Only Shadow reviewed last chapter…That makes me more depressed than I can say. T~T Guess it's my own fault for waiting so long, but still, I thought at least someone would review. No offense, Shadow, but you don't count. :P
So this time around, if she's the only one who reviews, I won't be updating again. It's not worth it to write something I'm only half-hearted about to begin with when no one wants to read it anyways. (Again, Shadow you don't count.)
Well, on to the chapter.
Chapter Three
Allan returned some time later, but he didn't speak a word to anyone until they reached the Mustangs' home. When they got there, it was almost impossible for him not to speak; May greeted them at the door, and she's one of those people you just can't help but smile with.
She took after her father with her long black hair and outwardly carefree attitude, but the angled face, sharp eyes, and even sharper wit clearly came from her mother. She grinned as she opened the door and Raihna grinned with her before they rushed to embrace each other. "It's been so long, Ray! You should've come to visit sooner!"
"I didn't see you down in Resembool!" Raihna retorted. May is the only one that calls me 'Ray'—the only person I allow to call me by that name. It's kind of like her sisterly nickname for me, one that brings us closer both in similarity in names and in familiarity with one another.
"Al, what are you doing hiding in the back?" May teased. "Get over here so I can give you a hug!" Allan reluctantly came forward and May engulfed him, too. From where Raihna stood in the hallway, she could clearly see Al's face redden.
"It's good to see you again, May," he said, awkwardly patting her back.
"May, help us with the guest room for a moment, won't you?" Mustang asked, heading up the stairs at the end of the hall. Hawkeye went into the kitchen while May followed her father upstairs, running up the steps two at a time.
"So you still have a crush on May, Al?" Raihna asked, elbowing him playfully.
He looked away in embarrassment. "I've never had a crush on her; she's a cool girl, but I don't have any feeling for her beyond those of her being my cousin."
"We're not blood-related, if that's what you're worried about," Raihna pointed out. "Besides, how do you know she doesn't like you back? You should ask her out while we're here!"
"Have you already forgotten why we're here in the first place?" Allan sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The alchemists' exam—"
"The exam will happen as it happens," Raihna interrupted. "But in the meantime, why not enjoy yourself? There's no point in going adventuring if you aren't having fun while you're at it."
Before Allan could argue, Hawkeye poked her head around the kitchen doorway. "Raihna, could you run out and buy a few things for me? I hate to ask you to do a chore for me when you've only just arrived, but there are some things I need for tonight's dinner."
"Okay," Raihna agreed readily. She had the feeling her aunt was just giving her an excuse to get out of the house and explore Central like always when she came down. "What do you need?"
"Just some milk and bread," Hawkeye answered. "Do you remember where the store is?"
"Yes, ma'am," Raihna replied, just as May came running back down the stairs.
"You're leaving?" she asked sadly. "But you just got here!"
"I'll be back soon," Raihna grinned. "Well, unless I get distracted," she admitted as an afterthought.
"No hurry," Hawkeye told her, smiling. "There's money on the side table next to the door."
"I'll be on my way then," Raihna called over her shoulder, already halfway out the door as she grabbed the money off the table.
The streets were busy at this time of day; it was early evening, so most people were just getting off work. Raihna found a few familiar faces in the stores she passed, but only stopped to talk to a few of them. Mostly she waved and continued making her way to the grocery store.
The store was as she always remembered it; small, but in a cozy sense, with signs advertising sales and specials plastered on the windows behind boxes of fruit and vegetables. The store itself was hardly ever busy, but it had the best produce around; or at least, it did when Raihna was here last. She wondered if they'd had some competition move in recently.
As she walked in, she saw the manager, a sturdy old woman named Becky, in back talking with a dark-haired boy who looked to be maybe sixteen years of age. He glanced at her as she walked in, but she didn't recognize him, so neither of them said anything. Then the manager turned around to look when she realized he no longer had the boy's attention.
Spotting me, the old woman smiled. "Miss Raihna, I haven't seen you around here for years. What have you been up to?"
"Nothing much," Raihna answered, smiling in turn. "I'm staying in Central with Uncle Mustang and Auntie Hawkeye for a little while, and Auntie asked me to go out and get some things."
"Well, you'll have to stop by and visit us more often before you have to leave," Becky told me. "I'm sorry my husband isn't here to see you right now."
"That's okay; it means I'll just have to come for another visit," Raihna replied. She looked down the aisles and asked, "You didn't move the bread and milk, did you?"
"No, dear, they're still in the back," Becky answered. They were easy enough to find, so Raihna took what she needed and went to the cash register to pay. To her surprise, it was the boy from earlier who rung her up.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you to our newest worker," Becky said, coming out from a back room and wiping her hands off on her apron. "Miss Raihna, this Jason; Jason, this is Raihna, the niece of some friends that live a little ways from here. She comes from Resembool in the east."
"You mean the niece of the Fuhrer and his wife?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. This close, I can see his eyes: dark blue, with a tiny shade of green around the iris. Pretty.
"The very one," Raihna answered. "I'm surprised you know who they are, though; Uncle said since he was just appointed, not many people know who he is yet."
"It isn't that hard to keep track of the leader of your country," Jason muttered, bagging the groceries and handing them to me. In my other hand, he dropped the change. "Please come again."
"Jason, why don't you escort Miss Raihna home?" Becky asked, looking outside the window. "It's getting dark out, and your shift is almost over anyways."
"I can make it home on my own," Raihna hastily objected, just as Jason said, "I really should be getting home, though."
"Come on, you two, it won't hurt to be on the safe side," Becky said firmly. "Now get going before it gets any later.
Jason sighed and untied his apron, stowing it under the counter and slinging a bag over his shoulder. He jerked his chin up in a way that said 'let's get going,' so Raihna lead the way out of the small shop promising Becky that she'd come visit again soon.
The silence between them was almost excruciatingly painful. Trying to start a conversation, she asked, "So how do you like working at Miss Becky's?"
"It's alright," Jason answered, offering nothing else. So they continued on in silence once more. "What are you doing up here in Central?" he finally asked.
Pleased that he was the one taking the initiative this time, Raihna answered, "I've come to take the state alchemists' exam with my brother."
"Really?" he asked, sounding somewhere between doubtful and intrigued. "You know anything about alchemy?"
"I know plenty about alchemy," Raihna quipped, suddenly irritated. "What, you think you're some kind of expert?"
He laughed softly, shaking his head. "Sorry, it just seemed kind of strange for a kid like you to be taking the state alchemists' exam."
"The Full Metal Alchemist took the exam when he was twelve and became famous after the fact," Raihna flared.
"What, he your idol or something?" Jason asked. "Look, cases like that are special; he was a natural born genius."
"Is," Raihna corrected.
He blinked. "What?"
"The Full Metal Alchemist is a natural born genius," Raihna said. "Present tense, not past. He's still alive, you know."
"Right," Jason replied, rolling his eyes.
"What about you, then?" Raihna challenged. "What do you know about alchemy?"
"Quite a bit more than you do, I'd guess," Jason answered.
"Really then?" Raihna said through gritted teeth. "Then how about you go out for the state alchemists' exam, too? Then we can see which of us is truly the more skillful alchemist."
"Sorry, but I don't have the time for such childish games," Jason sighed, as though he were dealing with a little kid.
"Right, more like you're just afraid to find out the truth," Raihna sneered. That must have hit some kind of nerve, because Jason grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her down a deserted side-alley. She wasn't particularly nervous; if he tried anything, she could just kick him across the skull with her automail leg and he'd be out cold for a good few hours.
He finally stopped when he must have judged they were a good enough distance away from the main street, because he dropped her hand and spun around to face her. "If it's a competition you want, then we'll have a competition right now."
"How unexpected; you're actually very competitive," Raihna mused. "Alright, I'm game. So what's the goal and who's the judge? Obviously it can't be me or you."
"It'll be the type of competition that doesn't need a judge," Jason replied. "A one-on-one fight using alchemy; whoever gets the first hit wins."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Raihna agreed, smiling viciously. It had been awhile since she'd sparred with Allan, so maybe this would—
"Rain, what are you doing?" Raihna blinked in surprise and look up to see Allan leaning out one of the second floor windows, watching her and Jason suspiciously. "Is there something wrong?"
"We were just about to have a friendly little competition between alchemists, Al," Raihna answered, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Allan's frown deepened. She really needed to work on lying better. "Ah, this is Jason; he works at Miss Becky's place. Jason, this is my brother, Allan."
"Geez, the next time you pick a fight, don't do it right outside Uncle's house," Allan sighed. "Besides, you're going to make a racket if you try an alchemist's fight here, not to mention all the damage you'll cause."
"That's not true," Raihna said indignantly.
"No, it's fine; I should be going," Jason interrupted. "We can settle this some other way, or at a later time."
"Fine," Raihna sighed, deflating. There wouldn't be any point in a contest now if he didn't want to do it. "I guess I'll see you around, then."
"Yeah," Jason agreed half-heartedly. "Good luck on your state alchemist's exam or whatever. You'll need it."
Raihna felt the color rising in her cheeks as she stomped up to the front door of Mustang's house. She gave herself a moment to calm down, then went inside and announced, "I'm back! I've got the groceries, too."
"Just set them on the counter," Hawkeye told her from the kitchen. Raihna complied, setting the change next to them. "So what do you think of Central? Anything new?"
"Yeah," Raihna answered sulkily. "There's this annoying brat that works at Becky's now."
"Oh, you mean Jason?" Hawkeye asked thoughtfully. "I've met him once or twice. He seemed rather charming."
"Hardly," Raihna snorted. "I'm going to go upstairs and study for the exam."
"I'll call you when dinner's ready, then," Hawkeye said.
"Thanks, Auntie," Raihna replied, briefly hugging her aunt before running upstairs. She saw now that the window Allan had leaned out of before belonged to the study, where he was busily copying down information from a text.
"You're really serious about passing this exam, aren't you?" she realized aloud.
Allan looked up as if just noticing her. "If you're going to do something, you should try your hardest. What's the point in doing something half-heartedly? You might as well not have done it at all."
"Then make some room at that desk so I can join you," Raihna declared, seating herself from across her brother and grabbing the nearest book from the pile Allan had dragged out from the surrounding bookshelves.
She was going to pass this exam and show that arrogant idiot just how good at alchemy she was. Even if it killed her.
So, kinda fillery? Maybe? I got to introduce two new characters, so that makes me pretty happy. :) If there's anything weird, just tell me and I'll try to fix it. You know, tense changes, PoV switching, that sort of thing. I must have caught myself putting present tense and first person in there at least a dozen times. D:
Anyways, please please please pleeeeeease review!