Further introduction

The following day, Xei Pai was out in town in a woody brown cloak around her shoulders and its hood drawn over the head, casting a shadow over her face as she wanders the busy streets. Her mother would have a fit if word got out that the honourable Lady, Ms. Suzy was out on the streets without a company and a handful of witnesses to help spread the word faster than forest fire.

Xei Pai's aunt will be the first to telephone and croon over how she couldn't possibly be in her right mind to have done so and that she felt awfully sorry for Xei Pai's mother, of what, she will not say and leave that for her mother to count her shortcomings.

That is only, however, if she would find out. What with years, since Xei Pai turned sixteen, of walking these streets and making friends with peddlers through her persuasive bargaining, she had become an expert in disguise as that very expertise has acquainted her with the scent of freshly baked goods wafting around just a couple hours before noon, the loud offers of the lowest prices sold and most prominently the incognizance of Xie Pai's identity as she slip through the crowd with a kind of solace no silk nor flattery can ever bestow.

There is not a sole purpose to her venture here, today is the day the merchants from all around the kingdom and beyond gathers once a week to offer their goods for trading. Noblemen and businessmen alike have brushed her shoulder one too many times without even giving her a second glance; an irony since these men are also the ones who would shower Xie Pai with vacant flattery on many social occasions such as last night.

As soon as MingMing disappeared into the shadows, a maid came for Xei Pai; her father had been looking to introduce her to the new blood of the noble world; a man of trading in his 30′s and quite honestly too old for Xei Pai but makes up for it with a fortune that could rival the royals, earning him a noble title even though there is no evident blue in his blood.

She wondered how close MingMing is to the royal family or if he was just a thief dressed in the finest tailor made coat stolen from the tailor itself so he could come to her house, sneak in unsuspected and steal the emerald stone that would usually sit in her mother's chest on her vanity but found that she's passed it down to Xei Pai's sister to wear at her wedding banquet. Which explains why he left so urgently when she suggested joining the party; he was not on the guest list.

Though he had been complacent when she met him─

A sudden tug on her hand breaks Xei Pai from her reverie, eyes widening at a little boy around ten braving against the flow of the crowd which was from where she came from, the dusty grey pouch of her shillings in his hand echoing in her ears.

"Wait!" Xie Pai's call is swallowed whole by the grouse of the merchants, not a single soul hearing your plea of thief! as she propels herself against the throng people, apologizing at the ones who fell victim to her haste.

The boy turns around the corner into a narrow alleyway, a hand on his faded black hat to keep it from flying away as a gust of wind blows through the street when she had come to the end of the alley. The biting cold flushes her ears and neck as she grips her gown tightly as if her life depends on it. In a sense, it does for if Xei Pai was to trip on the hem of her gown, the little thief is lost for good and the chase would be worth nothing in the end.

Just as she was a few feet close to grasping the back of his collar, another hand wraps itself around her forearm, the impact almost pulling her limb right out of its socket as it drives Xei Pai to a halt. Xei Pai watchs in vain as the thief disappears into another alleyway and out of sight before directing all her frustrations in the yank on her arm.

"Who do you think─" words die in her throat, cut by the softened edges of dark eyes that once emulates a sense of deviousness as it trapped the silver ray just last night, "my lord."

As though struck by reality, she instinctively takes two steps backwards, reclaiming a safer distance to where they both stand. He shouldn't be able to recognize her─

Noticing the tresses which she had up now descending down her chest in an unruly fashion, she suspects it was from the running, her reach over your head only to cop a feel of the roots of her hair instead of the cotton material of the hood. The wind must have blown it off.

"What is the meaning of this?" Chin thrust out, hands poised together and shoulders squared to make herself look taller ─as tall as sge can be against someone of MingMing's physiques and judging from the unfaltering frown on his facial expression, he's not even trying tower; he just does, you meet his gaze indignantly, "you just let a thief run away with my money!"

His black tunic is in a similar fashion as the little thief's; worn out with frays on too many ends, sleeves of what was once a crisp white shirt that has seen better days coming down his arms where the tunic does not. The only proof that he really was the man in blue last night is the smoothness of his skin which bears not a single dirt on his nose nor cheeks.

"You shouldn't be here without company," arms crossed over his chest, MingMing's gaze easily shrinks Xei Pai into a mere child who is being scolded by a parent even though it is her who should be condemning a crime, "you shouldn't be here at all."

"Why," Xei Pai stand straighter, hands finding ways to the dip of her waist as she meets his gaze, "because I'm a woman?"

Eyes peer past her and then around, calling attention to your surrounding as she mirrors his action and only then do Xei Pai note the staleness in the air like food gone bad, the poor condition of what seems like pubs and lodges and what gets her skin crawling, the leer of men she did not see before huddled at the doors and alleys, "Because it's not a place for anyone unless they're looking to get drunk out of their minds and mugged."

"Come, they won't bother us if we keep to ourselves," with her shoulders sagged, she run after him reluctantly, falling into pace as they both walk in silence as she places her trust in a man she has had only met not even a full sunset ago but MingMing is far better, if not only, option for trying to find a way back on her own would be a tail-chase, "I'll help you get back to the market."

"But the thief that stole from me," she argues half-heartedly knowing he's somewhere in a house with its doors barely intact into the frame, counting the shillings she has in the little black pouch she should have carried more carefully, "he should be reported to the royal police!"

"Trust me, my lady, the royal police can't do anything here," he lowers his head in a nod and touches his hat concord as she passes the backdoor of a shop, the man sitting on the ground with a bottle of rum eyeing the diamonds adorning her gown where it peeks under the cloak, "what's a few shillings got over a mountain of inheritance?"

"That was my lifetime's saving," chills run down her spine at the man's crooked smile when he sees the girl behind him so she quickens her pace as though the less distance with MingMing, the safer she will be, "collected from the changes of the gowns bought at La'Voure's because I haven't wed, I have nothing so those few shillings, believe it or not, are worth something to me."

The farther her tread, the better she inspects the streetscape; the walls matted with mould, the ground slippery with darkened oil spill from the broken lanterns hung over a creaking pub sign as it swings ominously overhead at the slam of the door, all of which she didn't get to observe as her sight was set on the back of the boy's brunette head.

Gingerly, she admits the truth in the cold fact of these walls, chilling her bones and soul, "Though this is no way for a child to live."

"It is not," a familiar pole with multiple arrows pointing in every direction, each bearing a carving of the names of the street, comes into view as hues begin to spread across the streets unlike the thousand shades of dark she had seen at the slum, "but it is a way not to die starving."

Xei Pai almost run into MingMing when he twirls on his heels abruptly and she cannot avert your eyes when they fall on those hazy ones. And for the briefest moment, his face contorts into something painful as if a sword has sliced through his stomach but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Put on your hood," he instructs with a curl on his lips and a sort of mischief in the corners of his mouth, "I'm assuming you're under disguise?"

Xei Pai do so with haste, anxiousness causing her fingers to tremble had anyone passing seen her already though Xei Pai is moderately hidden behind the shop of the main street. MingMing walks with her in the less crowded street compared to this morning as most of the vegetables have been sold and the farmers are loading what's left of their poultry back into the card before heading back. The merchants are gathering their exotic trinkets and herbs to set out for the inn they are staying at to rest.

MingMing walks past the main gate where she roots herself at, staring at his wide back as though he's grown a head until she recalls his great escape last night. The alleyway behind the high walls of her residence is creeping with vines trying to get to the top but fails in the face of the gardener that would always trim off those unwelcoming tendrils once it's able to reach the peak.

"Nobody's used this gate since my brother..." tendrils grip the rails of the gate in a death lock, swallowing it so the metallic features are part of the stone walls until MingMing slips a hand through the gap and pulls the lock that keeps the gate from swinging open at the merest gust of wind.

At the mention, her throat goes dry and Xei Pai wants nothing more than to push the swarming memories to the back of her head, ceasing to talk further about the matter, "thank you for your services."

"My services?" MingMing raises an impressed eyebrow as though caught off guard by the change of nature in what she was about to say but does not question it, "I guess you can call it that."

"Glad we agree," she hold out her hand under her cloak, chest full with pride at his easy admittance, "see you again then, my lord."

"My lady," he chuckles, grasping her hand in a firm grip, satisfying her suspicions about the muscles underneath the wrinkly clothing and even last night in a jacket, they were still visible to the naked eye, "do I look like a lord to you?"

Xei Pai stares at him, torn. The thought has been visited her mind once or twice since your questionable encounter and plenty during when she tossed and turned last night, attempting to fall asleep but finding herself unable to perform what seemed to be a minimal task for those enigmatic eyes haunt her every time her lids close.

If he was not a nobleman and turned out to be just some common thief, her motives for keeping such a meeting with a stranger to herself would be most outrageous. But had something in the mansion be reported missing, it would be on her…

"I'm sorry for letting the thief go," he seems to have understood the turmoil within herself from her lagged reply; scratching the back of his head, he apologizes "I could've stopped him but when I saw you there─ all I could think of was stopping you from going further into the wretched area and getting you out of there unscathed."

"You were right," she demurs, recalling MingMing mentioning the lawless state of that side of the town and meet his eyes as a new sort of flame erupts in her chest, "the boy was trying to stay alive however..."

"If it is not safe," she squints her eyes, "why were you there?"

"I'm in peasant clothing, Xei Pai," he points out smartly almost proud of his exclamation, "you are not."

Then begs the question of why he was in rags when he's worn the most luxurious wear and fleshed off his rank which no doubt is far higher than her nor the people invited to the banquet last night or rather where he got such an attire but before the inquiry manages to leave her mouth, MingMing is inches from her face, so much so she can count every individual lash of his eyes and notice the indentation upon his cheekbone where a wound must have healed itself and left a scar in its wake.

Xei Pai can just tilt her chin like those men on their high horses do and their lips will touch. The thought alone brings about a wave of something, something she can't name for it is ridiculous to wish for intimacy from a stranger. Taking a few steps back, she clears your throat, reminding herself of her definitive rank and his unclear agendas.

"I was making sure you were alright," the explanation had come off instantly as though it's the most logical reason ever, portraying a fool out of her if not for the hands he's locking on his back as to cement his intentions as to ensuring she was alright and nothing more, a foot stiffly rubbing the back of his calf, "Are you alright, my lady?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," cheeks flaring from, she clamps her hands in front of her to hide her embarrassing presumptions; there is no way, not a single reason for MingMing to want to cover her lips with his, not that she wants him to either.

"I should go inside," she glides through the gate without waiting for his response, intending to escape the unbearable situation she got herself into and the aching knowledge that the sun is brilliant overhead; an indication that her mother has fully woken and aware of her lack of presence in the mansion though it is not the first but before she takes a step further, she turns back to her saviour, surer than ever.

"Ah, yes," MingMing's lips lifts skyward as he drops his head and tilts the tip of his hat, "my lady."

A few steps before she turns the corner to get to the end of the stoned path that marks the end and beginning of the walk through the garden, she throws her gaze over her shoulders. The metal gate looks ancient, untouched for so many years despite having waltzed through it just heartbeats ago.

The only reminder that she even met MingMing was the airy weight of her left palm which she uses to carry her pouch.