this week is royai festival too bad it's improbable [CLOSED]

[carrycorpses.livejournal.com]

The Mess Hall. Riza could hardly help but feel almost amused. It was rare that the team had ever used the cafeteria in the Eastern or Central command center. Often the Colonel mentioned "team dinners" or all of them just ate out. The only things they ever ate from the military bases, well it wasn't even eating, it was drinking, was the coffee. The coffee that tasted bland and was fairly disgusting no matter how hard you tried to prep it, but still it had become their ritual every day to make the disgusting coffee and drink it. She'd normally been the one to serve it, but it was always a nice gesture.

She was thinking of this as she took the plate and went into the corner of the mess hall with Hayate for few simple reasons. One of them being that eating in this place somehow reminded her of that coffee. Disgusting, but somehow a ritual that became comforting. Even if the 'slop' wasn't very delicious, there was the fact that there was something comforting in still being allowed to eat. Especially after being stripped of so many other things that were a comfort, showering included. (Yes, she realized the plant-suit did all that for them, but she was one of those people who did just enjoy showering to shower.)

Shaking her head, Riza shook off the thoughts. Feeling nostalgic was a strange idea, especially when she had no reason to be nostalgic... Even if those team moments had ended months ago, all the way back when Havoc became paralyzed. That idea made her frown as she sat. She was still trying to figure that out, what the Colonel should know, and what he shouldn't. For her, it seemed a definite that Havoc, the team being 'defanged' and Envy, of course, should never be allowed out to him. Things he didn't need to know, things that would probably make him do and think stupid things. He knew some though, thanks to Edward, and she at least had a starting place to her thoughts though.

With a sigh, she glanced at the food---she really didn't call it food, but it was at the very least nourishment-- and her amber eyes spun in thought. After a moment she looked at the pup who was now pawing and standing on her leg, despite training. She smiled some, reaching over to pet him on the head. "A moment, Hayate, and I'll give you something." A resounding yip as the pup stuck his tongue out and let it lull on the side of his face. But even that didn't amuse her for long as her thoughts turned back and a frown presented itself on her features once more.

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[snapsforyou.livejournal.com]

He returns Riza's smirk in kind, a glint in his eyes.

"Well, seeing as I allow them to complain without threat of physical harm every few months, they could hardly decide to desert me. I am, after all, quite the catch as far as commanding officers go." And as far as other things go, if he says so himself, but he keeps that thought in his head.

Eyes darkening, he turns this information over in his head, still made quite uneasy by the concept of living, breathing Homunculi. He had doubted Ed's veracity on the subject of the Führer's apparently anomalous physical state, but as the words hit home--from Riza's mouth, this time--he admits that he had avoided that truth because of how utterly painful it was to even being to consider such a thing. Despite the obvious fact of Roy's goal to gain the position of Führer, and any consequent grudge he had against Führer Bradley, the man with the eyepatch was still his sovereign, and Roy works for the military. Having your leader deceive you--let alone an entire country--in such a monstrous, insidious way is not something that men like Roy are built to cope with. In laymen's terms, the Colonel is allergic to duplicity.

Because of his swirling thoughts, it takes a bit longer than it ordinarily would for the underlying meaning in Riza's words to register. When he finally makes the connection, his eyes widen, and he looks utterly horrified.

"What purpose did that massacre serve to these beasts? To enact a genocide of that scale, to instigate a civil war without due military cause, that's... unfathomable. It reneges on every promise to protect the people we've ever made. This--" He pauses, breathes, and continues on a slightly different track. "You mean to say that our entire national history has been choreographed by a cult of meta-humans to reach some..." Goal. Circle, Amestris is a circle. What was it Ed said? "A circle of violence and blood painted by annexing and civil war." God, this runs deep. Throw in that muttering about the Devil's research... Something that he had missed the first time he had this conversation clicks, and his eyes pinch shut, his exhale slow and pained.

"Why would they want to perform human transmutation on an entire country?"

[carrycorpses.livejournal.com]

A small smile.

"Quite the catch indeed, sir," she responded easily. Even if you're an idiot sometimes.

Riza didn't say anything as she watched Roy's expressions and eyes. Letting the thoughts run through his head and form. Sooner or later, and she knew it would be sooner as she had added the kindle to the fire, he'd come to the answer. She only knew half of it herself. Riza had been filled in for the most part on that part of the situation, but there was hardly enough time for her to get all the details. And she wasn't an alchemist to understand everything, but she understood well what they meant. So she waited, letting him think it through. When he spoke about Ishval and easily moved to the next step she sealed her mouth closed. She knew he'd understand to that much, at the very least.

Riza nodded some at his final words. So he came down to that at least. Pushing the slop away in order to fold her arms on the table, she took a moment to level her eyes knowingly with him. "I'm sure if you try, you know better than I that answer, sir."

Nonetheless, she continued. "Every war Amestris has been in has been a so called 'point'. Human energy, death and sacrifice were needed, I suppose. To create..." she paused to let the first sink in, knowing he'll know the answer when she says it, "the Philospher's Stone."

Quieting a moment, Riza's posture allowed it to be known she wasn't finished, but rather letting that information sink in. She wasn't on terrible ground now. It was somehow easier talking about this than anything else.

"The homunculi exist on the power of the Philospher's Stone, the one who created them calls himself 'Father'. Before I arrived here, several hours or so, he put the country wide circle into play," she closed her eyes, "it's to my understanding every citizen of Amestris was made into the stone, but do to the Elric brothers' father, this was reversed and they returned to their bodies. This Father tried and managed to contain the power of a so called god."

She looked back at him, a frown on her features. "Before I arrived here we were in the so called... final battle with him."

[snapsforyou.livejournal.com]

Quite the catch indeed. He would have preened if he weren't too busy trying to think through a haze of absolute apoplexy.

Yes, he had known that answer, though he's not sure why. The connection had never been drawn in his head between human transmutation and that legendary, catastrophic stone, unless a certain blond alchemist's history was considered, but it certainly has been now.

He sighs, sincerely hoping that the carbon dioxide seeping from his lungs will carry some of this anxiety away with it. He is tempted to sigh again when he realizes that his anxiety remains overabundant, curled up in a highly unpleasant ball in the pit of his stomach, reminiscent of some satanic cat. Instead, he pushes his own tray out of the way, mirroring Riza's posture, eyes dark and intent and serious.

"The Philosopher's Stone was created in order to raise this "Father" to the level of God?" The question is rhetorical in every way. He scoffs, scientist's theology positively gleeful with the stupidity of some people. He would never argue religion aloud--he's not Fullmetal, but he certainly doesn't agree with it. To hear of something so foolish being the motive for such a monumental crime as manipulating an entire country for centuries... He's morbidly amused.

Eyes flashing mutinously, filled with cackling and flame and quite a lot of bitterness, he says "Well, I certainly hope Father enjoyed his delusion." A pause, and he sobers up, eyes hardening. "Everyone in Amestris died... and Fullmetal and Alphonse's father revived them? I wasn't aware that their father was an alchemist."