[h2]M A I   M E I[/h2]
[hr]
The morning after the welcome ball, Mai called her uncle. 

"Uncle, it's me," she said, smiling when she heard his familiar voice on the other end of the line. They spoke in the obscure dialect of the mountain village that Mai had grown up in. Needless to say, even if someone managed to listen in on their conversation, it would have been difficult for them to decipher the words...unless they themselves knew how to speak the dialect. 

Which was, for all intents and purposes, [i]highly[/i] unlikely, given that the village had been burned to the ground by socialist forces not long after Ming had come out of hiding.

Mai had thought that the call would be alright, as did the adviser who had come to Aciras with her. Besides, it wasn't like they would be talking about anything of great [i]importance[/i], anyway. Mai just wanted to say hi.

"I hope you aren't busy," she said.

She could hear her uncle's smile in his voice. "No, not at all," he said. "It's already nine here. I was thinking about going to bed, actually. I'm getting old."

Mai giggled. "Uncle, you are [i]not[/i] old!" she protested lightly.

"Oh, yes I am! I have white hair already," Ming replied in a completely serious tone of voice.

Mai rolled her eyes. "How is Zhou? How many people has he inadvertently offended since I left?"

A rumble of laughter. "Oh, none at all, [i]mei mei[/i]," he answered, using his own pet name for her. When the two of them had been traveling across Liang, they had taken on numerous different identities, and it got to the point where it was just easier for Ming to call Mai [i]xiao mei mei[/i], which translated roughly to "little girl" or "little sister". It was a generic term, and did not have to be used in a familial context, and it just [i]stuck[/i]. "Everyone he has offended was one-hundred percent...advertent."

"Uncle!" Mai exclaimed, unable to keep the laughter from spilling out of her lips. "You are just as bad as he is."

"Now, Mai," he said teasingly, "I'm not [i]as[/i] bad as your cousin. I have never taken the [i]si gua[/i] slices out of [i]si gua[/i] and egg soup."

Mai's eyes widened. "[i]No[/i]. He did that?"

"Oh yes," said Ming, amused. "This morning."

"Heavens above," Mai breathed, rubbing her forehead. "You have got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was, [i]mei mei[/i]," Ming intoned gravely. "I wish I was."

They moved on to other things; the ball from the night before, for example.

"How was it?" asked Ming. "How was Prince Leonard?"

"The ball was fine," answered Mai. "Same with the prince."

A pause. "That's good to hear. And how is Aciras?"

"Good, I suppose. The palace is very nice, though I do prefer the one at home. I do not understand Westerners and their...proclivity of blasting the air conditioner at frigid temperatures twenty-four hours a day. It is always [i]so cold[/i]! I'd imagine Princess Ayleanna has already tried to do something about this, given her interests, but to no avail."

Her uncle let out a low chuckle. "Well, I should let you get on with your day," he said, mock-yawning. "It's late. [i]I[/i] need to go to sleep."

Mai laughed softly. "If you say so, uncle," she replied, and she bade her uncle farewell before hanging up.

Figuring that it was as good of a time as any to get dressed, Mai first brushed out her hair, deciding that she would put it into a messy (but artful! Very artful) bun. She curled the ends of her hair, slightly, so that it wouldn't be boring and stick-straight for the entire day. 

Next, she slid into the shirt she had picked out-an off-the-shoulder top of black velvet with long sleeves that hugged her figure becomingly (Mai was never making the mistake of wearing spaghetti straps or a strapless [i]anything[/i] in this frigid icebox of a palace, ever again). She put on a high-waisted pleated skirt of crimson satin, and a pair of black velvet heels with bows at the ankles. Finally, to complete the ensemble, Mai put on a pair of dangly gold and ruby earrings and a thin red choker necklace. 

Mai kept make-up light, or her version of "light", anyway, applying her usual mixture of foundation and concealer before brushing on mascara and a hint of pink blush. She skipped her customary smokey eyeshadow today, instead opting for only eyeliner, though the rose-red lipstick remained. 

Mai examined herself in the mirror, and frowned, slightly. She found a pair of razor-sharp hairpins with pretty red beads dangling off the ends and arranged them in her bun. The burgundy-colored clutch that she carried had a nail file that was much too sharp to be [i]just[/i] a nail file, as well as a slew of make-up products, a compact mirror, spare tissues, and her phone.

Mai decided to get some food, since it was still kind of early. She ate as she checked her phone. The fresh fruit was absolutely delicious, and the fruit smoothies were simply divine. Mai hadn't really had many fruit smoothies in Liang (they just weren't that popular, you know?), so she took the opportunity that morning to try as many fruit smoothies as she possibly could (though she'd limited herself to half a dozen out of pity for the kitchen staff, who were probably up to their ears in work as it was).

Mai wandered out of her room at around ten-thirty, knowing that the casual brunch was not for another half-hour or so. With nothing to do, Mai explored the palace a little, before she spotted the parlor that brunch was taking place in. Enticed by the prospect of tea, Mai slipped inside.

Lea Lynton and her cousin, Rhiannon of Wales, were already there, as were Alejandro and Ivelynne Burnley. Mai smiled a greeting, murmuring a soft "good morning" as she sat down and made herself comfortable at one of the couches, examining the array of pastries laid out on the coffee table. Shrugging, she picked up a teeny-tiny cream puff and popped it into her mouth. Ooh! It was good.

Next, Mai poured herself some oolong tea (there was a big table filled with teapots in the back), admiring the dainty tea cup that she had picked up. Everything in the room was just so pretty, like a dollhouse. She took a sip of tea, then turned to the person sitting diagonally from where she was.

"I do apologize for being forward, Princess Ivelynne," Mai began, smiling warmly at her, "but I [i]love[/i] the dress you are wearing. As well as your jewelry."

[hider=Mai's shoes]
[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/455958452678688768/461008024652349442/c1ec0b556307f5a23b12144361ebee85.png[/img][/hider]

[i](Interacting with [@Ezmeralda])[/i]