Chapter 10: Behind the Mask

Near the end of every year, all members of the military were required to attend the annual medical examination. Riza entered the infirmary and took off her coat and scarf. It hadn't been raining in weeks, but the days were uncomfortably colder now. It was still early for her appointment so she registered at the reception and sat in the waiting room. There weren't many people in the room, so she would probably be called in soon.

The walls were decorated with paintings of animals and nature. There was a poster in the middle advertising the upcoming end-of-year party: a masquerade ball. Riza frowned; she knew all about it, having been assigned part of its organization. This had never been done before, and the mere idea of celebrating something among homunculi and corrupted higher-ranked officers made her cringe. Maybe Bradley wanted to entertain himself making everyone parade in front of him before killing them off next spring. No matter how sincere Mrs. Bradley had seemed when she insisted it was her idea, Riza just wouldn't stop doubting everything she saw or heard.

She took a magazine from the coffee table and put it on her lap, vaguely shifting through the pages with one hand; the other laying casually on the arm of the chair. No particular article called her attention, but she still read a paragraph or two on economy matters.

Someone stood before her, creating a shadow over the magazine. "Mind if I sit next to you?" She looked up and smiled immediately; then blinked and made to sit up before Roy stopped her. "At ease," he said.

Riza relaxed again and Roy sat to her side. "Have you been following me, Colonel?"

"Not at all. We were both supposed to be here at one day or another. It's a simple coincidence."

"A great coincidence I would say, now that we seem to meet surprisingly often, either at work or at the street."

Roy took his coat off and, with his hand under it, lay it on the shared chair's arm which Riza was still using, making the large piece of clothing cover her arm. "Well, I used to have an assistant who would remind me of doing exercise, but I'd been so busy with other things lately I practically forgot to keep that up." He smirked. "And now I've started jogging in the evenings, so it's no surprise I see you more often if you go out for air too."

Riza tried not to smile as much as she felt like; she helped herself by keeping her eyes back on the magazine. "I happen to have a dog I always take to the same park, at the same time. Two blocks from my apartment."

Roy stifled a laugh and moved his hand underneath the coat, making contact with Riza's and holding it. He noticed her rolling her eyes at the touch. "Your neighborhood has less traffic and more trees than mine; it's better for a peaceful jog."

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Really…?" A short moment of silence later, she turned her hand to intertwine her fingers with Roy's.

"Are you going?" he asked. Riza looked at him; he was staring at the party advertisement.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel like celebrating anything this year."

"Anything at all?" He rubbed his thumb gently against the back of Riza's hand.

She stared at him for a moment; then turned her glance to the side and smiled softly; shyly almost.

When she didn't answer, Roy sat more comfortably on the chair. "We are allowed to bring someone," he said. "I know a lot of people will expect me to bring Elizabeth."

Riza lifted an eyebrow. "And you think she would agree to go?"

"It could be the end of all that unnecessary attention if I introduced her to some people." He smirked. "And of course, she's a great dancing partner; I'd love a chance to dance with her again."

Riza smiled wryly. "I thought she was still with complicated matters. Are you sure a public appearance would do no harm?"

Roy nodded. "All of that can be fixed."

Not far in front of them, a man came out of a room and went to the exit. Behind him, a woman in a white coat stood at the doorway with a clipboard in her hands.

"First Lieutenant Hawkeye," the doctor called.

"Yes," Riza answered. She was quick to release Roy's hand and take it out from under his coat.

As she stood up and gathered her things, Roy said, "So, Lieutenant. Are you going to the ball?"

She looked at him with a sheepish smile as she walked away. "I'll think about it."

The night before the New Year, a multitude had gathered in the party hall of Central Palace, the most important hotel of the city. Since many members of the military were away from home and would go alone, it had been decided to hold a celebration everyone could attend with so much as an invitation, including people from the Parliament and important figures, from rich businesspeople to famous artists.

Other than the elegant and pompous feel of the gala, the allure of the night was the mystery itself. In a masquerade ball, nobody knew who anyone was.

The doors were opened and two people joined the meeting: a man with a black mask and a tuxedo, and a woman holding his arm, with black, shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a black tight dress with a stand-up collar and a decent cleavage, and her mask was golden, with a few details in black, concealing the biggest part of her face and casting a soft shadow over her eyes.

The woman blinked as she took a quick look at her surroundings. "Oh, Roy, what a beautiful place," she said. "Thanks for convincing me to come, even if I'm not that good at waltz."

He smiled. "I'm not sure anyone is, to be honest." They took a few steps into the room before he said, "So, would you like to eat something or do you prefer to dance?"

"I'm not exactly hungry right now. Let's dance."

The pair went to the dance floor and joined the other couples in a waltz that had already started. He held her close and she closed her eyes, letting herself be directed by Roy's movements.

"Are you sure you trust me not to crash us against a wall?" he asked humorously.

She giggled. "What you don't know is I have a sixth sense for these things," she said smiling. "I never even graze other people when I'm dancing. Nor walls, either."

Roy smirked. "Let's see about that, Elizabeth," he said winking at her.

He sped up their pace and made his partner turn several times. He couldn't see much of her face due to her mask, so he couldn't find any signs of surprise on her, besides her smile, with every unexpected movement; but she was clearly holding tighter onto him.

A photographer was taking pictures of every dancing couple and, between the flashes of the camera and the quick turns of his body, Roy thought for a moment everything was turning purple. Or at least, that was the color that called his attention the most as he kept dancing.

When Roy fastened up the speed, Elizabeth laughed loudly and he chuckled, slowing back down a bit.

She opened her eyes. "You're so bad."

He faked a pout. "I was just trying to prove your sixth sense." He lifted an eyebrow. "But you were right, it seems."

Everyone was wearing masks, but some people were easily recognizable due to their body figure and hair. Roy had slicked back his hair for the occasion, and the mask he wore was small and simple, just covering his nose and eyes' area; very discreet. Because of that, some guests realized it was him as soon as they saw him. The woman he was with, however; nobody could tell who she was.

It took only ten minutes for the general crowd to know Colonel Mustang had brought his dear Elizabeth to the ball. It couldn't be anyone other than her; they danced very close to each other and they would smile and laugh very often.

Some attendants were high-society personalities and theatre actors, so many people were interested in finding those rather than getting a closer look at the one woman Roy had been after for months. There were still some soldiers, though, who were very curious about it and wouldn't leave until they saw at least her face.

Half an hour passed, and Roy and Elizabeth abandoned the dance floor to rest for a while. They took a few canapés from a tray. Around the table, other attendants were indulged in conversation, and Roy recognized some of them thanks to their voices.

"Colonel Mustang, good evening," someone greeted him.

Roy turned to see the woman who talked to him and a man at her side. She was wearing glasses over her orange mask. "Oh, Private Sheska, right? Good evening, you look very good tonight."

It was easy to see the blush on her cheeks as she talked to him. "Oh, please."

Roy looked at the man next to her. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't recognize you."

"But I recognize you, Colonel. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Storch; I used to be Führer Bradley's assistant before Lieutenant Hawkeye replaced me."

"Oh, that's right. Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel." Roy held his partner by the shoulders. "Let me introduce you to my friend, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth extended her hand. "Good evening, Private; Lieutenant Colonel," she said.

"Please, call me Sheska."

"Good evening, Miss." Storch took her fingers and kissed the back of her hand.

"But… friend, you say?" Sheska asked Roy; then turned to Elizabeth. "I've been hearing stories about you for some time, now. Is it true you're married to someone else?"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, no, not at all. Is that what you've been telling people, Roy?"

Roy looked at her. "No, of course not."

Two other women approached them and stayed close after no more than a short greeting to the group. They were, Roy knew, interested in hearing about his companion.

"You see," Elizabeth said. "I've been engaged since I was very young. It was an agreement between both families without my or my fiancé's consent." A waiter was passing by with a tray and she took a glass of champagne. "This was made to ensure that our families kept a place in the high society for we both come from wealthy backgrounds." Roy nodded in support of her explanation and they waited until she sipped from her glass. "However," she continued, "after some years of struggling, my family's business failed and we went broke, and so we all had to look for new jobs."

"She works at a flower shop now," Roy said, "and I met her when I went to buy a bouquet…" he hesitated for a moment, "…for my mother."

Elizabeth chuckled and whispered at Sheska, "Not true. He was dating someone else."

Roy cleared his throat. "Anyway-"

"Anyway," she interrupted him, "things got a little complicated when my idiot fiancé decided he actually wanted to marry me."

"Not so much of an idiot, then," he commented amiably.

"Ah, ha-ha, Roy, please!" She squeezed his arm playfully and kissed his cheek, and he showed her a smug face in response. She looked at him for a moment and smirked, almost like she was trying not to laugh, then she turned to the listening pair again. "My fiancé is quite possessive and doesn't like me going out with Roy, but he's a good man at heart. I'm trying to convince him as nicely as I can to break the engagement and encourage him to search for someone who could love him for real."

"Oh, I see where all the confusion came from, then," Sheska said. "There have been some nasty rumors about you two since we first heard about you."

Elizabeth frowned. "Oh, yes, Roy told me. Someone heard him on the radio it seems; then they just spread wrong information."

Sheska closed her eyes. "It's terrible how some people invent stories about others without knowing a thing."

At a distance, Roy spotted a muscular, large man who towered over the rest of the crowd. He smiled as he took Elizabeth's arm and spoke to the small group of people. "I'm sorry, would you excuse us? I want to introduce Elizabeth to someone else."

"Oh, of course," the Lieutenant Colonel said. "We have some matters to discuss, anyway."

"It was a pleasure to meet you both," Elizabeth said with a short courteous nod.

Roy took her away from the officers and walked with her across the room toward the tall man. He said softly to her ear, "You were great. Now please, just let things keep going as planned. I'll make up for it."

She looked at him and smiled. "You don't have to, Roy. As long as he doesn't break my bones, we're fine."

Roy sighed. "Say that again in a minute."

They approached the large, muscular man in a suit. His mask was pink and sparkly.

"Good evening, Major Armstrong," Roy said. "It's nice to see you here."

Alex Armstrong turned to Roy and smiled widely. "Colonel Mustang, what a beautiful mask you're wearing! But I'm curious, how did you recognize me?"

Roy grinned. "Well, I'm afraid the moustache gave you away."

Alex ran a finger through his facial hair. "Oh, you're right, you're right."

Elizabeth took a step closer to Roy and made herself visible in front of the Major. Alex turned his head from the Colonel to the woman, gasped and smiled, and finally looked back at Roy.

"Is this pretty lady the one I had been hearing about for the past few weeks?" he asked.

Elizabeth giggled softly.

"I'm not sure what you heard," Roy said, "but let me introduce you to my dear friend, Elizabeth."

"Oh, yes! Elizabeth! I'm very pleased to meet you," Alex said to her.

"It's my pleasure, Major," she replied.

Elizabeth extended her hand to the Major, but he didn't take it. Instead, he threw his arms around Roy and her, and crushed them together in a suffocating embrace.

"I'm so very inspired by the two of you!" Alex said. "Fighting for your love, believing in the possibility of a future together, holding on against all odds."

Elizabeth cringed at the words and tried to look at Roy in the eyes, but Armstrong's head in the middle was blocking her view. One of the Major's hands was on Elizabeth's wig and, with the movement of her neck towards his face, she hit her mask against his, making hers get loose and fall to the floor.

"Oh, no!" she said.

At the clacking sound of the object landing next to his feet, Alex let go of the pair and looked down. The golden mask lay shining before his shoes; strings untied.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Elizabeth," he lamented.

Roy bent down to pick up the mask but Alex was faster and grabbed it first. He handed it to the woman and looked into her eyes.

Big, beautiful, blue eyes.

And so he saw Vanessa's face for the first time.

"There you go," he said to her.

"Thank you, Major," she replied with a gentle smile.

"You are indeed a beautiful woman, Miss Elizabeth. You shouldn't be hiding behind a mask." He frowned. "But I'm afraid it's broken now."

"Oh, no, not at all," she said, examining it. "It just wasn't properly tied, it seems. I should have been more careful."

Roy was aware that people were looking at them. At her, mostly. Good; this was what they wanted. Those who had been curious about Elizabeth, finally had the chance to see who she was; or whom they were shown she was.

The photographer approached them and held his camera in front of Roy and Vanessa.

Roy raised his palm to stop him. "No pictures now, please," he said, and the man nodded and left.

Tonight the rumors on Elizabeth might end, but they didn't want her face on pictures either; they couldn't risk Vanessa being recognized in the future.

After a short apology, Major Armstrong left the pair alone so they could continue to enjoy the night, but soon a small group of women surrounded Vanessa, and started an enthusiastic exchange of words with her. Roy looked at them with a patient smile and his hands on his hips.

"Colonel."

At hearing his rank, Roy turned around to look at the blonde woman who talked to him. He recognized her immediately, even behind her mask. His smile grew bigger and his eyes shone bright.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Riza saw him for a second and then averted her gaze, finding Vanessa a few steps away with a mask still on her hand.

Roy took a step closer to her. Riza was wearing a Xingese floor-length, high-neck purple dress. It was sleeveless and tight enough to accentuate her curves, and her mask was of the same color.

"You look beautiful," he said.

She pursed her lips in an attempt not to smile. "Thanks," she said softly.

"I'm glad to see you here."

She smiled, finally. "I thought it would be nice to dance a little."

He raised his eyebrows. "Would you like to dance?" He offered her a hand.

She shook her head. "I don't think Elizabeth would appreciate it."

Roy sighed and walked up to Vanessa. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Elizabeth, I want you to meet Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Vanessa turned around and saw the blonde officer. She said goodbye to the group of women and approached her, with Roy following behind.

"Let me introduce you," Roy said. "Lieutenant, this is Elizabeth." He turned to the other woman. "Elizabeth, this is-"

"Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," Vanessa said, while surprising Riza with a warm embrace. "I know. I heard so much about you," she said to Riza.

Riza was taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Well, I'm flattered… I think," she looked at Roy for reassurance, who simply chuckled; then back at Vanessa. "I heard quite a lot about you, too."

"Oh! Has Roy been talking too much at work instead of actually working?"

Roy glared at Vanessa, and Riza laughed. "A lot of times, actually," she said. "But not lately, no. Or so I believe."

Roy rolled his eyes and then looked at Vanessa. "I told her about you mostly during breaks or meetings unrelated to work."

Vanessa grinned. "That's okay, Roy. It's very nice to know you've been talking about me."

Roy cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, will you join us for a drink or two?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. I just wanted to greet you before I went home." She shrugged her shoulders. "I got here early and I've enjoyed myself, but now I want to be with my dog when midnight comes. The fireworks make him nervous."

Roy frowned. "But it's still so soon, Lieutenant. I was really expecting to have at least one dance with you." He turned to Vanessa. "If you don't mind, Elizabeth."

"Of course not," she replied. "Besides, I need to go to the ladies' room to touch up my makeup and tie my mask back on. I'll give you a few minutes."

"Alright, thank you," Roy said. When Vanessa walked away from them, he folded his arms and smirked at Riza. "Did you really think I'd let you go without granting me one dance, Lieutenant?"

Riza looked at his face before concentrating on his eyes. "I didn't think it would be appropriate, Colonel, considering you've been… marked, by your partner."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Excuse me," someone said behind them. They both turned to see it was Vanessa. She spoke in a low voice. "Do you know where the ladies' room is?"

Riza nodded. "Yes, I'll show you."

Roy blinked. "But-"

"As I said, Colonel, I don't have much time. I'll walk Elizabeth to the room and then I'll leave."

He pouted. "Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed."

Riza closed her eyes and smiled wryly. "I'm sorry." She opened her eyes. "Have a good end of year, Colonel. Goodbye."

He copied her smile. "You too, Lieutenant. Have a good night."

Riza and Vanessa left Roy to his own, and as they got farther he heard some words from them.

"I love your dress, by the way," Vanessa said.

"Oh, thank you," Riza replied. "Yours is very elegant… I wonder if it would fit me."

When they both abandoned the room, Roy sighed loudly. He took a glass of wine from a tray on a table and walked to one of the windows. Some people were outside in the balcony, but the air was too cold to stay there waiting for Vanessa. He wished Riza had stayed, if only a little longer. He barely got the time to say any words to her. He hoped she had at least approved of Vanessa's personification of Elizabeth.

He took a sip from his red wine and stood by the wall as the waltzes continued. The sight of a mixture of colors, as people danced and the dresses moved in all directions, was pleasant to him, too. An entire song went by as he observed them.

He finished his glass and left it back on a table. He looked out the window again. A blonde woman in a purple dress was leaving the hotel. He hurried to the balcony but refrained from calling her; it would have been unwise to do so in front of the other party attendants. She disappeared from his view and he leaned against the railing, sullenly.

"What are you doing?"

Roy turned around, and saw Elizabeth was back; with her brunette wig, her black dress and her golden mask. He walked up to her.

"The Lieutenant just left," he said.

"Did she?"

Her voice was different, yet familiar. He blinked twice in surprise and looked into her eyes; the caramel eyes he was enchanted by.

Roy grinned widely and let out a happy laugh. He squeezed her shoulders softly. "You're amazing." She didn't say a word, and just stared at him. "I didn't think you'd agree."

"I didn't agree to everything," she said, lifting her hand to his face. She rubbed her thumb on his cheek, not quite gently.

He froze. "Oh, no."

"It's fine. You didn't know." She examined his face when she finished. "Alright. The lipstick smudge is gone."

"Thank you. You're not mad, are you?" She shook her head. "Good," he said; then hesitated for a second.

"What is it?"

"You also have a dog, don't you, Elizabeth?"

She smirked. "Yes. He's staying with a neighbor tonight."

Roy chuckled. "Really?"

She smiled at him. "I thought you wanted to dance. Dance with me, Roy."

He nodded, showing her a big smile, and took her hand. "It'll be my pleasure."

Riza, hiding behind the mask, and Roy, went together to the dance floor. Like they had done earlier that year, again, he embraced her and guided her steps as the music sounded. His rhythm was slower than with Vanessa; less messy and more graceful. And nothing distracted him from his dancing partner this time. No colorful garments or camera flashes or anything around them made him get his eyes off of her. To him, there was only her.

"Elizabeth."

"Yes?"

He leaned in close to her ear. "Do you remember what happened the last time we danced?"

She looked at him from the corner of her eye and nodded. "We kissed," she whispered. Just hearing the mere words escaping her made her feel a tickling shiver.

"That's right. And I won't leave this place until I get at least one more kiss from you."

Her cheeks took a reddish tone. "A lot of people can see us, Roy."

He looked straight into her eyes again. "So what?"

She looked back at him, and she couldn't understand how with some ridiculous mask he still managed to look so attractive. But his eyes were fixed on hers, and she knew; she really wanted to kiss him.

She saw his mouth and bit her lower lip for a second. She embraced him tighter. "We'll see."

He smiled tenderly at her and they continued to dance.

Some time later, they got tired and decided to take a break. Since their bodies had warmed up from dancing, they went out to the balcony for some fresh air. The temperature was the same as earlier, but it didn't feel so cold anymore. They stood against the wall; her arms holding one of his. They looked at the view for some minutes; there was no one out on the streets but the sky was full of stars.

He turned to face her and embraced her with the one arm she wasn't holding. In response to his move she released him, though, and extended her arms until her hands joined behind his neck.

"What?" she asked. "Do you want to keep dancing here?"

He smiled. "No… I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

He tightened the embrace and she did the same. He leaned to touch her forehead with his, but he failed when their masks' noses touched. He groaned, but stopped as soon as he heard Riza giggling; then his smile returned.

"I would take off the mask," he said, "but it wouldn't be fair for you."

"I don't mind." She took off his mask over his head, revealing his face. "Oh, hello, handsome."

He looked surprised at her words and she simply grinned. She was certainly enjoying herself, he thought.

Riza handed the mask to him and he put it in a pocket. They resumed the embrace.

"So," she said. "What were you going to ask?"

He sighed and then looked straight into her eyes. His words were almost a whisper. "Be mine."

Riza took a quick intake of air and looked at him in shock and disbelief. She was speechless.

"Please, be mine," he repeated. "No one else has to know."

Riza blushed heavily and closed her eyes.

The balcony doors were opened ajar, and a lot of people in masks went out to the balcony. Others were either looking out the windows or going outside to the street below them. It was almost midnight.

Riza took his face in her hands and spoke in a hushed tone. "Listen… That day, the one we're waiting for; when everything will change. Let's win that fight." She saw he had his full attention on her. She smiled excitedly. "And I'll be what you ask me to."

Oblivious to Roy and Riza's exchange at a corner of the balcony, the other party attendants started a countdown of ten seconds before the New Year.

Ignoring everyone else and their shouted numbers, Roy beamed with happiness and caressed Riza's cheek. "We will win, I promise you."

Eight.

She nodded. "And you have my word. It's a double promise, then."

Five.

He smirked. "Now we need to seal that promise. Any ideas how?"

Two.

Riza laughed softly.

One.

Roy captured her lips in a tender kiss.

Fireworks exploded in the sky; huge and loud and colorful. Roy and Riza never opened their eyes to look at them.

By the time the commotion was over, some people had seen them, but nobody said a thing about it. The photographer took a picture of them, and grinned as he looked fulfilled.

Hours later, the celebration ended. Everyone started to go home, but when Major Armstrong wanted to greet Roy and Elizabeth goodbye before leaving, he learned that no one had seen them since midnight. He assumed they had left early.

Roy and Riza were, in fact, at the same corner of the same balcony still. Roy was in his shirt, and Riza had his coat draped over her shoulders. They were quiet, in a tight embrace, as they knew they would hardly meet again before their Promised Day.

The first few rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon. They were the last to leave.