A/N: This was meant to be a one-shot. This was meant to be a 2000 word one-shot to appease the plot bunny that had jumped into my mind. And then I just kept writing. Now it's likely a three-shot. We'll see.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my take on an SI-OC in the FMA world, and the slow exploration as to why a Chemist should never be allowed to learn Alchemy.
December 3rd, 1901
She didn't realize where she'd been reborn until she was fourteen years old. And while part of her would always wonder if she could have done more, had she cottoned on earlier, that same part couldn't truly regret having gotten a proper childhood.
And for all the horrors she would later face, it was an idyllic childhood.
She'd been reborn the youngest of two daughters to a pair of bakers in a town that's only claim to fame was its proximity to a military academy.
Despite all appearances pointing to her having been reborn in the past–her birth certificate read 1887–she'd somehow always been treated with the same level of respect as she'd been afforded in her first life.
Her parents were bakers, simple folk, and yet they'd happily put both her sister and herself through schooling, had always supported her interest in science, and had never once suggested she would need to grow up to be the perfect wife.
It flew in the face of everything she'd known of the past but in the end she'd had to concede that her parents didn't care one iota that they were girls, just that they were happy.
Partly, she'd chalked it up to a cultural difference. She'd never been able to pin down the language they spoke. It had a name, of course, but she only knew the English name for languages so could never quite place it with her past knowledge.
Honestely, she'd just always assumed she was actually in Austria and had resolved to immigrate before the First World War could break out. The language barrier was a big reason she'd taken so long to figure it out. Being called Amestrian in that distinct European accent did not bring to mind an animated nationality from an anime she'd seen as a child. Rather it came across as the Austrian word for, well, Austrian.
Even in class when teachers would bring up the topic of alchemy she'd just assumed that was their word for chemistry. She'd been a Chemist in that first life and one of the more interesting things she'd learned was just how much chemistry had its roots in alchemy and philosophy, so it wasn't even an ungrounded assumption.
In the end, however, she learned the truth the day her sister met the man she'd marry.
The day had started off simple enough, her parents had been up since some ungodly hour, baking bread. Her sister had gotten up just a bit later than them to get started on breakfast, and she'd meandered down at some respectable hour.
After breakfast her sister and her had grabbed the baked bread and made their way to the military academy. The academy would buy the bread in bulk to serve to their cadets. It was one of the simpler jobs they had and normally went off without a hitch.
Only, on this day the guard seemed to be really on edge and refused to let them through the gate. He was willing to send a cadet out, to retrieve the bread and offer payment, but the academy was apparently on complete shutdown until further notice.
It had registered as odd, but the military was often odd so she hadn't questioned it.
Not until a boy–a cadet–barely sixteen years old had arrived to take their bread and introduced himself as, "Maes Hughes." It could have been a coincidence, she knew, Hughes was a common last name and for all she knew 'Maes' was a common first name in Austria of 1901. But as soon as she heard his name every 'coincidence' she'd ever brushed off came flashing back. And when her sister returned the favor, "nice to meet you cadet Hughes, I'm Gracia Frey and this my sister Elisa," the reality of her situation came crashing down.
She managed to push off her impending breakdown while Gracia invited Hughes to stop by their bakery on his next day off. She knew how observant her future brother-in-law (what the hell?!) was, it wouldn't do to act suspicious right when the military had upped their security.
Speaking of which...
"Cadet Hughes?" She called, causing brown eyes to shift her way, "uh. If you can't say, I understand. But, do you know why we weren't allowed inside today?"
There was a brief pause before a fake smile flashed across his face, "nothing to worry about Ms. Elisa, just a brief skirmish with some Ishvalan extremists. A small riot broke out, I'm sure it'll calm down soon, but the military does like to up its security during signs of conflict."
Her stomach dropped
"R-right. Thanks!"
She didn't realize where she'd been reborn until she was fourteen years old. After she'd met Maes Hughes, and learned the Ishvalan Civil War had already broken out.
Well, it was a nice childhood, while it lasted.
December 24th, 1901
The thing about being reborn into the FMA universe (Elisa would contemplate while helping her family bake a town's worth of Christmas cookies) was that there really wasn't much she could, or should, do.
For one, she didn't have a good grasp on the original timeline. She'd liked the show but it had never been one of her all consuming passions, so it wasn't as if she'd gone out of her way to memorize exactly when things had occurred.
She knew the Rockbells were killed during the Civil War, but not when in the war (nevermind where.) She knew Trisha died before the Rockbells–perhaps was already dead?
And she knew the boys likely tried to bring her back sometime after the war had ended, since Mustang was free to try and recruit a traumatized Ed.
But, everything she knew was in relation to the war, and she didn't know how long that lasted.
At some point the State Alchemists would be mobilized and the war would end. But "at some point" could mean in the next month, or in the next five years.
So, her first issue was a lack of information. Her second, however, was a lack of power.
Since there wasn't much she could do to affect things before canon her thoughts had moved to the canon timeline. After all, even if she could rush to Resembool as soon as the war ended and prevent the boys from doing human transmutation, how long before they just tried again? And, truthfully, could Amestris even be saved without Ed and Al in the picture?
If Elisa was honest with herself, the only things that even seemed worth trying to change were the fates of Nina and Hughes.
Neither of which she had the power to affect.
The problem was that Amestris was a military state. As a civilian she'd never be taken seriously, no one would believe her claims that Tucker had used his wife to make a Chimera. And the top brass would actively silence any attempt to bring that to light, what with Tucker being a viable candidate as a sacrifice. Hughes' death came with even more restrictions. As far as Elisa could recall he had died on base. Which was a place she wouldn't even be allowed near, not as a civilian. Even Sheska had to be hired on as a private to work a desk job at the records department.
But, Elisa couldn't join the military.
She'd worked in government in that first life, worked with Law Enforcement, she was no stranger to using science for the state. But the big difference between military and law enforcement was war.
Amestris was a country that was constantly at war with its neighbors. Even if she waited out the Civil War, waited to join until after the genocide was over, she could still, very easily, be called to a war front.
And she just couldn't.
It wasn't even about her morals. Yes, she thought killing was wrong and given the option she would always choose something else. But if she wasn't given the option? If it was her or her sister's life versus that of a stranger's? Well, she knew what she'd do. So it wasn't really about morals. Rather, it was about fear.
Elisa had already died once. And maybe you'd think that would inure her to a fear of death, except, it was actually the exact opposite.
She knew, better than probably anyone, what it meant to die. What it meant to lose everyone and everything you'd ever known. And it was not something she cared to repeat.
So, she didn't want to join the military.
But, of course, life doesn't always go the way you want.
January 11th, 1902
Cadet Hughes–
"Call me Maes, Elisa, I'm only two years older than you!"
–started coming around the bakery every free day he got. Maes claimed it was because they sold the best apple pies.
Gracia having recently taken over baking that dessert, a fact she'd dropped during that first interaction, was surely just a coincidence.
Her parents thought nothing of it. It was quite common for cadets to come into town and flirt with the locals. Nothing ever came of it, of course. Most of the local girls did try to snag themselves a military husband, but sixteen to twenty year olds at the start of their career weren't often looking to settle down. And the academy did do its best to educate against unwanted pregnancies and such traps.
So, her parents were pretty convinced this harmless flirting would fizzle out by the time Maes graduated.
Elisa, of course, knew better.
Not that she minded. While it was a younger sibling's job to feel like no one was good enough for their older sister, this was Maes Hughes.
This was the man who would worship the ground her sister walked on. Even now, at the very beginning of their friendship, when he was still but a boy, it was incredibly obvious how much he respected Gracia.
He respected her opinions, her time, her profession. Heck, he even respected her family, choosing to always show Elisa care when most people wanted to ignore the little sisters of the world.
While it was possible Gracia could fall in love with someone else, start a family far from Central and never get involved in the plot, the truth was Elisa wasn't actually sure there was a man out there who'd love her more than Maes.
It's why she was always polite to the boy. She didn't know if she'd existed in that original story, had very carefully not thought about why her sister would name her daughter Elicia, but she was going to make damn sure that she wasn't the one to screw up this relationship.
Which was why, when a cadet who was most certainly not Maes came around looking for Gracia, she'd been quick to step in.
"My sister's not interested."
Surprised dark eyes locked with apathetic green ones. "I apologize…but I am curious as to what your sister is uninterested in, as I have yet to ask her anything."
Elisa had been manning the register when this boy had pranced in asking after Gracia. Not after their desserts, or their bread. Not after the baker who made said desserts. No, he'd walked right in and asked to speak to Gracia. And Elisa didn't know this boy, but she knew her sister, if there was some young cadet out there who had the right to call on her she would have said something. So, this guy, whoever he was, was not welcome.
"You didn't need to. She doesn't know you, and she doesn't want to know you. So, unless you're here to buy something, I suggest you leave."
That would have been enough to chase most riff-raff off. The kind of guy who believed he was entitled to a date with a girl he'd never spoken to, was often also the kind of guy that would have stormed off in a huff at being talked down to by a fourteen year old girl.
Not this guy though, he was–annoyingly–smart enough to pick up on her loophole.
"In fact, I am here to buy something Miss...?"
"Frey. Elisa Frey."
"Right, well Miss Frey. I happen to be in the mood for some dessert. How much for a chocolate pastry?"
Her eyes pointedly looked at the little menu set up next to the register before moving back to the 'customer' and answering, "150 cens."
"Right, I'll take six."
"Fine." She snapped, and without missing a beat held out her hand, "that'll be 900 cens."
The boy's brows shot-up, "did you just do that in your head?"
"...multiplication? Yes?"
"But you did that in two seconds," his brows furrowed as if working out a complex problem, "do you normally sell in batches of six?"
"Not particularly, but 6 is just 3 and 2, and 150 doubled is just 300. Everyone knows 3 times 3 is 9. So, that's 900. Easy."
"...right. Your brain is very peculiar."
Elisa flushed.
She did know that. Even in that first life her brain had been divergent. But in this world, with a lifetime of memories of a different culture to shape her? There was no doubt she was different.
Still, he didn't have to point it out.
"Wh-whatever. Here's your pastries. Pay me and go."
The boy stared at the pastries, eyes still furrowed in shock "...your sister really is not using Hughes."
"What? Gracia?! Of course not!"
He nodded as if that confirmed something for him. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed, but Maes has been taking every chance to sneak into town, and he's just noble enough to be trapped in...well, I needed to check up on him."
And just like that Elisa felt her anger fade. She could easily imagine it, Maes sneaking off every weekend, returning to wax poetically about the most amazing baker. Going off about their future wedding, their kids, and already asking this boy to step in as best man.
Gracia and Maes weren't even dating, not yet, but this boy wouldn't know that. And she could respect taking care of your friends. Although, she was a bit curious...
"...I mean she definitely isn't using him, but how do you figure that? You haven't even spoken to her?"
"Well, for one, a family trying to make a good match through a soldier wouldn't have raised a daughter that's so quick to kick one out."
Which, okay, yeah if Gracia had been using Maes and Elisa was in on it then it'd be expected of her to let this boy in. Even if only with the intention to make Maes jealous enough to ask Gracia out.
It was the type of plotting her classmates would have definitely participated in.
Not exactly malicious, but definitely manipulative.
"And, secondly, they would have raised you to hide your intelligence in front of a possible suitor."
She wasn't quite quick enough to hide the disgust that crossed her face. But, thankfully, the boy wasn't offended. He just chuckled. "Not hitting on you, promise."
She flushed again, she'd been more disgusted by the idea of a woman acting dumb to reel a man in. But could see how her reaction could be interpreted differently...
"I wasn't, I mean, I don't want to, but, not like that! I just–"
Another chuckle. "It's fine, understood, you're young and just not interested in dating, yet. Good for you. Anyway," he held up the bag of pastries, "I've got to get this back to the barracks. Rub it in Maes face that I had the day off while he didn't."
Elisa nodded, letting the boy go. It was only as he was walking out the door that she realized–
"Hey! I never got your name!"
"Hmm? Oh," a smirk, "it's Roy Mustang." The door swung closed.
Of fucking course it is.
May 21st, 1902
After that Roy started joining Maes when their days off aligned.
Ostensibly it was to act as the chaperone. Her presence worked in so much as it allowed for no questions as to Gracia's virtue, but Roy's acted as a different sort of proof.
Should something happen to cause the military to have questions Roy could step in as a witness and ensure everything was, and had always been, above board.
Elisa was pretty sure that had been a test, too. If the sisters got mad at the implication that Roy was there to prevent allegations of pregnancy, or worse, rape, then he likely would have dragged his friend away.
But the Frey sisters hadn't batted an eye at the implication.
Neither of them would ever do something so heinous, but they also knew girls who absolutely would. In an ideal world it wouldn't be needed, but in an ideal world the sisters could safely walk the city at night. As it stood though, caution was the better part of valor.
It took their reaction and all of one day watching Gracia and Maes interact for Roy to realize he wasn't needed.
But still, he came.
To bug Elisa, if nothing else.
"Come on, I'm just having a bit of trouble with this one part."
"Aren't you an alchemist? Doesn't that require a strong grasp of mathematics?!"
"Sure. You need a good grasp on ratios and conversions. Geometry, too. But unless you're specializing in some highly theoretical stuff it doesn't rely on this type of math."
Elisa couldn't quite shake the thought that he sounded a little less than genuine.
"Anyway, I am good at math. Ask Maes, this professor is just horrific at teaching."
Elisa sighed and looked back at the problem puzzling through his work. "You need to change your coordinate system."
"What?"
She reached for the pencil, sketching out a diagram. "This problem is way too complicated in cartesian coordinates. But if you change to a polar coordinate system..."
Roy just watched her pencil move rapidly across the paper. Silently taking in this child–whose only experience with Calculus should have been the textbook he'd lent her last month–easily solve a problem using a method that should be impossible.
"Polar coordinates...in three dimensions?"
"What?"
Roy pushed on, excitement building. "Theorists use polar coordinates to record Alchemical arrays, but circles are always two dimensional. There's a way to utilize these coordinates in three dimensions?"
Elisa stopped writing, confused, before opening the textbook Roy had lent her.
"I could have sworn..." she muttered to herself before finding what she was looking for in the second-to-last chapter, "aha!" She flipped the book to face Roy, "see, it's right there. Mathematicians have been using this for like the last 80 years."
Elisa let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't thought that polar coordinates were a modern invention. She'd been very careful on the science side of things, Einstein didn't prove the existence of molecules until 1905. Until then they were just theorized. If this world ran along a similar timeline as her own then her knowledge was very dangerous and very unexplainable. So she'd been very careful with science, but her knowledge of mathematical history was much more scarce.
Elisa just assumed that everything she'd known about Calculus had existed and been proved long before the 20th century. 80 years was cutting it a bit close in her books, but it was old enough to have made it into the prevailing literature on the subject. So it was something she could have feasibly learned from the book.
"...I guess it's all the way in the back, so maybe you didn't learn it, yet. You probably could integrate in cartesian, that's just so much more work."
"...have you ever thought about studying alchemy?" Wide eyes shot up to lock with Roy's own. "I think you'd be really suited to the science."
Elisa externally froze, internally her mind was going a mile a minute.
She had no way of explaining her contradicting feelings to Roy. No way of explaining how the chemist in her was dying to explore the science. But how the scared little girl in her strongly associated alchemy with death.
She couldn't even point to a poor public opinion, State Alchemists had yet to join the Civil War so the general population still looked at them with the sort of reverence you'd bestow on a doctor.
In the end she settled for a half truth.
"If I could teach it to myself, I would. Or like, with a study group? But I," her eyes flickered to Gracia who was excitedly showing Maes how to shape cookie dough, "don't want to have to go off and live with a master."
Roy hummed to himself, "so if I can get you a textbook, you'll read it? Try out some of the beginner arrays?"
Elisa found herself nodding. That was probably fine, right? There were plenty of people in Amestris who knew the basics of Alchemy. It's not like she'd be forced to conscript just because she could transmute a doll, right?
"Great. Hey, Maes, sun's setting." Roy called smirking at the crestfallen look his friend was sporting. He nodded to the Frey sisters and turned to pull his friend out of the bakery. If he didn't force the issue they'd never make it back on time.
Walking away he cast one last look at Elisa. There was just something about her mind...
Roy had always been good at judging a person's value. Elisa as she stood was definitely a pawn, but given a clear path Roy had a feeling she could promote, and that gave her the ability to become anything.
Maybe.
July 6th, 1902
Alchemy, Elisa was quick to realize, was fascinating.
The first Law of Alchemy was Equivalent Exchange–to obtain something, something of equal value must be lost.
It was a Law that flew in the face of everything Elisa had ever learned in Chemistry, until she realized just how poorly Amestrians understood Chemistry.
In Chemistry, in Physics, there were several Laws of Conservation. It was accepted that Energy could be neither created nor destroyed only turned from one form to another. Likewise, mass was not lost in a reaction, as the name implied it was conserved.
Trying to reconcile these Laws greatly frustrated Elisa until she'd realized that what Alchemists meant by "lost" and what Chemists meant, were not the same thing.
A Chemist would use the word decomposition, the breaking down of things to their smaller, base parts. That wasn't loss, the elements were still there. In Elisa's mind, "lost" meant removed from existence, to be made into nothingness. As soon as she realized that's not what they meant, the rest of the theory clicked.
Suddenly she was able to take their esoteric ramblings and bridge the meanings with her prior knowledge. Claims of using tectonic plates to power arrays became the idea of converting geothermal energy into kinetic energy capable of interacting with and breaking bonds.
A line about circles being all connected became an understanding that the array was a circuit capable of magnifying or minimizing energy output as needed (based on the pre-drawn design.)
She now understood that an array was just a method for drawing up and directing energy. An Alchemist needed an idea of where they were starting, where they were ending and how much energy it would cost, when drawing the array.
But that was it.
The rest was entirely down to their own personal understanding of the reaction.
Put another way, an alchemical array may state that you are starting with wood and ending with water, and it might have a set energy output written in, but to actually work the alchemist activating the array would need to understand what wood was made of. They'd need to be able to mentally strip away the hydrogen and oxygen, leave behind the carbon, and force the atoms to interact.
Suddenly Elisa understood why Mustang could walk around with his flame array visible to everyone. A combustion reaction started with a hydrocarbon and oxygen and ended with fire. That was well known, and wearing that fact on your glove did nothing to explain what was actually being done.
Now she understood why alchemists had notes. Understood why they learned to code them and carried them everywhere. The array was only the face of the reaction. The true science was done with pen and paper in a small book long before an array was ever drawn.
It was still magic. Being able to draw up energy and force it to obey your will was nothing short of pure magic. But it was definitely a hard magic system, something that Elisa could puzzle through and actually make headway with.
Alchemy was fascinating but, more importantly, to a girl who used to generate 3D models of molecular interactions, certain aspects were also dangerously easy.
Roy had demanded to be there before she tried her first array, so she waited until his next day off that overlapped with Maes. Two months after he first dropped the textbook off.
Roy probably thought her a real child with how quickly she ushered him to the array she had finished that morning. But Elisa didn't care, this was the day she would learn if she could do magic.
"Carbon to carbon?" He questioned, fingers tracing the symbols before shooting Elisa a confused look. She just smiled and nodded, reaching for the circle.
Her idea was to start off simple. No changing molecular configurations, definitely no changing atomic configurations (as would be needed to transmute one element into another) keeping to the same atoms, just, stacking them differently.
It made perfect sense in her mind.
So she placed a chunk of graphite on an array and pulled. Pulled energy up from deep below the ground. Pulled apart the thrice bonded carbons of graphite. And then pulled them back together into tetrahedral clusters.
Elisa carefully kept the image in her mind, a 3 dimensional tessellation stretching out in every direction, until, at last, every carbon of the original material found a new home.
When she was done the light drew back revealing a small diamond.
Elisa shot Roy a huge smile at her success. Only to let it fall at his look of absolute shock.
"Is that a diamond?"
"...yes? It's fine, right? The book only mentioned transmuting gold as a taboo, it didn't say anything about gems?!"
Roy just shook his head in disbelief. "It's not a taboo, but that's mainly because up until now no one has been able to successfully transmute a crystal."
"Wh-what? No, that can't be right! What about ice? This isn't too different than turning water into ice crystals!"
Roy's eyes sharpened.
"You can freeze water with alchemy?"
Elisa bit back the thought that she could probably freeze water vapor with alchemy.
"...I don't know? Maybe?"
"Right, well," his eyes darted to Maes and Gracia who looked on in confusion. "Elemental manipulation is considered extremely advanced and very rare. Alchemists dedicate their entire lives to cracking its code. I only know of one man capable of controlling flames. And I've never heard of anyone able to control wind or water."
Elisa suddenly noticed that Roy was bereft of his iconic gloves.
"If you could demonstrate that then you'd probably be instantly let into the State Alchemy program."
Elisa froze and Roy, as observant as he was, noticed. "Of course," he continued without missing a beat, "you don't have to join the state to use Alchemy. I probably wouldn't go around selling home-transmuted diamonds. But most people would never question the science behind anything you transmute."
Elisa nodded while internally berating herself. Of course they didn't know how to make crystals, it was likely that no one had determined a crystal's lattice structure. Not yet, at least. And if they didn't know what shape to make they'd never be able to transmute it.
"...right. Thanks."
Roy just shrugged. "One day, if you're willing, I'd love to hear the story of how you figured this out."
"Hmm," she joked, trying to hide her growing panic. "I don't know, this seems to be important information. I wouldn't want to tell it to a cadet."
Roy caught on instantly, "oh? And what ranking should I be?"
She pretended to think for a second, "let's say, brigadier general."
That way the plot will already have concluded. And you could use my knowledge to help, not hurt.
Roy just nodded. "That's another reason to become a state alchemist, then. Major is much closer to General than 2nd Lieutenant."
At that point Maes decided to join the conversation, slinging an arm over Roy's shoulder, "go ahead, gloat Roy. Tell the world about how you're going to jump the ranks and leave me behind to climb like the lowly soldier I am!"
Roy shot him an unimpressed look, "you're jumping six ranks just by completing the academy, don't even start."
"Oh, is that how it works Maes?" Gracia asked, moving to stand with the three of them. "I knew there was some benefit to attending the academy, but not what."
A giant smile spread across Maes face as he excitedly started educating Gracia on the various routes into the military and why his was the best path.
"You can enlist as a private, of course, that's what most kids desperate for money or without a proper trade or education might do. Your housing and food are covered and you instantly start earning. But you're only trained for about two months. And it would take you several years to climb through the various ranks, unless you can demonstrate talent in a specific skill."
"Roy mentioned six?"
"Yes; Private, Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, Master Sergeant, and Warrant Officer. Whereas if you're able to successfully graduate from the Academy you can start your career as a Second Lieutenant."
Elisa nodded along as Maes continued to explain the ranks, explaining how passing the State Alchemist exam started you as a Major, three ranks up from a 2nd Lieutenant but that doing so came with all sorts of strings. Basically forcing you to work for the military for a minimum of four years, or risk being charged with desertion. Plus anything you created or discovered while under their employ was immediately patented to the government.
It was a nice change of pace from the propaganda filled "you'll get paid to do research" that was normally spread about. Of course Roy was quick to point out that if you'd already planned to make a career in the military then there really wasn't any loss in getting certified.
Elisa watched the boys squabble back-and-forth, chuckling with her sister. Thankfully it seemed like her talent in alchemy had been forgotten.
It hadn't.
February 5th, 1903
Maes finally asked Gracia out halfway through his second year at the academy.
He'd wanted to ask her after completing his second year, he'd later tell Elisa, but had been worried about being beaten to the punch by one of the newer cadets who had taken over recieving the bread orders for the academy.
Elisa didn't tell him that there was no way Gracia even looked twice at the boy, or that she was relatively certain Cadet Brown was gay (although perhaps she'd bring it up at their wedding.)
So, Maes had waited until Gracia's 18th birthday party–something Gracia had insisted on, Elisa would later learn, so as to protect Maes from any career-damaging gossip–to very publicly ask her sister to go steady.
"That man is going to be insufferable when he's married," a voice called from beside her. Elisa's eyes flickered to Roy, bitting back a smile.
"Married? Wait until he's a father."
Roy groaned.
Elisa chuckled, continuing to cut pieces of the birthday cake and pass them out to the various party goers. Turned out that when the local bakery threw a party everyone showed up for the cake.
"So, any annoyingly sincere boys try their luck with you while you're trapped playing hostess?"
Now it was Elisa's turn to groan.
"They just keep coming. And Maes is off being all happy with his life so he's not even here to play my pseudo-older brother and scare them off!"
Roy burst out laughing.
"I don't do the 'protective older brother' thing well, or I'd offer to help."
"Oh please, you'd probably stand by and give them pointers."
The man had the gall to smirk. "Don't know what pointers I can give them, you turned me down the one time you thought–"
"–you know that's not what happened–"
"–I was hitting on you."
"You're insufferable." Elisa grumbled.
"Well, my best friend is dating your sister, so I guess you're stuck suffering."
When a smirk cut across her face, Roy knew he'd messed up.
"Here, take over for a bit," she called, pushing the cake knife into his hands.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, me? You know, just that way," she motioned to where her sister was opening gifts, "to go and...tellMaesyoujustcalledhimyourbestfriendokaybye."
Roy cursed as she sprinted off giggling.
Maes was going to tease him about this for the rest of the week, he just knew it. And since Maes had finally decided to ask Gracia out Roy didn't even have any material he could use to return fire.
Oh well, at least Elisa was finally smiling. The poor girl had been glaring at the cake since the moment Roy had arrived. It had taken Roy exactly 5 minutes and observing one poor cadet approaching her to figure out the reason why.
He supposed Maes' confession had inspired them, but Roy could have warned them they chose the wrong girl. Elisa had absolutely no interest in dating, let alone any interest in dating a military man. The only reason she bothered with Maes and him was because they shared her view that the Civil War was a tragedy that shouldn't be occurring.
Roy didn't know what kind of man would eventually turn her head, but he knew it wouldn't be some low-level cadet incapable of independent thought.
It'd have to be someone smart, someone capable of challenging her, someone who shared her interests. But they'd also need to be confident enough to not get insecure when she proved smarter than them. Because she would prove smarter than them.
Unfortunately, that really narrowed down her options.
Roy ruthlessly ignored the thought that he fit that category perfectly. He had a plan, and that plan did not include dating a girl two years his junior while still in the academy.
Especially when he was returning to Master Hawkeye after he graduated and then setting his sights on the State Alchemy exam.
Elisa had some issues with State Alchemists. Roy didn't know what it was, but she'd tense every time they came up in a way that was eerily reminiscent of his Master.
He'd tried asking her about it once but she'd just made some vague statement about, "destroyer of worlds" and changed the subject.
So, it really didn't matter that he fit the bill of who she may consider dating. Roy had plans, and Elisa would never date a State Alchemist anyway, so it was all moot.
Still, he could be her friend. Maes was staying with Gracia for as long as she'd have him, so their paths would often cross.
Friendship was fine.
April 25th, 1903
Elisa turned sixteen not too long after Maes started dating her sister. Sixteen wasn't as big a deal as eighteen, you weren't considered an adult at sixteen. But it was the age when most people choose their field in life. It was the age Gracia was when she'd started apprenticing under their parents properly, and it was the age all the cadets hit before enrolling in the Academy.
Elisa didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. She was interested in studying alchemy, testing the limits of this world's magic system. But she refused to join the military to do so, and so she needed to find some other occupation to help support her dreams.
She'd been casting around for ideas for months. Putting feelers out for possible apprenticeships or the like. But by the time her birthday rolled around she'd still had nothing. Which was, apparently, by design.
"I'm sorry, what?" Elisa looked at the train ticket in Maes' hand, the letter in Roy's, and the packed suitcase in Gracia's with confusion.
"You're going on a trip," Gracia confirmed, a soft smile on her face. "Roy wrote to his Alchemy Master, he agreed to take you on as an apprentice for 2 years."
Elisa still looked at the train ticket with confusion.
"But, the shop?"
"Has mom, dad and I to help run it."
"But I'd be leaving you alone!"
Gracia thread her fingers together with Maes', "I'm not alone."
"B-but!"
Gracia just smiled pushing the suitcase into her little sister's hands. "It'll be fine. It's only two years. Besides, there's only so much you can learn from textbooks. And you need to complete an official apprenticeship to be able to offer alchemical services when you're older."
Elisa shot a glare at Roy for sharing those very true but very irrelevant facts with her sister.
"Come on," Roy pushed, "don't you want to study under someone with no ties to the government? Someone who would happily spend hours theorizing about elemental transmutations with you?"
Elisa hesitated, she had been wondering if there couldn't be a way to use solar power to charge an array. She hadn't brought it up with Roy, though, for all that he was a decent guy he'd yet to be fully disenchated with the military. Elisa couldn't risk that he wouldn't pass one of her ideas on.
She refused to let her knowkedge help better arm murderers.
But Roy was right, Hawkeye's dad had no ties to the military (aside from his father-in-law) and he could definitely keep a secret. Besides he died soon anyway, right? So he'd literally be taking her secrets to the grave.
Maes must have sensed weakness cause he was quick to shove the train ticket in her hands and let go, forcing her to hold on to it. "Don't overthink it, you're just going off to your own type of Academy same as Roy and I did at your age. Except yours is half as long as ours!"
"...I guess."
"That's the spirit! Now Roy has a letter for you to deliver, but you know I'll be expecting weekly updates of your progress!"
"You don't even care about Alchemy."
"But I care about you. And I'm planning to go into intelligence, who better to practice your research notes' ciphers on?"
Elisa blushed looking away from the man who had, in two short years, effectively become her brother.
Unfortunately that just meant locking eyes with her sister. Her sister who was looking at her with so much pride.
Elisa didn't want to leave. She wanted to study with an Alchemy Master, but she wanted to wake-up in the room she shared with her sister even more. Elisa didn't want to leave, but Gracia wanted her to. Gracia wanted Elisa to chase after her dreams, to experience a world outside of their little military town.
And Elisa would do anything for her sister.
Even leave her.
"Fine." She grabbed the letter Roy was still holding. "I guess I'll go on an adventure or something."
She tactfully ignored the smiles the three of them shot each other.
October 13th 1903
Studying with Berthold Hawkeye was nothing like she expected.
Elisa had a lot of experience with studying, in that first life she had effectively never stopped.
There were 13 years of mandatory schooling, then 4 years of college work. She'd been in lecture halls with hundreds of students, and library rooms with five. Some courses she'd have to teach herself from the textbook. One memorable course didn't even have that.
Even beyond university, the studying continued, lab work was always sort of apprentice-styled. She'd observed with a clipboard, gotten good at knowing what questions to ask and where to find information on the questions she shouldn't have to ask.
She'd constantly watched her coworkers, picked up their tricks and made them her own. Lectures didn't stop, either, there were still textbooks to read, and a never ending cascade of journal articles to review.
All that to say there were very few things Elisa felt comfortable saying she'd mastered. Studying was one of them. Until it wasn't.
The problem was two-fold, for one Elisa was still used to that first life where knowledge was readily available. You may not have the background to understand Quantum Mechanics, but you could still buy a book and try to make sense of it, if you were so inclined. Not so with Alchemy. All Alchemist's coded their notes and very few made that information available to the public posthumously. Which meant books on more than elementary-level transmutations didn't exist. Elisa couldn't teach herself theory without a textbook of sorts.
The second issue arose on Elisa's third day as an apprentice.
"What's the symbol for solar energy?"
"There isn't one. There's a sun symbolizing perfection, perfect harmony between mind, body, and soul, but that doesn't sound like what you were asking after."
"No...so what do I do if there's no symbol?"
"Create one."
For all the studying that Elisa had ever done she'd always been trying to learn existing knowledge. Even her experimentation was reliant upon theoretical concepts that were already well established.
But Master Hawkeye wasn't interested in an Apprentice that only activated set arrays. He wanted innovation, and he taught her with that in mind.
She was expected to dissect every circle he drew. Explain what each symbol was and theorize why he'd chosen them. She was never told if her theories were correct, Master Hawkeye prescribed to the notion that in reality you couldn't know if your theories were correct until you'd tested them yourself. If her logic was faulty or she was misinformed, he'd point that out. But that was the limit of his instruction.
She was also expected to defend every array she drew, explaining why she chose the symbols she did, the lines. Often she was tasked to draw two or three different arrays capable of completing the same tasks, using them all and then explaining which was superior and why.
It reminded her of being trained in chess.
To play chess all you had to learn was the rules, knowing that you could theoretically go out and challenge anyone, and experience was it's own sort of teacher. But to really get good at chess you had to study. You had to get in the habit of always asking, "why did they move there?" Whether it was famous games that had been recorded for posterity or a fun pick-me-up, every move should be questioned, both your opponents and your own. You should never move a piece without having a very deliberate reason as to why.
It was a different sort of way of thinking to be so constantly present, so aware of every decision. And, like chess, it wasn't enough for Elisa to think why, she was also expected to record everything.
Every thought on alchemy, every choice in her array, every result and change, it all need to be recorded.
So she'd spend all day in the lab trying new things, then all night in her room writing down what she'd tried. Her weekends weren't spared, either, for that's when she was tasked with coming up with a method of coding her notes.
A skill she had no experience with.
In the end it was Riza that helped Elisa settle on a code.
Meeting Riza had been a shock. She'd met Maes and Roy by complete accident and so hadn't had time to build up any preconceptions about the two men. But she'd known she'd be meeting Riza when she'd gotten on the train, and had spent the entire ride trying to imagine what the young sniper would be like.
For all of her assumptions, however, she hadn't imagined what she got. A young girl, barely fourteen, with eyes that were filled with suspicion.
It had been the girl who'd been sent to pick Elisa up from the station, claiming her dad was too wrapped up in his work to drop by. And the entire walk up to the Hawkeye estate had been filled with some sort of tension that Elisa couldn't understand.
When they'd come across the house and Elisa saw just how rundown it truly was, she'd began to have an inkling on what this could be about. And Riza had marginally relaxed when Elisa made no move to acknowledge the state of her house.
Over the next two weeks as Elisa split her time between desperately trying to keep up with Berthold Hawkeye and using what Alchemy she did know to repair the failing estate, Riza started to warm to her.
Master Hawkeye never took meals in the dinning room, preferring to spend every last minute of the day in his lab. Elisa would come to realize this was done in a desperate attempt to create something profitable enough to set Riza up for life. But, in practice, it just left Riza alone in a big, decaying, house.
When it became obvious that Elisa didn't prescribe to her father's idea of lunch Riza started to join her for the noonday meal. And then the evening meal, then for breakfast. When Elisa started conversations about her life back home, her sister, the bakery, Riza finally relaxed.
In time she'd confide in Elisa that she'd been worried the girl would turn out to be just like her father. Riza had been at a boarding school since the end of Roy's apprenticeship so she hadn't seen the full decline of the estate until about a month before Elisa had arrived.
Despite her misgivings it had actually been Riza who had persuaded her father to take on another student. As having a boarder meant having at least a semi-steady income. But that was before she got the full view of her father's new mania–two years alone with alchemy had apparently not been good for his psyche.
Regardless, it seemed that the fact that Elisa had hobbies outside of Alchemy was enough to relax Riza's guard, and her view on coding her notes was enough to remove Riza's barriers all together.
"I just don't get the point! Why does it matter if someone else can read my notes? Wouldn't we all improve if we just shared our knowledge?!"
"You don't think it should be guarded, passed down to only those who have proven themselves worthy?"
Elisa snorted. "No. I don't think there's such a thing as being worthy of knowledge. Those in power just know that with knowledge comes change and so they'll gate-keep it for as long as they can."
Riza bit her lip, "but what if the knowledge has the capacity for great harm? A weapon, per se, you wouldn't hide it then?"
Elisa's mind flashed to the worst chemical atrocities of her world; mustard gas, gas chambers, the atomic bomb, nuclear warheads, an eternal reminder of the destructive powers of science. "...I think that if the weapon is bad enough to be encoded, it's bad enough to never be written down. Either it's knowledge worth sharing or it's not." A sigh, "it's just important to remember that your enemies will always find a way to reverse-engineer your weapon and come at you with something even more terrifying."
Elisa did acknowledge that Riza and Master Hawkeye were right about one aspect of coding. This country didn't seem to have a concept of intellectual property, not beyond military patents that worked more like a non-compete clause than anything.
The only way to turn a consistent profit as an alchemist was to invent something worth money and then monopolize the fact that you're the only one who knew how it worked.
Besides, Elisa wasn't actually stupid enough to share her research notes with a country still led by Father.
Perhaps if Roy became Fuhrer, then she'd be happy to share, content in the fact that if someone abused her knowledge they'd be held accountable.
When she made a vague mention of this, of wanting to share her notes with the world, but not now, Riza'd had a brilliant idea.
"Published?"
"Yes, think about it, if you can get your work published in code under a pseudonym then one day you could just release the key and everyone will have the ability to read it!"
Riza had given her the idea, but Elisa had made it her own.
Maes was the first person she sent her work off to, with strict instructions not to share it with Roy.
A small children's book complete with hand illustrated pictures told the journey of a little rain drop as it traveled to the sky and back. Maes had asked how she'd possibly coded any information of note in two sentences per page. Elisa had just written back asking him if he thought it would sell.
She never told him that there wasn't a code at all. Never told him that she'd written out her notes in invisible ink, then drew an array on the corresponding side, carefully covered by the artwork.
Should someone know that the array was there and how to work it they could simply activate the array and watch as her words appeared across the page.
1904
~::~
01.09.1904
Dear Maes' Best Friend,
I was told that, despite my very clear instructions to the contrary, a certain book of mine has found its way into your possession. I give you full permission to mock me for its existence. I want it on record, however, that it was, no is my intention to write a proper novel, I just need to figure out some logistics.
If I wasn't certain that you'd take my ideas and immediately use it to get yourself collared I'd be picking your brain for a solution.
Anyway, how goes things out there? If Maes is to be believed the sun is shining, the birds are singing and my sister is growing more angelic by the hour. As I distinctly recall this being the rainy season you can appreciate my skepticism.
Yours,
Elisa F.
P.S. Tell Maes that I'll never be trusting him with a secret again. 'Future Intelligence Officer' my ass!
~::~
03.21.1904
Dear Gracia's Sister,
I'm afraid I haven't the faintest clue as to what you're talking about. The only book Maes' has shown me is the most adorable children's novel written by one Beth Grey. Honestly, you really should check it out, in an attempt to connect with her audience she made an effort to lower her artistic skills to that of a child. Truly an innovative idea!
All joking aside, Maes only sent it my way because he was frustrated at having a code he couldn't crack. He assumed you must have done something alchemical to it, and while I could discern that you used a chemical beyond that of regular ink, I couldn't figure out how to render them visible. I assume it is this step preventing you from branching on to true novels? I'd say you should feel free to confide in me, but I absolutely will use anything at my disposal to rise in ranks.
After all, I was promised answers if I rose high enough, no?
As for the town, things could be better. I can't say much lest it get redacted, but I'm sure you can draw your own conclusions when I say that your sister has turned to baking unsweetened bread rather than pastries. Don't bother worrying though, you know Maes would buy out the bakery before he let your family suffer.
Things will get better, they always do.
Roy M.
P.S. Maes says he was seeking a consultation with an expert in their field which is more than permitted.
~::~
05.10.1904
Roy Mustang!
Did you deconstruct my book?! I actually put effort into that, you know! Jerk.
A sugar tax? The war must be escalating if the government is trying to strengthen the treasury...I'm sure you noticed but I sent this by way of Gracia, so you can send a proper response without fear of censorship through her. If you're worried about it connecting back to you then choose a pseudonym, you already know mine.
Training is going well, it's never ending, that's for sure, but after a year I've finally made it out of the "he checks everything I do three times before letting me activate it" stage, so that's an improvement.
Now he only checks my work twice.
I shouldn't complain, not really, I've learned a lot from Master Hawkeye.
I try not to stare at his work too much, he's paranoid that someone else will take credit for it–has he been burned before?–but the little glimpses I've seen humble me. I've looked into water manipulation like you'd suggested back then, but I can't send it out of the array unless it's connected.
Obvious? I know.
One of the key limitations of Alchemy? I'm aware.
But Master has figured out some way to chain reactions which gives me some hope that there's a way to overcome this.
~::~
07.07.1904
Dear Miss Grey,
I'm afraid I'll have to refrain from answering your inquiry lest I risk incriminating myself. Although it may calm your ire to know that Miss Gracia Frey felt the need to host a 2 hour lecture on the sanctity of gifts from which a Cadet Hughes left quite dejected. I heard he went on to take it out on his best friend, that poor sod.
As for the current state of the war, I couldn't say for sure. There are definitely rumors that the top brass is preparing for this to be a much longer endeavor than originally suspected. Already class topics have started to shift, Tactics in Different Terrains has begun to solely focus on arid climates. The three classes below us have been moved to an academy further south, likely to get them used to extreme heats. I believe they would have moved us down too if we hadn't already made it through our combat modules. In all honesty I suspect the academy will be closing when we graduate next May.
At least until such a time that this war has ended.
Maes, forward thinker that he is, has already started trying to convince Gracia's parents to move. If the academy closes and the war leads to rationing, well, I'm sure you can appreciate what he's trying to prevent. He doesn't want to stress Gracia, though, so perhaps keep this to yourself? I meant what I said before, he really would buy the entire store before letting that family fall to ruin. You know he would.
I am pleased to hear your studies have been so fruitful. I plan to visit after graduation, I'm sure you can guess at my intentions without my having to say it. While our goals differ I hope you can still wish me luck in my endeavors as I continue to wish you luck in yours.
Sincerely,
Rex
~::~
09.23.1904
Rex,
I'm sure you can appreciate the futility in telling one not to worry. While I'm certain Maes would do all in his power to protect the Frey family, based on past dealings with the parents I find it hard to believe they will quietly pack up their business and move, regardless of what the future holds.
That being said, I thank you for your candor on this matter. I would rather know and worry than live in bliss and be blindsided by reality. Besides, it is perfectly healthy to worry, it shows that you care. Think of this as a thought from that peculiar mind of mine, but I don't think there's anything wrong with embracing the darker emotions of life. Anger, sadness, fear, and worry all bring as much meaning to life as joy and peace.
Still, worry without direction is meaningless so I've been giving this some thought. Did you get a chance to read my book before you destroyed it? If so, do you think it's worth trying to publish? I have a few story ideas that I think could turn a profit? Please, I'm not looking for false platitudes, give me your honest thoughts.
On the point of supporting you, yes, of course, to the moon and back. Yours is not a path I wish to walk, but I'm not so blind as to miss that you walk it for our sake. If you must become a dog at least I know your loyalty will always be first to the people. Just know that there are those who see the good you will do, even when you can't.
I wish you luck with your schoolwork.
Yours,
Beth G.
~::~
11.10.1904
Beth,
As usual your insight proved correct. The Freys have decided to stay in town. Maes is beside himself and Gracia has taken to supporting her parent's decision–is there more to that story?–which has led to the first true fight I've seen between them. I've encouraged Maes to reach out to the youngest Frey sister, Elisa, in the hopes of gaining some support. But I believe his letters to her have contained no mention of the spat.
If you cross paths perhaps you could let her know that her future brother-in-law could require her special brand of comfort?
If worry is a key component of a full life, then mine is on its way to being very complete. Things on the front seem to be escalating. Maes' and my path have been known to our professors for years so I don't believe either of us will ship out East for a few years, yet. But I worry the same cannot be said for the rest of our classmates. I do not dare put to paper my thoughts on the matter, but I'm sure you can guess.
As for your book, yes of course you can publish it! It's a children's book, I won't pretend it will revolutionize the literary world, but it was good for what it was. If I had a child, I'd have bought it for them. Actually, when Maes has a child I'm sure he will buy it for them. Which is really about the highest level of praise I can give you. Take it as thanks for your support.
On that note, you should know that I will spend my life trying to live up to the man you claim to see.
Rex.
~::~
12.08.1904
Rex,
You'll be pleased to know that I did run into Ms. Frey who was quite distraught to hear about Maes' issues. I believe she wrote him immediately chastising him for not involving her sooner. This is all a second-hand account, as you know, so take it with a grain of salt. But, according to dear Elisa, the sisters had made a pact over a decade ago that made it very hard for Gracia to take Maes' side now.
Apparently, to pay for the level of schooling both Frey sisters had received the parents had to put a lien on their store. They'd managed to make the money up over the years but upon discovering this fact the sisters swore to honor their parents with loyalty. They had put everything on the line to make the dreams of two little girls a reality, those same girls could never stand in the way of their parents' dreams.
But worry not, along with writing Maes, Elisa also wrote her sister. In her letter she detailed my idea for helping supplement some of the costs of the bakery. Of course, this is all moot if my books don't sell, but I'll never know unless I try.
That was a very good line, you shouldn't waste it on an author like me. Save it for your future wife. Unless you'd like me to use it in an upcoming novel?
You'll be pleased to know I've made some real progress in my training. I'm a handful of months from a breakthrough, I can just feel it.
I can't wait to show you what I've created!
Beth G.
April 30th 1905
"...so instead of chalk I created my own mixture using–"
"–don't. Keep that as a trade secret."
Elisa raised her brow in surprise, staring at her Master. He'd never told her not to explain something before.
"This method, it works?"
She nodded, it had been a pain-in-the-ass to figure out but she'd finally made a photosensitive material that she could draw with, which was the last thing she was missing.
"Show me."
With a shrug Elisa reached for a paper and then pulled out a pen filled with the ink she'd handcrafted. Without a thought she drew out an array she'd mastered months ago. Then turning to her Master she smirked and threw the paper up in the air, jumped, and slammed one hand on the array. Berthold Hawkeye watched in astonishment as an array–in no way connected to tectonic energy–managed to create water.
"Do you know what you've just done?" Elisa shot him a confused look and Berthold had to bite back a curse. Roy had warned him, about two years ago now, in that letter she'd delivered. Roy had warned him that for all his new student was the perfect apprentice for him, a genius with no interest in selling her skills to the military, she was also painfully unaware of her genius.
"Fishermen would pay through the nose for an array that doesn't rely on tectonic energy. If the military learns of it they'd give you a government contract on the spot for the chance to implement it on their navy vessels."
"Wha?"
"Elisa. Up until 2 seconds ago the only way to utilize Alchemy was to draw energy up from the tectonic plates themselves. In short, that meant that if you were on the ocean, you couldn't use alchemy."
Berthold watched as, at last, the enormity of her discovery sank in, "b-but, I've been working on this for two years?! If it was such a big deal, why didn't you say anything?!"
"Honestly I never expected you to succeed. One can learn just as much from failure as success, so it seemed a worthy endeavor. Seeing as you did succeed, however..."
Elisa's eyes widened as she watched her Master slowly bow to her. "...I suppose this is goodbye."
"Wha?"
"I'm saying you've graduated. I've nothing left to teach you, unless you want to learn flame alchemy?"
Elisa shook her head in denial. There was a level of mental control necessary for flame alchemy that she just didn't possess. There was no doubt that she'd be able to use the flames right up until her concentration snapped. At which point who knows what would happen.
"Right. I'll go tell Riza, I'm sure she'd like to prepare a goodbye meal for you."
"Wait. I'm leaving tonight?"
"Of course."
"But I don't even have money for a train ticket?!"
Berthold stared at the grass she'd dampened, unimpressed, "you're a competent alchemist now. Make some money."
And, that was that. Apparently.
It wasn't until after dinner, after a heartfelt goodbye with Riza in which she promised to write, and a nod from Mast–no, from Mr. Hawkeye, that the reality of her situation sank in. Actually, it wasn't until after she made it to town, haggled a train ticket for some alchemical repairs, and finally sat down to think about it that it really sank in.
Elisa hadn't meant to come up with something so crazy! Her goal had just been to find a way to utilize alchemy even if some stupid being in a jar decided she shouldn't. She'd vaguely entertained the thought of upgrading Roy's array before the big fight. But she'd never thought about other uses for her solar-powered arrays. She put her head in her hands and groaned. Three years later and she was still making the same mistakes.
At least I should be home in time to watch Maes propose.
May 4th, 1905
Roy stood with his graduating class, saluting their professors one final time. Behind him he knew he'd find his Aunt sitting uncomfortably close to Elisa Frey. He'd never really intended to introduce the two, had thought she'd still be up with the Hawkeyes when sending the invitation home. It set an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, the idea of Elisa learning about his life before the academy.
He wasn't embarrassed, not truly, he knew what an amazing woman his Aunt was. But he also knew how people reacted, how they always reacted, and if he was being honest he'd sort of long since placed Elisa on a pedestal. And he wasn't quite ready to watch her fall from it.
Still, Maes had asked for his help distracting everyone while he set up for his proposal. So, ready or not, Roy was going to have to face the music.
"Roy-boy! You didn't tell me you made the acquaintance of such a lovely flower!"
A snort. "R-roy b-boy," Elisa choked out, before bursting into giggles, "I can't believe I've never th-thought of that!"
Roy groaned while shooting his Aunt a look, trying to determine just how much she'd let slip. His Aunt shot him a smirk that let everyone around see the family resemblance before causing Roy's brain to stutter to a halt.
"I've been telling young Elisa all about your childhood. And she's had the most intriguing thoughts."
"I mean," Elisa cut in having gotten her giggles under control, "it makes sense why you have so many good lines. Any boy would grow up to be a lady-killer with 15 older sisters helping raise him."
"You don't…they're not actually my sisters, you know that, right?" Roy questioned, but his hidden meaning was clear; you know they work at a brothel?
"Yeah, Madame Chris explained, but I mean, they helped raise you, right? So it might not be by blood, but they're definitely your sisters."
And that was the truth. But it was a truth that no-one ever bought. People always assumed that there had to be something non-platonic going on. After all, what healthy male could surround himself with such beauties and not feel attracted to them?
"And it doesn't bother you? You don't think it's weird?!"
It was at that moment that Maes chose to drop his giant banner showcasing one of the candid shots he'd taken of Gracia months ago, with the letters 'WILL YOU MARRY ME?!' proudly printed underneath.
Elisa just nodded to Maes who was now hugging a smiling Gracia. "That's weird. But weird doesn't mean bad, you know? Besides," she turned to face Roy, a smile lighting up her face, "you're a pretty great guy, and if that's due to 16 different women whipping you into shape then I think this country probably owes them all a big thanks."
Roy locked eyes with his Aunt, one thought circulating his mind.
I am so screwed.
His Aunt's answering smirk was less than reassuring.
"Now come on, let's go congratulate those two and then I can show you what I've been working on!" Elisa grabbed his hand and tugged him behind her, completely ignorant of Roy's new found awareness.
I am so, so, screwed.
A/N: Tada! That's the academy arc done (is it an arc if its only a chapter?) next is the Ishvalen War and its fallout. Sadly those ideayllic days will soon be a thing of the past...