AN: i was kind of unsure of the title of this chapter but i used it based grumman and riza's conversation at the beginning. he's prompting her to tell him what's going on, but doesn't push it, instead offering his unconditional support

a man learns who is there for him when the glitter fades and the walls won't hold

Walter Grumman was not an unkind man. Calculating and cunning? Yes. However, he held the best interests of those close to him and under his care at heart. That's why he had wrangled Riza into his office at the crack of dawn to discuss her mental state. She didn't want to be here. Riza didn't want to open up. Grumman was like a bloodhound and would not give up the chase until he got what he wanted.

"Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?" Riza remained silent, causing her grandfather to sigh. "I could have helped –"

"Would you want anyone to know if it were you in my position?" she interrupted, staring him down.

"No," he replied finally. "I suppose not."

"Then you know why I didn't tell you."

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?"

"No."

Grumman sighed. "I won't push it." That surprised her. "I'm not stupid. I've only really known you for less than a decade, Riza, but I know when to push and when to not. I know where I found you. That is answer enough for me.

"Just promise me one thing."

"Yes?" Riza questioned. Grumman had specifically waited for her to reply.

"Promise me you will seek out help when it gets too much. Take a day or a night off if need be." She opened her mouth to protest, only for Grumman to continue. "The fight will still be here for you when you return. There are thirty other assassins here," he reminded her gently. "We are all fighting for the same thing. You're not in this fight alone."

"I can't promise I will take a day off. We can't afford to." She was strong enough to fight this. She just had to believe she was. The other night she had been caught off guard that was all. Her mind had been overloaded with the topic. Couple that with her shock and nausea towards the topic of the mines, it had hit her hard and unexpectedly.

"You can," Grumman stressed. "If you do not, I will order it."

Riza didn't doubt his threat.

In defeat, she hung her head and looked down at the hands folded in her lap. "Havoc helps a lot. So do Breda, Falman, and Fuery." She heard Grumman shift in his chair, leaning forward expectantly. "Havoc insisted we get a good support network set up just in case, so we did."

"He struggles too, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

Grumman sighed and rubbed his hands tiredly over his face. "I knew it," he muttered to himself. "Well, I'm glad to hear you both have a solid team set up."

She couldn't bear to see the hurt look on his face. Not after everything her grandfather had done for her. If she did open up, there would be nothing but pity, and that was something she didn't need or want. It would be an instinct for her grandfather, showing her pity. She needed purpose, she needed to be treated the same as everyone else, not babied and shielded from the world in case it hurt her again.

"Maybe one day, when this is all over… I might – I mean, I may be able to…"

"It's okay, Riza," he reassured her, a soft smile on his face. "I understand."

Maybe once this was all over she might be able to open up. One day would be many years down the line though. However, in this fight, they both probably didn't have years.

"Just… Take care of yourself. For me?"

Riza nodded. "I will."

"Thank you. You're dismissed."

Riza breezed out of his office door, eyes on the floor as she walked. She almost bumped right into Mustang.

"Whoa," he exclaimed with a friendly smile, grasping her upper arms in an effort to stop her from walking into him but Riza knew that smile was strained.

"Oh, sorry," she stuttered. Damn, she was distracted again. This had to stop. What Riza really needed was an assignment. Something where she could get away from Central, away from her grandfather's concerned gaze constantly trained on her back, away from Roy.

Things still weren't easy between them. After her breakdown he had tried to offer comfort and support but Riza kept pushing him away. After all, if he couldn't get close then she didn't have anything to worry about… Right? It was just too bad that he was persistent and seemed intent on trying to right what had happened between them.

Regardless of feelings that extended beyond friendship, Riza could understand that Roy would feel guilty about what happened. She understood because she knew that if their situation were reversed she would feel the same way. His attempts at comfort and small gestures were not unwelcome but Riza accepting them was the start of them venturing into very dangerous territory.

If she could escape for a few days she could clear her head and return fresh and ready to put all of this behind her. Roy would hopefully be able to do so as well.

Her wish came to her sooner than she thought.

"I'd like you to travel to West City for me," Grumman stated, shifting through papers on his desk two days after their meeting. "I'd like you to meet with a contact of mine regarding the whereabouts of an alchemist. Retrieving that information is of the utmost importance."

"Understood."

"You will leave as soon as possible. This will be a one person mission, Hawkeye. Understood?"

Riza nodded.

Grumman's expression softened. "I don't like sending you by yourself. I don't like sending any of you by yourself but discretion is important. He spooks easily so I can't risk it."

"It won't be an issue."

"I know I can count on you. I will see you upon your return."

Riza left and readied her travel pack. Within ten minutes she was ready to go. Not one to be left unprepared should disaster strike, the assassin always kept a back packed in her bedroom should they need to up and leave at a moment's notice. Riza Hawkeye was nothing if not efficient.

She entered the dining room where the main hatch to the tunnels below the Keep centred from. Fuery was in there by himself, tinkering away at a wireless radio. Riza wasn't sure how he got a hold of it, or what he was doing with it. That was technology far beyond the understanding of anyone else here, except Fuery. The radio was controlled by Bradley's government and only alchemists could put in an order for one. Of course, they were filled with propaganda, so it wasn't much use to them.

"Hey Fuery," she greeted. Of all the new people in her team, Fuery was one of her favourites. He was barely in his twenties and had yet to lose his youthful optimism, even in this fight. Fuery was always equipped with a smile for her and welcomed her into a conversation, regardless of what he had been doing prior to her entering a room.

Riza hoped the resistance wouldn't break his spirit.

"Hey, Hawkeye!" he greeted warmly. He placed the screwdriver down on the table and turned to face her fully. "Heading out?"

She nodded, lifting the corner of the rug that ran the length of the room. Flicking it back, it revealed a hidden trapdoor. "Yeah, Grumman has a mission for me in the west."

"Would you like some company?"

Riza smiled at his tone. He sounded so earnest. "I would, but its Grumman's orders. This is a lone mission." She lifted the trapdoor to reveal a dark stairway. Taking a deep breath, Riza calmed her nerves. There were torches further down the tunnel, not even ten feet from where she was standing now. It just appeared to be dark because of the bright candlelight in this room.

"Oh." Bless, he actually sounded disappointed. "Okay then."

Grinning, Riza offered him a flippant salute. "See you in a couple of days." Taking a tentative first couple of steps Riza's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Sure enough, the torch that was now three feet from her current position was lit and burned brightly. It waved in the breeze from the trapdoor which Fuery graciously offered to close up for her.

The walk to her first destination was two miles. With nothing but dirt and torches to look at Riza found herself planning as she walked.

She was to meet a doctor in the outskirts of West City. Doctor Marco was an alchemist who supposedly had worked with Bradley closely before mysteriously disappearing one day a couple of years back. Well, that was the line Bradley fed everyone. Apparently Marco hadn't agreed with the government's efforts and experiments – Riza dreaded to think what they were – so he had been "relocated" out west. Exiled more like. Apparently even if you were a deserter and an alchemist, you were still too valuable to be disposed of.

At least Roy won't be killed, Riza thought grimly. Well, she hoped. There was always the possibility that he, Edward, Alphonse, and Armstrong would be made an example of to the public.

It was her job to meet with him and help the doctor track and locate an Ishvalan who has been causing a stir in the west. He was openly murdering alchemists in broad daylight. Riza had no right to judge on the subject of murder, after all, that's what she was doing to. Just because she dressed it up with another name and did it in the dead of night so no one could see it didn't mean she was above this Ishvalan. They were both killers.

Bradley's main focus was his stronghold in Central, so he never really bothered about the other four main cities in Amestris, that's why this Ishvalan had yet to be stopped. His usual "I care for all alchemists" speech was just a front. Bradley only cared about the real powerhouses that resided in Central. He kept his prized possessions close to him, ready to move and demonstrate their power to instil fear at any given moment.

Sure, there was a military presence in the cities with alchemists and officers, but the law enforcement was more "laid back". Of course, they still liked to torment people like Riza and round up anyone they found like cattle to ship them either north or east to the mines, Bradley just turned even more of a blind eye to it.

These cities were so much worse that Central for normal people like Riza.

Grumman had requested a meeting with the Ishvalan and would enquire if this newcomer would like to join their cause in Central. From the sound of things, his talents could come in useful.

It took Riza a day of searching and waiting in the slums on the outskirts of West City before Doctor Marco presented himself.

"Sorry, I had to be careful," he explained. "I'm sure you understand."

Riza nodded. She would have preferred to have not been kept waiting by a paranoid man but she had no control over that. "I understand. Where can we find your associate?"

Marco stiffened. "He isn't exactly my associate."

"Fine, but where can we find him?" Riza really didn't care about the complexities of their relationship. She just wanted to do her damn job.

"He's in hiding nearby. I'll take you there."

The walk was silent. The slums around them, were not. Every so often there was a scream. The sound of people crying filled the air more often than not. Feral orphans scampered in the shadows, eyes watching their every move. She wondered if any of them were tied to the resistance. Grumman had his own network in the slums in Central. There was the other possibility they were working for Bradley, so Riza kept her mouth promptly shut as they walked.

The smell though was what really made her stomach churn. Human waste, decay, and just general filth filled the air, making her gag not for the first time today. No matter how many times she visited the places where her people were being held, nothing would quell her anger. It wasn't right they were treated like this just because they didn't have an aptitude for science. These visits always strengthened her resolve and determination to cut down every alchemist who stood between her and King Bradley.

"In here," Marco murmured. Riza distinctly noticed the sever lack of orphans in the shadows around them. Either this place was a no-go zone for them or something had scared them off. But what?

Upon entering Riza noted how barren the shack was. The dirt floor was cleared of everything, save a makeshift cot in the far right corner of the room. Upon it, lay a person. There was nothing but the sounds of laboured breathing.

"He's in a bad way at the moment. I've healed him as best I can but with this rudimentary equipment and basic ingredients for medicine, there's not much else I can do."

Riza peered over at the man. Bandages covered his head so the only thing that was showing was his mouth, which was partly open as he slept.

"What happened to him?"

"An alchemist," the Ishvalan replied, voice strained. Marco jumped, not expecting him to be awake. "They blew half my face off, killed my brother." He sat up shakily, swinging his legs around the edge of the bed. "They will pay."

His voice held a deadly calm that made Riza want to shiver.

ohoho! it's all about to kick off lads brace yourselves!