Five walks, first. He follows, hands suddenly breaking when he attempts to fold them neatly atop each other, ridden by tension. Mere moments before, it had not occurred to him. He had thought, only fools —
He is most foolish a creature, most self-serving. As they walk in, the door snows down silt. Dust and decay pervade, the air stale, insalubrious. What manner of creature might live here in gladness? Lights dimmed, thick and cloying scent of — opiates. Ah. He has his answer.
They are welcomed, first, by a young woman in highly ornate robes, tattered at their edges. Worked carefully, but clearly worn in. Lan Wangji would not be surprised if they are the fashions of many years prior.
The mistress, she says, will see them shortly. Take a seat on these cushions, enjoy the establishment's finest tea brew.
He accepts, with a nod, in the way of a man who knows all too well that he is taken for a fool but has no alternative but to play this game. There cannot have been a single silhouette that passed the threshold of this house for the better part of a shichen. They wait on no one, the mistress has no company. This is merely — he takes the knee on a cushion — to bolster anticipation.
And to Five, once the girl has gone: )
Do people of power not tire of games? ( Can this not simply be done? )
no subject
( This one.
Five walks, first. He follows, hands suddenly breaking when he attempts to fold them neatly atop each other, ridden by tension. Mere moments before, it had not occurred to him. He had thought, only fools —
He is most foolish a creature, most self-serving. As they walk in, the door snows down silt. Dust and decay pervade, the air stale, insalubrious. What manner of creature might live here in gladness? Lights dimmed, thick and cloying scent of — opiates. Ah. He has his answer.
They are welcomed, first, by a young woman in highly ornate robes, tattered at their edges. Worked carefully, but clearly worn in. Lan Wangji would not be surprised if they are the fashions of many years prior.
The mistress, she says, will see them shortly. Take a seat on these cushions, enjoy the establishment's finest tea brew.
He accepts, with a nod, in the way of a man who knows all too well that he is taken for a fool but has no alternative but to play this game. There cannot have been a single silhouette that passed the threshold of this house for the better part of a shichen. They wait on no one, the mistress has no company. This is merely — he takes the knee on a cushion — to bolster anticipation.
And to Five, once the girl has gone: )
Do people of power not tire of games? ( Can this not simply be done? )