▨▨fmab━ rise of the horsemen ⇣

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ＪｅａｎＨａｖｏｃ



tab Was she nerdy? He had never really thought about it. Amy certainly did get excited about muscles and bones and he concluded that after she began touching the muscles on his shoulder. "I'm not sure actually. I'd have to hang out with you more before I decide if you're nerdy like the other doctors." Though she didn't seem like the rest of them. Who knew, maybe he was wrong.

He could understand not getting on the bad side of a nurse. Havoc thought it a blessing that most of the nurses liked him, because if not his life would be a living hell. They did everything from helping him with his medication to helping him out of bed at times. Most of the nurses had been his crutch during his stay here and Havoc found himself thankful for their help. Those girls truly did run the clinic whether the doctors were willing to admit it or not. "I agree with you there. The last doctor that was on my case had a hard time getting the nurses to work with him." He never did get the right medication or the right care, but all of that lead him to Amy, so he supposed it wasn't that bad.

She didn't have to do anything to get a hug. The fact that she knew he was fixable was enough for him. "You may not have done anything but you're the first person to give me any kind of good news." He informed her before scratching the back of his head. "It may sound silly but that really does mean a lot to me." He had heard nothing but negative feedback about his recovery and yet here was this doctor telling him that there was a slight chance of Havoc regaining control of his legs.

Amy was getting to her feet so he took that as his cue to move back to his chair. Using his hands to grip the arms of the wheelchair he hoisted himself up until he was comfortable seated. "If you aren't doing anything tonight, would you like to go out to dinner? To celebrate of course." Since he couldn't go on a date with her it was the best excuse he could come up with to take her out.







[[ooc;; ]]

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab Ｍｉｎｇ-ｈｕａ Ｚｈａｎｇ



tab The moment Ling opened his mouth and snapped at her that the problems with Xing was not the stone's doing, she knew she was had spoken out of turn. Ming-hua should have known better than to ask questions he had always refused to answer. "Of course, my apologies Emperor Yao." She replied, before looking away. The only time she ever addressed him with his proper title was when she was around the other court members, or in this case, if she remembered that her status was far beneath his own.

The waitress seemed to ease the tension with the vast amount of food she brought over. The court lady stared in both awe and concern as the plates filled what little of the table was left. Was Ling really going to eat all of that? It would explain why the food reserves back at home were lower than usual. The man could eat five times his weight in food. Looking around she noticed that a few Amestrians were gawking at the two and she couldn't help but crack a smile. It would seem Ling had a way of impressing people wherever he went.

The waitress clearly looked shocked as the man began finishing plate after plate in a matter of seconds. Ming-hua motioned for the waitress while the plates were up to Ling's ears. "Give me the check whenever its ready." She whispered to the girl with a kind smile. He was the emperor after all, and she would feel bad making him pay for everything. Their still stunned waitress nodded before walking off to take care of her other tables.

She had to admit the food was pretty good. It wasn't better than the food at home but it came to a close second. The food was richer and filled with less spices, which she didn't seem to mind. "I like mine a lot. I'm assuming you like yours?" She questioned, noting that he had already went through half of the plates. "Slow down before you choke on something." She felt like a mother hen, scolding him like that. It was hard not too though what with Ling acting like a child who hadn't eaten in days.


[[ooc;; ]]

[Catastrophic Cherie]

the young emperor of Xing - - - Ling Yao

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

His lips pressed down into a small frown when she addressed him so formally, going so far as to call him by his given family name. He should not have lashed his frustrations out on her, but what else was he to do when she pushed him into a corner like that. He took those accusations of the cursed stone personally since he had been the one to bring it into their country and turn it over to the old lord. That would make it his fault, wouldn't it?

Luckily, lunch provided a wonderful distraction to return things as to how they were before curiosity killed the cat mood. Ling was hardly privy to the attention he was attracting as he was too engrossed with stuffing his face to the brim. His head eagerly bobbed up and down at her question. While Xingese cuisine would always be his comfort food since he'd grown up on her, he still craved dishes from Amestris while back at court. Though he had tried instructing the chefs on how to prepare these meals as best as he could to his ability - which wasn't very well since the young lord had no experience in the kitchen - it was never the same. He looked up mid bite when Ming-hua chided him for eating too fast. Obediently, he began to chew his food slower and swallowed instead of just inhaling.

After they were done eating, the waitress came by with the check, handing it straight to Ming-hua as she had requested it without him knowing. "You shouldn't be doing that," he protested immediately. Perhaps for anyone else he'd be happy to pass off the bill, but not for Ming-hua. "I'm the one that racked it up." Considering she had ordered only one thing, while he had.. well, he lost count after the fourth plate. But this was a battle he was not winning. "Fine. But I'm paying for the opera," he said stubbornly, refusing to give on at least that.

After their lunch was paid for, the two departed across the intersection and further down the road to the grand opera house. People were lining up to purchase their tickets from the booth. Reaching the front of the line, Ling declared that he wanted the best seats in the house. Why not? This may very well be the only time he would get to do this, so why not enjoy it as much as possible. Though the total reached into the third digits, he had no second thoughts as he handed her the money. Ling wore a bright, excited smile as he pulled Ming-hua into the building and handed over their pair of tickets. The usher escorted them to the box seats. Though he did not know who they were, he knew they must be important as only the well off and important figures could afford to sit in the private box seats, and he treated them with the utmost respect, offering to fetch them anything they might desire. "I think we'll be okay," he said, turning down his offers for champagne or wine considering how Ming-hua hadn't handled her drink well last night. He brought them opera glasses to better see the show once it began and excused himself.

He sat down in the plush seat. Being high up, they had an excellent view of all of the stage, though it was concealed by the red curtains at the moment. Ling held up the golden goggles to his eyes, finding them quite silly looking, and looked at a magnified version of Ming-hua with an amused grin. "Is this what the world looks like to Dong Hai?" he joked, referencing another old court man who wore thick round spectacles that constantly fell down his nose. He caught her golden eyes in the lens, able to see all the fiery flecks up close. "You have very pretty eyes, Ming," he complimented, the words falling out on their own accord. After calling him by his official title, he wondered if it would be out of place to refer to her with such an informal nickname. He had never called her anything other than her full name before since they tended to always be in the presence of the other advisors.

[Catastrophic Cherie]

◁ ▬ ✹ SO, WHEN YOU GIVE THAT LOOK TO ME ﹥﹥﹥

✴✻ I BETTER ↙ LOOK BACK ¸
✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ CARE ↔ FULLY ✻
▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE
▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE
x░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░

XXX ♡ ∥ ﹥﹥﹥ WHY LEAVE WHEN I ` VE GOT 『 Y O U 』 BABY ???
XXXXXXXXXXit ` s a risk but babe, i need the thrill ━

I NEVER SAID YOU ` D BE EASY , BUT IF IT WAS ALL UP TO ME , I ` D BE NO TROUBLE

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
HEY, WE ` RE IN TROUBLE

Had any of her other patients invited her to a celebratory dinner, she probably would have turned them down. But Jean was different. While she always made it a point to try and be cordial with her clients, the two clicked in a more friendly manner than she normally conducted herself, likely from the out of the workplace bonding that took place last night. He was quickly worming himself to be her favorite for more reasons than just one. She did shamelessly eye him up, but his easy attitude was just fun - how could she not work off of it. Amy was quite satisfied she didn't let her initial inhibitions about his drive prevent her accepting his case, as she was seeing more and more of it by the minute. "Oh, why not," she agreed. It wasn't like she wouldn't be picking something up to take home since her kitchen never got any use - partly because she had never learned to cook for herself and partly because take out saved time and effort. So why not sit deal for a meal with company?

Fast forward to Amelia yelling in the locker room about still not being able to find her shoes. "Calm down. I save them last night. Here, here." Nadia, bless her, presented the heels she had abandoned last night. Because even if she took a certain pleasure in seeing what fools her friends could make of themselves when their better judgments were compromised, she still watched out for them.

"And this isn't a date?" Cecelia eyed the doctor's attire with a quirked eyebrow as Amelia stepped into her heels.

She had traded out her work out clothes for a slim black dress since it was the only thing she had in her locker besides her outfit from last night. She followed Cece's skeptical gaze to look down at herself. "No," she reaffirmed sternly. "I wear this at work all the time," she defended since it was her spare set of clothes in the event of nights like the one before. "What's so wrong with people getting together over dinner to rejoice good news?" She pulled out the tie that she had thrown her hair up in this morning and gave an aghast yelp at how frazzled her hair was let down.

"I fix! I fix!" Nadia quickly comforted, fixing the auburn's hair up in a neater, more polished bun than the one she'd been sporting earlier.

"Have fun," the two women bid to Amy as she left from work to go pick up Havoc.

She shut off the car in front of his residence, taking a deep breath. Why was she getting nervous now? This was not a date. This was just a get together. Because if this had been a date, she never would have agreed. Right. She checked herself in the rear view mirror, having a last minute decision to paint her lips with red lipstick. Stepping out of the car, she walked up the pathway to the door and placed a gentle knock. She took a moment to glance around. It was a nice looking place.

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ＪｅａｎＨａｖｏｃ



tab For a good second he thought she was going to say no, but Amy was full of surprises. She agreed and the ex-sniper found himself beaming with pride. "I will see you after work than." He had wheeled himself out of the physical therapy room by than. "Oh right...You probably need my address." He wanted to pick her up but under his condition that wasn't going to happen. Motioning for a nurse he asked for a pen and paper and she was quick to provide it for him. He wrote down his address and directions before handing it to Amy. "See you soon Dr. Parker." He gave a small grin before wheeling himself out.

He waited outside; realizing he didn't have anyone to pick him up. Wheeling himself back inside he used the phone to call Mustang, who was quick to answer. "Do you think you can give me a ride home?" Havoc asked, noting that there was yelling in the background. It was probably Hawkeye. Mustang had a way of pissing the lieutenant off to no end. "I would be more than happy to." There was a pause and he heard Mustang's muffled voice, "I'll get to it later Lieutenant! Havoc needs me." There was a thump and he assumed it was a book being thrown at the colonel's head. "Gotta go, see you in a few minutes." Mustang quickly hung up, leaving an amused Havoc sitting there.

Just as he promised the colonel was there in a few minutes. The right side of his face was red but he didn't elaborate on how that happened. Helping his friend into the car, the state alchemist was quick to drive off. "How was therapy?" He questioned with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrow. "Good, actually. I found out that my legs can be saved. Also, I'm taking Amy out to dinner." Mustang laughed happily before slapping his friend on the back. "Great news and a date? It must be your lucky day!" The sniper quickly shook his head. "Its not a date." But the colonel wouldn't hear of it.

When he got home he thanked Mustang and went to his room to figure out what in the world he was going to wear. Should he dress casual or dress up? Well, he was taking out a doctor so she would probably want to go somewhere nice. He rummaged through his closet till he found a good looking button up and some black slacks. The button up was tight around his muscular arms but it fit pretty well in his opinion. Once he was dressed he took out a cigarette and smoked quickly to calm his nerves.

There was a knock on the door and Havoc wheeled himself over; throwing his cigarette in the ashtray before opening the door up. Amy looked lovely in her black dress and he found himself practically gawking at her. Quickly shaking his head he smiled, and wheeled himself out. "Sorry you had to come and pick me up. Feel free to pick where we eat, it'll be my treat." He offered while closing the door behind him.







[[ooc;; ]]

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab Ming-hua couldn't help but giggle as he slowed down after being scolded. Ling truly was like a child and it was times like this that made her wonder how in the world he had become Emperor. If it wasn't for that stone there was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't be sitting on the throne. He had stacked up most, if not all of his plates in less than an hour. Most of them were licked clean and the court lady found herself staring in amazement. Honestly, where did it all go?

The waitress came back with their check and she quickly took it before Ling could. The bill was large, ranging into the triple digits but she didn't look worried. She was paid well working for the emperor and her father had slipped in a few extra coins after realizing she would be traveling. Looking up at Ling the woman rolled her eyes. "Since when do you complain about someone paying for your meal?" He was always so adamant on letting the elder court members pay for his food, so in her mind it shouldn't be any different. Ming paid in cash of course and gave a rather generous tip to their waitress before they left.

Crossing the intersection she found herself looping her arm through Ling's again. It was beginning to be a habit and probably a dangerous one on her part. If the court members every found out she was this close to the emperor they would have her head. A few blocks down the street and they made it to the opera house. She wasn't all that surprised when Ling decided to get the best seats available. He was the emperor after all, and only the best should have been provided for him.

What she didn't expect was the service offered to those who bought the best seats. Their box was private; fit for two and so high up that she could barely see the people down below. The stage was so big but for now a velvet curtain blocked her view. They didn't get anything to drink which she was thankful for, but Ming-hua was happy enough to take the glasses. She stared down at them in confusion for a moment, not sure how such large glasses would help her.

She took the seat next to Ling; feeling like she was sinking on the plush cushion. She pulled the glasses up to look through them and her face wrinkled in surprise. Everything was so big! She quickly took them off seeing as how the show hadn't started yet. Turning to look at Ling she laughed, noting just how silly he looked. "I'm sure it does." She mused.

Ming-hua's cheeks flushed a bright pink at his compliment. It had been a few weeks since someone bothered to call her Ming. Back at home her parents and brothers called her that, along with her good friends. She never thought the emperor would ever call her that though. "T-Thank you, Ling." She stuttered out before turning her gaze back to the stage. The lights began to dim and the curtains were pulling back, which meant it was time for the show to start. She pulled her glasses back over her face to get a better look. "I'm so excited! I've heard so much about Amestrian plays." She had always wanted to see one, but of course her family didn't have the money to travel to another country. Now though she found herself wanting to jump up and down with joy.

[[ooc;; ]]

[Catastrophic Cherie]

the young emperor of Xing - - - Ling Yao

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ling was left flustered when she questioned why he should suddenly care if someone else was picking up the tab. He didn't have an answer other than he simply didn't want her spending money on him. This feeling was an unusual deviation from his norm, and he found himself wondering as well why he had these reservations. It wasn't because Ming-hua was a woman because he'd had other ladies open up their purse strings on his behalf without batting an eye. Just being his friend wasn't enough because he probably relied on the hospitality the people closet to him the most. Because he could not think of a rational explanation, he found his thoughts deviating to the immature excuse of an emperor's desire did not need to be questioned, it simply was.

Ling answered her thanks with only a happy smile, taking the fact that she had not complained that the nickname was something he was allowed to use from here forward. He was elated to hear her using his first name again as he wished. Hopefully this was a sign that she was no longer agitated with him or his blatant aversions. Things had returned back to exactly as they should be, carefree and fun. The overhead lights dimmed overhead and the low hum of people conversing with one another began to die down. The curtains sliding towards the edges of the stage drew his attention forward as his eyes danced over the painted scenery and props.

Ming-hua's enthusiasm only seemed to resonate his own to a greater frequency as he eagerly scooted up to the edge of his seat. "Me too!" he whispered excitedly. It was Alphonse who seemed to share a love of story-telling, offering Amestrian folk tales to the willing ears of Ling and Mei during their stay here in exchange for the lore of Xing. While some of the royal household may be open to the myths of their own country, the ones of this one did not interest them. Ming was the only one who could understand the marvel of Amestrian plays as he did. He stared with wondrous eyes through the glasses down at the stage as a circle of light moved down to illuminate the actors. The speech was something he was not accustomed to; he had never heard anyone in Amestris talk like that. With close attention, he was able to pick up on what the strange words likely meant by comparing them to the modern language he knew. It was a story taking place in ancient times when countries like Xerxes still thrived, which only perked his engrossment to this play even higher.

|| ooc | I think I'll let you do the play since you're more familiar with it. I watched a spark notes video xD ||

[Catastrophic Cherie]

◁ ▬ ✹ SO, WHEN YOU GIVE THAT LOOK TO ME ﹥﹥﹥

✴✻ I BETTER ↙ LOOK BACK ¸
✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ CARE ↔ FULLY ✻
▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE
▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE
x░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░

XXX ♡ ∥ ﹥﹥﹥ WHY LEAVE WHEN I ` VE GOT 『 Y O U 』 BABY ???
XXXXXXXXXXit ` s a risk but babe, i need the thrill ━

I NEVER SAID YOU ` D BE EASY , BUT IF IT WAS ALL UP TO ME , I ` D BE NO TROUBLE

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
HEY, WE ` RE IN TROUBLE

When the door opened to reveal a rather dashing looking Havoc, she found herself a little dazed - blame it on the hormones. Did she notice the way his shirt hugged his arms, the way the fabric stretched against the planes of the relaxed deltoids and draped flatteringly down the extensors? No, of course not. Never mind the fact she had been praising the very same physique last night after the aid of some old fashioned liquid courage. And she definitely was not staring despite having to consciously avert her eyes back to his face. It was probably only her beginning to feel awkward, but she opened her mouth to diffuse it anyways. "You certainly know how to clean up," she complimented.

"Well, I wasn't going to make you walk," she said snarkily as they walked back to her car. She bit her tongue as she realized her comment. "Sorry," she offered an apologetic smile in his direction. She knew some people could be touchy about these sort of slip ups, and she didn't know where Jean landed on that spectrum. Opening the passenger door of the automobile, she helped get both him and his chair settled into the car. "I would have added it to your bills anyways," she joked with a wide grin. "Right under miscellaneous services rendered."

She got back into the driver's seat and took off down the road. "I'm sort of a self-proclaimed connoisseur of food," she boasted, leaving out the part of only becoming one because she was a disaster waiting to happen in the kitchen. "I know this little Aeurgian joint," she suggested even though he had left it up to her. "Do you live by yourself?" she asked curiously, glancing at him in the corner of her eye in between paying attention to the road.

Soon enough they were pulling up to the aforementioned establishment, Aerulos. Living in the city and working in the downtown area, she had mastered the art of parallel parking. She hopped out to get his wheel chair out for him so that he could leave the vehicle, and once that was done, she walked along side next to him up through the doors of the restaurant. "Dining in tonight, Ms. Parker?" the hostess and wife of the owner greeted upon recognizing one of their frequent customers who was usually a take out, but had a guest with her tonight. Amelia nodded her head in response. "Just the two of you then? Follow me, I'll get you set up somewhere quiet," the older woman said warmly, grabbing two menus and leading the pair to a small table in the corner, out of the way from the other diners. Aerulos was small - not in the cramped sort of way, but in the cozy, intimate fashion. Popular enough to keep it's doors open, but not so much that there was usually a long wait. Amy sat down at the table, thanking Mrs. Papadopoulos before she left the two of them to themselves.

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ＪｅａｎＨａｖｏｃ



tab He tried his best to look good for the women that he took out to dinner. Wheelchair or not, he wasn't about to let something like that keep him from looking his best. Havoc noticed the way her eyes would move from his face to his arms. Amy had an odd fetish with arm muscles, or so he noticed upon the first time meeting her. She had practically drooled over them when she inspected him to the first time and so he was playing on that one feature if anything else.

When he mentioned walking he shrugged it off. It happened multiple times with not only her but Mustang as well. For some reason people felt bad when mentioning it but Havoc learned that it was something he would have to get used to. It wasn't like there was a cure out there but with Amy's new information he was starting to grow hopeful. "Don't worry, happens all the time." He informed her with a bright smile. He wouldn't hold it against her, not when so many others before her made the same mistake.

He rolled his eyes before letting out a hardy laugh. When they got to the car he placed his hands on the seat arm and lifted himself out of the wheelchair and into the seat. By now he was used to doing stuff like this and grew comfortable with it no matter how tall the car was. Buckling himself up he close the door and looked out over the road as Amy began driving. "Really? Well its my lucky night then." He joked before looking her up and down. In that black dress she truly was stunning.

Havoc frowned, not sure how to answer her when asked if he lived alone. The last thing he wanted to admit was that his mother lived with him. After all, one tended to lose a lot of respect from the ladies once they found out that he was a momma's boy. "My mother stays with me from time to time to make sure I'm okay, but usually I'm alone." It was partly true since his mother was always out with her friends our at work. Still, Mrs. Havoc worried about her baby boy constantly and so felt the need to be around him whenever she got the chance.

When they got to Aerulos he effortlessly got back into his wheelchair; even going so far as to close the door behind him before wheeling himself to the doors. He opened the door for Amy; letting her walk in before wheeling in behind her. The place was pretty, small, and had the kind of atmosphere that would have been perfect for a first date, but of course, this was not a date. At least, Havoc had to remind himself of that small fact.

The hostess moved them to a small corner of the restaurant that was away from most people. He looked around, noting that the place was full but there were a few empty tables just in case more customers decided to show up. "Wow, this place is very nice. You really do have good taste." He complimented before opening up the menu. "What's your favorite dish here?" For now Havoc was keeping to small talk but that was only out of nervousness than anything else.







[[ooc;; Mrs. Papadopoulos...What a name lol]]

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab Sitting back in her chair, Ming watched the play unfold. It truly was an amazing piece of art and reminded her of the fairy tales back at home. Granted, the speech was very different, but they were almost the same in a way. The story took place in Athens, which at the time was supposed to be an old city that was south of Amestris. The story began with two lovers; a love triangle, and a very angry father. Ming found herself feeling sorry for Hermia, for she loved Lysander but her father wanted her to marry Demetrius. She could understand where the main character, Hermia, was coming from seeing as how her father had made quite a few marriage arrangements that Ming-hua did not agree with. She was simply lucky that her mother quickly put an end to those arrangements before anything permanent happened. Her job at court didn't hurt her chances either, since many suitors quickly walked away upon hearing that she was a member at court.

The lovers decide to elope and so the story went on, but the scene changed to a group who was supposed to perform for the king and queen. She giggled, watching the men make fools of themselves. "What would you do if those fools showed up and performed this play for you?" She questioned Ling as she watched. It was amusing to say the least and the crowd below was roaring with laughter. While she did enjoy it, Ming wanted to hear about what happened to Lysander and Hermia more than these foolish play writes. Instead, act two showed two figures that peaked her interest; Oberon and Titania; two fairy royals that she had read about in Amestrian books.

Ming seemed rather interested in folk lore and this was no different. Fairies were a common myth back in Xing as well but they weren't as mischievous as the ones in Amestrian folklore. The two fairies in the play got into a nasty argument, and all because of a little servant boy. She shook her head, but had a small smile on her face as the fairy, Puck, screw up one way or another. "He reminds me of you." Ming pointed out, before giving a smile to Ling.

Puck made a rather large mistake when Oberon ordered him to help two lovers, for when the couples woke up, everything became chaotic. Due to the flower's magic, Lysander accidentally falls in love with Helena and Ming felt even worse for Hermia. It must have been hard watching her lover fall in love with someone else. While all this is going on Puck turns one of the craftsmen into a donkey! Ming found herself giggling as the queen of fairies fell in love with the poor and rather confused young man.

The curtains closed from there, and Ming's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Was it done already? "The play will continue in fifteen minutes." An announcer claimed through the speakers. She had completely forgotten that plays tended to take breaks in between different acts. This play in particular took its break half way through the acts. Putting her goggles down she stretched her arms up to the ceiling and looked over to Ling. "I'm having a wonderful time! Thank you so much for taking me here." Without thinking she reached over and hugged him tightly; her head resting against his chest as she did so. Upon realizing what she did the young woman quickly pulled away and rubbed the back of her head. "S-Sorry..." It was a force of habit to hug her friends, and she mentally scolded herself for even bothering to touch the emperor.

[[ooc;; soo I figured I'd do little summaries of each act. I'll finish the play up in my next post if you want?]]

[Catastrophic Cherie]

the young emperor of Xing - - - Ling Yao

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The fact that the story opened with a tale of crossed lovers did not bother Ling because he was secretly a sucker for a heart-warming romance story. He lived vicariously through the characters because he knew not what love was. His clan elder was always keen to keep him busy with his training for the competition against his half siblings for the throne. Any interest he showed in the opposite sex was dissuaded against as it was seen as a distraction. Though no one ever said it outright, it was always the presumption that his choice to marry would not be own. Either he would become emperor and take a wife from each clan, or Elder Yao would arrange a suitable match. Seeing as how he had abolished the royal marriage tradition, it really was up in the air on how the matter would be dealt with now as there was no precedence. There was a time where he thought himself in love with Lan Fan, and in a way he was right to call it that, but he had not understood the different forms love took. It was Greed who helped him on that path because he too was learning what love was. He still loved Lan Fan, but now he understood that he cared for her as a friend, as family.

Poor Lysander. All he wanted to do was marry this woman he loved, but the woman's father would not allow it, preferring a different man despite his daughter not caring for his choice of suitor. And this king declared Hermia must obey her father. What decision would he make? It was not uncommon in their culture for parents to treat marriage as business rather than a relationship. He'd like to think he would take Hermia's feelings into consideration, but the circumstances of why her father wished for her to marry Demetrius could not be ignored.

He laughed heartily as the play took a comedic turn. "I would think someone is surely playing a joke on me," he answered her hypothetical question. Because it was so awful, they could not be serious. "Then I would request they let me participate in their play as well!" Ling enjoyed being part of the fun more than being on the sidelines. The council would never allow him to behave so foolishly though.

Again, the scene changed to new characters. Characters who were not human, but fairies. While he still wore a giddy smile from the previous acts antics, he quieted to watch this new part of the unfolding story. He cocked his head when Ming-hua spoke up again, glancing at the fairy, Puck, that she referred to. "Hah! But I would not make so many mistakes," he proclaimed with a cocky grin.

When one of the commoners was turned into a donkey during their rehearsal and the fairy queen feel in love with this absurd creature, Ling found himself cackling at the hilarity. "And what if you found yourself in love with a donkey man?" he asked playfully, nudging her in the side.

His mouth scrunched in displeasure as the lights in the hall came back on and the curtains closed on the scene. How could it be over? They hadn't said what happened to everyone? Surely the fairy king didn't leave Helena to be pursued by both men and left Hermia alone. This was a terrible ending. Because it wasn't one. It was only an intermission it seemed. That made sense. Ling dropped his glasses into his lap, pulling his legs up into the chair and crossing them. "Thank you for coming with me!" His eyes widened slightly in surprise when her arms were suddenly around him. His heart began to pound in his chest at the contact; it was something he was not so used to. That wasn't to say he didn't like it, actually he was disappointed when she pulled away just as quickly as she'd been against him. He grabbed her, pulling her back against his chest with an embrace of his own, "You don't need to apologize to me." He let go, but held onto her shoulders to that she would look at him as he spoke, "I wanted to be treated like any other of your friends."

|| ooc | Yup, you can do the rest of the play in your post. ||

[Catastrophic Cherie]

◁ ▬ ✹ SO, WHEN YOU GIVE THAT LOOK TO ME ﹥﹥﹥

✴✻ I BETTER ↙ LOOK BACK ¸
✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ CARE ↔ FULLY ✻
▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE
▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ CAUSE THIS IS TROUBLE ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ YEAH THIS IS TROUBLE
x░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░

XXX ♡ ∥ ﹥﹥﹥ WHY LEAVE WHEN I ` VE GOT 『 Y O U 』 BABY ???
XXXXXXXXXXit ` s a risk but babe, i need the thrill ━

I NEVER SAID YOU ` D BE EASY , BUT IF IT WAS ALL UP TO ME , I ` D BE NO TROUBLE

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
HEY, WE ` RE IN TROUBLE

"I'm glad you have someone looking out for you. I was worried I might have to deal with nurses fighting among themselves on who would be lucky enough to get to check up on you," she shook her head at the notion as she spoke. It wasn't recommended that people with limited mobility had no one at all popping in from time to time. If there were no family or friends to take up the task, someone from the hospital would volunteer some time. "I haven't had the pleasure personally, but I hear for the girls that your mother is just lovely. You should have invited her along," she commented. Because it wasn't a date, that wouldn't have been weird, right? Well.. maybe she was glad she didn't have her patient's mother there to catch her gawking at her son, the person she was supposed to be treating. "You should let me meet her sometime," she suggested. "I've sneaked some of the cookies she left for the nurses.They're to die for," she said, revealing her true motivation for wanting him to bring his mother around the hospital sometime. She wanted her own baked goodies. "I live alone myself. When I'm home, that is," she offered about herself, but she wasn't sure why she felt the need to tell him so.

"I told you so," she said haughtily. What, did he doubt that she was serious? Green eyes peered over the menu. "Mm, it's really all good. But if you want some suggestions the veal and the fish is always good. My personal favorite is the moussaka. It's sort of like a casserole," she rattled on, finding herself talking much more with her butterflies.

A waitress came by to get their drinks. Given last night's actions, she should have been wiser than to order a glass of pinot noir wine, but she desperately needed something to settle her nerves. Even if this wasn't a date, it was still inciting that same jitters. One glass. That was her limit. She did not need another replay of this morning's hangover. She crossed her ankles, looking at him across the table. The soft lighting and the ambiance only enhanced his already good-looking features. "Did you grow up in Central?" she asked. She was very inquisitive naturally, asking a great deal of questions in her line of work. But she'd long since ventured past what she would find in charts. Now she was simply just interested in him.The waitress brought their drinks by which she thankfully received, raising the glass to her lips.

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ＪｅａｎＨａｖｏｃ



tab Havoc didn't doubt her per say but he didn't think she'd know such a small, yet fancy place. Than again she was a doctor, so surely she knew plenty of upper class places. Usually he got take out with Mustang but it was nice to eat at somewhere a little more upper class every once in a while. "We wouldn't want that now would we?" It made him wonder if she wanted to check up on him more often. Maybe he should have lied about his mother stopping by all the time. "You're more than welcome to come and check up on me if you ever feel the need to." His tone was far too flirtatious and he quickly reminded himself that this was not a date.

Talking about his mother though made the blond roll his eyes slightly. His mother was...A mess. She enjoyed babying her only son, treating him like a child even though he was older than dirt. He supposed it was due to the fact that he was a soldier and his mother was always afraid of loosing him. Either that or she felt bad because there was nothing she could do to comfort him after being plagued with nightmares. "She doesn't like to eat out much." Which was true. She would rather sit at home and cook something. "How about you come over for dinner next week? I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you." Of course Mrs. Havoc would be thrilled to see the woman who was going to heal her son.

He smirked, laughing at the mention of cookies. His mother did make the most wonderful desserts. "If you come over I'll tell her to make a basket of cookies just for you." He teased. "She likes to suck up to the nurses so she can visit longer." At least that's what he always assumed.

Looking at the menu he had decided on some veal. It had been a while since he ate it and he wasn't really in the mood for fish. Havoc was happy to listen to her talk about her favorite food. It was cute the way she got excited so easily. He always did enjoy listening to people talk about their favorite foods or hobbies. It was the way that their face lit up that really got his attention and at the moment Amy had him wrapped around her fingers.

When the waitress came by he ordered himself a glass of Merlot. He wasn't about to drink heavy but he needed something to ease his nerves. "No, I actually grew up in the East. My parents own a general store in one of the smaller towns back there." He was a country boy at heart. "Did you grow up in Central?" He knew very few people that did. Now a days though it seemed more families were moving into the already crowded city.







[[ooc;; ]]

[Mrs Ushiwaka]

tab If Ming-hua's cheeks weren't bright red before they surely were now. The last thing she expected was for Ling to pull her back into a hug. Her heart seemed to beat a mile per minute and she couldn't understand why. It was just Ling, so why was she so nervous all of a sudden? She hugged her friends all the time, so this shouldn't be any different. She figured it was due to the fact that he was the emperor and therefore she shouldn't be hugging him, period. When he let go she wanted to retreat back into her seat but it was impossible with him holding onto her shoulders.

Ming barely peered up at him and her lips were pressed into a thin line as he claimed he wanted her to treat him like all of her other friends. While that would be nice it most certainly wasn't possible. He was her boss, technically, and it would be inappropriate if she did treat him like everyone else. "But you aren't like any of my other friends." She blurted out and quickly realized how rude that sounded. "Not that I don't think of you like all of my other friends, but I mean, your the emperor. Wouldn't that be weird? I couldn't very well go around hugging you back at home..." It would get her fired, or killed for that matter.

She wanted so badly to act normal around Ling but she found it increasingly hard. It wasn't hard to be comfortable around him but she had to remember that he was her superior, and therefore she could not be comfortable around him. "I like my job as a court member, and I don't want to lose it because I did something stupid." She sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "But, I guess its okay since its just the two of us right now." If anyone else were present she wouldn't be acting this way to begin with.

Before she could say anything else the lights began to dim again. Ming took it as her cue to pay attention to the stage again. She gently wiggled her shoulders out of his grasp and pulled her goggles on. At least she had the show to distract her for the moment.

The play picked back up with Oberon practically yelling at Puck to fix his mistakes. The fairy did as he was told and tried his best, but it was useless without the fairy king's help. Eventually, the king was able to release the spell on Lysander and Demetrius. All were fast asleep, and even the queen was released from her spell after promising that she would give up the boy to the king.

When Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia woke up they felt like they had been in a strange dream, but the audience knew the truth. It was Theseus and Hippolyta that found the four and they explained everything to their king. Demetrius realized his love for Helena and Lysander was still madly in love with Hermia. The king took that into consideration and brought them all to the wedding temple for a feast. There the three couples were wed, and lived happily ever after, but what of the craftsmen?

The last scene, and ending of the play, was probably her favorite scene. The craftsmen were able to perform their play for not only the new king and queen, but for the other newly weds as well. Their performance was silly but entertaining none the less. When the play ended the cast members came out to bow and everyone stood up to clap; Ming doing the same as everyone else. The curtains were drawn back in place and the lighting changed yet again. She pulled her glasses off and clapped her hands together happily. It was a wonderful play, one she wouldn't mind seeing again.

[[ooc;; ]]

[Catastrophic Cherie]

the young emperor of Xing - - - Ling Yao

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ling snorted in offense to her rash statement, turning up his nose, but Ming-hua was quick to amend to clarify what she had meant when she said he was not considered like the rest of her friends. He tilted his head, his bangs falling over right eye. "Why would it be weird?" he questioned, confused. He didn't think it would be weird at all. He expressed himself physically quite often and thought nothing of it. Because as he thought about it, he thought on how the old men may be unhappy for Ling to be so brazenly showing his preferences for Ming's company. And because they could not take their annoyance at not being the emperor's favorite adviser on their sworn lord, Ming would become the object of their disdain more than she already was. "But we are not at home," he pointed out, always one for finding the loop hole if there was one to be found.

Ling took her hands and clasped them within his own. "I do not wish to put your job in jeopardy, but you can't get in trouble for what they don't know," he winked, an impish smile playing at his lips. "You will treat me as much in private, at least," he posed this not as a request, but as a command. While getting away with their 'improper' behavior was easy right now without a palace full of staff keeping an ever watchful eye, he would personally find a way around prying eyes and eavesdropping ears once they returned home.

He allowed her to be free as the theater grew dark once more, signaling the beginning of the final half of the play. Ling sat back against his chair, his legs still folded on top of the seat. He rose the binoculars back up to his eyes, turned his head back to face the front. A resolution was to be found as the fairy king lifted the love spell that plagued everyone. A happy ending was had for everyone with marriage of the two couples with the Athenian king and queen. Even the common citizens had merry finale as they were able to put on their performance. When the final scene drew to an end and the entire cast came out to bow for the audience, Ling was wearing a lively grin. He jumped to his feet, clapping his hands together with the rest of the crowd. That was a fine ending, with everyone having their happily ever after. Truth be told, those were his favorite, when everyone got what they wanted. Why tell a story that ended in heart ache and misery? There was plenty of that in real life to go around.