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[Voice / Action]

[Now that he's gotten over his own embarrassment somewhat-]

...So that's what an experiment is like, huh.

[Okay, maybe not entirely over it. That was beyond humiliating and he doesn't even want to acknowledge it anymore. Ugh.]

Whatever, forget it. I have a question for the people who've lived here longer than me. What kind of escape attempts have already happened here? Has anything worked, or even showed small signs of success? If it's not something you want to talk about over the journals, you can find me at the library.

Thanks in advance.

[...Oh right, before he forgets again-]

And if anyone finds a silver pocketwatch in one of the shops, chances are it's mine. I'd appreciate it if you let me know if you see it.

...Don't look inside, either!

[And as promised Ed will be at the library today, either inside pouring over a dozen books or just outside the entrance, probably munching away at something he pilfered during a visit to the bakery. You know, after he realized he hadn't eaten for seven hours or something. As usual he's probably wearing five different layers despite the heat, the nutter.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's fine. It was a strange week for everyone. [And he's perfectly fine with ignoring the topic, so-] What're you reading?

[Oh, thank goodness. Hiccup jumps at the opportunity to talk about something new.]

Oh! Um...[He holds up the book--one he only grabbed because he wanted to hide his face. It's Crime and Punishment.]

It's, uh, real...swell.

[Oh yeah, yeah, he can totally tell. Very engaging.]

Sure. And what are you really here for?

[Because he's not buying that book business one bit.]

Well, I, um, just need some new things to read. Iiii'm not so sure this is what I'm looking for, though.

[Really, Crime and Punishment, really? Hiccup is more of a spaghetti western and mysteries type guy.]

Usually you start with what interests you. If you don't know what you like just pick something at random and try it out.

[He and Al sort of got into alchemy like that. The books were just there, so they read them. Simple as that.]

Well...I've been reading a lot of, um...hang on. [He slides towards the shelf, extracting a book from a section that he's spent considerable time browsing.

He glances at the cover, before holding it out for Ed to see. It reads "Murder on the Orient Express."] Um, books like this one.

Murder mysteries? [He can only guess, with a title like that. Kind of morbid there, buddy.] Why're you reading something like that?

[Oh man, he thinks it's lame, doesn't he? Way to go, Hiccup.]

Y-yeah. They're, um...I dunno. Fun and interesting. Noooot something I've ever really encountered before.

[Not lame, just a little close to home.]

I've never read one, so I guess I could say the same.

[He sees enough murder happening right in front of him, so he doesn't really need to read it in books. ...Not... that that's the sort of thing you bring up in casual conversation.]

Oh! W-well, I don't know if it's really your thing, but...I don't know. Reading fiction is really kind of a lot of fun. Maybe you should try it out. There's these detectives, and they--they ask questions, and find clues, and figure out who did it--you kind of start to see a pattern after awhile, but--you know? N-never mind.

[Nonfiction was fun, too, but Hiccup's really rather become enamored with stories.]

[Man, Hiccup, the fact that you back off so quickly is really discouraging.]

You should relax more, you're always so jumpy.

[Not that Ed's an expert on relaxing or anything, but at least he doesn't flee from a conversation topic the second someone doesn't show interest.]

[A comment about the recent experiment springs to his tongue, but he suppresses it. Nope, never speaking of it again.]

Really? ...Yeah. I guess you're right about that. Um...yeah.

[The experiment was kind of... special anyway. Extremely so. To a ridiculous degree.

...Sigh. There's no reason to bully the guy, either, and he should probably take a break before he start throwing things in frustration. The science section of this place is a joke. So he gets up, heading over to peer at the shelf with more mystery novels, browsing the collection before pulling one out, a Sherlock Holmes collection. Al likes books, doesn't he? Other books, rather. Non-alchemy. Stuff like that.]

Have you read this one?

[Hiccup tilts his head. The name "Sherlock Holmes" rang a bell, but he hadn't actually read any of the stories yet. He hadn't even really connected that he was a detective either.

He's too intrigued to realize that Ed is actually helping him find mystery novels.]

No, I haven't. Is it good?

No idea, I've never heard of it. [Edward sets it aside on the nearest table and sifts through the shelves again, fishing for another. Maybe bringing back a few for his brother will make the trip feel less pointless.] I don't think I've ever read this kind of book before, but Al might've read some.

Oh, you haven't? I mean, I hadn't either, before I got here. But you should really give it a try. They're pretty...I don't know. It sounds weird to call murder "fun", so..."intriguing", I guess?

[Pause.] And that's not the only type, either. There's tons of different types of books, if...I mean, if you're interested at all.

I don't read much besides alchemy books. [He doesn't sound particularly interested or dismissive; it's a neutral tone and a neutral expression, as he tugs a Hardy Boys novel from the shelf and peruses the back cover. ...Mystery-solving brothers, eh.] I haven't had a lot of time for stuff like that.

[Hiccup opens his mouth to respond, but hesitates--even with school and the smithy, Hiccup had time to read. He wasn't actively trying to find a way home at all, but that hadn't stopped him from being terribly homesick. And he starts feeling a bit irresponsible.]

...Right. You, uh, you mentioned you were working on finding a way home.

That's the plan. [A pause, and then-] If it works, it might end up helping everyone else get home, too.

[So hopefully he wouldn't have such a long wait.]

Ahh--in that case. Keep me posted, then.

If...if you don't mind me asking, what are you planning to do? Is it something to do with alchemy?

It's alright. Just don't expect it to make much sense. [Edward sets the book down on the Sherlock Holmes one, fishing his journal out and flipping through to a blank page. He draws a plain circle, tapping his pen lightly against the center.] Around six months before I came here, I found out a way to transmute myself from one place to another. It only works under certain conditions, but I want to try to use that to get back home.

[Hiccup's eyes widen a bit--whoa. That? That was very cool.]

You can really do that? ...And you think it'll work between two worlds?

I've never done it that way, but what I did before was close enough. [The Gate of Truth is almost like being in another world, after all, and Gluttony's stomach certainly wasn't... well, right. Hopefully it'll be enough.]

[Well, if anyone could do it, Hiccup bets Ed has a pretty good shot. He can't pretend to know anything about alchemy, but it was clearly far more powerful than anything on Berk. And Hiccup fully supported him in the effort of finding a way home.]

Well, um, if I can help in any way...

Doubt it, but I'll keep you posted. [You know, if he doesn't just vanish from the village one day. Wouldn't that be a kicker.

No point in kicking someone for offering to help, he's just. Not used to needing help when it comes to alchemy. Especially from an amateur.] Thanks, though.

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