[FMA Big Bang Fic] Chasing the Desert (7/9)
Title: Chasing the Desert
Author: bay115
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: R
Word Count: ~40,000
Pairing/Characters: Roy/Riza, Miles/Miles’s wife, Scar, Breda, Fuery, Maria Ross, Grumman, various other canon and original characters
Warnings: Language, some violence, mild sex, instances of discrimination over a fictional race/culture (in this case, the Ishvalans)
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who wanted to set things straight…
Notes: Both of my betas had send me Chapter 7 and missyquill had send me the last two chapters, SO YES FINALLY WE'RE CLOSE TO THE ENDING!
Chasing the Desert
Chapter Seven
It was late at night in Central and everything outside was quiet. That was fine by Niels Grumman as it meant people would be less likely to notice him, even though he had a wig on and wore a dress. It had been a while since he had worn high heels, so his feet hurt. He eventually made it to an alley nestled between two apartment buildings. Niels scanned the area until his eyes found one particular building, Red Daisies, and he grinned and made his way over to it.
When the Fuhrer entered the building, the scent of liquor and smoke welcomed him. He spotted Chris Mustang, talking to one of her girls, Vanessa, almost immediately. Chris sat on one of the stools while Vanessa was behind the bar wiping the counter. The two ladies stopped and smiled at him as soon as Niels approached.
“Why Niels, what a pleasant surprise!” Chris smirked at the old man and snorted. “I see our leader is still into woman’s clothing.”
Niels laughed. “Hey, I don’t want anyone to spot me. Visiting here is the reason I don’t want to bring my bodyguards.”
“You want anything to drink?” Vanessa asked after she finished cleaning and returned her dishrag to its place in the sink.
“No need, but thank you for asking.” The Fuhrer stopped to take in his surroundings. The bar itself was nicely furnished, Niels liking the intricate woodwork decorating the trim. On the ceiling hung a small chandelier, giving the place some nice lighting. The walls were painted a shade of dark brown with several pictures of men and women dressed in formal wear scattered all over. Once Niels finished looking, he beamed at Chris. “My my, this new place looks much better.”
“Yes, it is. Roy did promise me a better bar when I came back.”
Once in a while Niels would go to Madame Christmas’s old bar -before Mustang blew it up last year-and discuss with her any new information they had for one another. Sometimes they would chat around a little too. Since he became Fuhrer, Niels wasn’t able to visit the new bar until now, but the Madame understood. She had been busy as well.
“So how’s being Fuhrer going for you?”
“It’s going great. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately due to having a lot of work cut out for me. It is to be expected, though.”
“No doubt indeed,” Vanessa said with a nod, “especially with Amestris undergoing some huge changes now.”
“And those changes I look forward to.” Changing the subject, Niels said, “Has Mustang been coming here?”
“Twice after he got promoted,” Chris replied. “Roy-boy told me he had been preoccupied with Ishval and helping you out.” She paused briefly, which left Niels wondering what Chris was thinking. “I can’t believe it’s been a month already since he and Riza almost got assassinated.”
Niels frowned and had his eyes lowered to the bar. Not long after that incident, Mitchell Faywell was charged with life in prison for the attempted murders of Brigadier General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye. He remembered being terrified by the possibility of losing the two of them. It was a relief that they weren’t hurt and that justice was served, but the Fuhrer still couldn’t shake off the idea that he almost lost them, especially Riza.
My only granddaughter almost slipped away from me…
He felt bad not letting the Captain know she was related to him yet. That should have been done long ago, but Niels didn’t want Riza to think her being in the military and her promotions were from him. All of that changed after the assassination attempt-he wanted to get to know Riza better and for her to do the same with him. Neils decided to stop those thoughts right there for now.
“Faywell wasn’t the first person to make his opposition to the changes with Ishval and Amestris known. Small rallies and protests are popping up everywhere. One or two happened recently right here in Central!” He shook his head and let out an annoyed groan. “At least so far all of them ended peacefully.”
“Not everyone is ready to embrace the changes yet, but they’ll adapt,” Chris responded as she dragged the cigarette on her mouth. “Give them some time.”
“I hope so.” Niels smiled a little. It was frustrating to deal with opposition to the rebuilding of Amestris despite knowing many people would not welcome it, but he was glad to hear it from Chris. He just needed to wait a while longer until things settled down a bit.
“Speaking of Roy,” Vanessa said abruptly, “you’re going to meet him tomorrow, right?”
Niels nodded. “He’s going to be one of the few generals in that meeting. I already mentioned to him one of the topics will be over the reparations owed to Aerugo.” An uneasy feeling settled inside his stomach. Something told him a huge argument would arise during the discussions and he wasn’t going to like that at all.
+++
Lieutenant Colonel George Miles was overseeing the construction of the library in the Kanda district. They were running a little behind and there was still a lot of work to do before the building itself was even completed. The roof still needed to be finished and the glass windows had to be put up. Not only that, the stairs and bookshelves needed to be built too. Despite those things, George believed the library would be finished on time. The Lieutenant Colonel was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard someone shouting his name.
“George! George!”
George turned around, mouth agape. A brunette woman waved at him, her buttoned blouse and pants passable for the desert heat. Without warning, she rushed to George and held him in a tight hug.
“Edith? What are you doing here?”
“I decided to come here for a surprise visit,” Edith said, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. “You didn’t expect it, did you?”
George chuckled and shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
He and Edith had been married for almost five years now. She was an engineer up in North City. When George told her he would need to be in Ishval for a long time, she was very supportive of him and wished him good luck. They were able to communicate though letters and phone calls. There were times when George wondered if Edith felt alone without him, but knew that wouldn’t be the case as things were going great on her end.
“I have to say, from what I have seen everything is looking great so far,” Edith said after the two were quiet for a short time. She released him from her embrace.
“Why, thank you. We’re all working hard here.”
“I can tell and all of that will pay off soon. I’m proud of you, my dear.”
George’s grin grew wider. He was glad his wife was feeling as optimistic about it all.
“Would you like some tea?” the Lieutenant Colonel asked. “I have some over at the house I’m staying at.”
“Tea sounds wonderful.”
George grabbed her hand and eagerly took Edith to where he was staying.
+++
“Here is your coffee and freshly baked blueberry muffin, Sir! That will be eight hundred cenz.”
Roy smiled and paid for his breakfast before accepting the items from the lady behind the cash register. “Thank you, Fiona.” He gave her a nod before taking a seat close to the window.
For this morning the Brigadier General decided to wake up early and go to Twenty-Fifth Street Bakery, a couple of blocks from Central Command, for breakfast. Roy missed the coffee and baked goods from that place as he had been too busy lately to visit there. He thought Riza actually might like the place, so Roy considered bringing her along to the bakery next time.
While munching on his muffin, Roy thought about the upcoming meeting with Fuhrer Grumman later that afternoon. It was certain they would talk about how to deal with the debt owed to Aerugo. Out of the forty-four billion cenz needed to pay for war damages, less than seven billion had been paid so far since the peace treaty. Money was a little short at the moment not only due to the reparations but also because of the cost of rebuilding Ishval. Roy worried the state of the country’s economy would head for an unpleasant turn soon. He sipped some of his coffee and was about to steal another bite of his muffin, but stopped when he heard a male voice that he recognized too well.
“Hey, Mustang! It’s been a while.”
Jerking his head slightly, Roy smiled upon seeing a familiar face in front of him. “It has indeed, Charlie. What brings you here?”
Like the Elric brothers, the last time he spoke to Charlie was after the Promised Day. He stayed in Central for only a few days to help out with the cleaning and then shortly after returned to East Command with his superior officer, Lieutenant General Stills, the new leader of that command station. Roy hadn’t heard much from Charlie since then.
“In town on top priority mission. Code green is in effect.”
The words made Roy smile, code green was military slang for “visiting the in- laws”.
“Beta or delta?” he asked.
“With the wife of course. Her parents are celebrating their fifteenth anniversary, an occasion that calls for the whole family to come and eat good food and get drunk.” Charlie stopped briefly, then said, “I was thinking, since I’m in Central I might as well go visit you and your team for a bit.”
Roy chuckled. “So I guess you were about to head to Central Command, huh?”
“Yes,” Charlie replied with a nod. “However, before I came to this bakery I bumped onto someone and was about to get him some coffee while he’s making a quick call at the phone booth.”
“Oh?” Roy said, sounding interested. “Who, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“You’ll see.”
The men went outside after Charlie ordered two cups of coffee. They took several steps until Charlie halted and motioned his hand to the right at Roy. The Brigadier General swung his head and gasped. Waiting besides a phone booth was Havoc, holding a cane in one hand. He beamed at Roy.
“Hello there, Chief.”
Roy approached Havoc and shook his other hand. “It’s great to see you again.”
“I was going to bring him along to Central Command with me,” Charlie said.
“Since all of us are going there, why don’t you guys join me? We can visit the team before I have to go to Grumman’s meeting.”
“Sure! I can’t wait to meet with the gang again,” Havoc said in excitement.
Charlie’s face lit up with a grin. “I’m fine with that, too.”
Roy gave the two a pleased smile and gestured both men to follow him. “I had someone dropped me at the bakery. He can take us to Central Command.”
+++
Riza and the rest of Mustang’s unit were pleasantly surprised when Roy entered the office with Havoc and Charlie. The Brigadier General mentioned how he met the two after finishing his breakfast. The Captain was happy to see Havoc and Charlie again.
The visit itself was quite relaxing and enjoyable, which started with Charlie telling everyone what he had been up to lately, which mostly involved work and spending time with his wife. After three daughters they finally had a son, Franklin. Not long after it was Havoc’s turn and he mentioned the reason for his visit to Central was to come see his friends again.
“The physiotherapist said I’m progressing very well and that the therapy should be over sometime in May, three months from now. He thinks I should still be careful and check with my doctor to make sure my spine is fine, though.”
“That’s wonderful news!” Fuery said, a joyful expression crossing his features. “I guess soon you’ll get to move back to Central.”
“I know my parents will be worried about me going back to the military, but they’ll be supportive too. I really miss working here, so you bet I’m excited getting back to work.” Havoc smiled sadly, but it disappeared when he looked at Ross. “Already used to working under Mustang, Ross?”
“I am,” Ross said, eyes flickering happily. “Helping out with everyone here has been a real joy and am glad to be in this team.”
“Very happy to hear that,” Havoc said, nodding.
Everyone was silent for a short moment. Riza smiled and glad that Ross was part of the group as the First Lieutenant had helped out a lot. She also enjoyed Ross’s company more and more as each day passed. Riza glanced at Roy, who wore the same expression as her. There was no doubt he was thinking the same thing.
“Mustang, you said that you’ll have to meet with Grumman soon,” Charlie said suddenly. “A little nervous how that will go?”
“You could say that.” A tiny smile tugged at Roy’s lips. “The talks will be about the war damages being paid to Aerugo and we’re struggling with that now.”
Riza nodded encouragingly at him. She admitted she also was worried over what would happen during the meeting as reparations were a big deal, but believed it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.
Roy looked back at her with a smile. “I appreciated that.” He was about to say more, but all of a sudden Second Lieutenant Brosh burst into the room looking frantic and disheveled.
“Sir, come quickly! The citizens are rioting at the gates!”
The reaction to the announcement was instantaneous. Roy got to his feet while Riza moved to his side, one hand reaching towards her sidearm.
“What kind of protest, though?” Havoc asked.
“I’m not sure,” Brosh said, “but I think we should go outside and find out.”
Roy nodded and wasted no time exiting his office. Riza and everyone else, including Brosh, soon followed.
When the whole group made it outside, there already were several soldiers and other Central Command employees watching the protest. There was a huge crowd yelling with signs held up high. Riza’s face fell when she spotted the Fuhrer among the audience looking on.
“Fuhrer Grumman!” Roy called out.
Grumman spun around, a stunned expression appearing on his face. “I didn’t expect to see you until later, Mustang.”
“I came to see what all the commotion was. The citizens are very angry right now,” Roy said, great concern in his voice.
“I’m worried this could potentially turn into a mob and lives would be at stake.”
The two men were about to speak more, but Riza saw them turn their attention to the protest.
Riza was able to get a better view of the signs and flinched. All of the signs were more or less about being against the changes happening in Ishval. Close Ishval Districts. Ishval: Waste of Tax Money. Down With Ishval. Reading them made her feel sick.
“Ishvalans better off dead,” Roy read one of the signs aloud in disbelief before letting out a long sigh and closing his eyes. Riza knew Roy expected one of those protests, but it still worried him.
“It looks like another protest concerning Ishval, so I don’t think any force is necessary. Besides, it’s the military police’s job to handle these kind of things.” Grumman took one last glimpse at the protest and faced Roy. “I expect you at the meeting at half an hour.”
“I’ll be there, don’t worry.”
Grumman immediately headed back inside. As Roy gazed at the sky briefly, Riza figured his mind was on the protest. It was evident that he wasn’t particularly happy about this, especially when he had to go to that important discussion soon. Eventually Roy fixed his eyes on the group.
“I need to go to that meeting now. Charlie, Havoc, you guys can stay here a while longer if you like.”
“We’ll be waiting then, Chief,” Havoc said. Charlie nodded encouragingly.
After giving everyone a single nod, Roy took off himself. Riza stared at his back until he made it inside, wondering if the Brigadier General would be able to concentrate after seeing the protest.
+++
George and Edith had been talking for a couple of hours, the Lieutenant Colonel enjoying every moment of it. One of the things he missed was when they could talk for several hours on end as their conversations ranged from politics to their work to the different people they had met from various places. That day Edith talked about some of the engineering projects in North City she was overseeing-stressful, but she enjoyed them. Right after, George discussed some of the future things planned for Ishval, which he was excited for.
“So when is the library going to be finished?”
“The target is around fall this year. I let Mustang know I’m fine with Central Library loaning in the books, but I need to talk with some of the Ishvalans about it first.”
“I see. I hope that will go without any problems.”
Both husband and wife fell silent as they drank their tea. George took a good look at his wife, a troubled expression seemed to spread across her face. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but for some reason wasn’t able to.
“I still can’t stop thinking about the last letter you sent me, George.”
“Oh yeah?” George said as he leaned forward with great interest. “You mean the one in which I visited Xerxes with Mustang, Hawkeye, and Scar several months ago?”
“Yes,” Edith responded with a slow nod. “It’s very fascinating that there are Ishvalans living there.”
“I admit, I was pretty surprised myself when Scar and Mustang told me about that and even more shocked when I saw them myself.”
Edith finished sipping her drink. “I’m glad the meeting went smoothly overall.”
The both of them went quiet once more. George was also happy the discussion with the Ishvalans had gone along nicely, given the circumstances. He wished that things went a little differently, but the Ishvalans’ reactions were to be expected.
“It’s all right.” George paused to give his wife a small smile. “You should go to Xerxes with me someday, it’s beautiful.”
“From the way you described it in your letter, I’m sure it is. You should take me there one day, my dear.”
“I will if you come visit me again,” George said as he leaned in close to Edith, his hand touching her cheek.
“I think I can arrange that.” A smirk slowly formed on Edith’s face, which bemused him a little. “I’m actually considering moving to Ishval to help with the construction there.”
George wasn’t able to find the words to express how surprised he was to hear that. He never thought his wife would want to stay in this region. He was only able to blurt out a stunned “Really?” in response.
“I want to help you rebuild Ishval. The projects in North City are almost done, so I should be able to move here in a few months. That is, if you’re fine with it.”
“Of course I am, Edith,” George said without hesitation.
Edith closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against George’s; he could not wait for the next time he saw her.
+++
(Art by plasticapollos. Leave her comments here!)
Evening came by faster than Riza thought it would. After work, she, Roy, Breda, and Havoc were at her apartment as she invited everyone for tea and sandwiches. Charlie had politely declined as he had to meet up with his wife and in-laws whereas Ross and Fuery had other plans. The four sat around Riza’s kitchen table, talking a little bit about the protest and other matters in Central of lately. Right after that, Roy mentioned what happened during the meeting.
“Overall things are proceeding as planned and talks with Creta and Drachma are still going to happen.”
“Was he worried over the expected payout both countries will want from him?” Breda asked.
“Indeed he was, but Grumman said such is the price of peace.”
“Good to hear everything is going good so far,” Havoc said, smiling.
Riza made a single nod of agreement and smiled too. It was great that at the end the meeting had a favorable outcome. She soon caught a glimpse of both Havoc and Breda looking over the clock, their eyes widening a little.
“Oh, looks like we have to go now,” Breda said when he faced his two superior officers. “Havoc and I are going to be at the bar a block from here and hang out there for a while.”
“You guys have a good time,” Riza said, smiling. “And it’s great talking with you again, Havoc.”
“Yes, I enjoyed our conversation very much,” Roy told Havoc, giving him a content expression.
An appreciative grin spread across Havoc’s face. “Same here.”
Breda and Havoc stood up and waved goodbye to Roy and Riza before leaving the apartment room. Riza gazed at the door for a short time before turning to see Roy with a distant look on his face.
“Still thinking about the protest earlier today?” she asked in concern.
Roy gave out a heavy sigh. “It still troubles me there are those that don’t want anything to do with the Ishvalans. Reminds me of Mitchell Faywell.”
Knowing that would be the case, Riza frowned. She looked at Roy in silence.
“It’s going to be okay, Roy,” she said shortly after. “We’ll figure this out.” Riza got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Roy. She kissed his forehead.
A chuckle escaped the alchemist. “True. I’m getting tired of everything thrown at me when I least expect it.”
The Captain kissed Roy again, this time on the lips. Riza could taste the honey tea she had handed him earlier. “You have me watching your back, so there’s no need to worry.”
They were silent for a second until a suggestive smile appeared on Roy’s face. “Maybe you can help me relax.”
“By helping you get ready for your radio interview that’s coming soon?” Riza threw Roy a smirk of her own. The smile on Roy’s face vanished at that instant and he sighed in exasperation. She loved seeing him being disappointed sometimes.
“I almost forgot about that. It shouldn’t be too hard, though.”
Roy was due to have an interview at Radio Capital tomorrow in which he had to talk about the progress he has made with the revised Ishval policies and what his next course of action would be. Riza knew he had to get his points across without making his cause look bad and in a diplomatic manner, but this would be a good way for Roy and his plans to gain some support.
“You might need to be prepared to explain some of the progress that happened, but yes you should be fine.” Riza ended the embrace and began picking up the plates.
“All right, all right, we can get started soon. You can let me know if whatever I say needs a little work.”
The rest of the night Roy practiced what he was going to say to the public with Riza giving out pointers on how he could word some phrases better among other things, which she enjoyed a lot.
Onto Chapter Eight!
This entry was originally posted at http://bay-alexison.dreamwidth.org/85238.html. Feel free to comment wherever you like!
Author: bay115
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: R
Word Count: ~40,000
Pairing/Characters: Roy/Riza, Miles/Miles’s wife, Scar, Breda, Fuery, Maria Ross, Grumman, various other canon and original characters
Warnings: Language, some violence, mild sex, instances of discrimination over a fictional race/culture (in this case, the Ishvalans)
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who wanted to set things straight…
Notes: Both of my betas had send me Chapter 7 and missyquill had send me the last two chapters, SO YES FINALLY WE'RE CLOSE TO THE ENDING!
Chasing the Desert
Chapter Seven
It was late at night in Central and everything outside was quiet. That was fine by Niels Grumman as it meant people would be less likely to notice him, even though he had a wig on and wore a dress. It had been a while since he had worn high heels, so his feet hurt. He eventually made it to an alley nestled between two apartment buildings. Niels scanned the area until his eyes found one particular building, Red Daisies, and he grinned and made his way over to it.
When the Fuhrer entered the building, the scent of liquor and smoke welcomed him. He spotted Chris Mustang, talking to one of her girls, Vanessa, almost immediately. Chris sat on one of the stools while Vanessa was behind the bar wiping the counter. The two ladies stopped and smiled at him as soon as Niels approached.
“Why Niels, what a pleasant surprise!” Chris smirked at the old man and snorted. “I see our leader is still into woman’s clothing.”
Niels laughed. “Hey, I don’t want anyone to spot me. Visiting here is the reason I don’t want to bring my bodyguards.”
“You want anything to drink?” Vanessa asked after she finished cleaning and returned her dishrag to its place in the sink.
“No need, but thank you for asking.” The Fuhrer stopped to take in his surroundings. The bar itself was nicely furnished, Niels liking the intricate woodwork decorating the trim. On the ceiling hung a small chandelier, giving the place some nice lighting. The walls were painted a shade of dark brown with several pictures of men and women dressed in formal wear scattered all over. Once Niels finished looking, he beamed at Chris. “My my, this new place looks much better.”
“Yes, it is. Roy did promise me a better bar when I came back.”
Once in a while Niels would go to Madame Christmas’s old bar -before Mustang blew it up last year-and discuss with her any new information they had for one another. Sometimes they would chat around a little too. Since he became Fuhrer, Niels wasn’t able to visit the new bar until now, but the Madame understood. She had been busy as well.
“So how’s being Fuhrer going for you?”
“It’s going great. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately due to having a lot of work cut out for me. It is to be expected, though.”
“No doubt indeed,” Vanessa said with a nod, “especially with Amestris undergoing some huge changes now.”
“And those changes I look forward to.” Changing the subject, Niels said, “Has Mustang been coming here?”
“Twice after he got promoted,” Chris replied. “Roy-boy told me he had been preoccupied with Ishval and helping you out.” She paused briefly, which left Niels wondering what Chris was thinking. “I can’t believe it’s been a month already since he and Riza almost got assassinated.”
Niels frowned and had his eyes lowered to the bar. Not long after that incident, Mitchell Faywell was charged with life in prison for the attempted murders of Brigadier General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye. He remembered being terrified by the possibility of losing the two of them. It was a relief that they weren’t hurt and that justice was served, but the Fuhrer still couldn’t shake off the idea that he almost lost them, especially Riza.
My only granddaughter almost slipped away from me…
He felt bad not letting the Captain know she was related to him yet. That should have been done long ago, but Niels didn’t want Riza to think her being in the military and her promotions were from him. All of that changed after the assassination attempt-he wanted to get to know Riza better and for her to do the same with him. Neils decided to stop those thoughts right there for now.
“Faywell wasn’t the first person to make his opposition to the changes with Ishval and Amestris known. Small rallies and protests are popping up everywhere. One or two happened recently right here in Central!” He shook his head and let out an annoyed groan. “At least so far all of them ended peacefully.”
“Not everyone is ready to embrace the changes yet, but they’ll adapt,” Chris responded as she dragged the cigarette on her mouth. “Give them some time.”
“I hope so.” Niels smiled a little. It was frustrating to deal with opposition to the rebuilding of Amestris despite knowing many people would not welcome it, but he was glad to hear it from Chris. He just needed to wait a while longer until things settled down a bit.
“Speaking of Roy,” Vanessa said abruptly, “you’re going to meet him tomorrow, right?”
Niels nodded. “He’s going to be one of the few generals in that meeting. I already mentioned to him one of the topics will be over the reparations owed to Aerugo.” An uneasy feeling settled inside his stomach. Something told him a huge argument would arise during the discussions and he wasn’t going to like that at all.
+++
Lieutenant Colonel George Miles was overseeing the construction of the library in the Kanda district. They were running a little behind and there was still a lot of work to do before the building itself was even completed. The roof still needed to be finished and the glass windows had to be put up. Not only that, the stairs and bookshelves needed to be built too. Despite those things, George believed the library would be finished on time. The Lieutenant Colonel was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard someone shouting his name.
“George! George!”
George turned around, mouth agape. A brunette woman waved at him, her buttoned blouse and pants passable for the desert heat. Without warning, she rushed to George and held him in a tight hug.
“Edith? What are you doing here?”
“I decided to come here for a surprise visit,” Edith said, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. “You didn’t expect it, did you?”
George chuckled and shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
He and Edith had been married for almost five years now. She was an engineer up in North City. When George told her he would need to be in Ishval for a long time, she was very supportive of him and wished him good luck. They were able to communicate though letters and phone calls. There were times when George wondered if Edith felt alone without him, but knew that wouldn’t be the case as things were going great on her end.
“I have to say, from what I have seen everything is looking great so far,” Edith said after the two were quiet for a short time. She released him from her embrace.
“Why, thank you. We’re all working hard here.”
“I can tell and all of that will pay off soon. I’m proud of you, my dear.”
George’s grin grew wider. He was glad his wife was feeling as optimistic about it all.
“Would you like some tea?” the Lieutenant Colonel asked. “I have some over at the house I’m staying at.”
“Tea sounds wonderful.”
George grabbed her hand and eagerly took Edith to where he was staying.
+++
“Here is your coffee and freshly baked blueberry muffin, Sir! That will be eight hundred cenz.”
Roy smiled and paid for his breakfast before accepting the items from the lady behind the cash register. “Thank you, Fiona.” He gave her a nod before taking a seat close to the window.
For this morning the Brigadier General decided to wake up early and go to Twenty-Fifth Street Bakery, a couple of blocks from Central Command, for breakfast. Roy missed the coffee and baked goods from that place as he had been too busy lately to visit there. He thought Riza actually might like the place, so Roy considered bringing her along to the bakery next time.
While munching on his muffin, Roy thought about the upcoming meeting with Fuhrer Grumman later that afternoon. It was certain they would talk about how to deal with the debt owed to Aerugo. Out of the forty-four billion cenz needed to pay for war damages, less than seven billion had been paid so far since the peace treaty. Money was a little short at the moment not only due to the reparations but also because of the cost of rebuilding Ishval. Roy worried the state of the country’s economy would head for an unpleasant turn soon. He sipped some of his coffee and was about to steal another bite of his muffin, but stopped when he heard a male voice that he recognized too well.
“Hey, Mustang! It’s been a while.”
Jerking his head slightly, Roy smiled upon seeing a familiar face in front of him. “It has indeed, Charlie. What brings you here?”
Like the Elric brothers, the last time he spoke to Charlie was after the Promised Day. He stayed in Central for only a few days to help out with the cleaning and then shortly after returned to East Command with his superior officer, Lieutenant General Stills, the new leader of that command station. Roy hadn’t heard much from Charlie since then.
“In town on top priority mission. Code green is in effect.”
The words made Roy smile, code green was military slang for “visiting the in- laws”.
“Beta or delta?” he asked.
“With the wife of course. Her parents are celebrating their fifteenth anniversary, an occasion that calls for the whole family to come and eat good food and get drunk.” Charlie stopped briefly, then said, “I was thinking, since I’m in Central I might as well go visit you and your team for a bit.”
Roy chuckled. “So I guess you were about to head to Central Command, huh?”
“Yes,” Charlie replied with a nod. “However, before I came to this bakery I bumped onto someone and was about to get him some coffee while he’s making a quick call at the phone booth.”
“Oh?” Roy said, sounding interested. “Who, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“You’ll see.”
The men went outside after Charlie ordered two cups of coffee. They took several steps until Charlie halted and motioned his hand to the right at Roy. The Brigadier General swung his head and gasped. Waiting besides a phone booth was Havoc, holding a cane in one hand. He beamed at Roy.
“Hello there, Chief.”
Roy approached Havoc and shook his other hand. “It’s great to see you again.”
“I was going to bring him along to Central Command with me,” Charlie said.
“Since all of us are going there, why don’t you guys join me? We can visit the team before I have to go to Grumman’s meeting.”
“Sure! I can’t wait to meet with the gang again,” Havoc said in excitement.
Charlie’s face lit up with a grin. “I’m fine with that, too.”
Roy gave the two a pleased smile and gestured both men to follow him. “I had someone dropped me at the bakery. He can take us to Central Command.”
+++
Riza and the rest of Mustang’s unit were pleasantly surprised when Roy entered the office with Havoc and Charlie. The Brigadier General mentioned how he met the two after finishing his breakfast. The Captain was happy to see Havoc and Charlie again.
The visit itself was quite relaxing and enjoyable, which started with Charlie telling everyone what he had been up to lately, which mostly involved work and spending time with his wife. After three daughters they finally had a son, Franklin. Not long after it was Havoc’s turn and he mentioned the reason for his visit to Central was to come see his friends again.
“The physiotherapist said I’m progressing very well and that the therapy should be over sometime in May, three months from now. He thinks I should still be careful and check with my doctor to make sure my spine is fine, though.”
“That’s wonderful news!” Fuery said, a joyful expression crossing his features. “I guess soon you’ll get to move back to Central.”
“I know my parents will be worried about me going back to the military, but they’ll be supportive too. I really miss working here, so you bet I’m excited getting back to work.” Havoc smiled sadly, but it disappeared when he looked at Ross. “Already used to working under Mustang, Ross?”
“I am,” Ross said, eyes flickering happily. “Helping out with everyone here has been a real joy and am glad to be in this team.”
“Very happy to hear that,” Havoc said, nodding.
Everyone was silent for a short moment. Riza smiled and glad that Ross was part of the group as the First Lieutenant had helped out a lot. She also enjoyed Ross’s company more and more as each day passed. Riza glanced at Roy, who wore the same expression as her. There was no doubt he was thinking the same thing.
“Mustang, you said that you’ll have to meet with Grumman soon,” Charlie said suddenly. “A little nervous how that will go?”
“You could say that.” A tiny smile tugged at Roy’s lips. “The talks will be about the war damages being paid to Aerugo and we’re struggling with that now.”
Riza nodded encouragingly at him. She admitted she also was worried over what would happen during the meeting as reparations were a big deal, but believed it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.
Roy looked back at her with a smile. “I appreciated that.” He was about to say more, but all of a sudden Second Lieutenant Brosh burst into the room looking frantic and disheveled.
“Sir, come quickly! The citizens are rioting at the gates!”
The reaction to the announcement was instantaneous. Roy got to his feet while Riza moved to his side, one hand reaching towards her sidearm.
“What kind of protest, though?” Havoc asked.
“I’m not sure,” Brosh said, “but I think we should go outside and find out.”
Roy nodded and wasted no time exiting his office. Riza and everyone else, including Brosh, soon followed.
When the whole group made it outside, there already were several soldiers and other Central Command employees watching the protest. There was a huge crowd yelling with signs held up high. Riza’s face fell when she spotted the Fuhrer among the audience looking on.
“Fuhrer Grumman!” Roy called out.
Grumman spun around, a stunned expression appearing on his face. “I didn’t expect to see you until later, Mustang.”
“I came to see what all the commotion was. The citizens are very angry right now,” Roy said, great concern in his voice.
“I’m worried this could potentially turn into a mob and lives would be at stake.”
The two men were about to speak more, but Riza saw them turn their attention to the protest.
Riza was able to get a better view of the signs and flinched. All of the signs were more or less about being against the changes happening in Ishval. Close Ishval Districts. Ishval: Waste of Tax Money. Down With Ishval. Reading them made her feel sick.
“Ishvalans better off dead,” Roy read one of the signs aloud in disbelief before letting out a long sigh and closing his eyes. Riza knew Roy expected one of those protests, but it still worried him.
“It looks like another protest concerning Ishval, so I don’t think any force is necessary. Besides, it’s the military police’s job to handle these kind of things.” Grumman took one last glimpse at the protest and faced Roy. “I expect you at the meeting at half an hour.”
“I’ll be there, don’t worry.”
Grumman immediately headed back inside. As Roy gazed at the sky briefly, Riza figured his mind was on the protest. It was evident that he wasn’t particularly happy about this, especially when he had to go to that important discussion soon. Eventually Roy fixed his eyes on the group.
“I need to go to that meeting now. Charlie, Havoc, you guys can stay here a while longer if you like.”
“We’ll be waiting then, Chief,” Havoc said. Charlie nodded encouragingly.
After giving everyone a single nod, Roy took off himself. Riza stared at his back until he made it inside, wondering if the Brigadier General would be able to concentrate after seeing the protest.
+++
George and Edith had been talking for a couple of hours, the Lieutenant Colonel enjoying every moment of it. One of the things he missed was when they could talk for several hours on end as their conversations ranged from politics to their work to the different people they had met from various places. That day Edith talked about some of the engineering projects in North City she was overseeing-stressful, but she enjoyed them. Right after, George discussed some of the future things planned for Ishval, which he was excited for.
“So when is the library going to be finished?”
“The target is around fall this year. I let Mustang know I’m fine with Central Library loaning in the books, but I need to talk with some of the Ishvalans about it first.”
“I see. I hope that will go without any problems.”
Both husband and wife fell silent as they drank their tea. George took a good look at his wife, a troubled expression seemed to spread across her face. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but for some reason wasn’t able to.
“I still can’t stop thinking about the last letter you sent me, George.”
“Oh yeah?” George said as he leaned forward with great interest. “You mean the one in which I visited Xerxes with Mustang, Hawkeye, and Scar several months ago?”
“Yes,” Edith responded with a slow nod. “It’s very fascinating that there are Ishvalans living there.”
“I admit, I was pretty surprised myself when Scar and Mustang told me about that and even more shocked when I saw them myself.”
Edith finished sipping her drink. “I’m glad the meeting went smoothly overall.”
The both of them went quiet once more. George was also happy the discussion with the Ishvalans had gone along nicely, given the circumstances. He wished that things went a little differently, but the Ishvalans’ reactions were to be expected.
“It’s all right.” George paused to give his wife a small smile. “You should go to Xerxes with me someday, it’s beautiful.”
“From the way you described it in your letter, I’m sure it is. You should take me there one day, my dear.”
“I will if you come visit me again,” George said as he leaned in close to Edith, his hand touching her cheek.
“I think I can arrange that.” A smirk slowly formed on Edith’s face, which bemused him a little. “I’m actually considering moving to Ishval to help with the construction there.”
George wasn’t able to find the words to express how surprised he was to hear that. He never thought his wife would want to stay in this region. He was only able to blurt out a stunned “Really?” in response.
“I want to help you rebuild Ishval. The projects in North City are almost done, so I should be able to move here in a few months. That is, if you’re fine with it.”
“Of course I am, Edith,” George said without hesitation.
Edith closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against George’s; he could not wait for the next time he saw her.
+++
(Art by plasticapollos. Leave her comments here!)
Evening came by faster than Riza thought it would. After work, she, Roy, Breda, and Havoc were at her apartment as she invited everyone for tea and sandwiches. Charlie had politely declined as he had to meet up with his wife and in-laws whereas Ross and Fuery had other plans. The four sat around Riza’s kitchen table, talking a little bit about the protest and other matters in Central of lately. Right after that, Roy mentioned what happened during the meeting.
“Overall things are proceeding as planned and talks with Creta and Drachma are still going to happen.”
“Was he worried over the expected payout both countries will want from him?” Breda asked.
“Indeed he was, but Grumman said such is the price of peace.”
“Good to hear everything is going good so far,” Havoc said, smiling.
Riza made a single nod of agreement and smiled too. It was great that at the end the meeting had a favorable outcome. She soon caught a glimpse of both Havoc and Breda looking over the clock, their eyes widening a little.
“Oh, looks like we have to go now,” Breda said when he faced his two superior officers. “Havoc and I are going to be at the bar a block from here and hang out there for a while.”
“You guys have a good time,” Riza said, smiling. “And it’s great talking with you again, Havoc.”
“Yes, I enjoyed our conversation very much,” Roy told Havoc, giving him a content expression.
An appreciative grin spread across Havoc’s face. “Same here.”
Breda and Havoc stood up and waved goodbye to Roy and Riza before leaving the apartment room. Riza gazed at the door for a short time before turning to see Roy with a distant look on his face.
“Still thinking about the protest earlier today?” she asked in concern.
Roy gave out a heavy sigh. “It still troubles me there are those that don’t want anything to do with the Ishvalans. Reminds me of Mitchell Faywell.”
Knowing that would be the case, Riza frowned. She looked at Roy in silence.
“It’s going to be okay, Roy,” she said shortly after. “We’ll figure this out.” Riza got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Roy. She kissed his forehead.
A chuckle escaped the alchemist. “True. I’m getting tired of everything thrown at me when I least expect it.”
The Captain kissed Roy again, this time on the lips. Riza could taste the honey tea she had handed him earlier. “You have me watching your back, so there’s no need to worry.”
They were silent for a second until a suggestive smile appeared on Roy’s face. “Maybe you can help me relax.”
“By helping you get ready for your radio interview that’s coming soon?” Riza threw Roy a smirk of her own. The smile on Roy’s face vanished at that instant and he sighed in exasperation. She loved seeing him being disappointed sometimes.
“I almost forgot about that. It shouldn’t be too hard, though.”
Roy was due to have an interview at Radio Capital tomorrow in which he had to talk about the progress he has made with the revised Ishval policies and what his next course of action would be. Riza knew he had to get his points across without making his cause look bad and in a diplomatic manner, but this would be a good way for Roy and his plans to gain some support.
“You might need to be prepared to explain some of the progress that happened, but yes you should be fine.” Riza ended the embrace and began picking up the plates.
“All right, all right, we can get started soon. You can let me know if whatever I say needs a little work.”
The rest of the night Roy practiced what he was going to say to the public with Riza giving out pointers on how he could word some phrases better among other things, which she enjoyed a lot.
Onto Chapter Eight!
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