... I would say that it is. Unfortunately, to challenge the very powers that test you, you have to play its game. You have to become the very thing you hate.
[ He crosses his arms and thinks a bit more. ]
But I've been proven wrong before. I was shown many times that there is another way.
[ he's expecting the first answer, and doesn't really react to it much, beyond the slight tightening of his expression - though, joonghyuk's second has xie lian looking up at him, eyes a little wide.
...the expression softens, though, and xie lian's mouth lifts at the corners, as he looks back down at the ferret in his lap. ] ...A third path.
[ something about that tugs at a sense of nostalgia, wistful. ] ...When I was younger, Guoshi often asked me riddles to test my skills and keep my mind sharp. One of those was called "two people and a cup of water." It went something along the lines of - "Two men walk the desert, about to die of thirst, and there is only one cup of water. The one who drinks it lives, the one who doesn't, dies. If you were a god, who would you give that cup of water to?"
My answer to that parable was just to give another cup of water. If I were a god, and could make another appear, I'd simply do so. Guoshi admonished me quite harshly for my stubbornness, and said that it was a beautiful thought - but one unattainable.
Even so, I have always tried to make that second cup - to find a third path, when split between two impossible roads. [ xie lian glances down to san lang in his lap, who stares up at him for a moment longer, and then curls into a small ball. ] I suppose this situation isn't any different.
sacrifice, huh. san lang curls a little tighter in his lap, making a soft noise and starting to burrow into the fabric of xie lian's robes; xie lian pets him to soothe him, and there's a sadness on his face that belays so much more than his shortly immortal life. joonghyuk's words hit hard. ]
...That is true. [ softer, this time. ] Miracles do not always solve what you want them to, either.
But... [ xie lian's gaze lifts again, mouth curled up a little more. ] Even if there was something wrong, I think I'd continue to, anyway. I'm glad, to hear such words from you.
[ Stop. He isn't even sure why Xie Lian is like thank you for saying these things. They are just words, in the end. Niah shakes a bit, like something was uncomfortable. ]
What matters most is that you find your answer, pick your path, and choose your ending. Immortality doesn't set all of that. The clock still ticks.
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[ He crosses his arms and thinks a bit more. ]
But I've been proven wrong before. I was shown many times that there is another way.
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...the expression softens, though, and xie lian's mouth lifts at the corners, as he looks back down at the ferret in his lap. ] ...A third path.
[ something about that tugs at a sense of nostalgia, wistful. ] ...When I was younger, Guoshi often asked me riddles to test my skills and keep my mind sharp. One of those was called "two people and a cup of water." It went something along the lines of - "Two men walk the desert, about to die of thirst, and there is only one cup of water. The one who drinks it lives, the one who doesn't, dies. If you were a god, who would you give that cup of water to?"
My answer to that parable was just to give another cup of water. If I were a god, and could make another appear, I'd simply do so. Guoshi admonished me quite harshly for my stubbornness, and said that it was a beautiful thought - but one unattainable.
Even so, I have always tried to make that second cup - to find a third path, when split between two impossible roads. [ xie lian glances down to san lang in his lap, who stares up at him for a moment longer, and then curls into a small ball. ] I suppose this situation isn't any different.
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[ Karma will always need to be balanced. You can't just always win. ]
There is nothing wrong in hoping.
[ Despite how Joonghyuk has probably told a number of people it's foolish to expect only good things, he does believe this. ]
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sacrifice, huh. san lang curls a little tighter in his lap, making a soft noise and starting to burrow into the fabric of xie lian's robes; xie lian pets him to soothe him, and there's a sadness on his face that belays so much more than his shortly immortal life. joonghyuk's words hit hard. ]
...That is true. [ softer, this time. ] Miracles do not always solve what you want them to, either.
But... [ xie lian's gaze lifts again, mouth curled up a little more. ] Even if there was something wrong, I think I'd continue to, anyway. I'm glad, to hear such words from you.
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[ Stop. He isn't even sure why Xie Lian is like thank you for saying these things. They are just words, in the end. Niah shakes a bit, like something was uncomfortable. ]
What matters most is that you find your answer, pick your path, and choose your ending. Immortality doesn't set all of that. The clock still ticks.