[ ultimately, it is the wording that gets xie lian's mouth to curl up a bit at the edge. ]
A paradise, hm?
[ there's an irony to that, that claude will probably never understand. in this moment of nostalgia, it fits in perfectly, as he recalls a confrontation on a bridge, and a phrase, written across the entrances of temples, on the mouths of devoted believers, forgotten, eight hundred years past.
body in the abyss, heart in paradise.
even moreso than before, he can see the parallels laid out before him. listening to claude talk - he may be young, but his words match xie lian's initial assessment of him. a clever, bright young man, with big dreams. a traveler, someone who must love the world so very much.
someone he hopes will have learned the lessons that xie lian had to learn in adulthood, already. that will be wiser and stronger, in ways that he never was. underneath that nostalgia, there is a quiet, radiating sense of --
pride, is what it is. pride. ]
What's your paradise like, Claude?
[ xie lian glances to the side to look at him. he can tell, that metaphor had some purpose to it. ]
(There's a feeling that catches his attention, one that he's only felt from others a handful of times in his life. Truly, he could probably count on one hand the number of times he's been able to feel this.
His mother and father, loving their son no matter how troublesome or how hated he might be by the world. His combat instructor, a large and scarred man who was always too hard on him but believed he could overcome any challenge. A certain professor at the academy, one who encouraged him unconditionally.
(Someone whose memory brings up an aching feeling in his heart and headache that he can't quite shake off. Clear memories of a charismatic professor, a curious name that always reminded him how strange the names in Fodlan could be, and of countless classes and meetings. And yet, there are things that don't make sense. Why was she there? Why did he always sit so close to the front in her classes? Why was she always there when...
Ah, the more he thinks about it, the more conflicted he feels and he has to press on.)
There's a feeling coming from Xie Lian and Claude turns to face him, eyes wide with surprise.
There aren't many people who would say they're proud of Claude. And to feel it from Xie Lian, without even having to prove himself in his usual ways is... surprising. He didn't have to spend hours studying or days practicing. There was no fight he had to win.
Proud, driven, focused, hopeful... these are feelings that Claude has been radiating since the week began and while he's certainly a warm person, there's always a certain level of coolness and distance to him. He gives smiles that never reach and has eyes that are always searching for something... )
(And he looks away, and raises a hand to his mouth, covering it with his palm and looks out towards he sea. Xie Lian doesn't have to see his mouth to know. It's in his eyes for one of the first times since he's arrived in the realm.
For a moment. For just right now.
He's satisfied.)
My paradise... (It takes him a moment to really respond, still caught off guard by this feeling he has,) Is a world for without boundaries.
(And under the stars, where the sky feels so big, his dreams feel smaller, closer and more manageable.
And with Xie Lian's support, it feels obtainable.)
A world where people can move freely between nations and find acceptance, no matter what. Where they're from, how they were born, the burdens they carry... none of it would matter. A place where where no one has to live looking over their shoulders or pleading up at the heavens but instead, can face forward on their own.
(The more he speaks, the warmer his voice gets, the louder his heart beats. He's a secretive young man, someone who hides who he truly is behinds schemes and charming smiles. But at his core, Claude von Riegan is a dreamer.)
A paradise that believes in people and merit instead of blessings and blood or expectations and prejudice. That's my paradise-- my dream. A world without limits.
[ xie lian listens attentively to every word that claude's saying. he keeps his gaze on him as he talks - and catches the way that smile lights up his face. (and the way he hides it, too. how rare is it for claude to truly smile, that he feels the need to hide it away?)
he's smiling, too. it's hard not to. the air between them warms with it, thanks to the share of their emotions. (and it's even more reason to know that something is wrong, with what happened to hua cheng; but that's something to consider for later. claude is sharing something special with him, and it deserves his full attention.)
and... he's more than glad to give it. xie lian's smile grows as he speaks, and that pride blossoms warmer and brighter with each word he speaks. a sense of mutual agreement, and of affection, too, and of hope seem to underscore it.
he takes a moment to speak, gathering his thoughts, and when he does, it's flush with all of those emotions, and a genuine happiness at the thought. there's a conviction as he says it, too - xie lian agrees with him, fullheartedly. ]
I think that's a beautiful ideal to work towards - a true paradise.
[ more so than the heavens had ever really proved themselves to be. ]
...You know, once upon a time, I had a dream that I learned was naive to achieve by myself. It was simply "to save the common people". But when I said it, I didn't know who the common people were, or how they lived...or, the limits of my own capabilities. I thought they were endless.
But I learned. [ xie lian says, softer, now, as he glances back out to the water, too. ] ...And I think, with all of the lessons of my years, I would change it - but only a little. My own dream is simply the common people, themselves.
I want them - and everyone - to be able to live their lives, without interference. That doesn't mean necessarily that they won't struggle, or that they won't make bad decisions, or that they won't grow, or that "paradise" will always mean that every day is perfect. But my dream is that humans will be able to simply live, in all the things that come with that.
[ xie lian, prince, royalty, strange god, has never, ever once, turned his gaze away from the common people. he was a beloved prince, for a long time; and when things were turned against him, he respected their wishes, and never blamed them for the circumstances he ended up in.
he pauses, for a minute, and then keeps going, admitting: ] I... have always admired and cared for others, whether I've known them a day, or I've known them for a lifetime.
The perspective I have is a bit unique, but... the way humans struggle, good and bad, the way they love each other, the way they learn from each other, and more than anything, that they can be truly, unbelievably kind, when the moment is right - those are the things that keep me striving towards that goal, no matter how dark the path in front of me may get.
[ he had once been told - you can't save everyone. and xie lian learned that the hard way. but if he can help even one person - even one, it is a step in the right direction. even here, he clashed ideologically against someone who scoffed at the idea, that at their core, humans could be anything more than miserable and cruel to each other.
but xie lian has felt, so intensely, what the tiniest act of good can do. he hopes never to forget it, even in the Realm - and if he does, he hopes that it is engraved on his very soul, so he will never, ever stop believing in the good and wonderful things that people can do.
he turns back to his companion, and this time, his fond smile is obvious. ] So - in that sense, it seems as though our dreams coincide. How wonderful.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Claude. It means a lot to me.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
A paradise, hm?
[ there's an irony to that, that claude will probably never understand. in this moment of nostalgia, it fits in perfectly, as he recalls a confrontation on a bridge, and a phrase, written across the entrances of temples, on the mouths of devoted believers, forgotten, eight hundred years past.
body in the abyss, heart in paradise.
even moreso than before, he can see the parallels laid out before him. listening to claude talk - he may be young, but his words match xie lian's initial assessment of him. a clever, bright young man, with big dreams. a traveler, someone who must love the world so very much.
someone he hopes will have learned the lessons that xie lian had to learn in adulthood, already. that will be wiser and stronger, in ways that he never was. underneath that nostalgia, there is a quiet, radiating sense of --
pride, is what it is. pride. ]
What's your paradise like, Claude?
[ xie lian glances to the side to look at him. he can tell, that metaphor had some purpose to it. ]
1/2
His mother and father, loving their son no matter how troublesome or how hated he might be by the world.
His combat instructor, a large and scarred man who was always too hard on him but believed he could overcome any challenge.
A certain professor at the academy, one who encouraged him unconditionally.
(Someone whose memory brings up an aching feeling in his heart and headache that he can't quite shake off. Clear memories of a charismatic professor, a curious name that always reminded him how strange the names in Fodlan could be, and of countless classes and meetings. And yet, there are things that don't make sense. Why was she there? Why did he always sit so close to the front in her classes? Why was she always there when...
Ah, the more he thinks about it, the more conflicted he feels and he has to press on.)
There's a feeling coming from Xie Lian and Claude turns to face him, eyes wide with surprise.
There aren't many people who would say they're proud of Claude. And to feel it from Xie Lian, without even having to prove himself in his usual ways is... surprising. He didn't have to spend hours studying or days practicing. There was no fight he had to win.
Proud, driven, focused, hopeful... these are feelings that Claude has been radiating since the week began and while he's certainly a warm person, there's always a certain level of coolness and distance to him. He gives smiles that never reach and has eyes that are always searching for something... )
no subject
For a moment. For just right now.
He's satisfied.)
My paradise... (It takes him a moment to really respond, still caught off guard by this feeling he has,) Is a world for without boundaries.
(And under the stars, where the sky feels so big, his dreams feel smaller, closer and more manageable.
And with Xie Lian's support, it feels obtainable.)
A world where people can move freely between nations and find acceptance, no matter what. Where they're from, how they were born, the burdens they carry... none of it would matter. A place where where no one has to live looking over their shoulders or pleading up at the heavens but instead, can face forward on their own.
(The more he speaks, the warmer his voice gets, the louder his heart beats. He's a secretive young man, someone who hides who he truly is behinds schemes and charming smiles. But at his core, Claude von Riegan is a dreamer.)
A paradise that believes in people and merit instead of blessings and blood or expectations and prejudice. That's my paradise-- my dream. A world without limits.
no subject
he's smiling, too. it's hard not to. the air between them warms with it, thanks to the share of their emotions. (and it's even more reason to know that something is wrong, with what happened to hua cheng; but that's something to consider for later. claude is sharing something special with him, and it deserves his full attention.)
and... he's more than glad to give it. xie lian's smile grows as he speaks, and that pride blossoms warmer and brighter with each word he speaks. a sense of mutual agreement, and of affection, too, and of hope seem to underscore it.
he takes a moment to speak, gathering his thoughts, and when he does, it's flush with all of those emotions, and a genuine happiness at the thought. there's a conviction as he says it, too - xie lian agrees with him, fullheartedly. ]
I think that's a beautiful ideal to work towards - a true paradise.
[ more so than the heavens had ever really proved themselves to be. ]
...You know, once upon a time, I had a dream that I learned was naive to achieve by myself. It was simply "to save the common people". But when I said it, I didn't know who the common people were, or how they lived...or, the limits of my own capabilities. I thought they were endless.
But I learned. [ xie lian says, softer, now, as he glances back out to the water, too. ] ...And I think, with all of the lessons of my years, I would change it - but only a little. My own dream is simply the common people, themselves.
I want them - and everyone - to be able to live their lives, without interference. That doesn't mean necessarily that they won't struggle, or that they won't make bad decisions, or that they won't grow, or that "paradise" will always mean that every day is perfect. But my dream is that humans will be able to simply live, in all the things that come with that.
[ xie lian, prince, royalty, strange god, has never, ever once, turned his gaze away from the common people. he was a beloved prince, for a long time; and when things were turned against him, he respected their wishes, and never blamed them for the circumstances he ended up in.
he pauses, for a minute, and then keeps going, admitting: ] I... have always admired and cared for others, whether I've known them a day, or I've known them for a lifetime.
The perspective I have is a bit unique, but... the way humans struggle, good and bad, the way they love each other, the way they learn from each other, and more than anything, that they can be truly, unbelievably kind, when the moment is right - those are the things that keep me striving towards that goal, no matter how dark the path in front of me may get.
[ he had once been told - you can't save everyone. and xie lian learned that the hard way. but if he can help even one person - even one, it is a step in the right direction. even here, he clashed ideologically against someone who scoffed at the idea, that at their core, humans could be anything more than miserable and cruel to each other.
but xie lian has felt, so intensely, what the tiniest act of good can do. he hopes never to forget it, even in the Realm - and if he does, he hopes that it is engraved on his very soul, so he will never, ever stop believing in the good and wonderful things that people can do.
he turns back to his companion, and this time, his fond smile is obvious. ] So - in that sense, it seems as though our dreams coincide. How wonderful.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Claude. It means a lot to me.