"So?" the military official stared her down. "Do you want to take the state alchemist test?" Black hair, blue eyes flecked with gold, and a glowing red stare that was seriously making this aspiring alchemist uncomfortable.

"Of course." She replied firmly. She put equal strength and will out of her own dark brown eyes, though she didn't feel that tough right now at all. Not while this man was looking at her and giving her rippling tingles down her spine. Hmph! Why couldn't she control herself? This interview was important, but there was no reason to get jittery. Slowly, she folded her hands right beneath her chin, never letting her eyes leave the man.

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Meanwhile, Roy Mustang gave his evaluation of the curious specimen in front of him. In the military, there were plenty of strong and fearless men, but something about the determination coming out of this person struck him as different. The person had black hair, just like him, with a jaw clenched in determination.

"Name?" Roy asked casually, while continuing to watch with the gaze of a hungry hawk.

"Jesse Alhaney. By the way, when do I get the paperwork?"

"Ahh, you see, it happens that the forms you need are in the first right drawer facing you. If you wouldn't mind getting them yourself, as I'm quite comfortable where I am…" Roy replied, a mischievous twinkle glittering in his eyes.

"I'm afraid I might miss a form if I take them myself. Do you really detest moving that much?" Jesse replied, reciprocating an amused air.

"Well, since you insist…" Roy sighed, shaking his head in defeat. He went over the other side of the desk and leaned over Jesse to open the drawer. Hmm, bangs were long and parted in the front, but short in the back; both a boy or girl could've had this hairstyle. Jesse's figure was also rather ambiguous, slight but not unreasonable for a man, though it was hard to tell under the boxy military uniform. Something in the way Jesse moved suggested masculinity, though Roy couldn't pin down why any more than he could explain why he liked the color blue. Even though Roy acknowledged that it was kind of gay, especially if this Jesse was a guy, he took a sniff of his (her?) scent. Slightly sweet, earthy. Nothing special. When Roy gave Jesse the forms, he made sure to put the form asking sex on top.

"Here. Why don't you just get the paperwork over with in my office? That way you can ask any questions about what to fill in." Huhuhuu… oh, he was so tricky. Now he would see for sure, exactly what gender this guy was. He took a seat and constantly gave surreptitious looks over at what Jesse was filling in. Jesse got closer and closer to the question asking him (her) to circle his (her) sex. Ho ho ho, just one question away now, and… WHAT! Roy almost spluttered out loud that he (she) had missed a question. Jesse looked up with (was thatamusement?) creeping in into the corners of his (her) mouth and eyes.

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Throughout the whole time in Colonel Mustang's office, Jesse made sure to do several things: she avoided touching her face and neck with her hands. It was something women did much more often than men. She didn't cross her legs, except at the ankles (okay, guys didn't do this for obvious reasons…). Gestures with her hands were kept to a minimum. Giggling was also unacceptable (chuckles were okay. But giggles? Giggles would make a guy look like a fruit faster than he could take out a tube of lipstick from his purse). They were quite simple, really, and put together with an ambiguous appearance, it wasn't so hard to pretend to be a man. Jesse had spent a large part of her life observing small mannerisms like this, and thus, she was also very perceptive. For example, the moment she saw Roy linger over her shoulder, while maintaining a furiously concentrated expression, she suspected he was trying to figure out something about her. She was sure what it was when Roy purposely put the form asking gender on top and asked her to fill it in here. Didn't a colonel have better things to do? If he thought he was being sneaky, then this government was in some serious trouble. When she put the first form on the bottom at the last moment, she heard Roy sputter,

"He she missed a question!"

"Colonel Mustang?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. Mustang looked surprised, staring dumbly. Then he snapped down in utter embarrassment. He must've realized she was jerking his chain, purposely keeping him in suspense about her gender, which is why he asked,

"I'm sorry if this is terribly rude, Alhaney-san, but I've been wondering for awhile… are you a woman or a man?" Jesse gave a smug smirk. She changed her demeanor entirely. She arched her back, raised her voice up a pitch, and said in a sweet voice,

"Sorry Colonel Mustang, I think I'll finish this at home. I've lingered for awhile. I'll turn this in directly to central, so you won't have to mess with any paperwork. I can tell you don't care for it." She stood and put a hand on her hip. Then, she proceeded to further confound the colonel by giving him a wink and swaying her hips as she exited the office, revealing that she did have pretty nice curves, even under that uniform.

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Now Mustang was sure she was playing him. She had clearly exhibited none of those enticing feminine airs before he had asked that question. He continued to stare blankly at the swinging door as Jesse Alhaney left the room. You don't care for paperwork, did she say? True, but he wanted to see her paperwork. He wanted to know everything about that minx. He wanted to know her birthday, her birthplace, were her parents nice, and did she have any hobbies… wait, isn't this what lovesick dogs usually felt? Well he, Roy Mustang, was no lovesick dog… right? He was going to be top dog someday, not to be jerked on any chain, right? …

TBC… There will be an act 2. Please review if you even consider wanting a new chapter… even one review is unbelievingly encouraging!