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?

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[wooden_one]

[Xia Sini has done many things wrong. The most recent being what he's doing right now but...he felt certain that Xiao Xingchen would hide otherwise. And Chu Wanning didn't know how to properly ask after someone or comfort them as himself.]

That is not for you to decide.

Besides, he's a willful child. I'm sure you haven't forgotten.

[Though at least, he didn't bring him along. As in, Xia Sini arrives on his own because the effect of his medicine had run out today and since he was low on supply and he didn't have a shift today he just decided to stay home like this. Which was fortunate, really.

So yes, you'll find a five year old...not quite running but definitely hurrying towards you in what seems like very little time.]

[mingyues]

[ xiao xingchen is left sitting on the bench, staring blankly ahead and half afraid of facing xia sini like this - which is frankly ridiculous because this is a child but xiao xingchen feels.

dirty. lost. evil. the worst possible companion to a child.

but it seems as if all his worries are going to happen as long as he is in this place and it is not master chu who appears but xia sini.

oh.

oh no.

xiao xingchen gets to his feet when he spots xia sini, concern over his face. ]

Xia Sini, where is Master Chu?

[wooden_one]

Nevermind that.

[Read: he hasn't thought of an excuse yet.]

Daozhang, is everything all right?

[mingyues]

[ he cannot smile, but he does not start crying again. so that is progress! ]

This world is hard, I pray that you may always find yourself loved and cared for, Xia Sini.

[wooden_one]

I'll be fine. I'm asking about you!

[He's already grown up, after all. He hadn't found himself loved or cared for and yet he still survived just finde.

He reached out, hesitated, then grabbed Xiao Xingchen's sleeve.]

I read a bit of your conversation with Yuheng Edler. [Pause.] I was told not to. [Because he was tired of being told he should take better care of what was essentially himself after the fact.]