Riza Colton is the Deputy Director of the Global Occult Coalition, and Roy Mustang's lieutenant in the organization. She eventually elevated to the ranks of "Commander".
Overview[]
Riza has a well-deserved reputation as tough-minded and by the book. Her clearheaded pragmatism was a valued source of reason during the critical discourse surrounding the Dark Knight Initiative. While she served as Mustang's lieutenant she also acted as his personal adjutant and bodyguard. A sharpshooter and firearms specialist, Commander Colton is an invaluable asset to the Colonel both in office and on the battlefield and serves as his closest and most supportive subordinate.
Riza is the daughter of Joseph "Joe" Colton, a legendary soldier who served in the military only to then elevate in ranks as an army general, and Naomi Hunter a geneticist who specialized in nanotechnology-based gene therapy for Vanguard. However, after losing her mother and Joe's retirement from the military, the relationship between Joe and Riza grew strained and have become emotionally distant from one another, to where he even went so far as to forbid her from joining the military as she has "no place being there" no matter how hard she tried. Riza went against her father's wishes and joined the military, while rigorous and brutal to where she failed many times, she continued nonetheless and eventually scored high results. Sometime later, she was personally recruited by Roy Mustang. After achieving the rank of lieutenant in the Global Occult Coalition, she never made contact with her father afterwards though she would send him gifts from time to time.
With the creation of the Dark Knight Initiative, Riza would be acting as an intermediary between the Global Occult Coalition and the Initiative. Often times she would also be something of a liaison between the enhanced superhuman agents of the Initiative similarly to Kate Corrigan of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Despite being human, she was an exemplary soldier and Roy's closest confident, possibly being the one person who can bring him to his senses when he goes out of line and vice versa.
Appearance[]
Riza is a pale-skinned woman in her mid thirties with mid-back length blonde hair that is fastened up in the back by a dark-colored clip barrette in a style where it resembles a bird tail with bangs falling in a hawk's wing pattern from right to left, occasionally partially obscuring her left eye (when she is on the job). Her eyes are brown and each of her ears is pierced with a silver stud.
She frequently wears a black, short-sleeved turtleneck under her uniform and often dons it in casual dress as well. While in civilian clothes, she is mostly seen with in long skirts and boots with her hair down. She has a moderately muscular and curvaceous build where the author has stated that Riza has broad shoulders from her military training and flared hips that are appropriate for her age.
Personality[]
Riza is a quiet and collected woman with a serious but courteous demeanor. She is known for being rather tough-minded and by the book. Her clear-headed pragmatism and reason were valued on multiple important occasions, especially during the critical situation surrounding the Dark Knight Initiative. She is viewed by her peers as a model of a perfect authoritative figure; strictly disciplined and extremely rational, she rarely relaxes when on the job and is usually tasked with keeping her colleagues on track. Though from the outside she might seem strict, rigid, and even a little mean, Riza is not as cold and distant as she may appear. Those close to her know that there is more to her than her no-nonsense attitude; beneath her professional aura is a kind soul who understands the difficulty of carrying a heavy burden.
Riza's softer side tends to make itself known through her interactions with younger characters, such as Leonardo Watch or Nekya, and she even behaves very sweetly towards Faustus (Vergil's pet black cat) while making sure no one notices. On more informal occasions, Riza also shows hints of a dry, acerbic sense of humor. Very disciplined, she takes her work seriously and is almost never seen “dropping formalities,” even with those who are most intimate to her. Riza seems the personification of "tough love," demanding excellence from those she respects or considers important including superhuman characters who far exceed the physicality of regular humans. Though very professional when on the job, she jokes with her colleagues and is lighthearted during times of levity. However, she still remained professional and never let her guard down.
Riza's drive to have others excel to the best of their ability stems from her father's words, which may borderline on a sense of insecurity, something she shares with Scarlett. She built herself up to protect people but she makes it clear that even she does not enjoy the act of killing which has initially puzzled several people who had come to know aside from Roy. She in fact knew what she signed up for but wanted to work her way up to the ranks to avoid confrontation and battle, instead directing her subordinates to battle and making sure they excel at their work in order to avoid as much collateral damage as possible.
