Sally got dressed and went to her door early the next morning, finding two notes shoved underneath. The first was in a delicate, feminine hand, and read: /Ambassador, if you would meet me in my room when you awaken, I shall outfit you for the rest of your visit here. I hate to admit it, but my husband will think the better of you if you are garbed in clothes he is comfortable with. Sincerely, Queen Chang./
The second had a darker, quicker style to the quill-strokes and read: /Sally, if you want that next fight, come to the clearing at noon. Wufei./
She looked over them both, noting differences in both style and wording, and tucked the latter into her bag, and the former carried with her, asking a servant the way to the Queen's chambers. There, she found the door open and the Queen beckoned her in, surrounded by clothing piled upon chairs and furniture, not to mention the three poor maids holding about four dresses apiece. "I hope I'm not offending you, dear," Queen Chang said, looking slightly distraught, but smiled when Sally replied warmly that she understood the need for proper clothing in politics.
After much changing and fitting, Sally was dressed for lunch and the Queen had the rest of the clothes sent to the ambassador's room. Since she had expressed a wish to take her horse out for some exercise, the Queen had chosen a short-sleeved black satin with a white embroidery dragon across the front, and slits up both sides so that she could ride comfortably. Sally noted happily that she would be able to fight in it as well. And so she rode her brown to the clearing at noon after lunch, not finding Wufei at the meal, and not being able to easily dissuade his brother from coming riding with her. His eyes had been far too admiring for her tastes, his demeanor too assuming.
She found Wufei's black tied beside a small side stream branching from the main, and tethered her brown beside it, then walked the small path to the clearing. Wufei was sitting on a large rock by the stream and gazing into the trees across from him thoughtfully, his back to her. He was dressed simply, as he had been before, and she took the moment to twist her hair so that it would stay out of the way while they fought.
He heard her approaching but didn't bother to turn for a moment. When he did glance back, he caught sight of an exotic beauty thoughtfully looking into the grass and forming her hair into two twists falling over either shoulder. The dress – he had never seen the dress before, but he was sure it was his mother's doing – fitted to her, making her much more feminine than she had been previously in those dusty traveling clothes or that funny-looking blue gown. Only when she turned did he notice the slits going up either side of the skirt, freeing her movement and showing quite a bit of leg in the process. Wufei smiled vaguely to himself and straightened out his thoughts as pale foreign eyes met his.
She frowned as if she had read his thoughts, but he only smiled enigmatically and hopped down from his position on the boulder.
They started energetically, and Wufei let her get a few light hits, but nothing major. After he felt himself start to work up a sweat, he knocked her down and pinned her, but she kicked out of it and rolled onto him, where he was just about to push her off, breathing lightly and quickly, glancing up into her purposeful blue eyes . . . and felt her lips pressing onto his own.
Wufei paused a moment, startled, before succumbing to her demanding kiss, meeting her mouth with his own and matching her urgency. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down to him, and felt her trailing hands moving down his sides, one brushing his leg and moving up to her own . . .
"/Up woman/!" a harsh voice ordered, and all activity stopped as the pair looked to see Mao with his sword toward Sally's face. "How dare you seduce and attempt to murder a member of this family?!"
"Mao," Wufei started, then noticed the small knife in Sally's right hand. The garter would have held it, he realized, and she gave a wry, impish smile, shrugging.
"All's fair in love and war. I would have won, too." Wufei stared at her a moment, before sitting back on the grass, dumbfounded.
Yes, she would have. How had he allowed his emotions to overcome his warrior's senses? She could have brought the dagger to his throat while he was distracted, and claimed the win. Very effective. But his reverie was broken as Mao dragged the woman to her feet and pulled her on his horse. Wufei, in his muddled state, did not have time to protest before he rode off with Sally looking back, meeting the confused gaze of the solitary figure as he became smaller with distance.
