arrival; [action/voice]

[forfeits]

[ It happens too fast. The portal opens up around them and Ed's sure they won't make it out alive this time. There are too many sacrifices, too many questions, and when he comes to, he isn't sure where he is. He's been 'helpfully' sorted, but all Ed can see and feel is scrap metal. The container is dark, and when he moves, the scrap makes a lot of noise. ]

What the hell?! Teacher? A-Al?

[ He flails, his own automail arm and leg causing a clatter, the noise echoing.

This isn't Amestris, this isn't where he's supposed to be. The Gate dropped him somewhere. ]

Hey! [ He's half buried, so the amount of noise he's making almost drowns out his voice, until he's finally able to beat on a wall, until he finally falls out of the scrap pile, the container doors opening, and into the corridor. ]

What's going on here? Who did this?! What have you done with my friends?

[ He's fired up, and you might well get a short, screaming teen in your face. He might also not realize that he's broadcasting around, too, his emotions too high to notice anything different about himself or this place. ]

Comments

[forfeits]

Yeah, the portal was different. I saw the gates, and then... nothing.

[ It's disturbing, really. He hadn't wanted to pass through the gates either way, but to come out in a place like this? ]

They weren't with you? You're the first person I've seen here. [ He doesn't struggle against his brother's hug, just accepts and leans into the metal of the armour. This just puts them that much farther from finding Al's body, from getting back to how things used to be. ]

[armoured]

No, I've seen other here people here, though.

[He finally pushes back a bit, voice serious.]

This is going to sound insane, but I promise I haven't hit my head or anything. [Not that... that would make a difference for him.] But we're not even in Amestris, we're under the ocean somewhere.

[forfeits]

[ It's impossible. The portals could take them to strange places, of course. He'd been in Gluttony's stomach, but that too had been part of the portal. Could this be the same? ]

Under an ocean? [ Ed frowns, looking skeptically up at his brother. Worried. ] Al, are you sure you're alright? I don't know how that's possible, being under an ocean.

[armoured]

Me either, it's so strange, but-- I promise, it's true.

[He gestures around sort of helplessly.]

I met some other people here who told me that nobody really meant to come here, it's like we've all been pulled through portals by mistake.

[forfeits]

How did this happen?

[ He's not sure he wants to know how the gates got tampered with, how they were pulled out of their world and into another. What was the cost of their coming here? ]

Al, that can't just happen. The equivalent exchange, it doesn't add up. That many people going through the portal... do you think it was Father?

[armoured]

I don't know, but I think it has to have something to do with Father. It was his portal that pulled us through, right? And we know he has a lot more power because of the philosopher's stone.

[He shrugs, troubled.]

Maybe this is what he means by sacrifice? He needs us out of the way so he's sent us here, somehow.

[forfeits]

It has to be him.

[ Ed presses a hand to his chin, thinking. ]

It could be, but we're the only ones who can stop him, Al. The alchemy he's performed, the homunculi... it's too dangerous. They need our help.

[armoured]

I know.

[A quiet affirmation, less of a response because of course Ed knows that Al is in agreement about needing to help.]

So we have to find a way out of here. The people I've spoken to so far said they haven't found one yet, but someone even said time doesn't move back in Amestris while we're here.

[Does he sound sceptical? It's because he is.]

[forfeits]

Time doesn't move?

[ This place is so different from anything he's ever experienced. Even when trapped in the gut of Gluttony, the world still moved on around them. ]

I guess... if they're right, that's a good thing, isn't it? We can find a way back to where we were and help them. They won't be in danger without us.

[armoured]

Right.

[His voice is soft, almost sympathetic.]

But I don't know if we should believe that so quickly, brother. I know it's tempting, I don't want anyone to be fighting without us, but-- time stopping? It's got to be impossible, hasn't it?