ignitethesky | [video]

[Ever since New Years, he's taken to trying to stay indoors when he can, venturing out only when necessary. Since the arrival of a certain short blond alchemist's parents, he's been trying to keep an even lower profile... because it's cold outside, and automail is metal, and getting punched by a cold metal fist is not high on his list of priorities.

After all, what if it was like getting your tongue stuck to an ice cube? What if he wound up stuck to Edward's arm? And of course, this opens up a whole new can of worms that he doesn't even want to think about because he isn't the one with the metal limbs...

But even more pressing is the fact that he's noticed something here and there on the floor of his apartment: feathers. His feathers. Not a lot, but definitely not just one or two. This means the question must be asked, and so he turns to the journal and its video function.]

Perhaps someone else will be able to answer this, but is this [A pause as he turns the journal to point at the feathers on the floor] normal?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Doesn't seem normal to me. [LOSING FEATHERS in fact seems like a very bad thing when losing a wing can kill you instantly.] Maybe there are some wing experts around here that know something about it.

...And in the meantime, you can stuff a new pillow. [Totally practical.]

Maybe I should choose a new career path. "Roy Mustang, Slightly Abnormal Interior Decorator".

I'll admit, it has a ring to it. Might be more useful than "Aspiring Fuhrer" around here!

But I don't want to be an interior decorator.

There's always "professional arsonist", but that might be frowned upon. I'll admit, I'm not exactly in possession of an abundance of potentially useful skills here, and those I do have, I'm not entirely certain of how to make them into anything worthwhile.

You're not the only one. There's plenty to investigate in Luceti, but it seems like every possible avenue has already been explored.

[But hey, more time to spend with his family! So. He's not complaining. Too much.]

You could always start a magic act.

Back to that all-around freak show, huh? Does that mean you'll be my knife-thrower?

Hey--now there's an idea! Might as well put my skills to practical use.

Question is, how do you make anything out of some knives and a little bit of fire? Besides a barbecue, that is?

Clearly, we need a fire eater.

[VOLUNTEERS?]

You'd better not be suggesting that I do that. I've burned myself more times than I care to think about.

Maybe Ed will do it! It'd be worth asking, at least.

[If only so he can see the reaction.]

I should probably leave the asking to you, since he’s liable to try and test my metal-eating skills if I did it.

He's probably going to try doing that anyway.

Probably, but at the very least, it wouldn't be for asking him about eating fire.

Nope! Just for hitting on his mom, instead.

[...] You know their father showed up, too, right?

Yeeeah... I saw that one after the fact. A lot of Amestrians, but none of the good ones. [AKA. attractive single women]

So what foods taste good when pureed?

[Hey, it's good to know for future reference, right?]

Oh, you know, the usual things you can find in baby food. But I guess you don't spend much time shopping for baby food, do you.

I can't say I've ever had to do that, no.

And it's not like people can send women through a postal service, which Luceti may or may not have, so all in all, my chances for ever having to buy baby food are pretty well non-existent... unless I'm buying it for someone else, which means you and Gracia should probably get busy on giving Elicia a sibling.

[WELP. If you wanted to get him to shut up, that was the way to do it.

It's...a bit of a touchy subject. Especially as of recent and he's at a loss of whether bothering to explain that or just deflect.

...After a pause, deflection wins! Because that's not a conversation he's eager to have.]

...I'm sure you can find a baby around here if you're suddenly dying to feed one. It is a lot of fun to make the train noises.

No thanks, but how about this instead? If I ever do decide to get married here, you'll be the first to know about it... because you'll be standing there with me when it happens.

[And none of this "but what if" talk, because he's going to believe that should it ever happen, Hughes will still be there.]

[Alright. Now that's more like it. It's an attitude that's easy for him to pick up on.]

Of course! Someone's got to make sure you don't run off with cold feet. And seeing as how I'll be the one to talk you into it, it ought to be me.

[Making sure he doesn't run off... now there's a frightening mental image.]

...I'm going to end up chained to the altar, aren't I?

Well, maybe not literally. but figuratively, sure.

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