Misfire |Royai|

Circles

I keep coming back to the same sorts of reasons. Petty sorts of research reasons keep coming to mind. I'm not getting anywhere with this! I am going around in circles in my mind and I am starting to get a headache from it. What could be so important as to take on a student?

I walk out of my bedroom, hand on my head, to our small kitchen. I put on a kettle for some tea. I sit down and cross my legs; I pick up a pencil sitting on the table and gnaw on it, continuing to contemplate why my father accepted Roy Mustang.

Roy Mustang. Someone neither I nor my father has seen before. Maybe that is why he decided to take on this stranger. What was my father doing that he would need someone he doesn't know? I hope he isn't doing something dangerous...

I stop chewing on the pencil and decide to check on him in his study. I walk to the double doors and opened them slowly, "Father, would you like --" I stop mid-sentence, finding him curled up into a ball on the floor, coughing. "Father!" I exclaim.

He waves me off, as he always does. "I'm fine, Riza, just help me up," he wheezes between coughs.

I help him into his chair, he coughs lightly still but they cease soon after he is sitting upright. The tea screams in the other room bringing me back to why I came here in the first place. I take a deep breath and sigh, "Would you like some tea, Father?" I ask softly.

"Yes, I would. Thank you, Riza," he says politely.

I walk back into the kitchen and pour the honey colored liquid into two cups and put them on a trey. I carefully serve one of them to my father. He nods to acknowledge his thanks and continues to examine the scattered papers and open books on his desk. I curiously and carefully look over his shoulder, simply shaking my head and turning to leave.

I take my seat on the sofa now, trying to comprehend what is going on with him. I hope he gets better, I truly do, but how is he supposed to get better when he won't let himself? He works himself until he coughs blood. At this rate I don't think he will be getting any healthier... And if that happens I'll be... I'll be...

Three strong knocks at our front door snaps me out of my daze and I blink my stinging eyes. I set my tea cup down on the coffee table and swing it inwards.

"Oh, hello," Roy Mustang says, sounding rather surprised to see me. He must have forgotten that I was here considering we hadn't talked at all the day before.

"Hello, my father is in the other room," I say rather coldly. I silently lead him to the study I go to open the door, but Roy grabs my hand.

I give him a glance and he quickly takes his hand back before I even start to glare. At least he realized his mistake. "I, uh, just wanted to know your name," he says, slightly less confident than he was just seconds before.

"It's Riza," I tell him and open the door.

He walks into the room and my father greets him. Everything is quite plain; it seems an ordinary meeting, like they had known each other before, even though they clearly have not. As I go to close the door, I notice the large transmutation circle that was on his desk previously, on his wall. I sigh and shut the door tight behind me.