[ slowly, his calloused fingers ghost over the soft backs of hers, as he stares straight ahead, finding something more stable in the gesture. and, then, he seeks the spaces between her fingers to lace them together gently. solace is here. his sanity is here, for the time being, and he closes his eyes against the colors of the refracting prism.

he can still feel the swirl of emotions, but he's used to managing those. he can stay steady in the face of that storm.

(it helps - the amber, her presence, the reminder. the people that depend on them.) ]

Work. [ because idle hands, and all that - a phrase he's heard since the westerner's came into great liang unwelcomed. but chang geng takes another deep breath, exhaling it out in a rush, and squeezing her hand. ] Distractions.

... you. [ forward, in another time, maybe, but honesty is what jiuqing deserves from soneone who has so much built up inside of him. he won't ever lie to her. ] You being here helps.

So don't go where I can't follow, Jiuqing. I promise to do the same.

[ ... i know i can leave the rest up to you, sir chang. take care of them, will you? ]