[ a twitch of a smile, albeit a small one, and chang geng hums a low, amused noise. but it's more humorless than anything else and his eyes are still closed. ]
Being swept off your feet and into a whirlwind romance, something to chase away the struggles and strife of the life you'd lived before meeting.
[ even without them sharing memories, even without talking about it, he can tell the sort of opinion that she has on the idea of happily ever after, at least to a point. and he agrees, in some ways.
but... ]
I can understand the appeal of the escapism, I suppose. [ especially for a girl trapped in her life, the way marie was. ] ... but escapism wasn't a luxury I could afford, and in some ways it still isn't, really.
[escapism isn't something that can be afforded is more relatable to her, honestly.
not just because of the danger she's been dealing with, but also because... well. it's nice, in a way, to think of being whisked away by someone who can take her away from all of her problems - but that just feels like running from them. she'd much rather face her problems head on and deal with them until they're not problems anymore.
but she knows that's not always possible.
for marie, maybe reading books with a happily ever after was the closest she could get. she doesn't know. and she's gone, now - so maybe she'll never know.
she sighs.]
...I'm not sure it's something any of us can afford, right now. But it would be nice if it was.
[ he looks at the book quietly, head lolled just a little to do so. but then he looks to jiuqing, a sort of understanding visible in his face, even though she hasn't said anything more than that.
there are things waiting for them, back home. there are things, here, that are waiting in the dark - in the color around them.
great liang waits for him, in the far distance from this place. his brother's inept rule, the looming threat of the westerners, the constant threat of the plains people - and the threat in his blood, the curse from the barbarians. nevermind the threat of murder, here.
he's the kind of person to find a solution to his problems. but the solutions here... they feel so far away. they really can't afford that sort of happiness, can they? ]
Love is hard work and something well-earned, when real, because you have built it up with the person - or, persons, I suppose in some cases - that you've come to love. It lasts for as long as you want it to.
And I think that's the nice part, when we can afford it.
she blinks, surprised, and looks over at him again - taking in the understanding in his expression. it's probably not something he's said simply for his own benefit. ...he's more sentimental than she expected, but maybe she shouldn't be so surprised; hadn't he just said that he had his own sentimental opinions before?
she smiles faintly, once the surprise wears off, and then looks down.]
I think perhaps, if there were more people who thought the way you do, there would be more love stories in the world that come true.
[ that makes him laugh a little, and he briefly brushes his arm against hers. it's still touch week, here, so a moment of contact. ]
I said I was guilty of being sentimental. [ in a way, anyways. but he sees the surprise, is why he says that, and then chang geng considers what she says. ]
... I traveled as much of Great Liang as I could, rather than staying in the capital where everyone wanted me to be kept with a smile on my face, their lost prince, all so I could learn about others and how to better help them. Cruelty exists - this place is ample example for that, and I have experienced it myself long before now - but I have met people who love with their whole hearts.
But so many others expect love to be easy from those stories. It's just that... life never is, for those that truly live it.
[it's nice to imagine that - seeing the world, seeing people who love fiercely, with their entire being.
she's started to see glimpses of it, here. people who can be trusted, who can be relied upon, who care for others and are cared about in return. it's perhaps a little too early to tell if those impressions are correct, and she can't help but be cautious as she proceeds, but -
she would like to believe in it. in them. in him, too.
her arm brushes briefly against his, in a return of the gesture. she feels comfortable here, talking with him, despite the topic. he has a way of setting her at ease.]
It's important to see things as they truly are, and not just as some sort of ideal. Cruelty exists, and it's common, but... it makes the people who can still love despite that all the more precious.
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no subject
Being swept off your feet and into a whirlwind romance, something to chase away the struggles and strife of the life you'd lived before meeting.
[ even without them sharing memories, even without talking about it, he can tell the sort of opinion that she has on the idea of happily ever after, at least to a point. and he agrees, in some ways.
but... ]
I can understand the appeal of the escapism, I suppose. [ especially for a girl trapped in her life, the way marie was. ] ... but escapism wasn't a luxury I could afford, and in some ways it still isn't, really.
no subject
not just because of the danger she's been dealing with, but also because... well. it's nice, in a way, to think of being whisked away by someone who can take her away from all of her problems - but that just feels like running from them. she'd much rather face her problems head on and deal with them until they're not problems anymore.
but she knows that's not always possible.
for marie, maybe reading books with a happily ever after was the closest she could get. she doesn't know. and she's gone, now - so maybe she'll never know.
she sighs.]
...I'm not sure it's something any of us can afford, right now. But it would be nice if it was.
no subject
there are things waiting for them, back home. there are things, here, that are waiting in the dark - in the color around them.
great liang waits for him, in the far distance from this place. his brother's inept rule, the looming threat of the westerners, the constant threat of the plains people - and the threat in his blood, the curse from the barbarians. nevermind the threat of murder, here.
he's the kind of person to find a solution to his problems. but the solutions here... they feel so far away. they really can't afford that sort of happiness, can they? ]
Love is hard work and something well-earned, when real, because you have built it up with the person - or, persons, I suppose in some cases - that you've come to love. It lasts for as long as you want it to.
And I think that's the nice part, when we can afford it.
no subject
she blinks, surprised, and looks over at him again - taking in the understanding in his expression. it's probably not something he's said simply for his own benefit. ...he's more sentimental than she expected, but maybe she shouldn't be so surprised; hadn't he just said that he had his own sentimental opinions before?
she smiles faintly, once the surprise wears off, and then looks down.]
I think perhaps, if there were more people who thought the way you do, there would be more love stories in the world that come true.
no subject
I said I was guilty of being sentimental. [ in a way, anyways. but he sees the surprise, is why he says that, and then chang geng considers what she says. ]
... I traveled as much of Great Liang as I could, rather than staying in the capital where everyone wanted me to be kept with a smile on my face, their lost prince, all so I could learn about others and how to better help them. Cruelty exists - this place is ample example for that, and I have experienced it myself long before now - but I have met people who love with their whole hearts.
But so many others expect love to be easy from those stories. It's just that... life never is, for those that truly live it.
no subject
she's started to see glimpses of it, here. people who can be trusted, who can be relied upon, who care for others and are cared about in return. it's perhaps a little too early to tell if those impressions are correct, and she can't help but be cautious as she proceeds, but -
she would like to believe in it. in them. in him, too.
her arm brushes briefly against his, in a return of the gesture. she feels comfortable here, talking with him, despite the topic. he has a way of setting her at ease.]
It's important to see things as they truly are, and not just as some sort of ideal. Cruelty exists, and it's common, but... it makes the people who can still love despite that all the more precious.