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There was something about Paninya that Rebecca liked, she just hadn't figured out for sure what it was. The younger woman sat across the table at the small bar Riza had invited Winry Rockbell and her friend, as well as Rebecca, to, in hopes of actually having a chance to catch up with each other since the nastiness that had happened over the Longest Night holiday. Rebecca had been the one to order the first round of drinks, choosing something sweet and special, drinks with skewered fruit and paper umbrellas, befitting a girls' night out. "We need a toast." She held up her glass with the faint smudge of lipstick on the rim.
"To?" Riza gave her that arched eyebrow.
"Mm…good men?" Rebecca clinked her glass against Paninya's.
The dark-skinned girl chuckled. "Well, I know I have one. Sometimes. When he's not off in Xing, seducing the emperor."
"Do tell!" Rebecca leaned across the table, eyes lighting up at this.
"Paninya." Winry sighed, her expression somewhere between exasperated and amused.
She snorted at Winry. "What? You don't think I know Al likes men, too?"
"He does?" Rebecca considered that and how much…fun that could possibly be.
"Oh, yeah." From the grin on Paninya's face, it definitely was fun. Damn, where were all the cute guys like that around her age, Rebecca wondered.
Riza fixed Rebecca with a look that said she knew all too well exactly what Rebecca was thinking. Well, it wasn't like Riza wasn't fulfilled by her man – as long as they were in the same town. Like, now. And Rebecca had heard Riza noising on about quitting or retiring or something like that, for almost two years now. Surely the woman would just do it, rather than keep moaning about it.
…all right, so Riza didn't moan. It was more wistful complaint. Only released under duress. Or, Rebecca thought, taking a swallow of her sweet, fruity, alcohol-rich drink, when she was drinking. Which reminded her. "You two didn't toast." She wagged a finger between the table's blondes.
"Good men are hard to find." Winry raised her eyebrows, daring anyone to contradict her.
"Aw, Winry." Paninya immediately took up the challenge. "You've got one."
Her mouth pursed. "I've got a man who wants to be mine. I don't know if I'm taking him back yet."
All three women scoffed, making Winry's face pucker into a frown. "You can't expect us to believe that one." Paninya lounged back in her hard bar chair. "I mean, Ed's falling all over himself to do anything you want. Anything." She winked, nudging Winry's ribs. "You should ask him for a threesome."
Winry sputtered, nearly spitting her drink. "Paninya! What makes you think I'm interested in that?"
"Well," she shrugged, grinning, "why not? I mean…Al's awfully flexible." Rebecca wondered at how Paninya's eyelashes fluttered and her tongue curled as she said that last word. Just how good of a lover was Alphonse Elric, anyway? "Ed, on the other hand, is a stick in the mud."
"Yes, I'm afraid I have to agree with you on that point," Riza said, guzzling some of her own drink, catching sight of Winry's curious look. "He wasn't one to take part in any of the normal talks about sex in general, ever. Forget the men talking about conquests. Alphonse, on the other hand. I believe he took notes."
"That's my boyfriend." Paninya grinned smugly, making Rebecca envy her all the more. "And sounds like Ed, too, huh, Winry? I swear, he's always had a pole up his ass."
"Look, just because I want to take it slow, I mean." Winry scowled again. "He did leave me. A few dozen times! I want to know for sure he's going to stick around. Especially now, with Grant." That fierce devotion to her son gleamed in her eyes. "I'm not letting Grant get hurt like that again, not if I can help it."
"Okay, okay." Paninya held up her hands, her grin apologetic. "I got it. But I've seen the way Ed looks at you, Winry." She gestured at the other two women. "Everyone's seen the way he looks at you. He's…"
"Smitten." Rebecca offered the word.
"In love," Riza chimed in.
Rebecca waved a hand at Winry. "In lust, too."
Paninya nodded as she went on. "And we've all seen how you look at him – and it's not like a mechanic looking at her client. You want to eat him up." Her eyebrows wagged. "I think you should do it. Show him exactly what he's missed all these years. Make him regret ever leaving you behind."
"She has a point, Winry," Riza said. "Keeping Edward at arm's length is only punishing the both of you."
"Yeah, and if you take him for a romp and he's not what you want, go back and find another one." Rebecca shrugged as they all turned to her. "What? Not like it hasn't been done before. If you two are friends, real friends, that friendship won't suffer from you sleeping together. And if you're really good friends, maybe that'll release all those extra good things you both need from each other, huh?"
Paninya bobbed her head in agreement. "You know you wanna try him out, Winry. You always did." Her sly smile made Rebecca blink in surprise, recognizing all too well that wheedling tone. She'd used it herself on Riza enough times. No wonder she liked this woman.
Riza guzzled her drink, probably to keep from having to say something. Winry just stared at her. What was it with pretty blondes, anyway? Rebecca wanted to just shove Winry at that Elric brat. If they both had a good roll in the hay, they'd probably enjoy it and all…well, most…some?...of their problems would be solved.
Speaking of which, she was out of drink. And Winry looked like she needed a few stiff ones to get into the mood of tackling Edward Elric. "Hey, barkeep. Another round. And don't skimp on the booze, this time."
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