[ his small, polite smile widens, small fangs on full display for a brief moment. ] I can assure you, I would certainly not make it a simple matter for them. [ what is a lord to a king? certainly, he's vulnerable to the particulars of his existence like any ghost is, no matter how powerful, but as a calamity, he's much, much harder to deal with than any common ghost. and perhaps more importantly, his wrath knows no end when it's roused.

one long finger trails down one of his small braids, then rubs the small coral bead still laced into it, and after a moment, his glance follows the stranger's out toward the water once more. ]

Not if you forget how, you can't. Not if you think yourself another person. [ .. like his highness. could that have something to do with this compulsion, this curse? are the two related in some way..? if he wants to find out, he should just let this human obey the call, even if it's dangerous. they might learn something, and if he should die, what's one more dead human? perhaps he might even return as a ghost fire. perhaps hua cheng would then have mercy on a new little ghost, and keep him until he disperses or grows.

but unfortunately, he never has been as cruel as his rumors say. it would have made life as a ghost much simpler at times if he had been. ]

Is there someone you love? Here or elsewhere.