Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the wood.

[garbagechild]

Who: Alphonse Elric, Envy, Greed, and Wrath.
Where: An ill-fated bakery. All around Goldenrod. The freakin' basement.
When: August 11th onwards! This is a catch-all.
Summary: The world has been pretty good to the various monsters and serial killers hailing from Amestris, but one particular villainous wild child has yet to be rehabilitated.
Rating: PG-13 for talk of abuse, manipulation, brainwashing, all that good stuff.
Log:

Continued from here.

Comments

[armoredsoul]

[This is an Al.]

[He is in Shark House.]

[Have fun.]







[I'm very tired.]

SOME MORNING

[exeggutorhead]

[After yet another night of Not Really Sleeping, when Envy staggers downstairs in the morning he just wants to have some damn stupidly-sugary cereal. And surprise, when he opens up the cabinet, there's actually a box of his favorite kind! He doesn't remember getting it, but maybe Greed had gone to the store and picked it up.]

[MAKIN' HIMSELF A BOWL OF THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW.]

[armoredsoul]

[Alphonse hasn't really been sleeping well either, so when he shuffles his way into the kitchen and sees Envy serving himself Al's cereal, he's obviously more than a little grumpy about it.]

Excuse you. That's mine.

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy looks up and scowls when Al comes in, then takes a big bite.]

It was in with everything else. I can have it if I want.

[also how dare you like his favorite kind of cereal Al he clearly saw it first]

[armoredsoul]

No you can't, I bought it!

[He stomps forward and reaches to snatch the bowl of cereal away from Envy. It is way too early for him to be even remotely an adult here.] Give it!

[exeggutorhead]

Hey!

[Envy steps back, holding the bowl up over his head to keep it away from Al.]

What're you going to even do with it?!

[armoredsoul]

That's none of your business!

[Dump it on Envy's stupid tree head, probably.]

[Al jumps to try and get at it, cursing the two inches Envy has on him. Damnit, growth spurt, kick in already!]

Give it!

[exeggutorhead]

I'm already eating it!

[Al might not even have to, if they keep fighting over it like this. Envy just keeps backing up, dodging his arms around. The milk is sloshing dangerously, and he hadn't gotten to eat that much of it, so the bowl is still mostly full.]

[armoredsoul]

Not anymore you're not!

[Al jumps and swipes for the bowl, teeth gritting as he considers the merits of just. Pushing Envy over and letting nature take it's course. But then the bowl would break and Greed would get mad at them both.]

[...almost worth it, but not quite.]

[exeggutorhead]

[That swipe might not have been the best idea. Because it makes Envy jerk the bowl to the side suddenly enough that the contents finally DO slosh right over the side and down onto both of their heads.]

[Envy lets out a shout.]

NOW look what you did! What the hell?!

[armoredsoul]

AGH!

[Al yelps and stumbles back, wiping milk and cereal off his face before glaring at Envy with balled-up fists.]

You stole it first, it serves you right!

[exeggutorhead]

Envy moves to put the bowl on the table so it doesn't spill all over him even MORE, swiping his free hand to get it all out of his eyes at least.]

I didn't steal it, YOU left it in with everyone else's food!

[He flicks his arms to get more of the milk off, making a point to flick it in the direction of Al's face.]

[armoredsoul]

[RUDE. Al flinches back from the spray and gives Envy a mighty scowl.]

Yeah, and I put my name on it so people would know!

SOME EVENING

[exeggutorhead]

[Edmund has been hiding from the young man that's taken up residence in the office. The stranger does seem friendly, but...Edmund is very shy. And he's well aware that the boy doesn't get along with Envy. He doesn't want to cause any trouble!]

[But one evening he catches sight of him reading a book, one that Edmund doesn't recognize, and he can't help going over to look. He's carrying his little notepad and pencil that he uses to communicate with the humans of the household.]

[The little ghost floats up behind Al's shoulder and gives it a little tap.]

Ya...?

[armoredsoul]

Hm?

[Al blinks and looks up from the book, perfectly calm until he catches sight of just what has come over to say hello.]

Gah!!

[At which point he yelps and jumps off the couch away from poor Edmund, mostly on reflex. He knows they rarely ever mean any harm, but GOSH do ghost-types ever wig him right out.]

[exeggutorhead]

[Edmund lets out a high-pitched startled cry, covering his face with his arms and zooming down to hide behind the back of the couch.]

[HE'S JUST AS SCARED OF YOU AS YOU ARE OF HIM, AL.]

[armoredsoul]

[OKAY DEEP...BREATHS...HE'S OKAY, GOT ALL OF HIS LIMBS AND EVERYTHING.]

[It takes a bit before Al tentatively sets the book down and leans over the couch to peek at the poor little Pokemon curiously. u ok buddy?]

[exeggutorhead]

[Edmund is hovering about halfway down the back of the couch, wringing his 'hands'. Oh no, oh he'd scared the poor child, he hadn't thought that he might be frightened of ghosts...]

[He startles when Al peers over at him, and then quickly scribbles out a message on his notepad and holds it up for Al to read.]

I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you!

[armoredsoul]

[Al blinks in surprise when Edmund starts scribbling in so neat and clear of text; he knows very well that Pokemon can learn to write and even speak, but it still throws him off to actually see it.]

[He manages a small grin and shakes his head, already warming to the little ghost.] It's okay, I just wasn't expecting you to be right there! Did you need something?

[exeggutorhead]

[Edmund nods, looking more shy now that he's being directly spoken to.]

I just saw that you had a book I haven't seen before. I wanted to know what it was about.

[armoredsoul]

Oh! I just found it today, actually. It's about a boy who winds up part of a group of trainers helping to protect a forest where a special Pokemon lives. It's pretty good so far.

[exeggutorhead]

[Slowly, Edmund floats up to be almost 'sitting' on the back of the couch, instead of hiding behind it. He still looks shy, but not terrified.]

If you are here long enough to finish it, do you think you could lend it to me?

[armoredsoul]

[Another surprise! But Al smiles and nods easily.]

Of course! I don't see my stay here ending anytime soon, so it's no problem at all!

[exeggutorhead]

[Scribble scribble scribble. Edmund doesn't really have a mouth, but he's still clearly beaming at Al. What a polite young man!]

Why thank you. I used to be a librarian, so I always enjoy finding a good new book.

[armoredsoul]

[Al blinks a few times reading that, making a puzzled frown when he looks back up at Edmund.]

You were a librarian?