Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters.
It was so much easier to lie.
There was truly nothing simpler. How easy it was to answer everything with a prepared lie, to divert the mind from something closer to the truth.
Truths in this business are a dangerous thing, both to know and to speak.
Roy is on the phone again, talking to his favorite lady-friend, or so it seemed at any rate, he called her often enough. Now talking shop with the girl on the other end, now discussing his own hobbies, now listening quietly, wide smile on his face, seemingly oblivious to the work sitting on his desk untouched. Elizabeth-chan deserved his attention more anyhow. The First Lieutenant would never permit such behavior, they said- he takes advantage of her every day off.
The First Lieutenant is the other half of the conversation, acting coy with meaning for her superior's benefit.
Roy twirls a pen between his fingers idly, waiting for the moment when the word 'idly' processes through his Lieutenant's mind and the glance towards him - will do nothing. And she'll be forced to say something out loud, exasperated, and he'll heave a huge sigh and pull something out of the middle of the stack just to see her reaction. Those were ordered, Colonel!, probably.
The First Lieutenant knows she needn't put on this act, all the truly important paperwork she found on her desk this morning, the rest is just busywork –bureaucracy at it's finest. But she does anyways, because this too is a façade he needs.
Roy clicks his fingers, and Ishbal's most reliable alchemy scorches the ground. A column of flame, visible for blocks, and the roar of scorched air rises where there was once a calm sky. The power of a State Alchemist at work, they say. Impressive, but a little terrifying. He takes all the credit and all the blame.
The First Lieutenant knows she gave him that power.
Catastrophe strikes, because even the greatest of lies cannot hide trust.
Riza empties herself of all that is not duty during the day, continuing with the same duties she always did, the person she serves now the enemy. She must make herself useful, keep herself upright, have flawless conduct. And she can pull something from this, feed it to the Colonel, and be useful still.
The Colonel can tell she's acting, and waits for her message, boring himself stupid with paperwork, now that there's no one to badger him into doing it.
Riza knows there will be a day when she will have to move, when she will have to choose between duty and loyalty. The choice is clear. She believes in his mission and not the military.
The Colonel knows her choice has been made. He knows she dislikes killing, but that he's going to ask her to kill more people for him – knows that she will kill for his cause even without his request. And accepts her logic.
They both know they're deceiving themselves. How simple, to live your life by a lie. To accept that their lives are full of hypocrisy and deception, and to not question the reasoning they give themselves.
She will not question why it is that she's willing to throw everything away for him, over and over and over. He will not question why he designated her his queen piece. She will not question her dedication. He will not question his.
...It's so much easier to lie.