#self-insert week

Noemi, chained to a stone slab, kicks the wailing, mummy Anck-su-namun in the head. “And I didn’t ask Evie to read from that fucking book! But look what happened!”

“I don’t need to look!” She grabs the sword Imhotep had thrown from her, blocking a blow in time with a strangled scream. “Evie!”

“I’m trying!” Evie yells, wrestling for the book from one of the priests. Jonathan manages to get the bastard to let go and shoots him in the head with the gun Rick had given him. “Thank you, Jonathan!”

“Jesus didn’t die for this!” Noemi yells, kicking Anck-su-namun right in the chin, throwing her head back with a sickening crack.

Hannah rolls away, scrambling around the slab. She grabs Anck-su-namun by the ankles and yanks her down. If not for the fact she was running from the guy trying to kill her best friend, Hannah would take satisfaction in hearing her gurgly, grunting wail. “Jesus died to wash away this bitch’s sin. And it didn’t work.”

“Hey, ugly.”

She hears a shotgun and stumbles to a stand as Anck-su-namun whips around, lashing out with her ceremonial dagger. Hannah jumps back then kicks her in the face. She sling her sword down on the chains binding Noemi, who jumps up as Rick yells at them to run.

“I will once I get her free!” Hannah snaps, helping Noemi off. “I’m so pissed at you right now.” She tells her best friend. “You just had to take that ‘free trip’ into the desert. You just had to see the fucking lost city. Ugh!”

“You wanted mummies!”

“I wanted mummies in glass cases!”

“Same difference!”

“No! It’s not!”

This was going to be a long night.

"Yes Katia, you've made that exceedingly clear by this point." Ignis, her royal adviser since she was three, responded.

"Honestly, you couldn't make that any more clear if you tried." Gladiolus, her personal bodyguard and trainer, added on.

"I mean, you're acting like this is the end of the world or something, Kat." Noctis, her best friend since high school, chimed in.

Katia turned to the backseat where he was casually resting, probably trying to fall asleep no doubt. "That's easy for you to say, you're not the one getting married here," she said. "So tell me again why we know next to nothing about my betrothed again?"

"Aldercapt's son isn't out in the public eye," Ignis explained, almost as if he'd memorized this information before hand. She wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case. "It is known that he exists, but it would seem that Aldercapt has sheltered him and does not let him leave the castle. He's so isolated that finding out anything about him is an exercise in futility. All that could be found is that he is around your age. Everything else is just rumors."

For a brief moment, Katia felt sorry for him. His life was the complete opposite of hers. Her father had allowed her to live her life, even sending her to a public school instead of some fancy private place. But this guy didn't have any freedom. She couldn't imagine what that was like.

"We don't even have a name?" Gladio asked.

"I'm afraid not." Ignis said.

"Well that sure is helpful." Noctis remarked.

"I'll say. How are we even supposed to know who he is when we get there?" Katia asked, her sour attitude returning.

"Nifelhiem's chancellor will be with him. He will be waiting for us and will be our key to meeting the prince in person," Ignis answered. "And Katia, at least pretend to be nice to him."

"I can't make any promises, sorry." Katia said.

The car pulled in to Galdin Quay, their only stop before getting on the boat to Altissia. "Finally, I thought we'd never make it!" Noctis said as the group stepped out. "Mind if we chill out for a little while? I need to stretch my legs before I have to sit on a boat for who knows how long." Katia had to suppress a smile. Thank the Six Noctis was here, she was running out of reasons to stall the trip any more than they had. She didn't care if Noctis was making shit up or telling the truth, she'd be happy with just an hour of freedom.

"He's got a point. No reason to jump on the boat straight away after all." Gladio added.

Ignis sighed. "I suppose we can wait here for a while. I should check the boat schedule anyway so we know when to leave. We'll meet back here in an hour. Until then, feel free to explore, but don't leave the resort." He glared over at Katia in particular.

"Oh come on, Iggy. Like I'm gonna try to sneak away by myself without any way to get back home," she said. "Anyway, see you guys in an hour!" Without waiting to hear another word, she ran off towards the beach, hoping to relax with her hour of freedom in hand.

However, fate had a different idea in store for her. Upon separating herself from the guys and thinking about what to do first, she felt her arm being grabbed and turned her head to see some random guy holding on to her. "Hey! Sorry, no time to explain! I need you to come with me!"

Before she could object, she found herself randomly being dragged away by this strange guy. They kept running until they reached the dock, hiding under it as the guy tried to catch his breath. "Who the hell are you, and why did you just drag me underneath the dock?" Katia asked.

The looked at her with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that," he tried to apologize. Now that they weren't running, Katia could make out what he looked like. He had messy blond hair, styled in a way that reminded her of a chocobo, his blue eyes seemed to reflect an air of innocence, which was only enhanced by the freckles littered around the bridge of his nose. He was actually adorable, but she had to shake those thoughts out of her head. She was about to get married soon, she couldn't be hooking up with some random guy at a time like this no matter how cute he was. "I was just in a hurry to find someone and you were the first person I spotted."

"Why were you in such a rush?" Katia asked, trying not to stare at his face.

"It's a long story," the young man responded. "You wouldn't even believe me if I told you. Let's just say I'm hiding from someone who's following me."

"Alright, fair enough. I'm not gonna force it out of you," Katia said. "What's your name though, I kinda need to know that."

"The name's Prompto. Prompto...Argentum! Yeah, that's it," he introduced himself. It almost seemed like he was trying to think of something in that moment, but it wasn't worth prying into. "What about you?"

Katia froze. She was technically supposed to be incognito right now, but she was terrible at coming up with a fake name. That and this guy seemed trustworthy. She had no idea why, she'd only known him for five seconds, but this Prompto probably wouldn't tell anyone who she was. But she had to make sure. "Okay, don't go telling anyone this though," Before he could ask what she meant, she continued. "I'm Katia."

It only took a second for it to click in Prompto's head and he looked at her with surprise. "Wait, you mean Katia Lucis Ferrum, don't you?!" he asked.

"Yep! That's me!" she said. "Princess of Lucis, heiress to the throne, and a bargaining chip."

--------------------------------

Prompto seemed to be at a loss for words, only able to stare forward at the cute girl he had grabbed by chance. Out of all the people he had to run into, it just had to be his fiance. Or rather, that's what the lie was.

Being Emperor Aldercapt's son, Prompto knew what was really going on. The peace treaty was a farce, the marriage a sham. It was all an excuse to attack Insomnia, steal the Crystal, and eliminate the line of Lucis. His father had never planned to make peace, all he wanted was the crystal. But Prompto wanted no part in this plan, so he escaped Nifelhiem in the hopes of sending a warning of some sort. In hindsight, he hadn't really thought his plan through all that much, so now he had just been running as far as he could. But he never expected to meet the princess in person, especially not like this. This could be a good thing though, he just had to see where this encounter went.

"Anyway, um, w-what are you doing here in Galdin?" he asked, praying to the Six he didn't sound too flustered or suspicious. The last thing he wanted right not was to scare her away.

"I'm heading to Altissia, or at least I'm supposed to," Katia explained. "Then I'm gonna get married."

"Oh yeah, because of the peace treaty, right?" Prompto asked, receiving a nod from the princess. "You don't sound too happy about it though."

"You got that right, I'm not," Katia said. "I don't even know a thing about the guy I'm supposed to marry! But knowing my luck, he'll probably end up being a total jackass."

"What makes you say that?" Prompto asked, nervous to hear her answer.

"I...I don't know..." Katia mumbled. "I guess I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing, if that makes any sense. I mean, a sheltered prince who's never left Nifelhiem? How am I supposed to feel about that? There's no information about him, and I'm just supposed to accept that he's gonna be my husband? That doesn't sound fair to me. I didn't ask to be the heiress after all," She suddenly stopped in the middle of her rant. "Oh Six, I'm sorry, I just started rambling on to you and you didn't even ask and-"

Prompto stopped her by suddenly grabbing her hand. He wasn't even sure why he did it, he just felt worried about her. He wouldn't lie, the things she said concerning him hurt, but he couldn't really blame her. He had been sheltered, never allowed to leave his estate and kept away from the world. No one knew what he was like, her assumptions weren't without reason. But he couldn't just straight up tell her who he was, could he?

"I get how you feel, it isn't fair," he said. "But think about how he feels about all this. You think he enjoys being locked up like a caged bird, only to be told he has to marry someone he doesn't know either? You're both just pieces in the Empire's game, forced into this crappy position where neither of you can win."

"Hey, are you alright? Your hands are shaking," Prompto looked down and just as she'd said, his hands had started to shake without him even noticing. He hadn't realized just how this whole false marriage thing was making him feel until now. "Prompto, is there-"

"Well then, now that that matter is settled, I should get back to my search." A voice from above drawled out. Prompto's eyes widened and he quickly placed his hand over Katia's mouth. As she was about to attempt to speak through his hand, he brought his finger to his mouth, silently telling her to be quiet. He knew that voice far too well, and just hearing it directly above him was enough to send shivers down his spine. He knew he was being followed ever since he'd escaped Nifelhiem, but he didn't realize his pursuer was Chancellor Izunia.

His footsteps echoed above them, as if he was pacing. "This really is quite troublesome," he mused. "How can this marriage continue without the beloved prince? It surely won't do for the princess and her entourage to arrive in Altissia if her betrothed isn't waiting for her," Prompto could feel his heartbeat racing. If he said too much, his cover would be blown, and who knew what Katia would do then? "No matter, he couldn't have gone too far. If he's not here in Galdin Quay, then I'm certain that he's close by. It's not like he has a means of transportation anymore. Perhaps he's on his way to Insomnia? In that case, I'll just run into him on my way there. Either way, Prince Prompto will not escape my sights for much longer." Ardyn chuckled to himself and walked away, until his laughter and his footsteps could no longer be heard by either of the royals.

Prompto panicked internally. That was exactly what he didn't want to hear from the Chancellor. Now Katia knew who he was, and it wasn't likely she would take it very well. He let go of her mouth, watching as she backed away from him. Just as he thought, she looked confused and hurt. "Prompto, who was that?" she asked. Well, no point in keeping quiet at this point.

"His name is Ardyn Izunia. He's the person I'm running from."

"Izunia? You mean Chancellor Izunia?"

"Yeah."

"And he said Prince Prompto, right? As in your name?"

"...Yeah, he meant me."

"What the... What's going on here?"

"Katia please, let me explain!" He had to tell her the truth, well, as much of the truth as he could. Hitting her with all of his father's plans probably wouldn't go over well with her. "It's true, I'm Prince Prompto Aldercapt, but you have to listen to me! Everything I said earlier is true! I don't want to be part of this marriage either! Not that it has anything to do with you, you seem like a nice and fun person to be around! But I've had no say in how I've gotten to live my life, I don't want to follow in my father's footsteps! I didn't want this life either! That's why I escaped, that's why I came here, I wanted to get as far away from Nifelhiem as possible and live a normal life! I'm sorry I lied, but I didn't know what else to do! I-"

"Woah, Prompto, calm down! You're crying!" Just like before, Prompto hadn't even realized he'd started crying until Katia told him and he wiped his face to find the warm tears falling from his eyes. He noticed that she didn't look upset anymore, it seemed more like she was worried. "It's not your fault, I'm not mad at you," she explained. "It's obvious that neither of us want to be in this situation, and you're definitely not the person I assumed you'd be. You seem to be a nice guy, and I wouldn't mind being your friend. But I'm not sure what we're going to do since I'm supposed to be going to Altissia to get married to you, and instead you're right here. And if what that Ardyn guy said is true, you can't really go anywhere either. We're kinda stuck."

She was right, going to Altissia was pointless now and she couldn't go back to Insomnia. It'd take a miracle for them to find a way out of this awkward position.

"You know Kat, it's not right for you to try and hook up with someone when you're about to get married." A voice Prompto didn't recognize snapped them both out of their thoughts. Standing outside was a young man with black hair and blue eyes, a smirk on his face as he looked over both of them.

"Dammit Noct, that's not what I was doing!" Katia shouted.

"Whatever you say. I won't tell anyone. Anyway, Ignis says that the boats aren't running right now. This reporter said he'd be willing to get us there if we got some rare stones for him, but Ignis wants your opinion on things. So wrap it up and get your ass back to the car before he actually shows some emotion, alright?"

"Okay then, be there in a sec," Katia sighed, as the young man walked away. "Well this just keeps getting more and more interesting."

"It's true, the boats aren't running right now," Prompto said. "Best case scenario, this reporter guy won't be able to get you out of here until tomorrow." And tomorrow would probably be when Insomnia's fall would happen.

"I can live with that," Katia said. The two of them got out from underneath the dock and started walking back to the car. Prompto wasn't sure why he was following her, but she hadn't objected so he didn't say anything. "Hey! I just had an idea!" she suddenly said. She turned around to face him. "Do you know how to fight at all?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Prompto said, he pulled out a gun he'd been keeping in a side holster. "I mean, I was trained in using firearms, but I don't think I'm very good with them."

"That'll work! I'm sure that's good enough!"

"Why do you ask?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to come with me!"

"Huh? But why?"

"Well, you can't stay here. Ardyn's going to realize sooner or later that you're probably still here and will probably force you back. And you can't leave on your own without transportation. But we have a car, and I'm sure you'll fit with the rest of the guys! I mean, we're gonna have to get married eventually, might as well take this chance of freedom to get to know each other."

"But what about when we get to Altissia?"

"We'll worry about that later. Like you said, it'll be at least until tomorrow before we can get there and that's if this guy can pull through for us. Besides, Ardyn can't look for you in Altissia if he's over here, so it's a win-win in my book!"

Prompto wasn't sure he really understood her reasoning, but it wasn't as if she was wrong. Besides, as terrible as it was to think about, they wouldn't even go to Altissia tomorrow if his fathers plan went through. So perhaps rolling with this weird plan would benefit them. "Alright, makes sense to me I guess!"

The pair made it to the car. Prompto saw not only the black-haired guy from before, but a large buff man with tattoos and a man wearing glasses as well. The man with glasses looked over at them, a raised eyebrow the only change in his stern expression. "Katia, who is this?" he asked. This guy was probably Ignis.

"His name's Prompto," Katia explained. "I ran into him on the beach and he said he wants to help us."

"Really now? And what's in it for him?" The burly man asked, his arms crossed. Prompto made a mental note that this guy was not to be messed with.

"Nothing. I just told him about the danger we've been getting into and he offered his services as a sharpshooter." Katia lied.

"He does have a gun on him," The black-haired guy, who Prompto remembered had been called "Noct", pointed out. "A guy like that might be useful, especially since I doubt those stones we have to find are gonna be easy to get."

Ignis sighed. "Katia, you know I dislike it when you lie to me. What is the real reason this Prompto wants to join us?"

"Damn, can't hide anything from you I guess," Katia admitted. "Prompto's running from someone and he doesn't have anywhere to go. He didn't do anything wrong, but he'll be in big trouble if he's caught. I can't stand here and do nothing, it wouldn't be right. I figure that if we take him with us to Altissia, maybe he'd be safer there. Please Ignis, can't he come with us?" Well, she wasn't exactly lying, but it wasn't the truth either.

"You gotta stop putting your heart on your sleeve like that. People'll take advantage of you like that." The buff man said.

"But isn't compassion key in being a good ruler?" Noct asked.

"Yeah, but Kat has this problem where she feels bad about everyone and wants to help them, even when she can't," The buff man stated. "She cares too much to the point that it's a flaw."

"No one asked you, Gladio." Katia said.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if he came with us," Ignis finally spoke after spending his time thinking things over. "It's not as if he'd be traveling long, just until Altissia, correct?"

"Yeah, I'll get out of your hair then!" Prompto said, figuring that he should at least say something. If Katia kept talking for him than it was bound to look suspicious.

"So it's settled then! Prompto's coming with us! Now let's get those stones or whatever!" Katia said.

"Someone's in a better mood." Gladio said.

"I'm pretty sure I know why." Noct said, the smirk returning again. Katia punched him in the arm.

"No you don't Noct, just get in the car." Katia said.

Before they joined the others, Prompto took hold of her hand. "So when are we gonna tell them who I really am?" he asked in a whisper.

"I guess when they realize we're not gonna find the prince," Katia whispered. "Gladio might be a bit pissed, but I'm sure they'll understand."

"...Thank you again for doing this."

"No problem. Now let's go, we don't want them to get suspicious."

The two royals got in the car, and the group left to find the stones. Prompto felt a pang of guilt in his chest, but it was too late. The lie had already gotten to the point where it was. And it wasn't like he could tell them the fact that he knew the Empire's plans. He looked over at Katia, who was smiling in her set next to him. He couldn't deny it, she looked adorable. He began to wish that they were supposed to be married, he didn't think he'd mind if it was her. But it just wasn't meant to be. He knew it better than anyone.

I raised my eyebrows, the smile disappearing from my face. Shiroe swallowed, his voice slowly fading as he realized the anger seething in my no longer happy expression. Go ahead, I ushered inwardly, finish that sentence. He pursed his lips, quickly taking deep breath.

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

“Yay!”

He breathed a sigh of relief, watching the anger quickly disappear from my face. Leaning up, I softly kissed his cheek and smiled when he blushed bright. Shiroe sputtered cutely, finding a spot where I could stand to climb onto him. I smiled, finding it so cute how a kiss on the cheek could fluster him.

He found a log for me to jump onto, letting me climb onto his back with a huff. “We’re not gonna go very far,” He mumbled. I giggled, nodding my head. Just being able to do this with him was enough. I found it cute how he let me do this. The entire time my face was hot, and I was whispering into his ear to fluster him more.

“You know you love me,” I said with a laugh after he grumbled one more time.

“I do…”

I giggled, hearing the smile in his voice. He grasped my thighs to hold me secure, keeping his promise about not going too far. He also made sure that no one saw us, which I thought was equally as adorable. But secretly I wanted it to be known that he was willing to carry me. It would give me something to tease him about later.

“Hmm… I didn’t know my Shiroe was this strong,” I said, nuzzling my face against his own.

“Huh? I… I’m not…”

I giggled, hearing his stammers continue until he couldn’t speak a word. Biting my lower lip, I looked over at his flustered face from the best angle I was presented with. “You’re so cute,” I said. Shiroe laughed nervously, which only made me giggle again.

His steps came to a slow stop, and he slowly began to drop me down to my feet. Stepping into the grass, I gave him a quick smile. “Thanks babe! That was fun,” I said with a wink.

“Y-Yeah… No problem.”

He quickly stretched, wincing from the umcomfortably weight he’d had on his back. I tried not to take it as an insult, knowing that he wasn’t used to carrying someone like that for a long distance. I appreciated the gesture, though.

“C'mon. I’ll give you a back massage, how does that sound?”

"Hey Kat! Mind helping me out with something?" Katia looked away from the campfire, seeing Prompto running towards her with camera in hand. She was surprised to see him here, especially since it was night and everyone else was already asleep.

"I guess not," she replied, standing up and stretching. "What'cha need?"

"Well, there's a spot around here that would make for an amazing photo, but I think that a proper subject would enhance it so I need someone to come with me." Prompto explained.

Well that should be simple enough. She loved Prompto's photos, and she enjoyed being the subject of said photos. "Sure Prom, you don't need to tell me twice. I'll do it."

"Thanks, Kat! You're a life saver!" Prompto said with a beaming smile. "Oh! We're gonna have to be up early though, so be ready when I wake you up!"

"How early are we talking here?" Katia asked.

"Umm, earlier than Ignis would wake up, that's for sure." Prompto answered.

Great, she had to wake up before the crack of dawn for this. Not exactly her idea of fun, but she'd do it for Prompto. "Alright then, but you're responsible for making sure I'm awake then!"

Prompto laughed. "That won't be a problem, you're easier to wake up than Noct is."

----------------------------

The next morning, Katia felt a shake of her shoulders wake her up. Must've been time to take the pictures. Just as she'd thought, the sun hadn't risen yet. There had to be a reason Prompto had to get up this early to take pictures though, so she didn't question it. She did however, question what was before them when they were near their destination.

"So I'm going to assume that the Garulas weren't part of the plan." she said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah, those weren't supposed to be here." Prompto answered. The two of them were hiding behind a nearby rock, trying to figure out what to do now. They'd gone a distance away from camp, and everyone else was probably still asleep so they couldn't return and get some back-up. It wasn't like they were terrible fighters by any means, but Prompto was definitely the least experienced out of their group and Katia wasn't awake enough to fight at full strength. They could always run, but Prompto was determined to get this photo and wasn't about to back down now.

"Think we can sneak past 'em?" Katia suggested.

"Maybe, but I don't know if we can actually pull it off." Prompto said. It wasn't easy trying to come up with a strategy on their own, Ignis was always the one who came up with plans after all.

"I say we just run past them and get to this picture spot," Katia said. "As long as we don't grab their attention they'll leave us alone, and it's not like things can get any worse at this point."

"Fair enough, let's get moving." Prompto took hold of Katia's hand and the two quickly began running. Just as it seemed like they were in the clear, a familiar sound was heard over their heads. The two looked up, only to see a Magitek Engine getting closer.

"Are you serious?! MTs right now?!" Katia whispered, just to be certain not to attract the attention of the Garulas.

"This is why you say things can't get any worse, they always do!" Prompto said. The two hid behind another large rock, hoping that the ship would fly away and leave them be. There was absolutely no way the two of them alone could take out a whole squad of MTs, they had to get out of here.

"I think that picture isn't going to happen, Prom. We can sneak by the Garulas, but there's no way we can sneak past MTs too." Katia said, the fear in her stomach waking her up.

"But Kat, I have to take this pic! It's important!" Prompto insisted.

"Look, I don't think this is worth dying over. We don't have the others to back us up, and this is a losing battle. We should just head back to camp while we still have the chance." Katia explained. She knew that this had to mean a lot to Prompto, but there was no way they could pull this off. She'd make it up to him later, but for now she was more concerned with making it back with their lives. She squeezed his hand, hoping that he got the silent message.

Prompto sighed, looking down at his camera in disappointment. "You're right, let's get out of here." The two of them headed back the way they came, lucky to not be spotted by either groups.

-----------------------------

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you two had gone," Ignis said, noticing the pair returning to the campsite. The sun was now rising in the sky, signifying that the morning had arrived. "It's not like you two to be up so early."

"Good morning to you too, Iggy." Katia said.

"Well, no point in you two returning to sleep, I've already begun making breakfast and it shall be done shortly." Ignis said, seemingly ignoring Katia's quip.

Not feeling like discussing with him any further, and the smell of the food reminding them how hungry they were, they both sat down in chairs. "I'm really sorry we couldn't get that picture you wanted, Prom." Katia apologized, still feeling bad for what happened.

"It's not your fault. Besides, I'm sure we'll be back here at some point what with all the hunts we've been doing, so I'll just do it next time." Prompto said, trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, good luck with getting me to wake up early again." Katia joked, trying to laugh to ignore how bad she felt.

A sudden grin appeared on Prompto's face. "I got a better idea." Before she could ask what he meant, Katia was pulled out of the chair and made to stand at the edge of the Haven, the sun behind her.

"Prom, what are you-"

"Just act natural, alright? I need to get this shot." Prompto said. Katia rolled her eyes and complied with his request, giving a smile as she posed for the camera. She heard the click of the camera, and went over to look at the picture. Unsurprisingly, it was a picture of her smiling as the sun rised behind her. And just with any picture of Prompto's, it looked beautiful.

"Is that good?" she asked, making sure he was happy with the photo. There was always a possibility that he'd want a redo after all.

"Yeah, it's perfect," Prompto said. "Not what I had in mind, but that doesn't matter."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Katia asked.

Prompto looked away, trying to find the words he wanted to say. "Well the thing is, there's this lake not too far from here, and I wanted to take a picture of you there at dawn. That's why I woke you up so early. But we never made it there, so I figured I could get you with the rising sun instead." he explained.

"Why'd you want a picture like that though?" Katia asked, feeling flattered but confused.

"I mean, I thought it'd look beautiful, especially with you in it." Prompto said, smiling softly at the thought.

No wonder he was so insistent on getting the picture. Katia smiled and squeezed his hand again. "In that case, I'll make sure to be up early next time."

"Huh? But I already got a picture, Kat." Prompto said, with no idea why she said that.

"Yeah, you did, but I really want to be in that perfect picture of yours," Katia explained. "Being your model is fun after all, and I kinda want to see that picture for myself instead of just imagining it, you know?"

Steam and smog from the trains turned a spring noon in Central Station into a muggy mess. Holiday-goers headed into the Central City clogged up the walkways between platforms as the Elric brothers wove their way toward the entrance and promise of fresh air and warm sunshine (and military work, but neither brother really wished to think about that).

“Mister Elric!”

The call snapped the boys out of whatever automated dozing mindset they’d had, and they looked back over their shoulders. A young woman was jogging their way - not carrying anything (Alphonse double-checked he was still carrying the luggage anyway) and not exactly in much of a hurry.

“Can I help you?”, Edward replied. What with the state alchemist position and easily recognisable appearance, he tended to be the one to be called over. This was another one of those cases it seemed.

“Yes. You are the Fullmetal Alchemist, aren’t you?”, the woman asked as she arrived by the boys. “Terribly sorry, but I just got here and I’m meant to get to military headquarters to meet with Vato-, uh, Major Falman. I don’t suppose you could give me directions.” 

Odd. She didn’t look like a solider. Too gentle, too soft almost. But her polite manners and smile seemed to put Edward at ease.

“Could do you one better”, he replied. “We’re headed there ourselves, you could tag along if you’d like.”

“That’d be awe- that’d be excellent, thank you!” Okay, this woman acted far too childishly to be a solider. It seemed more likely she was a friend of Falman’s or a relative. With the woman in tow - “Please, call me Abigail” - the now three returned to their route.