08-06-2018, 07:07 PM
[font=trebuchet ms]For all the effort formerly spent cultivating her identity as a stoic gunslinger who had her life together, Riza had been a mess that morning.
For a limited definition of “morning,” anyhow. The hours began to blend together when you took it upon yourself to stay up all night, in order to finish those vows that you just couldn’t get to sound right. “Sounding right” was, like “morning,” a nebulous concept that few people cared to strictly define, least of all her- but for a moment like this, what she was going to say needed to sound right.
She must have used at least a dozen packs of paper, front and back, since she started drafting a week ago. Of course she hadn’t been working that whole time- observer duties and the Typhoon raid had needed taking care of- but upon realizing that she still wasn’t satisfied with what she had come up with, she had needed to work fast. Spelling and grammatical errors were not an issue, as she wasn’t going to read off of the paper, but just getting the right words down was harder than it seemed.
Then again, maybe she was only having a hard time focusing because of the steadily-growing certainty that yes, this was really happening.
As a child, she had spent relatively little time thinking about marriage and family. It hadn’t seemed to have much point to it, given that her mother wasn’t around and her father was... hardly a paternal figure at all. Occasionally she had wondered what it might be like, living with someone by her side for the rest of her life, but the idea was insignificant compared to her growing interest in marksmanship and the military. Soldiers could get married, but that was generally later on in life, after they had left active duty. She had a long time before any of that would concern her.
As she and Roy were preparing to be sent off to Ishval, having officially been trained and enlisted as soldiers, she had wondered what would come after. She had, largely, assumed that once they were finished with active service, they could return home and resume their normal lives. She wasn’t going to retire from the military that early- being a soldier had already proved itself, at least in her mind, to be her calling- so she would still have the anti-fraternization law to deal with, but the downtime would allow her to sort out how she felt about Roy, and to find something or someone else to focus on.
She had had no idea what awaited them at Ishval.
”Remember them- each and every one of their faces. After all... they’ll never forget you.”
For the longest time after that, up until a few weeks ago, Riza had dismissed marriage as a remote possibility. She had no time for seeking out and falling in love with a civilian, between her duties as a soldier and the plan that she shared with Roy. Even if she had found someone, they would probably expect children, a white picket fence, a stereotypical happy ending. They wouldn’t expect the governmental conspiracy that she was working to topple over, or the bloodstains of Ishval that colored her past.
The one person she could imagine herself marrying under any other circumstances- the one person she trusted more than anyone else, that she would protect with her life, that she could kill for at the drop of a hat without it haunting her conscience- she could not marry under the circumstances they were in.
No longer was she prohibited from doing so, though. She had no more secrets to hide, no more facades to put up, no more excuses to make for how close she was to her no-longer-commanding officer. The truth about them had been revealed to the whole world, and there was nothing anyone else could do to separate the two of them now.
With a weary, but genuine smile, she lifted her head and gazed out the window- and jolted.
It was morning already, the sunlight softly filtering in through the glass. She had no more time to reminisce- the wedding was in less than an hour, if her estimate was right. It wouldn’t take nearly as long to get ready as it would if they were humans, given that there were no dresses or tuxedos involved here, but she still ought to allow herself some time just in case something else came up.
Soon enough, she was cleaned up and ready to proceed- right on time, too, as a knock sounded on her door. After taking a moment, and a deep breath, to look in the mirror and confirm that her engagement earring was on and visible, she walked out of her room and towards the Grand Circle. Sure enough, Cooper was waiting there at the entrance.
She was ready. She knew what she was going to say, even though she hadn’t officially written it down.
She knew exactly what to say to him. To Roy Mustang, her Colonel, her trusted partner- and soon enough, her husband.
Just the thought of calling him her husband was almost enough to overwhelm her. Her emotions had already been running high enough to counteract any tiredness she might have felt from staying awake all night, but now that she was about to face the love of her life, they were through the roof. She had to keep it together, though, for just a bit longer.
”Thank you, sir,” she whispered to Cooper. That he was willing to walk someone he hardly knew down the aisle spoke volumes, both about himself and about the society they now lived in. The thought of who would give the bride away had not crossed her mind when she initially accepted Roy’s proposal; it was good that someone had thought of it.
It was time, then, to enter their new lives- together. With a swallow and a nod, down the aisle she proceeded, taking in the scene surrounding them. Pristine white fabric, flower petals lining the aisle, lights casting their gentle glow over the room- all of it pointed to the man at the altar, a bright smile gracing his radiant face.
Even now, with him being a bobcat instead of a human, she could still meet the blue eyes that had long since dragged her into their burning depths, the spark of determination that once occupied them now a raging fire. It was in those flames that she felt she could take on anyone or anything who dared to oppose her.
It was in him that she had found true love- another nebulous concept she had never truly believed in until now.
Before she realized it, she was at the altar. She offered a brief glance and a respectful nod to Imperia, then turned back to Roy, lowering her head to meet his eyes again. Almost subconsciously, a soft smile spread across her face. All of her concerns from before seemed to melt away, now that they were finally here. All that was left to do was take this step.
The rest would follow, just as it usually did where Roy Mustang was involved.
For a limited definition of “morning,” anyhow. The hours began to blend together when you took it upon yourself to stay up all night, in order to finish those vows that you just couldn’t get to sound right. “Sounding right” was, like “morning,” a nebulous concept that few people cared to strictly define, least of all her- but for a moment like this, what she was going to say needed to sound right.
She must have used at least a dozen packs of paper, front and back, since she started drafting a week ago. Of course she hadn’t been working that whole time- observer duties and the Typhoon raid had needed taking care of- but upon realizing that she still wasn’t satisfied with what she had come up with, she had needed to work fast. Spelling and grammatical errors were not an issue, as she wasn’t going to read off of the paper, but just getting the right words down was harder than it seemed.
Then again, maybe she was only having a hard time focusing because of the steadily-growing certainty that yes, this was really happening.
As a child, she had spent relatively little time thinking about marriage and family. It hadn’t seemed to have much point to it, given that her mother wasn’t around and her father was... hardly a paternal figure at all. Occasionally she had wondered what it might be like, living with someone by her side for the rest of her life, but the idea was insignificant compared to her growing interest in marksmanship and the military. Soldiers could get married, but that was generally later on in life, after they had left active duty. She had a long time before any of that would concern her.
As she and Roy were preparing to be sent off to Ishval, having officially been trained and enlisted as soldiers, she had wondered what would come after. She had, largely, assumed that once they were finished with active service, they could return home and resume their normal lives. She wasn’t going to retire from the military that early- being a soldier had already proved itself, at least in her mind, to be her calling- so she would still have the anti-fraternization law to deal with, but the downtime would allow her to sort out how she felt about Roy, and to find something or someone else to focus on.
She had had no idea what awaited them at Ishval.
”Remember them- each and every one of their faces. After all... they’ll never forget you.”
For the longest time after that, up until a few weeks ago, Riza had dismissed marriage as a remote possibility. She had no time for seeking out and falling in love with a civilian, between her duties as a soldier and the plan that she shared with Roy. Even if she had found someone, they would probably expect children, a white picket fence, a stereotypical happy ending. They wouldn’t expect the governmental conspiracy that she was working to topple over, or the bloodstains of Ishval that colored her past.
The one person she could imagine herself marrying under any other circumstances- the one person she trusted more than anyone else, that she would protect with her life, that she could kill for at the drop of a hat without it haunting her conscience- she could not marry under the circumstances they were in.
No longer was she prohibited from doing so, though. She had no more secrets to hide, no more facades to put up, no more excuses to make for how close she was to her no-longer-commanding officer. The truth about them had been revealed to the whole world, and there was nothing anyone else could do to separate the two of them now.
With a weary, but genuine smile, she lifted her head and gazed out the window- and jolted.
It was morning already, the sunlight softly filtering in through the glass. She had no more time to reminisce- the wedding was in less than an hour, if her estimate was right. It wouldn’t take nearly as long to get ready as it would if they were humans, given that there were no dresses or tuxedos involved here, but she still ought to allow herself some time just in case something else came up.
Soon enough, she was cleaned up and ready to proceed- right on time, too, as a knock sounded on her door. After taking a moment, and a deep breath, to look in the mirror and confirm that her engagement earring was on and visible, she walked out of her room and towards the Grand Circle. Sure enough, Cooper was waiting there at the entrance.
She was ready. She knew what she was going to say, even though she hadn’t officially written it down.
She knew exactly what to say to him. To Roy Mustang, her Colonel, her trusted partner- and soon enough, her husband.
Just the thought of calling him her husband was almost enough to overwhelm her. Her emotions had already been running high enough to counteract any tiredness she might have felt from staying awake all night, but now that she was about to face the love of her life, they were through the roof. She had to keep it together, though, for just a bit longer.
”Thank you, sir,” she whispered to Cooper. That he was willing to walk someone he hardly knew down the aisle spoke volumes, both about himself and about the society they now lived in. The thought of who would give the bride away had not crossed her mind when she initially accepted Roy’s proposal; it was good that someone had thought of it.
It was time, then, to enter their new lives- together. With a swallow and a nod, down the aisle she proceeded, taking in the scene surrounding them. Pristine white fabric, flower petals lining the aisle, lights casting their gentle glow over the room- all of it pointed to the man at the altar, a bright smile gracing his radiant face.
Even now, with him being a bobcat instead of a human, she could still meet the blue eyes that had long since dragged her into their burning depths, the spark of determination that once occupied them now a raging fire. It was in those flames that she felt she could take on anyone or anything who dared to oppose her.
It was in him that she had found true love- another nebulous concept she had never truly believed in until now.
Before she realized it, she was at the altar. She offered a brief glance and a respectful nod to Imperia, then turned back to Roy, lowering her head to meet his eyes again. Almost subconsciously, a soft smile spread across her face. All of her concerns from before seemed to melt away, now that they were finally here. All that was left to do was take this step.
The rest would follow, just as it usually did where Roy Mustang was involved.
[font=trebuchet ms]some weirdo