Second Lieutenant Maria Ross sat at her desk, finishing some paperwork. Her pen scratched determinedly across her paper, tolling the near completion of her report. But a warm breeze blew outside, beckoning her to go for a walk; it was almost lunch break, but she had to finish this document. She was so behind; keeping track of the Elric brothers really ate up her time for other things, like recording what they did. It seemed like as soon as she had a spare moment to work on reports, Edward was off on another bold mission, and she would have to follow him. This invariably forced her to work odd hours, especially times when Ed had a day off. Which left her little time for her other hobbies. She put a hand to her forehead, bending low over her desk. Just a couple more pages...
...Within five minutes, her mind had wandered, and she found her self staring blankly at her work. With a sigh, she put the papers in their folder. "I'll be more focused after a walk..." she said to herself as she put the folder in her desk. She stood up and, not bothering to grab her coat, and headed for the park.
She turned the corner towards the doors, and almost ran into Major Alex Louise Armstrong. Snapping to attention, she said "Sir! I will be taking my break, with your permission." The monstrous man smiled through his blond mustache, pink sparkles forming around him as he said in his deepest, most gracious voice, "Of course, Second Lieutenant. Get your creativity flowing... the spring air will be good for your focus!" He patted her on the shoulder, and she staggered and nearly fell under the weight. Straightening up, she managed a "Yes sir! Thank you sir!" and hurried on her way.
Trying to keep herself from breaking into a trot, she headed for the huge front doors of Central Headquarters, which had been left open a bit to air out the front hall which, though it was a large room, had gotten slightly stuffy over the winter, as all rooms seem to do. She could smell it now, the new, clean scent of spring. As soon as she had crossed the threshold, she allowed herself a small smile and a sigh of relief. She trotted down the steps and turned onto the sidewalk, heading for her favorite place in the world. It took all of her military-ingrained self-control to not stop and spin around with her arms held wide and face to the sky, like a giddy child who had been cooped up too long.
"Armstrong may be odd, but he sure was right," Ross mumbled to herself, tipping her head back to enjoy the breeze rippling through her short brown hair. She was strolling down a mulched path through the woods, in a small community park just outside of headquarters. This was her refuge. When her work was impossible to focus on, when Sergeant Brosh was being unbearably annoying, or when she just needed a break, this was the place to come. The tall oak trees provided a refreshing shade when it was too hot, and sheltered her when it rained unexpectedly. The sound of the birds chirping and squirrels chattering as they went about their days was always relaxing. No one really knew it, but Ross truly was a down-to-earth woman, literally. She liked nothing better than to walk through these woods and contemplate deep things, bird-watch, or, sometimes, just be.
Suddenly Ross heard running footsteps behind her, and turned. And that's when it all came crashing down.
oOo
