Disclaimer: I do not own FMA and I do not own More than This
You'll see ^^ and sorry for the ultra late update. Summer has started and I have way too much crap to be doing -_-" it saddens me that I can't find the time to type because I enjoy it so.
Chapter 3: Bathroom Windows, Singing, and then there is Life
"Linuette…you can stop trying to climb out the bathroom window I'm right here."
The girl's shoulders rise slightly. She hadn't expected to hear that of all things. Zack was good…apparently better than she gives him credit for. "Well then Zack…I suppose there's something that you're going to say now."
"Yep." Zack crosses his arms.
"Or ask."
"You can be certain of it."
"I'll run…" She threatens on one hand. On the other hand. "And you'll catch me."
"More than likely."
"I'll spout off something about catching you ablaze and…" She admits her defeat.
"I won't listen to a word of it and drag you back into the study." Zack finishes.
"Exactly. See…you've only been here a week and yet you already know to look for windows in the bathroom…how is that?" She demanded. With a flourish she's in his face without actually having to be in his face because distance is appreciated. Then all at once her face changes from intrigued, to 'that damn man'. "Havoc! Where is he? I'm going to shave his head!"
"With what? You can't cut hair."
"Excuse me? I have yet to figure that out but that doesn't mean that I won't when I get my hands around his neck!" She could see it now, that nice prison shaved look on the handsome man's head. Now that would be an adventure.
Her father had taken one look at her hair and sighed, while her mother told her that she was free to express herself and if that meant that she wanted to cut her hair then she could slice it six ways up and over if it pleased her. After all she had no huge rules to follow.
"So what's the plan for today?"
"Absolutely nothing. I think that I'm just going to lounge around on the couch and pretend that I'm doing something significant in this world. What about you?" Linuette reaches up on her tip toes to close the bathroom window.
Zack shrugs and rolls his eyes. "I'm going to watch you lounge on the couch and pretend that you're doing something significant in this world." He didn't realize that he had signed up to be a baby sitter when he signed his name to be an alchemist of the military. Although if one looked at it from face value then they would see an alchemist protecting the Fuhrer's only daughter.
"Now what was your real plans?"
"…" She shrugged. She didn't have a real plan and that was what bugged her. Every once and awhile she would actually have to play by the rules due to the lack of creative ideas. Two days ago she had painted a mural with her hands on her wall, yesterday she had cleaned that mural, so today…
"Why don't we go to that bar you like…only this time you can go as an actual girl."
"…" Now that might actually be nice. She felt much better with a man who knew to look for a bathroom window. "Yes…why not. Will you meet me there?"
"What part of 'I can't leave your side' do you not understand?" Zack sighs.
She smiles. "What if I gave you my word as the Fuhrer's daughter that I will be there."
"I can-"
"Take something of mine then. I mean anything, something that I'll want back just so you know that I'm coming back. I promise that I will…just meet me there okay."
"If you aren't there…I swear on my license that I will find you." Giving her a chance was something that he hadn't done yet. She's never that hard to find anyway.
Right?
He waited.
And he waited.
And he waited some more.
They had decided on six o'clock and it was now riding on seven. Of course he had assumed that she was just going to be late but apparently that no longer mattered. She was late, but she was more than late and he had trusted her. How stupid.
"She is so dead when I find her." Zack decides. He knew that it was a horrible idea to even consider to trust that girl. She was witty, perceptive, and Mustang's daughter. His father had warned him about this…
"Introducing Linuette Rollander, she'll be playing us a tune tonight." The owner turned the spotlight onto a white classical piano, as elegant as the piano was it was nothing compared to its companion. Sitting on the piano bench is a stunning lady with long hosed legs that disappeared beneath a little black dress.
As soon as her long pale lace covered fingers touched the well-used keys, all the heads turned to take a look at the beautiful piano player.
"Cradling stones, hold fire bright.
As crickets call out to the moonlight."
Linuette sang. She had a mike so that the people upstairs could hear the beauty that is her voice. Her voice was very mature and smooth. It had that ability to make even those who claimed to hate music look up and see. The ability to pull people in with only sound it was wonderful.
"As you lean in to steal a kiss
I'll never need more than this."
"Linuette." In the week that he's been with her he would have never guessed that she played the piano or could sing. The only vocal talent that she gave away was her ability to complain and worm her way out of situations that didn't go in her favor. He had never seen her look…so mature before.
"But we all share the pain of our histories.
But the ache goes away if you could see."
She looked really lovely tonight. The short hair went well with her despite the fact that her hair was cut so that she could disguise herself as a boy. The two hadn't seen Lila and Lily since that night, she had expressed her desire to get rid of them the moment Lily had kissed her.
"Good kisser though." Linuette remarked, scrubbing her mouth with a wash cloth. She then proceeded to brush her teeth for the third time.
"The night under stars, well, I call it peace.
If you say, I'll never need more than this."
Watching with the room as her lightly raven black hair ruffled with each sway of her body. He found that his eyes followed her each and every movement. She arched her back upward with a tasteful smile, playing through the next part her lips forming the words. Who knew that she could sing?
He had never heard of it before this. Not even from the times that he had heard of her before he joined the military. She was famous for running around and talking with the people of Central.
"That's…" Zack's gold eyes caught them immediately. They were across the room sipping on a light beer, three of them with Andromira sitting next to one of them. He had been the one to speak. "Linuette…my word she looks like a classy whore!" His buddy snickered, but Andro just shook his head. He couldn't believe that her father would let her out of the house looking like that. What is he thinking?
Clearly he was thinking that it would be okay since she had that sorry excuse for a man with her. Andro caught Zack's eyes immediately, the cold gold of Zack's eye were admirable. "That…" He couldn't put that into words.
"Precious as a song.
Cause someday we'll be gone."
Linuette plays the last few keys with a playful attitude. She ends it with a beautiful note that not everyone could pull off. In the end when she stands up and turns around the crowd breaks out into cheer for she's beautiful. Made up like a doll Linuette's smile was perfection in itself.
So much so that Zack gave her a few claps and a smile that she caught. She didn't however; catch the nasty disproved looks that Andromira was giving her. She took a twirl before a light bow.
Honestly he hadn't seen her smile or have so much fun before.
"Hey!" She slides into the booth right across from him, taking a piece of popcorn in her lacy covered fingers. The ribbons on her wrist hung low, dragging onto the table. "Sorry that I didn't tell you…I mean I kind of wanted to surprise you and all…after all you have followed me around for a week doing everything that I want to do."
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
"Yes…sort of. Most of my baby sitters spent their time complaining about how stupid it was that I was hanging out in a local super market starring at people but you…" She leans forward, elbows on table, and chin in palms. "You…do that thing! Yes. You do that thing…you say stuff. Stuff that makes sense to me and makes me want to hear you talk more instead of shut you up. Must be the genius in you."
"Must be." Zack wasn't about to argue with that undeniable logic.
"Well you do. Deny it all you want Mister Smarty McSmart Smart." She takes his drink so that she can sip at it.
"Linuette."
"Oh shit." Was her brilliant answer. Swearing wasn't exactly her forte; she believed that it made one look unintelligent. Besides her father hardly swore so why should she?
"Oh shit is right young lady. Does your father know that your here?" Andro takes his stand with his buddies behind him. He had discarded his beer earlier. "What the heck are you doing here anyway?"
"It's all song and dance." She tries. "Besides what I do isn't any of your business."
"What? It certainly is my business-"
"Or rather it would be if you took as much interest in me as you do your buddies," Linuette looked to his so called buddies. They were eying her like kids do gumballs. "Take right now for instance, you're on break but you're not with me, or you wouldn't be if I hadn't happened to chance upon you on the most fortunate of nights."
"As if I had time to go and get you-"
Linuette nearly laughed once more. As smart as Andromira is, he can be pretty dumb at times. "Oh Andro, Zack met me here. I decided to meet up with him since honestly I didn't have anything else planned. How long does it take for you to pick up a phone and talk to me? As far as I'm concerned I'm with Zackary, not you."
"He's always with you because he's supposed to be, speaking of which," Andro looks to Zack who is sipping his soda allowing them to duke it out as they see fit. As long as Andro didn't make a move towards her then it was all alright. "You left her alone? What if something were to happen to her? Someone could attack her!"
"Then she'd set them ablaze." Was his immediate answer.
Linuette snaps her fingers and steals his soda. "That's it! That's the…the thing that you do!" With her hands she waves them about trying to get him to feel what she's feeling. To everyone else she was just a pretty girl waving her lacy hands around.
"They would say 'Hey I'm a thief' and she'd would look at them and say…" Zack looks to her.
She winks and her smile widens. "Hey wanna be a dead thief?"
"Oh ha ha. Nice comedy routine you two. Listen I've got to go but I'll stop by sometime next week until then," Andromira glares at Zack who's smiling at Linuette. She sips his soda graciously. "I'll leave my wife with you for now. See you later."
"Oh we'll both be there." Linuette waves at him as he leaves. "Oh and Zack…if you could disregard what he just said…I would be grateful. No one is leaving me with anyone."
"Your father left you with me." Zack says just to see what she says about that.
With a shake of her head she says "No Zack. If I didn't want you here then you wouldn't be here with me, not anymore. As if I'm going to just let someone I hate hang around me."
"What about Andromira?"
"I'm still thinking about that! One day he will rue that damn day…" Linuette sighs to herself. If only I hadn't…
"That day?" Zack asks feeling a story coming on. That was another thing about her. She always seems to have some story with anything and everything she does. She never does anything for nothing it always has a meaning behind.
"I don't feel like recalling it."
That only doubled his curiosity. Never had he heard that come out of her mouth unless it had to do with something particularly nasty she had eaten. She had never denied him the knowledge of a story. Like his father's thirst for answers and knowledge, Zack thirsted for her stories each and every day. Like a reason why she would do something so ridicules as to dress up as a boy.
"May I…" She gestures for his soda.
"Just drink it." Zack slides it over trying to get her to smile again by smiling at her. This doesn't work though; she stirs the soda with the straw so that ice clanks against the glass.
"You know life is like an ice cube."
"…"
"Solid at first but then it just melts out from underneath you."
…
Does anyone else love that song? I sure do! Anyhoo I don't think I'll be having many if any more, with her singing. Double update due to my lack of updating. Sorry and thank you for sticking around! Read and review!
