[Closed]

[alchemyfreak]

who: Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Valeria Myles (Possibly Others)
what: Backdated Catch All for October
when: After Val's arrival
where: General Store, Communal Housing, Possibly Other
warnings: That Horror Game CRAU Life - Hospital/Horror/Silent Hill/Pyramid Head References.

Comments

[text to al - val's arrival]

[alchemyfreak]

[There’s a number of reasons Ed decides to text Al rather than video or call him. It would be out of the ordinary enough for his brother to receive a text at all, unprompted from Edward, but the content makes it all the more unusual.]

A friend came through the portal. She’s taking a nap at the General Store before I take her back to Orientation.

[Short. Simple. Straight to the point.]

[alkahestic]

[ texts from ed are rare. usually both elrics prefer the video function of the devices, but this time, for some reason, ed chooses text. it makes al instantly curious and a little concerned. he mentions a friend, but it can't be someone they both know or ed wouldn't use text and come straight out with who it is. so it's someone from purg, al assumes, and immediately hopes the woman or girl is okay. ]

Is she okay? Does she need anything? Can I ask who it is?

[alchemyfreak]

[Leave it to Al to ask the complicated questions that shouldn't be complicated.]

She'll be fine, she just needs rest.

[A lot of it. He's not about to tell Alphonse she arrived here shortly after a huge fight they had or that Ed doesn't remember said fight. He's not intentionally downplaying how bad off she is, but there's a perspective one has being in Purg that others simply wouldn't understand. Coming straight from Purgatorium, she doesn't seem so bad off. Oh, right. Al asked another question.]

Her name's Val.

[alkahestic]

[ that's all well and fine, al thinks, but there are still a lot of questions he has. is this girl from purg, what is she to ed, and why did she show up now? not that ed would have an answer for that last question, but al still wonders. ]

Okay. I'll let her rest. Let me know if/when anything is needed.

[Al's Arrival]

[alchemyfreak]

[When Alphonse arrives at the apartment, the General Store is locked up. Valeria is asleep in their bed over the kitchen, and Ed has moved a stool from the first floor to sit beside the bed, evidently having been keeping an eye on her the whole time. He has his device for the network in one hand, not even glancing up at the sound of Al entering the small space.]

[alkahestic]

[ al doesn't bother with much in the general store when he finally gets to the apartment. instead, he bypasses it to head towards where he figures ed might be. so far, there's only the one bed on the property and if one of ed's friends is resting, that's where she would be. of course, when he gets there, he hesitates, not wanting to intrude on what looks like a deathbed scene. his eyes go immediately to the figure in the bed, noting the malnourished appearance, and wonders if that's how ed had been while he was there.

keeping his footsteps as quiet as he can, he approaches until he's close enough to lay a hand on ed's shoulder. he chews his lip for a second, debating whether he should speak and eventually decides on murmuring a soft "Brother". ]

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed looks up at the touch, offering another glance to Val before motioning for Alphonse to head down to the kitchen. The last thing they needed was for her to wake up in the condition she was in. The kittens and Quilava are resting behind the counter in a comfortable pet bed, seeming just as exhausted as the human that carried them there. When Ed speaks his voice is low to keep from waking any of them, gaze shifting restlessly as if uncomfortable not having her in his direct line of sight now.]

She came straight here, she's going to have to go right back to Orientation when she wakes up. After she gets enough rest, at least. The last thing we need is these people thinking we're hiding a fugitive.

[alkahestic]

[ following ed as usual, he says nothing until they reach the kitchen. he can tell ed is on edge, uncomfortable with the situation, but he can also tell that his brother cares deeply for the girl in their bed. it puts them both in a tough position, but al has faith that his brother will know what to do. ]

Of course. I'm sure the people at Orientation will understand. In that state, it would be almost impossible for her to attend. And they seem to want us healthy here. [ he worries his lip for a few seconds and then continues. ] I'll make up some broth for her. She'll need simple foods until she's good enough to keep stuff down.

[alchemyfreak]

[He leans against the counter to ground himself, clearing his throat with a shrug.]

We ate fine when we were there, but our food options were pretty limited so simple ingredients are probably a good idea. It's not like we starved, there just wasn't much for variety.

[He's obviously thinking, trying to mentally backtrack nearly two years to being in Purg and the exact conditions that Val came from. The problem was he also knew he didn't remember the exact conditions she came from.]

She's exhausted, that's all. She came here after a huge fight, apparently.

[alkahestic]

[ as ed leans against the counter, al rounds it, already quietly getting out pots and pans. he keeps an eye on his brother the entire time. ]

She still looks like she could do with a decent meal, Brother. Kind of like that Nico boy.

[ as he begins getting ingredients out, he watches his brother think. it's always easy to tell what he's doing. there's a pinch between edward's brows, and a set to his jaw. al can practically see the cogs working in his brother's brain. ]

She'll be fine. We'll figure this out. What are you thinking?

[alchemyfreak]

[Being in Purg meant getting used to the conditions, getting used to seeing what the conditions did to people, and the dim lighting of the lower level certainly changed a person's perspective. Seeing someone straight from those conditions in the harsh bright lights of Riverview? It was a little jarring, it was a little settling in a weird way, what he's doing is deliberately not thinking about all of the bull shit they endured during the years that they stayed there. It wasn't working.]

It's my fault.

[His jaw worked silently for a moment, clearing his throat again.]

She wanted to leave, but I wouldn't go with her- it's my fault she's like this. She came straight from there, she only stayed as long as she did because I wouldn't listen. After all that, when she got here, I wasn't even with her because I didn't... come here from there.

[Of course, there was the theory she was only here because she'd somehow followed Ed, same as Al. But he wasn't voicing that idea, not yet.]

[Val - Shopping List]

[alchemyfreak]

(CW: Hospital/Horror/Silent Hill/Pyramid Head references later in thread)

TEXT | Backdated to October 13th

[whenturksfly]

[ He'd told her to ask if she needed anything and she understands his reasons and the logic behind it. She agrees with him despite the volume of that portion of herself that even now insists she could go herself, that she would be fine. Louder than that is just how tired she feels and the still lingering haze of sleep she's been fighting to lift. That's why she's propped up against the pillows in Ed's bed trying to review the the list she's managed to put together while Kyrios and Kyrie make a game of tumbling over her legs while they play. After a moment, she reaches for the phone and manages to punch out a proper text. ]

Hey, Ed. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind picking some things up for me from the store today? I'm probably forgetting some things, but I've managed to put a list together. It looks enough like one, anyway.

[alchemyfreak]

[To say he's surprised to see the text would be an understatement, but more than that he's relieved. She could have refused to ask for any help, or even attempted to handle things herself despite how much she should be resting at this point. He's well aware of that, and he knows she's just as aware that if she chose to get up and do these things on her own he'd have no way to stop her.]

Of course. Just send me what you need.

[There's a pause before another text follows, as if he'd realized something.]

I probably won't be back for awhile so if it's something pressing let me know.

[whenturksfly]

[ It's that first text that sees her pause. She can't quite help the corners of her mouth turning just slightly upward despite herself. Were it almost anyone else, she might not have considered asking for help like this an option, but it's Ed and there's no question issued in her mind where it might otherwise be. That it's Ed is reason enough and it sees her try to quiet that tiring, persistent voice if only for a moment as she reaches to tuck a few messy strands behind her ear. ]

There's nothing immediately pressing that I can think of, so take your time. I'm fine here. Give me a moment and I'll send it over.

[ It's a beat longer than a moment for having to wrestle with a pair of kittens, but sure enough, that second text follows and in a particular styling. Even now, the inventory styling of the Cait comes second nature to her. ]

2 x shirts
2 x pants
1 x coat
1 x bottle of painkiller med. strength

[alchemyfreak]

[He's not too concerned with the delay following the first message, although the second text makes him pause. Sure, he could run to the store and grab a few basic items, but it would probably be easy to get some fabric and just make whatever she needed out of it. Knowing the residents of Floor Six, there was also probably plenty of pain medication around, but there was no harm in getting more considering how easy it was to go through.]

Got it. Let me know if you need anything else.

1/IDK

[whenturksfly]

I will. Thanks, Ed.

[ And with that, Valeria will be lowering the hand in which she holds her phone to her side -- ]

2/3

[whenturksfly]

[ -- only to pause. It's not even two minutes later that she's lifting it again for a certain realization. Hm. ]

Come to think of it, could you grab a couple of pairs of socks, too?

3/3

[whenturksfly]

[ It's as she's about to lower the phone again that she pauses once more, brows lifting just so as another realization registers. There is a store here. Stores, even, right? Stores that may have proper inventories and supplies. If they have clothes and pharmaceuticals, then it stands to reason they'd have feminine hygiene products, which is honestly something she would rather pick up herself, but considering her circumstances... she's going to sink her fingers into the keys before she can second guess herself any further. ]

I'm not really sure what the stores carry here, but could you pick up a box of tampons if they have them? Super or stronger preferably if it's not too much trouble.

[Alphonse - November Talk]

[alchemyfreak]

[alkahestic]

[ it's been some time since val has arrived and al has noticed a few things that leave him feeling a little unsettled. for one, the way they still share a bed with a girl he barely knows when it should be his and ed's bed alone. and for another, it seems in al's confused mind and jumbled thoughts like the girl keeps her distance from him, and al doesn't know what to make of that. coupled with the distance that seems to grow each day between him and his brother, on top of the way he's noted his brother is drinking more, eating less... it's all enough to make al concerned and just a bit tetchy.

he likes to think he gets it. that ed and val had to rely on each other in a place like hell, and that made them close as a result. but al can't help feel a twinge of jealousy that his brother focuses so much on her when al barely knows her. figuring he should talk to ed about it, he approaches his brother sometime in the afternoon. ed's doing research like they'd normally do, but al doesn't join in. instead, he settles down nearby, pulling his eevee into his lap before looking up at his brother. ]

How much longer, Brother?

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed is, in fact, doing research. He doesn't even bother to look up when Alphonse settles nearby, so used to the motion at this point, to the comings and goings of bodies from having so many room mates and especially his brother specifically.]

Hm?

[He's stopped reading but his gaze is roaming from one set of notes to another as if trying to work out where to mark what he'd just read rather than focused on his brother's words. Of course, he has no idea what Al's referring to so it doesn't even occur to him to pry his attention away from what he's in the middle of.]

[alkahestic]

[ with ed as focused as he is, al isn't surprised by the distracted air that surrounds his brother. it does make al a little frustrated, but he knows he can be just as distracted when he's working too, so he stamps down the frustration he feels over that and thinks about the irritation he feels about val still sharing their bed. ]

How much longer? Until Val gets her own bed?

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed blinks slowly, dragging himself out of the research by force because obviously this needed his full attention. He doesn't comment that now probably wasn't the time considering how deep he was in the subject matter, simply slides a page into the book and closes it to give his brother a questioning glance that bordered on wary. He hadn't exactly put a time limit on it, or thought of putting one for that matter, and Alphonse hadn't brought it up- but he was bringing it up, now.]

What are you... talking about-?

[He couldn't imagine kicking Val out to her own bed anymore than he could think of doing the same to Alphonse, the thought just did not make any sense to him.]

[alkahestic]

[ sitting where he is, alphonse sighs, petting his eevee as he frowns. it seems obvious to him. he and his brother were close than anyone else in their group of friends and he was unaware of the fictional twenty years ed had shared with val. so it didn't make sense to allow a woman al hardly know share a bed with them when she was hardly someone important.

( at least, in al's mind ).

furthermore, he could feel the twinge of jealousy sparking inside him. it wasn't that he wanted his brother to himself, but he felt so disconnected from ed lately that anyone else seemed closer in comparison and that made al burn with envy. ]

Val. Brother, our bed isn't made for three people. Don't you think it's time that she had her own?