[ his tail fur is standing on end, and the look he gives jing yuan is - almost desperate. almost.
and then he takes a deep breath, and rolls it back. lets it fall off his face, out of his body language. stands, voice steady, heart creaking and cracking in his chest. ]
I don't believe you would kill someone to pass the time. If it isn't mara, then there must have been a reason.
[ whatever ache jiaoqiu hides, whatever desperation is not quite there... jing yuan is not entirely blind to it, but he doesn't respond to it, either.
his posture is unchanging, his smile unchanging. ]
You may believe what you wish, but that will not change what happened—nor will it give me another motive. Heaven has made its decision, after all. And tomorrow we will find out exactly what that entails.
The best you can do for yourself is to keep out of trouble.
[ ...once again, that unfailing kindness, that jiaoqiu fails to obscure behind his cunning.
jing yuan glances out the window, though there isn't much to see. (the darkness is perfectly fine, too.) he does not steep long, or deep in thought. ]
...He's been favoring his right too much, with the new sword he's been practicing with.
[ it's an offhanded remark, as if he cannot even muster the energy to really consider his young retainer. the boy who is the closest thing he has to family. ]
[ another long silence. this doesn't sit right. it feels wrong to leave it like this. for someone he's known for much of his long life, for someone who has lived a life so much more than his own. there is nothing you can do to save someone who wants to throw themselves into the boiling broth so badly.
jing yuan isn't his general - he has his faults, like any man. there were two purposes for the yaoqing's arrival on the luofu, and one of them had been feixiao's drive to see if jing yuan was even still fit. he was, she'd told jiaoqiu in private. her respect for him was clear. and - jiaoqiu has never thought much about whether or not they're friends, over these past years. he's never had to. but he thinks about earlier this week. the compassion he was shown, when admitting a weakness. the warmth he still had. what happened?
he'll never know. he just has to accept the decision that is being made. that's something he's always had difficulty with. ]
Thank you.
[ he says, finally. weary. it's the affection that has been spilling over all week that prompts him to say the rest. ]
... Good luck with whatever comes next, General. I have always believed in you. That won't change.
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and then he takes a deep breath, and rolls it back. lets it fall off his face, out of his body language. stands, voice steady, heart creaking and cracking in his chest. ]
I don't believe you would kill someone to pass the time. If it isn't mara, then there must have been a reason.
[ please let there have been a reason. ]
ALL JIAOQIU DOES... IS SUFFER...
his posture is unchanging, his smile unchanging. ]
You may believe what you wish, but that will not change what happened—nor will it give me another motive. Heaven has made its decision, after all. And tomorrow we will find out exactly what that entails.
The best you can do for yourself is to keep out of trouble.
he's fine don't worry about him
how much of that smile of his is genuine? every time i see him, i can't help but wonder.
but of course, this isn't his problem. it's mine. ]
... Is there anything that I should tell Yanqing, should I make it back?
[ finally. quietly. ]
THE VOICELINE 🥹
jing yuan glances out the window, though there isn't much to see. (the darkness is perfectly fine, too.) he does not steep long, or deep in thought. ]
...He's been favoring his right too much, with the new sword he's been practicing with.
[ it's an offhanded remark, as if he cannot even muster the energy to really consider his young retainer. the boy who is the closest thing he has to family. ]
🥹
jing yuan isn't his general - he has his faults, like any man. there were two purposes for the yaoqing's arrival on the luofu, and one of them had been feixiao's drive to see if jing yuan was even still fit. he was, she'd told jiaoqiu in private. her respect for him was clear. and - jiaoqiu has never thought much about whether or not they're friends, over these past years. he's never had to. but he thinks about earlier this week. the compassion he was shown, when admitting a weakness. the warmth he still had. what happened?
he'll never know. he just has to accept the decision that is being made. that's something he's always had difficulty with. ]
Thank you.
[ he says, finally. weary. it's the affection that has been spilling over all week that prompts him to say the rest. ]
... Good luck with whatever comes next, General. I have always believed in you. That won't change.