IC Inbox

[armoured]

This is the IC inbox for Alphonse Elric at Snowblind.

Network name: @LELRIC

This is the place to contact Al over the Network. Contact by voice, text, or video is all perfectly acceptable, and there is no need to plot with me prior to posting in this inbox.

Comments

[armoured]

And what if you find out that it was?

[He's not saying that it was, odds are good that it wasn't, but what if?]

[motherserpent]

I dunno. Probably throw up a lot?

[armoured]

Miss Tess...

[He hesitates, but this is doing nobody any good.]

You can't dwell on this, we have to keep moving or the town wins. It's okay not to know everything, just promise yourself that if something did happen then you'll do your best not to let it happen again.

[motherserpent]

[It's okay not to know everything. Logically she knows that, logically she agrees. She's always been too curious, though, and for some reason it's harder than ever to let go of that since she woke up in the hospital here.]

...Yeah. Yeah, I know. We gotta just...keep moving, I guess.

[armoured]

It's the only way.

[His voice is a mixture of sympathy and determination.]

We can cry for all that's happened, and demand all the details, after.

[motherserpent]

But what if we never find anyone we can demand them from?

[armoured]

We will.

[He sounds as if he believes it's just that simple.]

You really think nobody would be guarding the way out?

[motherserpent]

No one's been guarding anything else. We never even saw that Robert Miller guy.

[armoured]

But it's the way out, it would ruin all their work if we were to reach it, somebody has to be guarding it.

[motherserpent]

I guess. They've just got all this future stuff to do it for them, though.

[armoured]

And if we get through all of those defences, you really don't think they'd come and try as a last resort? They'd just let us go and destroy all they've built up?

[motherserpent]

I mean, I guess. Or maybe they'd run away or something.

[armoured]

And what if that happens?

Are answers more important than freedom?

[motherserpent]

I don't know, man, you've just--this is getting really existential.

[It should be an easy answer. The rational thing to say is that of course freedom and survival are more important than answers...but that reply sticks in her throat.]

[armoured]

Yeah, maybe. But you still have to think about this sort of thing before it happens, or it might be too late.

[He knows that he's already made peace with his decision.]

[motherserpent]

I don't really think that much about the future. At least...I didn't back home.

[armoured]

Why not?

[His voice has softened, curious and a little sympathetic.]

[motherserpent]

I dunno. I just thought I'd always keep doing what I was doing. Keep hopping from place to place, get by, meet new people, learn new things. I never really wanted more than that.

[armoured]

Sometimes planning for the future is what can give us strength to keep going, so we know we're always moving towards that plan.

[motherserpent]

Yeah, but then you always know where you're going.

[She says this as if the problem with that is self evident.]

[armoured]

Isn't that a good thing?

[Al takes comfort in knowing where he's going, in having a goal to help shape his actions into what they should be.]

[motherserpent]

I...guess...?

[That's a normal person answer, isn't it? She remembers at least sometimes wanting to know what comes next. It just doesn't sit right now.]

Look, I know I've been...kind of weird. I apparently change a lot after the point where my memories leave off. So I don't know. I don't know if it's a good thing for me.

[armoured]

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you're saying, but-- I think change isn't a bad thing. Even if it moves in a bad direction at first, it's still something that helps shape who we are.

[Though perhaps not if memory loss is involved.]

I'm sorry, Brother says I can get too argumentative about this stuff sometimes.

[motherserpent]

No, it's fine. I think it's just...I don't really understand what this future-me was thinking, or if the stuff I was saying was real or not. And I just feel...things don't make as much sense as they used to.

[armoured]

Do you want to try and talk it through?

[He's always willing to listen to anyone.]