[Action/Video] Jelly 3

[ayao]

[Outside of a certain Nie's door - the only Nie still onboard - there will be bottles of wine with a note tied to them.]

Huaisang,

Please enjoy.

Love,
Yao

[Is that suspicious? Don't think about it too much. Just get to drinking, A-Sang. Drink deeply. He will be visiting you soon.

Later, Meng Yao shows himself on the network, smiling softly, faintly.]

I want to welcome any newcomers. If you are having trouble adjusting to life aboard a train, I am happy to help. My name is Meng Yao.

[He gives anyone watching a full bow.]

Comments

[eternalgrief]

[ Huaisang had scowled at the note that was attached to the bottles of wine that were at his door. It made him suspicious of them as well but after a bit of staring at them he finally starts to drink because drinking is a good escape if nothing else and he'd been alone in his angry and grief that had only worsened once his brother was no longer on the train.

He's not actually expecting Meng Yao to visit and he isn't quite sure the motive of the delivery but he's sure there is one. Maybe it's an assassination attempt and he's complicit in it by willingly drinking. ]

[ayao]

[No, no no, Huaisang! He wants you alive and he wants to be in your good graces. Thus he waits for the poor Nie to drink his fill before he visits him, peering into his compartment cautiously.]

Young Master? I have brought you some snacks to pair with your wine.

[But not too many. He wants the drunkenness to hang on.]

[eternalgrief]

[ Huaisang is more than a little tipsy by the time Meng Yao is peering into the compartment. He frowns when he sees him -- even though he knew he would be coming. ]

Mm.

[ It's a begrudging acknowledgment of the other man. ]

[ayao]

[That greeting is more promising! Meng Yao moves to Huaisang's side and offers him some treats placed neatly on a plate.]

You shouldn't drink alone. I thought I would keep you company.

[Isn't that nice of him?]

[eternalgrief]

[ Huaisang glances at the treats and he does take one. He's still very suspicious of the other's motives. He doesn't trust Meng Yao at all. ]

Was this your ploy then?

[ayao]

[All the same, Meng Yao places himself right beside Huaisang, sitting so close that their bodies almost touch.]

Ploy? I only sought to help you feel better. I know the loss of your brother has been difficult.

[eternalgrief]

[ It's impossible to ignore that Meng Yao is right there he can feel body heat in how close he is. He eats slowly, face pensive even with all he has drunk. ]

That is ironic coming from you.

[ayao]

Huaisang, I have not done those awful deeds. [He wraps his arms around his knees, drawing them to his chest.] My heart aches for you, but I cannot speak for my future self.

[eternalgrief]

And how am I supposed to separate the two?

[ In truth, Huaisang wishes he could because he had loved Meng Yao very much and now...with Mingjue gone again... but he couldn't unravel it. ]

[ayao]

Judge me on what I do aboard this train. Please? [Meng Yao smooths the cloth over Huaisang's shoulder, frowning gently.] I won't harm you and I will prove that daily.

[eternalgrief]

[ huaisang exhales heavily and starts to drink more again. He very nearly shrugs the other's hand away from his shoulder. ]

I don't think you understand the gravity of your deceit.

[ayao]

[He is being slightly stubborn at this point, ignoring the clear signs that Huaisang wants him to go away.]

That I haven't committed.

[eternalgrief]

[ Huaisang hasn't exactly yelled at him to go yet but he does now shrug the other's hand away. ]

And yet there is no way for me to know if the seeds of it are not already growing in your mind.