One Spot on the Beach - Thursday Evening
The Copper Isles were surrounded by water - thus the name, yes - but there was something about Fandom's beach that Aly always had a soft spot for and whenever she visited the island, she found her way to the water eventually to sit on the beach and let herself think about whatever came to mind. The view and the water wasn't exactly the same as most of the time she'd been on the island - the moving about saw to that, but it was still the same beach, and in some ways, that was what mattered.
Hughes had never been here before, but it was more than a sense of curiosity that brought him to the beach. He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the scent and sound of ocean, aware of the woman now watching him. "I've never seen the ocean," he told her without looking in her direction.
The Amestrian uniform had been a bit of a shock. The only one she'd ever seen in Fandom was Roy's, and this guy obviously wasn't. "Doesn't surprise me," she commented, looking back out towards the waves. "Amestris being landlocked and all."
His eyes snapped open, but he didn't turn right away, hiding his shock at her words. "It seems you have me at a disadvantage, knowing about Amestris when all I know is this place is far away from it. It's a curious name, Fandom, isn't it?"
Aly couldn't help smirking just a little at that touch of surprise. "Is it? I've always thought it was the perfect name for the island, but then I'm used to it." She narrowed her eyes a little as she watched him, seeing something in her Sight but unsure what exactly it was.
"It might be," he agreed, "but I've only just gotten here and I don't think I'll be staying long enough to find out." The sand shifted under his boots as he turned towards her, reminding him of something he'd rather not think of now. "So I might as well enjoy the time I've got here," he said, smiling broadly. "I'm sure a lovely lady as yourself will have some recommendations. I don't think I caught your name?"
She raised an eyebrow at the rank cords revealed on his shoulder as he turned. "I'm sure I could help you with that, General. But why only stay a short time? Does duty call so soon?" She stood gracefully, brushing her skirt free of sand as she did before offering him her hand. "Aly."
"Something like it," he said lightly, shaking her hand. "Maes Hughes," he introduced himself and then beamed. "Wait. And this..." he pulled a picture from his pocket and instantly holding it out for Aly to see. "This is my little girl Elysia. The picture's a bit outdated now, but isn't she just the cutest?"
Oh. This time it was Aly's turn to hide her shock as she heard his name and looked at the picture. "She's adorable," she agreed softly. She wished she had a more recent picture of Elysia to share with him. Did those who died in Amestris see their loved ones as they grew up? She knew they didn't go to the Black God, but - surely some deity must take pity on those who died fighting the good fight. Aly looked up at him, unable to contain the question. "Have you seen her recently?"
"More recent for me than for her," Hughes replied with a hint of trepidation, but it disappeared as he shoved the picture even closer to her face. "Doesn't change that she's the cutest little girl you've ever seen. Isn't she? Doesn't it cheer you right up, looking at the angel face? She's just like her daddy, all cute and adorable!"
Oh good. Finally Aly laughed, wrinkling her nose at him. "Elysia's cute and adorable, but I'm pretty sure she's way cuter than her da. Something about the blonde hair," she teased.
"Yeah, you've got me there," he pulled back, considering the picture himself. "She looks more like her mother anyway." He shook his head, pushing back on the melancholy, he was here for a reason. "So how do you know about Amestris, Aly with no last name."
"I've a last name, General Hughes," she replied, studying him carefully. Between the rank and the glow in her Sight, Aly was convinced that Hughes was dead and not just from a different point on his time line, but it wasn't good to be too cavalier about things relating to the time line. Aunt Sam would know after all, and she'd already had that lecture a million times. "I've been there a time or three with a friend of mine," she said finally. "A mutual friend if I'm not mistaken."
He raised an eyebrow and it was easy to put her implications together with the reasons of his being here. Still, he knew not to get ahead of himself. Besides, there was something about the way she was studying him that made him curious. "And who might that be then?" he asked.
She raised an eyebrow back at him, wondering for an instant if ghosts carried knives, and if so, which would be the first he reached for in a fight. "You mean you don't know?"
He held up his hands, still holding Elysia's picture. "I did tell you that I've never been here," he pointed out. "I've been out of the loop of sorts. It's rather annoying too."
"Dying does that to a person," Aly remarked, eyebrow still raised.
Hughes chuckled at her candidness. "You know Roy," he decided. "Definitely know him. You're too pretty for him not too and he'd have too much fun with you."
"Mmm," Aly's lips twisted at the words. "As long as he'd have fun with me of course...though I'll give you the point about his eye for the pretty girls."
"I'm sorry, I meant no offence," he said sincerely, his smile never fading. "I'm sure he can be equally as fun, but he's really not my type so it's hard to tell."
She laughed, shaking her head a little. "No offence taken. So. Maes Hughes. I've heard a lot about you over the past years." The apparently random dropping of the timeframe was purely to see his reaction given when she knew about Hughes' inclination in the past. "What brings you to Fandom?"
Years made sense and he nodded slowly in appreciation. "Our mutual friend actually. It seems there's some things to clear up," he smirked as he rubbed the stubbles on his chin, his eyes sweeping down her body as he considered her. "Like finding him a wife."
Aly's laughter didn't stop as she shook her head at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You think it's time for General Mustang to settle down?" she asked. "I'm sure I could help you come up with several suitable candidates."
"He doesn't learn, does he?" Hughes shook his head. "You don't happen to know where we can find him now, do you? Because you should tell me all about those candidates along the way."
"I'm not bad at tracking him down," Aly said easily, turning to start up the beach towards her shoes. "The first one you'll want to mention is named Dove. He's enjoys flirting with her quite a bit."
"Dove?" Hughes repeated, frowning. "That's no one of Madam Christmas's girls? Sounds like an alias," he mused with a sigh.
Laughing, she wrapped her hand around his elbow as they walked. "She is certainly not one of Madam Christmas' girls," she promised. "Perhaps she's a little younger than Roy, but aren't we all."
"Some more than others," he agreed, glancing down at her and he guessed her somewhere around 26 herself. "Even if he insists he's still 29."
Aly rolled her eyes, her other hand coming up to touch his forearm and smiling just slightly as her fingers brushed over the knife she expected. "It's getting to be a little pathetic, that pretense," she commented. "If you could talk him out of it, I'd appreciate it."
"There's some battles even I know they can't be won," he shook his head. "Besides, you're pretending not to check me out." He didn't mean that kind of checking out either, but he trusted her to know that. If his instincts were right - and they usually were - then he knew exactly what game she was playing. It was refreshing too, like stretching out a muscle he hadn't used in a while.
"Am I? I thought I was being pretty overt about it, myself," she acknowledged, giving him a winning smile. "Only seemed fair that we be on at least a few of the same pages."
He let out a breath and nodded slowly. "And now you have me wondering what other pages we're on. I get the feeling Roy's told you a lot."
"Stick around for a while," Aly invited, squeezing his arm lightly. "Bet you'll find out."
Hughes had never been here before, but it was more than a sense of curiosity that brought him to the beach. He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the scent and sound of ocean, aware of the woman now watching him. "I've never seen the ocean," he told her without looking in her direction.
The Amestrian uniform had been a bit of a shock. The only one she'd ever seen in Fandom was Roy's, and this guy obviously wasn't. "Doesn't surprise me," she commented, looking back out towards the waves. "Amestris being landlocked and all."
His eyes snapped open, but he didn't turn right away, hiding his shock at her words. "It seems you have me at a disadvantage, knowing about Amestris when all I know is this place is far away from it. It's a curious name, Fandom, isn't it?"
Aly couldn't help smirking just a little at that touch of surprise. "Is it? I've always thought it was the perfect name for the island, but then I'm used to it." She narrowed her eyes a little as she watched him, seeing something in her Sight but unsure what exactly it was.
"It might be," he agreed, "but I've only just gotten here and I don't think I'll be staying long enough to find out." The sand shifted under his boots as he turned towards her, reminding him of something he'd rather not think of now. "So I might as well enjoy the time I've got here," he said, smiling broadly. "I'm sure a lovely lady as yourself will have some recommendations. I don't think I caught your name?"
She raised an eyebrow at the rank cords revealed on his shoulder as he turned. "I'm sure I could help you with that, General. But why only stay a short time? Does duty call so soon?" She stood gracefully, brushing her skirt free of sand as she did before offering him her hand. "Aly."
"Something like it," he said lightly, shaking her hand. "Maes Hughes," he introduced himself and then beamed. "Wait. And this..." he pulled a picture from his pocket and instantly holding it out for Aly to see. "This is my little girl Elysia. The picture's a bit outdated now, but isn't she just the cutest?"
Oh. This time it was Aly's turn to hide her shock as she heard his name and looked at the picture. "She's adorable," she agreed softly. She wished she had a more recent picture of Elysia to share with him. Did those who died in Amestris see their loved ones as they grew up? She knew they didn't go to the Black God, but - surely some deity must take pity on those who died fighting the good fight. Aly looked up at him, unable to contain the question. "Have you seen her recently?"
"More recent for me than for her," Hughes replied with a hint of trepidation, but it disappeared as he shoved the picture even closer to her face. "Doesn't change that she's the cutest little girl you've ever seen. Isn't she? Doesn't it cheer you right up, looking at the angel face? She's just like her daddy, all cute and adorable!"
Oh good. Finally Aly laughed, wrinkling her nose at him. "Elysia's cute and adorable, but I'm pretty sure she's way cuter than her da. Something about the blonde hair," she teased.
"Yeah, you've got me there," he pulled back, considering the picture himself. "She looks more like her mother anyway." He shook his head, pushing back on the melancholy, he was here for a reason. "So how do you know about Amestris, Aly with no last name."
"I've a last name, General Hughes," she replied, studying him carefully. Between the rank and the glow in her Sight, Aly was convinced that Hughes was dead and not just from a different point on his time line, but it wasn't good to be too cavalier about things relating to the time line. Aunt Sam would know after all, and she'd already had that lecture a million times. "I've been there a time or three with a friend of mine," she said finally. "A mutual friend if I'm not mistaken."
He raised an eyebrow and it was easy to put her implications together with the reasons of his being here. Still, he knew not to get ahead of himself. Besides, there was something about the way she was studying him that made him curious. "And who might that be then?" he asked.
She raised an eyebrow back at him, wondering for an instant if ghosts carried knives, and if so, which would be the first he reached for in a fight. "You mean you don't know?"
He held up his hands, still holding Elysia's picture. "I did tell you that I've never been here," he pointed out. "I've been out of the loop of sorts. It's rather annoying too."
"Dying does that to a person," Aly remarked, eyebrow still raised.
Hughes chuckled at her candidness. "You know Roy," he decided. "Definitely know him. You're too pretty for him not too and he'd have too much fun with you."
"Mmm," Aly's lips twisted at the words. "As long as he'd have fun with me of course...though I'll give you the point about his eye for the pretty girls."
"I'm sorry, I meant no offence," he said sincerely, his smile never fading. "I'm sure he can be equally as fun, but he's really not my type so it's hard to tell."
She laughed, shaking her head a little. "No offence taken. So. Maes Hughes. I've heard a lot about you over the past years." The apparently random dropping of the timeframe was purely to see his reaction given when she knew about Hughes' inclination in the past. "What brings you to Fandom?"
Years made sense and he nodded slowly in appreciation. "Our mutual friend actually. It seems there's some things to clear up," he smirked as he rubbed the stubbles on his chin, his eyes sweeping down her body as he considered her. "Like finding him a wife."
Aly's laughter didn't stop as she shook her head at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You think it's time for General Mustang to settle down?" she asked. "I'm sure I could help you come up with several suitable candidates."
"He doesn't learn, does he?" Hughes shook his head. "You don't happen to know where we can find him now, do you? Because you should tell me all about those candidates along the way."
"I'm not bad at tracking him down," Aly said easily, turning to start up the beach towards her shoes. "The first one you'll want to mention is named Dove. He's enjoys flirting with her quite a bit."
"Dove?" Hughes repeated, frowning. "That's no one of Madam Christmas's girls? Sounds like an alias," he mused with a sigh.
Laughing, she wrapped her hand around his elbow as they walked. "She is certainly not one of Madam Christmas' girls," she promised. "Perhaps she's a little younger than Roy, but aren't we all."
"Some more than others," he agreed, glancing down at her and he guessed her somewhere around 26 herself. "Even if he insists he's still 29."
Aly rolled her eyes, her other hand coming up to touch his forearm and smiling just slightly as her fingers brushed over the knife she expected. "It's getting to be a little pathetic, that pretense," she commented. "If you could talk him out of it, I'd appreciate it."
"There's some battles even I know they can't be won," he shook his head. "Besides, you're pretending not to check me out." He didn't mean that kind of checking out either, but he trusted her to know that. If his instincts were right - and they usually were - then he knew exactly what game she was playing. It was refreshing too, like stretching out a muscle he hadn't used in a while.
"Am I? I thought I was being pretty overt about it, myself," she acknowledged, giving him a winning smile. "Only seemed fair that we be on at least a few of the same pages."
He let out a breath and nodded slowly. "And now you have me wondering what other pages we're on. I get the feeling Roy's told you a lot."
"Stick around for a while," Aly invited, squeezing his arm lightly. "Bet you'll find out."