Chapter 14

It was a forlorn little group that made its way through the streets of Kanda toward the cul-de-sac where the Ruhad family lived. Grimly silent, Rada kept them moving at a quick pace, wanting to get home as soon as possible. She seemed on the verge of tears when Scar had folded her and his son into his arms and kissed her, but she managed a brave smile. Once he had kissed his children and climbed back up into the back of the truck, her smile disappeared.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am!" Ed called from where he was lagging behind, laden with the two baskets. "Miss Rada? I'm sorry, but could we slow down a little?"

Rada looked back over her shoulder and she stopped, a remorseful grimace on her face. "Oh, Edward! I'm so sorry! I forgot about your leg!" She gave a weary sigh and slumped despondently. "And this day started out so nicely!"

Danika, who had been scurrying along behind her mother, was looking just as unhappy, despite everyone's assurances. "Mama, everybody said it's gonna be all right, but if doesn't feel all right! It feels like a bad thing! I miss Papa!"

Rada reached down and pulled Danika against her hip in a distracted hug. "I know, sweetheart. I miss him too. But for right now, let's just get home."

"Zhaarana Rada!"

They all looked up to see Stoyan jogging up the street toward them. Rada let out a breath of relief. "Stoyan! Thank God!"

The young Ishvalan joined them. "What happened? Where is Zhaarad Andakar?"

Rada gave a wry half smile. "He's gone to join the circus."

Stoyan looked at her blankly. "What?"

"It was my idea," Winry said. "It was the closest thing we could get to getting him out of Ishval while the reporters are here."

Stoyan nodded. "I see. That makes sense." He smiled at her. "That was a clever idea, Winry."

Winry smiled back at him. "Thanks!" She gave a little start. "Oh, Stoyan! This is Ed! Edward Elric! He came all the way out here to find me!"

Stoyan turned to the young Amestrian at Winry's side and he subtly drew himself up to his full height, putting him at a broad hand's breadth over Ed. "Yes, we've met." He then glanced down at the baskets Ed was holding. "Here, let me take one of those!"

"Sure." Ed readily handed him the heavier basket.

They resumed their way home with Stoyan striding ahead next to Rada. "Everyone should know by now," he told her. "Now it's just a matter of waiting it out."

"Yes, I know," Rada replied wearily. "God only knows what will happen in the meantime! And where are all the pullers?" she added irritably. "Andakar doesn't mind walking everywhere, but I certainly could have used them right about now!"

"They're all waiting near the northern edge of town for the reporters to get here," Stoyan explained. "I think their plan is to pull them all over Ishval and yet somehow never find anything."

"Oh, I see." Rada shifted Mattas from one shoulder to the other. "In that case, I suppose I shouldn't complain."

Stoyan nodded in commiseration, then glanced over his shoulder at Winry. Noticing Ed's limp, he turned around and held out his hand. "Are you hurt?" he asked. "I'll carry that other basket."

Ed was about to oblige him, but then he shook his head, not wanting to appear like a complete wimp. "No, I can handle it. And I'm not hurt. It's just my automail leg."

"Which I'm going to fix as soon as we get back," Winry said. "And I'm going to give him a severe talking to," she added with an affectionate look at Ed.

"I see." Stoyan glanced briefly at Ed's leg with mild curiosity. Ed thought he saw a look of disdain in the young Ishvalan's eyes, but he mentally shrugged off the idea as too paranoid. Then Stoyan turned to Winry with a smile. "Then he's in excellent hands."

Winry dimpled. "Oh, he knows that!"

"Yeah, I know that," Ed added for emphasis.

Stoyan started to turn away, then nodded at the basket Ed was holding. "You're sure you can carry that all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Ed replied firmly. There was no way he would give it up now. "Thanks!"

Stoyan went back to walk beside Rada, and Ed made a mental note that he wasn't the only one who was going to get a talking to.

By the time they got back to the house, the twins were asleep again. While Rada and Winry went to lay them down in their room, Stoyan set down his basket and waited for them. Ed wondered if he should make some light conversation, but all he think of to say would be why are you showing off in front of my girlfriend. It was a relief when Rada reappeard.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Stoyan promptly asked her.

"No, I don't think so," she told him. She thought for a moment, then added, "You know, you're probably going to have some of those reporters wanting to talk to the governor."

Stoyan nodded grimly. "I'm sure I will. I'll simply tell them that he's not in, that he's too busy trying to run Ishval to waste any time on them. The vultures!" he added in a mutter.

"I know." Rada gave him an affectionate pat on the arm. "But Andakar is depending on you to make sure his office is still running smoothly."

"Yes, of course! I'll be there if you need anything."

"Thank you." Rada turned to look around the front room. Danika was sitting glumly on one of the cushioned benches, her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them. Her mother gave a quiet sigh, then turned to Ed. "You're welcome to stay with us, Edward," she said. "If you don't mind sleeping out here."

"Oh. Are you sure? I don't want to put you to any trouble." Ed looked a little sheepish. "I did kind of drop in unannounced."

Rada managed a smile. "Of course I'm sure."

"That's very kind of you," Ed said. He gave a sudden start and clapped his hand to his forehead. "My suitcase is still on Havoc's truck!"

"I'll make sure it gets sent here," Stoyan said readily as he headed for the door.

"Thanks. That's very…helpful." Which is probably this guy's middle name, Ed thought, a little ungraciously.

Rada closed the door after Stoyan and looked over at her guests. "It's too bad all this is happening just when you came out to visit, Edward." She smiled at him wanly. "You're not seeing us at our best."

Ed waved his hand. "Oh, don't worry about me, Miss Rada. I'm pretty good at rolling with the punches." He was tempted to add that he wouldn't have missed this for the world, but he wasn't quite sure about that yet. He also didn't think she would feel the same way.

Roy dropped into his favorite chair and rubbed his face, groaning softly. "Well, that's what I get for going in on the weekend."

Riza watched him apprehensively. When he came home she was alarmed by the look on his face. She'd had an odd feeling all morning, but she had dismissed it as just another hormonal fluctuation. She was seven and a half months pregnant and she was not in the mood for alarms. "What happened?" she demanded.

Roy looked up at her. Being pregnant seemed to have made Riza's gaze even sharper and more determined. He almost smiled. "I only meant to pick up some files, and while I was there, a radio transmission came in from Miles. He said Ishval's been invaded."

Riza's eyes widened with shock. "What?" she cried.

"By reporters."

Riza flinched and blinked. Then she glared at him. "Don't scare me like that, Roy! I started picturing a massacre!"

"Well, there just might be," Roy replied. "In the figurative sense."

Riza shook her head impatiently. "What's the status? I want details!"

Now Roy allowed himself a tiny smirk. She might no longer be in uniform, but her mind still worked with military precision. "They arrived on the train at Ishval station a couple of hours ago. By now they should be straggling into town. The populace has been notified and Miles reports that he is ready for them."

"And the provincial governor?"

"Is in a secure location," Roy replied. "They've done everything they can do. The next train doesn't come in until the day after tomorrow, so they've got these jokers on their hands until then."

"Was this all prompted by that piece in The Delver?"

Roy nodded. "It appears so."

Riza scowled thoughtfully, resting her hands on her belly in an absent manner. "Where did this hunger for sensationalism come from!" she fumed.

"You can thank the public for that."

"It's disgraceful! And whatever happened to responsible journalism?"

"I think it wasn't so much that journalists were ever responsible," Roy said, sitting back wearily. "Under the previous regime, they were heavily controlled. Not that the previous regime ever admitted to that," he added. "Now the newspapers are having a field day."

"They just might," Riza agreed grimly. She let out a long sigh. "This could be bad."

"Potentially, yes. Not only will it make the administration look bad, but that wonderful public that adores a good scandal could demand that Scar finally be put on trial."

"They have no right! They owe him their lives!"

"All the public knows is that some Ishvalans helped put down the attempted takeover. Another one of those details that was kept vague, along with Scar's disappearance. No one has either denied or confirmed his death."

"The public hasn't been demanding that we be put on trial," Riza remarked with some bitterness. "And we have a lot more blood on our hands."

Roy knew she meant those remaining so-called heroes of the Ishvalan war and he nodded. That was something the public seemed to have conveniently forgotten and would probably shrug off as the unfortunate but necessary detritus of war. He could easily picture them not being so forgiving as far as Scar was concerned.

"Well, they have to find him, first."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Riza's expression grew unhappy as her protective, maternal instincts were rising to the surface. "It must be so hard for Rada and the kids, having this hanging over them all the time."

"It must be." Roy lifted his hands in a gesture of frustration. "But if our illustrious Fuhrer would stop sitting on his hands and finally grant Scar an official pardon, we wouldn't have this problem anymore!"

"Didn't you bring that up when you were in Central last month?" Riza asked.

"I did." Roy let out a dismissive snort. "He's playing cautious. I think the old fox is planning on running for a second term."

Riza looked at him sharply. "Last time I talked to him, he was going on about how he was looking forward to retirement! That old fart!"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "That's your grandfather you're talking about, you know."

"Then I think I'm entitled to call him as old a fart as I like," Riza snapped. "This country has to move on!" she declared. "Amestris has entered a new age, and we have to stop holding on to old animosities! Ishval isn't screaming for our blood anymore, so we shouldn't be screaming for any of theirs!"

Roy stood up and went over to take Riza by the shoulders. He kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'm hiring you as my campaign manager."

She fixed him with a sudden look of resolve. "First things first, Roy! If Grumman won't do anything, we need to take matters into our own hands!"

Roy gave her a quizzical, slightly apprehensive look. "And how are we going to do that?"

"By going over his head!" Riza declared. A little smirk curled at the edge of her lips. "Or maybe I should say around it."

She turned away and headed for the telephone. Picking up the receiver, she dialed a number that very few people had access to. She waited for a few moments, then said. "Yes, hello, this is Riza Mustang…I'm very well, thank you, Smithers. May I please speak to Mrs. Bradley?…Well, it is something of the nature of an emergency…Yes, of course…"

With the headset still to her ear, Riza gave Roy a conspiratorial smile. "Now we'll get something done!" Her attention quickly returned to the telephone. "Hello, Mrs. Bradley! How are you?"

Inside the large tent that housed the elephants, Hyacinth and her fellow performers, Rose, Daisy, and Violet, watched the big Ishvalan pace slowly back and forth across the straw laden ground. Sitting on a bale of hay, Todd cracked open another peanut shell and held out the nut meats to the pachyderm matron.

Poor fellow! she observed as the flexible tip of her trunk wrapped around the peanuts and brought them up to her mouth.

"Yes, ma'am," Todd replied dutifully.

He is rather fine, Daisy, the youngest, remarked. For a human, I mean.

Rose let out an amused huff. Really, dear. He's not exactly your type. Besides, he's spoken for.

Yes, I know that! Daisy replied haughtily.

Ladies… Hyacinth chided them gently.

Todd, darling, Violet called, waving her trunk at their caretaker.

Todd quickly got to his feet and cracked open another few peanuts. "Here you go, Miss Violet."

Thanks, dear. You're a love!

Todd, darling, Hyacinth said. Call him over.

"Yes, ma'am." Todd brushed the bits of shell from his hands and went over to the far end of the tent where Scar had paced. "Excuse me…uh…Mr. Governor, sir. The ladies would like a word."

Scar turned and frowned at the young man. "The ladies?"

Todd gave a nod over his shoulder. "Miss Hyacinth."

Scar looked past him at the row of elephants. He would have told this young man to not bother him with something so outlandish if it weren't for the fact that there were four sets of eyes gazing back at him with such uncanny intent.

"If you don't mind, sir," Todd added.

Scar followed the young chimera back over to where the elephants stood. They were not in an enclosure. Darius said that they had better manners than that. Hyacinth lifted her trunk and curled the end of it, and Scar was sure she was beckoning him closer. As he stepped up to her, she raised the tip of her trunk and let it linger for a few moments over the scar on his face. She rumbled quietly.

"She says you have their sympathies," Todd translated.

Rose, standing next to her, gave a couple of hisses through her trunk. "Miss Rose said that humans can be so awful sometimes."

Hyacinth tapped Scar gently on the shoulder and murmured again. Todd gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "But…um…" He cleared his throat. "Miss Hyacinth said that you're…um…rather dear."

Scar lifted an eyebrow at the young man and Todd shrugged. "Her words, sir."

"I'm not questioning that," Scar replied. "I'm just wondering why she thinks that."

Hyacinth let out a soft whuffling sound, and Todd's amber eyes widened a little. Then he nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

He stepped onto the bale of hay and reached up to unbuckle the ornamental leather headdress that sat over Hyacinth's forehead. Pulling it away, he revealed a long, thin, ropey scar that ran from above Hyacinth's eyes to the beginning of her trunk. It looked as though the original wound had been deep and very painful.

Todd patted the elephant's trunk with a sorrowful look. "The handler before me got drunk one night and hit Miss Hyacinth with a shovel." He turned to Scar. "He's no longer with us."

Scar did not ask just how permanent the previous handler's punishment had been. Hyacinth rumbled again.

"She says you've known cruelty, and you've known kindness, just like her," Todd explained. "And like her, you let the kindness win out."

Scar gazed at Hyacinth's scar for a moment, then reached up and touched it gently with his fingertips. He shook his head. "I didn't," he admitted. "Not for a long time."

Todd smiled. "She knows it takes a while sometimes. She says it was the same for her."

Hyacinth draped her trunk affectionately over little Petal, who stood dozing at her mother's side.

"Besides, she knows a good parent when she sees one," Todd translated. "After that, she says, everything else falls into place."

Scar smiled slightly and inclined his head, feeling humbled. "Thank you, Zhaarana Hyacinth. I'm honored by your regard."

"She says, don't mention it, sweetie."