A Wealth of Knowledge [Fu Yunling]

The library was massive. Rows upon rows of stacked shelves packed with books towered imposingly above any who entered. This area alone seemed to be the largest part of the palace, constantly expanding and filling with more and more tomes of knowledge. In the dead center of the library was a courtyard, under a glass rotunda, in which there were several benches and stone seats, a rock garden, and a pond stocked with rare and exotic fish. A tall willow tree grew almost to the roof here, remarkably high given its location indoors and the building's tall structure. To many this library would be intimidating, or much too grandiose, but to Adam, it was home.

He sat in the courtyard, face buried in a book about the arts of warfare and dictatorship. He was enjoying himself, for once.

Heaven smelled like old paper and ink, felt like sunlight and peace of mind. Yunling loved libraries, and she had almost fallen over herself out of joy when her tutor suggested that she might wish to partake of the largest library around on her own. Of course as a proper lady of Fu, Yunling had merely bowed her thanks and taken the proffered pass with both hands. That had been three days ago. It was an appropriate space of time to show that she appreciated the permission but was not overzealous in her desire for knowledge. Frankly she was surprised the royal palace library was so empty, not that she was really going to complain, but the directions to the section she desired were clear enough that she couldn’t possibly get lost.

No one was there to see her hug a particular volume to her chest and spin out of sheer joy. There was no one to supervise her literature intake, and Yunling had ecstatically selected one of the more esoteric works by a general so ancient his reputation had become an honored legend. This particular work involved the uses of siege warfare in wars past, the various necessary components to both succeed and overcome a prolonged siege within various environmental conditions.

Fascinating, really. She collected a few more related volumes, mainly analyses by more modern tacticians, then flipped the collection around so the titles were held to her chest. Ever so discretely she placed some ridiculous fairy tale of a princess with impossible hair on the top of the pile to hide the extent of her reading list, and made her way as gracefully and speedily as possible to the little courtyard the librarian had explained was for reading and relaxation. She could barely see over her pile, and so it was a bit excusable that Yunling did not see that the bench she settled herself down on was already occupied.

The fairy tale was placed within easy reach if she needed to cover up her reading, and she pulled her knees up to her chin to get more comfortable. After all, it wasn’t like anyone would see her engaging in such improper behavior.

Adam had been disturbed from his period of intense reading and concentration by someone sitting down on the bench next to him. He was rather annoyed by this; there were at least 10 other benches for this individual to rest upon and she had chosen the one he was occupying. He got a closer look at this person, a younger girl, out of the corner of his eye.

She was a pretty one, with flowing dark locks and a beautifully defined face. It seemed as though she was reading one of the many ancient tomes of knowledge stored in the great library, one containing its many secrets. Adam had actually written his name (This Book belongs to Prince Adam) on the inside of the front cover. He wondered if the girl had noticed this. Within easy reach of her he noticed a book detailing the timeless fairy tale about the girl with the really long hair (Rapunzel?). Adam was quite puzzled as to why there was such a contrast in her reading material but did not question her. Instead, he introduced, but not in a way one would expect.

"I see we have quite the interest in ancient volumes. If you look on the inside of the front cover, you'll see I've inscribed my name there."

There was a quiet dignity to be found in a good library, a dignity that Fu Yunling aspired to reach with her every breath. She rather enjoyed spending time furthering her pursuit of what was Zou’s most traditional pastime: military might. But it wasn’t something a lady of Fu really needed to have more than a passing acquaintance of in order to succeed at being a wife. Yunling liked it though, to a point where she had an awful tendency of losing herself into a certain scatterbrained mindset. She skipped over the first page and the cover, slipping the fairy tales between her knees and her actual literature in some twisted attempt to save the Fu clan name.

Dignity died when she heard a voice right next to her. It was enough to make her jolt, falling out of her spot in a flailing of limbs and a flutter of paper. She landed flat on her back, smacked in the face by the very book she had spent half an hour internally squealing over. The only consolation to her embarrassment was that the book itself hadn’t opened on her face. Yunling’s feet were still on the bench itself, and her head and back were cushioned by the pile of books she had selected.

Gingerly she plucked the book from her face and rubbed at her now stinging nose. Quick fingers flipped to the page the voice had referred to. Even quicker she closed the book with a snap and did her best to salvage herself from such an embarrassing moment in her life. Yunling summoned up all of the grace that had been hammered into her by hours of etiquette and glaive training and slid into her best bow, trying to force her blush down by sheer composure and willpower. “It is an honor to make thine acquaintance, thy Imperial Highness. This one begs thine indulgence for her earlier rudeness. If it pleases his Imperial Highness, this one is called Fu Yunling.” Oh her shame was complete.

(OOC: Welcome Back, Fu xD)

Adam was rather amused and surprised by the girl's surprise when he spoke to her. She had fallen- or flopped- backwards off of the bench onto a pile of tomes behind her. The prince had to put his book down and stifle a giggle with his fist, but he did so when he was sure she couldn't see him. He watched with a sly grin as the girl recuperated and stood, bowing graciously, her movements sharply contrasting those prior. He chuckled lightheartedly, openly this time, and addressed the girl.

Greetings, "Fu Yunling." I take it you enjoy literature. I happen to share that interest. Perhaps we could be friends.

No, she takes it all back. Now her shame is complete. The prince of the Empire of Zou is laughing at her. In this moment she’d like nothing more than to pull the pile of books atop herself and let her Father mourn her passing. At least he had attempted to hide it, not that it made it any better in the long run. She keeps her fingertips pressed to her thighs and her face bowed low as she prays that her blush hasn’t hit the back of her neck quite yet (it’s too late for her ears if the burning is anything to judge by). Then he talks and the blood in her head has apparently strangled her ability to hold her tongue.

“So long as Thy Imperial Highness promises to make sound so that this one knows where Himself is and thus avoids a catastrophe of this nature again, this one would be happy to be Thy Imperial Highness’s friend.”