[log] Did the devil say to you, you can make it through [closed]

[spoileralert]

Characters: Steph, Zach, Al, Church, Luna, Kesara, Watson, Quark, Tifa
Location Building 58 and environs
Date: Days 157/158
Summary: A meeting of many people
Warnings: In comment headers, please!

58: A simple single-story building, the snow weighs uneasily on it, and it creaks and groans under the strain at the best of times. It's very dark, and only the kitchen and living room are intact. The kitchen has a back door. Two snowmen have been built outside. A message has been written on the wall in blue ink: "Don't wreck the snowmen! That's super mean!" "ALPHONSE ELRIC, MAMI TOMOE, FREYA CRESCENT, GREED, EDWARD ELRIC, STEPHANIE BROWN, DAY FORTY ONE, TRAVELLING EAST." has been carved into one of the walls. The following has been written on the wall in blue pen: "This is Building 95 97 on the composite map. Contact @CaptSteveRogers for details." Underneath this is a fairly accurate map showing the house in relation to the school and buildings 29, 35, 35, 37, 40, 41, 47, 48, 50, 53. House 34 is labeled "Medical assistance; hot, clean water. Contact Dr. Epps @claytonator". The school is labeled "School. Food available in cafeteria; DO NOT STAY HERE OVERNIGHT." The shed is labeled "Shed".

Comments

[armoured]

I guess that's another difference between our worlds, huh?

[He doesn't accept that as an excuse. He knows that he and Ed were fully cognizant of what they were doing and how wrong it was.]

We're just lucky that Colonel Mustang saw the potential in Ed and recruited him, instead of arrested us for what we did.

[jumpthegun]

Al, if Kesara murdered someone, would you treat it the same as if I did? Let's say we both had the same motivations and were going after the same person. Would you take her as being just as responsible for her own actions and deserving of the same punishment as me?

[armoured]

Of course.

[Is that a trick question?]

Kesara's not an idiot, she knows what she's doing. Why would it be any worse for you to murder someone, than if she did it?

[jumpthegun]

[Al... you're making this difficult.]

Because I'm adult. I'm in control of everything I do. Kids her age typically aren't. Whether it's because they've got someone minding them or because they just haven't got the experience to know the full ramifications of their actions. There's a difference. And there should be in how we've be treated.

[armoured]

Really, you don't think Kesara is in control of what she does?

[That's a little insulting, to be honest. They're not smart enough to accept responsibility because they're kids?]

If you'd told her, time and time again, that murder was wrong and she still did it anyway. She shouldn't be held responsible just because of her age?

[jumpthegun]

She should be held responsible in a different way. We don't let juvenile offenders get off free, but there are programs to help rehabilitate them, there are counselors, there are steps to figure out what went wrong and who went wrong to let them get to that point.

Adults you do have that more and more, but the emphasis is more on punishment for the crimes.

[armoured]

I think your world is very different from mine.

[And clearly weird.]

In Amestris, if someone commits a crime then they commit a crime. And I don't want to excuse my actions by pretending it was just because I was a kid, I knew what I was doing.

[jumpthegun]

[John just shakes his head. You're the one from bizarro world, Al.]

It's not an excuse. It's basic biological fact. The brains of children don't develop fully--their reasoning and inhibition centers don't develop fully--until adulthood. It wouldn't be fair to treat them the same.

[armoured]

You probably shouldn't tell that to my brother, he'd be pretty mad if he thought you were saying his brain wasn't fully developed.

[It's awful to think of Ed, a bittersweet sort of pain in remembrance, but he's not going to insult his memory by not talking about him.]

I've never heard that science before.

[jumpthegun]

It's a natural process of the brain and human development. There's nothing wrong with him, that's just the way we're designed. Brains reach their full maturation in your mid-to-early 20s. The prefrontal cortex where most of our decision-making, logical thinking, risk assessment, and impulse control goes on develops fully last. If you look at the brain of someone who's 15 and compare it to someone who's 25, there are physical and chemical differences. An older person's brain has more connections, it's larger, the triggers that make sure the chemicals in your brain are right are more on balance.

It's really not an insult, Al. It's biology.

[armoured]

[He's silent for the whole explanation just drinking it in. Though he still fundamentally disagrees with the idea that a child shouldn't be held culpable for their own decisions, he can't deny that he's fascinated. It shines through in the minutia of his body language, the slight lean in, the way his eyes remain fixed on Watson.]

Biology really isn't something I've studied much, but I'd love to know more about. Medicine too, it must be amazing to be able to help people in such an immediate way.

[Let's just move on to this, better than arguing more.]

You know, you're a lot friendlier than all the other doctors I know.

Pretend that said mid-to-late 20s... /o\

[jumpthegun]

[It is a better topic because it's a perfectly neutral one, and John's happy to latch onto it fully when Al offers him the opportunity. The compliment gets a mild laugh out of him, at least.]

Am I? Reckon that's only because I'm competing against Dr. House and Dr. Stein. [He shrugs.] Dr. Wilson's nice, too, from what I've seen of him. I like helping people. I like healing them. Not everything's physical that needs healing, and being able to get a patient to smile or laugh? I'd like to think that helps. Motivated people tend to heal faster and listen to my instructions better.

[armoured]

[No argument on Stein or House, though Al has avoided Stein since pretty much their first conversation. Hopefully nobody has noticed.]

I'd really like to be able to do that too; heal someone, I mean. Where I'm from, alchemy is primarily combat based, so all I really know how to do is fight. But over in Xing they have alkahestry, which is used to heal people from wounds almost immediately. It's amazing, and it must be so nice to know you're making a difference in a positive way.

[jumpthegun]

Fighting helps people sometimes, too, y'know? It's how we defend our country and our friends from harm. I was a medic when I was in the Army, but I wasn't with the medical corps, Al. I joined a combat unit--I wanted to fight, too.

[armoured]

Oh, I know. Fighting is sometimes necessary and it can protect the people around you, but it would still be nice to be able to help in a less, uh, destructive way.

[He shrugs.]

I don't think I'd want to give up fighting to be able to heal, maybe both is the best way. You're lucky, you know that?

[jumpthegun]

[Lucky. That gets a mildly bitter laugh from John. He covers it quickly with a shrug.] I loved doing what I did in the Army, yeah. And my work after. Maybe when you get back home, you can see about training to be a medic, yourself.

[armoured]

[Don't think he didn't hear that, mister.]

But you don't think you're lucky?

[Just asked mildly.]

[jumpthegun]

I was sent home from the war because of an injury, and lost my best friend on a case. I was lucky to have what time I did.

[armoured]

I'm sorry.

[He shrugs, metal clanking quietly.]

It's good that you can see how lucky you've been, though. I bet your friend would be proud of what you're doing here for everyone.

[jumpthegun]

[Al, he really wishes you wouldn't do this.]

Mm. [It's a non-committal sound. Some of the things he's done, Sherlock might be all right with. Some other things? Well, Sherlock can be a selfish git, so he'd probably tell John off for other things.]

Think we're getting close to the pharmacy. We can make the hospital if we just press on. Probably best, that.

[armoured]

[Al is absolutely positive that any friend would be proud. It's how he comforts himself about Ed, knowing every time he tries to help then his brother would be proud even if he's not around to see it.]

...yeah.

[It's soft, knowing, but he won't press this time.

He'll just let Watson walk on ahead and fall back to talk to one of the others.]