[ 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. ]
i'm sorry but he touches his ears like ?!?!?! SMOKE]
I don't have the fire flu? [What??] ... It's really nothing, though. Something happened in our world. And I don't know if it can be changed. But that's a problem for me and Flap to deal with later.
[Flapjack stares back at him with his one eye which, actually, Jingheng might notice is the exact same color as Hunter's eyes. Wild.]
... Something happened. And Flap— [He cuts himself off. Sighs.] He, uh... We. Didn't set off for hell at the same time. But like I said, that's a problem for us to deal with.
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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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i'm sorry but he touches his ears like ?!?!?! SMOKE]
I don't have the fire flu? [What??] ... It's really nothing, though. Something happened in our world. And I don't know if it can be changed. But that's a problem for me and Flap to deal with later.
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Figure of speech. Means you're thinking so hard that your thoughts are generating enough heat to start a fire... not a sickness.
[ hunter your world... pls... ]
What sort of problem is it?
[ he looks at flapjack just a bit, brows up. ]
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... Something happened. And Flap— [He cuts himself off. Sighs.] He, uh... We. Didn't set off for hell at the same time. But like I said, that's a problem for us to deal with.