![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
OOM: An Alchemist's Anguish
May. 1st, 2018 10:02 pm"Lieutenant Breda," Hawkeye says, offering him some paperwork across the desk where they both are seated with the rest of Mustang's team at Eastern Command. Breda stands and accepts the ream of papers.
"Right. Sheesh, the colonel is letting his work pile up again, huh?" Breda complains. He sits down, placing the paperwork on the desk, and turns to his companion seated to his left. "Hey, Havoc, give me a hand with half of this, would you?"
"I've already got my hands full over here," Havoc whines. "Let's see, who is this?" He points to the papers, and the picture of a mustached man.
"Lieutenant Yoki," Breda says.
Falman, a gray-haired man, speaks up. "He's the crook who was lining his own pockets with the Youswell coal mine concessions. The Elric brothers exposed his misdeeds, and he's currently on the run."
Hawkeye ignores the banter. "Master Sergeant Fuery, how is the radio coming?"
"The receiver has had it," Fuery reports. "I'll have to change out the part."
Edward Elric surprises him by clapping his hands together and touching the radio, fixing it with alchemy.
"Oh! Edward! Alphonse!" Fuery says, greeting the brothers.
"Welcome back, you two," Hawkeye says, inclining her head very slightly. "The colonel is expecting you."
Edward does not look pleased.
***
Two years ago, the Sewing-Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker, created a chimera--a beast made by "marrying" two or more dissimilar beings into a new, complete form displaying attributes of both--capable of human speech. The chimera simply said, "Let me die," and refused to eat until it perished. This netted Tucker his state certification. To keep it, he transmuted a second chimera.
Edward and Alphonse exposed Tucker as using his daughter and dog to create the second chimera, and his wife as a component in the first. Now, the two brothers sit in the rain on the steps of the Tucker estate, hopeless and despondent, as they were friends with Tucker's daughter, Nina.
Tucker explains this through a busted jaw which neither Hawkeye nor Mustang ask about. The Sewing-Life Alchemist is euphoric, his voice soft and reasonable-sounding, despite the insane content of his words.
With Mustang, Hawkeye examines the chimera. It's white, with long, red hair, four legs, and a thick muzzle. Hawkeye can see remnants of the five-year-old girl in it.
And it can speak.
"Daddy," the girl-turned-monster says, in a voice too thick for her age. She nuzzles Tucker's hand--bloody from wiping his nose--with her muzzle. "Daddy."
"If there was ever an act of the devil in this world, this case would definitely have to be it," Hawkeye whispers, her voice clogged with unshed tears. She knows how to make her face a mask and keep her tone flat; she's sure only Mustang can hear the emotion threaded through her words.
"The devil, huh?" Mustang says, with a grim twist to his lips that Hawkeye can hear.
Hawkeye follows him out of the home, descending the rainy steps and listening to him continue to speak. "Then again, State Alchemists must be willing to act, and not refuse when ordered to take another's life. As far as dealing with others' lives, Mr. Tucker's actions and our own positions are not that far apart."
He pauses in his descent next to Edward. "And we chose this path knowing that full well. Isn't that right, Fullmetal?"
Edward doesn't answer.
"You'll probably come across cases like this later on," Mustang says, his hands in the pockets of his black coat. "You may have to get your own hands dirty as well. Are you going to come to standstill every time this happens?"
Edward wraps his arms around himself. "Whether we get called Dogs of the Military or cursed as devils, Al and I are going to get our bodies back."
Mustang and Hawkeye watch him. He continues.
"But we're not devils, let alone gods," Edward says, standing up. "We're human." He raises his head and screams, "We're human!"
Hawkeye and Mustang continue down the steps, saying nothing. The rain falls upon all their heads and washes away Edward's tears.
The next thing he says breaks Hawkeye's heart.
"We can't even save one little girl. We're just insignificant humans."
"Right. Sheesh, the colonel is letting his work pile up again, huh?" Breda complains. He sits down, placing the paperwork on the desk, and turns to his companion seated to his left. "Hey, Havoc, give me a hand with half of this, would you?"
"I've already got my hands full over here," Havoc whines. "Let's see, who is this?" He points to the papers, and the picture of a mustached man.
"Lieutenant Yoki," Breda says.
Falman, a gray-haired man, speaks up. "He's the crook who was lining his own pockets with the Youswell coal mine concessions. The Elric brothers exposed his misdeeds, and he's currently on the run."
Hawkeye ignores the banter. "Master Sergeant Fuery, how is the radio coming?"
"The receiver has had it," Fuery reports. "I'll have to change out the part."
Edward Elric surprises him by clapping his hands together and touching the radio, fixing it with alchemy.
"Oh! Edward! Alphonse!" Fuery says, greeting the brothers.
"Welcome back, you two," Hawkeye says, inclining her head very slightly. "The colonel is expecting you."
Edward does not look pleased.
***
Two years ago, the Sewing-Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker, created a chimera--a beast made by "marrying" two or more dissimilar beings into a new, complete form displaying attributes of both--capable of human speech. The chimera simply said, "Let me die," and refused to eat until it perished. This netted Tucker his state certification. To keep it, he transmuted a second chimera.
Edward and Alphonse exposed Tucker as using his daughter and dog to create the second chimera, and his wife as a component in the first. Now, the two brothers sit in the rain on the steps of the Tucker estate, hopeless and despondent, as they were friends with Tucker's daughter, Nina.
Tucker explains this through a busted jaw which neither Hawkeye nor Mustang ask about. The Sewing-Life Alchemist is euphoric, his voice soft and reasonable-sounding, despite the insane content of his words.
With Mustang, Hawkeye examines the chimera. It's white, with long, red hair, four legs, and a thick muzzle. Hawkeye can see remnants of the five-year-old girl in it.
And it can speak.
"Daddy," the girl-turned-monster says, in a voice too thick for her age. She nuzzles Tucker's hand--bloody from wiping his nose--with her muzzle. "Daddy."
"If there was ever an act of the devil in this world, this case would definitely have to be it," Hawkeye whispers, her voice clogged with unshed tears. She knows how to make her face a mask and keep her tone flat; she's sure only Mustang can hear the emotion threaded through her words.
"The devil, huh?" Mustang says, with a grim twist to his lips that Hawkeye can hear.
Hawkeye follows him out of the home, descending the rainy steps and listening to him continue to speak. "Then again, State Alchemists must be willing to act, and not refuse when ordered to take another's life. As far as dealing with others' lives, Mr. Tucker's actions and our own positions are not that far apart."
He pauses in his descent next to Edward. "And we chose this path knowing that full well. Isn't that right, Fullmetal?"
Edward doesn't answer.
"You'll probably come across cases like this later on," Mustang says, his hands in the pockets of his black coat. "You may have to get your own hands dirty as well. Are you going to come to standstill every time this happens?"
Edward wraps his arms around himself. "Whether we get called Dogs of the Military or cursed as devils, Al and I are going to get our bodies back."
Mustang and Hawkeye watch him. He continues.
"But we're not devils, let alone gods," Edward says, standing up. "We're human." He raises his head and screams, "We're human!"
Hawkeye and Mustang continue down the steps, saying nothing. The rain falls upon all their heads and washes away Edward's tears.
The next thing he says breaks Hawkeye's heart.
"We can't even save one little girl. We're just insignificant humans."
