I know I left everyone hanging from a cliff yesterday... And you're all going to hate me for saying this... but I'll be leaving you on another cliff... Bows repeatedly I'm sorry readers, I forgot where I'd cut off my stories.

Please don't be too angry, Read, review, flames are accepted for this chapter.

The next day Gracia took me out shopping, after she saw how little I had that actually fit me right. Hughes stayed at the house with Elysia and Ed and Al went to the State library to look up some stuff, they never told me what. Gracia found a lot of things but I wasn't able to pay for any of it, and I wouldn't let her pay for anything. So in the end we went to a clothing store and I bought a couple different kinds of fabric, two of them being black.

I brought them back to the house and took them to my room. I transmuted all of the fabrics into several outfits, or added it to my original clothes to help them fit better. It was amazing how many clothes I had now. After I finished making clothes, I went and played with Elysia and Hughes until dinner, which was when Ed and Al got back. Dinner was as playful as it had been the night before. I spent the hours after dinner in my room making more funny pictures of the people I'd met, until I was too sleepy to stay awake any longer.

I woke the next morning, early as ever, and dressed in a long sleeved black top and blue jeans. Carefully I folded my white clothes and put them in my bag, everything but my Sketch book and pencils out. It was still foggy out but by the time I finished packing my bag there were noises from down stairs, and few people moving about outside. I snuck downstairs, Gracia was making breakfast. I surprised her, and ate lightly. Hughes came down had some coffee and left for work looking sharp in his uniform. For the next few hours, until ten, I scuffled around the house. Elysia and I played games, I told her a story or two from my world. She cried when I had to leave, but I promised I'd be back.

The Brothers took me to Central Headquarters, were some guy I didn't know led me away from them, to a crowed room, where I would take the written test. It was easy, only about an hour and a half, but timed which reminded me too much of the SATs. Two hours after I'd left the brother, I was told everyone could leave, and to check the list at the front desk for the people who were to return the next day. I was the last to Exit the large room earning several rude looks from the older men when I tried to leave quickly.

I saw the brothers waiting for me next to a pillar and made a bee line for them, but paused when I noticed Ed looking annoyed. Mustang was standing next to him. I wanted to wander away and pretend I hadn't seen them but Al saw me first. He waved at me; I waved back and smiled wearily. "Hey Ed, Hey Al. Mustang, why the hell are you here?" I said coming even with the rest of them, Hawkeye and Havoc were standing out of ear shot.

"Hello to you to Hesperus, I'm fine thanks for ask asking." Mustang said crossing his arms, I did so too.

I pointed at myself, "Is this the face of a person that cares? No." I answered my own question more then a little annoyed, "Now, why are you here? I understand bugging us on the train, but here too, come on."

Mustang snorted, "Well I was here to see if I could pull a few strings for you and get you out of taking the middle test, but since you seem to thing I'm 'bugging' I think I'll see if I can get them to give you the hardest." He glared down at me, he was a head taller then me, but seemed to think he was much taller.

I glared right back; he wasn't going to win this round, "That would be a welcome change from that sorry excuse for a test I just took."

Mustang looked a little taken back; Point for me. "'Sorry excuse?' That test weeds out more then half of the people you saw in that room. Weeds out people who have been taking this test for years."

"Well then they must be complete Idiots. I saw harder tests four years ago," Point two for me, Mustang zero.

"They must be going easy on the Alchemists these days," Mustang countered trying to keep some face.

"Maybe your government is in such dire need of decent alchemists they lowered the Bar, I mean with people like you and Havoc, you society must be on the brink of Chaos." I said innocently, cupping my cheek. Game, set, match, Winner… me.

"That's it I'm leaving," Mustang said as angry as Ed had been a few minutes ago. He turned on his heel

"Hey Mustang," I called before he left.

Mustang turned his head in my direction.

"I do have something else besides insults to sling at you," I re-crossed my arms.

He turned.

"I get why they take several days to do these tests, they want to get rid of as many as they can, Right?" He nodded, "Well then, why doesn't the government make a school for alchemists, like an officer's school? And why did I get the feeling half the civilians in there wanted me dead?"

He blinked for a moment, a shocked look on his face, "I suppose no one's ever thought about doing that." He answered honestly, "As for why they want you dead, you're a woman. What other reason do you need?" He turned with a smirk and started to walk away, Havoc and Hawkeye following.

That pissed me off. I ignored Al's hands as he tried to stop me. I rushed Mustang and sent a solid punch through his cheek. "You arrogant BASTARD! Just because some ones a woman doesn't mean their weak!" I was yelling loudly at him as he sat wide eyed on the pavement. "Hawkeye's a woman, and she scares the crap out of you and her co-workers! Hell sometimes she scares the crap out of me! I bet if anyone ever insulted her they wouldn't live long! There are plenty of women out on the field fighting wars! Most of them make you look like a pansy. So if you ever make a comment like that again, you won't be alive long enough to regret it. GOT IT COLONEL?"

I stood over him a moment glaring as I caught my breath. A bruise was already forming on his cheek. Then I ran my fingers through my now long bangs and turned to Ed and Al, "Al give me my sword." He did so quickly, "I'll meet you both at the Hughes residence I need some air." With that I turned on my heel pushed past Mustang, and strolled down the sidewalk, the crowd that had gathered while I was shouting a Mustang parted like the Red Sea before me.

"Damn, I've never seen anyone with a personality like that one," Havoc said once I was out of ear shot.

I spent several hours out, wandering the city glaring at people who got in my way. When I got back to the Hughes residence I went strait up to my room and slammed my door, unfortunately there was no lock. I curled up on my bed an worked furiously on different pictures, finishing the one of Havoc and Ed, doing one of the Hughes family by memory, I promptly ignored the One of Mustang and Hawkeye, and did a Chibby version of Mustang running for his life from a winged version of myself.

I was working on a picture of Elysia asleep when Gracia knocked on the door. It was six or seven, Gracia had dinner with her, and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I didn't look up as she placed the plate on my desk. "I thought you might be hungry," She smiled warmly.

"Mmmhh," I replied an eraser in my mouth.

"You were very upset when you came home, you even scared the brothers. They've been avoiding your room like the plague," She said softly.

"Well All men are idiots," I erased a line with more force then necessary.

"Elysia was scared to come ask you if you wanted to play."

"I'll play tomorrow."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"NO."

She sat down on my bed, "Dalka…" She sounded worried.

I looked up, "What?"

She gently took my sketch book and placed it to one side, "Talk to me, please."

I looked away. I couldn't stand the look she was giving me, "Mustang told me, the entire reason a room full of men keep giving me this look, was because I was a woman." I crossed my arms over my knees, I still couldn't look at her.

"You know, he may be right." I looked at her hurt, "Think about it you're a young woman trying to become a state alchemist. There have only been maybe five female state alchemists in the past one hundred years, each of them were almost thirty when they finally became state alchemists. I think because they were women entering a place that's normally a man's they may have been looked down upon."

"That means they were strong," I interrupted, "they opened the door for other women. They deserve our respect."

Gracia smiled, "I know. My mother once told me a woman has to work twice as hard to gain half the respect of a man doing the same work. That's true no matter how long any woman's been in charge. Men always want us to do badly. They want to be the strongest, the most powerful, the most important. Sometimes we just have to put up with the way they treat us, there's nothing we can do to change it. I'm sure Roy knew this, and that's what he meant. He didn't mean to make you angry, he probably thought he was pointing out the obvious."

I looked at her sideways, "That still doesn't change how he said it. It sounded like an insult, like he wanted to hurt me."

She sat down next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, "I know, Roy's never known when how to explain things kindly." I leaned against her, enjoying the maternal feeling that surrounded me. I couldn't remember the last time I felt like that.

I pulled away reluctantly, "Thank you," I said in a small voice.

She nodded and picked up my sketch book, "Oh Dalka, this is amazing." She said seeing the picture of Elysia, "Did you do this?"

I nodded.

"May I look at the others?"

I shook my head and grabbed the book away from her defensively, "I haven't shown these to anyone, and I don't want to, not yet."

She smiled in an understanding way, "Alright, Why don't you eat and get to sleep. You have several big days ahead of you." She stood and left silently. I starred at the floor for a few minutes before I went to the desk and ate the meal she'd left. Once finished I put the dishes outside of my door, and went back to my picture this time in a proper state of mind. It was late when I finished but it had the most restful look to it, and I was proud of my work. I closed my book put it and my drawing things away, turned off the lights, and rolled into bed. I drifted away with the flow of the world, and into sleep.

Ok aparently I have no clue how I cut up this part of the story... So I'm going to go ahead and submitt two chapters tonight... So don't say I never did nothin' for you.

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