#contact‚ guangyao — roscvcins.

[yishuns]

it’s strange how easy it is to let his guard down around jin guangyao, but the alcohol likely has a hand in that. the rest of it, however… 咋俩之间他可损的失较大, (between us, he has more to lose,) the scheming part of his brain chimes in unbidden, 金宗主得知的话… (should his father ever get wind of this…)

if it was meant to, the thought fails miserably at easing his mind. in fact, it leaves nie huaisang feeling worse than before, stomach churning from an unpleasant mixture of alcohol and guilt. he only barely manages to catch himself before the melancholy sets in alongside that loaded cocktail. falling back on old habits, huaisang opts for the quickest, most immediate solution: he raises his cup for a refill.

and for the second time that night, jin guangyao surprises him: this time with a sense of humor. the trouble-seeker in huaisang perks up, the comfort of being tipsy easing the way as he slips into the role opening up to suit him.

in defense against being called out, he goes round-eyed in a mockery of innocence. “金二公子言过其实; 小桑冤枉啊!” (you’re twisting my words; i’m being wronged!) huaisang cries, playing it up as he falls over himself to tug pathetically at jin guangyao’s sleeve, “小桑不敢当…” (i wouldn’t dare…) his voice fades as huaisang lets himself slide to the floor, dropping the act as he goes.

by way of jin guangyao’s honesty, the brief interlude of levity dies a swift death. something shifts in the air, condenses just a little further into a ball of tightness that sits heavy in huaisang’s gut, weighing his conscience down. huaisang gets the feeling that jin guangyao, or at the very least, the mask of him, is too well controlled to admit to feeling any of these things in the daylight.

“好无趣; 才刚夸你有人性 你就扫了我的兴.” (how boring; i just praised you for having a personality and you choose to kill my joy.) he complains, pouting as he downs his second cup of wine in one go. “再说, 我们做人没点傻的话, 还能当是人吗?” (besides, if we as people don’t allow ourselves to be fools every now and then, can we still be called human?) huaisang says sagely, pretending to stroke a beard he doesn’t have. if he’s putting on a performance as lan qiren this time, it’s not as if the old teacher will ever find out. (and if he does, nie huaisang will know who snitched.)

not that he is, but it’s easier, at this point, to chalk his mood swings up to being drunk. a deep sigh leaves his lips as the looming weight of responsibility, that loathed requirement to being a cultivator bears down on him. compassion isn’t something people often accuse nie huaisang of, considering him too weak-willed, too lazy to ever put any of his emotions to action, but it doesn’t mean huaisang doesn’t feel sympathy. granted, he’s never been a beacon of righteousness himself. but, speaking from a uniquely qualified position, being the younger brother to nie mingjue teaches you a few things, for or (mostly, in huaisang’s case) against your will. the beginnings of a plan stirs.

“那我真诚说吧,” (then, i’ll speak honestly,) huaisang scrunches his face, mustering up a sober expression to convey his sincerity, “这种半命好不过没命, 你在这等死的话, 不如跟我回个清河吧?” (this kind of half-life isn’t any better than being dead, so if you’re just sitting around here waiting for death, why not come back with me to qinghe?)

Not one to be left behind even at a table of experienced drinkers, he follows suit and drains his own cup entirely as well, and pours them both ANOTHER. Of the young masters of the sects in his immediate circle, Nie Huaisang is certainly MOST tolerable - and therefore, a good drinking partner. If he's to "make friends," as his father COMMANDS - he might as well have a few of his own choice.

"怎么，难不成聂公子以前认为我美则美矣，没有生气？是个木头美人？" The question is posed LAZILY, a smile half held in the curve of lips. Exhale is almost like a laugh - the breeze cool on his face, the alcohol warm in his veins, his tone singed by the burn of wine, half-joking - "也是。金家的孩子，除了提线木偶就是伥鬼了。"

He isn't very good with liquor - hasn't had much practice. A few idle cups has already brought the color to his face, to his lips, to his voice. He - RELAXES, just a little. It's a state he is admittedly unfamiliar with.

"两者倒是都没有 - 就是有点累了，才躲出来买醉。“ Admits, a touch quieter than before. Makes a face even thinking about people he's escaped in the day. It's the same few things, day in and day out, with his father and the Madame. His brother isn't so bad, at least - but he isn't particularly approachable either. "有时候会想着，就这么混吃等死好像也没有什么错，可是又不愿自干堕落。" He closes his eyes, and shakes his head. ”是不是很傻?"

[yishuns]

the jin have always been pretty, nie huaisang thinks, and it’s no wonder that jin guangyao doesn’t fall far from the tree. it’s a pity that most of them are empty — or worse, rotten — inside, pretty without substance in a way that bores nie huaisang entirely; being that he’s always enjoyed the sort of beauty that belied both intelligence and a penchant for harmless trouble-making. like calls to like, what can he say?

jin guangyao is a pleasant surprise to the contrary.

“天啊, 我怎不知道金二公子那面具底下是有灵魂的呢?” (heavens, how did i not know you had a soul beneath that mask?) nie huaisang lifts his fan to cover his lips where they were parted in shock, blinking once, twice to more subtly convey his astonishment. it takes him a beat to process the advice, but it gives him no pause once he registers what jin guangyao is saying. humor crinkling the edges of his eyes, nie huaisang sets down his fan. “那我就干咯!” (then i’ll drink to that!) he grins, raising his cup as if in cheers before downing its contents entirely. if the cost of his entertainment is to join jin guangyao for a drink, nie huaisang can think of worse prices he’d still pay. cup emptied, he presses his back against the railing, a shoulder nudging up against jin guangyao’s side. “说呀, 金二公子是失恋还是失眠了?” (so tell me, are you sleepless, or brokenhearted?)

"人生在世不称意呀 - 失眠或失恋。" It's only AWAY from the eyes of others that he feels like more than a pretty doll that his father has positioned to be displayed upon a shelf - like out here with the breeze gentle in his hair and the sun light upon his face, the exterior THAWS, and he can be a person made of flesh and blood. Half a smile hangs upon lips characteristically, in contrast to how he leans now LAZILY against the railing, rigid manners forgotten, cup of turbid wine half raised, as if in a moment it might rain down upon the street below - "只劝你来把个盏，侃呀么侃大山。"

@yishuns liked for a lyric starter !