Al rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to focus on Edmund's words, and not the comfortable, companionable weight on his knee. Not even his brother and Winry touched him quite so casually, but... everyone he knew saw the small, frail boy who'd come back from the gate. Poor replacement for the invulnerable armor or even the robust youth he'd been. It was so nice to be treated like this. Normally. By someone who'd never seen him like that.
"I guess it's both, really. You never see the gate in alchemy. I only know of 5 alchemists who've seen it at all, actually, though there are a few more who know and understand the concept. Our teacher --" Thinking of Izumi, Al stopped, and straightened up. "Actually, our teacher didn't even tell us, even though she discovered the Gate before we ever did. She'd kick me for even starting here. You need to start with basic alchemy, even if you're only going to be a believable student!"
Al nodded, decisively, and reached for one of the books they'd taken. "I don't really have an island, but I guess showing up in a strange land --" for whatever reason -- "is trial enough. First you need to read this, and learn about the laws of equivalent exchange. And you need to solve a riddle."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-08-17 06:56 pm (UTC)"I guess it's both, really. You never see the gate in alchemy. I only know of 5 alchemists who've seen it at all, actually, though there are a few more who know and understand the concept. Our teacher --" Thinking of Izumi, Al stopped, and straightened up. "Actually, our teacher didn't even tell us, even though she discovered the Gate before we ever did. She'd kick me for even starting here. You need to start with basic alchemy, even if you're only going to be a believable student!"
Al nodded, decisively, and reached for one of the books they'd taken. "I don't really have an island, but I guess showing up in a strange land --" for whatever reason -- "is trial enough. First you need to read this, and learn about the laws of equivalent exchange. And you need to solve a riddle."