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Post by Jiang Ya-Ping on Oct 16, 2011 22:02:53 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true] Ya-Ping sighed quietly, exiting the prince's chamber as quietly as possible. She shouldn't have stayed till morning. Concubines didn't sleep in their lord's chamber; they let their lord have his way with them, composed themselves, dressed, and left.
She blamed him. He was too... nice, too handsome, too charming. Of course, that had been a large part of the reason she'd wanted this job - everyone in the clan, probably everyone in northern Xing, knew of the prince's incredible kindness. Surely, being a concubine to a young, incredibly kind, handsome prince would be better than being in an arranged marriage to some old man, which she surely would be, at this point in time, were it not for her prince.
She was better off, certainly. She had fine silks to wear, nicely furnished private apartments, free range of the palace (well, free range of the prince's wing; anywhere else she was to be accompanied by an enoch for a guard), and the best food available to the clan. This was, perhaps, the best life she could ask for.
Still, she wasn't the prince's wife, and she had no business sleeping in his chambers. But he'd asked her to stay, and his bed was so much bigger, so much more comfortable. He was so wonderfully warm... and she would be outright lying if she said that she didn't enjoy lying next to him (or, rather, usually he wrapped himself around her) and talking, or listening to his breathing and his heart beating.
Not that she was in love with him - of course not. She liked him, of course, and she was certainly attracted to him, but it was more the lifestyle than the prince that she loved. It was certainly lovely to have such a kind lord, and she was very grateful for it, but she wouldn't mind too much if he were to marry someone - as long as she allowed him to keep a concubine or two, of course. Ya-Ping wasn't about to give this up just so that the prince could get married.
Besides, she was certain that the prince wouldn't like that, either, and he was the final word - or he would be, were that situation to arise. She knew that the prince's feelings for her were much stronger than her feelings for him - otherwise, her clothes would not be so fine, and she would likely have to share her apartments - not to mention that personal servants were certainly a luxury for a concubine, and she had several. She would have to be blind to think that the prince's feelings for her were merely friendship with sexual attraction thrown in.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't see the person approaching her, as she was still standing very close to the prince's chambers far too late in the morning to be any semblance of proper.
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Post by Mei Chang on Oct 31, 2011 21:38:58 GMT -5
Mei was, honestly, not a hundred percent sure what she was doing here. Sure, she had been in the area, and what with the pressure for all the Clans to get along, and what with her Elders trying to pull themselves up the rung, they had discussed having her try to bond with the Jiang Clan. Not in an official way, of course, but simply dropping by her half-brother, to try for some family bonding and perhaps some financial aid and assistance, though political backing was always nice. Naturally, Mei and Xiao-Mei hadn’t really liked the idea, but seeing as they were up early (‘early to bed, early to rise!’), and they really didn’t have anything to do, they had decided to go along with it. After all, they’d (or rather Mei would) get an earful from them if they didn’t at least attempt to try and make bonds.
Unfortunately, in such a wealthy and large Clan as Jiang, there were the matters of beaucracy, and seeing as Mei had sent no more notice than the fact that she would be in the area and maybe dropping by, she found herself traded from person to person, diplomat to diplomat, until she finally got fed up and snuck off. She’d find the prince herself, then. No need for all the stuffy higher-ups and the constant waiting.
When she inquired, however, the princess had found out that the prince didn’t follow the same code that she did, and that he was probably still abed, or barely arisen. That made Mei kind of irritated. After all, what kind of people slept so late in the morning? True, she had when she had been up late the night before, whether studying or practicing or writing another letter to Alphonse, but even then she rarely slept in this late (mostly because Xiao-Mei wouldn’t let her unless she desperately needed the sleep)!
Ah, well, she could explore the wings and such by herself. She had time to kill, and she knew that if she just sat around and waited, she’d get absolutely sick of it and leave, so Mei thought it’d be nice to give herself a ‘tour’ of the place. Some people, mostly the guards and people who had attended those stuffy royal events she’d been forced to go to, recognized her, and let her pass, and those that didn’t, she simply snuck around. After all, she was really good at that kind of thing.
It was a woman that caught her eye. She wasn’t dressed like any of the servants that Mei had seen, and when she actually took a second glance, well… The woman just screamed concubine to her. Not that she had anything against concubines, like many Amestrians did, but it was just the way she carried herself, and the way she dressed, and… Considering that Mei had learned how to read people and was honestly quite good at it, it was a tad obvious to her, though she wasn’t a hundred percent sure… Then again, it had only been a year since she had started said lessons, but she was quite the fast learner!
Internally cursing the curiosity that plagued her, Mei approached the woman, speaking up. “Excuse me, but what are you doing here?” she asked, tilting her head to the side as Xiao Mei copied the action in sync, sitting on her shoulder. If she got some answer about actually servant work, oh well, but if she received something along the lines of being a concubine, well, then she had certainly come far in her lessons! |
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Post by Jiang Ya-Ping on Nov 1, 2011 16:37:00 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true] Ya-Ping started at the (young?) girl's question. She hadn't thought that anyone would be awake quite yet, let alone anyone in the Prince's wing. It was evident by merely looking at the girl that she wasn't a servant... wait, hadn't her servant told her that she'd heard that the Chang princess had come to visit their clan? Her clothes didn't seem as fine as even Ya-Ping's, so it would be a safe assumption; the Chang clan was one of the poorer clans in Xing. Still, she wondered if the girl would say anything to anyone; she really wasn't supposed to sleep in the prince's chamber (not that she'd really get punished for it, probably just a verbal reprimand from one of the Elders, or worse, the prince's mother).
Noting the tiny panda on the girl's shoulder (small enough to be a cub, but she looked older than that), Ya-Ping bowed her head slightly. "I am merely returning to my chamber," she stated, rising. "I am Ya-Ping, concubine to the Prince of the Jiang clan. If I may ask, who are you?" She was fairly certain that it was the Chang princess, but she couldn't be sure. Did the Chang clan even have any concubines? They were, after all, common mainly among wealthier clans. Not to mention that the Chang clan only had a princess, not a prince. If she were the princess, she could easily tell one of the Elders that she'd caught Ya-Ping sneaking out of her lord's chamber.
She observed the girl. She looked quite a bit younger than Ya-Ping, but the Chang princess was a teenager, wasn't she? She was even noticeably shorter than the concubine; not by too much, but just enough for the older girl to notice it. Ya-Ping quietly cleared her throat. "Ah, if I may ask a favour of you..." She paused, trying to find the best way to phrase this. "Could you please... keep this a secret? I'm not supposed to sleep in my lord's chamber, and I'd really rather not get reprimanded for it." Even though it was entirely her lord's fault, and that he would probably take all of the blame if she were caught.
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Post by Mei Chang on Nov 6, 2011 17:56:16 GMT -5
As she received a reply in the affirmative, to exactly what she had been thinking, the young princess resisted the urge to let some indication of her triumph leak through, but considering that the other had no idea what was going through her head… Yeah, she’d kind of look weird. So, as the only mark of her glee at correctly being able to guess who the other girl was, Mei’s smile widened a bit before she responded. “It’s nice to meet you, Ya-Ping! I’m Mei, Princess of the Chang clan!” she told the other cheerily, Xiao Mei mimicking her every happy move. It was quite nice to be able to talk to someone who seemed polite and nice, and not willing to get rid of her at moment’s notice.
In truth, she was quite a bit curious about the other. She had never actually met a concubine, as she didn’t have one herself (as if she would! Her heart belonged to Alphonse and him alone!), though she was quite aware that were some for the Elders, and the like, in her own Clan. They weren’t nearly as distinctive as the ones from the wealthier Clans, though, and it wasn’t as though she often ‘hung out’ with her Elders for fun. So, naturally, she wondered what Ya-Ping’s life was like (as teachers were usually biased and never as cool as the real thing). Not that Mei would bother the other, or anything! She would probably just remain quietly curious.
The girl’s favor, though, made the princess pause. “Well, I’m not one to be telling tales…” she told the other, her lips a tad thin. “So I won’t say anything, but the Prince was okay with it, right? You didn’t just sneak in or something?” Maybe she had a vivid imagination, but Mei could honestly see that happening! And if her half-brother wasn’t very skilled at martial arts (she honestly couldn’t keep track, as she didn’t he had ever personally tried to assassinate her, and that was the only way she’d really know), then it could be quite easy for the other…
…But wait. A thought occurred to the young girl, and her eyes shone as she blushed delightedly (Xiao Mei mimicking her every movement, as always) and spoke up. “Is it a case of… forbidden romance?” Her voice hushed on those last words, as if she was afraid someone would hear. A forbidden romance, unfolding right in front of her? Ooh, if so, the Prince was definitely going up on her ranking list of her siblings!
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Post by Jiang Ya-Ping on Nov 6, 2011 20:40:12 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true] So this was the Chang princess. She was tiny - smaller than half of the new servants, at least. She found herself doubting her information - surely this girl was more than a year younger than her. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, princess. Who is this?" she added, indicating the small panda that seemed to mimic all of the princess's actions. How curious.
Ya-Ping tried her very best not to look offended. "Of course the prince was okay with it; in fact, it was his idea." Not that he would argue that in the slightest. "I would never do anything to offend my lord." He was much too kind to her, and, besides, it was her job to give him whatever he wanted. He'd just wanted her to stay in his room the night before. Not that he'd have done anything to her had she refused, but the look on his face would have been unbearable.
Ya-Ping started again at the girl's question. She found herself doubting that the creature before her was near her own age - surely she had never been like that, even when she'd first been chosen as the prince's concubine. "I am not in love with my lord, princess," she assured the girl. Of course, that didn't mean that it wasn't forbidden romance - it was, she was sure, just not on her part.
A thought occurred to the concubine. "What are you doing, wandering around here alone?" Surely the clan's elders wouldn't let a princess wander about without any sort of a guard - a concubine was one thing, but this girl... even though hostilities had greatly lessened, that wasn't a guarantee that no one would try to hurt her. Then again, if she was from one of the poorer clans, she'd likely been trained in martial arts very thoroughly - as a form of self-defense, of course. Her lord was well-trained, as well, but that didn't mean that he'd be permitted to wander around another clan's palace by himself. (Not that he frequently went anywhere without Ya-Ping. Really, it was almost scandalous.)
Ya-Ping bowed her head slightly. "My lady, I am afraid that I really need to get back to my chamber - if no one is accompanying you, feel free to join me. I usually meet the prince for breakfast in an hour or so, anyway; perhaps you can meet him then." She paused for a moment. "That is, as long as you promise not to harm him." She may not have been in love with the prince, but she certainly cared for him. But first, she really needed to get back to her chamber before an elder or a guard caught her - or even worse, one of those gossipy new maids. They'd surely spread word of a torrid affair all through the clan if she were caught.
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Post by Mei Chang on Nov 7, 2011 20:13:47 GMT -5
Mei immediately decided that she liked Ya-Ping when she inquired after Xiao Mei. Usually only nice people did that. “This is Xiao Mei!” she introduced, her panda nodding emphatically along with her. “She’s family.” Not that it wasn’t kind of obvious, given her name, but she wanted to make sure that the (apparently) older girl was aware of this. Hm, was she older? Most likely, especially seeing as she seemed more… mature, but one never did know. After all, just look at Edward!
The princess blinked, surprised, at the other girl’s words. Whoops, she hadn’t meant to stumble across something that seemed kind of… touchy. Then again, wouldn’t she get mad if someone said she was doing something against Alphonse’s wishes? Depending on what it was, that is, and if someone accused her of sneaking into his bed, or something like that… Well. She kinda got where Ya-Ping was coming from, then. “Sorry!” Mei apologized chirpily, yet meaning every word of it. “You just never know! I’ll keep it on the down low, then! She turned to Xiao Mei with a finger on her lips as the panda did the same in sync with her, smiles curving on both of their faces. Secrets like these were always kind of fun!
Immediately at the concubine’s words, however, both Mei and Xiao Mei’s faces fell, dismayed. So… no forbidden romance, then? No secret, romantic liaisons and keeping their true relationship from pesky Elders? No trying to sneak out to have a moment to themselves, getting caught, making a fiery speech about passion and love and then swaying the very traditional make-up of the Clans? That was horrid! Stepping forward slightly, the younger girl reached up to pat the other reassuringly on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll come in time!” she told the other brightly, her face bearing a smile once more as she stepped backwards. Time was all that was needed~.
At the question addressed by the other, her smile turned slightly sheepish. “Ehe, well…” She found it in herself to blush slightly. “Everyone was so stuffy, and kept sending me from person to person, not even informing me that the Prince was asleep, so… I kinda snuck off?” If Ya-Ping had had to go through all the stupid beaucracy and stuff, trying to even speak to someone who knew what exactly was going on, she’d totally understand! Who could put up with that sort of stuff?
Ya-Ping’s next statement made the girl brighten up, although she did wave off the ‘my lady’, not really liking it. “Someone accompanying me? No, it’s just Xiao Mei and I,” Mei told her, shaking her head in unison with the panda. Why would she have someone with her? It wasn’t as if her Clan could afford to hire bodyguards and the like (although Ling probably could’ve leant them money, if it really was super important), and she could definitely protect herself. Totally a given. However, the offer was great! “But I’d love to come with you! Sure!” She nodding, punctuating her sentence. “You have got to be the most reasonable person I’ve talked to today.”
Oh, harm the Prince? No way! Shaking her head, Mei replied, somewhat bemused. “No, I’m not out to get him,” she told her, grinning. “There’s not really a point anymore, and Ling’d have my head if I did.” The last part was added somewhat ruefully, as she knew he would… At the times that he acted serious, of course. He was so weird!
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Post by Jiang Ya-Ping on Nov 10, 2011 20:27:01 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true] Ya-Ping smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. "What a cute name!" she exclaimed. The girl was obviously very attached to the panda, which Ya-Ping found very cute.
Ya-Ping bowed her head slightly. "It's fine, princess." It had been a bit offensive, but Ya-Ping certainly didn't want to do anything to endanger relations with another clan, even one as poor as the Chang clan. Ya-Ping shot the princess a relieved smile. "Thank you." It was more than the new maids, at least. Oh, she and that panda were adorable!
The concubine was confused as to why the princess was so disappointed with her answer. She was a concubine, not a wife. It was her job not to fall in love with the prince. Or at least that's how she saw it; he was a very nice young man, there was no doubt about that, but if his future wife didn't want him to keep concubines, then... well, Ya-Ping might be heartbroken were she in love with him. What? It'll come in time? Did the princess actually think that she wanted a scandal? "Ah... I'm not so sure that that's best, princess. The prince and I have a very good relationship, but I'd really prefer for it not to get to that level. I'm a commoner, after all." The princess had to be aware of that; a prince couldn't marry a commoner. He just couldn't. Especially not a commoner who was no longer a maiden, even if he had been the only man that had had his way with her.
Ya-Ping arched an eyebrow at the other girl's explanation. So she'd snuck off? Well, she couldn't really blame the girl. She'd been through that bureaucracy herself a few times. She was very relieved when she discovered that the prince choosing her meant that only one person was in charge of her. "It's annoying, I know, but... aren't they going to wonder where you were?" Then again, another potential concubine had snuck off and no one noticed that she was gone until they caught her with someone's manservant. Disgraceful.
"I see..." This girl was certainly a handful, wasn't she? Still, as cute as the girl was, the concubine had no doubt that she could more than hold her own if she were attacked. Even a poor clan like the Changs would have given their royal heirs intense martial arts lessons. Ya-Ping smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Very well... please follow me, princess." She really hoped that none of her servants were in her room. That would be all sorts of dreadful, even though she knew that most of them (the ones that had been there for a while, at least) would never dare tell a soul. "Bureaucracy is irritating, isn't it?" She wondered vaguely if it was because she was (honestly) of a rather similar social class as the princess. Surely her family wasn't so poor as most of the Chang clan. Perhaps she was actually from the same economic situation as the princess. She highly doubted that the Chang clan was so very formal and bureaucratic.
Ya-Ping was nevertheless relieved at the princess's assurance. "Good." She led the younger girl to her chambers (which were really very close, but, unfortunately, not accessible from the prince's chambers... well, not without going through their servants' quarters, which would have been a horrible idea at this time). "It's not very lavish," she warned the other girl before leading her into her chambers. It certainly wasn't as lavish as most of the palace, not to mention the prince's private chambers. Of course, it was very nice, but... perhaps the Chang princess had very high standards.
Upon entering her room, Ya-Ping went her bureau to take her hair down and brush it out. She was sure that it was a mess; she had haphazardly attempted to restyle it before leaving the prince's chambers. "Feel free to do whatever you wish," she added to the princess. Looking in the mirror, Ya-Ping realised that it wouldn't have been a bad idea to wash her face, either. In fact... she could use an entire bath in the hot springs. She wondered briefly if the princess would be okay with that. She normally had servants to assist her, and perhaps one of them could accompany the princess while Ya-Ping bathed. Then again... knowing the prince, he may very well ask her to help him bathe, which would almost negate the purpose of bathing now. She decided to wait before bringing it up to the Chang princess.
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Post by Mei Chang on Nov 13, 2011 19:46:49 GMT -5
Xiao Mei beamed happily at the compliment given to her, with Mei in sync (something opposite for today, at least). “Thanks! It seemed fitting.” After all, Xiao Mei was like her little sister, so it was only natural that she be given a name such as that.
Glad that Ya-Ping didn’t seem too offended or mad over it (though she just might’ve been more controlled, because if it had been Mei that had had that insinuated, she would’ve been spitting fire), Mei returned the smile, shrugging her shoulders with Xiao Mei bumping along for the ride. “No problem! I don’t see why I would tell…” Even if she were in the habit of selling people out for the littlest things, she would gain absolutely nothing from telling someone! And besides, seeing as the Prince was okay with it, she’d probably just endanger relations between their Clans, and then the Elders would be ticked off at her (though she would’ve felt the same way if someone else had done it, mind you). But some people could be quite petty like Edward, so she understood why the concubine was worried over it.
Oh, she didn’t want to? That made sense, Mei supposed, though it didn’t mean the princess liked it. But everyone chose who they wanted to fall in love with, so she shouldn’t interfere… “If you don’t want to, it makes sense…” However, the last part of the older girl’s statement was something she could fight, and she perked up passionately. “But it shouldn’t matter, if you want, that you’re a commoner!” Mei told the other, before a blush pinked her face as she thought of her commoner. “I’m in love with one… Social classes shouldn’t matter when it comes to love!” She ended her statement with a triumphant nod with Xiao Mei, before drooping slightly. “I suppose it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to love the Prince, though…”
Then again, it could be one of those stories with the reluctant love interest/heroine who is eventually won over by her suitor, and ends up reciprocating his love! That was almost as good as a forbidden romance, especially if the reluctant heroine continually denied her love! With that thought, the princess perked up slightly.
Glad that Ya-Ping didn’t seem ready to report her to someone, though seeing as she had promised not to tell people about her and the Prince, it wouldn’t have been fair, Mei contradicted the statement, shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so. With the way that they were passing me off from person to person, they’ll probably think I’m talking to someone else, and it’ll take a bit to realize I’m gone…” With that she sighed. Honestly, she hated the stuffy politics and bureaucracy. Sure, she could be good at the former, if needed, but the latter… It hated her and Mei hated it. It was just so pointless, and wasted far too many people’s time, and it made her head hurt, just trying to finagle with it!
Quite happy with the arrangement, Mei (and Xiao Mei, in sync) nodded in agreement, trotting happily alongside the older girl and agreeing vehemently with her question. “Definitely! I hate it! It just wastes too many people’s time!” Not only did it waste hers, or the victim in question’s, but it also wasted the time of the workers underneath said bureaucracy, as they had to use up the time to speak with the victim, pass them along to someone else, and maybe explain said situation. It was just so annoying… Maybe when she became the head of her Clan, she would get rid of it! …Somehow.
About to tell Ya-Ping that it really didn’t matter what her room looked like (after all, she had stayed in Resembool, and while cute, it was not lavish), Mei’s and Xiao Mei’s mouths formed ‘o’s of surprise as they peered around her room. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed, stars practically in her eyes as she took it in. It was nicer than her room back home, though that was probably more because it had a certain lived-in touch about it. While her room was quite nice, Mei never spent any amount of time in it, aside from sleeping, so it was just that: A room. This felt more like someone’s room, however subtle the difference was, and the princess quite liked it. Turning on her heel to announce to Ya-Ping, she spoke up again. “You have a wonderful room!”
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Post by Jiang Ya-Ping on Jan 10, 2012 17:14:01 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true] Ya-Ping relaxed. "Thank you again, princess." The last thing she needed was rumours going around, especially now that the prince was of marrying age. She really didn't want to be out of a job, especially when the prince was so very lovely to her. What's more, the only man that would have her now was likely a man that she'd abhor.
She was confused as to why the princess would think that she'd want to fall in love with the prince. That would only be an inconvenience, and would doubtlessly end horribly. "Princess, even if it didn't matter, I am still a concubine." Princes didn't marry concubines, even if they could get away with marrying a commoner. "Even if I could marry the prince, I know nothing about being a wife." Her role was only in the bedroom - well, on paper. Truly, she did much more than that, but for some reason, she was sure that being a wife was much more than helping the prince dress and bathe because he didn't want his servants to do it. ...Wait, the princess was in love with a commoner? True, she was from a poorer clan, but... "You're in love with a commoner?" It seemed strange to the concubine, but, then again, her prince was doubtlessly in love with her.
Ya-Ping nodded in agreement. "That's very true. It's sometimes easier to avoid bureaucracy altogether." Not that it never had negative consequences, but she was sure that even the bureaucrats got bored with bureaucracy! There was no way that anyone could enjoy that!
"The world would be much easier if we could come and go freely." However... "However, sometimes it's needed, unfortunate and bothersome as it is." Still, if it were this easy for a princess to sneak through the palace due to bureaucracy, it surely wouldn't be too difficult for a trained assassin.... Ya-Ping shook her head slightly. There was no use worrying about that. The prince could easily defend himself if it came to that, and outside security was flawless.
Ya-Ping blushed at the princess's compliment. "Thank you, princess." She didn't find her room quite so nice. Surely, it was nicer than any of the servants' quarters, but... the prince's chamber was much more lavish than hers. Her chamber didn't even compare to his, really. Then again, he was a prince, and from one of the wealthiest clans in Xing; his chambers were bound to be lavish.
Ya-Ping let her hair down and began to brush it out. There were some tangles, which she would have to talk to the prince about in a more private place. There was little doubt in Ya-Ping's mind that he'd ask her over breakfast to assist him in bathing; she could talk to him then. (Then again, they rarely talked in the hot springs...) Realising that her train of thought was in no way a proper one, Ya-Ping decided to engage the princess in conversation. "How old are you, princess?" She'd never asked, after all, and the girl was very tiny, even if her energetic personality made her seem bigger than she really was.
A second thought occurred to her. "...If it isn't too impertinent, princess, may I ask about this commoner who you love?" Marrying the prince wouldn't be bad for her, certainly not. If the clan would approve it, it wouldn't even be bad for him. Not that she was considering that. It was practically treason.
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Post by Mei Chang on Jan 16, 2012 16:20:28 GMT -5
Mei’s brow furrowed as she tried to understand Ya-Ping’s argument, Xiao Mei mimicking her. There probably was some sort of valid statement in there that the other was trying to get across, but, for the life of her, the princess couldn’t grasp it. “Can’t you just learn how?” she asked. Maybe it was just her, and the fact that she picked up things so quickly and all of her friends happened to be geniuses, but she didn’t understand how not knowing something would stand in the way. You could always learn!
Her cheeks pinked at the question, but she smiled and nodded. “Yup!” the girl replied, proud of the fact, before her mind drifted over to her prince, to her wonderful Alphonse, the hearts practically floating in her eyes. She missed him…
Snapped out of her reverie by the other’s words, Mei was about to reply in profound agreement, when she continued, and the younger of the two made a face. “I suppose…” she said, not at all liking it. True, bureaucracy was useful when you were trying to keep someone occupied and away from you and all that, but when you were going through it yourself… It stunk. Massively.
She didn’t feel the need to respond verbally to the other’s thanks, and planned on just beaming at her (something which she did), but Mei tilted her head to the side, Xiao Mei in sync. “You know, you can just call me Mei, if you want,” she offered. She was used to it, but Ya-Ping was nice, and she hoped that the other could maybe be a friend, someone that she could possibly hang out with. After all, Lan Fan and Ling were soooo busy! She couldn’t hang out with them like, at all!
…Which was probably another reason why heading over to Amestris was looking very tempting.
The question caught her off guard, and she broke from her thoughts by blinking at the other for a moment, before answering happily. “Oh, I just turned fourteen recently. What about you?” Mei wasn’t sure how old the other was, except for the fact that she was definitely older. Maybe sixteen/seventeen? She didn’t think any older than that, but she wasn’t the best at judging ages, oh no…
Talk? About Alphonse? The princess’s eyes practically lit up at the question. “Of course!” she told her, delighted to be able to talk him. “His name is Alphonse, and he’s from Amestris! When me and Xiao-,” quickly, remembering her lessons, she corrected herself. “When Xiao Mei and I went to Amestris to search for a Philosopher’s Stone last year, he helped us…” She smiled, a picture of him coming up in her head. “He’s a perfect gentleman, and he’s my best friend!” About to call that a perfect ending point, in her mind, Mei tacked on a piece of information that she didn’t really care about, but most people did. “And he’s friends with Ling, too.” To Mei, it was normal to just drop the Emperor’s name, without any formalities, into normal conversation.
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