Synopsis[]
The chapter opens with Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc wondering what a "country boy" like him is doing in an illustrious place such as the Armstrong Manor.
It then flashbacks to a few moments ago: Havoc arrives to work with news that his girlfriend dumped him due to the fact he's more focused on his work. Alex Louis Armstrong notes the sadness of the affair, and Mustang adds that any real man should be able to juggle his work and his love life without problems, much to the chagrin of Havoc. When Mustang suggests Alex find a new girlfriend for the downtrodden Havoc, the Major does have an option: his sister.
When Alex goes into detail about her, noting how she has his own features, Havoc immediately gets a mental image of "Alexandra Louise Armstrong" that he finds incredibly unappealing and runs for the door. Mustang stops him and calms him down, stating that if a country boy like Havoc got cozy with a prestigious family like the Armstrongs, he'd be on the fast track to fortune. He orders Havoc to date Armstrong's sister, and Havoc notes how much fun Mustang is having torturing him.
Back to the present day: Havoc meets the head of the Armstrong family, Philip Gargantos Armstrong, and is subsequently driven to boredom by Philip's speech about the family's history. When Alex's mother (who is never named) enters the room, Havoc is slightly relieved that she's normal, only to then realise that she's as tall as Alex, giving him more unappealing mental images.
Mrs. Armstrong asks Alex's sister, Cathrine Elle Armstrong, to stop being shy and meet Havoc. Havoc wonders what she'll look like, hoping she doesn't look like Alex, and a young girl enters the room. Havoc is immediately smitten, stunned by Cathrine's beauty. When Havoc questions what Alex meant when he said Cathrine and he looked alike, Alex points out that they share the distinct Armstrong eyelashes. Ignoring that, Havoc asks Cathrine if she has any hobbies. He swoons when she says she likes to play the piano and thinks that there's no way she can be related to Alex, only to retract that thought when she adds that she also likes to lift up the piano with her bare hands.
Havoc, who is thoroughly impressed with Cathrine, asks her out. She ultimately rejects him, stating that she only dates men as strong as her brother. Havoc is crushed and later spends a week in bed crying. When Hawkeye notes his absence, Mustang notes how difficult it is to build a male-female relationship, much to her confusion.
Trivia[]
- The events of this chapter would be adapted into parts of Episode 37: The Flame Alchemist, The Bachelor Lieutenant, and the Mystery of Warehouse 13 (2003 series).
- Cathrine, as well as most of the Armstrong family, make their unofficial debut in this chapter.
- The reason why Havoc was hesitant to meet Cathrine was that he thought she actually looked like Alex, which turns out to be the case. Later, however, it's revealed that Alex actually has two other sisters, Amue and Strongine Armstrong, who bear an incredibly strong resemblance to Alex and Havoc's "Alexandra Louise Armstrong" mental image.
- According to Philip, the Armstrongs have served Amestris for 180 years.