The Cold Embrace of Briggs

[Guest]

Nika sighed softly to herself as she approached the door, her gloved hand reaching for the handle slowly, but steadily. She grasped it firmly, the steel handle was cold to touch, just like almost everything else here in Briggs. It was practically a refrigerator in here, always so damn cold, had it always been this way? Such trivial things were blurry memories in Nika's thoughts, she had been gone from North Amestris so long she had almost forgotten the life she led there. She'd actually prefer to forget the life she led there, but fate is strange, and after getting so far away from that bitter place, Nika found herself willingly returning, a different person than she was a year ago.

And the door she stood in front of now? None other than the man who helped Nika get as far as she did, the only person Nika could possibly admit helping her in her struggle, Daigoro Ito. Or at least, thats what Nika thought his name was, it had been awhile, its not like they wrote each other everyday, or at all for that matter. But she wouldn't forget the name of someone she had made a promise to, or someone she had to prove her worth to. Daigoro was the only person who ever saw her in such a weak and fragile state, that time when they met, when she had first joined the military. Nika was surprised that the man had actually requested for her to be in his personal squad, but it was an offer Nika couldn't refuse.

Ok, enough stalling, hesitation is just a sign of weakness, Nika pushed the door open slowly and stepped into the room. "Leiutenant Colonel Daigoro Ito? Sergeant Nikita Alkaev, reporting for duty." Nika stated in a stern, boyish voice while bringing herself to stand before the man at his desk at full attention, as expected of any dutiful soldier.

[Dai]

A pair of gloves on his intertwined hands, and a pair of dark glasses on his face. Unusual for Dai, yes. But for the occasion? He wanted to look cool. Not that you could get much cooler than Briggs, mind you. No, he was wearing them for the hell of it, and when Nikita entered the room, he removed the glasses, and placed the gloves by his side. He smiled softly, and looked up at Nika.

"Close the door, please." When the door was shut, he stood up, and inspected the girl slightly.

"You don't seem to have changed much. I'll request a female doctor give you a full physical next week." He grabbed one of her arms, softly and calmly, and started to move it around, trying to see how it moved. No, it seemed that she would do well enough.

"Alright, Nikita. It seems that you haven't changed much. Physically, that is. You're still scrawny for a man. Ah, well. I don't think they'll notice much." He motioned to his own slim body with a small sigh.

"The only people who know about your secret are in this room, Nika. And I'd rather it stay that way..." He hadn't even told Reila of this person's secret, something that he was going to keep to himself unless absolutely necessary. It wasn't that... he didn't trust her. FAR from that, actually. It's just... he had to keep this secret. For Nika.

[Guest]

Nika was mildly surprised with Daigoro's nonchalant behavior. He acted as if dealing with her was no different than any other soldier, despite being fully aware of her odd status in the Amestrian military, being a women in disguise as a man, a soldiers who had deceived many of her superior officers and fellow comrades for nearly a year now. "That" Nika thought, was one thing she definitely like about this man, he never judged her for her past and present situations, never even questioned them. Maybe that was a big part of why Nika decided to accept Daigoro's invitation to his team, because he was one of the few people she had met that really left that sort of impression on her.

Nika made care not to show any sign of displeasure when Daigoro mentioned that she hadn't changed much. She hadn't changed at all? After all the training she put herself through? She had even managed to learn how to not let her emotions show at all. To say that she hadn't changed at all was to say that she was the same crying girl in the locker room the day that they met. Nika was slightly disheartened at this comment, but she made no show of it. Before she could even make an argument, the red haired officer had taken hold of her arm, moving it about and examining it like a veterinarian inspecting a dog. She immediately sought to focus on the wall in front of her, examining all of its markings with an absolute scrutiny, desperately trying to keep her mind busy and her face from flushing with scarlet hue. Nika was certainly not used to be handled in such a way, but it was better to overlook the awkwardness of it all rather than make a big deal of it.

Nika wasn't bothered by Daigoro's second comment as much, as he noted that she was physically lacking more than anything, which after glancing down at her arms, she did admit she was muscular enough to pass as a man on close inspection. She decided that she would lift weights frequently to fix this, though her feminine shape couldn't be helped, which is why she frequently wore trench coats and other large and loose articles of clothing. Nika did not smile when the officer pointed out his own build, which was rather slim for a man, especially for a man of the military. Looking over him again, Nika noticed that Daigoro had rather striking, yet very sightly. Some women might even go as far as to call him beautifully handsome. Nika didn't really submit to thoughts such as attraction, more as she just paid attention, with mild interest, to Daigoro's oddly long scarlet hair and his slender figure.

Nika glanced away from Daigoro's body and back to his eyes quickly enough to not be caught staring, she hadn't eased up a bit since she walked into the room, and with he mentioned that her secret would be kept completely confidential she responded with a formal "Yes Sir! Thank you sir"

[Aurelius Schwartz]

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