The Meeting Between the East And the North Part I
"You really have some guts colonel falling asleep like that knowing im still here."
Riza walked thru the doors of their office where everyone went home but them, they just finished their paperwork for the day.
"Geez lieutenant, can you please cut me some slack? We've been working all day on these and I haven't had a chance to rest!"
Riza sighted and walked up to Roy's desk to collect the last paper he finished to take back to file.
"Well don't worry colonel, next week will be more fun...isn't that right?" of course her voice was obviously sarcastic and not a single hint of interest in the events to unfold.
"What the hell is the fuhrer thinking? Why in the hell are we going to central anyways for? And on top of that why is that ape woman and her underlings coming too?!"
"Careful colonel, I wouldn't be surprised if she heard you from over here and sliced you up this instant."
"Oh...and my faithful subordinate that watches my back would just stand there and let that happen?"
"I have to say, its really tempting sir."
"great, ...just great. Is it me or does the fuhrer just spends all his time in finding ideas to make my life more complicated?!"
"I think he meant it as a good gesture sir. He wants to reward his best two platoon in the whole army. I believe if there is someone to blame for his good efforts and reputation, that would be you sir."
"Is that suppose to encourage me lieutenant? It makes me want to work even less you know.?"
"Yes I know sir, that is why I carry something that I know will keep motivating you if that happens." She moved her right hand and placed it slightly on her gun holster.
"Damn if I do, and damn if I don't..." Roy sighted.
"its late lieutenant, we should go home now."
"I still have to go leave these papers downstairs sir, you can go ahead of me."
"Or I can just wait and give you a ride like I always do Riza."
It always sounded different when that happened. Roy using her name like that. It was that moment they always only understood between the two. A fast moment that came between being on the clock at work, and a personal time that belong between just the two of them. It seemed sadly that the latter happened few to often and both their life seemed greatly dominated by the first.
"Okay" she simply answered.
Roy waited for her and when she came back he grabbed her coat and his and made their way down the car. He opened the door for her a small gesture that always put a small smile on her face.
"Always working on how to charm the girls are you?" she said with a serious tone but with a very tiny hint of teasing that only Roy would catch.
"Must you see it that way?"
"You never did that for me back then did you? You only started doing that after you had a reputation to keep right?"
"is that so? I'm not sure, I wanted to think that I was just raised a good boy just like my foster mother wanted me to."
"Speaking of which, I still have not met her despite knowing you this long. I only heard you talking about her a little back then but nothing more."
"Yeah I know, its not on purpose, its just has happened that way, maybe perhaps you'll meet her when we go to central."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Riza questioned.
"Hmm...im not sure." Roy said with a slight grin on his face.
They arrived at the dorms where Riza was staying, It was getting dark already. He pulled as close to the dorms as he could. Not wanting her to walk much and to reach her place safely.
"Hei, ill see you tomorrow." He said with a soft gentle face.
"Yeah...goodnight Roy." she said with a small smile on her face. This was something Roy took whole hardheartedly. A smiling face from Riza was something that was not shown to anybody or anytime on that matter. It just seemed like a quick fleeting moment she gave very few often. He wished that would not be the case. He wanted to see her smile more than he can say and to see it normally on her. To see her act like the kindhearted soul he knew she was. But at the same time his selfish part loved that this was something only he could say would see it, something he would most experience and wanted to keep it to himself. He knew that her reputation of being very strict and cold would keep the guys away from her to a certain degree where he didn't have to worry constantly about her being flirted or tried to be picked up by, he knew that gave her a really hard approach to her. Roy sighted, he also knew that his reputation was something of a negative mark with Riza and him. If she only knew the truth, that the rumors gave him way more credit to him than he deserved. That his heart has always only been swayed by one girl, now woman, in his entire life and also the reason that kept him going.
Roy sighted again and was lost in his deep thoughts.
"I know I don't deserve this kind of life." he whispered under his breath.
"But she does." with that he drove of to his apartment alone in the streets.
The next morning Riza arrived extra early to the office. She had a fairly huge pile of papers on her hands and she tried not to drop them when opening the door to the office where she placed them on her desk and started sorting thru the papers. She got the all the paper's that was due the whole week knowing they would be away and not wanting to stack up work for when they returned.
Half an hour later Jean Havoc walks thru the door.
"you...got ..to be fucking...kidding me..."
His cigar falls right out of his mouth as soon as he sees the pile of paperwork ahead of him for the day.
"Am I still dreaming in my bed at home?" he asked with a whimper on his voice.
"I can confirm for you havoc...with a kick in the ass for you." said the cold lieutenant without a hint of mercy.
"Would that be enough to send me to the hospital for today?" he asked but regretted it as soon as it left his mouth.
"No, but if its the hospital your looking for your destination I would happily send you there AFTER you finish your part of paperwork."
"No, no need lieutenant, ill follow you to the end of the earth with my ass held high."
"I'm glad to hear that second lieutenant."
with that havoc sat in his seat and looked at his papers in front of him. It was going to be a long day for sure to say the least. He looked at the stack and of course it was all neatly divided and sorted in the easiest form to work on.
How does she do it? he thought. Shes freaking amazing.
Jean Havoc was perhaps the second male person close to Riza. Her friend Rebecca took second place. He met Riza in Ishval where he was in the same camp as her. He always watched her but never talked to her, well he really couldn't. Back then Riza was not a sociable person and didn't talk with anyone. He was completely surprised in her change when he met her again. He couldn't believe her eyes when he saw them, back then they were completely void of light and life, deep down there was a empty shell of a person. He knew what that war did to everyone who was in it but that's what hurt him the most. To see a fragile beautiful flower in the middle of that hell killing. He kept an eye on her sometimes tried to made the smallest talk with her. Did she even remembered? It was hard to say but either way Jean Havoc had a small past with Riza that gave them a different relationship today. He was perhaps the only man alive under her command that would dare open his mouth and make such remark's. The second man to perhaps understand her attitude and deep meaning behind her cold and strict words or action. He watched her long enough to know what kind of person she really was.
His thought must have gotten the better of him for he was intently staring at Riza. Riza felt a presence staring at her and lifted her head to see Havoc looking at her.
"Is there something wrong Havoc?"
"oh...uh...No...I'm sorry I just uh..."
Wham. The door swung open and the rest of Riza's underlings came in walking thru the door.
Breda, Fuery and Falman came stretching and yawning and half asleep. They sat down on their desks and when they realized what lay in front of them, all they could do was stare at the huge pile of paperwork in front of them.
"You ...got ..to be..." Breda started saying but was quickly cut off by Havoc.
"Bro, don't you dare finish that sentence."
They all laid there in silence defeated.
"I expect them to be finished by today gentlemen." Riza said without a room for discussion.
"Can I at least ask why all this?" asked Falman.
"Have you guys forgotten that by the end of this week well be going to central office for a whole week?"
"Oh that's right!" said Breda
"Have they even told us for what exactly? I mean were just leaving our post like that?" asked Fuery.
"No...i haven't been told much details except that it involves us and Armstrong's Platoon." said Riza wishing in fact that she did know more about the situation at hand.
"Does it have to do with our past involvement about what happened in the east and the armistice with Xing?"asked Fuery.
"I don't know, well have to find out once we get there." Riza said with a hint of tone saying to drop it and stop asking question's.
"Okay" Everyone said in unison.
"Okay everyone...Heads down and Ass up." Havoc said aloud
and with that everyone started on their paperwork like their life depended on it.
It was about 8:20 am in the morning when their colonel decided to to grace them with his presence.
He walked thru the door as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"As usual." said the lieutenant not even bothering to look up from her desk to acknowledge her commanding officer.
Like everyone Roy came in half asleep and sat on his desk. His pile of papers were stacked so high in his desk his subordinates couldn't see his face from their desk.
"I just remembered! General Grumman wanted to see me!" said Roy getting up from his chair.
"I suggest you sit back down and start on your paper work sir if you wish to leave by today."
"What are you talking about lieutenant? This is an important matter here. It was with out most urgency that I talked with him!"
"Sir, like I said, I suggest you sit back down before I shoot your legs and sit you on your desk and have you work on your paperwork. I know your just trying to get yourself out of your work and go play games with the general." She never stopped moving her hand or head to look at her commanding officer.
"Your so sure of yourself lieutenant, how do you know if I am lying or not?" said Roy teasing her and having a go on one last chance to see if she would buy it.
"Sir, there's nothing I don't know that you would know first." simply said the lieutenant.
Everyone tried to hold their laughter at the comment by the lieutenant because they knew that she was correct on that statement.
Roy gave them a glare but then gave up. Indeed, it was going be a long day ahead.
"Everyone will finish this by today! And after all that you wont be going home, everyone is going to have a drink after work! And of course that includes you lieutenant! And you will drink with us!"
Roy knew that Riza was not a drinker. She was as straight as an arrow when it came to bad habits. She didn't drink, smoke or do any drugs what so ever. That gave a solid alibi to go along with her reputation of being the serious, cold and professional person to everyone in the military. Of course this was only a privilege to her company in arms that together fought, work and relaxed together.
Riza sighted and stopped writing to looked up to her commanding officer and her comrades that had a small light of hope in their eyes hoping for a moment of bliss together after a day of hell they knew they had waiting for them today.
"Fine. That's fine sir, only if you finish your paperwork by 11."
"Yes!" everyone cried, Roy got a smirk on his face now showing determination to finish the paperwork in front of him.
"Don't worry sir!" Breda cried, "Well help you if you need it! We got your back!"
"Now were talking..." said Havoc. And with that everyone morals came together for a common goal.