07-29-2018, 09:42 PM
[font=trebuchet ms]The meaningful look he shared with the other four, combined with his lack of an immediate answer, could only mean he intended for there to be a spectacle. Hopefully whatever he had planned had included fireproofing the Grand Circle- the drill the week before had caused enough damage on its own. Still, why would he need to use his flame alchemy to make his point, and why did he specifically need to make sure she was there?
Then he spoke her name, forgoing her rank entirely. Abruptly, Riza snapped to attention, standing up straight- primarily due to force of habit. His voice was bold, as if knowing that his declaration went against every law in Amestris’ books.
The anti-fraternization laws, in particular. In that moment, realization dawned on her- realization of why they both were in public, why the Colonel was so serious, why everyone was gathered around. She barely had time to shield her eyes from the blast of the flames, the light harsher on a feline’s vision than on a human’s.
Once upon a time, a spark of ambition had led a young man to her father’s home. “Roy Mustang,” he had introduced himself as. He had wanted to learn alchemy, and thought Master Berthold Hawkeye to be the best teacher he could find. (In hindsight, she almost certainly would have disagreed, but at this time she did not know the half of it.)
Once upon a time, a flame of hope had led Mustang back to their home, wishing to enlist as a State Alchemist following his time at the academy. He had found instead her dying father, whose last words became a curse on both of them- giving up the location of his notes on flame alchemy. Then he had found her, naive enough to show him the truth: the secrets carved into her back. (In hindsight, part of her wondered if she could have spared them both by denying him.)
Once upon a time, the inferno of war had left them both scarred for life and beyond, and thousands more dead, their souls stored in crimson stones. Seeing the horror that her father’s discoveries had indirectly caused, it was all they could do to render the last of the evidence unreadable. If nothing else, they could prevent any others from gaining the cursed knowledge. (In hindsight, she could see it hadn’t really mattered. There was nothing left of her to retrieve her father’s notes from, even if she and Mustang hadn’t attempted to burn every last symbol away.)
Once upon a time, the embers of their broken society had driven them to act, to expose all who had had a hand in the destruction of Ishval. She had sworn to follow Mustang into hell- a promise she could not take lightly if she tried. A promise she might have fulfilled too early, had it not been for the blazes that heralded his intervention in the Third Laboratory. (In hindsight, she should have known better than to give up. If nothing else, Mustang would have wanted her to get Alphonse to safety through whatever means necessary.)
Everywhere they went, the flames seemed to bring them guilt and remorse.
As she looked up at the words etched in fire, though, she reflected that this time, there was nothing to regret.
Marriage was a promise to protect the other person for the rest of your life- and in this case, even beyond that. It meant sacrifice, loyalty, determination, and more than anything else, pain. It was a promise to follow the other person to hell and back.
In turn, it was an understanding that the other person was the one being that you could trust without regrets.
The flood of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, to drag her under the surface where she would never be seen again. Since Ishval, she had taken any feelings she could detect and buried them, where they could not be used against her. The stakes were high, too high for her to risk their mission on temporary impulses. Even if she had no use for that facade anymore, it just came naturally now.
Yet, though Riza habitually attempted to keep a straight face as she looked down at Roy and the box he held, she could feel herself choking up. ”Colonel,” she began, meeting his eyes- as always, so confident he didn’t even need to look back at his handiwork.
Then he spoke again.
He was right. They were not Colonel and Lieutenant anymore. That was the past. This was the future- a time for moving forward, without regrets.
She reached forwards and placed her paw on his, meeting his bright blue gaze directly as the flames raged on above them. ”Roy Mustang,” she spoke, his full name sounding simultaneously wrong and oh-so-right on her tongue.
”Yes. I will marry you.”
Then he spoke her name, forgoing her rank entirely. Abruptly, Riza snapped to attention, standing up straight- primarily due to force of habit. His voice was bold, as if knowing that his declaration went against every law in Amestris’ books.
The anti-fraternization laws, in particular. In that moment, realization dawned on her- realization of why they both were in public, why the Colonel was so serious, why everyone was gathered around. She barely had time to shield her eyes from the blast of the flames, the light harsher on a feline’s vision than on a human’s.
Once upon a time, a spark of ambition had led a young man to her father’s home. “Roy Mustang,” he had introduced himself as. He had wanted to learn alchemy, and thought Master Berthold Hawkeye to be the best teacher he could find. (In hindsight, she almost certainly would have disagreed, but at this time she did not know the half of it.)
Once upon a time, a flame of hope had led Mustang back to their home, wishing to enlist as a State Alchemist following his time at the academy. He had found instead her dying father, whose last words became a curse on both of them- giving up the location of his notes on flame alchemy. Then he had found her, naive enough to show him the truth: the secrets carved into her back. (In hindsight, part of her wondered if she could have spared them both by denying him.)
Once upon a time, the inferno of war had left them both scarred for life and beyond, and thousands more dead, their souls stored in crimson stones. Seeing the horror that her father’s discoveries had indirectly caused, it was all they could do to render the last of the evidence unreadable. If nothing else, they could prevent any others from gaining the cursed knowledge. (In hindsight, she could see it hadn’t really mattered. There was nothing left of her to retrieve her father’s notes from, even if she and Mustang hadn’t attempted to burn every last symbol away.)
Once upon a time, the embers of their broken society had driven them to act, to expose all who had had a hand in the destruction of Ishval. She had sworn to follow Mustang into hell- a promise she could not take lightly if she tried. A promise she might have fulfilled too early, had it not been for the blazes that heralded his intervention in the Third Laboratory. (In hindsight, she should have known better than to give up. If nothing else, Mustang would have wanted her to get Alphonse to safety through whatever means necessary.)
Everywhere they went, the flames seemed to bring them guilt and remorse.
As she looked up at the words etched in fire, though, she reflected that this time, there was nothing to regret.
Marriage was a promise to protect the other person for the rest of your life- and in this case, even beyond that. It meant sacrifice, loyalty, determination, and more than anything else, pain. It was a promise to follow the other person to hell and back.
In turn, it was an understanding that the other person was the one being that you could trust without regrets.
The flood of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, to drag her under the surface where she would never be seen again. Since Ishval, she had taken any feelings she could detect and buried them, where they could not be used against her. The stakes were high, too high for her to risk their mission on temporary impulses. Even if she had no use for that facade anymore, it just came naturally now.
Yet, though Riza habitually attempted to keep a straight face as she looked down at Roy and the box he held, she could feel herself choking up. ”Colonel,” she began, meeting his eyes- as always, so confident he didn’t even need to look back at his handiwork.
Then he spoke again.
He was right. They were not Colonel and Lieutenant anymore. That was the past. This was the future- a time for moving forward, without regrets.
She reached forwards and placed her paw on his, meeting his bright blue gaze directly as the flames raged on above them. ”Roy Mustang,” she spoke, his full name sounding simultaneously wrong and oh-so-right on her tongue.
”Yes. I will marry you.”
[font=trebuchet ms]some weirdo