Noncanon A!S: Exercise in Parallelism
Feb. 19th, 2005 08:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bard_linnFor Hime-sama’s challenge Linn and her plethora of bunnies proudly present:
Exercise in Parallelism
The first time Hughes saw her was in a park.
It was a cold day in February. Thomas Hughes had gathered all of the neighborhood kids as was his custom from busy mothers and nurses and taken them off to the park to play in the snow that had fallen the night before. An only child, Thomas loved children more than almost anything else in the world. His extended kin were far outside of London so he had become the unofficial babysitter for his block. The mothers were happy, the nannies and nurses were happy and most of all Hughes and the children had a fantastic time.
The soft laughter had attracted his attention away from helping the girls build a snowman. Off to the side, a small group of ladies stood watching the children happily. Thomas glanced over the group and lost himself in soft brown eyes.
Long after the group had left, Hughes took the children home. A few casual inquires to their mothers reveled the identity of the beauty. Elizabeth Hawkeye.
Thomas knew about the Hawkeyes of course. They were on the same status as his family so he’d had occasional contact with him. He couldn’t remember ever meeting their eldest daughter however.
Elizabeth Hawkeye, Thomas repeated the name inside his mind. Yes, this would be interesting indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first time Hughes saw her was in a park.
It was a hot day in July. Maes Hughes came to the park for the Hughes’ yearly family reunion, an event he didn’t particularly care for. While he didn’t hate children, he certainly didn’t adore them. He would much rather have stayed at home and practiced his knife throwing. His master had promised to move him to more difficult targets if he continued to progress. But his mother had been insistent that he would attend this family gathering if no other. And if he had to come, he would rather stay with the children. They were far easier to deal with than the adults.
The soft laughter had attracted his attention away from helping the girls build a sandcastle in the park sandbox. Off to the side, a small group of ladies stood watching the children happily. Thomas glanced over the group and lost himself in bright blue green eyes.
As the group walked away, Maes turned to his aunt. Gossip extraordinaire, she would certainly have information. Of course he had to deal with her showing him all of her son’s latest artwork first, but it was worth it. He had a name to go with the face. Gracia Evans. He hadn’t heard of her family before. This boded investigation.
Gracia Evans, Maes repeated the name inside his mind. Yes, this would be interesting indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Hughes didn’t have a particular love for cameras.
They were, as far as he was concerned, a terrible way to capture life. Photos lacked the color of their original subjects. They had no personal touch. They were terribly limited in the mediums they could use.
Thomas Hughes did have a particular love for art.
He adored it in all of its forms. Many weekends would find him in museums studying the works of the masters. His own particular talents ran to portraits. Thomas had endured his share of teasing from his friends due to the sketchbook he carried constantly. It was this habit that allowed him to contact Elizabeth Hawkeye.
It occurred at the very same park he first saw her, a good two months after their first encounter. It was an unusually bright day for April in London. Lady Elizabeth had commandeered one of the benches sitting in the sun. A novel lay open in her hands as Thomas approached her. “Lady Elizabeth?”
“Oh!” She looked up quickly. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Thomas Hughes,” he introduced with a bow.
She quickly rose and dropped into a curtsy. “Elizabeth Hawkeye.”
“Pardon me for my forwardness, but might I be allowed to sketch you?” Thomas asked holding up his faithful companion.
She flushed prettily. “If you wish. I can’t see why you would want to however.”
“Lady, I can say in all honesty that I have never had a lovelier subject.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maes Hughes didn’t have a particular love for art.
It was, as far as he was concerned, a terrible way to capture life. Art lacked the objectivity of photos. It was contaminated by the artists feeling and emotions. It couldn’t capture reality the way a colored photo could.
Maes Hughes did have a particular love for cameras.
He adored photography in all of its forms. Many weekends would find him in a dark room developing his own practice photos. His own particular talents ran to portraits. Maes had caused his share of teasing his friends by way of the camera he carried constantly (and the resulting blackmail photos). It was this habit that put him in contact Gracia Evans.
It occurred at the photo studio he worked part time at during the weekends, scarcely two weeks after their first encounter. It was an unusually dreary day for early August in Central. Business had been slow. Hughes looked over the photos in his hand that had just arrived by mail. His boss’s partner in East City had sent it over. It was of a father, mother and their two young sons, the smallest still a baby. The photo had an annoying flaw over the father’s face. Maes’ boss, a scholar of alchemy on the side, had offered to try and fix it. The twinkle of the bell over the door attracted his attention. “How may I help you?”
“I’m looking for a photographer.”
“I see. And for what occasion?”
“My sister is getting married. We need someone for the formal photos.”
“Give me the date and time, your phone number and name please,” Maes smiled. Not that he didn’t already know her name.
“I’m Gracia Evans,” she introduced herself with a smile.
“Maes Hughes,” he responded. He quickly took down the rest of the information. “Actually, I might be able to do it myself.”
“You would? Thank you!” Gracia looked incredibly pleased.
“And, if your sister looks anything like you, I’m sure the pictures will come out beautifully.”
She flushed prettily. “I can’t see why you would say that.”
“I can say in all honesty that I have never had a lovelier model.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marie Voss was an extremely caring creature. She was also very observant, a fact that tended to bring her friends no end of embarrassment. “So who was that handsome young man that just left?”
Elizabeth felt her skin heat. “Marie!”
“Well he is!”
“That was Thomas Hughes. He says he likes to sketch me.”
“Hughes huh? Not bad at all,” Marie looked thoughtful. “The family’s good, they’ve got land outside of London and several family members in the government. It’s a good match.”
“Don’t be silly. He just likes to draw.”
“He likes to draw YOU, my dear. Trust me, that means a great deal.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maria Ross was an extremely caring creature. That fact had gotten her into no end of trouble in the past. “So who was that handsome young man that just left?”
Gracia glanced at her friend. “Maes Hughes. He was the photographer for my sister’s wedding.”
“Interesting. What’s he like?”
Gracia’s eyes glowed. “He’s absolutely wonderful! He’s so kind and considerate!”
“Hughes huh?,” Maria looked thoughtful. “The family has several members in the military but they all have good reputations from what my uncle tells me. It’s a good match.”
“I don’t think he sees me that way.”
“He comes to spend time with YOU. Trust me, that means a great deal.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wendy Hawkeye glanced up at her sister. “Are you alright?”
“Hm? Of course Wen. Don’t worry.” Elizabeth tugged on the uncomfortable dress.
“But this is your coming out ball! You should be happy!”
“I hate this sort of thing. You know that!”
“But maybe you’ll meet your true love tonight!” Wendy looked ecstatic at the thought.
That was the problem as far as Elizabeth was concerned. Her father insisted on showing her off like a horse trying its paces. “This isn’t a fairytale Wen.” She noticeably brightened as her eyes caught a familiar figure entering the huge ballroom. Their eyes met. Wendy glanced over to see who had managed to cause her sister to cheer up, a task she considered impossible at the moment.
Thomas Hughes quickly approached Elizabeth. “May I have this dance?”
Brown eyes lit up like twin stars. “Yes.”
They circled the floor in a skill that was almost magical. Watching from the sidelines Wendy smiled. It had been well worth the work to get their mother to issue Thomas Hughes an invitation delivered. She wondered how long it would be until the wedding.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roy Mustang glanced up at his friend. “Are you alright?”
“Hm? Of course Roy. Don’t worry.”
“You look as if you were going to meet an execution squad.”
Maes tugged on the uncomfortable dress uniform. “I hate this sort of thing. You know that! The entire thing’s rubbish if you ask me. I’d much rather be developing those pictures I took yesterday….” He trailed off as his eyes caught a familiar figure entering the huge ballroom. Their eyes met. Roy glanced over to see who had managed to cause her friend to shut up, a task he considered impossible.
Mae Hughes left his friend’s side and quickly approached Gracia. “May I have this dance?”
Blue green eyes brightened. “Yes.”
They circled the floor in a skill that was almost magical. Watching from the sidelines Roy smirked. It had been well worth the work to get the invitation delivered and Gracia transportation. Though he supposed he’d have to listen to Maes blather on even more now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two weeks after the ball, Thomas Hughes officially approached Elizabeth Hawkeye for a date. They met at their usual place: the park.
“Lady Elizabeth,” Thomas bowed. “Would you grant me the pleasure of your company for a night of dinner and dancing?”
“I would love to have dinner with you,” Elizabeth smiled. “However, let’s skip the dancing and go to the museum instead. I wish to see the work you love.”
“In that case let us be on our way, Lady.”
“Only if you call me ‘Liz’,” the blonde replied firmly.
“In that case you must call me Thomas.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was four months after the military ball that Maes Hughes saw Gracia again. The war in Isabel had begun and Maes had followed many others out to the front. Luckily his results came through from the intelligence test. He was quickly transferred to Central. Shortly after his return he approached Gracia Evans for a date.
They had gone dancing after dinner at a beautiful restaurant. The pair walked quietly in a very familiar park under the stars. “I would like to do this again Maes.”
“In that case,” Hughes looked at his date, “may I have to pleasure of your company next week as well?”
They were unaware, that a world away, another pair was doing the exact same thing.
Note: Wendy Hawkeye = Winry Rockebell
Marie Voss = Maria Ross
Edit: fixed Wendy's and shifted the Hughes camera section around to make more sense.
This was particularly difficult for me because it doesn’t feature Edward. I generally don’t write without him. (He did sneak in there; see if you can find him!)
Let me know if you see anything wrong, then I can post over at Alterseries
Exercise in Parallelism
The first time Hughes saw her was in a park.
It was a cold day in February. Thomas Hughes had gathered all of the neighborhood kids as was his custom from busy mothers and nurses and taken them off to the park to play in the snow that had fallen the night before. An only child, Thomas loved children more than almost anything else in the world. His extended kin were far outside of London so he had become the unofficial babysitter for his block. The mothers were happy, the nannies and nurses were happy and most of all Hughes and the children had a fantastic time.
The soft laughter had attracted his attention away from helping the girls build a snowman. Off to the side, a small group of ladies stood watching the children happily. Thomas glanced over the group and lost himself in soft brown eyes.
Long after the group had left, Hughes took the children home. A few casual inquires to their mothers reveled the identity of the beauty. Elizabeth Hawkeye.
Thomas knew about the Hawkeyes of course. They were on the same status as his family so he’d had occasional contact with him. He couldn’t remember ever meeting their eldest daughter however.
Elizabeth Hawkeye, Thomas repeated the name inside his mind. Yes, this would be interesting indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first time Hughes saw her was in a park.
It was a hot day in July. Maes Hughes came to the park for the Hughes’ yearly family reunion, an event he didn’t particularly care for. While he didn’t hate children, he certainly didn’t adore them. He would much rather have stayed at home and practiced his knife throwing. His master had promised to move him to more difficult targets if he continued to progress. But his mother had been insistent that he would attend this family gathering if no other. And if he had to come, he would rather stay with the children. They were far easier to deal with than the adults.
The soft laughter had attracted his attention away from helping the girls build a sandcastle in the park sandbox. Off to the side, a small group of ladies stood watching the children happily. Thomas glanced over the group and lost himself in bright blue green eyes.
As the group walked away, Maes turned to his aunt. Gossip extraordinaire, she would certainly have information. Of course he had to deal with her showing him all of her son’s latest artwork first, but it was worth it. He had a name to go with the face. Gracia Evans. He hadn’t heard of her family before. This boded investigation.
Gracia Evans, Maes repeated the name inside his mind. Yes, this would be interesting indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Hughes didn’t have a particular love for cameras.
They were, as far as he was concerned, a terrible way to capture life. Photos lacked the color of their original subjects. They had no personal touch. They were terribly limited in the mediums they could use.
Thomas Hughes did have a particular love for art.
He adored it in all of its forms. Many weekends would find him in museums studying the works of the masters. His own particular talents ran to portraits. Thomas had endured his share of teasing from his friends due to the sketchbook he carried constantly. It was this habit that allowed him to contact Elizabeth Hawkeye.
It occurred at the very same park he first saw her, a good two months after their first encounter. It was an unusually bright day for April in London. Lady Elizabeth had commandeered one of the benches sitting in the sun. A novel lay open in her hands as Thomas approached her. “Lady Elizabeth?”
“Oh!” She looked up quickly. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Thomas Hughes,” he introduced with a bow.
She quickly rose and dropped into a curtsy. “Elizabeth Hawkeye.”
“Pardon me for my forwardness, but might I be allowed to sketch you?” Thomas asked holding up his faithful companion.
She flushed prettily. “If you wish. I can’t see why you would want to however.”
“Lady, I can say in all honesty that I have never had a lovelier subject.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maes Hughes didn’t have a particular love for art.
It was, as far as he was concerned, a terrible way to capture life. Art lacked the objectivity of photos. It was contaminated by the artists feeling and emotions. It couldn’t capture reality the way a colored photo could.
Maes Hughes did have a particular love for cameras.
He adored photography in all of its forms. Many weekends would find him in a dark room developing his own practice photos. His own particular talents ran to portraits. Maes had caused his share of teasing his friends by way of the camera he carried constantly (and the resulting blackmail photos). It was this habit that put him in contact Gracia Evans.
It occurred at the photo studio he worked part time at during the weekends, scarcely two weeks after their first encounter. It was an unusually dreary day for early August in Central. Business had been slow. Hughes looked over the photos in his hand that had just arrived by mail. His boss’s partner in East City had sent it over. It was of a father, mother and their two young sons, the smallest still a baby. The photo had an annoying flaw over the father’s face. Maes’ boss, a scholar of alchemy on the side, had offered to try and fix it. The twinkle of the bell over the door attracted his attention. “How may I help you?”
“I’m looking for a photographer.”
“I see. And for what occasion?”
“My sister is getting married. We need someone for the formal photos.”
“Give me the date and time, your phone number and name please,” Maes smiled. Not that he didn’t already know her name.
“I’m Gracia Evans,” she introduced herself with a smile.
“Maes Hughes,” he responded. He quickly took down the rest of the information. “Actually, I might be able to do it myself.”
“You would? Thank you!” Gracia looked incredibly pleased.
“And, if your sister looks anything like you, I’m sure the pictures will come out beautifully.”
She flushed prettily. “I can’t see why you would say that.”
“I can say in all honesty that I have never had a lovelier model.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marie Voss was an extremely caring creature. She was also very observant, a fact that tended to bring her friends no end of embarrassment. “So who was that handsome young man that just left?”
Elizabeth felt her skin heat. “Marie!”
“Well he is!”
“That was Thomas Hughes. He says he likes to sketch me.”
“Hughes huh? Not bad at all,” Marie looked thoughtful. “The family’s good, they’ve got land outside of London and several family members in the government. It’s a good match.”
“Don’t be silly. He just likes to draw.”
“He likes to draw YOU, my dear. Trust me, that means a great deal.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maria Ross was an extremely caring creature. That fact had gotten her into no end of trouble in the past. “So who was that handsome young man that just left?”
Gracia glanced at her friend. “Maes Hughes. He was the photographer for my sister’s wedding.”
“Interesting. What’s he like?”
Gracia’s eyes glowed. “He’s absolutely wonderful! He’s so kind and considerate!”
“Hughes huh?,” Maria looked thoughtful. “The family has several members in the military but they all have good reputations from what my uncle tells me. It’s a good match.”
“I don’t think he sees me that way.”
“He comes to spend time with YOU. Trust me, that means a great deal.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wendy Hawkeye glanced up at her sister. “Are you alright?”
“Hm? Of course Wen. Don’t worry.” Elizabeth tugged on the uncomfortable dress.
“But this is your coming out ball! You should be happy!”
“I hate this sort of thing. You know that!”
“But maybe you’ll meet your true love tonight!” Wendy looked ecstatic at the thought.
That was the problem as far as Elizabeth was concerned. Her father insisted on showing her off like a horse trying its paces. “This isn’t a fairytale Wen.” She noticeably brightened as her eyes caught a familiar figure entering the huge ballroom. Their eyes met. Wendy glanced over to see who had managed to cause her sister to cheer up, a task she considered impossible at the moment.
Thomas Hughes quickly approached Elizabeth. “May I have this dance?”
Brown eyes lit up like twin stars. “Yes.”
They circled the floor in a skill that was almost magical. Watching from the sidelines Wendy smiled. It had been well worth the work to get their mother to issue Thomas Hughes an invitation delivered. She wondered how long it would be until the wedding.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roy Mustang glanced up at his friend. “Are you alright?”
“Hm? Of course Roy. Don’t worry.”
“You look as if you were going to meet an execution squad.”
Maes tugged on the uncomfortable dress uniform. “I hate this sort of thing. You know that! The entire thing’s rubbish if you ask me. I’d much rather be developing those pictures I took yesterday….” He trailed off as his eyes caught a familiar figure entering the huge ballroom. Their eyes met. Roy glanced over to see who had managed to cause her friend to shut up, a task he considered impossible.
Mae Hughes left his friend’s side and quickly approached Gracia. “May I have this dance?”
Blue green eyes brightened. “Yes.”
They circled the floor in a skill that was almost magical. Watching from the sidelines Roy smirked. It had been well worth the work to get the invitation delivered and Gracia transportation. Though he supposed he’d have to listen to Maes blather on even more now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two weeks after the ball, Thomas Hughes officially approached Elizabeth Hawkeye for a date. They met at their usual place: the park.
“Lady Elizabeth,” Thomas bowed. “Would you grant me the pleasure of your company for a night of dinner and dancing?”
“I would love to have dinner with you,” Elizabeth smiled. “However, let’s skip the dancing and go to the museum instead. I wish to see the work you love.”
“In that case let us be on our way, Lady.”
“Only if you call me ‘Liz’,” the blonde replied firmly.
“In that case you must call me Thomas.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was four months after the military ball that Maes Hughes saw Gracia again. The war in Isabel had begun and Maes had followed many others out to the front. Luckily his results came through from the intelligence test. He was quickly transferred to Central. Shortly after his return he approached Gracia Evans for a date.
They had gone dancing after dinner at a beautiful restaurant. The pair walked quietly in a very familiar park under the stars. “I would like to do this again Maes.”
“In that case,” Hughes looked at his date, “may I have to pleasure of your company next week as well?”
They were unaware, that a world away, another pair was doing the exact same thing.
Note: Wendy Hawkeye = Winry Rockebell
Marie Voss = Maria Ross
Edit: fixed Wendy's and shifted the Hughes camera section around to make more sense.
This was particularly difficult for me because it doesn’t feature Edward. I generally don’t write without him. (He did sneak in there; see if you can find him!)
Let me know if you see anything wrong, then I can post over at Alterseries
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-02-19 05:39 pm (UTC)It has has Maes and Gracia too, but I don't think that that should disqualify it at all.
So, yeah. Post-able in my opinion.
*goes to find Ed*
no subject
Date: 2005-02-19 05:40 pm (UTC)Awww cute. And that would be the photo from Al's monologue at the start of every ep, huh?
no subject
Date: 2005-02-19 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-19 09:13 pm (UTC)Sorry I couldn't be of any help. ^^;;;; ::just woke up::
At any rate, though, I gotta say that this is absolutely adorable. So Cute! T_T I love the idea of Thomas painting Elizabeth. Yes. ::squees::