❝ i used to think that everyone else was just evil and cynical, guided by their own self-interest. that is, until i met you. ❞ -peonyleader
Send an intimate thought for my muse to respond to
A heart-to-heart when trapped in a cave was not the most ideal location for it, but it also made strange sense. Perhaps Jin Ling had said those words only because he thought Lan Sizhui was unconscious, but he had yet to fall asleep, as the pain in his leg wouldn’t let him. It wasn’t broken, thankfully, but the Yao they had been fighting before the cave entrance was blocked in by a rock slide had managed to slash through layers of protection on Lan Sizhui’s robes, leaving him bleeding and unable to walk without assistance.
Thankfully, he was not alone in this. Jin Ling had jumped to action, patching up the wounds with care and not taking any downplaying that Lan Sizhui attempted to comfort him with. All of their medicinal herbs were used up to treat his leg, and with no hope of breaking through the rock slide on their own, they were left to wait for help to arrive. Jin Ling had assured many times already that Fairy, who was locked out of the cave just as much as they were locked in, would go straight to his uncle and that they would be out by morning at the latest. Lan Sizhui had no reason not to trust him, which was the only reason why he accepted more water to drink than he would have otherwise.
But now, after what felt like hours had passed and still no sign of help arriving, it seemed that Jin Ling decided to say…that. Lan Sizhui wasn’t sure what to say in response, sure that Jin Ling only would’ve said that at all if he thought that his companion was asleep. And yet, he had heard it, and Lan Sizhui didn’t want to pass by as if it was nothing.
It wasn’t nothing. It felt very much like something that he couldn’t quite grasp at the moment.
After a moment, he shifted, turning his head so that he could catch where Jin Ling was sitting. The firelight cast him in further golds and reds, colors that looked good on his skin and made him look warm. He jumped when Lan Sizhui moved, looking over with wide eyes, but said nothing. Lan Sizhui took that moment to speak himself. He wanted to explain that he wasn’t without faults, that he did follow his own self interests and could be just as bad as everyone else Jin Ling was thinking about if he tried. But in the end, he didn’t.
❝ I’ve never met anyone that cares as much as you do,❞ he said instead. A bit ineloquent, but the pain had died down very little since the initial strike, so Lan Sizhui figured he could be excused for now and further clarify his point once he was properly treated.
