"I'm no knight," Shen Yuan says slowly. "In my homeland, I was a scholar...a poet, even. Here...I don't know..."
He sighs heavily, only to interrupt himself halfway through with a wide, jaw-cracking yawn. "Forgive me," he says, embarrassed, and drops Varre's hand so he might cover his own mouth. "The heat's working, I think -- it's getting so hard to keep my eyes open..."
Suddenly alarmed he reaches back and squeezes Varre's hand. "Will you stay with me?" he pleads. "If I sleep, will...will you still be here when I wake up? Please?"
No. This man is certainly no knight. He is something new. Loathsomely pathetic and achingly beautiful.
"My oath has brought me here." It is his duty to provide others the way to their Lord. "I will stay." But for them, at least, he has the knowledge that they all wait together, bereft of their Lord.
His hand closes tightly around Shen Yuan's, his grip strong. "Rest. You must not be in such a state when you bow before divinity."
"No, of course not," Shen Yuan mumbles his agreement, head already swaying as he lowers himself to the floor. "Need to be respectable...so I can show proper respect..."
He was asleep within seconds -- and it seemed that no sooner had he closed his eyes than he opened them again to behold the garden, sweet-smelling roses seeming fain to glow in the warm afternoon sun. The gate was before him, and gladly did he stretch out his hand to open the latch.
Passing through the gate was as walking from day into night: darkness fell, and yet far above him the sky was lit with thousands of shimmering stars, which provided light enough to see the crumbling stone path before him, winding its way through ancient pillars to a sort of open terrace some ways ahead.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-06-07 07:01 am (UTC)He sighs heavily, only to interrupt himself halfway through with a wide, jaw-cracking yawn. "Forgive me," he says, embarrassed, and drops Varre's hand so he might cover his own mouth. "The heat's working, I think -- it's getting so hard to keep my eyes open..."
Suddenly alarmed he reaches back and squeezes Varre's hand. "Will you stay with me?" he pleads. "If I sleep, will...will you still be here when I wake up? Please?"
no subject
Date: 2023-07-14 10:28 pm (UTC)"My oath has brought me here." It is his duty to provide others the way to their Lord. "I will stay." But for them, at least, he has the knowledge that they all wait together, bereft of their Lord.
His hand closes tightly around Shen Yuan's, his grip strong. "Rest. You must not be in such a state when you bow before divinity."
no subject
Date: 2023-08-02 07:48 am (UTC)He was asleep within seconds -- and it seemed that no sooner had he closed his eyes than he opened them again to behold the garden, sweet-smelling roses seeming fain to glow in the warm afternoon sun. The gate was before him, and gladly did he stretch out his hand to open the latch.
Passing through the gate was as walking from day into night: darkness fell, and yet far above him the sky was lit with thousands of shimmering stars, which provided light enough to see the crumbling stone path before him, winding its way through ancient pillars to a sort of open terrace some ways ahead.