Chapter 4
Exposure
Point of View: Electra
Oh no! I thought as the spasms from my vicious coughing sent a stream of blood into the cloth that I held to my face. Lucky for me, Mustang didn't see. We've been pretty much siblings ever since we were kids, so he'd make a fuss over little old me. Not that I matter any, I just want the sickness to be over.
"I'm fine!" I assured Mustang when he flinched at my fit of coughing. I knew I wasn't fine, but I would be. I got up went outside, I needed to go back to my room. Mustang followed me, "I'll be fine!" I hissed, even though it didn't do much good.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I bent over and took off my left stiletto, "Roy Mustang, if you don't clear off, I will hit you with a stiletto!" I threatened.
"If you do, I'll pick you up and spin you around!"
"You did that to me when we were nine years old, I don't think you can even still pick me up!" I laughed, recalling the memories. I had eaten that last of the food, and he didn't get any, so he picked me up and spun me around until I got nauseous. Now we were much older, and hadn't really talked to each other in years.
"Wanna bet?" He was challenging me, everyone knows that I'll never back down from a challenge. It's been a bad habit since I was a little girl when I first was put in the care of the military. So, I lost it. I whacked him with the stiletto, not very hard of course. It was just like old times, he slung me over his shoulder and spun me around in circles, like a punishment.
"I'm getting nauseous!" I said, and he stopped spinning, but he didn't put me down. Well, he did eventually, but it was to dump me on my bed. For just a few moments, things were just as they had been before the war with Ishbal broke out. I broke out laughing. Then he left me alone again. I had almost exposed my secret, I needed help and fast.
"Need something Vengeance?" asked a familiar voice. It was Lust. She was standing in my dark room, alone. I really didn't want to talk to her right now. I decided to act neutral, better than being hostile and making a scene, like I did that one time, only, with a different person.
"Yes," I replied, "I need another Philosopher's Stone to make my throat better for a little while." It was true, the small Philosopher's Stones that Lust could provide helped my throat and made me stronger. The one that now dangled from my necklace was dim and not really doing anything for me. A new one would last for about a month and a half, and then Lust would give me a new one.
"I'll give you this," she said and held out a glowing red stone to me. I snatched it and pulled the now-dim one off my necklace and dropped it on the floor. I used alchemy to attach the new one, which looked much like a ruby. My strength doubled, and I felt my throat heal. Then I fake-coughed, no blood came. The cloth was bare. I was cured!
Temporarily…