be satisfied. If you want to drown, do it somewhere else."

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"Okay."

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And she sweeps ahead, into their house. Raised voices - one of them recognizably the doctor, the other Akira Curtis - can be heard, but the words are currently muffled.

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She creeps up to a window.

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Mary creeps along as well.

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Akira Curtis seems to be stubbornly holding her own against the doctor's protests. She pulls out some kind of official documentation, and rattles off a list of what's apparently credentials - none of it seems to be state alchemist stuff, though the way she starts listing publications seems to overwhelm the doctor all the same.

Akira sweeps past him, into their mom's sick room.

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Mary scurries over to that window.

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Serves him right.

El goes over also.

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Akira Curtis kneels next to their mom's sick bed, apparently asking her for permission to treat.

And then Akira claps her hands, touches their mother, and blue light surrounds her. It doesn't seem to do much, but their mother smiles, nevertheless.

Akira stands, nods, glances at the two children in the window, and heads over to open said window.

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Whoops. She wasn't intending to get caught.

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Akira opens the window.

"You may as well come in. She isn't contagious."

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El goes around through the door.

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Mary climbs through the window.

The doctor tries to stop El; Akira calls out from inside to let her in.

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She brushes past the man and goes into her mother's room.

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Their mother, weak and wan and pale, smiles at them, eyes a bit watery. "Hello, my little alchemists," she says. "Have you two been looking out for each other?"

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"Yes, Mom."

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"El-El's been great!" Mary chirps, bouncing up onto the bed to hug their mom. "Did Miss Curtis fix you?"

"Oh, honey..." their mom says, running her shaking hand through Mary's hair.

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Akira shakes her head. "The disease has progressed too far, and the flaw causing it is on a level beyond what I am capable of manipulating. I have eased her pain, and perhaps given her more time, but a cure is yet out of reach."

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"That's more than anyone else has done."

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"It's enough," says Trisha Elric. To Akira: "Thank you, for giving me more time with my daughters. How can I ever repay you?"

Akira Curtis shakes her head. "I don't need repayment, though I think your daughters would appreciate it if you cleared them for an apprenticeship."

Trisha nods, smiling at the two girls. "They've always been so excited about their alchemy. Still, I would miss them..."

"I would not take them while you were alive. Family you actually like is a rare gift, and life so far is a path we may only walk once," Akira says.

"Then you have my blessing," Trisha says, firmly, "And I will let anyone concerned know that."

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"Thanks, Mom." El goes in for a hug.

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Hugs for the smalls!

"You two are so good, I'm so blessed..." she says, smiling at them.

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Small smile.

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"I'll leave information on how to find me," Akira says, softly, "But I do need to keep moving."

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"Where are you going?"

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"I'm currently moving towards Ishval. There's something I need to investigate. After that, I will return to my usual home, in Dublith."

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"Okay." She wants to ask what, but doesn't want to push her luck.

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"Is Dublith where you want us to meet you?"

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"Yes - I'll also leave instructions for what to do if you arrive and I'm not there."

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El nods. "How long will your- investigation take?" Longer than for Mom to die?

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"My trip to Ishval will hopefully only be a few months at the absolute most, though I suspect my entire investigation will be longer, over more trips."

"I estimate your mother has about a year, though that is an extremely rough guess."

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"Thanks for telling us."

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"I don't believe in lying, unless absolutely necessary."

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"Still... Thanks," Mary repeats, cuddling mom.

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"You're good at being an adult."

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"Perhaps I'm better than most at remembering being a child."

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"Could be."

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She pulls out a pen and paper, writing several things down. "Here - this is my address, and an address of a correspondent of mine, and of the neighbor who watches my cats when I travel, and who'll be able to let you into my house, if you get there while I'm gone. I don't leave volatile experiments lying around, so feel free to settle in as you wish if that happens."

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"Do you leave volatile experiments hidden?"

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"Not in an active stage, and potentially dangerous chemicals are clearly labeled, in the vernacular, and locked away. I trust you won't poison yourselves or my cats, though I would prefer you hold off on experimentation until I have been around to deliver the lab safety lecture, and avoid undoing any locks you aren't given a key to."

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She nudges Mary. "You heard that, right?"

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"No picking locks, no alchemizing my way around locks, if it's locked it's 'cause it might hurt the kitties if I opened it - I know what sensible rules are, El-El."

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"Just establishing that for record."

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"I'm not gonna hurt cats."

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"It's good that you have cats," she says to Akira.

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"They're good creatures. It's good you appreciate them."

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"She likes cats 'cause she is a cat."

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"I haven't met many talking cats."

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"I'm a special magic cat!"

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"Thankfully unique."

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"'Cause El-El would be unhappy if she had to play favorites between two of me, 'cause we'd both be awesome."

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"Riiight. That's why."

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She sticks her tongue out at her sister, then notices she's close enough to lick her if she just leans over ever so slightly -

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"Bllck!" She jerks away.

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She laughs so hard she tumbles off the bed.

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She wipes her cheek off with as much dignity as she can muster.

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"I'll take my leave, how about," says Akira over Mary's laughter.

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"I'll show you out." She stands up to lead Akira to the door.

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"Thanks."

She follows, updating the sullen doctor about the situation on her way out.

"Good luck, Elizabeth," she says at the door. "It was a pleasure meeting you and your sister."

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"A pleasure to meet you as well. Good luck with your investigations."

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She nods. "I'll need it, I suspect."

And she leaves.

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El goes back inside.

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Time passes, as it does. Their mother grows sicker again, no matter what the doctor does to try to slow it down. Now, at least, her children are allowed in to see her. Neither of them gets sick.

It's sunny, the day their mother dies, and sunny the day of the funeral. It's been nearly a year since the strange alchemist came through.

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El is dressed all in black, and she's feeling a bit warm.

Better than rain, though.

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Mary's in black, too, though she's already gotten her shoes scuffed and started picking at threads on her dress. She hates dresses, and is only wearing this because Granny Rockbell sighed at her until she grudgingly put it on.

"We're gonna find Akira Curtis now, right?" she asks her sister, glancing over at their mom's grave. "She said to wait until mom was dead."

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El has carefully kept track of the paper Akira wrote her information on. It's in her pocket now. She touches it to make sure.

"Yeah. First train tomorrow."

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"Good." She kicks the ground. "I don't like people being sad at me about mom. It's annoying."

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"Once we leave, the only person who'll know is Akira. And I don't think she'll be sad at us."

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"Good."

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"Come on. Let's go pack."

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"Yeah. Gotta bring the most important books, and all our notes on the ones that're mostly fluff..."

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"Spare shoes, snacks, the money..."

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"Empty notebooks... Some stuff to remember mom by... Clothes we like... Gotta also make sure the house is clean and doesn't have food that can spoil lying around..."

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Lots to do.

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It'll be enough to occupy them until the train, at least.

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El makes sure Mary is up and they're off in plenty of time to catch it.

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Mary keeps her face pressed to the window for much of the ride, practically quivering with excitement, neglecting the studying she'd been planning on doing.

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They only get to leave home for the first time once. El spends some time staring out the window too.

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And, eventually, they arrive in Dublith, as the sun's considering setting. Mary's starting to yawn a bit, but she bounces up once the announcement comes on.

"We're here!!!"

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"We're here. Don't forget your suitcase-" She gathers up her own things.

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"I won't!" she says, double and triple checking she has everything. ('Everything' being rather heavy, due to all the books.)

And off the train and into Dublith?

"You've got the address, right?" Mary asks, anxious, and like she hasn't memorized it anyways.

(Dublith is a lot, lot bigger than Resembool.)

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"I've got the address." And she looked at a map. And brought the map with her, even.

"This way."

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"Awesome!"

Mary follows along.

The house is on the other side of town, not quite off in the woods but not quite part of the town proper, either. It's on a rise overlooking the rather enormous lake, and there are lights on inside. The architecture's modest - extremely sturdily built, with no attention to ornamentation. An extensive series of gardens, containing plants only vaguely recognizable to the Elrics, surround the house. Everything has a little label about its cultivation and breeding. Two cats, one white, one a tabby, follow them from the edge of the property to the door, staying well out of reach.

It's a far walk, with everything they brought, but doable, and Mary especially seems an unending font of energy right now.

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El's excited, too, and not about to let a little walking get her down. She knocks on the front door.

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Akira Curtis answers the door after a few moments.

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Oh good.

"Hi. We're here to study."

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"Mom died," Mary says, perhaps unnecessarily, "So we're your apprentices now."

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"Very well," Akira says. "Come in." And she steps aside, gesturing in. "Have you eaten already?"

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"We came straight here from the train."

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"Then I'll heat up some food." She walks into what is presumably the kitchen. It looks far more industrial than their one at home, more meticulously organized, with two separate large boxes with softly glowing arrays on them. The lights are evenly spaced, illuminating everything well. "Do you have preferences, or any food restrictions such as allergies?"

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"No, to both questions."

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Mary has a whole list of things she doesn't like this week. (This week she has noticed that sheep are cute and especially lambs are darlings and has made the leap to vegetarianism. Though she thinks if she met a cannibal tribe that'd be too cool to pass up, so it's only really animal-vegetarianism.)

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"Well, cannibalism is illegal, here, and I would rather illegal activities not happen under my roof without me being informed first."

Still, Akira can prepare food for them both.

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"She wouldn't be shy about announcing she's going to eat someone."

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"Well, as long as you're my apprentices I'm in some ways legally responsible for your behavior. So far I've avoided being arrested, and I would like to keep things that way."

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"I won't eat anyone."

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"I'll tell you but not the police if I want to eat someone."

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"I get the feeling our first talks are going to have to be 'the concept of consent' and 'when to talk to the police,' rather than lab safety."

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"We know to not spill anything on ourselves."

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"There's a lot more to lab safety than just that. Many things are dangerous if inhaled, or will react dangerously if mixed."

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Nod.

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"Still, food and basic house rules for now. I'll save the actual lectures for the morning."

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She turns to the task of eating.

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Mary eats her food rather quickly, then asks, "Do you have any family Miss Curtis?"

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She pauses. "Not anymore."

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"Awwwww..."

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"I'm sorry."

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She nods. "Do you want me to tell you the house rules before or after you get your things settled in?"

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"Before. In case we'd break any by settling."

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"Gotta know when we're breaking rules."

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"Very well."

"Do not break the law while you're my apprentices, or in your capacity as my students, unless I have given you clearance."

"Obey safety rules, especially around fire, chemicals, and assorted experiments. I will elaborate more on these tomorrow as part of your orientation to the labs. Do not enter the labs or set fires until then."

"Do not undo locks you have not been given the key to. Things are locked for a reason, and that reason is almost always safety. If you want to know what something is, I will tell you."

"Do not make loud noises between the hours of midnight and six in the morning. I sleep then. If you tell me when you sleep, I will return the courtesy."

"Do not harm the cats, directly or indirectly."

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"Those seem easy."

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Mary seems to be trying and failing to find holes in the rules. Or at least rules she objects to.

"I guess they're fine."

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"I try not to have extraneous rules."

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"You've done a good job."

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"Thanks."

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"So where are we staying?"

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"I have space for guests. Do you two want to share a room?"

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"I do!"

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El heaves a long-suffering sigh.

"She'd just come bother me every night anyway. Might as well be efficient about it."

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Mary laughs.

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"Very well. This way, then."

She shows them to a room nearby the library. It has one bed she turns into two with alchemy, and has the same sparse decoration as the rest of the house. Still, there are bookshelves on every wall - currently sparsely populated - and deep closets. The large window overlooks the lake.

"Feel free to modify it as you want."

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"Without breaking the law, or...?"

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"Without breaking the law, though crimes against architecture mostly fall under stability concerns. Don't knock down the walls or make fire hazards, then."

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"Okay."

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"I'll leave you two to unpack and sleep, then, if you'd like."

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"Thanks. For everything."

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"Thank you so much Miss Curtis!"

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"You're both welcome."

And she leaves, heading into the library.

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El lets herself fall backwards onto a bed.

"We did it."

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"Yeah."

"Can't believe we're here..."

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"Try hitting your head on the bedpost," El advises.

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She sticks her tongue out and flops on the other bed. Not hitting her head, of course.

She then turns herself into a Mary burrito with the blankets. "So soft..."

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"There were blankets at home, too."

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"These are extra soft, though!"

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This bears experimental testing. By laying down on top of Mary.

"Yeah, these are pretty soft. Kinda pokey, though. Like there's something alive in them."

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She squirms and giggles.

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"Must be mice or something. Though you'd think with the cats..."

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"I'm not a mouse!" she shrieks, trying to kick her sister.

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"I know that, silly!"

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She squirms out of her blanket burrito and flops on top of her sister.

"You're the mouse, and I'm the kitty!"

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Then it's time for the only defense a mouse has: its agility and quickness. This translates to a tickle fight.

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"Nooooooooo!" shrieks Mary (who is exceptionally ticklish), trying to tickle El back.

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This is a fight she has won in the past, and it's a fight she'll win again.

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Mary loses in a pile of shrieks and helpless giggles, eventually shouting, "I give, I give!"

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"And let it be a lesson to you."

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"Clearly I need to ambush you next time."

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"If you think that will help."

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"I'll beat you one of these days."

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Pat pat. "Sure you will."

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Cuddles!

"Gonna be taller than you, too."

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"Maybe stick to achievable dreams."

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She sticks her tongue out. "Gonna get all my dreams."

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"Yeah, I know."

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Hug. "We'll get our dreams together, El-El."

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Hug.

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-"Don't call me that."

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" - You don't like it?"

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"It makes me sound silly."

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"I'll stop using it. Sorry if I made you unhappy."

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"Once in a while is okay. I have to get mad at you when you do it, though."

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"That sounds okay. Maybe I can call you something else in front of other people, so they think you're all dignified."

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"If people don't take me seriously then I have to make them take me seriously and that gets to be a lot of work."

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She nods. "I take you seriously, sis, even though I know you're secretly a dork. But since we're being all serious, what do you want me to call you? Is just El okay? Elizabeth?"

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"El is fine. Better than Elizabeth."

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Happy cuddles. "Okay, Elizabeth."

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Grumpy noises.

But she's still smiling.

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That's the best result, really.

She shifts so she's more comfortable, apparently perfectly content to fall asleep wrapped around her sister.

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For tonight, it'll do.

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As they're drifting off, sleepily: "We should find a better name for me, too."

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"First thing tomorrow."

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"M'kay."

And sleep.

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Sleep. Straight through til morning.

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Mary's up bright and early the next day, not much after their new teacher (who is not a conversationalist first thing, apparently).

Over breakfast: "El, you said we could talk about names for me in the morning."

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"Did I? ...oh, yeah."

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"I don't like Mary. It's - Mary's a girl who wears dresses and behaves and says please and thank you and all the old people like her cause she's so helpful. There's a lot of Mary's."

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"What kind of name do you want?"

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"One other people don't have, maybe, or at least not other girls. Something pretty and dangerous and not a cute little girl."

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El recalls their conversation of the night before. "What about... Lion?"

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"Maybe!" She experimentally bares her teeth. "But a cat feels like your nickname for me..."

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"So like a name-name?"

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"Yeah! Doesn't have to be super a normal name, but - something I can say's my name?"

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"Hm... Enyo?"

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"Pretty. What's it mean?"

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"A war goddess. Greek."

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"Enyo Elric! Hm..."

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"The Romans called her Bellona. Or there's Scathach, from Eire, if you want something with more bite to the sound."

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"Bellona," she says, rolling the sound over her tongue. "I like that! Bellona Elric! And Lion wouldn't be a weird nickname from that."

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"Okay."

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"Thanks, El. You've got good name sense."

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"I try my best."

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"You got a lot of bestness."

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"Yep!"

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"Awesomest bestest sister."

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"And don't forget it."

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Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

"I won't, I promise!"

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"I suppose that makes you an all right sister."

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"Noooooo, I'm the best little sister!"

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"Definitely emphasis on the 'little'."

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She sticks her tongue out.

"Just you wait until I'm taller than you. Gonna pick you up and carry you around."

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"That'll be the day."

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Fighting in the kitchen would be mean to their host so she's just gonna make faces at her sister.

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Which she can studiously ignore.

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Breakfast does, eventually, end, and then it's time for lab introductions. Akira transitions smoothly to calling the younger Elric sister Bellona, alongside calling the elder Elizabeth, though she notes they can both request other names or nicknames.

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She would prefer to be called El.

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She likes full Bellona, for now! Unless you're El. El gets to call her other stuff.

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El and Bellona it is, then. They can call her Akira-sensei, Miss Curtis, Professor Akira, or Professor Curtis. She would prefer formality generally in line with that, until she releases them from her tutelage.

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Yes, Professor Curtis.

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"What's sensei mean?"

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"Something similar to 'Professor,' in the language of the island east of Xing, where my mother's family's from originally."

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"I like Akira-sensei."

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"How did you get all the way out here, professor?"

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"My family actually lived in Xing when my mother was born -  her parents were mercenaries who had left their homeland in search of better pay - but a conflict broke out over the latest emperor's succession. My mother was an explorer at heart, and she decided to leave rather than be pressed into anyone's service. She traveled along the coast, chronicling the languages and peoples she met there - including their approaches to alchemy. Eventually she met my father and decided to settle on this continent for a time."

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"There aren't many people from Xing here."

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"The journey's difficult. The only real routes are through the Great Desert, which is nearly impassable, or the coast, which is long and goes through many, many other countries first. The coastal nations have a higher Xingian population, since Xing has historically had a powerful and far-reaching maritime force, but Amestris is land-locked, and most find little reason to settle here."

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"That makes sense."

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She nods, and continues on to going over lab safety protocol in exhaustive detail. Chemical safety sheets are here. She doesn't expect them to memorize everything, but they need to be in the habit of checking the safety sheets before working with a chemical. Notable warnings are in symbol form on the containers; they do need to memorize those. Personal protective equipment works like so. Mostly, they'll want to use lab coats, gloves, and goggles, but sometimes they'll want more or less protection. Here's how to use the vent hood. Here's how to use the sink to wash your eyes out if you get something in them. Here's how to put out assorted types of fire. Here's how to start and contain assorted fires safely. Here's a list of notable chemicals to never mix without preparation (especially cleaning chemicals - if you don't know what's in a bottle and how it reacts, don't mix them). Here's the first line of treatment for assorted burns. Here's the first aid kit, and over there's the bigger first aid kit, and down the hall's the fully stocked medical lab. Medicine will be part of what she's teaching them, but she can go over basic emergency first aid now. Do not rely on alchemy for any of this, since you don't want to be trying to form and control an array in an emergency.

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El listens carefully. Dying in a lab accident would be a stupid way to go.

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Bellona bites her lip, focusing intently.

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She wraps up the lecture just when it would've started getting hard for them to focus.

They should take a break, now, to explore the area around here and then have lunch; it's good to break up mental activity with physical, and vice versa, to ensure better retention of information. They will be reviewing this material later, as well, towards the same end.

After the break, would they rather focus on first aid lessons, or start on ascertaining their knowledge base for chemistry and alchemy lessons?

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...First aid.

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Yeah. Bellona doesn't want El getting hurt, so.

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Then first aid it will be. First, though, off with them. Get familiar with the area, maybe. Don't poke any plants labeled as contact poisons. Don't eat anything in the gardens. Have fun.

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They can go explore the town some.

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Bellona's eager for that!

The town contains many shops, and many residential areas, and more than a few bars, and even some rough areas (Resembool had had areas that were worse off than others, of course, but they didn't have this soft air of danger to them). There's a few museums, and a pretty good-sized public library with a play area next to it, and a long scenic path by the lake, and studios advertising dance lessons and music lessons and martial arts lessons...

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"Big place."

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"So big!!!"

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"We should come back to the library, and the museums..."

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"Yeah. They look like the best parts."

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"Lots more to do here than Resembool."

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"Definitely. Resembool was just sheep and boring people."

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"Boring people and boring sheep. And the Rockbells, I guess."

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She laughs. "Winry was sometimes cool I guess."

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"But not worth staying for."

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"She wasn't you."

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"I'm the only me."

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"Maybe we should use alchemy to clone you and then I can have many bestest sisters."

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"You can't clone me with alchemy because the only thing that's as good as me is me."

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"Yeah, you're worth more than a whole city of people," she says, laughing. "Two cities, even."

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"All the cities."

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"Whole planet."

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Hee. She has a good sister.

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Shoulder bump.

"How much am I worth?"

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"Hmm..." She sizes up their relative heights. "About three-quarters of planet."

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She laughs. "Maybe I'm Mars and you're the Earth!"

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"Only if Mars has people on it."

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"Martians would be pretty cool!"

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"Wonder what they'd look like."

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"I'm goddess of war and Mars is the war planet so I bet they'd worship me! Probably have blood sports. And they're really pretty and have lots of art! And singing and dancing and knives."

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"They sound very civilized."

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"Absolutely. Wonderful sacrifices."

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"Kind of a shame to kill them all off."

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"We can find another planet to sacrifice to our glory, then. The Martians can help!"

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"Maybe Venus. Those clouds are probably hiding suspicious activity."

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"Can't have that! We'll need to stop those dastardly Venusians!"

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"We'll be the guardians of the solar system."

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"Whole universe will know how cool we are."

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"Which is very."

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"Get so good at alchemy we'll write our names in the stars."

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"With the biggest array ever."

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"I wonder if you can use stars for an array, that'd be cool..."

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"Probably'd have to burn stars to move stars. And getting to a place to see them all might be hard. But I guess if you're already burning stars..."

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"Yeah! Go big or go home."

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"Need to figure out what they're made of somehow..."

El is maybe a little distracted by the logistics of actually using a star in an array.

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"Sensei might know some stuff."

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"...Maybe..."

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"We should keep lists of stuff we wanna ask her about science and stuff."

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Oh yeah.

"-What time were we supposed to be back?"

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"Uh. Lunch?"

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Have they still got time?

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Technically it's past noon, but, hey, still arguably a reasonable time for lunch...

Race back to sensei's house?

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She's on.

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Bellona is quite fast, and reckless enough to take shortcuts like jumping over low fences rather than trying to go around.

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El lets her win. Of course.

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She can certainly believe that if it makes her feel better.

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It does make her feel better.

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Oh, good. Wouldn't want El to feel bad about how slow she is.

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What was that? She's a little too tall to hear such small voices.

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Fortunately they're on a clear part of the path that won't suffer from Bellona tackling El around the middle.

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Oof!

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"Can you hear me now~?"

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"Hear who?"

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"The big lion about to eat you!"

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"But I don't see any lions. Just a small little kitty."

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"RAWR!"

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"Oh no, however will I survive such a vicious mauling. If only I'd had any first aid lessons."

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"Gotta feed the hungry lion then get first aid lessons," she says, seriously. "Otherwise the hungry lion's gonna eat you before you're done."

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"The hungry lion should let me get up, then."

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"Sure!"

She jumps to her feet and offers her sister a hand up.

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She takes it.

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And onward to lunch!

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Hopefully they're not too late.

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Akira's willing to heat something up for them this time. Next time, she'll be providing them with a watch. Her time is valuable - they need to respect that - but it's important they eat.

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Yes, professor.

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Yes, sensei. They'll be more cautious next time.

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Good.

And, after their late lunch: a primer on first aid, what they absolutely need to know before lab work - of course, over the next few weeks she'll be mixing in more detailed medical lessons. But, for now, proper wound cleaning procedure, proper bandaging procedure, first line of treatment for allergies...

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Bellona actually brought one of her notebooks, this time. She's marked it for their medical lessons.

The first few pages end up rather dense with notes.

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El also takes diligent notes, with sections marked out for things that seem like they need more attention.

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Fortunately, Akira identifies the most important things rather clearly.

Akira wraps the lesson up, then sets them down over dinner - after an evening break for them to spend on their own reading and any review - to discuss lesson patterns.

"Were the times I selected for your morning and afternoon lessons good for you two?"

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"It seems like we might need longer before afternoon lessons."

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"Yeah. We usually eat lunch pretty late, too, I think?"

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"If you wish, I can switch the afternoon lesson with the evening free study period. The difference matters little to me, overall."

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"I think that'd work for us?"

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"That sounds good."

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She nods.

"My intent is to have two blocks for what is essentially book learning - morning and evening - and to, every other day, use your morning break for physical education. Most alchemists neglect their bodies, to the detriment of their minds - on days you have your full break, I expect both of you to still get out of the house and exercise for part of it. We will cover alchemical and scientific topics every morning, and assorted other topics such as history, medicine, philosophy, and language in the evening. I will guide your learning more closely whenever we introduce a new topic, but eventually most of your lessons will involve me giving you questions to answer, an experiment to perform, or an assignment to complete, then leaving you to your own devices."

"Is that overview acceptable to you two?"

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"Yeah! Though what's physical education gonna be?"

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"Learning assorted martial arts, primarily."

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"Oooooo..."

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"From Xing?"

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"Yes, as well as from elsewhere in the world. A broad base is good, here."

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"Okay."

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"I wanna learn to knife fight."

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"After hand to hand, then after weapons safety."

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"Awwwww..."

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Pat pat. "She didn't say no."

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"Yeah. I'll be good and wait. Then I'll be a lion with claws!"

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"Sharp little kitty."

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"All kitties should be sharp!"

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"And so you will be."

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"I won't claw you, though, unless you ask nicely."

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"I don't think I'll do that."

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She just laughs. "Then I guess I won't!"

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"Thanks?"

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She giggles. "I'm a polite lion, you know."

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"When you want to be."

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"Really only do things when I wanna, so..."

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"Yeah."

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She hums happily.

"What do you wanna do after dinner? I wanna read some of sensei's books."

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"That sounds good. We can she what she has that we didn't."

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"And if we have anything she doesn't!"

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"Possible, I guess."

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"That old jerk had a lot of really old books, so I bet we've got a few," she says, confidently. ('That old jerk' being their absent father, naturally.)

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"Could be. Professor Curtis is real good, though."

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"Yeah. I think the library's the size of our whole house!"

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"Yeah, it's really big."

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"My own teacher's is larger," Akira says, sounding amused.

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"Wow. Where do they live?"

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"She's actually pretty nearby - pretty far in the woods, but this is the nearest big town to her. She'll want to meet you at some point, I suspect."

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"I think we'd want to meet her too."

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She nods. "I'm planning to let her know you're my apprentices this evening. I'm unsure when she'll be free to meet, though."

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"It sounds like we'll be busy, anyway."

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"That's my plan, at least to start. Still, we'll have at least one full break a week, and possibly some other field trips in there - it's good to mix these things up."

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She nods.

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"Do you two have any questions before I let you go for the night?"

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"Are there any books we shouldn't read?"

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"None in the library. Don't copy experiments or arrays out of books without asking me first, since some of them are poorly documented or dangerous. My private notes are kept in my room, which is kept locked."

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"All right."

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"You have a lot of really sensible rules," she says, sounding kind of like she's pouting.

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"Good. If any of them seem like they aren't sensible, feel free to tell me."

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"Sure."

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"Bellona's not used to adults being this reasonable."

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"Usually they only have dumb rules."

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"Most people don't have very good memories, so they don't remember being young," she says. "And I generally try to be more sensible than typical."

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"You're doing a good job with it."

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"Thank you."

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And after dinner they can look at books! What's the organizational scheme like?

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By subject, and by author within subject. Nonfiction books are separated clearly from the few fiction books, which are organized similarly. Subjects are grouped into higher level subjects like 'science' or 'history', with the ones Akira uses more often (Science, Applied Science, and Language Reference) closest to the door. Science is divided into formal (math, logic), natural (chemistry, biology, physics, earth science, astronomy and cosmology), and social (sociology and psychology; she seems to have stuck anthropology and such elsewhere). Applied Science consists mostly of medical and alchemical texts, with a few engineering and forensic texts crammed in there. Language Reference is mostly dictionaries and grammars of a tremendous variety of languages. There's also cultural studies, history, philosophy, art, law, politics, and a very small number of literature books over by the fiction.

Not all of the titles - in fact, many of them aren't - are in a language they can read.

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The same foreign language or different ones?

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An assortment of different ones - though the vast, vast majority of foreign texts are in one of five languages, and the bulk of the foreign language ones are in two other languages.

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She spends the rest of the evening cataloging the language resources available.

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There are actually a good number of language learning resources, though they're separate from the references, presumably because Akira uses them less. These include careful and meticulous notes from when Akira herself was learning the languages; she seems to know quite a lot.

Bellona, meanwhile, discovers cool facts about the composition and nature of stars! She does not disrupt El with these cool facts during library time but does chatter about them as the two are getting ready for bed.

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Those are some pretty cool facts. Galactic domination is one step closer.

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Yes! They need to learn more before they're using entire suns as ingredients in or parts of an array, of course. Probably conquer this world as a home base to operate from...

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They'll need, at minimum, a big enough place to draw the array.

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Maybe you can make an array with light! Or gasses! The cosmology book said nebulas are mostly reeeeaaaaaaaally spread out gas and dust...

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Moving it around could be tricky. Diffuse is harder than compact.

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Yeah. They'll need a really good industrial base first, and some technological advances... Like spaceships!!!

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They are definitely going to need spaceships.

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They're gonna need to learn so much engineering!!! And physics!!! And making things explode!!!

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It's going to be a lot of fun.

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Heeeeee, yes.

Bellona flops back onto bed with a huge smile.

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All in all, a successful first day.

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The following days are just as successful. They're started on learning Xingian - what many of Akira's texts are in - and on physical fitness and martial arts. Bellona takes to both like fire to dry kindling. The lessons are thorough, tough - but never anything they can't keep up with, and they're given plenty of time for their own investigations and experiments. Philosophy turns out to be mostly Akira posing different scenarios to them, and working them through arguments for which of several actions are more 'correct' to take, either morally, socially, or personally, as well as an introduction to theories about how the world fundamentally works. She has several long discussions with Bellona about when killing people or overriding someone else's right to freedom and consent is acceptable; Akira doesn't seem to actually take a strong position, instead mostly focusing on asking Bellona questions, to lead her into poking holes in her own logic. History and politics are tied together, the way Akira teaches; Amestris's history is immensely bloody, and Akira makes no effort to hide her distaste for the military, though she seems to consider the reasons for her distaste private so far.

And, a week after Akira's started leaving them to more solo work in their lessons (so she can return to her own investigations), Akira informs them her teacher, Dante, wants to meet with them.

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Is Akira coming to the meeting with them?

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Yes. They'll be walking and then spending at least the night; Akira lacks a car, those being expensive, and deliveries to Dante's are few and far between.

She describes her teacher as they walk through the woods. Friendly. Kindly. Likely to be very interested in their studies and experiments. A bit odd, at times, but someone who took Akira in when she was having a hard time. Akira has a few differences with her - she feels that Dante has encouraged her to poor ends in the past - but it hasn't been enough to cut off the relationship.

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What sort of poor ends?

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She sighs.

"I performed human transmutation. That - is not a path I would recommend, nor a field of study I would encourage."

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"Human transmutation?"

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"Any transmutation involving human souls."

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El shares a glance with her sister.

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"I thought souls weren't real."

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"And yet they must be accounted for."

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"Haven't ever read anything about it."

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"Many alchemists still believe some information should be passed only to well trusted apprentices, and human transmutation is both very illegal and historically a rather esoteric and obscure field."

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"I guess that explains why."

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"It's dangerous, is why I wouldn't recommend it - though that's hardly stopped many alchemists."

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"Lots of things are dangerous."

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"If you fail to account correctly for the soul, the array will consider you part of the ingredients, and no one's figured out the equivalency for exchanges involving souls yet."

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"Oh."

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"If you want to pursue research into that, I won't stop you, but - it is not a wise nor safe path."

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El nods.

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So does Bellona.

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Akira sighs. "Come on, let's keep going. We've still got a bit of walking to do."

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Off they go.

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Dante's house is more a mansion, three times the size of Akira's rather roomy place, with outbuildings and extensive gardens, and a distant sound of horses. The windows are large, stained glass showing alchemical symbols arranged around a symbol of a winged and crowned snake on a cross - a symbol the girls will have seen only once before, in Akira's home.

Dante emerges onto the front veranda as they approach, smiling and dressed well.

"My old student! I hadn't expected you to take apprentices of your own, darling. I am Dante. Who are you two?"

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"I'm El. This is Bellona."

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"We're the Elric sisters! It's nice to meet you, Miss Dante!"

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"It's good to meet you too. Why don't we come inside and have some tea? You three must all be quite parched."

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"It was a long walk."

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"Yes. I am quite sorry about that. I do prefer my privacy, though."

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"Professor Curtis keeps telling us we need to exercise, so."

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"Yes. She's very insistent on that."

She leads the way in. The foyer is just as grand as the outside, and opens to a parlor just off a small kitchen. Dante prepares them drinks and snacks, gets them seated, then asks after their studies.

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El is reasonably polite, though she's not a student of etiquette. Their studies are going well. Professor Curtis's teaching style works for them.

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Bellona is energetic and bouncy and frequently forgets to be polite, and she has lots of questions about where Dante's from and how long she's been an alchemist and can El and Bellona see her library...

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Dante just laughs at that, mostly deflects or answers very vaguely and briefly questions about where she's from. She started her own serious alchemical studies at twelve; they're certainly ahead of the curve. And her library is certainly viewable, though she would ask they not take books without permission. Most of it's likely to be past what they're currently studying - Dante might become more involved in their studies later, especially if they branch into specialties that Akira dear is less familiar with.

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That's probably a good way off for them, though. She is interested in seeing what there is, anyway. Sort of a map of what's to come.

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Of course. They'll have all today and tomorrow morning to explore. Still, she asks they not open any locked doors - she believes that's a rule of Akira's, as well?

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It is.

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"We're good at following it!" Mostly.

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"That's good. Do you two have any fields you're especially interested in?"

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"Astronomy."

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"Mechanical engineering stuff!"

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"Oh? Do you have any particular destination in mind, with those?"

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"We're going to build a spaceship."

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"Sounds quite exciting!"

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"That's why we're doing it."

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"Yeah. It's cool and no one else is and we're gonna explore everything."

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"'Everything' is quite a tall order."

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"Not much point to small dreams."

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"No, not at all. I got where I did by dreaming as large as I could." She takes a sip of tea. "You two are going to go quite far, I believe."

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"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

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"I'm sure you don't need it at all."

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"Probably not."

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"I suppose you'd like to see the library now?" she asks after another sip, finishing her cup.

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"That would be nice." She puts her cup down.

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And onward to the alchemy wing of the library - entirely composed of discussions of alchemy, and of sciences as relevant to alchemy. Books not directly related to alchemy are housed in another room.

Dante points out where the old and fragile books are kept, and advises the children that those should not be handled without supervision.

"It's no Central Library," Dante says with a wistful look, "But I daresay I'm likely to have things they don't."

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"Central Library must be really big."

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"It's quite enormous. Unfortunately, most of it's restricted to State Alchemists."

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"Are you a State Alchemist?"

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"No. I have a disagreement with the military."

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"Just the one?"

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"Quite a few all hiding behind one very large one."

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"What's the big one?"

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"They have different ideas of what I should do with my time than I do."

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"Isn't that like any job at all?"

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"I've always had quite a bit of trouble with those."

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"I don't think I'd like having a job either."

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"They're rather troublesome things."

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"Have you ever had one?"

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"Briefly, once."

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"Doing what?"

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"I worked as an court alchemist for some little lordling, a few countries over. Paid quite well. He wanted to be immortal, though, and was furious when I didn't fill his wish."

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"Isn't that impossible?"

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"That's the typical wisdom, yes. Politicians are not very good at wisdom, though."

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"I'll remember that if I'm ever a court alchemist."

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"I'm not gonna be a court alchemist. Sounds horridly boring."

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"Spaceships are certainly more exciting."

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"What if we find a court in space?"

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"You'll have more freedom of movement if you approach them as ambassadors of Earth, and more freedom than that if you don't involve yourself with them at all. I certainly wouldn't join an alien court."

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"I guess."

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"Ambassador might be fun!"

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"Dunno if Earth would acknowledge you as ambassador."

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"I don't have to tell the aliens I'm not an official ambassador, I just need to look the part and act confident and run off before they get in contact with Earth proper."

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Yep, that's her sister.

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She starts laughing.

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And then there's books to look at!

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Books!!!

Many of the books are really old, and a lot lack titles, and a number are hand written. A lot of them are about medical alchemy. Many of them are coded, sharing shelf space with Dante's decoded versions. They're in a far, far wider spread of languages than Akira's library, with a small minority in Amestrian, and very few in Xingian - Akira's collection of Xingian alchemical texts is actually notably much larger.

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She likes this library. It's got character.

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They only get to read two of the books each, but Bellona's very excited about her two - the translated notes of an alchemist who worked on fireworks and of one who studied the composition and alchemization of gases. They can take the books to their guest room for the night, and can read them tomorrow and takes notes, but the books have to stay in the house.

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El picks a journal of Johannes Kepler and a book on biology, since that seems to be somewhat a popular subject at the moment.

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Dante pulls them off the shelf for the girls, and then lets them go to read.

El's biology book has notes tucked into it musing about the connection between the soul and the biological function of the body, and how the condition of one impacts the other.

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Good to know. Just in case.

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Bellona gets distracted midway through her explosions book.

"You know, I bet the trade for a soul's simpler than sensei thinks," she says. "Sensei is really sensible for an adult but all adults make stuff way too complicated."

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"Lots of stuff is actually really complicated when you look at it close enough, though."

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"Yeah, but - a soul's a soul. Alchemy doesn't care how much you like something or if it's usable to humans, just how much raw material you've got. Bet we could trade a living human for a dead one. End with the same amount of alive people you started with."

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"Maybe if souls are real there's quantifiable differences between good ones and bad ones. Like, an apple's an apple, but I won't trade a fresh one for a rotted one."

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"Alchemy would. Still got the same elements, just reordered so humans don't like them, but it's a usable ingredient. Alchemy isn't smart or anything, it's just - you get out what you put it, and only humans are adding opinions on top of that."

"You can turn a bunch of wood into a house and it's usable, but it now having extra value to humans doesn't mean you broke equivalent exchange."

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"Or it could be more like a fresh apple versus half an apple. People talk about lack of virtue like it damages you; they mightn't be all wrong."

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"Bet that's more like making a piece of iron ugly or beautiful. How would a soul even have a size?"

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"I don't know! How would a soul even exist? There's no soul gland. Where's it come from? There's a lot of questions we don't know the answers to or even if they mean anything to ask."

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"Maybe we can do experiments. Start with people who are mostly similar so they'd have similar souls if souls vary. And Miss Dante might know stuff, if she was trying to get sensei to research it."

"Could also probably go overboard. Really unlikely a soul's the size of ten whole other souls unless your soul gets way bigger as you age. Use a lot of people at first, and the unneeded ingredients won't get used."

"Sensei could be wrong about souls, too, and something else weird happened to her."

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"Experiments would probably be hard for us to set up now, especially without Professor Curtis knowing. But we can think up ideas and keep a list, maybe."

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"We shouldn't while we're her apprentices, anyways, since it's illegal, and we promised we wouldn't do illegal stuff without asking her first."

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"Yeah, that too."

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"She's been a good teacher."

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"She has. Probably will keep on being one, if we follow the rules."

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"Yeah. I don't wanna break promises or anything, too."

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"We won't be apprentices forever, though."

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"Yeah! We'll know lots more then, too!"

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"Yep!"

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She hugs her book.

"I can't wait."

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"You're going to have to. That's how time works."

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"Maybe we should figure out time alchemy!"

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"That sounds even more complicated than soul alchemy."

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"We'll make ourselves immortal first. Have lots of time to investigate it."

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"Yeah, that sounds smart."

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"Wonder if immortality's more medical or soul?"

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"Dunno. It's at least some of both, based on Dante's notes here."

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"Wonder how much she actually knows? She said she didn't make that lordling immortal, not that she couldn't."

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"A lot more than she says, I bet."

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"Yeah. Maybe it's just weird next to how sensei is, but she really didn't tell us much, did she?"

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"She's definitely hiding things."

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"We just gotta find out what, then."

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"Might be easier said than done. She's tricky."

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"Yeah. Gonna be an investigation."

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"It'd be a bit easier if Professor Curtis wasn't watching..."

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"She might be able to help - I'm not sure she actually likes Dante that much - but I bet now we know the way we can come up here on our own sometimes, especially when she has experiments she wants to do."

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"Yeah. It'll be a project."

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"Probably gonna take the whole time we're apprentices."

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"It'll be something to do!"

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"Around all the other things we have to do!" she says, laughing and snuggling into her blankets.

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"Idle hands, and all that."

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"Apparently everyone who complained about me not behaving should've just bribed me with books instead of yelling at me."

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"You need a non-traditional approach."

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"Yeah. I'm a very non-traditional person, after all."

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"I think it's time for some non-traditional sleep now."

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She giggles.

"Fine, El. Goodnight."

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"Goodnight, Lion."

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Heeeee.

Best sister.

She falls asleep with a big grin on her face.

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The next few months pass very similarly, though they make rapid improvements in their knowledge and skill base. Akira doesn't accompany them on most of their visits to Dante's, especially if they've simply expressed an interest in her library. Still, Akira continues seeming leery of her old teacher. It quickly becomes apparent all the animals that Dante keeps are chimeras, all of them masterfully crafted, and Dante cautions them not to gossip about the chimeras but is fully willing to explain the alchemy that went into them.

Dante is polite and a good host and shows interest in their educations - especially in El's. She dances with ease (and evident amusement) around their probes into her past and knowledge base, but drops hints here or there that she indeed knows quite a bit more than she's shared with anyone - Akira included.

"Your potential is quite impressive," she says one day, when Bellona has wandered off elsewhere in the mansion. "It's been many, many years since I've seen children as bright as the two of you."

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"There's not a lot that's common about us."

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"Indeed not. Brilliant minds and brilliant ambitions alike, and no chains to hold you down."

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"You're flattering me."

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"Is that what I'm doing?"

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"Seems like it from where I'm standing."

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"I am being honest in my praise. I had simply wanted to note that I believe I have an opportunity for you to further your ambitions - and you must forgive my old habits, as I'm quite thoroughly trained in very indirect manners. I suppose the directness of the youth is something to get used to, for me."

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"What kind of opportunity?"

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"Power. Equivalent exchange is the chain that binds us all, unseen, heavy. Many alchemists throughout history have speculated on the Philosopher's Stone, a mystical gem that breaks equivalent exchange."

"I found some texts from Xerxes, some time ago, and translated them. I believe they reveal how that lost civilization made the stone - they describe an enormous array carved around an entire city, to fold the souls of its inhabitants into a usable form. That act was too great for the alchemists involved, but I have found evidence smaller stones can be made with fewer, more efficiently used sacrifices. These small stones, unlike their grand predecessors, are safe to make and use."

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"...What evidence?"

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She pulls a small ruby from within her coat.

No, not a ruby -

It shines, glimmers, moves like water in its depths, casts its own light on her hand -

It's off-putting, almost, dark and heavy and there.

"Sometimes in my travels, I encounter others who have found this secret themselves."

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El's gaze is captivated by it.

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"A mere ten people," she says. "Certainly not a city's worth."

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"...No..."

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"I've been cautious with establishing its true limits so far - overuse does drain what it has for exchange - but there is no ingredient it cannot fill in for in at least small amounts."

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"That's incredible."

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"It is, isn't it?"

"Would you like to know the secrets to making them?"

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"What's the catch?"

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"Because nothing can be gained without sacrifice, hm?"

"I would like you - and your sister, if she's interested - to make them for me. Alchemy is difficult, when your vision fails, and your hands shake, and your mind slows. I can perform most transmutations still - but this requires a far more delicate touch than heating tea. You'll get a portion of the ones you make, of course."

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"You don't seem that old." And she doesn't believe for a second Dante's mind has slowed.

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"I'm older than I look," she says, like this is some great inside joke.

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"Do the stones have anything to do with that?"

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"You're a clever girl."

"They do. Unfortunately, using them wears you a bit thin. Exacerbates the natural problems of old age. I expect in another century or three I'll be quite unable to use alchemy at all."

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"Another century or three?"

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"I was born in May of fourteen ninety four. It's been just over four centuries, now. I haven't often found students I'd be willing to risk carrying along with me, but you don't seem the type to develop surprise qualms."

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"...I'd have to talk with my sister."

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"Of course! I wouldn't dream of splitting you two up."

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She nods.

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"How about I let you go talk to her?"

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"Yes. I'll- go do that." And so she does.

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"What's up?"

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"Miss Dante has a Philosopher's Stone. Probably more than one. Just a small one. She said it was ten people. Xerxes tried to make a whole city into a Philosopher's Stone and I'm pretty sure that's why they vanished. She's four hundred years old. She wants us to make more Stones for her."

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"Wow."

"Why us?"

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"She says we have potential like she almost never sees. But probably also we're disposable if we get caught."

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"Why isn't she making them herself?"

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"She says she's getting too old and can't do alchemy very well any more. I'm not sure I believe that."

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"Do you think it's dangerous?"

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"If it wasn't either very dangerous or very difficult everybody'd be doing it. So it's probably both."

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"So I guess - do we think it's worth the risk?"

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"Saying no probably has its own risks, too. At this point."

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"Yeah. I dunno that she's nice."

"But - "

"I don't think I wanna do stuff we couldn't ever tell sensei about, and I don't think sensei would approve."

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"I can see if she'll let us wait before doing it."

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"Not even just while we're apprentices, if - "

"If something goes wrong, sensei feels safe to go to? I don't want to have to go to her because something went wrong with something she'd dislike us doing."

"But... I don't know if I'm being silly, there."

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"I don't think you are. We should talk to Professor Curtis about this when we go back."

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"Yeah. That's a good idea."

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"I'll go talk to Miss Dante, then."

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"Sure. Be careful, okay? Do you want me with you?"

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"No. If you're not there you won't have to make any promises you'll have to break."

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"Smart."

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"I am that."

And back to Dante.

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"Did you two make a decision?" she asks, looking up from her book.

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"We might be interested. But I don't think we can start right away."

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"Oh? Why not?"

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"Ten people would be a lot for us to reliably gather and contain. And we want more practice at- basic things. A Philosopher's Stone is like- if a crutch could help you run faster. But you could go even faster if you learned to run without it first."

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"A well-considered answer. You're right that it'll all go better if you have more experience, first, and I'm hardly going anywhere."

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"So later, when we're older, we'll talk about this again."

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"Absolutely."

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She smiles.

"Okay. Good."

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"Good luck with your studies."

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"Thanks."

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"Do let me know if you and your sister need anything while you're here," she says, in a tone of mild dismissal.

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"We will."

Off she scampers.

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"It go well?"

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"I think so. She agreed we could wait on it for now and talk about it again when we're older."

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"That's pretty good! And then we'll have talked to sensei and we'll just - know more."

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"That's the idea."

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"Maybe even figure out a compromise there?"

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"Maybe! Professor Curtis will definitely have some ideas."

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"Yeah! Let's go on and head back, then?"

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"Sounds like a plan."

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The front wall is missing - a mixture of rearranged by alchemy and simply blown out - when they return.

The entryway is strewn with rubble, and dust, and debris -

And blood.

In the back, there's a person-shaped figure, crumbled against the wall.

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Oh no no no no no-

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"Sensei!" Bellona screams, running blindly into the hall, jumping over a broken chair, over a fallen beam -

"Sensei no - "

The figure doesn't stir, even when Bellona kneels beside it - her - shaking her shoulder.

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She can't- she can't be dead. They were only just starting.

El walks over more slowly, in a daze.

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Bellona's now sobbing.

Their teacher's eyes are open and glassy, blood bubbled on her lips, her front covered in blood and her ribcage oddly shaped -

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El numbly catalogs injuries and treatment options. Even though it's too late. She bends forward to check Professor Curtis's temperature.

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Still above room temperature. Warm, has dipped a little. She's not in rigor mortis yet.

She's probably been dead less than two hours, if the forensic textbooks El has read can be trusted.

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"This wasn't long ago. We should- we should see if anyone saw anything."

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"We need to put her back and not tell anyone she was dead because then they'll know something's up - "

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"Then- we need to hide the body and go back to Miss Dante and borrow the Philosopher's Stone."

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"Yeah."

"And make sure the cats are okay. Before we leave. Or at least - that there aren't any injured here, they probably all ran..."

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"Yeah."

"I'll- take care of the body, if you check on the cats and see if- anything's missing."

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"Thanks."

She stands up, shaking and taking deep breaths, before running off, deeper into the house.

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El gets some chalk out and begins drawing an array to make a hole to drop the body into. And then she'll need to close it up afterwards, and hide the spot but somehow mark it so she can remember it later...

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Bellona finds one cat who was too badly injured to hide - he looks like he was kicked - heals him, crawls into the favorite kitty hiding places to find and heal the two who'd been able to get away but still got injured - doesn't find any dead cats but doesn't find all the cats she knows - cries a lot - finds the library practically turned upside down, a lot of texts from the alchemy section missing or thrown on the ground - finds the door to sensei's office forced open, sensei's desk's drawer pulled out entirely and papers scattered...

She's not entirely sure what's missing, not without sitting down and cataloguing everything.

She does a final sweep of the house and outside, finds some uninjured cats hiding and one injured cat she'd missed (heals that one too) - there's still cats missing and she can't stop crying but she keeps telling herself they must've gotten away -

She goes back to El.

"I healed all the hurt cats. I didn't find any dead. The alchemy part of the library and sensei's office had stuff thrown around, maybe missing."

"I'm gonna kill whoever did this."

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El is brushing soot over the spot where Akira was laying.

"I'll help. They'll hurt."

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"They'll hurt so much."

She helps finish brushing soot, then rubs at her stinging eyes, mostly managing to get soot on her tear-stained face.

"We should get to Dante's as quick as we can."

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"Yeah. Let's- let's just go."

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She takes a deep breath, then settles into a light jog towards Dante's mansion.

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Back they go.

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Dante's inside, in her sunroom reading.

She looks up when the girls enter, out of breath and soot-stained.

"Girls? What in the world - "

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"Someone killed Professor Curtis. We need to borrow the Stone to bring her back. We'll make another one for you."

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" - Oh no."

She seems distraught.

"Of course - though be careful dears, please be careful, this is a risky path you walk - "

She retrieves the stone.

"Are either of you hurt?"

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"No. It was- it was over when we got back."

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She hands the stone over.

"Let me provide you with horses for the return. They'll know to come back here, afterwards."

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"-Don't know how to ride."

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"Simply being carried is not too hard, but - I understand if you'd rather return on your own feet, then."

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"Yeah."

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"Good speed, then. I won't keep you."

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"Thanks, Miss Dante. C'mon, El, let's go."

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"Yes, thank you."

And back again they go.

It's a good thing Professor Curtis was a stickler for regular exercise.

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It's a better thing they've already researched this, when Bellona was making extra sure it'd be a dumb idea to try to get mom back -

Still, making the array won't be fast, and their teacher's body will be stiff in rigor mortis by the time they're done.

Bellona, at least, has stopped crying, instead taking on a stubborn set to her jaw.

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El takes the time to double-check the array.

It's not like she's getting deader.

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Bellona helps, too.

They need to get this right.

And then they've checked every symbol, gone over every line, made tiny corrections and run into a point where they can't see any more mistakes -

"I think it's - time."

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"Yeah. Ready?"

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"Ready."

They drew the array around their teacher's body - safer, that way - so she just places her hands right above the edge of the circle.

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El gets in position too, and then-

they activate it.

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The world is white.

There's -

Something.

A gate, the doors intricately carved, like someone took the array at the center of who El is and rendered it in grand stone -

There's a being before it. Features whited out. Familiar.

Grinning.

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"Who are you."

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"You could call me the World, or the Universe, or God, or perhaps the Truth. I am the one and the all - "

"And, of course, I am you."

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"What do you want?"

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"For the Truth to be complete."

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"What does that mean?"

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"You'll know."

And the Gate begins to open.

There's darkness behind it, darkness and hands and a single immense eye -

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Nope nope nope she does not want to know not like this-

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And yet the Gate takes her, all the same.

And she knows.

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Coming back to conventional reality promises to be quite painful. There's rather more blood than they started with, and their teacher's body is whole and softly breathing, and Bellona is gone.

Well.

Not quite.

Her clothes were left behind.

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No no no no no no no no no she needs to get her back-

-that old armor, lying in the corner. Iron. She drags herself over, dips a finger in the blood pooling around her, fix that later this is important-

-the seal needs two anchors, one on the target and one on someone alive. She's still got both of those for now, have to hurry, losing blood quickly-

And then, to activate-

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The arrays glow, brightly, bloody red -

(A flash of white, but that might just be the pain.)

The armor shifts.

Weakly: "El-El?"

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Good. Good.

She's just going to- pass out, now.

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The last thing she'll hear then is Bellona screaming: "El!"

When she wakes, she's in her bed, wounds bandaged, pain diminished, the armor now containing her sister sitting against the wall next to her.

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And their teacher, alive, whole, looking rather exhausted, in a chair at the bed's foot.

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Oh good. Everyone's alive. She can just lay here a bit longer, then. She lets her head slump back into the pillow.

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"El? Are you awake?"

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"Debatably."

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"I was so worried - "

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Akira, meanwhile, gets up - moving a bit gingerly - and fetches water for El.

"You should drink a bit. Slow sips."

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Slow sips is about all she's up to.

"Shouldn't have disappeared, then."

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"I didn't decide to - " she says, sounding upset. "And now you're hurt - "

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"Was hurt before."

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"When you're not super close to starting bleeding again I'm going to hug you and not put you down for a week."

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"Maybe put a pillow on first."

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Lightly: "Sure, El-El."

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Now she's crying.

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Akira steps out of the room.

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Bellona puts one hand - large, leathery, cold - over El's only remaining hand.

"Thank you, for putting me back..." she says, softly.

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"'M sorry I couldn't get your body..."

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"It's okay El."

"I - I think I can be alright with it, for a time."

"But we'll figure out a way to get our bodies back. Both of us. Just - safely. Someday."

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"Yeah. Someday."

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She's still, when she's thinking. She doesn't shift like she used to - Bellona had fidgeted constantly, in her body, but in the armor she tends to freeze if she's not actively thinking about moving.

"We - should get you automail. Back at the Rockbells, they won't tell anyone what happened, and I don't think anyone but sensei knows we're from Resembool, so - if it's not safe here that should be an okay place to stay."

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"Won't get very far like this. Yeah."

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Slowly, so as not to jostle El's wounds, she gently wraps an arm over El's chest.

"I'll carry you as far as I have to. You're my sister."

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She grips Bellona's arm with hers.

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And, after some slightly awkward cuddling:

"I think sensei wants to talk with us."

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"Probably does. Can get her." El will let her arm go.

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She pats her sister, then goes to the door, and comes back in with their teacher.

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"El. It's good to see you awake."

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"...Sorry we did human transmutation without you."

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She pauses.

"I - would have preferred you two not sacrifice anything for me, but - I should have warned you more thoroughly of the consequences. I'm sorry, for that."

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"It was Dante. She gave us a Philosopher's Stone. We - thought it'd be enough. She was acting like it'd be enough."

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" - I see."

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"She wanted us to make more of them."

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"They're made of people."

"We said no, and then we came right here because we wanted to tell you, and then you were dead - "

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"There was nothing missing from my library or my office, and the intruder targeted me directly."

"I - do not think we're safe, here."

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"We thought of going back to Resembool to- to get me automail."

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"That should work, for a time, but - if Dante's our enemy I wouldn't discount her following us, eventually."

"Or, truthfully, anyone else who might want to kill me. The list is slightly long."

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"So we need somewhere to go after that."

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"I have allies, though not all of them would be willing to help with this, or definitely aren't also Dante's allies."

"Our best options might lie either in outright leaving the country - which has its own risks - or in turning to the military."

"The military - might also be an option for restoring your bodies. They have an enormous repository of information, and some way of amplifying the alchemy of their State Alchemists."

She looks unhappy with that last option. Of course, she's repeatedly expressed a rather extreme distaste for those alchemists who'd lower themselves to being Amestris's attack dogs.

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"We can't run forever."

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"No. We can't."

"If I become a State Alchemist, I should be able to get the protection afforded me spread to the two of you."

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"You hate the military."

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"I do. They shot my brother for cowardice."

"But you two are - worth bowing my head."

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"Thank you."

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She nods.

"We should try to leave for Resembool as soon as possible."

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"I'm ready."

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"I nearly am. Though - we need to decide between hiding as thoroughly as we can that your attempt succeeded, which would mean taking nothing with us and staging a failure, or simply leaving - it's likely any ruse won't last long, but it might cover our tracks just long enough. On the other hand, there's books and cats I'd like to be able to bring."

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"Can't leave the cats."

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She nods. "And those books will be useful."

"Do you feel up for getting into a wheelchair? There's some alchemy and sorting I could use help with."

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"Yeah."

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She arranges that, then - the wheelchair, unfortunately, needs either assistance or two working hands to propel, but Akira places her at a table with a stack of materials and circles to make cat carriers with, and then recruits Bellona to gather cats while Akira quickly sorts the library and her own notes with El's occasional help.

"Most of this we can leave in my neighbor's care, to hopefully be sent for later..." she says, wistfully.

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"Can't take it all with us."

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"Unfortunately, no." She shakes her head. "Still, I think I can identify the important ones. Thank you."

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"You're welcome."

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She nods, and returns to sorting.

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While Bellona appears to have discovered her armor can comfortably hold about six cats - more if they're small - if she alchemizes it to have shelves.

Relatedly, she starts bringing cats over and coaxing them into carriers with many gentle pats and toys and treats.

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Aww.

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And, within two hours - remarkably quickly, given how much they're sorting - they're ready to go.

"If I remember the train schedule correctly, we should be able to catch the evening train to East City, and from there find a train to Resembool."

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"That sounds right."

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Akira's already fixed the front of the house; she stops by her neighbor's to let them know she's moving at least temporarily, and she'd like said neighbor to keep an eye on the place until she can send for her books. She's taking her cats, so there's no need to look after those. She makes polite excuses about why she's moving.

And then she sets the books and cat carriers and few trunks containing odds and ends and clothes on a trolley for Bellona to pull, and pushes El's wheelchair herself, all the way to the station.

Getting on the train's a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's doable. Akira pays for them to have their own car - easy enough for this leg of the ride - so they can spread out and talk without being overheard, and so the girls won't have to deal with gawkers.

"Can you tell me about who you're thinking of getting automail from?" Akira says, as the train begins to move.

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"The Rockbells. We've known them since forever."

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"They don't like the military, but they were really good friends with mom, and we half grew up over there. They'll keep the transmutation secret."

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"That's good," she says, leaning back and sighing, resting a hand over her chest with a slight frown.

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El shifts around a bit.

It's hard to get comfortable with half your limbs gone.

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Akira makes her specially designed pillows to help prop her up well.

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That helps.

She'll doze through most of the trip.

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That's alright; it's long.

Akira and Bellona read and pet cats, to avoid disturbing her.

And then exchanging trains in East City, and they're fortunately able to get on a train heading that way - the same one that loops back to leave from Resembool in the morning.

Akira gets directions to their house from Bellona.

It's well after dark when they get in, but El will be able to spend at least part of the night sleeping in her own bed.

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That's something, anyway.

And the next morning, they can go visit the Rockbells.

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Pinako and Winry are aghast and worried at the damage, Pinako immediately refusing any payment Akira offers for the first automail. Pinako assumes the girls tried and failed to bring their mother back; neither Akira nor Bellona correct her.

"I'll want to check those injuries, first, and I might have to reopen some of the wound," Pinako says. "I won't be able to use anesthesia when I'm connecting your nerves into the automail, not for proper limbs. It's going to hurt, and it's going to hurt again when you grow and I have to change out the attachment ports."

"Normally here I'd recommend noninvasive prosthetics for the next decade or so, and automail only once you're done growing, but before you start healing too slowly. The arm especially risks stunting your growth and hurting your spine if you don't keep up with exercises, and most adults struggle with the pain. But I have the feeling that's not the path you want."

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"I can do the exercises."

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"Very well."

"Given your current condition, I'd expect three years of recovery - maybe less, likely more."

"Do you care about the automail's appearance?"

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"Just as long as it works."

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She smiles. "You're quite the easy customer. Well, let's get you checked and fitted."

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"All right."

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That process, at least, is mostly painless. Pinako measures everything, then measures again, both the stumps and the remaining limbs. She makes molds of El's stumps, and pokes at the smooth flesh where Akira had closed the wounds after El passed out. She sets Winry to sketching and to cataloguing suitable parts.

Prep for the surgery takes a while, too, since Pinako needs to custom-make the ports - El needs to not eat since the night before, when it is time, and it's on an empty stomach that morning that Pinako starts the surgery, with Akira and Winry as assistants.

It is, as promised, exceptionally painful, and El needs to provide frequent feedback on whether this nerve's working or that connection went in properly.

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El keeps her pain to herself, and provides terse feedback.

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The leg is first - so El will be able to get around on her own sooner - and the arm's going to be a separate day, once Pinako thinks her body's less overwhelmed from this physical trauma.

After several hours, the surgery ends.

"We'll let that set in," Pinako says. "Twenty four hours, then we'll attach the automail, and then get you started on physical therapy."

And then water, and medication - for pain, and to fight inflammation - instructions given both to El and Bellona, since recovery's going to keep El fairly out of it -

The leg, at least, goes on just fine the next day.

Pinako warns her to be careful, to watch herself - but she can try standing, now.

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She swings her legs to the side, off the bed, plants her feet on the floor, and levers herself up, bracing herself on Bellona.

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The automail holds. Better than her flesh leg, actually.

Bellona makes an excited noise.

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"It works."

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"Good," Pinako says. "I want you mostly resting the next three days - only the exercises I give you, only as often as I tell you - but then you should be good to start using it properly. If it hurts, though, stop exercising. You don't want to re-injure yourself, especially not at this point."

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"All right."

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The instructions are relayed - and written down - and Pinako walks her through all of the exercises.

And then it's time for a rather long recovery, punctuated only by a similar arc for the second surgery on her arm.

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It hurts. But that's fine. She just needs to finish recovering so they can get back to work.

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And then, one day, there's a knock on their door.

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El answers it. She's taken to wearing long sleeves and pants, and gloves.

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There's a man at the door, in the uniform of the state military, a silver chain at his pocket, white gloves with an array stitched in red on the back.

"Good morning. Is this the household of Van Hohenheim?" he asks.

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"...No. We're the Elrics."

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"Do you recognize the name at all?"

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"I haven't seen my father since I was five years old. Go bother someone else." She moves to shut the door.

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He catches it.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but it's important I find him."

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"I bet. He's not here."

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"Do you have any idea where he could've gone?"

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"Nope. Don't care, either."

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He sighs.

"I'll leave you be, then."

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And then Bellona comes down the stairs.

"El? Who's at the door?"

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Mustang tilts his head, pausing in leaving.

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"A State Alchemist. Who was just leaving."

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"I find myself curious."

"How did you come to perform human transmutation?"

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"That's a rather personal question."

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"It is, I suppose."

"Most State Alchemists would have arrested you by now, though."

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"And?"

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"Why haven't you, then?"

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"The cost of it's enough punishment for most."

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Bellona inclines her head.

"We tried to put back our mom. It didn't work."

Amazing, how a voice without a body doesn't waver, doesn't betray your lies.

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"I'm sorry for your loss."

"If you want - you'd have to cover up your past, here - the State Alchemy program's good for access to assorted resources. We could use the sort of talent even not dying in such an attempt takes. I could sponsor you, and get your foot in the door."

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"We'll take that under advisement."

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"Lieutenant Colonel Jun Mustang, East City, if you want to contact me."

He turns.

"I'll get out of your hair now."

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"Goodbye."

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He nods.

"Good luck, whatever you do with your lives."

And he leaves.

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She shuts the door.

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And Akira wanders out of the basement study.

"You look annoyed. What happened?"

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"A State Alchemist was here. Asking about van Hohenheim."

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"...Who?"

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"Our father."

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"Did he say why?"

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"No."

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"Did he say anything else?"

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"He saw Bellona and said most State Alchemists would arrest us for human transmutation."

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"But he didn't."

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"He said the cost is enough punishment for most. And that State Alchemists have lots of resources and he would sponsor us if we wanted to join."

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"It might be worth me contacting him - a non-zero number of alchemists are going to recognize the aftermath of a human transmutation, and it'd be good to have at least a small shield from someone higher up. He sponsors me, I let him get credit for discovering me. It's often secret and highly illegal; that doesn't mean no one ever thinks about it, nor that no one's ever been involved in one."

"I don't want you two joining, though. One of us is enough for that meat grinder."

She sighs.

"And - speaking of ways people could recognize someone who has performed human transmutation, there's something I need to talk to you two about."

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"What is it?"

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"The way I perform alchemy without a transmutation circle - "

"To my knowledge, all alchemists who have seen the Gate can do that, and only those alchemists. I know of no other way to see the Gate than human transmutation."

"You two should be able to use that ability, now. It's powerful, but it's - a giveaway."

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"I see."

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" - How come you didn't - "

She gestures at their bodies.

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"I did."

"I returned, rapidly choking on my own blood."

"The Gate took my heart. I only survived because Dante had been supervising - looking back, I'm fairly sure she used a Philosopher's Stone to heal me, but... She pretended it was simple medical alchemy at the time."

"The replacement's still fairly weak."

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"Oh."

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"If you want to openly use circle-less alchemy like I have - I'd suggest pretending you have a permanent, basic array somewhere, on a bracelet or glove, and the talent to manipulate it towards a wide variety of ends. It was a common trick used by State Alchemists in Ishval. Get a tattoo of your favorite combat array, and you can react faster, kill more people without stopping to draw circles."

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"That's a good idea."

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She nods, gesturing to a bracelet around her wrist. "It's my cover story, if I'm talking to anyone who actually gets suspicious, though I mostly avoid using it where other alchemists can see me."

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"...What's Bellona's cover story?"

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"An evil alchemist tried to turn me into a cat chimera and now I'm hiding my ugly face," Bellona says, cheerfully.

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Akira rubs at her temples.

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"I don't think that's really going to deflect suspicion so much as invite it."

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"'You know children and their phases' and pretending you're naturally tall invites the least questions. 'She has sensory issues and this helps' invites slightly fewer or more questions, depending on the person we're talking to. I could possibly rig up some kind of pretend medical prosthesis if you want to pretend to have polio and be in essentially a full-body prosthetic."

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"Don't wanna pretend it's medical. Phase or sensory stuff works I guess..." She sounds put out.

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"You are technically taller than me now."

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"Heh."

"I'd win every tickle fight, too."

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"You would."

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She slouches, metal clanking.

"Yeah..."

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She hugs her sister.

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Hug.

"I - "

"I think I'm more okay when I can see you reacting to things, so tickle fights might still be fun, just... I guess they'd be different."

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"Nobody stays the same forever."

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"Yeah."

She sounds more wistful, at least, less sad.

"...But we'll always have each other. That's a forever."

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"Forever and always."

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Hug.

"Best sister."

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Hug.

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She makes a pleased noise.

"Wanna go practice circle-less alchemy?"

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"Yeah!"

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"Bet I'll get it first!"

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"Bet you don't."

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She lets go of her sister.

"Race on three?"

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"One, two... threego!"

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She laughs, clapping her hands together -

The first attempt creates sparks but no visible reaction.

She's quickly on her second attempt, then her third - the third one works, making a misshapen lump more like what they were doing as small children than their current talent -

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El takes a little longer on her first attempt, still doesn't get anything.

On her second, she gets a slightly-more-than-vaguely cat-shaped lump.

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Which means she beats Bellona by a smidge.

"You're really great at this!" Bellona says with a laugh, keeping going until she's refined her lump to be more distinctly cat-like.

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"I'm great at everything. Known fact."

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She giggles. "The absolute best there ever was!"

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"Don't you forget it."

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"I won't ever."

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Hug.

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Hug! And then picking her sister up for the hug because she can do that now.

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"Ack!" She flails a bit, kicking Bellona in the shin with her new foot.

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She sets her down, laughing. "Sorry!"

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"That is going to take some getting used to."

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Pleased noise.

"I like being bigger than you."

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"Don't let it go to your head."

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"I won't. Just - I like knowing I can carry you if needed. I don't like not feeling things... But if I had to lose my ability to feel either way - I'd rather be in an invulnerable body, that can protect you, than in a flesh one, where without feelings I wouldn't notice injuries or anything."

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"My knight of shining armor."

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She makes a very happy noise. "My queen's right hand."

...And then it seems to occur to her what she just said because she 'eep's.

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"Well, you're both metal now..."

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She relaxes, laughing.

"You know, it's weird, how the stuff the Gate took's almost - symbolic?"

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"Sort of."

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"I guess, just... Alchemy's supposed to be thing for thing, only quantity and nature matters..."

"Hearts and legs and bodies aren't the same size though, and - how's that even square up? A limb for a soul? Why a heart, if you're grabbing atoms at random because you're trading bits of the alchemist's body, why isn't it whatever's closest or just randomly scattered - "

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"Did you meet something that called itself Truth?"

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"Yeah."

"Looked like me, just... Whitened out. Smiling."

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"It had a personality. Like a human personality. I think it's a parasite of some kind."

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"Really?"

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"It doesn't make any sense with the rest of the rules of alchemy, like you said. And it's not like a natural law; those don't taunt you. Either it made the Gate or it found the Gate or someone else put it there, and now it eats souls. And if you want to get a soul back, it eats some of you instead. And the bits you lose are symbolic because it's intelligent and likes to play with us."

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"Huh! Yeah - maybe there used to be a god and an afterlife and everything and that thing ate it all up, but now it can't eat stuff that's not in its world so it's just waiting..."

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"Yeah."

"I'm going to kill it. I'm going to get your body back and then I'm going to kill it."

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"We're gonna kill it."

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"Yes. We will."

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"Nothing we can't do together."

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"El and Lion. The world better watch out."

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She laughs.

"Ready or not, here we come."

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With care and attention to healing, El's recovery proceeds well. Akira makes contact with Mustang, gets him to agree to sponsor her instead of the girls.

Akira arranges somewhere for them to stay - Mustang apparently has connections, and it's common for traveling alchemists hoping to apply to the state program to stay with established State Alchemists. Akira mumbles about their sorting system being shit, but given she's proposing a specialty in medical alchemy - something the government barely has - apparently the next closest they could find was a chimera specialist. She confirms the guy's willing to stay out of her hair, though, saying something about needing to focus on her studies. It'll give them time to get an apartment, if nothing else, especially since Akira's money isn't infinite.

And, on the train ride there, Akira says to the girls: "There's something I need to talk to you two about - paperwork related, this time."

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"What is it?"

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"I can get you guys housed with me for now as apprentices, and some concessions - but not many, and they might try to stick me in solo barracks instead of family housing, under the logic apprentices can live on their own. But - "

"Rural areas often have poor or no records. I don't think anyone military would object if I listed you as my children, and then I could ensure appropriate housing, and threats against you two would be considered more like threats against me, and if I ended up in the hospital you'd be able to visit and vice versa. But I don't want to do that without your permission."

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"That sounds like a good idea."

Lion?

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" - You want to be our mom?"

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"You don't have to call me anything different, but - that is essentially the proposal - "

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She reaches across the gap between seats to pull Akira into a hug.

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She makes a strangled sound and wiggles an arm free to pat Bellona's shoulder.

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"So yes, I think."

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"I somewhat noticed!"

She submits to being hugged until Bellona lets her go (this takes a while and a cat trying to join the hug, distracting Bellona long enough for Akira to wriggle free).

"We should be set, then."

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"Seems like it."

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The rest of the train ride goes smoothly. Lieutenant Colonel Jun Mustang is there to meet them, but he mostly talks to Akira, possibly sensing El dislikes him. He rolls with Akira saying she's going to be listing the girls as her daughters, noting blandly that they'll have to update the paperwork. Annoying how often it's wrong.

He's arranged two cars to help them get to the alchemist who's offered to put them up for a little bit, Shou Tucker.

He describes the State Alchemy exam on the way over - written knowledge test, maximum six hours, then a psychological exam that sometimes includes general fitness for alchemists intending to take a more front line role, then a practical portion. For the practical, you can bring results of your work with you, or demonstrate there. He's uncertain how they're going to want her to demonstrate her medical talents. The written test and the practical test weed out the most people. East City usually only accepts one or two applicants a year - Central City accepts more, but they're drawing from a larger, more educated group.

"By the way," he says, "Tucker has a young daughter. A bit younger than your two - she's about seven - but still in the same general range. I think he also has a dog; hopefully that won't cause problems with the cats, but he's got a pretty good-sized mansion, this far from city center, so they should all be able to avoid each other."

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"Well, if it doesn't work out, I have enough for a short-term apartment."

To the girls: "You two be on good manners for our host, okay? I'd be less concerned about politeness if he wasn't offering us rooms for free, but, well. I can spare more vague future political favors than money."

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"We'll be good."

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"Promise."

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"Thanks. I think we're about ready then?"

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"Yep." Who's going in which car?

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Akira and the girls can all fit into one, with one of Mustang's lieutenants. The bulk of their stuff (including most cats) and Mustang are then going in the other car, was the initial idea for the split. Does either girl want a different split?

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No, that works.

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And then onward to Tucker's.

The mansion's smaller than Dante's, a single building arranged around a courtyard with a low maintenance yard in front. It's fairly plain, smooth stone and small windows, none of the ostentatious ornamentation Dante had liked.

Akira recruits the girls to carry things, and lets Mustang go ahead of them to knock on the door.

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Except while they're walking up, there's a great big 'woof', a girl yelling, "Alexander, no!" and then a very large, very fluffy white dog is barrelling around the house's corner, running straight for El.

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She braces her weight onto her right foot, pushing into the ground.

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Bellona sets her boxes down and gets in between the dog and El -

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Which seems to confuse him long enough for a seven year old girl to finish running after the dog. She's pretty quick, at least.

"Bad Alexander!" she says, lunging for him to grab his collar. He's bigger than her, but obediently lets her drag him away from the older girls. "Sorry about him! Are you the visiting alchemists?"

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"That's us."

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"Hello!!! It gets really lonely here, so I'm super happy you're visiting! Let me put Alexander in the courtyard and get dad and then you can see everything!!!"

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"Okay."

She is energetic.

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She runs up to the door, opens it, shouts, "Daddy, we have visitors!!!" and then over her shoulder, "Come on in!" before she drags the dog inside and across the room.

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Bellona picks her stuff back up, says, cheerfully, "She seems fun!" and trundles up to the door.

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"If by fun you mean loud." El follows.

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"Exactly!"

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"I predict staying here will be interesting."

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"If by that you mean fun..."

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"And also loud."

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She giggles. "Come on, let's go inside. Maybe it's quieter in there." Their teacher and the Lieutenant Colonel have already walked ahead of them, after all.

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"Doubtful, given that's where Alexander and his girl went." But she goes in anyway.

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Alexander seems to have already been dragged into the courtyard, at least.

The girl's father meets them, an awkward smile plastered on his face. "Akira Curtis and daughters. It's my pleasure," he says, rubbing the back of his head, before picking some things off the floor - mostly toys (for the dog and presumably the girl) are what's scattered about, but there's also piles of books just sitting around. "Sorry about Alexander, and that this place is such a mess - lacks a woman's touch - oh, that was sexist, wasn't it... Anyways, we have plenty of spare guest rooms - some are near the library which you're all welcome in - my chimera research is all in the basement, and I'd really rather that all not be disturbed, but everything else is just fine - my daughter, September and I sleep near the kitchen, which is to the left there - " He gestures. "Library's to the right, it's most of that side of the house... You can shut the doors into that wing, too, if you want to keep Alexander out and away from the cats."

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Seems a bit scatter-brained.

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Akira seems willing to take the lead on interfacing with him, at least. She gets them shown to the right wing (the west; the back of the house faces south), and lets the girls pick a room - she figures they'll take over three of the guest rooms, one for Akira, one for the sisters, and one for their books, if that works for the girls? There is enough space here if El and Bellona want to sleep separately...

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A single room is fine.

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"It'd be weird not sharing," is Bellona's opinion.

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"Very well. Let's get everything else inside, get the cats set up, then why don't you two get settled in?" And, since Tucker's currently not around: "I think we should try to avoid group meals with the Tuckers - otherwise it'll be too obvious Bellona isn't eating, so there isn't really a set time for dinner, either. It'd be good to explore a bit, maybe get to know our hosts."

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"This seems like the sort of place you could get lost in."

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"Especially if you're not keeping track of where you are."

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"Maybe we should all get balls of twine to carry around."

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"The cats would like that."

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"If it had been a minofelis instead of a minotaur, Theseus would have been in big trouble."

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She starts giggling. "He'd be unspooling his string and it'd get yanked out of his hands! Except then probably the cat would like him. Cats like people with string."

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"He should have brought a barrel of- what do cows like? Apples? He should have brought a barrel of apples."

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"Yeah! Apples and really nice hay."

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"Defeating the Labyrinth with the power of bribery."

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"Best way if you can't swing stabbing everything!"

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"Seems more like Odysseus, really."

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"Didn't he mostly do cleverness?"

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"Yeah. If he had to kill the Minotaur he have lured it out, probably."

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"That sounds like a you thing to do. Lure it into a trap."

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"Well. Yeah. A head-on fight is its game. Don't need to play it if I don't have to."

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She laughs. "Could be fun against a good enough opponent! I like fighting you head on. Though most people won't be worth it, probably, and being smart's its own arena."

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"Doing it for fun is different than doing it to win."

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"Heh, yeah. Though you can have fun even while trying to win."

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"You can but you shouldn't be really caring about that part of it."

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"Why not?"

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"It's- a distraction."

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"You don't like playing with your food?" she asks, teasingly.

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"Only after it's already dead."

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"Aww, but while it's alive is the best part."

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"Says the one who thinks sheep are too cute to eat."

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She laughs. "Yeah, and sensei banned cannibalism..."

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"You'll have to start a garden or something, then."

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"Might be neat! I liked sensei's at the old house."

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"Plus you can be your own trowel."

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"Makes it easier! Don't get tired either."

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"A twenty-four hour gardener, for those pesky night-blooming flowers."

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She laughs.

"Maybe I'll fill my garden with poisons. Pretty ones."

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"If you want me to stay out of it you could just say-"

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"Aw, I wouldn't want you out of it! I just like the idea of a poison garden. Can't use it on anyone, but, you know, nice to have."

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"If your garden is made out of poison I'm not going near it. For your information."

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"Even if it's just poisonous if you eat things?"

"Though since I don't breathe I could have a poison gas one... Inside with good air filtering, of course."

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"It's called a sense of caution, which some of us were born with. Though I quite understand if it's a difficult concept for you to grasp."

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"Never heard of it!" she says, cheerfully.

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"Exactly."

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"If I had a tongue I'd be sticking it out at you right now."

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"I'll do my best to imagine it," she says gravely, and closes her eyes.

About ten seconds later she opens them. "Think I got it."

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She pokes her sister.

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"Are you doing it again? Hang on a second-"

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"You know I can pick you up when you're being a brat now, right - "

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"I was hoping you'd forgotten."

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She steps forward, reaching to scoop up her sister -

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She practiced enough with the prosthetics now to dance away, out of reach.

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Bellona giggles and steps forward again, faster.

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She can try.

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She is perfectly willing to chase her sister through the halls.

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It's all fun and games unless the dog gets involved.

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Fortunately, the dog's outside! (For now, at least).

Bellona has a pretty big advantage here in not getting tired.

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They can at least explore the manor first. At speed.

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Yeah! It's a pretty big manor, and if they're careful they even won't knock too much stuff over.

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Certainly nothing irreparable.

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Being alchemists is so handy like that.

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It really is.

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Someone comes to peek at them, after the latest thing they've knocked over and repaired. She doesn't seem to have the dog with her.

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"Hello."

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"Hello! What're your names? I'm September."

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"I'm El, and this is Bellona."

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"Hi!" She rocks back and forth on her feet once, then: "How'd you become alchemists? Dad won't teach me..."

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"We taught ourselves, before we met Professor Curtis."

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"Cool! You must be really smart..."

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"Everyone seems to say that."

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"Maybe it's true, then. Could you teach me?"

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"Probably. We might need to make sure it's okay with Professor Curtis."

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"That's okay!"

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Might as well go about finding her, then.

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Akira seems to be discussing something with Mustang, but turns with a smile to the girls when they appear. "Did you all need something?"

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"September wants to learn alchemy from us."

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"If you want to teach her, I don't have an objection."

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"Okay."

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"Let me know if you guys need any help, okay?"

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"We will."

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"Have fun, then."

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"We'll try."

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"Come on, let's go get started!"

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"Yeah!"

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They'll leave Professor Curtis and Mustang to whatever they were talking about. Back to the library.

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"What's first?" September asks, bouncing a bit.

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"Do you know about the law of equivalent exchange?"

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"Uh... Something about getting out what you put in?"

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"It's the basic principle of alchemy. You can't get something for nothing, you can only change what's already there."

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"Is that like amount of stuff or like value of stuff?"

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"Amount and kind."

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"Is kind like living to living or like gold to gold?"

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"Like gold to gold. You can do chemical reactions with alchemy, but you can't change what element something is."

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"Why not?"

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"No one really knows."

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"It sounds interesting to figure out!"

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"My personal favorite theory is just that it requires more energy than we can safely harness or direct with an array."

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"What about a really big array?"

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"Bigger arrays can actually be harder to control!" Bellona says. "Super precise stuff's usually a pretty small array."

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"Huh!"

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"Really high-end alchemy is more about control than power."

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"Neat! Dad says his alchemy's really high end, but he won't let me see it..."

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"Biological stuff can get kind of... squishy."

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"He says mom left because of the alchemy. She didn't like it. He wouldn't say why she didn't like it, though..."

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"Chimeras are... enh. I don't really like them either."

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"It's two animals squished together, right?"

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"Made into one animal, yeah."

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"Does it hurt?"

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"I haven't ever seen it in person, but I'd imagine yes."

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"You shouldn't hurt animals."

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"Yeah."

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"Dunno why dad would..." She shakes her head. "I'll ask him after the lesson."

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The first thing to cover is basic facts about what things are made of, and what properties are available for manipulation.

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September is attentive, at least, though she doesn't really seem to take notes, instead muttering things to herself, stringing the more important or harder bits into stories.

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Kinda weird, but if it works for her.

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She also does get mentally tired after a bit, yawning some - "It's probably dinner... Do you guys wanna go get food?"

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El glances at her sister.

"We'll eat later."

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"I'm more of a midnight snack person, but thanks for the offer!"

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"Aw... Well, feel free to grab anything in the kitchen!" She darts forward to hug Bellona, and nods at El. "Thanks for teaching me you guys!"

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"You're welcome."

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"I'll see you guys later?"

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"That seems likely."

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"Have a good night! See you in the morning."

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"Good night!"

And she runs off, presumably kitchen-wards.

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"That was fun, I guess."

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"Yeah! Having a student's neat."

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"Do you think she'll get in a fight with her dad about the chimeras?"

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"She might? I hope she doesn't. That'd make things awkward..."

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"Probably a bit, yeah."

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"Well, not much we can do about it..."

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"Guess not. Oh well, what happens, happens."

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"Yeah."

"Wanna go set up our room?"

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"Sure, as long as you promise not to chase me out of it this time."

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"Cross my heart."

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"Good enough." Back to their room to unpack some.

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The next morning, while they're in the front of the house, there's a knock on the door.

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She answers the door. Only polite to do so.

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There's someone on the other side, of course. He's dressed fairly casually, but looks somewhat familiar.

"Hello!" he says, cheerfully. "I'm Maes Hughes. I was looking for the Curtis's, and heard on the grapevine they were staying here."

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"Hello. You have found them, so it seems the rumors were accurate."

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"Excellent! Can I come in, or at least speak to your mom or Major Tucker?"

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"Yes, please come in." She opens the door all the way and steps aside. "Watch out for the dog."

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"Oh, I don't mind dogs," he says, chuckling and stepping in -

And promptly getting barrelled into by Alexander.

The man stumbles, barely catching himself with his new face full of excited dog.

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She did warn him.

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"What a lovely dog," he says, sounding a bit strained as he pushes the dog off and shuts the door behind him.

"So... I'd like to talk to your mom, mostly, but you and your sister are welcome to hang around, and I'll probably say hi to Major Tucker while I'm here."

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"I'll go see if I can find them."

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"Thanks! I'll hang out here."

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She trots off to find the adults.

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Akira: is findable! Tucker appears to have locked himself into his study. Akira's pouring through thick medical textbooks, one hand on her head as she takes notes. She looks up when El enters.

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"A man named Maes Hughes is here. He wants to talk to you."

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"I'm not sure I've met him. Still, I'll come on down."

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"He's in the front hall. With the dog."

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"I better rescue him, then. Want to come along?"

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"Sure."

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She heads down - Bellona and September have apparently found Maes Hughes in the mean time, and September's playing with Alexander while Bellona and Maes chat.

"Hello," Akira says. "You wanted me?"

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"Yeah! You must be Akira Curtis, then. Heard on the grapevine there was a medical alchemist applying this year, not from East City. Figured I'd swing by, be a friendly face, possibly get you updated on all the gossip. Welcome to the neighborhood and all that."

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El goes over to lean against Bellona.

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Bellona is very good for leaning on! She even won't dump her sister on the floor.

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"Thanks for the welcome, though I'm a bit surprised the news is getting around this fast."

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He laughs. "Gossip's arguably my job. Intelligence and all that. Speaking of - may we sit?"

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"There's lots of space on the floor. Or the sitting room is through there."

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"I might try for a chair - don't think I want my face in dog tongue range."

He heads into the sitting room.

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Seems like they should all decamp that way, then.

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Akira and Bellona seem to agree, though September apparently doesn't think this conversation is interesting enough to stop playing.

"So - gossip to pass on?"

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"Yup. One big thing: a couple people recognized your family name. It's not actually proper gossip, but if I was you I'd be ready for questions about your family, especially your brothers, during the psych eval. You might not be able to wiggle out of that without distancing yourself from them."

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"State Alchemy pays well. I don't have particularly much in the way of ambitions, so I'd been satisfied as I was, but after my daughter's accident, I discovered my finances wouldn't cover automail. As long as the government's paying me - they point, I shoot," she says, blandly.

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"You know, I have no idea if that was true or not. It'll pass muster, though, and they'll be willing to overlook a lot of small black marks for medical alchemy."

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"Would it help to see my prostheses?"

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"You wouldn't be in the interview room, and they don't tend to do much fact-checking of answers. They think they can just tell if someone's lying to them. Still, it might help to get the prostheses documented, either by whoever installed them or by a doctor here. Even if it only ends up used for insurance."

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Nod.

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"Do you have anything else for me?"

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"Most of it's more friendly. Which of the brass you're looking to impress, who's got a chip on their shoulder, who likes or dislikes or loathes your sponsor - not a lot of people have neutral opinions about him - plus, I know just about every State Alchemist in this city if you've got more social questions."

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" - What about that talking chimera Tucker made?" Bellona asks - something like that, if perfected, might be a viable way to get her a body that can feel, at least temporarily...

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He glances over to where September's wandered off with Alexander - but is possibly still in earshot.

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She doesn't recall hearing about a talking chimera.

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"September mentioned it - I was talking to her about what you can do with alchemy. She said her dad's military friends were really proud of him... But she doesn't know much because her dad doesn't like talking about his work."

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"That was how he got his State license, two years ago. It was the talk of the whole East City command. You'd have to be a State Alchemist to get a hold of the actual files, and I wouldn't know what to do with the actual alchemy anyways."

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"That sounds very impressive."

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"There's birds that can mimic human speech. Repeat words they hear. Hard to source, but if you're careful to keep the bird's brain and voice it could work."

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"It didn't repeat words, according to gossip. Just said 'I want to die,' then starved itself."

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"That sounds very disturbing."

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"Some people thought so, but the military considered it to have scientific merit."

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"I guess..."

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"I'm skeptical of the military's definition of 'scientific merit' but I should possibly learn to keep that opinion to myself."

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"You and me both. Still, once you pass your test, you'll be able to look at the notes Tucker submitted. A copy of local alchemists' work is kept at command's library - it's no Central Library, but it's not nothing."

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"I might follow up on that, then."

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Wonder if the suicidality was result of the methods or the ingredients or inevitable...

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"Did Tucker make any more?"

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He rubs the back of his head. "Nah. Didn't hear much about what he submitted for his evaluation last year - apparently it wasn't very impressive, and his original sponsor isn't really happy with him."

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"Evaluation?"

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"State Alchemists have a yearly evaluation. They're supposed to submit proof they've been using the State's money effectively towards the State's ends, pretty much. It's more important for researchers than for alchemists who're mostly on reserve for combat, and more important before you get promoted. There's a risk of getting discharged if your evaluations consistently turn out poorly, especially if you're bad at playing the politics game, and doubly so if you're using up a lot of resources. Tucker's research has been expensive and direct military applications are a while out, so there's more pressure than usual on him to deliver, pretty much."

"I don't think it's likely to be a problem for your mom - medical alchemy's likely going to be treated similarly to combat alchemy. Consistently useful, even if you're not improving - results would look like being a successful doctor that year."

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"I see."

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"Thank you for all the information. I think that's enough for us to chew over - leave me your number, and we'll arrange a proper meeting next time, how about?"

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"That works! You can meet my wife, even, she's the most wonderful woman in the world - gets along with everyone, too. We'll be happy to host you guys if you want to get out of this house, maybe show you around the city a bit."

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"That would be nice."

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"Very well! Talk to you later then, I suppose." He stands and shakes their teacher's hand, nodding at the girls, before heading out.

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"Seems like a good friend to have."

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"Yeah. Knowledgeable, friendly, seems well placed. I might bring up Dante once I've felt him out more."

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"It would be good to know the military's opinion of her."

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She nods. "Dante loathed the military - if they're aware of her, I'd assume the feeling's at least somewhat mutual."

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"That would be good."

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"It'd likely be the best case for us, certainly."

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"Let us know when you're going to go see him again."

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"I will."

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Maes turns out to be exceptionally friendly, and makes good on his promise to introduce them to the city. September comes along on essentially all of the purely social outings, expressing that she's usually pretty lonely at home, since she has no friends nearby or any siblings and isn't allowed to wander on her own.

Akira does after two weeks of this tell the girls she'll be talking to Maes about Dante, at his house, if they want to come along?

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They would. How much of their interactions with her should they let on to?

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Not the human transmutation stuff, or Akira's death, or the Philosopher's Stones. Akira's story is she angered Dante, and Dante retaliated, and Dante is a powerful enough alchemist with dangerous enough friends that Akira isn't sure she can or should handle any problems on her own.

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Seems believable.

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Ready to head over to Hughes' then?

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Yep.

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Hughes is excited to see the three of them! He gushes a bit about how his wife's pregnancy is coming along, gets them settled in the living room, though they're welcome to snacks and drinks - do they need anything? (They've already met Gracia; she waves at them with a fond look at her husband, then leaves them to their business.)

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They're good, but thanks.

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"Alright!"

The early conversation's light, mostly social gossip.

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And then Akira steers it around to her recent past.

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"Something up?"

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"Kind of. I made an enemy of another alchemist, named Dante. She's got some political power around my home town, but mostly is a powerful alchemist, and dangerously temperamental. I was wondering what protections the military affords if she decides she's still angry enough to do anything about it in the future."

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"Guards for you and your family, especially when there's intelligence that a threat's acute. Once you're a State Alchemist, I'll be able to turn some resources to keeping an eye on her, though beforehand it'll just be my own free time on the case."

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She nods. "I'm hoping she'll let the issue drop, mostly, but that'd be good if the feud does come to a head again."

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"Anything else you can tell me about her?"

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"I don't know her last name. She's an old woman. Lives outside Dublith, mostly as a recluse."

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"Well, Dante's not a common name, at least not in Amestris - sounds vaguely Cretan, but not one I've heard before. I'll see what I can dig up."

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"Thanks."

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"No problem at all! Now, did I tell you about - "

And he turns back to gossip. Disproportionately about his wife, of course.

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Akira listens for a bit, then makes her excuses, shepherding the girls back to the estate before it gets too far into nighttime.

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And, shortly thereafter, it's time for Akira's State Alchemist entrance exam. The first stage alone is six hours; she uses up every second, but notes that she finished the questions. She successfully bullshits her way through the psychology exam. She has Hughes help her find a volunteer with an old, chronic injury, and heals him in front of the judges.

There's a delay, between the test and the results.

A week after her demonstration, Akira receives her acceptance, an advance on her salary, and the title of Aesculapian Alchemist.

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It was practically a sure thing, but still. Well done.

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Thanks.

Hughes wants them by for a congratulatory dinner, of course.

Related, do they want to move into military housing, or use the military's housing allowance to rent somewhere? Tucker's commented he's still willing to put them up for a little bit, especially until she's sure where she'll be getting assigned (though he was distracted when he said that), but it might be nice to have their own space. Though it'd probably be much smaller...

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Military housing doesn't sound very appealing. And having the extra space is nice.

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"I wanna stay near September so she doesn't get lonely. It'll be harder to visit her if we're all the way over near command..." Also Tucker hasn't said anything about Bellona's armor yet, and there might be more alchemists who can notice something's up with her in military housing.

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"Alright. Here it is, for now, though I can't promise I'll be around all the time - if they're smart, they'll be putting me to work even before they decide where to station me."

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"I'm sure we'll find some way to fill our time."

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"We'll be good while you're gone!" Bellona says, innocently.

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"I'm sure you will."

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"Play with the cats more, maybe."

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"Sounds fun."

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"Cats usually are."

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She just smiles.

"Come on, I think we have a celebration to get dragged to."

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"I suppose it's good for networking."

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"Hughes at least isn't too bad."

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"As these people go, sure."

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"Sure."

The celebration doesn't go too badly, either.

Shortly after, Akira has her first assignment - she's going to be touring military hospitals, healing old injuries for veterans. She suspects she'll be kept moving pretty quickly, and the military doesn't want her to bring her children along.

She can probably fight that, but it'd cost her good will - will El and Bellona be alright here? Hughes and Mustang by now both know about Dante, and Mustang's a good combat alchemist, if something goes wrong...

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"I'm fine here. She didn't go after us."

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El is suspicious that maybe she kind of did, but they can talk about that later.

"Yeah, we'll survive."

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"You guys are careful, yeah."

She pats Bellona, and nods at El, and returns to getting ready for her trip.

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And El and Bellona can get on with playing with the cats. And studying alchemy. And teaching September.

A part in the background of El's mind busies itself thinking about things to study that Akira would disapprove of while she's gone.

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Akira, fortunately for the sanity of everyone involved around two contrary tiny geniuses, disapproves of exactly zero studying. Actually experimenting on animals (even though this is actually legal) or non-consenting humans (the law about this is vague and opaque and manages to look like it's making this illegal without actually doing that in any way that'd even remotely stop the government) without a very thoroughly explained and justified reason is a no, though.

Bellona, meanwhile, starts collecting newspapers. Apparently there's a serial killer around, targeting adult women and leaving their bodies all chopped up for people to stumble on. Bellona seems to have gotten bored, gotten a map of the city, and started plotting where the bodies were found, alongside totally-for-investigative-purposes photographs she acquired... Somehow... ("I asked Hughes and he said they weren't killed on location, and he's really at his wit's end with this investigation, but I think this guy's not actually that creative - he's got a signature thing to do with the bodies, that's stupid - so if I was a just-bright-enough serial killer... I think I can figure out where the next body's gonna be, and be first on the scene, I've got some theories about what he's doing but I need to analyze the bodies and Hughes doesn't think he'll be able to get me into the morgue...")

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"Sounds like fun. How long before he kills again, do you think?"

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"Hm... I think next body's going to be found day after tomorrow, but see here, there's a gap between the women going missing and their bodies turning up - he goes after a lot of middle class women so I think his current victim's this one, reported missing two days ago... If we're really good at this we can maybe get him while she's still alive - that's Hughes' hope right now, I think he wouldn't have given me this much if he wasn't out of ideas."

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"Well, we won't know if we're good until we try."

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"Yeah!"

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"So whereabouts should we start looking?"

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She points out a few locations on the map. "He probably has a truck, one people won't question being odd places at odd hours, with room to hide a body... He'll need a lot of space - either a warehouse in a less used area or somewhere insulated or a rural site for while he's holding on to the women, since neighbors are bad for him..."

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"We should check around town first because that's easier for us to get to." She plots out a reasonably efficient route between the target sites.

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"Yeah! Luckily I don't get tired walking..."

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"Well, if it comes to going around to all the farms, we'll see how I feel."

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She laughs.

Ready to head out?

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Might as well.

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The first few sites are a bust, but at least they're a walking distance bust. The next one's a bit farther - probably all they'll be able to hit today, even taking the bus.

There's not much, even there. A few people walking slowly or loitering about, a freezer truck with a logo for a local butcher's parked nearby, some stores close to closing, middle class house wives doing the last of the day's shopping and considering where to eat for dinner...

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"...Do butchers make house calls?"

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"Dunno?"

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"Butcher truck'd be a pretty good cover for a killer. Insulated, mobile. Got all the tools. No one blinks if you come out blood-spattered."

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"It would. And you could keep the bodies from going bad too fast, if you had some ice or a refrigerated warehouse. Wanna poke around it?"

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"Yeah, let's."

Does it look like anyone's watching the truck, or coming to or going from it?

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Not right now.

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Good time to check more closely, then. Casually.

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Nothing much to a distant inspection.

To a closer inspection, while no one's paying attention: there's a bit of dried blood, at the back around the doors. The doors are all locked.

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She checks quickly to make sure no one's paying attention, then melts out the core of a lock.

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The back of the truck...

Contains meat. Looks like beef, with some shelves of chicken. Blood splatter on the floor in the middle.

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Alas. She was hoping for a corpse.

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Not a corpse, but if she squints there might be some fabric in the back.

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She doublechecks that Bellona's still watching from across the street, then climbs into the van to get a look at the fabric.

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It's a scrap, stuck to a nail. Blue, soft, thin.

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Seems like a Clue.

She grabs it, then jumps back out of the truck.

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Nobody accosts her on her way back to where Bellona's watching.

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She shows the cloth to her.

"Found this in the truck. Doesn't seem like something a butcher'd wear."

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"Yeah, not at all. Think that's our guy?"

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"It's the best lead we've found so far. Worth a look."

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"We gonna hang around and then follow him?"

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"Or maybe check wherever he comes out from."

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"Yeah, probably more manageable on foot."

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"We can also look tomorrow if that truck actually matches any of the butcher shops in town, and maybe pick him up again that way."

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"Yeah! That'll allow us to investigate more on our schedule."

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"Right."

And now to keep watch."

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"The boring part!"

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"Can't alchemize time."

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"We should figure out how to. That'd be fun."

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"Potentially pretty dangerous, too."

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She laughs. "Possibly not as cautious as you'd like."

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"Let's start with planets and stars, how about? After that we can see what we feel like."

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"A small ambition to start the day. Get us warmed up."

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"Gotta pace ourselves."

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"Like eating a small breakfast before morning exercises."

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"Or stopping a serial killer before going after war criminals."

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"Exactly! The steps in front of us, first."

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"So what's your theory on his motivation?"

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"Killing people is fun? If he's going after just middle aged, middle class women he might have mommy issues, or might just think they're pretty."

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"Killing someone because they're pretty doesn't make much sense to me. Unless you're jealous or something."

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"I think it makes sense? If they're pretty and you want to see them in pain because you think they'd be prettier then."

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"Yeah, I guess. But that adds an extra layer to it."

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"Yeah. Dunno how it'd help us find him... Maybe predict future victims, but there's a lot of pretty middle aged women in this city..."

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"We'd have to take a closer look at the victims. There might be better common threads. But we should be able to see what he looks like. At some point."

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"Yeah. I can talk to Hughes about profiles I guess..."

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"There's a lot of pieces to detective work."

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"It's a very specialized field, apparently!"

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"Guess that's why Hughes gets paid to do it."

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"Heh, yeah. Don't think we'll get anything but bragging rights out of this, though."

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"We can use the reputation to charge for the next one."

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"Become private eyes?"

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"As a hobby, maybe."

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"It's been pretty fun so far."

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"Yeah, but I'm reserving final judgement until it's over."

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She makes a happy noise. "You're - good at that."

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"At what?"

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"Just... I'm happy right now, and it's - hard to say that, well, this might not last, maybe I'm doing something stupid that'll make me unhappy later. You're good at doing that and saying 'just because this is fun doesn't mean it's not stupid.' Then you can look out for me, and I can drag you into fun stuff anyways."

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"Thanks. I think."

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She laughs, then pauses. "Oh, hey, that guy looks butcher-y."

There is, indeed, a tall, pale, lanky man with short, messy hair and a thick white apron - clean - walking to the truck.

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"He does. And he's even going to our suspicious truck."

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"Following the truck might be hard on foot, though..." She sounds like she's pouting.

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"Oh, listen to you, Miss I-Don't-Get-Tired."

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She laughs. "I can only run so fast, though! And sneaking's slower."

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"Well, noticing the lock on his back door is broken and the door will swing open might slow him down a bit."

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She snickers. "What do we wanna do now we've got him in our sights, then?"

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"I want to check the house he came from. We should split up, maybe."

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"I can try following the van, since I won't get tired."

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"If you get in trouble, just blow something up."

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She laughs. "Will do!"

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El sets off to investigate the house the butcher man came from. Casual-like.

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It's a house. Lights on inside. Someone moving around, sounds like. Wood scraping on wood.

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Un-curtained windows, perhaps?

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Not on the ground floor from the front, but the upper two floors have curtains pulled back, and she might be able to circle around to the back through that alley over there.

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Seems worth a try. She heads that way.

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Alleyway: is narrow and kind of gross.

The back yard is small, fenced in, with a narrow alley between the backyards of each set of row houses, but she can peer through a gap in the boards to see back windows with their curtains drawn. There's no one visible from here.

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Is there a gate or is the fence climbable?

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There's a gate, which will probably be easier than the fence.

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Gate it is. And the latch will of course prove manipulable.

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It does, even without alchemy.

Backyard: small, tiled, weeds scraggling up through the grout, a neighbor's tree's roots cracking a line of tiles. The back door looks unlocked.

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Is it actually unlocked?

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It is. The hinges are a bit squeaky.

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Does their squeaking draw any attention?

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Not so far.

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She slips through the door, not entirely closing it behind her.

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There's footsteps at the front, someone talking, though the voice is muffled from here.

The door seems to lead into a fairly bare kitchen, a few wrapped parcels on one table.

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Doesn't seem like a murder lair.

What do the parcels look they contain?

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Thin slabs of meat.

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...She takes one. For later analysis. Then she'll leave.

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She isn't accosted on the way out.

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That's good. Have the truck and Bellona moved on?

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Yes.

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Well, hopefully she won't get into too much trouble.

El will start heading for home, keeping an ear out for explosions.

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No explosions.

Bellona gets home soon after her.

"Lost him, pretty quickly, too..." she says, sounding like she's pouting.

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"I don't think the house was a murder scene, but I did find these." She displays the package she filched.

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"Huh. Think something he delivered?"

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"Dunno. Do you remember reading about that decompositive technique?"

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"Yeah! Bet I can find which book it was in, too."

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"I was thinking we could try to identify this."

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"You think it might be human or something?"

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"It's a possibility to consider."

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"It'd fit the butcher aesthetic well."

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"Yeah. That's what made me think of it."

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"If it's human, do you think we should tell Hughes and give him the truck's logo, or finish this off ourselves?"

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"I think we should still do it ourselves."

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"Yeah! If this was boring I'd say turn it over, but it's been a lot of fun."

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"So far."

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"We'll hand the boring parts off to Hughes."

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"He's good for that, anyway."

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"Heh, yeah. I like him, though. And Gracia."

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"They're nice enough."

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"Very! Good friends, wouldn't want to be roommates."

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"There's very few people I would want to be roommates with."

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"You're the best roommate. Wouldn't want to downgrade."

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"Yeah, someone else might snore."

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She laughs. "I'll add that to the 'reasons my sister is the best' list."

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"It's important to capture all aspects of my greatness."

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"Very! Not that a list could point out everything about why you're so great."

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"The gestalt is greater than the individual pieces?"

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"Exactly!"

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"Seems accurate. Bodes poorly for my autobiography, though."

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"You'll be a great writer, too. Impress everyone with your amazingness."

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"Or maybe I'll just live forever and they can see it in person if they want."

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She nods, solemnly. "A much better plan. I approve."

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"On the other hand, that does kind of commit me to being a semi-public figure."

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"I can do all the public-ing and you can be the shadow behind my throne!"

"Or we can just be the sort of people who end up in the history books but aren't public public... Like, lotsa scientists get mail from other scientists but not like people recognizing them."

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"That could work."

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"Science is a good thing to be famous for, too."

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"Public science and secret world domination."

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She laughs. "We'll have to find figure heads for it to be a proper secret."

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"I'm sure there'll be no shortage of candidates once we start looking."

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"Let's start with September. She seems the type to hold a crowd well."

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"We might have to disguise the nature of the world domination from her, depending."

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"She's friendly. Might be fine with universal friendship type stuff?"

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"Nnnot sure I'd be as good at that."

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She laughs. "What kind of world domination do you wanna do, then? Akira-sensei might get annoyed at us if we have a reign of terror..."

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"Maybe just an intermittent shower."

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She giggles. "Maybe we can make intermittent showers of terror perfectly legal in our world domination. Then she won't have anything to complain about!"

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"Nothing at all, yep."

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"Paragons of virtue, us."

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"Narrowly defined and clearly signposted virtue."

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"We'll set entirely new standards!"

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"I don't think we should use our standards for other people. That might lead to undesirable outcomes, like people trying to conquer the world away from us."

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Giggle. "But then we'd be hypocrites. Worse than murder, that."

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"We could just murder anyone who calls us hypocrites."

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She laughs. "A rather neat solution. I like it."

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"And it won't even cause the amount of bad things in the world to go up."

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"It'd even remove some of it!"

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"We're doing them a favor, really."

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Sage nod. "Absolutely."

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"So September can be the velvet glove, you the armored fist, and I'll be the hidden dagger, to stretch the metaphor slightly. That mightn't be so bad."

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"I think we can make it work."

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"Probably."

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Friendly shoulder bump. "Definitely. We're the best, after all."

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"The best there ever was."

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Happy noise. "Let's try to find where that butcher logo was from, too. Maybe split efforts? I can look into all that while you dig through the books for the identification technique?"

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"If you'll be all right wandering around town by yourself."

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"I will! Though it'd be okay if you wanna swap or do both things together instead."

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"No, it sounds like an efficient distribution of labor."

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"Alright! I'm tired a bit today, but I can start looking at directories and all tonight, wander around tomorrow if I think I've found something."

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"Okay." She pats Bellona. "I'm going to go find those books."

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Heeeeeeee.

"Alright!"

And off! To research! Best part of being a private eye.

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El sets to learning the method of decompositive identification. She can practice with some cold cuts from the kitchen.

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Telling the difference between meats is a lot harder than between plants and animals, and she's able to eventually get "turkey" versus "ham" but not "ham" versus "beef" quite yet.

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Then she'll have to keep trying. Presumably that's the least amount of precision she'll need.

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She can get it by the morning if she studies through the night, at least to the level of identifying the stuff they already have on hand to test, though not to identifying complete unknowns.

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She does, technically, have human flesh on hand to compare.

Let's see how the day goes first, though.

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Bellona goes out to explore a bit before lunch - when she figures he'll be out and about if he's doing deliveries - and says she'll probably be back closer to dark.

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El wishes her good luck.

She'll catch a quick nap then back to work.

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A bit before dinner Tucker gets a call for her, from Bellona.

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"Hello?"

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"Hey! So, uh, I'm pretty sure I have our guy. Tied up. In the corner."

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"...Do you need me to come get you?"

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"Could use some help with things. Not over the phone." She rattles off the address.

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"Okay. Be there soon." She hangs up, and lets Tucker know she's going out for a bit.

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He wishes her well, seeming distracted.

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Fair enough.

Off to find Bellona.

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Bellona: is standing in a butcher's warehouse, kind of awkwardly, with the same lanky guy they saw yesterday indeed tied up in the corner. Bellona's also trying to comfort a half catatonic, half hysterical woman, wearing clothes made with alchemy and with injuries obviously partially healed with alchemy.

"El!" Bellona says, sounding very, very relieved. "There's. A situation. It's very situation-y!"

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"So I see. Perhaps you'd care to share some more enlightening details?"

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"So I was exploring the warehouses, and got just outside of here, and this guy jumped out of an alleyway and I guess tried to use chloroform on me? I don't know, I can't smell anything. And then we were fighting and we got in here - I won, tied him up, gagged him 'cause he was shouting - and I was like 'this sure would be a convenient place to do murders,' so I went looking and found her, injured and all, so I healed her up and got her out of the back, and now I don't know what to do because she's freaking out and also the guy knows about my armor thing."

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"Does she?"

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"I don't think so, haven't given him a chance to talk or anything."

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"Hm."

"How much do you trust Hughes?"

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"Uh. I don't think he'll put the military over us?"

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"All right." She goes to the woman. "Hello. My name is El. I'm Bellona's sister. In a little bit, she's going to take you to a man named Maes Hughes. He'll be able to help you. All right?"

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She nods, taking deep, sharp breaths.

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"Hughes may ask you to lead him back here. I need that delayed for at least half an hour, without it seeming like you're delaying on purpose. Do you think you can do that?"

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"Y-Yes."

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El smiles. "Thank you. I also need you to say that the last time you saw him," she points at the man in the corner, "he said something about coming back for you in a few days, once his business in the north was done."

To both her and Bellona, "Bellona, you were walking past the building when you heard someone crying out. You came to investigate, found her, and brought her straight to Hughes. Can you both remember that?"

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"Yeah," says Bellona.

The woman nods, looking more serious than hysterical, at least.

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"Okay. I'm going to pick up some groceries, which you asked to get in your stead over the phone, and then meet you back at home."

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"Okay."

"Thanks, El. For the groceries." She sounds teasing.

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"Go on, then."

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They exit, in the direction of Hughes. Slowly. There's newly healed injuries to consider, after all.

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El waits patiently until they've gone, then goes over to crouch in front of the tied-up man.

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He seems entertained, chuckling a bit. He's not trying to talk around the gag.

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"You tried to hurt my sister," she says softly. "It didn't work, but I don't appreciate it."

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Shrug.

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"I've been spending the last day or so learning about decompositive alchemy. Do you know what that is?"

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Head shake.

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"In layman's terms, I'm going to turn you into dust so fine they won't be able to tell you from the dirt blowing in the street."

"Shall we begin?"

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Theatrically wide eyes and a muffled noise are her only answer.

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Then she'll start with the legs, and work her way up.

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She gets muffled screaming!

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Good. As long as it's not too loud.

If the neighbors might hear, she'll have to skip straight to the head.

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Doesn't seem that loud, no. The building's very well chosen as a murder site. Good insulation.

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Well then. All she has to keep in mind is her timetable. She'll need to have dusted and be gone by the time Hughes could be getting close.

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She can manage that, as long as she doesn't go too slowly. She'll start to cramp before then, if nothing else. (Elsewhere, the ex-victim is doing quite a good job of being obstructively hysteric.)

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Once she's a little over halfway, the fun in dragging it out is gone, anyway.

She gathers up the dust, brushes off her clothes, and stops at a store that's still open on her way back home.

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There's plenty of late night grocers on her walk back.

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Great. Some vegetables and any fruit that's still fresh.

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Bellona's back after her.

"Hughes took over the investigation. He's got people kinda swarming all over the building, but I didn't hear if they found anything."

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"I don't think they will. Nothing incriminating, anyway."

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"For us."

Teasingly: "Don't leave me out next time, okay? I kept thinking about that the whole walk over to Hughes's..."

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"Next time don't almost get caught." She smacks Bellona on the arm.

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She laughs. "I'll pay better attention next time I'm hunting a serial killer, then."

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"Or make sure there aren't any bystanders that need to not see things."

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She laughs. "A bit harder, that."

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"Well, whichever you feel capable of."

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"I'll do my best."

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"Good. I only have so many limbs, you know. Don't get careless."

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"...Yeah. I'll be careful."

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Shoulder bump. "Come on. I'll show you the decompositive technique. And then I should sleep. And Hughes will want to talk tomorrow, I bet."

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Shoulder bump. "That sounds good." Off, to learning! And soliciting descriptions of using it on a person out of El. For science reasons.

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El was quite observant and remembers how it went very well.

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Heeeeee best sister.

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Yep.

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"I don't wanna - do things that'd cause problems for Akira-sensei, but... I really hope I'm with you when we catch Dante. For a lot of reasons."

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"Yeah."

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Shoulder bump. "But you should sleep now. I can practice on my own."

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"Okay. Try not to bring the house down around your ears."

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"I'll make sure you and September and the cats are clear before any demolition," she says, mock seriously.

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"Good priorities."

And off to bed.

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The next few days go quite well. Hughes conspicuously doesn't push Bellona on the whole Barry question, letting them know there's a manhunt for him up north but nothing's been turned up yet. The woman Bellona saved doesn't impose on them, choosing instead to move all the way across the country to get away from everything.

Tucker gets more and more distracted as the time for his yearly review comes up, and September frets over him more - there seems to be some tension, there, escalating to at one point Bellona finding a half-burnt letter September had written to her absent mom, that Tucker obviously hadn't sent on.

That night they're invited to the Hughes's. September doesn't go along, a bit uncharacteristically. Her father claims she has school work to do.

When they get back, the house is quiet. No dog nor little girl excitedly greets them. The cats don't greet them, either, except for a flash of eyes under one couch and an alarmed, rattling 'mrrrrrr.'

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"September?" El calls.

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"September!"

There's no answer.

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"I'm not alone in having a bad feeling about this, right-"

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"No."

"Let's stay together."

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"Yeah."

"We should check Tucker's lab."

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She nods, seriously.

"I'll lead."

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"Okay."

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Creeping onward:

And then, as they reach a basement door with light shining through - past chimeras, that moan or cry or chitter at the girls' passing or at their own pain - Tucker's voice, calling, tiredly, "In here, girls."

Bellona stills, then pushes the door open.

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Tucker's back is to them.

He turns, though.

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And there's a chimera behind him, lying in the middle of an array, struggling to get up.

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"What have you done?"

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"Isn't it obvious to those as clever as you?" Tucker asks, tilting his head. The lamp light catches his glasses, concealing his eyes.

"You're a monster," Bellona says, voice low and dangerous.

Tucker glances over at her. "Me? A monster? I'm not the one who turned my sister into a bodiless husk, or who joked around after a murder - or who performed the alchemist's ultimate taboo. You two were curious, weren't you? Wanted to know the limits of your abilities. Thought your science was better than this human morality."

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"You don't know anything about it."

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"Don't I? Aren't we both alchemists, challenging God and nature? Knowledge is the pinnacle of human achievement."

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("It hurts," the chimera whines.)

(Tucker ignores her.)

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"We're not the same," El says.

And then, because this is what she does, she turns him into dust.

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"We need to fix her."

Maybe later she'll regret that they didn't make him scream.

Right now she's just glad he shut up.

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"We should call Akira."

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"We - have her number for her current station - do we know no one will listen in? Unless she goes to a phone booth - September's hurting - "

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"This has be right on the first try and she knows more biology than us. Just- say she needs to take emergency leave and in the meantime we can try painkillers."

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"...Okay. Yeah. I'll go call her. It's - how are we gonna keep this secret?"

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"Dunno. Maybe we won't. Worry about it later. Akira might have ideas."

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"Yeah."

And she heads off at a jog, to call Akira - say she needs to come back, it's an emergency - Akira calls her back from a payphone outside, Bellona explains, Akira says not to try painkillers, it's too risky and there's things dogs are allergic to that humans aren't and vice versa - they need to find and collate as many of Tucker's notes as they can, try to keep his other chimeras alive and comfortable, too, so she can study those without risk to September -

Even if she just vanished from the military, Akira says it would take her two days to get back. It might be closer to four.

Akira also thinks they should loop Hughes and Mustang in. If there's a trial - the girls can probably get away with killing Tucker, but it'll look better if they didn't appear to try to cover it up. And, if they can avoid a trial, those two will be helpful there, too.

Bellona thanks her and returns to relay this to El.

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Okay. Does Bellona want to get Hughes or stay here with September?

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"...I don't know."

"I don't think I'll be good at - relaying this carefully."

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"Okay. I'll go. You stay here."

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"Okay."

"Stay safe."

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"You too."

And off to find Hughes.

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He meets her at his door. "El! Come in! Something wrong? Where's Bellona?"

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"There's- can we talk privately?"

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"Yeah. This way."

He tells Gracia they need to talk privately, and leads El to an upstairs office and shuts the door.

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"So-"

"You know how September didn't come with us earlier. And that Tucker is studying chimeras."

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"...Yes."

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"When we got back. We found, in his lab."

"He had used the dog. And September."

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"Are you girls okay - where is he now?"

He super does not sound happy.

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"-He's dead."

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"And you girls need help. Is September alive?"

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"Yes, but - in pain."

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"Do you know anything we can do for her?"

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"Not right now. We called Professor Curtis and she's coming back but it'll be a few days."

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"I'll see what I can do to get leave requests expedited. Or smoothed over. I have favors to call in, in a lot of offices."

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"Thanks."

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"You're not going to be able to hide this from the military, not effectively."

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"No." Hence her being here. "But we want to help September, not get her taken away."

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"With Shou Tucker involved so centrally - this is going to be entirely the military. Her fate will be decided within it, and they'll decide whatever spin to have the press put out later, if anything. So any trial or investigation for Tucker's death depends on who's on the military tribunal, there, and that's ultimately the Fuhrer's call... Your mother should be able to win medical custody of September rather easily - we don't actually presently have anyone else working on chimeras or biological alchemy, so her area of expertise is closest, there."

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"Who do you think would be on the tribunal?"

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"Mustang can probably swing a seat. Basque Grand. At least one other, but it's harder to say who - depends on how important Command decides this is... Two thirds is enough for a decision in any direction. Mustang would vote in your favor... Grand once killed a superior officer for sending soldiers on a suicide mission. It didn't get out, but he'd be sympathetic in this case, I think, even if he doesn't have children. Very good chance the third has children, officers usually do, and very good case whoever has a strict disapproval of Tucker's actions - but there's a lot of people who'd think an extrajudicial death was over the line."

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"But two of three is all we need?"

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"Yes."

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"Then we're probably okay. Would Mustang be disqualified if we talked to him beforehand?"

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"Might throw some suspicion on the outcome, and make it harder for him to get the seat, if he's seen as too involved..."

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"So better not to, then. Directly, at least."

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"I'll talk to him as a friend and can happen to mention it, but, yeah."

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She nods.

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"You girls need anything in the meantime? I'll need to call this in soon, as late as I can plausibly have heard of it, but - I want to make sure you're all alright."

"For one thing, it might be better if you three are all together, and if I'm present whenever any investigative teams arrive."

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"Just- help with the military is all we need, I think."

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"I can do that."

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"Thank you."

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"You're welcome."

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"I should go back to Bellona now."

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"Do you want me to come with you? I probably won't be able to talk the military out of sending an investigative team to the house..."

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"That would be good."

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He nods and goes to let Gracia know he's going out, doesn't know when he'll be back, and to get a jacket.

And then they can head back to the Tucker house.

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And Bellona. Who is hopefully still okay.

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She is, sitting with September in the living room. Several of the cats have hesitantly approached them. One has perched himself on top of September and started purring as hard as he can.

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Cats. Good.

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"Hey. Everything go alright?"

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"More or less. Hughes thinks there will be a tribunal."

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"Oh. Do you think it'll go okay?"

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"Hope so. Akira'll probably get September, at least."

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"Yeah. Don't want you in trouble, either, though."

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"There's a good chance that won't happen."

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"How good a chance?"

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"Depends who gets appointed. Hughes thinks Mustang and Basque Grand, who'd be sympathetic. Dunno about the third, but it probably won't matter either way."

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"Yeah. Hopefully..."

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"It'll be all right."

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Serious nod. "We'll get through it all. Together."

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"Yeah."

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" - Can I get a hug?" Even if she can't feel them anymore, they're nice, and she's really missing having a body that can feel hugs, right now.

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Hug.

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Cling.

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Shortly thereafter, Hughes quietly asks to be pointed towards where the transmutation and death happened, and asks El for clarification on how Tucker died.

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These things can be explained.

El embellishes a little about how threatening Tucker was acting.

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He notes it down.

"Thanks. I'll make some calls, now."

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"Okay. The house phone's over there, if you want to use it."

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"Sure."

He goes to inform the military about what happened.

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El goes back to Bellona and September.

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September seems to have fallen asleep, finally.

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That's good. She'll quietly snuggle up next to Bellona.

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Cuddles.

And then just...

Waiting.

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Hughes wards off the investigators when they arrive, talking quickly, answering their questions and saying the girl's not going anywhere, is she, Tucker clearly did enough to be shot, don't you have children Lieutenant -

It helps that he seems to know all of them. And their life stories. And their families.

They gather evidence without bothering the girls too much. One wants to look at the journals Bellona gathered as evidence of the chimera being September.

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They can have them.

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Hughes makes sure all three of the girls get quiet to sleep and then food when they need it. They seem to be under house arrest for now, while people flutter about and try to figure out what to even do here.

There's an awful lot of fluttering right before lunch, as the soldiers present all snap to attention.

Apparently, the Fuhrer's come for a visit. He'd like to meet the girls - perhaps in the sitting room? That seems comfortable enough.

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Oh that's not good. Not good at all.

El will position so as to be between him and the others.

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He seems jovial, at least.

"Hello! Miss Tucker, Misses Curtis - you use your mother's name, correct?"

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"Yes."

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"I approved your mother's transfer back here, and arranged for her to take an early train. She should be here tomorrow evening."

"Now. I had some questions about what happened with the late Major Tucker, if you could walk me through things?"

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"What did you want to know?"

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He asks a variety of questions. How they knew something was up. Timeline. How El killed Tucker - she's claimed it was spontaneous, but alchemy often requires preparation...?

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She has a bracelet with an basic circle engraved on the outside, and a different one on the inside. She got the idea from her mother.

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He nods, seriously.

"A good approach that." He hums. "Well! I see no reason to risk a black mark on the record of fine young alchemists such as yourselves. I'll let them know not to bother with any charges, and of course I'll let your mother have custody of young September here."

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"That's very generous."

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He waves a hand. "Oh, not at all. Quite frankly you saved the military some trouble. I'm sure you'll grow up to be a credit you your country, young ladies."

He stands. "Unfortunately, I'm quite busy, and must be off soon. Are you three comfortable here?"

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"Yes, thank you."

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"Then I'll be off. Good luck, girls."

And he leaves.

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That was bracing. Can't quite breathe out yet with the rest of the military still around.

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They're allowed to just stay shut in the sitting room.

Hughes comes in thirty minutes later. "People've left. I got Tucker's journals back, so I can make sure they make it to Major Curtis." He breathes out. "Also: the Fuhrer. That was nerve wracking. You girls okay?"

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"More or less. He said there wouldn't be any charges."

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"Yeah. Told me that, too. Makes me wonder what he wants, but... No trial is good, at least."

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"Provisionally. Depends what he wants for it."

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"We'll count our blessings while we watch for the other shoe to drop, then."

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"Yeah."

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"Do you want me to head out?"

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"I think we like some time alone. Thank you."

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He nods, lets them know to call him if they need anything, and leaves.

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El sighs, and leans back into Bellona.

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Hug. So much hug.

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"At least Akira'll be back soon."

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"Yeah. She'll know what to do. And she'll help September..."

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"Yeah."

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Aggressive cuddle.

Bellona's not going to be the one to move (September might be, she's having to shift a lot, and is apparently testing if moving helps the pain).

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El will get hungry eventually, if nothing else.

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And, the next day, Akira returns.

After hugs from Bellona: "I'm not going to be able to do this right away - there's a lot of research, and I'll want to practice on Tucker's other chimeras, first."

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Solemn nod. "Yeah, we figured..."

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She rubs the back of her head. "Also: have you girls gotten outside at all since this happened?"

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"...Not really."

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"Why don't you two go find - something distracting, and I'll keep September company. I've got this for now, all right? And El at least needs occasional sunshine."

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"Okay."

"I'm glad you're back."

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"Glad to be back."

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Out to do... something, then?

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So far looks like they're just standing awkwardly. In the sunshine, at least.

"...I guess we could go to that park?"

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"I suppose. Run around, and so forth. Act our age."

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"Play fetch?"

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"I think it's called catch when it's people playing."

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Giggle. "Except I'm actually ten cats in a suit of armor. I thought you knew that, sis."

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"I guess if you can cooperate enough to walk, you can cooperate enough to play fetch."

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"We're talented like that."

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"All right." She bends down to scoop up some dirt, and uses a flash of alchemy to make it into a solid ball. Straightening back up, she tosses it. "Off you go, then."

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Bellona laughs, but gives chase. (Exercising is still fun.)

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Playing with her sister is fun.

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Someone seems to be watching them, as they reach a more deserted section of the park.

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Okay? What's her problem?

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She steps in front of them.

Silent.

Watching.

She seems angry.

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"What."

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"Hohenheim's latest get," she says, softly.

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"How the hell do you know that name?"

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"My name is Liliana van Hohenheim. Or was, long ago."

"Do you think a man like Hohenheim of the Light stays settled?"

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"Considering we haven't seen him for almost ten years, no, we weren't especially under that impression."

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"I don't think I like you particularly much, and I'm unsure what the woman who once called herself my mother sees in you."

"Hohenheim's first wife has forbidden me from killing you two. Sadly. I suppose Dante has other plans for your lives."

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"Yeah? Well fuck her too."

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She laughs.

"Maybe you have one redeeming feature."

She steps forward.

"I think I'm going to break her plans."

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El begins picturing the disintegration circle-

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Bellona steps forward, ready to fight back, to protect her sister -

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Liliana claps her hands and touches the ground -

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And the world goes white.