Eden Elric, anyone?

I'm Eden Elric, the former Fullmetal Alchemist. I travel the world, searching for new alchemic techniques not seen in Amestris.

[galllfrey]

[stacylambe]

First Female U.S. Astronaut, Sally Ride, Comes Out In Obituary | BuzzFeed

“I hope it makes it easier for kids growing up gay that they know that another one of their heroes was like them,” Sally Ride’s sister, Bear Ride, said.

[skellydun]

why is it always ice

[jjpolitics]

Reposted from @studentsforbernie2016. We can’t let what happened in NY tonight stand. 126,000+ people purged from the voting rolls in #Brooklyn alone- which just so happens to be Bernie’s hometown. Enough with the #votersuppression! 😡🔥 Keep fighting for Bernie and for #democracy #allthewaytophilly! ❤️👴🏻💙 #ny4bernie #nyprimary #feelthebern #bernie #berniesanders #notmeus #studentsforbernie #primaryday #brooklynforbernie by rainbowtheories http://ift.tt/1QlZ5Ah

[idcaboutnousername]

‼️ NEW YORK FOLLOWERS READ‼️

[getrricked]

BILL? RICK? STAN!

[chambergambit]

I have always imagined the American magical community in Harry Potter to be significantly less… structured than that of Britain. America is just so big, and the states can be so different, and history is so fucked up and complicated that a whole secret society with a completely separate government and people who’re totally clueless about the muggle world just makes no sense to me.

American wix participate in general elections and watch tv and their kids go to muggle school during the day and learn magic at home or in after-school programs and play quidditch and football and only your great grandma has owls while everyone else just has a phone and generally don’t obliviate muggles who see magic shit bc lol who’s gonna believe them anyway.

And European wix haaaate dealing with them bc they won’t do things the Proper Magical Way they just do whatever the fuck they want bc AMERICA FUCK YEAH.

*eagle noises*

[cryptvokeeper]

I am here for this

[prettyarb]

And then you’ve got the Pennsylvania Dutch and Native American nations and New Orleans and other areas where large swathes of the population are like, “Well duh there’s magic. Hugh down at the end of the street lays hexes on my vegetable garden for the kids who keep trying to steal them and I give him a bag of tomatoes every month.”

[sometimesophie]

#like it’s not offensive in the same way#but it’s patently obvious JKR doesn’t understand American or its history at all#and yeah#no way would american magic-users consent to that kind of structure

[itsc]

@monstermoonshine and i once talked about this extensively and decided that the american wizarding government should be called FBOM, the federal bureau of magic, with the O left in for Humor Purposes

[kyraneko]

There’s totally a regular argument in the International Confederation of Wizards, with a group of delegates raising objections about how America handles things and the International Statute of Secrecy clearly states yada yada yada and like half the American representative’s job is standing up and saying, ”do you see them having found out about our existance? no? then shut the fuck up,” whenever this happens.

[askheied]

"Yeah, definitely," Alfons agreed emphatically, taking Eva from Eden’s arms perhaps even too carefully. "Don’t even worry about her for the rest of the day. I’ll take care of her," he assured with less confidence than he actually felt.

The wailing seemed even louder once he was actually holding the baby, as though it had been possible before. It dawned on Alfons that taking care of Eva meant calming her down, which he didn’t see happening anytime soon. Logic told him that yes, babies do cry, and it doesn’t mean anything beyond normal infant behavior. But still, he couldn’t escape the persisting, if ridiculous, idea that Eva was crying for whatever parent had left her behind. 

Unsure of what else to do, Alfons began swaying Eva gently from side to side. After a few moments yielded no results, he began to sing softly to her. He wasn’t sure what the song was called or if he was mumbling the right words, not even where he’d heard it before. It didn’t even seem to have an effect on the screaming child.

[edenelric]

As soon as Alfons had taken the screaming child from her arms, Eden made her way over to the table where her work was strewn. Minimal progress had been made before Eva had woken up, which wasn't conductive at all towards any of Eden's goals.

Only after few minutes after attempting concentration did Eden realize how futile it was. With the cries coming from the other room, it was impossible for her to sink into the world where only numbers mattered, a world where she thrived. Still, she shouldered on, trying and failing to ignore the noise in the apartment.

[askheied]

Snaking his arms around her waist from behind, Alfons kissed Eden’s neck and tried not to recoil at the noise. “She’s a baby, Ed. They just cry a lot. It doesn’t have to mean anything like that,” he said loudly. Already he felt a headache coming on. “Do you think she misses whoever abandoned her?”

[edenelric]

Eden shifted Eva in her arms again. The crying paused for a few moments, but then came back, louder then before. "I don't think so. Babies don't begin to recognize people until they've been around for a couple months, and she isn't that old yet." Frustrated, Eden pulled away from Alfons and turned around. "Do you think you can take her for a bit? I still have some work I'd like to complete today, and that won't happen if I'm holding a crying baby."

[askheied]

Alfons grinned and closed the door behind him. “Looks like she’s a bit of a handful, huh?” He approached the pair and rested his hand on Eden’s shoulder. Looking down at Eva, the affection Alfons felt was actually strong enough to take him slightly aback. “Has she been like this the whole time?”

[edenelric]

Eden leaned back into Alfons, still bouncing Eva gently up and down/ "No, not like this. She did cry a lot earlier, but I managed to put her down to sleep again." Eden frowned. "She doesn't like me much. That or she's got colic."

[askheied]

Between placating his colleagues, concern over how Eden and Eva were fairing, and rushing to cut his hours in half, work hadn’t been kind to Alfons. The team had been more or less tolerant after some reasoning, though the irritation had remained. He hadn’t been spared a few snide, if well natured comments about the two young men caring for a child together, either. By lunch time Alfons was a little more than eager to head back home. 

The screaming was audible halfway up the stairs to the apartment. Cursing quietly, Alfons jogged the rest of the way. He paused briefly outside the door, taking a slow breath before entering. “Eden? I’m home.”

[edenelric]

Eden turned around slowly to face the door, holding a wailing Eva in her arms and swaying back and forth. "She's been crying like this for the past half an hour," she said, not bothering with a greeting before launching into the problem, ears sore from the baby she was holding. "She doesn't need food, or a clean diaper, she needs rest. But no matter what I do, she won't fall asleep."

[askheied]

"Thanks. Here, can you take her?" Standing slowly so as not to wake Eva, Alfons passed the baby over to Eden. His arms felt light and a chill crawled up his sleeves in her absence as he reached for the bowl on the table. “The guys will be even more pissed if I’m late this morning, I haven’t even finished getting dressed yet." He began scarfing down the eggs as quickly as possible, not even thirty seconds having passed before he finished and tossed the bowl into the sink. “I have to get ready and leave. See you later." After kissing Eden with some haste, Alfons took off down the hall.

[edenelric]

Eden barely noticed as Alfons darted out the door, too absorbed in trying not to wake the child in her arms by rocking gently back and forth. Without realizing it, she began to examine the infants face, calm in sleep and seemingly unaffected by the rocking motion. She's still so small, she marveled. That something so small could even exist-

With a jolt Eden pulled herself out of those thoughts, careful not to jostle the sleeping child. "Don't," she whispered harshly to herself. "You're only going to leave. And it isn't as though this child is yours, anyway." And with one last glance down at the baby, she moved towards the bedroom, intending to find somewhere to put the child down so she could work out the fuel formulas. Or as much as she could before Eva awoke, that is.

[askheied]

"Well alright then, if you’re sure." Alfons conceded. He watched Eden maneuver about the kitchen, absently tapping his foot on the ground and cradling Eva to his chest. “I’ll come home as early as I can today though."

[edenelric]

"You do that," she muttered, cracking the eggs into the hot pan with a satisfying sizzle. "But don't feel too pressured. I know how to take care of a baby." Debating for a few moments, Eden caved and scrambled the eggs in the pan, mostly to give her hands something to do. "We don't need to freak out the guys at work more then we already have." She continued stirring for a few minutes, until the eggs were cooked through, before scraping the meal into also bowls and placing one in front of Alfons at the table. "Here, you need to eat before you go."

[askheied]

Alfons frowned, following Eden into the kitchen and settling into a chair with Eva. He still had no idea of where it was safe to put the baby down, deeming it best to keep holding her. “Eden, if you’re nervous then maybe you could go to the lab first and I could watch Eva." Already he was getting comfortable with her. At at the very least Alfons was growing confident that he could hold the infant safely. He hoped that Eden’s hesitance was fleeting as his own had been, but it seemed to go deeper than that. “I’m sure it’ll be fine either way."

[edenelric]

"I'm not nervous," Eden almost snapped, barely managing to keep control of her tone. "I just didn't expect to be watching a baby, that's all." She pulled out a pan and placed it on the stovetop, before rummaging around the ice box and pulling out a few eggs. "I can watch her. I've watched babies before, so I'll be fine. Worst comes to worst I can use the telephone numbers Gracia left."

[askheied]

"Yes, babies are usually small." Stifling laughter, Alfons leaned over to kiss the top of Eden’s head. She may have been irritated by her height, but at times like these Alfons appreciated the advantage. “I don’t know. Gracia left a few supplies, and a few telephone numbers. I think one of them is for a friend of hers who can help us out. We’ll get by for a few days." He frowned at Eva, wondering how anyone could manage to leave her. She was so precious, and there was no way she could ever hold her own. “Would you like to hold her, Ed?"

[edenelric]

Eden gave a slight scowl. "I know babies are small. I helped deliver one, remember?" Her hand moved from Alfons's shoulder down to the edge of the blanket. "When you said baby, I expected her to be older. She can't be more then a month old." The mention of others they could ask for help eased her worry slightly. But when Alfons offered to hand her the baby, Eden froze with a jolting realization. I can't, she thought, heart beating faster. "You have a handle on it," she responded, voicing shaking for only a moment before she managed to steady it. "I'll go make some breakfast, then you can head to the lab." With that she turned and headed towards the kitchen.

[itsgraciabitch]

As the apartment door opened Gracia breathed a sigh of relief. “Alfons! I’m sorry this is so last minute, but there was a change in plans and my transportation schedule moved around. I need to be leaving now." She glanced down at the sleeping child in her arms. “I have a bag with a few things that should help you here, and some things written down explaining what you might need to know. Here," and she gently passed the girl to her tenant, “I also wrote down a few phone numbers you should be able to reach me at, and the number of an old friend who has experience with babies. I’m sorry for the rush, but I really need to go." And with that she was out the door and down the hallway, headed off to the car waiting for her out front. I hope those two fair alright, she worried.

[askheied]

Thrown by Gracia’s haste, Alfons accepted the baby with great care. She was exceptionally tiny, somehow even smaller than he had anticipated, and he worried she might break in his arms. There was hardly time to marvel at the dark wispy hair and features relaxed in sleep as Gracia briefed him and relieved herself of the few supplies she had brought. He didn’t pick up on half of what she told him, and it was doubtful she had even noticed his attempts at speaking or the goodbye he spoken to her as she retreated.

"Um… hi." He whispered to the child in his arms, hoping beyond hope that she would remain asleep. “I guess it’s just the three of us for now." It occurred to him that introducing himself in Eden’s presence might earn a laugh, but it felt wrong not to. “My name is Alfons. I guess yours is Eva." Naming somebody else’s baby was odd, but then she had been abandoned after all. “Hey, Eva Winter. Would you like to meet your stand-in mom?"

[edenelric]

Walking out of the bedroom, shoes on her feet, Eden fell silent as she heard Alfons speaking softly. It only took a few moments to realize what he was doing, and who he was holding in his arms. The corner of her mouth quirked up at the silliness that was introducing yourself to a baby that couldn't even understand you, but something in her heart warmed at the care Alfons was taking.

Careful not to disturb, but loud enough so Alfons could sense her presence, Eden walked up next to him and looked into the face of the still sleeping child. "She's so small," she whispered reverently, one hand moving up to touch Alfons's shoulder. At the movement that made, Eva's small brow wrinkled, then smoothed out, still deep in sleep, for which Eden was glad. "How are we going to do this?" Her hand squeezed Alfons's shoulder, as if needing reassurance. "She's so small!" she repeated, tone worried.

[askheied]

"Probably not. She’s not a mother, and I doubt whoever was desperate enough to abandon their baby left any supplies." The task of caring for the baby only grew more daunting as Alfons realized how unprepared they actually were. 

His thoughts were interrupted by yet another knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. “I’ll get it." he said, standing a bit too quickly and half-jogging out of the room. Alfons stopped outside the door, taking a deep breath and trying to assure himself that his quickening heartbeat was irrational before opening the door. 

[edenelric]

Left alone in the room, Eden took a moment to collect her thoughts. A baby. We're going to take care of a baby. The thought was, at that moment, just a thought. No possible way for it to be a reality. She suspected that was how she would feel until she was holding the small girl in her arms. Reflecting back on Alfons's last statement, Eden felt an almost physical ache in her chest. He was right, after all. Gracia here was not a mother. The smiling, giggling face of Elycia did not grace the building, her cries of "Sister!", directed at Eden, not echoing in the halls. Maes Hughes was nothing more then a passing thought here, and most certainly did not father Gracia's nonexistant child.

These thoughts began to be too much for Eden, so she effectively shut them down by beginning to hunt for her boots. The floors in the apartment were cold, and there wasn't a much better way to keep your feet warm then shoes.

[askheied]

The unease Alfons felt was immediately accompanied by guilt. It wasn’t right or fair of him to be jealous, of all things, of someone who obviously meant so much to Eden. Still, the smile he gave was forced. “Wow. He sounds like an aazing guy." It seemed best to omit any comment about modeling a baby girl’s middle name after a male friend’s first. Alfons had to admit it sounded appealing, so it couldn’t be worth mentioning anyway.

[edenelric]

"He was, even if he never missed an opportunity to throw a wrench at my head when I needed repairs," she said, grinning wryly. "To be fair, I wasn't always careful."

Taking a quick visual inventory on the room, Eden realized another problem: "We don't have a crib," she noted, slightly worried, "or anything else for a child. Do you think Gracia will have something? Or will we need to make a substitute?"