Title: Practice
Author: Kristen Sharpe
Date: December, 2011
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: "Fullmetal Alchemist" belongs to Hiromu Arakawa, Square ENIX, Studio BONES and various other parties.
Author's Note: Mangaverse, post-chapter 108. Continues from "Motivation".

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He started with practical things.  Things like repairs around the Rockbell home and assisting in the odd barn raising.  And, he eventually came to accept that he would never be a master carpenter.  He was, however, a competent handyman.

It was a useful skill, and it earned him dinner more than once in his travels.  Still, Ed felt like something was missing.

So, he took to fiddling with scraps of wood and a sharp knife whenever he was working out a particularly complex theory.

His first efforts were worthless and cost him several nicked fingers.  Honestly, alchemy had never been so vicious on his fingers.

Of course, when he voiced that thought, Winry was quick to remind him that alchemy had decided fingers were small potatoes and went straight for limbs.  He had argued that that was the misuse of alchemy.  This was learning and…  Well, somehow, his argument on how learning shouldn’t leave you black and blue fell apart on its own.

Still, he thought he was finally getting the hang of it when he presented Winry and Granny with a set of hand-carved salt and pepper shakers.

He, at least, thought his grinning skull design came out perfectly.