Edward Elric

Every day for months, at the same window was the white haired kid, feeding that bird. Ed had never really noticed him before that, but he stuck out a bit cooing over a tiny gold finch every morning - white hair, one long scar down his face and standing, for the most part alone. Edward really wouldn't have even noticed him except that a small crowd had gathered one day while he was trying to get by, and the boy was there every day after that, doing the same thing. Even if he was doing it alone, now.

He waited for the finch to fly off again before approaching. Taking note of the kid's disheveled look and hoping he hadn't realized Ed had been watching him for a bit. Although curiosity was in his nature and there wasn't much going on at this time of the morning, he didn't want to seem like he had nothing better to do than watch some kid feed a bird. Offering the kid a friendly smile, he kept his tone casual - one hand holding the strap of the bag he kept his books in, the other jammed deep into a pocket. "They let you keep a bird here?"

Another year.

It's so easy to forget how different things are here, sometimes.






..... What a time to lose a mechanic.

I knew it was only a matter of time...

Teacher too.


Does anyone stop to think that maybe we don't really get out of here and continue our lives, uninterrupted? If there are so many different worlds we all come from, and different versions of the same people- how can anyone say that we'll just go home eventually and finish our own lives?

Maybe we're just a lot like the version that does continue our life.


What if those of us that have been here this long... Aren't ever going to leave?




At least it isn't that way for him.

This better have more to do with whatever strange things are going on, and less to do with her actually being here.

I thought I heard-

I think the tree outside keeps hitting the house. It didn't seem windy enough for that when I was outside, but I keep hearing it...


Maybe this has something to do with what everyone else was talking about.






It's been another year. I might lose track of how old I actually am, if I stay here much longer.

Hey, Lyle.

I know you don't remember much about the last time you were here, but it's kind of important I ask this. You remember fixing a toilet, for the Upper Level headquarters of Celestial Being?

I need your help with something, think you can meet me at the General Store - as soon as possible?

Change of plans.

If anyone needs anything from the General Store, talk to Al. Wrath, you can just stay with him until I get back, okay?


I'm going to be busy at the Riget for awhile.

Well, that was ... Interesting. I can't say I don't miss some of the people that showed up here - but they're home now, where they belong, so I'm not going to complain. It was nice seeing them all again, anyway.

I wish I could have helped MakubeX at least, before it all came to an end. It's too bad that some people who want to be here can't, while others... Are stuck here for so long. At least all of the damn glitter is gone.

[private to Lyle]

Lyle, I'm ... almost tempted to ask if you somehow managed to sleep with the female me in the three days she was here. Not that I'd want to know.... but, even that wouldn't explain it.

[/end private]


I- ... am not even going to try to understand a lot of what happened, this place never makes any sense, so why try and rationalize any of it, now? I should know better, I've been here long enough.

And I did take the time to talk to a few of the other... versions of me, running around. The one that actually- was sort of me, especially. It's funny, the things he doesn't really remember... I don't ever want to forget the friends I've made here. Lime, Trunks, Claire, Baby Ribbons.... If he doesn't remember them, does that mean I won't either, when I do leave? After Al's fixed and everything else, do I really... wind up on another completely different world that only slightly resembles this place? Some ... alternate future? I don't even get to stay in Germany with Al, after everything? He said Wrath was there too... but not Al, Al wasn't even here when he left-

That's without even getting into ... The one on his way to Briggs when he showed up here. He must have been the one that the General knew, before she arrived here. Or someone from a similar universe, anyway...

It really does prove that you never know what to expect in this place, doesn't it?

I didn't really get a chance to talk to Edna, either. She found another way to fix things, and now I'll never know what it was, will I?

[ooc: strikes unhackable, visible to Al if you want, Kaji.]

[ooc: This is totally back-dated to the 14th, when I had no internet. I'll be changing the date eventually because I'm anal like that, but for now I'm leaving it as is.]

Charlie's been gone for some time now, and Wrath wasn't in his room when I came home last night... I know he hasn't been right since- ... Well, I can't say I blame him. At least he's with Teacher, now - that's where he wanted to be, when he first came here.

Winry has access to the Upper Level, at least. We should move back up before the end of the month. I still have to clean out Nina's room.... She can stay in mine, for now.


[Private//Relatively hackable.]

This place really doesn't discriminate with who comes and goes - why are we really even here?

And if the General that showed up here is Armstrong's sister... Was she helping Mustang overthrow the Fuhrer? The way she mentioned the soldiers, and securing the area... It sounded like a lot of people were involved. But, none of this makes any sense - what she said, what Wrath and Al told me...

How did someone make an army of undead soldiers? What for- what's the point? They don't sound like homunculi, but what else could they be? Those soulless dolls the books talked about-? But those were supposed to be homunculi... And who was controlling them?

If that's all true, and she knows who I am... Maybe she's not from our world at all, but another one that's like it. Just like Teacher, when she was here - she recognized me, but not Wrath. It's the only thing that makes any sense.


Who am I kidding? None of this makes any sense.

[//]


Aaron, are you busy? I think I'm going to take the day off of work.

Tomorrow I'll check on things for you, like I said.