A/N Hello, it's me again. This chapter's a little short, I tried not to give too much away with it, but I think I did, oh well… it's the thought that counts!
Riza looked around, she was in a valley of flowers, a bit like a scene in a romance novel she'd once read. She looked closer, there was no one there, but she didn't quite feel alone. The surroundings were like watercolor, some of them blending with each other, in a beautiful, frightening way. Riza walked forward, it was better than doing nothing. "Roy, are
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"Lust, I can't believe I have to do this, it's got to be the most fucking boring job I've ever had to," Envy started, his voice losing caution as it grew louder in his fevered anger. But who could blame him, spending days on end laying down, freezing half to death and doing absolutely nothing can drive a man pretty far.
"Envy, calm down, the examination's in another day alright?" Lust replied, helping Envy sit up, "Dante wasn't pleased with what you did to that Hawkeye woman, now Mustang's more aware of our presence than ever. But Riza has been taken care of, as you very well know." Lust's look softened as she smiled, holding up her right hand, one finger pointed towards the sky. "One more day can't be that hard."
"I don't care if Dante's pissed, you don't know what it's like! You don't have to sit in a fucking freezer all day long, nothing to do, and, hey!" He yelled, as Lust smiled and pushed the compartment back into the wall, forcing him back into a laying position. It was his own fault after all, and there were other things that needed attending to. Lust slid out the window she'd come in through back into the night.
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"Roy, don't you remember the last time?" Hughes asked, pushing up his glasses. Roy finished swallowing the painkillers, and gulped down the last of the glass of water. Hangovers, hurt like hell, but, with getting drunk, it's all pretty much equivalency.
"That's better," Roy mumbled, rubbing his forehead, "Yes, I remember. It was after Ishbal, and I was getting drunk every night, just like I am now, because there is nothing else I can do." Roy set the glass down, pulling off the blankets and slowly standing up, the medicine hadn't fully kicked in yet.
"You need to think over some things, like mistakes you made in the past," Hughes said sharply, getting up as well, "Take the day off to think Roy, there are some things you still need to come to terms with." Hughes walked out the door to Ed's dorm room, shutting it quietly behind him.
Roy sat back down. So Maes thought he needed time to think eh? Well, he never said no to time off of work. He'd almost forgotten the feeling of loss, of utter resentment and horror he'd had after Ishbal, so this was a nice reminder. Ishbal, he'd been drunk, and not just a little back then. He was hardcore; passing out back then from alcohol overdose was almost a daily ritual. It was, after all, the only way he could manage to sleep at night. But then he'd stopped, in thoughts of something more important, what had it been? Roy suddenly got up; he needed to check his room. They could still be there.
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"How's Envy?" Sloth asked calmly. Showing emotion wasn't something she often did, especially for another's loss.
"He's complained up a storm, but he'll be okay for another day," Lust replied, leaning up against the wall. "I swear, Dante and her insane experiments. This is crazy, she won't let Envy know what's going on either, probably just another way to punish him. You took care of Mustang, right?"
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Roy walked out the door; he'd have to remember to thank Ed later. As he went on, he found walking in the fresh air was getting easier and easier until he regained his usual, brisk stride. It was easier than driving, and he didn't really want to have to talk to anyone else right now. Unlocking the door, Roy walked in, trotting pointedly up the stairs. He headed towards his room, opening the door and walking in. He headed to the back, and began to look through a bookcase of military records, alchemic books, and his own personal notes on both these subjects.
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"Yes, they should be in plain enough sight, with an added tidbit here and there," Sloth replied plainly. "The taboo is ever so hard to let go of once you believe in it."
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Roy tore the books off the shelf now, finally finding the one he wanted, a small, handwritten booklet of his research. It was all here. Roy flipped through it, the drawings, the notes, the ingredients; they were all there, waiting to be used. Hughes couldn't help him this time, no one could. He would pay a price, for such is the nature of a taboo, but for now, that made no difference. There was always the chance, the crazy chance that it could work.
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"I would have preferred Envy going to see him and give a bit of a nudge in the right direction, but we both know he's busy," Lust sighed, "Dante will forgive him though, if this all falls into place. I know he gets bored, but he could at least not rape military personnel, or at least kill them afterwards, it's just another way he's taking orders into his own hands and twisting them to his liking." Sloth stood silently.
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Roy reread everything, he couldn't even remember writing some of it, and it wasn't foolproof, but it all fit together. It all worked out. Because Riza, because he loved her, and because life without her meant every day was painful. That every day was another 24 hours to regret and to mourn.
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Envy pursed his lips, Lust was all right, but she could be a bitch sometimes. There wasn't even any room to stretch his arms for god's sake. Really, he was getting so bored, he had to add some real excitement to the mission, how could Dante blame him for that? She could have at least told him what they're doing now…
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In a unanimous movement, Lust and Sloth both looked up as they heard movement in the other room. "I'll take care of it," Sloth said patiently, opening a drawer in an oak dresser in the corner of the room. She took out a bottle, puncturing the top of it with a slim needle and drawing out a selected amount of the clear, light blue fluid. She walked to the door in the corner, opening and slipping inside silently.
A/N 5 reviews at least, I'll let you make up your own minds on what's going on. Don't worry though, it'll be explained more in later chapters. Also, while typing this, I was listening to Passacalgia. Anyone know the soundtrack it's from? It's tough, so if you get it right you get a cookie!