The Water Alchemist

An Alchemists Pride

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Forty-Seven

An Alchemists Pride

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"Hey, Win, we made it," Ed said, tapping the phone box to distract from the chattering in his teeth. He had underestimated just how cold the North would be.

"That's great! Thanks for letting me know," she said enthusiastically over the sounds of the shop in the background.

"Sounds busy," he noted with a grin.

"Oh, for sure. Fitting in Elias's surgery meant postponing some minor repairs I get to do now," she sighed.

"How's he doing?" Ed asked obligatorily.

"About as good as expected. Elias can move around on his own alright, but I think he's caught on that I've started to utilize him to grab stuff around the shop for me," she laughed.

"Sure," he said, pausing a moment, trying not to seem too eager. "Did, uh, Marina call yet?"

"Not... yet," she said carefully. Ed frowned.

"She hasn't called?" Ed asked. Her journey was much shorter than theirs had been. She should have made it to Bethanie by now.

"Hey, don't worry, she probably just got caught up in the excitement of seeing Isabelle again. When she calls, I'll let her know you got there safe, promise," she assured him. There was something in the quality in her voice that made Ed a bit hesitant.

"Alright, fine," he eventually agreed. "Well, we should probably get moving. Just let her know we called."

"Right, you two be careful," she said.

"Talk to you soon."

"See ya," she said, and the phone disconnected. Ed hung the receiver up and stepped from the booth, shoving his hands in his pockets. Al perked up as Ed shuffled over to him, collecting up their luggage.

"How is everyone? Did Marina make it to Bethanie?" Al asked, following Ed to the end of the platform and into the town.

"Dunno," Ed said. "Winry and Elias are fine, but Marina didn't call."

"What? Why not?" Al asked worriedly. Ed shrugged, but his furrowed brow suggested anything but indifference. "Do you think something's wrong?"

"I hope not," Ed said, but he couldn't help but feel something uneasy settle in the pit of his stomach.

Ed groaned, flopping back onto his stiff bed, looking up at the gray ceiling they'd been staring at for the last few days. He was getting antsy, sitting in that cell, waiting for someone to release them. That feeling in his stomach hadn't left him alone and had only grown over their time imprisoned at Briggs. They hadn't exactly had the warmest of welcomes – that Buccaneer guy nearly breaking his new automail and the General ripping up his letter from Major Armstrong like it was nothing – and it was all downhill from there. Especially with the discovery that his country only existed to the benefit of the Homunculi. On the bright side, they'd occasionally get an update from one of the Briggs soldiers but their last substantial communication had been with General Raven, who had informed them that they were sending that giant Homunculi they'd barely fought off back into the hole it crawled out of to seal it back up. The thought of it made Ed's stomach turn, having discovered what the tunnel was alongside General Armstrong. She was able to get some information out of General Raven for them, but his last visit had been days ago. There wasn't much to report on since, other than the Briggs soldier's efforts to seal the hole, which seemed to be nearly finished. Ed didn't even hear anything about the secret entrance he'd opened or the search team that had gone into it. It was all weighing on him, the uncertainty of their situation. They weren't exactly supposed to be there as long as they had been. How were things on the outside? Did Marina ever call? There was a sudden clacking of doors, and he and Al both perked up, looking to the entrance of their cell. One of the crewmen who they'd been acquainted with – a man named Neil – sauntered up to the bars, a cigarette butt hanging loosely from his mouth. He held his hand up in greeting.