Hello hello and welcome to my return to multichapter fic! This is for Halloween Week over on tumblr and my attempt at writing something spooky. Team Mustang has some adventures in Creta (which I took a lot of liberties with). There will be a couple days in between chapters because of my work schedule.

There will be blood/violence, language. Mid-series, so no real spoilers. Enjoy!

"Boss, what are you wearing?"

Ed narrowed his eyes in what Havoc assumed was a spectacular scowl. "A mask."

"I can see that." It was hard not to see it. Havoc swirled the wine in his glass. "Where did you even get that thing?" The mask was hideous- it covered all of Ed's head except for his eyes, and was obviously designed with some sort of monstrous beast in mind. There were spikes cresting the top of it and two large tusks jutted from the exaggerated jawline. It was, naturally, painted in red and black. It was especially jarring when paired with the uniform Ed had been bullied into wearing for the evening.

"I made it!" Ed puffed himself up, clearly pleased with the reaction. "I'm not about to show up at a royal masquerade ball with something I bought at a shop."

Havoc declined to point out that everyone else in the squad had done exactly that.

The mission had been straightforward: The Tolen River, which started in Creta and snaked across the border to Amestris' western sector, had turned into a dumping ground by a group of alchemists experimenting with fertilizers. The problem had escalated to the point where the river was toxic enough to kill and Amestris had finally decided to help- by sending Mustang and his unit to deal with it. They had been given two weeks to get the problem solved.

Mustang's solution had been to spend the first day gathering intel and supplies, the second day spent scouting the area, and on the third day, unleashing Ed on the problem.

The Cretan alchemists clearly didn't know what hit them. Havoc almost felt bad for them.

Their assignment was overlapping with Creata's fall equinox festival and, as a reward, they had been invited to the capitol by the royal family. "It would be terrible for international relations if we refused," Mustang had said and so they had oh-so-begrudgely accepted the invitation. And just like that, their two-week work assignment had become a week and a half vacation.

It was probably the best vacation Havoc had ever been on, even if he had to deal with the fact that both Ed and Mustang were impossibly smug about the whole situation.

And now their impromptu holiday was winding down. Havoc was going to miss the food.

The party was their last night in Creta; they had tickets for the afternoon train back to the border. Ed, at least, seemed ready to go home. Alphonse hadn't been allowed to go with them and Ed had gotten his hands on a stack of books that he hadn't had a chance to dig into yet.

As nice as it all was, Havoc definitely felt like a fish out of water. There were a dozen different customs he was sure he was ignoring so he (and the rest of the squad) had politely made their way to the edges of the ballroom. Except for Mustang, who was, naturally, rubbing elbows with as many people as he could. No doubt he had every intention of capitalizing on their success back in Central.

Next to him, Ed was working his way through a plate of food. How he was eating without taking his mask off, Havoc couldn't figure out. Every once in a while, Havoc would catch people staring at them. He supposed it was the combination of them standing awkwardly off to the side and of Ed eating with enthusiasm that surpassed a normal fourteen year old. Havoc adjusted his own mask (a tasteful rendition of a stag) self-consciously. Only a few people had come over to talk to them, as the language barrier proved to be too much to make conversation worth it.

Ed had just finished off his third plate of food when Hawkeye arrived. She didn't say anything, opting instead to stand next to them in silence. Cretans, apparently, had a thing against chairs and hadn't provided any in the entire ballroom.

Havoc eyed her for a moment, then caved to his own curiosity. "You're leaving the Colonel alone?" he asked, gesturing with one hand to a knot of people. He could pick out the blue of Mustang's uniform in between gaps in the crowd.

Hawkeye folded her arms over her chest, giving Havoc a long look from behind her mask (hers was a sun and moon, embellished with tiny stars). "He's a grown man, Havoc. He can look after himself." A beat of silence passed. "…Breda's with him."

"Poor Breda," Ed said and Havoc failed to swallow his snort of laughter.

They passed another hour in comfortable silence and Ed finally surrendered after his fifth plate of food. Havoc was considering fumbling his way through Certan to ask someone how much longer it would be until the king and queen toasted and officially ended the party. Midnight had passed and Havoc really just wanted to sit down.

"So you're the visitors!"

The three of them glanced over at the voice. Next to them was a smaller, elderly woman, leaning lightly on a cane and peering at them from behind a gargoyle mask. Atop her head was a small, delicate crown.

"Uh-" Havoc started, scrambling to try to remember which member of the royal family he was talking to and what he was supposed to do. Kneel? Salute? Both? Falman would know, he was sure.

The woman continued, obviously unconcerned about their lack of bowing or groveling. "My daughter was so busy with preparations she never got around to introducing us." She waved a hand. "I am queen mother Amani. It's been years since we had any Amestrians this side of the border."

"It's an honor to meet you, your-"

"You three look bored out of your minds!" Amani cut right over Hawkeye's greeting, "come with me! I'll give you a tour. Everyone here has heard it all before, but you, you've never had the pleasure of seeing the palace!"

Havoc shared a look with Hawkeye, then with Ed. The kid shrugged and Havoc had to agree. There was nothing exciting happening in the ballroom and refusing the queen mother was probably on par with treason.

"We would be honored," Hawkeye replied, polite as ever.

The queen mother made another waving gesture. "Of course, of course, follow me!"

Escaping the ballroom was almost a relief. The doors swung shut behind them and the music and chatter were instantly muted. The hallway they found themselves in was empty of people. Gas lights were placed in between each door. Paintings and tapestries filled all available wall space.

The Queen mother immediately launched into a speech as she opened the first door to their left. It was a bedroom, decorated in greens. Apparently, it was a room used to house Aerugans who came for various diplomatic reasons. As was the next bedroom. And the one after that.

By the fifth room, Ed's eyes had glazed over and even Hawkeye looked like she wasn't paying all that much attention. They were getting family history now: As it turned out, a prince from some time ago had secretly wed his mistress in this very room! and then fled into the night. It was still considered to be very romantic, even if it had sparked a war of succession when the prince's son had come to claim the throne from his cousin thirty years later.

Ed lasted another ten rooms before he asked to be excused to find the restroom.

"Of course, dear!" The queen mother gave Ed a firm pat on the cheek. Ed's expression flattened in annoyance and Havoc desperately hoped the kid would keep a lid on his temper. "Come back and find us when you're done!"

Ed stomped out, bristling, but the queen mother hardly noticed the attitude.

"Come!" She swept out of the room, leading them down the rest of the hallway and around the corner. There was, unsurprisingly, another hallway. It was almost a carbon copy of the previous hallway, right down to the gas lamps.

"This entire wing of the palace is the oldest," the queen mother began before they had even fully rounded the corner, "It's built right over the catacombs and we still have problems with the floors. No support, they're always sagging in the middle!" And then they had arrived at another door and the tour went on.

He and Hawkeye were listening politely as the queen mother rambled on about the third drawing room on the hallway and how Prince Something or Other had had his portrait done by the esteemed artist So-and-So. Havoc was starting to wonder if Ed had lied about needing the bathroom. The kid was probably raiding the buffet table again.

"And we still remember him to this day! His bravery in the face of Drachma will never be forgotten!"

Havoc glanced over at Hawkeye who met his gaze and let out a sigh. It seemed the Armstrongs had doppelgangers across the border.

They were hurried out of the room, the queen mother still chattering about the bravery of her ancestors during the Drachman Incursion of 1796. Havoc was sure he was going to hear the woman's voice in his sleep.

BANG.

The gunshot was followed immediately by a howl- one Havoc had heard plenty of times back at the office.

"Edward!" Hawkeye shouted and took off down the hallway, further down the hall towards the area they hadn't toured yet. Havoc was hard on her heels. Training had taken over and he'd pulled his small pistol from its hiding spot in his boot before they'd even turned the corner. Technically, they weren't supposed to be armed and had surrendered all their weapons before coming in. But nobody could hide a weapon like Riza Hawkeye could, and no one in Mustang's unit was unarmed.

Hawkeye had her own weapon up and she paused only for a second to take in the hallway. There were no visible signs of a struggle. "Edward!" Hawkeye called again, opening the first door she got to, "Where are you?"

If anyone's interested, the mask I gave Ed is the renegade's casque from Guild Wars 2. It's a monstrosity and I'm absolutely sure Ed would wear it. Chapter 2 will be coming soon!