The courtyard leading to the Hall of Serenity was illuminated by strands of lights suspended between rooftops. The moon was a freshwater pearl on midnight blue satin. Stars glimmered in the clear sky. Inside the venue the band was already in full swing. The pathway to the stairs was designated by paper lanterns. Party guests filtered into the hall in a steady stream. Most were in couples or small groups.
Lan Fan Liu Zhang ascended the steps alone. While Margot finished getting ready for the event, Lan Fan had returned to her room to arm herself. She had kunai sheathed to each thigh, and managed to fit a compact, lipstick, and single flash bang in the borrowed clutch. There wasn't room to fit anything else within the tiny compartment. Lan Fan tried without luck.
One of the guards did a double take as she passed through the open doors. Lan Fan kept her eyes forward and head up. The grand hall was a cacophony of conversation interspersed with joyous laughter. Merrymakers were dressed in high fashion. Many of the younger guests were wearing western attire, reducing the extent to which Lan Fan stood out in the crowd.
The evening had only just begun but there were a number of people already in attendance. Madeleine hadn't yet taken the stage. The band played Sunrise Serenade. Servants carrying trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres moved between the clusters of nobles. Lan Fan accepted a flute of champagne from a passing server, and scanned the hall for someone, anyone she knew.
As Lan Fan navigated her way through the crowd she caught a flash of golden hair. Following it she found Edward Elric talking animatedly with Mei Chang. They were both dressed to the nines. Ed held a rocks glass of bourbon and gestured with his free hand as he made a point. Xiao-Mei sat on the princess's shoulder munching on a fresh strawberry. Surprisingly, Alphonse wasn't with them.
Edward took a sip of his drink as Lan Fan joined them. He inhaled in surprise and choked. Princess Mei slapped Ed's back in an effort to help but only staggered him. The little Chang princess looked far too amused. Lan Fan gave them both a withering look. Finally, the former Fullmetal Alchemist got his coughing fit under control.
"Hey," Ed choked out.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything!"
"Then don't start," Lan Fan snapped.
Mei Chang tittered.
Al showed up with two flutes of champagne.
"I didn't see any plum wine," he said.
He handed one of the flutes to Mei then noticed they'd gained a fourth.
"Lan Fan!" Alphonse sounded pleased to see her.
"Has anyone seen the emperor?" Lan Fan asked.
"Did you lose him again? You ever think about putting a bell on 'im?" Edward contributed.
Lan Fan stepped on Ed's foot with her heel.
"Ow! It was a joke!"
"Do not make jokes at His Imperial Highness's expense."
Al disguised his laugh as a cough.
"He hasn't shown up yet," Al answered.
Lan Fan tasted her champagne.
The trio picked up their conversation. They were talking about Alphonse's presentation. Having been there in person Lan Fan turned her attention to the room at large. Everyone who's anyone was at the party. The lotus blossom lanterns overhead cast a dreamy glow. Tablecloths were barely visible beneath the cornucopia of delicacies. In several sections aerial acrobats dazzled spectators.
The bodyguard broke off from the group to patrol the hall.
Upon arriving at the palace Lady Suyin immediately lost her escort. Suyin turned her back just long enough to check their coats. When she turned around again to remind Xiang to stay with her this evening the boy had already vanished. Suyin pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration. Suyin loved her children dearly but their wanderlust tried her patience. He was almost as bad as Lan Fan when it came to disappearing.
She would never admit it to her daughter but she hated these events nearly as much as Lan Fan. Being Liwei Zhang's wife afforded her the title of lady, but there were still those who only saw her as an upstart. Gods' forbid anyone allow her to forget she'd married above her station.
Suyin Zhang took a deep breath and entered the party hall unescorted.
Nouveau riche.
That's what they called her in polite company.
The aristocracy could call her whatever they liked. For the sake of her children there was nothing she wouldn't endure. Suyin hadn't intended to marry again. After Fu took guardianship of Lan Fan, Suyin went to the Imperial City looking for work. Suyin reasoned that, if she could find honest work that paid well enough, she could provide for Lan Fan without her father-in-law's help. Then she could bring her little girl home.
Suyin found a job serving in a tea house. Without Fu subsidizing her living expenses it wasn't enough to scrape by. No matter what Suyin was determined her daughter wouldn't grow up destitute. At the tea house Suyin met Liwei Zhang. She noticed he was handsome but thought nothing more of it. Liwei was courteous but reserved. Nothing more than polite conversation passed between them for months. He drank his tea and read the newspaper, and always dined alone.
In the beginning, Liwei only came to the restaurant a handful of times a week, then it was every weekday. Before long he came around every day like clockwork. Suyin found herself counting down the hours until he turned up. He'd always ordered the same variety of tea. By the time he became a regular he was asking her recommendations. Their polite conversation turned personable.
One rainy day he came in with his newspaper over his head. The paper was soaked through, and Liwei absolutely drenched. Suyin couldn't help herself. She laughed. Between bouts of the giggles Suyin apologized profusely. Liwei looked surprised by her mirth. Instead of reproaching her he'd smiled and joined in on her laughter. The following day Liwei asked permission to court her.
Suyin reminded him she was a widow. That she had a daughter in the care of a relative. Liwei said he didn't mind. He asked if she minded the difference in their age, or his lifelong status as a bachelor. Suyin Liu found she didn't mind in the slightest. Soon she found herself in love. Suyin had many regrets in her life, but marrying Liwei Zhang wasn't one of them.
Xiang's mouth watered as he surveyed the desserts. He hadn't bothered to eat lunch and by now he was starving. The commander of the guard's little brother was dressed in black tie. His heavy bangs fell into his eyes. Despite his mother's cajoling he'd refused to let her trim his hair or style it back off his forehead.
"It isn't dignified," she'd argued.
"I like it this way," Xiang had insisted.
His father had come to his rescue, convincing Suyin to let him be.
Xiang selected a bamboo skewer of candied strawberries and a glass of fizzy, pink punch. Treats in hand he wandered about the hall taking in the sights and sounds. He wondered if there would be fireworks tonight. Xiang loved sparklers but he decided only little kids played with sparklers.
He paused to watch one of the acrobats performing feats of fancy high up in the air, and bit into a strawberry. Flecks of the hard candy coating fell onto the front of his shirt. Hastily, Xiang brushed the crumbs off his clothes and hoped no one noticed. Xiang lifted his eyes and laid them on the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.
Fair hair that caught the light like gossamer. Eyes the bluish grey of river water peering out from wire framed glasses. Willowy and wearing white tie. The bespectacled man stood on the other side of the circle surrounding the acrobat. While he watched the performance he fidgeted with his cuff link; Xiang noticed his fingers were thin and his wrists delicate.
If there was anyone Xiang had to meet tonight it was this ethereal gentleman.
"Xiang?"
Xiang turned toward the familiar voice of his sister. Lan Fan looked stunning. He blinked owlishly at her. If Xiang hadn't arrived with their mother he might've mistaken Lan Fan for her.
"Sister?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Um," Xiang looked at the items in his hands. "Eating?"
"No, Xiang, what are you doing at this party?"
"Oh! We were invited!"
Lan Fan stared at him then deadpanned, "We?"
"Yeah, mother is here too but father's at home. He has a cold." Xiang took another bite of a strawberry, "How come you aren't dressed like a guard?"
"I was invited also," Lan Fan answered.
"Hey, do you know who that is?"
Xiang looked toward the gentleman again.
He was gone.
"Who?"
Xiang shook his head slightly.
"Nevermind."
Edward Elric was already on his second drink when a blonde bombshell took to the stage. The woman looked familiar. In fact she looked very familiar, but for the life of him Edward couldn't place her. While the singer adjusted the microphone Ed wracked his brain.
"I swear I've seen that woman before," Ed muttered.
"Who?" asked Al.
They stood together against the wall waiting for Mei to return from powdering her nose.
"The woman on stage. I know I've seen her somewhere."
"Oh! That's Ms. Madeleine. She's good friends with Lan Fan's automail mechanic. I wrote you about her. She has a nightclub in Central where she sings cabaret. Maybe you've seen the flyers?"
"Nah that's not it…"
Ed tilted his head in contemplation.
Where have I seen her?
He took another sip of his bourbon. The amber liquid tasted like the same expensive shit Mustang drank. When Ed passed through Central City they sometimes got together to talk alchemy over drinks. The General was a decent stand in for Alphonse when Ed needed to bounce ideas off someone. Roy tried on several occasions to school Ed in fine bourbon and scotch. Ed preferred beer thank you very much, but when Mustang footed the bill he sure as shit didn't say no to the good stuff.
Madeleine started singing a song called Rien de Rein. Ed knew this song. He'd heard it in more than a few bars during his travels in Creta. Ed flushed crimson when he realized exactly where he'd seen the blonde. For the second time this evening he choked on his drink. Bourbon went up his nose, the alcohol burned in his sinuses.
"Good grief, Ed. Slow down with that stuff before you asphyxiate," Alphonse admonished.
"I've seen that woman in her underwear!" Ed whispered.
"What?" Al exclaimed.
Edward shushed him.
"Keep your voice down!"
"What do you mean you've seen Ms. Madeleine in her underwear?" Alphonse Elric looked thoroughly scandalized.
"Remember how I told you about those risqué postcards in Creta?"
"Unfortunately," Al replied.
"Yeah, well, she was on one of them."
"Oh god brother please tell me you didn't buy it!"
If possible Edward's face and neck grew even warmer.
"N-No!" Ed stammered. "Don't look at me like that!'
Edward Elric technically hadn't paid for the postcard. Strictly speaking a desk clerk had forced it on him at one of the more seedy hostels he'd stayed in while in Creta. 'You like pretty girls?' The rather filthy looking man had taken a postcard off the spinning display rack on the counter and handed it over with the room key. 'Free of charge.' Ed had blushed furiously and tucked it away in his travelogue.
He'd be lying if he said he hadn't looked at it since.
Alphonse covered his eyes with one hand and groaned.
"It's not like I went looking for pornography!"
This time Alphonse shushed him.
"Don't talk about that sort of thing in public," Al insisted.
"Don't talk about what in public?" Mei inquired.
The Chang princess had snuck up on them while they argued in hushed voices.
"Nothing!" The Elric brothers insisted at the same time.
Mei regarded them with suspicion.
"This song is pretty great, huh?" Ed tried to change the subject.
"Oh boy! It sure is!" Al replied with far too much enthusiasm.
"You two are acting weird."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. You know what? I would love to dance. Do you want to dance? Let's dance!"
Alphonse took Mei by the hand and led her onto the dancefloor. Ed downed the rest of his drink in one fell swoop. He tried not to picture the cabaret singer naked. Of course, now it was all he could think about.
In the postcard Madeleine's hair was longer, and she was about fifteen years younger, but it was definitely her immortalized in black and white. The photographer had posed her at a dressing table, looking over her shoulder in the midst of gathering up her flowing hair. Between her painted lips she held a hairpin. Madeleine's bare back and the side of her breast were in full view. Nevertheless, she'd had the appearance of an ingenue.
Edward watched the bewitching woman on stage. He wondered how she'd gone from posing for semi-nude photographs to singing for nobility. There was no way in hell he was going to ask.
