59. Gift
The summer was inexplicably hot and dry and he could feel the weight of it creeping upon him. The few breezes that the day provided served only to emphasize the oppressive heat and as a result of it there was little work to be done. Instead, the various and sundry members of his command dispersed themselves throughout the compound. Riza alone was still inside the office, no doubt filing paperwork and preparing another monolith of documents for him to sign.
Roy dismissed the others for the day before he reentered the office; once there he sat half-heartedly at his desk, occasionally attending to the papers that Riza placed before him. More often though, he watched her with open fascination, the noble and determined curvature of her face.