Fullmetal Alchemist: Legacy Of Xing (Private)

OOC: I noticed.

IC:
Biting back whatever invisible pride she retained, she said, "Thank you."
Meili quickly glanced over Atton, realizing how wrong Ruan was to say the Amestrian had no abilities. Atton carried himself like a survivor, like he had gone down the wrong path before being guided off of it, someone very similar to herself. Perhaps that's why she saw fit to take him with her, to ensure he made his way to the correct path.
She sighed. Or perhaps she was becoming soft.
Instead of waiting for the key, Meili leaned down and swiftly picked the lock to release him.
Once the door was open, Atton smirked, "Couldn't resist my charms, huh?"
"Come along, before I change my mind about bringing you."
"Whatever you say."

The ex-assassin made her way to the palace with Atton following behind her. As she walked, she sent a text to the rest of the ninjas, "We need to talk. Let's regroup at the Palace."

Meili headed into the meeting room where everything started, where she found Maya and Katashi already waiting. Donnie and Mikey found their way inside just a few minutes later, while Leo and Raph took much longer to arrive.
Each person, except Katashi, asked about Atton. The smug Amestrian opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Meili each time, who said, "I'll explain once everyone is here. But there are more important matters at hand."

With everyone present, Meili began, "It would seem I was mistaken in believing Ruan had abducted the Emperor. He was set up just as much as we are."
The ex-assassin did not risk a sideways glance towards Shay. If she did, the bodyguard would suspect something was wrong, then the Emperor's well-being could be placed in jeopardy. But Meili did not resist eye contact either. Avoiding Shay could also lead her to become suspicious.
Meili motioned to Atton as she introduced, "This is Atton. I have reason to believe he could help us in our search for the Emperor."

"Nothing." Meili answered. She began to explain Ruan's side of the story, "He went to search for the ambassador that he had been informed would be arriving when the Emperor was taken. He came back to inform us there would be a delay because he couldn't find the ambassador when he found us unconscious. He searched for help, but was rendered unconscious like Katashi and I were."
"So how is Atton useful?" Leo inquired.
"He is well-trained in information gathering." Meili stated. "I thought an extra hand would be useful."
"How do we know we can trust him?" Raph eyed Atton skeptically.
Acting genuinely insulted, Atton began, "How could you doubt a complete stranger? All I did was somehow strike a conversation with Miss Stoic over there." he jabbed a thumb in Meili's direction, who showed no significant reaction.
"We can't be positive, but I see no reason not to give him a chance." Meili said. "We'll just have to keep a close eye on him."
"I bet you'd love that, wouldn't you?" Atton smirked.
"Where'd you learn to speak Xingese so well?" Donnie asked.
"I make it my business to be well-versed in a variety of languages." Atton answered. "I also know Amestrian, Aerugean, Cretan, and Drachman."
"Ohh! Say chicken butt in Aerugean!" Mikey demanded.
"Uh... No." Atton rose an eyebrow curiously.
"I just want to see if it sounds funny." Mikey pouted.

"We'll figure something out." Meili assured them in her special stoic way. She turned and left, urging Atton to come as well. She wasn't fond of how eager he was to follow her.
Once out of earshot, Meili spoke, "Remember our agreement with Ruan. Don't let them know what's really going on."
His smug look was a little irritating. "One, I never agreed. Two, don't worry about me spoiling it. I'm a pretty smooth liar myself."
Meili calmly responded, "One, I let you out. I'd hope you'd be grateful. Two, I needed you to know we were in agreement."
"One, I am grateful. Which is why I'm keeping my trap shut. Two, I don't mind sticking around."
Tired of the conversation, Meili took him to the garden and told him to stay put while she found him a room to stay in.
The ex-assassin wasn't eager to keep secrets from her fellow ninja, but she could see no other option at the moment. She'd have to play this carefully until she knew where Jian was. After that, it was a relatively simple matter to figure out who was in charge of the entire operation, as well as the full scope of their plans. Currently, it was clear Jian was merely a pawn in the hands of this mysterious mastermind.

As of the moment, Meili could only wait for Ruan to come back. Only by doing what he asked was she going to get any closer to finding Jian.
Meili found a spare room Atton could have, and led him to it. Not sure how reckless he could be, she made a point of warning him that the Palace was a confusing place and he shouldn't meander through it alone.

Meili had been silently dreading this. He was going to ask for the secrets the ninjas had, but they were forbidden to give to anyone who wasn't a ninja. Fortunately, the techniques take a long time to develop. She had time to figure something out.

"No." She said simply. Then she waited for Ruan to get to the point.

Meili remained silent and waited for him to finish.

"Many years," Meili answered. "I have not yet mastered the techniques."
She could only guess that it meant she had to teach this to Ruan's assassins over the course of many years. In the meantime, Jian would stay in captivity. More likely, someone would discover the Emperor was missing, and chaos would ensue around the country. This wasn't a good situation. She needed to rescue Jian as quickly as possible, but she also had to do it strategically.