Chen stands, spitting out water and looks in awe of the armored lady striding towards them with her wolf companion. The first thing it makes Chen think about is her friend Li, the little snow leopard who stays with Chen at home. She hadn't come on this trip because Chen had wanted to focus on her painting, but she imagined since she had been out all afternoon that Li had assumed she was entirely abandoned and when Chen got back, Li would wrap up her favorite princess in her long fluffy tail and demand treats and ear scritchies for a whole evening before she was mollified. 

The second thing is that her mouth drops open because [i]holy shit[/i] this warrior is [i]gorgeous[/i]. Chen, Princess of the Northern Wind spends most of her time living in Sourcefall. She has seen the morning dawn bounce across a million water droplets like shards of molten gold. She has seen the midday sun race in its chariot of galloping horses after a fleeing storm cloud that thought it could disperse before the sun could summon the rainbow. She has seen the last reds of the evening sun strike like an old-world laser and make the faces of people ruddy with warmth. Chen has painted these things. Not perfectly, but she has taken the time to make her own little mental snapshots of each of these moments in their turn. It would be fair to say that Chen is an expert on the beauty of light and water! But this! THIS! This warrior is gorgeous. The sun and the water combine on her armor in a color of flowing, wavy azure so perfect, it is as though the sky and the lake agreed to a marriage and this beauty was their wedding gift. Chen already has her first painting planned and the woman will need to pose for her at least thrice more for the series!

Only in distant [i]third[/i] does Cyanis saying the name "Yue" penetrate Chen's dumbfounded brain, and when it does, it sets off a reaction of shocked delight that can only be met with a  high squeel at first as she gathers up her short skirts, her extensive ruffles, and her mop and leaps forwards. Chen has just enough presence of mind to first give Cyanis a look of gratitude. "Oh, gosh, my gosh, you're really good at this wish thing! I hadn't even told you who I was looking for yet and you [i]already[/i] granted my wish. Oh thank you, thank you, thank you Cyanis!" She gives the fox a quick little hug, leaning forward with just her upper body and keeping the mop gingerly away so as not to drip even a drop of water on her.

Then, she turns entirely to Yue (and her pet fluffer!) and goes down on one knee, her little skirt and her many ruffles pooling on the grass before her. She almost, [i]almost[/i] calls her princess before she remembers what Qiu and said and how Cyanis had just spoken to her. Instead, she settles for the more ambiguous lady. 

"Lady Yue, my name is Chen of the Northern Wind, Princess of Sourcefall and Ys, heir to twin sunshards, and...aspiring artist." There is a moment, just one moment for a little grin that suggests Chen is in fact a real person and not some strange maid princess beyond your ken. "And though I am currently indisposed granting a wish for this lovely fox who helped me find you, I am here to offer you my protection and safe passage to princess Qiu Tian, who is the source of the bounty upon you that you may...become a h-handmaiden in her training."

Though Chen delivers her greeting with a formal perfection that belies the silliness of her maid outfit and the mop held before her like a sword on offering (and the slight glint of the sheathed crystal sword upon her back) there is the slightest quaver in her voice as she reaches the end. She is not sure that she wants to take Yue to Qiu, and quite sure that she would take her [i]anywhere[/i] if asked. Even though Qiu would be after her. And Yin, and Rose. And both her parents would yell at her for abrogating her duty and she quails before that. Even so, Yue, just Yue has struck Chen in this moment and she couldn't dream of abducting her against her will.

[Chen is declaring herself smitten, even their respective station is such that every major player in the world would try make sure they couldn't be together.]