Story: It Is What It Is, Chapter 18
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.
If anybody hadn't realized, Ed's fear of abandonment is strongly based off of my experience with Borderline Personality Disorder. It has caused me so much pain and grievance in my life, I hope you guys will try to be patient with me.
From what I understand, the FMA characters use 'sir' for both female and male officers, so that's what I'm gonna go with.
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...
Ling was okay after everything was said and done. Fortunately, they chose not to call out an ambulance, instead offering Ling some crackers, which Ling said would get him by at least for a little while.
"Oh, wow, it's been a while since I ate, I guess I must have forgot to..." Ling said sheepishly.
"You need to take better care of yourself, Ling." Alphonse scolded. "How do you expect to ever be emperor if you're always fainting, huh? You should start carrying around crackers in those pockets of yours or something."
Ling was silent for a moment at his exasperation. "...Yeah, maybe you're right."
…
Ed has been cutting himself. I can't quite say I'm surprised.
Ling walked down the street, heading back to inevitably meet up with Lan Fan and Fu.
But even so, it's not exactly what I would have expected from him… I don't really know what to think. I told Al what I knew, but chances are there's more to this than either of us are even aware of… I never wanted to see anybody else going down the same path I was back then… Especially not one of my friends.
Ling found himself tracing his hand over his arm, momentarily trapped in the past. First, I'll just have to talk with him myself later…
...
"Good morning, Lieutenant."
"Welcome back, sir."
"How was your journey?"
One after another, people greeted Riza.
"Wow, you're pretty popular, Lieutenant." Edward smiled light-heartedly.
"Yes, well, it's one of the many inevitabilities that come with being one of the only female officers in the military."
"You almost make it sound like you don't like it." Edward observed.
Riza looked up ahead as if she was reflecting on something. "I don't. Not really."
Edward was a bit taken aback by her response, but didn't press the question any further.
...
When they reached Roy's office and entered, they were surprised to find that he had finished most of the paperwork on his desk, although a lot of envelopes and various other things sat on his desk and at its side.
"So you were actually serious when you said you were going to do your paperwork." Riza commented.
"Well, if I hadn't, you would have had my head, right?" Roy defended himself with a smirk.
"Well, that is part of my job, sir." Riza said simply.
"So, um..." Edward interjected, trying to think about how to ask what they wanted him to do after everything the week before. It was then that Roy spoke, cutting him off.
"Ah, Fullmetal, I have a mission for you and the Lieutenant..."
…
"Kidnappings?" Edward inquired.
"Yes, a string of them, all murders." Roy answered. "Typically, they vanish three or four days before turning up dead. Apparently, the bodies were destroyed from the inside, we assume through the usage of alchemy, or Xingese Alkahestry, one..." Even Edward seemed disturbed, but apparently forced himself to regain his composure.
"Sir, do you think it could it be Scar?" Riza asked.
"No," Roy said. "Aside from the fact that Scar has only been killing state alchemists, the chemical make-up of the bodies left behind is different from what should be in a living human body. In addition to some missing carbon, there is significantly less nitrogen-"
"You think they're transmuting part of the bodies into a bomb to cause the explosion." Edward finishes, grimacing, and Roy nods with a grim smile.
At Riza's slightly quirked eyebrow Roy explains. "Nitroglycerine is a powerful explosive, and the missing elements from the bodies we've found could be indicative of their use to create the chemical. Once the Nitroglycerine has exploded, all of the resulting chemicals such as carbon dioxide and dinitrogen would be blown away as gases. The explosion would cause an identical projection spatter as what is seen with Scar's MO, without matching the chemical MO. My guess is that this is somebody that has only read about Scar through the newspapers and seen a few photographs."
Roy then turned to Edward and Riza. "There's a man I want you to observe for the day. We have a warrant."
"Spying? So... who exactly is this guy...?" Edward asked.
Roy slid a picture in front of Edward, with a middle-aged man's face on it.
"Griffin Yaeger. He's a military veteran and an ex-State Alchemist, fought in Ishval against the uprisings for four years before leaving. As to why I'm having you two investigating him, there was a mother that was insistent that he is responsible for the kidnappings and murders. Her argument is that her child said he was seen dragging a person into his workshop. But given that these rumors are from a child, I wouldn't pay them too much mind. However, even if this turns out to be a hoax and Griffin is innocent, do not let your guard down, whoever is really behind this is dangerous, got it?"
"Sir." Riza raised her hand to her forehead.
"Right…" Said Ed.
…
Griffin Yaeger.
At a distance, he seemed like a dull, but average, man who was just living.
But he was far from average. He was gifted in alchemy, well-versed in many subjects and was considered a genius by those around him who knew him best.
However, his friends found him to be rather quiet, stoic, a little aloof and in his own world a lot. He was constantly at his workshop and often pulled away from other people. Since leaving the military, he had become the very definition of a shut-in.
Kids found him to be scary because they couldn't read him and some adults even found him to be suspicious and a little unsettling.
Yet, he was ironically rather observant of his surroundings, probably something he'd picked up in Ishval. Even now, he knew he was being followed.
"You can come out, I already know you're following me." He said, his voice drained of emotion. They'd been following him around the past five or six hours, even he had his limitations.
"Well, isn't that a relief. Standing back and spying on people has never been my strong suit, anyway." Edward said, stepping out from behind the wall, receiving a small "Edward…!" from Riza, who decided to follow after him.
Griffin didn't pay much attention to Edward, but when Riza stepped out, Griffin looked surprised. "Hold on… Hawkeye? Riza Hawkeye? Oh, great, don't tell me that you've come to try to get me to come back."
"No, sir, it's nothing like that. We just have a few questions to ask you, if that's okay? However, we do have a warrant to search your wearhouse." Riza told him.
Griffin sighed. "This has to do with the kidnappings, doesn't it? I guess it can't be helped... Come on…"
…
His warehouse was normal on the overall, noted by Riza and Edward. However, in one area of the building, there were some clay dolls that almost looked life-like.
There were transmutation circles all around.
"Well, that probably explains the reason why the kids were claiming that he had bodies..." Riza mused. "Any particular reason you make these dolls?"
"Well, it's a means of escape, I suppose. After the things I saw and did in Ishval, I've considered just letting myself go, but I keep telling myself that I have to live with what I've done… So this is my way of doing that..."
"Coping through art, huh...?" Riza thought about it. "Maybe you should try craftwork sometime, Ed. You're talented."
"No way, I suck at art. And I doubt it'd help me anyway." Ed said.
"You won't know unless you try, kid." Griffin corrected him, catching the attention of both Edward and Riza. "I actually find it rather relaxing, or at least as relaxing as I could, all things considered."
…
"Are we done yet? I'm ready to go back to the Colonel and report this crappy mission already…"
"Be patient, Edward. Thank you for everything, Sir." Riza said, holding a hand to her head out of respect for the veteran.
"Don't mention it." Griffin replied. "And your son is rather feisty, but he seems to have a good heart. Look after him."
"I will, sir." Riza smirked, not even bothering to correct Griffin on the fact that Edward was not her son.
…
"Hey, Lieutenant…?" Edward murmured, as they were walking back to the car.
"What is it, Edward?" Riza spared him a brief glance. He's had a downcast and dejected look in his eyes all day.
"You don't think that um…" Edward trailed off into silence, unable to finish his sentence at first. However, after a moment, he seemed to force himself to finish his thought. "You don't think that Al and the Colonel just wanted to get away from me, do you?"
Riza was shocked. Why would he ask that...?
"No, Ed, the Colonel probably felt that you wouldn't want to be stuck at the office all day, so that's why he had you come with me on this mission. And the truth is... your brother… While he did say he was going to study Alkehestry, he also went to the library to get a better understanding of what you've been doing to yourself, so he can help you."
"He doesn't have to do that…" Edward muttered, but didn't speak any further about it.
"You're right, Ed, he doesn't have to, but he is, because he cares about you." Riza replied, without receiving any response in return. "Hey, I have an idea. Before we head back why don't we go somewhere to eat? I'm sure you're hungry by now."
Edward looked at her excitedly. "You mean it? Where to?"
When is the thought of food not enough to get Edward all amped up?
"Hmm, I don't know, do you have some where in mind?" Riza smiled a bit.
"Well, there is this really good restaurant east of central command..."
...
So Griffin was innocent after, all…
Roy was still trying to piece things together.
This makes matters much more complicated.
Who could be behind it?
…
A/N: I hope this turned out fine. Arg… I suck at mysteries and missions and stuff, but I have to get through it! However, I will be putting the murder stuff on hold for a while, at least a couple chapters maybe, for now I will be focusing on Ling, Ed, Al, Riza and Roy for a bit.