"What am I signing this time?" Fuhrer Mustang demanded, waving a highly colorful piece of paperwork in the air as Major Riza Hawkeye walked by his office door. He was so behind on the work required of a new Fuhrer that he had started signing most of the papers with just a quick glance to make sure he wasn't offering the Gate his soul, mind, or body. Beyond that, he could pay the price. But this piece of paper had been so colorful compared to the rest of the light grey, white, or sickly yellow pieces of paper, it had caught his attention.
At first Riza just walked past Roy's door but came back, her arms laden with paperwork which she set down on a recently cleared portion of Roy's desk. Roy suppressed a complaint about the inordinate amount of work today when his subordinate set a cup of coffee in front of him as a peace offering. She glanced around the office for a moment, noting mildly that it still needed decoration. Roy had been Fuhrer for a month, yet the room was decidedly bare. Eventually Riza took a quick glance at the paper Roy had in his hands and beamed brightly.
"Ah, it came through," Riza said, taking it quickly, flipping through the multi-page document. "It's a request for a military parade. You've been Fuhrer for a month, but since your promotion ceremony you've only been in the office." Riza looked carefully at Roy gauging his reaction. "I asked Parliament to clear the streets for four hours so we could do a parade. You just have to sign at each of the flags."
"You're kidding, right?" Roy said, just staring at Riza. "After everything that has happened, you are scheduling a parade?" It just seemed so ridiculous. He could barely get his paperwork through, the budget was seemingly strained, and he was busy trying to make sure that Parliament didn't take away all their power. But even more so, it had barely been a month ago that Edward Elric had disappeared and that loss hit him harder than he allowed others to see. His stoic face in the morning was often more than a lack of coffee, but the shock of waking up alone, without a certain blonde alchemist curled up next to him. They hadn't even come out with their relationship before it was taken away from him. And she was planning a fucking parade?
"Yes," Riza said, standing tall, making sure that her case would be amplified by good ethos. "I believe, Fuhrer, that a military parade would not only boost the morale of our troops but will also give the military a presence again in the public. After Parliament took over, we have had diluted power, sir, but we are still looked to as protection for the people. And if you don't get a public presence, I am afraid that rebellions, in areas where military presence is weak, could break out." Riza continued to stand tall, her arms stiff, her gaze not submissive, but not domineering either. She hadn't asked for permission to speak, which she rarely did, but with such bold speech she paused to make sure she would be allowed to continue. "If you did a military parade in Central your chances of an assassination are lowered and people will not see you as a reclusive Fuhrer such as Fuhrer King Bradley. If you will pardon me overstepping my bounds, Fuhrer, I believe that if you continue to stick to office work, people will feel you do not have a presence and will begin to suspect you merely because Fuhrer Bradley also failed to have a presence and was untrustworthy."
Roy stared at Riza openly. Though they were good friends and had confided much in each other, after Roy had become Fuhrer, Riza had seemed to become more detached and hadn't overstepped her bounds as a Major. She normally spoke her mind when it came to smaller details but almost always asked for permission to speak freely when it came to such a serious issue. Obviously this was bothering the major more than she was willing to admit so he overstepped his bounds, placing a light hand on her shoulder. Her chin was rigid and she was locking eyes with him, refusing to lose the battle of dominance. Eventually he sighed, pulling the hand back, letting it stiffly fall to his side as Riza's demeanor refused to crack. "I'll sign the papers; I understand," he said softly but quickly, nodding. He knew better than to defer to her advice even though he body screamed that this wasn't the time. The last thing he wanted was rebellions and war so soon after the revolution. He took the piece of paper back from Major Hawkeye and placed it on his desk, reading the rules, zoning, and restrictions carefully, trying not to acknowledge Riza's heavy presence. Riza eventually nodded, not even saluting, making her way woodenly to her desk, slumping in her chair while formulaically going through her work, snapping once in a while at Havoc to continue working.
Lunch break came and went and Riza continued sitting at her desk, simply working, eventually going to the break room to quickly heat something up on the stove and then returned to her desk to chew it methodically while making sure that the Fuhrer had every bit of information and work he needed to succeed. The goals before the man, she told herself, smiling coyly at her own little joke. She'd bog him down with paperwork even if he was mooning over the Elric boy. She would make sure that he didn't devote too much funding to finding the Fullmetal Alchemist, even if he was AWOL. They all knew that if Edward was able, he would come looking for his brother.
Perhaps was Roy was worried about, was Ed not being able.
Normally Riza wasn't distracted while she worked, but as she watched the Fuhrer leave, she watched his gait and shook her head. The Mustang she had known didn't leave a room defeated. He strode confidently and smirked his way out of a room, not leaving it with a dejected sigh. After Roy and Havoc left and Riza was sure they weren't coming back, Riza looked carefully over her work and then stood, opening the slightly ajar door to the Fuhrer's office. When she lit a lamp she looked again at the papers that Roy had finished with. "Roy Mustang," she thought sadly, flipping the upside down picture frame right side up. A scowling alchemist fighting with a smirking Colonel greeted her and she turned her attention back to the work. "You've gotten Ed through so much," she almost said aloud. She picked up the street release forms and spied Roy's search request. A month of full search had proved nothing. Just one ten-year-old Alphonse Elric. "Sometimes, Fuhrer, you've got to let him find is own path. Let him save himself. For now, I'll just make sure that love doesn't skew your ideals. Because Roy, for me, it's the goals before the man." She would make sure that the goals got accomplished, whether or not Edward Elric was savable. She flipped the picture frame back down, taking what work she needed, and leaving the office.