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Post by Irony on Feb 8, 2010 16:53:02 GMT -8
Irony stood on the edge of a field. There where hay pile scattered in front of her in the field. Her hair was up in a high and tight ponytail, her bangs loose and a few wisps of hair fell next to her face. Her amber eyes scanned the surrounding carefully, slightly lost in thought. She was wearing a simple pair of black pants, they where slightly snug and where a nice new black. Her top cut at her hip, it had sleeves that went to her elbows and was a shade of dark crimson. She wore normal black boots that where snug in sorts against her legs and rose to mid thigh under the pants. Around her calves over the pants where her gunblades. Snug against so not to fall, loaded and safetied. Next to her was a bag, it had several little thing in it in case she needed it. It was beige in color and sack in shape, it was not very big.
There was a crisp wind, the sun shone slightly on the area, a storm brewing above. The clouds where a slight shade of gray but had yet to reach storm level. She stood, hidden by the piles and closed her eyes. In her hand was two pictures one of Edward Elric and the other of Alphonse Elric. She knew their names, she knew their face now to try to bring them over. She was slightly nervous to say the least, she had never pulled only pushed.
She had heard stories from her older brother of the two, Edward was infamous as the shortest and youngest State Alchemist to ever be accepted. She had heard a few things about him, most useless, though intriguing. She had caught snippets from some of the people that entered her bar, she found newspaper articles about them. The pictures in her hand was slightly faded, the pic of Edward had been caught during the battle in Central. A very rare pic indeed that gave her what she needed to bring him back. The Alphonse pic had a smile, taken by a friend of his she guessed, she had acquired it in a gamble.
She closed her eyes, she summoned the power in her. She visualized the rift. The purple black swirling mass that seemed to glow around her. She imagined herself in front of it, although it was just a physical representation she was still standing back in Resembool. She opened her eye to see a giant eye in front of her.
The eye was wide, it was huge in comparison to Irony. A small white form appeared in front. 'Hmmm first time you are trying to retrieve, what makes you think Ill listen and not eat them,' the white mass said sarcastically. Its weird grin smiled at her. 'I like the snacks you send me though so I will allow this, though there will be a day that I will have no more use of you,' the white form continued. Through the eye it could be seen, Ed and Al getting pulled by the black hands into a mass of darkness.
She snapped back into herself, shivering slightly as if she had been doused in cold water. The clouds above seemed angrier then before. She pulled out a watch from her bag, it appeared two hours had pass. She hooked the chain onto her pants and looked around. She would wait and see. She only hoped the rift would keep up its half of the bargain. The wind blew cold, she could feel the static through her teeth.
There was a sudden wind and then a flash as lighting struck the ground. Rain started to poor. She covered her face slightly as her hair moved in the wind and rain, just as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared. Leaving Irony standing in the same place she had been before, now wet from rain and a little irate. She rung her hair out and waited expecting a sound somewhere. The sky was now turning into a nice shade of blue, the sun showing slightly through the clouds, shedding light on her and the are around her.
She could only hope that it had happened, she would know sooner or later anyways. She grabbed her bags, looking back only once as she took off. She had a train to catch or brother would be mad. She felt as if she had accomplished her goal. She wondered if they had lost anything to get through, she knew she had lost nothing. Although she was tired and hungry, she would need to eat some stones. Brother would not be happy.
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Post by Ed Elric on Feb 10, 2010 18:40:50 GMT -8
Edward sighed, tossing his keys down on the table beyond the door to his and Al’s small apartment. It had been a long bloody day. His mind had been preoccupied since he awoken that morning, running at a thousand miles a second, working through old texts he’d read and formulas that had become useless in that world. He’d been stupid enough to make an attempt at Alchemy when someone had handed him a broken wrench. The look of surprise was familiar, but he had gotten over that social defect, at least he’d thought. Occasionally Amestris snuck into his daily life though, especially when his mind was there even if he couldn’t’ be physically.
There was very little noise in the residence, he could hear the tick of the grandfather clock in their living room and the trickle of water that cascaded from the bathroom sink unstoppably, it had been leaky for as long as he could remember and despite many efforts it had remained that way. Despite the still quiet he assumed Alphonse was home, he usually made a point of it to be there by the time Edward returned home from work unless he’d gotten lost in a book at the dingy public library. Ed adjusted the collar of his white oil stained ivory shirt, popping the top button to allow himself a little more breathing room and kicked his shoes off into a corner.
He was rather put-off by the sudden drop of temperature about him; wondering maybe if the heat had gone out again while he was at work it was more fluky that his own temper. Supposing he would simply check it after locating Al, he removed his jack and flung it across the stout table as well. Pushing a hand back through his bangs he realized he felt immaturely paranoid, something in the air didn’t feel quite right and it had been bugging him constantly, it was the ominous feeling of something, someone, watching him and he hated that sort of clammy nervousness.
A crack of what he guessed to be thunder crashed about his ears, actually startling him enough in his anxious state to make him jump and his heart race unpleasantly. Edward felt a breeze against his back making the small hairs on his neck stand up as it grew to a full forced wind. What the hell…? He spun around a creaking, deafening in its quiet familiarity sending a shiver down his spine. A cold calculating voice whispered, ‘Welcome back,’ from a stark, faceless form.
Hundreds of venomous eyes blinked into existence before him, irrational and cruel in their unseeing visage. I’m dreaming, he told himself, fists curling at his sides. “What are you doing here?” He growled at the truth, sitting nonchalantly before him Cheshire grin mocking him from just beyond the vast grasp of the gate and saying nothing as the shapeless arms of black uncoiled towards him, grasping, pulling unfeeling. It was surreal, his surreal subconscious and again he tried to tell himself he was dreaming because the Gate had been destroyed and no one else had sacrificed for him.
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Post by Alphonse Elric on Feb 24, 2010 7:15:23 GMT -8
It had been…difficult to get accustomed to things in Germany at first, but Edward had helped him through it, explaining to him about planes and other inventions of this new world, he found it all fascinating and took in as much information as he possibly could from his brother alone, but of course there really was only so much Edward could teach him. The library was where the younger Elric spent most of his days, it was a place to fulfil his thirst for knowledge at least and for that he was thankful for. Two years…had it really been that long since he had left Amestris…two years, it didn’t even seem like he had been away for that long, there had been times when he had missed home, times when he had wished he could see Winry and Granny Pinako again, those were the hard times, the times when nothing seemed right with the world, but over time he admitted that it had become easier to deal with…at least for the most part.
It was a quirk of life that just as things seemed to settle down for the most part something would arise again…though the younger Elric could not honestly say he had expected it. There had been disappearances of late, unexplained and somewhat daunting. People had begun vanishing without a trace something which quite frankly, was far from ‘normal, it had been in the papers, people talked about it in the streets…it was something that was impossible to get away from. It was unnerving, people didn’t just vanish off the face of the earth…but it seemed in this case they truly had and the Alphonse had taken a great interest in it himself. He’d mentioned it to Edward quite a few times, and he’d had little doubt that his brother would have seen it in the paper and whilst he wasn’t entirely sure if it interested him, he knew that in at least some small way it had.
Alphonse stifled a yawn as he leaned forward on his bed, his legs swinging back and forth slightly above him as he leafed through a book he had chosen from the library. This one was…interesting and thus far he had found himself dwelling on the same page for about ten minutes or so (though that was likely due to having to decipher it with his limited ability to read German). He had been waiting as always for Edward to return from work, it was routine in a way, much like every other day of their lives and if Alphonse stopped to think on that too much…he realised just how boring it was all becoming. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to wait for Edward, no, that wasn’t it, but back in Amestris things had been…more exciting than this, though the unusual disappearances had given him somewhat of a lift from his boredom, he hadn’t really done anything with it…what could he do after all? He wasn’t a detective and he had little to no clue about where to start an investigation, even if he wanted to.
A sound roused him from his book and instantly grey eyes snapped to his bedroom door…Edward was home? Almost instantly a smile spread across the younger Elric’s lips as he rolled off of his bed, landing with cat like grace on his feet before moving over to his door, opening it. He was about to call out, say something to welcome his brother home when suddenly there was a strange sound, something that could be likened to the roll of thunder…and now…now he wasn’t in their home anymore…this…what? A deepening sense of dread washed over the younger Elric as his eyes widened considerably…he was being watched, unseen creatures with eyes so cold…but he knew this…it was familiar. As he turned in the darkness he saw Edward…and saw something else too…something that was familiar enough to cause memories to flood back. In that moment he tried to speak, tried to say something, call out to his brother…but his voice was lost…and he hoped…that there wasn’t anything else…to be lost.
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Post by Skye Blair on Feb 24, 2010 11:17:10 GMT -8
Skye had been wandering through Resembool. She did that sometimes, hopped on the train and just rode it till she wanted to get off. Resembool, she knew of this place. Home of the Elrics, home of Ed's mechanic. How could she not know, for the last what was it six years she had maintained her scrap books. But the Elrics, that one remained untouched. All but two years ago they had both vanished. This of course had agitated her. She did not like it when people disappeared. She sighed slightly and just kept walking.
One moment it was sunny and bright and the next it was overcast and down pouring. Skye was drenched to near her bone and not pleased. She saw lightening in the short distance and could taste it in her mouth, ozone. She moved towards the area she figured it was. Not something a sane person would do, but Skye did not feel fear. Her teeth ached the air tasting abit electrical. She covered her eyes as the lightening flashed down. Once, twice, three times, in her opinion three was a good number. But this seemed bad, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
Her red brown hair had been up in a nice ponytail, now limped. Her side bangs stuck to her face and her clothes where soaked. Her teal top and black pleated skirt sticking to her skin. She was atleast happy that her kit was water proof or she would be very angry. Now she was agitated, today did not seem to be turning out well. She kept walking, figuring she would dry sooner or later. The air was clean at there where no humans nearby, and then there was.
She sniffed the air a little baffled, one moment clear of all human odor and then suddenly two. Males, how the hell did that work. To go from one place to another without notice or a trail meant...teleportation. She smirked to herself holding onto a little hope. "Hello anyone out there," she called out as she looked to her left and right.
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Post by Ed Elric on Mar 5, 2010 8:06:22 GMT -8
Edward’s chest was collapsing in around his lungs making them impossible to inflate and as desperately as he tried to control it his body trembled, terrified. A cold sweat sheathed his skin and the palms of his hands were clammy as he twitched them in and out of fists. His mind continued to tell him this wasn’t real, there was no plausible explanation he could wrap his head around. He hadn’t done anything, not this time not again. A coil of nerves twisted painful and anxious in the pit of his stomach pushing nausea to the surface forcing him to try to breathe deep the scentless air and fight it down once more. The light that had been coming from the tear in the world from which he’d been pulled in once more zipped up silently flooding him in the odd ethereal glow that accompanied the Truth.
Ed tried to swallow the lump in his throat and wash his own silence away. Opening his mouth at first nothing would come but the speeding of his heart to a frantic rate and a dread he had faced for the last two years only in his nightmares. Finally, his voice blew through the eerie silence, ringing angry, rasping and portraying his fear back at him, “What do you want from me?” The faceless entity remained silent its head twitching to the side slightly as though looking at something just beyond making Ed’s own gaze swing fervently around. He felt the sickness wash him through again at the sight of Alphonse standing there, eyes wide and looking more startled than even he felt. “Al…” he breathed before snapping his eyes back to the Truth, feeling protectiveness swell over his fear and was drowned temporarily in anger. “You-You keep away from him!” Edward shouted taking a step forward, hands balled into fists at his sides as though he might do something, he just didn’t know what.
This wasn't happening...it wasn't, this was some sort of dream, a nightmare, they hadn't performed any alchemy...it didn't work here, so why...why was that...THING there?! The younger Elric's body was beginning to tremble of its own volition, heart pounding deafeningly in his ears, breath stuttering out of him as he tried to calm lungs that suddenly felt on fire. No....he didn't want to be here, not again, the memories of this place were bad enough things he would rather forget, things he had thought he had placed in the dark recesses of his mind now replaying before him like slides on a projector screen, each one showing a new horror that had resurfaced. Hands that were not hands grabbing at him, pulling him, dragging him further away from his brothers outstretched hand...he remembered those well, his trembling turning to full on shaking as his eyes glazed over somewhat. He didn't want it, he hadn't know, they had both thought that they had given the proper exchange, this wasn't right, they hadn't wanted this! No! A helpless cry against the terrifying vision of his body peeling away, piece by piece before his eyes....no!
“You-You keep away from him!” The sound of Edward's voice drew the younger Elric from his nightmare as involuntary tears slipped down his cheeks...it was nothing more than a memory...but it was real...so, so real. He wanted to move, wanted to run, wanted to do anything, but fear had rooted him to the spot and grey eyes remained fixated on the Truth. “B-Brother...” he managed to force out a word, one simple word, the only word that he could manage to release around the lump that had embedded itself in his throat, he wanted to wake up, this was still a dream...it had to be a dream, this wasn't real! It wasn't!
Edward bit his tongue, hard, as though maybe that could wake him from a nightmare. But a shock of pain tugged at his nerves and a small, salty droplet rolled metallic and unpleasant down his throat. This was no dream. He heard Alphonse’s whisper near the edge of his consciousness, speaking to him but still saying nothing and again he was angry, angry that this thing, this ‘Truth’ was back for them, angry that he there was nothing he could do to protect himself or his brother. “What do you want to take this time?” He hissed through his teeth, wishing he could stare down the maliciously neutral being and take thing back to where they had been, finally, comfortably, monotonous. The Truth tipped its head to the side as though in thought and Ed felt his fists clench once more at his side.
“This time,” the hollow voice said, sounding cruel and delighted. “Someone has already paid your toll.” What did that mean? Someone had sacrificed to pull them through the gate again? His chest tugged painfully, who would have done it this time? What had the price been? He began to speak, to shout that this wasn’t what they wanted, not again. But it was too late, the decision had been made.
Edward felt awash in disorientation, his head felt like his brain was spinning around inside and there was the dull throb of impact in his hip and shoulder where he’d landed on grass? The lush green surroundings seemed surreal following the dim terror of the Truth. He rolled slowly onto his back, feeling his clothes stick to his skin having leached rain from the ground though the sky seemed clear. Taking a deep, damp breath Ed tried to clear his thoughts, to still his whirling mind. There was a familiar feel to the smell of the air and Ed pushed himself on his elbows to reveal a strikingly well-known piece of land. Risembool. Swallowing heavily around a lump in his throat, Ed blinked rapidly but the scene before him never changed, he knew this place very well. Before long his shell shocked thoughts came to an abrupt halt, there was something else…”Alphonse!”
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Post by Alphonse Elric on Mar 13, 2010 16:55:07 GMT -8
This was one point of ‘nostalgia’ that the younger Elric could have done without, there was no fondness to the memories that he held of this, only fear and a deepening sense of revulsion. Why was this happening? He was only now coming to terms with the fact that what he saw before him was no dream, that it was not some conjured memory of the past, but almost a reliving...but so far nothing had happened and for that much he was grateful. “What do you want to take this time?” Edward’s voice was loud and clear and Alphonse felt his chest tighten as he spoke....the toll, yes, that was what his body had been, a passage fee, just as Edward’s leg had been...but they had not summoned the truth and only now was the younger boys mind beginning to piece things together that had previously eluded him as the numbness of his fear began to recede.
“This time, someone has already paid your toll.” The sound of its voice made Alphonse’s skin crawl and he shuddered visibly. Someone...paid the toll? What? Did that mean someone else had summoned him? That someone else had orchestrated this...this whole thing? What for? And why? Why would someone want...the younger Elric didn’t have time to think much on his questions before the darkness around him seemed to swirl before his eyes as a sense of displacement set in and he brought his hand to his head trying to keep the world from spinning unsuccessfully...what...what was happening now? This wasn’t a sensation he had felt before, and perhaps he should have been feeling that fear that had consumed him only moments before, but he found himself feeling nothing as he lost control of his body as he felt himself begin to move sideways, falling as he closed his eyes, the world turning black in entirety.
It was...cold...and damp...why was he lying on something wet? Alphonse’s left hand moved, fingertips feeling for the...huh? That wasn’t the floor, or at least that wasn’t what a floor was supposed to feel like...it was sort of...soft, but it was definitely wet...wait. Slowly the younger Elric opened his eyes turning his head slightly at the light that proceeded to sting his eyes, when did it get so bright? It took a full thirty seconds before his fog laden mind was able to completely process what was going on, dragging with it memories of the events just a few moments before. Alphonse sat up sharply, gray eyes wary as he looked about him in a panic that calmed almost instantly on realising he was no longer within the realms of that...thing...but...where was he? Slowly his gaze trailed down to his hand as he ran it along the coolness of the grass, no...it couldn’t be...could it? “Alphonse!” That voice...it sounded near but...at the same time. “Brother!” he cried suddenly remembering that Edward had been there too, he was safe...that was at least some relief...but how...how had they come to be here...Resembool.
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Post by Skye Blair on Apr 15, 2010 21:03:44 GMT -8
Skye hear the calls, voices she had never heard but she had caught the name Alphonse. She smiled and her heart felt light. This was it the Elrics she was sure of it. She sniffed the air again and caught the faint smell of metal and oil. Edward had metal limbs. She almost felt like jumping up and down with joy. She found the Elrics and they had appeared out of nowhere. She made her way around following her nose towards the grease one. Edward to be assumed of course. She was acting a bit sneaky but it wasnt on purpose.
When she finally spotted Edward she was to his back, a smile still on her face. Her brain knew that after this time he was no longer a technical state alchemist but he still had experience, and even if she couldnt get the secret to teleportation she could still learn from them, two of the greatest alchemists. Oh and of course get autographs and hopefully photos for her scrap book. She was mentally doing a happy dance. Today was a very good day. She assumed sneaking up on him would be a bad idea so she stayed where she was.
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Post by Ed Elric on Apr 26, 2010 0:04:38 GMT -8
Edward bit back his sigh of relief, pushing himself somewhat unsteadily to his feet, he heard Al call out to him, but that didn’t mean he was alright. Despite the disturbing comment the Gate had thrown out, it was unlikely they’d made it through the gate unscathed and because there seemed to be nothing wrong with him, he had to worry about Alphonse. Lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the harshness of the sun, Ed scanned the field for his brother. When Ed spotted him a few mere yards away he pushed his leaden legs to move, reaching him in quick time. “What the fuck just happened?” He muttered, more to himself than Al, before dropping to his knees. “Are you alright?” The question sounded more as though it came from someone else, calm and smooth, not at all how he felt.
It didn’t make any sense, that they had made it through the Gate thoroughly intact, nor that they had encountered the Gate again at all. It had said that someone else had paid their toll, who would have done that, and better yet, why? Was this real? Could it be real? Ed had spent the last couple of years certain that he would never see his home again and now that he was, he couldn’t tell if what bubbled in the pit of his stomach was nostalgic joy or fury because he had once again been ripped from what he thought was finally routine. The fear had subsided somewhat and he was left with the rush of adrenaline and it was making his heart beat heavily against his chest.
Edward tore his gaze away from the scenery, so familiar it was almost alien, and back to Alphonse, hoping to share his thoughts once he knew if Al was safe, or not.
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Post by Alphonse Elric on May 12, 2010 6:06:29 GMT -8
His mind was still a little foggy, even if he had managed to regain the majority of his senses and his memory of the events that had occurred. They made as little sense now as they had when he had seen the truth and a shudder ran down his spine as he thought about it. Why were they here? Why were they in Risembool? Frankly he was confused, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to know all of the answers, there was something off, something that didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it, but for now, he was content to allow the majority of his worried to stay in the back of his mind, if only to allow himself to take in his surroundings in greater detail.
In no time at all Edward was beside him and Alphonse sighed with relief, at least his brother was alright, and that was a small mercy, he admitted he had been worried, especially given that Edward had been so close to that thing. “What the fuck just happened?” Alphonse wasn’t entirely certain if Edward had been directing the question at him or whether he was merely mulling over the situation out loud, frankly, even if the question had been directed at him, the younger Elric wouldn’t have been able to give him an answer…he wasn’t exactly sure himself. As his brother knelt on the ground Alphonse moved slightly, beginning to feel marginally uncomfortable thanks to the dampness of the grass. “Are you alright?” The younger boy nodded in response moving his hand through his hair. “I’m fine.” He said not sure whether to smile or not.
Alphonse admitted that he was still wary about all of this, after all, to be here…it just seemed like a dream, one that he was sure he would wake from, and find himself back in the small flat he had shared with his brother, with his head in the book he had been reading. It seemed so real, the trees, the hills, even the sound of the birds…and he wanted to believe it…he really did, but what would be the price of that? Grey eyes looked to Edward as he cast his brother a look of confusion, dream or not, it his brother was most likely as confused as he was, and perhaps he would have said something, asked him what he thought, asked him if he too was alright…if something hadn’t caught his eye. He moved his head to the side slightly, looking past Edward to see someone standing not too far off…it was a girl, that much he could tell…but why was she here? Had she seen them arrive? “Brother…look” the younger boy said uncertainly, keeping his eyes on the girl.
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Post by Skye Blair on May 13, 2010 19:22:34 GMT -8
Skye watched then quietly. Just staying in her spot. Really she wasnt sure what else to do. She still didnt know how to act around others let alone the missing Elrics. Although seeing them made her happy, so happy a smile spread across her face. The reason she made becoming a State Alchemist her goal was because of the man before her. How long ago had it been when she had first heard of him, what would her goal of been if he had never done what he had. Her teacher had never said she couldn't do anything and he hadnt looked down on her when she told him her dream. Although the biggest thing that always found her mind when she thought about him is the fact he was a huge pervert.
She had slightly lost herself in thought when she heard Alphonse voice. Telling his brother to look, looking up she knew he was talking about her. Although their reason for looking at her confused her. She did not know how they had arrived but she had assumed it had been of their own will. How could it happen any other way. "Oh sorry I was wondering when I smelled something out of the normal, your Edward and Alphonse Elric right. I remember from the pictures I saw years ago. Can I get a picture later looks like Ill be opening Fullmetals scrap book again," she said with a smile and bright eyes. She laughed slightly and her heart felt light. She was really happy to see them, she just wanted to sit down and talk about alchemy. Figure things out and befriend them.
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Post by Ed Elric on May 30, 2010 0:22:12 GMT -8
Edward finally allowed himself that heavy breath of relief when Alphonse said he was fine. They hadn’t worked so hard just to let the gate take things from them once more…But with that worry set aside he was able to focus his mind on the biggest question at hand simply stated in three words, what the hell? He tipped his head forward slightly, staring at the ground preceding a quick glance to the sky as though one or the other would open its maw and give him the answers he was seeking.
When neither did he lay a palm flat to the damp grass to push himself back to his feet. They certainly weren’t going to learn anything sitting around waiting for something to happen. Before he managed, though, Al’s gaze shifted abruptly and Ed’s eyes followed and he only vaguely registered Al’s suggestion that he look.
A ways from them stood a girl, she didn’t look to be far from their age, and she smiled oddly at them. Ed’s face twisted in thought. The possibilities were endless, she could be anyone from a random stranger that just happened to stumble across the field they just happened to be deposited in, to a homunculi that knew the innermost workings behind why they had been wrenched from the comfort of their flat to be spewed into a world Edward had finally been close to putting behind him.
He never tore his eye from the stranger as he made it to his feet, and pushed his bangs from his face. He was prepared to, beginning to even, question her when she spoke first. "Oh, sorry, I was wondering when I smelled something out of the normal, your Edward and Alphonse Elric right. I remember from the pictures I saw years ago. Can I get a picture later looks like I’ll be opening Fullmetal’s scrap book again.” Upon later thought he would find it odd that she had mentioned smelling them and it truly wasn’t the strangest or most unexpected thing she said.
“A, uh, a picture?” He asked incredulously, managing little more than a state of confusion. He waited for a moment but didn’t give her proper time to answer before regaining his wits and control over his gaping jaw. “How do you know who we are? Do you know anything about why we’re here?” He twisted slightly, still not looking away but offered his hand to help Al to his feet and this time did wait, hoping for some sort of satisfactory answer.
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