I...did not realize how long it had been since I updated. My only excuse is that one of my favorite bands started touring again, and I'm going to basically a billion of their shows next month (and had two last month oops) so I've been super distracted planning it all out. It's been weirdly complicated. BUT. Anyway. This is a shorter chapter, because the next handful of chapter cuts were going to be awkward otherwise. Is it filler? Kinda, I guess. It's bridging a little bit of a gap and prepping for what's up next. As you guys know, a ton of shit goes down in the ensuing episodes, so things are about to get hectic! To make up for it, I'll post the next chapter in a couple days. In edits, it's just under 10k words. So hopefully that makes up for this lil baby chapter? As always, I love you guys and thank you for sticking with me!
After a very fruitless search of the Third Laboratory—Lissa and Ed tracked down a hastily-transmuted wall, but with the building populated there was no chance of getting in and checking the underbelly out—Lissa accompanied the boys back to the hotel long enough to call up Fuery and find out where Riza's apartment was. The First Lieutenant lived off base, in a fairly nice part of Central, off the beaten path enough to offer some privacy but close enough to HQ that she wasn't too far to be of assistance in an emergency. Lissa knew, from Fuery being a bit of a happy chatterbox, that Riza was off that night for a few hours to sleep and recover from watching Mustang all day, which fit perfectly with what she needed to do.
She made her way across to Riza's apartment and knocked on the door, rocking uncertainly on the balls of her feet as she waited. Inside, she could hear Riza's loyal little dog Black Hayate barking and growling, ever the protective little thing—but as soon as the door opened, Hayate recognized Lissa and changed his attitude immediately, running out to hop on her leg and ask for pets and attention.
"Lissa?" Riza stood in the doorway while Lissa petted the dog, hair down, dressed in civilian clothes and looking baffled. "What are you doing here so late?"
"I'm sorry to stop by like this," Lissa mumbled, standing up and twisting her fingers into her shirt. "I just…needed to talk to you about something, that's all."
Riza frowned at her. "Well, it must be important." She headed back into the apartment and beckoned for Lissa to follow, Hayate loyally trotting along at her heels. "Come on in, then. I'll make some tea and we can talk. Pardon my mess, though—I haven't had time to unpack."
Lissa followed her, shutting the door behind herself and stepping inside. She'd always had a bit of a strange relationship with Riza Hawkeye. When she was little, she'd grouped her in with Mustang since they were always together, but she'd learned pretty quickly that Riza was something else entirely. She bothered to use Lissa's nickname, paid attention to her, treated her like an adult, stood up for her… Not that Lissa knew why, since it drew Mustang's ire sometimes, but she appreciated it. Over the years, she'd gotten closer with the woman, getting bold enough to use her first name and joking around with her when the situation warranted it. She knew Riza's loyalty was with Mustang, first and foremost…but that had never stopped her from treating Lissa well.
Still…she'd never been faced with a situation like this.
"So, what's got you so worked up you needed to come all the way out here just to talk to me?" Riza asked curiously, when they'd both sat down at her kitchen table with tea. Hayate curled atop Lissa's feet underneath the table, sticking close as usual.
Lissa sighed and tugged at the string of her teabag, twisting it between her fingers. "I…needed to ask you about the Colonel. Beneath the Third Laboratory."
Riza nodded slowly. "I see."
"I'm guessing…you know what I said to him," Lissa edged.
"Second Lieutenant Havoc told me. He overheard you in the alley that night." Riza gave her a hard stare. "You were upset, and you lashed out in anger—but I think we both know you took it too far. If you wanted someone to tell you that you didn't do the wrong thing, you came to the wrong person, Lissa." She softened a touch. "But at the same time…I know you have a complicated relationship with the Colonel. That must have felt like a terrible betrayal, thinking he'd done something like that."
Lissa swallowed hard and dropped her hands into her lap. "That's no excuse."
"Which is what you expect me to say. You're just parroting, Lissa." Riza shook her head faintly. "You can be honest with me, you know."
"I just…" She shut her eyes tightly. "Did I cause him to lash out that way? Al told me how he was, when he fought that…that homunculus, Lust. I've only heard of him reacting like that, but I've never seen it… Al said it was…really rough."
Riza let out a long, slow breath. "Did you unsettle him? Yes. You hurt him, Lissa. But you know that. However… I don't believe that's what caused him to lose control. Just prior to his attack on the homunculus, he'd witnessed her very nearly kill Havoc. And she was prepared to do the same to myself and Alphonse. If it was a factor, it wasn't the only factor."
A little weight lifted from her shoulders—but only a little. There was still more here, something else that she'd brought to Riza's mind just by talking about all this. "I still owe him an apology," Lissa added. "I didn't get to do that today."
"Well, it was a little too crowded," the blonde admitted, smirking just a bit. "You'll have a chance." She sighed and steepled her fingers, resting her elbows on the table. "The Colonel might have my head for telling you this, but… I think you should know. I thought he should've told you a long time ago, actually."
"Er…" Lissa stared at her, baffled. "Tell me what?"
Riza met her gaze steadily, unwavering. Lissa couldn't fathom what it might be. "The Colonel doesn't talk about this much… He doesn't really talk about his past much at all, really. However…I've always been surprised he never told you that he was adopted."
He was what?!
"I—adopted?" Lissa repeated. She knew her mouth was hanging open but she didn't care, this was just…so shocking. "I had no idea, I… He never said…"
She inclined her head. "He lost his parents when he was very young, and was adopted by his paternal aunt, who raised him from that point on. He's never said it outright, but I'm fairly certain that's why he took such an interest in you—as well as Edward and Alphonse."
"Like taking in strays," she whispered, feeling like her whole world had shifted for the millionth time. It was overwhelming to learn, to have to add this new facet into Mustang's personality—but it just made so much damned sense. No wonder he was so overbearing towards her and the boys… He knew firsthand what it was like to be left without parents to guide you. And maybe it explained why he could be so harsh… He was trying to parent them while being their superior officer at the same time, which just didn't mesh well.
She hated that it made her sympathetic towards him, but at the same time, she felt a certain kinship with him regardless. Orphaned as a child, just like she'd been. No wonder he took such an interest in her when she came to Central. A young alchemist left without her parents… He must've seen himself and tried to look after her, in his own way.
Riza sighed wearily, nodding at the comparison regardless of how strange it was. "Yes. You see why I'm surprised he never wanted to mention it—I suppose he was worried you'd think it was only pity that caused him to involve himself in your life."
Well…she couldn't blame that. She sort of did wonder.
"Whatever else you might think of him, Lissa… He does want what's best for you." Riza smiled faintly. "He just doesn't always know how to go about it."
"It's hard to see sometimes," Lissa admitted.
The blonde smirked at her. "Well, you carry a lot of resentment towards the military, and state alchemists in general—with a few exceptions, yes, but for the most part that's where you direct most of your anger. You're biased."
Lissa gritted her teeth, but didn't deny it. She hadn't come here to be babied, after all.
"But you're still young," Riza continued, a bit gentler now. "And you're learning to look past that bias, I can tell. You-"
The phone rang, and they both looked over at it sharply. This late…it couldn't be anything good. Lissa didn't want to be rude, so she didn't follow Riza over to the phone, no matter how curious she was—and she was so damn curious. What could be important enough to warrant calling over here this late? Was something going on down at HQ?
"Hello?"
Lissa strained her ears—and leapt to her feet when she recognized the tone of voice coming through the phone. Ed? But…why's he calling?
Riza's jaw tightened and her eyebrows furrowed sharply as she listened to whatever Ed was telling her, in a bit of a frantic tone. "Yes, she's still here, Edward. Slow down, what's got you so worked up?"
More talking. Unintelligible, no matter how hard she tried.
Riza sucked in a sharp breath. "Are you certain? I hadn't heard… The alert must have gone out after I left."
Alert? What alert? Lissa padded closer, Hayate following curiously, and gave Riza a baffled look that she hoped conveyed how badly she wanted to know what was going on.
"No, you both need to stay there. No, Edward. I'll bring her back myself," she insisted sternly.
Lissa crouched down and scritched Hayate behind his ears. "Wonder why your mom's so worried," she mused. Hayate tilted his head at her.
Above them, Riza sighed wearily down the phone line. "Absolutely not. You need to stay put, especially right now. I'll keep her safe, Edward, I promise."
He complained more—until there was a sort of shuffling static sound through the phone, and Lissa heard the voice change to something lighter and younger. Alphonse now. What the hell is going on here?
"Yes, that's for the best. Thank you, Alphonse." Riza hung up and leaned into the counter, giving Lissa a rather serious look. "Lissa… I'm taking you back to the hotel. Now."
"I gathered that." Lissa stood up straight and crossed her arms. "What's going on, Riza? Why were Ed and Al freaking out like that?"
Riza's mouth thinned. "Scar's back."
Oh, no.
"He's murdered three state alchemists already tonight. All state alchemists have been ordered to find a safe place and remain there." She narrowed her eyes faintly and sighed. "I'd prefer to keep you here…but I have the feeling the Elric brothers would break my door down to get to you, so I'll walk you back myself. It's doubtful he'd still be actively hunting anyone at this point, now that he's put the whole city on alert, but I'm not taking any risks."
Lissa swallowed dryly, the action scraping over her throat. Scar. Just thinking about the Ishvalan made her stomach knot with fear—she still remembered with painful clarity the night she'd flung herself over Ed, come within a couple centimeters of dying in the street… "Will you be all right, walking back this late?" she asked, focusing elsewhere to hide her fear.
Riza gave her a look, almost amused by the concern, before grabbing up Hayate's leash and a handgun from the kitchen counter. "Come on, Lissa. Let's get you back before those boys come looking anyway."
She couldn't help but smile a bit at the comment. "They're a little…protective."
Clipping Hayate's leash on, Riza snorted. "A little? That's quite the understatement. Though I could say the same thing about you. I'd prefer not to see you throw yourself into harm's way again, if you can help it."
Lissa followed her out of the apartment, feeling a bit sheepish. She'd probably always take flak for that, the most public time anybody had seen her little protective streak—or, fine, really big protective streak. But as terrifying as that night had been, she didn't regret it. She refused to regret any of the moments she'd put herself in the path of an oncoming attack for Ed or Al, no matter how stupid it might be, because she loved them and she wouldn't regret anything that she'd done to protect them.
The streets were devoid of regular civilians at this hour, with the attacks—Lissa stuck close to Riza as they went, a bit intimidated by the sheer volume of MPs patrolling at every damn corner. She could see, off in the distance, the smoldering remains of some kind of fire or explosion, no doubt the site of one of Scar's attacks.
"I really thought he'd died," Lissa murmured, as they drew near the hotel. "I don't want to wish death on anyone, but…after what happened before…"
Riza nodded. "I understand. But we'll find him, all right? He's making a spectacle of himself, so he won't be difficult to track down." She fixed a severe look on her. "But you and the boys need to stay out of it, all right? We know he's going after state alchemists—and he already picked Edward as a target. Now that you've been certified, he'll be after you too. So just…lay low, until we sort this out."
Lissa wrinkled her nose. "Lay low. I wish I could say yes, but I don't think Ed knows how."
"Do your best, then," she relented.
They paused at the entrance to the hotel, and Lissa found herself squirming a bit under Riza's thoughtful gaze. "What is it?" she asked quietly.
"How long has it been going on?" Riza asked in return, instead of offering an explanation.
She blinked. "What's going on?"
Riza smirked a bit knowingly. "You and Edward."
Lissa just…stared. She was rarely this speechless, but they hadn't even told Al, they hadn't told anybody, and they'd been so careful at the hospital…
"Don't look so surprised. I'm sure you think you're being very subtle, but you know Edward wears everything on his face." Riza patted Lissa's shoulder gently. "It's sweet. Just be careful, all right? You two have a lot on your heads already, and I'd hate to see something complicate your lives any further."
She knew she was blushing, but it was hard not to. They hadn't faced telling anybody yet. "We agreed to keep it simple," Lissa admitted, tugging at one of her curls awkwardly. "But…we haven't even gotten around to telling Al yet."
"You can't seriously think Alphonse hasn't noticed," she pointed out wryly.
Lissa pressed her hands over her face. "Oh, no."
Riza laughed, a rare break, and then pulled another rare move—she reached out and hugged Lissa, briefly but tightly. "Look after yourselves, okay? And if anything happens…" Her gaze turned fierce. "You call myself or the Colonel."
"We will," Lissa agreed softly. "And, Riza? Thank you for talking with me. And being honest."
The woman smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "Anytime. Have a good night, Lissa." Then she turned, Hayate obediently following, and headed back off down the street.
Does Al really know? Lissa wondered, as she stepped back into the hotel and up the stairs. Oh, man. We need to talk to him about this now, I don't want him to be sitting there stewing about it, or upset we didn't say anything…
She reached the boys' room and unlocked the door, stepping inside—and was immediately dragged into…something.
"Lissa!" Al shouted, pointing at her fiercely. "Maybe you can talk some sense into brother!"
Ed turned his nose up. "I'm just saying, Al, it might be our only shot! Besides, we're more prepared now, we trained more and we know how that guy fights."
Lissa shut the door behind her and leaned into it, already feeling exhausted. "What the hell did I miss?" she muttered. "You guys totally fall apart without me, don't you?"
"Brother wants to go looking for Scar," Al told her sharply.
She rounded on Ed, staring him down angrily. "Ed. Seriously? Why do you wanna go looking for the guy that nearly killed us last time?"
"I-" He cut himself off and scowled at his brother, irritated. "Look, the fact is, we need to find out more. And since the Führer killed the only homunculus who might've been willing to talk to us, that leave us with a lot less options. We know for a fact the homunculi don't want to kill me, and they weren't exactly eager to kill you either, Lissa. Considering we're so important to their plans, if we were to be, say, attacked by Scar…"
Lissa gaped at him. "You're completely insane, Edward Elric. You know that? Do you remember how badly those homunculi kicked our asses last time? What happens if they take out Scar and then decide to rough us up for screwing with them?"
He folded his arms over his chest. "Well, it's much better than sitting on our asses and doing nothing!"
"Oh, really?" Al shot back. "Scar literally tore us apart last time. Do you wanna go through that again, brother?"
Ed's resolve wavered just a little. "Well—no, but we've gotten stronger in these past few months. We're better now. And it's not like we won't be prepared, he can't catch us off guard if we're literally expecting him to show up."
Al loomed over him angrily. "What happens if the homunculi do show up? How are you gonna catch one?" he demanded.
"I'd like to talk to them too, Ed, I want answers just as much as you do but this just seems like a way to get the three of us killed," Lissa pointed out, crossing to them. She had Riza's voice echoing in her mind—lay low, be careful, he'll be after you too—and it was enough to make her skeptical, at least. Using Scar to lure out the homunculi… That was a huge risk.
Al nodded firmly. "Exactly! Thank you, Lissa! The homunculi are dangerous to mess with, they're super strong and they pretty much can't die!"
"Can't die? Was that hyperbole?"
"Or are they actually immortal?"
Lissa groaned and turned to see Ling and Lan Fan clambering in the window. Not these guys again…
"Why don't we lock the windows?" Al lamented.
"Because we're friends!" Ling chirped brightly, hopping inside like he owned the place. "So, we heard everything—and I'd like to offer our services in the coming battle. Count us in. We'd love to help you guys!"
Lissa glanced over at the boys, wondering. They seemed reluctant too, but intrigued at least, so she settled down onto the couch beside Ed, while Ling and Lan Fan sat opposite. It wouldn't hurt to just hear them out, she figured. They could always say no. And besides…she really didn't like the idea of going after Scar just the three of them. Maybe a little help would make a difference.
"Why do you want to help us?" Ed asked skeptically, staring across at the Xingese.
Ling shrugged easily. "Well, I can't say I care about the military stuff, but it sounds like these homunculi are just what we've been looking for."
Lissa exchanged a look with the boys. Right. Ling's whole quest for immortality.
The prince picked up on it immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously. "You look kinda skeptical."
Ed sighed at him. "Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the help you've already given us." He sat forward and rested his arms on his legs, eyeing Ling suspiciously. "But this…it's a bit-"
"You've got better odds with more help," Ling interjected. "And you already know we're capable fighters. I'm serious about this. This could be what rescues my clan." He gestured towards Lissa. "You said this Scar character almost killed you the last time you met him. Facing down someone who goes around killing state alchemists, and then attempting to interrogate homunculi… That sounds like an awful lot to handle for just three people. Besides, we can sense them. They have a very particular energy about them."
Lissa clenched her teeth to keep from reacting. They could…sense the homunculi? Was that anything like what she could do?
"So?" Ling prompted, raising his eyebrows. "How about it?"
She glanced sideways at Ed and Al, trying to communicate just through her eyes. This…was a much better plan, and from what she understood, the Xingese were pretty fierce in battle. They'd certainly given Ed and Al a hard time of it back in Rush Valley.
"All right then," Ed relented after a moment, grinning. "Just remember, we're in this together."
Ling sat back against the sofa happily. "I promise not to run off with them," he agreed. "After all, I owe you that much."
Lissa frowned at him. "What do you owe us for?"
Still smiling benignly, Ling reached into his coat and pulled out a long sheet of paper, which he passed across to Ed. Lissa stared at it over his shoulder, skimming the list…and feeling her jaw drop when she reached the bottom and saw the number indicated.
"Is this for room service?" Ed screeched. "You're damn right you owe me!"
Raging, Ed screamed them all the way back out the window, with Al and Lissa watching the spectacle. "That really is an impressive level of anger," Lissa noted, smirking.
"I don't know where it all comes from," Al giggled.
The door suddenly banged open, and they all cringed and turned as Winry yelled, "Will you guys shut up! D'you know how early I have to wake up tomorrow?!"
Ed grinned at her sheepishly. "Oh, right I forgot," he laughed nervously. "You're catching the early train to Rush Val-" But he broke off, his eyes going wide. "Uh, y'know what, you should probably cancel that," he told Winry with feigned ease, giving another nervous little laugh. "Why don't you stick around and relax?"
Winry raised her eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"
"Well it's just…" He rubbed anxiously at the back of his head. "I mean, it's just that… Y'know… Well… There's…always the chance that my arm could get broken. Or even…destroyed." The last word was just a whisper, barely spoken at all, but the blonde heard it all the same.
Lissa passed a hand over her face as Winry yanked out a wrench and smacked Edward with it, sending him flying across the room. "Are you planning on destroying it?!" the blonde seethed. "I can't believe you!" But then her voice faltered, and she looked at all three of them sadly. "Just…promise you won't do anything too dangerous."
While the boys just looked shell-shocked, Lissa found it in herself to smile. "We'll do our best, Win."
Winry sighed deeply. "Fine. I guess I'm staying here a little longer, then. Just…" She wrinkled her nose at them. "Try to look after yourselves." She stuffed her wrench down into the pocket of her pyjama pants and headed for the door. "Goodnight."
Lissa shrugged out of her jacket once Winry was gone and threw it over the back of the couch before sitting down, swinging her legs off the side. "Ling! Lan Fan!" she called. "Get back in here."
Ed gaped at her. "Wha-"
But sure enough, the Xingese hurriedly climbed back in through the window. "You rang?" Ling teased, smirking.
"We need to figure out exactly what we're doing tomorrow," Lissa explained, considering Ed and Al were still confused as to why she'd dragged those two back in. "Going in blind is gonna get all of us killed." She pointed at the Xingese firmly. "Even you guys. You haven't seen Scar fight, and we don't know which homunculi might be in the area."
"That might be a good place to start, actually," Ed pointed out, settling onto the sofa behind her. "We've fought two homunculi, though the Colonel incinerated one—so it's likely that spiky-haired one from the Fifth Lab might make an appearance."
"There's also the squat, fat one that your Colonel Mustang's team fought," Ling observed. "With the ouroboros tattoo on his tongue. I did a little eavesdropping."
Al looked at Lissa thoughtfully. "Didn't you say you knew what the homunculi were named after?" he asked her. "Back in Dublith."
Ling's gaze turned just a bit sharper. "Oh, did you now?"
Lissa nodded, reluctant—but they had to be willing to share information to work together, she supposed. "Yeah. Mustang killed Lust, beneath the Third Laboratory. And we met a homunculus named Greed in Dublith, though Führer Bradley killed him. Then Ed and I were attacked by Lust and another homunculus under the Fifth Laboratory. Al heard Greed mention Lust and Sloth. So taking those names into account, we have three of the Seven Deadly Sins. Lust, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, and Pride. Lust was…violent, especially with that ability of hers, so I'd say she represented bloodlust more than anything. But it still fits. And Greed was, well…greedy. So if they correlate to their particular sins, then…"
"What do we think…Gluttony?" Ed hypothesized, nodding. "Fat and with the tattoo on his tongue…it'd make sense."
Al shuddered a bit. "Lieutenant Hawkeye said he was trying to eat her," he mumbled.
Even Ling seemed a bit discomfited. "Pleasant. Well, we can discount Lust and Greed, then, can't we? Which leaves us with five homunculi we could meet. Gluttony—if that is the fat creature's designated sin—is a definite possibility."
"And the unnamed one with the spiky hair," Lissa mused. "I don't know who they were, they didn't give very much away. Though I'm betting not Sloth, just by personality."
"Let's assume the worst. Let's say both the spiky one and Gluttony show up." Ed crossed one leg over the other and tilted his head back, thinking. "I wouldn't wanna go up against the spiky one, they were…tough. And fast as fuck, honestly. So supposing that's who we fight, I'd suggest letting that one go after Scar and trying to capture Gluttony."
Al sighed deeply. "There's still so much we don't know. If there really are three more homunculi out there, we have no idea what they look like or how well they fight."
"Greed was tough enough," Ed muttered. "We have to assume they're all just as bad, if not worse." He eyed the Xingese for a moment. "So you guys can…sense the homunculi, right? How does that work, exactly?"
Ling shrugged at him. "They have a particular feel to them. We have the ability to sense what the Xingese call the Dragon's Pulse, the flow of energy, or chi, through all things. Alkahestrists use the same energy, just in a different manner. That day, when Colonel Mustang and his team took on the homunculus Gluttony, I got to be very familiar with the sense of them. Once a homunculus gets close enough, we'll be able to sense them and track them from there."
Lissa stared down at her knees, still dangling over the edge of the sofa, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. The Dragon's Pulse… A flow of energy in all things… The ability to sense something particular from anybody, anything… "Can I ask…what do the homunculi feel like to you?"
Lan Fan tilted her head slightly to one side. "Unpleasant. The feeling of hundreds upon thousands of worms, writhing in the dirt."
Her body went cold all over. "I see," Lissa murmured, cursing the way her voice trembled. That…was identical to what she felt. But what the hell did it mean?! Why could she sense something like that, when she'd never been to Xing, never even heard of the damned Dragon's Pulse before that night? It just—wasn't possible!
"Okay, so you can track them," Ed hurried on, cutting a quick glance in her direction. "Good. Now we need to figure out how to lure Scar into fighting us in broad daylight."
"He did go after us before," Al pointed out. "Maybe if we just…walk around…"
Lissa sat upright, pressing her feet on the floor as though it'd ground her. She couldn't focus on her new discovery right now—they had bigger issues at hand. "He went after Ed, but at night, without any witnesses. And even though he got the best of us, he was still forced to retreat in the end. It'll take more than just showing up in the open to get him to go after us, I bet."
"Are you certain?" Ling inquired. "If he's attempted to kill you before and lost, he might be out for revenge."
"His whole quest is supposedly in the name of revenge," Ed pointed out, shaking his head. "So it won't make a difference. No, we need to really draw him in, we need some kind of—spectacle or something."
Riza's words rang in Lissa's head—he's making a spectacle of himself, so he won't be difficult to track down. "A spectacle," she repeated thoughtfully.
Ed looked up at her. "Liss? What're you thinking?"
"It's something Riza said to me earlier… How Scar's made such a spectacle of himself that he'll be easy to find. Well, the order just went out that state alchemists are supposed to be cautious, keep to themselves—he's got to know that's how the military would react, too. So…" She grinned tightly. "We just have to make an even bigger spectacle. Not just show our faces…but make a big deal about being state alchemists, too. We'll be the only damned state alchemists this city's talking about, and lead him right to us. If there's no other prey around…"
"…Then he has to come searching for us if he wants to get his stupid revenge." Ed mirrored her look. "Looks like we're going fishing."
Ling clapped his hands excitedly. "Oh, this is going to be fun!"
