Broken↩️🪭 ✔

Chapter 16

As Beje looked over the file left at his little apartment, the doorbell rang and he got up. He set the folder down and opened up the door.

"Roy-boy! And Baby Edward!" he said, looking at Edward.

Edward hid behind Roy's leg and Roy glared at Beje.

"I thought I told you not to call me that."

"You did but I'm ignoring you... Have you come to let me try and fix your subordinate?"

"I've come to see what can be done."

Beje opened the door wider and the two walked in. Edward grabbed Roy's pant leg and tugged on it. Roy picked him up as Beje walked back in with two kitchen chairs.

"Edward will need to sit on this. I'll need you on standby, Colonel."

"What for?"

"For when I need you, of course." Beje said with a look.

Roy set Edward in the chair as he stood off to the side for a second. Edward looked really confused as Beje sat in front of him.

"Do you remember me? We met some time ago."

"I... I think so..."

"I showed you some cards like this?" he said, holding up one of the flash cards that he had had before.

Edward nodded, remembering the flash cards and Beje smiled.

"Excellent. We're going to do the same thing again, alright? This time, I want you to dig deep into your heart and try to answer as best as you can. There's no right or wrong answer."

Edward looked at Roy for approval and Roy smiled, nodding his head a little. Edward turned back to Beje as Roy's smile disappeared. He hoped that this trick would work, since it really didn't do much last time.

"Are you ready?" Edward nodded. "Alright."

Beje held up a card and it read ALCHEMY.

"This says ALCHEMY." He said, remembering Edward said he couldn't read very well.

"If I clap my hands I can make things turn into other things."

"Very good. Let's try this one. It says FULLMETAL."

Beje saw Edward visibly stiffen and he waited patiently for him to answer.

Edward shook his head. "I don't like that one."

"Alright. We'll go to another one. This one says ARMOR."

"It's stuff to protect you."

"That's right." He said, setting that one aside. "This next one says ALPHONSE."

Edward said nothing for moment as Beje waited again, patiently, for the boy to answer. After a few moments, he could see that Edward was getting nervous, his hands starting to sweat as he wiped them on his shorts.

"I... I don't want to play this anymore."

"I'm sorry, Edward, but it's not a game. This is to help you."

"I don't want to."

"Copplestone, if he doesn't-"

"Do you want your subordinate back?" Beje growled, looking at Roy.

Roy was a little taken aback by his aggression.

"Well, yeah, but I don't want you to push him-"

"Then let me do my fucking job. Between you and Stubble Chin, I can't get this kid to cooperate in order to get what you want done. Stop butting in my business and shut the hell up."