Animeluver4ever: Thank you, I'm glad I'm feeling better too. And I love hearing that my sense of humor doesn't fall flat XD. Thanks!

Mesonoxian: Yes, and Roy will be doomed to agree with you on Ed's adorability one of these days.

silvers-edge: Yeah, Roy is a piece of work. But Ed is stubborn enough to fix the few flaws the guy has relating to over indulgence. And you know Hazel would have loved tormenting with Ed, those two are a pair. It's a wonder Roy survives.

Alphonseelric22: And surprise the hell out of Ed doing so I would reckon. Ed's just not used to Roy feeling guilty to that extent about manwhoring.

Zemyx: I am always pleased to help you procrastinate! It makes me feel devious. And I am so totally ready for your randomness. XD

elemental heiress: You should pull some stunts! Stunts are fabulous fun, as Ed can attest. I recommend something with color... like, literal color.

jdy: I think Ed being so adorable helps keep Roy from getting mad at him. Roy has a weakness for adorable. And yay! You liked Hazel's flying lesson! Flying squirrel... -cackles-

GreedxEd: Yeah, that chair... never really got the point of it. So Roy's theory works for me.

moonstone: Well if Ed can't be that State Alchemist, he's gonna make sure no one is XDD.

Cheru-chan: Roy working to get Ed into his bed will be the most rewarding work he'll ever do. And aww, the little ickle candidates will survive... somehow.

Soaha: Indeed. As Grand can attest to, ghostly pranks can be quite exhausting.

accident prone: Aww, thank you! I do try. I'm glad to know it works. And goodness yes, they are goofs. Ed a bit more than Roy, who has 'dignity', but still. They're hilarious together.

Eli: Why are you reading my perverted mind?

SanitysOverrated aka Formerly B.D.: ...-smirk- Hiya. And if only they would get a clue and get those three words out. Oh well, they keep working there.

Kimba: You may want to hide in a very big place, so the little ghost can't find you as easily. ;P

Eona: Thank you, and Ed thanks you for the hugs!

Tempest S: Don't worry, the janitors are reoccuring characters for most of the story. Just not as often as even I'd like, for I adore them. Glad to know others do as well XD. I can't tell you exactly what their role will be, but you're thinking on the right track.

Koneko: More blues? Not caused by me? I am sending you a basket of chocolates, and you will eat them. And yes, I'm just happy you finally were able to work up commenting ability after the blues. So I can send you chocolates.

Potatoe Girl: Well thank you, I'm glad that the major storyline shift is something that you find agreeable. So no, you don't sound like a turd ;P. The only turd is Grand, join us in pranking him.

gali-o: Yes... I think we need to hit Roy with a clue-by-four. Want first whack?

I think the refrigerator is out to get me.

I get over being sick, right? Yes, no longer sick. Yay me! Only to have a glass salad dressing jar fall on my toe joint. And then the next day three other things including a full container of orange juice almost fall on the exact same foot. I think I need to stay out of the refrigerator for a while. Or at least only go in there with a very long stick.

Lesse... not much news on the writing front, I don't think. My memory is no good near the end of a college semester. I did work on Paradox some more... so yay! Progress! And this is all between trying to fend off the HP bunnies that attacked me after I saw HP7 at midnight for the premier for us normal folk. Can't the darn bunnies see I want to finish current ones first? Now I have visions of Harry and Sev and Tom dancing in front of my head, along with partridges in pear trees.

Anyway... I've clearly had too many cookies. I'll leave you to the chapter!

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The morning of the next day, Edward was sitting cross-legged on the foot of Roy's bed, shaking in laughter as he watched Hazel harass the man into wakefulness. It was hard to feel sympathetic.

"Roy," he purred laughingly, "you look like death warmed over."

Roy groaned as the sound of cackling reached his ears, and he made a pitiful grab for the covers, intending to pull them over his eyes. "You would know." He complained, and made a fitful noise of frustration as instead of his covers, his hand encountered Hazel.

Edward grinned wickedly as he watched Hazel rub and arch up under Roy's hand, petting himself against the hand that kept trying to escape him and could not yet succeed. Which led Edward to believe that Roy's movements in the morning were predictable, and Hazel knew it. "Up, Mustang!" He chastised with that same grin. "Up, up, up!"

"Why can't it be the weekend?" Roy further complained.

"Weekend?" Edward snorted in amusement. "If you want your weekends off you should have stayed as some underling lieutenant. You want to be Fuhrer? You better get accustomed to the idea that you'll rarely have a full weekend off. Running a country is not a Monday through Friday experience."

"Evil spirit." Roy groused, earning another bout of snickering amusement from Edward's end. Finally he groaned as he sat up in bed, automatically wrapping arms around Hazel as the squirrel launched at his chest. "Fine, I'm up." He muttered while trying not to smile as Hazel snuggled in against him inside the hug he was providing.

Edward floated in a circle to track Roy's progression towards the bathroom. "You know," he began in the tone of someone newly enlightened, "it's a good thing that you never stay until morning with these poor souls you find, they'd be very unimpressed with you come morning."

Roy looked back over his shoulder as he walked, a pouting expression on his face. "It's not my fault it was a threesome last night." And with that, somehow managed to not walk into the wall, and made it inside the bathroom.

Edward was laughing as the door closed, and smilingly, he floated up off the bed and into the air to hover a moment before making his way down through the floor and subsequent walls so that he could get to the kitchen.

"He's out of shape after having taken so many nights off." Edward chortled to himself, despite feeling happy that Roy had. It was more Roy's condition that was amusing him, and not so much what had caused it.

He was humming cheerfully to himself as he began to work on cooking Roy some breakfast. It appeared that the man would be needing it. And so it wasn't long before he had the bacon frying in one pan, pancakes in another, and leftover hot chocolate heating on a back burner.

Roy had only managed a single cup last night… rather, earlier that morning, before he fell dead asleep before Edward could even offer to get him more.

It wasn't coffee, but it seemed to work wonders on making Roy feel more human; far more than coffee appeared to.

When Roy finally came downstairs to find breakfast almost finished, he smiled broadly as he walked over to join Edward at the stove. "And here I thought you'd not forgiven me for failing to direct that guy not to set his coat on top of you."

"Oh I got my revenge on him. Don't you worry." Edward smirked, and motioned with his head down towards the platter of already finished pancakes and asked sweetly, "pancake?"

Roy gave him a suspicious look, "what'd you put in them?"

Edward only laughed, even more so when Roy grabbed a pancake anyway with a wary look and began eating it. "As if I'd poison you."

"No." Roy agreed around a mouthful of pancake, "but you might give me a laxative."

"That's in the hot chocolate." Edward informed him solemnly.

"Perfect." Roy chuckled and went in search of a mug to put some of the steaming hot chocolate into. "Although I did think you went a little extreme with your revenge."

"In my opinion, he gave me that coat when he threw it on top of me." Edward waved a hand nonchalantly.

Roy grunted as he chewed on more pancake, working on pouring himself some of that hot chocolate. He was just glad that Edward hadn't done anything physically damaging to the guy who'd ended up being a third of his threesome last night.

Yet despite what Edward was prone to doing to his intended one night stands, he had no inclination at all to forbid Edward to come with him while he hunted out his nightly pleasures.

Soon enough Edward had finished cooking the breakfast with Roy's assistance, and was hovering near the side of the table in a seated position with his legs kicking back and forth. The smile on his face feeling permanent as he watched Hazel leap up onto Roy's shoulder and demand bits of pancake which the man gave obediently.

Only when Roy had finished eating and had stood up so that they could leave to go to Headquarters did Edward point out with a smirk, "there are crumbs on your jacket."

Roy could believe it, and he cautiously walked over to the sink to brush himself off over it. "Thanks." He would have checked anyway, but it was nice to know that Edward wouldn't have let him go outside covered in crumbs. Especially considering that he would be in near proximity to the Fuhrer, he wasn't looking for an excuse to be reprimanded about his appearance.

Only once Edward deemed that Roy's uniform was immaculate did they leave the house.

Again, Roy took them on a different direction to Headquarters, which happened to cut through the other side of the park they'd walked through the day before. And he found he much preferred these sort of off-the-beaten-path routes to Headquarters this early in the morning, for it was pretty secluded. He'd rather seclusion these days, than a speedier walk to Headquarters. It gave him more opportunities to talk with Edward.

"Today are the practical exams, for those few who managed to survive the interviews yesterday." And then after a momentary thoughtful pause, added, "and survived you."

Edward laughed proudly. "I can't help it if they're gullible."

"Everyone but me is gullible around you." Roy pointed out with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, as it's out of doors, the place you might feel safest is beside me the entire time. On the opposite side of where the Fuhrer will be. You'll be able to see everything going on, since it's the practical portion."

"I won't be able to prank anyone, but I'd rather that, than chance more pain." Edward spoke quietly, and looked over at Roy. "Have you had any luck yet? Remembering what that symbol is?"

Roy's brow drew into a frown, and he slowly let out a breath as he tried to compose himself. "I think I know where I need to start looking again to find it… but I never thought I'd go back to those books again."

"What do you mean?" Edward pressed, concern mixing with curiosity.

Roy didn't answer right away, and when he did, his voice was carefully measured. "Do you remember when yesterday Maes said I wasn't in a good place after the death of Winry's parents? And how I told him I was no longer at risk for doing anything stupid anymore?"

"Yes." Edward answered promptly, his slight frown not disappearing even so. "When you almost committed suicide."

Roy nodded even as his lower lip was worried between his teeth a moment before he managed to summon enough courage for what he was about to say next. "It wasn't just suicide. Maes wasn't the one who caught me with that pistol. He caught me with something else."

Edward was about to interrupt and ask who had caught Roy about to commit suicide, for he'd not thought anyone had, but then again, Roy didn't ever talk about it much. And right now, that near suicide wasn't what was important. "Yes?" He prompted, when Roy fell hesitantly silent.

Roy took a deep breath before going on. "For a while I turned to reading and studying the more forbidden aspects of alchemy." He admitted softly, before ending far more quietly. "Human transmutation included."

Yet Edward had still heard, and stopped abruptly midair to look at Roy with wide, confused eyes. "Why?"

Roy stopped as well, turning to face Edward with an apologetic, almost guilty look that hid most of his regret. "Temptation. I wasn't in a good place at the time, Edward. I felt it was my only outlet because it would be so easy to sink. I wasn't sure what I was looking for… only that it took Maes to snap me out of it. I packed up the books and vowed never to look at them again, and rid myself of everything else that had anything to do with that which is forbidden."

Edward was silent a long time, confusion and confliction inside him. Yet there was no anger. Who was he to be angry at Roy for such a thing? No. He was happy. Happy that Roy was okay and still alive. He really had no right to be angry with Roy, to judge. They were alchemists, and sometimes alchemists walked the same path towards destruction. He could only be happy that Roy had stepped off of it. "And you think you saw that symbol in one of those books?"

Roy nodded slowly, but surely.

Edward warred with his own conflicted feelings before asking gravely, "do you still have them?"

"Yes." Roy didn't see what good it would do him to lie about it. "I had promised myself I'd never touch the things again… but if it will help us understand what that symbol is, and what connection it has to you and the Fuhrer, I'll open those boxes again. You're more important to me than that promise, and at least I can look at them again knowing I won't sink. Not when I have you."

Edward met Roy's eyes, a faint smile coming to his lips. "I'm your saving grace?"

"What reason would I have to sink," Roy agreed softly, "when I've you now as well?"

At that moment, it seemed to be all that was needed to be said, and after a while longer of gazing back at each other, they continued on to Headquarters when they'd been startled out of their own private moment by a flock of pigeons taking flight out of a nearby tree.

They arrived still fairly early to Headquarters, and Roy led them towards the rear of the complex where there was a more secluded and large open courtyard that would be the location for the practical exams. Upon arriving there, they found it already stocked with materials for the practical alchemy exams. Almost anything imaginable that could be used was there for use.

"Wow." Edward couldn't help but marvel as he took the sight in. Their conversation from the park shoved for the moment to a different corner of his mind. "How long did setting all of this up take?"

Roy smiled as he looked around at it all. "Not too long. The supplies are brought in from the warehouses by the regular officers. And seeing as how they are in plentiful numbers, there's a lot of manpower to go around."

Edward couldn't help but grin nostalgically as he looked over all the supplies. From diamonds to wood, and mountains of ice to cotton. "This brings back memories. There's so much I could have made with all of this!"

Roy had no doubt of that. And most likely, Edward would have created something that would have stunned everyone in attendance. Even the Fuhrer. He would have expected nothing less from Edward, not even taking into account that he was a son of Hohenheim. "Shame others don't see it as you do. They tend to play it safe, unfortunately."

"Did you?" Edward queried with a suspiciously arched eyebrow, before suddenly latching on gleefully to the next thought to enter his mind. "What did you make?"

Roy felt himself flush, and he pointedly did not look anywhere near Edward. "It doesn't matter. It's been so long… I've forgotten."

"Don't lie to me, you're a terrible liar when you try to lie to me!" Edward chastised, his enthusiasm far from curbed. "Tell me?"

"I played it safe."

"You damn did not!" Edward snorted, "you and I both know that you never would have played it safe. You're too flamboyant for that."

Roy groaned, worrying a hand through his hair. "It's just… it was ridiculous! The farthest thing from me you could imagine."

Edward could imagine a lot of things, yet that was not what he desired. He desired to know the truth. "Roy." He growled in warning.

Roy merely glowered at him in defense, completely unwilling and embarrassed to even consider telling Edward. And luckily for him, the proctor for today's exam, along with General Hakuro came into view. Which proved to him that Edward was wrong, there was a god.

Edward cursed in disappointment beside Roy, and vowed to get it out of the man one way or another later today.

"Mustang." General Hakuro greeted happily enough with a broad smile as he approached the Colonel.

"General." Roy greeted back after relaxing from his salute. Out of all the superior officers he had, General Hakuro was one he didn't mind quite so much. The man wasn't nearly as corrupt. But he still didn't trust him. Trust was a luxury in the Military. "It's been a while since there's been a new State Alchemist inducted. Hopefully today they show more promise."

Edward's eyes widened marginally, "feeling bold, Roy?"

General Hakuro, however, seemed that he shared the sentiment. "At least no one could ever claim that the standards are lax. Unfortunately it seems though that even those who have State Alchemist sponsors might not be able to make the cut, based on the Fuhrer's impressions yesterday."

Roy had noticed them, and nodded. "Which is a shame, for them to have that extra advantage, extra access to learning, and they still have trouble."

"And then there's you who grew up in the middle of nowhere without all of that." General Hakuro chuckled. "Perhaps the sponsor system is more a harm than a good?"

"Perhaps." Roy conceded. "But it's not my place to say."

General Hakuro laughed again softly, "this is why I missed it when we were at East Central together all those years ago and you were transferred away before I was."

"Only to get sent back." Roy pointed out with a smirk.

"You're a breath of fresh air, Mustang. Don't ever lose it." General Hakuro informed him soberly from behind twinkling eyes. "I'm glad we finally had some time to chat, I've been so busy since you got here."

"On the subject of that, thank you for your insistence on my behalf that I be transferred."

"Not at all." General Hakuro waved it off with a shrug. "You're only an asset here. Now tell me, do you still use that chess set I gave to you?"

Roy thought morosely on just how much he'd been using it, and losing, but nodded. "Yes, sir. I daresay I've lost my touch though. Since our last match I've been declining in how many times I can win. My current chess partner has only recently relearned the game, and delights in trouncing me."

Edward was shaking in laughter at this point, a wicked grin on his lips. "Someone has to."

"I'd ask their name," General Hakuro mused, "but if you're getting trounced, than I've not a chance. I'd best not let curiosity get the better of me. I'm too old for that."

Along this point in time, the other State Alchemist, whose name Edward still didn't know, walked over to the group. This time not attempting to even get near Roy, clearly obeying whatever dark, territorial look the man had given him the first portion of the exam. It was clear to Edward that there seemed to be some sort of hierarchy among the State Alchemists, one that undercut the ranks of the Military.

He wondered briefly where Roy stood in relation to Basque Grand; for all that Roy had made that thinly veiled insult to the man on Monday.

When next Basque Grand arrived, Edward didn't have any time to spend wondering any further about it. He was instead keeping a narrow-eyed and careful look on the General who spent several moments grooming his pretentious moustache and trying not to seem as if he'd been the subject of a variety of debilitating injuries lately.

Before long, the Fuhrer arrived as well, and conversation between Roy and General Hakuro halted. And as the Fuhrer did come to stand with all of them, in their center, Edward dropped to the ground to walk over and move in close to Roy's far side so he could no longer see the subject of his latest painful experience.

Roy didn't, couldn't say anything, but he shifted himself even closer to Edward, noting that the only reaction he received was a soft exhale of comforted breath. He'd keep Edward as safe as he could, and he didn't need an overwhelming feeling of protection to flare up within him to know that.

Edward felt himself melt into Roy's nearness, taking comfort in it. With Roy he always felt safe. And he listened with half an ear as the Fuhrer informed them of the candidates that had been held over for this final installment of this year's State Alchemist exams. Not long later, the candidates were marched in by the proctor who had at one point left in order to fetch them.

Once they were all assembled, the Fuhrer addressed them, as he'd done for the entirety of the exam.

"We now offer you all of the matter that exists within these premises." The Fuhrer announced with an ever-present happy expression. One that had always made the back of Roy's neck prickle. "Please make use of it to transmute whatever you like."

Roy muttered under his breath, "he always says that, and do they?"

From beside him, General Hakuro indulged in a quirk of a smile before sobering.

One by one the candidates mustered together some confidence and made their way forward. And as they began to gather ingredients for whatever they'd transmute, Edward saw that Roy was right. Most of them went for only one or two ingredients, very few went for more. And even fewer seemed to go for ingredients that were not basic rudimentary things that they'd been working with since they must have started learning alchemy.

"They aren't comfortable using the others." Edward murmured to himself. "Wood, water, graphite? I was using that stuff when I was five. What will they do when they don't have access to them and need to create something amazing enough to save their lives?"

Roy could only agree, but could say nothing as he continued to watch.

"Most of these recipes I recognize from basic alchemy texts. They've just added to them to make them seem more impressive." Edward continued to remark, his gaze lifting towards Roy. "A State Alchemist should be able to think on their feet and use anything at their disposal. If they're still bound by book learning, they won't survive."

Roy looked away from the scene, his eyes briefly meeting Edward's, and he gave an almost imperceptible shrug before looking back.

"Now I know you didn't play it safe." Edward affirmed with pride. "Is that water flow controlled by pipes?"

Roy knew better than to think that he didn't hear that flicker of mischievous interest in Edward's voice. And he fought against giving the ghost a wide-eyed look.

Edward smirked, "it is." And with that, he forgot all about the Fuhrer for the moment as he whirled around to dart off towards the Headquarters building. If that water was being piped in, there were sure to be controls along the wall to regulate the water flow.

When several minutes later, water from the miniature river set into the concrete suddenly came gushing towards the candidates, Roy could only observe it with a deadpan expression to cloak his helpless amusement.

"Pipes burst?" General Hakuro wagered a guess as he scratched at his chin, not jumping to assist the candidates who were now scrambling over each other trying to avoid the torrent of water lest it crash into them, even as water began to flood out over all of the concrete.

"Imagine so." Roy agreed with similar dispassion in his voice, barely managing to conceal a smirk as he heard familiar wicked laughter come up behind him.

"Think we should help them?" The other State Alchemist spoke up as water began to flood around his boots.

"If they're any good they'll be able to contain it." Roy pointed out in a drawl. "Besides, who the hell are you? The Dam Alchemist?"

"Colonel Mustang." The Fuhrer spoke warningly, even if a hint of amusement colored his tone.

"Apologies, Fuhrer Bradley." Roy replied, and stood there trying not to smirk as water continued to flood around them all.

Edward and General Hakuro seemed to sense just how unapologetic Roy was, although the latter only settled for shooting Roy a quick cautioning smile, while the former cackled deviously.

The Fuhrer only sighed as he watched the candidates scramble for cover, or in some of their cases, actually attempt to block and contain the flow. Yet they weren't being very successful at it, as all of them wanted to do it their way, and that did not at all help with consistency.

Yet none of them there lifted a finger to assist. In fact, Edward had even taken to dancing and splashing in the water around General Grand, kicking it up at the man to sufficiently start soaking his uniform pants. Always being sure to keep the Fuhrer at the edge of his peripheral vision, so he'd know if the man ever started to look his way.

He'd go back to Roy if that became the case, but for right now he was having fun getting General Grand wet. And watching as the General became increasingly agitated and unable to figure out why the water kept splashing up around him. Perhaps the sidewalk was ridged around him? But discipline kept him standing still and silent, lest he be reprimanded for letting water get the better of him.

The flow of the water was finally halted, by one of the candidates who'd finally happened upon the common sense to turn it all into ice. Of course that meant that everyone, including herself, had been caught in the ice when it had all frozen, but at least the water had been halted.

General Hakuro, the Fuhrer, and the other State Alchemist lifted their boots bodily from the ice. Roy gave an absent, but carefully controlled snap of his fingers which caused the portion around him to melt in the split second before it was vaporized by the heat of his alchemic attack.

General Grand on the other hand was being observed by a grinning and softly laughing Edward. When the water had frozen, the General had been so wet that the ice had frozen even up into the waistline of his pants. Now immobile and trying not to shiver, the General felt silent rage bubbling up inside of him.

"Do you require Colonel Mustang to assist you?" The Fuhrer asked the trapped General. Finding it curious how the man had gotten so wet. He must have been standing in a bad spot when the miniature river let loose.

Edward had already whipped back around to Roy's far side, laughter shaking him at random. "Steam burn?"

"Hush, brat." Roy murmured, as everyone's attention was mostly centered on General Grand.

"I will not require assistance, Fuhrer." Grand managed to get out from behind gritted teeth that were trying not to clack in his chilled state. Reaching down he scraped the hard edge of one of his gauntlets against the ice to create a transmutation circle, before activating it to steam away the ice.

Roy turned away with a smirk, and as he looked out over the sheets of ice, he couldn't help but think that until the Fuhrer ordered him to vaporize it, Headquarters had a skating rink.

The Fuhrer, however, had turned his attention elsewhere. To the candidates who had huddled together looking very much like nervous deer. "I have yet to see an example of your finest alchemy. Water does not stop a State Alchemist."

With that said, suddenly they sprung into action again, passions renewed.

"He does remember that some of them had finished, and the water just ruined them?" Edward asked as he observed the candidates move about carefully on the ice. In some cases slipping and falling anyway.

Roy chuckled softly, but said nothing as he too watched.

And at long last, there were no more mishaps, and all of the candidates had completed an example to be judged. Although little did they know, it wasn't just their results that were being observed. It was them as well.

When they were finally released with instructions from the Fuhrer that they would receive notification if they'd passed, the candidates shuffled away looking exhausted. By all accounts, it had felt that this exam had been more than the sum of its appearance.

"Gentlemen, thank you for attending." The Fuhrer then addressed them all, and made to leave, but not before addressing one individual in particular. "Colonel Mustang, the ice, if you would."

"Need we move?" The other State Alchemist asked nervously.

Roy snorted, already raising his right hand. "I'd warn against it." And he began to snap his fingers, his eyes firmly locked on the subject of his attack.

All around them lines of fire began to lace the surface of the ice with blinding speed forming a complex design that Edward recognized with wide eyes was an alchemy circle of fire; the ice superheating back to a liquid and nearly instantly, a gas.

Edward heard Roy getting thanked by the Fuhrer, and General Hakuro, but as the others all moved off to leave them there alone, his wide-eyed stare of amazement was soon met by Roy's own dark gaze that glittered in happiness.

"That was beautiful." Edward whispered at last.

Roy smiled at him, the action almost seeming shy. "Thought I'd show off a bit. It unnerved Grand. I didn't have to make it look nice."

"With that kind of control, I can only imagine the rumors about you must be true." Edward spoke softly as he looked at Roy as if seeing him properly for the first time today. "You're dangerous."

Roy gave the apparition a lopsided smile, "yes." And he tilted his head as he considered Edward. "You really thought it was beautiful?"

Edward nodded avidly, beaming up at him. "It was! How did you ever manage to make that happen?"

Roy lifted a finger to his lips with a wink. "Secret." And moving away he gave a languid stretch. "Come on, let's go have some fun today."

"Fun?" Edward queried, momentarily distracted, but as Roy got a bit ahead of him due to his pause, he dashed to catch up. "Come on, Roy! Tell me how?"

Roy only laughed, and ignored the odd looks underneath the salutes he received from the officers who had been dispatched to clean up the courtyard of the materials.

The whole way home he had to field off the question of how he had managed it, Edward finally pacified when he learned that Roy's intentions were to take him out on the bicycle again.

But not just anywhere.

Roy had led them back to the secluded park. With the trees shading private dirt paths, wildflowers, and the lake that the ducks and geese still circled across. It was relaxing here, for them both, and it provided them a perfect opportunity to spend their afternoon together outside and talking away from prying eyes.

Even if Roy always passed the bike off as a magic trick to curious looking people and children.

Edward was waiting astride the bicycle at the head of one of the dirt paths, waiting for Roy who was still at the sidewalk bordering the park. The man was ordering his latest adventure in suspicious street vendor food.

"What'd you get this time?" Edward asked, even as he raised up against the bicycle in order to peer up and over the carton Roy held as the man approached.

"Meatball sub." Roy tilted the container for Edward to see.

Edward took one look and felt his face screw up in disgust. "It looks horrid." He determined as he tried not to think about Roy actually eating the now soggy roll that was drenched in an oily looking orange-red sauce dotted with roughly shaped meatballs.

Roy raised it to his nose to take a precursory sniff. "Doesn't smell too horrid." And he started forward again. "Come on then."

Edward pushed off from the dirt, struggling against the uneven ground valiantly as he tried his best to ignore Roy beginning to somehow eat the mess of a meatball sub. "So you still have to tell me."

"I'm not going to tell you my precious secret." Roy grinned. "Besides, if you really want to know, you'll read through the rest of my journals. I'm not about to rob you of reading discoveries or motivation."

Edward straightened in success, an action slightly hindered by the fact that it was such a struggle for him to bicycle on the dirt. Even if it was fairly even with few rocks. "Thanks." He huffed out as he continued to peddle in determination, having to catch himself every yard or so before he tipped over. "But that's actually not what I meant."

"What did you mean?" Roy asked absently as he calculated the best place to take his next bite and not have a good portion of the meatball filling escape.

"What you made for the practical portion of the exam. You must have made something, and I know it wouldn't have been some common achievement."

"Your faith in me is nice." Roy smiled faintly, and took his bite at last. "But it's far too embarrassing. I have some dignity still around you."

Edward rolled his eyes, "I'll get it out of you one day, just you wait and see. Your dignity won't last that long with me."

He pried no more though as he struggled with the bicycle. He was determined to learn how to expertly ride it, so that Roy would no longer have an excuse to keep him from learning how to use the motorcycle. And besides, Roy had a vile looking meatball sub to eat.

Their walk through the park along the dirt paths was unhurried, and fairly unbothered. They only passed one other person who Roy smiled disarmingly at when the rider-less bicycle was looked at strangely. Otherwise, there were only the animals of the park. Including rabbits, which made Edward smile at the memory of his first rabbit experience.

Eventually they decided that a break was in order. And Roy led them to a secluded spot near the manmade lake once more. It was a different one than they'd been at before, and if anything, a bit more secluded with an ancient willow dropping its boughs out over the water and mostly cloaking them from view.

"Will you tell me about Hazel?" Edward asked during a brief lapse in their current conversation where they'd been distracted by a brief goose fight on the water. He had quite some time ago flopped down onto the grass to lay on his stomach, and he looked up at Roy now from where his head lay sideways in the cradle of his folded arms. "He was a wild squirrel, wasn't he? However did you tame him?"

A soft, reminiscent smile made its way onto Roy's face, "yes. He was wild." He agreed as he stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back down onto one elbow so they were on a closer level. "I plucked him out of a storm drain, gutter, whatever, while I was in East Central. He was a matted mess, and it was raining, and he was barely hanging on to the metal guards so he didn't fall all the way in. So I took off my jacket so I could grab him safely and brought him home with me. I cleaned him up and nursed him back to health, and ever since then he's never tried to really escape."

"He loves you." Edward smiled in an almost teasing manner. "Doesn't that make you panic, that someone besides your mother loves you?"

Roy snorted, eyes crinkling in mirth. "He's a squirrel. Not much to fear there."

Edward laughed, and had to admit Roy was right. The man didn't seem to have commitment issues with pets. Just other humans that weren't his mother. And as his laughter subsided, he closed his eyes with a relaxed breath as he enjoyed just being here like this. It was a relaxing way to end the whole ordeal that the State Alchemist exam had oftentimes been.

Roy studied Edward silently for a time, his mouth seemingly caught in a permanent fond smile. Reaching out silently, so as not to disturb Edward, he let his fingers drift through the silvery hair on the ghost's back. It didn't bother him so much that the silvery locks still refused to move at his touch. "You really want to know what I made?" He asked only upon withdrawing his hand.

Edward opened his eyes at the question, a bit of confusion causing his head to tilt quizzically into his arm. "I thought you still had dignity."

"I thought so too." Roy admitted wryly, and without waiting for any further permission got up from the grass.

Edward shifted to a sitting position as he watched Roy move around their secluded little clearing by the water. Curiosity and a warm glow inside of him as he watched the man begin gathering things from around them. Bringing together a far wider array of ingredients than any of the candidates from the exam had attempted.

Roy carefully piled all but one of his ingredients on the flattest portion of grassy dirt he could find, only to move to the edge of the lake. Scooping up a sufficient amount of damp earth from the bank, he brought it over as well. A snap of his fingers later, the dampness had dried out the earth until it more resembled sand.

About to reach into his pocket for his chalk, Roy suddenly thought better of it as he glanced up to meet curious silver eyes with a smile.

Edward could only lean forward in curiosity, feeling some sort of excitement pulsing inside him that he attributed to his rabid fascination with alchemy, and his approval of how good an alchemist Roy was.

Roy swept his eyes quickly over his ingredients, being sure that they were all accounted for, before snapping his fingers.

Instead of the small pile catching fire, lines of flame began to crisscross the ground around the ingredients and circle around them to burn the transmutation circle into the earth as the pile glowed and flickered in the soft red light. And then without pause, Roy's hands made contact with the outer circle the moment the fire vanished, and bluish-white light now flared up.

As the light faded, Roy sat back with a peaceful smile, though his eyes were not for what now rested on the grass.

Edward's eyes had widened in sheer amazement, "Roy…" he whispered, awestruck as he stared transfixed. "You made this for the exam?"

Reaching forward, as if sudden movement from an incorporeal being could shatter it, Edward picked up the sculpture. Every single ingredient Roy had gathered clearly represented. The base was made from the rocks, now fused, that Roy had gathered, with leaved vines somehow hardened erupting from the top of rock base. But what had sprung from the cradle of the vines was what had caught Edward's full amazement.

It was a glass flower, yet somehow inside the glass there appeared to be flames coursing through it. Ever moving, even now; a swift rivulet of traveling fire. And along the petals of the glass flower, the petals of the wildflowers that Roy had gathered had fused. And now their own exotic colors were brought to a different light as the fire raced underneath them behind the surface of the glass.

"No one ever told me it couldn't be beautiful." Roy spoke at last, his eyes moving from the flower, to Edward, and back again.

Edward lifted his gaze from it, his stunned silver eyes meeting dark ones. "How did you capture fire inside the glass, keep it moving?"

Roy tilted his head with a secretive smile. "Because I'm a damn good alchemist, and it's not glass. That's how. I may have used something close to sand… but that was put to use in fusing the rock base."

"Then what is it?" Edward blinked in shock, giving it a closer inspection, but not coming up with anything.

"It's yours." Roy answered simply as he gazed, lost, into silver.