automailed | [Action /Voice]

[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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's what I like about you, Ed. You're too dumb to ever give up.

[There's a compliment in there somewhere.]

...You're not very good at encouraging your underlings, are you. [Somewhere. Somewhere. Good grief.]

If you want a pat on the back, get yourself a girlfriend, Ed.

[jsdhfkjsdf]

I don't need a girlfriend for that!!

Probably couldn't hurt for you to find one anyway. You could stand to loosen up, now and again.

Going by my experience with women, 'loosen up' is one thing a girlfriend would not help with.

Your experience? What, you've had a girlfriend before, then?

[AUGH THAT'S ENOUGH-]

Look, I-I'm not talking about my love life, okay!?

So you do have a love life. [It must be so very sad.]

[WHY IS THERE NO ESCAPE FROM THIS.]

I never said I did! ...Not that it's your business anyway!

Fine, fine. Not like I care anyway.

[Dismissive hand wave. Chances are Ed doesn't know a thing about the fairer sex.]

[Oh thank god. He knows wrenches and raging and crying and that they're totally not cute- that's good enough, right?]

More importantly, we'll have to figure out what to do next.

[Time to get back to the books, apparently. If he can't get them home, maybe he can remove the barrier somehow.]

Yeah? You got any plans for that?

[If alchemy is out, then he's not sure how much more use Ed is going to be.]

How about that barrier? If you could find a way to pierce my ultimate shield, maybe you got a chance at that.

I was thinking about that. I just need to figure out the composition.

[He'd like to say that he's confident, but after the first transmutation broke, he's a little more cautious.]

Good. Just don't screw it up this time. [He's only got so many souls he can spare, you know.]

It's not like I tried to do it wrong! Anyway, the transmutation would've worked if the gate had been open! [He's not really keen on using the stone again, though. Twice is enough.]

Whatever, whatever. I want results, not excuses.

I'll get right back to work as soon as I can move again. [Cue the pointless lifting of an immobile automail arm. See? Pile of useless metal.]

You got anyone else who can fix that? [What with Winry kidnapped and all.]

Without Winry... [Edward adjusts the arm back into place, irritation crossing his features yet again.] I don't know. I'll ask around, maybe someone at the smithy can bring over a wrench. One of Winry's friends attached the arm before, so if he's still in the village, I can ask him.

Then it sounds like you should stop wasting time and call him on over, don't you think?

If you want me to do it so badly then go home!

Alright, consider me gone.

[Since this is Greed, he starts to the door.]

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