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On the rare occasion, Roy Mustang could be quite a fool.
It was a strange happenstance for sure, as most have reason to believe otherwise. At a young age stupidity was wrung out of him as if he were a towel, anyone who knew Madam Christmas considered it inevitable. Under her guidance he learned typical boyish things like reading body language and how to swindle somebody. Instead of befriending kids his age he talked to wise customers, instead of playing with sticks he played with minds. Roy took to the life like breathing, it was natural for him. To be a fool was unheard of, but alas Roy was still human. Try as Madam might there was only so much she could do to wisen up the boy, and the most human part of him was what she lacked the heart to squash out - something his new tutor encouraged in fact. General Grumman, a frequent at the tavern and the boy’s new teacher - loved Roy’s youthful idealism, and consistently sent him on errands to challenge that faith. What Grumman intended was to temper his ideology, to strengthen it into a powerful mindset that could confront the world.
Instead, he created a travelling heart throb, a very very lost travelling heart throb.
It was safe to say he was in a bind. Roy was used to old ladies fawning over him - cooing something about grandsons and youth - but today it was particularly bad. It seemed that word spread of a young man with a passion to learn - with the money to afford it! and it was as if the entire village had a particular infatuation with the idea. Who knew a coast town could be known for its gold mine? It was in a desperate attempt for some peace of mind he declined his escort to the next town, choosing to rely on flimsy directions down a long and confusing road into the thick forest, to reach a secluded farming town before nightfall. It certainly wasn’t his brightest choice, and it was as he was kicking himself for the blunder when he noticed something odd.
Blood interrupted his path, creating a trail deeper into the woods. The sight encouraged Roy to be careful, taking note of his surroundings as he followed it. If getting lost made him a fool, then he had no idea what this was. It was eerily quiet, and he suspected it was due to the gashes in the trees. Strange, contorted claw marks that seethed with power, the sight had him ghosting the dagger at his side. Something in the area was dangerous, whatever caused the damage could spell out their anger in just a swipe alone. He had a faint suspicion his foster mother’s cat wasn’t the cause. No animal came to mind except one, but he squashed the theory in favour of being pragmatic. Burn marks? Broken trees? Roy tried to justify the charred earth he found, making up an excuse about the summer heat and fire. It was playing dumb and he knew it, but he refused to believe in his boyish dreams until he thought of everything. In the corner of his eye he spotted a body, heaving an unfitting sigh as he walked over to the logical explanation. Whether it was a sigh of relief or disappointment he wouldn’t say, but when he spotted something golden in the clearing Roy’s breathing stopped. He was now staring at a dream, and there was no one around to pinch him.
You see, Roy Mustang found a dragon. While it was half dead, caught in a steel net, and the reason for the bodies, the fabled beast looked as stunning as the legends told. Finding a rare creature would make anyone happy, but to Roy it was exceptional. In the time he learned about the world, he found himself drawn to the legends, listening to tales whenever he had the chance. Now he was seeing a tale with his own two eyes. The creature looked more akin to a bird, but there was no question about its blood. If not for the whipping tail or the menacing talons, it was for the fire that burned in its eyes. Eyes currently staring at him, eyes that told him he would be a 4th body if they weren't already compromised.
This was the reason Roy was uncharacteristically a fool - it wasn’t getting lost, it wasn’t following blood into the dark woods, but it was finding an angry dragon and vowing to help. General Grumman sent him on these errands to test his ideology, and there was no better exam than this. Roy Mustang was an idealistic moron, but a damn good one at that, and he knew he had to play his cards right if he was going to help them.
"Hey there," he whispered, crouching low as he approached the beast. He was met with a hiss in response, a sign he knew all too well that meant he was overstepping boundaries. It was a shame Roy didn’t have a knack for animals, though it was rather unfair to compare the two. A dragon’s intelligence was presumed equal to that of a human's - something that created heavy controversy over history. He held on to the theory of intelligence, continuing forward with a goal to prove his innocence. Maybe if he was careful enough the dragon would forego the prejudice for just this moment, and allow him to help. Though, with the beasts huffing, his chances were looking a little grim. "Easy now, I got some bandages in my bag, I’m gonna patch you up alright?" It did not need to speak, the unwavering glare was clear with the death threats. Instincts were screaming at him to run, but he persevered knowing the situation was too grave to back down from. The boy knew better, and he paused to shuffle off his bag and search for his medkit.
After gently rifling through his items, Roy continued to crawl over to the dragon with his medkit in tow. He hoped to be as clear with his intentions as possible, but the dragon still bristled at his advancements. A flame was spit out in defense - if you could call it a flame that is. It looked more like lit sludge and hot tar than a flame, with a smell so foul that Roy could only credit it to be blood. Roy winced, partially due to his hastiness, and paused for a moment to reassure them. "It’s okay, I want to help you.” He tried to sound as sincere as possible, holding out the bandages to prove it was all he was holding. "Will you let me?” The creature continued to stare, and Roy took a moment to wonder if they could even understand him.
What a stubborn creature, knowing full well what they are and reminding him of their two different worlds.
Determination is what kept Roy’s frustration in check. Stubbornness to a dragon was like fish to water, he was banking on logic to win out. The beast’s wound wouldn’t clot in time without his assistance, and if they truly were smarter than the average bear then it should have realized this by now.
As if on cue, Roy heard a huff of indignation. The dragon rolled onto their side and exposed the most serious wound to him, a lengthy gash on the wing, wrapping around the side of its body. Inappropriately Roy was reveling in this moment, being quick to remove the net before the dragon changed its mind. His skills in first aid were minimal, but he attempted to clean the wound to the best of his knowledge. Applying antiseptic, Roy looked at the dragon for any sign of irritation - knowing one wrong move could cost a hand. The dragon appeared calm, but the long tail that extruded from its lower back gave away its irritation. Not unlike a cat, it was thumping against the earth - flame on the end roaring with the rush of air. It was fairly amusing, but it sometimes came a little too close to his hair. He suspects it does that on purpose. Roy diligently applied the bandages for the next few minutes, recalling the process vaguely out loud as a confidence boost and as a one sided conversation to ease the tension.
The student, as amateur as he was, finished the last bandage with pride. “It’s not perfect but it works - maybe I should take up Dragon Medical Care as a side study?” Roy continued to talk, noting the the beast was significantly more calm. His plan to ease tension seemed to work, now the dragon stared at him with calculating eyes instead of eyes of fury. He also noticed the dragon was surprisingly good humoured, allowing themselves to be layered in bandages that were more of a nuisance than help. Maybe his charm really does work on more than old ladies.
Roy stood up and stretched, taking a look at the sky to judge the time. The real problem was what to do now. The dragon needed rest to heal, but people were likely going to look for the poachers. They needed to move somewhere out of sight, but there was no guarantee that the dragon wouldn't scamper off the moment it could. It wasn’t like he could stop it either. Roy wasn’t an optimist, but he hoped it could rely on him until it was healed. He pondered on his choices, but it wasn’t until he exchanged eye contact with the beast that he decided on the next course of action.
“I’m going to go look for a safe place to make a camp, I’ll come back to get you alright?”
If the dragon took the risk to trust him, he should trust the dragon in turn, and as the dragon stared at his eyes he took in the sight of the myth in front of him - just incase it was his last time.