#they'll be polite for mei's sake

[waitineedaname]

Despite having worked to rebuild Ishval for years now, Scar still wasn’t quite comfortable in the position of diplomat. He was a man of action; he felt most fulfilled when he was helping rebuild homes or performing religious rites for new families. The job of a diplomat, however, involved a great deal more wining and dining, more appeasing important people they needed on Ishval’s side. This was not Scar’s strong suit. Normally he would pass along this task to someone better suited for it, but he’d been invited to Xing specifically.

He knew he didn’t have to do much persuading to secure Xing as Ishval’s ally; the emperor had already reassured him of that in private. Still, certain protocol was expected, and if Mei’s snide comments about her half-brother were to be trusted, he took any opportunity he could to host a banquet. 

Scar really wished Mei was with him now. She had been at the start of the banquet, showing him which foods were best and giggling at his inexperience with chopsticks. But before long, her attention had been stolen by a member of the Xingese court that wanted to speak with her, and another person decided to ask him about Ishval, and then suddenly he was separated from one of the few people he knew in the room. Miles was nowhere to be found, likely speaking with some of Xing’s generals; he was much better at the diplomat role than Scar. He supposed he could sit with the emperor, but he wasn’t sure if that would be a breach of etiquette, regardless of how informal Ling had been when he greeted him earlier. Scar was about to resign himself to finding a corner to stand in while he ate his food when a stranger’s voice called out to him.

“Scar!” He turned and found, to his surprise, an Amestrian approaching him. He had not been aware of any Amestrians in the Xingese court, but the golden-haired young man that had called out to him was clearly not Xingese. “It’s been a long time,” he said once he’d caught up with him.

Did he know this Amestrian? He didn’t recognize him, but he was speaking to him like they knew each other. “It has,” Scar said, hoping that was an adequate response.

The Amestrian gave him a somewhat awkward smile, like he was doing his best to be courteous. Something about him reminded Scar of Fullmetal – the golden hair and eyes were rather distinct – but he was certainly not Edward Elric. “Mei has been talking about your visit for weeks now,” said the Amestrian. “She was really excited to see you again.”

Ah, so he knew Mei? Had they met this man when they were traveling through Amestris together? That was years ago now, and this young man wasn’t very old, so he must have still been a young teen at the time. Scar searched his memory for any Amestrian teens they might have encountered together, but aside from the children they met in Ishvalan slums, the only teenagers he remembered were part of Fullmetal’s cohort – Edward himself, the Rockbell girl, and Edward’s armored brother. “It’s good to see her again as well,” Scar said, attempting not to give away his confusion. “She’s grown up since I last saw her.”

“Yeah, we’ve all changed a lot since back then, huh?” The Amestrian said it like there was some kind of humorous double meaning behind his words, but Scar didn’t follow. Upon his lack of reaction, the Amestrian coughed awkwardly and shifted the subject. “I heard you and Ling are working on the railroad connection from Amestris to Xing through Ishval.”

And he was on a first name basis with the emperor? This Amestrian truly was an odd case. “Yes, it’s our hope that it will improve commerce in Ishval. Major Miles would know more about it than I do.”

“Ah, yeah, I should probably say hi to the major too.” The Amestrian scratched the back of his head and smiled. “I know the train route will be good for trade and whatnot, but I know Ling and I are mostly excited because it means Ed will be able to visit more easily.”

Enough of this. Scar was just going to ask him directly. “Do you know Edward Elric?” he asked, assuming that must be the Ed he was referring to. The Amestrian gave him a puzzled look.

“Of course I know Ed. Why did you…” he trailed off, realization crossing his face. Scar was not enjoying the experience of being out of the loop. Before he could ask for any clarification, the emperor decided to make an appearance, putting a friendly hand on the Amestrian’s arm.

“Alphonse! You’re not talking about politics behind my back, are you?” Ling teased. Scar blinked, then widened his eyes as realization hit him too.

“The armored boy,” he said, feeling rather foolish. 

“That’s me. Though I haven’t been in the armor since the Promised Day.” Alphonse gave him a smile that was somehow both exasperated and embarrassed. 

“I didn’t realize,” Scar admitted.

“It’s fine. I’m pretty sure you were presumed dead at the time,” Al said, once again proving himself to be the more patient Elric. 

“If I had known this was going to happen, I would have reintroduced you!” Ling said in a way that made it very obvious that he had known exactly what was going on and had been enjoying their awkward fumbling.

“No you wouldn’t have.” Alphonse rolled his eyes, echoing Scar’s thoughts exactly. “You probably thought it was funny.”

“So cruel, Alphonse! Accusing me of scheming just for my own entertainment?” Ling threw an arm around Al’s shoulders, reminding Scar that he was just as much of a teenaged nuisance as the Elrics. “I would never!”

“Yes, you would!” Al’s voice was shaking with amusement, reducing the impact of his annoyance. Scar decided he’d had enough of this.

“I’m going to find Mei,” he told them, quickly taking his leave and melding back into the crowd of guests, hoping his height might give him some advantage in finding her before someone else decided to drag him into an awkward interaction.

He would be happy to visit Mei in Xing again, but he decided he would no longer force himself into the role of diplomat. If it involved any association with any Elric’s nonsense, he would leave that up to Miles.