Wise men say...

[snapcrackleburn]

Who: Roy Mustang & Riza Hawkeye
What: Roy has to spend Valentine's performing for happy couples but due to popular demand he doesn't have to spend the entire evening alone
When: The evening of Feb 14th
Where: An old school club with a stage somewhere in Vista City
Warnings: Brief mention of previous torture and bad war memories. Romantic mush. Might give shippers feels.


The preview performances and interviews for the album were over. Minus some drinking and new ink Roy had been well behaved while making his way through the busy schedule Pride had thrown at him. It occurred to him after several days of growing clarity that his intoxicated trip to the tattoo parlor had been less of a rebellious gesture and more of a desperate attempt to feel like he had some control left. He knew now what Pride was capable of- death had been dealt to people before him, and he was somehow not his "real self" all thanks to Pride. It took much strength not to despair.

The evening of the fourteenth Roy is relieved to be accompanied by a single body guard to a dinnertime performance at one of the old fashioned clubs out in the city. A smaller crowd awaits him in the dimly lit dining area; someone had forked over a pretty penny to Pride requesting that Mustang show up there to sing the love songs from his album to set the mood for their date. Sitting up on a humble stage with an acoustic guitar in his lap while his body guard is off taking care of unexpected car troubles leaves him feeling relief he hasn't had in what seems like ages.

"This one goes out to a very special woman," he dares to dedicate his final song of the evening, laughing on the inside at the idea of sending the paparazzi chasing their tails trying to find someone he himself was still trying to figure out. The shy girl in the old house, the woman from the battlefield sitting quietly beside him, the woman on the street corner walking her dog who hasn't yet realized he's watching her from across the street with a fond smile. "Elizabeth, you know who you are." The audience, mostly made up of couples, chuckle softly and he begins to play.

Comments

[snapcrackleburn]

"We'll see it done then. Hopefully my memories of training will return quickly. I'll be able to do much more to help when I am myself again."

An idea comes to him and he digs in his suit jacket pockets for his pen and notebook. He tears a sheet out from the pad, lyrics and notes are scribbled on the pages before it, then he quickly jots down a name and address.

"I go regularly to a flower shop here in the city. Thistle Do Nicely. This is the address. Pay them a visit and let them know your contact information. I'll update you on my condition and the on goings at Pride by having them send you bouquets and notes. Pride will likely know if I start calling someone outside the company but they've turned a blind eye to my flower purchases."

[intohell]

Why is she not surprised by that? Of course, he'd be a regular at a flower shop even without knowing why, but it's still so laughable. She takes the paper and makes note of the address, she'll go by in the next day or so.

"I suppose I'll have to finally buy a vase." Not that she expects him to remember that but, the idea of him stuck with a shop's worth of flowers isn't that outlandish.

And speaking of calls, "Actually, I have your number. Supposedly. I didn't try it, but it wouldn't surprise me if the guy who gave it to me wrote his down instead."

[snapcrackleburn]

Who would have given Riza his phone number? She wouldn't be gullible enough to think some random stranger would have access to his actual contact information. Kid only ever pushed him to spend free time with lady musicians and stars for appearances.

"You met someone from MANTICORE?" he asks. That must be it. He writes down his real phone number and shows it to her.

[intohell]

"I was working at the club where Squalo performed last night." Perform is one word to describe what happened on stage. There are several others that could be used as well, but even if she knew that kind of language Riza wouldn't use it.

She looks at the number surprised, "What do you know, that's the one he gave me. I really didn't expect that." After everything else Squalo had been, honesty wasn't even close to being on the list of expected traits.

[snapcrackleburn]

"You met Squalo," Roy says it slowly. "I'm sorry." He doesn't need to know what happened, he's apologizing.

"He really thought to give you my number? You must have asked for it- he wouldn't otherwise." There's only one number Squalo hands out everywhere. He should make business cards.

[intohell]

She has to laugh at the apology. It's not his fault Squalo is Squalo.

"It was actually his idea." Of course, it came after he had insulted Roy and was shocked he had a fan. She had to promise him a favor later, but it had been given of his own free will and without prompting. Not that she thinks that excuses anything else Squalo's done.

[snapcrackleburn]

Roy raises a brow. "Are you sure you weren't talking to an impostor? Or was he handing my phone number out to random people at his performance?" He would do that.

[intohell]

"I saw the...performance, so I'm sure it was him." Performance is such a nice word for the show Squalo put on, some of it came so close to indecent she was afraid they'd have to get a hose. "Have you received any unexpected phone calls from fans?"

[snapcrackleburn]

"No." Then that means... Squalo was at least semi-behaving himself without the rest of the band to keep him in line? Well then!

Roy reminds himself not to be too impressed. Squalo had likely still bothered someone. "I hope he wasn't being too vulgar or rude. Did he bother you?"

[intohell]

Too vulgar or rude? It's kind of cute that he's worried considering she went through the military academy and a war. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Besides, I think he found it more fun to tease me about you when he realized I wasn't interested in him."

[snapcrackleburn]

"Oh! So he thinks you have poor taste in men then," he says, chuckling. "I'm not about to take that personally- he thinks anyone who isn't interested in him has poor taste."

[intohell]

"He does seem the type." That big of an ego always found it hard to believe someone wasn't interested in them, so there had to be something wrong with the other person--it couldn't be them. "I'll just have to find some way to survive his judgement."

Not that that would be too hard to do, she rarely cared what others thought about her choices, only about the outcome.

[snapcrackleburn]

"He'd make a terrible soldier with that tiny smidge of humility. I hope we don't have too many of those types on duty at home." If he had his memory he'd be grumbling names.

[intohell]

"Not too many." He obviously hasn't recalled the Armstrong siblings. "The ones who are can be counted on to back it up when they're needed most."

[snapcrackleburn]

"Hm. Good to know. We'll see which soldiers I remember first. I had better remember them all before the time comes for us to return home or I'll never hear the end of it, I'm sure."

Can you imagine the reactions of the team if he can remember all but one of them?

[intohell]

"I'd never let you embarrass yourself." Or her. Mainly not her as she's taken to letting him embarrass himself quite often when the moment, or his ego, requires it. "If it doesn't all return before we get home I'll make sure to fill you in on everything important."

[snapcrackleburn]

He's about to thank her when his phone vibrates. He digs it out of his pocket, hoping his body guard isn't about to show up at the door. He glances at the text and his smile dims.

"My manager. He's starting to wonder where I am. Looks like I've run out of time." He sighs the same way he does whenever a new pile of paperwork hits his desk late in the day.

[intohell]

"We knew we weren't going to have forever." Not yet. Not as long as he was still under the recording label's thumb. "You should go before you get into any trouble." She'd never forgive herself if anything happened to him because of her.

[snapcrackleburn]

He rises from his seat and buttons his jacket. "I'll be in contact soon." Prepare to have your current dwelling space filled with flowers.

"I'm sure I'll remember more by the next time we see each other. Be safe."

[intohell]

She nods, "You too," and watches him leave. After what seems like a decent amount of time, she'll leave as well thankful for what time they had and looking forward to the next time.