[ 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.
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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.