The Lady and Pride
Wrath was usually not one to feel the pitiful human emotion known as joy, but when his Father's plans went as smoothly as they had been, he just couldn't help himself. As expected, General Armstrong had taken care of that fool Raven, and had asked to join the 'inner circle'. She did not realize, however, that events had been carefully orchestrated so that she would be under his thumb.
As Wrath walked down the halls, he sensed Envy pass him by, disguised as a soldier under the Fuhrer's direct command. He nodded his head, and noticed that the elder Homunculi wanted to talk. He put on a fake smile and asked the disguised Envy if he would like to join him in his office for a cup of coffee and some fresh fruit.
As soon as the door closed, Envy immediately reverted back to 'original' appearance. His expression was glum as he began to speak to his younger sibling, "I just got back from speaking to Father. It seems as if he has denied your request."
Wrath shook with his sin and had to take several seconds to compose himself before inquiring, "And did he give a reason why?"
Envy just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know either. I mean, it would just be easier to get rid of that girl here and now, instead of allowing her to live to ferret out even more secrets about us. Why delay the inevitable? Why won't he let you kill her?"
"Because," said the voice of a small boy, "she belongs to me and me alone."
Both Envy and Wrath turned around quickly in surprise to face their elder brother. Selim Bradley, or as he was known to his siblings and Father, Pride, was sitting in a large stuffed chair in a dark corner of the room. His eyes flashed red as he gazed at them, before getting up out of the chair and walking towards them. He was dressed sharply, and his stride was crisp and militaristic, frightening because of both of those aspects.
Wrath restrained himself with effort and asked, "And why, pray tell, does she solely belong to you and you alone?"
Pride laughed like a little child and said in his cutest voice, "Because, silly, it is one of my many rewards for putting up with the pressures of pretending to be a human child."
Wrath growled deep in his throat, and heard Envy do the same. He restrained himself yet again and asked, "But I also have to pretend to be a human and have those petty human emotions. Why do you get to dispose of her?"
Pride's eyes narrowed and he replied, "That's enough Wrath! This is one of the wishes of Father, and I will tolerate this disobedient behavior no longer. It is time you realized your place in the scheme of things, Wrath. You too, Envy. You both are fortunate that Father has been so lax with the both of you so far, but that time has come to an end. You will obey Father, and if I hear another word or grumble of complaint about him from either of you, well, you both know what will happen." He smiled sweetly at them, his eyes flashing red before returning to their normal color. "Do I make myself clear?"
The two previously angry Homunculi both simultaneously responded, "Crystal."
Pride laughed his boyish laughed and clapped his hands in 'joy', "Good."
Just then, Riza Hawkeye opened the door, carrying in refreshments for the Fuhrer and his guest. Wrath glanced over at Envy, and had to restrain a chuckle. It never got old. Envy's reaction was always great, his expression always priceless when he was forced to transform in a heartbeat. He had to suppress a grin though, at his transformed brother's glare.
She blinked a couple of times in surprise, before saying, "Hello there, Selim, how are you today?"
Pride smiled back at her and replied, "I'm doing just fine today, Miss Riza." She smiled at him and then proceeded to place the refreshments out in front of the General and his guest. Right before she was about to take her leave, Pride spoke back up, "Oh yeah, Miss Riza, I almost forgot to tell you. My father has decided that you should take the afternoon off. Spend it with whomever you like, though I suggest you spend it with that cool guy, the Flame Alchemist."
She looked at the Fuhrer, and Wrath nodded his head and smiled, before saying, "Ah yes, could you take these with you to him as well? He needs to review these and sign them off. Thank you, you're dismissed."
She saluted him and headed out with the files in hand, but she was once again stopped by the little boy. "Before you go, Miss Riza, I made this for you today in my language class. I thought it pertained to you, so I though you should have it." He then handed her a folded piece of paper.
And as she walked towards Roy's office, she pulled out the paper to look at it. It seemed to be a short story, about a Frederick and a Rebecca. They were having a conversation. Her eyes widened. It was the exact same conversation she had had with the Colonel in order to inform him about Selim's true nature. And every letter that had been apart of the secret message had been underlined in red.
And in a tiny and messy scrawl beneath the dialogue, were the words, "You two really should work on a more complex coding system, or else who knows who might find out what you two are really talking about.
XOXO---Selim."
