A joke indeed, and one she laughed at perhaps a bit more loudly than she should have. "Yes, wouldn't that be lovely, Alden?" She asked, free hand moving to her chest as if the short laugh had caused her heart to flutter and she needed to control it. They both knew all too well that neither would ever truly make their own decision in marriage. Unless Meiying's father passed away and the position of head of the family skipped her eldest brother, there was no getting around it. "But maybe he will take my advice next time."

As he agreed to a cup, she nodded, and caught the eyes of a passing servant. "Excuse me, miss," she said, stopping the girl. "Would you mind having a fresh pot of tea taken to my office? Thank you."

"Of course, my lady," the woman said, then she curtsied to both nobles and hurried away.

"My office should be near where you have to meet, so you won't have to run around the castle once you've finished your tea," she told him, leading him down a long hall and then eventually taking a left turn onto another stretch. "Well then, tell me this, Alden," she continued more from their previous conversation. "When you have time between courting the young noble ladies of Nevermere and learning your role as royal guard, will you spar with me? I grow weary of fighting the dummies in the courtyard and I fear if I don't keep up my training, I'll grow roots that attach to my desk."

"Considering your job one would think your opinion would be appreciated, clearly you are incredibly smart." But alas, women of Nevermere were supposed to be seen and not heard. Most of the time he agreed with that, but when it came to Alinore or Meiying he thought that some men would do well to listen. Otherwise the rule made a lot of sense, most of the time the other ladies he had to speak with spewed fluff and utter nonsense.

Nodding along as Meiying ordered some tea and explained how the castle was laid out he didn't bother to mention he knew such things already. She was one of the only people he wouldn't correct for the sake of being right. And besides she was probably just try to help out, and that should be praised not met with annoyance.

"Absolutely!" Was that a bit too eager? Alden didn't entirely care as spending any amount of time with Meiying seemed like a treat. "I would be glad to find some time, it would be a pity to see any skills fail due to hard work focused elsewhere." And it meant getting to be close to her in a combat situation, even if in practice, that meant closer than one got having tea. That was something he was already looking forward too.

"Mhm," she grinned, then clicked her teeth. "Nay, dear boy," she spoke sarcastically, as if she were much older. "In the scope of politics that aid in the running of the kingdom, shi de, my opinion may be considered. But in a matter as important as mine own marriage, nay, nay, I simply know too little." The little voice that she put on had been an imitation of her grandfather. While she looked up to all of the men in the family, she couldn't deny that she'd especially loved her grandfather. He'd always seemed far more wise than anyone else could ever be. It was only when she'd gotten older that she'd realized, in retrospect, how little consideration the women of her family were given, even by the other women.

As they approached the door of her office, Meiying turned her head at his quick agreement, enough to make her hair swish and fall from behind her ears again. Eyebrows raised, she only nodded, her voice back to normal and her tone light. "Wonderful. I'd made a little sparring friend not long ago in a soldier, but he's been sent to Cambria." She let go of his arm and pulled a key from her belt, unlocking the office door and opening it up to it's full width. Then she took a stopper from inside the office, and used it to prop the door open. "Come, sit with me, the tea should be here soon."

As they entered the office, Meiying walked around behind her desk and moved some papers around before sitting. It wasn't a grand office, but it was neatly decorated with a mixture of art, flowers, and hanging weaponry. Once sitting, she pulled the nagaika from her hip and rested it in a spot on the desk that seemed to have been kept clear just for that purpose. "So what shall we start with then? What are you working on most? I admit I've been practicing more with daggers lately. A sword, perhaps a spear, would be more challenging. But I'll let you choose for our first spar." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyeing him now as if he were an opponent. "And do we remove magic from the table, or would you like me to throw a few incantations your way? Perhaps a little creature?"

Shaking his head, Alden understood why the men ran things. Most women were too emotional for such things, but surely there could be exceptions like his sister and Meiying, they clearly never let a single emotion get in the way. No one got that far in life without a man because of it. "Well whoever wins your hand will surely deserve it." Not that Alden had any say in it either, but he could wish her well all the same.

While he didn't love the idea of being some replacement for Meiying, he was just going to have to ignore that someone had the prestigious sparring position first. He would take it over and the one in Cambria would be long forgotten. At least a boy could dream.

Taking the seat offered, he resisted the urge to prop his feet up on the desk as he so often did in Alinore's office. He was quickly distracted from such things when Meiying pulled a weapon thought. Resting it on the desk, something she clearly did all the time. It just made her so much more beautiful and cool. "Throw everything you've got at me, I wouldn't want any of your skills to dull just because I can't return on them. Perhaps we start with a spear, I've heard they are great to use with magic, even if it is new." Witches said it was nice to have a weapon that kept a distance at times, made it easy to throw magic out and away rather than deal in close combat.

He was happy to fight her in the way that was most natural. Many men refused a spar with magic outside of military training. They didn't like to be made a fool of if not strictly necessary. It was too much a reminder of how weak they could be compared to women. But it was the men who could set everything aside and be equal to their female counterparts on the battlefield, that would prosper most in the end. Alden learned quickly because he accepted that, and she had no doubt that he would be able to adapt to her magic and perhaps even use it against her, at least if he was half the fighter she expected him to be.

"Perfect! I knew I could rely on you, Alden," she said, hands clapping together, fingers linking in front of her as she leaned forward, chest pressing against the wood of the desk. Just as she was about to speak, a knock came against the door, but with it already open, the servant let herself in.

"Your tea, my lady, my lord," the woman said. Meiying moved some papers around on her desk, clearing it and gesturing for the woman to sit the tea there. Once she had, the woman exited, and Meiying began to make herself a cup, gesturing for Alden to do so as well.

"So then, we'll use spears for our first spar, and I'll come up with a few exciting incantations to throw your way. It'll be so nice to train consistently again. Once you have an idea of what your schedule will look like, we can arrange to spar more regularly. I expect a royal guardsman to take me down rather easily, of course," she grinned, narrowing her eyes somewhat playfully. "But I'm sure I can give you a run for your money." As she finished fixing her tea how she liked it, she leaned back and took a careful, clean sip.