Jaded Alchemy

by: Toorikosu

Chapter Three: "The first step is the one that starts it all"

Emerald hues gazed up at the concrete kingdom known as Central. It was the Eastern HQ, which had formerly been taken over by the main office "big-wigs" due to uprisings caused by a certain State Alchemist-killing Ishballin. However, thanks to the confirmation of Edward Elric, they had returned to their own offices. It was said that the killer, code named "Scar" due to the large X-shaped scar on his forehead, had returned to a small gathering of Ishballins and headed for a sanction of their people. There were rumors that a certain colonel was slowly making his way up with the plans of becoming Furher in mind.

Silent lips parted to release a soft sigh. Eyelids closed in exasperation. 'Here it is… I've just taken my second big step on to completing my mission. However, now that I'm here,' the eyes opened again to take in the details on the gate that blocked her from continuing forward. She needed to get inside, yet wasn't sure if she should go through or wait until official personnel came to escort her inside. But then when she thought about the latter, it made her wonder why would they have someone come to escort her anyways? She hadn't touched the gate as of yet, and wasn't sure if it was locked. It was easy enough to just scale the gate but wouldn't that seem suspicious? With these thoughts chasing themselves around in her head, Jadea sighed once again at her predicament.

A hand clasped over her shoulder. Automatically her eyes darted to the side and due to old habits, her fists had clenched and were prepared to swing. Though upon seeing a man in a lieutenant uniform, she halted in her process of self-defense. Gray-blue eyes studied her, and a toothpick wiggled in between his lips. A blonde brow arched slightly. "You… going in?" he asked. The toothpick bobbed up and down. "Uh.." Jadea glanced around them, practically flushing in embarrassment. She raked her fingers through the side of her hair, tipping her hat off-balance. The blonde male just stared at her, continuously wiggling that toothpick around in his mouth. Her eyes darted to the building then back to him. She smiled shyly up at him, she was only up to his shoulder. She then bowed slightly, forcing him to take a step back so they didn't collide. "Yes, Sir." She answered in a soft voice.

The man's brow twitched up slightly in amusement. He scratched the back of his head during the awkward moment. When she straightened her back, he held out his hand. "Havoc." He stated. A gloved hand reached out, while her eyes stared into his nervously. 'A name… a last name?' She gulped silently and chewed at her bottom lip. It was only at that moment that she realized she would have to release her last name truthfully. She took his hand and shook it, releasing her name. "Jadea please… just Jadea." That same blonde eyebrow arched slightly once again. He nodded; the toothpick wiggled against his lips again. "Sure." Their hands parted and his pushed open the gate. It had been unlocked after all. He crossed through and turned. His blue-gray eyes studied her thoughtfully. She was just standing there. "Coming?" She flushed and took six brisk steps inside before he shut the gate doors. "Thank you." Havoc replied with a mumble caught between the toothpick and his mouth.

The sound of their boots resonated against the concrete ground. Their arms hung as their sides, though Jadea's arms bent back slightly to clasps her hands at the small of her back. She glanced at him. "Shouldn't you have been working?" she inquired. It may have seemed to be an ignorant question but that was only a front. It was meant to seem innocent, while asking to see if there were any out-of-office procedures taking place. Had he been out of office, he may have been doing fieldwork and could have given her information that she could use for future reference. Such a simple skill came quite handy at times.

Havoc glanced at her and shrugged lightly. "Lunch break." He explained, pointing to the toothpick in his mouth with his thumb. Her head dropped. 'So much for that idea…' she thought sadly. Now it was Havoc's turn to ask a question. "What's your business here with the HQ?" Jadea stared at him and blinked rapidly. Her eyes fell to her brown boots. "I'm here… to speak with Colonel Roy Mustang if you don't mind." She whispered softly. Havoc shrugged and stopped. They were now at the doors of the entrance. "I don't mind…" he said thoughtlessly. "Come on, I'll show you his office." Jadea smiled. "Thank you." Havoc mumbled a reply that was incoherent again.

Havoc led Jadea to a closed door. Even outside they could hear the shuffling of papers and the Colonel's angered voice on the phone. Havoc bit on the toothpick nervously. It wasn't a good idea to interfere when the Colonel was angry. Just one snap could put him out of commission. Nonetheless…. Havoc glanced at Jadea. Her eyes were plowing holes into the door. He knocked on the door. "Colonel Mustang, you have a visitor." Havoc called through the door. They heard a click, assumedly it was hanging up the phone. "Tell them I'm busy." He ordered. Havoc glanced down to Jadea. Her look was troubling. She peeked up at him. Her eyes returned to the door. "Roy… it's an emergency." She called just loud enough to be heard. Silence.

The door opened abruptly, almost smacking them in the face. Roy stood there, staring down at Jadea with dark eyes. Jadea returned his solemn stare. A moment of silence passed, in which Havoc wasn't a part of but didn't want to interrupt. Mustang glanced at him and nodded. "Come on in." he told her. Jadea smiled and turned to Havoc, bowing to him. "Thank you, Havoc Sir." Havoc studied her before nodding. "Sure thing." He turned and left the two to themselves. After he was gone, the emerald hues looked up to Mustang. "Long time, no see." She commented. He nodded and ushered her into his office. He shut the door behind him. "I haven't seen you since the funeral. You didn't even stay after that…" he whispered softly. Jadea's eyes fell to the floor. "You got on the first train out of town afterwards, didn't you?" he asked. She nodded shamefully. "I couldn't… even look her in the eye. I felt so rotten." She told him truthfully. Her eyes closed.

Roy took a seat behind his desk. "Let's not be held back by past tragedies. So tell me, what's your business here in Eastern HQ?" he asked. His hands clasped on his desk. Jadea took a seat and leaned forward to him. "Roy… I need your help." She whispered. Roy's brow raised in interest. "How can I do that?" he asked. "I need you to give me all the information you can about the National Alchemist Qualification Exams." She declared. Roy's eyes widened at the statement. "Wh- why do you need information about that?" His voice was lingering on a high note. Jadea leaned back into her chair. Her eyes closed. "I'm going to take the exams and become a State Alchemist." His eyes narrowed. "No."

"Pardon?" Jadea's eyes widened as she slapped her hands onto his desk. She stood up and clenched her fists. "Roy, I have legitimate reasons to becoming a militant. You should know that I don't want to be a military dog but if it's what has to be done, then it will be done. I am ready to take the tribulation and difficulty that comes with the title. I can handle myself, I just need you to help me get started." She bowed to him. "Please Roy… I'm begging you."

Mustang scratched his head in thought. He closed his eyes and sighed loudly. 'Damn her persistence…' His eyelids opened partly and he stared out the window. "Tell me why you want to become a State Alchemist." He told her. Jadea's arms retreated to her sides. Her fingers curled into fists, cracking softly with her might. "I want revenge for Hughes's death." She declared. Roy stood up and walked over to her. They stood toe-to-toe. His dark eyes pierced her green hues. "You don't think that I'm not trying my best to find his murderers?" he accused through gritted teeth. Jadea's brow flickered upward. "There's more than one, eh?" Her eyes drifted to the ground as she fell into thought. Roy sighed softly and flicked her forehead. She stared up at him, blinking. "Huh?" She blushed and rubbed in between her eyes. "Oh… my bad."

Roy groaned softly and shifted his weight to his left foot. "You never answered my question." Jadea nodded and beamed up at him. It was amazing to Roy… how eyes that could reflect off innocence could be so tainted. "I know you're doing everything you can. But I refuse to just stand by and let you do all the work. If only I…" Roy watched as her brow furrowed. He could swear he saw moistness in the corner of her eyes. "If only I had listened to him earlier. I could have helped so much more had I began sooner!" Roy sighed softly. "There was nothing you could do… So stop regretting it." Roy whispered to her. Jadea nodded. "I'm going to make up for it. I'll complete the last request that Hughes asked of me. I'm going to become a State Alchemist!"

"He… asked that… of you?" Jadea nodded. She clenched her teeth, her eyes shutting. "He told me to do something with my life… and I won't let him down. Not again." She stared up at Roy. Raw determination flooded her eyes. Mustang nodded and returned to his seat. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a pamphlet and tossed it to her. "Fortunately for you, the exam is in two weeks. Though unfortunately, that gives you little time to prepare. I'm sure that you're aware that you'll need to review over everything you already know and learn some new tricks too. There's a writing section, an interview, and a practical section." Roy explained. He picked up his papers, gave them a brief look, and placed them back on the desk. Jadea was already poring over her own papers. "I understand, but could you go into detail about this 'practical section'?" she asked politely. Roy smirked. She didn't even bother to glance up from her notes. "It's like a free-for-all for alchemists." She blinked. "Free-for-all? Interesting… is it for every alchemist that participates?" Roy shook his head, though she didn't even see it. "First it's the writing section. Those who pass go to the interview and if they're accepted they'll take the practical section. Or… if they give a project of research that's supportive enough."

Jadea dropped the pamphlet. "Project of research…?" she asked. Roy nodded. Suddenly Jadea stood and smiled. "Thanks for everything, Roy. You're the best." She quickly turned and exited his office. Roy watched the girl in brown leave. He could practically see an aura of good will around her. 'Maybe this is a good decision for her…' His eyes widened. 'Unless!'


Wow... finally a third chapter! This was really hard to write but once I got the inspiration I nailed it. Originally the chapter name was supposed to be "You can't see the forest for the trees" but in the end I needed to change it. I havea plan for when to bring in the Elrics but as of yet nothing's decided. I really want to thank KaiHimitsu for her never-ending support and a particular FMA website that has helped me out more than anything in writing this chapter. It will continue to help me as I write and I'm so glad to have found it. Please review, it helps me out a lot and I really appreciate it. The more reviews I get, the smoother my writing goes. Any hints of help or advice is appreciated as well. Thank you all for reading!