tampered | log; complete

log; complete

When; Dec 24, Afternoon
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Riza Hawkeye

guardianed & Roy Mustang

snapofmyfingers
Summary; It seems the coup will have to wait, for Roy and Riza are no longer in Central.
Log;

So it had started. Whether or not the gamble would pay off was a question that Roy could not even answer. The truth about everything that he had learned since the death of Maes Hughes had been leading up until this point. Maybe it was a trap, for they knew of Roy's intentions, and had even gone as far as to try to separate him from those that he trusted. A sore point there, but if anything, only a mild setback. What he could say was that so far it was going according to plan. His seemingly rag-tag group of four, five if you included Second Lieutenant Hayate had started off their assault on Central without a death in sight, only to gain momentum.

Now though they had seemingly withdrawn after leaving the city in the truck provided by Maria Ross. Of course Roy had been surprised when he had heard the voice on the other end of the phone being none other than Jean Havoc. He shouldn't have been surprised though, considering these were the people whom he trusted his life with and shared his dreams. While Havoc might technically be out of the running, it didn't mean that he wouldn't still offer his share in any way that he could, and Roy had not been joking when he had said that the owner would be paying.

There were decisions to be made now while the timing was still good. Roy turned, his attention on Riza's back. For now the woods would protect them until they made their next move, but time was an issue, and Roy knew that the longer it took, the bigger the chance that things would start to fall apart. It was quiet out here, almost too quiet. He had only walked a few paces from the truck, but as Roy turned to look back over his shoulder to address the group of those gathered, there was only more woods. He paused. No, he had not walked that far, but no matter where Roy happened to look, he could not see the slightest gleam of the vehicle or his other state military. Clearing his throat, Roy turned to look once more at Riza, for she, it seemed, was still where she was meant to be, even if everyone else was not. "Lieutenant."

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It wasn't just the Lieutenant, but the faithful hound as well, sitting, as he always did, at her heels. Hawkeye's hand flew automatically to the gun at her back, pulling it out and pointing it at the ground, ready to defend against attack.

But no, there was nothing, just the woods, and all of a sudden the pit dropped out of the Lieutenant's stomach. She recognized what had happened. Again. She knew what was going on. She shouldn't know, but she did. All she could do was mutter, "Oh for goodness sakes." Her face, having blanched with recognition, stitched itself into irritation and wariness, finally turning to the Colonel. "I...believe I know where we are, Colonel."

Someplace she hadn't wanted to return to, let alone drag the Colonel with her. The City.

Well at least someone appeared to know where they were. Roy, although not having paid attention to every tree that they had been near their previous location, knew at least that these trees around them were not the right ones. Too big, and that small path that they had been on? It was gone too. No, the underbrush was barely disturbed, and the foliage too thick. That though didn't actually explain anything, since all they had done was walk a few steps.

A questioning look was went in Riza's direction, for although he wasn't exactly surprised that she knew, for it was Riza, he was still a touch surprised that she did. He couldn't help but note the sudden paleness of her skin, or the look of irritation that he knew all too well. After all, she was quite apt at giving it to him from time to time. He had no ideas, though if need be, he would investigate to find the trail, but if Riza said that she knew. "Well?"

The blonde craned her neck upwards, trying to figure out which direction should be towards the City-center. They were in the Wild, they must be, which meant...the carousel ought to be...that way. Yes.

Once oriented, she turned back to the Colonel with a sigh. "This is a place called the City, if I'm correct, and we're in the forest that surrounds the city itself. We ought to make our way towards the center." Indicating the direction she thought it should be with an outstretched arm, she could feel the headache this was about to cause creeping up on her.

They'd shifted times again. It'd been spring in Amestris, and here it was still winter. How long had she been gone? She'd need to check in with the Police force, and with the others from Amestris, if they were still here.

Right.

Not that Roy would call Riza crazy or anything as he did respect her, but the only city that they was around them was Central, nor had Roy ever heard of a city being just called 'the City.' His eyes followed the motion of her hand, narrowing as if to see through the trees to this place that she was talking about. Aside from climbing a tree, burning down the forest (which was extreme even for Roy) or some other ridiculous feat, if Riza knew where she was going...

"The city?" His eyes narrowed, looking at her. "And how do you know about this city?"

"The City."

She sighed. How unbelievable was her story? They were suddenly transported to some other world, and all of a sudden she was claiming to know where they were? Of course it was absurd.

"I've been here before." Not helping, not in the slightest. "I've shown up here four times, including just now." A flash of annoyance- and every time she'd have been quite content to go right back where she'd been.

"I know it sounds impossible, Colonel, but please believe me."

Not that there were not things that went beyond what Roy knew (though in his case, once he found out about that he didn't know, he would seek to find out more) in the universe. After all, had it not just been learned that Selim was over fifty years old, and that a homunculus was actually their King?

Not that Roy followed Riza everywhere where she went, or kept tabs on her per say, though four times without his knowledge of her coming to some city he had never even heard of? After all he trusted her for she was his eyes. A dubious glance was sent at her, though now was not the time to argue about such things. "And the situation in this city, Lieutenant?"

The Colonel may not have followed her around, but she certainly knew where to find him. She knew his routine practically better than he did. All her information, she passed on to him, without fail and without exception. It made sense for him to be skeptical. She hadn't expected anything else.

"Precarious, with respect to those from Amestris. When I left--" When had she left, City-time? She'd been gone for months, her time. From winter to spring. But knowing this place, it hadn't been three months since she'd left. She'd have to check, and she'd have to check soon. "When I left, Major General Armstrong, Edward, Winry Rockbell, and Zolf Kimblee, the Crimson, were also present. The City has a few...quirks. I'll get you the guide as soon as I can-- if we can get to Police Headquarters I'll be able to fill you in properly, sir."

She was ahead of herself, she should have explained the Police--should have, more importantly, explained her own role within the police force. But showing up here always seemed to throw her mind into disarray, and in her rush to orient both herself and the Colonel, she was doing neither very well. Slow down, Lieutenant.

"I can explain a little more while we walk, Colonel."

Skeptical wasn't the half of it. Had it been someone else, Roy would have wondered what sort of trauma that they had suffered. One didn't magically move from one place to another in what seemed like the blink of an eye after all without noticing. As long as from this 'City' that was there they could return to where they were supposed to be. After all, they were in the middle of something rather important and Roy would rather not have any more delays with this.

She spoke, telling him, and yet, at the same time not. It was almost as if there were a resignation in her voice, like it wasn't going to be quite so easy to leave. After all, as much as he'd like to go site-seeing and looking at guides, there were more important things to do. Her list though brought a slightly startled look to his face. So Fullmetal was here too? last Roy had heard, he wasn't, and why, exactly, would the Major General be here too, let alone Kimblee?

"I suggest you do," Roy replied, moving with Riza through the trees. The question of course that needed to be answered had yet to be asked. "And where, exactly, is Central from here?"

Leading the way had almost become a second nature here, and since she knew the way, knew the path...it shouldn't have felt odd to be leading once more. Shouldn't, but it did.

And the startled look-- she'd caught it. She knew what he was thinking. But they were just in Amestris, they can't be here. Because the same thing had confronted her when she'd arrived.

"Central...is unreachable from here. As are all other parts of Amestris." She didn't want to look at him now. Didn't want to see the expression that had to accompany the knowledge she was bringing him. "We're stuck here until we can find a way out." The normal tone of voice softened. "I'm sorry, Colonel." It wasn't her fault, that she knew all this, and he didn't. He would have learned it anyhow, and it might be better that he learn it from her. But still. It was a blow to her each time she showed up here-- it meant that months of her life would loop out of her normal one.

There was a confidence in her steps that spoke as loudly as anything that she might say. She was, for the most part, a strong woman, and her actions could easily tell those people who knew her when she was in her element. She knew, and that in itself made Roy ponder. As much as it didn't make sense, she was telling the truth about it.

Alert, for although Riza seemed to know where they were, Roy didn't. His gloved hand was held slightly in front of him as they wove their way through the woods. His mind was active, for it was hard not too be. That hand faltered, if only a hair of an inch. She wasn't one to lie to him, but not reachable? How exactly was that possible. A small grunt was made, his hand brushing through his hair.

"Don't apologize, Lieutenant, since I somehow doubt you had anything to do with this, right?" Not unless there was something about herself that she wasn't telling him, but Roy didn't believe that in the least. "I am assuming that finding a way out is not as easy as it sounds?"

"If I had any choice in the matter, Colonel, I'd still be in Amestris." It wasn't a bitter statement. Or at least, her voice was flattened to the point where it was no longer a bitter statement.

"Finding a way out is a popular subject of research. One of the members of the police force organized a mass escape attempt, a few months back City-time. There was a significant backlash on those who tried. As for myself, each time I've returned it's been completely accidentally."

Another small pause, holding a branch aside to let the Colonel pass. "It's also worth noting that each time I returned home, as far as I can tell, I returned to the point in time from which I'd left."

That, at least, was a comforting thought, for Roy would have hated to have wasted time trying to find a way out of this place only to arrive back too late. His annoyance though at suddenly finding himself stuck in a strange place with no real way home did not dissipate. Of all the times... Just when he had finally started to put the plan into action, the carpet was metaphorically ripped out from under his feet.

"Four times. So you come and go from this city to Amestris, recalling this place each time you return." A moments pause as he looked out through the forest as if thinking. "Do you remember any of it when you return to Amestris?"

A cautionary tone in his voice, his eyes sliding to her. "And I take it no further attempts at massive escape have been made?"

"I don't believe so, but nor have I especially tried to remember." Amestris business needed her full attention, and she gave it her full, undivided energies. The City never mattered in Amestris, anyhow. "I would have mentioned it to you if it had come to mind, sir."

She can feel his eyes on her and meets them. "Not since some of them went into a coma for a week. It was...not a widely popular attempt."

"Hn." Then again, if she had remembered when she had returned, and no one had noted her absence, it would not have worked well for her. The whole concept of this place was a tad troubling though, for just how long had she been trapped here only to return when she had left? A rueful look was given her way, for he didn't doubt it, but merely wanted to make sure.

His eyes locked with hers for several moments, before a slow nod was given. It didn't sound like it had been, and Roy could hardly blame anyone. Watching Black Hayate as the dog weaved through the forest, Roy continued to walk in the direction that Riza had pointed out. "Anything else I should be aware of, Lieutenant, before we arrive in this city?"

Anything else. Yes, there were a million things she should say, a million things she should explain- she should really start from the beginning and tell him everything that had happened here, before someone else beat her to the punch, but she needed to make it to HQ, and some of it could wait.

But some of it couldn't. "Yes."

"I'm...Chief of Police here, Colonel." That was the big piece- the most awkward of things to tell him. And I would give you that position if I could. Because it was the Colonel who was aiming for the top. It was for him that she'd discarded everything, twice, just to push him up further, and here, here she'd accidentally fallen into one of the top positions of authority without him.

Edited 2008-12-28 21:41 (UTC)

If she wanted to truly get his attention, she had just done that. He moved awkwardly for a moment, almost misstepping in the process, though his foot managed to cover his near mishap rather well. Of course there was more of a story behind that then she was letting on, for this was Riza. Given that he had no recollection at all of this place, Roy could only assume that she had been here without him for a time, for her loyalty was something that he never questioned.

That still didn't change the feeling that everything had been turned around on it's head and he was viewing the world upside-down. Scratching his head, for he was still digesting that tidbit of information (and it was the top position at home he wanted...), he wondered what else there was to know. "The Major General still her usual self, right? And Ed's still a pipsqueak?"

She...really had sort of expected that doubletake. The fact that he'd gone straight to the others, to verify that some things were the same-- she'd definitely surprised him with that bit of news.

The smile on her lips was wry as he scratched his head, obviously trying to wrap his head around things. "The General is still the same as ever. She just arrived recently. Edward I have actually not had the occasion to speak to; he arrived while I was overly busy with work, and I missed his entrance. I presume he is still the same as you and I remember."

They ought to be reaching the edge of the forest soon, she thought-- and yes, the trees were thinning, giving way to more open patches of snow, buildings becoming visible.

She had always been there since the war, that young sniper with the eyes of a hawk who had watched all their backs, a job that she had continued even after the war was finished. He had not needed to worry in that regard, for as long as she was there, his path would be straight and true (and if not, he'd hear about it from her, probably after she made sure he was back on track).

That, at least, was comforting, in it's own way, for had Edward suddenly grown to be seven feet tall, and Olivier to be a social butterfly instead of the hardass that he had always known, Roy might just as well have walked back into the forest to find a way back home (even if it was futile). Kimblee's appearance here didn't bode too well on Roy, though he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Roy as well noted the changing landscape and the faint sounds that now came toward him. The snow crunched under their feet, making mental notes, for he would be drilling Riza about everything eventually. "So I guess this is 'home' for the time being." Already buildings were popping out of the scenery as they continued to advance. Like a rug that had been pulled out from under his feet; he had been a military man for years with his one goal forever moving him forward. Now what?

She knew how weird this was. How unintuitive, how hard to accept. She was his right hand man, and she was always, always just behind him. To have suddenly ...changed, in the City- Please don't think I've left you behind, she wanted to say, perhaps she needed to say, but couldn't force herself to do more than think it at him.

And it would just get weirder for him, she also knew, once she got him the guide to the City.

Home? Home was the one thing the City couldn't be. Home was the place they were struggling to protect, home was Amestris, home was her tiny apartment full of cardboard boxes and a lone potted plant. This was someplace she lived, waiting to go home. She sighed, a deep exhale of resignation. "Something like that, yes, Colonel."

She was recognizing buildings. That was something, at least–she'd be able to find her way to HQ without thought. There was less danger than normal-- she wasn't coming from her apartment, so she could afford to go more directly.

There was a small silence, as they continued to walk, before she piped up again. It would be the last of the big things to say. "You've...been here before, sir. There will probably be people who recognize you that you've never met." I'm sorry to drop all of this on you at once, her tone said.

It would seem that Riza had a bag of surprises and she kept pushing her hand in and pulling a new one out. He gave her a level look, for it wasn't that he thought she was lying, but he had been here before? His eyes narrowed as Roy scanned his memory, though no, this place didn't even bring forth any sense of recognition in him. That, it seemed, Riza would need to explain, since it really did not make any sense.

"Lieutenant." There was a slightly strained sound in his voice as he pinched his nose though he continued to walk with her. His hand dropped after a few moments, and although it probably didn't need to be said, he said it anyway. "And how was I here before and yet have no recollection of any of this?"

Maybe she would know, maybe she wouldn't. Roy couldn't exactly guess what she did and didn't, for his reference of the city was so far limited to what he saw and the few things that Riza had told him. She seemed more or less to have her destination in mind, and perhaps she had pressing matters with the police force (after all, she had been gone, right?) but he would still like some answers. One didn't just move ones chess pieces blindly hoping for the best. No, one studied the situation and thought ahead, trying to fathom the best strategy to keep you one step ahead of your opponent, and Roy didn't like going in blind.

Hawkeye mentally kicked herself. I'm doing this all wrong. This isn't how she should be briefing her superior on a new situation, all piecemeal, huge revelation by huge revelation. This wasn't how she normally did things. Normally, it was painstakingly meticulous, and the Colonel had to tell her to skip the details and give him the full report to read later. Damn.

"It's...not uncommon, sir." She paused. "Many people manage to go home, only to return to the City, with no memories of their prior stay. There are a few, like myself apparently, who have the fortune to return with our memories of our prior stays intact. I've seen it happen a good number of times."

Hawkeye stopped moving forward, meeting the Colonel's glance directly. She was pulling him deeper into unknown fields without explanation, and, judging at least in part by the strain in his voice, he couldn't be happy about it. Start again, Lieutenant, and do a better job. Kneeling down, the blonde sketched a rough map in the snow, indicating the carousel, the fountain, the circle of apartment buildings, and police headquarters. "I want to return to police HQ; I'll be able to check how long it's been since I left in City time. I have copies of most of my notes there, as well as a copy of the City guide. What's missing from the notes in my office is in my apartment- I have everything there." She indicated one of the apartment buildings, and stood. "I have a better map I can give you once we arrive."

Just what type of a place was this city? Taking people without them even realizing it, not allowing them to return to where they were supposed to be, and then sending them home on their own whim to the moment they left without you having to do a single thing at all? Just whom did one need to speak to about this, for there was no way that the city simply ran on it's own. She had already proven that by saying that she was in charge of the police here, which meant there was a hierarchy. Which meant that there were further places to go. Not that Roy wanted to settle down here at all, for this was merely some annoyance of a place for him. A thorn in his side, if one would, for he had plans, plans that had been rudely interrupted by this city, and as nice as it was for it to put him back to where he had come from, how long would that take?!

"And how many times then, have I been here?" Heaven help them all if she said some number like ten, or fifteen, for Roy would really struggle to cope with that, and people knowing him, but he not knowing them? Ah, but there was the Hawkeye that he knew, the one that he would often yell at and she would simply ignore him saying she was stubborn or pigheaded, the Hawkeye that could put him to sleep with the amount of details she could provide. He looked over her shoulder, hand on his chin, watching as she drew out the map in the ground. For several moments he was quiet, his eyes inspecting the layout that she had give. It looked so small like that. Straightening up, he gave a nod of his head.

"Very well. I'm assuming your notes are more than detailed enough to provide me with anything and everything I need to know." A certain amount of smugness in his voice? Maybe, since if they were her notes, he was certain that he'd have a lot of reading to do, though whether or not it would all actually get done...

"Twice." Twice that she knew, anyhow, and only once from her version of Amestris-- there was another thing she'd need to explain. But she could explain it when he saw her notes, it didn't need to happen now. "The first time you were here for some time, and the second, a month or so."

Hawkeye quashed a sly smile, turning it into the blithe one she often wore when he was saying something stupid. "They will. But if you want all my notes, you'll be reading for a week straight." She quirked an eyebrow at him. He could work when he felt like it, and likely he'd read more of her notes than usual, but there was no way he'd make it through all her notes. "Should I pull a selection of them, Colonel?" She knew, and he knew as well, she'd be ready to reply to any questions he had after reading them. She'd be expecting questions after he read them.

"Hn." Two times. Two times he had been here, and once for quite awhile. Just what had he done? It was a bit strange to think about, since it was him, right, but at the same time, it hadn't been him. Why anyone would want to do anything like this was beyond Roy. After all was there some point to keeping people trapped out of their homes, only to let them go and bring them back again?

A whole week? That smugness faltered there. How much could the woman write about this place. Even her selected version would probably take him a few days (if not a touch more, since such things tended to put him to sleep) but it was better than nothing. After all, her patience could probably only take so much of him asking questions that she already had the answers to somewhere. "I'll leave that to you then, Lieutenant."

Hawkeye would make sure that he was informed, and since it seemed he wouldn't be getting back to where he wanted to be anytime soon, he had better make the best of it.

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