Chapter Summary: Lan Fan and Greed enjoy a night outside the palace, and meet an unexpected guest in the process.
"This is a terrible idea." Lan Fan said.
"Why? It's just a quick walk - and it's dark out, so nobody'll see our faces."
"But won't someone notice you're gone?"
"It's not a big deal, Ling already told the head of those security guys."
"But what about the rest of the staff?"
"Lighten up kid, will ya'?"
Lan Fan and Greed walked through a particularly crowded Xingese street, voices lowered. The sounds of hundreds of conversations and aroma of street food filled the air. Despite the fact they were dressed in street clothes (along with a pair of gloves for Greed,) a couple wary glances were thrown at the pair.
This will never work. "There are many assassins throughout Xing, and they are well trained to recognize your face - not to mention your unusual qi has spread many rumors and is generally very recognizable."
"Can't a guy just step outside to visit his own country once in a while? I've barely been outside one of those stuffy palaces since I got here."
Lan Fan huffed in response.
"Hey, don't look at me like that, it was his idea," - Not surprising in the least - Lan Fan caught herself thinking before giving herself a mental slap - don't treat the Emperor with such disrespect! - "I just went along with it - oh, Ling wants some of those dumplings." Greed jerked his thumb towards one of the vendors.
"You could just ask for some at the palace," Lan Fan was already walking towards the vendor.
Greed shrugged, "Hey, don't ask me, I'm not gonna be the one eating them."
Do the two of them share a stomach? If one eats something - will the other - augh, that's not important! "At least the Young Lord will be more pleasurable company." She said. Greed - then Ling - reached over and grabbed one of the dumplings from her hands.
Lan Fan's eyes widened before Ling bit into the food, "Young Lord - should we not test it first?"
Ling waved his hand, a wide smile on his face, "Even if random street vendors have started poisoning their food, there's this!" Ling gestured towards his gloved tattoo, "If I fall over and there's red light everywhere, then you'll know something's wrong."
"But - " Lan Fan started, but Ling had already eaten the whole thing.
"That was great!" Ling said, wiping his mouth, "Let's get some more stuff!" He grabbed Lan Fan by the arm, an Fan could feel herself push against the crowd of people, and hear the many annoyed exclamations at 'those unruly children!'
"Young Lord -! "
The sun had set completely, except for a tiny sliver of red barely illuminating the quiet lake where she and Ling sat.
One could almost mistake you two for lovers, a voice in her head spoke, (one that sounded suspiciously like Greed.)
Lan Fan shoved the thought from her mind with the force of an angry tidal wave.
"Those were much better than the stuff at the palace!" Ling collapsed onto the grass, Lan Fan standing next to him, "We should do that more often - maybe invite Alphonse and Mei next time!"
Greed butted in, his unmistakable toothy smirk forming, "Maybe we can 'accidentally' get them lost together. The two really need something to get them to confess, it's not like he's ever going to make a move! It's painful watching them together. They keep scooting around each other - at least Elric stopped denying it! "
It really is painful to watch. Lan Fan thought, but there's no way I'd agree with Greed aloud.
Surprising, Greed made no remark about her silence, gazing at the rising moon.
A comfortable silence settled over the two. The shifting water of the lake, the rustling leaves, and the night filled the quiet. Clouds lazily drifted in front of the slowly appearing moon and stars, adding an odd dappled effect to the few patches of moonlight.
Time passed at an odd pace, a tilting, stumbling yet smooth pace - had it been five minutes or an hour? - before Greed stood up and stretched, "Well, should we head back?"
Lan Fan nodded, following Greed as he walked towards the main road.
Something was wrong - but -
An unfamiliar qi.
She stopped, eyes widening, "Greed - !" She started, knives extending, previously hidden, from her sleeves.
The unfamiliar qi - an assassin, no doubt about it - raced towards Greed, hurling a bomb towards him.
Thick smoke quickly unfurled through the air, filling Lan Fan's throat. The pulsing of her heartbeat filled her ears, adrenaline rushing through her veins. Lan Fan traced the qi of the assassin, aiming her throwing knives.
An exclamation of pain from neither Greed nor the Young Lord - she had hit her target. Still, the assassin was still moving, no vitals.
The smoke had nearly cleared, yet the darkness wasn't much of an improvement.
A flash of metal against what couldn't be anything Greed's Ultimate Shield, along with screech of metal. White flashes accentuated the night, Greed (or maybe the Young Lord) weaved and dodged the assassin's attacks, face furrowed in concentration. Lan Fan pulled her kunai, previously strapped against her back and hidden by the folds of her clothing.
Tracing the assassin was easy, especially considering her target was the only non-animal, non-homunculus qi in the area.
She raced closer, closer, to the assassin, automail hand clenching onto the kunai. With the end of her blade, she delivered a blow to the assassin's hooded head.
With a dull thud, they fell to the ground, completely unconscious.
Greed leaned down, arm rested on one knee. The last of the smoke had cleared away, yet Lan Fan could barely see anything besides the sliver of moonlight reflecting Greed's wine-colored pupils, and the shine of her sword.
"Well, that was certainly interesting." He said, "Should we bring them back to the palace or leave him here?"
Lan Fan waited a few seconds, to see if Greed was talking to the Young Lord or her.
Greed looked over at her, "Well?" Lan Fan didn't need any light to tell he had an eyebrow raised, "Should we?"
"I would highly recommend bringing them back to the palace. Leaving an assassin out here, especially with a non-fatal wound, would be foolish. They could be working for a group."
Greed scratched his chin, "Yeah, guess that makes sense." He grabbed the unconscious body, slinging it over his shoulders.
"Greed - that is a - "
"- terrible idea, yeah, yeah. Even if they do wake up, I already put my shield up around my neck, it's no problem."
It would surely be an odd sight to see, a girl with a metal arm walking with all the looseness of a particularly stiff branch of oak, a boy with a grey neck, and an unconscious body slung across his shoulders.
Well, it's lucky it's so late out. The streets were nearly deserted, save for a couple drunkards and people trying to experience some kind of lunar-induced cognizance. Stores were shuttered, and the lights in every house were shut off.
"There are probably guards out looking for us." Lan Fan said, "We've been away for at least three hours, and they probably will not let us out once they catch wind of the assassin."
"Eh," Greed somehow managed to shrug, "worth it."
[AA/N: I literally just noticed how many water metaphors I use in all of my writing - not sure if it's as true here, but in everything I've written lately there's been so many of them! I should start using other things, like birds. Or lizards. ]