Disclaimer: awhieuhakwhdawd
Hello all! So, the new chapter's finally here, after much procrastination on my part. Personally, I love this one even though a few parts are a little tweaked. This chapter has taken a more humourous turn, and is a little disjointed, but for some reason I still love it.
Though this has nothing to do with the story, I just wanted to mention that I was watching the Cry of the Chimera episode last night, and even though I've already seen it, it still made me cry. I think that was the episode that got me really hooked on the show.
Well...read on!
"Aw man, that was so hard! Didn't you think it was hard? Boy, was it hard…I didn't know the answer to a single question! How 'bout you? Huh? Did you think it was totally hard?"
Taylor Haskins glared viciously in response to the myriad of questions, and stood up without answering. The hyperactive girl next to him either didn't acknowledge his eminence or was completely oblivious, because she continued to prattle on and on as they walked to the front of the room.
'Ugh, why must I am I always stuck with the obnoxious ones?' He pondered, mussing his shaggy brown hair.
The entire exam, the girl behind him had either been chewing on her long, black curls, drawing little elephants all over her paper, or flicking bits of eraser at the back of his head. It had been the most aggravating three hours of his life, and even though testing had finished she STILL wouldn't leave him alone.
Taylor Haskins was a perfectionist. Everything he did had to be accomplished flawlessly, or else he wouldn't be satisfied. His room was more sterile than a hospital, and his apparel impeccable, devoid of even the smallest speck of dust. He studied voraciously, and though lacking in natural alchemic talent, had become an adept alchemist through years of hard work.
Yet strangely enough Taylor's hair, despite his efforts, remained unmanageable.
Yes, his bedraggled locks were the very bane of his existence. For many years he had attempted to tame his wild brown hair, but all endeavors had proved futile. A mass of tangles and split ends, his unruly locks persistently stuck out at every angle, giving him the appearance of some surfer boy, instead of the polished persona he was aiming for.
He grimaced at the mere thought of the repercussions his hair caused to his image. The annoying girl noticed it, as they placed their finished exams in the bin at the front of the room, simultaneously.
Her purple eyes widened, and she twirled a strand of his hair, cooing.
"Hey, what's the matter smarty pants? You can't be worried about the test, 'cause I saw you filling it out crazy fast! You look like a little lost puppy, with your hair all crazy like that."
"Don't touch me." Taylor seethed, between clenched teeth.
"Awww poor little puppy boy, is mad! Don't be mad messy little baby!"
"I am not a messy little baby!"
He yelled, in a shrill voice, and sprinted away from the psycho girl. Once he was a safe distance away he stopped to catch his breath.
Straightening his tie, he resumed at a more respectable pace, reasoning,
'At least I know there's no way she's going to pass and become a State Alchemist.'
---666---
Roy Mustang narrowed his eyes at the sight of Lieutenant Hawkeye strolling toward him, arms laden with paperwork.
Her eyes glimmered with what suspiciously resembled amusement, when she dumped the pile on Mustang's desk.
"State Alchemist Entry Exams, for you to assess, sir."
Mustang raised a gloved hand to his forehead and replied, tersely, "Hawkeye, you know that isn't my job."
"I know, sir, but this testing day happens to fall on the week of vacation that many alchemists in our sector are enjoying at this very moment."
The brunette scowled, and looked up at Hawkeye through threaded fingers, growling, "And why are we not getting a vacation?"
"Well, sir, I believe you are the one who personally informed the Fuhrer that our unit simply didn't need any vacation time, and that we could handle the extra work when the others were on break."
Though Hawkeye spoke in monotone, Mustang could detect an overall sense of resentment oozing from her very pores.
Unruffled, he tapped the table irritably, striving to remember what could have caused him to revoke his unit's vacation privileges.
Suddenly, a vision of a certain someone's grinning face floated into his mind, echoing,
"Just think about it Roy…Roy…Roy…
… It's an amazing way to show the Fuhrer your commitment to military!"
"I mean, who in their right mind gives up their vacation….vacation…vacation…?"
"Well anyways… Look at this new picture of Elicia in her bathing suit! Isn't she adorable…adorable…adorable…?"
Roy punched the table, sending all of the tests flying in every direction and snarled, "DAMN IT! What possessed me listen to Maes Hughes twisted logic? "
Hawkeye cast a very confused look in his direction. Yet despite her bewilderment, the blonde dutifully gathered up the papers, whilst Mustang held his clenched fist in the air, mumbling indecipherable threats.
He steadfastly continued in this vein, even when Riza had placed the papers back on his desk. She waited a few moments, but then decided that Roy best be left alone, and fled.
Mustang nearly fell out of his chair when the door loudly slammed shut. Glad that no one was there to see that lapse of dignity, he smoothed his hair and regained his composure.
The corners of his mouth turned pulled into a scowl when he noticed the papers again. Mustang rubbed the back of his neck, and could already feel the beginnings of a headache coming on at the mere sight of 'work'.
Mustang suddenly felt a burst of inspiration and thought, 'I can do this!'
Yes, Roy Mustang was going to correct every one of those papers! He smiled at the thought of how satisfying it would be, once he was finished.
What could be more satisfying to a man then a job well done?
Brimming with ambition and confidence, Mustang rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a pencil, and picked up the first piece of paper.
5 minutes later
The "pass" bin still sat empty and forlorn on the general's desk. The "fail" one, in comparison, currently contained the first ten of the hundred alchemist applicants' exams.
The general sat, back turned resolutely away from his desk, and rubbed his temples in aggravation.
Why did people have to be such idiots?
His head would most certainly implode if he read one more devastatingly horrible exam.
Mustang was just about to call it a day, and dump the rest of the papers in the "fail" bin, when he remembered something.
A smirk graced Roy Mustang's features, as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He gathered the rest of the exams off the desk, then dumped them into the "pass" bin with gusto.
The name "Terra Eclipse" on the top paper caught his eye, and strangely enough he completely ignored the fact that there were little flying elephants all over it in the place of actual answers. Then, he casually lifted his phone off the desk, still smirking.
As the phone rang, Mustang leaned back, folding his long legs across the ebony desk. There was a click when the receiver on the other end of the line picked up, and he said, "Charisse! I was wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch with me today."
He twirled a pencil between his fingers.
"No, no I'm not busy today! Well you see, I was going to have to correct all these tests, to see whether a bunch of the new State Alchemist applicants pass and get to move on to the evaluation, but now I don't have to."
The pencil became a yellow blur between his fingers.
"Why is that? Well…let's just say I have a little solution to this dilemma. Yes, I passed all of them, since I just remembered I'm not the one who has to sit through the evaluation."
"I know, I know, very sneaky of me but I just wanted to go to lunch with you so very much.
"Excellent, see you then."
Mustang delicately put the phone back in it's place, then folded his hands behind his head. The smirk on his face erupted to a full on grin, and he grabbed his jacket off of the chair. Throwing it over his shoulder, Colonel Mustang left his office much happier than he had entered it.
Yes, a job well done was nice and all… but it was even more satisfying when there was someone else to do the work for you.
---666---
Edward Elric sat in an evaluator's chair, gold eyes alit with fury. He gazed around the mass of people waiting their turn.
"I'll get you for this Mustang…"
Hehehehe poor little Ed.
BTW, I am completely in love with my random OC Taylor Haskins, just to let you all know
Well...read and review!