The desert sand whipped into the air, carried by a sudden gust of wind. It gave a low hiss as the sediment parted around piles of rubble; its cry carried throughout the ghost town. The sun reflected off of those surfaces on which fire had transformed the ground into glass, some of which lay shattered around a rift in the earth. On the outskirts of the ruins stood a tower, solid amidst the destruction. The sunlight caught there, as well, this time bouncing off polished metal. Riza reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, her legs aching. Dammit, she was a human, not a machine. At least, that was what the pain reminded her. Exhausted, she withdrew the barrel of her gun and let her back slide down the cool stone wall, thankful that this post had a roof over her head for once. Her fingers fumbled with the lid of her canteen, and she cracked her knuckles against her palm when she managed the latch. The momentary rush of endorphins soothed her joints.
She lifted the canteen to her lips, greedily drinking the water inside. Try as she might, she could never ration her water the way the soldiers were encouraged to do. Even though the water was unnaturally warm and stank of metal, it was precious to her. Besides, she had long since become accustomed to the taste of iron in her mouth.
A sudden noise from below almost made her drop the canteen. She shut it quickly, unwilling to make that mistake. Small bits of rubble crunched noisily underneath her guest's feet. Her hand reached to her holster. She pulled back the safety as footsteps echoed up the tower. Damn it, she wasn't going to die today. From above, she glimpsed Amestrian blue underneath white. She ground her teeth, gun at the ready. It didn't take her long to learn that the uniform meant nothing when it came to allies or enemies. A woman isolated in a tower was easy prey; that is, if she didn't fight back. When she glimpsed dark hair beneath the hood, it made her sick to her stomach that she took this as an identifier of race. The Ishvalans had taken to looting uniforms off of bodies to pass unnoticed. Their white hair was the most noticeable tell, and she had been trained to seek it out.
The figure rounded the last landing, and she moved away from the stairwell. Not today. She stood defensively in front of her rifle. She'd be damned if they used her own weapon against her. "Show yourself!" she demanded as the man – yes, clearly a man – ascended the last few steps. The stranger pulled back his hood. Roy Mustang looked at her through tired eyes. One, two, three seconds passed before Riza slowly lowered her pistol, the safety still disengaged. In her wise mind, she knew Roy wouldn't… well, the Roy she knew wouldn't… but her survival instinct screamed at her not to trust. In an act of rebellion, her thumb pushed it back into place. The first words to leave her mouth were "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to ask you the same thing." Roy sat down on the hard stone. Riza kept her distance.
"I'm maintaining my post. Clearly."
"That's not what I meant." He reeked of alcohol. "What are you doing… here?" He waved his right hand about in the air, emphasizing the location. "When I left, you told me you were going to go to school."
"An academy. I said academy, R- … Major."
His hurt was visible; he wasn't strong enough to hide it. "You shouldn't be here."
"None of us should."
"Quit twisting my words!" Riza refused to shrink back at his outburst. "When I left… You said… Damn it, what happened to moving in with Grumman? Or my aunt? What happened to staying safe? To… to waiting for me?"
"I did." Riza shot back. "For years, I waited in that rotting hellhole, watching my father waste away, waiting for you. And then you came back with all your tired promises. 'Riza, when all of this is over…' 'Just a few more months, Riza…' 'When I pass the state alchemist exam…' And I waited. I stayed in that lifeless house for you. What did I get? Not. One. Goddamned. Letter. You could have died, and I wouldn't have known! Another ghost in that godforsaken place!"
Roy opened his canteen and took a long drink. Before he was through, Riza snatched it from his hands. She held it, upside down and open, out the edge of the tower, letting the rancid liquid fall to the ground. She threw the canteen back at him. "You think you're righteous in lecturing me, but you can't even do it sober!"
Riza picked up her rifle and slung it across her back. She'd had more than enough for one day. Roy reached out and caught her by the wrist, keeping her from going down the stairs. "I can't…" he stammered, "I can't lose you."
"Then start keeping your word."