[Action /Voice]

[automailed]

[The week had passed with a certain degree of... something surreal, fake, imaginary. Edward can remember the white room, the gate, but most of all, the emptiness of it all. No Truth, no second gate, no Al. He'd been completely alone. And even his own body had felt as fake as the seemingly endless room; it was detached, uncomfortable. As if- as if it wasn't real-

...But that's impossible, isn't it?

He had plenty of time to debate the theory in his mind, at least. Whatever his body was in that place, it didn't need sleep. And as the hours passed into dull, empty silence, as his shouts and rants echoed back to his own ears, pointlessly, his only gain was a newfound clarity of what Al's nights must be like. If nothing else, this experience has given him an even greater incentive for getting Al's body back.

Nothing lasts forever, though, and eventually - he's not sure when or how long it's been - the simulated Gate of Truth collapses and dissolves around him, leaving only darkness.

And then come the dreams.

They're always different, always so vivid. An unfortunate consequence of an overly imaginative alchemist with ambition. This time it's Al - real Al, Al's body, frail and pitiful and starving, yet smiling at him-

"You'll come back, won't you? You won't leave me here again? It's been so long."

His soulless eyes are empty, yet somehow filled with an unbearable suffering at the same time. It's only been a few days for Ed, at most. How could Al endure years of that place, with only Truth and this same sense of loss to keep him company?

"Brother- why did you do this to me?"

Al, Al, Al, I didn't want-

"I can't go with you."

And Al's gone before Edward's hand can reach him, dissolving from view. Just like all the others.

"You're just running away."

He turns, expecting Hohenheim, but finds only the misshapen, slack-jawed remains of his human transmutation. Not his mother. It was never his mother.

"Why did you create me?"

There's a wrench in his chest as slimy, mangled fingers slide down his cheek.

"Why did you just watch me die?"

Gone, again. In the quiet, in the darkness, he can hear Truth laughing.

And soon after he wakes up, gasping, on the bed of an empty hospital room.]

...Didn't work...

[Once settled and no longer so disoriented (or so alone, for that matter) Edward manages to wriggle over to the bedside table and get his journal open and running. This would be so much easier if his automail was working...

But his automail had been destroyed. He knows that, he'd felt it happen. So Winry must be okay, if she was able to make him replacements. That also means that it's been at least - no, more than - three days since the failed transmutation. One thing at a time, though...]

I'm back. ...Is everyone okay? The transmutation, it didn't-

[....]

Winry? I can't move my automail.

Comments

[dream]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[Paprika, still wandering around since the last night, finds herself inside of Ed's dream. At first she has to wonder what she is seeing, until she realizes that the two - the dreamer and the dream - are meant to be brothers. She watches on silently for a moment until she finally mumbles.]

How sad.

[Then the transmutation comes and Paprika is shocked and horrified by the sight she sees. It was nothing like she saw before. Even worse, looking at it...it felt real. Too real.]

[dream]

[automailed]

[Edward twists around as the laughter echoes through the dark, but as he looks around, he only finds a woman that he doesn't recognize, someone he's sure he's never seen before. Can people dream strangers? He grips his head with an automail hand, visibly shaken but trying not to look it, and can only stare for a moment. What kind of dream is this...?

Is it still a dream? Maybe he should...]

[dream]

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[It was definitely still a dream. One that he was certainly not enjoying. But, she didn't quite know what to do. He looked so young. ...Finally she settles on walking closer, with some caution in her motion, and speaks.]

Why are you here?

voice;

[dragoneer]

...Ed?

[Hiccup's voice is timid and small. He'd just expected Ed had been quiet lately, and that's why he hadn't seen or heard from him, but--that wasn't the case. He's only had to hear his voice to realize that.

Oh, gods. Another one of his friends suffering. What could he do? He had to...he had to do something.]

Do you--Winry, she--[He gulps.] A-are--are you okay?

voice;

[automailed]

I'm fine. [Just peachy. HE CAN'T EVEN STAND UP but he's fine, okay, just fine.] Do you know how long it's been?

voice;

[dragoneer]

[Dude. Not buying it. He is so not okay.] Uhuh. Right. You don't sound fine.

[You'll have to forgive the somewhat snippy tone. This has not been a good week for Hiccup.]

When...when exactly did you do the transmutation? It's July tenth today, so...however many days since then to July tenth.

action;

[truthhides.livejournal.com]

[ al doesn't remember a whole lot of the past week... well, correction. al remembers literally nothing of the past week. whispy thoughts and dreams of white don't count... and when he awakens, he feels still. well. feel is a strange way to word it - he's not as mobile.

There's a clang, clang, clang - but it's not from the shifting of his limbs. it's from the metal objects in his hands which bang together every time he moves his arms. clang clang cla-

... Fur?

???

!!! ]

W-what is this!? [ he's on the bedside table. ]

action; 1/2

[automailed]

[Nightmares are always just as exhausting as a night without sleep, so the first thing Edward does after waking is sit up and hug his knees, trying to get his bearings back. Or rather, that's what he'd like to do- but he very quickly discovers that it's impossible, because only one arm and one leg seem to be able to cooperate. A quick jiggle and a follow-up examination, and he notices the problem: the nerves aren't connected. Great.

Cursing under his breath, he slumps forward, gripping his forehead. No time for this. He has to check on the others. Greed, Winry, Hughes... Al...]

action;

[automailed]

[And then he hears the clanging. And the voice. Al's voice! He turns, eyes widening, a smile starting to cross his lips, opening his mouth to greet his-

.....

Brother? Where is he?]

Al?

action;

[truthhides.livejournal.com]

[ CLANG CLANG CLANG...

w-why can't i stop my arms? why can't i walk? this is some kind of insane nightmare fuel. ]

Brother! I'm - [ ... why is ed so much bigger than him.

why...

is that a lamp? WHY IS THAT SO BIG?! ] on... the table?

[sea-king-bait.livejournal.com]

[Blink.] Ed-chin? You're alive?

[automailed]

...Did people think I was dead?

[That's a pretty morbid thought, there.]

[sea-king-bait.livejournal.com]

W-well you vanished so suddenly for such a long time. Either the Moss-o's got you, or you died.

[Action]

[twinnedavarice.livejournal.com]

[Meanwhile, in that window...]

You've looked better.

[Action]

[automailed]

[JUMP dammit Ling you are such a damn lurker.]

And you still haven't learned to knock!!

[Action]

[twinnedavarice.livejournal.com]

You don't knock on windows, Ed. [Wow, you can be so dumb sometimes.]

[Voice]

[markofthewise]

Actually... Winry isn't here, Ed. The Malnosso... they took her the other day.

[Voice]

[automailed]

...Yeah, I heard.

[Cursing quietly under his breath, Edward doesn't respond with more than that at first, mulling it over. If Winry's not here - bastards, those bastards - then he needs a mechanic. There's no way in hell he's going to sit around in a hospital like a complete invalid while he waits around in the hopes that she'll come back. Not when he could be looking into ways of forcing them to bring her back.

Oh, wait, this is Sokka-]

Hey, can you come to the clinic?

[Voice]

[markofthewise]

Er... possibly, I guess? Maybe. Why?

[If it's an automail problem, Sokka doesn't think he can fix it. Sure, he's looked at Winry's blueprints, but he couldn't fix much more than cosmetic damage.]

[ action ]

[idkmybffroy.livejournal.com]

[ What's a hospital stay without Maes Hughes popping in to visit, really? It may as well be a staple of life. As such, expect him to be strolling in and taking a chair shortly.

The journal entry is a nice hint that the company will prove to be more interesting today, too. (Though, Ed. We've got to stop meeting like this.) ]

[ action ]

[automailed]

Lt. Colonel! [Edward sits up, though it's a little awkward since he still can't move properly. Stupid automail. He is relieved to see another familiar face, and one in good health, though.]

[ action ]

[idkmybffroy.livejournal.com]

Yo, Ed! [ We can do cheer. It's the task of any man named Maes Hughes. ] How are you feeling?

action;

[keepstheaccent.livejournal.com]

[Amy had gotten bored. This meant? It was high time to go exploring. And today's target was the Battle Dome. Of course, she wasn't all that interested in battling and had quickly gotten bored of all the buttons and machine-y things and mechanical-y bits. So she'd ended up wandering, 'till she lost track of where she even quite was within the dome and mostly opening doors.

Which was how she'd ended up at this door. She'd taken a step inside before realizing - ]

Ooh, God, there's a person in here.

action;

[automailed]

[Edward is caught in the middle of some extensive stretching to make sure everything is in good working order, so the stranger at the door caught him in the awkward position of FULL EXPOSURE. As in he has no shirt and no jacket to cover up those limbs that he'd rather have covered, thanks. Oops.

...Okay, PLAY IT COOL. This is totally not awkward at all, yep.]

Are you lost?

action;

[keepstheaccent.livejournal.com]

[Her eyes are maybe a little wider than they would be for a moment there, but you know shirtlessness whatever whatever. She definitely gets an eyeful of the metal limbs, though.]

I was just looking around. You can do that 'round here, can't you?

[The way she says it, it's almost not a question; not being allowed to wouldn't exactly stop her.

Also she's kind of contemplating if you're a robot or not Edward. Look, she met a really nice one once, meant to have tea with him, never quite got a chance to thank you Doctor, so she wouldn't hold against you or anything.]