[ she really shouldn't be surprised. it has happened far too many times in their career together for it to be anything but expected. and yet even still, as the announcement rings out and she's brought back to that same time - back before, an announcement, the law enforcement showing up at her apartment... - and riza just. freezes. she can't quite bring herself to breathe, to move, to think.
her apartment is quiet, still, with no sounds of any figures appearing or knocking down her door. still, it feels too tight, too close. like the walls are slowly getting closer and closer.
that's when her watch notifies her of the message. of the text from roy. she pulls it up and sees the notification, and the weight on her chest lightens enough for her to at least respond. ]
[ roy is Not Good (tm) at a lot of things, but he is good at people. he is also good at working underneath an immense amount of pressure, and thinking quickly, and compartmentalizing to get to the greater good. so he, too, felt a twist in his stomach at the announcement -- but he shoved it aside, to focus on what was more important, which was getting the people he cares about out.
alphonse and maes are fine. he isn't too concerned about them, other than them doing something stupid in the pursuit of making sure people are safe. riza, on the other hand -- ]
I'll knock three times. Don't open the door for anyone else. I'll be there in ten minutes.
[ depending on, you know, how stealthy he can be getting downstairs. ]
breathing is coming easier to her, now, but there is still that underlying tension. the knowledge that it can happen again, as it already has. it's a feeling she's familiar enough with - that overwhelming pressure that all of this is above her, that she cannot end it alone.
but she's not alone. and that fact is enough to help remind her that she can't let all of this settle. she has to keep moving. ]
[ it takes a few minutes. answering some questions, testing the boundaries of their robot guardians. but (roughly) ten minutes later, roy arrives at her door. and he nearly just opens it, his hand immediately moving to the button to open the door -- but then he remembers his own instructions.
so he knocks, three times, and adds, quietly: ]
It's me.
[ obviously who else would almost open a door, remember the instructions they gave literally ten minutes ago, and then try again. ]
[ it feels like hours, even though she knows it doesn't take nearly as long. she is able to push out of her panicked stance, grabbing her pistol, her immediately necessary things. her grip is too tight around the grip of her gun, and she forces herself to relax. to breathe. she hears bumps, voices, people moving, and her body tenses at each of them. roy? or whoever struxta is using to enforce their rules?
at some point, she positions herself right to the side of the door - her pistol ready. she continues to hear movement, but there is a moment where it sounds too much like, jade, like ruby, and riza has to close her eyes and remind herself to breathe. to set herself. to calm down.
the three knocks set her on edge, her entire body pulled tight like a wire. then there is roy's voice, and riza moves - still tight, still tense - to stand behind the door, pushing air out and in, out and in.
when the door cracks open, it's just for a moment - riza's eyes going from roy to behind him - before she steps back and lets it slide the rest of the way open to let him in. he'll recognize the tight way she's wound, the gun in her right hand, held down at her side. ]
[ he waits, patiently, and when the door cracks open slightly, he doesn't move. it's not until the door opens enough for him to slip inside that roy does so, and he immediately closes the door behind him. he seems relatively relaxed, by comparison, clear-headed and focused.
he almost speaks, then, but roy realizes his back is still to the door -- which doesn't bother him in the slightest, because riza is in the room, and she can see whatever is coming. but belatedly, after half a second, he realizes that riza will be preoccupied with watching the door rather than listening to him as a result, and so he moves further into the room, near the back. tugging on his gloves, out of habit. ]
No. The robot guards are instructing people to go to their rooms. I've already been caught twice trying to leave, without much success. They aren't harming anyone, and no one is being taken anywhere. I think they truly just want us to stay inside.
[ which means nothing. and he pauses, turning to her a bit fully, his eyes darting down to the gun in her hand before returning to her face, with a slight frown. ]
Don't waste a bullet on something that can't be killed with one.
[ she's off, that much she can tell before roy steps into her room. she's tense when there's no reason to, she's on guard despite knowing there's no direct reason to be. but even as she knows this she can't bring herself to calm down. not while roy steps through the door, or even as he steps further into her room, drawing her attention away from that feeling that someone else was going to come through it. ]
Have you heard if anyone has made it through? [ a beat, and then she finally turns her attention towards roy, armed hand at her side. ] Or if there's some other danger outside?
[ but then she watches roy's eyes dart down to her pistol, and then turn on her, frowning.
all at once she feels more than a little ridiculous, and despite the way her body almost refuses her when she tells it, she does pull up the gun and slip it into safety mode, holstering it and realizing, as if for the first time, that her hands seem to be trembling. she tightens them into fists.
Plenty of people are outside. I've told the people who I've managed to get in contact with to remain outside until further instruction. No danger has been reported.
[ he keeps to the facts, still watching her . . . and once she puts the safety on, roy can take proper notice of her hands, which are shaking. there's a slight narrowing of his eyes, taking note of the movement, before he leans against the nearby bedside table, resting his hands against the surface to balance as he watches her. ]
[ but it's no real use, she understands, because roy is watching her and he most certainly sees the way her hands tremble before she balls them into fists. can probably tell how tense she is, even while she stands there. ]
I'll be fine, sir. [ which is true - she will be. ]
[ it's an honest answer; he really has no idea. there's not enough information, and experience does tell a specific story of what happens when overlords circle the wagons, but roy doesn't have enough information at hand to make a decision one way or another, which is part of the problem. ]
I know that we need to get out of here. And I also know that we have a way out of here, through Maes, and that you are going first.
[ there's not much room for argument, on that front. ]
And I know that we'll be fine. We have strength in numbers, this time. We won't be caught off guard again.
[ she knows that it was true, they just didn't know enough to know why. her own insistence in knowing was coming from that fear tucked deep under her ribs, and riza takes a breath to ease it out again.
except then there's roy, and her eyes shoot over to him. ]
But sir, I- [ and all it takes is a look at his expression to know that the decision has been made, and riza cuts herself off, pressing her lips firmly together to avoid any other further argument.
instead, riza nods - once, before looking back around her room, taking stock of anything she needs to bring with her. ]
Can General Hughes bring everyone out of here? Doesn't his ability drain him?
[ obviously, skipping over the moment of argument that riza had decided to let go. for the best, really. he isn't changing his mind anytime soon. ]
He'll be able to bring out individuals who require it, and I need you on the outside. I'm coordinating other people to help, too, but his ability is the most useful for getting people out as quickly as possible, without the notice of the guard.
If there are others, children especially, I don't need-
[ but there is something about roy's tone that makes riza aware that it doesn't matter what she says, or thinks - she is going with general hughes and that is it.
and roy has a plan. roy needs her on the outside. that's the end of the conversation, right there, and riza feels the cool sensation of professionalism wash through her. it's comforting, in its own way, as she turns back to him. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( text ) approx. 20 minutes after the announcement to stay in their rooms.
( text )
her apartment is quiet, still, with no sounds of any figures appearing or knocking down her door. still, it feels too tight, too close. like the walls are slowly getting closer and closer.
that's when her watch notifies her of the message. of the text from roy. she pulls it up and sees the notification, and the weight on her chest lightens enough for her to at least respond. ]
Room.
( text )
alphonse and maes are fine. he isn't too concerned about them, other than them doing something stupid in the pursuit of making sure people are safe. riza, on the other hand -- ]
I'll knock three times.
Don't open the door for anyone else.
I'll be there in ten minutes.
[ depending on, you know, how stealthy he can be getting downstairs. ]
( text )
breathing is coming easier to her, now, but there is still that underlying tension. the knowledge that it can happen again, as it already has. it's a feeling she's familiar enough with - that overwhelming pressure that all of this is above her, that she cannot end it alone.
but she's not alone. and that fact is enough to help remind her that she can't let all of this settle. she has to keep moving. ]
Yes, sir.
( action )
so he knocks, three times, and adds, quietly: ]
It's me.
[ obviously who else would almost open a door, remember the instructions they gave literally ten minutes ago, and then try again. ]
( action )
at some point, she positions herself right to the side of the door - her pistol ready. she continues to hear movement, but there is a moment where it sounds too much like, jade, like ruby, and riza has to close her eyes and remind herself to breathe. to set herself. to calm down.
the three knocks set her on edge, her entire body pulled tight like a wire. then there is roy's voice, and riza moves - still tight, still tense - to stand behind the door, pushing air out and in, out and in.
when the door cracks open, it's just for a moment - riza's eyes going from roy to behind him - before she steps back and lets it slide the rest of the way open to let him in. he'll recognize the tight way she's wound, the gun in her right hand, held down at her side. ]
Is anything happening out there?
( action )
he almost speaks, then, but roy realizes his back is still to the door -- which doesn't bother him in the slightest, because riza is in the room, and she can see whatever is coming. but belatedly, after half a second, he realizes that riza will be preoccupied with watching the door rather than listening to him as a result, and so he moves further into the room, near the back. tugging on his gloves, out of habit. ]
No. The robot guards are instructing people to go to their rooms. I've already been caught twice trying to leave, without much success. They aren't harming anyone, and no one is being taken anywhere. I think they truly just want us to stay inside.
[ which means nothing. and he pauses, turning to her a bit fully, his eyes darting down to the gun in her hand before returning to her face, with a slight frown. ]
Don't waste a bullet on something that can't be killed with one.
[ calm and simple. ]
( action )
Have you heard if anyone has made it through? [ a beat, and then she finally turns her attention towards roy, armed hand at her side. ] Or if there's some other danger outside?
[ but then she watches roy's eyes dart down to her pistol, and then turn on her, frowning.
all at once she feels more than a little ridiculous, and despite the way her body almost refuses her when she tells it, she does pull up the gun and slip it into safety mode, holstering it and realizing, as if for the first time, that her hands seem to be trembling. she tightens them into fists.
get ahold of yourself, hawkeye. ]
( action )
[ he keeps to the facts, still watching her . . . and once she puts the safety on, roy can take proper notice of her hands, which are shaking. there's a slight narrowing of his eyes, taking note of the movement, before he leans against the nearby bedside table, resting his hands against the surface to balance as he watches her. ]
Are you going to be okay?
[ to be here. to focus. to fight, if necessary. ]
( action )
[ but it's no real use, she understands, because roy is watching her and he most certainly sees the way her hands tremble before she balls them into fists. can probably tell how tense she is, even while she stands there. ]
I'll be fine, sir. [ which is true - she will be. ]
( action )
[ it's an honest answer; he really has no idea. there's not enough information, and experience does tell a specific story of what happens when overlords circle the wagons, but roy doesn't have enough information at hand to make a decision one way or another, which is part of the problem. ]
I know that we need to get out of here. And I also know that we have a way out of here, through Maes, and that you are going first.
[ there's not much room for argument, on that front. ]
And I know that we'll be fine. We have strength in numbers, this time. We won't be caught off guard again.
( action )
except then there's roy, and her eyes shoot over to him. ]
But sir, I- [ and all it takes is a look at his expression to know that the decision has been made, and riza cuts herself off, pressing her lips firmly together to avoid any other further argument.
instead, riza nods - once, before looking back around her room, taking stock of anything she needs to bring with her. ]
Can General Hughes bring everyone out of here? Doesn't his ability drain him?
( action )
[ obviously, skipping over the moment of argument that riza had decided to let go. for the best, really. he isn't changing his mind anytime soon. ]
He'll be able to bring out individuals who require it, and I need you on the outside. I'm coordinating other people to help, too, but his ability is the most useful for getting people out as quickly as possible, without the notice of the guard.
( action )
[ but there is something about roy's tone that makes riza aware that it doesn't matter what she says, or thinks - she is going with general hughes and that is it.
and roy has a plan. roy needs her on the outside. that's the end of the conversation, right there, and riza feels the cool sensation of professionalism wash through her. it's comforting, in its own way, as she turns back to him. ]
What are my orders, sir? When I'm on the outside.