The Way He Talks

"So, you're really doing it?"

Edie rocked the chair back on two legs. "What do you mean?"

"Opting out of the military." Roy Mustang tapped a pen against the blotter on his desk.

She couldn't help but look at his hands, but jerked her eyes up a second later. "Yeah. I mean, I'm not an alchemist any more. And I only joined to find a way to get Al's body back. He has it now."

"What about your leg?"

Edie dropped the chair to the floor with a thump. "A lot of other people have it worse than me." Tapping the port through her pants, she wondered what Winry would think, of her coming home with a flesh arm. Wondered why thinking about it made her stomach turn flip flops. Would Winry hate it? Or would she be angry that Edie didn't have both flesh limbs back? "I'm satisfied."

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to stay? The way Amestris is right now, you, and Alphonse, could be very beneficial to the country, not to mention its people."

"To you, you mean," Edie sneered, though she couldn't help the curiosity welling up in her. What sort of soldier could she be, not being an alchemist any more?

Mustang's mouth curled slightly. "I cannot say that it would be a feather in my cap, having both you and Alphonse under my command. If he'd be willing to join the military as a State Alchemist, that is."

"He's going to Xing." Not immediately, no. But Edie'd seen the way her brother stared after the bean girl. "And that's after we take some time off." She watched as the bastard set his pen down, parallel to the top of the blotter. His fingers swept lightly over the desktop, and Edie caught sight of a scar on the back of one of his hands. She focused on that scar, recognizing the faint lines as Mustang's transmutation circle. Wondering if he needed a transmutation circle any more, now that he'd seen Truth, whether he'd wanted to or not.

Her throat moved as she swallowed. Mustang could do alchemy without a circle, and she couldn't do alchemy at all, any more. A big hole hung in her heart, where her alchemy used to be. What did she have to offer the military? Why would Mustang want her to stay in? Sure, her reputation – but that was as a military dog, not as a soldier.

"Edith."

Her shoulders twitched. Her fucking useless father called her by that name, him, and Mustang. Except Mustang made it sound decent. Almost pretty.

"Are you listening to me?"

Edie jerked her chin to indicate she was, but kept her eyes focused on his fingertips.

"There are many positions in the military someone of your capabilities could hold." Had to be the bastard's voice. Stupid, but the way Mustang talked right now, Edie could almost see it; a pretty picture in her head. Maybe she could go into Investigations, take over where Hughes left off; work with Major Armstrong. Or revamp the way alchemy was used by the military. She watched Mustang's fingers sweep back and forth slowly over the blotter as he went on. "You aren't just an alchemist. You have other qualities – you think on your feet; you have the ability to charm people from all walks of life."

Edie shrugged, not sure about that. There were all those people in Rush Valley who hated her for breaking everything in sight when she was trying to chase down Paninya, and again in that fight with Lan Fan. Even with repairs, they didn't trust her not to wreck everything again.

"Edith."

This time, she raised her eyes, meeting his. He held her gaze with his own, and he said something, she wasn't sure what. Hypnotic, that was it. When he wasn't yelling at her or being a sarcastic bitch, Mustang had a mesmerizing voice. Edie understood why some people might find him handsome, but he wasn't what she wanted.

And now that Al had his body back, the military wasn't what she wanted, either.

Shaking her head, Edie broke the spell Mustang wove. "Thanks for the job offer, but I made a promise to someone. I think it's time I kept it." She slid her discharge papers across the desk. Tapping her fingers on the case of her pocket watch, Edie pulled it out of her pocket, looking at the transmutation circle on it. "Here." She laid the watch on top of the papers.

Mustang pressed the tips of his fingers on the papers, pulling them closer to him. "You're sure?" he asked, capturing Edie's gaze again.

She got to her feet, giving Mustang a lazy, toothy grin. "Positive." Turning on her heel, she started for the door, waving her skinny right hand over her shoulder.

"Oi. Fullmetal."

Edie hesitated, her hand on the door knob. "Yeah?"

Mustang templed his fingers together, staring at her over them. "You owe me money."

She snorted. "You'll get it back when you make Fuhrer, bastard. Not before." Opening the door, she slipped through. Her smile broadened as she left Mustang's office.

Alphonse waited at the bottom of the stairs of the military H.Q. building, using his crutches to push himself to his feet. "How did it go?"

Edie clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm a free woman."

"Finally." Alphonse grinned. "Let's go home."

Grinning back, Edie said, "Yeah. Let's go."