Chapter Text
“Maomao, what the hell is wrong with you?” Jinshi demanded, voice full of concern. He had been waiting for her outside the Emperor's palace. Now that she was here, he had a very bad feeling about taking her inside.
“Wrong with me? Nothings wrong with me. Is there something wrong with you? You look a little pale. I feel fine. In fact, I feel great. Can’t remember the last time I had so much energy!” She spoke so quickly Jinshi struggled to keep up. Her hands were moving as fast as her mouth.
Basen, who had accompanied him to the building as a bodyguard, grimaced and shook his head. If even Basen can recognize her odd behavior, than there's no doubt anyone can.
Jinshi was seriously worried. He gripped her by the shoulders, she was practically humming. “Are you on drugs… or poison? Something is definitely affecting you. What have you been experimenting with?”
She frowned and looked puzzled for a moment. Realization flashed behind her eyes. “Ohhh, you must mean the coffee. Is it that noticeable? I didn’t think it was… but that must be it.” She smiled at Jinshi and tucked her hands in her sleeves in front of her. It appeared to take all her concentration to remain still. She was failing.
He released her and ran his fingers through his hair. “What… is coffee? I’ve never heard of it. Drug or poison? Is there an antidote?” Why did she have to experiment with something before a meeting with The Emperor?
“Coffee? Coffee isn’t a drug or poison, it’s a drink, a beverage, a hot beverage. It comes from a foreign land. Dr. Li picked it up from a trader. He made a big batch today so everyone could try it. Most people thought it was too bitter, but I thought it was delicious. Dr. Li said it has something in it that's a stimulant, but stimulants don’t bother me…” she trailed off when she saw Jinshi raise his eyebrows. “I did drink more than everyone else… I didn't want it to go to waste, it was soooo goooood.” Giving him a smile that reminded him of the time he gave her ox bezoars, did not help him relax.
If stimulants don’t affect you, why is this coffee affecting you?” He has never seen her have any kind of reaction like this. Even the drunken ‘shrooms were no where near this bad. He might need to look into banning the stuff if even Maomao couldn't tolerate it.
“Remember when I told you if you grow up with a certain stimulant as a normal part of your diet, you develop a tolerance? Likewise, if you ingest a stimulant for the first time it might have a stronger effect. I suspect this is the latter. Plus, I didn't eat much today, an empty stomach can worsen the reaction. No food to absorb it, you see.”
Jinshi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Exactly how much of this stuff did you drink?”
“Ummm…” She was counting on her fingers, the index finger on one hand tapping the fingertips of the other.
After the third pass, he grabbed her wrists. “I get it, you drank a lot,” he sighed. “Are you going to be alright to go in here? The Emperor is expecting us and I have no idea what he wants.” He could feel her vibrating in his grip.
“Of course, you don’t have to worry about me. I'm fine, better than fine, I’m great!” She smiled again. It was almost creepy. Yes, Jinshi had a very bad feeling about this.