audio | We'll pretend like I posted this on the evening of the 8th, and not at 5AM

[usedwrench]

[She was going to text, but then texting sounded like the worse option. So, have a sad sounding Winry on the network today. No tears, because she's not allowed to cry, but...]

Looks like Alphonse followed his brother home. [Again.] And that's good, watching the other being here alone is not what I'd consider fun on most days.

If anyone received any of his pokemon, could you please let me know? ...I'm pretty sure I'm losing count of how many times they've been here and gone back to Amestris by now.

[Lies. She will never lose count on that, though she wishes this place would just send her home too instead of keeping her -- here, waiting to see if they ever come back. It took them 10 months last time, how many weeks or months, or years, would it take this time? She still hates waiting so much. It's scary, it's frustrating, it's unfair and it's too many other negative things to list.]

What are your thoughts on promises? Do you tend to keep them or do you break them? What about promises made back home? Do you still consider them valid and worth keeping here? ...Even if the person, who made you promise something back there or here, is not around?

Comments

[tookthename]

I know you don't know me, but I'm sorry for your loss.

I can't keep all the promises I made back home here, but I'm trying my hardest.

[usedwrench]

That's okay, I've told it to people I don't know too. [It's a-okay to do here, in her experience anyway.] And thank you.

Mm, I'm trying my hardest to keep the ones I can keep here too. Obviously I can't keep the ones including most stuff about my work or housework, that I should be doing at home.

[tookthename]

House work is a little hard to do when you're trapped in another dimension. I'm just glad time stops at home while we're here so I don't have to worry about my cat. [Or aliens taking over. Or some new super villain raising up. Or Ultron. Again.]

[usedwrench]

Unless you buy or rent a house here -- okay well, that's still different than doing everything back home. Uh-huh, the time thing is really weird, I went home and nothing happened while I was gone. I came back here and I had been away for months. But, you have a cat? The friend of mine, who just left, loves them. I think my dog and I would be great friends with all the cats too. [...Some of her army of dog-based pokemon are cat friendly too. The ones who are not? They aren't usually friendly towards most pokemon or people for a long time anyway.]

[tookthename]

Weird, but I'm glad for it.

Yeah, his name is Chewie. He hates pretty much everything that isn't me, but I love him all the same. It's a shame I missed your friend.

[redenzione]

I have broken many promises in my life and many paid the price for my sins.

I will not break any more of them. Though I am separated from my beloved Beatrice I shall always remember what I have sworn to uphold.

[usedwrench]

[...wow, many paying the price for someone's sins sounds scary.]

Then -- I'm really glad you found your reason to keep your promises, especially because it sounds like breaking them had very bad consequences. It's why I want certain people to keep their promises to me too ...If they broke those, it would mean something bad happened.

[And breaking their promises is not an option when she wants to see the brothers home, safe and alive.]

[redenzione]

I only wish that this reason did not have to come at such a heavy cost.

[His voice is heavy and full of regret.]

I truly hope that those certain people who made a vow to you will uphold it as well.

[arrogantalloy]

Me, I'm kind of bad at promises, I make them, just I tend to forget about them in the heat of the moment. But I try, when it counts at least.

[Then the name she mentions clicks]

So, you're Wendy?

[Sorry, Winry, he's bad with names given in passing.]

[usedwrench]

Ummmm, I'm kind of sorry for asking, but what's the point in making them if you're just going to forget them? [Wait, isn't that the same thing like Ed breaking her work all the time?!] Though trying to keep those that count is good at least.

["But try harder." No, it would be pretty rude to say that to a stranger.

...The question confuses her. This man knows her? She doesn't know him, does she?]

Winry, actually, but I guess you might still mean me, mister...?

[arrogantalloy]

Well, that's the thing, I don't forget on purpose. I get really focused on projects, or it was more of a lip service promise to another company, which no one ever really keeps those unless they're breaking out. Or other things get in the way, big dangerous things.

Well, to be fair Al...fred? only said it once. But he said you were an engineer, and that is a word I'm not going to forget or miss-say any time soon, or I'm in a lot of trouble.

voice;

[usedacrobatics]

Sorry for your loss. [He misses M'gann, even if she wasn't here very long.]


It depends, I guess. That's cold, but are you going to have to confess if you don't keep it? If not, are you going to be able to live with yourself if you don't keep it?

voice;

[usedwrench]

Thanks. [Hey a friend is a friend, whether or not they're here very long. She misses too many people herself.]

uhhhh -- [let her think for a bit, those questions are hard!] I wouldn't really have to confess if I didn't keep it, but I probably would tell them anyway. [Because being open and honest is good.] ...and I'm not sure. [No tears is an important promise, okay?!] Maybe I could, but I wouldn't exactly -- want to, even if it's them who keep giving me more reasons to break it.

[...] Wait, that went wrong. Not them. This place just likes throwing them here and out again.

[She's going to get a kitchen full of cast iron cookingware at this rate. And if Ed dares to even try saying "He won't leave / He'll stay here" the next time he pops up, she'll know what to do with them. But it's really not his fault! He just shouldn't even try making promises that he can't keep because he can't decide when this place kicks him out.]

Re: voice;

[staystraught]

If you'd want to tell them, that kinda suggests you'd feel bad if you didn't keep it. Which means you either want to keep it or just think you should.

[No idea which... Although the mention of this place does hit him. Interesting.]

You... Must be one of the long-timers. If it was me, I'd say I didn't want to be bound by a promise that the person I was promising might not understand the full ramifications of.

Video; Assuming they've been in touch on and off for the sake of this thread-

[sifukatara]

Winry... [Well that...] You shouldn't push yourself too hard to hold all of that in. [And taking a deep breath-] You're still here in Violet, right?

Video; fine by me~ o/

[usedwrench]

I'm not pushing myself to hold all of that in. [...that's probably not true.] Yeah, I'm still here.

[And she could pay more attention to the words still here, because that would cheer up more or less.]

video;

[ghostytrainer]

Sorry about your friend... It's hard once it gets to that point isn't it? When the same people keep coming and going so many times. I write it down, myself. Because... I don't know, it just seems like something worth keeping track of. But that's just me.

[Then again, there are a lot of people in his world who come and go and at some point, you really just need to write that down because damn, guys. Could we all not hop the revolving door express at once?]

But promises are important! I try not to break them, if I can help it, and I don't think that being universe-napped is really enough to break most of them. Unless it's something that you and the person you made the promise to like... agree on it not really mattering here? Pretend that wording made sense. But if they aren't here then, well... you made the promise. So you should stick to it even if the person isn't around right now!

video;

[usedwrench]

Thanks. ...Yeah, it's hard even though I'm used to it back home too, where they like traveling a lot. It's still so different here. So, what things do you write down? I should probably consider it too, at least trying to remember their teams if they're curious. [Ed? Hates being ignorant, so maybe he'd like that.]

They are very important! And I agree about all that, I wouldn't let this being kidnapped to a different universe thing be a reason to break most of them either. [a tiny chuckle at pretending like his wording made sense.] I think it made sense -- but we didn't agree anything like that. [...Moment of silence.] I --think so too, even when they can't exactly keep their part of the promise here. I still wouldn't want to see their disappointed face if I broke my part of the deal.

video;

[ghostytrainer]

Mostly just the number of times they've been here and for how long. With as much as people come and go from my universe, and as many of us as there are, keeping track of every member of their teams would be too daunting a task. [Especially with some of his castmates and their tendency to accumulate tons of Pokémon in short periods.]

Exactly! Though... I have learned that it's sort of unfair to try and hold people to promises made here after they have left and come back. In retrospect, this should have been obvious and it was kind of a demanding, bonehead move on my part but people tend not to take to that well...

audio

[chosen_light_child]

... I'm sorry to hear that he's gone, Winry.

[ Hikari frowned, glad that she chose to answer this in audio too. ]

But yeah... I... I think we should definitely try to keep our promises. Even if the person we promised isn't here anymore. Or wasn't here to begin with.

audio | sob, and now I realize I forgot to tag Hikari's post last night

[usedwrench]

...Thanks. [Have a sad smile at that, even though you can't see it. She still needs to fully realize that they're both gone again, huh? Well, Ed went home ages ago, but anyway.

...Ouch, wasn't even here to begin with?]

Yeah, I ...agree. I definitely wouldn't want them to find out that we didn't keep them, no matter what kind of promise it was if it's still doable here.

[But it's kinda getting hard to keep promises about no tears and whatever else she has promised to those two, if they just keep going away about as soon as they get here..]

audio | It's alright, it happens

[chosen_light_child]

Yeah. Definitely...

[ Though that type of promise definitely seemed like it'd be pretty hard to do. If Hikari knew that, she probably would've said that it was alright to break it. ]

I wish we knew why they'd bring people here and then decide to send them away though...

voice;

[fabricatedheart]

I read in a book that a friend should always keep their promises!

voice;

[usedwrench]

[...This may have just earned the title of cutest reply here.] From a book, huh? I think I agree with the book. What kind of book was it?

voice;

[fabricatedheart]

A book about friends! It said that you have to treat your friends right. That means keeping promises!

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

[So, there's both of the Elrics gone. Again. How many times does that make, now?]

I don't make promises when I actually want to keep them. I don't think I've ever managed to hold to a promise in four hundred years, so why test that record by trying?

[In other words, he refuses to jinx himself on things he actually wants to do.]

video;

[chainred]

What?

[ Alphonse left? The girl isn't quite sure what to make of this revelation as she sits there stunned, a familiar Pokemon of his pushing his head into view of the PokeGear. She's grown used to wild Pokemon being attached to her and the friendly team she's surrounded herself with so that makes it easy to assume that the one who's been following her for a few hours now was just a stray. ]

But I'm here already. [ The other region, she means. They had plans to meet up and travel, something about a childhood friend?

(It doesn't quite dawn on her that this is said friend.)

Still, she's stunned into silence more than usual as she sits there in the background of the Aron, who clearly wants Winry's attention. ]