I spend the next couple of hours calming her down and letting her cry it out. I can’t leave her right now… I don’t want her to be stuck like this alone. She’s already tried to lie to herself that it was just a dream. I don’t know what else she’ll do.

She eventually tires herself out and reluctantly eats some food at my urgings despite her saying she’s not hungry. Alexanders sat at the foot of her bed the whole time giving her worried looks. Knowing that something is wrong but not knowing how to help her. Every chance he’d get I’d see his tongue lick at her palm as it sways by. Something that used to send her into a giggle fit now only making her pull her hand away. Eventually, I take her to her bed to let her rest, and Alexander hops right up with her curling around near her feet and keeping an eye on her.

I watch her until I can hear faint snoring. Thankfully it seems she was too tired to immediately wake back up… With her occupied I should probably look for any additional information in the house I’ll probably need to search around a bit. The first odd thing is all the family photos are down except the ones in Nina’s room. I found a few of them in a cardboard box in a closet but they are just of the three of them. No dates so I don’t even know how long ago it was besides guesses based on how old they look and when Nina shows up in the photos. No documents either of either parent. Likely locking them away somewhere out of sight or in a bank or something.

Eventually, I move on to his office that’s connected to his lab. I feel somewhat bad going through his stuff, but he might have some letters or something that might tell where to find some other family.

The first several documents I find are interesting but not exactly what I was looking for. I suppose she took my advice and started to look into alternate methods of manipulating domesticated animals. He’d had great success in increasing Hen egg size and plumpness and structured his research around the possible applications to larger animals and the implications on the food supply if these changes were introduced. I can’t help but smile at the idea. It would help feed people and would allow for a surplus that’s a worthy goal.

Strewn about the papers are several other half ideas. He’d had marginal success in finding a method of reducing the amount of ‘cancer’ cells within a mixed chimera. He realized that the less related the two subjects were the worse it became. But that’s about as far as that idea grew. A few others are all there too but not nearly as finished as his final product.

That’s when I found something peculiar, shoved beneath a large number of his documents are two notebooks. The pages are all well worn like they’ve been looked at frequently. One is significantly newer than the other. They seemed a bit more put together than the ideas on his desk, so I thought maybe they were what he worked on until now. However, when I press it to my forehead and learn the contents, I can’t help but gag.

Within the journal, it describes the procedure he performed to turn his still-living wife into a chimera. His detailed notes on dissecting her alive to learn the appropriate parts he wanted to combine with the ‘animals’ dimensions. The horrors he’d inflicted on her to earn his state alchemist license. It details the regret he had not for her death but that she was stubborn to the end willing to starve to death rather than further his research in how to make more like her. Even if she would have died months later thanks to the cancerous growths developing.

The second journal feeling heavy in my hand, I consider what might be in there for several moments before hesitatingly pressing it to my forehead as well… In this one, he details the possible method in which he would be able to combine Alexander and Nina. Estimating that the dog’s intelligence and a child’s growing mind may help create a learning Chimera… In much fresher ink he writes it off… but not for any moral reasoning but because of a change in the avenue of study to easier discoveries and to fix the problem with Chimera expiration first so his experiment wouldn’t die before learning anything as his last one did.

He… he was planning on making her into a chimera? Checking the dates on these notes… they were recently adjusted. If I hadn’t changed his mind… I trusted him… I was willing to recommend him to work with Amy and Rosaline… I nearly had this monster working with even more children all because he took me into his home and was willing to teach me all he could. Because I felt the need to help his daughter because of their unfortunate circumstances…

I grip the journal tightly in my hand… Did this ‘terrorist’ know about this? His wife disappeared 2 years ago… There may be records that show she vanished; someone might have connected the dots… Perhaps a disgruntled friend that discovered the truth? But then why harm him in front of Nina? They mentioned the blood and iron alchemist also dying. With a name like that, I don't want to assume but they may have also committed some sort of crime… Are they some sort of vigilante?

Left reeling a bit by the new information I can’t help but stop for a moment. Zig lightly takes the notes and begins slowly reading through them himself. He may not care for protecting others as much as I do but I can tell this has clearly bothered him. A light hiss permeates the room as he clutches the journal.

What do I do now? I guess the first thing is to give this information to Mustang… I suppose I’ll just have to leave the rest of it to the government… It all just feels so underwhelming. The anger and adrenaline pumping in my system left me empty as I digest everything I’d just learned.

I’m snapped out of it when I hear the pitter-patter of some feet in the hallway. I can feel the chi signature of the only person moving in the hallways. She’s gotten up and must be searching for me or someone… Going out into the hallway I see Nina their eyes puffed up red. I just swoop in and lift her into a hug.

“Hey there, what are you doing up and about?” She tries at her voice a few times before finding it.

“I-I just wanted to not be alone… anymore…” I gently rub the back of their head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re not alone alright? I was just checking out your dad's study to see if I can’t find where any of your other family might be at.” I can feel some tears in my shirt slowly start to soak their way through.

“D-daddy said mommy said she never wanted to s-see me ag-again.” I just hold on to her awkwardly. She doesn’t know her mom died and I won’t rip off that bandaid tonight.

“Well, if she doesn’t want you, I might know a few people that might. Then if they don’t I have an entire empire where I came from. I can make one of them treat you like a princess.” Her face pulls up to look at me small amounts of snot trailing down to my shirt and puffy eyes filled with a small hope.

“Let’s just get you to bed I’ll stick around nearby…” That’s how I spend the rest of the night. I sent Zig off to go deliver the journals. Once he was back, I just silently worked on my projects practicing with my new circles while Nina was curled up next to me with Alexander.

The night moved on, Nina tossing and turning but less now that she’s clutching on to Alexander and Jiang for support. Zig settles himself in to defend in case of an attack by this local terrorist, a long night of no sleep ahead of him. Nina wasn’t the only one with nightmares, elsewhere Edward tosses and turns as well, unable to sleep haunted by the image of those he’s brought into the government being killed. A part of him was scared about what happened but his resolve is steeled making sure that it wouldn’t happen to any of his friends again.

The thought of finding this man and stopping him before Jiang had a chance to kill him also sounded good. At least then it would be a jury and his friend wouldn’t need to become a murderer. Thinking about these things makes a plan with Alphonse to make sure that they talk to Jiang the next morning. Maybe convince him not to kill them and let them face a fair trial. Looking out the window it looks like it's going to rain all day tomorrow... what a drag.