queenofthecrosshairs

It's not until evening that he has some small grasp of where he is, what is happening, and what the device he found on his person is. A 'Dreamberry,' a wireless phone with dozens of features that Roy has a hard time making heads or tails of. A few minutes of fumbling through the menus (he has to take off his gloves because touch screens don't recognize them very well) is enough to aggravate him. Ugh—this is why I always have Fuery deal with the gadgets.

It's several minutes later that he finds his way to the aggregate list of numbers stored in the system. He searches fairly single-mindedly for one and is dully shocked when he finds it. He presses the number for "Riza Hawkeye" and lifts the phone to his ear.

It rings. His free hand lifts to the bridge of his nose and he closes his eyes, already thinking about what might happen if she doesn't pick up, or if she really isn't here at all—

After all the commotion that accompanied waking up on a rooftop in a strange city, Riza had found herself a nice quiet spot to settle down and process everything she'd learned. There's a cheerful ringing that suddenly breaks the silence however, and it takes her a moment to realize that it's coming from her pocket. That's right, she still had that Dreamberry device on her. She hadn't given the strange little phone more than a quick cursory examination after all that had gone on today, and she couldn't help but wonder if she would be regretting that now.

She pulls it out of her pocket and glances at the screen--and her heart almost skips a beat at what she sees.

Incoming call from Roy Mustang

She stares at the name in disbelief for a few moments before she realizes that she should answer it before he hangs up. The 'Answer' button is tapped with perhaps more intensity than needed and she hastily puts the little phone to her ear.

"Hello?" And after the briefest of pauses, hope welling up in her chest, "...Colonel?" Is it really you? she wants to ask, but she's having a hard time actually voicing the words. She'll blame it on formality.

The second that the ring hitches and he hears the, "Hello?", he exhales sharply—he'd been holding his breath since the call started.

His free hand drops in relief. It was typical for him to feel somewhat handicapped without her at his shoulder (something almost comparable to "phantom limb", as one might compare it to), and the thought of having been separated more indefinitely had compounded that enough to make him unduly nervous.

"Lieutenant." It's a moment or two before he figures out where to go after that; for this first one, he has to sort through the relief. "Where are you?" His own formality appears to have slipped ever so slightly: perhaps Report on your situation, might have been a little more appropriate.

Riza feels that relief too, some of the tension going out of her shoulders. After waking up in a strange land, she'd nearly resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't be hearing that voice for a long while. Things were looking up, though she wasn't sure how glad she should be that they were both here and not in Central. Well, at least this way she would be able to keep him out of trouble.

"I'm currently a couple of blocks away from the oasis, sir." It was one of the only landmarks she knew so far; she hadn't had much of a chance to investigate the city yet.

Their assumed absence in Central was certainly a problem. There were many machinations of his left unmanaged that might damage the whole operation—and not to mention that their entire plan for the Promised Day was, naturally, fixated around their actions. If they weren't there when it happened...

It didn't appear that they had any control over that now, so he would have to relegate it to non-issue.

Oasis? He would assume that, for a city to exist in the desert, there would have to be something like that involved. He hadn't seen it himself, however, and the prospect of trying to get directions from the locals was... daunting. "Understood." He glances at the sky past the overhang of stone. Night was rapidly approaching. "It's getting late. We'll rendezvous tomorrow." He'd probably have to find a hotel or something of the sort, although sleeping didn't exactly appeal to him, considering what information he had gleaned from the other refugees.

He paused before inquiring in a lower tone, "How much did you learn about the current situation?"

"Yes, sir." Waiting for daylight seemed like the smartest decision, considering the general attitude of many of the people in these parts. And she wouldn't deny that getting some rest after spending much of her day on a hot roof had its appeal.

She paused before answering his question, sighing slightly. "Nothing too detailed. Mainly that we're supposed to be in some sort of dream world." Even now, the touch of skepticism was still there in her voice because she didn't want to believe it was true. The evidence was proving otherwise, however, and she had resigned herself to accepting it. "Ob Holm itself seems to be thoroughly split between the local population and the refugees." What they were seeking refuge from, she hadn't yet determined.

Speaking of refugees, "Oh, and I actually ran into Alphonse Elric, earlier." That had been a pleasant surprise, mixed in with all the perplexing ones.

The colonel was willing to say that they had possibly jumped from the fire to an entirely different frying pan—no, they were not about to be used as fodder for a country-wide transmutation, but the situation here in Ob Holm was not what he would call harmonious. It reminds him far too much of East Area, the strained aftermath of the war.

She seemed to have gathered much the same information he had. Her skepticism was quite understandable; Roy was having a difficult time believing it still, though the story had been the same from every other refugee he was able to speak with. Speaking of which, "From what I'd gathered, this situation has been escalating." There is foreboding in his tone; in one way or another, they've both dealt with this. "We're going to have to be vigilant." As far as he could tell, there was no military in Ob Holm—he had mixed feelings about that, but he didn't wish to make many more decisions before he felt they had a much more broad grasp on what was going on.

Her news about Alphonse surprised him. "I did as well, actually." And several others (not all entirely human), though the younger Elric had been the only familiar face (well, helmet, but...). "From what he told me, he's been here for a while."

She understands the heaviness in his tone. Of course it was their luck that they would be thrust into a situation that had the real possibility of going very bad, very fast. Nothing was ever easy. At least they could say that they had experience on their side. "Of course, sir. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled as always." For both potential trouble and any answers to the numerous questions they both still had.

The lieutenant was just as surprised to learn that he had seen Alphonse too. If they had both run into the armored youth, they must have just missed each other out there. "Yes, it seems he has..." The news of the younger Elric's lengthy stay here troubled her. With no one around having any idea of how to get back home, the threat of being stuck here indefinitely felt very real. What would they do in the meantime? Sitting idle was hardly an option either of them would be content with, she knew.

"Do you really think we could be stuck here just as long?" She wasn't quite sure what she believed. She hoped for one thing: a swift return home. Believing was another thing entirely. There were still too many unknown factors at play here to know what to think.

And, when it came to that, he is relieved; the lieutenant has the best eye in the business.

Roy had considered this for quite a while after speaking with many of the other refugees, and none of his summations had been particularly positive on that front. He sighs and admits, "I think it's definitely probable." Apparently people seemed to appear and disappear at random, from different universes and even different time periods within universes—Alphonse had been testament enough to that. Nothing here really seemed all that linear, and still nothing seemed very impossible.

"For now, we'll just have to make due with the situation we've been put in. If nothing happens in the next few days... We might have to adjust to civilian life for the time being." A colonel and a lieutenant misplaced from their country had few other things to do, and that appeared to be what all the others were doing...

The random nature of how things seemed to work around here was a bit too chaotic for her tastes. The disadvantages far outweighed the advantages in such a system, especially when it came to finding them a way home. The 'sit and wait' tactic was looking like their only option.

“Well, I suppose I could use a little vacation.” If they were going to be stuck here, might as well make the best of it. Then, with the slightest of smiles touching her lips, “Let’s hope it won’t be too long of a break though; wouldn’t want your paperwork to pile up on you, right Colonel?” She had to admit that she missed teasing him about it these past few months.

They were used to chaos, but usually to a different kind; being thrust into a situation where they had to re-learn all the rules is especially disconcerting, especially considering what they were leaving behind (and unfinished). It certainly doesn't look like there's any other type of option, however.

He laughed in response to their "vacation," though the sound was a little more mirthless than he would've liked. "Can't say we don't deserve something like that." Especially considering the last few months, thinking through every single action to make sure it wouldn't have any dire ramifications. Being able to actually get a decent night's sleep and just exist seemed like more than a vacation compared to that; it sounded like a dream.

Which... it was. Haha.

The laugh elicited by the mention of paperwork was a little more heartfelt. "It's bad enough as it is; you should see it. You can't even see the desk anymore." With his men stripped away from him, the paperwork had just piled up... and Roy was very loath to do anything about it.

He pauses a moment before sighing. "It's late. We'll have to look around more tomorrow." He pauses, considering. "I'll meet you at the north side of the oasis at 0700."

[ Oh boy... this is the most awkward thing, and Al's really been putting it off for a while, now. But the banquet is fast approaching, and he's required to both attend and attend with a date... so... ]

U-um...

[ BUT HE'S ASKED ANYONE ON A DATE BEFORE... let alone... actually been on one. How does one even do this? ]

Lieutenant... I-I was wondering... [ Gulp. Here goes nothing. ] Wouldyougotothepolicebanquetwithme?

[ Welp. That didn't really come out as planned. ]

[While it was always pleasant to hear from Alphonse, she had to wonder what could possibly make him sound so nervous. When his words suddenly come out in a rush, she has to do a mental double-take, and... wait, did she hear that right?]

I'm sorry, what was that, Al? I didn't quite catch that...

[Why, yes, she was going to make him repeat that. Poor Alphonse.]

[ It's times like these where not being able to express emotions comes in rather handy... ]

A-ah... well...

[ Gulp. Alright, second try. He's going to actually do it this time. ]

All Police Department employees are required to a-attend the banquet. [ His voice lowers significantly at this next bit: ] And they're required to bring a date.

It's perfectly understandable if the answer is no!

[Looks like she had heard that right. Well this was quite the unexpected conversation. Still, who could deny such a fumblingly charming request? Certainly not Hawkeye.]

That's sweet. [She can't help but smile.] Of course I'll go with you, Alphonse.

[ Wait.

What? ]

[ Well... that was actually a lot easier than he thought it would be. He's almost not sure what to say next. ]

Ah... thank you.

[ Awkward pause. ]

I'll be looking forward to it, then.

[Oh yes, this was sure to be quite the experience.]

((Sorry, sorry! I didn't think the holidays would slow me down as much as they did. x__x))

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