AToFMLW-2

A Twist of Fate Makes Life Worthwhile
Part Two

"Seth, please stop hugging me."
"I can't help it!  My little sis…going off to Central…I'm so proud of you Mia!"
"I'm going to miss my train…" she tried walking faster, but her brother's grip was too strong.  It helped that he was very tall compared to her.  Of course, she was only 5'2".  Everyone was taller than her.
"You'll get there."
"I have five minutes."
"You'll get there."
She sighed, dragging her brother behind her.  She'd already said goodbye to her mom and dad, though Seth insisted on escorting her to the train.  Mia should've guessed that it was really an opportunity for an extended hug.  He begged for hugs at home all the time.  She was leaving, so there would be no hugging opportunity.  He was covering for the year she'd be gone.  "You'll have to let me go sooner or later!"
"No I don't.  You'll have to take me with you."
"Only one ticket, nii-nii.  You'll have to let me go sooner or later."
"No I don't."
"Seth…" Mia and her brother looked up as a garbled voice filled the air, saying that the train to Central will be leaving shortly.  "Alright, now I really have to go!" she pulled out of his arms and ran over to the train, throwing her suitcases on board.  She tossed her ticket up with them, and a worker at the top of the steps grabbed them, taking the suitcases over to her spot.  Mia was about to follow, but Seth grabbed her arm.  "Seth—!"
He pulled out something from his pocket.  "I just want to give this to you." He handed her a knife.  Her eyes widened as he placed it in her hand.  The sheath was very ornate, the body a light green.  Light gold lines curved around the hilt.  She griped the black handle and slipped the blade out just an inch.  Light reflected off of the clean blade.  The sheath might have been just for show, but the blade was real.  Seth smiled as he saw his sister's eyes light up.  She was always a knife nut.  "You like that?"
"It's awesome…But wait, this is yours.  I was there when you bought this.  It cost you all of your allowance…"
"I know."
"So why are you giving it to me?"
He shrugged and smiled at her.
She smiled back and hugged him tightly.  "Thanks, nii-nii…"
He smiled.  "Alright, stop, you're going to miss your train." He kissed her forehead, causing her to smile widely.  "I'll miss you, Mia…"
"Yeah…" she eventually pulled away and hopped on the train as the whistle sounded.
"Write every day!"
"I will!"
The train slowly started chugging, and Seth started to run.
"Don't get in any trouble!"
"I'll try not to!"
The train went faster, Mia's long hair blowing into her face.
"And watch one of those movies while you're in Central!"
"Alright nii-nii!"
"Odd…" the man who took Mia's luggage into the train commented.  "He didn't even say 'I love you'…"
"He's my brother," Mia said, touching her forehead, "he doesn't have to say it."
======
Kaitlin was excited.  No, she wasn't just excited, she was ecstatic about going to Central.  It wasn't just the fact that she was going to Central, it was the fact that it was going to be her school.  And not just her school, she would be learning from Alchemists.  And not just Alchemists, but State Alchemists acknowledged by the military.
She was so excited, she felt that every other word had to be emphasized with italics.
Her entire family came to see her, which was extremely odd.  Her parents were divorced, and her father brought his girlfriend along which was bound to cause some sparks (surprisingly not though), her sisters lived in other cities, and communication wasn't that frequent.  Suddenly, everyone was there showering her with thanks, some little gifts were given as well.  She felt that the letter made her queen, not a student.
"You know, I'm not going to Xing, never to return or something like that.  I'm just going to Central." Everyone had insisted on carrying something for her, so the only thing Kaitlin was carrying was her ticket.  Sure, her twiggy arms were…twiggy and weak, but she could at least carry her bunny.  That cage wasn't that heavy.
"Don't want you hurting yourself before you get there." One of her sisters said, patting her head.
Kaitlin sighed, but didn't respond.  She was still so overwhelmed with everything that was going on.  She still wasn't sure what to say.
As her dad put her suitcases up on the rack above her head, both of her sisters hugged her.  "We'll miss you!"
"Write every day!"
"I will…"
"And be safe!"
"Don't get into trouble!"
"I'll try not to…"
"And stay away from boys!" her father added.
Kaitlin didn't answer.
"Katie…"
She was silent.  How could she promise to stay away from boys?  She was a teenager, and she was sure some of those hormones had to come in eventually…
"Kaitlin…" his voice was harsher.
"…You know, the military is mostly made up of men.  It's literally impossible to stay away from boys."
"Alright, stay away from boys your own age."
"I'll try."
After some more hugs, kisses, and awkward promises, her family left the train and waved as the train chugged off.  She sat down on the padded seat.  She'd been on the train a couple of times, but not in the extra-special part.  Her compartment was sealed off from the rest of the train by a sliding glass door.  The seats were also very comfortable, almost more comfortable than her bed.  And a person came around and offered her candy at half price!
"You know…" she said to her bunny while eating some jelly beans.  "I feel like I've read  a book like this somewhere…a train ride with animal cages next to the person…candy…going to an extra-special school…What do you think, Bunny-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
Bunny-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named twitched his nose.
She fed him a jelly bean.  "You're right.  A book like that wouldn't be popular."
======
"Bye mommy!"
"Be safe dear!"
"I will!"
Namori watched a girl board the train, her mother teary eyed behind her.  She was a bit jealous of her.  Her mom wasn't around anymore.  No one was there to bid her farewell.  She went on the train herself, no hugs goodbye, no kisses goodbye, nothing.  She…She was alone…
Namori shook her head.  She'd been depressed—at least less sugar-coated happy—that letter came.  That was when she had her first memory of the war.  She remembered being crammed into a cart with ten other children, a loud, large explosion and screams.  As the cart runners yelled for their beasts to go faster, to get away, she thought she heard a loud, gleeful laughter echoing in the distance.  She'd been having dreams about that scene every night.
She sighed.  She was letting that dream get to her too much.  She was Namori!  She was always happy!  This wasn't going to change that!  She brought out her backpack and pulled out a sketchbook.  She took out some colored pencils and started coloring in some of her drawings.  Most of them were of herself.  She had few friends in the slums, but few of them wanted drawings done of them.  She drew a couple people she talked to regularly, but that was about it.
She colored in a drawing of her in a red dress that matched her eyes and the streaks in her brown hair.  She remembered a kid saying that she drew angels.  When she was confused, he explained that they looked like cherubs.
She supposed that was true.  There were a lot of circles and round shapes.  The Namori drawing's face was round.  Her limbs were smooth, but not skinny.  And then there were her breasts, which half the time resembled balloons.  However, it wasn't completely exaggerated.  She was a double D cup, thanks to her mother, thanks to that little annoying think called genetics…her breasts earned her lustful stares, but her eyes warranted glares.  Whenever she talked to boys, their eyes ignored her face and marveled how her shirt strained to restrain her chest.
Whoever said big boobs was a good thing was horribly mistaken.  Sure, boys noticed you, but they only noticed your chest.  And if a boy noticed her face, she was bombarded with insults.  It was a wonder that she hadn't become cynical, all things considered.  She was still innocent and kind to everyone who met her.  Sure, she complained about some things, and then immediately turn to happier topics.  Though, if the dreams persist, she wasn't sure how much she could smile.
She looked out the window.  Maybe things would be different when she was in Central.
======
"You got your ticket?"
"Yeah dad." Eva held up her ticket, just to convince him.
"Got your sketchbook?"
"In my backpack."
"Candy?"
"That's about everything else in my backpack and there's some in my suitcase."
"Money for candy?"
"In my wallet, which is in my purse, which is safely in my backpack." She said with a large smile.  The way she quickly repeated everything, it seemed as if she memorized this.  She might as well have.  Her father had been asking those same questions for a week as she packed, making sure that she was prepared for her eventual leaving to Central.
"Good…" he smiled, eyes shimmering a bit.
Eva's mother sniffed, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.  "I—I can't believe this!  My little girl…going off to Central…"
"Mom…"
"I didn't expect this to happen for a while!  I always knew you were a smart kid, so I thought you would go to college someday…but you're only sixteen…I didn't—I didn't—" she cried, hugging Eva.
"Mom…Mom, stop it…you're going to make me cry too…" Eva's brown eyes shimmered, a small tear slipping out of her eye and trailing down her cheek.  She closed her eyes and pressed her face into her mother's neck, allowing some tears to slip out.  There was no shame in crying here.  After a couple of minutes later, she pulled away, rubbing her eyes.  She looked at her parents.  Her mother's face was hidden behind her handkerchief, and her father was smiling widely, a small tear going down his face.
"You going to be alright, Eva?"
She looked at her father and nodded.  "Yeah.  Of course." She hugged him.
He rubbed her head.  "You're growing up so fast, baby…"
"I'm not a baby anymore."
"You'll always be my baby."
Damn, she was going to start crying again.  She pulled away.  "Alright then." She smiled at them.  "I know the drill.  Write every day.  Leave no details out.  Stay safe.  Stay away from boys.  Learn everything I can.  Did I miss anything?"
They both shook their heads.
"Then…This is goodbye for now!" Eva jumped onto the train, dragging her luggage behind her.  She put her suitcases on the rack above her and opened the window, waving as the train chugged off.
She dug around in her backpack and chewed on some candy, allowing the sadness still in her to be replaced with pure sugary energy.
She wondered if anyone would mind if she ran up and down the train.
======
Whoever did the times on the tickets was a genius.  All the trains arrived at the exact same time.  One girl was from East City, another from Makki—a city near Ishval—one from Dublith, and New Optain.  They were all across the country, but their trains would be here any minute now…A military man tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his violet eyes scanning the crowd.  Four girls, each carrying two suitcases behind them, exited the station.  He smirked and honked his horn.  They all jumped and noticed the car.  "Over here girls!"
They seemed to realize that the large car was for them and made their way over to it.  The man stepped out of the car.  "Your bags?" They each handed him a bag, and he easily lifted the bags into the car, even though some of them were quite heavy.  He carefully put Bunny-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named between the suitcases so he wouldn't move around during the drive.  He climbed into the driver's seat, the car groaning a bit under his weight.
"Wow…" a tanned girl—almost looked as if she was from Ishval except for the fact her hair was brown with dyed red hair instead of pure white—said.  "You're really heavy."
"It's my mass.  I'm heavier than I look."
The small girl with short brown hair—the tips died black for some reason—cocked her head, but stayed silent.  She remembered what her school had said about mass.  For some reason, it didn't compute in her head.
The military man drove off.
For a while, there was silence.
"So…" the tanned girl spoke up, breaking the silence.  "I'm Namori."
"Katie."
"Mia."
"Eva."
In a matter of seconds, they were all excitedly talking to each other, now that the ice had been broken.  The each expressed what they were looking forward to the most, what they wanted to learn, and what weapons they'd think would be awesome to fight with.  The military man listened on some areas and ignored them in all other areas.  Girls talk too much.  His sister didn't have that habit, thank Father.  He would've killed her by now.  There's only so much he can take.
"We're here!" he called, and each of them looked out the window.  Three men stood there, the smaller two men—which when compared the mountain of a man beside them, they were ants—talked heatedly to each other.
"You know…" Katie said.  "I'm starting to think I should've worn a dress or something…I feel underdressed…" she was wearing a dull green t-shirt and a tight leather jacket with jeans and worn sneakers.
The other girls looked at their clothes.  Eva was slightly more fancy, though her clothes were still casual.  She was wearing a white blouse with black jeans and steel toed books, mud caked on the soles.  Namori wore a white sweater jacket over a black tank top that covered her stomach, but not her breasts.  She also wore a black mini skirt and socks that extended past her thigh.  It was better, but still wasn't good enough.  Mia, on the other hand, had on a light blue dress that went down to her thighs.  There was a ribbon that was tied under her breasts and tied into a neat little at a bow at her side.  While she didn't wear heels, she did have some nice black flats on.  The only thing really casual about her outfit was a black jacket she wore to cover her bare arms.
The girls looked at each other and suddenly became more nervous.
======
"Why the hell am I here Colonel?" Edward Elric looked up at the tall man.
Mustang blinked in surprise.  "You don't know?"
"No I don't!" he pulled at his collar.  "And why do I have to wear this damned uniform?"
Mustang laughed a bit.  "Don't you remember signing saying you'd be teaching high school girls?" The last three words were said with fondness.
Edward froze.
"Oh, you really didn't know?"
"Alphonse…" Edward clenched his fist, vowing to pound in his brother's head.
"Come on, Edward.  Just picture it.  Young high school girls…flowers starting to bloom…young beauties in their prime…their young and soft voices asking you questions…you tending to their every whim…Soon, they'll entrust everything to you…their trust…their secrets…their life…"
"Their virginity?" Edward guessed.
"Yes!"
"We're not taking in porn stars, we're taking in high school girls."
"YES!" Armstrong's voice rang, causing Edward to flinch.  "Finally, I will have the opportunity to teach THE GREAT ALCHEMY THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!!"
"Do you really need to take your shirt of, sir?" Mustang said.  The girls weren't even there yet.  There was no reason to strip if there weren't any ladies around.
"I don't see what's the big deal about high school girls…" Edward muttered as Armstrong retrieved his jacket.
"That's because you've been around them and you don't appreciate them." Mustang said.  "When you're as old as I am, you find yourself missing the past and—"
"And the delicate teenage flowers." Edward muttered.
"Exactly.  Though I didn't realize there would only be three of us.  Doesn't anyone want to be in the company of high school girls?"
"Maybe they actually have morals…unlike you."
"Nonsense.  Every man, whether they admit it or not, loves high school girls."
"I don't."
"Well, you're not really a man.  More like half a man."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HALF-PINT MIDGET!"  
Mustang was about to argue more with him, when he spotted a large car coming up and parking near the steps.  "Ah, here they are."
"Great…I hope I don't end up getting a girly girl."
"Looks like two girls are wearing jeans."
"How odd…" Armstrong muttered.  "I know that recently females are starting to become more independent, but I still can't get used to a girl dressed as a boy…"
"Technically, only one is dressed as a boy.  That short one with brown hair.  The girl with the long brown hair has a classy-casual look.  Still very feminine.  I would prefer the dark one.  She's already in a mini-skirt."
Edward rolled his eyes.  Typical Colonel.  Edward perked up as the youngest girl stepped forward, escorted by the military man that brought them down.  She looked like she would be good.  Not a girly girl who would talk about shopping and squeal at the sight of automail.
"Kaitlin Wiesel, Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist."
"It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Kaitlin blinked.  She was thinking about a couple things.  One, he was huge.  Two, his State Alchemist name wasn't that…imaginative.  It was his name, but the syllables were split into two words and traded places.  "So…What are we going to do?"
"Well, first we'll drop your stuff off at the dormitory—"
"I get a dormitory?"
"You share a dormitory with your peers.  It'll have beds, a nightstand, as well as a bulletin board and a whiteboard for notes, and a chest for clothes.  There will also be a bathroom and a communal shower and a hot tub for after the shower.  There's also a small kitchen." Armstrong recited.  He knew what was in the dorms, as he helped set it up.
"That sounds huge…"
"The bedroom is about as big as a standard apartment."
Kaitlin's eyes widened.  "Just the bedroom?  As in not including the bathrooms and the kitchen"
"Yes."
"Aw, that sounds so cool!"
Armstrong smiled and patted her head.  "I'm glad you are happy with it!"
"Happy?  I'm ecstatic!" she had a feeling that she would be using that word a lot.
Armstrong patted her head again and walked to the car, carrying both of her suitcases under his arm and taking her duffel bag in his hand.  Kaitlin carried Bunny-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, asking Armstrong some more questions.
Next was Eva.  Edward hoped that he'd get her.  She was wearing pants.  She didn't seem like a girly-girl.  She—
"Eva Vora, Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist."
—was going to Mustang, that bastard.
"Hi." She said, smiling.  She hadn't burned off all of her sugar rush from before.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Vora." He took her hand and kissed the back of it, causing her cheeks to light up red.  He smirked to himself.  It was so easy to make teenagers blush.
"Please, call me Eva."
"Well then, Eva, I hope you're looking forward to learning." He walked over to the car and took one of the heavier suitcases and her backpack while Eva took one suitcase.
"So what am I learning about?"
"Well, I'm teaching you about Alchemy, of course.  Mostly Flame Alchemy."
"Ooooh!  I like fire!"
"As do I.  I'll also have my subordinates teach you about technology—"
"Oooohhh…"
"—how to fire a gun—"
"Cool!"
"—how to train your mind to memorize information—"
"Bleh!"
"—and whatever else they wish to teach."
"Do they know they're going to teach me?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"In about ten minutes."
Edward growled.  Damn that Colonel…Alright.  Two people in a skirt.  One seems uncomfortable.  He wanted her!  The one with the overly-long hair!  He did not want some girl who loved wearing skirts who would talk about how much she loved life and all that fluffy shit.
"Namori Anjyl, Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
He did not get who he wanted.
"Hi there!"
"Hey…"
"So…You want to help me get my stuff out of the car?"
"No."
"You really should be nicer."
"Why should I?"
"Well, when you are nice to people, Karma is sent down to award you for your deeds."
Oh great, she was a religious nut.
"Sometimes it's something small, but if you are nice enough, I'm sure you'll be awarded with a couple of inches."
Mia made a small noise.  She knew that Namori was referring to his height, but Mia's mind was slightly more perverted than normal girls, so she thought that the couple inches to be added were to a certain part of his body that was lower than his head.
Edward steamed, knowing that she was referring to his height, or lack of.  "Don't—call—me—small…"
"I'm sorry." She bowed.  "I didn't realize that referring to your height was a soft spot.  I'll never do it again."
Edward's flame was immediately doused, and he looked at the girl in front of him.  He sighed and patted her head.  "Come on…"
She smiled and followed him.
Mia looked around, feeling awkward.  Where was her teacher?
"Mia Fontana?" the military man said.
"Yes?"
"Your teacher isn't here."
"Well, where is he?"
He smirked widely.  "Central Prison."
======
How marvelous was this Stone.  How compelling was the music he could make with it.  With the stone in his mouth, he created a drum line of explosions with a wind of screams.  Some were high, like a piccolo, others were low, like a bassoon.  Ah!  The music he was able to create.  However, his superiors didn't want him to keep that lovely Stone.  He was just used to test the Stone, as his Alchemy caused the most damage.  When they asked him to give up his instrument, he did the logical thing.  
He swallowed it and kept it to himself, then got rid of everyone who knew about his secret instrument.  Well, everyone except that Homunculus who was apparently keeping an eye on all Ishval.  He came a bit after he got arrested.  He congratulated the Alchemist, said he found his last act particularly amusing, and stole his hair tie.
But he still had his Stone.  His wonderful Stone.  He crossed one leg over the other and hummed a tune, admiring his stone from every angle.  The tune was one he concocted as an Ishvalan blew up.  It started out slow and then swelled until it couldn't be contained any more and then…boom.
Footsteps interrupted his thought process.  "Oops." He commented, quickly throwing the Stone into his mouth.  He swallowed as the guard opened up the eye slot with a loud clang.  Kimblee looked into the man's glaring eyes, trying not to wince at the overly bright light.
"Get out Kimblee." he grunted.  "You're being discharged."
Kimblee stood up and shuffled towards the door.  The many locks on the door were unbolted and the metal door was dragged open, a loud screeching sound emerging as it scrapped against the floor.  Kimblee winced at the sound.  It hurt his ears to hear that torturous noise.  The jailer unlocked the foot long board that separated his hands.  As the wooden board clattered to the floor, Kimblee rubbed his wrists.  After wearing that for six years, his wrists were littered with splitters.  It would be a while before they healed.  "Am I allowed a shower and a change of clothes or do I have to walk out like this?"
He growled and led the former Alchemist to a bathing area.  Kimblee washed himself, removing years of sweat dirt and grime that five-minute weekly washings had been unable to remove.  He took a couple of minutes to just stand and soak while the guard glared at him.  Afterwards, he shaved the few bristles on his chin and trimmed his hair a bit shorter, taking a small white piece of cloth and tying his hair back.  He finally got into his crisp white suit again, relaxing a bit.  It felt good to dress up.  He slung the jacket over his arm, finding no need for the extra fourth layer to wear.  He walked down the hallway with the man looming beside him.  "Now," he said, asking the question that had been on his mind ever since the guard approached his door, "what's with this curious turn of events?"
"Don't ask unnecessary things."
"Is it an order from above?"
"Shut up.  Anyway, just why haven't you been executed when you've killed five superior officers?" He also killed hundreds of Ishvalan, but apparently, they don't count.  "What hand did you play?" the guard accused, glaring at him.
"Oh, nothing." Kimblee said, knowing that he actually didn't do anything.  "Maybe it's personal virtue?" he smiled at the man.
The guard uttered a stuttering laugh.  "Don't make me laugh, Mad Bomber!"
Kimblee's eyebrow twitched.  Mad Bomber?
"I've heard that you were laughing while you killed the Ishvalans.  What are the superiors thinking, letting someone this crazy be discharged!"
"Mr. Jailer?"
"Ah?"
Kimblee turned around, holding out his hand to him.  "Thank you for taking care of me for so long."
He looked at the hand, hesitant, but shook his hand nonetheless.  "Don't come back here again."
Kimblee smiled and gripped his hand tightly, moving his other hand up to grab his watch.  Energy flowed between the two circles on his palms, meeting in the center.  The watch began to change into something different.  He pulled his hand away, sparks from the Transmutation still trailing from his hand.  "I'm merely showing my thanks."
The jailer looked at his watch, and found that there were two small cylinders connected to the clock face.  There were no numbers, only lines and a skull.  An arrow slowly started moving to skull.  He screamed and pulled on the watch, though it didn't give.  Two other men rushed to his help, trying to disconnect the wires from the bomb.  
"Take it off!"
"It—It won't come off!"
The jailer turned to Kimblee, his face contorted in terror.  "Kimblee!  Take—please take this off!"
Kimblee smiled down at him.
"The time—" the arrow headed towards the skull.  "Time—!"
A small bird popped out of the clock face.  The jailer stared at the bird, Kimblee smiling grimly down at him, his expression unchanged, his posture still straight and stiff.  "It's just a trivial toy.  Please give to your children as a present." He smiled and put his white fedora on his head, walking away.  "Well then, goodbye." He did not find the term 'Mad Bomber' amusing in the slightest.
The doors slammed shut behind him.  Kimblee looked around, trying to find out where his escort was or if he would have to walk.  A hand came out of a car and waved.  Kimblee smirked and got into the car and sat down next to a young girl.  He turned to the young girl and blinked a couple of times while she stared back at him.  "I'm terribly sorry, I must have gotten into the wrong car."
"You didn't." the driver said.  Kimblee immediately identified his voice.  "Kimblee, how do you feel about teaching a high school girl Alchemy?"
"Well, not really—"
"Mia Fontaine, Zolf Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist."
Kimblee looked at her for a couple of seconds before turning back to the driver.  "Excuse me?"
"Long story short, you get let out of jail so you can teach this girl Alchemy."
"For how long am I teaching her?"
"A year.  Maybe." He shrugged and started driving.  "You two can get acquainted."
Kimblee continued to stare in shock at the driver before clearing his throat and turning to the girl beside him.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mia." He smiled at her.
Mia blinked and turned away, looking out the window.  He blinked in surprise.  He certainly didn't expect her to ignore her like that.  Kimblee turned to look out his own window.  Mia looked at him out of the corner of her eye.  He was kinda cute…Mia blushed a bit at the thought.  Stop it Mia, he was twice her age.  And extremely hot.  Damn, stop it Mia.
She shifted a bit and removed her jacket.  Kimblee glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  She wasn't as young as he originally thought.  Her face was older than it looked at first glance, and showed signs of knowledge.  She had long, black hair that trailed down to her thin waist.  She took off her black jacket, showing her pale, bare shoulders.  He let his eyes trial down her thin body.  The light blue dress clung to her body, tight near the top to keep it attached, though it bagged out below her breasts.  His eyes trailed down, gazing at her legs.  She might've been young, but she certainly had a nice body.  He wouldn't mind if he slipped into her—
Goddamnit, he just got out of prison, and now he's going to get a boner every time he looked at a girl.  Six years were not kind to him.
"So," he said, taking off his hat and putting it onto his lap.  "Tell me about yourself, Ms. Mia."
"What's there to talk about?"
Anything to distract from the boner.  "Anything you can think of."
"Well, I'm eighteen."
Oh, she's legal.  Not that he's ever done anything legal.
"I've got an older brother who I love to death.  I've also got a mom and a dad."
"How's your relationship with them?" Mia looked at him, her head cutely tilted to the side.  Kimblee inwardly shook his head, trying not to designate any adjectives like 'cute' or 'attractive' to her.  Actions like that will only encourage him and will not get rid of the object currently holding up his hat.  "I ask because I don't want you to automatically assume I'm a parental figure to you.  I'm your teacher, not a parent, and I certainly won't treat as such."
"Alright…" Mia still didn't understand, but she decided it would be best to answer the question.  "I guess I'm pretty close to my parents, except for maybe my dad.  He's alright…"
Oh, she had some daddy issues.  Damn, this was not helping at all.
Mia chewed on her lower lip for a couple of seconds.  "That's about it."
Kimblee nodded, and silence resumed.  The man pulled up to Central.  "Ms. Mia, your stuff is still in the car, yes?"
"Yeah…"
"Would you please put it in your room?"
"I don't know where it is." Kimblee simply looked at her and she sighed.  "I'll ask around…"
"Thank you." He turned to the driver as soon as Mia walked off.  "Envy, is it?"
"Yep."
"When I was let out of jail, I expected that someone needed to be murdered or found, a town taken off the map or something along those lines.  I didn't expect to be teaching."
"Hey, if I had my way, you'd be doing all those things.  However, your little 'make-your-superiors-go-boom' stunt did not go well with the higher ups. Apparently they think that you might do the same to them.  And then word got out that you were going to be released…You'd be happy to know that many people thought that a man as insane as you shouldn't be let out.  In fact, they singed a petition."
"Where does the girl come into this?"
"They figure if you become attached to someone, you'll become less…crazy."
Kimblee scoffed.  "A simple girl won't change that."
"I know that.  It's called wishful thinking.  Pretend it's working."
"So what am I doing with her?" Envy looked back at him, eyes flashing down to his hat.  "I'm not doing that."
"King Bradley came up with the idea of having high school girls being taught by Stat Alchemists.  You're a State Alchemist." He tossed Kimblee his watch.  "So teach her."
He caught the watch and looked at it.  He quickly opened it to see if the picture was still there.  "Teach what?"
"Whatever you want.  How to make people go boom."
"And if I say no?"
"Well, you're still here, so you can do your job."
"Excellent."
"But you have a house that's been sitting collecting dust and bills for seven years now."  
"I have my State Alchemist budget."
"Oh yeah, about that…When you go locked up, your State Alchemist fund was emptied."
"It was what?"
"Emptied.  Nothing left.  But, if you teach that little squirt, your salary is doubled.  Remember how much money you got from paperwork.  Double that."
Kimblee sighed.  That was a good amount of money.  "Fine…" he stood up and left the car, stuffing his watch into his pocket.
"Hey!  Where are you going?  The apartment she's staying at is that way!"
"I'm going to the bathroom."