April 3, 1905
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Major Roy Mustang: 19 years old
Captain Maes Hughes: 19 years old
Private Elizabeth Hawkeye: 18 years old
Private Maro Otori: 17 years old
Private Jean Havoc: 18 years old
Private Maria Ross: 17 years old
Corporal Edwin Hawkeye: Died 18 years old, December 1904
Maro Eleni Hawkeye: 10 weeks old
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Riza's Diary,
I saw Major Mustang today- though only from afar. Maria said that his group came in to get supplies. They're still laying low in Ishbal but they won't trust any of the food they can buy there. A few months ago, I might have called out, but for then I was content just to look at him- it wouldn't have been proper anyway…
Still, proper or not, I thought of little else all day.
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Narrative P.O.V.
"Riza, there's someone here to see you."
Riza jolted awake, catching her sleeve on her bag in her haste, "who?"
Maria, who had fallen back onto her own bag in surprise at her sudden movement, shook her head, "I dunno- some Major, but he's badly injured-"
Riza was up and dressed in a second, tripping out of the tent into dawn's black light. Still, if she had thought that her visitor would be Major Mustang she was thankfully quite mistaken.
"Major Armstrong, sir?! What happened?!"
"Would you believe it," he said, hunched over in pain and sporting many wounds, "I got myself hurt."
Riza shook her head and turned for the first aid tent, only to be stopped by Armstrong's voice, "I was attacked by an Ishbalan in the streets."
Riza's breath caught in her throat, "so…?"
"Yes, the time for war has indeed come," said Armstrong, but he didn't seem happy about it. "We will not make our intentions fully known until we can be covered appropriately. The men have retreated into the main fortress a little way off Ishbal- gather up a team of your best snipers and head down there. They want to keep peace as long as possible but if the Ishbalans are going to prove difficult… we need back up- that is all."
"Y-yes, sir- now, your wounds-"
"I'll see to it myself- gather your team and hurry now."
"Yes sir."
Riza turned and, heart thumping, ran to ring the bell that would awaken her comrades. They were tired and dead beat but she didn't give them time to gather themselves together before launching into her explanation. Although she would never admit it, she was worried. The first of the men had been attacked- if there were to be more attempts on the lives of her comrades, then she had to be down there.
For Roy's sake, if not for Amestris'.