Chapter 9: Mind Splitter
"Are आप almost ready to depart for the North, Sir?" Riza stood attentively before Roy's desk. Roy had decided a few weeks पूर्व to take a journey to the North in खोजिए of the Elric brothers and their mystery friend. Hughes had pulled the troops out of Holt and had made it back to Central, while Havoc had done the same. Roy needed someone to hold down Command while he was off doing something else.
"Yeah, but I would advise bringing some extra clothes along with you. We might be there for a bit and it's cold in the North." Roy explained as he stood from his chair. Riza nodded reluctantly as she watched the Colonel open the windows behind him. The breeze was fitting for an oncoming autumn. The leaves had even turned into brassy shades of नारंगी, ऑरेंज and brown. "It seems that when we return here, it will be just as cold as the North, huh?" Roy sighed with a light smirk on his lips. He inhaled the crisp fall air; taking it into his lungs deeply. "I suppose so, Sir."
"I wanna hold the puppy! Give him to me." Ling snatched The dog from Hayden's arms and whizzed him around. "Awe! He's so cute!" He rubbed Boston against his cream colored face. Hayden couldn't help but chuckle at Ling's "devil may care" attitude. Especially after what happened last night. After reluctantly spending the night in the woods, everybody was unbelievably sore and cramped, and in need of a bath desperately. Hayden roughly brushed through her hair with her dirty fingers.
"Ugh. I REALLY need a bath आप guys. Can't we stop somewhere?" The four had made their way further south in their adventure to Rush Valley. Yet another town they had wandered into another बिना सोचे समझे town. To be honest, they all were tired of this routine.
"Yeah, आप take Ling and find a hotel."
Ling glanced toward her and shrugged. "Al and I will check the train schedule. It probably won't be anytime soon." Edward hung his head. The group broke off toward two separate ways in the large city they had found.
It was odd, Edward felt a strange sense of deja vu, almost like he remembered the concrete walls of the large city. He honestly believed he had seen this place before. Meanwhile, Ling and Hayden were flittering around the city to try to find a suitable hotel to stay in for a little while. "About last night, thanks for not thinking I was a freak..."
Hayden spoke softly as she chuffed her arms and pulled her जैकेट around her shivering body. A cool wind whipped through the two teens' hair, blowing them around wildly.
"To be honest; I could feel the vibe from आप from the first time we met, I just didn't think it would be possible."
Ling looked down at the dog he was still holding, it was sleeping peacefully. Hayden jingled the few cens she had left over from two train rides ago. The one they missed all because of that military man. Well, she had a part in that as well.
"This hotel look okay?"
Hayden pointed at a small building that was smushed in between two larger buildings. Ling nodded and shrugged. "Aaaaand, if I have any extra cash left over; I'd like to buy some new clothes. These are filthy from the woods."
"How does this look, Ling?" Hayden pulled down the edges of her moss green criss crossed स्कर्ट as she presented herself. She wore a cream shoulderless कमीज, शर्ट above the skirt. Ling simply winked back in approval. Her hair was still soaked from her हाल का bath and was strewn down her gallant shoulders and hanging in her face.
"You look messy, come here." Ling sat on the सोफ़ा, सोफे in the center of the room, pointing to the floor for her to have a seat. His blonde counterpart cocked her head to the side oddly. Ling had done her hair before, now it's just odd. She did as she was told to, as he fed his fingers through her tresses.
"So, where did आप pick up all these hair techniques?" Hayden tried to make her सवाल sound as least awkward as possible. The prince beamed at her inquiry.
"Well, when आप have as many sisters as I do; आप pick up a few things." Hayden thought she had read this man; so why didn't she know anything about his past besides his friends? The only feasible explanation she could come up with was that he kept her from delving any deeper. If he could sense her presence; he had to have control over himself as well.
"And where are आप from?" Ling's smile grew wider with every strand of straw colored hair he pulled back. "Xing." Xing? Ed hadn't told her that part. Ed had only told her that he was looking for immortality.
"So why were आप looking for the secret to immortality?"
Finally. The सवाल he had been waiting for this whole time.
"You see; I'm actually a prince from Xing...and if I want to succeed to Emperor; I had to find something to make me worthy of that honor. So I came to find a Philosopher's Stone."
Hayden turned her head back toward Ling and gazed at him with her wine-colored eyes. "Not what आप were expecting?" Ling continued to smile wildly as she slowly shook her blonde head. "Ah. Well I'm done."
He had taken long strands of hair from the edge of her face and tied them up loosely in a high टट्टू tail, her bangs still hanging in her lovely eyes. Hayden was still shocked from the news she was told. Had her Philosopher's stone stopped working? Why hadn't she seen everything Ling had told her? She had with Scar, but this was the first time it would happen like this. She then began to fear the worst. She was dying. Unlike the other homunculi; her life स्रोत wasn't at the core; she had to constantly keep it in check and carry it with her.
"There. आप look much better."
"Thank you." Hayden played with her fingers in the awkward silence before it was broken द्वारा Ling.
"About the whole prince thing, how about आप become my wife? आप know, हटाइए up in the chain of society. And if I were to bring back an immortal; I'd be sure to-" Hayden stopped him cold in mid sentence with a cold finger to his lips and a shake of her blonde head.
"No. This is just between us. And if आप can keep it a secret..." She pulled a हार off from around her neck; it ha previously sank between her breasts and only the सोना chain was visible. "I'll let आप have this." Ling had finally gotten a better look at the stone in the light: it was quite small; but in the shape of a heart. "I won't be your bride; I'm sorry. But if आप can prove to me I can trust you; I'll let आप have this. For accepting me." She quickly tied the chain back around her neck as Ling nodded slowly with a determined look on his face.
"Let's go see where Ed and Al have gone."
This town was a maze. Completely composed of military buildings and the rare tiny खरीडिए tucked away somewhere. Amongst all these सड़क, स्ट्रीट corners and roads were dark alleyways; one of which Ling and Hayden had managed to get लॉस्ट in.
"Maybe the train station is near here? I don't even know where we are..." Hayden pinched her wrinkled forehead in frustration. A loud rumble from Ling had startled her.
"I'm soooo hungry." He waddled lazily beside him. The noon sun was beginning to rise; but it didn't dampen the harsh breeze that blew through the town for hours on end. They both debated just going back to the room and just waiting for the brothers; buy they both also knew they would never find them द्वारा just sitting around.
"What do we have here?"
A loud clamor arose from the other end of the trashed alleyway. The voice sounded almost echoed; like it was trapped in something. A lumbering suit of armor stepped into the beaming light of the noon sun; light reflecting off his shiny suit. His head was composed of a skull of unknown origin while he wielded a large butcher knife in his right glove. Ling quickly grabbed Hayden's wrist and forcefully pulled her toward him.
"What do we have here? A lovely little girl and a foreigner? This will be a first." The creature lurched forward. "The girl looks soft; I'll start with her..."
"Are आप almost ready to depart for the North, Sir?" Riza stood attentively before Roy's desk. Roy had decided a few weeks पूर्व to take a journey to the North in खोजिए of the Elric brothers and their mystery friend. Hughes had pulled the troops out of Holt and had made it back to Central, while Havoc had done the same. Roy needed someone to hold down Command while he was off doing something else.
"Yeah, but I would advise bringing some extra clothes along with you. We might be there for a bit and it's cold in the North." Roy explained as he stood from his chair. Riza nodded reluctantly as she watched the Colonel open the windows behind him. The breeze was fitting for an oncoming autumn. The leaves had even turned into brassy shades of नारंगी, ऑरेंज and brown. "It seems that when we return here, it will be just as cold as the North, huh?" Roy sighed with a light smirk on his lips. He inhaled the crisp fall air; taking it into his lungs deeply. "I suppose so, Sir."
"I wanna hold the puppy! Give him to me." Ling snatched The dog from Hayden's arms and whizzed him around. "Awe! He's so cute!" He rubbed Boston against his cream colored face. Hayden couldn't help but chuckle at Ling's "devil may care" attitude. Especially after what happened last night. After reluctantly spending the night in the woods, everybody was unbelievably sore and cramped, and in need of a bath desperately. Hayden roughly brushed through her hair with her dirty fingers.
"Ugh. I REALLY need a bath आप guys. Can't we stop somewhere?" The four had made their way further south in their adventure to Rush Valley. Yet another town they had wandered into another बिना सोचे समझे town. To be honest, they all were tired of this routine.
"Yeah, आप take Ling and find a hotel."
Ling glanced toward her and shrugged. "Al and I will check the train schedule. It probably won't be anytime soon." Edward hung his head. The group broke off toward two separate ways in the large city they had found.
It was odd, Edward felt a strange sense of deja vu, almost like he remembered the concrete walls of the large city. He honestly believed he had seen this place before. Meanwhile, Ling and Hayden were flittering around the city to try to find a suitable hotel to stay in for a little while. "About last night, thanks for not thinking I was a freak..."
Hayden spoke softly as she chuffed her arms and pulled her जैकेट around her shivering body. A cool wind whipped through the two teens' hair, blowing them around wildly.
"To be honest; I could feel the vibe from आप from the first time we met, I just didn't think it would be possible."
Ling looked down at the dog he was still holding, it was sleeping peacefully. Hayden jingled the few cens she had left over from two train rides ago. The one they missed all because of that military man. Well, she had a part in that as well.
"This hotel look okay?"
Hayden pointed at a small building that was smushed in between two larger buildings. Ling nodded and shrugged. "Aaaaand, if I have any extra cash left over; I'd like to buy some new clothes. These are filthy from the woods."
"How does this look, Ling?" Hayden pulled down the edges of her moss green criss crossed स्कर्ट as she presented herself. She wore a cream shoulderless कमीज, शर्ट above the skirt. Ling simply winked back in approval. Her hair was still soaked from her हाल का bath and was strewn down her gallant shoulders and hanging in her face.
"You look messy, come here." Ling sat on the सोफ़ा, सोफे in the center of the room, pointing to the floor for her to have a seat. His blonde counterpart cocked her head to the side oddly. Ling had done her hair before, now it's just odd. She did as she was told to, as he fed his fingers through her tresses.
"So, where did आप pick up all these hair techniques?" Hayden tried to make her सवाल sound as least awkward as possible. The prince beamed at her inquiry.
"Well, when आप have as many sisters as I do; आप pick up a few things." Hayden thought she had read this man; so why didn't she know anything about his past besides his friends? The only feasible explanation she could come up with was that he kept her from delving any deeper. If he could sense her presence; he had to have control over himself as well.
"And where are आप from?" Ling's smile grew wider with every strand of straw colored hair he pulled back. "Xing." Xing? Ed hadn't told her that part. Ed had only told her that he was looking for immortality.
"So why were आप looking for the secret to immortality?"
Finally. The सवाल he had been waiting for this whole time.
"You see; I'm actually a prince from Xing...and if I want to succeed to Emperor; I had to find something to make me worthy of that honor. So I came to find a Philosopher's Stone."
Hayden turned her head back toward Ling and gazed at him with her wine-colored eyes. "Not what आप were expecting?" Ling continued to smile wildly as she slowly shook her blonde head. "Ah. Well I'm done."
He had taken long strands of hair from the edge of her face and tied them up loosely in a high टट्टू tail, her bangs still hanging in her lovely eyes. Hayden was still shocked from the news she was told. Had her Philosopher's stone stopped working? Why hadn't she seen everything Ling had told her? She had with Scar, but this was the first time it would happen like this. She then began to fear the worst. She was dying. Unlike the other homunculi; her life स्रोत wasn't at the core; she had to constantly keep it in check and carry it with her.
"There. आप look much better."
"Thank you." Hayden played with her fingers in the awkward silence before it was broken द्वारा Ling.
"About the whole prince thing, how about आप become my wife? आप know, हटाइए up in the chain of society. And if I were to bring back an immortal; I'd be sure to-" Hayden stopped him cold in mid sentence with a cold finger to his lips and a shake of her blonde head.
"No. This is just between us. And if आप can keep it a secret..." She pulled a हार off from around her neck; it ha previously sank between her breasts and only the सोना chain was visible. "I'll let आप have this." Ling had finally gotten a better look at the stone in the light: it was quite small; but in the shape of a heart. "I won't be your bride; I'm sorry. But if आप can prove to me I can trust you; I'll let आप have this. For accepting me." She quickly tied the chain back around her neck as Ling nodded slowly with a determined look on his face.
"Let's go see where Ed and Al have gone."
This town was a maze. Completely composed of military buildings and the rare tiny खरीडिए tucked away somewhere. Amongst all these सड़क, स्ट्रीट corners and roads were dark alleyways; one of which Ling and Hayden had managed to get लॉस्ट in.
"Maybe the train station is near here? I don't even know where we are..." Hayden pinched her wrinkled forehead in frustration. A loud rumble from Ling had startled her.
"I'm soooo hungry." He waddled lazily beside him. The noon sun was beginning to rise; but it didn't dampen the harsh breeze that blew through the town for hours on end. They both debated just going back to the room and just waiting for the brothers; buy they both also knew they would never find them द्वारा just sitting around.
"What do we have here?"
A loud clamor arose from the other end of the trashed alleyway. The voice sounded almost echoed; like it was trapped in something. A lumbering suit of armor stepped into the beaming light of the noon sun; light reflecting off his shiny suit. His head was composed of a skull of unknown origin while he wielded a large butcher knife in his right glove. Ling quickly grabbed Hayden's wrist and forcefully pulled her toward him.
"What do we have here? A lovely little girl and a foreigner? This will be a first." The creature lurched forward. "The girl looks soft; I'll start with her..."