( He only realises he's been holding his breath when Jiang Cheng accepts the book, his exhalation soft but notably long. He's not quite sure he wants to smile or not; Jin Ling has had to deal with enough, having one of his closest uncles who had loved him well for years reveal the lengths to which he was willing to harm him, and for what amounts to such sad reasons... gaining anything uncle or wise out of it was not going to make sixteen years of an understood truth any easier to understand.
He supposes Lan Xichen faces similar complications, but from a different perspective, and a different age. Also, it'd been the uncle willing to near-kill him who'd told him not to start fights, where-as the uncle learning he'd been set-up along the way who'd been so easy to hate for all the losses in his life was the one saying fight while you can get away with it.
... Jiang Cheng doesn't need to know about that. In fact, Wei Wuxian will now endeavour to forget he said as much. )
Sometimes having the familiar held close to you means as much as the entirely new. Thank you... ( And anything else he was about to add onto that, he rethinks, trailing off and remembering to smile. ) Is it... would it be okay if, at some time before I leave, I pay my respects?
( Yes, he'd done so the last time, but it's not something that simply stops, and the argument that had followed had been ugly and painful. That he knew now what else had happened after his body had given out, that's not precisely easier, but he wants a sense of what boundaries he needs to skirt. Being self assured about any of them when it comes to this? He's not. )
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He supposes Lan Xichen faces similar complications, but from a different perspective, and a different age. Also, it'd been the uncle willing to near-kill him who'd told him not to start fights, where-as the uncle learning he'd been set-up along the way who'd been so easy to hate for all the losses in his life was the one saying fight while you can get away with it.
... Jiang Cheng doesn't need to know about that. In fact, Wei Wuxian will now endeavour to forget he said as much. )
Sometimes having the familiar held close to you means as much as the entirely new. Thank you... ( And anything else he was about to add onto that, he rethinks, trailing off and remembering to smile. ) Is it... would it be okay if, at some time before I leave, I pay my respects?
( Yes, he'd done so the last time, but it's not something that simply stops, and the argument that had followed had been ugly and painful. That he knew now what else had happened after his body had given out, that's not precisely easier, but he wants a sense of what boundaries he needs to skirt. Being self assured about any of them when it comes to this? He's not. )