A/N: I had planned to post this on Sunday, but life got in the way. I am going to try to get you all another chapter this upcoming Sunday, but that will depend heavily on my work schedule. Enjoy!

Chapter Seven: Strange Places

Roy had fallen asleep on her shoulder hours ago, but Riza found it impossible to sleep. She knew it would help pass the time, and she could have used some more rest. Yet, despite her every effort, she could not feel at ease. There was a knot in her stomach that she just couldn't loosen. She had tried not to think about it, to focus her attention on it until it went away, even to use an eastern breathing technique taught to her by Mr. Pierre. Nothing seemed to help.

Roy let out a loud, rattling snore that tore her from her thoughts. The knot forgotten, she jolted her shoulder up. Completely unperturbed by the movement, Roy's head rolled down slightly and remained on her shoulder. Riza made a mental note that he only snored when he was on his back. If push literally came to shove, at least she knew what direction to put him in. She focused her attention back on her book, trying to work out a phrase that she hadn't come across before. Roy's head began to roll back up on her shoulder, and she used her left hand to stop the attempt.

Mrs. Bradley was watching them with great amusement. If ever opposites attracted, it was those two. She had to remind herself of how young they were; both seemed aged beyond their years already. She couldn't help but wonder what it was in their lives that would have had such an effect on them. Leaning over toward her husband, she quietly asked, "Dear, do you remember that conversation we keep putting off? I would very much like to have it tomorrow."

Bradley hesitated just long enough that he was interrupted by the train's loud whistle. Across the room, Riza looked up from her book. Roy grumbled something in a vaguely human tongue before shifting once more. His head fell off of Riza's shoulder and slammed into the wall.

"I'm up!" Roy shouted, immediately bolting upright. He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. All those years living with his aunt had him conditioned to wake up to a smack on the head. The train rattled to a stop, and he sat up straight.

"Well, children, it's been a pleasure," Bradley said with a saccharine smile. "I'm afraid there's going to be a big to-do when we disembark, so I would recommend you wait a few seconds before heading out. Come along, Anetta."

"Yes, Dear." Mrs. Bradley waved to Roy and Riza before following her husband out of the compartment.

Riza stood on the seat so that she could pull their luggage off the rack. By the time Roy caught on, she already had both suitcases on the floor. Why was she so insistent that she do everything herself? Deciding to let it go, he began, "That was too awesome. Meeting the Fhurer and getting to ride on a train with no stops and increased speed? It can't get better than that!"

"I suppose," Riza responded noncommittaly. Upon opening the sliding door, she and Roy were caught up in a rush of bodies trying to leave the train. They were pressed tightly together along with their luggage and several other people. Riza took a deep breath to steady herself; she hated crowds, and this was too much. She could already feel her heartbeat increasing. She looked over her shoulder at Roy, unsure of what to do.

Recognizing her look, Roy pushed himself forward so that he was slightly ahead of Riza. His suitcase, however, remained behind her, his arm outstretched. The suitcase prevented those behind her from crowding, and his position had those in the front crowding into him instead of her. It wasn't the perfect solution, but it helped. Riza mouthed a thank you, ever grateful that Roy never asked why in situations like this. Roy maintained their space like this until they reached the door of the car, where everyone had come to a bottleneck. Roy switched what hand his suitcase was in and reached back, curling his fingers around Riza's wrist. He moved quickly, knocking into several other passengers. Riza tried to apologize, but there were simply too many people. Then, without her realizing it, they were climbing off the platform.

They walked along a concrete path which encircled the station, allowing them to bypass the large crowds which would be waiting for their departures. The air smelled different here than in the country, and the noise in the background was constant. Riza's attention was grabbed when a sharp whistle came from the front of the station. Roy looked from side to side, but Riza had already started walking toward the source of the sound. "It's over here," she called to Roy. Roy jogged a few steps to catch her.

"How do you know?" he challenged.

"The pitch of the sound and the fact that I could see the person whistling."

"Wait, what? Through the crowd?"

Riza nodded without saying anything else. Perhaps she had already told him too much about her senses. "Just trust me."

"Roy-boy!" A hoarse shout came from in front of them, and Riza had to resist giving Roy a smug look. She settled for a small smirk and a glance out of the corner of her eye. Roy was too preoccupied with waving to notice.

The woman who Roy jogged to meet was large in stature; she was taller than most men, at least by Riza's limited sample pool. Her black hair was pulled tightly back on her head, and she wore more gold than Riza had seen in her life. A fur coat was draped across the woman's broad shoulders, and she wore so much makeup that Riza couldn't guess her age. She looked thirty, but her voice sounded much older. The cigarette between her painted fingers gave away the cause. The woman reached down and ruffled Roy's hair with a slight smile. "I was wondering if you were going to make it."

"I can manage by myself, Aunt Chris," Roy protested as he moved her hand away.

"Sure you can. I'm sure your little friend had nothing to do with it, hm?" Chris retorted sarcastically.

Riza shuffled forward, uncomfortable around the woman. The only female influence she had was her mother, and then only for a short while. Roy's aunt was a type of woman she had never encountered. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Riza Hawkeye." Her eyes were glued to the ground, and both her hands held her suitcase.

"No, no." Chris frowned sternly. "Introduce yourself like that and life won't hesitate to walk all over you. Stand up straight, look me in the eye, and shake my hand like a woman."

Riza hesitated a moment before looking up, her honey eyes meeting Chris's dark ones. Her eyes didn't show anger or cruelty, but there was an intensity that was foreign to her. Riza did her best to mimic the woman; she rounded her shoulders back, straightened her spine, and lifted her chin. Her extended hand was met with a boisterous laugh from the woman.

"That's it!" Chris smirked as she shook her hand. "You'll be one hell of a firecracker when you grow up if you work on that confidence."

Riza didn't know what to say to that. She had never been taught that confident women were anything other than prideful and pretentious. Everything she had just done felt so fake. It simply wasn't who she was, and she preferred to remain hidden rather than to draw attention to herself. Chris Mustang was a woman who made her presence known, and Riza saw no benefit in doing so.

Roy slammed the trunk shut, their suitcases safely inside. He opened the door to the back seat, only to be stopped by a pointed cough from his aunt. "Oh, right," he murmured before standing aside and gesturing for Riza to get in. Riza quirked an eyebrow and walked straight past him to the other side of the car. She opened her own door and climbed inside. Roy frowned deeply as he did the same. "I was trying to be gentlemanly..."

"I'm perfectly capable of opening my own car door, Mr. Mustang," Riza protested, earning a snort from Chris in the driver's seat. After a moment, she added, "Thank you for the gesture."

"Girl, that boy is the furthest thing from a mister I have ever seen. Call him Roy. He doesn't mind, trust me." Chris smirked at her nephew through the rear-view mirror.

"I'm not comfortable with that, Mrs. Mustang," Riza admitted.

"It's miss. And I don't go by that name in the city. You can call me Madam or even Aunt Chris, but don't use my last name." The correction was gentle despite the gruff voice that said it. "And you're never going to grow if you don't get out of your comfort zone. When you're here in Central, call him Roy. That's a good place to start, the name and how you introduce yourself."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Chris smiled and took one hand off the wheel, digging around in her pocket. She pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. She put the cigarette between her teeth and lit it without having to look. "I can tell you're a shy girl, so let me warn you. My house is boisterous. Everyone will love you, maybe a little too much. Don't let them overwhelm you, though."

Riza puzzled over these words, wondering what it was that she had gotten herself into. She had never felt so far from home, but she found that she did not miss it yet. She turned her eyes to look out the window, fascinated by the size of the homes and their frequency. If she blinked, she saw a house completely different from the last. She knew that the country's capitol was big, but she never put any thought into it. Even the streetlights were mesmerizing.

"It's prettier during the day," Roy mused. "There's more to do, then, too. All the people come out."

"But tonight, you're going to eat a good meal, wash up, and get to bed," Chris dictated. "I don't want to deal with any shenanigans, you hear me, boy? I have important people coming tonight."

"Actually important?"

"Yes, actually important," Chris huffed at this. "A member of the senior staff made a reservation this afternoon; I need the girls at their best, and no one can babysit you."

"I'm too old to have a babysitter, Aunt Chris!"

"Tell that to the last time, when you destroyed my floorboards with that chalk circle."

Before Roy had a chance to retort, Riza chimed in. "Yes, ma'am. We'll be on our best behavior."

"I like her," Chris chuckled as she slowed the car to a stop in an alleyway. She flicked her cigarette out of the door she had opened before climbing out. Riza took this as a sign that they should do the same. Roy opened the trunk, and they grabbed their suitcases. By that point, Chris had already unlocked and opened the back door. Upon entering, Riza looked around, finding it rather homey. The door led to the kitchen, which smelled wonderfully and looked rather like her own. To the left was a staircase, and to the right was a small sitting area. The door on the far side of the room was made from some sort of heavy, ornate wood. Before she could ask, Chris had already put two plates down at the kitchen table.

"Didn't get too fancy tonight. Chicken and gravy on rice was what the girls made. You know how Bea loves to cook those hometown recipes of hers."

"It smells delicious," Riza said as she sat down.

"It's all hands on deck tonight, Roy-boy. You know the drill."

"Clean the dishes, turn off the lights, make sure I shower, lock the back door." Roy ticked each point off on his fingers.

"Attaboy." Chris patted him once on the head before leaving the room through the wooden door.

Riza ate hungrily, having not realized how long it had been since her meager breakfast. Roy watched as she did so, a smile on his face as he consumed his dinner. "It's good to be home."

A bout of raucous laughter rang out from behind the wooden door, followed by a few terrible chords on a piano. Riza looked inquiringly at Roy, who shrugged. "The front is a bar. This isn't even so much a house as an apartment Aunt Chris made out of the back. It's tiny, but it has more than enough room. My sister's usually hang out out front during the day, and I'm allowed out there, too, if there aren't too many people."

"I didn't know you had sisters," Riza commented, mildly hurt that he would leave out such an important detail despite their months of friendship.

"Well, I don't, not really. My aunt employs them, but they're here all the time; some even live here with us. They're just like big sisters to me. You'll see when you meet them tomorrow." He saw Riza falter at the idea of meeting a group of new people. "Don't worry, they're really nice. Promise." He extended his arm across the table, holding out his pinky finger. When he smiled, Riza lifted her arm and did the same, wrapping her pinky finger around his.

Satisfied, Roy stood up to clear his plate. "You'll see, Central is great. We're gonna do everything."

Riza offered him a small smile in return. "We can't possibly do everything. We only have a week."

"Just wait; when my sisters meet you, they're going to be begging Aunt Chris to let us come back before we've even left."

After cleaning and putting away the dishes, Roy led the way up the stairs. The noise from below could be heard through the floor, but it was a pleasant sort of loudness. Roy set his suitcase down in front of a door before opening the next one. "This is going to be your room for the week. I'm gonna be right next door. They all have their own bathrooms, too."

Riza was astounded. Although the room was smaller than her own, it was far more lavish. All the colors in the room were rich, and she was sure that the carpet covering the wooden floor was Xingese. She was almost afraid to walk inside. She made sure to take her shoes off when she entered, but Roy didn't take the same precaution when he followed her. "Are you gonna be alright?" He asked her, unsure if anything would spark her anxieties.

"Yeah," Riza decided as she set her suitcase on the plush bedcovering. "It's just a lot nicer than home. I don't want to ruin anything."

Roy took a seat on her bed beside her suitcase. "You? There's no way. You're the most considerate person ever. Just relax. We have no studies, only a few chores, and nothing we need to do. Besides, I'm one room over. You can wake me up for anything."

Riza shrugged as she opened the latch on her luggage. "Strange people and places make me nervous."

"I'm not strange. And this place will feel like home by the end of the week, trust me. Everyone is going to love you." Roy assured her. "If it gets bad tonight, come wake me up and I'll sleep on the floor if you need me to, okay?" He saw the guilty look in her eyes and added, "Because I want to. It's not a problem or an inconvenience. I'll even leave my door open like I do at home."

"Thank you Mr.-" She hesitated as she corrected herself. "Roy."

Roy beamed. "No problem. Now let's do what we need to do. I'm beat." He stood and gave a large stretch before walking out of the room, giving a slight wave as he did so.

Riza bolted upright, sweating and breathing rapidly. She wrapped the blanket closer around herself as she became oriented to the room. No matter how many times she had that same nightmare about her mother, it still terrified her. She reached over and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. The hallway was dark and the house quiet; the patrons had departed hours before. She knew that she should shut her bedroom door so that the light didn't disturb anyone, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Being closed in would only make the panic worse.

She stood and walked to the bathroom, turning the tap on the sink. After plugging the drain, she let it full with cold water. She took a deep breath in before submerging her face in the water. Her heartbeat slowed after a few seconds, the water causing her body to relax. When she lifted her head to breathe, she reached for the hand towel beside the sink. Her fingers grabbed the fabric, and she lifted it to dry her face. A soft knocking came from in her room, and she decided to investigate. Roy, half-asleep, was slumped in her doorway. "Bad dream?" he asked through a massive yawn.

Riza left the bathroom and sat down on her bed. "The one about my mom."

Roy frowned in understanding. "The same?"

"Yeah. Always the same."

"Justaminute," Roy mumbled as he left the room. He returned shortly after with a pillow and blanket.

"Roy, you don't-"

"Shhhh. It's three in the morning. You can fuss at me later." He had already flopped onto the ground, his eyes closed. "Sleep now."

"Right..." Riza placed herself back under the sheets and reached over to turn off the light. It was a blow to her pride and independence that she always slept better with him on the floor of her room, but she was still grateful. Just as she began to close her eyes, Roy let out a loud snore. She huffed and sat back up, looking down at him. He was fast asleep on his back, his mouth wide open. It was incredible that he never woke himself up. Riza threw off her blankets and got up once more. She rolled him onto his side, but he didn't stay there for long. Being resourceful, she pulled the chair from the desk in her room and carried it over. Using one hand to roll him back onto his side, she laid the chair down so that the back was against his own and the seat was pressed into the bedframe.

In his sleep, Roy tried to roll back onto his back, but he was unable to. Satisfied with her solution, Riza climbed back into bed, enjoying a dreamless sleep until morning.