⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 𓄂 " 𝓓.ⁱᵛⁱⁿᵉ 𝓕.ᵒʳᵉˢⁱᵍʰᵗ "

“     …what am i, an attendant?     “
            [   said with what he /hopes/ to be indifference, ignoring how his breath caught in his throat at how casual of an invitation he was given;  a lighthearted joke to not make the scenario heavy in its earnestness.  and again, pride swells, because he’s aware of how cautious the other is.  even around those hand-picked to see their life purpose as attending to the high elder–  this was a show of trust to jing yuan alone. and in his foolish youth, he knows no better than to let that fact settle in the crevices of his heart as aureate vessels–  cause an unsteadiness in its beating.  he’s reassured once seeing his tail react, understanding the diffidence was at least mutual.  he swallows before speaking again, clearing his throat of unspoken words.   ]
            
            “     …what do you wish to start with.     “
            [   but he gives in still, inevitably.  because the lieutenant is too soft-hearted in his mirth.  ]

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@cloudpierced 
             
            
            
            “     flattery?  not suiting me?  is my sincere reverence not appeasing his highness?     “
            [   he reads the utterly human behaviour, and laughs before he can stop himself, less ashamed of the unprofessional behaviour.  because he allowed himself to feel the audacity of a long-life species in all its humanity, yet to be tainted by coiled branches of gringo leaves.   ]
            
            “      i’ve no need to comment on something you’re already much aware of.  have you known me to follow orders?     “
            [   he’s left watching carefully again in the silence that follows, waiting for a reaction while tracing over each feature for movement. not the surveillance of a militant, but the gentle observation of enamour;  hair that tips over his shoulders like rivers, the careful touch of hands made for the handle of a weapon, the overall lack of unashamed comments alluding to displeasure, the tone which held no bite– his eyes, windows to the soul, holding conflicted waters.  suffocated in his mannerisms he’s grown so familiar with.  it was safe to assume he at least tolerated them, which brought momentary relief despite /knowing/ his tastes, /expecting/a positive reaction.  what he didn’t anticipate, however, was the order that followed.    ]

His tail betrays him, stupid thing.  It curls around his own leg, shying away from the blatant affections.  The jarring revelation that Jing Yuan /knows/ him as Danfeng.  It would make him feel ill if he didn't—-  personally entrust the man with such intricacies.  
            
            He knows the exact sound of Jing Yuan's laugh.  The way his eyes reflect the sleeping, drowsing sun as it sets.  The dislike of his uniform.  His favourite foods, his favourite alcohol even as he has to steel himself to drink it [because Danfeng knows Jing Yuan refuses to back down against Yingxing].  He knows how observant and perceptive the man really is, downplayed through his languid behaviours he uses to rile like an impertinent brat.  He knows how he loves unashamedly, even as it blossoms golden.

“Well, yeah?  They should’ve known better.  Told ‘em I was acting on business.  They were barely worth my time anyhow.”

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@cursedunder
            
            
            “     you’re asking this, after getting several cloud knights caught in your affair?     ”

/  ok thats all i want for u xx

/  hmm seek help maybe

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@shuhusgift  
            
            
            "     i'm looking after your good health.  you're already talking like an elder, at least wait a couple years to start scolding like an old man.  should be thanking me for keeping you young.     "
            [   teasing retaliation, to the usual pattern of push and pull between the two.  balance between audacity and respect for his space, for he's grown familiar with the limits of his temper.  learned it through careful observation, as he does with most matters.  he takes no offense to what might be seen as harsh words, laughing brightly instead.   ]
            
            "     what i want to show you requires you getting up and out of here, not something portable.  come, senior citizen.  lets take a walk, stretch out your legs.     "

“  lieutenant? not in this forge you’re not. all you are to me is an insufferable brat who came to bother me when he knew i was w͟o͟r͟k͟i͟n͟g͟.    “               ⋆  if they were in a cartoon, a vein would have popped in yingxing’s forehead already. but they’re not, and all that reflects his annoyance is the steady twitching of a muscle in his jaw. jing yuan knows just how to push his buttons, knows that yingxing holds a soft spot for him no matter how he denies it. it’s with well timed jabs and soft teasing that has yingxing folding every time, angered expression involuntarily softening whenever he looks at the lieutenant.  ⋆                “  well? what is it exactly that you’re so secretive about?  “
            
            /          NO UR ALL GOOD HELP!!!!! dw abt it we all make mistakes

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@shuhusgift  
            
            
            “     you’re talking to the lieutenant with that tone!     ”
            [   with a gasped squawk at the push to his shoulder, he retaliates by bumping it against yingxing right after, all in good nature.  but jing yuan remains patient, eventually slipping out of his away to let him work; for he knows it’s inevitable that he gets what he wants.  whether beseeched by curiosity or the playful tinge of irritation at his persistence— eventually, he knows yingxing would yield.  so he waits, watching the calculating and precise hand that bends metal to his will.   ]
            
            “     …not telling you.  you have to stop working to see it.     ”
            [   he looks up when the other does, as though having anticipated the moment.  the cheeky smile returns twicefold, satisfied with pride swelling at the fact that once again, his read was correct.   ]
            
            
            ╱╱ ⠀⠀  ⠀⠀i'm so sorry at the amount of times i had to resend this i kept finding mistakes

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@coquere 
            
            
            ╱╱ ⠀⠀  ⠀⠀smiles hi

*       coughs.    @lieuluofu

/  omg and lae. @godselysia. sorry im being so bossy

/  wait on bootyhill too. that’ll b funny.  @allbecoming i thiiink?

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@cloudpierced 
            
            
            [   the boldness in which the statement is said is enough for attention to finally be drawn away from where the sea parted, where troves of marks were left as proof that someone once valued the place as home.  and instead, his nonstop scrutinising gaze fell on what was the simmering of a storm– that waded into calm waters beside him.  the similarities were there, inevitably.  however, the waves this life cultivated weren’t the calculated, heavy dragging of foam upon shore– weighed by the burden of expectation.  they were instead tinged by the tides of rebellion, a refusal to be contained as his predecessor was; more free, more fearless. he didn’t grow into the writer his parents wanted, but it was in moments like these that perhaps he too wasn’t abstained from nurture.  it just took the right inspiration to encourage observation into idyllic stanzas.   ]
            
            [   he realises he’s staring after carefully avoiding even a glance all this time, but there is less hurry to turn away this time. he smiles, broken from its usual neutrality by his biases, a melancholy expression.  the general, just as careful and meticulous in how he chose his words, because a military man couldn’t afford to be misunderstood or say more than necessary–  was just as guilty of letting words slip him by.  ]
            
            “     then i’ll wait for you.     “
            [   he had once.  and he would again.   ]

He wants to find easy, playful mirth in the casuale exchange of their conversation.  Too casual, too easy—-  it is... it is like talking to March, to the Trailblazer, bandages over the oozing wounds of his heart that took the shapeless form of love and family.  Not blood-bound, nonetheless still entitled to his loyalty, and that makes it sweeter.
            
            The General is not part of this bandage, he is arguably a contribution to this holes in his heart that will never be quite his own.  This conversation is too casual for what they should be: strangers.  Instead, Danheng is talking to him like he is—-  
            
            Like he is an old friend.
            
            "I'm sure my memories will guide me back here one way another."  It slips out before he can do anything to stop it.  To reign it back in with his typical mulish disposition (he is never one to be so careless with his words).
            
            He despises this pain of knowing.  He despises the memories that come attached to him like a parasite, seeping away the new joys of this new life.  This is a fresh start, as cumbersome as it may be, but the soul stays the same.  He... he remembers that much.  And you cannot deny what the soul wants, to deny fate itself.  
            
            Danheng refuses to acknowledge the yearning that embues even the deepest marrow of his most insignificant bones.

⠀⌁⠀▋ ID:⠀⠀@cloudpierced 
            
            
            “     don’t have to explain it.  you answer to no one but yourself now, a free man on the luofu.  you’re talking to me during off hours, so even i don’t count for now.     ”
            [   he keeps an assured smirk,  though this one emptier.  because he knows it’s not the whole truth.  he answers for someone who no longer lives,  that he could read in the lingered gazes and hidden smiles behind insisted distance.   ]
            
            [   like a blade twisted in his side, the words strike him truer than a spear.  said more than once by now, but there was still active work while coming to terms with it, like he swore to. no matter how much the heart refused to forget.  it ached, despite how logically it was understood this wasn’t intended to be a cold reminder, but a statement of intention.  it seemed emotions interrupted even the course of strategy.     ]
            
            “     …well. here’s to hoping you’re good to talk to in many lives to come.  maybe they’ll be a bit more frequent in getting me out of dull meetings though.  now that’s something i can’t avoid being agreeable to.    ”
            [   and maybe, they’d be having this conversation again, where jing yuan would ask the same question. where he’d be stood at the parted tides, waiting helplessly for an outcome different to those they faced— ridden with complication and eventual consumption. a fate where none would be burdened, where those who wished for rest would be provided such instead of chasing after ghosts of the past.  a future where jing yuan wasn't left as the last to carry their memory.   ]