automailed | [Action /Voice]

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[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.

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[And this hits pretty close to home--with everything that has been happening to his friends lately, Hiccup has been feeling like he needed to figure out a better way to help them. Find a way to do something more. What Ed says is not too far from his own thoughts.]

You're right. I just...need to work on being prepared. About everything, pretty much.

...You're not much of a fighter, are you.

[Though fighting dragons is probably very different from fighting most people.]

Ahh...no. [Especially when compared with the rest of his tribe. But he leaved this out.] I tried making a hammer awhile ago that I could fight with, but...I don't know. I couldn't get the balance right.

[And it was all very discouraging to the world's shrimpiest kid.]

A hammer isn't a good weapon, anyway. [Going by his experience, at least. Maybe it's great against dragons or larger enemies, but everyday people? They could easily dodge it. Not to mention it's hard to use it against someone without doing serious damage, even killing someone.

...And he really doesn't like the idea of Hiccup killing someone.]

[He glowers a bit--tell that to his hammer-wielding, dragon slaying dad.] It...has its uses. But--yeah, I don't think it's the weapon for me. Professor Raine suggested I try a spear, but...I don't even know where to begin.

[DRAGONS ARE NOT PEOPLE, BRO. But Edward gives it a moment's thought, considering all the weaponry he's gone through over the years, and... hmm.]

What about a club? You can get one that suits your size, and they can take down enemies without hurting them too badly. They're lighter and easier to use than a spear, too.

[He nods a bit. Vikings favored clubs as well, but naturally, theirs had been far larger than Hiccup could have used. But one on a smaller scale...]

You know? That's not a bad idea. But the spear is appealing because I could use it while flying on Toothless.

[He says this like he has any idea how to actually fight with a spear. He does not.]

Spears are good too. I use them a lot. [Though they have a tendency to break faster than the rest of his weapons. Maybe they'd last longer if he stopped making them out of stone floors.] Do you have any training?

[Hiccup's mouth draws into a thin line.]

N-no, not really. Just...observation, mostly.

Something else to think about, then. Carrying around a weapon without being trained to use it is just asking for trouble.

[And hopefully he'd find a teacher more merciful than his...]

Yeah. Plus, you know, the whole finding-someone-to-teach-me thing might be tricky. I guess I could always use the battle dome, but...

[He glances at his arm. Yeah, he didn't have much desire to go back there anytime soon.]

Isn't there a fighting school here? You should look into that. The dome can get you experience, but it's harder to learn from that.

[Though... yeah, better heal up first.]

A good teacher could probably help you find a weapon for yourself, too.

Yeah, I've...heard about that before. [He just hopes their approach is a little different than dragon training was.] Do you know who's in charge of it?

The guide said "Buffy". I don't know who that is, but you can always check the journal to see if the name comes up.

[Oh.

Ohhhhhh.

Buffy. The girl Hiccup always interacted with the in the worst possible ways.]

Uhhh...right. I know her. I'll have to, um, ask her about it.

You don't sound that happy about it.

Iiiii guess that's one way to put it. More like...not looking forward to it more than anything.

Why, what's wrong with her? [He barely knows more than her name at the moment.]

Well, nothing's wrong with her, we just...always seem to meet in awkward circumstances. And I was related to her for a few weeks.

[Okay, that would probably make things weird, yeah.]

Oh, that. Glad I missed that one.

I also...sort of...hit on her when I was...you know.

[The Magnificent and Wonderful Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third.]

[...Whoa, he wasn't kidding.]

You must've gotten into a lot of trouble after that experiment was over.

...Yeah. [He didn't get as much flack as he was expecting, but still. That may or may not have been because he was avoiding a lot of people.]

[Poor guy. Edward really did get off easy so far, all things considered; the experiment just made him relax, and even the failed transmutation only broke his automail. It could've been a lot worse overall.

He glances sidelong at the clapper monkey toy at the bedside table, then grimaces and turns back to Hiccup. Yeah, a lot worse.]

From what I've seen so far, the people here are pretty understanding about experiments.

They are. Still...doesn't quite make it right, though. All the, um, awkwardness.

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