video | un: guzhu

[soakedinvinegar]

(( The sepia-toned face on the screen is pale with dark, curious eyes. There's something in the curve of his lips that isn't quite a smile, yet it is. Overall it's a pleasant expression on a pleasant face. ))

I'm curious. Who else got up close and personal with the Emperor at his, ah, party.

Comments

[soakedinvinegar]

(( That takes him off-guard. For reasons various and sundry, Kexing doesn't dwell on the details of his past. Or rather, he chooses to remember certain details over others. Regardless, even the broad strokes are mostly unpleasant. The surprise is fleeting, his features quickly schooled into a neutral expression. ))

You may be waiting a long time.

[gentledawn]

[Pasts...can be traumatic. Xingchen considers himself lucky for having so little memory of his life before he ended up on the mountain. His Master raised him - and other orphans - no doubt hoping to save them pain. But he knows it exists in the world and he wants to help.]

I have plenty of time for you.

[soakedinvinegar]

You are too kind.

[gentledawn]

Isn't it pleasant when kindness and truth are one and the same?

[soakedinvinegar]

Pleasant and rare.

[gentledawn]

I won't lie to you, A-Xing.

[soakedinvinegar]

I believe you. As I said before, you're the antithesis of everything I've known.

[gentledawn]

Then you haven't been treated well. I wish I could undo that.

[soakedinvinegar]

The past made me who I am and led me to my A-Xu.

[gentledawn]

I like the way you think about it. You're stronger for it.

[soakedinvinegar]

I have to be. Where I grew up, only the strong survived.

[gentledawn]

I wish you had been with me on the mountain.

[soakedinvinegar]

I wouldn't have met A-Xu if things were different.

[gentledawn]

He could've been there too?

[soakedinvinegar]

Could he have been? Would we be the same people if our pasts were different?

[gentledawn]

... [His expression flickers and he bites his lip.] No, we wouldn't be. And that would be a shame.

[soakedinvinegar]

And if we weren't the same people, would our relationship be the same?

(( Of course, he meant them and Xingchen. A soulmate is a soulmate regardless of circumstance. ))

[gentledawn]

No, we would be different people. I would like to think we would be drawn to each other still, but I can't know that for certain.

[soakedinvinegar]

I like things the way they are, don't you?

[gentledawn]

I'm honored by your attention. I feel...blessed. Friends are dear to me - dearer than gold or silver. To have you and A-Shu in my life...

Yes, I like it. [To put it lightly.]

[soakedinvinegar]

(( A sly smile settles on Kexing's lips and mischief lights up his dark eyes as he peers intently at the image of Xingchen on the screen. ))

Perhaps we can share you one day.

[gentledawn]

[Share? The images that fill his mind are not suitable for the network and he laughs shakily.]

You might. I have a difficult time telling either of you no.

[soakedinvinegar]

We would never pressure you into something you don't want, A-Chen.

[gentledawn]

I...never said I didn't want it. [Now his gaze drops to his feet.] Is it wrong for me to want it?

[soakedinvinegar]

Look at me.