Stand Up and Walk

"Beckoned now by the snow-white backdrop, I go into a yet unseen world. Lost as I traveled under a gray sky, with a different map each day, so many dreams ran together. I wonder if someday, even with my modest stride, I'll be able to get beyond those clouds. Falling raindrops provide a persistent diffuse reflection, as though able to see into my heart, wounded for acting tough. Beams of light crisscross and shoot on forever without announcing where they're headed; faint afterimages burn into my eyes. Wherever I am under this sky, I should still arrive at a yet unseen world."
—Nico Touches the Walls, Hologram

...

Rush Valley is just as busy and bustling as the last time you were there. You and the boys make your way through the crowd, approaching a shop called Atelier Garfiel, where you see a familiar head of blonde hair.

"Hello there, Winry," Ed calls out, and the girl turns, surprised. She's holding a big box of various machine parts, and it clangs together as she shifts the weight to rest on her hip. "You look like you're in a very generous mood today!" Ed continues.

"Hi guys!" Winry smiles. "What are you guys doing, showing up like this?"

With a sheepish grin, Ed holds up his right arm, displaying the damage that had been done to the automail, and Winry's smile goes sour.

Calmly, she reaches into the box at her hip and pulls out a large, heavy-looking wrench, and then whacks the boy at your side square on the head.

After a few moments, she leads you all inside the shop and has Ed lie down on a wooden table. "Even Paninya is holding down an honest job now," she scolds as she works on his arm, "and you three still can't stay out of trouble?!"

"Is she really?" you ask, surprised, and Winry pauses her work, glancing at you and Al over her shoulder.

"Yeah," she says, a hint of fondness in her voice. "She's given up her former life as a pickpocket, and now she earns her money by fixing roofs and doing other odd-jobs around town." She smiles to herself for a moment before her expression twists back into one of irritation, turning back to Ed and his arm. "And what about the three of you, huh?" she snaps. "Made any progress yet?"

Al straightens up. "Yeah, we have!" he says excitedly. "It's slow going, though."

Ed hoists himself into a sitting position on the table, his back to Winry. "We're still moving ahead, little by little," he says proudly. "...I guess." He tacks the second part on as an afterthought, mostly to himself, you imagine.

Winry takes a deep breath through her nose and lowers her chin in a nod. "Good," she says firmly. "I'm glad to hear it."

After a few minutes, Winry sits up. "Alright," she sighs. "I've done everything I can for now."

Ed sits up, swinging his legs off the table and hopping to the ground. He stretches his arms above his head and lets out a satisfied little noise. "Thanks Winry!"

"I'm missing some parts, so you'll have to make due with a patch job," she warns. "I'll go get what we need, but until then, you've got some time to kill."

...

The three of you stroll through the streets of Rush Valley, Ed sipping on a cup of juice he'd bought from one of the stands.

You let out a sigh. "Killing time sucks," you mutter. "There's nothing to do here! This whole town is full of nothing but automail shops."

You glance next to you at the brothers, and notice that Al is no longer there. After a moment, you realize that he's sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking into a narrow alleyway between two buildings.