Cecelia was sat on a bench reading a book to occupy her time as she waited for the Elrics to show up, the train being maybe five minutes away. She had changed out of her military uniform into something more comfortable, a black pair of jeans with a leather jacket that was two sizes too big for her, giving her arms plenty of breathing room and covering most of her upper body. She wore leather gloves as well with a grey knitted crop top, showing a sliver of her stomach, its neckline being right around her throat. It hid a pendant that hung from a gold chain around her neck. She covered her feet with black boots that were loosely tied, covering the colorful fuzzy socks she'd be too embarrassed to wear in public, but too comfy to not wear on the ride.
"Cece!" A tinny voice called out to her. She immediately recognized the voice as Elicia. She put her book down on the bench and stood to look around the station, quickly spotting the small child holding her mother's hand and the hand of a young blonde girl, Winry. Cecelia ran towards the small child who ran right into her arms. The two girls laughed as Cecelia spun the small girl in her arms.
Cecelia stopped spinning and rested the child on her hip. "Eli! How is my favorite little minx?"
The little girl laughed and her mother came to retrieve her daughter. "She's been starting to help her mother around the house."
"It's so good to see you, Gracia, it has been too long," Cecelia said, giving the powerhouse behind the Hughes a smile. "Is the Lieutenant not here?"
"No, he had to go to work, but he told me to wish you luck on your mission," she said with her ever kind voice and smile.
"Next time you see him tell him I said goodbye and thank you."
Elicia interjected, raising her hand like she was in school, "I will, I will!"
Cecelia grinned, "Thank you, Eli," She turned her attention to the Elrics, but then to Winry who held a bag with her. "I guess you'll be accompanying us on our way to Dublith."
"Actually, she's coming with us to see Rush Valley," Ed answered for her.
Cecelia approached the elder Elric, "Allow me to introduce myself in a less formal manner. My name's Cecelia, I'm only here as back up in case an emergency occurs."
He pouted slightly, but when Al casually bumped his brother's shoulder he sighed and held out his left hand to shake. Cecelia was hesitant, her left arm, well, she just didn't want to use that hand. But she didn't have much of choice. With a lacking amount of confidence, she shook his hand. He gripped her hand hard, but Cecelia definitively didn't show it. Ed's bland face turned to one of pure cockiness. Cecelia did not have any confidence, especially with his smirk, but she plastered one of the same caliber. He released her gloved hand and Cecelia turned to the armored Al and smiled. Though Cecelia couldn't quite tell, she believed Al returned the smile through squinted eyes and a little laugh.
The whistle for the train to Dublith caught the groups attention. "I guess it's time to go," Alphonse stated.
Cecelia rushed to the two women of the Hughes family, planting a kiss on Elicia, reminding her to tell her father goodbye for her and bidding Gracia a kind and quick goodbye. Cecelia quickly gathered her things from the bench she was sat on, while the Elrics and Winry bid adieu to the people they had come with.
Once they were all done with their goodbyes, they all rushed on the train, that was threatening to leave the four behind. The four Planting themselves in the first empty seats they could find. Cecelia's new acquaintances crowded the single window to wave to their friends. As the train pulled out of the station they returned to their seats, Alphonse and Ed by the window and Winry sitting on the aisle next to Ed and across Cecelia.
Cecelia didn't pay attention to the three's conversations and the train chugged along, only giving a sliver of attention to their conversation when Hughes was brought up. Hearing their stories about the Hughes family made her smile as she read her book. She had her own stories about the Hughes, Cecelia was present during Elicia's birth, though she couldn't stay in the room because of how "uncomfortable" she was. But she never left the hospital, sitting outside Gracia's room, waiting for Maes to come and get her once the screaming was over. Elicia was the first infant Cecelia had ever seen and she was beautiful.
"How did you meet Lieutenant Hughes?" A sweet voice pulled her from her book and thoughts. Cecelia looked up to see Winry looking at her.
"Oh, he and Gracia took me in after the Ishvalan war," Cecelia looked back down to her book, thumbing the pages, letting the leaves rush across her skin. "I had lost my brother, he was serving as a scientist near the front lines. He took me with him, we didn't have any friends to watch over me so I stayed the civilian barracks nearby." Cecelia bit her tongue, she couldn't continue.
"I see," Winry said sorrowfully, the tone of her voice lead Cecelia to believe that she knew the tolls of war as good as any. "I lost my parents too, they were doctors."
A silence fell over the group. Cecelia couldn't bring herself to return to her reading, instead staring down at the hardcover. Again running her fingers over the pages.
"That where you got your automail then?"
Everything in Cecelia stopped. Ed's careless comment sent Cecelia's mind into panic mode.
"Edward!" Alphonse scolded.
Cecelia clenched her hands down on the book harder, attempting to contain the outburst rising within her. "I'd prefer not to speak about that."
She did not like talking about that at all. She already knew how he had gotten his automail, she saw him perform alchemy, only one thing would give someone the power to transmute like that, seeing the truth. His brother didn't seem to possess the same talent, however, there was something completely off about him. His steps were hollow and he didn't breath unless expressing an emotion. The two were obvious to anyone who knew what they were looking for.
Edward smirked as if he had won something, an expression that rubbed Cecelia in the wrong way. "Seems a little sketchy, not even letting us know, could have caused a problem in the future."
The anger she had been attempting to keep down, boiled over. "It also would have been good to inform me your brother was hollow, but unlike you, I believe everyone has a right to some privacy."
With the Elrics and Winry holding shocked faces, Cecelia stood and walked to the empty seat at the back of the car, leaving everything but her book. She sat herself by the window.
Her hands shook as she attempted to read her book, but her eyes and mind simply couldn't understand the letters that sat in front of her. Instead of putting it down and attempting to calm down by looking out the window, she continued to stare at the pages blankly.
She had been sitting down for only a little while before someone sat across from her. She didn't have to look up to know it was the elder Elric. He didn't say anything, as if he expected her to start talking to him. She ignored his presence as best she could, but his face told her that he had something to say, forcing her to look up.
Edward's face was in an embarrassed grimace. He let out a slight hiss. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have been so insensitive."
Cecelia closed her book and dedicated her attention to the Elric. She wasn't upset anymore, realizing her outburst was inappropriate, but she still had a bit of salt left on her tongue. "Apology accepted, Elric."
He let out a sigh, his gritted teeth releasing. "I'm glad, now can I ask you how you know Al is hollow?"
"His steps echo through his armor," Cecelia started. "And he rarely breaths. It was pretty obvious after I started to catch on to those oddities."
Ed looked fairly surprised at the fact she caught on so quickly despite only knowing the boy for a couple of hours.
"Now it's my turn to ask you a question."
"I guess its only fair," Edward said, resting his hands behind his head.
"I'll be blunt, so please don't get angry with me," Ed sat up right, realizing that her question was likely going to be a heavy one. "Only a select few can preform alchemy like you."
Ed gulped, he was sure he knew where this was going. "It's nothing special."
"That's bull," Cecelia stated looking Full Metal in the eye. "You saw the truth. That is how you managed to pull your brother's soul and place it into that suit."
Edward swallowed, "I won't lie, you're right, but the only way you would know that is if you-"
"Yes," she interrupted. "I did the same forbidden taboo as you, and likely your brother committed."
Ed sighed, now he felt really bad, that was what happened to her arm. "It was your brother, wasn't it?" Cecelia nodded. "For my brother and I, it was our mother."
Cecelia took a deep breath before standing. "I'm sorry I acted so brashly earlier," Edward looked shocked at her apology. She put a smile on her face, "Shall we return to our seats?"
Ed simply looked at her with bewildered eyes, but he returned her smile ten fold before standing to join her. Their little squabble was put to rest and the rest of the train ride to Rush Valley was pleasant, the four of them sharing a few laughs and conversions. The ride seemed to fly by.
WAH
i know ed was acting out of character but i justify it with him being skeptical of her because of the Homunculus thing
lemme know what you think
byebye