[ hey there hunter! lin jingheng is making his usual rounds, and un/fortunately for hunter, he's like a permanent part of them now. it is... maybe especially unfortunate this week because he's been rather careful about avoiding these holes just for the two of them to suddenly end up tumbling into hell's own personal theatre...
[ he pauses for a long moment and then gives a nod. ]
Lu Xin... he was beastly.
[ (affectionately said, it's clear, there's just a Tone about it.) lin take a beat as he sinks into his seat, gazing upwards at the screen with contempt. ]
My twin sister Jingshu and I were separated when we were very young... for political reasons. Truthfully I barely remembered this up until now...
It was strategic. Jingshu and I were close, the way twins can be... He likened it to being each other's sandbags, having to drag one another around, being a weak point for each other's enemies.
Well, that's stupid. Being close to someone doesn't make you weak. It makes you stronger. You can rely on them and they can rely on you. You watch out for each other.
[ lin jingheng glances back at the screen and then towards hunter. he doesn't know what to say, but the face does have him chuckling just a little bit. ]
[ lin jingheng seems to be holding back, it's clear in the way he purses his lips into a thin line. ]
No... not until I discovered she was the one spreading around tainted biochips.
[ a pause ] A way in our world to enhance the strength and physical capabilities of others. Her chips that she's been dealing through her ring have opiate-like qualities... and ultimately it can end in death for the user, among other things.
[He draws his knees up to his chest and closes his eyes, if only so he isn't glaring at the blank screen anymore.]
He is— was the Emperor of the Boiling Isles. [A beat. And then, he adds far more quietly:] ... He raised me. Said we were all that's left of our family.
[ ohhhhh there is a quiet anger that builds a little in his chest, a fist full of heat. it feels too familiar and he hates that. it puts the remark earlier into context, considering how he curls up now. ]
Was that really the case?
[ he considers the scene from earlier, the head that had whipped itself around towards hunter on the screen. his brow furrows as he listens. ]
[ the anger sounds good. it sounds like it's what he needs. just to get it out there after having to see all of That again. lin jingheng nods quietly at this. ]
Does it matter? That you don't have any family by blood?
[ he tilts his head. ]
Hard to imagine you haven't found a family of your own in a way.
[ he glances at the screen, as if he could replay watching how hunter had been both watched out for while protecting others as well. and then he looks back. ]
... He deserves the dirt. You deserve much better.
[He looks at the screen again, thoughtfully, though it's gone dark.]
The dirt's too good for him. [Even a dirt nap's too nice. But he starts to smile a little now.] ... You're right, though. I made my own family. With my friends. And Flapjack, too, of course.
[Very, very fondly. He loves his friends a lot. (No comment on whether he deserves better or not.)]
[ the smile is good. it's infectious, and lin jingheng does smile back. ]
Sometimes, our family is scattered to the stars. And sometimes, they're just there waiting for you to meet that.
Life is strange like that.
[ it's the most he's spoken at once. conversationally, lin jingheng doesn't waste his energy with words, saves them for these moments only. he glances downwards at zhanlu briefly and smiles. ]
Zhanlu is as much apart of my family as well. He's all I have left of my father.
[Said almost like he's quoting someone, maybe something he heard sometime ago. He follows his gaze down to Zhanlu.]
... You said he left him to take care of you, right? [A little bittersweet, having seen his memories now.] We gotta get you two outta here so he can fill your house with more fish.
And Zhanlu needs to introduce me to all his pets, too.
[The hair ruffle is fine. He even leans into it, just a little. But— his smile drops a bit when Flapjack's name comes up, before he quickly shoves it back into place.]
... Right. Of course. Ideally, no one gets left behind.
[ what lin jingheng tends to lack in social finesse for his rudeness, he makes up for in his observational skills. the slight smile drop earns a tilt of the head. his hand pauses but doesn't go away. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
W2, mon or tues, your pick!
and the curtains open... ]
picks this up and lovingly deposits it on tuesday
[Oh... Fambly...
At least, in comparison to some of the shit he's seen this week, this isn't bad at all. Even though it leaves him with a certain kind of feeling...]
So that was the man who took care of you. [...] He seemed really nice.
bites onto it
Lu Xin... he was beastly.
[ (affectionately said, it's clear, there's just a Tone about it.) lin take a beat as he sinks into his seat, gazing upwards at the screen with contempt. ]
My twin sister Jingshu and I were separated when we were very young... for political reasons. Truthfully I barely remembered this up until now...
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[The puberty edition of Jingheng... Hunter quietly twiddles his thumbs for a moment, thinking.]
Why did they separate you from your family? That is, um, if you wanna talk about it.
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15... I believe.
[ he pauses ]
It was strategic. Jingshu and I were close, the way twins can be... He likened it to being each other's sandbags, having to drag one another around, being a weak point for each other's enemies.
We'd be painting targets on each other's backs.
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Well, that's stupid. Being close to someone doesn't make you weak. It makes you stronger. You can rely on them and they can rely on you. You watch out for each other.
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We are... opposed now.
[ a wince ] It's complicated.
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[He is going to blame whoever came up with the idea to separate them, complicated or not.]
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No... not until I discovered she was the one spreading around tainted biochips.
[ a pause ] A way in our world to enhance the strength and physical capabilities of others. Her chips that she's been dealing through her ring have opiate-like qualities... and ultimately it can end in death for the user, among other things.
[ his fingers curl into his palm. ]
I can't let her continue like this...
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... I'm sorry, Lin Jingheng. [Genuinely.] I know what it's like to find out someone you consider family hasn't... been a very good person.
[Though, as soon as he says this, the screen flickers to life again.]
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a lot. but he keeps his eyes on the screen, still flexing somewhat anxiously as his brow draws downwards just a bit. ]
... The face on that creature...?
[ the look on hunter's face was... very familiar tbh. ]
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Hunter stares at the screen for a long moment after it's finished, and then he takes a deep breath.]
Belos.
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It's alright.
Who were they...?
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He is— was the Emperor of the Boiling Isles. [A beat. And then, he adds far more quietly:] ... He raised me. Said we were all that's left of our family.
[He sounds a bit angry and bitter about it.]
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Was that really the case?
[ he considers the scene from earlier, the head that had whipped itself around towards hunter on the screen. his brow furrows as he listens. ]
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'Course not. Belos is a liar. All he does is trick and manipulate people. [Oh, he sounds much angrier now.] He was never my uncle.
... Though, I guess he didn't lie about one thing: I don't have any family. Not by blood, anyway.
[He would like to commit some regicide, actually. A second slime tutorial, if you would.]
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Does it matter? That you don't have any family by blood?
[ he tilts his head. ]
Hard to imagine you haven't found a family of your own in a way.
[ he glances at the screen, as if he could replay watching how hunter had been both watched out for while protecting others as well. and then he looks back. ]
... He deserves the dirt. You deserve much better.
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The dirt's too good for him. [Even a dirt nap's too nice. But he starts to smile a little now.] ... You're right, though. I made my own family. With my friends. And Flapjack, too, of course.
[Very, very fondly. He loves his friends a lot. (No comment on whether he deserves better or not.)]
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Sometimes, our family is scattered to the stars. And sometimes, they're just there waiting for you to meet that.
Life is strange like that.
[ it's the most he's spoken at once. conversationally, lin jingheng doesn't waste his energy with words, saves them for these moments only. he glances downwards at zhanlu briefly and smiles. ]
Zhanlu is as much apart of my family as well. He's all I have left of my father.
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[Said almost like he's quoting someone, maybe something he heard sometime ago. He follows his gaze down to Zhanlu.]
... You said he left him to take care of you, right? [A little bittersweet, having seen his memories now.] We gotta get you two outta here so he can fill your house with more fish.
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[ but. he doesn't seem upset about that, instead just chuckling a little and just— ]
Maybe that way you can finally speak with Zhanlu. I think he'd like to meet you properly.
[ —ruffles his hair very gently, hesitant almost ]
We'll have to get you and Flapjack home too. We will.
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And Zhanlu needs to introduce me to all his pets, too.
[The hair ruffle is fine. He even leans into it, just a little. But— his smile drops a bit when Flapjack's name comes up, before he quickly shoves it back into place.]
... Right. Of course. Ideally, no one gets left behind.
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[ what lin jingheng tends to lack in social finesse for his rudeness, he makes up for in his observational skills. the slight smile drop earns a tilt of the head. his hand pauses but doesn't go away. ]
That's right.
What is it?
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It's nothing.
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I tell Bixing this, but I can basically hear the smoke coming out of your ears. It's the loudest nothing I've ever heard.
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