"Margot, come have a look!"

Madeleine placed her hands on Lan Fan's shoulders and turned her toward the mirror. She'd beguiled Lan Fan into wearing makeup. Lan Fan didn't own any herself since Fu had always discouraged vain indulgences; however, Madeleine came prepared. Her assortment of brushes and palettes put Lady Zhang's collection to shame. Looking at the result of Madeleine's efforts the bodyguard barely recognized her own reflection. The door to the adjoining room slid open. Margot leaned against the frame. She had an unlit cigarette between her lips and a lighter in hand.

"My love if you dare light that…" Madeleine warned in a deceptively sweet tone.

Margot clicked her tongue in annoyance and set the offending items on the dresser.

"What do you think?" asked Madeleine. Around Lan Fan's neck she fastened a double strand of golden hued pearls.

"She's enchanting," Margot answered. Ordinarily, Lan Fan would protest such flattery. Never in all her life had she thought herself beautiful, and yet, Madeleine had cast a glamour upon her. This couldn't possibly the work of makeup alone. Even with her automail Madeleine made her resemble a model from one of those fashion catalogues. She didn't know what to say. Lan Fan met her eyes in the mirror.

"Let's not keep your emperor waiting, Lan Fan."

She's late.

Ling didn't ask Al for the time but he knew his unfailingly punctual bodyguard was definitely late. He pretended to listen to Alphonse and Mei's discussion of theoretical alkahestry concepts. Of course, he couldn't care less about because Lan Fan was late. Rather than ask the time he tried to discreetly glance at Al's watch. Light glinted off the face effectively obscuring the time. Next to him his ever patient mother gave him a serene smile. Lady Xue was clearly amused by her son's agitation, though she did him the courtesy of concealing it behind a silk fan.

Just then the doors to the reception room opened. Ling leaned forward slightly in his seat. The two strangers who stepped through the door were both striking; however, the emperor only had eyes for the apprehensive Xingese woman in their wake. She wore champagne colored gloves with a sleeveless dress of seafoam green silk. It glittered with intricate beading, catching the light with even the most subtle of movements. It showed far more of Lan Fan's legs than Ling had ever seen. Legs accentuated by a pair of gold heels.

Lan Fan was a vision of splendor. He'd never seen her wear a stitch of makeup, but now she shined with a luster. His eyes were drawn to her mouth. Lips painted a dewy peach. If I kissed her would she taste as sweet? He wondered. Her blush was in full bloom. When she bowed he saw the pale expanse of her neck and upper back.

"I hope we're not terribly late," said the blonde as she rose from her own bow. Ling vaguely noticed she wore her hair in the same style as Lan Fan.

"Fashionably I assure you," Xue answered with a disarming smile, and thank the gods that she did. Ling hadn't found his voice. "Please join us."

Madeleine sat next to her with Margot to the left. Lady Xue commenced with the introductions. Lan Fan still stood, her eyes locking on Ling. Social graces be damned he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Please forgive this one for keeping you waiting, Your Majesty."

"No need for apologies, Lan Fan. You're not the last to arrive," Ling replied as lightly as he could. She was striking in her uniform and armor, lovely in the modest, traditional clothes she wore off duty, captivating even covered in dirt and sweat after a long training session. But now he thought he might go mad for want of this woman. By design or circumstance she was always just out of reach.

You may have wanted women, Greed, but my trouble is I only want one.

"We aren't?" Lan Fan asked in confusion. Her gaze fell upon the two remaining empty seats. "Who-"

"Only boring parties start on time, Imperial Highness," Shu said from the doorway. The man wore his usual devil-may-care grin and a dark grey suit. Shu was a last minute addition to the guest list. Someone to liven things up. Another familiar face to put the ever formal Lan Fan at ease. Only, when Shu walked into the room, she was taut as a bowstring. He noticed it in the way she held herself. In the discord of her qi.

"Commander Liu, you grow more lovely each time I see you." Shu did a circuit around her. "Who do I have to thank for putting you in that dress?"

"It's the latest fashion from Central. It's magnificent on her, no?" Madeleine said.

"The word hardly does her justice. Wouldn't you say, Emperor?" He winked at Ling as he pulled out a chair for her.

"I couldn't agree more."

Tonight. It has to be tonight.

Dinner commenced with a well received first course. Conversation came easily for everyone but Lan Fan. Each dish placed in front of her was hardly touched. The emperor noticed Shu's gaze kept returning to her even as he chatted up the Amestrians. Shu was a known flirt. It could be nothing. He hoped it was nothing, but the way Lan Fan became flustered was worrisome. Shu leaned close to whisper something in her ear. A blush amplified the rouge on her cheeks and she hissed back a reply. Ling narrowed his eyes as Shu tossed her a sly look. She reached for the glass in front of her, inadvertently knocking it over. Currant colored wine spilled across the table.

"I've got it." Alphonse clapped his hands, transmuting the wine from the tablecloth. A servant stepped forward to refill Lan Fan's glass. She muttered an apology and cut a glare at Shu.

"That's some party trick," remarked Margot. "So you're the Alphonse Elric. Your sister-in-law has made quite a name for herself."

"You've heard of Winry?" Al beamed proudly.

"I spent my fair share of time in Rush Valley. The Rockbell name has been associated with quality prosthetics since Pinako. A bit on the practical side for my tastes."

"Lan Fan's arm is a work of art. I know Winry admires it. I'm sure she'd love to discuss the craft with you if you ever pass through Rush Valley."

"There's a meteor shower tonight," Mei piped up over dessert. The Chang princess turned starry eyes on Alphonse. "Wouldn't it be romantic to watch the stars fall from the heavens?"

Alphonse colored slightly as he cleared his throat. "That would be something. Though it's a bit cold out."

"Princess Mei that is a splendid idea," Madeleine agreed. "Don't you think, Your Majesty?"

"It's the perfect night for it, but Alphonse is right about the weather. Why don't we all fetch our coats? We can reconvene in the garden."

"Do you think Lan Fan and that man…?" Mei whispered. They were the first two to arrive at the garden. Snow still lingered on the ground. Overhead the night sky was clear, the moon full and bright. In a secluded alcove of the garden the two of them found a bench. Al drew Mei close for warmth.

"For Ling's sake I hope not."

The princess laid her head over the alchemist's heart. It was a comforting rhythm. Proof that Alphonse was here. That he'd never be trapped as a hollow suit of armor again.

"Maybe it's for the best."

"How can you say that?" Al frowned at her.

"Because marriage is politics,"
"Marriage should be about love."

"You're being naive."

"Oh really? Are you going to have a political marriage then?"

"That's different!" Mei protested.

"I disagree!"

The two of them moved to either end of the bench, each crossing their arms in a huff. Without the shared warmth they both shivered. Mei looked at him out of the corner of her eye. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with Alphonse. But she wasn't wrong and if she apologized Al would think he was right. Not that she wanted him to be wrong. The opposite in fact. But if he would just stop being so stubborn!

"Why are we fighting about hypotheticals?" she asked.

"I don't know…"

"Then can we stop?" Mei held out her mitten covered hand to him. Al took it and scooted closer.

"Look." The alchemist pointed at the sky as several stars shot across it. He put his arm around Mei again. "Make a wish."

"If you want to get me alone all you have to do is ask," Shu jested. They stood together by the servants entrance to the garden. In her haste to intercept him Lan Fan hadn't bothered to change save for throwing on her coat and gloves.

"What were you thinking?" Her voice trembled with fury.

"When I saw you in that dress?" He stepped closer to button her coat.

"Showing up at dinner. Stop that!" She smacked his hands away to fasten the buttons herself.

"I was invited."

"Flirting!"

"I flirt with everyone," he countered. Throughout dinner he'd taken every opportunity to unsettle her. Even now he was still teasing her; she was fit to strangle him.

"Not everyone! You flirted with me in front of the emperor!"

"Why shouldn't I?" He kept his tone even but his eyes were hard. "He doesn't have any claim to you."

"He has every claim to me!"

"Ling takes you for granted! He doesn't own you. If you don't want me then say the word. That will be the end of it. But don't use your oath of fealty as an excuse. If you love him-"

"Don't speak to me of love," she whispered harshly. If someone overheard them it would be a disaster. "You know nothing."

"Have you forgotten who I am?" A cloud passed over the moon, casting a shadow over his face. She couldn't see his expression, but he sounded angry. As he advanced on her she gave ground. Her back met the cold stone of the garden wall. Shu pressed his gloved hand to it above her head. Instead of cigarettes he smelled of soap and woodsmoke. Though he refrained from touching her he leaned in close. His words were a whisper. "I know more than you could possibly imagine."

In his search for Lan Fan Ling found Margot instead. She stood alone beneath a large, ancient oak tree in the middle of the garden. The bottle green coat she'd bundled up in complimented her fiery hair. The oak was Lan Fan's favorite feature of the garden. It still bore a canopy of red leaves dusted in fine snow. She was in midst of smoking a cigarette as if it were her last. When Margot caught sight of him she gave him a wry smile.

"Forgive me. I haven't had one all evening. Maddy will have my head if she finds out I've been crass in front of you," she said, putting out the cigarette on the bottom of her shoe. The remainder she stuck back in her cigarette case. They were alone for the moment. Qiyin was out of sight. Close enough to intercept a threat; far enough for a semblance of privacy.

"Your secret is safe with me," he replied. "Have another if you like." She cocked an eyebrow at him in askance. He affected one of his practiced smiles. The kind he used to hide his intentions and set others at ease. Margot proceeded to light a fresh cigarette. Taking a drag she fixed him with a contemplative stare. Smoke made blue by the moonlight curled around her. The automail engineer wasn't what he'd expected. Margot Fontaine had a grace about her. The sort who saw much and said little judging by her sparse dinner conversation. He wondered what she saw when she looked at him.

"It seems I'm indebted to you, Ms. Fontaine."

"Is that so?"

"You restored my bodyguard. Without her things would've unfolded quite differently. She's invaluable to me."

"The way I hear it you wouldn't leave Lan Fan behind. That she cut off her arm to save you both," she said.

Ling recalled Dr. Knox banishing him from the room while he debrided Lan Fan's shoulder. The sound of her muffled screams. Dr. Knox's rough voice as he shouted at Lieutenant Hawkeye to hold her down. She hadn't asked for him then, and he doubted she'd want him there when Margot reconnected her automail. He knew better than to think she blamed him for the loss of her arm. It was that Lan Fan would rather suffer alone than cause him anguish.

"She's possesses a remarkable will. It's far from the first time she risked her life to save mine. Abandoning my loyal servant was out of the question."

Taking another drag Margot stepped closer to Ling. With her impressively high heels she was nearly at eye level with him. This close he could see the fine lines around her eyes and mouth, could smell her perfume and the faint scent of her shampoo mixed with tobacco smoke.

"Remarkable is a fitting word for her," Margot stated. They heard the crunch of footsteps at the same moment. Margot hastily dropped her cigarette, stamped it out, and scrapped it into the snowy underbrush. Pivoting toward the newcomer Ling spotted Madeleine wearing a cloche hat and long coat.

"There you are," Madeleine said, taking Margot's arm. "I hope you aren't boring the emperor with more shop talk."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she answered.

"You know, automail doesn't have much presence here. The desert has kept Xing isolated from Western influence for far too long. Seeing as how my most skilled bodyguard is outfitted with an automail arm extensive repairs are something of an inconvenience. Perhaps we should set aside some time to discuss the industry?" Ling suggested.

"I have no objections."

"Splendid!" Ling turned his attention to Madeleine. "Speaking of Lan Fan do you know where she is?"

A brief glance passed between the two women Ling couldn't quite decipher.

"I'm sure I couldn't say," Madeleine answered. "This palace of yours is vast."

"Of course," Ling acknowledged. Still, her room wasn't far enough away that retrieving her coat should take so long. The emperor wondered if this might be divine justice for all the times he'd disappeared on Lan Fan. He took a deep breath and tapped into the dragon's pulse. As children they'd practiced the technique with games of hide and seek. It didn't take long to seek her out. Lan Fan was close by and she wasn't alone. He sensed Shu's familiar qi alongside hers. It set his teeth on edge.

"Please excuse me," Ling spat out. Without explanation he departed the company of his guests. Qiyin emerged from the shadows to fall in step behind him. The guardsman seemed to sense the abrupt change in his master's disposition, though he was wise enough to keep silent. Shu had been all too familiar with Lan Fan over dinner. By the very nature of their work his advisor and bodyguard shared an intimacy. Until tonight he'd never imagined it might be something more. Ling discovered them by the gate. He could perhaps blame some of the avarice that followed on Greed.

But the wrath was all his own.