The sky beyond the window glows a soft blue with the approaching dawn, and he shimmies his head up against the pillow before his lids droop closed once more. Ed can see the lettering on the page crawl before his eyes, and he squeezes his eyes shut for a heavy huff of breath that is really a poorly disguised yawn. He frowns and firmly grips the book up before it has a chance tip over his chest and drop over his face.
By the regular spacing of the words, this thick book might be a dictionary.
He is only halfway through the thing, and it is a hardy challenge. His brain may be screwed up, jam packed with far too much Gate knowledge, but he clings to the hope he can decode enough of this gibberish of a language to keep his promise to Al.
At the least he wants to be able to speak with the people that are at worst his new owners. They treat him well enough, he supposes, for him to go through the effort before he leaves them behind.
Not!Riza.
Her name was really "Temari", and she escorted him to a nice looking, clean building with wide windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. It featured many low tables covered in pristine white linen, and a small patio was nestled off to one side. Temari gripped his arm tighter and nearly marched him through the set of double doors.
His rumbling belly roared at place's enticing aromas as they breezed through, and Temari seemed to know the place well. She found a table and sat down with barely a nod at the waiter standing ready at the far side of the large room. The setting did have a nice view of the street, but Ed eased himself down on the edge of the bench across from her as he darted his eyes to the many available exits. With that gnawing in his middle, he soon forgot about dashing away as he became engrossed with the printed booklet placed before him by the waiter.
The white pages were certainly not illustrated at all, but he found himself picking out quite a few words from the sea of chicken scratch. He lowered his brows as he pointed at a beef dish he could read perfectly well, and he did, aloud, as he glanced across at Temari. With an air of superiority, she smirked as she read it aloud as well, barely glancing at his pointing gauntleted fingers, and he raised his brows at hearing the spoken sounds. They were completely different than he thought they should be.
The waiter took the order. Ed then took to pointing at things at random, and naming them in first in Amestrian, then for kicks, Ishballan or ancient Xerxian. Temari looked at him blankly at first, but reluctantly followed along, naming things after the first two items. He kept watch on her face the entire time, and although she kept her features even and unreadable, he thought he saw a glint of curiosity in her gaze.
The meal arrived. Served with measly chopsticks.
Ed glared balefully at the things for several moments, and rather than embarrass himself in such a fine public space, chose to take them into his lap. A small clap later, the discreet transmutation changed the stupid wooden things into a more useful fork.
He did glimpse Temari raising a brow at the utensil as he brought it out for use, but she said nothing regarding it as the meal progressed.
He stuffed the last rice ball of his dish in his mouth when the waiter slipped what Ed assumed was the check on the table. Temari didn't glance in its direction, but produced several brightly colored notes from a pouch at her back.
She was intending on paying for the meal, after also providing much useful language lessons to him when she didn't much want to.
He hardly thought that was an equivalent thing to be allowed to happen.
He looked at his right hand as he threaded his fingers before his chin, feeling the living flesh within the diamond hard gauntlet. He felt rather silly, sitting there with such a highly defensive thing of war on his person in such a peaceful, luxurious establishment. Unlike the automail installed on his what was left of his leg, it was not really a necessity.
He reached and touched his left upon her hands. He shook his head slightly at her look his way.
"Domo." He said, carefully repeating what she had said to him earlier that evening.
He combed his mind for the right equation, and pressed his palm against the unyielding carbon. He felt the tickle of the discharge dancing up his elbows, and he opened his eyes to the golden glow, the carbon of the gauntlet compressed further down according to his will. The transmutation took less than an eye blink for him to complete, and he smoothly caught the small glittering bauble as it dropped.
The skin of his right hand was a wrinkled, clammy mess and he hid it in his lap as he handed the created diamond over the waiter. Ed's brows nearly touched when he saw the expression on the waiter's face. The man's eyes were round with wonder and amazement as the man pinched the jewel between his fingers and lifted it to the light. Ed didn't think the thing was THAT spectacular a creation to warrant such a reaction.
Across from him, Temari gasped, and stood so suddenly that the table jolted over his way. Ed caught it as she snatched the diamond from the waiter's grasp. She then said something in a low commanding tone as she shoved the colorful bills into the man's empty hands instead.
The exchange made Ed briefly wonder if he had broken some law they had against creating diamonds, and chewed his cheek as he stood up to quickly make his leave. He made it as far as the door before Temari again wrapped her arms about his right.
Apparently, the night was not over.
The room she brought him to was clean. It consisted of mostly of low bookshelves that lined the walls, and the bed at the far wall looked far more comfortable than the pavement offered him in his alley.
There were no chains. Anywhere. That was on the plus side of things. He was no Roy Mustang, after all, and felt the blush heat his cheeks as he darted his eyes to Temari as she strode off. He didn't know exactly what she had in mind, bringing him here.
Idly, he eyed the many photographs with mild interest, but long habit made him reach for a volume he saw gathering dust upon the shelf. He browsed through the pages, the finding gibberish contained within a mix of things he could understand and could not. It was like a code in a way, and he focused himself in the effort to decode it.
When he reached end of the last page, he closed the book and startled. Over his arms draped a pillow and a blanket. He blinked owlishly at them, and supposed Temari had tossed them both there in her frustration at failing to get his attention. He looked around, rubbing an eye at the room's dim lighting.
He then shrugged, chose another book, (this one a thick tome of sorts), and settled himself comfortably onto the bed.
Sent via a stray supercharged nano particle of unobtainium....
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