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Post by Riza Hawkeye on Aug 9, 2011 22:15:18 GMT -5
-- That morning, Riza Hawkeye had woken up at five thirty sharp, no alarm needed like every other day, and after stretching remembered that today was no like every other day. For the first time in awhile, she had the day off. Not half a day, not the evening.
All day.
Even sitting at the cafe she could barely believe that she wasn't at work, sitting behind piles of paperwork. No phone calls to make, no documents to sign. She probably wouldn't even see Mustang today, she realized.
'I'll probably stop in later, just to check on him...if Rebecca will let me get away...'
Her good friend Rebecca was visiting from Eastern command, and they were to meet at their favorite cafe in Central at eleven thirty sharp today. She glanced at her watch. It was eleven twenty four, at the moment... so she wasn't late.
Yet.
Not that she minded. Riza was enjoying being outside, watching people walk by the window. Sometimes at work she'd take a moment to look out the window and remember there was a life outside of the office. Not that she really needed or longed to be caught up in it all, but she didn't mind today. It had been awhile since she'd seen Rebecca, and while she didn't want to say she deserved to have the day off, it wasn't a half bad idea on Mustang's part.
She had actually only asked for the afternoon off, but with her luck he'd granted her the whole day. It was generous, coming from him, though he'd teased her about what better things she had to do than work for him.
The memory made her smile a bit. At the time she'd been annoyed... but it was moments like that where she could be something more than a working machine and get annoyed or frustrated; not much of a break, but for Riza?
It became a nice memory after she got over it, oddly enough.
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Post by Rebecca Catalina on Aug 10, 2011 20:27:40 GMT -5
Rebecca couldn't wait to see her friend again. After all, that was the whole point to this visit to Central. She couldn't believe that she'd managed to get an entire week off. Of course, she'd employed her feminine wiles, which she knew had helped her a great deal. It was just a shame that no man could appreciate how amazing she was. Then again, she wasn't sure how many men she knew would even be worthy of her. Shame Havoc wasn't filthy rich, or she'd turn on the charm when she inevitably saw him. It was almost sad: Havoc was looking to be the best of her prospects, and Havoc wasn't even rich! Well, maybe once she got transferred here she'd give him a shot, but not a second before that. No matter what Riza said.
Rebecca left the hotel early enough so that she'd be a bit early to meet with Riza. Men were one thing, but one was not late for a meeting with Riza. She didn't feel like getting lectured, though she wasn't sure that Riza would do that on a day off. Then again, she might wish that she'd been able to spend a few more hours with Mustang. Nothing going on. Like Becky would believe that; it was obvious to anyone with eyes.
When Rebecca reached the café, it didn't take her long to spot her best friend. "Riza!" she exclaimed, hurrying over and giving her friend a hug before the blonde could protest. She checked her watch once she stepped away. Eleven twenty eight. She was even early! "How are you?" Rebecca asked her friend.
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Post by Riza Hawkeye on Aug 10, 2011 23:28:53 GMT -5
-- Riza's mind drifted as she waited, thinking back through the letters she and Rebecca had been passing for the past month and a half or so. As much as they'd talked through those letters, it was nothing like actually seeing her again. Rebecca was her closest female friend, if not only true female friend... besides Winry. Though they weren't as close as she and Rebecca, more acquaintances... Well, needless to say, she didn't have many female friends. Outside of work she rarely socialized, and if she did it was with the people she worked with, just outside of their work setting. And since she worked with men most of the time, she didn't have time to make friends with other women. It wasn't something she actually missed, either, or really longed for. She was content with the friends she had. As cheesy as it may have sounded, she wouldn't have traded them in for the world.
When Rebecca appeared, she saw the hug coming but didn't have time to protest. But it had been such a long time, Riza didn't have the heart to. It wasn't a "hug problem", more a "lack of physical affection" thing. The only thing she cuddled with was Black Hayate.
She smiled at Rebecca, giving her a slightly awkward pat on the back before stepping back. While she wasn't as eccentric and bubbly as her friend, she was just as happy to see her.
She sat again before picking up a menu, glancing at it a moment before putting it back. She already knew what she wanted, she often came here for lunch or dinner breaks with one of the guys.
"Its been too long, Rebecca. I'm just fine, I just figured I'd get here a little early. How about you, how was your trip?"
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Post by Rebecca Catalina on Aug 11, 2011 22:53:05 GMT -5
Rebecca wondered just what Riza did without her for fun. There was just no way that watching Mustang like a babysitter all day could be fun (then again, she reminded herself, her best friend was obviously in love with the man...). Still, she knew that Riza didn't have many other (any other?) female friends. How could she stay sane surrounded by men all of the time? Becky resolved to kidnap Riza for a girl's night out at some point, hopefully during her current visit.
Rebecca didn't mind her friend's aversion to physical affection - well, unless she actively protested to Becky's hugs, which she hadn't yet. She didn't frown when Riza merely patted her on the back. Instead she grinned brightly and stepped away before sitting down across from her friend.
Rebecca's grin didn't fade as she picked up a menu and looked at it for a bit before deciding on something that she thought looked good. If Riza at here, it couldn't be too bad. "It really has been too long!" she exclaimed. Becky had really missed her friend. She laughed, "My trip was fine; a little boring, but I met some people on the train." What else was to be expected by riding on a train for so long?
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Post by Riza Hawkeye on Aug 14, 2011 0:15:58 GMT -5
-- When Rebecca looked at her menu, Riza brushed down her bangs, having seen a hair sticking up in the faint reflection in the window. Not that she was too concerned about looks. It was more a uniform thing than anything. At work, it was a personal requirement to look sharp at all times. She took her job very seriously, and professionalism was key. Hardly vanity, or wanting to impress anyone. Sometimes she wondered... she was twenty seven. Shouldn't she be married? Or at least dating someone? It would be a lie to say those thoughts hadn't crossed her mind... but usually, she had work to distract her. Today, well... today was going to be a little tougher. She had more thinking time.
And thinking time wasn't a good thing.
She came back out of her thoughts when Rebecca started talking, eyebrows raising a bit in attention as she listened.
"Well, you have a hard time staying still. Though I don't blame you... it is a long ride here from the East."
The waitress came by, and Riza ordered a drink and her food, waiting patiently for Rebecca to do the same. She looked ready, and Riza was used to the place. Hopefully they could walk around afterwords, do a little shopping. Well... Rebecca would do most of the shopping.
Riza would watch.
"So. Anything exciting happen since our last letters?" she asked, resting her hands in her lap and leaning back in her chair as she crossed her legs.
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Post by Rebecca Catalina on Aug 14, 2011 23:05:23 GMT -5
Rebecca watched her friend fix her hair curiously. Riza seemed to be deep in thought. Rebecca, being Rebecca, concluded that her closest friend was probably thinking about a certain brigadier general that she knew her friend had a thing for. It was really a shame that they couldn't be together, at least not officially. What's more, Becky was sure that all they had to do was bring the matter up to Grumman, and he'd work something out. Everyone knew that Mustang was going to succeed Grumman, and everyone close to them knew that Grumman wanted his granddaughter to be the future führer's wife - which meant that the old man was definitely on Becky's side. She just might have to try to schedule a talk with the man at some point to try to get her friend together with that pompous general of hers.
Rebecca nodded. "It's a torturous ride without anyone to talk to," she added with a nod. Once Riza ordered her food, Rebecca ordered the item that she'd thought looked good, as well as a drink. She hoped that it was good, but, then again, she honestly doubted that Riza would take her anywhere that didn't have good food. She knew that her friend had at least decent taste in food, and trusted her to pick a place where the food was at least edible.
"Nothing much,"
[/b] Rebecca said with a sigh. "The east is a boring, boring place." It wasn't quite as boring as she made it out to be, she supposed, but she knew that she'd rather be in Central. "What about you, Riza? Perhaps some... romantic advances?" Of course, she knew that Riza wasn't going to react positively to that, but, damn it, Becky wanted her friend to be happy. And there was no way that her friend was happy with absolutely no love life! [/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by Riza Hawkeye on Aug 15, 2011 0:04:15 GMT -5
-- The drinks came fairly quickly, and Riza gave the waitress a polite smile before turning her attention back to Rebecca, nodding at her food choice.
"That's pretty good, I've gotten it before" she said, trying to ignore what she'd said about romantic advances. Rebecca and Riza, if it wasn't already obvious, were complete opposites. It was why they were such good friends: opposites attract. But like any friends, there were things that one liked more than the other, or an obsession one had that the other certainly didn't share. Riza's was Rebecca's obsession with men. Did she like men? Yes, she was attracted to them, but did she need them in her life constantly like Rebecca did?
Not at all.
She knew she could only ignore the question for so long. Stirring her straw around her her water, she watched the ice swirl before looking up at her friend, forcing a smile.
"I told you already I'm too busy for that kind of stuff. I am completely devoted to my job, I don't need to be devoting myself to anything else right now."
Riza already knew that just wasn't going to settle well with Rebecca.She was persistant about many things, and obsessively so about this subject.
"Things are pretty normal at work, we're just doing the basics, which means I don't have a moment to sit and do nothing... which I like. Being busy does good for me"
That she meant. Her mind was the sort that needed a constant job or it got restless. She was already planning an excuse to steal away after lunch, make something "just come to her attention" so she could go check on Mustang, make sure he completed his to do list she'd made him.
She was certain the answer was no, which was why she wanted to go check in the first place. Plus... a day without seeing the inside of Central Command was a weird one indeed.
"Have you spoken to Havoc since you've been in town?" she asked, sounding slightly more enthusiastic than she meant to. It was because she thought of a good subject to hopefully get Rebecca's mind off the track Riza knew it was bound to go.
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Post by Rebecca Catalina on Aug 20, 2011 16:16:21 GMT -5
Rebecca rolled her eyes at her friend's response. It was very typical of Riza. "Riza, we're in the military. No one has a bunch of free time," she said with a sigh. It was a pain, at times, but it was the truth. Her expression shifted into a grin at a thought. "What about Mustang? You're with him constantly, and you'd have to be blind not to see that you're perfect for each other." Rebecca shifted slightly in her seat and took a sip of her drink before continuing. "And, as I've said, Grumman wants Mustang to be his successor, and he wants you to be first lady when that happens. Everyone knows that you're not going to stop protecting him and saving his ass on rainy days - so would you really be comfortable watching him marry someone else? Because that's what'll happen if you don't marry him," Becky added with a sage nod.
She took this time to start eating her food. Riza was right; it was good. She hadn't been expecting anything bad, certainly. She knew that her friend wouldn't take her somewhere where the food was awful. "Being busy is a lot better than being bored," Becky said with a nod. "I've had a lot of time to spend at the range, myself, but I'm not here to complain about how boring East City is, so I won't." With that, she took another sip before adding, "Besides, it's not like you don't know what it's like there." It was worse without her friend there, of course, though she'd had plenty of time to get used to it. It wasn't as if Riza were her only friend, either... Riza was just her best friend, for reasons that the two of them didn't quite understand themselves. Perhaps it was because they were so different.
Rebecca watched her friend, a growing smirk upon her face. "I bet you're trying to figure out how to get away to check on Mustang right now. I swear, you never stop thinking about him, do you?" She laughed. "Tell you what: why don't you take me with you? Just for a quick visit, of course, and then we can go shopping." She had to admit that she was curious to see what shape Mustang's team would be in without having had Riza watch over them all morning.
Rebecca occupied herself by finishing her food, so she almost didn't hear her friend's question. She quickly chewed her food and swallowed before nodding. "I went out for coffee with him yesterday, actually." She took another sip of her drink before continuing. "I called him to tell him that I was in town right after I hung up with you, and he wanted to have coffee that afternoon. Who was I to say no?" She'd been right, though. In her mind, at least, she'd had Havoc in the palm of her hand just minutes after they met up. She was glad that she'd brought that one dress; it had certainly helped quite a bit.
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