We're Leaving! (Open)

A child stumbled out of the AutoMail shop, her hair shining dark golden in the sunlight. This wasn't in fact a child. She was fifteen. After around a week of waiting, she'd undergone the painful surgery to get prosthetic limbs. That pain was nothing,she thought, half-walking half-falling down the stairs. But she winced at every step she took that jostled her arms in the slightest. She doubted that she'd ever feel that kind of pain ever again...

But she knew she deserved it. What kind of idiot brings their brother back to life, knowing the risks? Damn. She was so stupid! Her eyes were dull and almost listless after enduring the surgery for several days. It had actually probably taken a fraction of that time. Only it had seemed like forever.

"You'll be spitting blood." Those had been the warning words. But she'd shook her head. "Whatever pain I receive I deserve." Those had been her exact words. She just didn't expect that two hours later she'd be writhing in agony on the bed while coughing up blood.

Cheryl lifted her arms, balling her fingers into a fist. "At least they work,"she murmured, blinking.

OOC:CHEESY POST! D<

Sam ran down the stairs, feet and heart pounding.
"Mom!" Sam called. He recalled his conversation with his mother last night. When he had told her he was leaing with Cheryl on one big old journey, she had looked quite worried. She had sighed and held her hand up to her face. But she had allowed him to leave. She had allowed to become a State Alchemist.

"Yes, Samuel?" Phinny asked, looking over her son as best as possible. There was a chance of never seeing him again. She sighed.

"They're leaving. I'm going, now." Samuel anounced. After hugs and good-byes, Sam left the house waving.
"Cheryl! Colonal Mustang!" Sam cried.
"Wait up! I'm comig with you!"

Sam, the polite one, obviously gave Cheryl shotgun.
"Yea. Mom's letting me. She reckons I'll have a shot, having grandfather's blood in me." But Samuel remembered the look on his mother's face when she had said that. She had also been reluctant to say it. But he couldn't let that worry him now.

Dove, who had left the shop a day before the group was supposed leave still lurked around the shop. She had tried to come in conact with her friends, but hadn't been able to reach them. She sighed. What if something had happened to them?

(You gonna kidnap Dove or what? X3 She did overhear valuable info, after all.)

"Would you shut up? I'm being as careful as I can!" Cheryl scowled. Then she looked back at her cousin running towards them. "You'll have to keep up,"she said, smiling devilishly. Her strength was returning.... Slowly, but surely. "I call shotgun!" She hobbled quickly towards the passenger's side, opening the door and sliding onto the seat.

Unfortunately, she could barely see above the dash. "Why's the seat so low?"she asked to cover the fact that it irritated her.

"Huh?" Sam cried in surprise as his cousin tore off for shotgun. Then his gaze hardened.
"I'll keep up!" Sam promised as he slid into his seat in the back, buckling up and eyeing Cheryl's automail with concern.

(Failed, museless post.)

Cheryl ran to get on the train, having slept the entire way there. She was still groggy. "Come on Sam! We ain't got all day!" She got onto the train and slid into an empty seat, looking forward to a long nap. She yawned and stretched, her muscles reacting with a slight ache as her arms moved.

By the time she had said it, Sam was already on the train.
"What are you talkin' about? I was already on the train." Sam laughed.

(FAILED MUSELESS POST!)

Cheryl sighed and rested her head against the cold window pane, closing her eyes. In a matter of moments she was asleep.

OOC: My muse... It ran away! D<

Sam sat down, opened his back that he had stuffed his relative's research in, and took out a book. The book, oddly, had nothing to do with Alchemy. Or so he thought.
The book was a novel, yet a picture a book. The uniqueness of it made him smile. Sam sighed as he flipped through the pages, noticing that he had lost his place.
"Great." He muttered, absolutely thrilled that he had to find the page all over again.

She faintly heard the rattle of a chain and felt something slip around her neck. "Huh?"she murmured, opening her eyes to slits. Her vision blurred by sleep, she could see the countryside flying by outside the window. Still on the train... Sometime before she'd woken up she'd leaned back in the seat, pressed against the wall and window of the train.

She stretched, raising her arms over her head and feeling a slight tug as the metal pulled against her skin. She opened her eyes more fully and lowered her arms, looking down at her hands and flexing her fingers one by one, as if to make sure her hands were real.

Cheryl, still being half-asleep, didn't give another thought to whatever feeling she'd felt around her neck. It was probably just a dream. My neck's sore from sitting there too long... Regardless she tucked herself back into the corner, closing her eyes and letting her hair fall into her face. Then she reached up, feeling at her neck absently.

Something was there. "Hm?" She opened her eyes again and looked down. There was a chain stretching from a point at her neck all the way over her lap and across the seat. The end of it was in Char's hand. A leash? She pulled on the thing around her neck, still groggy and wanting to go back to sleep. So, instead of thinking she just looked at the Colonel with a half-confused expression.

"Mmm'kay,"she muttered, yawning. Then she blinked and rested her head against the window again, feeling the cool glass against her cheek. She watched the trees go by for a little while. Then came a few houses, looking quaint even though she could barely see them because of the speed they were moving at.

After a while she grew more awake. And therefore more aware of everything going on. She lifted her head to take a look around. The chain was still there... the Colonel obviously trying to ignore her... and Sam leafing through a book.

Cheryl blinked a few times before remembering whatever was around her neck. She instinctively reached up to feel around her throat. It felt smooth... Circular. Even to her metal fingers this object felt familiar. But she was still puzzled as to what it was. A necklace or something? But a necklace didn't feel this heavy...

Then it suddenly came to her. "A collar?"she asked aloud, looking back over at the Colonel as she fingered the now-known object.

Samuel looked up at the colonal when he put the collar on his cousin. He stared at him with a questioning look, but the question never escaped. He kept his current place in the book and watched Cheryl wake. Then he started to snort with laughter.
"Dog of the military, eh?" Sam chuckled. Then he looked down at his book again and began to read.
"Tohmalseth ran his finger through Ramealda's blonde hair, the tears falling like diamonds. He gazed at his wife sadly as she lay dead upon the ground, the crimson blood of her death blow pooling on the ground. Tohmalseth saw her fists clenched, as if she were ready for battle, though a woman shouldn't be. He saw how white her knuckles were, like the ivory that made up the temple. He knew the beast had done this, the beast whom had flowed like smoke before taking a vessel.
"I will avenge your death, Ramealda." He promised. It was only then that he noticed that she clutched something in her right hand, a chink of blue. Tohmalseth unclentched her hand and removed the glowing blue stone, becoming entranced by its-"
Samuel suddenly frowned. He placed a book mark in his place and closed the book, trying to figure out when the book had been published. He looked all throughout the book, but could not find a date. He did, however, find the author, Bane Ramey.
A blue stone... how come I never noticed it before? I've read this book fifty times! Sam thought, amazed that he had overlooked such a detail.
"Colonal... do you know an author named Bane Ramey? Is he still alive?" Samuel asked curiously.

(This is the part where you say yes, he is alive, and that you read his poetry, Char Mustang. 8D XD)

"Hm? What are you talking about?" Cheryl leaned forward, trying to peek over the top of the book. Unfortunately if she leaned forwards just a few more inches, she'd fall in the floor. "Can I see?"

Right now the collar was at the back of her mind as she wondered what the heck they were talking about. She put her hands on her knees, leaning forwards just a little bit to try to peek at the book. To her frustration she could only see the book's cover. Is he really that tall? Or is he sitting on his knees or somethin'?

Likewise, the Colonel was much taller than her. She scowled in annoyance. "C'mon lemme see!"