Inbox: Eastbound

[paperbutterflies]

Lan Sizhui

missives | encounters

Comments

un: yiling patriarch

[downswing]

( How to sic your child on the other parent — )

Sizhui. A boon: mind senior Wei and the spirits that draw him.

[paperbutterflies]

[ Sizhui stares at the network name.

Stares at the message.

For like 0.2 second but still enough to sigh softly.

What went wrong now? ]

I will do my best, Hanguang-jun. Although I hardly need to tell you that if they are wronged, it would not be easy for him to stay away.

[downswing]

( One day, small child, your username will also be forfeit. )

An army, whole. He and it both unstable.

[paperbutterflies]

[ ... he hasn't thought about that, yet. ]

To be righteous and protect the weak are things he would give most of himself, to do. Though I think if you, and Miss Wen, and I are safe, he will not lose stability. Still... with this army, I will try to ask him what he thinks he can do to protect them.

[downswing]

Sizhui. You were young, on my hip.

He has led armies whole before.

[paperbutterflies]

In a world where he understood weakness and strength both, no? And leading an army needs a goal.

[downswing]

His intentions are unquestioned.

[paperbutterflies]

Unlike his safety.

[downswing]

I ask much.

[paperbutterflies]

Hanguang-jun, how can you ever ask much of me, when you have given me everything?

[downswing]

Will debt always live between us?

[paperbutterflies]

[ A confused moment because, wait, isn't that how things are supposed to be? Owing the previous generation for your life, and everything in it?? Infinitely? ]

I do not think of it as debt, Hanguang-jun, only that whatever you may ask, direct, or tell me to do, I will do my best to do.

[downswing]

Once, I stood equal to you in compliance.

[paperbutterflies]

And now you are far dearer to me than any such time.

[downswing]

Obedience is overly valued.

[paperbutterflies]

But is it not useful while one is still learning, to avoid making mistakes that others will have to fix?

[downswing]

Are you not yet past learning?

[paperbutterflies]

Am I overly obedient?

... and also, are you past learning?

[downswing]

You are better than I was.

[paperbutterflies]

Hanguang-jun, how can that be? You were not that much older than I am now when you and senior Wei had to deal with the Xuanwu of slaughter, I have neither the skill nor the strength to match that.

Though I am doing my best to have more of both day by day! But I still could not compare.

[ Sizhui is fully aware how much better his dad is, thank you very much. ]

[downswing]

You heed your heart more.

[paperbutterflies]

Oh! That, I learned from you, too.

[downswing]

Better.

[paperbutterflies]

Thank you, Hanguang-jun.

[ Not sure why this, and given the ways that Hanguang-jun has followed his heart as long as Sizhui has memories of him, not entirely convinced, but he also doesn't want to argue... and also, Hanguang-jun spoke of himself at Sizhui's age, which is different from what Sizhui knows. ]

Now I just need to make sure my skills are good enough for where my heart wants me to go.

[downswing]

With Wen Qionglin?