[ there is a moment there where riza is so on edge, she finds herself wishing her gun was closer. she doesn't know what she'd be shooting at, or why, but the urge is still there.
it's only when roy's reassurance comes that she feels herself exhale, relax, if only partially. he says that there is nothing wrong, and she will believe him, though she does watch his every step as he moves into the room, looks at black hayate, and settles onto the corner of her bed.
for whatever reason, she's still...unsure. it doesn't feel right. but she will settle into a spot on her bed next to him, just about a foot or so away. ]
Of course. [ said like it's the most obvious thing in the world. ] What's on your mind, General?
[ you. this. whatever is happening. maes hughes' incessant bitching in my left ear. ]
Home.
[ finally, after a long moment of consideration; and while it isn't a lie, it obviously isn't the entire truth, either. there's obviously a complicated issue, on his mind, that he's having difficulty putting into words, so he'll start with something familiar, and work his way up. ]
Do you ever think about what's going to happen, when we win? After all is said and done, and the goal is completed.
[ because there is no other option, than shifting amestris back to a democracy. ]
[ roy says home and riza exhales, all the tension in her back and shoulders leaving her in that rush. he says home and it explains everything she'd been worried about - in his expression, in his body language, in everything else as well.
home. he's thinking about home. and suddenly she feels like she understands. ]
You mean if we rebuild Ishval? [ riza thinks for a moment, her head tilting a bit off to the side in the process of it, as a soft hmmm escapes her. ]
I'm not sure. Go wherever it is I get stationed, I assume. [ a pause, and then she glances back over to him. ] Why?
[ he pushes himself back a little, to lean against the wall as he looks over at her, with a slight frown. searching out her eyes, to gauge her response. to hear go wherever it is i get stationed isn't a surprise, but it answers a question he didn't ask. ]
Amestris becomes as it should. The military coup ends. The country becomes a democracy, and we aren't needed anymore. We can return to a normal life.
[ return. as if they ever had that to begin with. ]
[ all of it he says, and riza turns to look at him - confused, unsure, and...worried? no, that's not quite right, but it's something close. she notices how he's searching out her eyes, and she meets his gaze honestly.
she's not hiding anything from him. if he thinks he can find something more in her eyes, he's more than welcome.
but then he explains further and riza finds herself frowning - turning to face the rest of the room as she thinks it over. ]
I don't...actually know. [ which is about as honest as she can be with her answer, here. ] Go home, I assume. Or at least finally go through father's estate. [ and at the mention of her father, riza feels colder. like a chill had gone down her spine. after another second, she does look back over her shoulder to him. ]
[ there's a silence, at the mention of berthold, and a soft noise of agreement, at her statement. but the consideration of doing so causes an odd feeling in his chest, mostly because riza shouldn't have to do that alone. and roy is just as responsible for going through it as she is. or, at least, he feels obligated.
roy became berthold's greatest fear, in the war. the least he could do is ensure his estate is settled, and his daughter burdenless during the process.
but when she asks that, he simply shrugs. ]
I don't have a family. -- or, at least, a traditional one. [ an amendment, because he does have riza, and his team, and the elrics. that counts, even if it isn't necessarily blood. ] Or an estate, or any of that. My life is tied to Amestris, but once that's over, I imagine I'll wind up wherever you go.
[ he pauses. ]
So long as that eventually winds up in Central.
[ he is so not living on a fuckin middle of nowhere farm, thanks. ]
[ she doesn't realize it, at first. that when she said deal with the estate she hadn't really imagined it alone. and now that she thought about it, she had pictured it - in some way - with roy there as well. the realization makes her feel a bit weird, like she was assuming that even after it was all over that things still wouldn't change.
it makes riza pause for a moment after roy's answer. i imagine i'll wind up wherever you go.
there's a brief moment of silence that follows, before riza finds herself breaking into a small smile, shaking her head to cover the small bout of laughter. ]
No, I can't imagine you anywhere other than Central. There isn't a lot of trouble to get into in the country-side. [ and then riza leans back herself - mimicking roy's stance - sitting next to him. ]
I don't think I would mind living in Central. It would feel...strange to do all this work and then just leave it behind.
[ in the most overdramatic of sighs, watching black hayate stir at the noise. he half considers calling the dog over to come sit next to him, but this is riza's bed, and that is one rule that riza seems to actually care about, for some reason. aren't dogs supposed to be with you at all times? what a weird rule. ]
Absolutely nothing happened and I was kept there on purpose so I would behave myself. [ how ridiculous. ] Central is much more my speed. I think the farthest away from the city I've ever lived [ outside of the war, obviously ] was with you, but I was a kid. [ and eager to learn, and invested in his studies, and obviously didn't know any better. ] A vacation is nice, but ...
[ it's in then that he seems to realize what riza actually did say, and he pauses himself. ]
[ she laughs a little at his dramatics, her eyes falling to black hayate as well. there is a moment where she tries to imagine it - roy on a farm, roy in the countryside, roy - anywhere but in the middle of the action. it's enough to amuse her into a lingering smile even as her eyes shift over to where roy sits at her side, her eyes lingering briefly on his face.
that's where her eyes are when he mentions lived with you and when roy turns back to her. asks the question. riza blinks, at first not quite understanding the question. ]
You mean to the estate? [ she faces forward again, thinking about it. his questions isn't all that absurd, really. she had a house, land, her father's name to think about. money that would be her's to have, once she went through the paperwork, the process. she could, if she wanted to, go back for good.
and it's that moment that riza realizes she never really wanted to. ]
No, I don't think so. [ said with an almost thoughtful tilt. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
it's only when roy's reassurance comes that she feels herself exhale, relax, if only partially. he says that there is nothing wrong, and she will believe him, though she does watch his every step as he moves into the room, looks at black hayate, and settles onto the corner of her bed.
for whatever reason, she's still...unsure. it doesn't feel right. but she will settle into a spot on her bed next to him, just about a foot or so away. ]
Of course. [ said like it's the most obvious thing in the world. ] What's on your mind, General?
no subject
Home.
[ finally, after a long moment of consideration; and while it isn't a lie, it obviously isn't the entire truth, either. there's obviously a complicated issue, on his mind, that he's having difficulty putting into words, so he'll start with something familiar, and work his way up. ]
Do you ever think about what's going to happen, when we win? After all is said and done, and the goal is completed.
[ because there is no other option, than shifting amestris back to a democracy. ]
What will you do after?
no subject
home. he's thinking about home. and suddenly she feels like she understands. ]
You mean if we rebuild Ishval? [ riza thinks for a moment, her head tilting a bit off to the side in the process of it, as a soft hmmm escapes her. ]
I'm not sure. Go wherever it is I get stationed, I assume. [ a pause, and then she glances back over to him. ] Why?
no subject
[ he pushes himself back a little, to lean against the wall as he looks over at her, with a slight frown. searching out her eyes, to gauge her response. to hear go wherever it is i get stationed isn't a surprise, but it answers a question he didn't ask. ]
Amestris becomes as it should. The military coup ends. The country becomes a democracy, and we aren't needed anymore. We can return to a normal life.
[ return. as if they ever had that to begin with. ]
What does life look like after that?
no subject
she's not hiding anything from him. if he thinks he can find something more in her eyes, he's more than welcome.
but then he explains further and riza finds herself frowning - turning to face the rest of the room as she thinks it over. ]
I don't...actually know. [ which is about as honest as she can be with her answer, here. ] Go home, I assume. Or at least finally go through father's estate. [ and at the mention of her father, riza feels colder. like a chill had gone down her spine. after another second, she does look back over her shoulder to him. ]
What about you?
no subject
roy became berthold's greatest fear, in the war. the least he could do is ensure his estate is settled, and his daughter burdenless during the process.
but when she asks that, he simply shrugs. ]
I don't have a family. -- or, at least, a traditional one. [ an amendment, because he does have riza, and his team, and the elrics. that counts, even if it isn't necessarily blood. ] Or an estate, or any of that. My life is tied to Amestris, but once that's over, I imagine I'll wind up wherever you go.
[ he pauses. ]
So long as that eventually winds up in Central.
[ he is so not living on a fuckin middle of nowhere farm, thanks. ]
no subject
it makes riza pause for a moment after roy's answer. i imagine i'll wind up wherever you go.
there's a brief moment of silence that follows, before riza finds herself breaking into a small smile, shaking her head to cover the small bout of laughter. ]
No, I can't imagine you anywhere other than Central. There isn't a lot of trouble to get into in the country-side. [ and then riza leans back herself - mimicking roy's stance - sitting next to him. ]
I don't think I would mind living in Central. It would feel...strange to do all this work and then just leave it behind.
no subject
[ in the most overdramatic of sighs, watching black hayate stir at the noise. he half considers calling the dog over to come sit next to him, but this is riza's bed, and that is one rule that riza seems to actually care about, for some reason. aren't dogs supposed to be with you at all times? what a weird rule. ]
Absolutely nothing happened and I was kept there on purpose so I would behave myself. [ how ridiculous. ] Central is much more my speed. I think the farthest away from the city I've ever lived [ outside of the war, obviously ] was with you, but I was a kid. [ and eager to learn, and invested in his studies, and obviously didn't know any better. ] A vacation is nice, but ...
[ it's in then that he seems to realize what riza actually did say, and he pauses himself. ]
You really wouldn't go back, for good?
no subject
that's where her eyes are when he mentions lived with you and when roy turns back to her. asks the question. riza blinks, at first not quite understanding the question. ]
You mean to the estate? [ she faces forward again, thinking about it. his questions isn't all that absurd, really. she had a house, land, her father's name to think about. money that would be her's to have, once she went through the paperwork, the process. she could, if she wanted to, go back for good.
and it's that moment that riza realizes she never really wanted to. ]
No, I don't think so. [ said with an almost thoughtful tilt. ]