[ Five had meant to be dismissive, but the message seems to get lost on someone so stubbornly fixated on... what? Making things right between them?
Lan Wangji still refuses to fully get up from the floor, as if he's making a point not to tower over him in the middle of an apology, and the guilt radiating from him is surprisingly palpable. He has no idea how he expects him to react, but witnessing it feels more wrong than anything that occurred the night before.
This isn't the first time people have fallen to their knees in front of him. He shifts back when it calls on images of people begging for their lives, moments before he put a bullet in their brains or broken their necks like he'd tried to do to Lan Wangji just hours ago. He remembers them, but he doesn't even feel a fraction of the remorse he's displaying for failing to do what Five has done hundreds of times, to people far more innocent. He can try to understand, but it's impossible for him to relate.
Confirming that he was compelled makes his guilt all the more confusing. Five might have even preferred it if he had tried to murder him outright, but blaming it on magic should take away any sense of responsibility he has towards his actions. His sister might as well have rumored him into it, and yet he looks like he's tortured by the very thought of accidentally betraying him.
He clenches his jaw, suddenly wishing he had something stronger than coffee to get him through this conversation. ]
Are you asking how we get our revenge, or how we work together after you tried to kill me? [ He'd like to focus on the former, but it feels too awkward not to set the record straight. ] You're not the first.
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Lan Wangji still refuses to fully get up from the floor, as if he's making a point not to tower over him in the middle of an apology, and the guilt radiating from him is surprisingly palpable. He has no idea how he expects him to react, but witnessing it feels more wrong than anything that occurred the night before.
This isn't the first time people have fallen to their knees in front of him. He shifts back when it calls on images of people begging for their lives, moments before he put a bullet in their brains or broken their necks like he'd tried to do to Lan Wangji just hours ago. He remembers them, but he doesn't even feel a fraction of the remorse he's displaying for failing to do what Five has done hundreds of times, to people far more innocent. He can try to understand, but it's impossible for him to relate.
Confirming that he was compelled makes his guilt all the more confusing. Five might have even preferred it if he had tried to murder him outright, but blaming it on magic should take away any sense of responsibility he has towards his actions. His sister might as well have rumored him into it, and yet he looks like he's tortured by the very thought of accidentally betraying him.
He clenches his jaw, suddenly wishing he had something stronger than coffee to get him through this conversation. ]
Are you asking how we get our revenge, or how we work together after you tried to kill me? [ He'd like to focus on the former, but it feels too awkward not to set the record straight. ] You're not the first.