Chapter 107: A Dinner of Three Families, Life in Resembool
If one were to look at the master bedroom of a manor resting at the edge of a very sprawling and bountiful strawberry farm, they wouldn't find humans in it but cats. Three cats swirled together in what they would like to call a 'cuddle puddle' in the middle of a bed with rich white sheets and silver frame. A relatively bigger cat with long black fur took up space between two others, one a white cat with short and dense coat and shining blue eyes and another a brown cat with medium fur and bright purple eyes. One of the cats awoke and found the black cat already staring at both of them with its golden pearls, and the other quickly joined. The peace didn't last long, the brown cat bit the black one and they all began barreling through the house and mewling like devils, knocking over vases and running at speeds faster than the naked eye can perceive.
"Alright, alright, ,we can't make a mess on the day of the families' visit! Truce?!" Yuri pleaded in cat.
"We're alchemists! Nothing we've broken can't be fixed!" Ally mewled and Yuri found himself double teamed in the catfight. Yuri stifled a curse under his breath and knew he was in for a workout in the body he usually uses for sleeping.
Every bound Yuri took through the house caused some kind of obstacle to alchemically burst from the walls and shake the foundation while the girls had to transmute a path like Toni was trying, or use their skull to bust through like Ally...
At one point, Yuri busted through a window and their chase entered the fields so they couldn't take their revenge without risking being spotted. He mlemmed at them cutely and they stamped their toe beans in anger before eventually dogpiling him and play biting him into submission. They all transformed back naked in their fields at the crack of dawn, an act which may be forgiven on private land especially since they had no employees to take care of the land.
Toni popped a strawberry into her mouth and fed it to Ally with her mouth before she did the same for Yuri, giving all of them a bit of red juice down their chins.
"Imagine if the Elrics and Rockbells showed up now and saw us just dribbling all over each other in the nude."
"At 7 in the morning?!"
"Well, I said Dinner at 7, who knows how these rural folk fill in the dot-mmm."
Ally fed him another strawberry via mouth, "They probably already think we're that type of family, we get weird stares around here for being polygamous."
"You did make sure that was legal around here before we claimed it, right?" Toni raised a brow.
"...Uhhh..."
""Yuri!""
"I'm not a big law guy, alright! Guy like me asking around for how many wives the law allows, imagine the looks I would get! Not like anybody can do anything about it, you're both mine!" Yuri flashed a possessive grin and got them both by the waist.
"You'd get as many looks as we normally do when we both say we're your wives!" Ally jabbed his sides but couldn't tickle past the iron scales guarding his ribs.
"Actually, I don't mind those looks...hehehe," Toni cackled. "Their thoughts are always so funny, they wonder who the lucky bastard is that got us both and then spiral into envy or the ladies still in the closet blush and lose concentration."
"Anyway," Yuri continued. "You guys don't want to get married here of all places when we're ultra-foreigners, right? So those questions are a moot point!"
"Well, I'd consider inviting some people from here if we get along with them, but no, not Amestris. This place is tainted even after we're done here." Toni added.
"The most permanent place in our lives is probably Avalon, and we all made it. I think once we bring enough people we want to share that moment with there, it should be our wedding place." Ally gave her genuine thoughts and Toni audibly agreed.
"Wow... you guys are easy to please. How lucky! - OOF!"
Two lady fists landed in his stomach in a union of women scorned.
"Never call a lady easy, baby, never!"
"What were you expecting, being milked of all your worth for a grandiose and shocking event?!"
"Alright, alright! Geesh, I was just pointing out that you can be more selfish! Nothin' against simplicity, nothin' at all!" Yuri giggled to himself while pretending to nurse his stomach.
"So, small weddings?" Yuri grew curious.
"You better cut the wedding talk until you propose, mister!" Ally gave a rare roar of bravery and rose from the field to point at him, then remembered they were buck naked in a field and ducked again.
'This girl is still self-conscious even after I obfuscated us, cute'
"Atta girl!" Toni swung and gave Ally's pale butt a gorgeous red glow while a cute yelp came from her. "But yeah, we aren't going anywhere, Yuri, let's get some tenure in before we seal the deal."
"Geez, I'm not already planning our weddings, guys, I just wanna know! Are you so scared of wedding bells that I can't even ask?" Yuri pointedly teased them.
After Yuri disarmed their defenses he found out their preferences for the event, when the time came. Ally wanted a wedding similar to her first time, but obviously with more audience than just Toni in a bush. A natural scene and a close-knit group of friends, no officiator and only their vows. Yuri could go wild with that. Toni made a few jokes about a secret blood ritual wedding that only the other brides were invited to where they had to find a cave via a secret code and share psychotic vows of ownership before she finally relented to what she really wanted.
It was surprisingly normal. She wanted to build a chapel adjacent to the palace with an open-air concept and she believed it should happen when they gain enough people they can call family. She also wasn't against marrying at the same wedding as Ally's, but Ally was so that conversation ended there. Yuri liked finding out more details like that from them, it gave him little glimpses into their desires. He also wasn't against renewing vows when they gained more family later as a sort of victory lap.
The love cats eventually came back to the crib and fixed it up like it never happened. The three of them were probably among the few who wouldn't leave strange scaled twisting patterns in every wall they fixed because intent and mana was wrapped in their alchemy. While they all could clap, Yuri was the only one whose alchemy generated unique colored lightning and theirs were just a bright blue.
Yuri sent a soul clone to the Library to open up shop while he stayed and helped prepare dinner with his beauties who were wearing only aprons and trying their hardest to get pinned on the counter.
'Ah, whatever. We have 12 hours, if they want a threesome so badly they can get their punishment for tempting me, muahaha!'
{Should I do an R18 chapter soon, or should this SoL segment be just chill?}
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Footsteps shifted in the dirt road as two families walked together on their way to their neighbors' house.
"Ed, Al! What are you two doing here!" Little Winry called out as the Rockbells were passing by the Elrics who were just starting the short walk to their neighbors.
"Winry!" Ed called out while Al answered. "We're going to see the Nightingales, are you also going?"
The adults among them smiled at the interaction, since they were informed but wanted to keep it a surprise for them.
In short order, a long paved driveway appeared to a house that was deceptively larger than it appeared from further away. On the driveway they saw the most modern car they had ever seen, a car that Yuri made to look vintage as if made in a modern era. Just like the ones in Fairy Tail, it was powered by mana and the pedals was the receiver for it. Only a mage could even start it, but when they did, speeds of over 300 mph weren't out of the question.
To the right in a valley below, a contraption that seemed like a powered frame was being pushed across the field and watering the plants since it wasn't hot and close to nighttime.
"He sure doesn't have much overhead without employees, does he?" Mr. Rockbell commented.
"Not many people who would work or live out here anyway, Yuriy," His mother Pinako added.
"Cool car! You don't see those around much!" Ed appreciated the style but thought it could use more purple and orange flames and hot rod exhaust tubes.
They crossed the 60-foot driveway, and before they could even ring the bell the door opened and revealed a triplet that looked like they had just barely gotten ready but could still steal the show on a runway that very instant. That would be because they spent 9 hours in the sack and another hour taking a completely unnecessary catnap before they actually tried to ready themselves and prepare the dinner. Light magic was the only thing preventing the smell of sex from sticking to every surface in their now defil-christened modern mansion.
"Hey, guys! You made it!"
"Winry-Chan!" Ally, wearing a white dress that opened up on her shoulders and upper chest with heels to match, knelt down and spread her arms open while Winry barreled to her and got caught in a dragon lady's hug. Toni waited patiently while stamping her foot and when Winry was released, pretended to be jealous. Winry quickly rose to the challenge and soothed Toni's heart with another full charge.
Yuri shook hands with the only other man in the group and gave a gentle hand clasp to the very short Pinako. She was barely taller than the current Elric brothers, but in Hohenheim's memories, she was at least as tall as Trisha. Do old people really shrink that much?
A very large living room with a glass back to overlook the fields, a vaulted ceiling, and a gigantic fireplace at the side had a dining room to the right that was exactly adjacent and wasn't too small itself. The kitchen seemed covered in a uniform and well-polished wood in a modern open concept arrangement. The dining room directly across was actually cut into the ground and bled comfortably into a small living chateau with the same floor-dipped look. Instead of pulling chairs across the hardwood floor, you only had to step down and take a seat to be level with the table. The guests had never seen anything like it, this had to be custom.
"Are we fine with this arrangement, my friends?" Yuri asked with a smile that could charm the most guarded of diplomats. "This table is designed to be raised or lowered at my convenience, so say the word if this is too much."
"I'd rather take a step lower than do any climbing nowadays," Pinako chimed in before moving to rest her old bones and take a seat by the nearly floor-level table.
"I guess you have your answer then, I hope the rest of us will be fine with that?" Yuriy looked around a bit apologetically but none seemed to mind. The kids were especially enthusiastic.
The dinner was on. Yuri helped set the table which was already ready with utensils and plates started being passed to everyone who sniffed excitedly and looked at the strange meals that seemed a bit foreign.
And that's because Yuri pulled out a few very eastern dishes. Well, at least Eastern where he was from. Ramen, not the cheap kind, would perform well anywhere with the right presentation. Steamed and buttered lobster spread over a springy chicken stock soup marinating udon noodles and freshly cut spices with protein sides ornamenting the experience, is how that is pronounced. To those who minded soup, roasted duck teriyaki was served over vegetable lo-mein and shrimp fried rice. The Amestrian families expanded their palettes that day.
As the conversations crossed streams over the table, Mr. Rockbell noticed that Yuri was giving an incredible amount of respect to his mother, Pinako. And if Yuri read his thoughts, he would respond that she fuckin' deserved it.
Her son and daughter-in-law would have been killed in 5 years, but the one who supported Winry during this loss was also the woman who took to raising her and teaching her everything she knew. Trisha, a girl she had watched grow up and matched with Hohenheim in the 1890's, succumbed to the plague no matter how much she had cared for and tried to save her. She kept a strong facade and raised her two children alongside Winry. Hohenheim, one of the last of her friends since the 1860's, died within earshot of her house and instead of feeling sorry for herself she congratulated his happiness for reuniting with Trisha. Father can suck a fat one, the real parent of the century is in Resembool.
Eventually, the conversation got to the couples and the oddness of the harem situation. The Rockbell couple obviously mentioned their charming matchup story. Yuriy was a timid man but would never back down when he found something he wanted, and Sarah was in his crosshairs ever since he met her. Apparently, they both studied medicine at Central, though Yuriy was trying to get away from his mom's wish to make him an automail mechanic and Sarah wanted to help people which later inspired him.
"So how did you guys all meet?" Sarah was curious while Trisha and Winry listened in. The brothers were getting bored.
Yuri gave a mysterious and mischievous glance to the girls and nodded as if to say 'Go ahead.'
"I was closely tied to a den of thieves as a fence. My husband found his way into this den of thieves on a job for a third party that required him to work with them in disguise, but he caught a glimpse of me and decided to put a pin in it. He came back later with no disguise and I didn't even know, he looked so young. He charmed me out of that lifestyle and put my talents to work as his sales rep, and we sealed the deal after a long journey of realizing neither of us could leave each other."
Most of the table was wide-eyed and not expecting the conversation to go that way, except Pinako who was chortling as her pipe bobbed up and down while muttering about 'That's how ya do it'. The brothers started asking inappropriate questions almost immediately while Winry was trying to bop them on the head for impertinence. Trisha made some lighthearted comments about what a great story of success that was now that she was out, because she was a sweetheart.
"So how did you meet, Ms. Alera?" Sarah continued, wondering if it was any less shocking in the back of her head.
Ally set down the bowl of Ramen she was finishing off and gently dabbed her face before saying, "Oh, Yuri stopped me from being executed!"
Yuriy choked on the glass he was drinking and had to stop himself from spitting it up while Pinako turned her chortle into a full-on laughing fit and dropped her pipe. The kids all grew slack and the two young mothers covered their mouths in shock but did so halfheartedly because it didn't seem Ally cared all that much.
"You should've seen him, he arrived gloriously and called the department who was trying to execute me a sham. After a few backhanded comments and string-pulling, he said 'Come along, you're with me now' and I was released because they didn't have any charges and nobody wanted to offend Yuri. He let me stay beside him to watch the rest of the executions." Ally was animatedly talking about everything Yuri did, even pantomiming his actions during the quote with her pretend deep charm, and Yuri was to the side blushing out of embarrassment.
By now, the adults were really wondering where the hell these people came from, because there isn't a way Yuri had that much power here and they don't know of any den of thieves or live executions around this part of the continent. But they kept that loaded question to themselves and found amusement in the stories.
As the dinner continued, it became increasingly obvious that lines were being drawn in the sand as the Yuri(y)'s conversations were becoming animated concerning the battle between Alkahestry and actual medicine and the ladies couldn't care less on their end as Toni and Ally were feeding them alarming tales with a local filter.
"I'm still not seeing your point about the usefulness of 'Chi'. It's a martial artist's tool, a lifestyle enhancer, not a consistent approach to modern medicine."
"You're right to some degree, but the advancement is there. If we want to make real strides in the way we look at replacing amputated limbs or combating disease, then Chi is the energy for doctors the same way Tectonic friction is the energy for Alchemists. It's remarkably compatible with anything biological and doesn't show side effects. It's not just a tool for the Xing and the Ishvalans."
"And how do we know a super virus won't mutate from our 'Chi' and kill those without it?"
"If they could, they would have already started to. Chi is available to every sentient being, of which I wonder if they are. We best start getting there first, if so."
"So are you an Alkahestrist or an Alchemist, mister?" Ed raised his small little hand to interrupt.
At this, Yuri pondered. If he said how much he was an Alchemist, would they ask him to teach them and would Ed never put on the red coat with the Flamel symbol from Izumi Curtis? Better yet, he can be mysterious and not lie but simply refuse for a reason that will definitely come up later. The circle-free Alchemy, the price of power.
"I am both."
To this, every single one of them but the kids grew a strange look at Yuri. An Alchemist, AND an Alkahestrist? Here? Plus, they all knew Hohenheim, his prestige preceded him, but this guy was simply too young. But Trisha knew at least that his Alchemy was legitimate from the books with his author's name on them.
But the brothers only caught stars in their eyes.
"Can you teach us Alchemy?! Please!" They clasped their hands together and tried the puppy-eyes on Yuri.
"No." He replied flatly and quickly, almost too quickly. He shook his head free from the 'serious' aura he had. "No, the books you have are enough. I give students bad habits, it's best you find someone else."
The Elric brothers pouted while their mother gave an understanding nod. It seemed like every Alchemist was haunted like Hohen, just less so. Yuri smiled and flashed them another offer.
"But I can teach you Alkahestry! And Chi, and Martial Arts!"
Chi is the essence that flows through the Dragon Veins that Alkahestrists and Martial Artists who read the 'Dragon Pulse' use. It's literally just Lifeforce. A martial artist that uses Chi can sense when something is off about a person or place, like how Ling could sense the Homunculus even in pitch darkness because of their fucked up soul count or how the foundation of Central Amestris itself seemed 'sinister'. Yuri wondered what he would feel like to another Chi user once they see him, probably like a Cultivating Ancestor.
'Will Ling ask me the path to immortality instead?'
"We'll do it!" The brothers said near simultaneously.
"Mr. Nightingale, I wouldn't want to disturb you with this, I'm sorry for their question. I also can't compensate for your time, so please forget this," Trisha gave a sorry look to Yuri and her kids but she found a pair of hands warmly clasping hers.
"You've seen the house, Trish, if my husband took a single dime from you I'd have words with him. And I'm sure he said yes not expecting anything of the sort, he loves to teach the younger generation. Right, baby?" Toni called out to Yuri who was smiling with assurance and nodded kindly.
"...But-"
"It won't be too often and it won't impact us, I can promise that. We'll raise your boys big and strong!" Ally encouraged and raised her feminine supple arms only to flex and reveal an intimidating map of compact musculature she had been hiding very well! Trisha grew enchanted and reached across the table to squeeze them before regaining herself.
Winry herself grew stars in her eyes when her role model across the table had such great arm strength! She must ask her for tips in the future so Ed and Al can't go out of hand with her around!
"Alright, then I can't thank you enough, Mr. Nightingale, Mesdames Nightingale!" Trisha bowed her head with a smile that almost gave the table diabetes.
{Mesdames is the plural of Mrs. according to Google. TMYN}
Three hours later, the Nightingales escorted their guests home by car in two very short trips and the night was considered a tummy-stuffing success on all accounts. Toni and Ally felt they had finally gotten a good neighborly grasp on the town but grew depressed in a small instant after the doors were shut. They sullenly turned around and Ally asked,
"Are we really going to let them die?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone