Title: Numbers

Style: Drabble
Genre: General, slight romance
Rating: PG

Winry looked glumly at the figures in front of her. They stood absolutely still on the page, but still made absolutely no sense to her.
"AH!" She gave an exclamation of frustration and plied her fingers through her hair. She had all the payments going in and out, all the expenses . . . but it still wasn't making any sense.

"Granny, why didn't you tell I'd have to do this when I took over the business!" she whined and let her head be supported by her hands.

Edward and Alphonse would've been good at this sort of thing, although they were best at alchemy, math was part of that. They had always paid attention and given answers at school. She had simply fallen asleep.

"But they're not here!" She let out another cry of frustration and threw the pen to the table. This wouldn't work. Ed and Al were off- off to somewhere she didn't know and Granny had, well she had gone.

She flicked through the sums again, trying one last attempt at figuring out how she was supposed to do these calculations.

She collapsed onto the table.

"Nothing." she grumbled out the side of her mouth that wasn't resting on the table.

The numbers were still glaring at her.

"Hamberton and Co. Smelters, Eastern Bermoth, fifteen thousand cenz for zinc; Glosche mechanical supplies, Central, seven hundred and fifty eight thou-" Winry trailed off listing her expenses. That number, in Central...

"I've got it!" She jumped up from her chair and raced to the phone.
"Yes, I'd like to make a call to the military headquarters, can you please route me through to line seven-five-eight? Part of the investigations department? Thank you." She stood waiting there, impatient, until a loud click was heard from the handset.

"Scheiska! Listen can, you arrange some off time? I need your help with some of my finances. No, it's not an excuse! It's a reason!" She paused as the other woman several-days-on-a-train away replied and then exploded. "I'm not the only reason you should come over! I seriously need your help! Though maybe," she looked over at the rather slim book of transactions, calming down slightly, "it'll only take a day at the most..." She smiled at the response she got and settled the handset slowly down, before going to flip the book closed.

"Now I just need to change the bed sheets."