DUPLICITY: INBOX

[peacockjr]

INBOX Video | Audio | Text | Action

Comments

text; backdated to 7/21

[chaosflute]

[ Sent: 4:30AM; a photograph of a small altar at the temple. Text accompanies the photo: ]

Just outside the residences. Incense is in the box beside it.

I am so sorry, Jin Ling.

text

[peacockjr]

[Sent: 7:10 AM]

Th

[Sent: 7:12 AM]

I'll stop by later.

[Sent: 7:30 AM]

I don't know who to hate anymore. It's too much to decide.
Teach me how to shoot five targets blindfolded.
Since we're both here.

text; it begins

[chaosflute]

A-Liiiiiiiiing, are you alive? Do you have all limbs attached? Is your soul still connected to your body?

text

[peacockjr]

whts it to you

I'm fine.

text

[chaosflute]

A-Ling!

Look! It's my son! Lan Zhan had a picture of him. Look how big he is! He's beautiful, isn't he?

Maybe you've already met him. Have you?

text

[peacockjr]

Of course I've met Sizhui. I was on a Night Hunt with him and the others just a few weeks ago. We spar sometimes. It used to be more often.

What do you mean big? He isn't any taller than me.

[Someone is not going to acknowledge that 'beautiful' question.]

Voice; un: bratprince

[tellmehowbadiam]

Hello there Jin Ling. Are you available? I'd love to take you out for the evening. Mojo could do with some more friends as well.

Voice; un: jinzongzhu

[peacockjr]

[Jin Ling stares at the username. This guy? The naked man from the bathhouse? What did he want? There's an air of heavy suspicion try to smother the note of curiosity as he answers.]

Out where? Who's Mojo?

voice message

[chaosflute]

A-Ling! It's your newest uncle. I have something to tell you, and a question, so if you don't answer, I'll have to come looking for you.

voice

[peacockjr]

What is it?

video; un: yilingp

[chaosflute]

A-Ling! Hey, A-Ling, answer this as soon as you can.

video; un: jinzongzhu

[peacockjr]

[He's sprawled belly-down in bed, a scowl on his face as he looks down into the camera. His hair is pulled back into a neat braid. There is zero attempt to look proper here, like he might have, indeed, responded as soon as he got the message.]

What happened?

Text; un: bratprince

[tellmehowbadiam]

Do you like presents?

Text; un: jinzongzhu

[peacockjr]

What sort of presents?

Text --> Action

[tellmehowbadiam]

Come to your window. I created something for you.

[That's all that Lestat sends him before Jin Ling can hear a beautiful song played on the pipa. When he gets to the window to look out, he'll see Lestat there with his eyes closed, fingers dancing along the strings. The song is one unfamiliar to Jin Ling of course.

And that's because it's an original piece of his own making. Carefully played with such feeling for him now as the moonlight shines down on him.]

[peacockjr]

Why

[ Is what Jin Ling has already sent back before he hears the music coming in through the window. The sound of the instrument is sweetly familiar and he stays where he was sitting -- on the floor, working on some talismans at a low table -- for a long moment before he accepts that 1, he doesn't know this song, and 2, Lestat is outside playing music for him.

He scrambles up to his feet to lean out the window. His hair is bound in a single long braid that slides forward over his shoulder.

Lestat is ethereal in the moonlight, gold hair and jade pale skin painted over in clear, cold sliver. An image meant for a painting or a romantic poem. The sight hits Jin Ling like a punch in the gut. The feeling swells up in his throat and tightens the corners of his eyes.

He swallows and leans against the window frame, listening as the song winds through the night air, taking in every detail. If he'd heard about someone else doing this, he'd have thought it ridiculous, but it doesn't feel that way now. It feels new and precious.]

text; yilingp

[chaosflute]

[ sent at 12:01AM ]

Happy birthday, A-Ling!!

1/2 - text; un: jinzongzhu

[peacockjr]

You have good timing.

2/2

[peacockjr]

thanks

[tellmehowbadiam]

[Lestat arrives right at midnight, gently knocking at Jin Ling's window. There's a smile on his lips and a small box in his hand. No sooner does the window get opened than he steals a kiss from his lips, making sure in his own mind that it happens while the clock still strikes twelve.]

Happy birthday, A-Ling.

[peacockjr]

[ Jin Ling had known Lestat would be coming over to visit that night and held off from dressing down for bed. Only his hair had been undone from its top knot, but still sported all of the usual charms, plus an extra piece. Lestat didn't have to wait even a minute before he pulled the window open to greet him.

He returned the kiss with a sweetness he seldom revealed elsewhere and stepped back to let him enter. ]

Lestat, I'm - [ He should say it. He meant it, didn't he? He'd said it to others without meaning it half as much. ]- glad that you're here.

[ He'd spent the last few hours half-convincing himself that Lestat wasn't going to show up, that he was ridiculous for wanting to see him and equally ridiculous for doubting him, given that Lestat had yet to let him down.

But there was always that first time. ]

[Gift]

[cultivatingsin]

[Don't say he never did anything for you, baby Jin! Body accessories are sent in a neat box. Do with them as you wish and be safe~]

Christmas Gift

[companioning]

[Inara leaves a brightly wrapped box on Jin Ling's bed. There's also a card with the following:]

Dear Jin Ling,

I am aware that you don't celebrate this holiday, but please accept this gift given out of love.

Always,

Gift

[tellmehowbadiam]

[Naturally Jin Ling gets a lot of treats and such for Fairy and the puppies. Lestat makes sure to give plenty of variety so none will get bored easily during their training too. They might be special puppies but even toddlers need that variety.

As for Jin Ling, he gets some more specialized things. A beautiful robe, lovely lamps, and a warm blanket.]

My A-Ling,

You may not celebrate Christmas or may not even know what it is. However, it is tradition to give gifts to those we care about. And so I want you and the children to know how special you all are.

Yours always,

Lestat

action;

[sadico]

'Let us go out this evening?'

The text had said simply, without much explanation but a definite expectation that he would not be refused. After all, it was an invitation from one noble to another, it would be impolite to do so. It was also not unusual for their relationship, as it typically meant that Ignacio planned to add to Jin Ling's wardrobe in an attempt to make Lestat happy.

This evening, however, was different. Instead of going to the typical boutiques, Ignacio brought Jin Ling to his favorite bookshop. He was quieter than he typically was, and the smile that was typically on his lips, as he was often an almost-annoyingly cheerful fellow, was not present. He did not look upset by any means, his green eyes were clear and attentive, his voice strong, but it was obvious that something was off.

Regardless, he took Jin Ling to the fiction section and took a volume from the shelf called Eventide. "Do you enjoy fantastical stories, darling? Aside from Lestat's tales, this series is one of my favorites."

[peacockjr]

Whatever minor trepidation Jin Ling may have once had when it came to Ignacio's habit of inviting him out on shopping trips had long since dissolved. He responded to the text with a simple 'Of course.', got his hair and jewelry in order, and headed out without question.

The bookshop is unexpected -- and disappointing, given his initial excitement at the chance to get a new robe -- but Ignacio's unusual quiet isn't. From his last visit with Lestat and Louis, he knew their family had recently suffered a loss. It was more because of that than a sense of good manners that he followed Ignacio into the store with only a brief frown.

He was caught off-guard by the sheer number of books inside. Back home, most people couldn't read and books tended to be expensive, so shops and merchants usually offered small or highly specialized selections. This was shelf after shelf of densely packed volumes, all with elaborately painted covers. It almost rivaled the Jin Sect library in scale.

It took him a moment to understand Ignacio's question, goggling as he was. He blinked and composed himself.

"I do. Ones with grand quests and combat," he said, taking the offered book. The cover painting featured a pale hand holding up an orange against a dark background. "I've heard about Lestat's work, but he hasn't shown them to me. What is this book about?" He flipped it open to the first page.

Text; un: da_ge

[theirdage]

Jin Ling.

Are you available for a meeting?

text; un: jinzongzhu

[peacockjr]

[ Shit, what happened now? ]

I am available. Where does Chifeng-zun want to meet up?