XV: Blowing It

Blind Leading the Blind:

Simone’s Notes:

Deception is the act of convincing another to believe information that is not true. Deception involves concepts like propaganda, distraction and concealment. Fiction, while sometimes manipulative, is not a deception unless it is portrayed as the whole truth; not to be confused with half-truths. In many cases it is difficult to distinguish deception from providing unintentionally wrong information. One of the reasons for this is that a person or an entire organization may be self-deceived.

Ah, New Year’s Day! A nice time to start fresh and make something new of yourself. The new year is a promising one. This is suppose to be a happy and promising time, right? As if! Challenges for the new year always rear their ugly heads. And lovey-dovey couples are no exception to the rule. Jakob and Riza’s first challenge with their relationship was with a confrontation. It all started when Jakob’s mother, Esther, came by to visit her son. She didn’t know what apartment he was staying in. (Isaac made perfectly sure he never told her!) The woman came up to the front desk to ask for directions. Guess who she runs into? Why, none other than Major General Roy Mustang! Esther thought that she would get directions from him. (Everyone can tell where this is going!) The woman lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Mustang turned to see a tall and tiny woman with mousey brown hair in a messy bun and blackish-brown eyes with laugh lines on her face. The black slaw around her shoulders seemed to eat up her small body. Her white dress hung loose on her body.

Mustang raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh… can I help you miss?” he asked. Esther straightened up a bit. “I’m here to see my son,” she answered. “But I don’t know which apartment he’s in. My older son told me that he was staying here.” “Okay,” Mustang replied. “What is your son’s name?” Esther smiled sweetly. “Jakob Riis!” she replied. That shot off a trigger in the general’s mind. He had come to despise that name with a passion. That boy was the reason that him and Riza were no longer together as a couple. The man kept swearing revenge in his head. But then, Mustang noticed the woman’s face. She seemed like the overprotective woman to the young boy. This gave him an idea. “Why yes!” Mustang called out at last. “I know where he is!” Esther’s eyes lit up in hope. “Really?” she asked. “Where? I worry about him every day with soldiers living in this apartment!” “In fact,” Mustang called. “I’ll take you right to him!” “Thank you, uh…” Esther spoke up. “Just call me Mustang, ma’am!” Roy spoke up. “Thanks, Mustang!” Esther called.

They came to apartment 221. Mustang walked up to the door. “Here you are, ma’am!” he called proudly. “Thank you, sir!” she called happily. Then, Esther walked up to the door and knocked on it. “Coming!” Jakob called from behind the door. The mother quietly waited. Mustang was snickering in his head to himself. “Let’s see how it feels to be humiliated before of a woman, Jakob Riis!” he thought maliciously. “That ought to put you in your place!” Then, the door opened. Esther was shocked to see her son at the door only dressed in a sheets around his waist and deep hickeys on his neck. The boy looked as if he had just woken up this morning. He clearly couldn’t see who was at the door yet. “What is it, Isaac?” the boy asked in a tired voice. “You’re starting to become just as worse as mom in the morning! I’m just fine!” Esther was in complete shock now “Jakob!” the woman gasped out. That really woke the mouse up! He opened his eyes wide to see Mustang and his mother standing at the door right in front of him! “Mom!” he exclaimed out loud. “What are you doing here?!?” The woman didn’t answer his question at all. “Why aren’t you dressed this morning?!?” she yelled out. “And what are those all over your neck?!?” Jakob quickly felt along his neck in a panic. “Oh shit, Riza!” he murmured under his breath in worry. Esther apparently has ears like radar. The next question that came out of her mouth was, “And who is Riza?” Mustang was smiling to himself at the whole show. Esther tried to go into the apartment, but her son blocked her off. Finally, the mother pushed past him and walked inside. Jakob hurried after her to protect his girlfriend from his mother’s coming wrath. Mustang just smiled and calmly followed behind them. The battle was now beginning.

Alice sat on the apartment roof looking nervous. Her work with Jakob and Riza had been easy so far. The love deity was actually beginning to love them as a romantic couple. She was even secretly planning to will them to wed and start a family. But now, that was to be put on hold for a moment. Alice was biting her nails as she was thinking about what to do next when she heard someone ask, “You still bite your nails when you’re in a panic, Alice?” The love deity looked up to see Ai-Oni smiling at her. Anger filled the love deity quickly. “You pulled this, didn’t you?!?” she snapped. “Didn’t you?!?” The devil woman just lightly shrugged at her. “Hey, come on!” she called. “You can’t have the dog and the mouse in a love affair without a few trials to make them stronger, now can you?” Alice looked away bitterly. Ai-Oni was right, but still… “Do you always have to add more work to my job than I have all ready?” Alice complained. The she-devil kept smiling at her. “Aw,” she called. “A little work is good for you! It keeps proving to me that you are just as sharp as when we first started together in the academy!” The pure love deity shot a cold glance at her friend/enemy. “You’re multi-talented aren’t you?” she asked. “Oh?” Ai-Oni asked in a fake sweetness. “How so?” “Well,” Alice began. “Whore, bitch, menace to humankind, flasher, bitch, pain in my ass, slave driver, embarrassment to Aizen Myo-o Academy, disturbance of the peace, oh and did I mention bitch?” Ai-Oni just smiled at her again. “Why thank you, Alice!” she called. “You really do know how to flatter an old friend!” The pure love deity just rolled her eyes. “Still,” the she devil spoke up. “I’m interested in seeing how you are going to fix your little problem on your hands.” The love deity sighed again. “I’ll figure something out and pull them through!” she called. “It’s your fault you dragged me into this!” “Awww!” Ai-Oni replied. “This work will do you some go! And besides, look on the bright side!” Alice glared at her again. “What bright side?” she hissed. Her friend/enemy smiled again. “It’ll add more to your resume in the academy!” she pointed out. The love deity hung her head in defeat. Ai-Oni was right about that. But did it all have to be a huge headache. “I can never get that crazy bitch!” Alice thought. “She always does this to me! What an inconvenience! Well, back to work!” This was always the “fun” part of her jobs with her former roommate friend.

Riza sat on the bed in a silky white bathrobe. She was so angry at Mustang right now. The lt. wanted to kill the jealous bastard so badly. Esther barged in out of rage and was screaming at Riza while calling her a whore for seducing her son into bed with her. Hawkeye and the mother fought for a long time. Jakob tried his best to hold back his crazy mama from trying to hurt his girlfriend. This was not how they planned to start the year together. The whole time, Hawkeye noticed that Mustang was snickering to himself at the whole event. Right away, she knew what he had done. “We will talk after this is over!” the lt. mouthed at the general. Mustang just lightly shrugged at her. So now, here they were.

Mustang was walking around the bedroom. He noticed his ex’s angry face. “What?” he asked innocently. “All I just did was so the woman up to your apartment, that’s all!” Riza didn’t buy it! “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?!?” she snapped. “So maybe I did!” Mustang called. “But the woman was concerned about her son! She didn’t expect him to be living with an older woman!” Hawkeye didn’t have to ask what this was all about. “You still haven’t gotten over our break-up, haven’t you?” she asked. Mustang found himself stuck. “How could I?!?” he yelled out. “You dumped me for a kid! How old is he? Fourteen? Fifteen?” “Eighteen! He’s eighteen and I love him!” Riza corrected sharply. Mustang went quiet at that reply. She had shot him down just like usual. Was this even the same woman he had dated?

“When did you find out?” the lt. questioned sharply. “Sometime before Christmas!” Roy answered. “Why can’t you just move on already?” Riza barked. “Because I still love you!” the major general snapped back. “I love you and I want you back! You’re my world!” “Well that’s too bad!” his ex barked. “Because I hate you, right now! Get out!!!” “Fine!” Mustang said in bitter defeat. Then, he began to leave. But when he made it to the front door, he stopped and asked without turning around, “Well tell me this, is he better in bed than me?” That made Riza’s cheeks red with embarrassment and anger. “GET OUT!!!” she yelled again. Mustang turned and saw her face. He saw the truth in her eyes and became disappointed. “She really does love this kid!” the general thought. “Well,” he pushed. “Is he?” “GET OUT!!!” Riza yelled again. That really destroyed Roy. The woman he loved had replaced him with a high school boy! Where did he go wrong? Mustang walked out the door in total defeat. And just like that, Riza Hawkeye was gone out his love life for good! How could this even happen? Anger and bitter jealousy took over his mind once he was back in the hall. “That little bastard took away my woman!” Roy thought in anger. “How dare he! I should make him pay dearly for it!” Mustang walked away pissed off. He was tormenting Jakob in his head as he did so.

Meanwhile, Jakob and Esther were having it out big time. “How could you let that woman seduce you away like that?!?” she yelled out. “Did she rape you? I’ll press charges!” “Mom…” Jakob spoke up. “I hope she didn’t deceive you into sleeping with her!” Esther cut in. “Mom…” her son tried again. “She didn’t hurt you, did she? I’ll see to it that she pays dearly, if she hurt you!” the woman went on. Jakob couldn’t take it anymore. Esther babied him all of his life and never to him at all. He finally realized something. If he and Riza were going to keep going with their relationship, it was time to let his mother see that he wasn’t a child anymore. No more hiding from her. She couldn’t keep trying to hang onto him. Starting right now!

“MOM!!! SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR ONCE!!!” the mouse yelled out. Esther looked up at him in shock. “Jakob!” she said in shock. The boy breathed hard. “Look!” he said strongly. “Despite what you believe, I’m not a little kid anymore. I am eighteen years old. I love Riza and she didn’t brainwash me or anything like that! She’s a good woman. Just let me go and grow up. I don’t want to hang onto your hand forever! So just go home! I’m fine and I will be fine until the day I die!” Esther couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could her own baby just tell her off like that? She didn’t even know what to say! The woman slowly picked up her purse and began backing away. “Okay…” she said in small and weak voice as she was fighting back her tears. “I get it. I understand. You don’t want me around. All right. I won’t bother you again. Goodbye!” Jakob tried to keep himself from crying. “I’m so sorry, mom!” he called. Then, Esther walked away crying. “This is all that whore’s fault!” she thought in angry sorrow. “Jakob was never like this! That woman brainwashed my baby!” From then on, Esther saw 1st lt. Riza Hawkeye as the enemy and she was determined to save her son no matter what! Getting rid of Riza had become her personal mission!

Riza and Jakob weren’t the only ones having problems in the New Year. Edward and Winry still weren’t talking to each other. The alchemist was beyond hope now. He was even close to giving up. But soon, something else would complicate things even more! Edward was wandering around in the basement out insomnia. He had forgotten what sleep was now. So, he thought a new walk would help him sleep. The boy was about to leave when something caught his eye. A man was sitting in a chair next to a mahogany end table with a vase of red roses on it under the high windows. Edward blinked hard to make sure he wasn’t losing his head. The man was still in the chair. The alchemist was slowly walking to the image. The man looked back up at him. Ed got a good look at the intruder. The light of the moon from the high window helped him out greatly. This man appeared to be in his late twenties. He had short dark red hair and fiery cold onyx eyes. The man was dressed in a nice black dress suit with a black tie. Edward was completely confused. The intruder smiled at him.

“Edward Elric!” he called. “I have been expecting you!” The alchemist looked at him confused for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he spoke up. “But I don’t know who you are.” The man looked as if he was disappointed as he was playing with the red petals of one of the red roses. “Oh please, Edward,” he called. “Don’t insult my intelligence!” Then, Ed began to remember a name Little Iris wished to him as he was going to sleep after the second time they slept together. “Wait until you meet Azrael, master!” she told him. The alchemist began to put two and two together. “Azrael.” the boy replied. The man smiled at him. “Thank you!” he called. A pause came over them swiftly. Then, something caught Edward’s eye in flash. Azrael had the same mark that Little Iris and Mya had. The fallen mark was just as black and clear as day. Only, it was on his throat. The alchemist began backing away in fear. The man noticed right away.

“What’s wrong, Edward?” he asked. “You’re one of those succubi creatures, aren’t you?!?” Fullmetal asked aloud. “Incubus!” Azrael corrected. “Succubi are girls! Incubi are males! In-cu-bus! Understand?” Ed nodded quickly. “Good!” the incubus called. “But, I don’t get it!” Edward called. “Get what?” Azrael asked. “Why are you here and what do you want with me?” the boy asked bravely. The incubus grinned at him wickedly. “To learn that much from me,” he spoke up. “You’ll have to ask Syd. Ask Syd about my history with Dora. Then, come back to me in three days time.” Fullmetal stood there confused. “What does that have to do with why you are here?” he questioned. Azrael kept grinning as he rose to his feet. “Oh, you’ll see in three days time!” he replied. Then, the incubus walked by him and patted the boy on the right shoulder. “See you then, Fullmetal!” he whispered in a creepy voice. Then, the incubus disappeared into the late night.

Edward was left standing alone in the basement. He felt cold all over. The boy was left standing there in completely confusion. “What just happened?” he thought. Ed was even wondering if he was dreaming or not. Well, there was only one way to find out. He was going to go and ask Sydney about Azrael and Dora in the morning and meet back with Azrael three days from now.