Chapter Text
“You want me to go where?”
Edward slammed his left hand down furiously onto Mustang’s desk, his brows furrowed downwards into a scowl. “Why should I go investigate some random town in the middle of nowhere for no reason?”
“Because,” Roy smirked, with a flick of his hair, “I’m your superior, and you’re to follow my orders. It would also be a shame if the little secret of your first mission last year got leaked.”
Edward’s face turned bright red, as he threw balled fists up into the air in rage. “That was an accident! That building exploded all by itself!”
“It’s still not a good look for a young State Alchemist’s very first routine investigation, no?” Roy crossed one leg over the over, and twirled the pen he’d been holding in a circular motion with his fingers. “I did you a favor by cataloguing it as the fault of those gunmen you were trailing.”
“Fine…” Edward hissed through his teeth in defeat. “Give me the directions to this stupid town.”
“Attaboy.” Roy dug around in the drawer behind his desk for a moment, before sliding a pad of paper and a pen towards the thirteen year old.
“Listen closely, Fullmetal. I’ll only say this once.”
. . .
Though it hardly felt like it, a little over a year of time had already elapsed since Edward and Alphonse had set out to begin their arduous journey to obtain the legendary Philosopher’s Stone in order to reclaim their mutilated bodies. They had chased down several empty rumors and ripped books from shelves in search of any stray information to no avail.
Their spirits had been relatively impenetrable up to the current point, and the two boys intended to keep it that way. The last thing either of them were about to do was let a few letdowns stop them now, especially considering they’d burned down their childhood home to further strengthen their resolve.
Now aged twelve and thirteen, they more or less had a handle on how things would go, both off and on military property. He’d learned early on not to use it as a mere prop at each and every place he went in an attempt to get what he wanted, as many detested the military. Flashing the silver pocket watch to try and get an incentive with their search either resulted in praise, or a direct punch to the face, depending on who Edward spoke to.
Alphonse did his best to keep up the pace, running along behind his older brother, making sure to keep the now-teenager out of trouble as much as a twelve year old possibly could. He’d grown accustom to apologizing on Edward’s behalf, as well as the constant stares he’d get any time they were in public together.
Though he knew Alphonse tried his hardest to keep his head down, Edward noticed every glare, every snarl, and let each and every one serve as motivation to return his little brother to the body he’d been born with. It was a desire that burned deeper within him than acquiring his own limbs once again.
He knew it was impossible for Alphonse not to notice the constant onlooking in his direction. He was fiercely determined to find the stone, no matter what it took
Now, at the present moment, Edward squinted his eyes at the messily scrawled directions on the small piece of paper he held in his left hand. He’d written them down relatively quickly when being instructed on where to go by the Colonel, and as of now, he regretted not putting more effort into his penmanship.
“Then… go… gah! I can barely read this!”
Alphonse could only sigh. “That’s your own writing, Brother.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Edward grumbled under his breath, stuffing the paper into his pocket with a huff. “Whatever, as long as we go east from here then we should reach that town.”
“I sure hope you’re right.” Alphonse spoke, as he continued to walk behind his older brother. “You barely even looked at the paper as you wrote the directions down.”
“Can you blame me?” Edward growled, balling his fist and shaking it in the air as he spoke. “That stupid Colonel was up to his tricks again as always!”
“Still,” Alphonse countered, “you need to make sure we’re going to the right place, even if he’s annoying you.”
“Well,” Edward pointed with his thumb in the direction of a small clearing amongst the trees they’d spent the last several hours walking through aimlessly, “I think we found our way just fine.”
“Are you sure this is the right town? We could be anywhere.” Alphonse questioned, as he looked around for signage. “I hope we didn’t take a wrong turn.”
“I mean, where else could this be?” Edward snorted, as he began to walk forward. “There’s not gonna be much else this far out in the mountain forests!”
“I sure hope this is Evergreen…” Alphonse sighed, trailing behind Edward, who stomped on ahead as usual. “I think I see a path up ahead.”
“Yeah, I see it too.” Edward leapt forward, finding himself on a small dirt path leading more directly to the street of the town that came more into view as the two brothers made their way out of the trees.
“Hah, over there!” Edward pointed, with a snort. “Look at that sign! 'Welcome to Evergreen'!”
Alphonse groaned. “Okay, you’re right this time, Brother. This still doesn’t negate every single time you’ve gotten us lost!”
“You’re just mad I was right, as usual.” Edward grinned and stepped forward, spinning around in a circle to get a better look at the town. “Wow, I can see where the name comes from. It’s October, yet everything is so lush and green!”
The view was scenic, with the entirety of the intimately sized town encapsulated with several rows of tall pines, which casted shadows across the main street and buildings along it. There were hardly any automobiles, save for a couple of small trucks most likely in use for delivering and trading goods with other towns.
As the two brothers began to slowly stroll down the road, they realized that most, if not all of the businesses seemed to double as a home on the second floor. The entirety of the town seemed to be gathered on this main road, with it only branching off in one direction towards the end.
“Wow, this is definitely a different layout than Resembool, everything is super spread out back home.” Edward commented.
“Yeah,” Alphonse replied, while continuing to observe his surroundings, “everything is super condensed, but in a nice way. I like it.”
After wandering for a little while longer, Edward passed a building that had a sign that appealed to him in that very moment. “Hey, this place is an Inn and Restaurant!”
“Oh, well that works out perfectly.” Alphonse hummed. “Should we go inside?”
“Absolutely!” Edward placed a hand on his stomach, while walking up the wooden steps to the entrance. “I’m actually starving, so I wanna take a look at their menu!”
Just as the two approached the wooden doors after walking up the steps leading to them, they swung open quickly just inches from Edward’s face, causing the boy to yelp in surprise.
“Hey! Watch where—“
He held his tongue when he realized a boy, no older than six or seven had darted past him, and was soon halfway down the road. Edward groaned, and caught his breath. “Where’s that kid off to in such a hurry?”
A tall man stepped out moments after, with both his hands clasped together. “I’m very sorry about that, you’ll have to excuse my son. He just finished his chores and he’s off to play with his friends.”
“We don’t mind, sir.” Alphonse answered politely in place of Edward, who just stared up at the man and blinked.
“Wow, that’s one hell of a suit you’ve got there!” The man laughed, and held out his hand. “Newcomers, right? My name’s Sven, and I run this place with my wife Frances. That little boy you and your pal just saw was my son Fredric.”
Alphonse clasped the man’s hand in a firm handshake. “My name is Alphonse, and I’m traveling with my brother, Edward.”
Edward exhaled through his nose, and pointed to himself. “Yeah, I’m the older one!”
“Brother, he didn’t even say anything…”
“He was gonna!”
Sven laughed, and held the door open. “You two sure are an interesting pair. I’ll keep my thoughts about who I thought was older to myself.”
“That’s probably for the best, sir.” Alphonse warned, as he placed a firm hand on Edward’s shoulder. “We saw outside on your sign that you have room and board here?”
Sven’s eyes lit up, as he clapped his hands together heartily. “Sure do! My wife cooks in the restaurant, and I keep the Inn tidy and running. We get tourists every so often, so that paired with this being the only restaurant in town keeps this place sustained.”
Edward and Alphonse followed Sven inside, with each of them thanking the man for holding the door open. The inside smelled of home-cooked meals and cigar smoke, causing Edward to clear the air around him with his hand.
“As I just told you, this place also doubles as the main restaurant in town, so the working crowd usually stops by for meals daily. It helps during the slower seasons.” Sven laughed, as he directed the brothers towards the front of the restaurant.
A couple of men were seated towards the back, smoking cigars and drinking coffee as they played cards together. Sven directed them to the front counter of the restaurant, which was occupied by two women, one behind the counter and the other making some sort of small talk with her.
“I have to go, but if you speak to my wife she’ll see to it that you’re both fed.” Sven waved with a wink, before walked away through a door that connected directly to the inn.
“Eugh, that cigar stench is strong…” Edward muttered under his breath, as he folded his arms. Just before he could approach, Sven’s wife moved away from behind the counter, and began to tend to the men in the back, who had began to argue over their card game, as well as what to eat.
Assuming the remaining woman was employed here as well, he walked slowly towards her, and cleared his throat. “Hey lady, where are the menus around here?”
“Brother!” Alphonse scolded. “Use your manners!”
Edward turned his head around towards Alphonse, shooting him a glare. “I was gonna!” He turned back towards the woman, with flushed cheeks.
“Uh, could I please have a menu… ma’am?”
The woman appeared to be no older than her late twenties to early thirties, with her long strawberry blonde hair tied neatly into a bun. When she turned to face the boys, they were able to see how two longer strands of hair framed her face on each side, with her bangs neatly pinned to the left.
Her soft brown eyes closed into a polite smile, further causing Edward to rethink his choice of words. She swiveled around on the stool she’d been seated on, and shook her head.
“I could grab a menu from behind the counter for you, but I can’t take your order.” She chuckled, and moved to stand up. “I don’t work here, I actually own a bakery across the street.”
Edward’s cheeks became as red as his coat at the realization. His lips quivered, as he scrambled for a response. “I thought you were a waitress or something! I’m sorry ma’am!”
“See, Brother?” Alphonse cut in, leaning down to whisper to his older brother. “This is why we don’t assume.”
“Oh, shut up…” Edward grumbled to himself, with folded arms.
The woman stood up, and held her hand out to Edward. “My name is Shannon. Why don’t you two come with me across the street? Frances seems a little busy at the moment.”
She gestured behind herself with a finger to the scene. Though the argument had been resolved, Frances had now seated herself with the men to play cards with them as she slowly took their orders. It was apparent the men were regulars, and that she knew them well.
After hesitating for a moment, Edward shook her hand, with a nod. “Uh, I’m Edward. Behind me is my younger brother, Alphonse.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, before she reached out to shake Alphonse’s hand as well. “That armor is very shiny, I can see you’re taking care of it well.”
“O-oh?” Alphonse stammered, caught completely off guard by the compliment. “Thank you, ma’am!”
“Don’t be so formal, you can call me Shannon.” She winked, before making her way to the front of the brothers. “Follow me, you two. My bakery is just across the street.”
The three of them exited out the swinging doors one be one, then making their way across the small paved road to a petite white building, with purple and white flower-entangled lattice next to the entrance.
A sign that read “Shannon’s Fresh Baked Goods” hung above the door, which was soon accompanied by a welcoming ding of the bell connected to it.
“Come on in, boys.” Shannon held the door open, allowing for Edward and Alphonse to enter one by one. “Have a seat at one of the tables, I’ll be back in just a moment.”
“Sure, thanks.” Edward made his way towards one of the three small tables, and sat down with his back against the wall, leaving the other seat open for Alphonse.
The walls were decorated with various photographs and paintings of landscapes, and a few were of a young girl neither of them recognized. There were lights dangling from the ceiling, and a red clock on the opposite wall from where they sat.
There was also a glass display case near the back that had various pastries and cakes within, with a cash register stationed neatly on the countertop next to it.
Edward sniffed the air, and felt his mouth water at the pleasant aromas that filled his nose. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a bakery that smelled this nice, and that’s saying something.”
“I love how quaint and homey this place feels.” Alphonse looked all around him, soaking in the sights of the small town like a sponge. “I can’t imagine the Colonel has a real reason for you to be here, does he? This place seems so harmless.”
“Some stupid surveying crap that he’s too lazy to come do his stupid self. I doubt anything interesting ever happens in this quiet town.” Edward groaned, as his stomach growled. “Man, it smells so good in here... I’m so hungry.”
“I told you not to scarf down all of your provisions in one sitting on the train since we’d have to walk a lot to get here, but you wouldn’t listen!” Alphonse reprimanded, with a sigh. “We’ll get you something to eat soon, don’t worry.”
Soon enough, Shannon reemerged from the back, with a plate in each hand. “You boys are just in time, you’ll be getting to enjoy the first pieces of my fresh cherry pie, on the house.”
“Wow, this looks delicious!” Edward’s eyes lit up, though soon faded when he glanced towards Alphonse, who quietly stared down to his plate.
Alphonse only chuckled. “The pie is very pretty, ma’am—er, Shannon.” He looked towards Edward, and made a small nod with his head.
To this motion, Edward reluctantly lifted the fork, and moved to take a bite of the fresh cherry pie. For all the times he’d eaten in front of Alphonse, the foods that left him feeling most guilty to consume were pies, and cakes.
Alphonse had always adored fruit pies, fresh from the oven. It tore Edward’s heart in two that his baby brother couldn’t have even a single bite. Even so, it would be rude to reject Shannon’s hospitality.
Edward swallowed the bite he took, and smiled up to Shannon. “It tastes even better than it looks!”
With a warm smile, Shannon clapped her hands together. “That’s great to hear.” She turned to Alphonse, and tilted her head to the side. “Not hungry?”
Alphonse shook his head. “I had a huge meal earlier, and I’m afraid of upsetting my stomach.”
“It’s no problem, I’ve been there.” She laughed softly, while pulling up a chair to sit with the boys. “Why don’t you tell me about yourselves? Are your parents nearby?”
Edward shook his head, and answered Shannon’s question between bites. “We don’t have any parents, it’s just myself and Al.”
Shannon frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, dear.”
“Our mom died when we were little, and we haven’t seen our dad in a long time…” Alphonse trailed off towards the end, before picking his words back up. “We travel a lot, but we don’t mind. We get to see lots of pretty places, like this town.”
“Yeah, you know what they say!” Edward threw out, before taking another bite.
Alphonse blinked. “I actually don’t, Brother.”
“Take a joke, Al!”
Shannon leaned back in her seat slightly, chuckling at the brothers' bickering. “I… hope that I’m not prying too much, but old are you boys?”
Edward and Alphonse exchanged glances with one another, before the older of the two cleared his throat to respond.
“I’m thirteen, and Al is twelve.”
Shannon’s eyebrows arched upwards for a brief moment, before she nodded. “You two are quite young to be travelling alone, though I guess it can’t be helped.”
Edward, who had finished his slice of pie and moved on to eating Alphonse’s, shrugged his shoulders. “We can look after ourselves, don’t worry.”
“Mama! I did well at school today!”
Edward and Alphonse snapped their heads in the direction of the voice that sounded from the front of the bakery, just after the ding of the bell. A little girl stood on the small entrance carpet, with a huge smile on her face.
Her hair was the same color as her mother’s, with her eyes being navy blue. Her hair was short and parted in the middle, and she wore a light green dress with a cream cardigan over it.
Shannon smiled at her daughter, and moved from her seat to approach her. “Is that so? I’m very proud of you.”
She caught the girl as she leapt into her arms, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Lila, I’d like you to meet our two new friends here. Their names are Edward and Alphonse, and they’re brothers.”
“Whoa!” Lila wiggled from her mother’s arms, dashing immediately over towards Edward and Alphonse’s table. She only gave her attention to Edward briefly, having become entirely captivated by Alphonse’s armor.
“So if you’re brothers, are you the bigger brother?” She tapped her finger curiously against the armor, before taking a small step back. “Super shiny…”
Alphonse shook his head, and stifled a giggle at the sight of Edward’s eyebrows twitching angrily. “No, I’m not. Ed is a year older than me. I’m twelve.”
“Yeah!” Edward thrusted his thumb into his chest. “I’m bigger and older! Me!”
Lila shook her head, putting a finger to her bottom lip. “Nuh uh! You’re only one of those things, Mister Ed, and it’s not bigger.”
“Lila, be polite!” Shannon came back over to the boys, and placed her hands on Lila’s shoulders. “We don’t make fun of anyone for any reason, remember?”
“I’m sorry, mama.” Lila pouted her lip. “I’m sorry, Mister Ed.”
“It’s whatever.” Edward rolled his eyes, then grinned. “How old is she, Shannon?”
“She’ll be turning eight in January.” Shannon beamed. “Perhaps you two will make it back here for her party?”
“Hah, we’ll see.” Edward rose from his seat, and began to fish around his pocket for his wallet. “Thanks a lot for the pie, by the way. How much do I owe you?”
Shannon placed her hands around Edward’s to stop him from fishing for cash within it. “It’s on the house, remember? Besides, I’d hate to charge a hungry child.” She then looked towards the clock on the wall, and hummed quietly.
“On that note… why not stay here with me? I have a spare room that my mother and sister use when they visit, and they won’t be all the way out here again for some time.”
“Your other family doesn’t live around here?”
“No, they live in another region of the country.” Shannon replied. “It’s just Lila and I out here.”
Edward picked up his travelling trunk, and motioned for Alphonse to stand up. “I don’t wanna take advantage of your hospitality, so we’ll just get a room across the street.”
“Aww, I wanted a sleepover…” Lila pouted her bottom lip all the way out, and blinked her large blue eyes to make the most pleading expression she possibly could. “Pretty please?”
Edward turned to face Alphonse, then they both faced Lila and Shannon. The brothers exchanged glances one more time, before coming to their decision.
“Okay, but we’re gonna go across the street to pay for meals so we don’t wring you completely dry.” Edward stated, with a single nod.
“Yeah, and maybe we could help out if you need us to?” Alphonse pointed to himself, and then Edward. “That way we can call it even for us staying here for free.”
Edward clicked his tongue, not appreciating being volunteered for chores he didn’t exactly have time for. However, he didn’t verbally reject the proposition. “Do we have a deal, Shannon?”
“Yes, I think that we do.” She smiled, and shook both of their hands once again. “I’ll go upstairs now and make sure everything is arranged.”
Before heading up the staircase, she motioned for Lila to follow her. “Come with me sweetie, you can help me set up the beds.”
“Okay!”
Edward and Alphonse watched as the two of them disappeared to the second floor of the bakery, which served as the living quarters for Shannon and her daughter.
“Let’s go look for a phone to call the Colonel while they’re doing that.” Edward headed for the door. “We better tell him we made it here.”
Alphonse nodded. “Good thinking, Brother.”
The two brothers stepped back outside, and saw that the sky was now a muted shade of blue mixed with soft hues of pink. Neither of the boys had realized how soon the sun was to set, with the time throughout the day both feeling like an eternity, and gone in a blink.
“Shannon sure is nice, isn’t she?” Alphonse spoke, with the ends of his words having a sort of bounce to them. “What do you think?”
“Yeah, she is.” Edward replied. “It’s nice of her to let us stay, free of charge.”
“I agree. I also think Lila is sweet too. You can’t even deny that her comeback earlier was pretty good!” Alphonse hummed, as he walked down the road with Edward.
“Oh, shut it.” Edward grumbled, looking in each direction up and down the road, in search of payphone. “Damn it, I should’ve asked her where a phone is before leaving.”
“Is that it over there?” Alphonse pointed to a small glass box just down the road, next to a building with a large “Town Hall” sign plastered over it.
“Yeah, that’s gotta be it.” Edward began to jog towards it, with Alphonse not far behind. Upon approaching, he was able to confirm that it was indeed a phone booth. “Good eye, Al!”
Edward slid open the door of the booth and stepped inside, with Alphonse lingering behind him outside, leaning down slightly with his hand over the top to get a better look inside.
Edward inserted a coin, and put the receiver to his ear. At the sound of the click, he requested to speak with Colonel Mustang to the receptionist on the line. After providing the security code, he was placed on a brief hold, before being connected directly to Mustang’s line.
Another click, and he was put through.
“Fullmetal?”
“Yeah, who else?” Edward scowled into the phone. “I’m calling to let you know we made it to Evergreen.”
“Now, was that so hard?” Roy snarked. “Here you were complaining a couple days ago at my desk about how you had no time for this. It seems like you had the time after all.”
“Shut up!”
“Watch yourself, Fullmetal.” Roy grunted into the phone. “I’m still your commanding officer.”
“Tch… whatever.” Edward clenched his fist around the receiver. “Anyways, what do you even want me to do here? Take notes on the bakery? There’s nothing happening here at all!”
The sound of Roy speaking to another person could be heard, yet his words were indiscernible to Edward. After a few more moments, all he could hear was a crackling noise coming from the other end. “Uh, Hello? Colonel?”
After another second, Roy finally returned to the conversation. “I’m pretty tied up over here, Fullmetal. I don’t have time to listen to you bellyaching about your job right now. Survey the area, and report back if you find anything suspicious. I’m hanging up now.”
“Colonel, wait—“
Before Edward could get another word in, the call dropped, with the only sound being a sustained beep. He groaned loudly, slamming the receiver back into place with much more force than intended, causing the wire to snap right off, with the phone clattering to the ground below and breaking into pieces.
Alphonse gasped, and pointed to the broken phone. “Brother, be careful! You broke it!”
“You think I can’t see that?” Edward ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. “Back up a bit, Al.”
Alphonse took a couple steps backwards, and then one off to the side. He watched as Edward positioned himself lower to the ground, clapping his hands together.
“This is when alchemy really comes in handy!”
With a flash of blue light, the phone was restored to its former glory, in even better condition than before. The ear and mouth pieces were now in the shapes of skeletons, with the handle being a bone with golden flames going up the sides.
Alphonse could only put his head into his hands. “Do you have to be this excessive?”
Edward struck out his tongue. “Oh, come on, it’s cool as hell!”
“Well, if I fixed it, I would’ve at least made the phone nice to look at, like a cat shape.” Alphonse placed his hands to his hips. “That’s way better than your skulls!”
“That’s so lame! Who wants to use a girly kitten phone?” Edward laughed, as he walked out of the phone booth. “Little Al just loves his kittens!”
“You’re such a jerk!” Alphonse stomped his foot, with his fists gripped tightly to his sides. “There’s a reason girls never talk to you, you know!”
Edward rose a brow, and took a step towards Alphonse. “Huh? You wanna repeat that—“
“Alchemy… without a transmutation circle?”
In the midst of their argument, the two boys whipped their heads around to see a man, no older than forty, standing not too far behind them. He stepped around Edward, and took a quick look into the phone booth to inspect the result of the transmutation.
“It’s in pristine condition… with some additions.” He came back out, and approached Edward, looking him up and down. “I’ve never seen you here before,” he then looked up to Alphonse, “or your partner here.”
“Oh, uh…” Edward fumbled for an excuse, before landing on something that seemed convenient and believable enough. “We’re tourists! We just wanted to check out the area.”
“Yeah, it sure is nice around here!” Alphonse added, with a nervous chuckle. “What a nice day it’s been!”
“Still…” the mysterious man spoke. “I saw you perform that transmutation without a circle. How is it you were able to do this? I don’t see any patterns sewn onto your gloves, either.” He leaned in slightly, though not too close.
He had black and grey stubble on his chin, with his messy hair reaching just below his chin. His eyes were grey, and he wore a pair of black glasses that had a small crack along the left lens. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his clothes weren’t all too fancy either, a simple white button up that hadn’t been tucked in, and black pants.
“Uh…” Edward narrowed his gaze. “I’ve just always been able to do it.”
The man made a little more space between himself and the boys, before rubbing the back of his head. “My apologies, I don’t mean to apply any pressure to you. My name is Geoff Murphy, and I’m somewhat of an alchemist myself.”
“Is that so?” Edward rose a brow in response. “Do you have a specialty, or anything?” He made sure to keep his guard up, even with the inkling of interest in the man developing inside him at the mention of being an alchemist.
“Oh, I’ve dabbled in a few different things.” Murphy waved a hand before his face, pointing directly behind the boys. “You see that house way out there, on top of the hill? I actually live there.”
Edward and Alphonse turned themselves around to get a view, just barely being able to see it from how far in the distance it was.
“I didn’t even see that before.” Edward spoke to himself. “How’d I miss it?”
“I missed it too, Brother.” Alphonse replied. “It’s way out there, to be fair.” He turned around to face Murphy, with his head tilted to the side.
“How come you live so far away from everyone else?” He questioned, as he looked to the buildings and homes that surrounded them in the heart of the town. “It seems like the rest of the town lives pretty closely together.”
Murphy shrugged his shoulders with a soft chuckle. “I guess you can say I’m not really the social type. I really only come into town to shop, which is how I spotted the two of you.”
“I’m into alchemic studies myself, and so is my younger brother.” Edward pointed behind himself with his thumb. “I’m Edward, and this is Alphonse. We’ve both been interested since we were kids.”
“Yeah, we always liked to read about it, and as you saw, my big brother can transmute without a circle.” Alphonse added, neither of them wanting to disclose any true reason as to why they were in the town.
“I see…” Murphy spoke, readjusting his glasses before putting his thumb and forefinger to his chin. He took another look to the boys, before returning to silently thinking to himself. He then cleared his throat, and made a proposition;
“Perhaps we could discuss this matter further, at my house?”