[ Al can probably guess it's news from the sound of a sharp inhale. It feels like a punch in the gut, and it takes a moment to figure out how to word. ]
Frickin' hell. I...I'm sorry, Al. [ Making a frustrated noise as he rubbed the back of his head. ] What happened?
[ What's even the right thing to say? He knows he can't say it's okay. He knows it's never going to be okay, even when you get someone back. Swallowing back his own emotions to do his best for Al. ]
I know. I know you did your best. [ He says it with certainty. ] I know you, Al. I know you would have done everything you could have.
[ He places his hand on tablet as he heaves a heavy sigh. ]
I know it sucks. And it feels pretty shitty that it keeps happening. [ Curling up his hand into a fist. ] We just have to fix this frickin' place. Give it back it's power so it can bring everyone back. We'll make it happen, Al.
That's-- that's the last thing we should be trying to do. I know we miss the people that are gone, but bringing them back from the dead isn't right. It's not-- it's not natural, Zell, we shouldn't be trying to get all of them back.
Because it's not saving them, they're--- they're already gone, Zell. You don't know what bringing them back does to them, or the world, you can't just do that.
[He makes a choked sound in the back of his throat, but he can't just let Zell carry on this way. He has to tell.]
Nature needs balance, Zell, bringing a life back needs an equivalent price paying. But there isn't a price for a human soul, not really, it just hurts everyone to try and pretend that's not so. Please, you have to trust me, nobody should ever come back from the dead no matter how much you miss them.
A price? What kind of price? [ It's not that he doesn't trust Al, but it just it's hard to swallow it when they are right there in the morgue. And there is an admin with the ability to some how resuscitate them like with Zack. ] Like someone else dying instead?
What?! [ There is so much to ask or react to. Al doesn't have a body. That would explain SO MUCH. SO MUCH that he's also wondering why he didn't even guess. Then there is the whole how do you lose your body thing. ]
Where. Where did you lose your body? [ It's out before he can even think. Then he's kind of staring at the screen realizing how stupid that sounds. ]
[ Everything deflates at the sound of Al's voice. Rubbing the back of his neck feeling rather sheepish at his question and arguing in the first place as he gives a nod. ]
Yeah, I want to hear it. If you're cool with sharing it.
[There's a moment of silence, but he trusts Zell and it's incredibly important that he is made to understand that bringing people back isn't something to just charge into headlong.]
I was four when our Mom died, it was a sickness that swept across the country, it was so quick... Dad had already left and he didn't come back when Mom died, so it was just Brother and me. Our friend Winry and her Granny took us in, but it wasn't enough, we wanted our Mom back. We wanted her back so much...
[What idiots they had been.]
We'd already started practising alchemy, but human transmutation is something that's forbidden. Alchemy-- everything, is based on balance. Equivalent exchange, you can't make something from nothing, you have to give back an equal price. That's why making people was forbidden, there is no equivalent price, but we thought-- we thought maybe we could do it anyway. So we trained for a long time and researched everything we could find, and when I was ten we tried to bring her back.
We have all the ingredients for a human body, we thought if we added our own blood it would be soul data, but... but it went wrong. It wasn't enough, the price rebounded on us. Brother lost his leg and I lost my entire body, I would have died, but Ed gave up his arm to transmute my soul into this suit of armour and bind me to it.
[He hesitates, voice getting quieter.]
And even after all of that, what we made was barely even human. It was... broken, and bleeding, and it died again just a few seconds later.
We've met people since who can perform human transmutation using a philosopher's stone to bypass equivalent exchange, but those are made with human lives, using their souls for energy. I don't know if that's what's happening here, but I do know that people shouldn't come back from the dead, Zell, not ever.
[He doesn't have memories of that kind of loss, and they lost her to an illness. They had to watch her grow weaker and finally...
There is a sharp intake of breath as he gets to the part about Al losing his body and Ed loses both his limbs. And after all of that hell, what they brought back wasn't their mom. It wasn't even human. It sounds like some abomination they could run into here.
Muttering a curse under his breath as he remembers when Ed was asking questions about who brought him back. How distraught he sounded.
Brought my-- her back. I died.
The words never made sense to him, but they stuck to him because it was one of the first few messages he saw on the network. ]
Frickin' hell. Al. Al, I'm sorry. [ His voice is thick with emotion as he tries to focus on now. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
no subject
[Even he can't bring himself to say that he's fine at the moment.]
I'm getting by.
no subject
Alright. You know, if you ever need anyone... I'm here. We're all in this together, right?
no subject
My brother is dead.
[Did he know already? Maybe. But it's at least some explanation for why he isn't doing well.]
no subject
Frickin' hell. I...I'm sorry, Al. [ Making a frustrated noise as he rubbed the back of his head. ] What happened?
no subject
[Another one, this is too many times that he's had to watch people that he cares about dragged away, helpless to stop it.]
I tried to-- I-- But I couldn't do anything.
no subject
I know. I know you did your best. [ He says it with certainty. ] I know you, Al. I know you would have done everything you could have.
no subject
But it wasn't enough.
YOUR SPIKE WILL BE THE SPIKE TO PIERCE THE HEAVENS, AL!
I know it sucks. And it feels pretty shitty that it keeps happening. [ Curling up his hand into a fist. ] We just have to fix this frickin' place. Give it back it's power so it can bring everyone back. We'll make it happen, Al.
no subject
[It's immediate and horrified.]
That's-- that's the last thing we should be trying to do. I know we miss the people that are gone, but bringing them back from the dead isn't right. It's not-- it's not natural, Zell, we shouldn't be trying to get all of them back.
no subject
What's wrong with it? If we can save them... if we can save everyone, why shouldn't we try? [ Please explain, armor bro. ]
no subject
AND I THOUGHT I HIT SUBMIT FOR THIS TWO DAYS AGO
I hate when that happens!
[Oops, that comes out as a shout.]
no subject
[ He's not yelling, but it's clear he's being stubborn. Huffing out a breath. ] I'm going to do it, Al.
no subject
[This is probably the first time that he's lost his temper with one of his friends, at least properly, and he can't help how livid he sounds.]
You don't understand how dangerous it is to even try that, you don't know what the price is! You can't-- You're an idiot!
It'll cost you an arm and a leg
[ Why does it sound like Al has been there before? ]
wow rude
Nature needs balance, Zell, bringing a life back needs an equivalent price paying. But there isn't a price for a human soul, not really, it just hurts everyone to try and pretend that's not so. Please, you have to trust me, nobody should ever come back from the dead no matter how much you miss them.
no subject
no subject
[He hesitates a long... long time, before steeling himself to go on.]
It's like my body, Zell, it's hollow. I lost my original one trying to bring my mother back.
no subject
WHOA WAIT WHAT??? ]
What?! [ There is so much to ask or react to. Al doesn't have a body. That would explain SO MUCH. SO MUCH that he's also wondering why he didn't even guess. Then there is the whole how do you lose your body thing. ]
Where. Where did you lose your body? [ It's out before he can even think. Then he's kind of staring at the screen realizing how stupid that sounds. ]
no subject
It's-- it's kind of a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?
[He knows he's started now, revealed the big secret, but he doesn't want to pile this on Zell without a warning for how heavy it is.]
no subject
Yeah, I want to hear it. If you're cool with sharing it.
no subject
I was four when our Mom died, it was a sickness that swept across the country, it was so quick... Dad had already left and he didn't come back when Mom died, so it was just Brother and me. Our friend Winry and her Granny took us in, but it wasn't enough, we wanted our Mom back. We wanted her back so much...
[What idiots they had been.]
We'd already started practising alchemy, but human transmutation is something that's forbidden. Alchemy-- everything, is based on balance. Equivalent exchange, you can't make something from nothing, you have to give back an equal price. That's why making people was forbidden, there is no equivalent price, but we thought-- we thought maybe we could do it anyway. So we trained for a long time and researched everything we could find, and when I was ten we tried to bring her back.
We have all the ingredients for a human body, we thought if we added our own blood it would be soul data, but... but it went wrong. It wasn't enough, the price rebounded on us. Brother lost his leg and I lost my entire body, I would have died, but Ed gave up his arm to transmute my soul into this suit of armour and bind me to it.
[He hesitates, voice getting quieter.]
And even after all of that, what we made was barely even human. It was... broken, and bleeding, and it died again just a few seconds later.
We've met people since who can perform human transmutation using a philosopher's stone to bypass equivalent exchange, but those are made with human lives, using their souls for energy. I don't know if that's what's happening here, but I do know that people shouldn't come back from the dead, Zell, not ever.
no subject
There is a sharp intake of breath as he gets to the part about Al losing his body and Ed loses both his limbs. And after all of that hell, what they brought back wasn't their mom. It wasn't even human. It sounds like some abomination they could run into here.
Muttering a curse under his breath as he remembers when Ed was asking questions about who brought him back. How distraught he sounded.
Brought my-- her back. I died.
The words never made sense to him, but they stuck to him because it was one of the first few messages he saw on the network. ]
Frickin' hell. Al. Al, I'm sorry. [ His voice is thick with emotion as he tries to focus on now. ]
(no subject)
Sorry. Had a kitty emergency. also sorry al
hope all is okay with the cat now
<3 it's getting bettter \o/ she's eating. thank you.
<3
Re: <3
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)