An entire day had passed since Rae privately talked with Alphonse Elric, and Rae was slightly surprised because of it. She had witnessed a military battle assessment that day, and although it was unusual to see the military hold such an event, she found herself interested in the outcome. After all, it was the Colonel and the Fullmetal Alchemist who were battling it off. Such a fight brought happiness to her heart, especially during the moments when the Colonel was caught off guard. However, her enjoyment didn't last long. It seemed only minutes before Rae found herself waking up the following morning to the beating of the rain against her dorm's window.

Despite the unpleasant weather, Rae woke from a peaceful sleep. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms in the air. While doing so, she hazily glanced around the room, found the clock on the wall, and yawned deeply. She was quick to realize that it was 10:30 in the morning and her uncle was long gone. However, this wasn't surprising. When it came to sleep, Rae was the complete opposite of Maes. He was what you would call an "early bird", and she definitely wasn't.

After undressing and changing into her usual clothes, Rae stepped outside the door. She traveled down a number of halls and found the building to be unusually empty. Rather suspicious, she changed her course of direction and headed for a particular office room. She had a strong feeling that Colonel Mustang was hiding something from her. She just knew it.

With the anger inside her gradually rising, the brunette quickened her pace. She turned down the hall leading to her destination and just when she thought she could reach it without delay, she came across Jean Havoc and Heymans Breda. Knowing them well, she knew something was up when they, at the sight of her, ended their conversation. Their strange behavior bothered her, but nonetheless she continued on her way.

Of course, that wasn't the end of Havoc and Breda. These soldiers had a mission to fulfill and weren't going to allow their target to get away from them, or at least, not without a fight. The two couldn't bear to picture the kind of punishment they would endure for failing orders. After all, their orders where given strictly by Colonel Mustang. They couldn't help remembering his exact words.

"I'm putting the two of you in charge of keeping Wind inside headquarters, and no matter what happens, KEEP HER AWAY FROM ME."

It wasn't until the lieutenants left Mustang's office when they understood what he meant. Scar was recently spotted that morning, so to keep Rae out of harm's way the Colonel intended to keep her inside East City Headquarters. As considerate as that may seem, the Colonel knew well Rae would see it differently. Being confined while Maes and the Elric Brothers were in a town with reported Scar sightings was something she could not do. Thus, the Colonel secretly assigned her two humble babysitters.

As much as Havoc and Breda loathed their assignment, they had no choice but to pursue it. They quickly snapped back into reality and dutifully went to work. While Breda followed closely behind, Havoc stepped up to the plate and walked beside Rae. "Hey, Squirt. Where yea headin'?" came the man's playfully tease.

Rae shot a quick glance at him, slightly irritated by his comment. As she looked forward, she asked bluntly, "Is Roy here?" She didn't bother to fully answer his question.

Havoc flinched. "Yeah, but what's the hurry?"

"I need to speak to him."

The soldiers exchanged uneasy looks. Obviously, they didn't have a plan. They remained silent for a brief moment until Havoc stuttered an out-of-the-blue question. "H-hey! Aren't you hungry? You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

"Yeah! Why don't you come with us to the mess hall?" Breda added, playing along.

This was getting pathetic. Rae knew they were trying to stall her. As she came to a stop, she briefly turned and narrowed her eyes. In response, the soldiers stopped on a dime and leaped back a couple feet. Perhaps they thought she was going to hurt them, although Rae didn't have that in mind. Instead, she stared at them both and stated the obvious. "You two are acting very strange today."

As Rae was about to turn around and continue on her way, Havoc took hold of her shoulder. "Easy there, Kiddo. The Colonel's busy anyway."

"I don't care." Rae spat, pulling herself free and walking off.

As a last resort, Havoc chased after her, snatched her arm, and pulled her to a stop. Outraged, Rae spun around and glared at him. "Alright, out with it! Why is HQ empty?! Is HE here?!"

The lieutenants widened their eyes in astonishment by how quickly she caught on to the situation. While Havoc sighed, Breda stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Sorry Rae. The Colonel gave orders to keep you here 'til things clear up."

"Is that so?" Rae murmured softly, pulling herself free from Havoc's grip, "We'll see about that." Spinning around, she was just about to dash off when Havoc, out of impulse, leaped forward, tripped, and grabbed hold of one of her legs. Thinking his weight would keep her still, the man was in utter surprise when he found himself being dragged to the Colonel's office.

Meanwhile, Breda stood momentarily stunned. When he finally woke from his daze, Rae was already at the door. He frantically raced after her, only to find that he arrived a second too late. The damage had been done, for there was the Colonel, sitting at his desk, glaring blankly at the now open doorway.

"You've got some nerve, Colonel!" Rae hissed, staring back at her superior with venomous eyes.

Roy sighed and went back to what appeared to be paperwork. "I don't have time to argue with you, Wind."

"And yet you have the time to sit around and do nothing while that bastard is-"

"Are you forgetting who you are talking to?" the Colonel snapped, looking up. "Know your place, Wind!"

Rae bared her teeth in frustration. She was quick to realize how correct he was and lowered her eyes to the floor. Seeing her reaction, Roy leaned back in his chair, composing himself. He studied her face for a moment and could tell she was more upset with herself than anything at this point. "Tell me, Rae," he then added, "What is it that you want from me?"

The brunette looked up from the floor and looked him in the eyes. "I want you to stop treating me like a child and let me help for once."

As Mustang stared back at her, he quickly responded. "Fine. I'll stop treating you like a child when you start acting like an adult."

Rae's eyes widened with disbelief. Was the Colonel right? Had she acted so reckless around the military that her image had been reduced to that of a child's? Such questions flooded her mind until she finally came to terms with herself and breathed out one last word.

"Fine."