Waiting: Mother Arc: Chapter 11

"‹She is fairly confident she knows 'who,' now. The problem seems to be in working with him.›"

The twelfth son of Xing's emperor leaned back against the window frame and regarded the minor diplomat. "‹Is she certain this is the person who was responsible for that town in the desert?›"

The man shook his head. "‹No. But he was involved, and he's strong. He was quite well known for his alchemy a few years ago.›"

He hesitated, and Ling sighed. "‹But . . .?›" he prompted.

"‹Understand that I'm hardly in the princess's confidence. This is from my own observations.›" He seemed to consider a moment more, then said, "‹Those brothers, the Elrics, have been meeting with Princess Mei for a week now. Both of them seem eager to learn about our rentan jutsu, and are willing to talk about their own alchemy, but as far as I can tell, only the younger brother has done any transmutations. Seems the elder only wants to talk theory and get into arguments with the princess.›"

The prince folded his arms and gave the diplomat a smile that clearly said "tell me why I should care."

The other man sighed. "‹This goes against his reputation,›" he tried to explain. "‹He also seems to have a reluctance about certain subjects, although I haven't been able to determine which. I only know that the princess has expressed some confusion and frustration over it. I get the feeling that there are some things she's afraid to talk about too directly.›"

Ling tapped a foot against the windowsill. "‹I wonder how much longer that will last. By all accounts, my father's seventeenth daughter is not known for her patience or her even temper. I doubt she'll tolerate something she sees as a roadblock.›"

"‹I agree. But, at the moment, this Edward is the best lead she has.›"

"‹Edward Elric . . .›" he mused, letting one foot swing against the wall. "‹I've come across the name myself. A prodigy. There were some who said he could do just about anything.›"

"‹He's smart; both brothers are. They've been keeping even Princess Mei on her toes.›"

"‹Well well.›" He chuckled. "‹From my understanding, that's not easy to do. I wonder . . . what could have spooked this Edward so much that he no longer transmutes.›"

"‹I believe he was missing for several years, but that's something else he won't talk about. Who knows what happened in that time.›"

"‹Indeed.›" Ling shrugged, then pushed himself into a crouch on the windowsill. "‹For the moment, I'm content to let Princess Mei tease out this knot. It may be all she needs is information. Ah.›" he paused. "‹I assume the diplomatic relations are still going in her favor.›"

"‹Yes, but the princess spends little time on that herself. She leaves that to the diplomats. Although,›" he added, "‹I believe the Amestrian's mother has a fair amount of influence in both matters.›"

"‹I suspected as much.›" Ling raised a hand in farewell to the diplomat, then swung himself out the window and onto the roof.

Ran Fan, his loyal bodyguard, attendant, and aide, met him on the rooftop, respectfully silent behind her mask.

"‹For now, we wait,›" he told her. They jumped across to another roof and slid down to the alley. "‹I'm more than happy to let Mei do the bulk of the work.›"

* * *

Roy sat back in his chair and regarded Marcus as the lieutenant shifted and cleared his throat for the third time. The other man clearly wanted an excuse to break eye contact, but Roy wasn't about to give it to him just yet. "I consider the wellbeing of my subordinates to be a high priority," he continued. "That includes their mental and emotional wellbeing. After all, an office is like a machine, and it only runs as well as its parts."

"Yes, sir."

"I would hate to hold you back if you think your talents could be better applied elsewhere."

"No, sir. I . . . appreciate the thought. Sir."

He watched his aide fidget for a moment or two more, then said, "Then unless there's anything you'd like to add, Lieutenant, we're done here."

"No, sir. I have nothing to add."

"Very well. Dismissed."

Marcus stood and saluted, stone-faced, then left.

Roy sighed and rubbed his temples. So much for the quarterly reviews; he really hadn't appreciated just how spoiled he'd been with his previous staff. It would make his life easier if Marcus would simply ask for a transfer, but for some reason Roy couldn't fathom the lieutenant seemed determined to stay on. It didn't exactly make him comfortable, but for the moment there was nothing he could do about it.

He turned back to his desk, gathering up the paperwork for the reviews and tucking it into its folder before setting it aside. What else needed his attention today?

Liore; they were still waiting for a firm word from a few key soldiers. That situation might need a nudge or two, but they couldn't push too hard, too quickly, or they risked losing what little ground they had. In a couple more days and he should have more intelligence on that.

The Ishval settlement; a couple of low-ranking officers were caught harassing the Ishvalans. Roy signed off on the transfer request and penning in a suggestion that the commander keep better tabs on his subordinates. The last thing the Ishvalans needed was more grief from the military; if he didn't think it would cause greater problems down the road, Roy would remove the military presence from that area altogether.

Yousewell; a report from the lieutenant stationed there complained that the miners were being uncooperative—again. They weren't actually breaking any laws, though, so there wasn't much he could do.

Budget requests; building permits; repairs; leave requests; complaints about the cafeteria—the road to hell was paved with paperwork, surely.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. "Come in."

Lieutenant Colonel Phillips, a man just into his forties with greying hair and a careworn face, saluted briefly before coming to the desk and handing his superior a folder. "The completed forms for the transfer, sir."

"Ah, good." Roy flipped open the paperwork and nodded when he saw Breda's name at the top of the form.

"Sir, if I may?"

"Yes?"

The older man hesitated a moment. "I'm aware of the loyalty of your former staff. If you'll forgive me—I can't help but wonder if Lieutenant Breda is still your man."

Roy allowed himself a small smile. "The lieutenant is a good soldier. I admit that I considered him a friend as well as a subordinate, but I would never presume to pit that against his present duties."

"I see."

"I'm sure you'll find Lieutenant Breda to be an excellent subordinate and a fine addition to your staff."

"I'm sure I will," Phillips said, with a somewhat ironic smile. "Oh, by the way, I gave Major Carter permission to work with the Xingian alchemists, as his duties permit. I know the Elric brothers have been over there quite a bit, I hope the major's presence won't be a bother."

"Not at all; in fact, I suspect they could use the fresh perspective."

* * *

"I know where the fucking thing is, that's not the problem!"

Mei slapped the ground in frustration. "If you knew, then you could find the qi lines!"

Yu sighed. "Edward-san, I'm not sure you quite understand the concept of the Yellow Court—"

"Oh, I understand it," the young man snapped. Something in his glare added, better than you do. Only the temperance that came with age kept Yu from rising to meet such an arrogant challenge.

Mei, just as impetuous and hot-tempered as the boy in front of her, jumped to her feet. With a quick flick of her hands her blades were at the ready between her fingers. "You say you understand the huang-ting?"

Edward leapt up and tensed, but the knives were aimed elsewhere. They thunked into the side of a building about ten feet away, marking out the points of a pentagram. With a sixth knife Mei scratched a corresponding array onto the cement at her feet. "Prove it." She jabbed at the array. "If you know the huang-ting so well, then use this qi line!"

That wasn't entirely fair of the princess; finding one's center was only the beginning. But Yu held her tongue.

Edward glared at the princess for a moment longer, then stalked over to the array and knelt. He looked between it and the knives, then set his fingers to the edge of the lines.

Yu could only imagine what was going on in the young man's head as she watched his expression change from concentration to frustration and finally to annoyance. "Fuck," he said at last, sitting back on his heels. "How do I even know you set it up right?"

Mei touched a hand to the array, and light flared between the knives. A moment later the wall was sporting a glaring caricature with an extended tongue. "If you knew your center so well as you claim, then you wouldn't have questioned."

The boy snarled. "Fucking—this is crazy. If this qi shit doesn't come from the Gate, then what the hell does it have to do with—" he gestured between the two marks, "—that? Knowing where the damn thing is doesn't mean anything!"

"You say that with a great deal of confidence," Yu commented. "Especially for someone who first learned of the huang-ting barely a week ago." Gold eyes snapped to hers, wary. "Perhaps this confidence is blinding you." She leaned forward in her chair, resting her arms on her knees. "Or should I say 'arrogance'?"

He snorted. "You Xingians don't have a monopoly on the Gate, y'know."

"Perhaps not," she allowed. "But I meant your assumption that you could pick up, in a matter of days, what it takes our masters years of study and meditation to learn. But that's the arrogance of youth, I suppose."

He scowled. "I'm not some kid—"

"Aren't you? You're intelligent, and clever, I give you that. Yet you seem to expect that to take the place of hard work. You assume there is nothing you do not already know or could easily understand—and that is the thinking of a child."

Edward shot to his feet. "What the hell do you know—"

Yu stood as well, eye to eye with the fuming blond. "I know you're presumptive—"

"Half my life I've done nothing but work hard—"

"And yet it seems to have taught you nothing."

"It taught me to keep close to my family," he snapped. "Something you don't seemed to've learn."

She narrowed her eyes and set her hands on her hips, unwilling to show how much the barb had stung. "Has it? I suppose you should be congratulated, then, for that singular lesson—"

"Coming from someone who abandoned her son when he was fourteen," he snarled, "no thank you."

There was a heartbeat of silence, before Yu said, calmly, "Shall I suppose, then, that every decision you've had to make has been clear-cut and without conflict—at your age, I shouldn't be surprised."

He sliced a hand—his right—through the air between them, and Yu flinched in spite of herself. "Old lady, you know shit about my life."

"So enlighten this old woman."

"Look—" The young man stopped abruptly, gloved hands clenched into fists, and breathed hard through his nose—in, then out. "Fuck this," he spat. With that he turned on his heel and stalked across the courtyard.

Mei was watching her with incredulousness and not a little ire. "‹Yu! What—what was that about?›"

The older woman took a breath, and let it out slowly. "‹Well,›" she reasoned, watching the blond youth disappear around one of the buildings, "‹if he is determined to be angry, better he be angry with me.›"

"‹Yes, but—I need him!›"

"‹I don't think you need to worry about him not coming back, Princess.›" She took another breath and dropped her hands, finally turning to the young woman. "‹He wants something.›"

Mei frowned in consideration, looking after the Amestrian alchemist. "‹What, do you think?›"

"‹Separating chimera, for one.›"

"‹Chimera?›"

She nodded. "‹But I can't help but wonder if there isn't something else, as well.›" She returned to her chair, and contemplated the scrolls the younger two had been discussing.

She knew she hadn't been fair to Edward; from all of Roy's descriptions, the young man was nothing if not dedicated and persistent. But she had gotten the impression that he had been reining in around her, and she couldn't help but try and test him. His age, it seemed—or at least maturity—seemed to be a sore point. Rather in the vein of one who protests too much, it seemed to her. He is still a child, she insisted to herself. At the very least, he has the temper of a child.

"Umm. . . ." Yu looked up to find Alphonse standing at the far end of the courtyard, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I just passed my brother . . . did something happen? I'm sorry. His temper. . . ."

She smiled and stood, gesturing to bring the youth over. "It was nothing, Alphonse-kun. Really."

"He doesn't always express things right—his mouth runs away without his sense. I'm sorry," he repeated.

"You seem to have appointed yourself your brother's keeper," Yu observed, as the boy stopped in front of her.

"What? No, it's nothing like that. Sometimes it's just better to apologize for him then to leave it to him to deal—um. Wow, that sounds bad." He scratched the back of his head again, hazel eyes cloudy with uneasiness. "It's just . . . Nii-san doesn't always come off well."

"Oh, I'd say your brother expresses himself quite clearly."

Alphonse made a troubled noise and looked off to one side.

"For brothers, you seem very different," Mei commented.

"Oh, we're not, really. We're actually a lot alike," he insisted. "But siblings aren't always similar—you have a lot of siblings don't you? Are they like you?"

The princess shrugged, stooping to pick up Xiao Mei. "Whether they are or not, I couldn't say. I haven't had much interaction with them."

"Really? Your own brothers and sisters?"

"As children of the emperor, we are . . . in competition over certain things."

"Oh. I . . . see." Although he clearly didn't.

"The emperor and his children are not a typical family," Yu tried to explain.

"I see." He scratched the side of his nose and smiled in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to imagine. Our family was so small, and we've always been close."

"You and your brother seem to be," Yu mused. "But I got the impression that wasn't the case with your father."

"He was gone for a long time," the boy allowed, shifting uneasily. "It wasn't because he didn't care, he just—um—it's a long story."

"What about your mother?"

He grinned, his whole face lighting up. "Oh, our mother was wonderful! She was so kind. . . ." His expression shifted into something wistful. "She died when we were young . . . but she was wonderful."

"I'm sorry, Alphonse-kun. I didn't mean. . . ."

He was shaking his head, honey-colored ponytail swinging behind him. "No, it's all right! It was a long time ago. Nii-san and I have always had each other, and the Rockbells, and we've made so many good friends since then—we've never been alone. We miss her, of course—and our father—but we've never been alone."

She had to smile. "I'm glad to hear that." These boys seemed like such polar opposites; despite Alphonse's insistence, she was having a hard time seeing much similarity between them.