Well, it's Wednesday, and in hopes of actually updating ever,
Nevermind. It's now Saturday, and that ten words was all I got accomplished. Pitiful…
Vibrato, Riza. Slow, steady… and b flat concert, just for a warm up. Then D minor. Now C major. Alright, let's go onto the exercises he wanted me to do.
Damn, these look really tedious. Riza sighed inwardly, skipping a few of the repetitive rhythms, but beginning on the fourth, playing extra quiet so as not to disturb her father.
The doorbell chiming completely ruined that notion, of course.
"RIZA!" She heard him roar. Riza sighed,- out loud this time- and unhooked her neck strap, relieving herself of the alto sax dangling from it. It wasn't heavy- she was used to it by now- but it had a way of giving her neck kinks. She set the sax on her bed and padded softly down the hall to the door. Sighing, she eased the door open. It revealed Madame Christmas in her full Christmas glory.
"Riza, dear! It's been so long! How you've grown!" She said excitedly. "No wonder Roy never shuts up about you, you've grown to be quite the beauty." Riza blushed.
"Would you like to come in?" She managed to stammer. Chris Mustang smiled and stepped into the hall.
"And before you start with 'Madame', or 'Ms. Mustang', Riza, I want you to call me Chris. You called me Chris for five years, and we're starting it again now. I have a feeling that soon enough, our households will merge anyway." If Riza hadn't been thoroughly red before, she certainly was now.
"But anyway, dear, I can't stay long. I'm just making the rounds. You'll be here Christmas, right?" Riza gave a shy nod and let Chris continue. "Perfect! Well then, I'll just put you and your father on the guest list for the party. Here's the invitation- oh, and have a few for all your friends. If Roy's as accomplished at knowing your life as I think he is, you need to bring Rebecca, Maria, Gracia, Winry, Sheska… Hm. Anyone I'm missing, Riza?" Riza considered a moment, then shook her head, then resolved to make Roy's life living hell. He knew who she hung out with. He told CHRIS who she hung out with. He knew her life after purposefully pushing her away. Why hadn't he just pushed her away and forgotten about her, gotten on with his life?
He had always been afraid of letting go. That bastard.
"Riza? Riza? Off in dreamland, thinking about my nephew? I can't say I'm surprised…" Riza snapped back to attention.
"No! What gives you that idea?"
"Oh, just the way your eyes glazed over when I said his name. I've had a lot of daughters, Riza. I know these things." Chris got up to leave, shrugging on her fur-lined jacket. "…and if you ever need someone to talk to, Riza, just remember that I'm always here. Even if- especially if- the person you're mad at is our little Roy-boy." Riza ducked her head to try to hide the small, genuine smile that decorated her face.
"Thank you, Chris. For everything."
~*~BREAK~*~
"Lanfan, I have a dilemma." Lanfan looked up from her history textbook to face the squinty-eyed heir to a multi-billion dollar industry, sighing.
"What is it, Ling?" She asked, her voice small as always.
"I can't bring myself to hate Mei Chang." She raised an eyebrow.
"Most would consider that a good thing."
"But she's my rival! My competition! The sole reason I DON'T have a clear shot to inheriting the company! Shouldn't I hate her? Shouldn't she be my driving passion, the reason I want the company so badly?" He pushed his bangs out of his eyes irritably.
"Maybe it was our childhood." Lanfan suggested. Ling shrugged.
"I mean, she was an annoying little brat then, but she did save our sorry asses a lot. She's really the same as she was then. I've seen her with Alphonse, and she looks just like she did then- a bit lost, but so thrilled and excited to be with them that she could forget that. And, of course, a complete bitch to the people who pissed her off." Ling gave Lanfan a ghost of a smile, remembering the little girl that Mei was and the only slightly bigger girl she was now.
"Mei is all of those things, Ling. What are you trying to say?"
"Always cutting to the chase, aren't you?" Lanfan smiled shyly. "I'm not sure if I want the company as much as I did. I'm not sure if making an enemy like Mei is worth it."
"Sacrifices have to be made."
"Damn them."
"Damn them or not, Ling, they still have to be made."
~*~BREAK~*~
"Fuery! Come on, man. Just come."
"I don't want a repeat of what happened last time!" Fuery protested weakly.
"This time, Riza and her friends will be fully aware that we are spying on them!" Roy argued. A few passing teens gave him an odd look. "Well, wrong choice of words, there…"
"I'm Jewish!" Kain whimpered, his eyes pleading.
"Riza's coming? WHY THE HELL IS RIZA COMING?" Jean shouted at Roy. Roy ignored Jean for about the fiftieth time.
"So? If it really bothers you that much, we'll call it a HOLIDAY party." Kain whimpered. He was running out of excuses.
"This is a big chance, Kain. You go to this, and you might even get a girlfriend." Maes whispered in Kain's ear. "Although, no one's as good as MY Gracia! I got her flowers yesterday! Doesn't she look like an angel?"
"Maes, put the pictures away. This is not the time." Roy groaned.
"I don't want a girlfriend!"
"'Course you do."
"No, I don't!"
"Trust me, it's great!" Roy took a long swig of Gatorade.
"Then why don't you have a girlfriend?" The Gatorade promptly sprayed Jean in the face as Roy sputtered and groped for a semi-acceptable answer without using the words 'Riza' 'Hate' and 'Playboy'.
"He's head over heels for Riza Hawkeye, that's why!"
"MAES, SHUT UP."
"What? It's true! That's why she's always at the parties and stuff!"
"My AUNT invites her!"
"So why does she come?"
"She and Chris are close!"
"I think someone's in denial!" Maes chirped cheerfully.
"Am not!"
~*~BREAK~*~
Winry was not happy. Not happy, of course, meaning pissed.
Winry was pissed a lot, but most of that ended with a wrench to Ed's head. Today, though, as Ed lay on the floor bleeding, Winry was on a rampage. Pinako, having raised the hormonal teen herself, had wisely stayed out of Winry's way, puffing on her pipe and mixing up cake batter for when Winry finally calmed down.
"Winry! What happened?" Ah, so Al had brought the little midget Mei girl home again. Those two were becoming inseperable.
"That. Son. Of. A. Bitch." Winry raised her wrench again. Mei squeaked and threw her arms up to cover her face. Al grabbed the other end of the wrench, earning a death glare from Winry.
"Winry, are you talking about Ed? Because I think he learned his lesson."
"Dating. That. Bitch."
"Ed's dating?"
"Well, they were making out in the hallway, Al. What does that tell you?" Winry's voice was low and dangerous. Al would have to tread on thin ice to get Winry to even consider dropping the wrench, let alone calming down.
"Winry…let go of the wrench."
"No." At this point, Mei wisely retreated to the kitchen, where Pinako was beckoning for her to help with the next confectionary.
"Winry, I think Ed's learned his lesson."
"He's not dead yet."
"Winry, he's bleeding. How many times did you hit him?"
"…A few." Al facepalmed.
"Oh, damn, my head! Damn, damn, damn." Various profanities lept out of Ed's mouth as he sat up, rubbing his head. "And I'm not dating that bitch, Winry." He muttered, glaring up at her from his seat on the floor.
"Then why did you kiss her?" Winry shook Al off and raised her wrench menacingly.
"She kissed me!"
"Oh." The wrench fell to the floor as Winry's anger vanished in the blink of an eye.
She had a way of doing that.
"Ah, cake anyone? Ms. Pinako says it'll be done in a few minutes." Mei asked timidly, poking her head into the living room.
Sunday, 2:03pm. Got a new sketchbook. Gatorade doesn't belong to me. I don't even know if I own any. I hate it. Vitaminwater is so much better.
I feel accomplished. :D
