I don't own FMA,
But I do own my original characters.
Thanks for letting me know about the typos Bizzy.
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"So Denny, you ready for tonight?" Jean asked nudging his young friend in the ribs.
Denny used his shoulder to shove Jean away. He was disturbed at the other man's invasion of his personal space in the bathroom. He zipped up his pants and walked to the sink. "Armstrong has given me permission to leave early, as soon as I finish my last pile of paperwork I can go. Did you finish the book?"
Jean washed his hands at the sink next to Denny. He creased his brow and ran a wet hand through his hair. "Almost."
Denny rolled his eyes. "And almost means?"
"That I've got a little over fifty pages to go, so I better get going," Jean said. He tore a sheet of paper towels from the dispenser and started walking towards the exit whistling.
"You're off already?" Denny asked.
"You bet. I put in for a short day. I think Chief was so surprised I have a date that he approved it. Don't forget, By Word of Mouth at 1900 hours."
Denny watched Jean stroll down the hall whistling contentedly. He didn't know Havoc was even interested in Schiezka. She was different from the type the man usually chased after.
The date went well considering Jean didn't know what to think of Schiezka's oddly attractive appearance, Denny was so far beyond nervous he couldn't string together more than two or three words, Maria couldn't stop with her small talk, and Schiezka was surprised that the Jean Havoc sitting across from her was staring at her so intently.
The restaurant was brimming with people. The chatter of the patrons was so loud they could barely hear Denny's nervous stutters or Maria's compulsive chatter. Schiezka came to the glum realization that she couldn't pump the three of them for information in the restaurant. She relaxed and enjoyed the food and company. She even found herself laughing at jokes she might have found tasteless in a different atmosphere.
She was unnerved when Jean asked her to dance, but before she could accept or deny he was already pulling her from her seat and leading her to the crowded dance floor. She relaxed in his arms to the slow melody wafting around the room. She was amazed that his hands didn't wander during the dance. When they sat back down the bill was ready to be paid, and they decided to go somewhere a little quieter.
It was Jean who made the bold move of taking his date's hand as they walked along the lamppost lined lane. Schiezka glanced at him in surprise, but kept her hand secured in his. Jean glanced at the pair next to him. Maria was nervously picking at the bouquet of carnations and roses in her hand.
Jean wondered how many times he would have to help this guy out. He took a small side step to avoid pulling at Schiezka, and he caught Denny under the foot as he took a step. Denny glared at Jean who looked down at his own hand holding Schiezka's, then to Denny, and to Maria. Denny sighed. He couldn't believe he was taking dating advice from Jean again—first, the flowers, and now this. He waited until Maria took her hand away from the bouquet, but before his hand reached her she had it in the air pointing. "That place seems good, The Daily Grind."
"It doesn't seem too crowded," Schiezka observed.
A bell chimed as Jean opened the door for his companions. A soothing Jazz song hung softly in the air accompanied by the low buzz if conversation, shadowed amber lights hung from the ceiling, and the fragrance of coffee and tea permeated the air.
It was one of those places that made people feel they could have a private conversation in the comfortable chairs in the corner without having to worry about prying eyes or eavesdropping ears. After ordering their drinks they found a corner to sit in. Four plump burgundy chairs were burdened with their bodies and the round mahogany table laden with their drinks.
Someone on the other side of the room glanced up at the quartet, and after a brief moment of staring was lost in a book again.
Schiezka eagerly began the conversation, "Did you enjoy the book Jean?"
"It was interesting. I didn't like the end, it should have been happier, not so bitter sweet," he explained.
"It's the first of a trilogy," Maria spoke up.
"Oh, that would explain it," Jean said.
"The end was bitter sweet. When Elizabeth told him to leave her and get Charlotte out of their safely I thought he wasn't going to do it, but as soon as she made the ceiling cave in to block the team from getting to Joseph and Charlotte I knew he wouldn't do anything stupid. The second one must be about him going back for her," Schiezka said with a glow of excitement in her eyes. She hadn't really thought Jean was much of a reader, but when she talked to him she had found he had taken up reading when he had broken his leg as a teenager and couldn't do anything else during the long summer days.
"There's only one thing that bugged me while I was reading the book," Havoc stated.
"What could possibly be wrong with it, the characters were very real, and the plot line was great," Schiezka said. Maria and Denny nodded in agreement.
"Every time I read the name Elizabeth I thought of Hawkeye, because that's always her code name during missions. Then I…" he trailed off when he saw the three of them staring at him with wide eyes. "What?" he asked.
Schiezka recovered first. "Nothing," she said. "Then you?"
From the other corner of the room the reader stared at him over the book in her hands. They didn't notice.
Jean chewed on the little red straw that was in the place of his usual cigarette. "Then I noticed how similar Hawkeye and Elizabeth are. It's like the author has known Hawkeye all her life. I was actually telling Hawkeye about it the other day. She thought it was funny, and decided to go buy the book," he stopped talking. They were staring at him again. It wasn't just polite 'I'm looking at you because your talking' stares, but 'you've grown another head' stares.
Maria blinked a few times. She hadn't really expected him to get the similarities without being told. He did have a reputation for not being the brightest star in the sky.
"Really, it's her code name, isn't that a weird coincidence? I don't even know her half as well as you do, but it was hard for me to miss the similarities. Oh, and Liquid Alchemist, doesn't that remind you of Flame Alchemist? I remember reading the records on the state alchemists and reading that Roy uses manipulation of the air in his alchemy also," Schiezka said.
"When Maria met with the author he told her something you two might find interesting," Denny told them.
Jean was happy to finally have to attention turned from him. "He told me Elizabeth and Joseph were made after military officers he overheard a conversation from in a café here in Central," Maria told Jean and Schiezka.
"So, it really could be them," Schiezka mused.
"It is them, we've already ruled out everyone else. They're the only two in Central we know of that are anything like these characters," Denny said.
Schiezka was quiet for a moment. "Alsvid, Alsvid, where have I heard that before," she muttered.
"So, this guy, Ken Pierce is writing a trilogy around two characters he based off of Hawkeye and Mustang? And it is definitely about their relationship," Jean said with a strange glint in his eyes.
"I remember! Alsvid is a horse from a myth. One of the horses that pulled the sun goddesses' chariot across the sky. Alsvid—Mustang!" Schiezka exclaimed.
"There's no doubt now," Maria said.
"What do you think he overheard?" Denny asked.
"It has to be something that hinted at romance. Do you think they were on a date?" Jean asked.
"No, he knew they are military officers, so they must have been in uniform," Maria said.
Jean frowned. He'd been trying to find evidence of the two having a romantic relationship for a while. He liked the idea of the two being involved since they made a good team, and at times argued like husband and wife, but he knew his search was futile. He couldn't see either of them settling down with anyone else, but neither would be so foolish as to put the other in danger by having anything but a professional relationship.
"So, do you think they might be involved with each other?" Schiezka asked.
"No," Jean said. "Truthfully she wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize his goal, even if that means never getting married."
"I'd have to agree," Maria said. "If it weren't for that, the laws, and their stubbornness I'd say they were."
"That law is stupid, it's outdated. People break it all the time," Denny exclaimed.
Schiezka looked at him for a second. "Uhm, in the new hand book coming out it's been changed. I guess someone pointed out that it's hard to find a wife or husband outside of the military since the job is very demanding and sometimes dangerous, so as a result the law is being modified. As long as the couple can prove that it won't affect their working habits and performance a relationship is allowed, but if it does affect their performance both will face a court martial, and one will be asked to leave the military," she recited.
"Really, so these two will be able to go out without a problem now?" Jean asked looking pointedly at Maria and Denny.
"Yep," Schiezka said happily—missing the shocked looks from both Maria and Denny.
No one noticed the reader bury her head back in her book in the other corner of the room. She had blocked out their earlier talk about the very book she was reading—it was a good book, and she didn't want them to spoil it for her—but when her name was mentioned she immediately tuned into their conversation. It was strange hearing their reasoning. She herself had picked up on what Jean had told her. Then, what Schiezka said about Roy, it was strange considering that two characters so similar to herself and her superior were in the same book. The most shocking revelation she heard was Maria's. It had to have been that time they stopped by the very café she now sat in on their way back to headquarters after chasing down a false lead on Scar.
Her mind was reeling. What had they talked about? The door, and him insisting on paying for her drink. Her cheeks turned red as she remembered the words he whispered in her ear. "I'm sure I could find a way to get out of doing my paperwork if I really wanted to." It wasn't actually the words that heated her cheeks, but the husky tone he had used, how he'd been so close his lips had brushed her ear at one point, the warmth of his breath flooding onto her neck, the eye contact he made when pulling away, and the smirk that played on his lips. She buried herself in the book again.
She didn't want the group to notice her. It was bad enough that they were discussing her romantic life, but she didn't want them to know she had overheard it. She put her focus back into the words on the page, she already new about the amendments to the hand book. She only had a few pages left. Schiezka had already summed up the ending for her, but it wasn't really spoiled. Riza had been able to predict it. After all, Elizabeth was the same as her.
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A.N.-I know this was short, and late. I was having trouble with this chapter. You've finally found out what he said! This one is short because I didn't think it was really necessary to go back over Maria's claims from the last chapter. I should be able to get a nice chunk of work done on this over the next four days, hopefully I'll be able to finish writing it during this week.
Thank you for reviewing: UnheardGoodConscience, Riza Hawkeye 9, Mirage992, MoonStarDutchess, Bizzy. Breion, Anne Packrat, OTP, OneMoreBite, SmokerBabe, WinglessFairy25, Animeluvr8, Dailenna, and BlueRose.xoxo.
By Word Of Mouth-I think I've heard that used as a restuarant name before-I don't own it. Daily Grind-A small coffee shop I used to pass on my way to work-again, I don't own that particular cafe, only the one in here.