The Siblings Aeries

[Guest]

It was a beautiful morning, the air slowly warming up as the bright sun rose over the shimmering water of South's crater lake, still pure and clear in all its untouched juvenescence. As the day aged, men and women began to stir, setting back to the unfinished work of yesterday. They emerged from tents and makeshift buildings, appearing in the form of soldiers and civilian workers alike. It was a nice site, some sign of productivity, however slow, during this state of crisis in Central.

Aishe turned her attention away from the sea of tents and construction, turning back to the reflective surface of the water, glimmering in all of its splendor as it coolly washed over her bare feet as she stood on the shore. The lake had turned out nice, the natural terrain of South made it more like a beach than anything else, she could see why it was going to be designated as a tourist hotspot, you know, at least it was until all that happened in Amestris. But it was honestly a waste of money and human life to begin with. It was one thing to try to take back land that was rightfully theirs, but to make a show out of it, and use all that effort to try and build up some sort of useless navy and tourist resort when their were more important thinks to be addressed in the country, even before the bombs? What about the slums? What about the grinding poverty of the lowest classes? What about Ishval? They couldn't spare the money to at least improve the conditions of the villages scattered around the desert? All this water could have been used for irrigation and provided better farming conditions for those who lived there, it would have been a welcomed gift in that scarce land, even if the water was created by alchemical means.

Aishe dug into her pocket and produced a small but brilliant gold medallion from it. It was as large as her palm and covered in intricate designs all over, with Xingese writings circling the edge, stuff that she couldn't read. In the very center of the whole thing was a very detailed Xingese dragon with a fierce snarling face, his long body snaking around with his limbs and whiskers waving out wildly.

Aishe sighed as she considered chucking it out into the waters of the lake, to sink and never be seen again. How ironic that her only keepsake left of her mother left after the bombs went off was actually something that belonged to her putative father, a man that deserved no reverence from his illegitimate child. She honestly looked forward to the day she could meet that man. She'd make him pay, that marauder, whoever he was, was covered in innocent blood, her own family's blood, her uncles and aunts, her grandparents. God, some of them might have only been children when they were killed. And then her mother, she was defiled by the killer of her family, her chastity ripped away from her as the cold listless eyes of her family looked on.

Now she really wanted to toss the damned thing into the lake, it wasn't even worth selling. And to think she came to South to look for a merchant that would buy it off her. That wasn't the only reason she was here. She needed to look around and see how many refugees had streamed in from Central and West, since South and North looked like the best places to be now. The people in East had their fears, South was dangerously close to the Aerugese border, and some feared that they might invade while Amestris was weak. In the end, North or East might have been safest afterall, at least North was protected and East was closer to allies. God, why did all of this had to happen? Its not like the government ever cared about the impoverished and downtrodden all too much to begin with, but now she never expected the Fuhrer would just set their cities ablaze. So much life was lost, and conditions in the slums were the worse they've ever been, it was like third world conditions at this point.

"Gah!" she exclaimed in her moment of stress. She felt like tearing her hair out, not that it would do any good. So many people looked up to her and the rest of her gang in the slums, but all they could do was try their best to restore order, but they couldn't even completely do that. She had to find out how to move everyone to better condition and get more rations and supplies distributed among them, somehow.

Aishe turned around abrupty, deciding it was about time to walk into the camp and scout around and get some news on all that was happening. But as she spun around, she found her self bumping headlong into someone else. In her surprise, Aishe fell backwards, the medallion in her hand falling onto the sandy ground, and she herself falling backwards down into the sand, letting out a shout of mild surprise. "Ahh! S-sorry man" she exclaimed, rubbing her back as she peered up at the guy she bumped into with her crimson eyes.

[Guest]

South City. What the hell was this place? The body adjusted his glasses on his face slightly, looking around the burgeoning development with extreme intrigue. His notebook was out, and he was studying the city around him, taking down the occasional note to see if he could offer assistance to the people back home. He smiled softly, and continued on walking in the same direction, not expecting to come across anyone - in Xing, people moved out of his way whenever they walked past him, so he was sure that they would do the same in here, right? And at the moment, a few had - albeit cursing at him in Amestrian. He blinked a few times, before feeling something collide with his body. The boy was knocked back with a grunt, and his glasses fell off of his face. He blinked a few times, red light finally entering his eyes and things changing in speed of view before him. He leaned over and tried to pick up the glasses, closing his eyes tightly and trying not to let the headache that he was feeling get any worse. He reached out and grabbed something that wasn't his glasses. Geh. He fumbled around further, finally locking his fingers around his glasses and bringing them up to his face with a soft sigh, placing them on the bridge of his nose and now studying the thing that he'd picked up.

"W-wait a second..." He blinked a few times, bringing another hand up to his eye and rubbing it. What was this? Why...

"Ahh! S-sorry man" She was dark-skinned and red-eyes, which screamed Ishvallan. However, she spoke pure Amestrian. That was a good idea.

"Here, I might be better off speaking in Amestrian, myself." He nodded lightly at the woman, finally picking up his notebook and placing it back in his pocket, standing up and reaching out a hand to help her up, looking at the medallion still. He was so interested in this, and he finally knew why. It... it belonged to his father. His eyes went from the medallion, to her, to the medallion, aaaand back to her.

"This medallion belonged to my father. Why do you have it? You shouldn't have it. I should have it. This is meant to be a sign of Xingese Royalty, and I, as the Emperor, should be holding it. So... why are you holding it?" His eyes were narrowed. Did she find it somewhere? Did she steal it? There were... quite a few questions for him to ask.

[Guest]

"Here, I might be better off speaking in Amestrian, myself." the young Xingese man replied in his slight, telltale Xingese accent, though he honestly didn't look all that oriental. Maybe he was only half or so? Still, it was a relief that he could speak Amestrian, as her Xingese was probably no good for anything more than ordering Xingese takeout. Aishe accepted his hand and let him help her back to her feet with friendly smile, grateful that he wasn't irritated or anything. As she brushed the dirt off of her jacket, she noticed that he was completely fixated on something he held in his hand, and upon closer inspection, she realized that it was her medallion!

"This medallion belonged to my father. Why do you have it? You shouldn't have it. I should have it. This is meant to be a sign of Xingese Royalty, and I, as the Emperor, should be holding it. So... why are you holding it?"

......Aishe could barely keep a straight face as she stifled her impulsive giggling. Was this guy for real? He was so blunt and his accusations were so unreal that she couldn't help but to see the hilarity of the situation! Either he really had no idea what he was saying when speaking Amestrian, or he was just one very confused individual to begin with.

Struggling to keep her tone plain to avoid offending the guy, Aishe replied in a very casual manner, as she was accustomed to for most occasions. "Look man, I'm not sure what you mean by 'Emperor', are you sure you're using that word right? Well anyway, there must be some sort of mistake, you see, that medallion belongs to my mother, she's had since before I was even born. I mean, its obviously Xingese and I could see how you might mix it up for something else, but I assure you, its belonged to my mom for quite some time." She paused, thinking about whether it was appropriate to continue on with the story of how that medallion had found its way into her family. Aishe had a sudden revelation just then. Maybe this man could tell who the medallion had originally belonged to, that'd be one step closer to finding out the identity of her father. He mentioned his own father, right? Maybe their Father's would have knew each other, maybe they were part of that raiding party, fellow soldiers or something. Yeah, that made sense.

"Well" Aishe continued, confident that she might have stumbled onto a lead for this whole unknown father deal, "Truth is, I'm half Xingese, beleive it or not, and the medallion belong to my father, some man, probably a bandit or a soldier, who was with a force that raided my mom's village. He...murdered her family and had his way with her, but he left that thing behind." She pointed to the medallion in the boy's hand and went on- "So do you know anything about it? I was hoping that maybe I could find out who it belonged to and go kick his teeth in!" she laughed as she joked about this. Of course she had never expected to meet her father in this lifetime, she had never even really thought about what she would do if she came across the bastard. "Oh, I'm Aishe Alshua by the way, pleased to meetcha" she grinned, holding out her hand.

[Guest]

She had no reason to believe his words. He could see that from the look in the Ishvallan woman's face as he stared at her with slightly incredulous eyes and a soft sigh. Really, now. He was only telling the truth. Reaching a hand behind his head, he moved his fingers through his hair, face slightly red from embarrassment. He didn't enjoy explaining himself to others quite so readily. His fingers went up to his face and pushed his glasses backwards, making sure to completely adjust them so that his Alchemy wasn't activated by the red light that wouldn't have been filtered by the lenses.

"Look man, I'm not sure what you mean by 'Emperor', are you sure you're using that word right?" He blinked at her, staring at her through eyes that basically said 'what?' He was telling the absolute truth...

"I'm using the word perfectly. Don't doubt my Amestrian." He blinked and tilted his head to the side, sighing softly at the woman's remarks to his blunt and truthful reply.

"Well anyway, there must be some sort of mistake, you see, that medallion belongs to my mother, she's had since before I was even born. I mean, its obviously Xingese and I could see how you might mix it up for something else, but I assure you, its belonged to my mom for quite some time." He studied it closely, and saw the defining factor; the Xingese Royal Crest. He smiled softly and chuckled, standing up straight and looking at her with eyes that showed knowledge beyond his years.

"I can assure you, this medallion belongs to the Xingese Royal Family. And my father was the previous emperor, who owned this. He's probably had a large number of children by now..." He laughed softly, remembering his father's antics as a womanizer... and probably rapist.

"Well, truth is, I'm half Xingese, believe it or not, and the medallion belong to my father, some man, probably a bandit or a soldier, who was with a force that raided my mom's village. He...murdered her family and had his way with her, but he left that thing behind. So do you know anything about it? I was hoping that maybe I could find out who it belonged to and go kick his teeth in!" He blinked and sighed softly. Yup. That was Father alright. That was DEFINITELY Father. He sighed and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Like I said, I'm the Emperor of Xing. That medallion belonged to MY father. And he's dead now. I... someone killed him. They murdered him and my mother at the same time. So if you're looking for the man this medallion belongs to... it'll be a hard ask." He laughed solemnly. "Then again, you're looking at him." He tilted his head to the side and proffered a comforting smile to the girl.

"Name's Saeji. Saeji Aeries, and, as I said, Emperor of Xing."

[Guest]

It was obvious that this Xingese boy was looking quite flustered now as his face flushed with red and he started to fidget with his hair and readjust his glasses. Aishe nearly giggle aloud at how adorable he seemed, in a mildly humorous way.

"I'm using the word perfectly. Don't doubt my Amestrian." said he, sighing softly and tilting his head in a exasperated manner. Hmm, his Amestrian was pretty good, the accent was slight and he wasn't butchering the grammar. Maybe she was belittling him a bit too much? Yet still, using the word Emperor? There had to be some sort of misunderstanding, why would the emperor of Xing be out here in South? Why would the Emperor be such a bookwormish looking boy anyway? He had to be only eighteen or so, still just a kid. Well, given they way Xing worked, that was actually pretty possible, but still, he looked more like a schoolboy out on a backpacking trip to Amestris than an Emperor on a diplomatic visit.

"I can assure you, this medallion belongs to the Xingese Royal Family. And my father was the previous emperor, who owned this. He's probably had a large number of children by now.............Like I said, I'm the Emperor of Xing. That medallion belonged to MY father. And he's dead now. I... someone killed him. They murdered him and my mother at the same time. So if you're looking for the man this medallion belongs to... it'll be a hard ask. Then again, you're looking at him. "Name's Saeji. Saeji Aeries, and, as I said, Emperor of Xing."

What?.........Just......what? Aishe rubbed her temples as she tried to wrap her head around all that she had just heard. She felt like she had misheard the whole damned thing. All of this....it made no freaking sense at all. This opened a treasure trove of questions to be asked, but most of all, she had to confirm one thing, because all this seemed to point to......

"So let me get this straight....Emperor Saeji......" She hesitated on addressing him as that, it just seemed like a preposterous thing to say, she might as well have stated that the earth was made of marshmallows. "Emperor....as in, leader of the entire country of Xing? And for some reason you're out here on your own, a teenager, wondering around thousands of miles away from your country, without a single escort, out here in public? Alright, lets pretend I believe all of this for just a sec, 'kay? You mean to tell me, that this medallion belonged to the previous Emperor, your father, right? That the man that raped my mother....my father....was the freakin' Emperor of Xing? That's what yer telling me? So I'm some sort of princess, and a long lost sister of yours? Is that it? To be honest dude, this all sounds like a half baked scheme to jip me out of my medallion."

[Guest]

{BUMP}

[Guest]

"So let me get this straight....Emperor Saeji......" She seemed to hesitate in calling him Emperor. For some reason, he could only giggle at that, staring at her through a pair of eyes that were both curious and wondrous. The fact that she said that this medallion had belonged to his father... interested him so much, it wasn't even funny. He smiled brightly at her and nodded, waiting for her to continue on from her own hesitation.

"Emperor....as in, leader of the entire country of Xing? And for some reason you're out here on your own, a teenager, wondering around thousands of miles away from your country, without a single escort, out here in public?" Mmhmm. That was about right. He gave a light nod at this, smiling softly, his expression not changing from the one that he was giving right now. He placed a hand into one of his pockets and stepped forwards slightly, studying her closely, yet still keeping his distance from her. The other hand went up to his face and adjusted the glasses, making sure that the red light didn't get in.

"Alright, lets pretend I believe all of this for just a sec, 'kay? You mean to tell me, that this medallion belonged to the previous Emperor, your father, right? That the man that raped my mother....my father....was the freakin' Emperor of Xing?"[ Raped... huh. That... sounded like the old man. Saeji stood back slightly and looked at her some more, taking the hand that was in his pocket, out and rubbing the back of his head and letting a small sigh from his lips, turning his head to the side and down, looking at the ground with unamused grey eyes.

"That's what yer telling me? So I'm some sort of princess, and a long lost sister of yours? Is that it? To be honest dude, this all sounds like a half baked scheme to jip me out of my medallion." He laughed softly, smiling and shaking his head, not making any out-of-place motions, nor showing any signs of his being... in some frustration. This was a bother, really. He had known that his father took many women as his own, and he had simply hidden most of this knowledge from himself in the hopes that maybe... he'd never have to meet one of his many illegitimate siblings. He gave a soft chuckle and looked down at the ground, closing his eyes for a half-second, pursing his lips and then looking back up at Aishe, proffering a kind smile.

"I wouldn't call you a princess. Being an illegitimate child of the Emperor might have it's perks, but you're no more powerful than an average commoner." He gave a small nod, not being cruel, or mean; but simply honest, "So yes, your father, if he had this medallion, would have been the Emperor of Xing, or a petty thief who took it off of him in the first place. Most likely the former, but... you never know." His words were slow and deliberate, not putting a single syllable out of place, as was expected of him. He took a step forwards, kicking up dust with the footfall on the ground, placing his hands into his pockets and turning his head towards Aishe with a smile that was breezy, kind and yet confident by it's own right. He chuckled and sighed all at the same time, before parting his lips and saying four simple words in his natural language.

"You really don't know..." He laughed dryly, not revealing any of the meaning behind this, but then turning towards Aishe with a pair of eyes that were completely serious and grave. "I'm not trying to steal the medallion off of you. I say that it belongs to me, but if it was given to you by the Emperor of Xing then," He held one of his hands out to the girl, fingers outstretched and with the medallion sitting on the fleshy palm, surrounded by long fingers. He chuckled, and smiled at her with bright eyes, "You can take it back, you know. I won't bite. If you want me to leave, I can. I'm not bothered either way." He smiled and shook his head, before closing his eyes and broadening his expression.

[Spade Aeries]

Closing this: Aishe runs off and they meet again later after the mission. Spade hasn't encountered her yet.

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