“Yes! Yes! I understand it! Very well! I’m shutting up! Don’t shoot me! There are witnesses!” He exclaimed, gesturing around them. The people seemed conflicted. She was, after all, a Lieutenant even if he didn’t know it. And to think, he had tried to find medical help for her and this was how she was repaying him! He hadn’t meant to hit her and he had even attempted to help her! She was bleeding after all! The woman didn’t seem to need or want a hero though which made things all the more complicated for Linguini. She looked to be having some trouble with her leg but he didn’t dare try to help her.
“Yes, I’ll keep my mouth shut! Shutting my mouth! Can you put the gun down?! Please?! I KNOW I DON’T HAVE MUCH TO LIVE FOR BUT I’D LIKE TO LIVE!” Linguini climbed to his feet with some struggle. “Okay! Yes! Yes! Not one more word!” He stammered on, his left arm up above his head. The right one he couldn’t move. He was silent for one moment and then: “I’ve just…got to get my bike! Then I’ll take you to the hospital!” He hurried over to the bicycle that was his only form of transportation. The food that had been in his basket was spread around the ground and even though he would have liked to pick it up and wipe the dirt off, he let it sit. It was hard to get the bike up with one hand, but he managed it. The front was a bit dented from the impact. “O-Okay! Where is this hospital?”
The hospital was roughly three blocks away. On a normal day, it would have taken her ten minutes to get there without interruption. That afternoon, she would have been lucky to get there at all. While the Lieutenant wasn’t particularly concerned with her own health, she felt it was her duty to escort the clumsy stranger there, if for no other reason than to see that he didn’t harm anyone else in the process. She assumed she could nurse her own wounds, though her superior officer would likely insist that she seek medical attention. It was probably for the best, though she wouldn’t openly admit it.
As the boy scurried to his bike, Riza lowered her weapon. Even though the adrenaline was still rushing, she had calmed down considerably. That, however, wasn’t saying much. Returning the gun to the leather holster on her back, she started to gather the files that had been scattered across the road. Walking gingerly, she scrunched up her nose with each step. Her injury, no matter how minor, would certainly put a damper on things. Scooping up the last of her papers, she forced them together. When she returned to the office she would reorganize them. For now, she’d have to focus on the matter at hand.
“North.” She jerked her head to the side, indicating a side street that would take them to the hospital. “If you think you can manage a tolerable amount of restraint, I’ll take you to the hospital. If not, I’ll consider it my military duty to take you by force.” Chances were, if the boy didn’t want to go with her, though it looked like he was quite eager to, she wouldn’t bother dragging him along. However, it seemed like the right thing to do. Glancing around, Riza saw that the crowd had started to disperse. They had likely been hoping for an altercation of a grander scale. Without looking to see if the boy was following her, she started off down the street, a pained limp in her gait.
His bike wasn’t banged up too badly and he was glad for that. It was his only means of transportation. On his salary he couldn’t afford a car. “North? Which way…which one is North?!” He asked, turning just in time to see her jerk her head in the correct direction. “Right! I mean…North!” Linguini shook his head, putting his hands up before him. “No! No! I’ll…go calmly! You don’t have to tell me twice! I can restrain myself! I am practicing restraint right now! If there was a patron saint of restraint it would be me!”
He laughed nervously and carefully swung his leg over his bicycle and began to peddle after the woman. Soon, he caught up with her and kept pace beside her. “I’ll have to go pick up some more food…Unless…Ah.” He muttered to himself before looking over at the lieutenant. “Have you been here long? Do you like it here? What’s with the gun, huh?” Linguini asked. “Are you sure you’re not hurt? You look like you’re limping a bit!”
Riza rubbed the back of her head, nursing it gingerly. Looking down at her fingers, she was relieved to see that there wasn’t any blood. The next morning she assumed that there would be a rather large bump, but that was something she could very well live with. A large crowd had formed around them and everyone was craning their necks to see what had happened. The Lieutenant paid them no heed, and she pushed herself up off of the ground. Standing, she winced as a jolt of pain shot through her left leg. As the pain throbbed around her knee, she bit down on her lip, trying to contain it within. Her amber eyes moved down to her knee and she saw that the front of her blue pant leg was streaked with crimson.
Turning her attention back to the young man that had collided with her, she furrowed her brow. It looked as if he had suffered the brunt of the impact. As he rambled on, she stared at his limp arm. There was more blood on him than on her, and she assumed he would need to see a doctor. He continued to talk, though he was speaking so fast that his words scrambled together. For a moment she thought that she wouldn’t be able to get him to be quiet. Exhaling deeply, she moved her hand to her back, withdrawing her gun. The Lieutenant aimed it at the young man. A few people gasped in the crowd but her focus was solely on the boy. “Would you shut the hell up?!” She spat, her jaw clenched. “I am not going anywhere near your bike, and you are not going to take me anywhere, is that clear? Now, can you walk, or do I have to physically drag you down the road. Mark my words, I will not hesitate to do so.”
As the woman stood he saw that her knee was covered with blood and he let out a gasp that was intermingled with a somewhat girly shriek. “You’re bleeding!” He shouted, pointing with his left hand. He couldn’t get the right one to work without it hurting something awful. “Sorry! So sorry! We can have this cleaned up in no time! Don’t…don’t worry m’am!” Linguini looked to the growing crowd. “Is there are a doctor here?!” He shouted but no one answered the man. Now that his adrenaline was starting to wear off he could feel the pain in his arm more acutely.
He heard the gasp of the crowd before he saw the weapon being pointed at him. Linguini threw his hands up on the arm, wincing as he did. “Okay! Okay! I am…shutting the hell up! I am shutting the hell up right now! I swear! I’m done talking! Please don’t shoot me!” He shook his head quickly. “No! No! I can walk! It was just a suggestion! I was just trying to help! I have a- Well…I don’t have a family…but I have the possibility of a future girlfriend and a Tiny Chef waiting for me back home! Don’t shoot!”
Her eyes widened when he ranted on about her leg. It hurt like hell, but she’d gone though worse. The Lieutenant swallowed, biting back the pain that was surging through her leg. The bleeding wasn’t bad, or at least she deduced that it wasn’t. She hadn’t hit the ground too hard; not hard enough to do permanent damage at least. A sigh fell through her pink lips as he flailed about, yelling to the crowd for a doctor. The onlookers were much more in tune with the fact that she had pulled a gun on him though, and no one responded to his plea.
Riza’s mouth fell open as he continued to scramble about with his words. She only caught some of it. Future girlfriend. Tiny Chef. And of course, don’t shoot! While Riza had no intention of actually firing, she was sorely tempted. “Do you not understand the concept of shutting the hell up?” Stepping forward, she winced, faltering as she tried to straighten her knee. The Lieutenant kept her weapon at the ready, though the safety was intentionally still engaged. Perhaps she had taken drastic measures, but through the searing pain in her knee and the ache that was pulsing through her head, she would do just about anything to get the boy to be quiet. “Do you think you can keep your mouth shut long enough to get to a hospital? I am not above knocking you out if you utter one more insufferable word.”
“Yes! Yes! I understand it! Very well! I’m shutting up! Don’t shoot me! There are witnesses!” He exclaimed, gesturing around them. The people seemed conflicted. She was, after all, a Lieutenant even if he didn’t know it. And to think, he had tried to find medical help for her and this was how she was repaying him! He hadn’t meant to hit her and he had even attempted to help her! She was bleeding after all! The woman didn’t seem to need or want a hero though which made things all the more complicated for Linguini. She looked to be having some trouble with her leg but he didn’t dare try to help her.
“Yes, I’ll keep my mouth shut! Shutting my mouth! Can you put the gun down?! Please?! I KNOW I DON’T HAVE MUCH TO LIVE FOR BUT I’D LIKE TO LIVE!” Linguini climbed to his feet with some struggle. “Okay! Yes! Yes! Not one more word!” He stammered on, his left arm up above his head. The right one he couldn’t move. He was silent for one moment and then: “I’ve just…got to get my bike! Then I’ll take you to the hospital!” He hurried over to the bicycle that was his only form of transportation. The food that had been in his basket was spread around the ground and even though he would have liked to pick it up and wipe the dirt off, he let it sit. It was hard to get the bike up with one hand, but he managed it. The front was a bit dented from the impact. “O-Okay! Where is this hospital?”
Alfredo hadn’t been in the country long and he didn’t plan on staying. Amestris wasn’t a bad place at all, but it didn’t really compare to Paris where even living was an art. He rode down the street on his rickety, red bicycle with a baguette, a small square of cheese, and several fresh vegetables. Well, mostly fresh vegetables. Yesterday’s produce was much cheaper. His eyes darted back and forth and he surveyed the city and this turned out to be folly as he rounded the corner and looked forward to see a blonde woman in his path. “Look out!” He shouted, but he feared it was already too late.
Tucking a small stack of files under her arm, the Lieutenant set out of Central Headquarters and started down the street. Her lips were pursed and her eyes narrowed as she maneuvered through the clusters of people on the sidewalk. Several people moved out of her way, seeing the intimidating glare painted across her face. She paid them no heed, and continued on her way without giving it another thought. Her focus was on delivering the files to one of her superior officers — mostly.
As a First Lieutenant, she understood better than most that grunt work was part of the job. There were several officers that teased her about handling Colonel Mustang’s chores. She could handle the jests, and brushed them off without any worry. However, that afternoon she simply wasn’t in the mood to run errands for her subordinates due to their own incompetency. A young cadet had somehow landed a job as a clerk, and managed to misfile a large portion of the information that Riza was now carrying. She easily could have sent them off to deliver the paperwork, but rather than have them mess things up further, she took the job upon herself.
Rounding the corner, she stepped off of the sidewalk and onto the asphalt. Her thoughts were on her work, and she didn’t even see the young man barreling towards her. As he yelled out to her, her amber eyes widened. Before she had time to move out of the way, the two collided. The files flew out of her hands, and she fell on her back, the papers falling down around her. Sitting up quickly, she rubbed the back of her head as she looked to the boy who had hit her. She didn’t take the time to assess the damage that he’d done to himself or his belongings. “Dammit! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Linguini closed his eyes and braced for them moment of impact. The front of his bicycle plowed straight into the woman and the force sent him flying off of his bike and over her. He opened his eyes just in time to see the cement coming up fast to meet him. His eyes went wide and he put out his arms to stop himself from hitting his face. This was a mistake as when he tried to brace himself with his right arm it hit the concrete and he gave a shout as he heard and felt it snap. At least it wasn’t his nose…
“Ooooh. Oww.” He sat up slowly, dazedly and looked back to the woman he had nearly killed. Aside from his arm which he was pretty sure was broken, his palms were scraped and bloodied as were his knees. He grimaced as crawled towards the woman awkwardly as he went to ask if she was alright. Linguini didn’t get a chance, however, as she stared in on him. He sank down into the cement as he tried to get a handle on his tongue. “I-I’m sorry m’am! I didn’t see you! Blind…spot! Are you okay?! I’m so sorry! I di-di-didn’t mean to hit you! Are you hurt?! I don’t…is there a hospital around here?! I could take you! Just…climb on my bike…I’ll give you a ride! Have you ever ridden on handlebars before?! I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you! I just…please…! Are you alright?!”
Alfredo hadn’t been in the country long and he didn’t plan on staying. Amestris wasn’t a bad place at all, but it didn’t really compare to Paris where even living was an art. He rode down the street on his rickety, red bicycle with a baguette, a small square of cheese, and several fresh vegetables. Well, mostly fresh vegetables. Yesterday’s produce was much cheaper. His eyes darted back and forth and he surveyed the city and this turned out to be folly as he rounded the corner and looked forward to see a blonde woman in his path. “Look out!” He shouted, but he feared it was already too late.
