(no subject)

[ironysoul]

Adjusting to life in Xing wasn't the most difficult thing Al had ever done. But it wasn't the easiest, either. There had been a very definite "settling in" period. Adjusting to a new culture, a new country. Without money. That had been exciting. But now, he had the backing of two major clans. The Emperor himself. And he was currently the only alchemist in Xing.

At first he hadn't liked it. He wanted to learn Alkahestry, and all the other alkahests wanted to learn was Alchemy. But now that they were settled, he'd found a good balance. Learning and teaching... in fact, he was something of a local celebrity.

But they'd worked it out now. And he really loved Xing. He loved being important, but just another person. Not an Elric. No relation to the Fullmetal Alchemist.

He was browsing in the marketplace, carefully considering fresh fruit and vegetables. They ate in the inn, mostly, but Chimera ate. A lot. And if Al didn't do the shopping, the stuff they ate wasn't very good for them. So here he was, hunting for healthy chimera snacks. And that was when the ruckus began.

Al looked up, shielding his eyes against the desert sun, and squinted at the next stall over. There was a lot of yelling in Xingese, high and fast-paced, and a tiny woman, even shorter than Al, seemed to be going wild.

Comments

[just_edmund]

Edmund was utterly bewildered. One moment he had been on that rickety train, a loud screeching in his ears like the most awful nails on a chalkboard, and the next moment he was in the bright sun of a desert market, being wailed on by a woman with a very scratchy broom, and he hadn't the faintest idea what she was saying and was just covering his head with his hands and protesting in English and Narnian and Calormene and every bits of whatever language he'd learned before, even if none of them were anything like what the shopkeeper was berating him with. Latin? Greek? Scraps of German? None of them seemed right.

The nineteen-year-old was probably a strange sight amongst the market, his classically British features highlighted by pale freckled skin, crimson lips, and wide dark eyes framed in a wild thatch of curls. Oxford had certainly not contributed to any sort of taming of said curls, when plenty of co-eds (and dormmates for that matter) delighted to set them unruly with wayward fingers run through them. Edmund might huff and puff but at the end of the day, he was helpless under a good head rub.

There was a flash of golden hair across the way, but Edmund was too busy throwing evasive hands in front of his face to properly make out the features of the fair-faced youth squinting at him. "I'm telling you, I wasn't stealing!" he tried in English once more, a good proper British accent.

[ironysoul]

A strange sight among the market? That was putting it mildly. Edmund's hair was the right color to blend in, so he wasn't quite as stand-out as Al. But his hair was too curly for him to be from Xing, his skin too pale. His features all wrong.

And he was speaking Amestrian. Which, for plot purposes of this PSL, sounded exactly like British English. Maybe his accent was a little strange, but the words and sounds of home drew Al away from his shopping, curious about the ruckus. About what other foreigners were here, in Xing, this close to him.

Well, whatever was happening, the poor man -- boy, really -- he probably didn't deserve this beating. Al waded through the crowd and pushed his way to the front, reaching for the woman with a gentle touch. His words, speaking the native tongue for now, were soothing and gentle. They'd be nonsense to Edmund. But it seemed to work. It seemed like he was actually calming her down.

Assault paused, at least for the moment, Al turned to the cowering boy, crouching down so they were at the same level.

"Hi." He smiled and held out his hand. "I believe you."

[just_edmund]

There was definitely an angel coming to his aid. The scratch of the broom subsided as a quiet but nonsensical series of syllables filled Edmund's ears, allowing him to blink and glance about. The soothing voice belonged to a veritable angelic being, complete with long golden hair in long waves around his face, golden eyes wide and fixed on the woman who gradually relented from her suspicious glower in Edmund's direction.

Taking his hands away from his face, he peered at the other youth in something like amazement and a great deal like gratitude. "That's...very good of you," Edmund said, with an anxious glance at the hovering shopkeeper. She still had that scratchy broom in tow. "Um...I just got to this place, as a matter of fact. I don't know how, quite. But I think I'd like to get out of here. Can you..."

Beseechingly, he extended a hand to the blond young man before him. "My name's Edmund. I, ah, don't speak this language...?" Or even know what land this is. Help, Al.

[ironysoul]

Angel? No, no. Not an angel. Just an alchemist. Granted, a very cute blond alchemist...

Al was still smiling as he squeezed Edmund's hand, helping him to his feet. Quite a feat, considering the young man had to use a crutch to lever himself up before he could pull Edmund up.

"You said you just got here... Where are you staying? I can take you back to your hotel. And stay around, if you need a translator."

He assumed Edmund had one. 'Dropped through universes at the moment of death' wasn't the way travelers generally arrived in Xing, after all.

[just_edmund]

Angel. A very cute blond angel. Edmund's first assessment was correct.

He accepted Al's help up, although once he was steady on his feet he was quite all right, glancing with intrigue at the sweet-faced young man who had come to his aid. Intrigue, and a bit of sun-dazed wonderment, blinking at the halo that seemed to appear around the figure before him. That was the sun, right?

He was still squeezing Al's hand. It was warm, soft, welcoming. "I'm not...staying...anywhere," Edmund admittedly with a slight blush. "I got here seconds ago. The last thing I remember, I was on a train to Cambridge. And now...here I am. I haven't the faintest idea where to stay, much less a translator. I'm good at learning languages!" he piped in, feeling quite the fool in front of the attractive young man who'd come to his rescue. "Just...I might need a little help learning it. If you did have a few minutes to help me get settled...that'd be lovely."

[ironysoul]

Now now, silly Edmund!

A bit sundazed, at least, registered with Alphonse. As did the fact that there was no train nearby -- certainly not within seconds. As for a place called Cambridge, well. Al didn't know of any. Which didn't mean it didn't exist, but it didn't exist in Xing. Nor Amestris. Which meant it must be somewhere else -- Crete, maybe, or Drachma? but you couldn't take the train from either and arrive in Xing.

Which meant that this young man, whoever he was, must have been wandering in the desert. Long enough to get lost and confused and lose all track of time. No wonder he wasn't making any sense.

"Of course," Al assured him, offering a warm smile. He'd do much more than just take a few minutes out of his day to help the young man. For starters, they should see about getting him out of the sun, and some water. "You can put up with us, I'm sure there's a room available." Or there would be, for Alphonse Elric, friend of the emperor. "Let me take care of things here."

Edmund's sudden arrival had damaged the woman's cart, broken the spokes of one of the wheels. That was why she was so angry, and why she'd started to lay into him. A few murmured words in the native tongue, a clap of his hands, and -- good as new!

Al gave a courteous bow to the lady and received one in return. All tempers soothed, he slipped an arm through Edmund's.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here before she thinks too hard about letting you go. Are you able to walk?"

He hadn't even introduced himself yet! What was he thinking? "Oh... I'm Alphonse. You should at least know my name before you wander off with me."

[just_edmund]

Edmund was heartened by the young man's generosity, considering they'd just met and already he was offering him a place to stay. And that warm smile...ah, what a lucky acquaintance he'd struck up! The youth even made things right with the woman tending the booth (Edmund had kept a weather eye on that broom of hers; it packed a mean wallop), and he watched in amazement as the wheel turned good as new with just a clap of the blond's hands. Magic, surely.

"Thank you," Edmund said very sincerely as he linked arms with Alphonse and smiled back gratefully. "For helping me and...well, you're very kind, Alphonse. Name or no name, I think I'm in good hands wandering off with you." There was nothing but kindness in those open features, which could of course be a very convincing front, but Edmund didn't have any reason not to trust him for now.

He peered around the market as they began to set off together. "Where am I, by the way? I've never seen anywhere like this before. It reminds me of Calormen, just a bit, but if that's really where we are, it must be a far-off territory, for this is nothing very much like Tashbaan." Edmund was taking in all the sights and sounds of the Xing native tongue and buildings around them, the local dress, every little clue that was so foreign to him.

[ironysoul]

Not magic. Science.

Calormen, Tashbaan... more places Al has never heard of. He knew he was a little bit of an open book, and so he tried to mask the concern that brought him. It didn't help much. His eyes and expression were grave.

"You're in Xing, in the lands and under the protection of the Chang clan," he said finally. There was much more to it then that, but he wanted to get Edmund settled first. Maybe after he drank and ate, he would regain some of his senses, and be able to tell Al where he had come from. There was no sense in upsetting him before they got that far, at least.

"You must be hungry and very tired. I'll order up to the room, and then we can talk."

[just_edmund]

Uh-oh, Al was looking at him like he'd sprouted two heads. All right then, definitely not Calormen or anywhere near Narnia. Promise, Al, he's not crazy! Edmund filed away the new information and names - Xing, Chang - and nodded to show he understood even if those names meant nothing to him. He squeezed Al's arm gratefully and glanced over at the fair-featured young man.

"That's terribly good of you, Alphonse. You're very kind to a lost stranger. I don't feel all that tired, but I'll never turn down a meal. Lead the way and I'll follow." Now that he was getting his bearings again, it was all starting to seem like a great lark. He was in a different world - again! A new place to explore, with magic to boot, and a sweet, kind, handsome kissable-lipped thoughtful friend to show him around.

"So what is it that you do here? I couldn't help but notice that trick with the cart back there...are you some sort of magician?" He hoped the question wasn't rude. The last thing he wanted was to offend his lovely new companion.

[ironysoul]

Maybe Al should have been more careful about extending the Chang clan's protection. After all, it wasn't like he was technically a member of the clan. But he didn't think May would mind.

At Edmund's crack about not turning down a free meal, Al gave a soft smile. Why were the handsome travellers always starving? "As long as you don't end up being an emperor or something," he said good-naturedly. It wasn't meant to have much meaning to Edmund. It was a private joke, one he probably shouldn't even have cracked in Xing, but it made him smile. It reminded him of home. His brother would have liked it.

Unfortunately for Edmund, kissing was the furthest thing from Al's mind as he got his new friend settled into their room in the inn. "It was alchemy." Honestly. Magician. "I'm an alchemist. And an aklahest although, truly, I'm just beginning my studies there."

He watched carefully. If Edmund reacted to either term, it would give Al an idea of where the boy came from.

[just_edmund]

Edmund's eyebrows went up for a moment at the joke, before he remembered to relax and grin and just act like a normal Oxford boy, nothing special. It wasn't hard around Al; he just had to keep reminding himself that he'd just met the fellow, no matter how likable and honest the other young man seemed. (Very likable, in fact...)

"Nothing quite so grand," he joked back. A King was a step below an Emperor, after all. And Peter was the one with the title of Emperor of the Lone Islands. "I'm sure whatever hospitality you provide will be lovely, Alphonse." Edmund gave him an almost shy smile in return for that soft one of Al's. He was so pretty when he smiled...

What a shame Al had not a trace of kissing on the mind.

"Alchemy?" Diverted from thoughts of kissing Al, Edmund furrowed his brows and looked quizzically at the other young man. "What does gold have to do with what you did back there? Or any other chemicals, for that matter? And 'alkahest' just means you know how to do the opposite, right? Dissolve whatever you just built?"

He knew just enough to be puzzled by Al's brief explanation, and he had the feeling he should sit down for whatever further one was coming. Handy, that the bed was right there...

[ironysoul]

Good. Divert from those thoughts, Edmund! Clearly, you are very affected by everything that's happened and a tiny bit delusional. It's okay, it happens to everyone who gets lost in the desert for weeks and weeks. Al couldn't help noticing just how pale Edmund was, though. He didn't look sunburnt or parched at all!

First things first, he attended to their food. It should be up soon, with lots of water and a fresh pot of tea. Al was a little sick of tea but it was rude to refuse.

His eyebrows drew down at that rather befuddled explanation of alchemy. And alkahestry. What sort of education had this oy had?

"Not exactly." He sat across from Edmund, lowering himself down with great care. He knew he moved more like an eighty year old man than a boy his age, and seeing just how graceful Edmund was only made it more obvious. "Breaking things down, that's a part of alchemy. And turning lead into gold, or anything into gold, that's possible, but it's illegal. Alchemy isn't a silly trick like that, it's just transference of matter. Alchemy is the science that makes it happen faster, that's all."

[just_edmund]

The crutches, the stiffness...Edmund wondered if Al had had polio or something similar, but he thought it too rude to ask, at least right away. But sitting seemed a good idea anyways, in case the walk from the market had tired him. For his part, having come right off the train in England, Edmund felt fresh as a daisy, if in need of a good cup of tea and he certainly wouldn't refuse a round of food.

He listened closely to Al's explanation, putting it together with what he already knew and processing the new information. "Science, hmm? It must be a pretty remarkable knowledge of it, to be able to transform matter. And you're one of the practitioners of this science? How did you end up here?" Edmund gestured around at the rather nice surroundings, where it was clear Al didn't go without. If alchemy really was like what Al had done at the market...was such a skill in high demand, or could most people in this land do that too? Xing, Al had called it...

Not magic. But such advances were so far beyond the science of his day, it might as well be magical. Edmund's eyes were lighting up with the possibilities. Maybe even he could...

[ironysoul]

Polio. Or something like that.

"I'm an alchemist, yes." One of the best. But Al was too modest to bring that up. He flashed Edmund a small, encouraging smile. This was better, Edmund was talking sense. Maybe he was cooling down?

(Soon Al was going to have to acknowledge that Edmund showed absolutely no symptoms of dehydration or heat stroke.)

"You need to know the molecular composition of an item, at least roughly. And then you can reshape it into whatever you want, by channeling tectonic energy through a matrix. That's how I fixed the cart. But alkahestry is different. It's like a type of alchemy, but for healing. I came to Xing to study it."

He glanced at Edmund hesitantly.

"I know I'm still learning. But if you'd let me examine you--" not like that, Edmund-- "maybe I'd get a better idea of how exactly you ended up here. I do promise it won't hurt."

[just_edmund]

There was that smile again. Beautiful. Edmund gave it right back and thought to himself how lucky he'd been to get an accomplished alchemist (no matter how modest Al might be, Edmund was going to assume he was quite good) to take him under his wing for however long his stay might be in this land. Not only accomplished, but kind, thoughtful, attractive...

Whoops. Back to those thoughts. Edmund was still paying close attention to Al's first lecture, and musing to himself that it was something he'd very much like to learn if he could, but he couldn't deny there was something there on his end too. Something special. Something not so dissimilar to heat stroke.

The offer brought a slight colour to his cheeks, highlighting the pale skin with blooms of red. He'd already trusted Al with so much, why not this? And if it gave Al a reason to touch him...Edmund dimpled at him and gave a nod, turning slightly on the bed to face the other man head-on. His hands were already going to the buttons of his shirt. "Go ahead, I'm ready. Do you need me to remove this?"

Totally took it that way, Al.

[ironysoul]

Lucky for Edmund, Al smiled easily and frequently. Especially in the company of friends, and Edmund could be a friend. Couldn't he? (And yes, Edmund. The way things had fallen out, it was very possible that Edmund was the best or second-best Alchemist living. Oh, he knew that Izumi and Dr. Marcoh were incredible alchemists, Colonel Mustang as well, but could any of them really compare to the Elric brothers?

Elric brother, now.)

When he realized what Edmund was doing Al turned a charming shade of pink, laughing and reaching out to stop Edmund. His hands fluttered over Edmund's, preventing him from unbuttoning any further. "No, no! I don't need you too -- I just -- here."

He wrapped his fingers around Edmund's palm, drawing his hand closer and cradling it in both of his own. All he needed was to sense the chi running through Edmund's body.

This time there was no crackle of electricity. Healing alkahestry was a much subtler art. But Edmund would feel it, a slight tingle through his body, leaving him even more refreshed and nourished.

It made no sense. His body was in perfect shape!

[just_edmund]

Realizing his mistake, Edmund flushed pink all over. (Hey look, now they match!) "Oh! Well then..."

(Maybe next time.)

He gave his hand to Al readily, glad of that touch if nothing else. Al might not feel any electricity there, but Edmund felt a little jolt of warmth just from having his hand surrounded by both of Al's. The flush didn't go away. Well, if there was any question that he had 'chemistry' with the alchemist...

And that was before Al even sent that warming tingle of something more forceful than mere attraction through his body. Edmund shivered at the pleasant sensation, the warmth of it like sinking into a hot bath or - yes, unavoidably - having great sex. He blinked at Al, more intrigued than ever.

(His body was in perfect shape, eh? Well, he did play rugby on the weekends, and got in a run and a swim whenever he could...oh wait, that wasn't what Al meant.)

"That...was alkahestry? What did you find?" Edmund was curious, leaning in towards Al, still clinging to Al's hand with his own. He didn't expect Al would find anything wrong with him, but maybe he'd found something else? (Could he tell if someone had an aptitude for this sort of thing?)

[ironysoul]

Al's very pretty face pulled was pulled into a confused frown. If it weren't adorable the way his whole nose and forehead wrinkled up, it might be concerning.

"Nothing." And he was incredibly put out by the fact. Well, you didn't get to be the best alchemist in a generation without being a little hard on yourself -- and without coming to accept a lot from yourself, too. When his skills failed him it was very much, in Al's mind, because he, himself, was failing. And that was just -- that was unacceptable.

"You're completely healthy. There's no signs of -- of anything."

But there had to be. There was no real way to get to Xing without a long and strenuous journey, at least, not from anywhere where people looked like Edmund looked. And there were no trains here at all. So how was anything Edmund was saying possible?

"If you don't mind -- I'm sorry, I'm still learning this. Maybe my teacher should look at you. She might have a better idea of what's going on."

Al was sure May would help, if he asked her to.

[just_edmund]

Edmund blinked at the expression Al was staring at him with. Was what he'd found that alarming? But - nothing, eh? Well, completely healthy was good, wasn't it? And he was a fairly good specimen of British young men, with a clean bill of health and well enough to have enlisted if the war hadn't ended before he'd come of age.

Was Al - disappointed somehow? He certainly looked a bit like that. Edmund cocked a curious glance at him. "All right? I don't mind, if that's what you think best. But maybe we should have a bite to eat first."

And sure enough, a few seconds later there was a knock at the door with room service, or at least that's what Edmund called it, and he blushed again at Al having to be the one to pay any possible expense there. "I'm sorry to impose upon you so," he said, reaching out his free hand to squeeze Al around the elbow as they carried their plates in. "I'll be looking for a way home, but in the meantime I'd like to look for work here if I'm to stay for a while. Is there - anything I can do in the meantime? Anything I can help with?"

(That food sure did smell good...)

[ironysoul]

That, at least, Al waved away with a bright smile and good nature. He really didn't mind the expense, and he shouldn't have said anything to make Edmund think that he had. Even as a joke! Besides, he was just going to stick Ling with the bill later, see how he liked it.

He was still preoccupied, a little, as he set down his share of the plates on the small table in the room, resuming his seat and nudging most of the food toward Edmund. There was fruit juice, too, some sort of sweet-tart-red syrup that Al poured them each a glass of over ice. Very refreshing when you were out wandering the desert -- which apparently, Edmund wasn't! Brood, brood brood.

"Please don't worry yourself. It's no trouble at all, and we'll figure out how to get you home very soon, I'm sure."

Wherever home was...

[just_edmund]

Edmund needed no further invitation to sit down and tuck in. Maybe he hadn't been wandering in the desert for weeks, but he had the appetite of a healthy 18-year-old young man and there was certainly nothing at all the matter with his stomach. He ate with a gusto, although never forgetting his company manners - the napkin went in his lap, the elbows stayed off the table, and everything about him showed he'd been well-brought-up.

As he ate, he sneaked peeks at that bright smile that had so caught his eye in the first place. Edmund couldn't help smiling back between bites. "Thanks, Alphonse. You're a brick." He tried some of the juice Al had poured - ice! what luxury! - and found it just as delicious as it looked in the tall glass. "While we eat, could you tell me more about this place? I have the feeling it might take a while to figure out the way back home, so I might as well learn as much as I can about what life's like here."

Truth be told, the prospect of getting to stay with Al and spend some more time with him - and in such close quarters - was making Edmund rather reconciled to the idea of living in Xing for a little while. As nice as his new host was, he was sure Al would take care of him for as long as he was here, and meanwhile he'd get a bit of an adventure in a new world. Sure, it wasn't Narnia, but it was still exciting to be taken to a whole new land and discover what was there.

[ironysoul]

Always with the ravenously hungry kings. Al rolled his eyes, but with a bright smile that took the sting out of it as he nudged more of the food over toward Edmund. Something that, maybe, he shouldn't be quite so eager to do, since underneath that bright smile, he does look a little, well, scrawny.

"A... brick?" Al blinked wide, pumpkin-colored eyes at Edmund. He'd never heard that particular slang before. But it sounded positive, so -- have a bit of a shy, uncertain smile. Nothing like the bright look he'd sported earlier. It wasn't that Al's charm was false or manufactured at all. But this one had an air of intimacy that was definitely missing from the other.

But he quickly redirected himself to Edmund's request, completely unaware of the underlying feelings that spurred it. Since Edmund didn't seem rooted in the world at all, what better way to start than with a map? Al grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil, scooting over to sit beside Edmund. He started with a rough circle. "This is Amestris, the country I'm from." Suspiciously round, for a country. "And then there's the Eastern Desert, here, with the ruins of Xerxes. And then Xing, where we are now." He roughly outlined the country -- definitely not as circular as Amestris -- and began dividing it up. "There are fifty clans in Xing, all constantly vying for the emperor's favor. This area is controlled by the Chang clan."

[just_edmund]

Edmund gave him a raised eyebrow at the food nudged his way. "Aren't you going to join me, Alphonse? You look like you could use a bite. Not," he clarified with a slight blush at how his words might sound rude, "that there's anything wrong with the way you look, I don't think so, at least. You'd be the dote of the co-eds at Oxford." And some of the men, too, Edmund included...

Still flushed, he gave a nod and a grin between mouthfuls. "A brick. A swell fellow, you know. One you can really count on. I think you're one, anyways." Stop while you're ahead, Ed.

Thankfully, Al was already showing him the layout of the country and its surrounding areas. Edmund scooted closer, till their shoulders were just brushing, and studied the map Al was drawing very carefully, instantly committing all of the drawings and information to memory. "Ah, Xing sounds a great deal like Calormen," he said with a nod. "So many territories and vying clans, all controlled by a single emperor. So...if you're from Amestris, how did you end up in Xing?" He turned the question on Al, peering up at him curiously. Certainly Al looked very different from the locals, as different as Edmund did from the Calormenes when he'd been in Tashbaan.

[ironysoul]

Apparently he was both a brick and the dote of the co-eds at Oxford. Al's color matched Edmund's, right up to the tip of his ears, and beneath the table his toes were scuffing the floor. Other people had said similar things, ever since he'd gotten his body back. He'd heard from almost everyone how handsome he looked. But he didn't understand it. He'd been without a body for so long that he was just glad to smell and taste and hear things.

Gratefully, he seized on the map again. Distraction! Thanks for asking questions, Edmund.

"Uhm, well. My teacher, May -- she came to visit Amestris, and when she came home, I followed her so that I could learn Alkahestry. My friends -- Zampano and Jerso, you'll meet them soon -- they're sick." Not exactly, but it was easier than explaining the truth. Not his secret to reveal. "I promised to help them. And I need to learn Alkahestry if I'm going to!" Jerso and Zampano had stayed by his side as he fought to fix his body. He couldn't do any less for them!

[just_edmund]

Anytime, Al. Anything to distract from the way Edmund had thoroughly embarrassed himself with how ridiculously cute he found his new host. Maps, yes, maps were good. He considered the sketch and where this Amestris was compared with Xing, along with all the names Al had just rattled off. The short version was just fine for now. He knew things could get a little complicated, especially with the way this magic - no, alchemy and alkahestry - business worked.

He smiled slightly and put his hand reassuringly on Al's wrist. "I'm sure you will, in time. You're a smart fellow, and you don't give up easily, do you? Those two traits together bode well for your friends. I look forward to meeting them."

His lunch was nearly all gone by now; Edmund had been hungrier than he'd realized, and nudged the remaining food on Al's plate (he'd left most of it) back over to the other. "Now, I don't want to wear you out or anything, but on your next day, do you think we could do a bit of exploring around town? You could show me your university and anywhere else you like to go. It's one of the best things about traveling - all the new places to explore." Edmund's dark eyes danced a little.