[ waver really only needs to tell him the first two pieces before roy understands precisely where he is, and which door he's at. it's drilled into the corners of his mind, what this place looks like, and what secrets it holds. it's something he never wanted, but here he is. again.

but he doesn't interrupt waver, instead absorbing the information. trying to wrap his mind around it, to get a good grasp on where he is in the room, and, more importantly, how to get out.

which involves a little bit of -- well -- truth. ]

This is the Gate.

[ it's said quietly, his hand still on waver's shoulder, to ground himself. ]

You come here after you violate the taboo of alchemy, the one rule any of us have. I've been here once before, not through my own doing. [ it's a long story, but the way roy says it, he wants to make it clear that he has never voluntarily performed that disgusting ritual. ] You're allowed to glimpse the Truth, an impossible store of knowledge, but you always pay a price. Typically, pieces of your body, or abilities you have.

[ he pauses. ]

You're my eyes, until we manage to get out of this mockery. Ignore the thing in the center of the room. Listen to me. Can you do that?

[ the truth, at this point, is silent, but is definitely watching. curious, to see how this plays out. but there's a slow grin emerging, at the notion that roy thinks he can just leave. ]