For Tadashi Hamada

[armoured]

[Al had been experimenting with a transmutation circle that he had never seen before. It didn't seem to bear any similarities to a human transmutation circle, though it did require a large amount of energy and earth as an equivalent exchange, when everything just... changed.

He saw the bright sing of blue light that accompanied alchemy, felt a rushing wind in his hair, and then landed all of a sudden outside a large and strangely designed building. He stumbled and nearly fell to the floor, pressing all his weight on the crutch by his side. His body was still not up to a lot of physical exertion, cheeks hollow and muscles weak.

Where... was he? What happened?

Golden eyes widened when he saw the sign just outside the building: San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. San Fransokyo, that... that was where Tadashi said he came from, right? He thinks of his friends from Norfinbury often, though he never expected to see them again after they got free from that hell, so surely this can't be what he thinks it is.

Confused, he just sort of stares at the entrance to the building as if it might give him the answers he needs, looking lost, weak, too thin, and dressed in obviously old fashioned clothing.]

Comments

[tadashiwashere]

Haha, yeah.

[Tadashi scratches sheepishly at the back of his head as he leads the way in and drops his helmet off on the nearest cleared space. He'll take it up to his shared room with Hiro later, but it can wait. Their room leaves him uneasy sometimes. His side is closer to normal now with the boxes of things mostly moved back to the lab on campus, but there's still a ghost of an untouched feeling to things.

He shakes that off and offers Al a smile. He gestures for the other boy to take a seat and taps at the desktop, bringing up the holographic keyboard. Another few taps, and the screen generates between the projector hubs spaced to either side of the desk.]

We've got a few things here that would have definitely come in handy back in Norfinbury. So what're you feeling like? Aunt Cass won't mind if we grab a donut or two while real food cooks.

[armoured]

[He gasps for a second time when the holographic keyboard suddenly appears out of nowhere. It's a little embarrassing to be gawking like a child, but this is so far beyond what he had imagined even with Tadashi's descriptions. No wonder the Hamadas had been so disparaging about the technology available in Norfinbury.]

Um...

[He forces his gaze back to his friend, sheepish smile at his lips.]

That sounds really good, actually, I love cakes. But are you sure your family won't mind me being here? I don't want to impose.

[tadashiwashere]

[Tadashi grins. When it comes to tech, he can actually be a bit of a show-off.

He waves off Al's concerns in the next moment.]

Are you kidding? Aunt Cass will be thrilled. She loves feeding people. I think that's half of the reason she opened the cafe. Just for the excuse...

[Hiro, though...

Tadashi sobers slightly.]

Hiro won't mind, either. Just... Look, keep it in mind that he doesn't remember Norfinbury. I told him everything, but it's like he never went. Or hasn't gone yet.

[Some parts of the situation have left Tadashi slightly uneasy.]

[armoured]

Oh.

[That pulls him up short for sure. He wasn't as close to Hiro as he was Tadashi, but he had tried to look out for the younger Hamada after the trauma of Tadashi's death and disappearance from Norfinbury.]

I guess that's probably for the best, it wasn't exactly a luxury holiday spa.

[But he can grasp how hard that must be, he can't imagine Ed not remembering such an important shared experience.]

How has he dealt with it?

[tadashiwashere]

He didn't believe me at first.

[Tadashi's expression is tight for a moment before he slowly forces himself to relax. It's going to be okay.]

I think he still has a little trouble believing it, but they... had to believe something. They were all a little shocked when I showed up.

[Shocked is probably a mild way of putting it, and Tadashi's smile is a little forced as he says it.]

[armoured]

...I can't imagine how hard that must have been.

[At least his brother had remembered and everyone else hadn't noticed any time pass, they had simply stepped back into their lives and worked it out between them. But to return not only from an ordeal like Norfinbury, but apparently from the dead as well?

There's sympathy in his eyes and he moves to put a hand on Tadashi's shoulder in solidarity.]

I bet they were happy to see you, though. I know how much Hiro missed you when you'd gone.