Gossip Flies
Because there wasn't anything formal between them, Riza only found out when it became public knowledge. Rumors had abounded from the beginning of the campaign. She had always done her best to ignore them, but she had some inkling of what was the latest buzz. That still didn't prepare her for the news the Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, was missing in action.
Once the official announcement had been made, she couldn't escape it. No matter what she did or where she went, Mustang's disappearance was the favorite subject of discussion. Riza had been subjected to everything from theories of how Mustang had gone down in a blaze of glory to suspicions of him betraying them to the other side. The only facts they had though were that Mustang had last checked in halfway through a patrol. That patrol had returned late after being attacked on their way back to the base camp. Mustang had been lost in the chaos of the attack.
And that was all the facts they had. She took refuge in that. There was no proof that Mustang was injured, captured, or dead. For all she knew, he could have a perfectly good reason to be laying low. She wasn't there, so she couldn't know. And that was why she was seeking haven in a storage closet. Riza just needed some space away from all the gossip. She had faith in Roy, but that didn't stop the fear.
Theme: Words that fade away in the chaos
