It's already been one month since Roy started his apprenticeship with Master Hawkeye. It wasn't as fun as he first thought. He was studying more than actually doing alchemy, and that made him more and more impatient. At first, he really tried his best to study like his master wanted him to, because he thought that the faster and the better he learned, the faster he was going to put his knowledge to practice. But the reality was quite different from what he thought. So after some time, he focused less on his study and tried to find some ways to escape the long hours of reading.
He soon noticed that Master Hawkeye didn't do any household chores. And since his wife passed away years ago, his only child was the one who did all the work. Her name was Riza. She was still young, yet she was very mature, always serious and worked really hard around the house. She had short blond hair, a bit like a boy's. Her posture was always very straight and her eyes focused. Although most people her age thought she was quite awkward, Roy thought she was actually kinda cute.
Roy never really talked to her, as she was a bit shy and not talkative at all. He contented himself by watching her cleaning around the house or cooking. But one time, as she was trying to catch cleaning supplies that were far too high in the cupboard for her, he decided to help. He came behind her and grabbed the supplies easily. He then handed them to her with a smile. She looked at him surprised, blushed, muttered thank you and quickly made her way out of the room. Roy was shocked, as he didn't anticipate that kind of reaction, but also amused by her shyness.
It quickly became like a game for Roy. He tried hard to help her with her chores and interact with her, but she turned down every single offer and made excuses for not having time to chat with him. Since this technique didn't work, he tried something else. When she began to do some cleaning, he would silently grab a broom or a cleaning towel and helped her cleaning. But every time she would remind him that he had worked to do and he was just in her way.
So, he tried another technique again. One day, she was washing the windows in the living room. So he came in, sat on the couch pretending to read a book, while he was actually watching her. He didn't say anything, just sat there and watched her clean. At first she looked at him with a puzzled look and he smiled at her, which she found suspicious. But since he wasn't annoying her like always, she carried on. When she finished with the windows, she began to clean the floors. Noticing that, Roy put his feet on the floor, right in her way. That way she would have to talk to him if she wanted to wash beneath his feet, he thought. And indeed, once she was arrived at his foot, she stopped because he was in her way. She looked at him like she was expecting him to move his feet, but he just stared at her with a smirk.
"Do you need something?" he asked mockingly.
"Your feet" was her only answer.
"My feet? Yes, I have feet, it's nice that you noticed."
She sighed, annoyed.
"No, I mean, your feet are in the way. Could you move them?"
"I think it's the first time I see you say that many words back-to-back to me before."
Riza frowns in annoyance. Roy gets up, smirks one more time and begins to leave the living room. However, before he reached the door, he slipped on the floor that was still wet. He fell down face first in the most extravagant way. He moaned in pain while massaging his nose, hoping that Riza has not seen him fall. Unfortunately, she saw him and was now doubled up in laughter.
"You should see your face right now! I can't believe it! You totally screwed that entire smug attitude you had up until now!" she said while still laughing.
He looked away irritated.
"Well I'm glad at least you think it's funny" he grumbled.
She stopped laughing, but was still smiling as she went to him and held out her hand. He took it and got on his feet. He tried in vain to wash off a bit of the water that got on his pants. Riza was still looking at him with an amused look on her face.
"What?" Roy asked annoyed.
"I like this face of yours more than that fake smug face you have all the time" she giggled.
He blushed.
"Sorry…I…I just wanted to talk to you. I was bored. And you looked bored too."
Riza opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but she heard steps coming from the staircase so she took her mop and resumed washing the floor. Her father appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"What's with all that racket?"
Riza doesn't answer right away and Roy notices that she looks a bit scared.
"Sorry Master, it's my fault. The floor was wet and I slipped" he said in her place.
He looked at Roy as he was unsure if that was the truth, but in the end he turned on his feet and began walking up the stairs.
"Be careful in the future. And go back to studying."
After her father has gone upstairs, Riza was fervently washing the floor. Roy was a bit confused by that attitude of hers.
"Riza…"he began.
"You heard my father, you should go back to studying" she murmured, her voice barely audible.
He wanted to ask her about what just happened, but seeing he reaction, he decided to keep his questions for later. He went back to studying and she kept cleaning, like nothing happened.
The same night, Riza's father went out in town to run some errands. Roy took that opportunity to talk to Riza, who was reading in her bedroom. He stopped in the doorway and knocked twice on the open door.
"Hey" he said.
"Hey" she repeated, looking up from her book.
"Can I, uh…can I come in?" he asked timidly.
She nodded. He came in and sat and sat across from her on her desk chair.
"Is something wrong?" she wondered.
"No, not at all. I was just wondering…is something wrong between you and your father?"
Riza lowered her head, avoiding Roy's eyes.
"Not really, why do you ask? She muttered.
"Earlier, you looked…scared" he answered.
She didn't answer right away, leaving him nervous that he had said something wrong. When she talked, her voice was so low that Roy had to lean forward to hear what she was saying, as if she was talking to herself.
"It's not that I'm scared. My father gets upset when there's trouble or when the cleaning is not done well. I just want to please him."
She looked at him and noticed that he looked worried and nervous at the same time. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"What were you worried?"
"Well, kinda."
She laughed softly.
"You really are something else. Thank you" she said smiling.
He smiled back and silence fell upon the room.
"So is this the real you, or is this another character you play?" she asked.
"This is the real me" he sighed.
"Then how about we start again from the beginning? I'm Riza Hawkeye" she said holding out her hand.
"Roy Mustang" he answered while he took her hand.
"Let's be friends"
