I do not own FMA. I DO, however, own a TV. I enjoy watching the anime on it.
Edward and Rose chatted about random things as the blond alchemist drove through the streets to their destination. The car, which belonged to Breda and was on loan to Ed, screeched as it rounded the corner. Ed was as savage a driver as he was a fighter, and the only reason he had a license was because Madam Christmas had given him some incriminating photos of some higher ups as a birthday present and if there was one thing Ed knew besides alchemy, it was blackmail.
Rose, to her credit, seemed to be enjoying the ride. As the speed of the vehicle picked up, Ed reacting to Rose's urging, a wild smile grew on her face. Ed made a mental note that Rose seemed to enjoy adrenaline-inducing activities, even as he drove down an alley to avoid some cops who were chasing him for his reckless driving. What did he care anyways? The car was licensed to Breda anyways.
Having lost the cops, as well as reaching their destination, Ed reluctantly slowed to a halt as he swerved into the restaurant's parking lot.
Quickly unbuckling and dashing to the other door, Ed opened Rose's door for her and offered her a hand to help her out.
"My my, such a gentleman!" Rose exclaimed, taking the proffered hand as she exited the rather banged-up vehicle.
"What can I say? I guess at heart I'm just an old-fashioned country boy." Ed said, a slow country drawl creeping into his voice as he flashed Rose a grin as he led her to the restaurant, which was a bit upscale, but not so much that a single course would bring the bill into the triple digits.
The staff, recognizing Edward from when he had made the reservation, (It wasn't every day that the manager was put in a full body cast for insulting a clients height, after all) immediately brought the pair to a corner table that was just a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the restaurant.
"You're from the country?" Rose asked, surprised at this revelation as she took the menu from their waiter. "From all your stories, Id've assumed you were born in a city."
It was indeed confusing to the dark-skinned woman. In the weeks that she had acted as a liaison between Ed and Riza, she had heard numerous stories from and about the both of them. Ed, for his part, constantly complained about the various countryside places that he had to visit. Of course, Rose knew that Ed's mechanic lived in Resembool, but as she knew that Ed had once dated her she assumed that the reason he had used her services so often in the past and continued to use them to this day was due to past affections.
Ed chuckled at Rose's question, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment before answering her. "Yeah, believe it or not I'm a country boy. You'd be surprised how many people think I'm lying when I say I know just as much about running a market stand as I do about alchemy."
Rose smiled at Ed's seeming embarrassment of his small-time origins, before a sudden thought struck her. "Market stand?"
Ed blinked before laughing. "Yeah, that doesn't come up much does it? My bastard of a father might have occasionally sent money over, but not enough or often enough to get us and mom by. So we made our money by growing herbs. Later, we expanded a bit and started selling herbal medicines based off of recipes that the Rockbells had given us."
Rose nodded in understanding, even as the waiter came by to take their orders. Rose ordered the roast salmon with leeks, while Ed asked for a dozen bowls of stew. Rose giggled as the waiter tried to explain to Edward about how they didn't serve stew. And besides, wasn't a dozen bowls far too much for someone of his small –
After the mess had been settled and some creative bullshit from Edward had convinced the manager that not only was the beat down not his fault, but his meal should be free as well, Ed and Rose found themselves tucking into their respective meals as a comfortable silence descended between them.
With Breda…
Breda was about ready to tear his hair out. Why had he agreed to watch a dozen kids for Ed? Another shriek pierced the air, following what sounded like a crash from the kitchen. Breda didn't even know how any of them had gotten in there as he was effectively blocking the entrance as he tried to maintain a semblance of order.
"Hey mister soldier guy!" One of the kids ran up to Breda, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Yes?" Breda asked carefully.
"Check out my frog!" The boy said, proudly thrusting the amphibian creature forward.
"Heh, that's neat kid. I used to have a frog when I was your age." Breda said, kneeling down and giving the kid a pat on the head as he began shofting towards the kitchen to check on the sounds he had heard.
"That's nothing, check this out! I just found him wandering around!" Said another kid, wandering in with a rope in one hand. A rope that had been used as a makeshift collar and leash for a medium-sized dog.
Breda stood stock still, all color rapidly leaving his body, somehow even his clothes looked bleached. His mouth opened and shut a few times before he was finally able to make sound.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH-"
Back with the adorable couple…
"Did you hear something?" Rose asked, her head tilted slightly as she finished up her meal.
"Nope." Ed responded simply, also finishing his meal, relishing the high-quality stew. For an improvised recipe, it certainly wasn't bad. Ed made a mental note to talk to the chef at a later date. If there was one thing Ed could respect, it was a man who made a decent bowel of stew.
"Oh, all right then." Rose pushed her plate to the side and stood up with Edward as they got up to leave the restaurant, the bill already being taken care of thanks to Ed's smooth talking.
"So, how about a detour through the park on our way back?" Ed suggests, gesturing to the (restored) enclosed space that was only a little out of their way.
"Well, how can I refuse such an offer?" Rose says coyly, wrapping her arm around Ed's flesh one as they made their way to their destination.
Back with Breda…
"All right man, I'm here now. What's the prob- Seriously?"
This was the response of one Jean Havoc as he let himself into Rose's orphanage/home and was instantly met with the site of a shaking Breda hiding under a desk while a cute-looking puppy played with a few of the kids. A quick glance around told Havoc that the kids have taken full advantage of Breda's fear to wreak havoc on the immediate area.
"Yeah! Get that devil-beast away from me!" Breda screamed in an unusually high voice as he pointed a shaking finger at the puppy. "I'm going to kill Edward! He SWORE that there were no dogs here!"
"Calm down man, it's probably a stray that the kids found. Can't expect the kid to bat a hundred, especially when going on a date." Havoc calmly walked up to the kids and leaned down to pet the puppy.
"What are you doing? GET RID OF IT!" Breda shouted from across the room.
"I'm not going to throw out the puppy man, that's just cold." Havoc said, straightening up, grabbing the puppy much to the kid's protest. "But tell you what, my date already got stolen by Mustang so why don't you head off and I'll take over."
"THANK YOU!" Breda shouted, already halfway to the door.
"But you're doing my paperwork tomorrow!" Havoc shouted to Breda's retreating form.
"WORTH IT!" Came the distant reply.
Havoc sighed as he put the puppy down to play with the kids once more. "What am I doing? I have no idea how to watch kids. I need an expert. Someone with years of dealing with childish and immature behavior…"
Havoc suddenly brightened as the perfect person came to mind.
Back with Edward and Rose…
"…And that's how me and Al saved the town from the flood of red water!" Ed finished his story with a dramatic flare.
"I don't know Ed, it sounds to me like the Tringham brothers did most of the work towards the end…" Rose said, a sly smile on her face.
Ed scowled at her. "I was the one that figured out how to stop the red water! Not my fault I specialize in a separate branch of bio-alchemy…"
Rose perked up at this. She knew that Ed had lost his leg and arm to the forbidden art of human transmutation, and she knew that most alchemists had a specialty, but she was surprised to hear that Ed considered that particular branch to be his own niche.
"I thought you specialized in earth alchemy, not bio." Rose said, confusion on her face.
Ed actually stopped to think on that for a minute, before leading Rose to a nearby bench and sitting down himself. "It's complicated. I use a lot of earth and metal based alchemy on a day to day basis, I use it in battle and I use it to repair things. But I know a LOT about bio-alchemy. It was the sole purpose of my life for years, after all. And after the incident with Nin- I mean with a botched chimera transmutation, I only grew more interested in mastering that particular branch. I don't use it though, I've had bad experiences with chimeras. Not that I can't see the use, but I don't think I'll ever use it. At least, not unless I absolutely have to."
Rose nodded solemnly, she could tell that it took a lot for Ed to say that. She had caught the beginning of a name, and quickly figured that the 'botched chimera experiment' was a much more complicated story than Ed was willing to reveal.
"Maybe…" Rose began, fumbling for something to say. "Maybe you can tell me another story?"
Ed smiled, relieved at Rose's not-so-subtle attempt to change what was obviously a very painful subject. "All right! How about the time me and Al…"
With Havoc…
"Thanks for coming on such short notice." Havoc said, relief in his voice. "Breda bailed when one of the kids found a puppy and I have no idea how to work with children. I figured you'd have plenty of experience though."
"I wouldn't say experience with 'kids' per-se, more like with childish behavior." Riza commented, polishing her gun barrel.
Riza had been sitting bored at her home, waiting for Ed to come by to help sort out their training schedule, when Havoc had called. A short trip, and a few discharged rounds later, order had been restored in Rose's orphanage. The children quickly picked up their mess and had gone to bed, with Riza reading the younger ones a bedtime story while Havoc entertained the older ones with some of his tales from the military. After words, Riza patched up the bullet holes with her still-developing alchemy abilities and the two soldiers sat down for some tea and relaxation.
"So Ed ditched me for a date?" Riza said in an amused tone, examining the gleam of her gun before nodding in satisfaction and re-holstering it. "I suppose I should give him an earful once he finally remembers me, though truth be told I'm glad that he's finally getting out and enjoying himself."
"Try not to be TOO hard on the boy." Havoc chuckled, taking a sip from his cup before setting the steaming tea aside. "But was it really necessary to shoot at the children? They're no poorly-trained puppies you know!" Havoc chuckled as he recalled when Riza had first gotten her faithful Black Hayate, and had shot his outline when he had whizzed on the office wall.
"I missed on purpose." Riza said simply, grabbing her own tea now that her gun had been cleaned to her satisfaction.
"Of course. You never miss, after all." Havoc chuckled.
"Quite. I go through a lot of practice to maintain that level of skill." Riza remarked, quickly draining her tea and handing the cup over to Havoc.
"I figured." Havoc said good-naturedly, quickly swigging down the rest of his beverage before grabbing the two cups and quickly rinsing them. "Been a while since I've been to the range myself. Mind joining me tomorrow? Perhaps give a few tips?"
Riza smiled as Havoc walked back into the living room, the light dancing off her amber irises. "I'd love to join you Havoc." The blonde woman then got up and stretched. "Well, I should be off. I apparently have to wait at Ed's apartment instead of mine, after all."
Havoc laughed as he escorted Riza to the door. "Again, try not to be too hard on him. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest to find out that this was his first date."
Riza smiled, a slightly predatory smile. "Maybe, it depends on how many details he's willing to diverge…"
Havoc shuddered at Riza's smile. He was glad that that the two's strange brother/sister mother/son hybrid relationship was still holding strong, but it brought out something scary in Riza.
"Eh heh heh…" Havoc chuckled nervously while silently praying for Ed. "Well, good night Riza. See you tomorrow at the range. Seven work for you?"
Riza smiled, this time much less creepily. "Seven's perfect. Good night Jean." Riza then did something very unlike herself and stood up on her tiptoes to plant a small peck on Havoc's cheek.
"Do try not to be late. Good night!" Riza says brightly, turning and leaving the suddenly VERY shocked Havoc.
…10 minutes later…
"…And that's how I stopped the mugger and got this awesome hat!" Ed said, finishing his tale by tipping forward his new and rather stylish top hat.
"Amazing! It's almost like I was there with you! Oh wait…" Rose said, poking fun at their joint escapade.
"Oh, laugh it up. You know you enjoyed my version bett- Is that Havoc?"
Rose turned to wear Ed was pointing, now spotting the still very statue-like Havoc standing on Rose's porch.
"What's he doing here?" Rose wondered out loud.
"Only one way to find out!" Ed says, quickly walking up to Havoc and giving him a couple of slaps. With his flesh hand, of course. He rather liked Havoc too much to use his metal hand. "Hey Havoc! What're you doing here? I left Breda to watch the kids!"
For the first time in ten minutes, Breda finally stirred enough to utter some words in a quiet voice. "Breda… Kids… Puppy… Fled… Paperwork… Riza… Kids… Bullets… Bed…"
"What'd he say?" Rose asked, who hadn't quite gotten to the porch yet.
"Er…" Ed began, not quite having pieced it together himself. But he HAD heard 'Riza', 'bullets', and 'kids', and those were words that Rose did NOT need to hear in the same sentence. "I can't make it out. And he seems kind of zoned out. Probably better to wait tomorrow."
Rose shrugged. "Fair enough." She then smiled and pulled Ed closer, causing him to smile as well. Turns out he had a thing for aggressive women. "I'd invite you in, but Havoc rather killed the mood."
Ed mentally cursed havoc while outwardly wearing a calm smile. "That's ok. Still, I'm glad we did this."
"I had a great time." Rose said before leaning forward and kissing Ed softly on the lips, instantly causing Ed to blush the exact same shade of red as his shirt. "I look forward to a few more before you leave…"
Ed could only nod, speech having left him for the moment.
Rose giggled as she swatted Ed on the shoulder. "Go on, get! I'm fairly certain you've things to do besides drool on my porch!"
Edward nodded as he stumbled his way back to his apartment.
Later…
After a few fumbles, Ed still being in a rather dazed state of mind, the blond alchemist managed to open the door to his apartment and flick on the light, before freezing at the sight of Riza sitting on his couch, Black Hayate beside her, and her favorite gun in full view on the table. "Hello Edward!" Riza said, giving a surprisingly toothy smile. "Let's talk about your date."
What's this? An update? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!
But all kidding aside, I apologize for the long wait. What excuse do I have? None. Quite simply, I had many RL problems and almost no motivation to finish the chapter that I had begun over a year ago. Finally though, a reviewer got through my funk and inspired me to finish the chapter. See people? Those reviews actually do help the writers. So anyways, a nice romantic date for Edward and Rose before some intense training. And what's this I see? Some Riza/Havoc? Hm... Eagle-eyed readers will notice a reference to the 2003 FMA episode 'The Other Brothers Elric'. I finally had them explain Ed's alchemical specialties. Thinking of having him delve into medical alchemy to make use of his vast knowledge of bio-alchemy. What do ya'll think? Riza's sudden interest in Ed's personal life in the last paragraph may seem a bit out of place considering the fact that I've been been giving her a very laid-back reaction thus far. But I look at it this way, have you ever teased a younger sibling about their first date? And has one of your parents ever grilled you for all the details after a date? Riza's role in Ed's life is not only as a teacher/partner, but also as a surrogate mother/sister. She is the comforting female presence that Ed and Al never really had in their lives. And every so often, I have to emphasize this. So I apologize if it comes a bit out of left field. Anyways, hopefully the next update won't take a year and a half. I'm aiming for a week and a half myself, but I'm still rather busy so who knows? And now, it's time for (very delayed) reader reviews!
ZakuroU: I'm glad you like the way I write Ed/Rose! Hopefully you still like it.
Fire From Above: Between Rose and Riza, I doubt Ed will have very much dignity left in the coming weeks.
Quinn1989: I can see your point, but some sisters/mothers (mine) would be more likely to let their children 'stick their hand in the fire' so to speak. Let them get burned and learn their lesson. I imagine that with few exceptions, Riza would probably follow this rule.
Ice Maiden Olivier: Sorry that I DID make you wait. Hopefully you'll find bits of this funny as well.
Guest: And how would alchemy lessons be redundant? They still have a very strong and rather complicated relationship that I'd like to explore. And besides, I'm not focusing solely on the romance. There will be plenty of action later down the road.
Argent z Cintry: My line of reasoning is that she believes that Ed is a big boy and can handle himself. Besides, she's spent a good portion of her life having to deal with Roy's womanizing ways. Maybe she's not interfering to keep Ed from going down the same path?
TacticianLyra: Lyra, you are a wonderful person and I thank you for dragging me out of my anti-writing funk. Trust me, you did more than you may think.
And now for the all-important story recommendation! This time it's... Your Last Day by Fallen Crest! It's an interesting story with some dark undertones about how Ed has to fake his death for a mission, and only a handful of people on Mustang's team are allowed to know. Flamers be warned, I hail from a very hot state. I will not feel your flames. Everyone, please review!