Poetry: Untitled #13, appropriately enough ...

[nebroadwe]

Happy Birthday, evil_little_dog! In honor of the day, Edward Elric and I present the following tanka:

"Just here for the food!"
Loitering beside the cake
As the candles burn,

He won't let you blow them out,
The youngest State -- Arsonist?

Ed claims there's an age joke in there, but I think he's just kidding himself ...

Many happy returns of the day!

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Winry says she's game for it but she wants a piece of cake, too....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Hey, it's your cake -- you can give a piece to anyone you like. [takes a careful step sideways to block Ed's view of the ensuing transaction]

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Winry has cake and wanders toward the boys....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Ed's eyes light up as the cake (or possibly Winry?) approaches ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Al rolls his eyes (as much as possible, being that his 'eyes' are pinpricks of gleaming light in a helmet) at his brother's reaction...

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

As Winry walks past him, juggling two plates of cake with one hand and holding a glass of -- something (it's hard to tell, the way she's got her fingers wrapped around it) -- in the other, her fork jingles to the floor ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ed looks around at the sound, eyes widening then narrowing in anticipation...

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Oh, damn," says Winry, bending to retrieve the fork. The plates wobble precariously ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Careful, Winry!" Ed grabs for the plates, terrified that icing could be wasted...

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Winry lurches, as if thrown off balance. A dollop of icing daubs her blouse. "Agh! Ed, watch it -- oh -- here!" she exclaims, thrusting the glass at him ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ed stares at the blob of icing that's dotting Winry's boo - blouse! - and jerks his gaze up and accepts the glass in terror that Winry's noticed his gaff...

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

At that moment, Roy Mustang clears his throat and taps his fork against his glass. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

What does the bastard want? Why is he here, anyway? Ed scowls and (sort of) turns his attention away from Winry (and the icing and her juggling plates)...

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Once he's certain that all eyes are upon him, the colonel continues, "I propose a toast to our hostess." He bows slightly in your direction and lifts his glass. "May the next birthday she celebrates, and all those to come, find her even more beautiful and beloved than she is today. To evil_little_dog!"

The room erupts into a chorus of "Hear, hear!" and "To the birthday girl!" ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"You're toasting her?" Ed blurts out and Al steps on his foot -

"You're supposed to take a drink when someone's being toasted, Brother...."

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Ed's gaze turns reflexively to the glass in his hand, and his eyes widen in shock. "Oh, hell no!" he exclaims -- possibly more loudly than intended -- and the entire room turns to look at him ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Edward! Drink it now!" Winry hisses at him, giving him that Look o' DoOoOOom of hers....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Unintimidated, Ed glares back ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Don't make me get the wrench," Winry hisses....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Al chimes in (literally: wringing his hands so that his greaves rattle), "Brother, please! Don't make a scene!"

"I'm not making a scene!" Ed protests. "She's the one saying she's gonna hit me!" He eyes Winry warily, even though she doesn't appear to have a wrench on her person, and her hands are full of cake (mmm, cake) ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Don't be a cad, Fullmetal, and toast the birthday girl," Roy rolls his eyes at Edward's obvious lack of couth....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Nobody drinks a toast with milk!" Ed retorts.

Winry and Al continue to expostulate and cajole, but Roy sighs, drains his champagne flute, and saunters over to you. Ed can't hear what he says, but the gist of his utterance is conveyed by his gestures: a graceful spreading of the hands (please forgive my subordinate's rudeness), a shrug (what can we do?), and a brief wave of his right palm at waist level (he's only a little boy, after all ...). He adds something in your ear that makes you giggle ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Ed, you're being very rude," Winry says, almost in his ear.

Al nods in agreement, "And S.J.'s a nice person...well, okay, she usually writes you in terrible predicaments but still!"

Ed growls and clenches his hand tighter around the glass, ignoring his family for a moment to realize that the bastard has made a comment about his stature and tromps two steps forward, braid bristling. "HEY! Don't call me so short that I don't even come up to S.J.'s waist!"....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Roy clucks his tongue against his palate. "Still haven't studied your Sun Tzu, have you, Fullmetal?" he drawls. "'If equally matched, offer battle; if inferior, avoid it. Though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must defeated by the larger.'"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Insulting me sounds like you want a fight," Ed rages, taking another step forward....