longri-la The Wise Dragons of Longri-La (Closed)

[Bellosh]

 

Entertained by Àilóng's attempt to reestablish his regalness, Yù Yuè granted the serpent dragon a smile of heavenly pureness; it was all that she needed to communicate back. And a nod was all the qilin needed to express a desire for tea. Indeed, she spoke not another word... until her personal bodyguard was encouraged to discuss the value of hobbies by the Matron.

 

"Feng is correct," the Empress mused; "Without the blessing of leisure time, the body and soul fall victim to the unnatural drudgery of monotony. Nature works as harmonious as it does because at its heart... Nature is a cycle of changes. All beings can reach their full potential when they are one with nature; when they open themselves.. to the cycle of changes. So that means yes, the superior being avoids extinguishing their inner fire... by cherishing a pastime or two outside their usual duties."

Yuè heartily chuckled, realizing she just pulled a lecture on spiritual matters out of nowhere. "Sometimes, heh heh,” the royal mare mildly blushed; “This forgetful mare has to be reminded of those facts by her very servants....."

[Dubstep]

Woo! Àilóng managed to save face! Mostly...Kind of. He hoped anyway. That little not-smirk of Yuè's though...Gosh she was just as much of a tease as she once was. It was nice to see that being stuck in a stuffy throne didn't change her too much. The only things that really had changed since the Serpent King last saw her was she had grown taller and prettier. Er. More regal. Yeah, that was it. Really.

Either way Àilóng was full glad to avoid being pressed for embarrassing details of their childhood. Cus blessed ancestors did they all have something on the other. Childhood was a crazy time. Even when you live in a place such as Longri-La! Kids will, after all, be kids. But yes, tea! The King was always a fan of White Tea himself. Especially when it was of high pekoe value. Sure lesser pekoe teas were fine, but there really was a difference a dust and a finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe...He really would have to talk to someone about shortening those names though. Talk about tongue twisters...

Shaking and then nodding his head, Àilóng spoke up. "Indeed, balance within and balance without. Just as one must strive to find the balance to their negatives and positives, so too must one be able to find the balance between work and pleasure. This world was not made with only toil in mind. Remember, when you are older you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than that which you did." the serpent said with an air of confidence that really was rather majestic, especially considering the entrance he made.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

All the possibilities listed was starting to make the painter's head spin.Oh wait, no it wasn't the knowledge making her head spin. It was something else. The breath that washed over the group, released from the matron was making the unicorn's nose twitch with each listing of the floral options.Lotus and cherry blossom reminded her sinuses of the itches and tickles that would accompany the pleasant scents, but the all the spicy aromas that followed would be the painter's downfall. Her jaws parted as she took several sharp intakes, her body seizing control from her to deal with these pesky irritants. 

"Ahh..."

 

Feng, if he had read the reports of the first encounter with the empress in the garden back in Equestria might have an idea what that sound meant for all in the immediate vicinity. 

 

"Ehhhh..." 

 

Yu definitely would have an idea what this would mean. She had been spared the wrath of a somewhat chaotic burst of unicorn magic, but back then her chamberlain had not been so lucky. Presteza wasn't sure that that poor fellow had gotten all the curls out of his mane. Soon though any worried in her mind faded as her motor functions were seized to focus solely on the task at hand. 

 

"HAAAAAH!" 

 

On the last gasp of air her horn sparked up brightly and...

"HAAAH-TSHIIEW!" She forced out a strong sneeze that seemed to make her leap of the ground and send a sphere of magical energy around her, engulfing all present: Long, longma and qilin alike. Once the flash had faded, Both the dragon's would find their manes had been turned to a fluffy almost woolen texture that went down the entire length of them. Yu and Feng woudl find their mane's having been blown back as if they'd been caught in a gale force wind and never noticed, and everyone seemed to have levitated about a hoof higher for a moment before drifting slowly down. The perpetrator of the haywire bit of magic seemed to be rather dizzy and winded after that, "Um.... Sorry. Allergies. Just lemme catch my breath... and I'll conjure up the fail safe spell." She said in-between scrubs of her snout  with her foreleg.

 

 

 

 

[Windwright]

Yuchou's eyes sparkled, a little mischievous glint in them as she responded with "Ah, but that's the thing. It's important for those with free time to have hobbies, but it's even more important for those who feel they have no time. Without a distraction, we get so wound up that even the smallest unexpected pressure can cause us to fly off in an unexpect-"

 

But whatever it was the Matron want expecting, it certainly wasn't a sneeze-powered discharge of random unicorn magic interfering with her perfectly coiffed mane of majestic hair, or her magnificent ridge of fur being turned into some sort of lowland herding animal's coat. She frowned, puzzled for a moment, and closed her eyes.

 

And then, something curious happened. There was a faint glow from the vicinity of her forehead, revealing one of the scales there to not be a scale at all, but a scale-shaped jade green jewel. A ripple passed along her length, unbinding the magics like a scarf whose thread had gotten caught in a door. The energies then sluiced of of her in rivulets that rained on the clouds below her. When they passed, her hair had reverted to it's natural, albeit unstylled shape. One thing about working with young Long: you either learned to ground out magical discharges on your own or you cheated and made a Pearl that did it for you. Both, in Yuchou's case. Not her Gift, or even, come to that, her Pearl in this case but one she was loaned for the trip. Thankfully she hadn't removed it, but it had taken effort for the Pearl to undo the enchantment. That didn't happen with Long magic, something for her colleague to look into.

[Blueblood]

Feng might describe his work as many things, but 'unnatural drudgery of monotony' would not be one of them.  True, most of his duty shifts involved him being vigilant for something that ended up not happening, but as they were spent in the presence of his lov- ahem, sacred charge, he never got tired of them.  And as for change, well, not every one of his days was spent with the Empress.  Sometimes he was sent out on fieldwork, and no two jobs were alike there.  His labor wasn't dull at all, in fact it was much too exciting to sustain on anything but the highest level of dedication.  It was arguable, then, that he needed a break now and again, and he did take them when required, but...

 

"Well then, your majesty, I must be storing up a lot of regrets, because I spend my free time doing absolutely nothing whatsoever.  Hobbies always seemed to me to be an excuse to work on your holidays."  Also, one could not get into trouble for doing nothing when nothing was required.  He was slightly paranoid about off-duty antics costing his position; his entering examiner had regaled him with horror stories about defamed, defrocked, and sometimes defenestrated former Watchers.

 

But the fruit of that rest was alertness, and Feng's senses caught on that something... unusual was about to happen with the Painter's sneeze.  He had but moments to act, and half that time was spent figuring out just what it was that he could do.  How could he shield Yu from a magical sneeze, other than diving between them and knocking her out of the way?  Well, he couldn't, so that's exactly what he did.  He didn't even waste time on words, just up and leapt, seizing the mare in his arms and diving down on top of her, just in time!

 

"HAAAH-TSHIIEW!"

 

The positioning of the pair meant that Feng's mane was blown forward, rather than back, ending up in something like an incompetently made pompador projecring over his forehead.  That was unfortunate, but at least Yu was no worse for the wear, besides her mane being a little mussed from the dive.  And her cheeks were slighty red from looking up, into the eyes of her guard as he stood above her...

 

Suddenly blushing himself, he hurried scrambled off her, mumbling something like, "Good, you're safe."

[Bellosh]

 

Alarmed, Yù Yuè stopped dead in her tracks, having heard the signs of an imminent sneeze from Presteza. Yuè didn't understand; there were no flowers around to trigger her painter's pollen allergies. Was it something in Matron Yuchou's aromas?

 

With a dutiful bodyguard like Feng around however, a gasping Yuè didn't have much time to ponder the great mysteries of unicorn allergies before she was unceremoniously tackled onto the ground for her own safety. And just in time to save the Empress from suffering a magical case of bad hair day, preserving the qilin's regal looks (something of great importance to any Long Sun monarch). Yet as it so happened, Yuè's legs reflexively wrapped around the very object responsible for pinning her down: Feng.

 

Upon realizing the scandalous position she was engaged in with her bodyguard... the way Feng's eyes of autumn seemed to stare at his empress like nothing else in the world mattered, it was to Yuè's credit that she only showed a slight blush on her cheeks and a minor widening of her aqua eyes while softly muttering; "...Oh my." Other than that, the royal qilin remained remarkably collected considering how she could feel Feng's underbelly scaling with her own.

 

Good thing they far far away from the scrutinizing eyes of the Imperial Capital.

Experiencing the same amount of embarrassment, Feng hurriedly leaped off his empress. In his rush however, the longma bodyguard left the royal qilin lying on the ground. Oddly, Yuè made no move to immediately get herself back up, so conditioned to having an army of attendants rush to help their sovereign off the ground in the extremely rare instance she suffered an ungraceful tumble. With the way Yuè's hair and wrinkled dress were left sprawled while her legs curled straight over her stomach, the flustered qilin on her back looked uncharacteristically vulnerable indeed.....

[Dubstep]

Àilóng certainly had much more wisdom to bestow upon the topic. Had the topic continued. Rather though the train of thought was entirely derailed by the sniffling and and sharp breaths of the painter. The dragon had expected perhaps a few dainty little 'hchews' from the mare...But then the sneeze which would likely be called Hurricane Presteza in the news papers blew past the group which left many a mane frazzled and a few bits of cloud wafting off. For a few moments the King sat or rather floated there in awe. Shortly after he snorted a small bit of smoke around his head, shaking his head much like a dog would, he led the smoke down the length of his form as he mostly uncoiled, the magic in the smoke combing out his hair and leaving it looking just as fabulous as before!

 

Once that was taken care of, it was then that he had noticed Feng clambering off Yuè. Seems the guard was quite aware of Miss Presteza's sizable sternutation. Quite the dutiful guard...Though judging by the all too obvious blushing that stained the stallion's cheeks, his duty wasn't all that was going through his mind! Not that Àilóng would know! Nor was he jealous, no sirree! He did however waste no time in rushing over to the mare's side to help her back to her hooves and gently dust her off. The long exhaled another little puff of smoke that smelled of newly blossomed peonies, trailing the magic across Yuè it straitened out her ruffled dress and smoothed down any hairs that were out of place in her mane. "There we are, just as beautiful as ever!" he said with a proud and admiring little nod.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

Presteza watched in amazement as the magic was undone, they'd had their own magic failsafe spell? Actually that made sense when she took a moment's thoughts. The magical pearl that did it was an interesting little trinket though. "Um... Sorry about the sudden change o' 'airstyle." Said the mare as she scrubbed her hoof to her nose. Her expression changed from one of sniffling annoyance to concern before she Looked over to Yu and FEng, "Oh my goodness, Yu! Sir Feng! I am so sorry, I just couldn't hold it in just let me..." SHe gently poked Feng's mane and winced, "Wow that's stiff, Just a tic." 

 

The unicorn stepped back and soon her horn began to shine again, a sphere of magical energy expanded around her. It was large enough to encompass the guard entirely until the aetheric bubble popped and the qilin stallion's hair was back to it's usual style, "Ya'alright?"

 

 

 

 

[Windwright]

Matron Yuchou regarded the painter for a few contemplative moments, then nodded to herself and uncoiled upward. And upward, and up and up and upward. Eventually she reversed course and dove straight for the clouds forming the 'ground'. 

 

"I'll return in just a few moments, if you'll excuse me." She called out as she speed past and through the cloud layer, with the wind of her passing pulling the hole closed behind her until all that remained was a swiftly repairing divot.

 

She had somehow managed to shout in a polite and demure speaking tone.

[Blueblood]

The moment of embarrassment, the lingering of a close touch, the sight of a vulnerable mare... the whole scene seemed to hang suspended in Feng's mind, and long afterward it would still be displayed in the picture gallery of his memory.  In the world of time, space, and matter, however, the scene was fleeting, lasting no more than a second or two before Ailong helped Yu to her feet, and the painter settled Feng's mane back into it's usual style.

 

Not quite sure what to do with himself, he looked up to see the matron departing.  He gave a wave to her, mentally trying to compose himself back into the role of dutiful guard.  It was becoming increasingly tough to do so, he realized.  *Sooner or later... she's going to realize.  I haven't mastered the ability to keep a secret; my mouth may remain silent, but my actions and attitude will betray me.*  That was the reason why the monks of the Path of Harmony trained and discipled in the Martial Arts.  It was necessary to complete control over the body as well as the mind...

 

Clearing his throat, the Watcher nodded to Presteza.  "Thank you.  That was... well, quite unexpected.  Does that happen every time you sneeze?"  His gaze meanwhile darted back to Yu and Ailong.  Not out of jealousy, of course!  They were simply adopted siblings, no reason to envy their easy closeness or expressed affection at all...

[Bellosh]

 

The empress in distress only needed to wait a couple seconds before another hero dived in to rescue her. Àilóng did the gentledragon thing to do, not only lifting the qilin mare back on her hooves but exhaling a magical breath to restore Yù Yuè to her optimal state of visual perfect- *sniff sniff*. That was the smell of peonies, Yuè's favorite flowers! The young mare was surprised her surrogate cousin remembered that factoid from their days strolling through the Gardens of Longri-La years ago. "Oh, Àilóng..." It was apparent Yuè's excuses for blushing would only multiply from here on out; "Your purity of heart is always appreciated."

However, a glance at Pressy prompted Yuè to lean in close to the Serpent King and quietly tell him; "Although for all our sakes, I may have to keep my distance from Presteza now that the smell of peonies is on me." Wouldn't want to take another chance with flower fragrances after the Matron- huh, where's she flying off to? Probably nothing to worry about; Yucho would undoubtedly return before long. In any event, Yuè unconsciously took one step back away from Presteza as she attended to the imperial bodyguard's mane.....

[Dubstep]

It was quite easy to see Àilóng's own bright red blush through those soft blue scales. "The same could be said of you, Yuè. It was no trouble at all." he said with a smile and a bow of his head. Yuè did bring up something he hadn't thought about though, the smell of flowers would probably trigger the poor painters allergies...Which made why Auntie flew off make more sense possibly. With the tea tables being in the gardens, taking Presteza there would be like setting off a tornado in the middle of it. Replanting would probably take years.

"I have to say, Lady Presteza, that little sneeze of yours is probably the most excitement that's happened in Longri-La in a while now!" the dragon giggled softly and came to sit once again between the trio of ponies. "My guess is that Auntie...er, rather. Matron Yuchou, is fetching a table for tea. We usually have tea time in the gardens, but putting you through that wouldn't be too kind." gently he gave Presteza a pat on the head.

 

[PyroBlaze]

Huö had been enjoying his day so far, between finishing his gardening tasks early and helping out a couple dragons find their passions in life. He always loved seeing that smile they would make once they realized what they wanted to do with their lives, it was a wonderous sight every time. 

 

Now though, he was simply taking a leisurely flight around the area when he caught a familiar voice on the wind. Making his way over, the dragon gave a warm smile at the sight. 

 

"Ah! Hello, Àilóng! I was not aware you had guests over, and what lovely guests they are." He said, giving a bit of a playful wink to Yue and Presteza. "It is a pleasure to see you, Empress Yue, and it is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Huö Wüdäo, the Luminary of Longri-La." He said, giving a bow to the ponies. 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

"Not every time." She said with a nervous laugh, "It's a bit random, one time levitated about five feet in the air when I ran into a bed of lilies. Almost always a spell though unless I wear something on my horn. You're okay, right?" The painter's eyes darted all over Feng's body to see if there were any scuffs or anything on him. Presteza had fortunately not noticed Yu's  careful step back. It was a smart move! Her nose had already began to faintly itch before fading away. 

 

Kind words on the part of the king brought a smile Yu's guest's face, "I um... Well... Thank you!" Presteza nervously rubbed at her neck, "My magical mishaps 'ave been called a lot o' things, Yer highness. 'exciting' at least in tha' tone o' voice is a new one." The pat on her head seemed to make Presteza's eyes double in size as she realized she'd just been praised by royalty! She'd dreamed o one day achieving something to earn such praise! Magically charged sneezing was far from what she thought might earn it though. ONce Ailong had removed his hand, the unicorn bowed politely with an exuberant grin on her face.

"Thank you, Your highness! For the hospitality and the praise!"

 

When Presteza brought her head back up, another dragon had joined them! By Celestia they're multiplying! Oh wait, no. this was a was a new one. He even introduced himself!  Rather than responding to the newcomer straight away, the visiting unicorn waited for Yu to speak first. Once she had herh oof would raise up like schoolfilly with a question that couldn't wait. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you! My name's Presteza and I'm an artist from Trottingham. Um... I hope it's not disrespectful to ask but, what is a Luminary?"

 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

Oh, so... there was literally no telling what would happen when Presteza sneezed.  That was nice, that was exactly the sort of thing a bodyguard wanted to hear, yep!

 

You could practically smell the sarcasm of Feng's thoughts, they practically wafted out of his ears, now laid flat against his skull.  "How... fascinating."  There was no real polite way of saying anything else.  At any rate, it did at least give the guard something to do besides stand around in one of the safest spots imaginable for Yu Yue.  He could keep a weather eye on a potential source of rogue magic!  Heaving a sigh that had some modicum of satisfaction in it, he settled back into his usual stance once his mane was back in order.

 

The matron left, soon to be replaced by the luminary, though Feng couldn't have told Pressy who it was.  He himself was almost as ignorant of the long court as she, and so would have to defer to either Ailong or the Empress for this one.

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

...And here came Huö Wūdäo, the Luminary of Longri-La. Yù Yuè was fairly acquainted with the serpentine wielder of Fire from her days of being fostered by Yuchou. Huö had been of the friendly sort then, and it didn't appear he had changed much now. "I am glad to be in your presence once more, Luminary." Yuè nodded her head in respectful greeting, of course.

 

Naturally, the helpful Empress couldn't keep silent when Presteza asked about Huö's duties. "Luminary Huö represents the Aspect of Fire. It is his sacred charge to nurture the flames of passion, creativity, and inspiration within all who dwell in Longri-La. Huö also tends to the Fenghuang Gardens and all the things which grow in it." And then, a slight smile from the Empress indicating a sudden epiphany on her part; "Knowing your artistic soul Presteza, I think you and Huö would get along famously..."

[Dubstep]

"It's no trouble at all, Lady Presteza. After all, any friend of Yuè is a friend of mine." he said with an affirmative little nod. It was true, Àilóng did his best to meet Yuè's friends!...Which was sort of hard. Not only because he was a rather busy dragon what with Serpent Council and Kingly business but...Well. Not to say the Empress has few friends but...Of the top of his head he could count on one paw the ones he knew of. Present company notwithstanding.

The void left by the Matron's departure was soon filled with the arrival of Huö. The Luminary was always one of the more relaxed members of the Council, which was just fine with Àilóng. "Greetings, Luminary Huö. It's good to see you! Their arrival was as much of a surprise to me, truthfully." given, that was his own fault really. "Are you busy? You're welcome to join us for tea. Matron Yuchou just left to fetch a tea table. Lady Presteza has allergies or we would have came to the gardens." Gosh being responsible and proper was tiring...

[PyroBlaze]

"Likewise, Empress." Huö responded, giving his own respectful nod in turn. He knew when he wasn't going to get anywhere with his advances and/or they weren't welcome. Besides, he wouldn't want to step on Àilóng's toes now would he?

 

"An artist, you say? What sort of art do you do, if you don't mind?" He said, smiling again at Presteza. "Empress Yue says it right, I help fan the flames of passion. Artists are my favorite to work with however, it is a field I am familiar with myself."

 

The dragon turned towards Àilóng next, nodding in understanding. "I see. That is quite unfortunate, the gardens are certainly a sight to see. I would love to join you all for tea, who could turn down an offer for tea with such radiant specimens?" He chuckled, smiling warmly. 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

Presteza was indeed one of the ones who could read Feng's Sarcastic tone. Her little... quirk, had been the bane of more then a few servants who had to watch her when she was a foal. Apparently one fit had resulted on her having teleported to the roof of the manor and left several of the maid scrambling to catch just as she'd come off the edge, foalhood could be such a turbulent time for all involved it seemed. The painter's tone betrayed some worry as she spoke in a hushed tone to Feng, "I'm sorry if... I'm gonna be a problem. Would it help if I kept a distance away from Empress Yu? I'd rather not make your job any harder."

 

The answer to that previous question she'd posed about a new dragon was soon answered by Yu. An aspect of fire? apparently it was the type of metaphorical fires that this dragon tended to try and nurture. As the empress spoke, it seemed a similar thought was brewing in both of their minds. When Yu made the suggestion that she and Huo may get along well, well then there was no doubt they were on the same train of thought. "That makes sense!" 

 

Presteza would lower her head and bend her foreleg in a bow to the long, "I'm a painter by profession, Honorable Sir Huo!" She would raised back up and magically search through her bags to produce a sketch pad full of various rough, yet detailed images of the empress, the chamberlain, Feng and a few other easterners she'd met since she'd arrived. "I also know how to sketch though and have been dabbling in some of the magical arts... mostly the ones about, well, art!"

 

 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

At least this lady Presteza was aware of the full gravity of her situation.  Feng couldn't hold onto much spite in that respect; after all, it was nothing personal.  He just had the well-being of his Empress at the top of his mind, and thus gave an honest assessment to her guest.  "I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make, actually.  I just wish I had a more effective way to shield her than my own body, which I will use if necessary, of course."

 

That said, he returned to following the conversation around him.  Hm... actually, now that he thought about it, this was a golden opportunity.  After all, here were members of the Dragon King's court, and the Dragon King himself, all available to answer the questions of their guests!  Feng couldn't leave without having at least one question answered, but what question should that be?

 

Well... if he had to be honest, it would probably be whether or not Ailong was OK with the concept of one such as he pursuing a relationship with what was essentially his adopted sibling.  Obnoxious little obstacles of class and station could hardly stand up to the approval of the long themselves!  On the other hoof... suppose he ended up saying no.  That would be disastrous.  So, perhaps he shouldn't go with the direct approach.  Other methodologies, however, might draw in useful results...

 

"I must say, your majesty, the lack of formality you show in your court to guests make a fascinating contrast to the Imperial Palace at home."  He broke his silence in what he was to call his 'opening moves.'  "I'd always been under the Impression that Long Sun modeled it's Imperial protocol after those of the Dragon Kings, but I suppose that there was a divergence in tradition somewhere in the past."

[Dubstep]

If Àilóng was anything, it was a social dragon. So it was wonderful to hear that the Luminary would be joining them for their impromptu tea party! Huö may be a bit flirty, but it was all in good nature and always seemed to make situations more relaxed for it. While Presteza and Huö waxed poetic, Feng brought forth an interesting statement, one that the Serpent King hoped he'd be able to address well enough.

"Truthfully, the Council and those of Longri-La have always been an open and accepting lot. That we are all aloof or unapproachable perhaps comes from our remote dwellings. While many of us carry an air of nobility and regality, we try our bests to be approachable.  Would that you could have met father, he would have been a prime example..." the dragon said with a smile soft sigh before continuing. "The lake below is sacred, and the peaks offer the greatest view of Long Guo, next to the Eye of Tianlong that is. Thus it was that Longri-La came to be built here. But so too is it true to be seen as a trial to reach. While we of the Council are accepting and open, there are those that would seek to gain our favour for naught but personal gain or would even see us come to harm. And so only the most determined ever even reach the entrance to the lake...But there I go rambling I suppose! To explain in shorter terms, we're more open than the Long Sun realize, but so too do we have our reasons for staying further from the ground...That and, we're not in court per se. This is a pleasure visit, rather than business after all!"

[Bellosh]

 

Alas, if only it were that simple to introduce regal approachability to an environment such as the Imperial Palace. The dragons of Longri-La could afford that luxury, what with them being creatures of pure majesty and all (well, maybe with the exception of Àilóng). Long Guo's emperors and empresses... they had to work hard to obtain the respect of their courtiers and other citizens, and they didn't have several lifetimes to acquire it like the Elder Serpents did. These were things Empress Yuè always had to keep in mind, even if her far-off glance away from the conversation towards the mountains to the west subtly indicated she preferred otherwise.

 

But like the Serpent King said, this was supposed to be a pleasure visit. There was no desire to lecture Feng and Presteza about the Dragon School's teachings on proper governance in accordance with the Harmonious Path. Reminded of her purpose for being here, Yuè couldn't help now but wonder about someone's prolonged absence. "Hmmmm," the royal qilin remarked to nobody in particular as she scanned the skies, resting her chin on a hoof; "The Matron should be back with the tea table any minute now....."

[PyroBlaze]

"Ooh, painting! I've been known to dabble in that myself, madam Presteza." Huö responded, smiling at her and chuckling at her formal addressing of him. "No need for such formalities, it is time for pleasure, not business!" He chuckled again, looking through the sketches provided to him. 

 

"Very well done! I wish I could see one of your paintings too, I'm sure they rival even you in beauty." He gave a wink at her before Yue's comment caught his attention. Now that he thought about it, he didn't imagine the Matron would be gone for too much longer if she were simply retrieving a tea-table. 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"I'm Sorry, Mister Feng." The painter;s head hung slightly at the realization that she may be more of a burden than she'd thought. The knowledge that she could cause any variety of strange incidents with merely a tickle of the nose wasn't something she had grown up with without worrying about. Celestia knows all the picnics she must have ruined in the Trottingham park when she was a filly. Even though Feng stated that he didn't think it would make much difference, Presteza still took several steps away from both Yu and Feng. Better safe than sorry, after all.

 

At the mention of painting, the mare would perk up quickly. A proud smile would spread across her muzzle while she carefully stowed away those sketches and then her cheeks would flush as the divine dragon would pay her a different sort of compliment. Presteza hadn't heard from Java in some time so she hadn't really gotten tht sort of appreciation in a while. It felt nice to hear but rather than blatantly trying to flirt back she would puff out her chest and rear back with an excited whinny. "If you have any canvases or paint around maybe we can find out!"

[Blueblood]

Hm, so the Long Court wasn't necessarily in session, which made sense.  And then there was the idea that the mere physical barrier of the mountain made it more or less unnecessary to erect any social ones.  "So... the theory, if I'm understanding it correctly, is that anyone willing to climb the mountain has already proved themselves to be worth your time, and not to be inconvenienced any further."  He permitted himself to imagine such a system being implemented in Huangjing, with puffed-up ministers and mandarins forced to climb a rock wall in their regal robes to gain an audience with Yu Yue... and grinned from ear to ear.  There were certainly quite a lot of blowhards that would keep off the calendar, not to mention the fact that he himself would be able to make the climb easier than most, granting him more time with the Empress...

 

He shook himself from the reverie.  Most unprofessional; had Yue caught that?  He really needed to watch himself, or he'd commit a true outburst in her presence, and then who knew what would happen.