FicWad

"Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, sir."

Roy pushed away at the small clay figurine he had been fiddling with the entire morning off to the side of his desk as he heard the door open, and blinked at the visage he was presented with- of the beautiful blonde woman with the stern expression and neatly pressed military uniform. She was only slightly shorter than him, with her lips pressed in a thin line as her back straightened in a salute. There was a no-nonsense attitude about her, one that made Roy slightly nervous despite the fact that he was well aware of the fact he could charm even the strictest of ladies.

Beautiful dark amber eyes set against pale skin and high cheekbones, a round chin and a smooth curve of the cheek framed by short-cropped blonde hair. The military uniform covered her well enough that Roy couldn't begin to guess her figure, but he was sure that she would be the type to look absolutely stunning in a dress. Something short... maybe a miniskirt.

Tucking those thoughts away for later consideration, Roy leaned forward at his desk, his hands folded neatly atop his paperwork. His recent promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel meant that he would have subordinates working underneath him now, and while he had been working on recruiting his Ishbal comrade Lieutenant Jean Havoc to work under him, it was more than a just pleasant surprise to have Riza Hawkeye reporting to him. He remembered her name from Ishbal as well, as one who had joined in the later time of war and was known for her deadly aim. She never had to get close in combat, because she was an efficient sniper from the back ranks.

He had only ever caught passing glimpses of her before, and in a time of war, it was hard to notice the beauty of a fellow soldier covered in muck and grime.

"You were sent by Brigadier General Hakuro, then?" Roy asked casually, adopting an uninterested tone. He glanced over the files that she had handed him, flipping through some of the paperwork before deciding that it was too much of a hassle to read through everything- it would be easier if he could just get her to summarize what was in it.

"Yes, sir." She answered promptly, "He said I was to ensure that you did your paperwork, sir."

A secretary, then? She didn't look like a secretary at all, and knowing her history in the past war, Roy doubted that she would lower herself to be a mere secretary. She was a soldier, through and through, with her neatly pressed uniform and the posture she adopted. It was easy to tell the military personnel from regular civilians- just by the way they walked and by the way they held themselves. Riza Hawkeye had a very proud stance, one that would not allow her to lower herself to anything beneath her ability.

Okay, so it was true that Roy had developed quite the reputation for trying to slack off on his paperwork (that had to be the most annoying part of being a higher ranked officer- paperwork and red tape should all be burned without a trace left), but why would Brigadier General Hakuro ever send a woman to bother him?

Not that he was complaining. A beautiful woman is still a beautiful woman.

"He said that, did he?" Roy mused, eyes darting carelessly over the typed words on the report. "You seem to be a soldier much more suited to the field, though, Lieutenant. The Brigadier General is not known for his kindness to fledgling alchemists, after all. He would not reassign you unless there is something he wanted to know."

Roy couldn't be blamed for his suspicions. Hakuro was not meant to be a leader, in his opinion. The man was a follower, one that would support the Fuhrer to any ends in order to gain favor in a superior's eyes. While it was understandable that orders are meant to be followed, that kind of blind devotion sickened Roy. He knew all too well what would happen from following blindly, and the consequences were all too dire.

"I requested to be reassigned, sir."

Roy looked up, and raised an eyebrow.

The Second Lieutenant had her hands clasped behind her back, only a hint of her firearm exposed from underneath the cavalry skirt of the uniform. She had her lips pursed as Roy continued to look at her for a further explanation, but she refused to give one.

"Alright." Roy finally said after a few minutes of silence. He shuffled the paperwork together, wondering why he felt so nervous to see her sidearm. It wasn't as if other soldiers didn't have their weapons of choice near at all times- he knew that he did. He still didn't understand the transfer... he had worked with her in Ishbal before, yes, but not closely. Perhaps she was another of his admirers? He couldn't stop the satisfied smirk from reaching his lips at that thought. Perhaps she was another one of his admirers who had actually convinced one of the higher ups to transfer under him in order to get closer to him? Ah, how his fame was starting to spread...

"The Brigadier General also requests that you read over that and write a confirmation to the transfer," Lieutenant Hawkeye was saying. "His words were that the faster you get the papers back to him, the faster the transfer will be."

Yes. She must be anxious to secure her place at his side.

Roy set aside the small stack of papers, offering her a charming smile. "I will make sure that the paperwork gets back to Brigadier General Hakuro as soon as possible. There are-"

The blonde woman had her gun out before Roy could even finish his excuse, and he felt his fingers automatically tensing even without the presence of his gloves as she aimed her gun past him and shot a single bullet through the mound of clay that Roy had been fiddling with earlier, sending the figurine crashing to the floor behind Roy. He blinked for a moment, then turned his head to stare at the small grey figure now coming to a stop near his chair and with a bullet slightly to the left of the torso, where the heart would be.

"Sorry, sir." Lieutenant Hawkeye said without the slightest hint of apology in her voice. "I dislike distractions." There was only a moment's hesitation as she gave him a pointed look without any indication of putting away her gun before asking, "Your report, sir?"

Roy was tempted to continue gaping at her for a while longer, but then found that his arms were automatically reaching for the report that had been pushed off to the side of his desk. Seeing the well-polished gun still in her hands, he realized just why Hakuro might have allowed her transfer after all.