What Do You Know? (Open)

[Felix Talbot]

How many hours has Felix been sitting in the Central Library, looking through old files, reports, and various other forms relating to the coup a year ago? Thankfully since the First Branch of the Library had been burned down, more recent files involving the Government had been stored in a less... Flammable environment, but despite future preparation for mysterious bouts of combustion, it still wasn't easy....

There were so many reports from that day, damage assessments, Central/Briggs casualties, repair costs, and a lot of other crap to sift through. It wasn't surprising just how much of it there was, the so-called "Promised Day" certainly did a number on the Military, Central Command, and quite possibly Amestris itself. However, all that didn't really matter, but what did mattered, was the fact that everything the Infinite Blade Alchemist had pawed through was completely, and utterly USELESS!

"Damn it! There's got to be something in this pile that has some info on what happened in the courtyard in Central!" Felix grunted angrily before quickly being shushed by a nearby librarian. He quickly apologized, and timidly went back to looking through folders of past paperwork. He couldn't help but be annoyed with the progress he was currently going at... Which was slower than he normally went about this day, and that was saying something!

It was just mind-boggling, he could find nearly enough information, that if he was a grad student writing a report on the "Promised Day," he'd have enough to get an A plus. But when it came down to a single battle, which pretty much ended in victory for Mustang's Forces... He couldn't find anything! At least anything that mentioned what that thing he felt was.

Felix knew he wasn't crazy, he had the Dragon's Pulse, and it never proved him wrong. He knew what he felt that day, and whatever that thing was, it certainly wasn't the product of a bunch corrupt generals, who weren't even Alchemists.

Maybe he was looking in the wrong place, maybe these weren't the right files to look into. Sure, he was a Major, and had access to a lot of government files, but as mentioned before... He was a Major, and his reach had limits... He could almost hear his old commanding officers laughing at him... Bastards.

[Ashur Grey]

Gliding through the entrance Ashur paused a moment to scan the interior of the titanic building that was the Central Library.  Much had changed since the last time he had visited, what with the fire that consumed a large portion of the building and the consequential reconstruction that followed shortly after.  Unfortunately such reconstruction always made someone believe they could design the building better than their predecessors which led to people being lost for the first few months.  As this was Ashur's first time in quite awhile, he was no exception to this rule.

Thankfully however he had already located the volumes of text he had come seeking.  Gliding over to a nearby table, which thankfully was still positioned were the old tables had been Ashur took a seat.  Back when Ashur had spent large amounts of time within the Library he had almost always used the same seat which put his back to the end of a bookcase while allowing the man to monitor all of the entrances and exits.  Setting the three volumes of text Ashur stared at them for a long moment before sighing and flipping open the cover of the first.

This particular trio of journals had been written by none other than himself starting just after he became a State Alchemist and still being added to from time to time.  While Ashur personally thought the research journals were rather pointless overall he still kept them up to date all the same.  As of yet no other alchemist had been able to replicate his ability to any meaningful amount and even that small accomplishment generally came at some cost to the alchemist.

Still the Furher had given the order and seeing as how the new Furher gave no order to contradict he, Ashur continued to obey.  To an extent Ashur wanted to continue if only to give himself a fresh reminder of the betrayal he committed and as a way to possibly counterbalance the scale of his crimes to some microscopic degree.

Slowly letting his breath flow from his barely parted lips, Ashur reached into his jacket with his left hand removing a pair of violet colored spectacles as he did so and proceeded to don the eye wear.  Immediately after gazing through the tinted lenses Ashur's trained eye was able to discern the faint violet on the pages of his own research journal and began to ink the majority of details on the library's copy.

It was soon after his began that he had to stop as a young man sitting across at another table released what sounded like a burst of utter frustration.  Ashur however made note of the last few words the young man said, mentioning a specific courtyard that Ashur wished he knew nothing about.  The boy was a complete fool to go digging up the past, if Ashur could he would have preferred to die not knowing what had transpired that day. . . what else had almost happened on that promised day. . .

Still, Ashur could not be overly upset with the boy.  After all he had to admit it was amazing to see that at least one soldier had a real head on their shoulders and realized that a rather large piece was missing from the puzzle the new military brass was trying to pass off for the truth.  With his nature torn almost perfectly down the middle Ashur to his shame, spoke:


"It is not something that would be recorded."


Ashur did not elaborate any further, not because he did not know, but simply because anything more was classified more highly than any other information within the country.  After all, Ashur did not want to make anymore enemies than he already had. . . especially not those who he had to salute to in the days to come.  To be quite honest, Ashur was not even sure why he had said that much.  Perhaps it was a vague attempt to keep another young man from treading down a path of pain and sorrow.

[Felix Talbot]

It is not something that would be recorded....

This one sentence completely stopped the train that was Felix's mind to a complete halt. Was he hearing what he thought he was hearing? Someone actually giving him advice that wasn't condescending, or telling him that he was just being paranoid? Felix had to admit, it was certainly something he didn't expect to find scrounging through boxes of files.

Returning a folder back to its proper place, he turned his attention on the man sitting nearby. The first thing that caught his eye, was the color of this man's uniform. It wasn't the usual blue that most, if not all members of the Amestris Military wore, it was a darker shade, black even. Even more eye-catching was the two medals that sat on the man's chest.

Felix seemed to recall hearing about a man in the military, who wore black. He couldn't really place the name, since it was all gossip and rumors, and when was the last time he ever listened to idle gossip? Forgotten gossip aside, Felix quietly cleaned up his area, returning all the reports, and files that had wasted hours of time back into their proper boxes, right before returning his attention back on the man in question.

Felix had to approach this carefully, the man in front of him could be the very person that could finally put in an end to Felix's year long question: What really happened in the courtyard? "So... Something DID happen in the courtyard that day. Something that practically required rewriting a pivotal moment in this country's history..." He carefully spoke, as he made his way over to the table the man was sitting at, and taking a seat across from him.

"What do you know?"

[Ashur Grey]

Ashur heard the boy start to pick up his various reports and other paperwork. For a moment Ashur believed the boy was going to let it go. . . at least until he started to talk, coming to his table and taking a seat. Silently Ashur cursed himself for opening his mouth to the younger man.


Ashur thought upon the young man's question for some time, continuing to transfer information from one book to the other while he did so. In part it might have appeared that Ashur was simply going to ignore the other alchemist, but finally he voiced a reply.


"The question is not what do I know, as I know just about everything. . . it was my job to know. The question you should be asking is what are you allowed to know and the answer to that is not much."

Finally Ashur looked up from his work, meeting the younger man's eyes for a few moments. He proceeded to set down his pen and close both of the books before him. Folding his hands and resting his elbows on the table the black coated veteran spoke once more.


"My advice to you is simple. Do not go around poking your nose in a hornet's nest. Histories told to the people are almost always false, so why should this situation be any different? Every country, every war, every person has their secrets. I do not know why you are digging, for the most part I do not care. Just understand this. . . some things are better left buried."


It was not that Ashur was wanting to be harsh or anything of the like. No, Ashur just did not want this young man to end up getting tangled in the web of lies that had quickly formed around the events that transpired in that courtyard. . . what really occurred in the whole of that covert war that had raged long before the Battle of Central.


Of course, as previously mentioned. . . Ashur also did not want to upset the higher ups. Many of them were still quite angry with Ashur for having supported Bradley up until the Promised Day. Some thought that he had known the truth all along and only turned when it looked like they would lose. The truth was far from that though, in fact Ashur had learned only the most important details on the promised day and many more were learned afterwards from various friends he had in the military.

[Felix Talbot]

At least this man was being honest with Felix, instead of the usual 'stop trying' spiel, yet despite its honesty... It still sounded just the same as the rest, but with a rather important difference. The man wasn't denying that something didn't happen in the courtyard that day, if anything by his choice of words; something did happen, and it was apparently big enough to cover up.

Now, the possibility of finally following a trail that Felix had been searching for, were percolating in his mind. So many questions were zipping through his head, and not enough answers were appearing. If he did manage to wrestle the truth from this man, what would he do with it? How will he go from there? If it's as big as the man across from him implies it is, would Felix really want to be twisted up in that mess?

All these concerns, and doubts began to cloud his thoughts, but a single flash of a familiar, determined face dispersed those notions. Felix had to keep going, whether or not the truth was dangerous, Annie wouldn't stop just because things could turn ugly. No, he spent too much time on this, and he wasn't going put all that spent energy to waste.

"I'm sorry, but I reject your answer, and what you think I should do." He bluntly stated, if the man was going to be straightforward with Felix, then so will he. "You may not care for my reasons, and I can't fault you on that, since my reasons pretty much depend on what I found out." He sighed, knowing that until he reaches the zenith of truth, Felix has no idea if Annie's change is connected to whatever was below Central, and the thing that appeared two years ago.

"However, what I do know is... Whatever was in the courtyard that day two years ago.... Edison and Clemin, and a bunch of aging power-hungry generals couldn't have created it... Nothing with that kind of sickening chi that is." Sickening... He supposed that was a proper word to use when describing the chi he felt two years ago.

[Ashur Grey]

Ashur remained seated as he was, slightly hunched forward with his chin resting behind his clasped hands. As he blank eyes stared across the table at the boy the black coated veteran found himself reevaluating him.


So he does have a reason for wanting to find out. . . He is a kid with a puzzle and will not let it go.


This brought the faintest smile to Ashur's lips. It was. . . refreshing. To see someone digging merely for the sake of understanding something. It reminded Ashur ever so slightly of himself in his younger days of studying alchemy. It was only because of this that Ashur had not yet walked away from the boy as he had been tempted to.


Sitting back Ashur's thumb came up to cradle his chin, while his forefinger slightly scratched the scruff that was there. Ashur found himself wanting to help the boy more and more, but as usual Ashur did not desire to break his vow to remain silent on what occurred within the courtyard. With a sigh Ashur leaned forward and met the younger man's eyes one more time as he began to speak.


"I will not tell you what happened. Whether you or anyone else in the military believes it I am a man of my word."


Ashur's words hung in the air for a few moments as the older man considered his next words carefully. Generally Ashur was a blunt man so this unusual situation found him trying to speak like a rouge of some sort. . . it was not something he was comfortable with.


"I can not tell you outright, but what I will say is if you truly wish to know follow the path of true alchemy that many others before you have and look for the grains of truth buried in this country's history."


After speaking Ashur sat back and continued to stare at the young man, an inquisitive spark taking root within his normally dead gaze. His words were a bit cryptic, but it was a necessity. Primarily to uphold his promise not to speak of the events, but also to ensure no one else in the library would get dragged into the twisted path of lies that this boy was set on traversing. In truth his words should be pretty obvious to any alchemist.


The path of true alchemy was that knowledge to bypass equivalent exchange. . . to truly create something from nothing. It was the same path that the Elric brothers had followed years ago. . . the same path that had nearly brought this country to ruin, but had also exposed it's rotten core. Ashur was not one hundred percent certain that it would give the boy the answers he sought, but it was as close as he could get him to them.

[Felix Talbot]

It was already established with Felix, that the black-coat officer knew what indeed happened in the courtyard, but a promise was stopping him from revealing what it was. It takes a certain kind of person to honor their promises; Felix could respect that kind of trait. He supposed it was the Xingese in him, it was like his mother once said: People of Xing always keep their words.

The black-coated officer's discomfort with all this cloak and daggers was somewhat obvious; once again Felix couldn't really fault the man. This wasn't exactly the most frank of discussions in any situation. Felix carefully listened to his words, and began to disassemble the cryptic message in his mind.

The path to true Alchemy.... Something that many Alchemists have tried to attain. As Felix sat there, pondering this statement, the thought of his sister, Annie, appeared in his mind. He could remember the times of her telling him stories about Alchemy when they were younger, and how excited she would get with one particular story...

'Hey Flix, have I ever told you about the legend of the Fifth Element?'

'The Fifth what?'

'The Fifth Element: The ultimate dream of Alchemists everywhere! Its powers are legendary, and its creation is shrouded in myth. With the Fifth Element, equivalent exchange would no longer matter.'

'I thought you said Alchemy was science, and not magic.'

'I know, I know, and the Fifth Element is just a legend, but can you imagine it, Flix? The ability to create anything out of nothing... You'd be stepping into the realm of God.'

'Wow, Annie... That's something else, but knowing you... You'll probably be the first one to make it into a reality, but the name Fifth Element though? Maybe you can change it into something cooler.'

'Hehe, I doubt it, Flix, and it does have a more common name... Most people call it....'

"The Philosopher's Stone...." The words escaped Felix's lips, as his eyes widen in a mixture of surprised shock. The stone that eluded countless Alchemists, that no one thought truly existed... Was real? And the State Government was the one to possess it. This was certainly news he did not expect at all, but it would make perfect sense, at least in a small way. The revelation of this, however, was somewhat disturbing... If the legendary stone was involved... Things would become very complicated further down the road.

[Ashur Grey]

Ashur looked down and exhaled slightly as he heard the young man's words. Yes, Ashur had indeed been speaking of the Philosopher's stone. He was one of a few dozen officers to test stones during his military career and could testify to the power the stone held. He was also one of those who knew what it took to create a stone. At the time he had figured it was for the greater good, that the necessary human lives could come from death row or lifetime prisoners, traitors and the like. He had been foolish to think these would be the only ones to become stones. . .


"You will not enjoy what you find on this path. If you stick with it though I believe you will find some answers. . . Just remember that you were warned to stay out of it."


Ashur's words which were normally emotionless and cold had something laced in them this time. The best description being an air of tiredness to them. Ashur was allowing someone else to traverse perhaps the darkest path an alchemist could ever travel. Quite possibly he was starting something which should have been left alone, but then again. . . everyone deserved answers to their questions.


It seemed the world was not without a sense of irony. Here Ashur had just been speaking of how there would always be another person to chase the philosopher's stone with the Fullmetal. He had never thought he would be the one to put them on that path, but even with that thought he felt it was the right thing to do. . . he just hoped the boy would be satisfied with just knowledge and would not actually try anything. Amestris had just rid itself of its homonculii problem and the last thing they needed was for father to escape once more. It was that thought that made Ashur speak once more.


"In return for this information you must make one oath to me. You must be satisfied with knowledge alone. You must not attempt to gain a stone for yourself. . . nor can you break any other laws while you pursue this knowledge."

[Felix Talbot]

Felix still could barely comprehend the knowledge he had just gained; the Philosopher's Stone existed! Every fiber of his being was just screaming in absolute excitement for the legendary goal actually being real, and attainable. However, his excitement was immediately quelled as the truth overshadowed the romance... Whatever was in that courtyard two years ago; the Philosopher's Stone was involved, and he had a feeling, it was deeply intertwined in this conspiracy.

Conspiracy: That wasn't a word he expected to use today, but he wasn't going to stop, not after everything he's gone through to finally start his path to the truth about two years ago, the sense of thousands of people crawling underneath Central, and his sister...

Even when the black coated officer warned that the path Felix would go down would lead to unfavorable results, and if he knew any better, the man across from him knew all too well of these unfavorable results. Whatever pain that will follow, it didn't matter to Felix, he had see this through to the bitter end. He needed to know, for his sake, for his parents sake, for Annie's sake...

It was just then, did the man's words broke Felix's train of thought. He wanted an oath; a promise that he wouldn't try to acquire a stone for himself. Before today, a Philosopher's Stone was the last thing on his mind, but now... Now, it was different, he knew the  stone existed. It was a very enticing thing... Equivalent Exchange no longer mattering, and the power to create anything out of nothing, as Annie once said... Every Alchemist's wildest dreams come true...

No. No, he can't let greed, and a shiny bauble distract him from his true objective. He set out to do one thing: Find out the truth about the battle in the Central Courtyard two years ago. Whatever he finds there, could lead him to the truth about this city, and what it had done to his sister. "Sir, I will be honest... The idea of a Philosopher's Stone is alluring... But I will not let temptation lead me astray from the truth. I give you my word that I will not attempt to gain a stone for myself, nor break any laws in my search for the truth." Felix calmly replied, steadfast in his words. He was quiet for a moment, as he let his promise sink in. A small, confident smile appeared on Felix's face, as he added on.

"Those of Xingese blood never go back on their word, and those of Amestrian blood never give up. So, you're lucky I'm both."

[Ashur Grey]

Upon hearing the young man give the oath he had been asked for, Ashur relaxed slightly; at least as much as someone could relax after having possibly set another person on a path of madness and pain. Before Ashur could turn his attention back to the original purpose of his visit to the Central Library, the young man spoke again off his bloodlines, about how he would not break his oath or give up and that Ashur was lucky because of it.


"No. . . I would be lucky if you had been like the large majority of people and simply accepted the story given to them. I will simply have to settle for the second best option and be thankful that you are not going to attempt to acquire a stone."


After saying his small piece Ashur flipped open the pair of journals in front of him and moved his pen as if to resume work.  After a moment's hesitation however, Ashur flipped his personal journal to the back and began jotting down quick notations about the boy across from him on a blank page.


"Tell me, what's your name?"


Perhaps Ashur was being a bit too cautious, but he always preferred to be overly cautious rather than unprepared.  Ashur planned to keep an eye on the boy and ensure that his promise was kept, perhaps keep him from getting killed in the process or quite possibly, killing him if he decided that the Xingese blood in him was weak.

[Felix Talbot]

Well, Felix supposed that was a start. He knew that for some people best to simply cover one's eyes and ears, and remain blissfully ignorant of the truth, but that wasn't him... If he could bluntly tell people the harsh truth, and not be able to take it himself, Felix might as well call himself a hypocrite. No, Felix started this path and he planned to keep walking down it, even if it meant descending into the bowels of hell itself. The truth at the end of that path was far too important to simply ignore.

Even if the legendary Philosopher's Stone was at the center of it all, Felix couldn't allow it to throw him off the trail to Annie... Though he did wonder why the Colonel warned him to not attempt gaining one. It didn't make sense, something that all Alchemists strive to attain; some even died failing to gain its power, and yet there was a possible chance that the Government has it and kept its existence a secret to all its people. Whatever the reason, Felix is sure he'll find the answer to this and so much more, he just had to push through the veil of deceit.

After the Colonel had finished talking, it appeared he went back to working on his own research. Felix supposed that was fair, this had been an impromptu meeting between the two. He was about to wait for the black coated Colonel to finish up when he came out with a sudden question. "My name? Oh right... I'm Felix Talbot." He introduced himself. In all of this talk of possible conspiracy and philosopher's stones, it completely slipped Felix's mind to introduce himself earlier. Now it was his turn to get a name. "How about you? Can I ask you for your name?"

[Ashur Grey]

Ashur quickly jotted down the name in his journal, his neat handwriting kept small to save on space.  It was only after Ashur had wrote the name that the name clicked with him, at least partially.  He remembered the Furher mentioning something about a Talbot at some point and even had one of Ashur's former comrades look into the matter for some reason.  Before Ashur could think any further on the matter however he was being asked for his name in turn.


"I am Ashur Grey, The Bending Light Alchemist.  Also, I believe you should know the Furher was interested in you for a short while.  I can not remember the details, as it was assigned to another. I do however remember the Furher having a Talbot observed for a short while."

Ashur did in fact know a little bit more than he was telling the young man, namely that he remembered the Furher asking for a quarterly activities report on a Talbot. It was not of interest on its own, but the Furher had a lot of alchemists watched at the time and it was only later that Ashur found out about the Furher helping to pick out powerful alchemists for Father.

[Felix Talbot]

Ashur Grey the Bending Light Alchemist... It finally dawned on Felix on who this man really was... The Furher's Lapdog was what some people in the Military called him. From what he heard, this Ashur had worked under Bradley quite closely. There were plenty of unsettling rumors about Ashur but like before, Felix didn't listen to idle gossip. What Felix did know, however, was that the Colonel was a powerful alchemist who utilized a rather unique form of Alchemy.

The Infinity Blade Alchemist had never seen it in action of course, but he heard it had to do something with ligh... Wait a moment, did he say the Furher had an interest in Felix? "W-What? The Fuhrer was interested in me?" He repeated, far more confused by this piece of news than the previous things he was told. Why would King Bradley have an interest in Felix of all people.

Sure, Felix had a brief discussion with Bradley that one time, keyword being ONE, and all they talked about was swordsmanship. He couldn't understand why the Fuhrer would have someone observe him, and Felix would've known if he had been followed. If anything, the more interesting party would've been... His sister...

It quickly dawned on Felix, that it wasn't him being observed, it had to've been Annie! "No no no... Bradley wasn't interested in me, but he was interested in a Talbot... My sister, Annabel..." But why would the Fuhrer have an interest in his sister of all things? While this news was a tad alarming, it was a good sign. This proved that his worries about something happening to Annabel in Central wasn't unfounded, and it wasn't him being crazy, but his joy was over even before it begun as a new question reared its ugly head... What did Annie get mixed up in?

One one person seemed to have the answer, and he was sitting right in front of Felix. "Ashur... What reason would the Fuhrer have to send someone to spy on my sister?"

[Ashur Grey]

Glancing up towards the young Felix, Ashur watched as he began questioning why the Furher would want to have him watched when they had only spoke. Ashur considered pointing out that the former Furher always did have an eye for talent and that he should take it as a somewhat good thing. When the young Felix began speaking about how it was his sister and not him the Furher had to have been interested in, Ashur simply remained calm and turned to the back page he had written Felix's information on and jotted the name Annabel beside it.

It was then that Felix turned his thoughts to Ashur once more, voicing a question Ashur could not easily answer without revealing details of what had happened two years ago on the so called promised day. With silence slowing stretching out, Ashur was forced to give Felix a heavily watered down version of the truth.


"It is likely Furher Bradley saw potential in your sister as he saw potential in many alchemists. I'm sure he probably had some plan for her, but suffice it to say that she is no longer in any danger unless of course she is as desperate for the truth as her brother."


While the end of what Ashur said had just a hint of a joking tone, his face held no such hint.  If anything it merely held curiosity, curiosity for what caused the Furher to deem this Annabel Talbot as unsuitable as a sacrifice.

[Felix Talbot]

Felix was certain that it was Annie that the Fuhrer was more interested in, rather than himself if it were the case. He was really grasping at straws and nothing he said could be really confirmed as Ashur only stated that the former ruler of Amestris was interested in a Talbot, now whether that meant Felix or Annie, the young man wasn't certain.

As he watched the Colonel pen down some notes, another question appeared in Felix's mind... Why did Ashur figure this was worth telling the young Talbot? The Older man had no reason to reveal such a secret to Felix, not now when the possible danger it held was long since defused with the death of King Bradley. Felix sat in silence along with the older Colonel, considering the possibility that Bradley's observation was connected when his train of thought was broken by Ashur's explanation of the situation.

Potential, huh? It would make sense that the higher-ups would keep an eye on the more promising State Alchemists, and Felix wouldn't have questioned if not for the fact that this conversation was preceded by talk of conspiracies and the Philosopher's Stone. Felix repeated the black-coated Colonel's words several times in his head, sifting out keywords from the rest. He noted the words, 'Danger,' 'Plan,'  'Potential,' and 'Truth.' It was only a matter of piecing the puzzle together.

From Ashur's words, whatever reason Bradley had to have people watching him or his sister, it was safe to assume that their lives were in some way at risk during that time. His mind quickly thought of the Scarred Man a few years back that had been murdering State Alchemists, but if that were the case every State Alchemist would've been under close watch. Then there was the Fuhrer's assumed plan, Annie's potential as an Alchemist and the truth...

Felix went over all of the things he learned today, and where they all fit. One, the Philosopher's Stone is real and the State Government possibly had one. Two, it indeed had something to do with what happened in Central Command two years ago. Three, the previous fuhrer was watching one or both Talbots for some reason. And Four, whatever happened was drastic enough to warrant a complete cover up.

The young State Alchemist was silent, a gaze of tense contemplation on his brow. It was a few moments of this before he finally spoke.

"To be honest, what I'm about to say... I'm not quite sure if I'm even right as it's really speculation... From what I've gathered... The Government somehow created a Philosopher's Stone, and Bradley was most likely involved. Quite possibly the process of creating such a thing is a dangerous one, and they needed skilled Alchemists, ones whose skills are more than exceptional to help create it." He carefully explained, hoping he was on the right track.

"The stone is at the center of all this, I know that much... But what I don't understand is why I felt there were thousands upon thousands of people packed in together like sardines in the courtyard that day... It was like the same feeling I got when I first arrived in this city only more condensed. Whatever it was, my sister was sure to notice it as well."