5th Transmutation | FIRST INAUGURAL FOURTH WALL

[armoredsoul]

[The flash of light was...weird, to say the least. Alphonse had been warned and he knew this thing was coming, but somehow he expected it to be different. More...impressive? But instead it's as if nothing had happened at all. Well, not quite--he can feel the tingling flow of alchemical energy again, something he hadn't ever been without until he'd crossed through the Gate with Edward.]

[His brother...]

[Al sighed and flopped down on the bed, staring at the floor. Would they be here, somewhere? People supposedly came and went with much greater ease during these events...it couldn't hurt to look. And some fresh air would probably do him some good, anyway.]

[He got up and was about to head out when he paused and looked back at the sheets on the bed. After a moment, he clapped his hands and a crackle of energy went over the fabric--]

[When Al steps out onto the street, it's with a jacket that some might find rather familiar over his shoulders, pulled closed against the chill.]

Comments

[garbagechild]

<sub>[The young Homunculus comes stumbling to a halt not too long after the Pidgeot lands. He doesn't need to breathe, but his shoulders are heaving anyway as he lifts his head to glare viciously at Al through his strands of matted hair.]

[He doesn't say anything yet. But his fists are clenched.]</sub>

[armoredsoul]

[Al holds his hands up in front of him, trying one last time to soothe the young Homunculus.]

Wrath, please, calm down. There's no reason for us to fight here. There's no alchemist that would try to hurt you, and Dante isn't even here. I know you hate me for how Brother and I acted in the past, and I'm so sorry for that. We had no right to treat you the way we did.

[garbagechild]

You're lying.

_{[He hisses this between his wolflike teeth.]}

Master is here.

And she's gonna squish you like a bug. Or what's left of you.

_{[The joints in his fingers pop loudly as he flexes them.]}

It's too late to say you're sorry. Should've thought of that SOONER!

[armoredsoul]

Wha--she's here?!

[Al's caught off-guard by that information--when the hell did that happen? Why did this place have to pull Dante of all people here?]

[And in that surprise, he nearly completely lets down his guard, not out of fear but just sheer shock.]

[garbagechild]

<sub>[Ooh, Al, buddy, THIS IS NOT A GOOD TIME TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN.]

[Like a hawk homing in on a rabbit, Wrath can tell instinctively that this is the moment to strike.]

[And he does.]

[Darting forward, he drags his knuckles across the earth to turn his fist into stone, and brings it swinging upward in a vicious uppercut to the other boy's chin.]</sub>

[armoredsoul]

[Al manages to get out of the way of that hit, but just barely, the stone scraping his chin painfully. He rolls back of of the way, clapping his hands and slamming them to the ground to suddenly force the ground beneath Wrath's feet skyward.]

[garbagechild]

<sub>[As the earth surges upwards, Wrath stumbles off-balance for a second, before using the rising ground as a launchpad to leap for the nearest tree. He's not done trying to throw blows in Al's direction yet, though.]

[Wrenching one of the larger limbs off in a deafening splintering of wood, he fuses it to his arm and lashes out with it, trying to knock the young alchemist's legs out from under him.]</sub>