Like No Business I Know Pt 3

"You look like you're ready to crawl out of your own skin."

Scar looked away from the window to the seat across from him, narrowing his eyes a little at Roy's remark.

Here he was, driving through the main streets of Central City in a limousine—a limousine, shehai li Ishvala! He was being taken to the largest movie theater in the city, where there would be hundreds of people crowded along the edges of a narrow red carpet, many of them flashing cameras at him and barking out questions.

But Danika wanted him to be here. This was very important to her. Apart from that, Rada made it very clear to him that his presence was nothing less than compulsory. There was also the fact that this was the first motion picture featuring an Ishvalan character in a significant role. It was a milestone event that he should really be present at. It still made his flesh crawl.

Roy Mustang reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. He held it out to Scar. "A little liquid courage?"

Scar frowned at the flask for a moment, then took it. He flipped the little cap and took a swallow, recognizing the smooth, warm bite of Gold Mark Whiskey. He handed it back to Roy.

"Thank you."

"No problem," Roy replied, taking a nip himself and tucking the flask back in his coat.

Sitting between Scar and Rada, Danika drew in a sharp breath and leaned toward the window. "There it is!"

Scar looked down the street to what looked to him like the scene of an accident. There were bright flashing lights, crowds of people, searchlights, and lines of cars. A broad marquee stretching across the face of a large building read:

THE HOUSE ON THE CORNER

RONALD GRAINGER FILLETTA WENSLEYDALE WARREN GOLD

Oriented vertically above the marquee, in brilliant red and gold lightbulbs, was the name ROYALE.

"That's the place," Roy announced. He turned to Riza on the seat beside him. "Remember that time we went here while we were stationed in Central?"

Riza smiled coolly. "That wasn't me you were with."

Roy frowned at her for a moment, then grinned a little sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. My mistake. It was Vanessa. She was passing me some intel. The movie was just a cover."

"Uh-huh."

The limousine rolled up to the curb in front of the theater and stopped. There was a wide red carpet stretching from the sidewalk to the doors of the theater.

"Oh, my! Look at those dresses!" Rada breathed, peering out at the women gathered near the theater entrance. They wore long gowns, fur wraps, and lots of jewelry. She made a quick inspection of her own dress, which she had made herself, cleverly merging current Amestrian and Ishvalan designs. At least Scar thought it was clever. Rada was starting to look nervous.

"You look beautiful," Scar told her.

Rada gave a little breathy laugh, her fingers going to her hair, which she had curled and pinned up with combs. "I've never been this dressed up before. Not even for my wedding!"

"You look stunning!" Riza assured her.

Somehow that seemed to put Rada more at ease than Scar's compliment did. If she was wearing a burlap sack he would still think she was beautiful, so perhaps his judgment was too biased.

"We'll go first," Roy said in a quick undertone. He stepped out of the car, turning to offer his had to Riza. There was a volley of flashbulbs and a cacophony of blurted questions, mostly having to do with the election coming the following year. Roy smoothly called out some answers, smiling and posing for the cameras. Riza didn't seem to attract quite as much attention, regarding the crowd with a quiet, watchful grace and letting Roy field all the questions.

Danika nudged Scar's arm. "We should get out now, Papa!"

Roy glanced back at the open door of the limousine and gave a little jerk with his head. Scar braced himself and stepped slowly out onto the sidewalk, rising to his full height. There were a few exclamations, but Scar turned away from them to help his daughter and his wife out of the car, managing to put off facing the crowd for just a few moments longer. Finally, with Rada and Danika walking before him, he drew himself up and started forward. He heard Scar repeated somewhere in the dimness beyond the flashing lights, the sound bouncing through the crowd like a leaf in the wind. He glanced around, noting how the interest had now shifted firmly to him. It was more fascination than fear, but it was still unnerving and a little repulsive.

Then Rada paused and turned to him, giving him a glowing smile and joining him at his side, linking her arm through his. Her gesture somehow managed to put things in perspective, or at least make him no longer feel like an animal on display.

Up ahead, under the awning in front of the theater, the people who had arrived before them were standing near a row of yet more photographers, turning this way and that, smiling and posing. A man and a woman, looking like a well-established couple, were capturing the most interest.

The woman turned her head and saw Danika approaching.

"Danika! Darling!" she called out, waving her hand in the air. She left the man's side and went up to Danika, cameras flashing at her along the way. She grasped Danika's hands and kissed the air next to her cheeks. "Your first premier, you lucky girl! Isn't it exciting? Come and get your picture taken!"

She pulled Danika back to where she had been posing and placed her between herself and her companion. Some of the reporters barked out questions and Danika looked a little stunned at first. Then a smile grew on her face and she answered some of the reporters. Scar couldn't even hear what was being said over the din of voices, but not only did Danika look happy, the man and the woman seemed to be keeping a protective stance on either side of her.

"Governor Ruhad!"

Scar nearly jumped and looked around. A reporter standing by the railing of velvet covered ropes that lined the carpet held up his hand.

"Are you here to show your support for General Mustang in the upcoming election?"

Other reporters standing near him crowded closer, along with curious bystanders. Scar had been determined to not indulge these Amestrians' curiosity. Then he felt Rada subtly but insistently urging him toward the rope railing. More flashbulbs popped and whined and the photographers hastily switched spent bulbs for fresh ones.

Rada gave him a nudge, smiling all the while. Apparently she meant for him to answer the question. It seemed very two-sided to him. Truly, that was not why he was here. But if he said no, it would look bad for Mustang. Sweet Ishvala, he was going to have to act like a politician!

He regarded the reporter who had spoken. "General Mustang has had Ishval's support ever since our reconstruction." His voice came out gruffly, like he wasn't used to talking to people. Or did he always sound like that? He cleared his throat a little. Politics or not, he would speak the truth. "I'm here tonight because my daughter is in this film."

This created a mild sensation. They all started looking around. "Is she here with you?" one of them asked.

"That's her there," Rada answered promptly, pointing to where Danika stood. "That's her with Ronald Grainger and Filletta Wensleydale!" How did she even know who any of these people were? Rada dimpled at the reporters, who seemed torn at who to gawk at. "We're so proud of her!"

"And you are Mrs. Ruhad?" one of them asked.

Rada gave a little laugh and squeezed Scar's arm. "I should hope I was!"

This made the reporters chuckle and made Scar marvel. This was the same woman who had returned to Ishval broken and scared, barely able to look anyone in the eye, and here she was, charming the Amestrian press.

Then Rada pulled gently at his arm. "Come on, Andakar! I don't want to lose Danika in this crowd." She turned her smile back to the reporters. "Thank you, gentlemen!" she said breezily, waving while hauling him away. Scar gave them a curt nod as he let himself get hauled away.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ruhad, Governor Ruhad!" some of them called after them.

A little stunned, Scar leaned down. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Rada craned her neck to search for Danika.

"Back there. The reporters."

"Oh!" Rada waved her hand dismissively. "I listen to the radio."

Scar was unsure how the two were connected, but right now didn't seem the time to discuss it. This was all taking on a disturbing surrealism.

"Mama! Papa!" they heard Danika call. She came up to them with the man and the woman on each arm. "You remember Ronald Grainger and Filletta Wensleydale, don't you? They were at Mika's wedding and my fifteenth!"

"Yes, of course we do!" Rada replied. Scar took her word for it and didn't correct her, but at least now he could put faces to the names.

"So good to see you again!" Ronald said, holding out his hand. "Your daughter's an absolute jewel!"

Well, that was one way to get on his good side. Scar shook the man's hand. "Thank you. We're very proud of her."

"Your gown is lovely!" Filletta exclaimed to Rada. This was coming from a woman wearing a long white dress that sparkled with jewels or something. "It's very original! Who designed it?"

"Why, thank you!" Rada beamed with nervous pleasure. "I made it myself."

"No!" Filletta held Rada's hand to the side so she could examine the dress with more interest. "My dear! I can see this becoming quite the rage!"

"Are you serious?" Rada blurted out in surprise.

Filletta grinned at her, almost mischievously. "You bet I am! Let's talk about it later!"

"Let's wrap this up and get inside," Ronald said. "It's just about show time." He held out his arm to Filletta. "Break a leg, sweetheart!"

She smiled at him affectionately as she took his arm and the two of them headed toward the theater doors.

Scar frowned, puzzled as they followed. "Why would he say that to her?"

"It's a theater expression, Papa," Danika explained. "It's actually for live theater. It's bad luck to say good luck."

Scar nodded. "Tempting fate?"

"Something like that, I suppose."

The theater lobby was almost as garish as the exterior. The floor was completed covered in plush red carpeting. Large posters surrounded by little round lightbulbs lined the walls. People were heading toward several open doors. Scar let himself be pulled along by his wife and daughter, following Ronald and Filletta. As they entered one of the doorways, they came upon a young woman in a sort of uniform with a little round cap on her head. She looked at them expectantly, holding out her hand.

"Tickets, Andakar!" Rada hissed quickly.

Scar froze for a moment, then reached into the inner pocket of his coat, only now remembering that they had been placed in his care. He handed them to the young woman, who thanked him briskly and turned her attention to whoever was behind him. They moved along the aisle, which sloped down toward the front.

Scar took a moment to look around. He had never been inside a building this large. Like the lobby, it was lavishly decorated in reds and gold. The ceiling was amazingly high and decorated with paintings of clouds and chubby naked babies with wings. What a bizarre concept. People actually got up there and painted that? The seats all faced a massive stage, flanked with gold columns and hidden by a red velvet curtain.

"What is the point of all this?" he muttered to himself.

"It's an event," he heard Riza say behind him. "People are attracted to the glamour."

Scar glanced back. "I'm not."

Riza laughed softly. "Well, they weren't thinking of you when they built it."

The interior hummed with human voices, which were hushed compared to the lobby, as though the place was held in a kind of reverence.

About halfway down the aisle, their group entered a row of seats and moved toward the center. Scar sat down in one of the plush seats with a sense of relief and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You handled that well out there, by the way," Roy commented, sitting beside him.

Scar opened his eyes. "You mean I didn't try to kill anyone?"

"Papa!" Danika hissed in a shocked whisper. Scar patted her hand where it sat on the armrest.

Roy chuckled. "If that's your standard for public appearances, then, yes, you did very well."

Scar stirred in his seat. "How long do these things last?"

"Well, there's usually a newsreel, some shorts, a cartoon—"

"A what?"

Roy let out a quiet snort of laughter. "You'll see."

Feeling not much more enlightened, Scar just sat back in his seat and waited. The theater continued to fill up. To his right, he could hear Rada and Filletta chatting quietly. After several more minutes the lights began to darken and the curtain in front of the stage opened, revealing an expanse of white screen. There was a hushed, excited rustling of anticipation as the audience quieted and settled in their seats.

The screen suddenly lit up with moving images, music emanating from the walls. As Roy said, a newsreel came first, giving accounts of current events along with a somewhat overly dramatic commentary. A part of the film featured some footage of Mustang addressing a group of people, gathering support for yet another try at the Fuhrership. Scar heard Mustang give a satisfied snort of laughter. It then switched to Furher Grumman, waving to the camera as he entered Central Headquarters. There were other items: a railway accident near West City, the sheep festival in Resembool, even a short segment on the civic center in Ishval. Scar remembered that happening, although he avoided the people who came out to film it.

Next came a couple of short features. One was about a trip on the railway to Xing. The other was of some people singing and dancing for no accountable reason. Then came something that announced itself as 'Merrie Melodies', accompanied by yet more frenetic music. This film was made of drawings rather than real life and depicted things that would otherwise be physically impossible, mainly animals and inanimate objects singing and wearing clothing. The audience laughed at some of the antics on the screen, but Scar just didn't see the point and he wished it would end.

Finally, the main feature started. With bright, cheerful opening music and after several seconds of informing the audience that this was being presented by The Cruikshank Brothers, the screen was filled with the words The House On The Corner. The names of the main actors were displayed next, then a list of the secondary ones. At the bottom of the list were the words …and introducing Danika Ruhad. Beside him, Danika gasped with delight and covered her mouth with her hands.

The story involved an orphanage filled with children who, despite being orphans, were perfectly happy. They did household chores, attended classes, and sat down to eat, all the while singing and dancing to music despite the complete absence of musicians. They were led in all these activities by Gwendolyn, played by Filletta. She was not dressed at all glamorously as she was this evening, and she actually sang very nicely. There were a few other teachers and staff, but Gwendolyn was the driving force behind everyone being so content.

There was also a young man named Johnny, a mechanic and handyman, who appeared to be courting Gwendolyn. He would like to ask her to marry him, but he is too poor. Considering Filletta was married to someone else, Scar couldn't quite understand how or why she could make her attraction to this other man so convincing, especially since the man she was actually married to soon showed up as the obvious villain, forcing sinister and unwanted attention on Gwendolyn. Despite how odd it struck him, Scar found himself riveted by the story, so much so that when Danika made her appearance, he was startled.

Then he was utterly amazed. Danika's character, Shevda, a sad and lonely half Ishvalan orphan girl, was cheered up by Gwendolyn's singing about the virtues of Corner House. Shevda then joined in the singing. She and Gwendolyn finished up in a glorious duet.

Scar looked over at his daughter. Suddenly it all made sense. He understood why she had wanted so much to do this. He was still a little mystified by the process, and although he felt that he had somehow been seduced by it, he understood the attraction of the finished product.

The rest of the story involved the threatened closure of Corner House by the villainous Fredrick, who owned the building. He lusted after Gwendolyn and was rebuffed by her. If she didn't marry him, he would throw all her, her staff, and all her orphans out in the street. This dilemma caused the staff and the orphans much distress, which they sang about.

There was an interlude in the film that featured Shevda, Gwendolyn, and Johnny out on a shopping expedition. They were in poor spirits because of Fredrick's threats. Then they came across a group of Ishvalan laborers who managed to produce instruments from seemingly nowhere. These were, of course, Dejan and some of his musicians, and they accompaied Shevda as she sang to cheer Gwendolyn and Johnny. The words were partly in Amestrian but had a refrain in Ishvalan.

Gwendolyn continued to bravely resist Fredrick's advances throughout the film. Then there was a short but dramatic scene when Fredrick arrived at the orphanage, finding Shevda by herself. Fredrick told her to tell Gwendolyn that her time is nearly up, and Shevda, who had been a shy girl to start with, launched into a sharp scolding about his lack of charity and what a good place Corner House is and how terrible it would be were it to close. Angered by this, Fredrick left, declaring his determination to sell the building the very next day.

Shevda was inconsolable, but Gwendolyn didn't blame her, singing a touching song, promising that she will still take care of her and the other orphans somehow. Johnny appeared and vowed to help, although he was only a poor mechanic.

Finally, when all seemed lost and Fredrick declared that he had sold the building to a wealthy man, it turned out that the wealthy man was actually Johnny's father, with whom he had had a falling out. They reconciled and the inhabitants of Corner House were allowed not only to remain, but their quality of life is promised to be improved. The film ended happily with Johnny finally proposing to Gwendolyn and everyone, except Fredrick, reprising the song Gwendolyn and Shevda sang together at the beginning of the film.

As plots went, it was a little thin, but it didn't matter. Scar found himself so invested in the characters that he actually started to worry about them. As the words THE END appeared on the screen, followed by the ending credits, the audience burst into applause.

Even Danika was clapping, laughing and crying at the same time. Scar pulled her into his arms and kissed her on top of her head. "I'm so proud of you!"

He felt Roy give him a sharp nudge. "Remind me to ask for an autograph!"