Roy Mustang

Roy had been on his way out of the door, setting off towards work when the messenger arrived. A quick exchange later and he was back in his living room, tearing open the Amestrian military seal. His eyes scanned over the few lines and he cursed underneath his breath.

How many raids was that now? Seven in the past two weeks, all on warehouses storing goods meant for the Ishbalans. They weren't even military targets and the raids were spread out well enough to appear as nothing more than theft. He could have easily overlooked it and he wondered exactly how long this had been going on already.

The Summer heat was slowly fading now and the evenings were turning a little crisper, but not enough to keep Roy inside. His garden wasn't all that big, but there was room for a table and chairs. The scene was almost too domestic, if it wasn't for the fact that Roy hadn't gardened in his life and the dinner had been prepared by his housekeeper.

It wouldn't be too long before the light started to fade from the sky, and Roy was feeling decidedly lazy, content to simply watch Aly. Somewhere at the back of his mind, there was a familiar voice laughing and taunting him.

"Are you sure you wouldn't have rather gone to the opera?" he teased Aly.

Roy wasn't hung over. He'd been immune to those for about ten years now. That didn't mean he liked the light streaming into the bedroom. Somebody (him) had managed to forget to close the curtains the previous night before they (him again) had decided to get drunk.

It'd felt like a good idea then, and he still thought it felt like a good idea now - except for the forgetting to close the curtains part, that was stupid, - given that the other bed was decidedly empty and the spot beside him was too. He stopped hugging the pillow and pulled it over his head. Getting up could wait for another five minutes. Or another hour.

Stupid sun.

[Grumpy mornings are grumpy. For one.]

It was a strange morning, the dream he'd woken up from was still lingering at the back of his mind. He didn't usually dream when he was in the Copper Isles and the dreams he had were not quite as... mundane. Maes Hughes and Fandom made for a strange combination, and it left him missing both. The first one he was used to, the latter felt almost abrupt.

He snuggled closer against Aly, deciding that it probably was her fault somehow.

Roy was late into work, which was nothing new when Aly was in Amestris. Hawkeye never complained about it, while he was late, he was in a good mood. Which meant that the paperwork got finished faster and there would be less complaints about the number of meetings he had scheduled during the day. ( Not that it'd help today. )

When Roy had returned from HQ, he found that Aly wasn't home yet from the adventure she'd chosen to go on today. He was certain that whatever it was, he probably wouldn't want to know.

As was habit when he had some time to spare these days, he went to his study. The books on human transmutation and anything that approached the gate was set in one of the many boxes to the side, out of plain sight. He would hear Aly enter the house so there'd be plenty of time to put it away.

Except for how long work days and a demanding girlfriend tended to a bit tiring and soon there was a General sleeping on top of his notes. His neck was going to make him regret that.

The cook had outdone herself and Christmas dinner had been enjoyed, leaving the dinner table full of plates and glasses that Roy was grateful he wouldn't have to wash. There was cake now, just to make sure they wouldn't grow hungry for the next two days.

It amused Roy how much Elysia had taken to Aly already. The little girl knowing that Aly was a spy had helped there and Roy wondered if Hughes would approve or not. It did seem to worry Gracia, but so far she hadn't said anything. She probably wouldn't either, but Roy couldn't blame her concern after everything that'd happened.

"I'm glad you let us celebrate this holiday with you," Gracia said to Aly. "Elysia's enjoyed it a lot and I think she's going to end up missing Lianna."

The cemetery was quiet, but then very few came here so early in the day. The sky was that deep blue before sunrise and Roy could see his breath come out in clouds. At least it wasn't snowing yet, but the flowers he brought wouldn't survive the night. Just like the ones in the small vase on Hughes' grave hadn't. There was a drawing behind it, Elysia was getting better from what Roy could make out. Most of it had faded. Like everything else.

"Hey, old friend," he murmured. "What? You thought I'd forgotten you?" Roy shook his head. "This being a General is a full time job. I'll soon have to schedule these visits. I'm a busy man, you know."

The banter was more fun when Hughes would talk back to him, but the words never came and that worried him the most. Roy sighed and he squatted down, playing the flowers on the ground. It'd be pointless trying to put them in water. "Not that you'd miss me. Gracia and Elysia seem to be keeping you busy too. It's almost Christmas. Some holiday Aly's family celebrates. Maybe I should convince her doing it here, they could celebrate with us. I'll spoil them for you."

He fell silent, staring at the letters carved into stone but seeing nothing but alchemy. "I'm running out of ideas, Maes. There's so little known on the gates and... I don't think it can be done without human transmutation. Those brothers, I can't get them back. I can't see... how. Not without..."