-10-
The Mustang Chronicles
Prompt: Bouncy
Training
Roy ran a hand through his dusty hair and looked around at the small sticks his teacher had stuck into the sand far away from them before turning back to where the older man knelt behind him. With a grin, Roy waited for the man to finish going through the bags they'd brought.
The eighteen-year-old was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. For the last month he'd done nothing in his free time other than study the texts the man had given him. Every weekend, he made the long drive back to his home town from Central to visit his teacher and get more instruction, and ultimately more texts.
Roy's mother had been happy to see him more often, and Roy, in turn, was happy to see her cooking. After he got out of basic training, he realized that he really couldn't cook worth shit, and he thought that he'd waste away if he had to live on the food the military served. His mother seemed to have the same thoughts and often sent him back to Central with a box of baked goods. They never lasted long since Maes generally ate more than half of what he returned with.
Roy rocked back on the balls of his feet, then forward. He was much too antsy to hold still. He thought that if it didn't look too undignified, he'd probably be hoping around in excitement.
His teacher, kneeling on the ground over the bag, looked up and growled, "Will you stop bouncing around?"
"I'm not bouncing," Roy protested.
The older man raised an eyebrow and lifted a gloved hand in a snapping gesture. Quickly Roy raised his hands and hastily said, "Okay, I was bouncing."
Grumbling to himself, the older alchemist got to his feet and waved Roy forward. "Now, you've seen these gloves before. You know what they can do." At that, he snapped and lit a fire at the end of one of the sticks.
Roy nodded. Looked easy enough.
"You've read, in record time I must add, the texts I gave to you and you should know the mechanics of how this science works. Actually doing it is another thing." The man glanced at Roy and scowled. "With flame alchemy, you need control. You must guide the flows. You need to be able to be keen enough to notice if there is a small air current, as well as the direction it's flowing. Even the smallest breeze can make you miss your target if you aren't aware and make the necessary adjustments."
Roy nodded and again rolled back on his feet. He got it already! He just wanted to try! His teacher seemed to understand what was going through his head because he sighed and slipped off the gloves and held them together. For a moment he stared at Roy then his scowl deepened before smacking Roy on the head with the gloves.
"Stop moving! What are you? Five?"
Blushing, Roy stilled his movements with an effort. His fingers itched to try out all the things he'd read about.
The older man pressed his lips together and handed the gloves over reluctantly. Snatching them, Roy hurriedly slipped them on and, with a grin, stepped forward and held his hand up, ready to snap.
"Now, I want you to think before..." his teacher began, but it was too late. With one hard snap of his thumb and middle finger, all the sticks burst into flame. Grinning, Roy watched the stumps burn. Suddenly he was smacked upside his head. "Idiot boy! You don't listen to a thing I tell you, do you?"
Grabbing his head, Roy turned around and whined, "What was that for?"
"I said control! That was not control, that was a wild attempt. You're lucky there was nothing else around that was flammable!" The man pointed to the area where the sticks were now almost a charred ruin. "Do you see the black around the stumps? That is the sand. If that had been weeds or dry grass we would be dead. Control is paramount." The man paused, then held out his hand. "The gloves. Now."
Frowning, and feeling a little disappointed, Roy slipped the gloves off and handed them over. When he did, his teacher hit him with them again before turning around and walking back where they left the car.
"What was that for?" Roy asked, picking up the bags and following after him.
"Because you're an idiot. Now, let's go."