text; un: xiaoxingchen

[mingyues]

[ xiao xingchen is not someone who feels the urge to ask questions often. not of others, and even less so of strangers. for this, however, he'll make an exception, even if the words are hard to parse. ]

I have been thinking
The people that we are in this place, the people we become —
Is there a chance in this world for those who are destined to commit evil?
Or is it futile to expect that anything will change when we return to our worlds?

And if it is futile then... does anything we do here matter?

Comments

[noenvy]

Quite. I have all the things I could ever ask for....

[mingyues]

That is
I am...

I am glad that you found peace here.

[noenvy]

I hope you can find peace as well.

[mingyues]

I will... try. I just... need time. There is too much right now in me. In my head. In what the future holds.

[noenvy]

Take it one moment at a time. There is no need to hurry.

[mingyues]

May I ask you something, master Wei?

[noenvy]

Of course.

[mingyues]

What would you do without hope?

[noenvy]

...

Once I lost all hope, and I died. I'm sure you more or less familiar with the story of the fall of the great Yiling Patriarch. I doubt my own story is much different.

But now, there is hope beside me and it will never leave, so I don't need to worry about losing it again.

[mingyues]

I know what I have been told here but that is not... much if I am honest.

Hope... your hope comes from someone?

[noenvy]

Yes.

[And he can't help but soften, whenever he thought of Lan Wangji he felt safe and secure.]

Lan Zhan is always there for me, watching out for me. He stands with me, he supports me. I am loved and taken care of, I am never alone. I know that when I fall he will be there to catch me, no matter what.

And that... and that gives me hope. The hope I lost a long time ago, he carries it for me, to keep it safe.

CRYING

[mingyues]

Oh. [ he sits there and thinks of those words. of what they mean - of what it is to feel trust crystallised in a person. to know that you're their world and that they will keep you safe.


...has he spent so much time trying to keep others safe that he forgot what it was like? to be taken care of in return. ]

Your soulmate.

I am crying too.

[noenvy]

Yes. My soul mate, my fated one, my love, the one who knows me best.

My everything.

I AM SORRY

[mingyues]

I understand. That is... what Zichen is to me. My soulmate.

Never be sorry!

[noenvy]

I'm sorry....

[mingyues]

I...

No...

If the time comes when Zichen returns to this world, then I will tell him. I will... I will... make amends. No matter how short they fall.

[noenvy]

I am sure he will return, and then, you can make up for lost time.

[mingyues]

Yes, I hope...

Can I ask master Wei to hope in my stead? I do not know if I can. If I dare to.

[noenvy]

Yes. I will have all the hope for you.

No. Confidence. One day, maybe not soon, but eventually, you will see him again.

[mingyues]

Thank you.

When Zichen returns, I will tell him it was you who helped me believe. I will repay this kindness.

[noenvy]

There is no need to repay, but you may do as you like.

[mingyues]

Thank you, nephew.

[ nephew, right? nephew for another world! ]

[noenvy]

Of course, Shishu.