Title: Misinformed
Author: jordannamorgan
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters: Military OC, Kain Fuery.
Setting: General.
Rating: G.
Length: 383 words.
Summary: Residents of East City have gotten some odd ideas about alchemists.



When Sergeant Jesper Mattis was assigned to East City, he found himself wondering why it had a reputation for being a post no one wanted to serve at.

Granted, it was a far cry from the metropolitan comforts of Central; but it wasn’t as if he was mugged the minute he stepped off the train, and the sand really wasn’t as bad as people said. Furthermore, he soon met several nice people on Colonel Mustang’s staff. This included Kain Fuery, a friendly young Master Sergeant who helped the newcomer settle into the barracks, and showed him to a diner that served cheap good food.

“So what do you like doing in your spare time?” asked Fuery by way of conversation, as they sat waiting for lunch at the counter.

Mattis grinned wanly. “Actually, after being inspired by newspaper stories about the ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’, I took up studying alchemy on the side. I mean, I’m not anywhere near great at it so far, but…”

He trailed off as he realized that silence had fallen over the diner. Several locals were suddenly staring at the two soldiers, and for some reason Fuery was turning pale.

“So you just go out in public dressed normally?” the burly cook-proprietor queried, leaning across the counter to give Mattis a wide-eyed blink.

Briefly the Sergeant wondered what a military uniform would compare to as normal from a civilian’s point of view. “What do you mean?”

“Well… I thought alchemists in training were always supposed to wear a suit of armor. That’s how your Fullmetal guy explained why his brother never even takes his helmet off when they come in here to eat.”

Mattis had a distinct feeling he had missed something. “Uhm…?”

“Oh, that!—Yeah, see, that’s just a particular custom of the really tough school of alchemy the Elric brothers learned from,” Fuery interjected hastily, with a nervous laugh and a wave of his hands.

After a moment of pondering that, the bemused-looking cook shrugged, scratched his chin, and lumbered back to his griddle, while other patrons’ attention slowly drifted back to their food.

“…Is there something I oughta know about here?” Mattis asked.

“Nope,” Fuery said quickly around a gulp of water, followed by a tight and too-determined smile. “So, how was the weather back in Central…?”

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2018 Jordanna Morgan