[ he pats the spot next to him on the couch! pat pat. this couch is mad comfortable. it even adjusts exactly to four's comfort level when she sits down. ~*future*~
he nods, though, leaning back a little to survey rows on rows of complex mathematical equations on the slightly glowing screens. ]
It is. I'm still finalizing - I can't do a test run until I'm back in my lab, so I'm trying to make sure everything is absolutely flawless until then. But... I think I've got it, thanks to some of the scrutiny of the others checking my numbers, too.
[ that's so high tech i'm jealous. four, however, is surprised when it does that when she sits where beckoned. she acts like she's being attacked for half a second before she realizes what's going on.
she settles in. she's book smart but not in the numbers kind of way, so she glances at his screens for a second before looking away. ]
You'll be able to avoid why or how you ended up here in the first place?
[ like a startled cat... it's kind of funny, actually, but he does not laugh, just bites his lip for a moment before he looks back at the screen one last time and hits save. ]
Mhm. I think so - it shouldn't be too hard. I'll be approaching the situation with a much clearer head, at least.
[ considering he won't be like slightly crazy with grief and hysteria and like, about to have a heart attack. this is a much better option! the question gives him pause, though, and he shifts a little to give four his proper attention, brow knitting together.
(he remembers their last conversation before the execution, after all.) ]
[ she seems... almost comforted by that, in a way. judgmental in another, if it shouldn't be too hard. she doesn't know how or why he died, but it's probably better if he's alive.
at his question, it's almost like she physically represses her emotions, the way her expression turns blank for a second. she's quiet for a long moment before she admits: ]
Given the choice, I wouldn't return. I've expended all my means. Even returning to an earlier time wouldn't change the outcome.
[ she shouldn't be surprised by this question considering what she knows of lu bixing and how much he offers to help others, but she's a dumb bitch who's still shocked by this.
it's comical how astonished she is. thoughts leave her head. ]
[ with us, really, with this careful little family he's so gently cobbled together. the idea tumbled out of his mouth with barely a hesitation, and now it's picking up steam, as he turns away from his screens to look at her properly. ]
If you wanted to. You don't - you don't have to say yes, but you don't have to stay here either. I'm... I'm the leader of it, you know, the Prime Minister, and - even if I wasn't, I'd just hack into the system to make sure you were able to get all the proper paperwork and everything established so you could live there. Anywhere you wanted. On Qiming, in the Milky Way City where I live, or - even not, even another planet entirely, if that was what you wanted to do.
That's sort of the beauty of this, right? You don't... you don't have to go back. [ a pause. he made a promise, didn't he? ] ...And I'd love to have you near.
oh, she doesn't know how to react. it's overwhelming, in ways she can only remember, in ways she doesn't know if she's experienced. he offers her a home, anywhere within his reach, even if it's not near him. does she know what he means by hacking? she knows enough now, and that touches her as much.
it breaks her heart as much as it warms it. she's moved to tears. she can't look away from lu bixing, but she wipes away at her face.
she really is so weak, isn't she? ]
Will you tell me a little more, about what your galaxy is like? You showed me a little about the failed paradise, but... what kind of world are you building?
[ it's not a no. it's not a yes. she is only finding it a little hard to believe at the moment. ]
[ NOOOO not the tears but at least she wipes her face. he looks a little emotional himself, and gives her a smile that's a little wobbly. ] I'd love to.
[ there's pride in his voice almost immediately, this arching warmth that colors his words as he saves his work and shifts his personal device's screens, moving one over so it displays an image. it's of a city - not as bustling as the one in hell, maybe, but one bursting with life all the same. there's a square immediately visible, a large marble statue in the center surrounded by flowering, pink trees and the soft hubbub of city life, and the image pans outwards to show more beyond it - a residential area with white picket fences and cute houses, children playing in the yards. a garden, beautiful and bright, a rainy day where water falls lush on hydrangeas and asphalt alike.
he talks as the images move, quietly. ]
The Eighth Galaxy was rejected by the Eden system. It is a place where people who couldn't connect to it were more or less held, sent away with little help of their own. For a long time, it was a lawless place, where the majority of the planets were held by gangsters or arms traders, and where things were broken down and despairing more often than they weren't. I was born on a planet called Cayley, and I grew up in what most people would consider a rough and tumble existence, but... the people who live in the Eighth are the best kind of people, Four. They're just people, people who life has not been so kind to, in one way or another, and I've done everything in my power to give them the kindnesses that they deserve. The Eighth, in the past ten years, has become a sovereign galaxy of its own; we no longer rely on the Interplanetary Union System for anything. We've spent time improving our infrastructure and protecting our borders, and since then, have mostly eliminated the black market and piracy that used to rule this place to make things better.
[ he moves through the images, fondness in his voice growing a little as he continues. a building with a flag outside of it. a shopping district and a market. ]
This is the planet I live on now, Qiming, in a place called the Milky Way City. It's our capitol. Qiming is warm, with a consistent rainy season each year. The city itself is flourishing - we developed a light rail system that connects all of the major points of the city so people can get around easily in the past few years, and the population rate is starting to grow. I don't know if I would say it's paradise, necessarily, because it's a place as much as any other place, but I wouldn't want a paradise, anyway. What it is is home.
[ she should have known he would gush. she expected it a bit, but not quite to this extent. she focuses on the images, as he speaks. in every way, it'd be a culture shock for her, not simply in terms of technology or being in space.
it may not be paradise, but it seems idyllic enough in its own way. four knows what it's like to have a family, dysfunctional or not, but she's never known a home. it's a lot to think about and conceptualize.
ultimately, she's selfish and bitter, but she can never throw away her desire for affection. it makes this a hard choice to make. ]
It sounds very like you, to build this kind of place. To want to give people a chance. You would offer a home to almost anyone.
[ when he should be more discerning.
she doesn't want to say no, but she's also horrible at seeing other people be happy. ]
... Can I take some time to decide? If you're going to succeed in making that traveling contraption you were talking about....
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
she comes in with a small smile, as if to return the sentiment more than anything else. ]
Are you working on what you were talking about after the party?
[ or the party was still technically going, but after the main party. ]
no subject
he nods, though, leaning back a little to survey rows on rows of complex mathematical equations on the slightly glowing screens. ]
It is. I'm still finalizing - I can't do a test run until I'm back in my lab, so I'm trying to make sure everything is absolutely flawless until then. But... I think I've got it, thanks to some of the scrutiny of the others checking my numbers, too.
no subject
she settles in. she's book smart but not in the numbers kind of way, so she glances at his screens for a second before looking away. ]
You'll be able to avoid why or how you ended up here in the first place?
[ she thinks that's likely the first hurdle. ]
no subject
Mhm. I think so - it shouldn't be too hard. I'll be approaching the situation with a much clearer head, at least.
[ considering he won't be like slightly crazy with grief and hysteria and like, about to have a heart attack. this is a much better option! the question gives him pause, though, and he shifts a little to give four his proper attention, brow knitting together.
(he remembers their last conversation before the execution, after all.) ]
...What about you?
no subject
[ she seems... almost comforted by that, in a way. judgmental in another, if it shouldn't be too hard. she doesn't know how or why he died, but it's probably better if he's alive.
at his question, it's almost like she physically represses her emotions, the way her expression turns blank for a second. she's quiet for a long moment before she admits: ]
Given the choice, I wouldn't return. I've expended all my means. Even returning to an earlier time wouldn't change the outcome.
no subject
...Four, do you...
[ he pauses, briefly, not quite hesitating, but - almost watching her repress it, before he pushes forward with his gut instinct. ]
...Do you want to come home with us?
no subject
it's comical how astonished she is. thoughts leave her head. ]
What?
no subject
[ with us, really, with this careful little family he's so gently cobbled together. the idea tumbled out of his mouth with barely a hesitation, and now it's picking up steam, as he turns away from his screens to look at her properly. ]
If you wanted to. You don't - you don't have to say yes, but you don't have to stay here either. I'm... I'm the leader of it, you know, the Prime Minister, and - even if I wasn't, I'd just hack into the system to make sure you were able to get all the proper paperwork and everything established so you could live there. Anywhere you wanted. On Qiming, in the Milky Way City where I live, or - even not, even another planet entirely, if that was what you wanted to do.
That's sort of the beauty of this, right? You don't... you don't have to go back. [ a pause. he made a promise, didn't he? ] ...And I'd love to have you near.
no subject
oh, she doesn't know how to react. it's overwhelming, in ways she can only remember, in ways she doesn't know if she's experienced. he offers her a home, anywhere within his reach, even if it's not near him. does she know what he means by hacking? she knows enough now, and that touches her as much.
it breaks her heart as much as it warms it. she's moved to tears. she can't look away from lu bixing, but she wipes away at her face.
she really is so weak, isn't she? ]
Will you tell me a little more, about what your galaxy is like? You showed me a little about the failed paradise, but... what kind of world are you building?
[ it's not a no. it's not a yes. she is only finding it a little hard to believe at the moment. ]
no subject
[ there's pride in his voice almost immediately, this arching warmth that colors his words as he saves his work and shifts his personal device's screens, moving one over so it displays an image. it's of a city - not as bustling as the one in hell, maybe, but one bursting with life all the same. there's a square immediately visible, a large marble statue in the center surrounded by flowering, pink trees and the soft hubbub of city life, and the image pans outwards to show more beyond it - a residential area with white picket fences and cute houses, children playing in the yards. a garden, beautiful and bright, a rainy day where water falls lush on hydrangeas and asphalt alike.
he talks as the images move, quietly. ]
The Eighth Galaxy was rejected by the Eden system. It is a place where people who couldn't connect to it were more or less held, sent away with little help of their own. For a long time, it was a lawless place, where the majority of the planets were held by gangsters or arms traders, and where things were broken down and despairing more often than they weren't. I was born on a planet called Cayley, and I grew up in what most people would consider a rough and tumble existence, but... the people who live in the Eighth are the best kind of people, Four. They're just people, people who life has not been so kind to, in one way or another, and I've done everything in my power to give them the kindnesses that they deserve. The Eighth, in the past ten years, has become a sovereign galaxy of its own; we no longer rely on the Interplanetary Union System for anything. We've spent time improving our infrastructure and protecting our borders, and since then, have mostly eliminated the black market and piracy that used to rule this place to make things better.
[ he moves through the images, fondness in his voice growing a little as he continues. a building with a flag outside of it. a shopping district and a market. ]
This is the planet I live on now, Qiming, in a place called the Milky Way City. It's our capitol. Qiming is warm, with a consistent rainy season each year. The city itself is flourishing - we developed a light rail system that connects all of the major points of the city so people can get around easily in the past few years, and the population rate is starting to grow. I don't know if I would say it's paradise, necessarily, because it's a place as much as any other place, but I wouldn't want a paradise, anyway. What it is is home.
no subject
it may not be paradise, but it seems idyllic enough in its own way. four knows what it's like to have a family, dysfunctional or not, but she's never known a home. it's a lot to think about and conceptualize.
ultimately, she's selfish and bitter, but she can never throw away her desire for affection. it makes this a hard choice to make. ]
It sounds very like you, to build this kind of place. To want to give people a chance. You would offer a home to almost anyone.
[ when he should be more discerning.
she doesn't want to say no, but she's also horrible at seeing other people be happy. ]
... Can I take some time to decide? If you're going to succeed in making that traveling contraption you were talking about....
[ that's four giving him a drop of faith. ]