"Guess who's coming home tomorrow?" Strongine asked eagerly at the dinner table that night. Even though it was just the family, the atmosphere was as fanciful as ever: huge, luminous chandeliers; a white tablecloth over a dining table that could easily seat thirty, and two of every utensil with napkins that could probably be used as blankets if the guests were small. Although she was more than used to eating like this at home, personally Olivier thought it was a bit much.
"Oh, please don't tell me the family's coming," Olivier half-groaned. "Father, I don't know how you can tolerate all those fat money-grabbers. Most of them are racist, sexist, homophobic and a million other words I'll attempt to refrain from using." Olivier ignored the dirty look he gave her in response and continued picking at her fruit salad. Apparently that was one of the few "safe foods" for her to eat, and even though she loved fruit salad, she also loved fish, which her family was tormenting her with by eating it in front of her. For the next eight months and one week, fish was off-limits just like alcohol.
"Only your favorite sister," Catherine said. "You can bet she'll be all over you tomorrow. Oh my, this fish is good." She smiled slyly at Olivier as she munched on hers. "It's a real shame you can't have any."
"Amue's returned from Ishval?" Olivier's fork stilled, trying to ignore Catherine. The desert region had been desperately seeking new volunteers, and Amue and Strongine had gone for a few months to help with clothes making, heavy lifting, and other odd jobs. Strongine had hated the heat and had suffered a minor injury, so she'd returned before too long. Amue, however, had stayed, saying it felt good to be needed even if the Ishvalans were afraid of her.
"Yes, and she's come home to stay!" Philip cheered from the head of the table. "She wrote saying she's been homesick and wishes to take some time off. Maybe a year, maybe more."
"It'll be so nice to have her home again," Josephine sighed, smiling and sipping at her soup. "It just doesn't feel right without her here."
Alex scratched his mustache. "You know, come to think of it, now that Olivier is on vacation, this will be the first time in at least ten years since the whole family has all been here together. We should do something to celebrate."
"Oh you're right, we should have a party!" Catherine exclaimed, bouncing in her seat.
"I hardly think having five grown adults living with their parents is something to celebrate," Olivier grumbled. The fish smelled so good, and to add insult to injury, it was flavored just the way she liked it. She chewed bitterly on a tasteless apple slice and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Olivier, you know our children are always welcome," Josephine chided. "Coming home to spend time with your family is nothing to be ashamed about."
"No, on the contrary, family reunions are a tradition that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" Alex cried proudly, sparkles dancing around him.
"Strongine, when is your sister scheduled to arrive?" Philip asked.
"She called saying one of the servants was going to fetch her from the hotel at noon tomorrow and drive her here." She turned to Olivier and offered her a big grin. "She doesn't even know you're back, she'll be over the moon when we tell her you're here to stay."
"I doubt I'll be staying in the mansion very long," Olivier said, trying to catch a rolling blueberry, her favorite fruit, in her spoon. "I plan to get an apartment as soon as possible."
"Olivier, we've discussed this already. We insist you stay here until you give birth," Philip demanded in a tone that suggested he was quite used to getting his way. That old coot had gone far too long without a higher-up to order him around.
"Father, I'm fine." That blueberry was getting annoying. It was one of the juicy, plump ones too. "I'm pregnant, not sick. And I'm not even three weeks in yet."
"Alex says the apartments in Central are nasty and expensive," Catherine reminded her, batting her lashes to turn up the charm. "And he would know, he's seen them. But then again, you seem to do quite well in nasty places, so it might be perfect for someone like you."
"Not everything your darling big brother says is true, Catherine," Oliver told her, refusing to acknowledge the well-concealed insult. She finally gave up on using her spoon and stuck her fingers into the bowl, ignoring the glares from her parents. It was more efficient to use her hands anyway.
Catherine opened her eyes wide and stared her down, sparkles galore. "I think he would know a bit more than you, Ollie-Em." Everyone chuckled except Strongine, who shot Olivier a look of pity. Neither girl missed the mockery in Catherine's tone.
"Don't call me that." Olivier hated that her death glare never worked on her youngest sister. Spoiled brat.
"Why not? It's an adorable nickname that combines your first and middle name, both of which rarely get any use. I think it's perfectly clever," Philip stated.
Tch. Of course he would take her side. Catherine had always been his pet. She was everyone's pet really, especially Alex's. Only Olivier, Amue and Strongine knew what was behind the cute, sparkling little mask.
"I hope you don't leave, Olivier. Amue will be crushed," Strongine said. "I can just see her face now. Her one and only big sister, home and not rushing off back to Briggs like she usually is."
"Aren't you at least a little bit excited, Olivier?" Josephine asked, leaning back in her chair as the servants carried away the dishes. "You haven't seen her in so long. You girls used to be so close."
Olivier shrugged, feeling a twinge of guilt in her chest. She wanted to look forward to Amue's homecoming, but she couldn't help dreading it. She never could explain how she felt about her oldest sister, especially when she didn't even understand it herself.
"She did ask why she never heard from you." Olivier really wished Strongine would shut up. "She said she sent you a whole stack of letters but never got any replies."
"Commanding a fort and protecting the northern border of an entire country from foreign invaders every day tends to take up all of my time," Olivier said briskly. Her stomach growled and she wished she'd eaten more. Fruit wasn't filling in the slightest. At Briggs she and every other soldier could pack away several pounds of meat at every meal. But in the Armstrong mansion it wasn't polite to ask for seconds, despite their huge appetites (which was why all their meals were full-course ones with appetizers, soups, salads, and of course, desserts).
"Surely you could have found time to write her one letter, just to let her know you were still alive." Josephine looked at her oldest daughter reproachfully. "You know she cares deeply about you."
Olivier winced inside. That's the problem. I wish she didn't. "It's not like I didn't want to, I just wasn't able to," she lied. "In any case I'll see her tomorrow and we can catch up in person."
"I bet she'll be thrilled to know she won't be the heaviest one in the family for too much longer," Catherine said in her sweetest, aren't-I-the-most-adorable-thing-ever-voice. She giggled and tilted her head to the side. "Soon Ollie-Em will be big too."
"I told you not to call me that," Olivier said through clenched teeth. She gripped the seat of her chair hard to keep from throwing what little tableware was left at her infuriating sister. "And I still have a ways to go before I start showing so you can stuff it."
"Calm yourself Olivier, Catherine meant nothing by it," Philip scolded, giving her a look. "I'm sure your sister was only trying to think of a way to boost Amue's self-esteem, weren't you dear?"
Catherine giggled and made goo-goo eyes. "Of course, Father. I knew you would understand. Poor Ollie-Em is just so clueless."
Olivier reached for her sword, which wasn't there. "Call me that one more time and see what happens."
"Olivier! Can't we get through one dinner without you threatening to kill someone?" Josephine sighed.
"Well, Catherine did start it," Strongine pointed out, shooting Olivier a conspiratorial glance, which she was grateful for. It was always comforting to have an ally, even if the help didn't amount to much.
"Speaking of Catherine, did you know she's almost mastered the piano by now?" Alex chimed in, eager to break the tension.
"Oh yes, her playing is most elegant!" Philip exclaimed from underneath his thick beard, sounding a bit tipsy from the wine he'd had. If there was one thing the Armstrongs' father loved, it was his wine.
"Thank you, Father. I've also managed to lift not just one, but two grand pianos now, with one in each hand." She snuck a peek at her parents and brother, and seeing that they were distracted by a servant, she glared at Olivier, all cuteness and smiles gone. Her tone immediately lost any friendliness.
"What about you, Olivier? Can you lift two grand pianos? Can you even lift one?"
Olivier snorted. It was hopelessly pathetic how threatened Catherine felt by her being there. The three older sisters knew all too well that Olivier was her only real competition in terms of being the best all-star Armstrong. Amue and Strongine may have had the intelligence, artistic abilities, and strength to match her, but they would never have the beauty and charm so Catherine never bothered with them. Olivier, however, had all of it and more. She smiled bitterly. Catherine may have been cute, but she was twenty years old and still looked like a little girl. Olivier's womanly figure could easily attract twice as many men without her even trying.
She glanced at Alex, who was reclining in his chair, carefree as could be. He'd never known serious competition and that was why he was such a weakling. He was the only boy, the only alchemist, and the only Armstrong in the military at Central. Earning the family's pride and respect, as well as that of his country and its military, had been effortless for him. But in a family as ambitious and gifted as the Armstrongs, with four girls things could get ugly. Very ugly.
It didn't start out that way, Olivier remembered. When they were very young, the sisters had been close. Since they were homeschooled and had no neighbors, the girls were each other's playmates. Alex was their toy; they either pounced on him and tortured him or spoiled and protected him depending on their mood. But as they'd matured, expectations increased and they were told to make something of themselves and go far in life. Each one took it very seriously; every word of praise to one girl was a point added to her score and a point deducted from the other three. Slowly but surely the girls became rivals instead of best friends. Even now each girl had something unique that the other three wanted. Catherine had charm and manipulation; Olivier had beauty, confidence and success; Strongine had superb athletic ability and brute strength; and Amue possessed unparalleled fashion sense and artistic talent (they were all fairly evenly matched in terms of intelligence although Olivier spent more time sharpening her mind so she was often ahead of the other three in that department). Each girl yearned to be the best and it just wasn't possible for all four of them to achieve that status.
For a long time it had been every woman for herself, but when the youngest was born and immediately favored simply because she was the baby, the three of them had a common enemy. Catherine had turned what had been a competitive rivalry into a full-blown war very early in her life and her sisters had quickly banded back together in an effort to bring her down. Ironically, a fourth sister had brought the first three closer together than they ever had been, and though they all hated Catherine as much as she hated them, in an odd way they were grateful for her too.
Olivier sipped at her water (apparently herbal tea was off-limits too) and matched Catherine's dirty look. "I have better things to do than attempt useless endeavors like lifting pianos, but I can kill a grizzly bear with my bare hands, cook it, and eat it for dinner as well as fire, disassemble and reassemble weapons four times bigger than me. Oh, and I can also defeat an army of five thousand with an army of only two hundred and save millions of Amestrian civilian lives in the process. What about you, Catherine? Can you do that?" she asked in the exact same tone her sister had used before.
"Nice!" Strongine's hand met Olivier's in a high five, and the noise attracted the attention of the other half of the table before Catherine could retort. She sulked, her bright blues shooting daggers at Olivier.
The family continued to converse long after the table had been completely cleared, but Catherine didn't say another word and Olivier and Strongine winked at each other, counting that as an unqualified win for their side. And, just for a moment, they remembered and indulged in the togetherness they'd once shared years ago.
Before anyone leaves a review saying that Catherine being mean is OOC:
Personally, that is how I see her. I think Catherine really is mean. Look what she did to Havoc in the original anime. The poor guy went to the trouble of getting dressed up, getting her flowers, and driving to her house to meet her parents and take her on a date. And what does she do? She turns him down because, of all things, he isn't muscular enough. Is that shallow or what? She didn't even give him a chance! Forget the cute smile and polite tone and think about what she actually said to him. It was pretty cruel if you ask me.
Besides that, we barely ever see Catherine and the only times we do see her are when her parents are with her. We don't know how she acts when they're not around. The only other time we really get a good look at her is when Olivier and Alex have their fight in Brotherhood. First she cheers for Alex and doesn't even acknowledge Oliver, which shows that she clearly prefers him over her, and then we see her walking outside with her parents. Philip talks about getting statues for Alex and Olivier, and what does Catherine say? "Well in that case, I want a statue too." I even thought the way she said it was kind of rude. Like, how dare my siblings have something I don't.
I also want to note that almost every fanfic I've ever read that had Amue and Strongine in it portrayed them as dumb, rude, mean, whorish, greedy, desperate man-stealers and I think this is completely unfair. Just because they're not the most attractive characters, that doesn't make them bad. We never even hear them speak and people just automatically assume they're ditzy sluts. A bit harsh, in my opinion, which is why I chose to write them a little differently.