protagonisthalo | [closed post] mid-winter blues

At this point, Luo Binghe would prefer to spend all of his time with Shen Yuan. Perhaps it's Xin Mo's presence, or perhaps Liu Mingyan's visit stirred up fears that his Empire could be adjusting to his absence, healing around the wound he left until there is no longer a place for him. Or perhaps his conversation with Aornis has wakened the dormant paranoia that the residents of the mansion are turning against him, his efforts to build friendships laughable in the face of twenty-five years of being everyone's enemy. Regardless of the reason, he is restless and moody, expecting the worst in every shadow. It's only with Shen Yuan that he feels at ease.

But Shen Yuan has friends and hobbies, and as much as Luo Binghe wants to monopolize all of his time, he still fears Shen Yuan learning the worst of him—how needy he is, how dark and pessimistic and impossible to satisfy. He spent the morning cooking for Shen Yuan's lunch, and now he's curled up in a lounge, morosely reading The 5 Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You've been a good friend to me as well. There aren't many people who can reconcile this--" meaning just her, her outward personality "--with my past. But enough about that. It's your birthday. What do you want to do? We should do something fun!"

"I don't really do anything for fun. At home, I train and spar, or attend to problems facing my subjects. Here I cook or read." He tries to think of any times he's spent in leisure. At Qing Jing Peak, he used to spend all his spare time in frantic cultivation practice or at the library studying. Before that, though— "You've found a lot of bones here, haven't you? We used to play a game in my village with the anklebones of sheep or goats."