Open RP Post

[armoured]

If you would like to play with Alphonse, whether we have met or not, please feel free to respond to this post using any of options provided.

General/Fluff
1. First meetings
2. Both guests at a third person's party
3. Dinner date
4. Broken down train or bus
5. Lost and needing directions
6. Cake in the rain

Sad/Serious
1. Injured (either you or Al)
2. Nightmares
3. Remembering bad memories
4. Fighting overwhelming odds
5. Fighting each other
6. Confessing dark secrets

Random/Wildcard
Any other scenario is welcome, I will roll with it.

Comments

1 - 5

[braided_icarus]

[Of course they're lost. Just when they need to get back to the station. It's such a large city, not to mention Ed and Al's first time around here that they have no clue where they are. Ed being Ed is stubborn and determined that if they just keep looking they'll figure it out from this rather badly drawn map they'd been given. Except it's been at least half an hour if not longer by now.....and they still haven't found the train station. He's growing increasingly frustrated but all the more determined the longer they search.]

It was around here somewhere....Can you see it, Al?

[Because. Well, Al does have a slight advantage in height, of course. Unless Ed literally climbs up to the armor to be half carried. Which Al has likely done before but that's usually to get Ed to safety or carrying him if his auto-mail gets busted. Regardless, Al is more likely to have picked up that Ed may or may not just literally be leading them around in circles here with the crowds and unfamiliar streets.]

[armoured]

[Finding their way through an unfamiliar and densely populated city was never Al's favourite thing to do. He stuck out so conspicuously, and people often stared or even pointed as they went by. It's made even less fun when your travelling companion gets short tempered (sadly a common occurrence), and when you're on a deadline to find somewhere that's nowhere in sight.

Even though he knows full well that they're lost, Al still straightens upwards fully and looks around before replying, not wanting to antagonise Ed more.]

No. I really think we should ask someone, Brother, Colonel Mustang will probably yell if we miss the train again.

[braided_icarus]

He can wait. Besides, this is a city, way more trains coming through than back at Resembool. We'll just catch whichever one comes next one we find this damned station. We already have a map, it shouldn't be this hard. We don't need to bother anyone else, Al.

[People were staring enough as it is at this kid and suit of armour clanking around alongside him as it was without adding to that. It's just part of their -- or rather, Ed's, assignments now that they sometimes get sent off on military duties. Explaining they got lost to Roy would only have the Colonel that much more insufferably smug about the country bumpkin kids he got lumped with, more ammo to tease Ed with. Like hell he's giving Roy that satisfaction. It was a wonder in itself that Ed had the foresight enough to at least figure a map of sorts before storming out of his office, really.]

[armoured]

Mm.

[The agreement is not very enthusiastic. Al would much prefer to go to one of the nice people passing by and ask them politely for directions, but he'll go with Ed's STUPID decision for now.]

Let me see the map, maybe you're looking at it wrong?

[braided_icarus]

What, you think I'm looking at it upside down or something?

[Pointedly ignoring the pauses and staring at his huffing and outbursts in response as he reluctantly hands Al the map. Let him try figure it then. Al has much more patience and a much clearer head than Ed, in any case. Not so frustrated and stubborn or so. Competitive with Mustang to have that bias and annoyance on top of it all.

Really, it's a wonder Ed gets anywhere if he had to leave Al behind. It's lucky the military let his brother tag along like this.]

serious » one

[sensuality]

( drip, drop, drip. a long trail of blood lead to a dark alley where the victim tumbled over pieces of rubbish. there was a gunshot wound through her small and frail arm. the pain overwhelmed her to the point where what was in front of her was no longer visible; all she saw was abstract lights and colors. this wasn't the first time mathilda had come face to face with death. the first time was when her entire family was killed in their home, and she had been out shopping. when she came back, the killers were still there, and she had to make a quick and sly escape. however, this was the first time she had actually been injured.

there was a gun in mathilda's hand, an amt hardballer to be exact. the two contenders in the game of life or death were mathilda and an older man. the man who had killed her younger brother. she didn't care much about the rest of her family, they had all treated her horribly. it was her younger brother that she loved and mourned. so when the chance for revenge arouse, the reckless girl took it and nearly lost herself in it.

as the night grew dimmer and colder, mathilda finally stumbled upon a broken wooden box, and fell onto the ground. the gun in her hand glided across the cold floor until it stopped. as mathilda rose her head up to see where the gun went, she saw a large figure standing before her. in the darkness, and in her distress, she could not tell what it was that was before her. fear quickly settled into her mind. )

Please.....don't kill me....I'm done.

( her last words before she broke out into a loud gasp, and promptly fainted. )

[armoured]

[It was so peaceful walking through the city without Ed. Not that Al disliked being with his brother, nothing could be further from the truth, but even Al couldn't deny that Ed generally made a ruckus wherever he went. It was nice, just sometimes, to take in the sights amid peace and quiet.

Or... not.

The sound of metal skidding along the pavement catches his attention, ratcheting mild curiosity into full blown concern when he sees the source of the noise was a falling gun. Not just that, but there's a girl there.]

H-Hey--!

[He dashes into the alley, metal feet making a loud clanging noise to almost drown out her pitiful words. The blood panics him, and he has her in his arms as fast as possible. There's no hospital in this town, it's too small, and he doesn't know where the local doctor lives. At least the wound doesn't look to be anywhere vital... So he scoops her up and carries her carefully back to the lodgings he was sharing with Ed.

Quiet as he can, careful not to wake Ed, Al takes her into the little bathroom and starts cleaning the blood away as gently as he can.]

[sensuality]

( the events between lying on the cold hard ground, and being transported to a bathroom did not become engraved in mathilda's memory. she out cold, and her mind was completely dark. all that she could see or hear was tidbits of noise and lights. they all faded like the stars in the night as the sun rose up to claim the sky anew.

in the bathroom, she was haphazardly placed over the toilet, with her head hung across the sink next to it. her arm was pouring blood and it was completely numb. it wasn't until al began to touch and clean her wound that she opened her eyes slightly. )

Am I dead?

( she asked, her voice soft and childlike against the rough demeanour she had. she was all scuffed up with bruises and scars over her small body, and the blood on her didn't help. )

[armoured]

[He might not be the most comforting sight to someone who doesn't know him, but the hands that are holding her and tending to her are as gentle as can be. He tries to hold her still with one hand, while the other keeps washing away the blood until it's clean enough for him to start bandaging it.]

No! No, of course not, and you're not going to die either. You're going to be okay, so just try to relax.

[Letting her go briefly, he grabs the nearest towel and wads it up to staunch the flow of blood.]

[ifwishesweremustangs]

[Just what they need. There's nothing obviously wrong with the car, aside from the fact that it's stubbornly slowing down despite the fact that it shouldn't be. And it's raining. Roy frowns at the steering wheel when they finally grind to a halt.]

It's like a bad joke.

[The whole day, or maybe just the current situation. Nothing to do for it but get out and see what's wrong.]

[armoured]

[Al hates being in cars anyway. He doesn't fit, he always ends up squashed up in the back seat with his knees up to his chest and his helmet stabbing the ceiling.

So he's actually quite grateful for the chance to get out, though he feels a momentary pang as always that he is unable to feel the rain hitting him.]

Do we really have to drive anyway? Can't we walk?

[ifwishesweremustangs]

[Roy weighs it quickly in his mind: the extra time to walk there and the fact that it means walking in the rain against the extra time not spent in his office pretending to slack off and the option to send someone out to retrieve the car.]

It will get us back faster...

[He spends a moment checking out the car even though his decision is already made. Just a quick, cursory inspection.]

But it is a nice day for a walk.

[It's a much better excuse to dodge unwanted attempts to rope him into something than the important phone call he'd planned to take.]

[armoured]

[He's pretty surprised that Mustang agrees with him for once, especially due to the Flame Alchemist's known weaknesses in the rain, but Al certainly isn't going to complain.]

Great! I'm sure Brother and Lieutenant Hawkeye will understand.

[OoC: I'm sorry this tag is coming to you after such a delay, I have been on hiatus for a family vacation. If you no longer wish to continue, please know there are no hard feelings in dropping the thread. If you do wish to continue, I will happily do so. Thanks!]

2.2 | oh be gentle sobs

[forfeits]

[ it isn't often Ed has nightmares. he rarely sleeps soundly enough to have nightmares, but tonight, as they sleep in a drafty little inn, he dreams. it's nothing but flashes of light, the wet gasping sounds of his mother (or what should have been her), the blood on the floor.

he swears he can almost taste copper, the acrid stuff biting at his throat, stinging his tongue. he doesn't thrash much but mumbles, grips the quilt over him tightly, clenches his jaw. it's only when the creature in the damp, dark basement growls something thick and raspy that his eyes snap open, air rushes between his lips and he's wholly awake.

he sits up slowly, brow sticky with sweat, braid loose and fraying. he forgets that Al can't sleep, can't dream the same way he can. forgets that the suit of armor sharing a room with him is far more than that, as he tries to rub sleep out of his eyes. he rubs hard at his brow, attempting to will the shaking breaths and trembling fingers away. ]

Jeez.

what is gentle

[armoured]

[Ed may have momentarily forgotten that Al can't sleep, but it is a hard truth that the younger brother can never escape.

In the early nights, as Ed lay in feverish dreams after surgery, Al tried desperately to switch off and sleep too. He went through endless nights of feeling trapped, claustrophobic, and utterly panicked. It had taken a long time for that feeling to fade away and melt into a simple hollow sadness for what he has lost.

And now...

Now he barely remembers what it feels like to dream, and that somehow hurts much more deeply than anything else.

He is moving before Ed has even fully sat up, wrapping his fingers firmly around both of his brother's shoulders to hold him steady.]

Brother? I'm here, it's okay...

apparently not this thread.

[forfeits]

[ it's been so long and still he can't shake the look on the creature's face. it wasn't his mother, not at all, but somehow the image has stored itself somewhere deep in his mind.

he nearly jumps when Al's hands come to his shoulders, and just like that he tries to stomach the strange, trembling fear that has gripped him. the journey to repair what they have done is not even close to its end, and that makes the sinking feeling worse.

but then there's Al -- sturdy and steadfast, and any lack of hope or faith that Ed felt before slowly begins to dissolve. if anything, he had to make it to the end for him. to get his body back. ]

Hey, Al. [ he reaches a hand up, metal on cool metal. ] I'm fine, really. Couldn't sleep, that's all.

[armoured]

Right.

[Al's voice couldn't be flatter if it was a deflated balloon, he isn't even trying to sound like he believes Ed. He leaves his hands on Ed's shoulders, even after his brother has fully woken up, as if to anchor him somehow in reality.]

You looked pretty asleep to me.

...Maybe you should talk about it?

hospital time; i hope this works!

[forfeits]

[ Ed wasn't entirely sure they were going to make it out alive -- the battle had been grueling, exhausting him in ways he'd never thought he could be. so many years have led to this moment, brought them to a medical ward with too many tests, too many doctors, and too many questions.

how can they explain human transmutation? how can they begin to explain everything they've learned through Truth? they can't. Ed suffers through stress tests, needles poking and prodding, an automail adjustment on his leg, he's finally gotten the doctors to leave him alone. everything in his body hurts, even after visiting Truth, after surrendering his Alchemy for his brother's body.all he wants is to see his brother, to make sure they put all of their effort into him.

Ed could deal with pain, with malfunctioning limbs, with fatigue, especially when his brother lay in the hospital bed weak, emaciated and hurt. he doesn't even realize how late it is when he's finally left alone at Al's bedside, and Ed feels something akin to despair and joy together swelling in his chest, making him choke on his words, his voice a hoarse whisper. ]

Hey, Al. [ not a suit of armor, not a hollow body, no tinny voice. just his brother, his Alphonse, whole and human, for how very little of him rests in the large bed. ]

damn right it does

[armoured]

[Al feels a bone deep sense of joy, a contentment that isn't likely to leave him any time soon. He has his body back, he has his actual body back, and he doesn't even care that it's weak and damaged and pitiful. It's his, and everything else can be fixed in time.

He turns his head on the pillow, marvelling at the sensations just that tiny act sends through him. He feels the fibres of the pillow, soft on his cheek. The muscles of his neck and shoulder ache with the effort of even that minimal movement, a sort of dull pain that thrills him with each throb of discomfort. And even the sight and sound of his brother is different, the timbre and sight of him changed through organic eyes and organic ears.

He smiles, a smile almost too big for his skeletal face.]

Hey.

[There are tears in his eyes, unshed, and his smile stretches somehow further until his cheeks ache.]

We did it, Brother.

[forfeits]

[ it's completely surreal, seeing the way Al's head turns, seeing him here in a hospital room and not trapped between two gates, with Truth always watching. it makes his own eyes burn, even though he promised himself he wouldn't cry.

his brother, in the flesh, so frail and weak on the bed, and Ed is still sure he's dreaming it. how many times did he have this dream at night on their journey, that he'd finally find a way? ]

Yeah... we did, didn't we? [ but he can't stand the tears, no matter how perfectly human they are, no matter that he's not seen Al's tears for years. he reaches up with his hand (one that had been metal but days ago) and touches Al's cheek, wiping any fallen tears away. ]

Somehow. Crazy luck, huh? [ because it's so much easier to joke, to try and laugh about everything behind them. ]

[armoured]

No.

[Al doesn't ever realise it, but he tilts his head into Ed's touch immediately like a flower leaning for the sun. Not even necessarily because it's his brother, but because it's warmth and it's skin touching his skin, which feels utterly electric. He wonders if that feeling will fade, or if he will always feel that sudden shock of amazement when someone touches him from now on.]

It wasn't luck, crazy or otherwise. It was you, brother, just like I always knew it would be. You found a way to bring me back, and you gave up something important for me again, it's...

[He has to stop. His eyes close but tears still leak out, even though he's still smiling.]

Thank you.

i do what i want. also idk, this is a bit fail i'm sorry.

[handtools]

[ as much as Winry enjoys seeing the Elric brothers, their arrival only means days upon days of hard work. it means slaving over metal and welding tools, screws and bolts, oil and sweat, to make sure that when Edward leaves, his arm and leg are in perfect shape.

in fact, she's spent the past three days and nights nearly rebuilding Ed's arm after some accident. the clock in Granny's sitting room chimes three times -- three in the morning -- and Winry can feel a bone-deep weariness beginning to settle through her. she's done. the arm in perfect shape, ready for one more adventure.

but if Ed's arm has come back in this shape, what were the boys doing? she could never have imagined the danger they're putting themselves in. though she's tired to the core, her mind is racing a thousand miles per minute, and she stretches, stepping outside to sit on the lawn, looking up at the dark skin speckled with stars. she'd do anything for either of them, no matte the cost. they deserved that much, at least, didn't they? ]

no sorries yay winry

[armoured]

[Al has almost forgotten what it's like to sleep. It's been five long years since he even had so much as a cat-nap, and it's one of the things that he misses most of all. No, that's not quite accurate. It's not sleep he misses as much as not having to be alone, awake, and isolated most nights.

When he hears the door open and close quietly, he is curious enough to follow and clank out onto the shadowed lawn too.]

Winry? What are you doing out here?

[handtools]

[ she really should get some sleep, but the moment she laid her head down. Edward would be knocking at her door to have the arm properly fitted and they'd be on their way again.

she startles a little when she hears Al's voice and laughs a little. ]

Taking a break, of course. I've been working on your stupid brother's arm for a few days now. What about you, Al? Ed's snoring scare you off?

[armoured]

[He sits down beside her, folding his knees up to his chest in the way that he used to when he was a little boy, still human on the outside as well as the inside.]

You know that he'd probably yell if he heard you accusing him of snoring.

[He tilts his head to look at her, his eyes bright in the darkness.]

Why didn't you go to bed when you were done working? You must be tired.

[OOC: I am sorry for making you wait for my reply. I was unavoidably away.]