"Ling Yao, are you even listening to me?"
"Huh? Oh um, sure".
"You were not! What did I just say?"
"Something about... oh okay I wasn't listening. Sorry. It's just that I'm so hungry."
"You're impossible." Lan Fan sat back in her seat, crossing her arms and glaring at the young prince. They were seated at a secluded table within the great library of Xing, where Ling was trying to learn everything he could about the history of Xing. He needed to be prepared to succeed the present Emperor and rule the nation, when that time came.
When Ling had begged for her help studying, Lan Fan had agreed. Immediately, though, she regretted her quick decision when she realized that the prince had an attention span outmatched only by his voracious hunger.
"We just ate only two hours ago."
Ling looked at her reproachfully. "Yeah, well, let's not forget that I still have a homunculus inside me. I've got my own mouth to feed as well as that of a demon."
"Shh," Lan Fan insisted. Her hands wormed their way up into her sleeves, where two concealed knives stayed hidden within the fabric of her usual black attire. The prince's lack of discretion made her nervous—even in this quiet place, they could be among enemies. "Not so loud."
"Oh lighten up. Tell you what, if we take a break now, lunch is on me."
Lan Fan rolled her eyes. So now it seemed that the young lord wanted to take a break from his procrastination. She sighed, swiping her long black bands away from her eyes. "Fine," she agreed.
Ling grinned and stood up. "To the palace kitchens, then."
Lan Fan stood as well. Papers flew off of the desk and settled on the floor. Books were still piled high over the entire surface of the table, representing everything that Ling still had to go through. There was no way they would be ready in time; the present Emperor's health was declining every day. And now Ling wanted to filch food from the palace. Sometimes, he was just too much of a handful—though she still felt a flush of pride that he felt she could keep up with him.
Lan Fan followed him out of the library.
"Oh look it's the prince again. And his bodyguard."
"Did you enjoy the sushi from last week?"
"Back so soon? You know, you two aren't nearly as stealthy as you look."
The voice of the head cook stopped Ling and Lan Fan in their tracks. Ling, unable to resist temptation until they exited through the same window from which they had crawled in, already had half a loaf of bread sticking out of his mouth. Lan Fan carefully balanced a handful of pears over a bowl of noodles. The two froze with wide eyes when they heard the cook and his staff's accusations.
"un" Ling grunted, his voice distorted by the bread. He chewed a little and then managed to say "run".
Lan Fan didn't need to be told twice. She snapped a lid onto the noodle container and tucked it under her arm. Then she shoved the pears into her hood and dove through the nearby window from which they had entered. She heard Ling's clattering steps behind her as the duo climbed out of the small enclosed courtyard garden and made for the roof. Her face flaming, Lan Fan could hear the snickers of the kitchen staff behind them. Why had she let Ling talk her into this—again?
Of course it was all in good fun. The staff clearly wasn't mad at them. If anything, the cooks found Ling's antics amusing. What bothered Lan Fan was that, even with all her skills, she couldn't avoid detection even on a simple kitchen raid.
"Well that was fun," Ling said, climbing up onto the roof. He joined Lan Fan and sat beside her with his back against the wall of the kitchen chimney. Despite the steam and smoke rising over their heads, the bricks were cool and she shade they offered was even more welcoming.
Ling took off his tan jacket and laid it on the ground in front of them, as a picnic blanket of sorts. The two deposited their food onto it and then set about divvying up the spoils. Lan Fan smiled in spite of herself and forgot her duties as his bodyguard for a moment. Them spending time together now was not within the constraints of a master and his servant—they were simply two friends enjoying a meal together.
As they laughed, Lan Fan realized that the young lord had a point. This was much better than studying.
After their lunch, Lan Fan and Ling lounged on the roof for a while. They didn't talk about much, but each would remember it as the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Lan Fan realized with a jolt that she and Ling might not get many more moments like this—especially if Ling became Emperor. She would have to be extra careful then, to make sure he was all right. How would that change their relationship? Thoughts like these made her feel queasy and so she just tried not to think about it. Eventually, Ling stood up and stretched. He shook crumbs from his jacket and put it back on, covering his bare chest. Lan Fan looked away, blushing.
"Come on then, it's back to studying!" Ling said with forced cheeriness. He grasped Lan Fan's arm and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, a disembodied shout came from the kitchen, echoing through the chimney.
"Mister Yao, there's someone here to see you."
"Yo! Ling! How did I know you'd be right near the kitchen?" the newcomer was Edward Elric, and his voice was getting closer. Soon his golden hair was visible over the edge of the roof. He climbed up, auto-mail arm glinting in the late afternoon sunlight.
"Hi Lan Fan. How are you?"
"Good, thanks. How's Winry?" She hadn't seen the Elric boy in a while, and he was looking to be in his usual good spirits. It was nice to see everything relatively normal again.
"She's great, as usual." A faint blush crept into his cheeks. "Listen, I was hoping we could talk about something?"
"Sure."
The two looked at Lan Fan, who threw up her hands. "All right, I can take a hint. I'm not welcome to join in this conversation. Ling, I'll see you later." She felt a little stung by her dismissal, but knew better than to dwell on it.
Ling nodded to Lan Fan and she departed with her usual style... sprinting and jumping over the exterior buildings of the palace until she left the site all together.