Chapter 2- Overture
"So, why exactly do you need a fan?" The fan had been bugging Roy ever since Riza pulled it out of the box. He had been driving for awhile now and they hadn't said a word to each other, although it wasn't because there wasn't anything to say. They both cherished the quiet moments to just sit and enjoy the other's presence and they took these rare moments to sit back and observe the other fully.
Even though Roy was driving, he could feel her next to him, the familiar perfume of gunpowder delighting his nostrils. Usually, gunpowder reminded him of The War but Riza's perfume was different. It was mixed with the smell of dog and today, lavender creating a unique yet wonderful scent. He didn't have to know what she looked like to know that she was beautiful. Just by hearing the slightest movement, he could see the exact graceful movement in his mind. He could tell the mood that she was in just by hearing her inhale and exhale, and tonight he thought her to be in a dreamy mood as he heard her exhale quietly but dreamily every now and then.
When she didn't answer, he tried again. "Riza,-"
"Oh! Sorry, well it's a secret."
"Hu? It's a secret why you need a fan?"
"Well… yes…"
"I'm not following you Riza."
"I suppose it's not really a secret but that's what my mother told me."
Roy stopped at the red light and looked at her. "So, it's a woman's secret?"
She smiled and unfolded the fan waved it slightly as she answered, "Yes, that's exactly it."
Roy arched an eyebrow, still confused as he looked back at the light which had turned green. Riza stifled a giggle as she closed the fan and they fell back into a comfortable silence. She saw Roy glance back at her quickly and she knew that he was pondering what significance the fan had. She loved when he was thinking. His face was so concentrated, and his lips formed a small frown. He would sometimes scratch his head and sometimes he would look as though he had an epiphany but then become furious when he figured out that his reasoning was wrong. That's how his mind worked- in reasoning. He reasoned everything like a scientist, even his non-alchemist work. Riza didn't mind though. It made him seem practical and right and she was there for when he was wrong. She studied him, her eyes drifting to his face and she couldn't help but burn on the inside. She knew he was handsome, probably the most handsome man she had ever seen. She never let it show though or else he wouldn't take her seriously when she threatened him. She looked out the window and inhaled deeply, catching the faint smell of fire. She smiled smugly as she knew the reason she could never leave him was because of the fire that he created. She loved his fire, the spinning yellows and spinning reds in the dominant orange. It was beautiful but so instable and dangerous. But that's why she loved it. She was the compound missing in the combustion reaction and she made their equation balanced.
She looked back at him and almost laughed out loud when she saw that he was still thinking. Instead, she decided to bring up a subject that she had been meaning to bring up for a while.
"Sir, I want to apologize for my behavior at work. Even though I was excited, I should have kept my feelings inside as much as possible. I let them get in the way of my work and so we are all behind. I again apologize." She gave him a small salute that she knew he could see.
Roy sighed. Usually he would have argued that she didn't need to apologize but he didn't want to get into an argument when he knew that he would give into her in the end. So he said, "Apology accepted Lieutenant. Now, my dear Riza, we are here."
Riza was surprised that he didn't argue but was relieved a bit as well. He pulled up to the overhang where, after Roy helped Riza out, the valet took the car for them. Roy however, pointed as the valet drove off. Before he could say anything, Riza whispered "It's okay; he goes and parks the car for us. When we're done, we give him the number he gave to me and he'll get our car for us."
Roy mouthed a silent 'Oh' and they proceeded inside the restaurant. Roy was astonished. The waiting area looked like a palace. The floor was polished marble and the ceiling was painted light blue with white clouds along with the numerous plants made Roy feel like he was in paradise. While Roy looked around in amazement, Riza led him up to the man behind the large podium.
"Hello, we're with the Hawkeye party."
"May I see identification please Madame?"
Riza pulled out her military id and the waiter looked at it surprised. He however decided that they were the same person and stiffly said "Follow me."
He led them to the back though doors that led outside. It was a comfortable spring night and decorations made the air feel even more like spring. The table glass, set up with neatly folded napkins, crystal glasses, silverware with a few touches of gold, and the plates were handmade china from Xing. There were different colored lights strung around the enclosure and there was enough space for a couple of pairs to dance in between the table and the string quintet in the corner.
Roy looked at Riza as she claimed her place at the table by setting her cloak over her chair, getting first choice as they were the first ones to arrive. "Riza," He began but he didn't know how to go on. She turned and looked at him curiously. He wanted to ask, 'How could you choose the military over a life like this?' but he thought it might be better to hold his tongue. So instead, he flipped on his Lady- Killer switch and gave her his best flirtatious smile. "How about a dance?"
She smiled and curtsied and he took that as a cue to bow to her. He held out his hand as she took it. He twirled her and he set his hand on her waist as she set her hand on his shoulder. The music changed to a waltz and he led her around. Roy couldn't remember when he had danced with her last. Was it at the military ball? No, he had a date there. He didn't dance with her at all there? Surely he must have asked her at least. As he looked at her face, her eyes sparkling at him as she looked into his face and Roy felt a twang of guilt. No, he never danced with her. He would have remembered those eyes.
Their dance didn't last long as they were interrupted by an oddly familiar voice.
"Ho, ho, ho! Is that my lovely Granddaughter! My, my, and she's brought her Colonel Mustang. How fun!"
They stopped their dance and Riza left Roy's arms and went happily to her Grandfather's or General Grumman's.
What! Roy couldn't believe it! He had no idea that the General of Eastern HQ was Riza's Grandfather and his thoughts trailed back to the day Roy beat him in chess.
'Talking about special, would you take my granddaughter as your wife? She'll become the future President's wife.'
Roy nearly passed out from the shock But wait! Was his offer still good? Could he accept it still? Did he want to accept it? He wasn't even sure how Riza felt about him or if he was truly, honestly, and fully in love with her. Roy knew that she had driven him crazy for the past days and he knew that he cared about her but to what extent? She wasn't like other girls…. Oh, yeah, then there was the fact that he wouldn't be a bachelor anymore. Roy shuddered. That was a horrible thought. But then again… He was always a little jealous of Maes and how he had someone to welcome him home and snuggle up with at night, the same someone who would always be there to snuggle up with.
"Roy?"
"Hu?" Riza was looking at him concerned.
"Are you okay?"
Roy looked at her and decided to take a stab. "I'm fine. I was just thinking of a proposition made by the General."
The General's eyes lit up. "Ohhh, are you going to accept?"
"Is the offer still on the table?"
"If you wish it to be Colonel."
"Hmmm, I just might take it then."
"Grandfather! What's going on? What proposition did you make him?"
"Oh nothing Elizabeth, the Colonel beat me in chess before he left for Central and I made him a wager afterward."
"He… beat you…? But!" Riza looked at Roy with an emotion he hadn't ever seen in her face before and because he hadn't ever seen it, he couldn't place it.
"There's nothing wrong with a little proposition is there?"
"Grandfather don't tell me you offered-"
"Hohoho! It looks like my son-in-law is here!"
Roy looked past Riza and her Grandfather into the door way but didn't see anything. Riza looked as well but they saw nobody.
"Grandf-"Riza looked back but her Grandfather disappeared.
Roy felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to look behind him and saw the General hiding. He looked back at Riza. She was staring at Roy, her eyes locked on him as though he was a target, something he usually wound up being. This time however, Roy felt that her target was the old man hiding behind him. As Roy saw her right hand slide into her pocket he heard the General say, "You might want to move."
Roy stepped away from the line of fire and watched intently as the General slowly moved his hand into his pocket. Roy glanced back and forth between the two when he realized that this must be something they always do. Neither of them looked surprised at the others actions. The only thing was that missing is that Roy didn't have a clue as to what was in their pockets. He assumed that they were guns but what were they going to do with them?
As if they had heard him, Roy saw the familiar stone face Riza gave as before she would draw her gun. In an instant, both of them had drawn their guns pointing them at each other. A face off, Roy realized and he wondered which person won. He hoped that they weren't counting on him to judge. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours until Riza broke her stance, upset.
The General lowered his gun and laughed. "Hohoho, you'll have to better than that Dearest! Otherwise, you'll be single forever! Hohoho!"
"What's this?" Roy asked stepping out. He felt a hand around his arm and he turned to see Riza standing beside him.
"Grandfather says that I have to have the best man possible. So, any man who can beat him in chess is worthy, and if I can beat him in a draw, then I can marry him. Of course, I try to beat him in a draw for my own purposes. If I don't win, I have to train more." She said offhandedly.
"Ahh, and since I beat your Grandfather…" Roy let the thought trail and he looked down at Riza who, seeing Roy grin at her, pulled out her fan and began to fan herself furiously, blushing madly.
Roy inwardly laughed. How he loved to make her blush! Roy was about to offer a dance again when a loud shrill voice was heard.
"Of course they love me! Who wouldn't? Well, except for your daughter, the little rat! I hope she doesn't try anything today because I tell you Andrew, I will not stand for it!"
Riza looked at her Grandfather wide- eyed. "No." I t wasn't a protest, it was a command Roy noted and commands by Riza were usually obeyed at the office, unless of course, you wanted to be shot at.
"Dearest, I had no idea that-"
"No. Father promised. He promised." She seethed. Roy was stunned he had never seen her so angry. He couldn't remember a time when she was ever that angry. Oh wait, never mind Roy told himself. There was the time when Roy accidentally walked in on her changing. If he was timed, he probably could have set a world record for the fastest runner in the world.
"Dearest, your Father had no choice. Her mother couldn't let her visit this week because her water pipes broke. She had to come. Besides, you two can make up."
Riza didn't say anything as she glared at her Grandfather furiously. She sighed and Roy noticed a new air about her. She seemed to preparing for a battle as her eyes held a haughty look, a look Roy had never seen in her eyes before. Her fan still out, she began to fan herself loftily and almost, Roy hated to describe her like this, arrogantly.
Sensing Roy's confusion, the General patted Roy on the back. "Don't worry about her. Just sit back and enjoy the show that's about to unfold. I guarantee, it's most entertaining."
"Funny Grandfather." Riza snapped angrily.
Roy leaned down to whisper to the General as Riza kept her eyes intently on doorway. "What is she so upset about?"
The General chuckled. "She doesn't like her Step- Mother very much and vice-versa."
"Isn't that a bit of an understatement?"
The General laughed. "Of course! Don't worry Mustang, everything will be fine. At the most, the two women will ignore each other, much to my son-in-law's disappointment."
As soon as he said those words, the woman they were talking about came into view. The first thing Roy's eyes went to was the dress. It was similar to Riza's but it had a small train and it was a light burgundy with sparkles. The dress was short sleeved and the woman wore long white gloves. Roy then noticed her hair which was a dark red in the same style as Riza's but with tight curls and was quite beautiful, Roy admitted. She wore large diamond dangly earrings that matched her large diamond necklace and her face was just as gaudy with makeup. Dark blush went across her cheekbones and her eyes were heavily accented with red eye shadow. Her red lips matched the rest of her gaudy makeup and somehow brought out her narrow black eyes.
The man whose arm she was holding, Roy assumed he was her husband, was a tall man in a black long tail coat. He had a black top hat but Roy was able to see some light brown hair poking out underneath it. He held the same round smooth face that Riza had so, he assumed that the man was her father. This was confirmed when Riza hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
While she greeted her father, Roy looked at the other three people who followed them in. There were two men one with red hair and freckles, and the other light brown. There was a pretty dark brown haired woman holding onto the arm of the red haired man wearing a white dress similar to Riza's.
"Roy!" Roy took his eyes off of the other three at the sound of Riza's voice. She beckoned towards him and he walked over to her. "Father," she said as she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. "This is my boss, Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist."
"It's very nice to meet you Sir." Roy said offering his hand.
Riza's father shook it and Roy noted that he had a strong but relaxed grip. "Nice to meet you too. Please, call me Andrew. Ah, this is my lovely wife Victoria." At the mention of her name, she held out the upper side of her hand.
"You kiss her hand, like in the films." Riza quietly hissed the advice in his ear. He smiled at the woman and brushed his lips upon her glove. She withdrew her hand and smiled at him, fanning her self with a burgundy fan she had pulled out of her pocket.
"Ah, forgive me my friends! These are-"Andrew began but his daughter cut him off.
"Willy-Boy? Is that you?" Riza exclaimed with delight at the red haired man.
"Yep! How you been Queenie?" He replied, a massive grin on his face.
Riza gave him a hug and said "I've been great! Look at you! And-! Is that you Adelaide?"
The brown haired woman giggled and said with a bursting smile "The one and only!"
The girls exchanged hugs while they talked in low voices to each other. Andrew cleared his throat noticeably.
"Oh, sorry!" Adelaide exclaimed. "We'll talk more later." She added to Riza.
"Of course!" Riza replied. "Oh! This is my boss, Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Roy, this is William Brancho and Adelaide Simmons, two friends of mine from home."
After Roy had shook hands with Willy and kissed Adelaide's hand, she spoke up. "Actually Riza, I'm soon to be Adelaide Brancho." The young woman corrected, blushing madly with a proud smile on her face.
Riza covered her jaw drop with her hands and exclaimed "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to tell Deej!"
"Speaking of Deej, where is she?" Willy asked looking around.
"She's in Xing doing research for new clothing ideas. That's why I brought the Colonel. I had an extra ticket." Riza explained and the still unnamed man gave an 'ah –hem.'
"Oh! Forgive me! Riza, you remember my cousin Ralph Thoregood right? Ralph, Riza and her Colonel, Riza and Colonel, my cousin Ralph." Willy said gesturing the introductions.
"It's nice to meet you." Riza said holding out her hand which the young man kissed. Roy felt the green horns begin to sprout. No fair! I never got to kiss her hand! I wanna kiss her hand! Well actually her mou-"
"Nice to meet you Sir." Ralph held out his hand. Roy took his soft hand and shook it firmly.
"Nice to meet you too." Roy said putting on a fake smile perfected from meeting many disliked higher-ups.
"Come come everyone, find a seat!" Andrew called to his daughter and her friends. Roy followed Riza to her seat and pulled her chair out for her. He then sat on her right, which was in between Riza and her Grandfather, who was at the head. Opposite of Roy was Ralph and next to Ralph was Willy. Riza began a conversation with Adelaide, who was to her left and across form Adelaide was Victoria. Andrew sat at the other head of the table.
As the food came out, Roy noticed that like the General had said, Riza and her stepmother were ignoring each other completely. Every now and then, one of them would make a comment and the other would stare coldly. Roy could feel the tension mounting between the two women but he didn't expect Riza to be the one to burst. Another thing Roy noted, was that Ralph wouldn't stop flirting with Riza. What was even worse is that she would flirt a bit back. Roy fought to keep himself under control. He knew that Riza was a single woman and that they weren't in a relationship but they were on a date together, at least that's what Roy thought.
Roy couldn't understand what was so interesting about Ralph. He owned a cotton plantation and was rich but so what? Was it the smooth round face that held light blue eyes and his brown hair that inclined Riza to flirt? Or was it for sport? In any case, she had never flirted with him! Okay, there was the time in the car on the way here but what did that count? What made it even more confusing is that she would wave that stupid fan! It was driving him crazy! What purpose did the stupid fan serve! As far as Roy could see, it didn't do a thing.
Roy took a sip of his wine, trying resist the urge of flaming Ralph as he commented on Riza's beauty.
"Oh, I'm not that pretty." Riza looked down as she blushed. Roy cracked his now empty wine glass from pressing on it so hard.
"You shouldn't degrade yourself Lady Hawkeye. Don't the men at work say anything?" Ralph asked her grinning slyly.
LADY HAWKEYE! And he just insulted my men! He thought furiously. Before his Lieutenant could respond, Roy interjected coolly.
"The office is a work place Mr. Thoregood. My men hardly have any time to be focusing on women."
He say Riza frown at him out of the corner of his eye but she didn't say anything. She knew he was pissed. It's not that the men didn't think she was beautiful, it was that they were scared of her gun point. Besides, they had agreed to not touch the Lieutenant. It wouldn't be fair if there was a relationship within the office. Roy had an inkling though that there was a bet circulating about her and who she would end up dating out of the office men. He shrugged off his thoughts and was pleased when Ralph didn't reply. Fortunately, the General engaged Ralph in a discussion about his crops and Riza leaned into him.
"What was that about?" she whispered taking a sip of her wine. Roy thought he detected a hint of worry in her voice.
"Nothing." Roy muttered. Before she could say anything to him again he asked, "Why did he call you Lady Hawkeye?" he turned and faced her.
"Oh, that's because I'm the head woman of the house hold. She," Riza smugly nodded her head toward her stepmother. "Is currently taking my place because I'm not home and because she's married to my father. The Hawkeye line is maternal. The women have been in charge of everything from the beginning, no matter what the men in the community say." She looked at him proudly and he grinned.
"Do the other women in your family take charge against their superiors as well?" He prepared to duck and his body was ready to react against the familiar feel of a gun barrel.
Instead however she smirked and said, "Of course. We all love to watch over our dogs."
"Is that so?" He asked her, flipping on his Lady- Killer switch.
She fanned her self as she looked at him, a slightly flirty smile played upon her lips. "Mhm, Are you gonna do something about it?"
"Maybe." He said slyly, grinning at her wolfishly.
Their playful banter was interrupted as the main course plates were being taken away, Andrew called down the table. "So Colonel, I hear you're a famous war hero. Not a fan of the war myself, prices rose everywhere. What's your personal opinion?"
Roy felt Riza tense up beside him and he saw her move to interject but he placed his hand on her thigh unnoticeably. She backed off and he spoke.
"I feel that it was important to protect our borders however I feel that we were there for much longer than we should have been. I also feel that the use of alchemists was completely unnecessary."
"Interesting thoughts Colonel. What was the battle field like for you?"
Roy wanted to say hell but he felt that it wouldn't be appropriate. He wasn't sure of what to say until he felt a petite hand cover his. He took his and off her thigh and squeezed hers. "Well, it was…" he trailed off and he realized he was squeezing her hand hard. He backed off but she squeezed his, an indication to let it all loose. So he did. He then realized the perfect thing to say. With a sideways glance at his Lieutenant, who had her soldier mask on, he said "It was hard living there with the blood and chaos but there were some good things there in the desert."
Feeling better, he loosened his death-grip on her hand and gave her a commending look for her withstanding his grip. She gave him a small smile and he returned it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ralph frown. That's it pretty boy, back off. This is my woman and only I get her. Oh, I guess the guys at the office will have to deal…
"Really? What kinds of good things did you find on the battlefront Colonel?" Andrew asked intrigued.
"Well, I found a beautiful yellow flower with red spots always ready to give me comfort." Roy responded smiling fondly. He saw Riza blush out of the corner of his eye.
"Is that so?" Andrew asked arching an eyebrow at his daughter's reaction.
"Yessir. The most beautiful flower I've ever seen." Roy inwardly whooped when she began to fan herself, trying to hide her blush.
"Were you at the war Lady Hawkeye?" Ralph asked before her father could ask Roy anything else.
"Ah- yes! Yes I was." Roy was surprised and giggled like a school girl inwardly for hearing her quick reaction. She was obviously shocked by his words about her.
"I'm sorry to hear it." Ralph responded, a touch of concern in his voice.
She smiled grimly at him and Roy almost winced as he felt her grip on his hand tighten.
"I am too! I've been telling her for years to settle down and get married so I can retire but she insists that her duty isn't done yet!" Andrew sighed shaking his head. "Tell me Colonel, is my daughter even looking for a man to marry?"
"Father! That's inappropriate!" She replied, shocked.
"Well you don't tell me anything! I need to make sure that you aren't running around with some crazy man! And your Grandfather hints at a man but doesn't tell me anything either!" Andrew complained with a face that reminded him of Havoc complaining about not having a girlfriend.
Riza shot a glare at her Grandfather before responding to her father. "Father, I have no time to date. I'm stuck in the office babysitting."
"What do you do at work Darling?" her father asked bewildered.
"I told you, I baby-sit the worst dogs of the military. One smokes all day and complains about his lack of female company, two of them work but end up working during the morning but after lunch slack off, the youngest… well, he's not so bad. But the worst is the head of the pack."
Roy absolutely loved the way she emphasized worst.
"He slacks off all day and makes pointless calls to different girls. Then, when I shoot at him to get him back on track, he doesn't understand what he's done wrong! Then he sits and whines and complains about his paperwork and I'm stuck in the office until midnight because he didn't focus earlier. Then, I go back to work the next day and everything happens all over again."
Everyone at the table roared with laughter at the look on Roy's face. She looked at him grinning slightly, ready for his comeback. "Thanks Lieutenant for your kind words about me."
"You're welcome Colonel."
Roy desperately tried to think of something that he had on her… Oh! He could talk about the time that he and the guys at the office miraculously took her guns away and tried to get her into a miniskirt. No, that was inappropriate and besides, they had forgotten her physical strength.
He laughed and smirked as he said to the table, "Now now, the worst part about this is that I've got nothing to comeback with. She's immaculate!" He exclaimed and the table roared again.
Roy stole a glance a Riza whose face was flushed from laughing. Roy noticed the rare sparkle in her reddish-brownish eyes and the angelic smile that graced her lips. He wondered how he could have been with her for such a long time and just now figure out how beautiful she is.
He became lost in his gaze until he heard the shrill and commanding voice of Victoria. "Immaculate! She's hardly that!"
Riza stopped laughing at her stepmother's sneer. "No one asked you." She said coolly with a face that would have killed the men at the office.
Victoria snorted. "No one needed too. I remember when you put that mouse into my hair you little rat and-"
"You made fun of Deej, saying that she was unfit to go anywhere because people would think that she was an Ishbalan!" Riza retorted angrily. "Besides," she added coolly, fanning herself loftily "your hair was needing to be cut anyway."
Victoria shot up out of her chair enraged shrieking, "Not by a MOUSE! That rodent-"
"ENOUGH! I am ashamed in both of you!" Andrew stood up ending the women's feud. There was a awkward pause.
"I apologize to the table for my outburst." Victoia said stiffly, quietly breaking the ice.
Riza didn't say anything which surprised Roy but it made sense. By apologizing, she would admit that she was wrong which, was something he knew she didn't like to be. To be wrong was a failure. To be wrong could cost your life.
"Elizabeth Antoinette Hawkeye." He father said in a warning tone, still standing.
"I apologize to the table for my unexcused outburst." Riza said politely, her soldier face on. Roy could feel the twitching in her fingers for her gun on the hand that was still entwined with his.
"That's not a proper apology Elizabeth. Don't give me that look young lady. You are the representation of our house hold. Now, give the correct apology like you were taught." Andrew said sternly.
Roy looked at her face and even though it was one she wore around the office, he knew that she was furious. As she stood up, pushing her chair back, he felt her hand slide roughly out of his.
Roy was astonished when she curtsied and said, "I am truly sorry for my actions. Please do not hold me family accountable." Apparently, a proper apology included a bow of some sort by Roy felt that her first apology was suitable. He figured her father, having no real control over the Hawkeye family, didn't want anyone to think that her actions were reflected on what she was taught at home. Roy felt bad for her, having to grown up under such pressure. He wondered how she was able to get into the military in the first place and escape her home.
Riza sat back down next to him, emitting a vibe that told everyone to back off. Desert arrived and the conversation picked back up again. Adelaide tried to talk to Riza but her friend's one word response quickly scared her off. To Roy's delight, Ralph too made an attempt to talk to the furious woman by trying to tell her that she shouldn't worry about it. He quickly stopped after she gave him a death glare.
Roy felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to the General who was beckoning Roy towards him. Roy leaned over to him and the General whispered "Tell her that there's a small thicket behind the restaurant." At first, Roy didn't understand the message. Why would Riza want to go back there? There could be a freak or something that could harm her. He then felt cool metal pressed into his hand under the table. Roy ran his thumb around the metal and found it to a long cylinder with a hole in the middle of both ends.
A silencer! Roy passed the object into Riza's lap where her hands were politely folded. She quickly excused herself from the table and Roy couldn't help but let out a small smile. Riza always went to the shooting range when she was angry, a habit that had begun before their time in Ishbal. Roy didn't feel like eating his strawberry cheesecake and gave it to Adelaide and had an interesting conversation about chess strategies with the General. He could feel Ralph's eyes studying him, trying to figure him out. This had begun to irritate Roy and finally he spoke up.
"Is something the matter?" Roy asked the brown haired man.
The other man leaned in a bit and asked seriously, "What is your relationship with Lady Hawkeye exactly?"
Roy knew it. He had a thing for Riza already. "What do you care? She lives in Central and you in Southern. It would be impossible even if she wanted to try." Roy said airily. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the General frown.
"You make it sound like she wouldn't be interested in me at all. For your information Colonel, I happen to be currently in Central, working with a clothes factory. I'll be here for quite some time as well." Ralph glared at him coolly.
Roy was about to respond when he felt his Lieutenants presence behind him. He turned his head a bit and sure enough, there she was.
"Feel better?" Roy asked her as she was about to dig into her cheesecake.
"Much." she said and gave him a small smile. The rest of the meal consisted with small conversations. Ralph continued to flirt with Riza who, to Roy's irritation, did the same. When Andrew and the General had decided that it was about time to be heading to the theater, they all left for their cars and Roy questioned Riza.
"Oh, it's just for appearances. I know that Father invited Ralph with hopes of me finding an interest in him. He's not that bad of a person anyway, so I decided I could please Father for a night. It didn't mean anything, it was just playful banter. Why?" Even though Roy was driving, he could see her look at him questioningly out of the corner of his eye.
"Just curious." He grunted. He had no intention of telling her that Ralph was genuinely interested in her.
"Okay." She said skeptically. He looked at her when he stopped at the red light. She was looking out the window, fanning herself slowly and she glanced back at him slyly. He would have given her a remark to match the look on her face but that fan! What in the world was it used for!
Riza had evidently noticed the frustrated look on face because she asked, after gesturing to the newly green light, "Are you still puzzled about the fan?"
"YES! What purpose does it serve! It obviously serves more than a cooling agent!" Roy yelled frustrated. He expected her reaction to be the same as it was earlier, mysterious; however a sweet sound reached his ears. He could see her out of the corner of his eye, shaking her head as she laughed. Roy was surprised and thrilled. He hadn't heard her sweet bell tone laugh in a long time. She continued to laugh and he decided he would drop the subject with her and just ask the general. He didn't want to interrupt the beautiful tones. After her laughter had died down, they sat in silence for the rest of the ride to the theater.
"Wow." Roy couldn't find another word to describe the inside of the theater. He had never been to a theater before, it never interested him. The luscious red velvet seats combined the gold colored embellishments and statues left him in awe. The most astonishing decoration to him was the mural of the angels painted on the ceiling of the lobby.
"This way Roy. We have Mezzanine seats." Riza gestured up towards the staircase. He looked around as he escorted her up there seeing another entry into seating. He pointed to it but Riza was ready to answer his question. "That's Orchestra seating. They're the better seating and more expensive. I love to sit in the Orchestra section but for Phantom, I prefer Mezzanine because of some scenes in the musical. Mezzanine's got a better aerial view. Everyone else from our party are in the box seats, in case you're wondering. Grandfather will be sitting with us up here too."
Roy listened to her as he navigated between people to get up the stairs. He showed the seat attendant their tickets and after the attendant pointed out their seats, they walked over to them and sat down. Roy noticed that they were in the front row on the balcony right in the middle. He turned as he felt Riza excitedly tap on his shoulder.
"Look Roy! It's the chandelier!" She pointed excitedly to a large prop on stage covered by a grey sheet. He was able to see some of the crystals from the chandelier poking out form underneath the sheet.
"Now now Dearest, don't tell him everything." The two officers turned to see the General take his place next to his granddaughter.
"I'll try Grandfather." Riza said sighing. She turned back to Roy and blushed a bit as she told him, "I'm so excited! I can't help but get so worked up over this! It's so emotional and it moves me so much!" She looked out onto the stage wistfully. "I would have loved to be a dancer for the show professionally."
"Why did you stop dancing?" Roy asked, remembering the pointe shoes he found in her room.
"I had too. My ankles were becoming weaker and weaker. The doctors told me that if I kept dancing, I wouldn't be able to walk properly after a few more years. I get my shoes on every now and then but I can't dance like I used too. Then I decided to enter the military like Grandfather and here I am." She turned to him, a sad yet satisfied look on her face.
"You- you think that I could see you dance once? I mean you said you put them on every now and then right? I'd love too you know…" Roy couldn't believe himself! He was getting caught up in his words over something so simple! His face flushed and as the lights dimmed he faced foreword her mumbled loud enough for her to hear, "Never mind, it was stupid of me."
The curtain rose and he felt her hot breath in his ear "I'd love to dance for you."
Roy was about to respond but his attention snapped to the stage with "SOLD! Your number Sir? Thank you."
Roy was left stunned as the curtain closed. He never imagined it to be as entrancing and moving as Riza described. He thought it was her womanly side coming out but she was right. He loved all of the show, it captivated him the entire time. The music was beautiful combined with the acting and the story itself! Roy was so afraid that the Phantom would have hung Raoul, even though Roy thought him to be a bit of a pansy, and was relieved and moved when he didn't. Carlotta defiantly was his favorite, the commanding Prima Donna, but the Phantom was a bit different for Roy. He could relate at least a little to what it felt like to be a monster all your life, thinking back to the Ishbal war. He had laughed at the small irony of it until Christine had told him that it wasn't his face, but his soul that was distorted. Roy knew what he did was wrong and maybe, that's what Riza was trying to tell him during those nights of alcohol and nightmares. The masquerade was beautiful; he loved the choreography and the lighting of the stage because it reminded him of himself along with his subordinates. They all wore masks during the day to hide their true thoughts and plans. His favorite part was the end. The way the Phantom had told Christine he loved her and Meg holding the mask at the end, agh! He was able to hold in his tears but when he heard Riza start to sob next to him, he let loose.
"Roy, you cried too?" Riza turned to him after parting ways with her Grandfather, her cheeks still glistening with a few silent tears.
"Yeah, I couldn't help it once I heard you." He replied smiling. She turned her head, blushing, as he took the handkerchief from her and began to dab her cheeks. "Shall we?" he finished dabbing her cheeks and offered her his arm, which she took with a smile.
The car ride was much more animated than the one earlier. They discussed the musical heatedly and argued whether Christine should have gone with the Phantom or not. When he escorted her to her apartment door, they had just finished their argument and an awkward silence had fallen upon them.
"Well, in any case, I wouldn't say no to the Phantom. I don't think I'd be able to resist him." Riza said breaking the silence.
Roy grinned at her and moved a bit closer to her. "So you like men that live in caves underneath opera houses."
She looked at him incredulously, a smile playing on her lips. "No, it's just that, he needed to be loved. He didn't know of anything else besides hatred and fear." She let her thoughts trail off and Roy was surprised by the serious look on her face. Her face snapped to shock and then embarrassment "Sorry, it's just that everyone wants to be loved right? To find their special someone. For the Phantom it was Christine except he loved her so much he didn't know how to control himself. Never mind, this is silly of me. I-"
"Actually, your right." Roy said moving closer to her, causing Riza to back up against her door in a futile attempt to keep space between them. "Everyone deserves," His face was slowly leaning towards hers and his hands slid across her small waist. He heard her sharp gasp as he breathed, "to be loved." Her eyes widened and his brain cheered him on as his lips met hers. Roy had never felt happier in his life when he felt the weight of her arms around his neck. His inner self cheered and did a jig as Roy groped around for the doorknob. He had intended to let them in and happily continue their make out session but as soon as Riza felt his hand on the doorknob, she broke the kiss, her eyes wide.
Roy shook his head at her, silently saying no. She didn't need to say anything for him to understand, her face said it all. She looked at him sadly but longingly, a feeling he felt they would share for a long time. She slowly removed her arms form his neck and he grabbed her hand, his face begging her not to say no to him. She looked down and shook her head. He knew she was thinking of the fraternization rules and their work life. They could try to hide their relationship but what would happen if they got caught? Roy desperately wanted to try anyway. She wasn't like the other bimbos he dated. Riza was the one thing that kept him going at times. If it wasn't for her, he would have been dead by now. He knew he could count on her for anything and everything. Just the fact that he knew she was always behind him warmed his chest.
Riza looked up at him again and knew she was going to say no to a possible relationship through the saddened look in her eyes. She opened the door and yanked him by the collar towards her, giving him one final kiss before she closed the door on him. He swore with disgust as he walked out of her apartment building, the rain glisten on the pavement as it fell.