Lan Fan and Winry Hang Out

One

Lan Fan curled and uncurled the end of her belt. She sat outside the Emperor's palace, waiting on the front steps for the car to arrive. She looked at her metal arm and smiled. She couldn't wait to see Winry again. 

It had been six months since her last automail check-in. She'd been taking good care of her arm, oiling it regularly and making sure not to put too much strain on it. Her body had finally recovered from the surgery and the fight against the former president of Amestris. It was hard to believe that battle had taken place over two years ago. 

Ling had become the emperor of Xing. Grumman, president of Amestris. Grumman and Mustang had been working tirelessly to increase their allies and their trade with other countries. Which meant a lot of travel for Lan Fan back and forth between Xing and Amestris. She was the emperor's guard, after all. It was exhausting. 

Good things came from the improved trade between countries too, though, like Lan Fan getting to see Winry every six months for automail up-keep. Winry wasn't the one who had built Lan Fan's first automail arm, but she had upgraded it and promised to keep it maintained. Mostly, Lan Fan thought, it was an excuse to get out of town for a little while. But it was always nice to be in Winry's company.

A car pulled up to the front of the palace. Lan Fan got to her feet and straightened her back. She smiled. Winry stepped out of the passenger's side and said something to the driver. She then closed the door, turned, and waved to Lan Fan. She was smiling brightly. Lan Fan felt her heart lighten. 

"Hello, Winry." She spoke formally. It was her custom. But she tried to ensure her face stayed happy. 

"Lan Fan, hey!" Winry looked genuinely happy. It was nice. "It's been a while!"

"Yes, it has. Almost six months." It was five months and 27 days since Winry's last arrival. Lan Fan remembered it distinctly, but wasn't about to show that.

The two entered the palace in silence. Lan Fan wasn't known for her conversational skills. Luckily, Winry seemed to accept that.

Finally, Lan Fan spoke. "Are you tired from your journey?" 

Winry smiled at her again. Lan Fan liked that. "Yeah, a bit. It's a long drive and the desert is really hot. The new roads help a lot, though. Mustang did a great job on that."

"Yes," Lan Fan began. "The road is nice. I'm afraid Xing still has a lot to do to catch up to Amestris in terms of technology. We do not have many roads for cars yet, except in the larger cities. It's something the Emperor is thinking about." She paused to look at Winry. Sweat adorned her forehead. Most likely from the desert, Lan Fan thought. "We do, however, have working individual bathtubs in the palace. If you would like to clean up this evening."

"Thanks, I'm exhausted. Does your automail need urgent care?"

"No, not at all," Lan Fan stated. She was slightly proud of herself for having taken such good care of her shiny new arm for so long. There had only been one instance when Winry really had to work on it, and that was directly after she'd gotten it. 

Winry looked relieved. "You take good care of it. I might take a bath before looking it over, if that's okay? I'm really still not used to the desert heat."

"Of course, I'll show you to the bathroom."

○

"Oh, man, you really do take great care of this!" Winry was positively glowing as she began the tune-up. "Ed could stand to learn from you, he's always hobbling home with his leg half-shredded. And don't even get me started on when he still had that arm!"

Lan Fan felt good listening to Winry chatter. It was rare that she really talked to anyone other than her grandfather. She had been raised to protect the prince, not to socialize. Winry was the closest thing she had to a friend, and that was a bit pathetic considering they only saw each other twice a year and phone lines didn't even reach across the desert yet, though the Emperor had been meeting with the leaders of Amestris to discuss that. Lan Fan hoped they would be built at some point soon. She didn't understand relationships much, but she liked hearing Winry talk and she thought it would be nice to hear it more often. 

"Are you and Ed living together now?" She asked.

Winry sighed and set down the small wrench she'd been holding. "You could call it that. We share a house in Resembool. You remember how I moved back there to look after my grandmother?" Lan Fan nodded. "He shows up from time to time and then it's always 'Bye, Winry, I'm off to track down some mad alchemist' or 'Bye, Winry, I'm off to find some lost relic'. I get that he's trying to learn and he wants to help people--I love those things about him," she looked down and started doing something to Lan Fan's arm. "I feel like he's just chasing things because he's scared to settle down."

Lan Fan was silent. She had no idea what to say. Finally, she said, "That sounds sad."

Winry shrugged. "I get paid by the government for being with him though. A lot too," she laughed. "Military family support, or something. I don't know how that worked out, with us not even being married. Ed probably threatened the president."

"That's good. Are you making money from your automail business?" Lan Fan ignored the part about Ed threatening the president. She wasn't sure if it was a joke or not.

"A bit! Business is slower in Resembool, but I made enough of a name for myself in Rush Valley that people come to see me." Winry sounded proud. She should be, Lan Fan thought. She was accomplished. 

They talked for a little while. Mostly, Winry talked about her life in Resembool, coaxed on by Lan Fan. Lan Fan really didn't know what to say about her life, all she knew about was Xing's political affairs and fighting. But she did like hearing Winry talk. 

"Hey, I'm leaving late in the afternoon tomorrow," Winry said after a while.

Lan Fan looked up at her. "You are? Won't that mean you're traveling through the desert overnight? That's dangerous."

Winry laughed. "Amestris has a military hotel set up halfway through the desert, I'll be fine. But it means I have half a day to spend in Xing. If you're free, I'd like to see what the Capital has to offer."

Lan Fan stared at her for a minute. Then, "Yes, that sounds pleasant. I'll let my grandfather know. He'll take care of my duties, or make sure someone else does."

"Great!" Winry grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow. Your arm is all done."

Lan Fan moved her arm around. She felt amazing.