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“Man should not use the Art except for the salvation of his soul… Only then can he be given the secret signs of the philosophers of sages…” Roy Mustang chanted under his breath while pacing around the room.
He never thought he would live to see the day where he would actually find alchemy boring . Learning would have been easier if he had someone to quiz him on the content, but in the short span of his apprenticeship he had already come to understand that Miss Hawkeye was - well, to put it nicely, a hermit.
He'd tried, tried his valiant best to talk to her - about anything, really. School, her hobbies, her likes and dislikes… At some point he’d gotten so desperate for human interaction, he even tried to talk to her about the weather. The weather , for goodness sake!
Even thinking about it made him feel pathetic. Miss Hawkeye had simply stared at him blankly before returning to her room, door tightly shut and locked to ward off any potential evil like…
He was probably a menace in her eyes, so he supposed it would be him.
For the most part, therefore, Roy wisely refrained from disturbing her peaceful solitude. She was content to be left alone to her own devices, and he was inclined to think that his time could have been spent a lot more productively instead of embarrassing himself further in front of his master’s daughter.
But on lonely, chilly nights like these where the crackling of the fireplace was his only companion, Roy found himself missing his sisters and aunt terribly. Though they were a rambunctious, rowdy bunch - the living antithesis to Miss Hawkeye - they at least made for good company.
Roy sighed before flipping the dusty tome open once again. “Sulphur indicates fire… it is the earth and beginning of all metals. It is the female who brings forth the fruit. For no seed can grow unless it be first thrown into fertile soil, then beautiful fruit will come from it.”
Did fruits have any correlation to alchemy? Surely Master Hawkeye must have known better than to ask him to get through a pile of impertinent information…
“And when a pure is joined to a pure... it brings forth pure fruit. Thus, they are man and woman, fire and water... ” To his hormonal thirteen-year-old brain the underlying implication was as clear as day. Heat began to rush to his cheeks as he read it out loud -
- which, of course, was the precise moment Miss Hawkeye chose to walk in.
Roy jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion before quickly snapping the book shut. “Good evening, Miss Hawkeye…” his voice trailed off, unsure if he was encroaching on her personal space.
Miss Hawkeye didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to turn on the spot, head darting from side to side as she paced around frantically. From her distress it seemed like she had misplaced something important. Normally, her footsteps were so quiet that he would miss her whenever she came down to pour herself a glass of water, but this time he could definitely hear them over the fire’s crackle.
Ignoring the possible humiliation that might ensue, Roy tried again, stepping closer towards her this time. “Are you okay, Miss Hawkeye? Did you lose something?” As tense as she usually was, he’d never seen her so anxious, and he was beginning to worry for the younger girl.
Miss Hawkeye finally turned to acknowledge his presence. Well, look - we’re making some progress here!
“My…” she stuttered, as if hesitant to divulge any information to him. He waited encouragingly. “My necklace. It’s gone.”
Roy’s palms were open in earnest, in an attempt to convince her that he meant no harm. “I can help. What does it look like?”
“It’s a little medallion on a silver chain,” she answered vaguely. He nodded before inching closer to her, following her around quietly as she continued her search while keeping an eye out for anything that glimmered in the dark.
“Do you know where you might have dropped it?” Roy asked.
“I… I’m not sure. I’ve been searching all over the house since before dinnertime, but I haven’t seen it anywhere,” she answered.
“Maybe you left it in school?”
“I might have,” she mumbled. Miss Hawkeye was very upset, he realised, upon examining her face now well-illuminated by the small fire burning in the hearth.
Briefly, he wondered if she was going to cry.
“If so, then we’ll look for it tomorrow,” he said, offering her a reassuring smile.
“No, I have to find it now,” she countered, pitch rising subtly in irritation. Roy blinked at her in confusion, wondering if she was going to rush into her school compound at this ungodly hour alone to search for it.
The stubborn glint in her eyes told him that she had every intention of doing so. Under other circumstances he might have applauded her bravery, but in all honesty it was rather absurd for a girl her age to do such a thing. Why - Aunt Chris would have skinned him alive if he let Vanessa even so much as roam the streets of Central alone at midnight!
Unfortunately, Miss Hawkeye’s desire to do so was interrupted by the loud, ominous crackle of thunder that signalled the onslaught of an impending storm. She jumped slightly at the sound, before swallowing hard at the realisation that she couldn’t return to school now to look for it.
“We’ll look for it tomorrow, alright? You’ll get it back, I promise.” Roy raised two fingers up like he was making a vow and looked at her solemnly, hoping to convince her to put a little faith in him.
She stared into his obsidian eyes, as if searching for any hint of a lie, and nodded begrudgingly when she was finally convinced that there were none. Miss Hawkeye was willing to believe him - for now, at least - and muttered a soft thanks before turning on her heels to return back to her room.
Roy, on the other hand, sank back into the couch, determined to at least scrape through the endless material that he’d been given, although her forlorn expression never quite left his mind.
He shook his head, burying himself again in his books if only to pass the time.
It turned out to be a massive downpour, but two hours later the skies finally calmed down and the rain subsided. Roy let out a satisfied smile at his progress, having completed a chapter before the rain stopped. Rubbing his eyes to rid them of any fatigue, he stood up and began to tiptoe quietly towards the door after getting his coat and a lantern that would be his guide in his hunt for Miss Hawkeye’s necklace.
~x~
Roy was beginning to wonder if he was cursed with a penchant for bad ideas. The walk to Miss Hawkeye’s school had left his shoes completely soaked with damp, muddy soil and broken twigs, and every step he took was accompanied by a disconcerting squelch that left him terribly uncomfortable. The darkness that settled also painted the school in a particularly eerie light.
But of course, he wasn’t afraid. Scientists like him didn’t believe in the existence of supernatural beings like ghosts. After all, ghosts were but villains in children’s fairy tales designed to scare them…
… Right?
(If Roy was being completely honest with himself, he would have admitted that the weather-beaten compound bore an uncanny resemblance to a haunted mansion.)
He gulped. Nonetheless, he was adamant that ghosts were but silly, non-existent and utterly unscientific objects. Whatever the naked eye can’t see doesn’t exist!
The memory of Miss Hawkeye’s melancholic expression chose to resurface at that point, and it was all the motivation he needed to continue trudging on. This was a chance for him to earn her trust and prove that he really just wanted to be her friend, not some weird freak obsessed with alchemy without any capacity for normalcy.
Roy might have been an idiot in many senses of the word, but he wasn’t that foolish to pass up on an opportunity like that.
With that in mind, he climbed up the iron gate with renewed conviction. His slippery soles made this task considerably difficult, but he was indisposed to give up on something that he had already set his mind on. Resting a foot conveniently on a ledge, he let his weight settle there for a bit before finally hauling himself up with all the strength his scrawny body possessed and jumped across.
Roy grinned triumphantly as he landed safely in one piece before commencing his search. He started with surveying the classrooms, overturning the numerous old boxes and other junk stacked up against the walls; every nook and cranny for a chain to have fallen into and gotten lost, the very epitome of a persistent boy who refused to give up. He was unfazed even as he crawled underneath the tables to search for the tiniest sparkle, the familiar glimmer of jewelry…
And finally, his quest for Miss Hawkeye’s necklace bore fruit.
“Aha!” he cried out to himself when he chanced upon a broken chain with a shiny medallion in the centre. Quite a pretty necklace, actually. He could make out her initials carved onto the front, though the inscription on the back was far too small for his eyes to make out in the dark.
His joy, however, was cut short when another crackle sounded off in the distance.
“Oh dear, I sure hope it doesn’t start pouring again,” Roy muttered under his breath, before tucking the necklace securely into his pocket and dashing out of the classroom. This time, it was a lot easier to climb over the gate, but by the time he landed on the other side it had begun to drizzle, and so he lifted his coat over his head before making a run for it.
In the end, the protection his coat offered was but inconsequential. By the time he was midway through his journey back another downpour had begun, and he could only hope that his feet would be fast enough to escape any lightning that might strike him dead and leave Miss Hawkeye without her beloved necklace.
When Roy finally arrived back at the mansion he was thoroughly soaked from head to toe, but he was at the very least grateful that he managed to evade death by electrocution. Stepping in and closing the door quietly so as to not wake any of the Hawkeyes, he made his way to the bathroom in quick, long strides, hoping to take a warm shower to quell the shivers now wracking through his weedy frame.
~x~
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why the chain had broken off. From the looks of it, it was way too long for someone of her stature, and the added stress on it as she paced around the house daliy to complete her chores fastidiously certainly contributed to its fragility as well.
Roy found himself suddenly feeling very grateful for his sisters. For while they could be utter nuisances who never failed to ridicule his love for alchemy on a daily basis, they’d always badgered him with silly requests to transmute accessories for them from random bits of metals and ores.
He thought it was one of the most useless purposes of alchemy, but now he was glad. It turned out to be very useful as he drew an alchemical array on his desk and placed the broken necklace on top with practiced ease, adjusting the chain a little so that it was shorter and more comfortable for Miss Hawkeye.
He let out a muffled sneeze into his arm before clapping his hands together. With a familiar crackle, an almost-magical blue light the necklace was restored back to its original state soon enough - perhaps even better than before , he thought to himself with a little bit of pride as he admired the gleaming silver under the candle’s comforting light.
With the shortened chain, though, there had been a bit of extra metal left behind, and he was in a bit of a dilemma as to what to do with it. Vanessa would probably know best, but she wasn’t around, and calling her at one in the morning to ask for help over something as trivial, as asinine as this would only guarantee him a slow, painful death.
Roy stared at the remnants of Miss Hawkeye’s necklace contemplatively for a long, hard moment before a brilliant idea dawned upon him.
Earrings.
Trinkets like necklaces and bracelets were prone to being lost and forgotten, if the many necklaces and bracelets lying around his Aunt’s tavern after an exhausting day of work was any indication. Earrings, on the other hand, were a lot less susceptible to such incidents since they would remain firmly embedded in a person’s earlobes. Like the ones Aunt Chris wore.
With that in mind he set out to make a pair of matching earrings that would hopefully bring a smile to her sullen countenance. The transmutation circle crackled again, and - voila! Roy mentally applauded himself for his ingenuity as he admired the silver studs in front of him.
It was simple, nothing extravagant, but he thought the simplicity suited Miss Hawkeye since she didn’t seem to incline towards anything particularly ostentatious. For starters, she seemed to be in the habit of recycling her clothes, and they were generally plain and practical (something that would have probably left Vanessa aghast at the mere thought of it).
It would be a fitting match for her, no doubt.
Roy allowed himself one last grin of approval at his handiwork before finally drifting off into a satisfied slumber.
~x~
“You look… tired,” Riza remarked casually the next morning over breakfast as she took note of the lethargic manner in which he bit into his toast. Initially, she thought it might have been because she did a bad job at preparing breakfast, but her toast was fine . Impeccable, even. One of her better accomplishments in the kitchen.
Roy sipped at his tea drearily. “Wha-what? No, I’m fine,” he mumbled, before attempting to shove the toast into his mouth with greater gusto. It was a poor mimicry of how he normally devoured his food, but it seemed to placate Miss Hawkeye a little, at least.
Casting a quick glance at her, he realised that she still looked rather jittery. Miss Hawkeye couldn’t stop jiggling her knees while frowning at her toast like it’d committed a heinous crime, and Roy wondered if she was still worrying about her missing necklace.
“Thank you for the lovely breakfast, Miss Hawkeye,” he said sincerely, hoping to distract her a little while stuffing the final bit of toast into his mouth. He leaned back into the chair to stretch his arms, preparing himself for the day ahead and to give her his gift.
Truthfully, the latter was quite the daunting task because he didn’t know what to expect. Would she punch him, thank him, or bury him six feet under for even daring to search for her necklace of his own accord?
She merely nodded at him before rising to clear the plates, though he rose immediately to halt her actions. “I can do it, Miss Hawkeye. It’s no problem at all,” he sputtered before positioning himself in front of her.
It was now or never.
“Um, I have a present for you,” he stammered, reaching into his pocket to show her the reason behind his dark circles and intermittent sniffles.
Roy hoped desperately that he wasn’t coming down with a cold. He still had plenty of work to catch up on, and he doubted that Miss Hawkeye would take to him sneezing in her face kindly.
She let out a muted gasp upon noticing the familiar silver gleam. “You… how did you get it?”
The accusatory edge in her voice wasn’t lost on Roy. He wanted to sigh in exasperation, frustration - here he was, doing something nice for a girl who glowered at him on a daily basis, treated him like he was a curse to humanity…
Nonetheless, he reined in those feelings quickly. It was probably more urgent to correct any misconceptions that Miss Hawkeye might have first, lest she thought he stole it from her or something. “I… uh, I found it in your school yesterday,” he mumbled under his breath.
“You… went to my school?” She stared at him incredulously.
Roy nodded. He could feel the embarrassment springing in his chest, making its unwelcome appearance on his pale features. “I managed to fix it - I think you might’ve dropped it because the chain broke,” he held it up, as if to demonstrate his craftsmanship. The chain was shiny and pristine and brand new under the welcoming, fulgent rays of the morning sunlight creeping in through the lilac portieres.
All in a day’s work!
“Here you go.” Roy inched forward to put it on for her, reaching over her shoulders to clasp the necklace securely in place. It nestled in the hollows of her neck peacefully. Upon observing that the modified length was better fitted for her petite size, as he’d predicted, Roy couldn’t resist the urge to let out a pleased smile.
She said nothing. He raised his arms slightly in defense as he stepped back, but she made no move to hit or strangle him. Instead, Miss Hawkeye only fingered the medallion reverently with bright eyes - oh God, please don’t cry - as if to reassure herself that it was indeed real.
Taking this as a sign to continue, he dug out the earrings he’d made the night before, allowing them to rest on his outstretched, sweaty palms.
Roy inhaled before launching into a senseless rant. “I, well. I shortened your chain a little because it looked like it was too long for you, and there was some leftover metal, so I made you a pair of earrings. I don’t know if you have piercings, but I thought they would match your necklace well, and also they’re less prone to being lost or misplaced or stolen…”
Miss Hawkeye interrupted his nervous rambling with an extended hand of her own, reaching out to pick up the pair of studs. “Thank you,” she murmured indistinctly, before making a move to leave for school, bag slung over her shoulder as the slightest hint of a blush began to grace her cheeks.
“You’re welcome,” Roy replied, suddenly feeling very awkward himself. Did she like his present, or did she think he’d crossed some invisible boundary by taking the liberty to make a pair of earrings with the remainders of her chain?
Roy stared into his reflection in his cup of tea, wondering if all that effort had been for naught. With a despondent sigh, he began to clear the plates, snivelling and rubbing his nose with his sleeve as he scrubbed at the crockery idly.
Little did he know that Miss Hawkeye had fastened the studs securely onto her earlobes as soon as she was out of the door, and from that day forward she wore them every single day without fail.
