girl talk (RIZA)

[rebecca catalina]

It was just another day at the shooting range to Rebecca. Honestly, she was a bit put-out at the moment. All those years in Central, and all she'd found were cowardly men! It was frustrating, to say the least. She was disappointed, and well, she wasn't far from being depressed. All that had happened over the years, especially on the Promised Day, had definitely shaped her into a different kind of person. It took a little bit more effort some days to put a smile on her face but somehow, she managed. Because she liked the way she was with a smile, and she liked "happy Becky". That was how she usually was after all, her natural self.

So, with a sigh, she loaded up her grenade launcher and began to blow the heck out of the target about twenty or thirty feet in front of her. By the time she'd finished with that one, it had pretty much ended up as a pile of dust and charcoal. A small smile, her old smile, appeared on Rebecca's face when she saw this. She still had it in her, after all. But what about this day was different than any other? Nothing, really. It just seemed like it had been a while since she'd had any real reason to use her beloved grenade launcher. Maybe it was better this way, peaceful, but then again Rebecca was never one for a boring lifestyle. She wanted something to do!

She decided to go shopping after a few more rounds of exploding targets. Perhaps if she saw Riza around the shooting range before she left, her friend might want to come along with her. It might take some convincing, but Becky was sure Riza wouldn't refuse her. After all, there wasn't much to do today anyway. It was rather dull, but it wasn't anything a good bit of shopping and men-that-Becky-could-possibly-date-spotting couldn't fix!

[riza hawkeye]

Following the events of the Promised Day, the nation was thrust into a whole new era. Riza Hawkeye hadn't seen so much paperwork at any point in her life, so she was glad when it finally slowed down. Although she saw herself as organized and really never had any qualms with the work itself, there was a point when it got to be a bit too much. Not to mention the fact that there was still plenty of emotional complications that had come with that day. Emotional problems that had also slowly been looking up, finally allowing her a bit of rest.

She wasn't done for the day, not at all. In fact, she'd probably end up staying late just to get everything done. Riza, though, did not have any qualms with working for the country she loved. It was all the more reason to keep pushing forward, now that the country wasn't out for blood. Taking her lunch break a little early, she wanted to get in a few practice rounds before eating. "Sir, I'll be back in an hour. Don't fall behind." She'd addressed her comrade, the Flame Alchemist, before heading out of the office and down the halls. Her expression remained strict, knowing no one would interrupt her trek if she didn't give them a window of opportunity.

Upon arrival to the shooting range, a smile crept onto her face. I'd know that sound anywhere. It was a grenade launcher, her ears could tell that sound apart from anything. Taking off her uniform jacket and hanging it on one of the hooks, she headed within. Being that only so many were capable of even using the weapon, she wasn't surprised to spot the familiar pony-tailed black hair. Pulling her own weapon, she took aim and shot at a single chunk that was falling to the ground after the last blast. "You missed a piece. Looks like someone's losing her touch." Folding her arms with a small smirk, she waited the pleasant greeting she knew was on the way. If there was one person she always loved seeing, it was her dearest Becky. "You've also got a lack of form, Second Lieutenant Catalina. Must be age kicking in." It took all Riza had not to laugh at the thought of her friend's retaliation on the age comment.

[rebecca catalina]

Rebecca would know that voice anywhere- that, and there was only one person she knew that would first greet someone by shooting toward them- though it wasn't really toward her per se, but toward a piece of target she'd missed. A big smile appeared on the woman's face and she headed over to her friend, raising a hand in greeting.

"Hey, Riza! I was hoping you'd show up." she said, giving a little laugh. "It's been a boring day. How's everyone in the office? Is it as boring up there as it is down here?" she gestured to the shooting range, showing that it was indeed dull with only the two of them there at the moment. "I guess people are all relaxed or something now, after the Promised Day and all, and think they don't need to--" she stopped short. What did Riza say about her age? That she was old? Rebecca interrupted herself and snapped,

"I'm not old! We're the same age!" worriedly she ran a few fingers through her hair and glanced at her ponytail over her shoulder, as if to make sure it hadn't turned grey in the past five minutes. Then realizing that Riza had been joking, she looked up and glared at her before giving a small laugh again. "Ha ha, very funny, Riza." she struggled to keep the glare on her face, but it was no good. The second lieutenant flipped the grenade launcher behind her so that its strap was once again holding it in place on her back, and folded her arms at well, standing at an angle so her weight was all on one foot, and waited for the answers to her previous questions, shaking her head a bit at Riza's joke.

[riza hawkeye]

"You're lucky, I normally don't stop by during the day. Though you'd be right, it is pretty stale in the office. However, I'm rather appalled that you'd call this boring." As long as they'd been friends, the shooting range had been their go-to place to not only blow off steam, but to get a few laughs in. Things had definitely changed over the years and Riza herself visited a bit less, but it was still like a home-away-from-home place for her. "I suppose this could be boring, though, with no competition."

As Becky began her little tangent, Riza crossed her arms and her eyebrow raised slightly. Mentally, she was counting for how long it took her black-haired partner-in-crime to notice the insult she'd thrown out. A laugh easily slipped through when she did, clearly puffed up about it. "Are we? I must have forgotten. The years clearly haven't been as kind to you, then." If she had anything to say about it, they both still looked rather good for their age considering the things they'd been through. No matter, prodding at her friend was like a pastime that Riza just wasn't ready to let go of.

Riza re-holstered her own weapon before continuing. "Shall we get some lunch? Haven't seen you in awhile. Though not much seems to have changed." The girl before her seemed to be the same as she had been two years ago, though they'd seen each other within that time. A quick glance reminded her of the lack of a counterpart and Riza had her next target. "How's the relationship scene? I see your hand is as barren as ever." Though Riza herself hadn't really been interested in settling down, she was well aware of Becky's desire to find a reliable man. She was also well aware of the "lack of real men in Amestris" as her friend often reminded her. Oh the things she found herself dealing with...

[rebecca catalina]

Rebecca stared at her friend amusedly as she mentioned 'no competition'- it was correct, after all. It was much more fun to go out on the shooting range when there was someone to shoot with. It wasn't half as fun just shooting at targets by yourself. Despite the fact that Riza seemed to get Becky all riled up in a matter of seconds, it was just how the two friends would greet each other. Becky would do the same to Riza, of course, though not really with the same reasons or purpose. She let out a small gasp when Riza suggested that Rebecca looked old, and put her hands on her hips irritably.

"Excuse me, missy!" she said, barely hearing the sound of Riza's inviting her to lunch over the sound of her own fury. However, she did hear it, and that was the subject of the next set of words that she spoke. "A comment like that won't help you at all in the money department, now I guess it's your turn to treat me to lunch." she said, affirming the invitation but still getting Riza back for the 'old' comment.

She let out a long sigh and a shrug, her hands dropping from her hips and back in their usual position, when Riza mentioned relationships. "Same as ever," she said disappointedly. "There aren't any real men in Amestris, and Central's full of cowards. Why are all the good ones taken already? I mean," she started counting off on her fingers all the people who were 'taken', "you've got Mustang, so he's a no-go, and Hughes was married before I could even make a move... Armstrong is strong, but he's weird, and not husband material. Breda's too heavy, and Fuery is the biggest coward in the entirety of Central!" she said, exasperated. She ended up listing faults, rather than listing who was single and who was taken as she'd originally intended.

"But hey, I wanna hear about you! What've you been up to lately, is Roy getting his work all done like a good little boy?" she asked teasingly, knowing very well of her friend's situation with Mustang and his usual refusal of paperwork.

[riza hawkeye]

"No surprise there. When was the last time you treated me to lunch? Not that it matters, I suppose. Old people eat less anyways." It was just what she'd expected out of her friend and she really didn't mind a bit. Riza had little she spent her money on, so it really did just pile up in her account. Buying lunch for her friends every now and then went without complaint. Especially when she could enjoy riling up Becky along the way.

At the mention of her 'claim' on Mustang, Riza couldn't help the small blush that quickly faded. Why did she have to bring that up every time? She pushed it off, trying to pay no attention to the useless remark. "You know, I think you're just not looking in all the right places. I bet there's one man in Central that's single, funny, and just the knight you're looking for..." To tell her or not? "Except, I'm going to let you keep guessing as to who that is. I guarantee you know him." Havoc had been a loyal comrade that she missed having on the field. He was even a rather good shot - a perfect aspect for someone paired with Becky.

Although she knew toying with Rebecca about the 'unknown' man would never end, she abruptly changed the topic to answering her question with a small smirk. "Oh, and actually he has been rather diligent. I haven't had to harp much since the promotion. Hey, wait a minute! What does that have to do with me?" Riza didn't understand how her friend's mind worked. One moment, it was "I wanna hear about you" and the next revolved around Roy. Maybe they were partners, but there was little more to it. Even if they wanted more, it was highly unlikely.

Riza began leading the way out of the Command building. "If I'm treating, I'm picking where we go." There was a small laugh that followed, but she continued to lead to a local cafe that had become her favorite location for a simple cup of tea.

[rebecca catalina]

Becky's eye twitched slightly at the 'old' comment- honestly, how did Riza always find a way to slice one in to a conversation?!- but didn't have time for a retort, for she quickly calmed down when she saw Riza's response to her own comment about Roy, and grinned. Oh, so her suspicions had been correct, and Riza did have some feelings for Mustang after all! Of course Becky had known it all along, for she did pride herself in other's love lives at least, if not her own. She was pretty good at matchmaking, now she just had to matchmake herself.

Undoubtedly Riza had seen the spark light up in Becky's eye when she'd seen the blush- even though Riza had quickly masked it, nothing escaped the eye of her best friend. They'd known each other far too long for that to be able to happen, even if they tried. That was the great thing about them- if one was having a rough go, and refused to say why or something like that, the other was anything less than a mind-reader.

"Huh, promotion must have gone to his head. Or maybe... he just has someone he cares about that he doesn't want to let down. Huh?" Becky said deviously, and then shrugged when Riza asked what that even had to do with the question of how she was doing. "But you're right, so tell me about how you're doing, then." she fought to keep the evil grin off her face from her previous comment- it was about time she had some payback, after all the stress Riza was putting her through with... wait, what was that she'd said? Someone Becky knew, that she could get along with and...

"Whaaat? You mean you won't even tell me? Aww Riza, that's so mean. You know I've been waiting forever and it's not fair, and..." she began to ramble about all the reasons why Riza should tell her who this mystery man was. Single and funny were two of the best traits in a man, in Becky's opinion. The problem was, she could never find someone who met that criteria.

She sighed when she waited desperately for Riza to even give her a small hint, and followed her friend out of the building. "Yeah, all right. You pick." she said almost half-heartedly, already thinking about her husband quest all over again. She definitely needed a pick-me-up, and Riza's choice in eateries was usually spot-on to whatever Becky liked as well.

[riza hawkeye]

Meetings like this reminded her of why she loved her friend. For once, Riza felt like a normal civilian and she actually felt able to let down her guard, for what little bit she felt comfortable doing. How often could she watch Becky get giddy over boy talk? Rarely, really, considering she never got to hang out with her friend. These little things made up for all the hard work, that was for sure.

The reaction to her Mustang issue made her want to punch Becky. She just had to do that, didn’t she? What a little brat. ”Well, I don’t think he’s met anybody new that he would have to not let down, so it must be that promotion.” Rebecca Catalina did not just go there. In public. It was rather concerning, though. Roy had never seemed to put forth that extra effort until now. Why would he turn around and actually do his work for her now? Maybe that’d be something to pester him about later. What a little delinquent of an officer.

”Oh, you’re sure you don’t want to hear more about Mustang? Since we’re asking about me? I ought a shoot you for that mishap.” Folding her arms, she ignored her friend for a moment of defiance. Poor Becky just ran very awkward circles in conversation, especially with Riza. Well, maybe it was because Riza prompted those awkward circles through her indirect speech… Oh, she just loved causing her friend trouble. She did have one thing to discuss with Becky, though. ”Well, there’s not much to tell. You didn’t hear about my apprentice, did you? What a little shit he is.”

Watching Becky struggle, though, was like a firework show. The longer it lasted, the better it usually got. Riza was going to drag this on for awhile. ”It’s not mean. You know him. You’re just an oblivious little grenade junky. You probably forgot he existed. How terrible.” Poor Havoc had been through hell and, complements of Dr. Marcoh, he was back into the swing of things. While Riza was no matchmaker, she was completely perplexed by the fact that these two hadn’t even really noticed each other. What a shame.

Riza guided the way down the streets, preferring a walk rather than being stuffed in a car. She simply expected Becky to follow along, of course. A nice, quaint, outdoor café seemed like the perfect place for their conversation to continue and to get some of the best treats in the area.