Disclaimer: I, Panda, don't own FMA. All I have is applesauce and homework piling up. Anyone wanna trade?
The dust from the roads had flown up in the wind and was intent on lodging itself in Roy's windpipe. He gave a cough that was anything but genteel to get the persistent dust out of his throat. Unfortunately, his efforts were fruitless. Angrily kicking a small pebble, Roy could not help but steam in the already muggy afternoon.
He was an alchemist damn it! Albeit an alchemist in training…but he had rights too and was certainly not an errands boy. It was only a few hours ago that his sensei looked at him with his bulging blue eyes and told him his instruction that day was to consist of waiting at the train station for Sensei's daughter who was returning from a prolonged visit to her grandparents. Why Sensei did not go himself to retrieve his kid was beyond young Mustang.
'She must be a real freak.' Roy mused bitterly to himself as he leaned against the aged wooden post of the "station". It was more of a wooden platform with a sheet metal roof for protection from the elements. 'Probably horribly ugly,' the eleven year old alchemist in training continued thinking grimly, 'Gap tooth…with a lisp. Or perhaps as stupid as a hay stack. I can't stand unintelligent people. Maybe this Elizabeth is both. She has to be pretty bad to have been shipped off for four years.' Mustang sighed in frustration. "Why the hell didn't Sensei just do this himself?" He asked aloud to nobody. The closest form of civilization was three miles east beyond the platform and twice that much from the Hawkeye estate. "When am I ever going to use this in my alchemy? I'm not a damned paper boy!"
His rantings died down as the breeze kicked up some more dust that naturally found its way to his throat. It was too damned hot and far too dangerous to open his mouth with out getting more dust than a tomb in his mouth. All Roy could do was lean against the poor excuse of a depot and fume.
At length the train slowly pulled into the "station" and in the third car from the end, the conductor stepped out of the small door carrying a wooden step. He set it down and extended his right hand to help the passenger down from the train.
A small gloved hand pressed into the conductor's. "Big step now, darlin'." The conductor warned as the exact opposite of what Roy expected hopped down from the train. Sensei's daughter was a petite little thing. If it wasn't for Sensei telling Roy that his daughter was eight, Roy would have estimated that she was at least six. She was well dressed in a dusty pink dress and a ridiculously frilly pinafore. And a bow of the same dusty pink was tied to the top of her head to keep her fine golden curls out of her face. Roy couldn't put his finger on why but the outfit looked a little odd on her. The dilapidated Hawkeye estate came into Roy's mind and he realized that a majority of his master's income went to make sure his daughter stayed in the upper crust of society.
"Do you see your Daddy, darlin'?" The conductor asked and the girl spoke to him quietly, pointing a white gloved finger at Roy.
"Take care, Miss Hawkeye." The conductor smiled warmly as he got back onto the train, the step in hand.
"You too, Mr. Cumbergail!" Sensei's daughter replied with an abnormally large smile. She waved at the train until it disappeared on the horizon, not even acknowledging Roy. The future Colonel took this time to analyze this Elizabeth Hawkeye. She seemed normal enough and his curiosity took a small lead over annoyance. He couldn't understand why she was sent away.
"Mr. Mustang?" came the small delicate inquiry. It seemed that in the moment of musing, the girl noticed him. She seemed to observe him with eyes of amber. Roy only grunted in reply. It didn't matter if she was dressed like a china doll or pleasant. She was not alchemy and that was why he signed on to study under Mr. Hawkeye.
"I'm Riza." She told him with a perky smile, "Well…that's what my Meemah calls me. My full name is Elizabeth. But I like Riza much better. You can call me Riza or Elizabeth…" She paused to notice that Roy had noiselessly picked up her carpet bag and began walking down the dirt road. She followed him like a little duckling and continued jabbering. "Or you can call me what ever you like." She finished, running to keep pace with Roy's large strides.
"Take time out to breathe, Hawkeye." Roy told her shortly. "Just because your father sent me to collect you does not mean I do not have things to do."
If she picked up on the slight, Riza did not show any inclination that it stung. She had caught up with Roy but had to walk three steps for his one. Like the annoying hum of a machine, she kept talking. "I'm excited to see Daddy. I haven't seen him in a long time…not since Mama died. I stayed with Meemah and Pappy for a while in the city. They've both been really nice to me. Pappy is a general in the army and he let me braid his mustache once. But I don't like the city. It's too stuffy and…"
As she rambled at the speed of light, Roy realized why she was sent away from the estate: the girl never shut up!
"A GOAT!"
The exclamation had caught Roy off guard and the next thing the young alchemist knew, the girl was running full speed after a black and white goat who was formerly grazing placidly on the wildflowers. It bleated in indignation at being disturbed from its lunch by this hyperactive human child and began retreating.
Sighing Roy followed his charge. "Hawkeye!" he yelled after the girl, "Get the hell back here!"
"I've never pet a goat before!" the girl lobbied. Being in the city did not offer many goat petting opportunities. Roy sighed angrily as he caught up with Riza and took hold of her upper arm to keep her from pursuing the chase. Mustang didn't want to spend any more time on this errand than he had to.
"There are goats at the estate, Hawkeye." Roy said in hopes of enticing her. For a small thing, she was writhing with all of her might to get loose of his hold and resume her chase. At hearing his assurance, she paused and looked at him with large obsidian eyes. "Really, really?"
"Sure, why not." Roy replied boredly. He formed it more as a statement rather than a question. He began to lead her back to the road, noting the mud splashed on her pure white pinafore. She paused for a moment, feet firmly planted on the ground.
"Is it a pretty goat?" she wondered with a small tone.
"Yeah sure, it's a pretty goat." Roy told her impatiently. He did not have the luxury to spend all day on this excursion.
"Is it's named Flitterfeather Sparkledust?" She wondered as if it was of utmost importance and along the lines of 'Do you have gauze to staunch the bleeding?'
"What does it matter what the goat's name is?" Roy asked, his head bent to conceal his growing fury.
"A goat's name is it identity and what kind of life would you lead if you have no identity?" She lobbied to Roy sagely with a serene tone to her voice.
"What the hell are you, Hawkeye, a philosopher? Name the goat Frillysmeller for all I care. Now come on, I don't have all day." Roy snapped angrily hoping that this verbal slap would shut the kid up…but to no avail.
"I wonder what the housekeeper will prepare for dinner." She continued switching topics at the drop of a hat. "I hope its cod. I love cod; the fish is a given but I also like the word. Say it, Mr. Mustang. Cod." She paused to giggle at some unknown joke and Mustang scowled in annoyance. Unfortunately Sensei's chatter box daughter continued. "Cawd. Cod. If you switch one letter you get cud…which is what cattle eat."
"Take a breath, would ya?" Roy snapped. "Why the hell did your own father send you away for four years anyway?" It was a rhetorical question and Roy expected it to sting. Sure it was below the belt and she was a little girl but at least it would somber her. Riza walked a few steps in silence, her eyes cast down in thought. It was a bitter victory for the young alchemist but the silence was dashed as Riza spoke in a serious tone.
"Daddy loved Mama very much." Riza told Roy quietly. "I was too young to remember much of her but Meemah told me that Mama was a business woman and didn't really have time much for me or anyone but herself. Daddy didn't mind though. He is the same way so I guess they were a good match. After Mama's death, Daddy didn't know how to deal with me so he sent me off to live with Meema and Pappy because they knew what to do." She looked so somber as they walked, a sweet kid caught up in an unfortunate circumstance. It was true that Sensei was not a people person but Roy could not imaging sending off his daughter…even if she was a unrelentless chatterbox.
"And why did you return?" Roy wondered softly, his annoyance almost fully taking flight.
Riza looked ahead in the distance, her obsidian orbs set on the horizon. "Daddy needs me." She replied cryptically. They walked on in an uneasy silence for a bit until they crossed a herd of cattle grazing along the road. To the far right a bull was mating with a brown cow. Roy pressed a hand to Riza's back in an attempt to shoo her away before she noticed the fornicating cattle. He hated to admit it but upon hearing her story Roy had developed a soft spot for the chatty child.
"Why are those two cows playing leap frog?" Riza wondered.
His answer flew out before he could sensor himself. "They're having cow-sex." He explained shortly.
"What?" came the confuse reply.
"They're mating, Hawkeye…having sex." There was no way to sugar coat it, Roy decided.
In reply the girl tilted her head in thought and at length said, "Ah. Like Meemah and Pappy do at night."
Roy shrugged. He did not really know why an eight year old knew about that nor the fact that her grandparents had sex frequently. The spot of affection began to ebb away as his impatience grew. The kid stood transfixed, her amber eyes never leaving the humping bovines. At length she bent down and picked up a small round rock from the road. Roy stood at a loss of what to do, worried that she would try to pet the mating cattle. Instead with deadly accuracy, Riza threw the stone at the cow's utter, making the cow move away from her lover.
"Cover your shame!!" Riza shouted at the cattle before resuming the pilgrimage to the estate. Roy stood in his spot, shocked that an eight year old had such gumption and such good aim. She was like a weed, this Elizabeth. With in the span of forty-five minutes she dissolved the annoyance in Roy and replaced it with some sort of affection. Resuming his steps, Roy decided that even though she was a chatty girl, he would rather have her in a fight over anyone else. Although he could not put his finger on why.
A/N: please review. I can make this a one shot or a four shot. Depends on what you all think. Please review.