[ seasons lizard brain: find a quote to paste me: you're not playing kon right now, snow ]
Apparently giving me any kind of notice would have "compromised the mission," or something along those lines. [ primly, while chang geng pushes su jiuqing's chair in once she's seated, a proper gentleman. ] I feel as if this was all a bit of a disservice to the both of us.
[ they're cleverer than most of the people in their classes, let alone anyone older than them in positions of power. keeping a secret, in his case? easy. uprooting them from their lives, where they were on their way, slow and steady, towards doctorates? terrible. ]
At least we hadn't made it to practices, yet. Now, though, it's a bit like when celebrities study something as a hobby - how quaint that royalty has a passing interest in the medical field. Perhaps they'll find a niche charity to create.
[jiuqing raises an eyebrow at that. "compromised the mission," her foot; chang geng is better at keeping his mouth shut than most people she knows and probably better at it than most people she doesn't know, too. if there really is someone out there who evaluated the situation and said it was better not to tell him, she has to question their intelligence.]
I'm inclined to agree with you.
[this is certainly a disservice to them both, although perhaps for different reasons.
from the bits and pieces she's heard of chang geng's - or, rather, the other lost royal's - situation, the whole matter is complicated. in her case, it's much less complicated, but no less inconvenient. having their entire lives uprooted because of someone else's choices is not something she wanted to have in common with anyone, least of all someone she actually likes.]
This might have delayed my studies a bit, but I don't intend to allow it to derail them entirely. I'll take great pleasure in seeing the looks on their faces when they realize that rather than being quaint, getting treatment from either one of us would be entirely necessary for them.
[for their survival. she's not going to wish illness on anyone involved in this, but she'll definitely feel better about it later if any of these idiots comes crawling back for treatment later...]
[ as he makes his way back to his seat, chang geng's smile ticks up in a way that clearly says i know, right? at this great insult that's been given to him. but there are... a lot of complicated feelings right now, between him and those involved in the mission. he's been spending the past few weeks wondering if everything that he's known, for years of his life, has actually been a lie, and if anything was ever real between him and the "shen brothers."
(he's less mad at shen yi than he is the acclaimed gu yun. he'll get over it, eventually, but it stings right now. it's too personal.) ]
I can't imagine the gossip at school right now, with both of us suddenly gone.
[ "scandal," probably, is the main read on all of this. in a way it's true, though not in the way he bets their young adult minds are running rampant with. but there's quite a bit of scandal attached to both of their cases, from what he understands - in different ways, but still there - and once their discovery hits the mainstream news...
they're not going to know any peace. he misses school already. ]
My, ah, eldest half brother is slated to take the throne soon. He has sons of his own, and we have another living brother older than me in the naval forces. The likelihood of me being crown prince is abysmal, so if I can spend my time returning to my studies once this entire fiasco is over, then I will. I've no interest in playing at being yet another court puppet.
[ none of their babysitters are around to chastise him or tell him to hold his tongue, so he doesn't. at least chang geng's not saying his thought of let them rot in response to treating pleading members of royalty. ]
oh, boy. come to think of it, he's right. they vanished at pretty much the same time, so there's pretty much no way their former classmates aren't going to think they vanished together; it's technically right, although it's not as though either of them knew that was going to be the case until five minutes ago.]
My half-sister - who, it seems, is also my cousin... [her dad has very specific tastes, apparently] ...seems to have gotten into some sort of trouble... so it became convenient for my father to remember he had another daughter. [she wrinkles her nose.] I imagine the intent is for me to become someone who dances to his tune, but I'm not particularly inclined to do so.
[jiuqing @ her dad: please go back to forgetting i exist, thanks!]
Of course I'll learn whatever I'm presented with as best I can, but I'll learn it for my own benefit and my mother's benefit, not for his.
[ some humor can be taken, he guesses, since they'll likely make a public appearance or two or five together, come the time the news rolls out. if their two nations want to continue the good relations, then surely they'll come to some kind of arrangement while they're at it. chang geng can see it playing out easily.
their former classmates would lose their absolute minds over it, and he knows it. "we knew them!" coupled with "we knew it!" how tiring. ]
Daughters of royalty, more often than not, are meant to be seen and not heard in old fashioned opinion. Act a certain way, marry a certain person, speak little but from a script... I think I'm largely meant to stay out of trouble, but not expected to do much, if I'm gauging from Li Feng's general attitude towards me. It puts us into very interesting positions.
[ please just let them both go back to what they were doing. ]
But learning for our own sakes will benefit us, while they think it benefits them. And there are always loopholes to exploit.
[but it's a blink-and-you'll-miss it expression; a moment later, she's just smiling pleasantly, the very picture of a compliant princess. she can fake it, at least.
...
and, well, despite all the rumors that will inevitably crop up, it'll be easier to do this alongside someone she knows and gets along with. that's one good thing about this, she supposes; much better to be facing this with chang geng rather than some pompous prince reveling in his newfound importance.
it's fine. they'll be fine.]
They aim to make us pawns on their board, I believe. [a pause, and then, pleasantly - ] Well, they're welcome to think they've succeeded in that, but you and I both know they never will.
[ the look on his face in response to hers, just as fleeting, is amusement. but more in the way that implies that they don't know what they're in store for, trying to make su jiuqing into a demure puppet. ]
[ and then he's right back to pleasantries, humming a soft and thoughtful noise. ]
A pawn which makes its way across the board after biding their time can so easily turn the tides. [ after all, the promotion of a pawn can decimate the opposing team. and if they're going to try and put him into a position he'd rather not be in, chang geng has no issue with baring his teeth in response - when the time is right, when it's too late for them to do anything. he's not the reckless, impulsive, angry teen anymore.
it's worse when all of that still exists at his core, but he's starting to learn the patience and spitefulness to plan for years. ]
I'll certainly enjoy watching them pat themselves on the back, as if they've done anything that matters. Perhaps you and I can make the best of this situation, Su Jiuqing.
[both of these countries really have no idea what they signed themselves up for by plucking these two out of medical school...
she smiles, nodding her agreement. he's right on all counts, and although she's of half a mind to be contrary with this situation in general - really, she just wants to go home and see her mother, not take lessons on how to be a princess! - she can acknowledge that there are potential benefits to this. so she'll bide her time, as he says; she'll play along, act as though she's delighted with her good fortune, and be so studious and hardworking that they think she's just as invested in being the very picture of a princess as they want her to be.
(and then what...? well, she'll cross that bridge when they come to it.)]
I believe that we can. Well - here's to doing our best, right, Chang Geng?
[their instructor chooses that exact moment to walk in, hears "here's to doing our best," and assumes from the upbeat words and the pleasant looks on their faces that they're both pleased to be here and are ready to buckle down and get to work.
looking pleased with how diligent his pupils will be, he clears his throat.
"I see the two of you have made your introductions." jiuqing looks amused; this man has not done his homework, or he would know that they already knew each other. "Very good. I'll be instructing the both of you on court etiquette over the next few weeks."]
[ the absolute levels of spite that are about to come out of this, but politely, for all the inconveniences that've been shoved in their faces.
in his opinion, there's times to be civil and obedient. and then there's times to be contrary against what someone wants of you. chang geng has seen it in spades with gu yun, and has done it himself. they don't know what they're in for - even if it were just him alone, it would be bad, but by taking su jiuqing from her home, her studies, her mother...
well. they're an allied front in this. whatever they expect the two of them to do, they'll work through it and figure out how to contend with the courts, suitors, requirements. whatever it all might be.
he glances up when the instructor comes in, and just continues to smile politely. ] We'll be fast friends, I'm sure.
[ nothing in his face gives away the fact he thinks this man is an idiot. let the lessons begin. ]
jiuqing, for her part, plays nice. she's politely neutral all throughout the lesson, even though she, too, thinks their teacher is an idiot; she's never been the type to shy away from hard work, even if the work isn't something she particularly wants to do.
it's only the first day. maybe this man will prove to have something useful to teach them.
(he will not.)
at the end of their lesson, she smiles brightly.]
My, that was enlightening! Thank you for your instruction.
[what she thinks, but doesn't say, is now get out of here and leave us alone.]
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no subject
me: you're not playing kon right now, snow ]
Apparently giving me any kind of notice would have "compromised the mission," or something along those lines. [ primly, while chang geng pushes su jiuqing's chair in once she's seated, a proper gentleman. ] I feel as if this was all a bit of a disservice to the both of us.
[ they're cleverer than most of the people in their classes, let alone anyone older than them in positions of power. keeping a secret, in his case? easy. uprooting them from their lives, where they were on their way, slow and steady, towards doctorates? terrible. ]
At least we hadn't made it to practices, yet. Now, though, it's a bit like when celebrities study something as a hobby - how quaint that royalty has a passing interest in the medical field. Perhaps they'll find a niche charity to create.
no subject
I'm inclined to agree with you.
[this is certainly a disservice to them both, although perhaps for different reasons.
from the bits and pieces she's heard of chang geng's - or, rather, the other lost royal's - situation, the whole matter is complicated. in her case, it's much less complicated, but no less inconvenient. having their entire lives uprooted because of someone else's choices is not something she wanted to have in common with anyone, least of all someone she actually likes.]
This might have delayed my studies a bit, but I don't intend to allow it to derail them entirely. I'll take great pleasure in seeing the looks on their faces when they realize that rather than being quaint, getting treatment from either one of us would be entirely necessary for them.
[for their survival. she's not going to wish illness on anyone involved in this, but she'll definitely feel better about it later if any of these idiots comes crawling back for treatment later...]
no subject
(he's less mad at shen yi than he is the acclaimed gu yun. he'll get over it, eventually, but it stings right now. it's too personal.) ]
I can't imagine the gossip at school right now, with both of us suddenly gone.
[ "scandal," probably, is the main read on all of this. in a way it's true, though not in the way he bets their young adult minds are running rampant with. but there's quite a bit of scandal attached to both of their cases, from what he understands - in different ways, but still there - and once their discovery hits the mainstream news...
they're not going to know any peace. he misses school already. ]
My, ah, eldest half brother is slated to take the throne soon. He has sons of his own, and we have another living brother older than me in the naval forces. The likelihood of me being crown prince is abysmal, so if I can spend my time returning to my studies once this entire fiasco is over, then I will. I've no interest in playing at being yet another court puppet.
[ none of their babysitters are around to chastise him or tell him to hold his tongue, so he doesn't. at least chang geng's not saying his thought of let them rot in response to treating pleading members of royalty. ]
no subject
oh, boy. come to think of it, he's right. they vanished at pretty much the same time, so there's pretty much no way their former classmates aren't going to think they vanished together; it's technically right, although it's not as though either of them knew that was going to be the case until five minutes ago.]
My half-sister - who, it seems, is also my cousin... [her dad has very specific tastes, apparently] ...seems to have gotten into some sort of trouble... so it became convenient for my father to remember he had another daughter. [she wrinkles her nose.] I imagine the intent is for me to become someone who dances to his tune, but I'm not particularly inclined to do so.
[jiuqing @ her dad: please go back to forgetting i exist, thanks!]
Of course I'll learn whatever I'm presented with as best I can, but I'll learn it for my own benefit and my mother's benefit, not for his.
no subject
their former classmates would lose their absolute minds over it, and he knows it. "we knew them!" coupled with "we knew it!" how tiring. ]
Daughters of royalty, more often than not, are meant to be seen and not heard in old fashioned opinion. Act a certain way, marry a certain person, speak little but from a script... I think I'm largely meant to stay out of trouble, but not expected to do much, if I'm gauging from Li Feng's general attitude towards me. It puts us into very interesting positions.
[ please just let them both go back to what they were doing. ]
But learning for our own sakes will benefit us, while they think it benefits them. And there are always loopholes to exploit.
1/2
2/2
...
and, well, despite all the rumors that will inevitably crop up, it'll be easier to do this alongside someone she knows and gets along with. that's one good thing about this, she supposes; much better to be facing this with chang geng rather than some pompous prince reveling in his newfound importance.
it's fine. they'll be fine.]
They aim to make us pawns on their board, I believe. [a pause, and then, pleasantly - ] Well, they're welcome to think they've succeeded in that, but you and I both know they never will.
/2
no subject
A pawn which makes its way across the board after biding their time can so easily turn the tides. [ after all, the promotion of a pawn can decimate the opposing team. and if they're going to try and put him into a position he'd rather not be in, chang geng has no issue with baring his teeth in response - when the time is right, when it's too late for them to do anything. he's not the reckless, impulsive, angry teen anymore.
it's worse when all of that still exists at his core, but he's starting to learn the patience and spitefulness to plan for years. ]
I'll certainly enjoy watching them pat themselves on the back, as if they've done anything that matters. Perhaps you and I can make the best of this situation, Su Jiuqing.
no subject
she smiles, nodding her agreement. he's right on all counts, and although she's of half a mind to be contrary with this situation in general - really, she just wants to go home and see her mother, not take lessons on how to be a princess! - she can acknowledge that there are potential benefits to this. so she'll bide her time, as he says; she'll play along, act as though she's delighted with her good fortune, and be so studious and hardworking that they think she's just as invested in being the very picture of a princess as they want her to be.
(and then what...? well, she'll cross that bridge when they come to it.)]
I believe that we can. Well - here's to doing our best, right, Chang Geng?
[their instructor chooses that exact moment to walk in, hears "here's to doing our best," and assumes from the upbeat words and the pleasant looks on their faces that they're both pleased to be here and are ready to buckle down and get to work.
looking pleased with how diligent his pupils will be, he clears his throat.
"I see the two of you have made your introductions." jiuqing looks amused; this man has not done his homework, or he would know that they already knew each other. "Very good. I'll be instructing the both of you on court etiquette over the next few weeks."]
no subject
in his opinion, there's times to be civil and obedient. and then there's times to be contrary against what someone wants of you. chang geng has seen it in spades with gu yun, and has done it himself. they don't know what they're in for - even if it were just him alone, it would be bad, but by taking su jiuqing from her home, her studies, her mother...
well. they're an allied front in this. whatever they expect the two of them to do, they'll work through it and figure out how to contend with the courts, suitors, requirements. whatever it all might be.
he glances up when the instructor comes in, and just continues to smile politely. ] We'll be fast friends, I'm sure.
[ nothing in his face gives away the fact he thinks this man is an idiot. let the lessons begin. ]
no subject
jiuqing, for her part, plays nice. she's politely neutral all throughout the lesson, even though she, too, thinks their teacher is an idiot; she's never been the type to shy away from hard work, even if the work isn't something she particularly wants to do.
it's only the first day. maybe this man will prove to have something useful to teach them.
(he will not.)
at the end of their lesson, she smiles brightly.]
My, that was enlightening! Thank you for your instruction.
[what she thinks, but doesn't say, is now get out of here and leave us alone.]