WHO: Sara Lance and Alphonse Elric WHAT: A meeting, a fight, a friendship is born WHEN: 9/5/17 WARNINGS: Some violence STATUS: Closed and Complete
Al was starting to remember bits and pieces of Madison, like where things were and a few names and places. He wasn’t sure exactly what he felt about the memories, especially since he was also getting memories of home. He didn’t think he was supposed to get those back! Hadn’t those been part of the price for his life? He was so confused. And he was distracted, too.
Which explained why, one evening, he let himself walk too later, and without watching where he was going, trudging along, thinking, until, suddenly, there were footsteps around him and a harsh voice speaking. “Stop right there, kid. Give us all your valuables, or else.”
And Al looked up, and saw he was… in some alley? Somewhere? And that is was dark. He could vaguely hear music from somewhere nearby, but here in the alley, there were four guys, and they all had knives.
Al swallowed. “But, I don’t have anything. If I had it to give, I would.”
“Bullshit, kid. Dressed like that? No one is going to buy it. Now hand it over, or you’re going to end a statistic.”
There were ugly laughs and the men started closing in and Al braced himself, finding he remembered something else as his body slid into the first step and form of the sliding light battle forms.
What?
“What’s this? Think you’re some kind of kung fu hero? Bad move, kid…“
And then they leaped forward and Al moved to counter, and he found himself flinging one body up and past him, into a wall with force hard enough to make the man cry out. Al’s eyes went wide. “How did I do that?”
“Get him!”
“Ut oh!”
***
Sara was at Verdant, as usual, ensuring that things were running smoothly. With the recent bout of craziness finally over, she suspected that they would be very busy with people drinking to forget their antics.
As she took out the trash, she left the door to the back alley propped open since she was going to need to make several trips, so the sounds of a scuffle easily caught her attention and she didn’t hesitate before she was grabbing her batons off the back of the bar and heading out to the alley to see what was going on.
When she spotted a group of men surrounding someone, she immediately jumped into the fray, not knowing who their victim was, but knowing that they were up to no good. She spotted the man who was attempting to push himself away from the wall in pain and struck out at his knee with her baton, making him cry out as he crumpled to the ground. “Stay there if you know what’s good for you,” she said.
At least that one shouldn’t be a concern anymore. Now to take care of his buddies. Her eyes widened when she realized their target was a young boy. Jesus, what the hell was wrong with people?
“Let’s see how you fare against someone your own size,” she said.
***
Al’s eyes went wide as he spotted the woman who seemed to move like poetry. Deadly winding poetry that looked like it could make you whine for your mother. Holy crap!
He stared in awe as the men, either too stupid or too angry, or maybe too inebriated, to rethink their plan, charged her.
And one charged him. Oops, no time for staring at a woman! Al found moves coming to him again as he dodged, once more using his enemy’s strength against him and tumbling in one direction as the man hurled over Al’s head. “I really wish I knew how I knew this!”
And then he was too busy to think for a second.
***
The kid seemed like he might actually be able to hold his own. Sara supposed that wasn’t terribly surprising around here, though it was interesting that he didn’t seem to be aware of why he could do so. She’d seen enough people come and go and lose memories to not find that too odd. There was plenty of time to sort that out later.
First she needed to deal with the jackasses who thought it was a good idea to attack a little kid. When all but one of them turned their attention on her, she grinned. They were making this far too easy.
She spun and kicked, batons slicing through the air, as she took down the assailants one by one. By the time she finished with all but the one who was going after the boy, that one realized he was seriously outclassed and decided to cut his losses and take off. “You okay, kid?” she asked, going over to crouch down by him and give him a once over. She’d call the cops to come and take out the trash in a moment.
***
Al was panting, and rubbing a bruised arm and leg, but he felt mostly good, yeah. He smiled at her as he nodded. “I think so, yeah. He stood up and winced, finding that his leg was a little more tender than he had thought. Maybe he had twisted it?
“I may have twisted one leg, but otherwise, I think I got away okay. And you! Are you okay? You were amazing! I’ve never seen anyone move so fast!” He turned awestruck eyes on her. She had a fan, now.
“I would love to be able to do that.” It was spoke softly, somewhere between a kid who was awesome and a person who knew that what she did had to be learned.
Wow. His head ached a little too, as he remembered the fight, and what he had done. Along with flashes of doing something like it before. Only in the flashes, he had… metal hands? Hmmm.
***
“I’d be happy to teach you,” Sara said. He was pretty small and it enraged her that grown men attacked him, but she was glad that it happened in her alley so she could intervene. “My name’s Sara.”
She wasn’t the greatest with kids most of the time, but she was making an effort. “You want to come inside and get cleaned up? I can give you a soda and some food if you’re hungry.”
***
“Me? You would? Really? That is awesome!” Al jumped up and hugged her impulsively. He liked hugging! It was much more fun than fighting. “I want to learn and be like you, to help others and be badass.
“Sure! I have a card, and I can buy some food. I am really hungry. I was lost in thoughts and not paying attention, or else I would never have been in the alley. Sorry for the trouble.”
***
Sara wasn’t expecting the hug and she awkwardly patted his back. “No need to apologize,” she said. “And you don’t have to pay for food either. We’ll get you squared away and then talk about setting up some lessons.” She figured she probably ought to check with his guardian before confirming anything too.
“You got a name, kid?”
***
“Thanks!” He smiled up at her, then blinked. “Are you sure? I can pay. I’m not a freeloader.” He didn’t want her to think he couldn’t step up.
He smiled at her question. “I’m Alphonse Elric! Fairly new to this place, really. Though I am beginning to remember being here before.” Which was odd, okay?
“And your name, miss?” He looked at her with wide eyes, curious as to the name of the badass who had saved him.
***
“Sara Lance,” she said. “Let’s get you sorted out.”
He was a cute kid and she was glad that she managed to help him out.