Another paper folded into an undefined shape landed in front of her. Riza took it carefully and set it aside to join the other three that were flicked to her direction earlier. The Colonel could hear the Brigadier General in front of her sigh audibly before hearing the scrawl of pen against paper once more. She looked at the clock to her right and pursed her lips, before her eyes zeroed on the door of the conference room.

It had become their favourite meeting place with Lieutenant General Armstrong during her stay in Central for the joint exercises. This part of Central HQ wasn't as guarded like all the other parts, which was convenient for the group of three soldiers who were unlikely to be seen having harmonious relations outside of the four walls despite their understandings.

After all, it was almost a general conception that Olivier Mira Armstrong and Roy Mustang hated each other. Naturally, being her husband's loyal former adjutant, she was believed to harbor ill sentiments towards the female general. The rumor mills were winding even without their tampering, and none of them wanted a severely curious grave digger finding anything that could be used against them. Given all their ranks, it was only expected that there would be people whom they won't please. Not that they care.

Another folded note landed in front of her and Riza sighed. "Darling, could you spare please your poor notepad from your boredom? A tree didn't die just so you can mangle it after writing some nonsense."

The man in question pouted and let go of his notepad and fountain pen, crossing his arms like a petulant child. Ever since they had Riza undergo an Alkahestrian process for hormonal suppression, her irritable mood had been showing itself from time to time as a part of her body's adjustment period to her new physiological states. It was a price they had to pay for the contraceptive, but it was something they'd rather undergo than an unplanned pregnancy.

"It's not nonsense. I'm just trying to cheer you up is all."

Riza sighed and shook her head. "And what even gave you the reason to believe I need cheering up?"

"A highly intelligent guess."

Round, brown eyes locked with his darkened orbs and their owner blinked twice, utterly confused. "What?"

"Nothing," he hummed, crossing an ankle over the other. Roy wasn't about to tell his wife she was being a little…prickly…these days, lest he wanted to end up at the wrong side of the gun. Literally. "Read my notes; they could help with the boredom."

"You're acting like a school boy," she muttered, tapping her fingers on the strong, oak table.

Roy let out a snort, sitting up straight and patting his lap and making Hayate leap up to him. "Well, forgive me for my repressed actions. I never had the chance to act that way in school or in the academy. Between that time, I was homeschooled."

The blonde allowed herself a smile, entertained by the way he spoke of his past like she didn't know every single detail about it. "What? Never had a crush while in school?"

"I did have one," he smirked, running his hands affectionately through their dog's soft fur. "She was five years younger than I am so we didn't get much interaction."

"Five years, huh?" the colonel hummed, a teasing glint in her eyes. "You sure are a creep."

Roy's narrow eyes rounded and his jaw dropped slightly as her words shocked him so. "Hey! I'll have you know I didn't do anything until she was of legal age!"

Riza paused and took a breath. "Now I am baffled. Are we still talking about me?"

Obsidian orbs rolled back to the orbit briefly. "You're talking to a man who's been in love with you for as long as he could remember. Pretty damn sure I am talking about you."

"O-Oh…okay," she stammered, gaze turning down to the table as she tried to conceal the slight pink on her cheeks. "Because I thought…ah, nevermind."

His brow rose slightly. "Thought what?"

The blonde snapped her head up and swallowed. "Nothing! You said of legal age. I wasn't legal back when…"

He could feel his mind working at an alarming rate in reaction to her voiced contemplation. Roy gulped when he realized what his wife was pertaining to. "You were. You were legal."

"I wasn't," Riza said. "Not for another month, if my memory serves me right."

"But you consented! And I didn't even see anything except for your back!"

The sniper bit her tongue and held back her mirth. "Your reaction, though…"

Roy's already wide eyes widened a little more. "H-How…"

"Wait, it's true?!" Riza exclaimed, surprised herself. "You are such a pervert!"

There was a pained and confused expression on the Brigadier General's face that even Black Hayate was worried, as the dog had started whining up at him and prodding his face with his nose.

"It went down after a few seconds, I swear! And I only did so because you asked me to!" Roy shrieked, took a few breaths, and eventually calmed down. "Were you, uh…did you feel violated in any way?"

The teasing glint in her eye came back and Riza sank on the plush cushions of her own chair. "No. It's really all water under the bridge now."

"Riza!"

"You make it so easy, Roy-kun," she crooned.

The Brigadier General bit his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes at his wife, roughly nudging the toe of her boot with his own. His wife merely chuckled in return. "I swear, you are getting it when we get home."

"And what exactly will I be getting?"

"I don't know," he said, the seriousness in his voice far too comical. "But you are getting something."

A melodic laugh filled the walls of the conference room briefly, and Roy felt his annoyance trickle away when he heard it. The alchemist brought their pup closer to him and burrowed his face into his thick fur to hide the blush that coloured his face. Roy couldn't believe how a three-second laugh could induce the silliest of reactions in him.

Riza watched him with a small smile on his face, cuddling with Hayate like a child in need of affection. She found him extremely adorable and if they weren't in their uniforms, the Colonel would have had reached over and engulfed him in an embrace. Since they were not at liberty to do that, she settled for reaching for the first note Roy flung to her direction.

The utterly and hopelessly romantic tone of the tiny first note made her snort and chuckle. Riza shook her head, but bit her lip and set down the note to the side.

"What are you doing?" he asked, voice muffled by their Shiba Inu's fluff.

"I'm reading your notes," she replied. "My flames are mere cinders without you? I guess you do have a little poet in you, after all."

"Don't."

"What?"

"Don't read them," he pouted. "Give them back and I'll transmute them into something else."

"I thought the purpose of the notes were for me to read them, dear."

An audible sigh blew through Hayate's fur, making the dog wiggle a little. "Not out loud."

"As you say."

To her surprise, the other three notes were more thoughtful, rather than emotional, in tone. Riza found them very endearing, and she might have tucked them safely in her office drawer if it couldn't be taken as something incriminating for the both of them.

The colonel grabbed her pen and began to write her little replies before folding them once more. She tossed the notes in the same order that he did, hoping that he would forgive her for ignoring them earlier.

I know. was the reply to the first note.

I love you was written below his own scribbled declaration of affections.

You are my refuge and my conscience. He wrote.

And you are my home and my heart. She replied.

You are essential to me. The last note read. Riza's breath hitched at his last note, her chest suddenly tight with warmth. The depth of such a simple sentence was far beyond her comprehension, and while she may have subconsciously realized such a fact, it was overwhelming to see it concretized. The Colonel took a pen and wrote her reply.

Setting her sentiments for the meantime, the markswoman stood up and circled the long table to sit beside her husband. She slipped the first three notes into his pocket, laying her head against his shoulder, not even minding the harsh fabric that pressed against her cheek. "Why are you hiding?"

"The notes were foolish, and I feel silly," he whispered to Hayate.

"I liked them," Riza replied sincerely. She felt a little bad for poking fun at his attempts at making her feel better. (She does realise that her mood had not been at its best lately.) After all, it was like Roy was baring his soul to her once more with those four pieces of paper.

"You're just saying that," Roy pouted once more. "Besides, why would you return them if you liked them?"

Her small smile widened a fraction. "When notes are returned to their owner, it may mean they have a reply written on the same paper."

"Oh."

Her soft, honey-brown eyes watched as he unclasped an arm from around Hayate to fish out the notes she shoved in his pocket. The Colonel observed the slight pink tint on his cheeks turn into a deeper shade of red when he went from one note to another.

Roy pocketed the notes once more and he couldn't help the surge of warmth from rushing up and down within him as he read the replies. They have been together for so long, that much he had reiterated time and again, yet they were still new to this talk-about-your-feelings situation. The alchemist turned to his wife and grasped the side of her face gently, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on her lips.

Yet, Riza let the act linger for some moments more, if only to satisfy her own fantasies of kissing Roy whilst he wore his uniform. The thought made her lips tug into a minuscule grin before they frowned. "You really have to kiss me after smooshing your face with Hayate's fur?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," he sheepishly said. Roy was about to steal another kiss from her when the door came bustling open, making the couple pull apart suddenly.

The interruption came in the form of the highest-ranking female in the history of the Amestrian military. "Pardon my intrusion…and my lateness."

"Not at all, Olivier," Roy hummed, settling back in his chair.

"I bought us all dinner. And I wasn't sure what your dog eats so I merely bought him some beef pocket sandwiches. I hope that's all right," Olivier said, passing the bigger plastic towards the couple.

"Ah, you didn't have to, Chuujou," Riza mumbled. "But thank you, nonetheless."

The female general held up a gloved hand. "It's fine. Consider it my thanks for making sure my stay here was as inconspicuous as possible."

"Right, you leave for Briggs tomorrow morning. Have you settled everything that needs to be settled, family-wise?" Roy asked, separating the olives in his pasta and putting them on Riza's plate while he made room for the onions he knows his wife will deposit on his own plate.

"I eventually did," Olivier nodded, allowing herself a small smile. "Catherine has decided to come up with me to the North. I have contacted Alonzo of the situation, and he has decided he will only make himself known if Catherine asks for him. We've decided we can't drop everything on the poor girl all at once."

Riza hummed as she listened, setting down the sandwiches for Hayate to feed on. "And what about your family, Chuujou? Will they continue to reside in the Armstong manor now that you have fully exercised your rights as the head of the family?"

"My parents have decided to settle back in East City. Amue and Strongine have their own houses here in Central. Alex has his own place, as well, only choosing to go back to the manor on the weekends. I told him not to enter my house unless he was given permission," the North commander supplied.

"That not a bit harsh, Ollie?" Roy asked, brow raised. "I mean he is your brother, after all."

"And a spoiled one at that," Olivier retorted. "Don't take this the wrong way; I know you've worked with him for some time, but Alex has some tendencies to cling too much to the Armstrong name. It's time for him to make his own way in the world, as he had shown so back during that horrible, horrible day."

"Never thought you'd leave the mansion alone, Olivier."

The Chuujou took a breath and shrugged. "My place has always been in the North. It's just plain circumstance that happened, which is why I will invoke your duties as its inheritor."

It was Riza's turn to take a breath. This was all new information for her, and she had a quick rundown of recent conversations that might give her any allusion to believing her husband was Olivier Mira Armstrong's chosen heir for her Central mansion. "I'm sorry; what's this all about?"

The other blonde in the room raised her brow towards the only male in their company. "You never told your wife about that?"

"I didn't think you were serious."

"Did I sound like I was joking?" she challenged. "Did I ever sound like I was joking?"

"Well, no," Roy murmured idly. "But still!"

"When I told you that you can have my mansion if something happens to me, I already had it on paper."

The Flame Alchemist blinked. "And that is with the clause 'if something happens to me'. Nothing is going to happen to you, right?"

"Well, no," Olivier shrugged. "I just need someone to look out for my home when I am not around."

Taking a swig of water from the proffered bottle, Roy ran a hand through his hair. "Deeply honoured, Olivier, but you do realize we can't utilize it give our own current circumstances."

"I am not asking you to move in," the female general sighed. "Just look out for it. It's guarded by loyal, out-of-commission Briggs soldiers who have long retired from active duty and wanted a stable job post-military service. You can rest assured nothing will come out of its walls."

"Again, thank you, but this feels a bit sudden."

Olivier pushed her long fringe out of her face idly, before pushing the keys towards the couple. "Do whatever you wish with it. Nothing inside it is of use to me nor Catherine. I'll transfer the ownership to you when the time comes. Right now, I merely ask you to take care of it. Drop by every once in a while, if you can."

"R-Right," the Flame Alchemist stammered before feeling a sharp nudge to his side. "Thank you, Olivier."

The woman in question merely waved her hand in dismissal. "When shall you be deployed to Ishval, Hawkeye-Taisa?"

"A week from now, if everything happens the way it should," Riza said, finishing her own pasta plate.

"I see. I'll be sending a team of mine for additional manpower to be led by Major Miles, my soldier who's part-Ishvalan. He and Scar have been keeping in contact and it seems that Scar has been hailed as Grand Cleric by the community. I'll have Miles assist you in opening a dialogue with the Ishvalans. I regret that I won't be able to join you full-time, since I am sorting out leftover matters with Drachma, but I should be able to spend some time there to assist in any way that I can."

"That's very generous, Chuuj—"

"Olivier."

"Olivier," Riza adjusted herself. "Any help is welcome, of course. I'll let you know of our initial plans two days before deployment."

He lit the torches that he himself placed to guide his way home. The underground tunnels that Roy utilized had grown to become a source of eerie comfort, and it almost felt foreign to be traversing the pavements of Central's streets whenever he was making his way to their apartment complex. Unlike many nights, he wasn't alone in his journey home. Right beside him was his wife's (and by extension his, as well) faithful Shiba Inu, happily falling into step beside him just like a certain blonde Colonel.

His wife had an errand she needed to take care of, and she had instructed him to head home with the dog before her.

The Flame Alchemist put his palms together and snapped his fingers, lighting up the first few torches on either side of the tunnel. Hayate yipped in excitement at the little exhibition and Roy couldn't help but bend down and pat the little pupper's furry head. The Shiba Inu reveled in the attention then prodded his pocket. Curious at such behavior, Roy dipped into it and found the last note that he tossed his wife earlier.

You are essential to me. He read the words he wrote earlier and smiled to himself before he was floored by the reply she scrawled below it. Roy both wanted to tear up and run up the walls to ease the flutters building in his stomach, and to calm the steadily expanding pressure on his chest. The alchemist took a few breaths and dropped on his knees, grabbing the Shiba Inu and enveloping the canine in an embrace similar to what he offered Hayate earlier.

"You are invaluable to my being, she said," he whispered to the dog's fur. Hayate cooed and prodded his face with his nose, before taking a lick on his master's cheek. "I, a puny little man, am invaluable to her being. Can you believe it, Hayate?"

Naturally, the dog only yipped and snuggled closer to the man who seemed to be in an ecstatic state of breaking down due to overwhelmingly romantic emotions. Hayate nuzzled into Roy's neck, only too happy with the affection.

"Come on, boy," the Brigadier General said. "Let's head home."

When she had arrived in front of their door, Riza took a breath before pushing her way inside. The apartment was dark, save for the solitary living room light that her husband seemed to have left open. From the doorframe, she could hear Roy reading a historical fiction book to their dog. Not wanting to intrude on the moment, the young Colonel made her way into the bathroom to get herself ready for bed.

"Wo-ho!" said the coachman. "So, then! One more pull and you're at the top and be damned to you, for I have had trouble enough to get you to it!—Joe!" Roy narrated dramatically for the dog, whose ears were wiggling back and forth to signal that he was very much entertained with the whole display.

"Ha...lloa…" the man stammered as he turned to look at the sight of his wife by the door of their bedroom. She was cladded in her usual bedtime attire and wearing a sheepish look on her face, something that he was still getting used to seeing on a rather frequent basis after not seeing it for years. Roy took a breath and held it for a few moments, as he made sense of the sight before him. There was nothing out of place in Riza except for… "Y-Your hair. You cut your hair…?"

Riza nodded meekly before joining him on the bed. She hugged her furry companion tightly before setting him down on the floor so he could retreat to his own beddings for the night. Roy lazily reached the bedroom door and nudged it close with his foot. "I'm not saying it's bad. I mean you've had that hairstyle longer than when you had the other one. What made you do it?"

The Colonel sunk into their sheets and sighed. "I originally intended to just cut off three or four inches, but then I realized I will be deployed to the desert in a week's time so it's better to maintain a short hair to help me stay cool during my stay in Ishval."

"Ah, of course," the Brigadier General reached for the lamp and tugged his wife closer to him.

She settled in his embrace, his warmth and the steady pulsation of his heart calming herself enough to submit to slumber. Riza didn't tell her husband that she cut her hair because she wanted to feel closer to herself when she gained the 'Hawk's Eye' moniker back in the Ishvalan extermination. She didn't tell him that she wanted to discard the feeling of luxury that came with her long tresses, that the only thing that occupied her mind at the moment was the tremendous guilt for pulling the trigger so many times during the so-called war.

Riza didn't tell Roy, because she knew that her husband already understood the real reason.

She hadn't been sleeping for long when she suddenly heard screams from all around her. It didn't take her much to notice the searing heat of the desert sun mercilessly beating against her skin. Riza felt a sweat drop roll from the side of her face down to her neck until it was absorbed by the fabric of her military cloak.

Her throat was as parched as the land she was standing on, yet skin was slick with moisture. She knew her eyes were closed but she could see the target confined in her scope, face clear as she pulled the trigger. The scream was lost in her throat and she wanted to recollect herself, to move away from where she had mounted her gun. However, she could not move a muscle.

The Hawk's Eye let out a shrill grunt as she struggled against herself. Every inch of her body shook then, and every tremor that her muscles created made her chest constrict. There were tiny needles piercing her lungs, and she felt out of breath and overwhelmed by the atmosphere at the same time. Her head felt like it was separating from her body even if it felt as if there was a metal helmet bearing down on it.

The image inside the scope was filled with a thick, red splatter before it refocused and found its next victim. The cycle replayed: the scope found itself a familiar target, her finger would unconsciously pull the trigger, and blood would bespatter her vision. Each time, she was either swallowing a scream or grinding her teeth against each other.

The final target that her scope sought was a recognizable mop of black hair, and by some twisted imagery, her finger pulled the trigger faster than it had to her prior victims. The bullet pierced this familiar head just as he turned around. She watched in horror as her bullet lodged perfectly in between Roy's eyes, before hearing her name upon his lips, said in a staggering breath.

"R-Riza…" he breathed out before Roy fell to the ground and the sight of his blood covered the whole area of her scope.

Riza felt her fists ball and her blunt nails dig into the skin of her palm, and she desperately wanted to feel them cut through her hand. The markswoman tried to move once more but her joints were still locked in place, muscles still frozen lifeless.

The blood on her scope cleared to reveal Roy's lifeless eyes and twitching mouth. His lips shaped to form the articulation of her name, and it sounded like a horrifying chant that blamed her for the actions she did in the last few minutes (or was it hours?) or so.

"Riza…" the voice reverberated to her ears, giving the impression of a perilous prayer. And then it became louder, and louder, more piercing, more desperate. It made her head swirl and she thrashed it from one side to another to shake the sound of his voice, falling from his cold corpse, away from her mind.

The Colonel grunted and shrieked, stringing incoherent yelps, as she tried to awaken her body, tried to make it respond to what her mind wanted it to do. At last, she jolted harshly against the mattress, a startled scream escaping her lips. Her eyes finally opened and she saw the light-coloured walls of the bedroom she shared with her husband.

Distressed honey-brown orbs struggled to gain focus, so Roy gathered his wife in his arms, holding her closely and tightly. There was a nervous hammer in his chest as her eyes began to show the despair she was feeling at the moment, but he was all the same relieved that she had managed to wake up after such a horrifying ordeal.

"Riza?" he whispered gently into her now-short hair, testing the waters.

There was nothing but silence from his wife, and it worried Roy once more.

"Riza, it's over. You're here. I'm here with you. It's all going to be all right," Roy murmured reassuringly, placating her internal hurricane that he knew was happening. He tried to speak as if he were completely calm and in control of the situation, but the quivers in some of his words betrayed his true sentiments.

The mental exhaustion bore down on her physical functioning as well, and Riza had already felt several cramps developing in some of her larger muscle groups. Languidly, she turned in her husband's arms and buried her face into his chest, fisting the hem of his shirt. Soon after, she began sobbing uncontrollably, guilt and anguish driving voluminous tears to fall from her eyes.

It pained him so, cradling his wife as she cried like a child who has been robbed of the simple pleasures in life. It pained him even more that he played a part in where she had ended up, on the battlefield fighting a war that was illogical and inhumane. It sickens him to his gut that this precious woman who had the most tender of hearts and gentlest of souls be subjected to such psychological and emotional torture every single time she fired that sniper in Ishval.

What destroys him more, however, was the fact that it was not in his power to take her pain away.

Roy closed his eyes and dimmed their lamp once more before he laid them back against the mattress. Her sobs have reduced to wheezes and pained whimpers, but the difficulty of witnessing his wife broke down from the concoction of her own mind was still very much potent. He ran a hand through her hair which was now damp with sweat, leaning a little closer to press a kiss on her forehead.

"I-I'm—" she started to choke out.

"Don't apologise," he whispered gently yet firmly. Roy rocked his wife back to sleep, alternating between rubbing circles on her back and patting her arm until he heard soft snores. Even then, he wasn't able to sleep easily as his mind was far too occupied with the prospect of her deployment. It was only then that he realized that they would have to part for a long time starting next week.

The churning of his stomach kept him awake until two hours after the clock struck 12, when sheer exhaustion did him in for the night.

Said exhaustion followed him into the morning but he didn't complain about it. Besides, Roy have had night terrors himself, and was already familiar with the feeling. He was just glad Riza was able to sleep through the night after such tribulation. It was worth the heaviness in his eyes and the tiredness of his body to see her even just a little rested.

What he didn't expect was her hand reaching out to his during breakfast in an attempt to soothe him. For all he knew, he should be the one doing the soothing. "You're uncharacteristically quiet, Roy-kun."

His eyes sluggishly turned their gaze from her hand on his to her face. The Brigadier General wanted to point out that seeing one's wife suffer from a nightmare was gearing up to be another source of night terrors for him, but he swallowed the urge down since he didn't wish for her to suffer through the situation a second time.

Roy was quiet for a moment. If he dismissed her concerns, she would just grow worried. And Riza growing worried meant she was going to overthink the situation and somehow find a loophole that would put the entire blame on herself, and he didn't want that. So, he merely sighed and decided to bring up the matter that occupied his mind the night previous.

"I just realized that we will be separated for a really long time when you get deployed," he murmured, gaze focusing on his breakfast once more.

No other words were spoken that morning, as Riza struggled to come to terms that fact. It didn't even occur to her that such condition was highly probable. Being inseparable in their previous assignments and missions, she had just assumed that Roy will be deployed with her. After all, he did offer his team to aid in the restoration. Then again, Roy was tasked to start building liaisons between Amestris and Xing…a diplomatic mission to a land across the desert for goodness knows how long.

All at once, the dread and paranoia that grew within her when she was held hostage by Bradley came up and consumed her once more.

As the date of Riza's deployment neared, the heavily morose mood in their apartment grew more and more palpable. They slept as if they were strangers sharing a bed. There weren't any physical barricades between them, but they weren't reaching out to each other like they had before. They laid next to each other with their backs facing each other, as they can't very well face the prospect like they stared death in the eye so many times before.

It was cowardly and ridiculous, but it was what was happening.

The silence was far too heavy inside their home that even Hayate sought to be more affectionate towards his owners individually. The Shiba Inu would trail either half of the couple when they were doing household chores, and would snuggle up to either one of them should he find them crouched on the divan with a book.

There were no more than the necessary words exchanged between the two of them, which meant just the casual morning and evening greetings since they are able to function like a well-oiled machine even if they didn't speak to each other.

They were as well-kept and efficient at work. It was expected of Riza to accomplish her duties with a flourish, sometimes even doing far more than is needed, but it wasn't of Roy and it was starting to get his unit a little worried. True, they would be dealing with less backlog when it came to deliverables and document filing but the ruthless speed and unswaying focus that the Brigadier General suddenly has was a little terrifying, to say the least.

Nevertheless, his men went with it.

The lunchtime banter between Riza and Rebecca had grown to silent, comfortable episodes as Rebecca had picked up on her best friend's distracted mood. Usually, she would be up on her space questioning what idiocy Roy Mustang had done to warrant such behavior from her, but there was a different aura that surrounded her commanding officer that she was very hesitant to ask. However, her care for the blonde eventually won over her hesitation.

"Taisa," Rebecca whispered, nudging Riza gently. "You all right there? You haven't touched your food."

Riza's gaze shifted from a spot on her tray to her best friend who was sporting a deeply concerned look on her face. "Ah, yes. Nothing to worry about."

"Well, your nothing looks like a something. Are you sure everything's fine?"

"I'm sure, Shousa," Riza replied with a gentle finality, which the Major had picked up easily. It was clear that she wanted the matter to be left alone, else Riza wouldn't have addressed her by her rank.

Their day continued without as much as a fuss.

Come nighttime, the sounds that could be heard throughout their home was the rushing of the shower inside the bathroom and the bubbling of the stew inside the kitchen. Even their Shiba Inu was feeling desolate that he had opted to take a nap after finishing his own dinner. Riza worked silently in the kitchen.

Roy halted his walking as soon as he crossed the threshold of the kitchen and turned on his heel. There was a sigh from him as he closed his eyes to think about what he had just done. Had they really sunk so low in confronting this rift between them that he had actually chosen to avoid his wife. The Brigadier General shook his head, and decided that this silly evasion that they both were doing needed to come to an end.

After all, they were going to deployed in different places. Riza would be dwelling in Ishval until she determines it's safe to leave it, while he would be overseas to officially engage the Empire of Xing in diplomatic relations. There would be a whole stretch of desert in between them, and he wasn't sure of current telephone technologies would support an efficient communication between them.

He entered the kitchen once more after setting his towel on the designated rack. Roy approached his wife and laid a hand gently on her lower back. "Hey, can we talk?"

Riza swallowed, knowing that one of them was going to give in to the temptation of a conversation after three days of silence. "Of course, but let's eat dinner first."

The general nodded, allowing the delay since he knew she wouldn't dodge the talk when Riza, herself, decided when it would take place.

Shortly after they sorted everything in their home, the couple sat facing each other, taking either side of the two-person sofa. Riza clutched a pillow in between her arms, while he merely wrung his hands with each other on top of his crossed legs. There was no point in asking what they were going to talk about, since they both knew already, so the Colonel merely went in for the kill.

"How are we going to address this?" she asked softly. "I can see no other solution except for enduring it."

"Then we endure it," Roy nodded firmly. "I just found it ridiculous that we settled to co-exist these past few days instead of spending whatever time we can with each other. After all, no one can say when I'll be joining you in Ishval."

"I'm sorry," Riza whispered, discarding the pillow and scooting over to him. "I didn't even think that this was a possibility. It came natural to me that we'll always be together on missions, so I automatically assumed you'll be deployed with me."

The alchemist shook his head and kissed his wife's lips briefly. "I'm sorry, as well. We really need to stop letting the silence linger between us when we need to talk."

The sniper winced slightly. "Yes, it's not helpful at all."

Roy took his wife in his arms and sighed heavily in relief after not being able to do the act for almost 72 hours. He should have held her tighter and closer, as he knew he won't be able to do it for months. For a moment, he wondered how on Earth he was going to survive this mission of his, but he pushed the thought away and chose to focus on how she felt against him.

Likewise, Riza committed to her memory everything that she could. His warmth, his smell, the feel of his embrace…she needed every little bit of Roy that she could have in order to last through the time that they would be apart. The thought of it alone sent acid to raze her tongue, but she fought the urge to hurl to prolong their embrace.

That night, they took time transforming their sentiments of love into act.

Just as she was going to call Lieutenant General Armstrong for updates regarding her Ishval operations, Riza was summoned to her grandfather's office. The Colonel placed the phone back on its resting place, and stood to make the journey to Grumman's office. The sight that greeted her inside was something that wasn't particularly expected, but wasn't exactly surprising either.

Riza offered her grandfather a crisp salute before taking the offered seat inches away from her husband. She had an inkling her darling grandfather personally made sure that their chairs were dangerously close to each other. The old man was a sap like that.

"How—"

"I request you be straight to the point, grandfather," Riza cut him off seriously. "I have several important matters to attend to."

Roy held back a chuckle and merely smirked, sparing his wife a sideway glance. If there were anyone who could talk in such a direct way to the current Führer, then it would be his wife, the Führer's golden, precious, little girl.

Grumman merely let out a snort at the blonde's request. "Oh, I will surely miss you, Riza, my dear."

"Grandpa," she frowned.

"Fine, fine," the old man crooned. "I called the both of you here since I have some news that concerns you both. The Emperor…or shall I say the would-be Emperor of Xing has sent us a letter regarding the liaison procedures, I believe."

"Has Ling Yao changed his mind, perchance?" the Flame Alchemist queried.

Grumman shook his head. "I haven't read the letter, and I thought it wise to call you first and notify you of the situation. I trust your discernment regarding the situation, my boy."

The Brigadier General took the parchment offered and carefully pried it open, holding it at an angle that would allow his wife to read its contents. Roy read it out loud, for Grumman's sake.

"Führer Charleston Grumman,

I hope this post finds you in good health.

Your soldier Roy Mustang and I have entered a verbal agreement to start liaisons between the Empire of Xing and the Country of Amestris, post-Promised Day. We were never clear on the details, but the General has sent me a letter intending to commence these diplomatic relations.

We have found his plans to be sound and very accommodating, and the council and I are very much looking forward to hosting him for the whole time that we would be in negotiations.

Such was the initial plan. However, there has been some civil unrest regarding throne succession and the Yao and Chang clans have been faced with competitors for the throne. Even with the possession of the last Philosopher's Stone, my clan and Princess Mei Chang's clan are struggling to unite the whole empire. As such, we would like to postpone these plans until we have settled the situation.

It is not in my power to dictate the timeframe of this civil resolution, but we still wish to look forward to building relations with the Empire of Xing and the Country of Amestris. We regret that it would not come at a sooner time, but we are positive that we will eventually re-open our doors to you, our friends from the West.

We would be honoured if you could reach out to us in the soonest time possible.

With regards,

Ling Yao"

The Führer took a breath, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Well, then. We have no other option but to adjust to their predicament. The deferment is rather unfortunate, but we will have to make do. Connecting with Xing will regain its priority once the Empire is deemed stable."

"I understand, Kakka," Roy nodded.

"As such, I'll be deploying your team to Ishval to join the restoration efforts," Grumman decided. "I trust that such adjustment will not be too imposing, Riza, my dear?"

Riza's eyes rounded slightly when she heard her grandfather's decision, but she maintained her composure. "No, Kakka."

Grumman merely smirked in knowing.

Bright and early on a Monday morning, they boarded the train going to the East. Roy and Riza sat next to each other closely, like the many other previous times they rode on trains. If anyone had noticed the way they linked hands so intimately as they both watched hues of brown and green roll by, no one dared to call attention to it.

Kakka-His/Her/Your Excellency
The fiction Roy was reading Hayate is Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859.