"Ah, a joke. Right. I should have noticed," Devi replied, somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't realized it. She really was socially impaired. She scratched the her cheek bashfully and let out a nervous chuckle.


"No, no. Darts are fine," Devi answered quickly with a smile, reaching out and plucking the dart from his hand. "I like to think I'm a quick study, so it shouldn't take long..."


A warm, appreciative smile creased Roy's lips as he looked over at Riza. Although he was still a bit troubled by Havoc's previous comment, the idea of something solely between Riza and himself was pleasant in itself.

Nodding, he answered undecidedly, "Maybe some drinks...? And we could just talk...or...try our hand at pool..."

"All right." Havoc transferred another dart to his right hand before taking a few steps away from the dart board. His posture tensing, he held the dart up, one eye closed as he aimed. "It's all in the wrist, really..." he said in the low, subdued tones of one who was trying to concentrate. A second later, there was a flash of color as he threw the dart... only to have it bounce off the rim of the board and fall to the floor.

Havoc's expression fell as he looked down at the dart, disappointment flashing across his face. He then brightened, however, and gave a slight shrug before looking back over at Devi. "Yea-ah... It's been awhile," he said, sounding mildly embarrassed.

"Ah..." Riza looked thoughtful for a moment. She didn't plan on drinking, but she knew that Mustang would probably like a drink or two. And they really hadn't gotten to talk much that night... "Let's talk at the bar," she decided, smiling at him.

"Aw, it's okay. At least it made it to the board, right?" Devi reassured him, walking over and giving him a pat on the arm. Then grinning cheekily, she added, "Just don't cry if I show you up."

Then, stepping beside him, she took the dart in her right hand as well and mimicked his stance. She closed one eye, and even unconsciously stuck out her tongue in focus. With a blur of color, she threw the dart and watched...as it bounced of the rim of the board and hit the floor.

"Okay," she said dryly, "I want to play billiards now."


"Alright. Sounds good to me," he replied, placing a hand on her back and guiding her to the bar. He waited for her to take a seat on a stool before sitting himself, motioning for the bartender to come over.

The bartender slowly made his way over to the couple, giving both of them a quick nod before asking, "What can I get ya?"

Mustang turned to Riza, waiting for her to order first.

"Guess I showed you the right way not to throw a dart," Havoc said with a low chuckle, stooping over to pick up the fallen darts. He placed them back on the shelf before turning back to her, an amused grin on his face. "Billiards sounds good though."He guided her over to one of the empty pool tables, his hand resting gently on her back.

"You're going to need a cue stick," he said once he had chosen one for himself. As she picked one out, Havoc busied himself by arranging all of the balls within the rack. He was no expert at billiards and knew there were probably a lot of rules he didn't know, but as long as Devi got the basic idea, it would be fine.

"Right, so... the basic idea is to get all of the ball into the pockets," he said, folding his hands over the tip of the cue stick and resting his chin on them as he looked over on her. "You'll either play the striped balls, or the solid ones. Don't hit the eight ball in, though- you save that one for last. If you hit it in before any of your other balls, then you automatically lose the game." He paused, opening his mouth to speak again before closing it promptly. Finally, he asked, "Did I make any sense?"

"Just a glass of water," Riza replied, before giving Mustang a pleasant smile as she waited for him to order.

Devi's eyes widened slightly as she tried to take in all of the information. Maybe she should stick to darts. It did seem simpler to understand. She paused, furrowed her brow, and replied hesitantly, "Uh....maybe? I think I got it...So...I try to hit them in with this stick. And I don't want to get that eight ball in before I get the others in, is that right?"


Mustang arched a brow as Riza ordered, although he wasn't sure why he was so surprised by it. He turned to the bartender and ordered, "Scotch on the rocks."

Then, he turned back to Riza and smiled, a bit unsure of what to talk about. He was definitely striking out often today, and he didn't want to do it again. Nervously searching for something to talk about, he looked around the room. Finding nothing, he sighed, scratched the back of his head.

"Right," Havoc replied, feeling rather pleased with himself. So his instructions hadn't been as awful as he had thought. "Now then..."

He stepped over to the side of the table, setting the white ball near the point of the pyramid. After applying some chalk to the tip of the cue stick, he leaned down, placing his left hand on the table, the fingers slightly bent. Setting the end of the stick down in the groove between his knuckles, he took careful aim, his blue eyes narrowing in concentration. There was a loud clack! as he hit the white ball, sending it into the pyramid and making the others scatter.

Havoc straightened, watching them until the last ball had finally stopped rolling. Much to his disappointment, none of them went into the pockets. "Ah..." He scratched the back of his neck, trying to remember how he was supposed to determine who played stripes and who played solids. "I guess I'll play stripes," he decided, noting that there were better opportunities to get a ball into one of the pockets with the solids and, well, since it was Devi's first time playing, he figured it would make it easier for her.

"Your turn," he told her, resting his hands upon the tip of the cue stick.

Riza gave a small sigh of her own, wondering when it had become so difficult for the two of them to hold a conversation with one another. Oh, right, now she remembered- when their familiar, comfortable relationship of superior and subordinate had come to an end.

"How has it been working with a new staff?" she asked, the question spilling from her lips without warning. She gave the general a small smile. "You've garnered quite the reputation at HQ for your, ah... work ethics."

Devi looked at the pool cue skeptically before hesitantly walking over to the table. She mimicked Havoc's position exactly, even placing her left hand on the table as the guide. Leaning over the table and lining up the stick with the white ball, she prepared to strike but stopped momentarily.

She was a bit nervous. Having already messed up with darts, she didn't want a repeated failure. Just to make sure she did it right, she was going to take her time and move slowly.

Glancing back at Havoc, she asked, "That means I'm solids, right?"


Mustang looked at Riza and then at some far off spot on the wall, groaning, "It's horrible. At least my old team was somewhat productive. The new staff has no idea how to do anything, so I'm stuck having to do it all on my own."

He then paused and looked at her, smirking somewhat as he added, "If only I had some of the reliable help I used to..."

"Yep," he said, giving a small nod as he looked back at her, his head tilted slightly, an almost thoughtful expression on his face. "Let me help you with your posture though..."

Setting his cue stick against the wall, he walked over behind her, standing slightly to her left. Leaning over, Havoc reached out, holding his left hand over hers while his other arm circled around her back. Very gently, he took her right hand, uncurling her fingers before moving the hand back a few inches on the cue stick. Their bodies practically touching, Havoc tried not to get distracted by how close they were, or how warm Devi's body was... he pulled himself away from his thoughts by readjusting the cue stick so that it set upon his own knuckles for the time being, moving it back and forth slightly as he showed her the correct place to aim.

"Don't aim too high or you'll just kiss the ball and it won't go anywhere," he told her softly, "And be careful not to aim too low or it might bounce." Straightening quickly, he stepped away, slipping his hands into his pockets as he waited for her to shoot, and hoping that she wouldn't look back and notice how red his face had gotten.


"Well, I think that's a good thing, si- Roy," she said, her lips pulled back in an amused smile. "It'll teach you to rely less on others."


"Are you implying something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I'm sure that the others would jump at the chance to work under you again- from what I've heard, you were far more tolerant of their shenanigans than some of the other superior officers."

Devi blushed as Havoc's hand covered her own and the other wrapped around her. She never noticed how much bigger his hands were than hers or how sturdy they were. Although he guided her gently, his hold was strong. Her cheeks flushed deeper as she realized how close they were to one another, feeling his body heat in close proximity to hers.

Reminding herself that she was supposed to be paying attention to his instructions, she snapped out of her flustered daze and listened as he guided her.


She froze slightly at the word "kiss", a light flush misting her cheeks as she mentally chided herself. He doesn't mean that, you idiot. Focus!

Nodding as he backed away, Devi narrowed her gaze on her target--the white billiard ball--and swiftly struck at it with the cue. With a loud clacking noise, the white ball collided with a series of other balls, sending two solid ones into the pockets.

Blinking a few times, she hesitantly turned back to Havoc and asked, "Did I do that right?"

"Of course it is," Roy replied doubtfully, cringing at the idea of paperwork. "But there's a difference between them teaching to rely less on others and being completely incompetent, and I suspect the latter."


"I must admit I've been a bit nostalgic. They were unruly but they were reliable," Mustang sighed, thinking back to the times before. Then, turning to Riza, he smiled and inquired, "What about you? Ever think of coming back?"

Havoc gaped at her for a few seconds, his eyes widened slightly in a look of surprise. "Are you sure you've never played before?" he asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.


Hawkeye gave a small laugh. "You just have to be patient with them," she told him, leaning up against the bar. "They're probably just nervous to be working for the legendary Flame Alchemist."

"Hmm... I don't know. I must admit, it's been far more rewarding working in Investigations rather than being someone else's assistant," she said teasingly, resting her chin against the palm of her hand.

Then, her brown eyes narrowing slightly, her tone took on its usual serious quality as she looked back at him unabashedly. "Actually, I would return without question, if that's what you wanted, Roy."

Taking his question as a bad sign, she furrowed her brow and pouted. Looking up at him worriedly, she replied, "No, never. Did I do it wrong?"


Puffing up his chest in pride, he replied boastfully, "Well, yes, I guess my reputation and high status would make anyone a bit nervous. You have a point."


He couldn't express in words how happy that made him, and he wanted nothing more than to respond in a childish, selfish manner. Of course I want you to return. Transfer immediately, dammit, he wanted to say. But of course, that wouldn't be right. If she was content in her present line of work, he refused to take that from her--regardless of how much he wanted things to be as they used to.

Roy at Riza, his expression both warm and serious as he replied, "I want you to do what feels right to you."

He nodded to the bartender as he returned with their drinks, took a sip of his scotch and added with a smirk, "Of course I wouldn't mind having you back. But you seem happy where you are now. That's all that matters."

((GAH...Mustang's "charming" personality makes me wanna vomit...stupid flufferson...))

"Oh, no, not at all," Havoc told her, shaking his head fervently, wearing his trademark grin upon his face. "You did it right. Very right. Actually-" he nodded toward the table- "You get to go again."


Riza very pointedly rolled her eyes at him. Well, no one had ever said that Roy Mustang was humble...


Riza sighed, picking up the glass of water although she made no move to drink it. She appreciated his thoughtfulness in regard to her current job, but she knew that her prominent position in Investigations, which had warranted her promotion, would be easy to discard if she decided to become Mustang's assistant again.

"I suppose it doesn't matter anyways," she finally said, a finite tone to her voice. "If we're going to be dating, I highly doubt that the higher-ups would allow me to serve on your staff."

Devi looked at Havoc blankly for a minute, blinking a few times before inquiring, "Again? Do I just..uh...do the same thing?"

She leaned up against the table once more, positioning herself before pausing. She was unsure of whether she was doing it right, or if there was something else she was supposed to do when she went again. Looking back at him hesitantly, she asked, "Um...am I doing this right...?


Roy's brow creased as he frowned. He hadn't taken that into consideration. She had a point, whether he liked it or not. "True...I didn't think of that," he groaned somewhat. Determination flashed in his eye as he added, "I guess I'll just have to get to the position where I won't need approval. Then we won't have to worry about any obstacles like that, now, would we?"

"Yeah. Just do what you did before," Havoc replied, a tight smile on his face as he was trying rather hard to keep from laughing for some reason. He leaned up against the wall, tapping the cue stick against the hardwood flooring in a haphazard rhythm as he waited for her to shoot, eager to see whether or not she was a natural talent or if it had just been beginner's luck.

"It would certainly spare us a lot of trouble," Riza agreed, taking a sip of her water before flashing the general a coy smile. "Let's hope that your new staff is up to the challenge."

"Oh...alright then," Devi replied, turning back to the pool table. She focused on the placements of billiards on the table, lining the pool cue up with the white ball. Leaning over the table, she hesitated a few minutes before, with a loud clack!, she sent the billiard balls scattering again. Just as the time before, two solid balls fell into the pockets.

She nodded at her success and turned to look at Havoc for his approval, or better yet praise. Walking over towards him, she smiled and asked, "How was that? I did what I was supposed to, right?"

Cringing at the thought of his new crew, Mustang sighed and replied, "Yeah...it might take longer than expected, then."

"Wow... yeah, I'd say so," the lieutenant replied, staring back at her in awe, the cue stick now still in his hand. He wondered, briefly, whether he would get a turn before deciding he really didn't care. Seeing Devi so pleased by her success was worth not getting to play, and more. Besides, what was so bad about watching a beautiful woman play pool? Nothing, as far as he was concerned.

"You're pretty amazing," he told her, smiling in what he hoped was a charming way. "I know guys who've played for years and I've never seen them make shots like that."


"If you'd like, I could stop by one day and give them some pointers," she offered, smiling warmly at the general.

"Really? Thanks!" Devi replied, her expression brightening as she smiled back at him. Then, pouting somewhat, she asked, "Do I go again?"

She leaned against the same wall as him and tilted her head to the side, adding, "When do you go? Don't you get a turn? It's no fun if I play all alone."


"I'd like that very much," he replied with a charming smile. Smiling at the idea, he added, "They need to be whipped into shape. Don't go easy on them."

"You keep playing until you don't make a shot," Havoc explained, glancing over at her, a carefree grin on his face. "And I don't mind, really. I'm kind of enjoying watching you play."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Riza replied solemnly, her eyes narrowing in a look of solid determination. "Once I'm finished with them, you won't have to worry about incompetence any longer."

"Ah, got it. So I just keep going until I miss, huh?" Devi replied, looking at him quickly before pushing off from the wall and walking back over to the table. "Is it really that fun to watch?" she asked doubtfully, leaning over the table with cue stick in hand.

A hint of a mischievous smirk graced her lips as she looked over the position of the billiards. It would be another easy shot for her, the balls aligned in just the right way, but she had something up her sleeve. Taking her position, Devi pulled back and struck at the cue ball like she had twice before. This time, however, the white ball skimmed past all of the others, bouncing off of the far edge of the table and coming to a stop without hitting a single billiard.

"Oh, would you look at that? I missed. Oops," Devi said, trying her hardest to hide the smirk as she looked over at him. Smiling sweetly, she walked up to him and tapped his shoulder, adding, "I guess it's your turn, huh?"
Although most people would be intimidated by this, Mustang couldn't help but smile and chuckle somewhat at her seriousness. Sitting back on the stool, he took another swig of scotch and replied, "Sounds fun. I can't wait to see that."

Roy looked over at Havoc and Devi then to the dart board and finally at Hawkeye. Nodding his head towards the dart board, he smiled and inquired, "Since the kids are busy, you want to give that a try? You said something earlier about being quite good at it. I'd like to see."

Havoc cast Devi an indulgent smile, knowing without a doubt that she had missed on purpose. Judging from her previous shots, she should have made that last one easily.

"Guess so," he said, pushing himself away from the wall. Circling the table, he studied the billiards for a moment, resting against the cue stick, his brow knotted thoughtfully. Finally he seemed to find a shot that he liked and, leaning down, he assumed his posture and aimed. There was a loud clack as he struck, sending a red striped ball rolling toward one of the middle pockets.

He must have hit it a little too hard because the ball ended up bouncing off a corner near the mouth of the pocket, coming to a stop a few inches away. The blond-haired man stared at it blankly before his head drooped, his shoulder sagging in defeat.

"And to think, I haven't had anything to drink tonight..." he groaned.


"Sure, I'd love to," Riza said, taking another sip of her water before slipping down off the stool. Nodding toward his glass of scotch, she smiled and said in a teasing tone, "Are you sure your choice of a drink won't impair your skills, Roy? I'd hate to think that I beat you because you couldn't hold down your liquor."

Sympathetically, Devi walked over and placed a hand on his upper back, rubbing it comfortingly. "Aw, it's okay. I thought it was going to make it in," she consoled, smiling meekly at him. Okay, so she knew it wasn't going to make it in, but she wasn't about to tell him that. She wasn't the kind to kick a man when he was down.

"Maybe you should get something to drink. It might help...or something," Devi suggested, leaning back against the pool table as she studied him. He was very interesting--grinning one moment and moping the next. Smiling, she added, "I'd like to try one, too, actually."


"Trust me," Roy began with a smirk, "this drink won't improve or impair my skills at throwing darts. I can hold my liquor just fine. Although, knowing your skills, you just might beat me anyway..." He took another swig of scotch and stepped off the stool just as Riza had. In all actuality, the drink had already began to take effect but he wasn't going to admit it. He was too proud a man to confess to being a lightweight when it came to liquor.

"I don't think drinking is going to help me improve my game," Havoc said, snickering. "Although that doesn't sound like a bad idea," he added, giving her an easy grin.


"Oh, yeah? Did you have anything in mind?" he inquired, wondering just what alcoholic beverages she knew about. He set his cue stick back onto the rack and proceeded to push all of the billiard balls into the pockets.

"Right. Then this should be... interesting," Riza said, observing him with a shrewd eye. She walked over to the dart board, picking the darts up from the shelf. Turning back to Mustang, she held them up and asked, "Red or blue?"

Devi flashed him a cheeky grin of her own, laughing slightly as she replied, "Well, yeah, but it would make the game more entertaining."


"Hm, I'm not sure," Devi began, adorning a thoughtful expression. She slipped off of the pool table, placed her cue on the rack, and walked over to Havoc's side. Then, peeking over at him with a sheepish expression, she admitted, "Well, I was hoping you'd have some suggestions. I've only heard this and that from listening to the other soldiers in West City. I have no idea what to get--maybe something light, since it's my first time...?"
Roy looked at the darts for a moment before reaching out and plucking his choice from her hand, "I'll play red, then." Stepping back a bit, he smiled charmingly at her and swept his hand towards the board, adding, "Ladies first."

"Something light, huh? A beer'd probably be good," Havoc said, giving a small nod before they started over to the bar. Giving her a gentle nudge with his elbow, he smiled down at her and added, "I was planning on getting one myself. Why don't I order for the both of us?"

Riza returned his smile with one of her own before her usual serious expression swept over her face once again. She positioned herself several feet away from the dart board, her stance rigid and her brow creased with concentration. Holding up one blue dart, she took careful aim before giving a flick of her wrist and sending the dart flying. It hit the bulls-eye and, stepping back, the woman tilted her head slightly as if regarding a particularly interesting piece of art before glancing over at Mustang.

"Your turn," she said.

"Okay, that sounds good to me. Thanks, I'm not very good when it comes to talking to people," Devi replied bashfully, smiling back appreciatively at him as she followed him to the bar. As they reached the bar, she shied away slightly, stepping behind him somewhat as the bartender came to them.

Mustang blinked a few times, stunned although he didn't know why. He knew she had a keen eye and impeccable aim, but seeing it in person was always so stunning.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he realized how dry his mouth had gotten and reached back to take yet another swig of scotch. Then, taking the dart between his fingers, he tried to aim the best he could--what with being somewhat buzzed and all. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the dart flying into the board. Sadly, it only managed to hit in the bull area, and he had hoped to make a bullseye.

Only slightly disappointed, he made a tsk! noise before turning to her, smiling, "You're up."