armored_alchemy

It's hardly a strange place to find Al - curled up on the couch with one (or a few) of the cats on his lap or his feet or even draped over the back of the furniture behind him, a book in one hand and more on the side table, and a notebook balanced on the arm of the sofa. He isn't a pencil-chewer like his brother, opting instead to slide his pencil through his ponytail while he reads, only reaching up for it when he finds something of particular interest.

It also keeps his hands conveniently free for whatever beverage he has beside him that day, because he's found it's always a pleasant accompaniment to his reading-slash-research. The heat of this particular day has called for something iced, and that's one thing he's never been able to fault this place for - there's always a plentiful assortment of fresh fruits to be found in the Market District, and most of those make for very refreshing juices.

The sound of dripping is a constant and soothing background noise from the lab, which they've kept despite having plenty of alchemical power back to make their way - it's a reminder of where Al started, on his own, and it's certainly less tedious than constantly having to use alchemy for the more mundane tasks that keep their business afloat. But it's also the only noise, and that makes Al suspicious.

His hand pauses where he's been gently stroking the cat in his lap - Hawkeye, who with her larger size, has always managed to lay claim to that particularly prized spot - and he looks up from his reading, his eyes narrowing slightly. Silence makes him nervous, because Ed is not particularly known for his silence.

"Brother?"

PLAYER
NAME: Amanda
PERSONAL LJ: [info]lady_flamewing
EMAIL/MESSENGER(S): EMAIL: fencer[dot]yamasaki[at]yahoo[dot]com // AIM: handsoffmybishys

CHARACTER
NAME: Alphonse Elric
FANDOM: Fullmetal Alchemist
TIMELINE PERIOD: Post-anime series and post-Conqueror of Shamballa

BACKGROUND: Alphonse Elric has always been a soft-spoken, gentle-hearted boy, with a penchant for adopting stray cats - even when he's a giant suit of armor. See, Alphonse and his brother Edward are alchemists - scientists of a different sort, who alter the fundamental state of matter. They have a natural proficiency for it, so when their beloved mother dies when they are both very young, they turn to forbidden human alchemy in an attempt to bring her back. Their theory is flawless - but in practice, the cost for a human life is just too high. Edward loses a leg; Alphonse loses his entire body. In desperation, Edward gives up another limb - this time an arm - to take his brother's soul back from the Gate and bind it to a suit of armor.

Edward goes on to become a State Alchemist for the military, using their resources to research the legendary Philosopher's Stone - because with it, he can bypass the fundamental laws of Equivalent Exchange, and restore Al to his proper form. Alphonse tags along - not as a State Alchemist, as it would put him in too much danger, and expose the Elrics' forbidden alchemy - determined to restore Ed's missing limbs.

Tricked by forces intricately tied into the history of their own family, Edward and Alphonse do eventually find the Stone - or, more accurately, Alphonse becomes the Stone. And Ed does use it to restore Al's body - but once more underestimates the cost. Alphonse loses his memories of their travels together, of his time in the armor, and Edward finds himself transported through the Gate to a strange parallel dimension - one in which alchemy does not exist.

Three years later, Alphonse has become quite the accomplished alchemist, and travels the country trying to learn more about the brother he remembers so little about. His memory loss frustrates him to no extent, and he tracks down every person who had contact with his brother, trying to see if their stories will help him remember anything. And on the other side of the Gate, Edward is caught in pre-World War II Germany, where a secret society is dabbling in alchemy, trying to draw on the powers of a legendary land - Amestris, Edward's home.

The society manages to open a gate, and wages war on Amestris. For a brief time, Edward returns to aid in the war efforts and protect his hometown, and is reunited with his brother. But he quickly realizes that the Gate needs an alchemist on both sides to close it for good, and leaves Alphonse behind once more.

Or, so he thinks. Alphonse, trusting in the people who have helped his brother and him time and time again in the past, stows away and follows his brother across the Gate. Reunited once more and trapped in a world foreign to both of them, the brothers make a pact to protect the world they are in. Because that is all they can do.

More than anything, Alphonse is loyal to his brother. He would do anything to protect and care for Edward - the gentle, level-headed counter to Edward's brash hot-headedness. And the memories he lost return to him once he passes through the Gate.