• ❁Alchemic Scars [Editing]❁ •

Chapter 8 - Dr. Marcoh

(the art above does not belong to me!)

Chapter 8 - Dr Marcoh

Much to my utmost displeasure, I am now squashed beside none other than Major Armstrong. Next to me, also getting crushed to the window, is Edward. He looks thoroughly pissed at the decisions made by everyone to have the Major be our escort. But, to be fair, their motives are reasonable.

-

"Are you saying you're going to leave like you are now when you might be attacked by Scar again?" Hawkeye asks after Edward refused to be escorted by Armstrong. "Doesn't it make sense to give you an escort who can stand up to him?"

"And you can't carry Al around with that body, can you?" Havoc intervenes.

-

After that, Alphonse was packaged up as luggage (much to both Edward's and my displeasure), and we made our way to the train station. We haven't yet left the station, but we are uncomfortable and aggravated. I try to keep my stoic composure, but my patience is wearing thin.

A knock on the window of the train brings our attention to the sound.

Just outside on the platform stands Maes Hughes.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes!" Edward exclaims.

"Hey," he greets. I wave to my father, and he kindly returns the gesture. "The guys from H.Q. were too busy to drop by, so they sent me here instead. And I've brought a message from Roy."

"From the Colonel?" Edward asks, obviously surprised.

"'Post-processing is a bit of a pain, so I will not permit you to die within my jurisdiction," he recites. "That's all."

Edward's expression does a U-turn and becomes aggressive.

"Tell him, 'Roger that, I will not die before you, Colonel Shit'."

Hughes chuckles heartily.

"Wicked brats are aplenty in the world!" he laughs. "You and that bastard Roy ought to have long lives!"

Finally, he subsides his laughing to look at me with softened eyes. I get up from my cramped seat and walk closer to the window. I reach through the small flap and pat him gently on the head.

"Farewell, Dad," I say.

With those words, he pulls his arms through the window and attempts to squeeze the living daylights out of me.

"I love you, Elle," he whispers in my ear. I smile softly, and he releases his hold on my shoulders.

A whistle sounds a moment later to call all passengers on, for the train is about to depart. Hughes recoils and salutes the three of us goodbye.

"Well then, be careful on your journey!" he says as we salute him back; Edward and I using our left hands and apologising for it. "If you pop by central, give a holler."

The train steadily chugs through the station and out of view with the Major, Edward and myself squished back together. I close my eyes slowly and begin to doze off, thinking about meeting my first, and very old friend.

'I wonder how much she has changed?'

-

What feels like moments later, I am woken by a heavy banging on my stomach. I slowly open my eyes to see the ground moving beneath me. I look around sceptically and notice that I am slung over the Majoy's shoulder, along with Alphonse on the other, still in his crate. I examine the current environment more and see that we are in a different town, not Resenbool, but defiantly a city we weren't planning on stopping at.