[open & closed prompts]

[alchemyfreak]

who: Edward Elric & Anyone
what: Catch-all for January/February
when: Probably January 15th-February 15th-ish, but honestly whenever works
where: Locations included in prompts below
warnings: None that I can think of, will add as needed


When Val disappeared after going to investigate the portal, Ed has his theories about what that meant. She wouldn't have gone home without saying goodbye, and she wouldn't have left to go anywhere else without telling him, and there was only one way to go through that portal by accident. Whether she left intentionally or not wasn't the issue, the issue was that she had left without notice and that meant that he had to deal with that reality in the here and now.

Which, for Ed, meant needing some time alone to think. He would have followed after her if he thought the portal would lead him to where she went, but he knew it wasn't as easy as that. If the direction of the portal had changed since she disappeared by the time he got to it, there was nothing to gain by going through. Still, he knew the only way he was going to get a break from everyone was by going away for awhile.

So, that's what he did. Packed up, said his goodbyes to everyone as if he was actually leaving and disappeared the only way he could while still trapped on this moon. By disconnecting his device and hiding out beyond the wall. There were a few places he'd stop during his time absent from living within the city limits, if someone really wanted to find him they probably could. Alternately, if someone was the type to wander around outside of the wall they could also bump into him by chance either when he's not hiding out in a building or by exploring the building he happens to be hiding out in.

By the time the monthly holiday had begun Ed had already disappeared, but it wasn't hard to follow along with what was going on in the city. Does this bring me joy? was hardly a concept he wanted to think about at this point, which only made it all the more appropriate that he wasn't around to deal with things when this tradition occurred. Of course, he couldn't stay away forever, there were obligations to take care of for one thing, he just needed time to clear his head and work out what to do moving forward. If there was one thing Ed was a firm believer in, it was doing what had to be done to keep going.

So, after about a week of solitude, one Edward Elric was back on the roster with a new username, lacking the memories of someone that had been there all along.


[Below will be open and closed prompts from planning with other players. If you'd like to throw your character at one of the more open prompts, feel free! Otherwise, wildcard and toss in your own starter/top level and I'll respond to it. Any plotting can be done over plurk at Transmutedself, or via PM if you don't have a plurk! Open to discussing TDM and holiday prompts as well.]

Comments

Ed's Previous CR - Goodbye Messages and Meetings

[alchemyfreak]

All characters (whose player wish it) will have received a message - text, voicemail, video - or in person visit to let them know that Ed was leaving. This was mostly to keep up appearances that he went through the portal. Feel free to reply here if you'd like to thread that out and I haven't hit up your inbox.

[tempredmental]

Keith was curious, to say the least, as to why Ed was asking to meet him, but he went all the same. He didn't have either Lion with him when he arrived, either, instead opting to leave them at home. He walked into the store, giving a quick glance around at the place, before looking for Ed.

"Hey," he said. "You wanted to see me about something?"

[alchemyfreak]

The easiest way to do this in private was to go through the store, where Alphonse wouldn't overhear the conversation as long as the doors were securely closed. Ed had a long list of people to talk to before pulling this off, and he had to do it all in short order before telling his brother - or risk word reaching him before could say anything himself.

When Keith arrived Ed just offered him a weak smile. "Ah, yeah. I just wanted to let you know I'm heading out. A friend of mine went through the portal and ... she doesn't really have anyone else, so I'm going after her." He doesn't even care that others might poke holes in that theory when they realize he couldn't ensure the portal would send him the same place Valeria went, but maybe they'd assume he was just being reckless and hoping it might.

He shifted some, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. Goodbyes were always awkward, "I'm trying to let as many people know as I can before heading out, that's all."

Closed - Laura

[alchemyfreak]

Before he left there were a few things he wanted to get done. People to say goodbye to, messages to leave and make sure to take care of the people who he felt needed it most. He left small things for a few of his closer friends, but his relationship with Laura wasn't quite the same. He didn't want to just leave them behind without a word and he wasn't going to go looking for her where she lived, which left him with one logical option. The roof top of the communal building.

Guessing when she might be there was the hardest part of all, but Ed took the risk and ventured that way anyway. In his hand he carried a small box and when he found her he simply took a seat near the edge of the building, the same as usual.

"Hey kid, thought I'd find you up here." If it's school hours he doesn't seem the least bit disturbed by that fact. "I brought you something."

[shoplifter]

It maaay be school hours. Maybe. She turns toward him expectantly, her sunglasses pushed up to her forehead as she studies him with mute interest. Something for her, huh? Her eyes are alight with interest, and she turns slightly from where her feet are dangling through the protective railings.

"... Something for me?"

People sometimes do that, and it's always strange and unusual to her — but appreciated nonetheless.

Though, something about this offering feels bittersweet.

Open - Outside the Wall (Jan. 31st - Feb. 7th)

[alchemyfreak]

Edward was used to a technology free existence from his time spent in Purg, which was much easier to adjust to considering his training as a child on Yock Island. Hiding out in a building that he'd secured with alchemy put him at even the slightest advantage for this sort of living and he was already used to things like surviving off of monsters for food and utilizing river water to get by in the absence of bath houses and showers.

He could be found outside of the city hunting for food, or holed up comfortably in a building of his choice within the abandoned area. A small house that he could keep secure, or a church that he visited frequently enough to think, even before Val disappeared, are most likely. (Wherever it would be convenient to locate him works for me, if there's a specific location/area in mind.)

[This prompt is OTA but written for Letha and Nico, specifically. Willing to match format. (Ed will still look 18 here, he's full grown so ~5'4" by my estimates. He will have all of his game and canon updated memories.)]

Small house --- February 3rd.

[luckyescape]

[The itch to run has been growing since day one and after three days of being locked in the city she couldn't ignore it anymore. Freya stashes her backpack and clothes about a mile from the wall, tucking her belongings safely out of sight before letting the moon bathe her skin in light. She smiles and inhales as her body begins to shimmer and change.

She stretches and shakes out the glimmering pure white of her fur before taking off into the woods. The ground flies beneath her as the scents of the woods surround her. Freya isn't hunting tonight, she's just exploring, discovering what predators wait for her out in the woods. There are monsters and other odd smelling creatures but nothing that gives the werewolf pause as she makes her way through the wilderness.

The rich scent of smoke fills Freya's nose as she circles back towards the wall. Curiosity gets the best of her and she follows it, pausing when she reaches a small house, smoke billowing from the chimney. Who would live out here? A few different theories skitter around Freya's thoughts, ranging from a witch who lives in a gingerbread house to the quarantine equivalent of big foot.

Freya pads up to the door and begins to scratch at the wood, whining softly to be let inside.]

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed had been trying to keep a low profile while out beyond the wall, but necessities were still a factor and warmth and food were definitely necessities. In the absence of electricity within the abandoned city cooking over the fire place was his best option. He nearly dismissed the sound of scratching as he moved about the small home he'd taken over. Maybe a wild animal, perhaps the wind, whatever it was it wasn't his business and he certainly wasn't about to invite danger into the small establishment he'd secured for himself.

That is until he heard the whining. Call him soft hearted, but the first thing that came to mind was a lost dog, it seemed unlikely that a wild animal would try so hard to be let into a space with fire and the scent of human. So, casually, Edward moved to open the door, hands ready in case he needed to think fast and form a blade to protect himself.]

Goin' to Church

[bluechampion]

Link had spent much of his time the past week or so in the abandoned city. Exploring overgrown ruins felt just like exploring Hyrule, and he had come to enjoy gliding from the taller ruins down to areas where wild growth had sprung up in search for samples to mess with or bring back to Zelda.

On this occasion, Link had found himself a rather imposing building. It was in ruins like everything else, but its construction reminded him greatly of the Temple of Time he had visited on the Great Plateau. He decided to don his climbing gear and climb up to the roof and see if he could reach the top of the spire at the front of the building. While scaling the spire itself, he thought he caught some movement back on the ground at the corner of his vision. He glanced down.

[alchemyfreak]

Edward was in hiding, which meant he wasn't exactly fond of the prospect of visitors, even coincidental ones. Naturally that meant when he approached the church to spend some time there he wasn't all too pleased to see a form climbing the roof. On closer inspection though, he realized that there was something familiar about this guy.

But... Link had been gone for months, so that didn't make any sense. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling and there was no sense beating around the bush when he'd clearly already been spotted. If he was recognized he'd have to deal with that, and if he wasn't - maybe this was a new Link without memories if him, after all - well then he certainly didn't know the people Ed was avoiding out here, to run off and tell them where he was.

"Link-?" He'd wait for a reaction before saying more than that, better safe than sorry.

[deathkid]

When he'd gotten the message from Ed that the blond alchemist was leaving, Nico noticed immediately that he didn't exactly leave by way of the portal. Instead, Nico could still catch hints of Ed's aura, even inside Quarantine. Which was suspicious to Nico, given messages were bouncing off Ed's phone and returning to the sender. So where could Ed be?

On one of his days off, he packs a light back for a trip to outside the fences. A little food, some water, and most importantly, some ambrosia, in case he got hurt. Along with his sword and the new leather jacket Jason had picked out for him, Nico was ready. He concentrated on where he'd felt Ed's lifeforce linger and stepped into a shadow.

When he reemerged, he was in a familiar, decrepit church. Glancing around, he didn't immediately spot the blond, but a quick scan with his senses told him all he needed to know.

"Edward Elric, you κώλος, I know you're around!" he shouted to the darkness. Then, he waited.

[alchemyfreak]

If Ed had been aware that Nico could hunt him down so easily he would have been more honest with him from the start, but secrets were easier to keep when less people were aware of them. Which is why everyone got the same story when he left, if they got an excuse at all for his departure. Maybe it wasn't so much that he didn't think Nico could, but that he just didn't expect he would bother to do so.

He had no frame of reference for what Nico just called him, but he knew an insult when he heard one. He didn't surface right away, as if he could hold out and pretend that Nico was imagining whatever indication he thought he had of Ed's presence. When he does step out of the shadows, in a much different way than Nico did, his expression remained carefully guarded. As if waiting for the inevitable fight that would occur over his lying, stepping through the pews with one eyebrow quirked and looking for all the world like the demigod was intruding on private property uninvited rather than crashing his one-man pity party in a completely public and abandoned church.

"You don't have to yell, the church isn't that big."

this turned out longer than i planned whoops

[burntbridges]

It's part wanderlust, part curiosity and part spite that drives Letha beyond the wall - a common thread that ties all of her great adventures. She's spent too long at home after spending far too long away, and now she needs a walk to remind herself that Riverview is real and there's a great big world to explore outside of her petty boy troubles.

Even better, now that she's no longer pregnant, she doesn't have to come home to being fussed over constantly by people who are probably right, but still don't understand how much she needs to be out and about.

It's during this walk that she wanders into a church and starts poking about, bemused by the entire concept of the building. Religion in general never quite reached her corner of the world in Thornwell, so she's only really been exposed to it in Riverview and Varberg... she still doesn't quite understand what the building is for, but it is beautiful. Much like the building where wedding ceremonies were held in Thornwell.

It takes her a while to notice someone sitting in one of the pews, and it isn't until she's nearly beside him that she recognizes it as the man who had made gloves for her. She doubts he'll recognize her out of her formless cloak, dressed in something vaguely appropriate for adventuring in. Most would recognize her by the crow pin in her hair, but she wasn't wearing that when they met.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be out here." She speaks casually, sliding into the seat beside him. "You're not lost, are you?"

never apologize for quality tl;dr, I live for it.

[alchemyfreak]

Wanderlust and curiosity had a great deal to do with how Ed found this church in the first place. In a sense, one could say spite is what drove him back, but he'd never admit it. It was always easier for him to pretend something didn't bother him and shut it out, to tell anyone aware of what he was smothering to leave it alone.

Ed's relationship with religion was a complicated one, but that had nothing to do with his reasons for holing himself up in a church. It was more sentimental, stupid as that might have sounded if he admitted it out loud. When she notices him, he's busily writing in his notes, marking things on the map. If he was going to be out here not working for a week or longer he was still going to get something done to turn in when he returned, he was too research driven not to.

Golden eyes widen at the voice as she slides into the pew beside him, having been so absorbed in his work he'd dismissed any quiet noise she'd made as the rustling of wild animals. His gaze roams over her cautiously before setting the pencil down on the map he'd been making notes for. "I like to come out here to think."

Not going to touch on the fact that he was out here a little more long term than usual. He does remember her, she'd taken the cloak down from covering her face and Ed had an eye for faces, recognized Lyra four years later, he could remember Letha from December. His expression softens, reminding himself that she wasn't in his social circle and probably wouldn't be a risk of revealing his secret to certain friends and family.

"What about you? Did you get lost out here?" Could she even protect herself beyond the wall? Had she been separated from a group? Ed hadn't learned much about her in their time together, the markings on her hand implied she had worked hard but that said nothing for her ability to defend herself.

Closed - Jason Todd

[alchemyfreak]

After Val left Ed knew what he had to do to take some time and work out how to keep moving forward in this city with her absence. Which meant collecting the notes and research he'd put together during his months here and passing it off to Jay, the notes were in German and coded to keep most people from being able to snoop, there were also some additional instructions which are more vague, in Amestrian in case those might be needed to understand the rest of what he wrote.

Meaning that Ed had to make a stop before he could set out to get the memory modification he was going for. By sneaking back to their residence and into Jay's flat undetected by another certain alchemist - or anyone else, if he could manage that. While he remembered, Ed would have taken the time to close off Val's room, to keep anyone from going in there. It's locked with alchemy, he'll know if anyone disturbs it.

Jason will be getting a text that shouldn't take him any time to understand the meaning of, anonymously sent but with clear instructions to meet Ed alone with his notes. At least clear enough for Jay to figure out without it being too obvious to anyone else that might happen to catch a glimpse of it. He's not going to risk meeting him at the kids' house, too many eyes there when he needed to come back like he was never there in the first place.

[hititwithacrowbar]

Jason had set to work on them the first night. He had his own notebook with decoding the language he didn't know compared to English, he loved codes. He just wasn't Tim's level of cracking them. He loved to get to use his rusty detective skills when he could.

When the text came, Jason had been napping on the couch, taking any chance to keep from furthering that dead but delicious look he had going on. He lifted his head when his phone buzzed, hopeful that maybe it was a booty call. He was only a touch disappointed. Anon rarely meant any fun, but instead meant more Bruises. Luckily the bring the notes made it clear.

On it. - J

He texted back as he rolled off the couch struggled into his pants and shuffled out the door, before turning around walking back in and grabbing his boots and jacket before relocking the door and slipping the notebook in his jacket zipping it up, half tucked in his belt as he slipped on the motorcycle and gave one last yawn, before speeding off to meet Ed. The engine would be heard a minute or so before Jason arrived.

[alchemyfreak]

Jason would find Ed in his own apartment, not the Elrics', when he arrived. He had a key and he knew Alphonse didn't, so it was the safest place to meet without any witnesses. Even if Jay's brothers were around for some reason the chances of them telling Al, especially before he got what he needed done, were slim. Ed was leaning against a wall when Jay arrived, arms folded over his chest - to keep himself from pacing, still and remotely calm. Hiding out from his brother like this was nerve wracking, especially doing it in the building they lived in.

"I appreciate you keeping track of things for me." It wasn't exactly a greeting, Ed was visibly tense once Jay entered. He knew leaving something like that in the hands of his best friend would get it dissected to the limit of his abilities, had counted on that from the start, that's why he'd put it in two different languages and a code on top of it. That had all been a gamble though, because it was to keep Jay out of the more personal information but it was also going to make it harder on him to figure out once his memories were gone. "How have things been since I left?"

He hadn't checked the network since returning, hadn't wanted to know and was afraid to find out if Al had left or remained there.

Floor Six Residents - Post Memory Update

[alchemyfreak]

When Ed returned and had the memory procedure done he didn't exactly check his notes right away. Which meant that when he decided to go home his concept of home was still Floor Six. Bed Four of Floor Six, to be exact since that's where he was sleeping before losing his memories of switching the beds around and then eventually moving out to their own place.

Of course, when he arrives Edward's going to notice that nothing looks familiar except the layout of the floor. Most notably missing is all of his research with Alphonse, and any items near his bed are not identifiable as something he'd own. Since he's nothing remotely like Rose. He'll be rummaging through anything that might give him some clues but don't seem too private, while looking rather frustrated and confused - most of his focus dedicated to the desk where their research was and the chest and surrounding area of Bed Four, specifically.

[This prompt is open to any residents of Floor Six (or CR who might be there) but written for Rose, specifically. Ed's 22, and full grown so ~5'4" by my estimates, he's no longer canon updated and lacks a bulk of his Riverview memories. Willing to match format.]

[hasitsthorns]

He won't find much. Rose hasn't been here for enough time to begin with, but- Even if she had, she isn't one for personal artifacts. Being nomadic before Quarantine left her lacking sentiment for knick knacks and other things that required too much effort to lug around for long. There's an acoustic guitar set next to the bed, a bag, and maybe a small collection of lunar near year flyers scattered across the desk but not much else to be found. Definitely not a lot to give him a clue as to where his stuff might have disappeared to.

"Uh," she starts, in the doorway of what she thought was her space. "Can I help you, dude?" Maybe one of her roommate's friends? That'd make more sense than just 'random guy going through her junk for no reason.' Still, kind of rude of them to not check with her if it was alright first.

[alchemyfreak]

That was one thing they had in common, a nomadic lifestyle left little room for more than a suitcase in the Elrics' lives and Purgatorium was a barren wasteland where luxury items were banned. A year in Attollo hadn't been enough to change his habits and finding himself in communal living with less space only reduced his resources further. There wasn't much in "personal belongings" he could find missing and he wasn't about to start fishing through her stuff - so by the time Rose found him he'd probably be looking at the flyers suspiciously where previously there had been research notes.

Her words draw his attention and he glances up, at first assuming she might be another room mate. Considering he knows how this place runs, how people come and go and a bed previously lived in by someone else was just as quickly replaced, golden eyes narrow suspiciously at the question. Someone else's belongings around and now a complete stranger looking at him like he was the one invading another's space. This place had done weirder things.

"Sorry, I seem to be lost." He immediately takes a step back, hands up in a placating gesture, gaze shifting from her to the bed and back again curiously. "Last I checked this was my bed." It's been quite a few months, quite a few very stressful months.

General Store Residents - Ed's Return

[alchemyfreak]

Naturally Ed would have to return home eventually, to his actual place of living, so that evening he did just that. Unpacking his things, letting the pokemon out of their balls to relax around the house and moving into the living room to try to get back into the swing of normal. He still remembered Val, of course, and he knew she'd been there thanks to some clues left behind - but the memories of her time there, and the memory of how they'd left Purg were gone again, as they had been when he'd first arrived. Not having any idea of how things had ended in Purgatorium made it easier to accept that if the portal had pointed home for her she would have gone back, that was the whole reason he did it.

Of course it also meant not remembering a lot of what went on here since before her arrival. The December celebrations despite growing tension among their group, the stress, guilt and depression that had been eating at him for months. He knew that he and Al had plans to make an apartment off of the General store when it arrived in August, but he'd had no idea that this was what they had created out of it. He's just going to spend the afternoon busily flipping through his notes trying to find answers to some of his questions as Roy, a Vulpix he only knew was his thanks to said notes, slept curled on his chest. At the time of this decision he hadn't intended to erase his memories of Alphonse's confession, but it had been part of what was lost, as well as a jumble of other unrelated memories he'd had no intention of removing.

[This prompt is open to CR that might show up at the Elric's residence (including CR of Jason) but written for Alphonse. Ed's 22 again. Willing to match format.]

[alkahestic]

Since Ed's disappearance, Al has been at a loss with himself. Keeping away from others and cuddling with the cats that have remained, he's done hardly nothing but research and try to distract himself with the network. It hasn't always worked and Al has taken to wandering quarantine, trying to find a way to find his brother, or somehow follow him.

Of course, he never finds answers. And Al has taken to wandering into bars, much like he knew his brother had, in order to find some peace of mind. Or, at least, to wipe his own clean for a few hours. He's had a few by the time he stumbles out of the latest bar and he's got the smell of liquor on him when he reaches the large, empty general store. Swallowing down the urge to cry, he climbs the steps to what had been his and Ed's apartment only to freeze when he spots the familiar uneven shoulders and broad back of a figure he knows all too well. Rushing forward, he practically throws himself at Ed, arms wrapping around his middle as Al breathes in the scent of his brother against his neck.

"You're back," he whispers, relieved and shaken all at once. His heart is pounding in his chest and he feels faint, but he ignores the way his breath catches as he clings to his brother. "You're actually back."

[alchemyfreak]

The abrupt embrace causes Ed to tense, but before he can turn around Al speaks and he knows - of course he'd recognize his brother anywhere - who has latched onto him from behind. Ed exhales slowly, trying to keep his voice even as his mind reels at such a greeting. He knew by the time that Alphonse found him there, that he'd disappeared and returned, and that a good number of their friends were gone. He was still trying to take it all in, the sheer size of the building they owned to live in, when last he remembered they were putting together a small loft off of the General Store.

"Al..." He turns in his arms, intent on facing him and offering the faintest smile before it drops abruptly. "Have you been... drinking?" He could feel the beat of Al's heart against him before he turned to look him over, smell the alcohol - he knew the scent of a bar after working at the Devil's Nest long enough. The notes he'd left himself hadn't covered anything about this, hadn't seemed to mention much about Al at all now that he thought about it. Did he think they'd just pick up wherever they left off without any context once he'd returned?

Post Ed's Return, Reunion.

[hititwithacrowbar]

The sun was down, and Jason was supposed to be working, at least that was the lie he fed to his brothers again. He was growing numb to the lies at least, all in a days work in his family. He needed a break from being an adult and just be Jason Todd for a night, and while he might have called Loki or Nico, both had lovers now and better things to do. So instead he was leaning in the general store, playing with a yo-yo he had found, god only knows where he found the thing, but he kept working the string in the room. The lights were off, at least he had shut them off it they had been on so he could have the right aesthetic when his best friend returned.

A cigarette rested between one of his ears, and as always he was dressed in leather and his jacket. Waiting, simply waiting to be found alone in the dark.

[alchemyfreak]

Of course, if one wanted a friend with nothing to do, who better to come to? Ed was still adjusting to his own return, making sense of where he belonged here and who he knew. When he stepped into the General Store he froze, hand reaching for the light switch as golden eyes fell on the dark figure across the store. Certainly someone trying to make an entrance, and it definitely worked. Jason had Ed's attention as he tried to work out whether or not there was an immediate threat to be concerned about.

He didn't move to turn the light on, hand still hovering near the wall as if undecided on the matter. "I take it you're hoping to set a mood here." He could be pretty flippant when he wanted to be, but he wasn't about to let on that he had no idea who he was dealing with just yet. If it was someone looking to rob the place it made little sense that they'd be hanging out with a yo-yo, but there was also no money to be had since Ed knew better than to store it in the building.