"El and Lion. The world better watch out."

She laughs.

"Ready or not, here we come."

With care and attention to healing, El's recovery proceeds well. Akira makes contact with Mustang, gets him to agree to sponsor her instead of the girls.

Akira arranges somewhere for them to stay - Mustang apparently has connections, and it's common for traveling alchemists hoping to apply to the state program to stay with established State Alchemists. Akira mumbles about their sorting system being shit, but given she's proposing a specialty in medical alchemy - something the government barely has - apparently the next closest they could find was a chimera specialist. She confirms the guy's willing to stay out of her hair, though, saying something about needing to focus on her studies. It'll give them time to get an apartment, if nothing else, especially since Akira's money isn't infinite.

And, on the train ride there, Akira says to the girls: "There's something I need to talk to you two about - paperwork related, this time."

"What is it?"

"I can get you guys housed with me for now as apprentices, and some concessions - but not many, and they might try to stick me in solo barracks instead of family housing, under the logic apprentices can live on their own. But - "

"Rural areas often have poor or no records. I don't think anyone military would object if I listed you as my children, and then I could ensure appropriate housing, and threats against you two would be considered more like threats against me, and if I ended up in the hospital you'd be able to visit and vice versa. But I don't want to do that without your permission."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Lion?

" - You want to be our mom?"

"You don't have to call me anything different, but - that is essentially the proposal - "

She reaches across the gap between seats to pull Akira into a hug.

She makes a strangled sound and wiggles an arm free to pat Bellona's shoulder.

"So yes, I think."

"I somewhat noticed!"

She submits to being hugged until Bellona lets her go (this takes a while and a cat trying to join the hug, distracting Bellona long enough for Akira to wriggle free).

"We should be set, then."

"Seems like it."

The rest of the train ride goes smoothly. Lieutenant Colonel Jun Mustang is there to meet them, but he mostly talks to Akira, possibly sensing El dislikes him. He rolls with Akira saying she's going to be listing the girls as her daughters, noting blandly that they'll have to update the paperwork. Annoying how often it's wrong.

He's arranged two cars to help them get to the alchemist who's offered to put them up for a little bit, Shou Tucker.

He describes the State Alchemy exam on the way over - written knowledge test, maximum six hours, then a psychological exam that sometimes includes general fitness for alchemists intending to take a more front line role, then a practical portion. For the practical, you can bring results of your work with you, or demonstrate there. He's uncertain how they're going to want her to demonstrate her medical talents. The written test and the practical test weed out the most people. East City usually only accepts one or two applicants a year - Central City accepts more, but they're drawing from a larger, more educated group.

"By the way," he says, "Tucker has a young daughter. A bit younger than your two - she's about seven - but still in the same general range. I think he also has a dog; hopefully that won't cause problems with the cats, but he's got a pretty good-sized mansion, this far from city center, so they should all be able to avoid each other."

"Well, if it doesn't work out, I have enough for a short-term apartment."

To the girls: "You two be on good manners for our host, okay? I'd be less concerned about politeness if he wasn't offering us rooms for free, but, well. I can spare more vague future political favors than money."

"We'll be good."

"Promise."

"Thanks. I think we're about ready then?"

"Yep." Who's going in which car?

Akira and the girls can all fit into one, with one of Mustang's lieutenants. The bulk of their stuff (including most cats) and Mustang are then going in the other car, was the initial idea for the split. Does either girl want a different split?

No, that works.

And then onward to Tucker's.

The mansion's smaller than Dante's, a single building arranged around a courtyard with a low maintenance yard in front. It's fairly plain, smooth stone and small windows, none of the ostentatious ornamentation Dante had liked.

Akira recruits the girls to carry things, and lets Mustang go ahead of them to knock on the door.

Except while they're walking up, there's a great big 'woof', a girl yelling, "Alexander, no!" and then a very large, very fluffy white dog is barrelling around the house's corner, running straight for El.

She braces her weight onto her right foot, pushing into the ground.

Bellona sets her boxes down and gets in between the dog and El -