automailed | [Action / Voice]

[Talk about one hell of a morning. Waking up to the draft is bad enough, though truth be told he's kind of grateful for the distraction. But when Edward goes to visit his father's room to fill him in on the news in case he's unaware, he finds it empty, lacking any sign of the man ever living there. He stands in the doorway for a long moment, mulling over how exactly he's supposed to feel about this, then opts to push those feelings aside, shutting the door behind himself and returning to his own room. After the draft, he'll start packing; he isn't sure where he'll go just yet, but he knows that he won't be staying in this house anymore. There's... nothing left for him here. The last of his family is gone.

In his room, he goes to his journal, scrawling out a quick filter directed at his superior, but it fails. He frowns, tries again, only to get the same result. He has no idea where the colonel lives, but the malfunction seems to be answer enough about what's happened.

So. Moving on. Stubbornly he stuffs the journal into his coat pocket, shrugging it on and heading over to the house across the street, to check on the Hughes' family. With Elicia on the draft as well, certain things will need to be discussed. Unfortunately, more bad news will await him once he reaches the door.

All three. All three of them in one day, just... gone.

It isn't until later on that he finally returns to the journal, this time with a public announcement.]

Van Hohenheim, Roy Mustang, and... Maes Hughes... have all returned to their world. Just wanted to let everyone know.

If anyone's looking for a sparring partner to get ready for the draft, I'll be at the Battle Dome. Second room, assuming it's open.

[And true to his word, that's where he'll be for most of the afternoon; the rest of the day will be spent at the Hughes' house trying to help what's left of his (extended) family deal with this painfully familiar loss. He can be found at any of the locations mentioned and will be seeking out certain friends and castmates.]

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[The thought of someone leaving your life is always hard. Noel understood this well. ]

All three of them? At once?

[He was curious of the details, but that wasn't his priority. There were more pressing matters.]

I'll meet you in the Battle Dome. The most we can do now is prepare for the worst.

[After saying that he headed towards the designated location hoping to meet someone. However, Noel didn't expect the other boy to be so short. Consider him shocked.]

[Edward's hanging around outside the room, fiddling with the control panel to get a new program started. He looks a bit scuffed up - he's had two spars already, after all - but otherwise none the worse for wear.

He notices Noel's arrival, munching on an energy bar from the upstairs vending machines, but the surprise makes him lift a brow.]

...What?

[He places his hand on his shoulder before saying something.]

I didn't expect you to be so short.

[A brief pause. He realizes this is a little tactless then apologizes .]

Sorry. It's not that important, so don't get worked up on it. We should start training.

[He bristles at once, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He's not short, dammit! It's not his fault he's not some giant freak of nature!!]

You here for a spar or a fight?

[Because you're doing a good job of riling him up for one.]

I came here to spar with you. Not fight.

[That's the last thing he wants to do. ]

Tch... fine, let's go. [He jerks a thumb towards the room, punching a hand against the panel one last time to get the program started, heading into the training room.] I'm Edward, by the way.

Edward.

[He just says it as a sort of confirmation.]

I'm Noel Kreiss.

[Getting into battle position holding his two swords in place. Just for the record he's never used the battle simulator before so this will be his first.]

[The battle dome's program is simple enough, just a basic gymnasium with various weights, obstacles, and equipment to make things interesting, terrain-wise, if they choose to use them.

Edward's been responding to the spar challenges on a case-by-case basis - whether to fight unarmed or not - so when Noel draws his swords, he claps his hands together, touching the floor to transmute it and pull a polearm from the surface. Surprise, alchemy time!

He won't waste time once he's armed and ready, charging in to attack with a lunging strike at once. If Noel's surprised by the alchemy, Edward is going to try to take advantage of that.]

[Alchemy isn't a phenomenon Noel's used to seeing. He thought that was amazing in itself. That people could do that sort of thing, but admiring techniques and magic can wait. For now he had to focus on the fight or else it would be over.

He's on his guard due to being a skilled fighter. An amateur would probably fall for something so simple though. Noel readies his defense almost immediately. He's not planning on charging ahead on the first move. Not without knowing his opponent.]

[Good defense- Edward shows no approval when his attack is foiled, but he's not angry about it, either. He backs off almost immediately, not wanting to stay too close to an opponent with two blades when he only has one, then drops into a crouch, lashing out with his foot to try and trip Noel.]

[Having two blades was the only way Noel could manage against Caius. Still, one blade is powerful on its own if it's used well. Edward manages to trip him and he rolls over a bit. Then quickly regains his balance. Noel seems to be enjoying himself.

There he decides to toss one of his two swords in Edward's direction.]

[Whoa, serious move. Edward ducks under the sword - no short jokes, but it really does come in handy sometimes - and leans forward into another lunge, bladed fist stretching out into a punch aimed for Noel's stomach. It's a pretty fast-paced fight, and a smile is starting to creep over Edward's expression. This is exactly what he needed.]

[Edward's quick on his feet. Noel will give him that much.

That blade doesn't look like good news. He'll try to create some distance between them. With swift movements he flips backwards just barely dodging Edward's sword. Aiming for vital areas isn't a bad idea.

For a counter-attack Noel decides to slash with his sword around Edward's neck. ]

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