The Mansion On Drachmian Border

To Thank For A Gift

Making Hughes alive on paper was harder than it was to go to Drachma to rescue him. Riza sighed. She was nearly done filling out all of the forms and then writing response letters and singing papers, then she just needed few signatures from Hughes and she would be done doing the paperwork for them.

The team left it all up to her. Roy was an anxious mess, even if he did try to hide it under the mask of the leader. She gave up on him ever finishing his paperwork at this point, since most of the time he either looked through alchemy notes, cleaned his office windows, or napped in his chair. She tried to urge him at first but then decided it's already stressful for her as it is. Furey, Falman, Breda, and Havoc just made sure that the office run as usual.

Well, Havoc did a bit more than that bringing her coffee and pastries.

„Are you planning to spend the whole lunch break working again?” speaking of the devil Havoc leaned over her shoulder.

„I have to get everything done, the sooner the better,” she looked over the current page.

„I know, but you've been working so hard,” he looked at his own cigarette resting in his hand „And the whole situation with Hughes has to be hard on you too.”

„Not really,” she said frowning at the papers not wanting to say the truth, because, yes, it affected her. She never was that close to him, they mostly hung out together with Roy but he was her friend. She used to get invited for dinners at Hughes's house and talk with him at Central Command.

Jean smiled at her „Of course it doesn't, but please, go for a walk with me. It's going to be good for Tajfun.”

Tajfun barked happily hearing one of his favorite words. Riza looked at him unable to disappoint him. He stood up, looking like a fluffy snowball, and begun to spin around.

„Fine. Let's go for a walk.”

The weather was pleasant that summer. It was sunny but not too hot and the heavy rains hadn't appeared yet. They chose to walk in a park close to Central command. Tajfun being a well-behaved dog he was, walked calmly right next to her.

„Look,” Jean pointed at a stand right next to an oak tree „They have delicious coffee there.”

Riza smiled at that „Let's order, it's a lunch break after all.”

„They have great sandwiches but the sizes are a bit off, just to warn you.”

She got herself black coffee and a small sandwich, which turned out to be the length of her forearm. Havoc wasn't kidding when he said the sizes were off. She sat down on a bench nearby and bit into her lunch. It tasted amazing, definitely much better than anything from the cantine.

„Taste's good, right?” Havoc sat down right beside her holding his own cup of coffee, sandwich, and a paper plate with two sakura dangos.

„It does. I'm surprised she doesn't have more customers with food like this. Especially near the Command,” she thought about the long lines in the cantine and how many office workers gave up on waiting and went out to find their lunch elsewhere.

„The stand is still pretty new. I won't surprise me if she'll have lines waiting here soon”

„Maybe,” she huffed and looked pointingly at him „You only started coming here, because of the cute lady, am I right?”

„Not really,” he shook his head „I first noticed the smell, then the owner.”

„That's not really typical for you,” she took out some ham to give to Tajfun.