A/N: I'm back! Still not 100%, but hopefully enough to get back to our regularly scheduled postings. I have to give partial credit for this chapter's premise to my boyfriend, who might have been joking when he made the suggestion. I hope you enjoy! And, as always, thank you to the lovely users who comment, favorite, and follow. You make me happier than Black Hayate's puppies.

Chapter Thirteen: Where in the World is General Grumman?

Riza ran her thumb over their train tickets, studying them as if she would find some understanding on the pieces of paper. When Grumman insisted that he call ahead and reserve their train tickets, it was logical to assume that they would be headed to East City. After seeing that this was not their final destination, Roy mentioned that perhaps it was cheaper to buy the tickets to another city and to get off at the East City station. They both looked on in surprise as the train blew straight through the station. The cynical side of Riza served her well as a survival mechanism, but it had her thinking the worst. If her grandfather didn't want them to visit, he could have said so rather than giving them the runaround. The book in her hands did little to ease her mind, and she gradually came to convince herself that this was the case. She swept her thumb over the name of their destination, printed on the ticket which served as her bookmark.

Roy, assuming that their journey would be far shorter than it was, had brought very little to do along with him. He had already given up on the latest text which Berthold ordered him to study. His excuse was that the motion of the train made him ill if he tried to read. After this decision, he had tried his best to make Riza pay attention to him. Despite his best efforts, the only reaction he was able to recieve was her telling him that he should be studying. When verbal and physical annoyance did nothing to faze her, he settled for taking over the majority of her bench seat. His feet were crossed at the top of the backrest, and his head lolled toward the floor. He groaned, drawing the sound out for several seconds. A quick glance at Riza showed no reaction. He groaned a second time, louder than the first. Riza turned the page of her book. When he began to groan again, Riza gave him a quick shove with her foot, causing him to waver and almost fall out of his precarious sitting position. Well, at least it was something.

"How much further?" Roy inquired, looking at Riza upside-down. He knew he was annoying her, but he honestly wasn't trying to. He was bored to tears, and she had been silent for most of the train ride. Something was wrong, and she wasn't saying anything. They were the only ones in the compartment, yet she refused to let him in. This aggravated him to no end. He had become accustomed to a level of conversational intimacy with her that neither of them shared with anyone else. At the root, he was hurt, even if he didn't acknowledge it.

"I don't know." Riza kept her eyes on her book.

"Okay, but why would he send us all the way to Risembool in the first place?"

"Like I said, I don't know."

Roy twisted himself around so that he was sitting upright. "Talk to me." He had half a mind to take her book from her when she turned another page. "Riza Hawkeye, something is wrong and you aren't telling me what it is. Don't treat me like I'm stupid. Now talk."

Riza marked her page with the train ticket in her hand. She set the book aside and looked at Roy with eyes full of fire. "You want to know? You want to know how idiotic I feel for trusting someone I just met? For letting somebody in? Trusting them?" Her words dripped like poison. "I'm a damned fool and I know it. I should have learned my lesson by now. I took a chance and all it's done is turn around and bite me in the ass. Now we're stuck on a train, headed to God knows where, because I thought someone out there might just give enough of a shit about me not to screw me over." She ignored Roy's wide-eyed concern and continued. "I'm angry. I'm angry at myself because I know better. I was too trusting, and look what happened. For all I know, Aunt Chris and Bea are the same way. I opened myself up in Central and look what it's done!"

Roy took advantage of her pause, interjecting, "You trust me, though. And I haven't done anything like that."

"Yet," Riza spat bitterly.

Her word shot through him like a bullet to the heart. Unable to keep the pain out of his voice, he dared to ask, "Is that really what you think about me?"

Riza saw the hurt on his face, and she crumbled. She balled her hands into fists and placed them against her forehead. "No, I..." She shook her head back and forth. "I didn't... God, why am I so stupid?!"

Roy took hold of her hands and lowered them. "Look at me," he said firmly. When Riza reluctantly met his gaze, he ordered, "Stop it. Don't talk about yourself that way. None of it's true." Seeing that she was about to protest, he cut her off. "You're worth so much more than that. And I'm not going anywhere."

After a moment's hesitation, Riza nodded her head slowly. He was still looking at her. She hated when he looked at her like that, as if he saw all the way to her soul. She faltered. Her shoulders slumped and her hands relaxed. "Okay," she murmured, lowering her eyes. She knew he was right. Even though she didn't believe a word of what he said on her own, when he spoke like that, she knew that he was speaking the truth as he saw it. She looked up when she felt Roy's arm drape across her shoulders, and, when he moved closer to her, she let him. He was the only person who she allowed inside her personal space.

"I get it." Riza leaned back to look at Roy when he spoke. "You have every right to be scared. I would be. All we can do is prove to you that not everyone's like your dad. But for us to do that, you have to let us in a little bit. Not just me, either."

Riza nodded once and chose to rest her head against him. The silence that followed was more comforting to her than his words. She could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat, and she let her breath follow the rhythm. It was a simple reminder that she was alive. The thought terrified her, but, for the first time, she didn't let it take her. Her fear of living, she wondered, perhaps came from fear of solitude. Realizing that she was becoming philosophical, she chased away her thoughts; if she stayed with them too long, the fear would return. She settled with the fact that, in this moment, she was simply, without force or obligation, happy to exist, with all the ups and downs that entailed.

The train's shrill whistle brought Riza out of her meditation, rudely bringing her back to the world. She straightened up and looked out the window. Their speed had slowed considerably, judging by how quickly the fence posts passed by. Other than those spaced markers, there was virtually nothing but farmland. She found comfort in the familiar scenery; their return trip would have them disembarking in an almost identical area. As had become their custom, Roy gathered their bags while Riza grabbed any possessions they had taken out during the ride. With their forward planning, the two children were able to shuffle through the corridors as soon as the train stopped, avoiding the crowd. Riza was one step ahead of Roy, who was acting as a buffer between her and the rest of the passengers trying to disembark. Slipping through the bottleneck, they found a space on the platform to catch their breath.

Roy looked over Riza's head with surprise and confusion. He tried to process what he saw, but the only words that came to him were "What up with the sheep?"

Riza turned to follow his gaze, quirking an eyebrow when she saw what he was talking about. Despite living around farmland, she had never seen so many sheep in her life. She thanked luck that they were far enough away that they couldn't smell the animals. "I... have no idea."

The pair turned their heads in unison as one of the cargo doors screeched open, followed by an outpouring of sheep of all sizes. Two black and white dogs kept them grouped together, herding them according to the whistled commands of their master.

"Amazing animals, aren't they?"

Riza turned around to face her grandfather while Roy merely looked over his shoulder. The old man was dressed in his military uniform, complete with a cap that tried its best to contain his wild, grey hair. Riza smiled to herself, holding onto the joy she felt when her assumptions proved wrong. Before she could say anything, Roy spoke up.

"Yeah, it's impressive that the dogs are able to move and react like that without much direction."

"Well, yes, but I was talking about the sheep." The general chuckled. "This festival's about them, after all."

"What are we doing here, grandfather?" Riza made an involuntary face when she saw a man wearing a headband with sheep's ears.

"We're here for the annual Sheep Festival, of course. I'm here to show the military's support of the local farmers. Well, that's the official reason. I've been coming to the festival for the last ten years. After all, there's no festival quite like the ones in Risembool!" Grumman walked down the wooden steps, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "There's plenty to entertain the two of you for days. We'll be here until Friday, after all."

Roy looked over at Riza, his face contorted in a dramatic presentation of horror. Riza stuck a hand in his face and lightly pushed it away. She could tell that this festival, for whatever reason, was important to her grandfather. She, at least, was going to do her best to enjoy it. It took a few jogged steps for her to catch up with Grumman; Roy remained on the platform, in shock, until he had to run to catch up.

"And over there's where the merchants set up. So many people come through during the festival that it draws in anyone who has something to sell." Grumman pointed to the east, and then moved his hand a bit to the south. "That's where we'll be staying. The townsfolk take it upon themselves to let me stay in one of their homes each year. I'm beginning to suspect that they draw lots to see who has the displeasure." His moustache twitched as he laughed, appreciating his own humor.

Riza studied the house at the end of the path. The white paint looked like it has been recently touched up. The grass was trimmed and flowers bloomed in a garden by the door. Even the fence was repaired and freshly painted. It was a beautiful home, one she wished she could have for herself. When Grumman opened the front door unannounced, she suddenly felt uncomfortable. She hesitated in the doorway until a brown haired woman with kind eyes peered from around a wall further down the hallway. "Please, come in," the woman insisted with a smile.

Riza walked into the hall and began to remove her shoes by the doormat. The last thing she wanted was to be seen as rude. Roy joined her, whereas Grumman continued walking down the hall. "Are those the children?" the woman asked, moving out into the corridor. She was drying her hands on the bottom of her apron, which hung, untied, down to her thighs.

"The blonde-haired girl is my granddaughter, Riza." Grumman nodded towards her. She had just finished putting her shoes away, and she had enough time to smile at the brunette before her grandfather moved on. "The boy is Chris's son, Roy. My future grandson." Grumman chuckled at Roy's sudden, visible embarrassment, which was made worse when the woman joined in on his laughter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." The woman bowed ever so slightly. "My name's Trisha. You'll be staying with us while the festival is going on."

"Yes, we've had the misfortune of gaining the general's company this time around." Roy nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a man standing beside him, outside a room that he had failed to notice. The figure was tall and broad-shouldered, but his face juxtaposed his physique. A pair of glasses perched on his nose, and his golden hair was pulled tightly back. His beard was long, yet surprisingly straight. The grin he wore was contagious. "It was only a matter of time before I had to open my home to this geezer."

"I'm not all that much older than you, mind." Grumman retorted. "I can still drink you under the table, too, Van. Be careful who you call a geezer."

Roy had long since stopped paying attention to the conversation. Through the open door, he was able to determine that the room from which the man appeared was an alchemic study, the nicest he had ever seen. It was smaller than Berthold's, but it was far more organized and, from what he could see, complete. Overcome by his curiosity, he took an involuntary step toward the room, only to be caught by the arm. Riza held his forearm back with one hand, giving him a look that said don't you dare.

Roy turned away from the study, brought back to the present by her glare. He was relieved to see that no one had been paying attention to him. Riza moved her hand away and turned to the adults to speak. "Would you mind showing us to our rooms? We'd like to spend some time exploring." Roy couldn't remember agreeing to this.

"You two go on ahead. We can take your bags up for you." The blond man suggested.

Riza wasted no time in putting on her shoes again. "Thank you, sir." She practically pulled Roy out the door before he had a chance to tie his laces. When the door shut behind them, Grumman sighed longingly.

"Oh, to be young and blindly in love."

Van Hohenheim clapped him on the back. "You argue that you're young one moment and reminisce that you're old the next. You're an interesting one, general."

"I try my best." Grumman's eyes shone with mischief.

"Teasing the children like that's not all that kind, is it?" Trisha gave her houseguest a disapproving look.

"Perhaps not. But I'm willing to wager that you'll do the same by the time we leave."

"The last wager you made left you drunk as a skunk and penniless when Pinnako drank you both under the table," Trisha remarked, looking back and forth at the two men.

"That's right!" Grumman hit the upturned palm of his hand with his fist, spinning to face his friend. "I promised her a rematch. She's not going to get the best of me this time!"

"What the hell was that about?" Roy demanded. He knelt in the dirt at the end of the path, tying his shoes. The frown on his face wasn't his usual, playful exaggeration. "We just got there. Hell, I had barely taken off my shoes."

"I'm sorry." Riza swung her feet from where she sat on the fence. "I panicked. I thought about Father and what he would have done were that his study. I was so focused on not being rude and not getting in trouble that I just blanked."

Roy straightened up and brushed his pants off. He found it hard to be annoyed with her; he could only imagine what reaction Master Hawkeye would have had, and she would have been smart to act that way if they were at home. Cracking his neck, he placed his hands in his pockets and looked up. "So what are we gonna do now? We can't just walk back in without explaining what happened."

"Grandfather said that there was plenty to do at the festival." Riza jumped down from the fence and began to walk backwards down the road and away from Roy.

"Yeah. A festival full of sheep." Roy followed after her, keeping their distance the same as they went. "We can go look at sheep. We could go sheepgazing. Or, hell, we might be lucky enough to see a lamb."

"Hush," Riza said without thinking, rather than making the sound itself. "What do you suggest, then, Mr. Sarcasm?"

"I mean, if you're so sheep-adverse, we could go to the market. But let me warn you, there might be sheep there, too."

"Roy." Riza's tone had the annoyed lilt to it that he was hoping for. When she turned her back to him, he seized his chance.

"What? I'm just saying that sheep could be lurking anywhere. They're evil, you know. Those beady little black eyes have no soul inside them. I wouldn't want you to be caught by surprise, after all." As he spoke, he gradually caught up with her. "They might... getcha!" His hands shot out and caught her by the shoulders.

Riza turned her head so that she could see him and arched an eyebrow. "I know you're not an idiot, but sometimes I wonder."

Roy huffed, removing his hands. "You're not fun," he complained.

"No, it's just that I'm not afraid of sheep. Like most people. You had so many other routes you could have taken, but you went with sheep. I'm disappointed in you."

"I don't know, I just sort of ran with it." Roy looked to the side and saw nothing but farmland. "There's not much to play off of here. Give a guy a little credit for trying."

"Alright," Riza relented, shaking her head despite her smile. "But no more sheep ghost stories. That's just an insult to the good ones."

"There are good sheep ghost stories?" Roy ducked when Riza made a swipe for the back of his head. He took off running, Riza hot on his heels, their laughter echoing down the road.