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(no subject)

Date: March 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings.
Warnings: None.

You've just been hustled and bustled through mazes of information and literal, wide corridors of the Initiative Hold and you've been equipped with your weapon—be it a gun, a sword, or even your existing powers. They've handed you this light netbook and a small pouch of coins (or a debit card, if you're more inclined), and there are several Transports before and after you going through the very same motions. You can hear the Greeter's voice as she walks alongside large groups, telling them all about the history of this place and sharing with you your purpose here in a hurried and urgent tone. "You're in luck that we have enough rooms for all of you; the housing building is getting awfully full. Please, let me show you into the courtyard."

You pass what looks like huge gymnasiums, all with dummies and targets strewn and splayed around the room. Training areas. There are even classrooms, and a few small offices. You're rushed past a large library while the Greeter informs you that you can find almost all your information there, if you've got the time to look—and trust her, you'll have time. You don't spend a lot of time in the bank, and it's a bit of a blur of exchanges with more and more of these strangely-accented and oddly polite-seeming members of the Initiative.

Soon enough, you're in a massive courtyard bustling with all the other Transports. It's not exactly what you'd expect, and it looks more like barracks than anything—huge walls of concrete and stone, separating you from all of the hallways you'd just passed through. It's raining heavily, and dark clouds loom in the air, though it hasn't turned to snow. It's a chill cold, and there are shelters—long cloth hangings that extend from the walls of concrete to house you from the rain, but not enough. Most notably, the courtyard is filled with a marketplace. Even in the cold and the rain, there are several citizens seated at their covered booths and tables, bundled up against the weather. They're selling all manner of their own handmade goods and foods, and citizens and Transports alike are traveling from one small covered shop to another in search of all manner of necessities.

The Greeter's voice has become so faint now, but you swear you can make it out in the back of the crowds as she tells you, "Good luck. Be safe!"

Her voice is drowned out by the busy marketplace, though even the transactions taking place are somewhat subdued. Nobody is overly happy, really, though most citizens can be found with smiles on their faces. It doesn't seem like they're that shocked to see you, either; even if you're not bound in tattered rags and wrapped in heavy shawls as they are. You're welcome to walk up to a shop, and find yourself something to eat—hey, maybe you'll even find something akin to a raincoat. Or, you can join the others under the coverings against the walls. Where am I? What war? She was talking so fast, and it didn't all make very much sense… did anyone else catch it all?

Welcome to the courtyard. Welcome to the Initiative Hold—and most importantly, welcome to Exsilium

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's really only by chance that Al happens to look up from his conversation with one of the locals just in time to catch a glimpse of familiar blond hair disappearing into the crowd. After going so long with no word from Ed back home he wasn't at all expecting to find his brother here, but today has already proven it has no intention of being logical.

Quickly, Al heads in Ed's direction, hoping to catch up with him before he can get too far. Towering over most of the other new arrivals, Al won't be a hard person to spot if he can only get his attention.]

Brother? Oh, excuse me, sir. Hey, Brother, wait!

[He feels stupid calling out to a bunch of strangers like this, but if that is Ed then Al can't take the risk of missing him.]

["Brother"...?

Ed freezes. Even in a crowd this lively, there's no mistaking it. That voice just then was exactly the voice he's been listening out for since he first set foot in this courtyard... at all, honestly, never mind today. And there's even less mistaking the faint, metallic echo it's coupled with, which under the circumstances sends a chill down Ed's spine much more distracting than the rain.

Well, nothing for it. If he hadn't expected this to be complicated, he wouldn't have decided to rush down here and get it over with in person.

He grits his teeth, turns - and yes, that figure standing just yards away is the familiar suit of armour, exactly as he remembers it. Oh, he remembers the hell out of it.]

Al?

[There must be something he can say to ease into this, some jumping-off point from which he can launch into a real explanation of parallel worlds, of time travel, of everything he figured out from Winry, of everything. It isn't coming to him. His mind has momentarily gone as blank as his face.]

Al, that's... you in there, right? [...Again?]

[There's an obvious shift in mood as Ed turns around. Al stops, going abruptly silent as he tries to make sense of what he's seeing. This person sounds like Ed, looks like Ed right down to the unusual eye color. Anyone else might not even immediately notice the difference, but Alphonse knows his brother, and there's enough subtly off to put him on his guard. A person's appearance doesn't change that much in the time they've been separated.

And then there's that strange question. Why would anyone who recognizes Al seem confused by the armor? It's not consistent with someone who's trying to trick him, and with Envy out of the picture, who would even bother?]

Of course it is.

[His voice doesn't pull off the hard edge he's going for, and in the end he just ends up sounding confused.]

But... Who are you?

[Ed visibly flinches. He doesn't know what the hell he was expecting, but it wasn't that, and hearing it in Al's voice induces a lot more than a chill. He even glances down at his wrist for a second on the off chance he hijacked someone else's body without realising again - but no, he's the same as ever. No version of Al in any parallel world is dumb enough to get thrown off by a few years and a change of coat, he knows that, so...

...so what? It doesn't matter. He owes this to Al. Not only for his sake, but for a couple of other people's, too.

He can't quite bring himself to smile the way he was intending, though. He suddenly looks hunted.]

Al, listen. Even if you were expecting someone else, we need to talk. [Now he glances to his side, at the crowd swarming around and between them in every direction.] And somewhere that isn't here.

[Down at his side, he's now gripping his tablet like it's some kind of anchor. He needs to have one, at least.]

[Guilt is practically instinctual from getting a reaction like that, and Al can't help feeling like he should apologize for saying the wrong thing even if he can't quite pin down why. Ed's sure talking to him the way his brother would, and it's both familiar and alien at the same time, leaving him all the more unsure of how to take anything in this conversation.]

Okay.

[There's no hesitation before he nods in agreement, and whether that's because of an inherent sense of trust or an attempt to seem fearless is anyone's guess. More importantly, Ed seems to know a lot more about whatever's going on than he does, and he's not about to let anything delay him in getting answers.]

Do you have somewhere else in mind?

Just a little further away from the Hold. Somewhere I can hear myself think for a change. [He pointedly turns to walk away; he's not running, he's done enough of that, but he doesn't want to drag this out longer than it has to be.] Come on.

[With another nod, Al follows right behind him. This might not be the appropriate place to get into the big questions, he figures there are some things that are safe to ask right now, starting with why Ed knows his way around so well.]

How long have you been here?

[That is one of the easier questions, but it still takes Ed a moment to answer. He sounds distracted.] A few months.

[It isn't long before they turn a corner into a street - not private by any stretch of the imagination, but the difference in noise level to the bustle of the courtyard is good enough for Ed. He slows down a little.]

Not as long as some people. They gave you the talk and everything already, didn't they? They must have. That's how I -

[Then he stops, in more than one sense. He looks up at Al, really looks at him, and seems to deflate.]

...Where do I even begin?

[Slowly, Al's piecing things together. A fellow Transport who looks frighteningly similar to Edward Elric without being an impostor. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but so far it's all adding up to only one plausible explanation. It's almost funny to think that what he's trying to rationalize now is the sort of thing he would have found ridiculously outlandish only hours ago.]

Mhm, they told me a lot. About this place and their war, how they're bringing in people to fight for them from different worlds...

[He crosses his arms and looks more squarely at Ed. Even though he's essentially asking the same question as before, this time his tone is noticeably more gentle.]

You aren't my brother, but you look almost exactly the same and were still able to recognize me like this. Why don't you start with telling me about where you're from?

Al... [If he sounds exasperated to the point of being plaintive, it's at himself. Winry wouldn't have had any problem finding the words for this.]

I am, Al. Look. [He folds his tablet away under his arm, then pulls his right glove off and holds his hand up, curling his fingers into a ball. It glints.] It's me.

[He lowers it after a moment, feeling more awkward than before.]

That's what I want to say. But I found out a while ago... parallel worlds, parallel timelines, there's a lot of me. I guess it makes sense that there'd be more than one of you, too. [He looks down, and almost smiles.] Gotta admit, I didn't really think about it.

I believe you.

[If other worlds can exist then it's not too much of a stretch to think some of them might be parallels of their own.]

I'm sorry, it's just--this is all a lot to take in at once.

[He has so many questions that they're starting to run together, and even though there's so much else they need to sort out, he still finds his gaze drifting back to Ed's right arm. Ed looks a good few years older than Al remembers--why does he still have automail?]

If you already knew, does that mean there's someone else here from... [How does he even put this?] a version of our world?

I could've guessed before they dragged me out here, to be honest.

[He slips his glove back on, because it's something to look at other than Al.]

But you're right. There was. [He hesitates again - never mind the rest of this situation, this is something he finds impossible to imagine - but pushes on.] You know Winry, don't you, Al? I ran into her. Thought maybe she was just from our - from my past, or something like that, but it turned out what we remembered still didn't match up exactly. It wasn't a huge stretch from there.

[It's unsettling to be asked if he knows Winry, but he supposes there's not much they can take for granted in this situation.]

Was? She's gone?

[It'd be a leap to start worrying too much just from that, but it's a near thing.]

She was with me before I was brought here, but if they're really taking people from different times then I guess that doesn't mean much anymore either.

[Ed can't help but look a tiny bit relieved at the sign of recognition, even if it wasn't the one he was going for.]

It happens. No sign of a fight, and she left all of her things. I heard it's the technology they use to bring us here in the first place, but I still need to look into that. There's a lot I need to look into.

[And it's so much easier to talk about her than about himself.]

But she's okay? Back where you got pulled from? That's better than hearing nothing.

There's a chance it sends people back randomly?

[Of course it couldn't be as simple as a definitive answer, but he has to hope it's possible. Winry's just about the last person in the world who deserves to be dragged into a place like this.

Al drops his arms to curl one hand into a fist. Winry technically being missing is no small matter, but at the same time, he's sure that if there was a way to track her down Ed would have already done it. It won't help anyone for Al to waste time getting too caught up in the things he's missed.]

She was safe when I left her.

[And that's as good a prompt as any to start testing just how well their respective histories do or don't match up.]

I'm not sure if this is going to make any sense to you, but we'd just managed to get her out of the north without being caught by Kimblee's men.

[He shakes his head, although the distinctly uncomfortable look on his face was probably enough of an answer by itself.] Do we really need to sit and compare notes, Al? You've already got plenty to catch up on.

[He'd been prepared for the lack of recognition, but the rest of that is... interesting to say the least. While Ed's opinion is, of course, a valuable one to him, he can ask anyone here about Exsilium. There's only one person who can potentially offer insight on a future (if alternate) version of Amestris, though, and considering all that Al's gearing up to face once he gets back he can't afford to overlook any information that might help. He makes a discontent noise and tilts his head just a bit in what Ed might recognize as both the armor's closest imitation of a frown and an ominous sign he's not going to stop asking uncomfortable questions.]

Figuring out how much we really have in common is an important part of getting caught up too, Brother.

[If it turns out that the only thing that truly links them is getting these bodies then that's a depressing thought, but it's still better to know than to wonder. First, though:]

But we should find somewhere to talk away from this rain. You must be getting cold by now.

[Ed looks up at what he immediately reads as the equivalent of a frown. "Brother", again? So... is Al really convinced they're related or not? That's one of the questions Ed doesn't want to have to contemplate. At least when he first met Heiderich, seemingly a lifetime ago, he'd been able to believe that the guy was just an odd imitation of the real thing, even if on some level he'd known he was wrong - but this is Al, who's always been there, who's now talking as if he hasn't.

He's happy to seize on any excuse to keep the conversation away from himself, though. He makes an effort to brighten up a little. It might be slightly more see-through than he was intending.] Yeah, you're right. You get used to it after a while, but it's pretty relentless. [He reaches up, apparently casually, to rap on the front of Al's chest plate with the back of his hand.] Wouldn't hurt to think about finding you an umbrella, either.

Did they already tell you where you're supposed to be living?

[The gesture's a familiar one, and if Ed's aiming to ease the tension he's at least somewhat successful. (It wasn't long ago at all that Hohenheim had done the same thing; smiled and rapped his knuckles against the armor like even ten years of distance didn't completely erase the connection between them.) Ed's attempt at good cheer is a little transparent, but that's not something Al can blame him for. This has to be pretty awkward for both of them, so if feigning normalcy for a few minutes is what it takes to help them delve into heavier topics then he's willing to play along. He's good at being patient, after all.]

That's the place, isn't it?

[He points to the massive housing building, not particularly hard to spot from near the Hold.]

Yeah, and it has a roof. That's good enough for me.

[He starts walking again, in not nearly as much of a hurry as he was to get out of the courtyard. If he's honest, he doubts that going somewhere more private is going to make those heavier topics any easier for him - and Al isn't one to just drop the subject - but it's a solid excuse in the meantime.]

Better than the time they dumped us all in the middle of a desert for a week without so much as a tent. But that must be the point, huh?

[He tugs a little roughly at Al's breech cloth as he goes past, although he seems to be trying not to look at it. Of all the dumbest possible visual differences...]

The desert? What did they expect you to do out there?

[Most of the people Al's spoken to so far have been other new arrivals, so his curiosity is genuine. He plans on reading back through the network archives--a project to occupy his nights, most likely--but until then the details of past missions are still a mystery to him.

Ed doesn't need to urge him into motion, but the effort earns a faintly amused sound all the same as they make their way towards the apartments.]

[Ed's leading the way to his apartment - he doesn't know where they've assigned Al (and that's a slightly odd thing to think, by itself), but he knows he never sees much of his roommate, and today is after all a day he'd expect more people to be out and about than normal.]

Bake, apparently. [He grins a little.] Well, they told us it was all to rig this one election that happened in the past, like we needed more parallel timelines knocking around. That's the kind of thing they do. But when you compare the size of that town to the scale of the operation... I don't know, Al. Kinda reminds me... [He pauses.] Nah, forget it. We'll get to that later.

[After that, he falls quiet for a minute as they walk.]

[Rig an election? On top of the more troubling implications, trying to play politics with a bunch of people from completely different worlds and time periods sounds like an absolute disaster.

Al's about to ask a follow-up question, but arriving at their destination quickly puts something else on his mind. Even from the lobby and hallways, it's clear that this building is a step up from the patchwork coverings and poverty he'd seen in the courtyard and beyond.]

It looks a lot nicer here than in the rest of the city.

[Rather than relief or gratitude, there's only suspicion in the way he says it. Ed's not the only one reminded of unpleasant things from the past.]

[Ed shrugs.] Like I said - doesn't work on everyone they pull in, not by a long shot, but I think that's what they're going for. Trying to convince people that sticking with them is better than heading out in the cold.

[Ahead of Al, he's already heading up the stairs. There are quite a few.]

But you make up your own mind, Al. I'd lose that argument no matter what.

[He might not feel like waxing nostalgic solely to keep Al at ease, either.]

I'm working on it.

[The stairs do seem to go on for a while, something he imagines must get pretty annoying for people who aren't tireless suits of armor. Really, though, it's a good indicator of just how many Transports are actually living here. And with more apparently arriving every month...]

Do you know if they've actually kicked anyone out for refusing to help them? The woman I spoke to was in too much of a hurry to care very much about convincing me of anything.