[FMA Big Bang Fic] Chasing the Desert (9/9)
Title: Chasing the Desert
Author: bay115
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: R
Word Count: ~40,000
Pairing/Characters: Roy/Riza, Miles/Miles’s wife, Scar, Breda, Fuery, Maria Ross, Grumman, various other canon and original characters
Warnings: Language, some violence, mild sex, instances of discrimination over a fictional race/culture (in this case, the Ishvalans)
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who wanted to set things straight…
Notes 1: Last part, the epilogue! Lots I want to say, but I'll save that in the end notes. For now though, let's get to the ending!
Chasing the Desert
Epilogue
East City, Spring 1917
First Lieutenant Jean Havoc got used to waking up in mornings again, but for this particular day he was looking forward to it and wanted to get to work earlier than usual.
Jean had been back in the military close to nine months now and had enjoyed every moment of it. There were times when he found himself still not believing this was actually happening. Mustang and his unit were busy with revising the old Ishval policies and changing Amestris, so he stayed in military headquarters much longer than anticipated. The First Lieutenant didn't mind that as he wanted to help out with the Chief's plans; he was thankful for Marcoh in making it possible for him to feel his legs again and even more grateful for Mustang letting him use the Philosopher's Stone first.
After putting on his shirt and grabbing his military jacket, Jean's eyes caught a photograph of him with the team, Miles, and Scar in front of the library when he and the group visited Kanda several weeks ago. He chuckled, remembering how much he loved his first visit to Ishval. Both the Chief and Hawkeye got him up to speed over what was going on in that region, so he was aware what progress were made there, like how more supplies and technology from Aerugo were underway and the harvesting of the crops going just as planned. Some of the stuff he already knew as he kept up with the news on the radio while in physical therapy. Either way, everything seemed to go along quite fine without many disturbances.
The First Lieutenant finished buttoning up his military jacket when he heard someone knocking on his door. He rushed out of his bedroom and went to open the door. A smirk pulled at the corner of Jean's mouth upon seeing Breda.
"Coming to work early today too, Breda?"
"Yep," Breda said with a nod. "I thought the both of us could walk over to Eastern Command together."
“I have no problem with that."
Once Jean closed the door behind him, both men headed off and were eventually out of the apartment building. He and Breda lived only a couple blocks from Eastern Command, so they didn't have to drive there. Jean had joked, not long after he joined back Mustang’s team that the walking would be good for Breda, which resulted in him laughing out loud and not having any hard feelings over that. They continued walking to their destination without exchanging any words until Breda spoke up.
"You think the negotiations today will go well with the Emperor of Xing?"
Later today there was going to be a meeting with the Brigadier General and Emperor Ling Yao from Xing. He, Mustang, and everyone else had looked forward to his arrival and finally that moment would come soon.
"I believe so. From what I heard, he's a very nice guy." Jean had met with the Emperor before, back when he helped First Lieutenant Ross running away from Amestris, but they only exchanged a few sentences with one another. Nonetheless, he was excited to meet him again.
There was silence between the two military officers on the rest of the way to Eastern Command. Jean wasn't worried anything bad would happen and instead couldn't wait for the negotiations to happen.
+++
It had been an hour already since Riza woke up and finished getting dressed for work as usual. Having some time to spare, she was in the kitchen, slowly eating her toast that she had spread some butter on
The Captain reflected a little over going back to East Command. It was ironic when she had moved to Central she was only able to unpack some of her things, only for them to be put back in the boxes once more; she didn't mind that at all. The last several months Riza grew to like staying at East City, actually missed that place while at Central as she was raised in the eastern region of Amestris most of her life. Riza had fun showing First Lieutenant Ross around a few of her favorite places and hanging out with her long time friend Rebecca again, so there was some plus coming back here.
Riza chewed the last piece of her breakfast when she heard her phone rang from the living room. She got out of her seat and rushed to pick it up.
"Hello?" Riza answered in a cautious tone. She rarely got calls early in the morning.
A loud cackle sounded from the other line, which Riza already had an idea who her caller was. "I thought you would be out early for today's special occasion."
Riza shook her head and let out a soft laugh. "I was just leaving now, Grandfather."
Before Riza had been transferred to Eastern Command, she and Grumman discussed over communicating with one another as grandfather and granddaughter once in a while. Riza wasn't comfortable with the idea at first, but then said that would be lovely as she wanted to get to know him more. They called one another over the phone every other month and Riza had visited him at his estate several times already on weekends. She began to enjoy talking to him more after each visit . Saying "grandfather" had gotten easier for her, too.
"Ah, I see. I'm actually about to go myself in a few minutes. I just want to say good luck with you, Mustang, and his team over the meeting with the Emperor."
Riza felt a faint smile pull on her lips. "Thank you. I'll let everyone know you said that."
Another chuckle escaped Grumman. "That's great to hear. Sorry to cut this phone call extremely short, but I better be going. Talk to you again tomorrow!"
"Can’t wait."
As soon as Riza heard Grumman hang up, she put the phone away and headed out of her apartment. She wanted to get to Eastern Command as soon as possible.
+++
Most mornings Roy would be in his office half an hour early to wait for his subordinates. Usually he would read the newspaper or listen to the radio to pass the time, but this time he had been staring outside the window, deep in thought.
Today Roy was going to have an important meeting with the Emperor Ling Yao of Xing. A while back he had written a letter to the Emperor requesting a discussion over wanting Amestris having an open railroad trade with Xing, mentioning it would boost the economy for both countries. Emperor Yao answered back saying he was more than happy to talk to him over that and to anticipate his visit to East City fairly soon. Several weeks passed by since that response and now that day finally had arrived. Besides his team, Roy expected Scar and Miles to come to the discussions too as he wanted them to meet the Emperor.
He knew there were risks involved. The boy he had met was just that. Today’s meeting was with the emperor of a nation with a very real possibility of his own proposal being turned down. But then again, risk was always present, it shouldn’t stop Roy from trying. No, it “wouldn’t” stop him from trying.
Roy was disturbed when he heard footsteps. He turned around to see Riza-no surprise there as she was always the first one to come inside his office-bearing two cups of coffee in hand. Her mouth slipped into a smile, which Roy returned with one of his own.
“Morning, Captain.”
“Same to you. I brought coffee from the lounge. Would you like one?”
Roy smirked. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Once Riza handed Roy the coffee, he took several sips of it and his smile widened. The Captain drank hers soon after. They were quiet for a short while.
“You seemed to have a lot on your mind,” Riza said.
Roy let out a low sigh. “I’m a little nervous meeting with Emperor Yao. I hope to not mess this up.”
“I don’t think that will be the case. He knows us.”
“We only met him once when he, Edward, Alphonse, and I almost got eaten by Gluttony.” The Brigadier General tensed a little upon remembering that.
“True, but he seems like a nice person. And you forget that he did help you with First Lieutenant Ross’s case. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“You’re right. The meeting should go along smoothly,” Roy said in an appreciated tone. Sometimes he wondered how Riza was able to say the right words.
There was another brief moment of silence between them until Breda and Havoc joined the couple inside. Roy welcomed them with a smile.
“You two are early,” he said. “How come?”
“Well we don’t want to be late meeting with the Emperor of Xing,” Breda said.
“Also the both of us know how important this meeting is to you, Chief,” Havoc said, shooting him a grin.
“Glad to hear that from you guys,” Roy said, his smile widening.
A few seconds hadn’t flown by yet when Fuery and Ross showed up and everyone greeted one another. They all then talked about the upcoming meeting scheduled to happen later in the afternoon. Miles wasn’t expected for another three hours, so Roy wasn’t worried about him. He was a little disappointed Scar couldn’t come with the Lieutenant Colonel due to him being sick, but there was nothing he could do about it-he hoped Scar was well rested. With his whole team looking forward to seeing the Emperor, Roy’s mind was at ease.
+++
This was the first time in a while in which Scar had fallen ill, and he wasn’t liking it one bit. Once he had woken up, all he did this morning was stare out at the window and left with his thoughts.
The past several weeks at Ishval had been quite busy for Scar. He had helped out with construction of the library, which had finished a couple months ago. Besides that he had been preoccupied overlooking a few districts alongside with Miles and talking with the Ishvalans concerning the changes happening --quite a few people weren’t pleased and wished for more progress to happen, but most of them were satisfied with the changes that had happened so far. There was also him teaching the sacred words of Ishvala to the young adults twice a week, many of which aspired to become scholars.
He remembered feeling sick four days ago after coughing a lot while talking to a few Ishvalan women a few years older than him. Once Scar excused himself, Miles gave him a funny look before touching his hot forehead and telling him he needed to rest; he didn't protest. A part of Scar believed it was his body telling him to slow down, which was most likely true.
Scar didn't mind that, but was sad to not be able to make it to Brigadier General Mustang's meeting with Emperor Ling Yao. He still couldn't wait until Miles and his wife got back from East Command as the Lieutenant General would tell him everything that happened.
In that instant the Ishvalan was drifted away from his thoughts when he heard someone knocking on the door. Leaving the bedroom, Scar headed over to open the door and twitched upon seeing a familiar face.
"Doctor Maroch," Scar murmured. He wanted to ask him what the good Doctor was doing here but wasn't able to, still stunned over the doctor's unexpected visit.
"I thought I would drop by for a visit and give you some chaanch. I hope I’m not intruding."
Scar shook his head and motioned with his hands for Marcoh to come in. "Not at all."
As the two sat beside the table and drank, Scar’s throat grew cold. It was a good thing Marcoh came with the channch as he had just ran out of it. Finally able to think of something to say, Scar spoke first.
"So how is being my people’s doctor here treating you so far?"
"It's going great. I am finally at peace, working with them."
"We're all grateful for that." Scar felt a slight smile forming at the corners of his mouth. Changing the subject, he then said, "Miles had taken his wife to East City with him. I was supposed to go with them, but my fellow brother called Mustang last minute to tell him I couldn't make it."
"Ah right, today he's supposed to have an important meeting with the Emperor of Xing. Such a shame you have to miss it." Marcoh stopped briefly to drink more of his chaanch. "How is Miles's wife? I’ve never met her before."
An amused noise escaped Scar. "You will, eventually," he told the doctor. "She's a very determined person that would make sure everything gets done when it’s supposed to."
Another short silence between the two while they sipped their drink. Marcoh then asked, "You think the negotiations between the two will go well?"
Scar fell silent, unsure how to respond to that. He was aware Mustang and the Emperor would have to discuss several important things regarding trade, so most likely it would take a while for them to reach over some of the agreements. Nonetheless, Scar believed everything would work out in the end. He smiled to Maroch once more.
"I believe so."
+++
Miles had in fact come in three hours later, give or take a few minutes. As soon as he showed up, Roy shook hands with him and they along with Roy’s team then waited for Emperor Yao outside. Everyone remained quiet while waiting, which made Roy uncomfortable.
“Will you and the others still be joining with me and my wife for dinner later tonight?” Miles asked abruptly.
Roy jerked his head a little to see Miles and nodded. The Lieutenant Colonel had brought his wife with him to East City as she had wanted to visit there for a while and would like to have dinner with Roy and his group. He was more than fine with that.
“Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting Edith again.”
Miles made an acknowledged nod and then changed the subject by asking, “You mentioned the Emperor is the same age as Edward Elric?”
“He’s actually a few months younger than Edward, but yes the both of them are practically the same age.”
“So we’re meeting a very young Emperor, perhaps wise beyond his years.”
An amused sound came out from Roy. The alchemist was about to speak again, only to leave his mouth open when he caught sight of several people approaching. In an instant he saw Emperor Yao coming forward with two body guards, one he recognized as Lan Fan thanks to her automail hand showing, and a few of his advisors. The Emperor himself was in a lavish blue robe that was worn over a silk dressing gown and had a golden crown on his head. Roy thought the Xingese man looked very handsome and dignified in his clothing; he now wished he had worn something better than his military uniform. When Emperor Yao was close enough to him he halted and they shook hands.
“It is so great to see you again, Brigadier General Roy Mustang,” Ling said, beaming.
“Same here, Emperor Yao. Welcome to Eastern Command.”
The young Emperor laughed out loud, which caused Roy to cock an eyebrow at him. Was it a joke of sort he missed? He glanced at the group and they seemed to not get it either.
“You don’t have to be so formal around me,” Emperor Yao said once he calmed himself. “Just call me Ling.”
Roy smiled a little. “Well I’m honored, Ling.” He stopped for a second to point at Miles. “Lieutenant Colonel Miles had helped me out with overseeing the rebuilding of Ishval. I hope you don’t mind him joining in.” Roy saw Miles offering the Emperor an acknowledged nod.
“I don’t mind at all,” Ling said, a grin showing on his face. Roy then noticed him looking at one of his subordinates, particularly Ross; that made him wonder if Ling wanted to say something to her. His question was answered when the Emperor said, “Ah, and it looks like you have Maria Ross with you, too. I want to personally thank you for saving my father from that assassination attempt.”
Shortly after Roy had Ross in his team, the First Lieutenant mentioned to him how there was an assassination attempt on Ling’s father and she was able to save his life. The Brigadier General was quite shocked learning about that, but then he beamed at Ross and told her he was glad to make the right decision in having her as his new subordinate.
“No problem.” Ross had her face straight, but Roy could sense from her voice that she was quite flattered. “I’m very grateful your family let me stay with them.”
“I’m happy that you’re doing well now after all that has happened.”
Roy spotted Ross and Ling giving one another appreciated expressions. He was glad they were able to acquaint with one another, but knew there was important business to be taken care of.
“I think we should get started with the negotiations.”
Ling nodded in agreement. Roy began walking back to the building, everyone else following behind immediately after.
+++
Maria had gone through several negotiation meetings before, but she was still very excited over this. Ling had helped her out with escaping Amestris after being accused as Brigadier General Hughes's murderer, so she was glad to have a chance to express her gratitude to him.
The meeting itself, taking place inside Mustang’s office, went along fine, at least for her. The two men had a long but smooth discussion over which food and other items Xing and Amestris would trade with one another as well as when it would start. It was agreed that the set date for the trading to happen around mid-summer so that both countries had enough time to get everything ready. There was then talks over where the trading point is that took a little while to agree on. Eventually they decided on Ishval as the trading point as the region was between Amestris and Xing and the wheat and cotton there could be used in the trades. Mustang and Ling then made a pact and agreed to communicate with one another often to update each other over what was going on with them and shook hands.
"I can't wait until the trading between both countries commence," Ling said with a wide grin
"Me neither," Mustang said, beaming also. "It's too bad you can't stay here longer."
"It's a long train ride back from here to Xing, so we must leave as soon as possible," Lan Fan said.
"May all of you get back safely there, then," Hawkeye said to the guests with a warm expression crossing her features.
Maria wished that to Ling, his bodyguard, and everyone else too. Mustang and Ling shook hands once more, but the First Lieutenant then noticed the Brigadier General's eyes grew wide, as if he had forgotten something.
"Before you go, there is one more request I would like to make."
The Emperor quirked an eyebrow. Maria found herself also wondering what request her superior officer wanted. She glimpsed at her fellow military officers, each one also looked just as puzzled as her.
"And what might that be?" Ling asked.
"I want to know if you and your advisors would approve of First Lieutenant Ross as an Ambassador to Xing?”
Maria’s mouth dropped open when she heard the news. Her? Ambassador to Xing? Part of her wanted to know how long her superior officer had been thinking about that, but decided asking that was unnecessary.
"Wait, are you sure, Sir?"
Mustang gave a slow nod. "You have connections with Ling's clan and you seemed to speak Xingese quite well. I would like you to form an ambassadorial team and also watch over the trade delegations once those get started. If you don't feel you're qualified for this, though, I understand."
Maria remained quiet, still trying to figure out if she should do this. It was true that she knew Ling's royal family well and knew the common dialect spoken in the area, having learned the language during her stay there. She wasn't sure about her negotiation skills, however. There might be a chance she would learn that quickly as she went along. Maria wouldn't be surprised Mustang had that in mind all along as he made that decision.
“Hey, you’re the perfect person for the job,” Havoc reassured her with a wide smile. “You’re the only one here that stayed a great deal there.”
“We’ll be cheering you on,” Fuery said enthusiastically and wearing the same expression as Havoc. Breda and Hawkeye nodded.
“Thanks, everyone.” Maria felt a grateful smile spreading across her face. Able to make her decision at that instant, she turned around and saluted to Mustang. She then said to him, "I'll gladly accept your offer as Ambassador to Xing and make sure you won't be disappointed."
"Wonderful as I'm more than happy to hear Lieutenant Ross will be the Ambassador to my country!" Ling said and laughed. "Anyways, we must get going now. I do hope we meet again someday, Brigadier General."
"Same here," Mustang said.
Ling waved farewell to Mustang as he, Lan Fan, and the advisers took their leave. Maria watched them walk away until they exited Mustang’s office. She was nervous over not doing well with her new assignment, but happy she got some support and believed everything should be fine in the end.
+++
That night after the meeting with the Emperor, Roy and his subordinates were eating dinner with the Lieutenant Colonel and his wife at the inn the married couple was staying at for the night. The Brigadier General had talked with Edith Miles once before two months ago when he and his team visited Ishval for the opening of the library and enjoyed his conversation with her over several political topics. Once again, Roy found himself immersed in his discussions with her, this time with lobster and wine thrown in. Miles was right when he told him Edith was passionate over the happenings of Amestris. It was also nice seeing Miles and Edith together as they looked very content with one another.
"Edith, what made you decide to help with the rebuilding going on in Ishval?" Breda asked all of a sudden, which made Roy pull out from his own private musings.
Edith took a sip of wine and blushed a little. "I was really proud of what George was doing and I thought about helping too. I believe I made the right decision as I really enjoyed doing this and I'm able to spend more time with him." She leaned close to Miles and kissed him on the forehead.
Roy beamed at Edith. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Some of the buildings were done quicker than expected thanks to your engineering skills."
He was indeed glad that Edith came to help turn around the construction going on. Miles would mention in his reports how several projects were completed without any problems and many of the Ishvalan construction workers respected her. Roy had no doubt Edith knew what she was doing over there.
"Why thank you, Brigadier General Mustang," Edith said with a wide smile, as if being taken aback by that compliment. "I'm honored to hear that."
After finishing a piece of the lobster, Miles said, "I admit to being surprised when Edith said she wanted to stay at Ishval with me." Miles chuckled. "I too am happy to be with my wife again, though."
No words came out from Edith, which left Roy wondering if there was something on her mind. She then faced him and he was even more confused.
"I would like to say congratulations on the trade negotiations with the Emperor of Xing," she said to him. “Miles told me about it as we were getting ready for dinner.”
"I told him the negotiations were going to be fine," Riza said with a soft laugh. Edith did the same.
Roy shook his head but chuckled, not bothered over that at all. Riza was right when she told him to not worry over the negotiations with Ling. Once the discussions were over Ling and his guests quickly left East City to head back to Xing, a very long train trip ahead of them. The Brigadier General thought the meeting was a success.
"I owe the Captain an apology, then. Seriously though, I'm very excited for the trading with Xing to get started."
"So am I,” Ross said. “I still can’t believe you want me to come up with an ambassadorial team and deal with the trade delegations.”
Roy’s response was a soft laugh. Since finding out Ling was fine with traveling to Amestris to talk with him, Roy thought about having an Ambassador to Xing and believed First Lieutenant Ross was the perfect candidate for that. He had faith she would do just fine.
“Ross is going to be the Ambassador to Xing,” Breda explained to Edith. “We already told her how we’re all in support of this.”
“Oh, is that so? Congratulations then, Lieutenant Ross.”
“I appreciate that, Mrs. Miles,” Ross replied, smiling.
There was a brief moment of silence from everyone and then Miles asked, “Are we still going to Xeres again when you and your team visit Ishval next month?”
At that instant Roy nodded. “It’s been a while since I met with Madam Shan, but I’m ready to talk to her about the progress of rebuilding Ishval once again.”
The last time Roy talked with Madam Shan it hadn’t proceeded as smoothly as he would have liked it to. The Elder Ishvalan had claimed he expected to gain her trust to her too soon. Close to a year and a half had passed by since then and while he could have planned his visit to Xeres a little sooner, now was good as any time to do that. He glanced at Riza, a supportive smile lurked on her lips.
“Well I wish you good luck with that,” Edith said.
Roy remained quiet briefly before he said to Miles and his wife, "I wish you both a safe trip back to Ishval." The married couple was going to be leaving back to that region in the morning and Roy wanted to make sure he said his goodbyes properly.
Both Miles and Edith gave Roy a grateful smile. "We will," Miles said.
For the rest of the dinner everyone discussed a variety of topics, like the radio shows they had been listening to and which books were worth reading. Roy was going to miss the Lieutenant Colonel and Edith, but already look forward meeting with them again someday.
+++
When Riza made it back to Roy's house with him, they were sitting in the couch together listening to one of the radio stations Edith suggested, which featured classical music. The two were still in their uniforms save their military jackets as it was more comfortable for them that way. Riza wasn't paying too much attention to it, the violin playing fading away from her.
The Captain couldn't believe it had been two years since their relationship started. These days she and Roy found it hard to have a moment alone together due to all the changes happening, but for tonight she was glad they were able to have some peace to themselves.
"Remember the time when I first kissed you, after we left the hospital?" Riza asked as she tipped her head.
Roy gazed at her and his mouth twisted to a wide grin. "And then us on your bed right after? Best night of my life."
That made Riza smirk. She should’ve known he would say that. “How about the morning after?” Before letting Roy answer, Riza began kissing his ear softly and she heard a low groan from him.
“Best morning of my life.”
Losing it, Riza laughed out loud and gave Roy a quick kiss on the lips. "You're so predictable, sometimes."
A snort came out from Roy, but his expression instantly changed. "I'm curious as to why you asked me that, though."
"I was just thinking about how we're still together like this." Riza shrugged. "Time sure flies by fast."
"Well, I'm happy we somehow made this work."
Roy’s lips brushed against Riza's in a kiss she gladly returned. Riza had her hands on Roy's shoulders while he encircled his arms around her waist. She always felt comfortable being close to him like that, loved that their hearts were beating in the same rhythm. Eventually their lips parted and Roy looked at her with sad eyes.
"There is still a lot of work to be done regarding Ishval and Amestris, always in progress.”
Riza pondered over what Roy said. Indeed the work she and Roy had been doing kept piling up and there seemed to be no end in sight. Despite that, she would follow through with this no matter what.
"We have faced some challenges along the way, but for the most part everything's going as planned, like today. Also, I'll still be by your side."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Roy said, a hopeful expression flickered on his face.
They then kissed once more, this time with more intensity. Before Riza knew it she pushed Roy onto his back and had her knees on his hips, her fingers working to undo the buttons on his shirt as she leaned her head down to find Roy’s mouth, unable to stop herself.
There was no telling what would happen with the plans in the upcoming years, for better or worse. What Riza knew for certain was that she and Roy would go through this together. If more obstacles come at their way, so be it. She was then reminded when Roy had told her how their past at Ishval and the aftermath of it could be considered a love story; that particular story would never end, but that was all right because Riza didn't want it to.
End notes: EEEEEEEK FINALLY GOT THIS WHOLE STORY POSTED! Man, totally done writing politics for a while, haha.
Haha, originally this story was suppose to be Roy and Riza dealing with the changes concerning Amestris and Ishval and then terrible stuff happen to them. However, my betas thought some of those terrible stuff are too dramatic and unrealistic so I had to tone that down, LOL. The only real dramatic thing that happened is the assassination attempt back in Chapter Six, and even that I had to edit it quite a bit. Some fun trivia: there was suppose to be an extra chapter where Roy and Riza go to Aerugo as the king got shot, but I decided to get rid of it as I thought Roy was becoming too whiny and it seems to not make sense with the overall story. Thank goodness I didn't send that one to my betas. XD
For those that were able to find/read my old springkink fic, Like a Radio Drama, yes I took several ideas from that story and put a different spin on them for this story. I was originally going to do a rewrite of Like a Radio Drama, which I kinda did as both that one and Chasing the Desert have the same general idea of Roy and Riza starting a relationship while still dealing with post canon stuff. However, Like a Radio Drama is a lot more romance focus than Chasing the Desert and has blind Roy that I totally messed up on, which to this day I still regret writing that story. D: But yeah, this story fixed some problems that were from my springkink fic (like the Ishvalans being a bit too accepting of Roy in original fic >.>; ).
Already thanked them a million times, but THANK YOU missyquill and muziris (even if you weren't able to look through the last two chapters) for the amazing beta work. Without them this story would be a total trainwreck, haha. Also to my three artists who had done wonderful art for my story.
Woops, long commentary there. XD Well I do hope all of you that read the whole thing enjoyed it a lot! Looking forward to your overall thoughts on the story!
This entry was originally posted at http://bay-alexison.dreamwidth.org/85719.html. Feel free to comment wherever you like!
Author: bay115
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: R
Word Count: ~40,000
Pairing/Characters: Roy/Riza, Miles/Miles’s wife, Scar, Breda, Fuery, Maria Ross, Grumman, various other canon and original characters
Warnings: Language, some violence, mild sex, instances of discrimination over a fictional race/culture (in this case, the Ishvalans)
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who wanted to set things straight…
Notes 1: Last part, the epilogue! Lots I want to say, but I'll save that in the end notes. For now though, let's get to the ending!
Chasing the Desert
Epilogue
East City, Spring 1917
First Lieutenant Jean Havoc got used to waking up in mornings again, but for this particular day he was looking forward to it and wanted to get to work earlier than usual.
Jean had been back in the military close to nine months now and had enjoyed every moment of it. There were times when he found himself still not believing this was actually happening. Mustang and his unit were busy with revising the old Ishval policies and changing Amestris, so he stayed in military headquarters much longer than anticipated. The First Lieutenant didn't mind that as he wanted to help out with the Chief's plans; he was thankful for Marcoh in making it possible for him to feel his legs again and even more grateful for Mustang letting him use the Philosopher's Stone first.
After putting on his shirt and grabbing his military jacket, Jean's eyes caught a photograph of him with the team, Miles, and Scar in front of the library when he and the group visited Kanda several weeks ago. He chuckled, remembering how much he loved his first visit to Ishval. Both the Chief and Hawkeye got him up to speed over what was going on in that region, so he was aware what progress were made there, like how more supplies and technology from Aerugo were underway and the harvesting of the crops going just as planned. Some of the stuff he already knew as he kept up with the news on the radio while in physical therapy. Either way, everything seemed to go along quite fine without many disturbances.
The First Lieutenant finished buttoning up his military jacket when he heard someone knocking on his door. He rushed out of his bedroom and went to open the door. A smirk pulled at the corner of Jean's mouth upon seeing Breda.
"Coming to work early today too, Breda?"
"Yep," Breda said with a nod. "I thought the both of us could walk over to Eastern Command together."
“I have no problem with that."
Once Jean closed the door behind him, both men headed off and were eventually out of the apartment building. He and Breda lived only a couple blocks from Eastern Command, so they didn't have to drive there. Jean had joked, not long after he joined back Mustang’s team that the walking would be good for Breda, which resulted in him laughing out loud and not having any hard feelings over that. They continued walking to their destination without exchanging any words until Breda spoke up.
"You think the negotiations today will go well with the Emperor of Xing?"
Later today there was going to be a meeting with the Brigadier General and Emperor Ling Yao from Xing. He, Mustang, and everyone else had looked forward to his arrival and finally that moment would come soon.
"I believe so. From what I heard, he's a very nice guy." Jean had met with the Emperor before, back when he helped First Lieutenant Ross running away from Amestris, but they only exchanged a few sentences with one another. Nonetheless, he was excited to meet him again.
There was silence between the two military officers on the rest of the way to Eastern Command. Jean wasn't worried anything bad would happen and instead couldn't wait for the negotiations to happen.
+++
It had been an hour already since Riza woke up and finished getting dressed for work as usual. Having some time to spare, she was in the kitchen, slowly eating her toast that she had spread some butter on
The Captain reflected a little over going back to East Command. It was ironic when she had moved to Central she was only able to unpack some of her things, only for them to be put back in the boxes once more; she didn't mind that at all. The last several months Riza grew to like staying at East City, actually missed that place while at Central as she was raised in the eastern region of Amestris most of her life. Riza had fun showing First Lieutenant Ross around a few of her favorite places and hanging out with her long time friend Rebecca again, so there was some plus coming back here.
Riza chewed the last piece of her breakfast when she heard her phone rang from the living room. She got out of her seat and rushed to pick it up.
"Hello?" Riza answered in a cautious tone. She rarely got calls early in the morning.
A loud cackle sounded from the other line, which Riza already had an idea who her caller was. "I thought you would be out early for today's special occasion."
Riza shook her head and let out a soft laugh. "I was just leaving now, Grandfather."
Before Riza had been transferred to Eastern Command, she and Grumman discussed over communicating with one another as grandfather and granddaughter once in a while. Riza wasn't comfortable with the idea at first, but then said that would be lovely as she wanted to get to know him more. They called one another over the phone every other month and Riza had visited him at his estate several times already on weekends. She began to enjoy talking to him more after each visit . Saying "grandfather" had gotten easier for her, too.
"Ah, I see. I'm actually about to go myself in a few minutes. I just want to say good luck with you, Mustang, and his team over the meeting with the Emperor."
Riza felt a faint smile pull on her lips. "Thank you. I'll let everyone know you said that."
Another chuckle escaped Grumman. "That's great to hear. Sorry to cut this phone call extremely short, but I better be going. Talk to you again tomorrow!"
"Can’t wait."
As soon as Riza heard Grumman hang up, she put the phone away and headed out of her apartment. She wanted to get to Eastern Command as soon as possible.
+++
Most mornings Roy would be in his office half an hour early to wait for his subordinates. Usually he would read the newspaper or listen to the radio to pass the time, but this time he had been staring outside the window, deep in thought.
Today Roy was going to have an important meeting with the Emperor Ling Yao of Xing. A while back he had written a letter to the Emperor requesting a discussion over wanting Amestris having an open railroad trade with Xing, mentioning it would boost the economy for both countries. Emperor Yao answered back saying he was more than happy to talk to him over that and to anticipate his visit to East City fairly soon. Several weeks passed by since that response and now that day finally had arrived. Besides his team, Roy expected Scar and Miles to come to the discussions too as he wanted them to meet the Emperor.
He knew there were risks involved. The boy he had met was just that. Today’s meeting was with the emperor of a nation with a very real possibility of his own proposal being turned down. But then again, risk was always present, it shouldn’t stop Roy from trying. No, it “wouldn’t” stop him from trying.
Roy was disturbed when he heard footsteps. He turned around to see Riza-no surprise there as she was always the first one to come inside his office-bearing two cups of coffee in hand. Her mouth slipped into a smile, which Roy returned with one of his own.
“Morning, Captain.”
“Same to you. I brought coffee from the lounge. Would you like one?”
Roy smirked. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Once Riza handed Roy the coffee, he took several sips of it and his smile widened. The Captain drank hers soon after. They were quiet for a short while.
“You seemed to have a lot on your mind,” Riza said.
Roy let out a low sigh. “I’m a little nervous meeting with Emperor Yao. I hope to not mess this up.”
“I don’t think that will be the case. He knows us.”
“We only met him once when he, Edward, Alphonse, and I almost got eaten by Gluttony.” The Brigadier General tensed a little upon remembering that.
“True, but he seems like a nice person. And you forget that he did help you with First Lieutenant Ross’s case. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“You’re right. The meeting should go along smoothly,” Roy said in an appreciated tone. Sometimes he wondered how Riza was able to say the right words.
There was another brief moment of silence between them until Breda and Havoc joined the couple inside. Roy welcomed them with a smile.
“You two are early,” he said. “How come?”
“Well we don’t want to be late meeting with the Emperor of Xing,” Breda said.
“Also the both of us know how important this meeting is to you, Chief,” Havoc said, shooting him a grin.
“Glad to hear that from you guys,” Roy said, his smile widening.
A few seconds hadn’t flown by yet when Fuery and Ross showed up and everyone greeted one another. They all then talked about the upcoming meeting scheduled to happen later in the afternoon. Miles wasn’t expected for another three hours, so Roy wasn’t worried about him. He was a little disappointed Scar couldn’t come with the Lieutenant Colonel due to him being sick, but there was nothing he could do about it-he hoped Scar was well rested. With his whole team looking forward to seeing the Emperor, Roy’s mind was at ease.
+++
This was the first time in a while in which Scar had fallen ill, and he wasn’t liking it one bit. Once he had woken up, all he did this morning was stare out at the window and left with his thoughts.
The past several weeks at Ishval had been quite busy for Scar. He had helped out with construction of the library, which had finished a couple months ago. Besides that he had been preoccupied overlooking a few districts alongside with Miles and talking with the Ishvalans concerning the changes happening --quite a few people weren’t pleased and wished for more progress to happen, but most of them were satisfied with the changes that had happened so far. There was also him teaching the sacred words of Ishvala to the young adults twice a week, many of which aspired to become scholars.
He remembered feeling sick four days ago after coughing a lot while talking to a few Ishvalan women a few years older than him. Once Scar excused himself, Miles gave him a funny look before touching his hot forehead and telling him he needed to rest; he didn't protest. A part of Scar believed it was his body telling him to slow down, which was most likely true.
Scar didn't mind that, but was sad to not be able to make it to Brigadier General Mustang's meeting with Emperor Ling Yao. He still couldn't wait until Miles and his wife got back from East Command as the Lieutenant General would tell him everything that happened.
In that instant the Ishvalan was drifted away from his thoughts when he heard someone knocking on the door. Leaving the bedroom, Scar headed over to open the door and twitched upon seeing a familiar face.
"Doctor Maroch," Scar murmured. He wanted to ask him what the good Doctor was doing here but wasn't able to, still stunned over the doctor's unexpected visit.
"I thought I would drop by for a visit and give you some chaanch. I hope I’m not intruding."
Scar shook his head and motioned with his hands for Marcoh to come in. "Not at all."
As the two sat beside the table and drank, Scar’s throat grew cold. It was a good thing Marcoh came with the channch as he had just ran out of it. Finally able to think of something to say, Scar spoke first.
"So how is being my people’s doctor here treating you so far?"
"It's going great. I am finally at peace, working with them."
"We're all grateful for that." Scar felt a slight smile forming at the corners of his mouth. Changing the subject, he then said, "Miles had taken his wife to East City with him. I was supposed to go with them, but my fellow brother called Mustang last minute to tell him I couldn't make it."
"Ah right, today he's supposed to have an important meeting with the Emperor of Xing. Such a shame you have to miss it." Marcoh stopped briefly to drink more of his chaanch. "How is Miles's wife? I’ve never met her before."
An amused noise escaped Scar. "You will, eventually," he told the doctor. "She's a very determined person that would make sure everything gets done when it’s supposed to."
Another short silence between the two while they sipped their drink. Marcoh then asked, "You think the negotiations between the two will go well?"
Scar fell silent, unsure how to respond to that. He was aware Mustang and the Emperor would have to discuss several important things regarding trade, so most likely it would take a while for them to reach over some of the agreements. Nonetheless, Scar believed everything would work out in the end. He smiled to Maroch once more.
"I believe so."
+++
Miles had in fact come in three hours later, give or take a few minutes. As soon as he showed up, Roy shook hands with him and they along with Roy’s team then waited for Emperor Yao outside. Everyone remained quiet while waiting, which made Roy uncomfortable.
“Will you and the others still be joining with me and my wife for dinner later tonight?” Miles asked abruptly.
Roy jerked his head a little to see Miles and nodded. The Lieutenant Colonel had brought his wife with him to East City as she had wanted to visit there for a while and would like to have dinner with Roy and his group. He was more than fine with that.
“Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting Edith again.”
Miles made an acknowledged nod and then changed the subject by asking, “You mentioned the Emperor is the same age as Edward Elric?”
“He’s actually a few months younger than Edward, but yes the both of them are practically the same age.”
“So we’re meeting a very young Emperor, perhaps wise beyond his years.”
An amused sound came out from Roy. The alchemist was about to speak again, only to leave his mouth open when he caught sight of several people approaching. In an instant he saw Emperor Yao coming forward with two body guards, one he recognized as Lan Fan thanks to her automail hand showing, and a few of his advisors. The Emperor himself was in a lavish blue robe that was worn over a silk dressing gown and had a golden crown on his head. Roy thought the Xingese man looked very handsome and dignified in his clothing; he now wished he had worn something better than his military uniform. When Emperor Yao was close enough to him he halted and they shook hands.
“It is so great to see you again, Brigadier General Roy Mustang,” Ling said, beaming.
“Same here, Emperor Yao. Welcome to Eastern Command.”
The young Emperor laughed out loud, which caused Roy to cock an eyebrow at him. Was it a joke of sort he missed? He glanced at the group and they seemed to not get it either.
“You don’t have to be so formal around me,” Emperor Yao said once he calmed himself. “Just call me Ling.”
Roy smiled a little. “Well I’m honored, Ling.” He stopped for a second to point at Miles. “Lieutenant Colonel Miles had helped me out with overseeing the rebuilding of Ishval. I hope you don’t mind him joining in.” Roy saw Miles offering the Emperor an acknowledged nod.
“I don’t mind at all,” Ling said, a grin showing on his face. Roy then noticed him looking at one of his subordinates, particularly Ross; that made him wonder if Ling wanted to say something to her. His question was answered when the Emperor said, “Ah, and it looks like you have Maria Ross with you, too. I want to personally thank you for saving my father from that assassination attempt.”
Shortly after Roy had Ross in his team, the First Lieutenant mentioned to him how there was an assassination attempt on Ling’s father and she was able to save his life. The Brigadier General was quite shocked learning about that, but then he beamed at Ross and told her he was glad to make the right decision in having her as his new subordinate.
“No problem.” Ross had her face straight, but Roy could sense from her voice that she was quite flattered. “I’m very grateful your family let me stay with them.”
“I’m happy that you’re doing well now after all that has happened.”
Roy spotted Ross and Ling giving one another appreciated expressions. He was glad they were able to acquaint with one another, but knew there was important business to be taken care of.
“I think we should get started with the negotiations.”
Ling nodded in agreement. Roy began walking back to the building, everyone else following behind immediately after.
+++
Maria had gone through several negotiation meetings before, but she was still very excited over this. Ling had helped her out with escaping Amestris after being accused as Brigadier General Hughes's murderer, so she was glad to have a chance to express her gratitude to him.
The meeting itself, taking place inside Mustang’s office, went along fine, at least for her. The two men had a long but smooth discussion over which food and other items Xing and Amestris would trade with one another as well as when it would start. It was agreed that the set date for the trading to happen around mid-summer so that both countries had enough time to get everything ready. There was then talks over where the trading point is that took a little while to agree on. Eventually they decided on Ishval as the trading point as the region was between Amestris and Xing and the wheat and cotton there could be used in the trades. Mustang and Ling then made a pact and agreed to communicate with one another often to update each other over what was going on with them and shook hands.
"I can't wait until the trading between both countries commence," Ling said with a wide grin
"Me neither," Mustang said, beaming also. "It's too bad you can't stay here longer."
"It's a long train ride back from here to Xing, so we must leave as soon as possible," Lan Fan said.
"May all of you get back safely there, then," Hawkeye said to the guests with a warm expression crossing her features.
Maria wished that to Ling, his bodyguard, and everyone else too. Mustang and Ling shook hands once more, but the First Lieutenant then noticed the Brigadier General's eyes grew wide, as if he had forgotten something.
"Before you go, there is one more request I would like to make."
The Emperor quirked an eyebrow. Maria found herself also wondering what request her superior officer wanted. She glimpsed at her fellow military officers, each one also looked just as puzzled as her.
"And what might that be?" Ling asked.
"I want to know if you and your advisors would approve of First Lieutenant Ross as an Ambassador to Xing?”
Maria’s mouth dropped open when she heard the news. Her? Ambassador to Xing? Part of her wanted to know how long her superior officer had been thinking about that, but decided asking that was unnecessary.
"Wait, are you sure, Sir?"
Mustang gave a slow nod. "You have connections with Ling's clan and you seemed to speak Xingese quite well. I would like you to form an ambassadorial team and also watch over the trade delegations once those get started. If you don't feel you're qualified for this, though, I understand."
Maria remained quiet, still trying to figure out if she should do this. It was true that she knew Ling's royal family well and knew the common dialect spoken in the area, having learned the language during her stay there. She wasn't sure about her negotiation skills, however. There might be a chance she would learn that quickly as she went along. Maria wouldn't be surprised Mustang had that in mind all along as he made that decision.
“Hey, you’re the perfect person for the job,” Havoc reassured her with a wide smile. “You’re the only one here that stayed a great deal there.”
“We’ll be cheering you on,” Fuery said enthusiastically and wearing the same expression as Havoc. Breda and Hawkeye nodded.
“Thanks, everyone.” Maria felt a grateful smile spreading across her face. Able to make her decision at that instant, she turned around and saluted to Mustang. She then said to him, "I'll gladly accept your offer as Ambassador to Xing and make sure you won't be disappointed."
"Wonderful as I'm more than happy to hear Lieutenant Ross will be the Ambassador to my country!" Ling said and laughed. "Anyways, we must get going now. I do hope we meet again someday, Brigadier General."
"Same here," Mustang said.
Ling waved farewell to Mustang as he, Lan Fan, and the advisers took their leave. Maria watched them walk away until they exited Mustang’s office. She was nervous over not doing well with her new assignment, but happy she got some support and believed everything should be fine in the end.
+++
That night after the meeting with the Emperor, Roy and his subordinates were eating dinner with the Lieutenant Colonel and his wife at the inn the married couple was staying at for the night. The Brigadier General had talked with Edith Miles once before two months ago when he and his team visited Ishval for the opening of the library and enjoyed his conversation with her over several political topics. Once again, Roy found himself immersed in his discussions with her, this time with lobster and wine thrown in. Miles was right when he told him Edith was passionate over the happenings of Amestris. It was also nice seeing Miles and Edith together as they looked very content with one another.
"Edith, what made you decide to help with the rebuilding going on in Ishval?" Breda asked all of a sudden, which made Roy pull out from his own private musings.
Edith took a sip of wine and blushed a little. "I was really proud of what George was doing and I thought about helping too. I believe I made the right decision as I really enjoyed doing this and I'm able to spend more time with him." She leaned close to Miles and kissed him on the forehead.
Roy beamed at Edith. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Some of the buildings were done quicker than expected thanks to your engineering skills."
He was indeed glad that Edith came to help turn around the construction going on. Miles would mention in his reports how several projects were completed without any problems and many of the Ishvalan construction workers respected her. Roy had no doubt Edith knew what she was doing over there.
"Why thank you, Brigadier General Mustang," Edith said with a wide smile, as if being taken aback by that compliment. "I'm honored to hear that."
After finishing a piece of the lobster, Miles said, "I admit to being surprised when Edith said she wanted to stay at Ishval with me." Miles chuckled. "I too am happy to be with my wife again, though."
No words came out from Edith, which left Roy wondering if there was something on her mind. She then faced him and he was even more confused.
"I would like to say congratulations on the trade negotiations with the Emperor of Xing," she said to him. “Miles told me about it as we were getting ready for dinner.”
"I told him the negotiations were going to be fine," Riza said with a soft laugh. Edith did the same.
Roy shook his head but chuckled, not bothered over that at all. Riza was right when she told him to not worry over the negotiations with Ling. Once the discussions were over Ling and his guests quickly left East City to head back to Xing, a very long train trip ahead of them. The Brigadier General thought the meeting was a success.
"I owe the Captain an apology, then. Seriously though, I'm very excited for the trading with Xing to get started."
"So am I,” Ross said. “I still can’t believe you want me to come up with an ambassadorial team and deal with the trade delegations.”
Roy’s response was a soft laugh. Since finding out Ling was fine with traveling to Amestris to talk with him, Roy thought about having an Ambassador to Xing and believed First Lieutenant Ross was the perfect candidate for that. He had faith she would do just fine.
“Ross is going to be the Ambassador to Xing,” Breda explained to Edith. “We already told her how we’re all in support of this.”
“Oh, is that so? Congratulations then, Lieutenant Ross.”
“I appreciate that, Mrs. Miles,” Ross replied, smiling.
There was a brief moment of silence from everyone and then Miles asked, “Are we still going to Xeres again when you and your team visit Ishval next month?”
At that instant Roy nodded. “It’s been a while since I met with Madam Shan, but I’m ready to talk to her about the progress of rebuilding Ishval once again.”
The last time Roy talked with Madam Shan it hadn’t proceeded as smoothly as he would have liked it to. The Elder Ishvalan had claimed he expected to gain her trust to her too soon. Close to a year and a half had passed by since then and while he could have planned his visit to Xeres a little sooner, now was good as any time to do that. He glanced at Riza, a supportive smile lurked on her lips.
“Well I wish you good luck with that,” Edith said.
Roy remained quiet briefly before he said to Miles and his wife, "I wish you both a safe trip back to Ishval." The married couple was going to be leaving back to that region in the morning and Roy wanted to make sure he said his goodbyes properly.
Both Miles and Edith gave Roy a grateful smile. "We will," Miles said.
For the rest of the dinner everyone discussed a variety of topics, like the radio shows they had been listening to and which books were worth reading. Roy was going to miss the Lieutenant Colonel and Edith, but already look forward meeting with them again someday.
+++
When Riza made it back to Roy's house with him, they were sitting in the couch together listening to one of the radio stations Edith suggested, which featured classical music. The two were still in their uniforms save their military jackets as it was more comfortable for them that way. Riza wasn't paying too much attention to it, the violin playing fading away from her.
The Captain couldn't believe it had been two years since their relationship started. These days she and Roy found it hard to have a moment alone together due to all the changes happening, but for tonight she was glad they were able to have some peace to themselves.
"Remember the time when I first kissed you, after we left the hospital?" Riza asked as she tipped her head.
Roy gazed at her and his mouth twisted to a wide grin. "And then us on your bed right after? Best night of my life."
That made Riza smirk. She should’ve known he would say that. “How about the morning after?” Before letting Roy answer, Riza began kissing his ear softly and she heard a low groan from him.
“Best morning of my life.”
Losing it, Riza laughed out loud and gave Roy a quick kiss on the lips. "You're so predictable, sometimes."
A snort came out from Roy, but his expression instantly changed. "I'm curious as to why you asked me that, though."
"I was just thinking about how we're still together like this." Riza shrugged. "Time sure flies by fast."
"Well, I'm happy we somehow made this work."
Roy’s lips brushed against Riza's in a kiss she gladly returned. Riza had her hands on Roy's shoulders while he encircled his arms around her waist. She always felt comfortable being close to him like that, loved that their hearts were beating in the same rhythm. Eventually their lips parted and Roy looked at her with sad eyes.
"There is still a lot of work to be done regarding Ishval and Amestris, always in progress.”
Riza pondered over what Roy said. Indeed the work she and Roy had been doing kept piling up and there seemed to be no end in sight. Despite that, she would follow through with this no matter what.
"We have faced some challenges along the way, but for the most part everything's going as planned, like today. Also, I'll still be by your side."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Roy said, a hopeful expression flickered on his face.
They then kissed once more, this time with more intensity. Before Riza knew it she pushed Roy onto his back and had her knees on his hips, her fingers working to undo the buttons on his shirt as she leaned her head down to find Roy’s mouth, unable to stop herself.
There was no telling what would happen with the plans in the upcoming years, for better or worse. What Riza knew for certain was that she and Roy would go through this together. If more obstacles come at their way, so be it. She was then reminded when Roy had told her how their past at Ishval and the aftermath of it could be considered a love story; that particular story would never end, but that was all right because Riza didn't want it to.
End notes: EEEEEEEK FINALLY GOT THIS WHOLE STORY POSTED! Man, totally done writing politics for a while, haha.
Haha, originally this story was suppose to be Roy and Riza dealing with the changes concerning Amestris and Ishval and then terrible stuff happen to them. However, my betas thought some of those terrible stuff are too dramatic and unrealistic so I had to tone that down, LOL. The only real dramatic thing that happened is the assassination attempt back in Chapter Six, and even that I had to edit it quite a bit. Some fun trivia: there was suppose to be an extra chapter where Roy and Riza go to Aerugo as the king got shot, but I decided to get rid of it as I thought Roy was becoming too whiny and it seems to not make sense with the overall story. Thank goodness I didn't send that one to my betas. XD
For those that were able to find/read my old springkink fic, Like a Radio Drama, yes I took several ideas from that story and put a different spin on them for this story. I was originally going to do a rewrite of Like a Radio Drama, which I kinda did as both that one and Chasing the Desert have the same general idea of Roy and Riza starting a relationship while still dealing with post canon stuff. However, Like a Radio Drama is a lot more romance focus than Chasing the Desert and has blind Roy that I totally messed up on, which to this day I still regret writing that story. D: But yeah, this story fixed some problems that were from my springkink fic (like the Ishvalans being a bit too accepting of Roy in original fic >.>; ).
Already thanked them a million times, but THANK YOU missyquill and muziris (even if you weren't able to look through the last two chapters) for the amazing beta work. Without them this story would be a total trainwreck, haha. Also to my three artists who had done wonderful art for my story.
Woops, long commentary there. XD Well I do hope all of you that read the whole thing enjoyed it a lot! Looking forward to your overall thoughts on the story!
This entry was originally posted at http://bay-alexison.dreamwidth.org/85719.html. Feel free to comment wherever you like!