Cassie Keynes sat on the train heading to Central. She stared glumly out the window as the world passed her by and slowly changed from tundra to foliage and finally to the sprawling city she despised. She did her best to avoid trips to Central because nothing good ever came of it. This time was no different. She had received a call from Roy Mustang requesting her presence in Central to assist with some urgent matter. Few details were given, but Cassie knew from working with Mustang that nothing good could possibly be around the corner. An old friend from her military training days was going to house her until the case was over. Sure enough, as Cassie stepped off the train, she noticed a blonde man in a military uniform smoking a cigarette.
"So," Cassie said as she approached the man. "I see you're still keeping up that bad habit." She had a stern look on her face.
"And I see you're still wearing that stupid thing," Jean Havoc said as he gestured to her knee-length fur coat.
"It's cold in the North!" She retorted.
"I'm just saying, you're gonna melt wearing that here. Instead of the Snow Alchemist, they'll be calling you the Puddle Alchemist."
Cassie groaned at this. In the five years since she was given the name Snow Alchemist, she had heard countless jokes about the name and almost all came from this man.
"Your jokes are as bad as ever. I'm guessing you're still single?"
"Hey! For your information, I started seeing a beautiful woman recently."
"I'll believe it when I see it." Cassie stood on her toes and rustled Jean's hair. "Now let's go find somewhere to eat, I'm starving."
"Actually, lunch is ready at my place." Jean said as he grabbed Cassie's suitcase from her. No one looking would have picked up on it, but he gently squeezed her hand twice as he grabbed it and she immediately became much more interested in what he was saying.
"Oh? Did you cook for me?"
"No, it's takeout from this nice place I recently found out about. Actually, I found out about it from the Colonel. I guess he went there on a date with that Elizabeth girl once."
"Well, if the Colonel enjoys it, I can only assume it's not too my liking."
"Hey, I think you'll be in for a surprise though it may be a bit too adventurous for your taste." Cassie linked her arm around Jean's and smiled at him.
"Don't worry, I've been stuck in the North with the same basic food for so long, I'm sure this will be a nice treat." Despite her smile, Cassie could not help but feel a little dread about what was really about to happen.
The rest of the walk to Jean's apartment was spent idly chatting about mundane things. Jean told Cassie about the girl he had to leave behind when he moved to Central and Cassie told Jean about life in the North. Her day to day routine was relatively low key. She lived in a small town close to Briggs. Well, as close to Briggs as a town could be. She visited Briggs a couple times a month to assist with anything they may need. The main reason she was stationed up there was in case Drachma, the country to the north of Amestris, ever decided to try and invade. Cassie was not entirely sure how helpful she would be in that situation, but she was given the post by the Fuhrer a few years ago, so she really did not have an option. She did not really mind it that much. Cassie grew up in the North and loved the winter climate. The time she spent in Central when she first became a State Alchemist had been rough on her. The climate is relatively mild there, but it was too much for her. Winter ran through her blood. Her affinity for the cold was partially why she had been given the name Snow Alchemist.
"Well, here we are," Jean said as they stopped in front of an apartment building. He unlocked the door and led Cassie up a flight to the second floor. He opened the door to his apartment and gestured for her to walk in first. Upon entering, Cassie immediately noticed the blonde woman sitting at Jean's kitchen table.
"Hello, Hawkeye, it's been a while."
"Hi, Keynes." Cassie sat across from the woman.
"So, what mess is the Colonel dragging me into now?" She asked the older woman.
Hawkeye closed her eyes a for a moment and sighed.
"As you probably heard, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was killed."
"Yes, I know how much he meant to you all. I'm sorry." Hawkeye gave a slight nod. Ever since Cassie met the woman, she had been aware of the sadness that lived in the other woman's eyes. It was not always noticeable, but Cassie knew it was always there. She never asked Hawkeye about her time in Ishval, but she could only imagine what those eyes had seen.
"Does the Colonel want me to help find the Lieutenant Colonel's killer?"
"That's the official reason for your visit and the Colonel will provide you with an official debrief tomorrow, but there is something else. This is going to be a bit of a shock and may very well sound crazy to you."
"Oh, I love crazy. Why do you think I'm still friends with this guy." She joked as she gestured towards Jean who feigned injury at the remark. A bit of a smile broke Hawkeye's face before she began giving Cassie the truth.
About half an hour later, Cassie was in a daze. Hawkeye had just explained to her how the Colonel believed one of their own was being framed for Hughes' death and what Hughes had been investigating leading up to his murder. She had told Cassie the plan to fake Maria's death and lure out the real murderer. Cassie was brought in to support the Colonel in terms of alchemy power since there was no knowing who they were facing.
"Will you help us?" Hawkeye asked bluntly with her typical serious face.
"I have one question. Did the Colonel himself suggest bringing me here to help or is this your doing?" It was hard to tell, but Cassie thought she detected a smirk on Hawkeye's face.
"Believe it or not, but the Colonel was adamant that you be a part of this. I believe his exact phrasing was 'the Snow alchemist may be unmotivated and bad at her job, but she has a knack for detecting lies.'"
"Well, he may be arrogant and power hungry, but at least he can appreciate my talent for calling out people's bullshit." Cassie let out a laugh at her own statement as Hawkeye sighed. The older woman stood up from the table.
"I'll see you tomorrow for your official debrief. Please try not to ruffle the Colonel's feathers too much."
"No promises, Hawkeye."
As Hawkeye opened the door she turned and smiled at the young brunette in the fur coat.
"It is nice to see you again, Keynes." With that, she departed.
"So," Jean said as he sat down in the chair Hawkeye recently vacated. There was a sparkle in his eyes and an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Are you ready for this mission?"
"I can only hope so." Cassie said as she stared out the window. Just then, her stomach let out a growl. "Where's this food you promised me?"
After eating, Cassie crashed in Jean's bed for a nap. Her journey had been long and she needed to process all the information Hawkeye had relayed to her. She was so far removed from Central and most of society, that she had no clue what was going on in most of Amestris. Deep inside her, she had a bad feeling that something bad was bound to happen. Then again, maybe it was just her concern over the fact that Mustang was desperate enough to ask her for help. They had not exactly gotten along when she was under his command in East City. All these thoughts circulated through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.