"The Rockbells. We've known them since forever."

"They don't like the military, but they were really good friends with mom, and we half grew up over there. They'll keep the transmutation secret."

"That's good," she says, leaning back and sighing, resting a hand over her chest with a slight frown.

El shifts around a bit.

It's hard to get comfortable with half your limbs gone.

Akira makes her specially designed pillows to help prop her up well.

That helps.

She'll doze through most of the trip.

That's alright; it's long.

Akira and Bellona read and pet cats, to avoid disturbing her.

And then exchanging trains in East City, and they're fortunately able to get on a train heading that way - the same one that loops back to leave from Resembool in the morning.

Akira gets directions to their house from Bellona.

It's well after dark when they get in, but El will be able to spend at least part of the night sleeping in her own bed.

That's something, anyway.

And the next morning, they can go visit the Rockbells.

Pinako and Winry are aghast and worried at the damage, Pinako immediately refusing any payment Akira offers for the first automail. Pinako assumes the girls tried and failed to bring their mother back; neither Akira nor Bellona correct her.

"I'll want to check those injuries, first, and I might have to reopen some of the wound," Pinako says. "I won't be able to use anesthesia when I'm connecting your nerves into the automail, not for proper limbs. It's going to hurt, and it's going to hurt again when you grow and I have to change out the attachment ports."

"Normally here I'd recommend noninvasive prosthetics for the next decade or so, and automail only once you're done growing, but before you start healing too slowly. The arm especially risks stunting your growth and hurting your spine if you don't keep up with exercises, and most adults struggle with the pain. But I have the feeling that's not the path you want."

"I can do the exercises."

"Very well."

"Given your current condition, I'd expect three years of recovery - maybe less, likely more."

"Do you care about the automail's appearance?"

"Just as long as it works."

She smiles. "You're quite the easy customer. Well, let's get you checked and fitted."

"All right."

That process, at least, is mostly painless. Pinako measures everything, then measures again, both the stumps and the remaining limbs. She makes molds of El's stumps, and pokes at the smooth flesh where Akira had closed the wounds after El passed out. She sets Winry to sketching and to cataloguing suitable parts.

Prep for the surgery takes a while, too, since Pinako needs to custom-make the ports - El needs to not eat since the night before, when it is time, and it's on an empty stomach that morning that Pinako starts the surgery, with Akira and Winry as assistants.

It is, as promised, exceptionally painful, and El needs to provide frequent feedback on whether this nerve's working or that connection went in properly.

El keeps her pain to herself, and provides terse feedback.

The leg is first - so El will be able to get around on her own sooner - and the arm's going to be a separate day, once Pinako thinks her body's less overwhelmed from this physical trauma.

After several hours, the surgery ends.

"We'll let that set in," Pinako says. "Twenty four hours, then we'll attach the automail, and then get you started on physical therapy."

And then water, and medication - for pain, and to fight inflammation - instructions given both to El and Bellona, since recovery's going to keep El fairly out of it -

The leg, at least, goes on just fine the next day.

Pinako warns her to be careful, to watch herself - but she can try standing, now.

She swings her legs to the side, off the bed, plants her feet on the floor, and levers herself up, bracing herself on Bellona.

The automail holds. Better than her flesh leg, actually.

Bellona makes an excited noise.

"It works."

"Good," Pinako says. "I want you mostly resting the next three days - only the exercises I give you, only as often as I tell you - but then you should be good to start using it properly. If it hurts, though, stop exercising. You don't want to re-injure yourself, especially not at this point."

"All right."

The instructions are relayed - and written down - and Pinako walks her through all of the exercises.

And then it's time for a rather long recovery, punctuated only by a similar arc for the second surgery on her arm.

It hurts. But that's fine. She just needs to finish recovering so they can get back to work.

And then, one day, there's a knock on their door.