((B. A/N: I about exhausted myself with this one so IMP its not THAT good. Just a warning. Still tell me what you think I suppose. ))
Thousands of tiny needles hit her being as she fell into the white powder that engulfed the world around her. The snow felt like falling into stone despite its soft appearance, its unrelenting force pushed the warm air from her lungs as she struggled to get it back. Her breath came in shallow puffs, her chest shuddering from the sting of each as crisp sharp air filled her head. She willed herself to move, to get up or risk freezing to death on the harsh terrain.
The touch was intense, beyond cold, beyond anything she had ever felt before. Her hands practically froze in the fisted grip she held. Her body shook like a leaf in the wind storm that began to form. She forced herself to find her will to move her body, finding it would not respond to her commands. She tried to climb back into the wreck of the vehicle that she had been in. The car had skidded off the slippery road from above and tumbled down the hill side finally resting at the base of a tree. She yearned to find some warmth in the car and if anything, for anyone to find her.
She crawled back into the car she had hung out of in the crash. If anything from the leather to the cheap plastic that lined the cars sides. Moving her leg she let out an anguished cry realizing as she looked at it the odd angel it now stood at and the pain in her body from the impact only kept her guessing what other complications she may have.
Her bones were like glass in the extreme climates of the freezer type world. She panted her body in shock from the sudden strike of pain. Her body head gradually began to disappear; a searing chilling wind came up to greet her helping her body shut itself down. The fog of her breath blowing past her parted lips became thick and blurred her vision. She rested her back against the car, the metal searing her skin like hot fire.
Her thoughts came to her slowly as a whimper of a strangled call for 'help' escaped her frozen blue lips. She shouldn't have left so abruptly. She shouldn't have let herself get so upset. She shouldn't have acted that way.
The winter ball issued by military was a common yearly event for military personal and ranking officers. The balls were said to be nothing short of beautiful and most of all a time to celebrate the coming of the new year to come. Personal invitations were sent to ranking officers of higher rank and their subordinates to attend.
Riza had never gone before and usually denied the invitation year after. She wasn't one to attend such events let alone didn't have anyone to go with nor bothered asking or leaving herself open to ask. She at the rate did not care. When she walked into her office to see the usual customary invitation on her desk she merely looked at it dejectedly and cast it aside having no other plans then to get started on her paperwork for the day so she could go home and rest for the evening before her weekend.
Colonel Roy Mustang sat at his desk strangely early to work that day causing her to shoot a surprised glance towards him. She greeted him with a brief good morning as she sat at her desk and a quick 'good morning', before she began on the day's work. The other subordinates had received orders to be out on field duty due to higher orders to cause their absence for the day.
The Colonel returned the greeting scrolling someone on a document before he placed the pen down and crossed his hands, leaning forward on his knuckles, his arms propping them up and beginning on the usual delay of doing his work, the continuous cycle that occurred each and every day at work.
Riza noticed the quiet tap of a pen stop as it was placed on the table and a delay. She did not hear a sigh of disapproval over work or a groan of despair upon seeing the paperwork he had to do for that day like she expected to hear. Riza felt eyes on her and looked up to see him.
"Sir?" she spoke.
Colonel Mustang continued to look her way before smiling.
" You received your invitation to the yearly Winter Ball yet?" He asked seemingly casual, she found the question still odd to come from him. He usually didn't delve into her business so forwardly.
Riza frowned vaguely remembering the envelope she'd tossed aside on her desk. She looked to it noting the emblem on the back before looking back towards Colonel Mustang.
"Guess I did..." She spoke tight lipped holding her disapproval towards the event.
"You finally going to go this year?" he prodded.
Riza frowned giving him a look that spoke for her in a 'what do you expect' sort of manner.
"Perhaps you shouldn't worry about my agenda and more so yours… paper work isn't going to get done itself, Sir."
Roy gave her an uncomfortable look and shrugged trying to forget them.
"I came to work early; I think I can kill some time." He replied.
Riza showed her irritation but didn't voice it to her superior, only looking down and continuing to skim over the file she'd been reviewing.
"So are you going?" came the Colonels voice again after a long pause in conversation.
Riza snapped her head up and replied.
"I have never gone year after year, what makes you think I'll suddenly decide to go for once?" she stated sharply.
Roy gave her an amused look before speaking again.
"Because I'm asking you." He stated simply.
Riza felt her heart throb wondering where on earth that came from. She couldn't help a brief smile breaking her otherwise neutral face.
"And what makes you asking so special?" She spoke shooting him down.
Roy gaffed. "Aw that's a low blow Lt. … come on, give me some credit."
Riza rolled her eyes. "How about you get your work done and I'll give you an answer."
"Is that a yes?" he pried.
Riza's eyes bore into him. "Get your work done."
Unfortunately to Riza's knowing, Roy had only asked if she was going to go and not inviting her along with him. Colonel Mustang had showed up to the ball with a young woman he'd picked up at a diner. Riza seeing this had been vaguely confused and resented being hurt knowing she was just an asset of his work and nothing more. She hated her ignorance, as well as she hated the dress she wore. Not owning any since she was a little girl she had gone to buy one for the event. She had spent several hours trying to make herself presentable and with that had even bothered to fix her hair so it lay down laced behind her shoulders. Upon arriving to the Winter Ball she'd received compliments from Jean Havoc and several other officers she knew well and recognized her with the subtle changes. The man who had coaxed her to come in the first place simply ignored her, no, he didn't see her. She doubted he even recognized her in the first place, and seeing him with his 'date' she wasn't going to bother to interrupt him. She felt the anger and chilling despair in her as she joined several officers at the active bar held in the event.
Among the officers she managed a bit of small talk, but none were willing to go beyond that. The bar had been her closest friend for the night. No one aside from those who she would speak to first dared compliment her let alone speak in general, too afraid of her rigged form and quite knowledgeable of her reputation. With that and feeling the waste of her night drift by, she hunched somewhat over the bar propping herself up with one arm as she sipped at a glass looking more lethal then she usually would on a bad day.
Roy holding his date by the waist spotted Riza as the approached the bar. He smiled it faltering in confusion as he finally noticed her and the changes she'd done. Her elegance beamed at him and he was for the moment stunned as he hesitantly spoke her title.
"Lt Hawkeye…?" he said. Riza hearing her name gave an irritated flinch as if moving her head were too much trouble before she noticed who had spoken her name.
"Glad to see you could make it." He continued in a more cheerily tone. He noticed several empty glasses on the bar table and one in her hand full of an amber liquid.
Upon seeing him she instantly downed the drink she held. She then placed the glass down rather forcefully to join the others as it made a dull thudding sound against the wood. She closed her eyes as the liquid burned on her insides once again furthering her impaired judgment. She rounded her burgundy gaze to the Colonel and into his own blue eyes before she spoke.
'Good evening, sir." She said emphasizing the 'sir', even with her speech beginning to slur.
Roy gave her an unreadable look trying not to show the concern and disappointment he saw her in for the moment.
"Lt. Hawkeye? …how much have you been drinking?" he asked though knew by the empty glasses it was evident. His voice betrayed him portraying his concern.
The woman in his arm giggled upon seeing the man that held her questioning the officer and amused at the drunken woman. Roy looked unamused to the woman then back towards Lt. Hawkeye. Riza's face was no longer the dull eyed somber look he'd seen her with just a split second before. Instead a sinister stare bore into the woman.
"Hawkeye…" Roy spoke but then cringed when he heard Riza bark to the bartender for another drink, her eyes looking at the man behind the bar as if she would kill him if he didn't bring it to her fast.
Roy noted the reaction and didn't want a fight to occur.
"C'mon Maria…lets go to our table... Good to see you Lt. You look nice." He said hastily trying to turn with the woman to get away quickly, and with some effort to flatter the Lt. and speak his truth.
Maria looked to Riza then turned her head snubly.
"You really outta keep your secretary in check. You're a colonel aren't you?" She stated in her thick southern sounding accent.
Roy hearing that cringed. He didn't need to look to know Riza had heard he woman and was now fuming just finishing half the glass of the drink that had been brought to her. She threw the glass and remaining liquid to the floor where it shattered and moved off the stool beginning towards her, Riza groping around her sides for her guns in which she'd left home in spite of the event.
"Keep your bitch in line Colonel! I'm sure this one's just another tramp off the streets again?" she mocked her words too marbled for her to control properly. She took a few steps after them.
Maria turned around quickly offended pulling from Roy's grasp. Roy was shocked and hid the fact that he would have laughed if this wasn't for a formal event where the entire military attended. He knew you never crossed his Lt. like that, but this time she had crossed him. His eyes narrowed to her.
"Watch your tongue Lt. You know better than to speak to a commanding officer in such a fashion." He said coldly.
Riza gave a laugh. " Oh weeelll then a guessh I mustve forgotteeen , Shurrr." She stated sarcastically to impaired to realize the mistakes she was making.
Roy gave Riza a glance before he quietly spoke to Maria. "You go back to the table; I'll take care of this." He said.
Maria nodded and left giving Roy a last glance before walking across the long ballroom towards the table where she and Roy were seated.
Roy glanced around glad she hadn't attracted unwanted attention that would affect his reputation.
"Lt. What's gotten into you?" he spoke in a quiet but threatening whisper.
Riza's eyes rose to him fearlessly.
'Your arrogance." She snapped.
"m-my arrogance?" he almost laughed. "Look at yourself Lt., you're a mess and what on earth did I do anyway?"
Riza fumed. "You're always doing the same god damn tirade!" she spoke
"The same tirade? What are you talking about?" his laugh faded and he began to grow concerned and angry again. " Riza what's the matter?" he said not caring he hadn't used her title, only wanting his message to get across.
Riza hearing her name silenced seemingly realizing and ingesting the question.
"I'm going home." She slurred finally and turned to leave. Roy caught her arm and turned her figure back to face him.
Riza feeling herself touched gave him a look in disbelief as if 'how dare he'. Roy felt if she had a gun at the moment he would be a dead man. If there's was anything scarier then Riza with a drawn gun, there was a drunk Riza with a drawn gun where she may shoot mercilessly. Considering Roy was still there breathing she must not have a gun on her.
"Wait… here..." he said letting go of her and fishing out his wallet taking several bills out and handing them to her. "Take a cab home… you're too drunk to drive."
Riza snorted at that. " Fine."
She said irritably and took the bills. If it would make him leave her alone she was willing to say she'd do anything he said, even if she eventually wouldn't.
"Next time be careful how you let on asking a girl to go places." She spoke dangerously to him her voice low. "I don't want to get stuck at one of these events for nothing again." With that she turned to leave without a word more.
Riza in her frustration and poor judgment from the intoxication did not get a cab like Roy had told her too. Instead she got into her car and attempted to drive home.
Now completely sober, in pain, and freezing to death she regretted every action she had done and couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. She was royally disgusted in herself at that.
Her head began to swim from the cold as it felt like it seeped straight into her bones, chilling her from the inside out.
Quietly the rushing wind and cold had beyond numbed her. Her chances at moving were now completely gone as she lay sitting upright wedged half against the car, snow beginning to bury her form as a fresh fall began to brew within the winds. The air from her lungs began to slowly cease with the freezing sting each shaky breath brought. She slowly closed her eyes. She needed to escape the cold hell of a wasteland. Sleep sounded good. With sleep she had a chance of obtaining what she felt was warmth. The cold no longer burned her body but it was still there. She was painless now save for her chest that continued to rise and fall causing pain in just trying to breath. She had wished it would stop so she could achieve being painless. Her mind slowed from her struggle to live or find some excuse to push herself. She couldn't find any and her mind slipped. The night remained dark. She was alone and frigid in the unrelenting glacial purgatory.
((A/N: yeaaahhh I know it sucks. Sounded like a good idea at the time. I have another chapter written somewhere if anyone wants me to continue otherwise it's kind of a bleh fanfic imo. Was an assignment I decided to real quick turn into a fic… then got lazy or uninspired when typing it up. Ah well. ))