Faded Bouquet
a very late Valentine's Day-ish ficlet.
The sky is darkening rapidly as the cold creeps in. Winry sits in a chair, idly swinging her legs.
Her foot kicks the leg of the chair, making a satisfying 'thump', and she considers pretending that
the leg is really someone's head.
"Ah, Miss Rockbell?" calls a voice from inside the office. "Are you still out there?"
Winry goes to the door of the interior office, and peeks in. "They haven't come yet," she mutters.
"They probably found a rare book in the marketplace.. you know how they are," the man reasons,
resuming his work at the desk.
"Yeah, but.." Winry pouts. "I don't see why the Colonel had to send them out on a mission today."
She feels an uncomfortable lurch in her stomach as he laughs. "Eh, well, the Colonel has his reasons.
Can't understand 'em, half the time, but they're there."
Her eyes fall on a bouquet of roses that he has scooped up from the mahogany surface.
They seem to have been forgotten; for while they are still brightly tinted, they have the limpness
of age, and are still in their paper wrapping.
He plucks a rose from the bouquet, and offers it to her. "Cheer up," Havoc says, and smiles.
He collects the cleaning supplies, and leaves.
In the fading light, Winry holds the rose in her hands, and admires it.
