The tips of Huo 's chopsticks touched his plate, 'Let 's

finally

talk about why I wanted to contact you in the first place. The women of Li need your help Sir, hers too, ' he pointed to Maomao.

****

Jinshi thought he had been around Maomao long enough to have a vague grasp on the nuances of her craft. Like going to a foreign country and at least being able to hold a basic conversation.

Boy was he WRONG.

They had been at this conversation for nearly two hours going over symptoms and organs and ailments that may or may not be related. Discussions over herbs and combinations and specific oils for salves, of topicals and pills and types of medicinal food. There were deep discussions on sourcing and time of harvesting, processing and preservation techniques.

With her education Huo expanded it beyond herbology to include the Western techniques, invasive surgeries and their results. Western only, Eastern only, combination cases, which seemed the most promising thus far. The Moon Prince marveled at the success rates he offered when the two cultures combined. Tangential stories abounded of colorful characters who were clients or part of their community. Every once in a while he 'd get melancholic over moments of promise only to be met with bitter agony as another family lost a member.

Among that pain stood Huo 's enemies, and with the way he was talking, some of them were in places of power. He didn 't mention any names but the complex web of referrals was becoming clear. Word of mouth is an impressive thing, but it can be as strong of an ally as an enemy.

By the end of the technical conversation a question nagged Jinshi, 'How do you handle the families where your treatments were unsuccessful? '

'I 'm

very

upfront that this is experimental. These people are dying and they 've tried everything. Min taught me to document

everything

so- before we even begin treatment we sign identical contracts that state "I'm doing what I can, but I

cannot

promise survival ' nor can I promise an easy passing. '

Maomao caught his tone, his hesitation, 'but a family holding onto a sliver of hope can turn on you once the patient dies. '

'And some do, ' Huo said mournfully, 'which is why I go in with backup and an escape route or three. '

The drug lord glanced out the window at the afternoon sun, stood and stretched, 'Can I show you around town Sir? I 've given Maomao a vague rundown but not many specifics outside our shared love of herbs. '

The word 'herbs ' is to Maomao what 'treat ' or 'walk ' is to a pet, she perked in all manner of fluffy Maomao-ness. Jinshi mused at her anticipation, 'Sure. '

'Oh, before we go, people here are curious and will be asking what

this,

' he opened his hand and waved circular it in their direction, 'is or isn 't ' how would you like me to answer/head that off? '

The blushes were instant and furious. Jinshi had many thoughts going, but expected mortifying reactions to any scenario his mind raced through.

'Tell them we 're together, if they 're insistent then we 're 'betrothed ', ' Maomao murmured to the floor, hand on her chin.

The prince was utterly slack jawed, Maomao shrugged nonchalantly, 'what? I don 't want to be flirted with, you don 't want to be flirted with, and I accepted your feelings way back on the ship. '

'Done, let 's go! ' The debate ended abruptly. With a smile that comes with age, Huo gently shut Jinshi 's mouth with a finger and dramatically opened the door, 'Right this way Sir and Madam, to my oasis on the Western Plain. '

It was at this moment that Jinshi and Maomao first took stock of their surroundings for their house was at the top edge of the village. Top being a relative term, it was a very gentle incline, just enough to see over the single story buildings, to their back on the western ridge was a great sand dune that towered over the town. Also there was a small pool of water behind their house and garden surrounded by a grove of palm trees.

To the east and south was a golden dry grassland as far as the eye could see with the occasional tree standing as a stoic landmark. In a great distance to the north lie the mountain ridges of Hokuaren. To the south was the town itself, streets extending downward, winding their way around the springs of the oasis. People were milling about, carts were coming and going, morning greetings were not hushed but quiet. It wasn 't bustling like the city, nor was it sparse, maybe a cart or two and ten individuals in a given block, no one in any particular hurry. The sound of a hammer clanging against an anvil, a horse nicker, a grill sizzling and livestock demanding breakfast could be heard in the distance.

Jinshi decided to test how open Huo was, 'So where

are

we? '

Huo eyed him 'Sure, if you keep heading southeast for a couple weeks via cart, you will find the western capital where you all visited previously. If you head due east and change out your horses a few times you should be able to get back to the capital that doesn 't mean you should try. I keep this place hidden for a reason and you would be hurting a lot of people by revealing its location. Sure we have the occasional caravan coming by, in fact, we have one in town now and we are treating the leader of their traveling troop. '

'Why would this knowledge hurt people? ' The apothecary asked.

The drug lord answered 'there are plenty of people that would burn this place to the ground after what I did to their loved ones. '

'Are these the patients you were referring to? 'The prince asked.

The man scrubbed his beard, 'yeah, I need to see the full effects of any medication I try and document it thoroughly. Sometimes it 's a really rough treatment ' Difficult to watch. '

One point for the villain column.

The prince thought to himself.

'You don 't have to give me that look, 'the drug lord groused, 'I know it 's bad, but if we don 't know exactly what it does, we can 't fully analyze how to fix it. We autopsy the bodies before returning them to their families to mark the changes. '

Jinshi thought he had kept his face quite neutral.

So many illegal things were happening and we just left our doorstep.

They started making their way down into the town, and they could feel the heat coming from the forge and hear the clang of metal, Huo greeted the blacksmith. Lang dropped his project and rushed out, 'It 's the

tigris

! Can we talk

now

? '

Huo chuckled and scrubbed his curls, 'Sure Lang, why not? '

The dire wolf of a man looked like he had just been asked if he wanted to be taken for a walk. The invisible tail wagged as he grabbed the apothecary 's hand and dragged her into his workshop. The prince was quick on his heels. Lang took her into the back room where the alloys and wood stores were kept. His excitement vibrated the air in an infectious manner, like a child giggling in a park. The apothecary asked a series of questions about the type of wood, when charcoal is used and what temperatures he wanted in the forge for which alloys. It certainly wasn 't her area of expertise, but she had an inkling. There was a detailed discussion about non-wood burning sources, and what extinguished the various flames. Huo was actively taking notes.

Maomao knew better than state anything decisive when this was a tertiary skill at best, she turned to Huo, 'didn 't you say you needed to make a firework once? Are there more firework craftsmen in your circles? They would be much more thorough in their answers than I. '

The drug lord pondered, 'That 's a good point. I will get in touch with them. '

The blacksmith looked very excited, but the apothecary put a hand up, 'Bear in mind if you increase the temperature of your forge. It will put stress on the oven itself. Make sure you reinforce the housing before you burn down on the village. '

The drug lord gave a hearty thumbs up and the blacksmith coward a little. The Prince looked amused, Huo smirked, ' I knew there was a reason I put the blacksmith right next to the water. '

He had indeed, the building was at a Y of two streets and behind them was one of the pools of oasis. They waved farewell and took the Western path. It did seem to be a pattern to the building types, the workshops along the central pond's edge and the housing on the other side of the street.

'Was this on purpose? ' The prince asked.

'Absolutely! Metal food, wooden carts can be replaced, it 's a lot harder to replace people. '

Standing in stark contrast to his earlier statement about patients, Jinshi stared confused.

'Come now, Sir, you don 't have to make any decisions that are difficult for people around you? Don 't make me feel like I 'm the only one. Weren 't your policies pivotal during the locust plague? ' Huo pouted.

That earned him a thoughtful look from Jinshi. They continued their way down the dirt path, many greetings were exchanged, and small conversations had. The prince was certainly building out his mental map of who and how the dynamics worked around the village. The concept of a hierarchy was very loose, almost imperceptible. Gossip was also exchanged, he could tell by the looks alone. One such interaction was with the baker and his wife, she was definitely eyeing Maomao and the prince.

'I heard he set you up in

that

house? 'Her look was soft, but definitely curious.

'Yes, he has been very gracious with his accommodations. ' Maomao managed the half truth convincingly, not mentioning their stay in a cell or how they arrived.

'Does that mean what I think it means? ' the woman asked the drug lord.

'If I have my way, yes. But it 's not up to me, so we shall see, ' he replied jovially.

The apothecary gave him a look of

what is that supposed to mean?

He waved her off with a look of,

I 'll explain later.

They heard them before they saw them, the group of children dodging and weaving between houses, carts and people. They were clearly engaged in the game of chase and attempted to run past the trio. One squealed in delight as Huo scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, her legs kicking wildly, 'What do you think you 're doing Squirt? '

The laughter and squeals were ear piercing amidst the playful protest, 'let me down he 's gonna

get me

! '

'Not if I get him

first

! ' Huo roared while he set her down. The whole group scattered, screaming in delight. He went after the one who was 'it '. It was the same boy from when had Maomao her initial walkabout, his skin was clear and he was very energetic, clearly fully recovered.

The prince spotted the recognition and soft smile from the apothecary, 'Is this the boy you told me about? '

She nodded as the drug lord swung him around, feet flailing in a wide arc before putting him down, and the child ran off after the nearest target.

'Go home you little Rascals, the sun is setting! ' he called after the child.

'Yes Uncle, ' a course of children called from behind the buildings, carts and bushes. They complied, but that didn 't mean they weren 't going to play tag all the way home.

Running a hand through his curls he straightened his back, and breathing a bit heavy 'Oh man, that gets harder every year, ' he turned to the pair, 'So I 'd like to show you the guest housing and the healing facilities, but I know their serving dinner now and everyone will try and make you sit down and talk to them. It 'll be midnight before I can drag you out. Things will be quieter in the morning, thoughts? '

They exchanged a look, Jinshi was fine, but Maomao was looking a little worse for wear. As exciting as all these exchanges were, she wasn 't exactly an 'extrovert '. The apothecary sighed and stepped towards the healing facilities. Huo put a hand up, 'A reluctant 'yes ' is really a 'no '. Let 's go in the morning. '

'It 's no problem I- '

Huo glanced at her sharply before regarding Jinshi, 'She runs herself into the ground doesn 't she. '

'In her defense she usually has to chase me away from work as well. '

Huo scrubbed his beard with a sigh, 'What am I gonna do with you two? '

'We 've managed, ' Maomao scowled.

'Uh huh, so what- you get put on 'special assignment ' for a stretch until it 's either done? Or more likely your body breaks down? '

They were both looking a little sheepish. Jinshi found a sharp finger in his chest, 'You listen to me

moon boy

you 've only got

one

body, and you 're just shortening how long it 's gonna work. Screw your work, it will be there when you 're rested! What happens if you burn yourself out and leave

her

behind? '

'I

said

we 've

manag- '

Maomao tried to counter.

Huo towered over her darkly, 'and

you.

Have you

ever

stopped to think what

he 's

like when

you 're

down and out? Probably can 't even think straight, let alone make country shattering decisions.

Trust me

'

I 'would know

. '

With that the drug lord stormed off, one hand raised in farewell with a grumble of, 'Go to bed idiots. '

They stared at him storming off for more beats than they cared to count. The prince had been looked down on, told to straighten up, fit in a mold of his role, but

never

like

that

. Maomao remembered how haggard he looked that night when she returned from her and Chue 's misadventures across the Western Province and walked to him instead of the medical facilities.

Had her missing done that to him?

Walking back in quietly, Jinshi flashed to the conversation as they were leaving this room in the morning.

After the verbal lashing outside, his voice was soft, 'Hey, can we talk? '

'Sure Master Jinshi, what 's going on? ' there was some concern but she was clearly processing too.

'We can revisit what Huo said later, it was more ' about this morning? '

'What part? '

'Well, a couple parts but, ' he pulled a chair out for her and she took it, 'your thoughts this morning ' about us- felt very ' calculated. '

'Yes? '

They were?

He fiddled with his sleeve as he sat down, an action she really hadn 't seen from him. Perhaps it was because Gaoshun wasn 't here to tell him to straighten up, 'I know where I stand, no- that 's not it. Let 's say for a moment that I didn 't have my title, lineage, time as manager of the Rear Palace. '

Putting his elbow on the table he raked his hand against his hair, 'If I wasn 't Ka Zuigetsu, The Moon Prince, or even Jinshi ' would you- Would I be ' would you still- '

'Value you? ' she ventured.

'Yes! 'no, I mean- '

'Help you? ' she tried.

'-

Accept my feelings? '

There it was, he got it out!

Good lord he was sweating so bad, he tried to hide the tremble in his fingers and the knot in his throat. But he cared for an apothecary who was known for astute physical observations. She got up and poured each of them a cup of water. Wrapping both hands around hers, Maomao looked down into the liquid.

'Our time together has been built around your status. I wouldn 't have come across your path without it. Just as you have used my skills and talents so I have used your authority to accomplish specific goals. I have come to value that exchange, and have been exposed to many fascinating mysteries and rare medicines because of you. '

'That 's not- ' he stopped when she realized her hand was on her chin, she was working this out in real time. The prince took a sip and continued to listen.

'Over the years you 've built trust far more often than broken it ' some were '

worse

than others. But would I have treated you differently if you were closer to my status? '

She thought for a beat, 'Yeah, I would have knuckled you and jabbed you a lot more. '

I suppose I deserve that.

He smiled quietly.

'Probably less diplomatic in response on occasion, ' he huffed a chuckle in response.

'What

is it

that I 'm adverse to? '

Self diagnosis is always dangerous for a healer, but as we know Maomao takes the cake.

'Being noticed? ' He recalled writing '

you with the freckles stay here '.

'If it puts me in harm's way, ' she recalled explaining

why

she put on freckles in the first place.

'Being treated higher than your self-perceived station? ' How many times had the La Princess dusted his hand off telling him she was beneath him.

'Risking behavior above my station, ' she recalled Jinshi scolding the maid who boldly wore Consort Lishu 's hairpin. Or the time she was bludgeoned while trying to rescue the 'unknown ' royal at the ceremony before the beam fell.

'Affection, ' he asked playfully, how many times had he wanted a hug or taken her hand.

'When wielded to force, corner, manipulate, or as a performance, ' dumb Crystal Pavillion ladies in waiting, making Jinshi step in. Stupid Emperor forcing him to pick a bride, those stupid looks when she was undercover as his 'wife '.

Yue found a vein worth following, 'Clarify? '

'When you grabbed me and jumped off the wall to get me stitched up, did I fight you? '

'No. '

'When you took my hand to get me additional emetic after the first garden party did I pull away? '

' 'no. '

'When I finally got back to the You household in the Western Province did I ask you to take me back to my bed? '

' '..no. '

'When the two of us sat in the crows nest did I flee

any

of that?

' ' ' ' 'no. '

'When you requested me ' just me- did I refuse? '

'No, but the abortifacients were a sharp reality check. '

'But was it a 'rejection of your affection '? '

' 'no. '

'And did I pull away after

finally

convincing you to eat,

even though

it had aphrodisiacs? '

'No, but I don 't know what

you

want. '

Her hand returned to her chin, she sorted through the pieces meticulously, 'which goes back to your statement of 'not fighting ' vs 'wanting it '. '

The blush licked his cheeks like flames, as those words had been spoken amidst their intimate morning. His voice was more of a squeak, '

yeah. '

Taking a sip of water she pondered, 'that encounter was more frustrating than distressing. '

Ever the analyst

, 'How so? '

'You didn 't allow for equal exchange, you made it about me. Which ' while

pleasant

, ' she blushed, 'didn 't let me reciprocate. I felt like you were trapping and punishing yourself for a situation I

willingly

put you in. '

He studied that statement, the tone, content and delivery. The words came slowly, carefully as if he was choosing each word with the utmost care. 'What would I need to do or say to 'encourage ' you to pursue

those

activities

proactively. '

'You would give me that power? '

'In a heartbeat, ' his answer was quick and insistent.

'Even if I don 't know what to

do

with it. '

'Yes. '

Why?

She considered what she actually wanted to ask, 'So you, Jinshi, Yue, -whatever it is we 're calling you right now. The person who wishes to leave the Imperial line for reasons

beyond

my comprehension- wish to give me the right to demand affection from you? '

'Completely separate from my place in this world, yes. A thousand times yes, ' they found it! A core miscommunication

finally

addressed, just saying it out loud released a deep tension in his back he didn 't know he was holding. Maomao blinked as his shoulders visually dropped.

She felt a hand on hers, eyes whipping down before they whipped up, 'I 'm not asking you to solve or pursue anything or everything right now, but I do want to know -not how

you

can be

mine

. But how can

I

be

yours

? '