"Jin Ling!" Zizhen says, head shooting up in panic. He reaches out to hold him down "Calm down, don't make yourself worse! We don't know who it was, he didn't tell us."
He is very glad he didn't mention the fact that the story had started with Yuan mentioning how the encounter had left a scar, because he's pretty sure nothing in the world would have stopped Jin Ling getting up after hearing that. He realises it's possible that Jin Ling has seen the scar, but he doesn't know for sure.
"Trust me, if we ever find out who it was, me and Jingyi will be right there with you." He assures firmly.
~~~
Yuan covers his mouth to try and muffle his gasp when he sees the scars snaking across his father's back. He remembers Jingyi talking about his scars, as well, and he makes him panic a little, remembering the pain of the whip that had left the thin white lines down his own back, currently hidden by his hair just as his father's had been.
He wonders what the perfect Hanguang Jun could possibly have done to earn such a punishment, but he doesn't dare ask - he understands it must be difficult enough for him to share them, he doesn't need to make him talk about them too. He thinks he understands the point being made, though - everybody makes mistakes, everybody has a history, the face they present to the world doesn't mean that's who they are underneath.
It's a lesson he knows well - he's met many a fine, upstanding citizen who paid good money to do terrible things to him - but the reminder is useful, the knowledge that these people are not automatically better than him.
He has just as much right to be here as anyone else.
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"Jin Ling!" Zizhen says, head shooting up in panic. He reaches out to hold him down "Calm down, don't make yourself worse! We don't know who it was, he didn't tell us."
He is very glad he didn't mention the fact that the story had started with Yuan mentioning how the encounter had left a scar, because he's pretty sure nothing in the world would have stopped Jin Ling getting up after hearing that. He realises it's possible that Jin Ling has seen the scar, but he doesn't know for sure.
"Trust me, if we ever find out who it was, me and Jingyi will be right there with you." He assures firmly.
~~~
Yuan covers his mouth to try and muffle his gasp when he sees the scars snaking across his father's back. He remembers Jingyi talking about his scars, as well, and he makes him panic a little, remembering the pain of the whip that had left the thin white lines down his own back, currently hidden by his hair just as his father's had been.
He wonders what the perfect Hanguang Jun could possibly have done to earn such a punishment, but he doesn't dare ask - he understands it must be difficult enough for him to share them, he doesn't need to make him talk about them too. He thinks he understands the point being made, though - everybody makes mistakes, everybody has a history, the face they present to the world doesn't mean that's who they are underneath.
It's a lesson he knows well - he's met many a fine, upstanding citizen who paid good money to do terrible things to him - but the reminder is useful, the knowledge that these people are not automatically better than him.
He has just as much right to be here as anyone else.
"Thank you, a-die." he says calmly.