--Formalities. [Roy]

[Riza Hawkeye]

-- Sundays off of work were rare things for Riza. If anything, she and Brigadier-General Mustang would get in an hour later than most days upon his request, work for half a day and then, he'd get bored being there and say that they had the rest of the day off.
'They... we...' Riza thought, tilting her head slightly at she picked up an apple from the street vendor's cart, examining it closely. There was already a large bag in her other hand, full of groceries that were to last her for the next two weeks. Today, Mustang hadn't even wanted to work, which she reluctantly let go only because she was in dire need of a grocery shopping day. But it was funny, how when they did things it was always "we". Riza didn't go to work. Riza and Mustang went to work. She rarely referred to herself as a single unit.
Not that she wasn't sued to it. It just dawned on her every once in awhile.

She smiled politely at the vendor, requesting five of the apples, and waited as the young man bagged them. Her hair was down for the day, and she'd dressed nicely, but simply, in a skirt and blouse. Most of the time her hair was a nuisance, but today, when she wasn't doing anything in which it'd get in the way, she liked it. She was beginning to like her decision to let it grow out again.

"Pretty nice day out, huh?" the man bagging her apples asked, grinning at her. She smiled back and nodded,
"A little warm, but I like that once in awhile" she replied, shoving her free hand into her purse for her wallet. The man looked at her a second, then said,
"Hey, you need help carrying anything? My mom can stay here and hold up shop for a bit."
"No, its fine, I can get it. But thank you" she said, but her attention was stirred by a tugging at her wrist. Black Hayate was at her feet, suddenly excited about something. She shook her head, handing a few bills to the young man, who hadn't yet stopped smiling at her.

[roy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h99/houndoomXdelta/de.png); width: 500px; -moz-border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border: 1px dashed #000000] I will not die, I will survive ♙tags: Hawkeye ♙lyrics: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace; I will not die, I'll wait here for you Letting out a rather large yawn, Roy Mustang sat up more properly from the hunched over position he had taken up over his desk, reading and signing some rather important documents for Fuhrer Grumman that he had admittedly been putting off. Glancing at the clock, he sighed, and capped the pen he had been using. Was the day really that far gone already? He had taken off work that day specifically to run through the documents. He had told Riza and the other members of his team that he simply did not want to work today - which was more believable than him taking off so he could sit in his room and take up responsibility for a task he had been putting off for however long. Standing and pushing in his chair, Roy stretched slightly before turning to glance at the mirror. His shirt was a mess - untucked, partially unbuttoned, the works. If he showed up to work like that he would be tossed back home to spiff up immediately, even if he was wearing the uniform overcoat to cover it. He smoothed the rumpled fabric and buttoned it to about his mid-sternum before tucking the shirt in around his waistline. Pulling a jacket off a hanger, he slipped that on over it, and placed a hat on his head. He was going out in the city, and he preferred to walk as a civilian rather than donning his military attire for simple things like that. *~*~* He had been walking for a while, enjoying the various sights there were to see, be it families walking together to birds flying, even small children playing together. He was passing some of the street vendors when he heard a familiar voice, politely refusing help. Looking up, Roy gave the faintest traces of a smile before it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It was Riza Hawkeye, his most trusted subordinate with her loyal friend Black Hayate. Walking quietly up behind her, his position was given away by her dog, who soon started barking excitedly once it recognized him. Giving a small smile, he waved the canine into silence - proof of the training Riza had taken her time to enforce. Placing his hands in his pockets, Roy stepped to her shoulder, looking at the produce in the cart rather than her as he spoke. "With the bags you're carrying, I would hate to see you drop one..." he said, moving his gaze from the apples to oranges, nonverbally offering her assistance she had just denied the vendor within the statement he gave. I feel alive when you're beside me. ♙notes: first Roy post ever, yay ; credit to gREY of OTE

[Riza Hawkeye]

-- When the man handed her change, he looked ready to say something to her, but his attention was redirected by something behind Riza. She took note of it, remembering that Hayte had been barking. The bark hadn't been a threatening one, more of a happy one... she took all of these things into account and processed them in a matter of seconds, right before she heard an all too familiar voice almost beside her.
She didn't jump, only stiffened for a moment, not really expecting him to be around the city like this. Closing her eyes a moment, she shook her head, and looked back at him, putting her change in her wallet.

"Hello, sir, good to see you here, too" she said in a calm tone, "You shouldn't make a habit of sneaking up behind people, you know. But I'm fine, I've managed this walk before carrying these things, and I think I can manage it again"
She gave a "thank you" nod to the young man, who was eying her superior as he went to help another customer. Balancing the bag against her, she put her wallet back in her purse, closed it, and smiled slightly. Even though she hadn't thought of seeing him, she wouldn't exactly say she was disappointed that she was seeing him.

"I'd like to assume your work's done, so you're out taking a walk, but I doubt that's the case" she said, glancing over at Hayate as he greeted the General, "At least you're getting out, though."
It wasn't like she hadn't seen him out of uniform, she had many times. But it was always good to see him get away from work for awhile. Granted that's what he did daily in his own office, but knowing he was at least enjoying his day a bit made her happy. He needed to sit back and enjoy the simple things once in awhile.
It did him good.

[roy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h99/houndoomXdelta/de.png); width: 500px; -moz-border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border: 1px dashed #000000] I will not die, I will survive ♙tags: Hawkeye ♙lyrics: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace; I will not die, I'll wait here for you "Hello, sir, good to see you here, too. You shouldn't make a habit of sneaking up behind people, you know. But I'm fine, I've managed this walk before carrying these things, and I think I can manage it again." Roy watched her as she gave a respectful nod to the younger man who was giving him a bit of a queer look. Roy did not pay much mind to it, however, for he was more concerned with other small matters. "I'd like to assume your work's done, so you're out taking a walk, but I doubt that's the case. At least you're getting out, though." Roy couldnt help but let a small smirk play at the corner of his mouth. "Please..." he began, giving a mock sigh as though he were slightly perturbed by her words. "You make it sound as though I don't finish anything while I'm in my office. Or worse...don't even do anything while sitting indoors all day." He gave her a smile and nodded slightly with his head, gesturing for her to start walking with him. "And I had no intentions of 'sneaking up' on you." he gave her a small smirk. "That would be simply asking for a paranoid person to react poorly." Taking his right hand out of his pocket, he held it out slightly to her, offering to take at least one of the bags from her rather than simply asking if she needed assistance. He'd learned over time to try at least twice before letting the task settle, although some demanded unyielding attempts. I feel alive when you're beside me. ♙notes: -- ; credit to gREY of OTE

[Riza Hawkeye]

-- Her eyebrow raised slightly at his comment.
'Well that's actually exactly what I meant...' she thought, but decided it was best to keep it to herself. It wasn't that Roy didn't work. He worked when pushed, or when he was really into something. But the necessary little things he didn't care as much about were often overlooked, no matter how important they were, and often put off until the last minute. The work she had suggested he do in her absence was that work exactly.
So she didn't have high hopes that it was complete.

When he extended a hand, Riza blinked at him a minute, then gave in, handing over one of the bags so she could hold Hayate's leash more securely. He wasn't taking no for an answer. Sure she could have managed... but she meeting would have been to brief between them. Besides, perhaps she could convince him to get the paperwork done when he got back home.

Doubtful... but she was trying to be optimistic.

She began walking towards her home, which wasn't far from the vendor. Enough to make her feel as if she'd done at least a little physical activity for the day.
"You're lucky I'm not too paraniod, then" she said, fighting to hide the smirk that was tugging at her lips. Reacting poorly for her was... well.
Roy very well knew what a poor reaction from Riza could mean if it meant defense.
"What are you doing out, anyways, sir? Done working for the day?" she asked, looking up at him.

[roy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h99/houndoomXdelta/de.png); width: 500px; -moz-border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border: 1px dashed #000000] I will not die, I will survive ♙tags: Hawkeye ♙lyrics: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace; I will not die, I'll wait here for you Much to Roy's surprise, she relented her hold on one of her bags to his open arm after about one minute of consideration. He gave a slight smile and nod to show his appreciation. What sort of man would he be seen as, walking alongside a woman without having offered to carry her baggage to lessen her load? Although Roy knew Hawkeye was far from the sort of woman that would be upset by a man forgetting or simply deciding not to offer her help, he was glad when she let him take one of the bags. The small smile left his lips almost as soon as it had appeared, and he maintained a rather neutral expression as he curled his arm around the bag. "You're lucky I'm not too paranoid, then..." The thought admittedly could have made a weaker man sweat and tremble if they knew anything about her, but he kept his wits about him. He knew that if she were, in fact, a paranoid person, it could end very badly for anyone that so much as tried to come up on her undetected. "What are you doing out, anyway, sir? Done working for the day?" his dark gaze, which had been watching where they were going - to her home - was brought around to his right to look at her. "Actually, just about. There were a few things I didn't get done, but I made decent headway on my various projects..." he answered honestly. In truth, it was a bit like relief, to have finished reading and signing at least a portion of the stack of documents because they had been hanging over his head like a storm waiting to break for so long. I feel alive when you're beside me. ♙notes: -- ; credit to gREY of OTE

[Riza Hawkeye]

-- The leash around her wrist jerked as Hayate tried to get ahead, and he glanced back at the two a moment before walking on at a normal pace. It brought a smile to Riza's face: she remembered a time she told Rebecca that Hayate was the best man she knew. Which to a point, was true.
He sure listened to her the best out of any of them, especially compared to the one walking with her. While he held a bit of respect for what she had to say, his procrastination never eased. Not out of disrespect. It was just how Roy Mustang was.
'Work would be dull if it were any other way' she thought with a smile.

Her eyebrows raised when he said he'd made good progress. So, he'd listened to her. She allowed this smile, one of surprised appreciation.
"I'm happy to hear that, sir" she said, looking ahead again, "I was thinking of coming back in when I got all of these groceries put away... are you going back to the office?"
While she had the day off, it had been in the back of her mind for her to head back when she was done with her house chores. It wouldn't take her too long, and with the work he had to do, she was sure he'd still be there. Even though he was taking a walk now, she could always head back with him or something...

"I could always organize the new papers that came in into a file for you today, it would probably be productive of me to get that over with so when the new flow comes in, we have room to put it somewhere..."
Her brain was in work mode again. It was something that happened around him, automatically. Her mind instantly went to organizing, detail work, things to sign, things to file, people to call, things to send out, things to pick up. She thought it might just be an office thing, but the thoughts hadn't started invading her thoughts like this until she saw him.
'Its been so long, its become instinct..."

[roy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h99/houndoomXdelta/de.png); width: 500px; -moz-border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border: 1px dashed #000000] I will not die, I will survive ♙tags: Hawkeye ♙lyrics: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace; I will not die, I'll wait here for you Out of the corner of his dark eyes, Roy caught a glimpse of a small smile spread across Riza's lips. Oh...? Roy thought, wondering if the smile was just an illusion he was imagining. Seeing Riza so often in Headquarters brought little chance for a smile to leak through, unless she showed a bit of satisfaction at something he'd done, generally after he took her advice to take up a certain task after procrastinating. However, a smile nonetheless was a rarer sight than Roy would appreciatively admit. "I'm happy to hear that, sir. I was thinking of coming back in when I got all of these groceries away...are you going back to the office?" Glancing at Black Hayate, who had walked quickly ahead as though to lead the way, he gave the dog a fleeting look before looking back at Riza. Swallowing silently, he cleared his throat prior to speaking. As soon as he began to open this mouth, though, she continued on. "I could always organize the new papers that came in into a file for you today, it would probably be productive of me to get that over with so when the new flow comes in, we have room to put it somewhere..." If Roy had smiled at that instance, he would not have heard the end of it, for the expression would have been more of an endearing smile than an amused one. She was so intent on her work...so intent on supporting him every step of the way. Roy knew that Riza was aware of how much he thought of her as a colleague and supporter, but he hoped that, for her sake, he would be able to bring her out of the workaholic mode she often got into....for the day, at least. "It's fine, I assure you..." he said, giving a small wave with his free hand as though casting aside an annoying bug. "I was actually working from home today. I'd..." he paused, knowing she would be happy to hear that he used the term she'd used so often. "...been procrastinating..." he murmured the word "...on completing a few assignments, so I took them home for the day." he glanced at her, adjusting his hat as they arrived at the door of her home. "There's no need for you to go in today, that being said..." he told her gently. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to grab a cup of tea or coffee with me this evening..." he asked her, while silently adding to himself, ...and perhaps dinner later. He'd been thinking for a number of months now about this, and he was finally working up the courage to do something about it. I feel alive when you're beside me. ♙notes: -- ; credit to gREY of OTE

[Riza Hawkeye]

-- T he wave shut her up, making her realize how deep in thought she'd been. She stopped the overflow of work related thoughts and snuffed them out, slightly embarrassed. Why couldn't she just enjoy a day off from with? Spend a day happy, without being plagued by schedules and calling lists. On her rare days off, she would go into "work spells", and suddenly find herself absorbed in thinking about whatever project she next needed to complete, which resulted in her stopping by to check on Mustang before he left. So really, she never went a day without work at all. A sad fact in most people's minds... and Riza even sometimes wondered why she couldn't just break away... but it never bothered her. It was her job, and one she had made a very conscious decision to do.

Took them home... thought Riza, repeating the words in her head. She nodded a bit, realizing that she was almost home. She started digging around in her pocket for her key as he spoke, and it really didn't dawn on her exactly what he was saying until he said "coffee".
Snapping to attention, Riza looked over at him face blank as her finished talking and waited for her answer.
'Tea... coffee... what's this about?' she wondered. Obviously he had something to tell her. That's what meetings of this nature were about, him ranting about some finding or opinion or upcoming, important project they had to tackle. Not that it happened often, of course. She couldn't remember the last time he'd asked to go somewhere with her, and it wasn't just the two of them, it was the guys she worked with, too.
It was just so out of the blue... she hadn't seen it coming.

"That sounds fine, sir, I don't have any plans for the rest of the day" she said, with a nod, I'm curious as to why, though. Everything's all right... right?"
Even still she was in work mode, running over the many subjects he'd scheduled this meeting to be about.

[roy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h99/houndoomXdelta/de.png); width: 500px; -moz-border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; border: 1px dashed #000000] I will not die, I will survive ♙tags: Hawkeye ♙lyrics: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace; I will not die, I'll wait here for you The air seemed to crackle with his buried anxious anticipation of her answer. He had not taken the time or gathered the courage to ask a woman out for so much as a small cup of tea or coffee for a while now, much less Lieutenant Hawkeye. He'd heard the whispered rumors that seemed to buzz about the mass of Central Headquarters since he was a Lieutenant Colonel. Practically every officer he'd come into contact with for one reason or another had at one point uttered words about possible infatuation between himself and the Lieutenant. They had both rejected all of these rumors, pushing them away almost faster than they could arise. However, Roy couldnt deny the fact that since he'd first met her, while he was studying under her father to learn the more important parts of developing his Alchemy, he'd felt the occasional inklings of attraction towards her, however, he had pushed these aside too. However... Only recently, something had changed, and he decided to see how adequately he could pursue said inklings. However, he knew he could only get so far without her consent. "That sounds fine, sir, I don't have any plans for the rest of the day. Im curious as to why, though. Everything's alright...right?" Roy blinked and looked back at her, watching as she unlocked her door. "Of course everything's alright..." he said, somewhat bemused by her question. "Is some sort of trouble required before I ask a good friend out for a drink...?" he asked with a small smile. He also hoped that using the term 'good friend' rather than 'colleague' was a smart move, and not a mistake. I feel alive when you're beside me. ♙notes: -- ; credit to gREY of OTE