Once, my mother was almost killed. I gave my mother an excuse to leave a tea party that one of my father's other wives, Maria, held, when it was clear that every choice Maria made was going to be torture for my mother. I thought she was going to be safe, but monsters attacked after she left the party.
One of my siblings threw one of monsters at her. It was lucky someone kind was around to save her in time.
[ Roxana now has a very deep frown because as if she wants to tell stories like this. ]
[jiuqing's brow furrows in concern, and she opens her mouth to say something - perhaps to reassure roxana that she won't talk about what she heard to anyone, and that her secret is safe with her? - but what comes out instead is: ]
My aunt spent years plotting to try to kill my mother. She's been my father's mistress since the very beginning... my cousin, who's about the same age as me, is also my half-sister. She thought that if she killed her, my father would take her as his official wife.
I learned medicine to save my mother because I knew she was going to try to poison her. Once I started to interfere, she and my cousin started trying to murder me, too. I don't think they're in a position to be able to hurt my mother anymore, but I'm so worried that they're going to try something while I'm gone, and that when we finally get out of here I'll come back to find that my mother is dead.
[
then she frowns because that was NOT what she was planning to say.]
[ In ways, she and Jiuqing are similar. In others, they are far from. Jiuqing has learned to heal with the best of them while Roxana's knowledge of poison is too intimate even for someone from her family. ]
You've excelled remarkably.
[ She may not have witnesses Jiuqing in her home and in her element personally, but it's clear in how Jiuqing holds herself. ]
It's horrible how families, even so far apart, lack any goodness. I take it your father isn't any better than the two of them.
I am glad you two managed to free yourself from such a horrible environment. It doesn't sound like you've had an easy time of it still, if you're worried that they're still coming after your and your mother's lives.
[especially when your father is a psychopath like lante agrece. su honyan may be a dick, but he's kind of an impotent one when it comes down to it.]
My aunt and cousin just don't know when to quit. They didn't have enough power to pose any kind of real threat right before I left, but that will probably only make them more resentful...
[what can qian do? she's a concubine in the su household now - not a wife, as she'd hoped to become by driving jiuqing's mother out - and honyan's new wife treats her horribly. not only that, but honyan is too afraid of offending his wife's family to stand up for her. and waner? she's been brought into the peng family, but also as a concubine, and zion's mother isn't about to give her any real power.
but if murder had entered their hearts when they'd lived much easier lives, she can't imagine that their current circumstances would have just made it go away. the opposite, in fact. they've never once taken responsibility for their own actions; surely, they're looking for someone to blame.]
That means until you can remove all possible options for them, they'll keep causing trouble. If they don't feel fear for consequences, they won't stop. I know the type.
[ Her younger sister Charlotte is similar, but with the way power and influence moves in the Agrece family, Charlotte is too impotent to do anything to harm her. And like most children of the Agrece family, Charlotte fears her father's punishments. It pays to be accomplished and terrible. ]
Is there any way they can be found guilty for their crimes?
[a certain amount of time (tHAT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH OF BECAUSE THIS CANON JUST WON'T GIVE US AGES/DATES AAAA) has passed since it happened. is it too late to bring them to justice in the normal way?
would she even feel satisfied, if they were punished that way?]
...but they'll pay for what they've done, one way or another. I'll see to that.
[that just slips out because it's part of her sad tragic backstory and not because she actually meant to say it.]
[ does ancient fictional china even have statute of limitations?
It's not like Roxana would be put off by that with all the plans she has in motion at home. Revenge, downfall, self-preservation—she knows the lengths she'll go to for those things. There are some things that you have to take into your own hands. She understands. ]
I wish for your success. Some people deserve to meet their downfall.
[ She isn't ever going to pretend she has upstanding morals. ]
[from what i can tell there was not on paper, but functionally there was if enough time passed for it to be hard to gather evidence and/or people just stopped caring]
Yes, they do.
[jiuqing's moral compass is mostly intact. if given the choice, nine times out of ten she'll make what would be considered a moral decision. but it's different when it's personal, and, well - the whole situation with her aunt and cousin was deeply personal.
it would be a relief to see the two of them dead, but that's not really good enough for her. she doesn't want to let them off so easily. she doesn't want anyone to pity them for being gone too soon. she wants everyone to see just how awful they are, and she wants them to suffer for it.
then they can die.
but the average person she crosses paths with? she'd rather help them than harm them, as long as they don't pose a threat to anyone she loves.]
[ Roxana's moral compass had little chance to stay intact the moment she was born to the Agreces. If she wanted to live, if she wanted to survive, she had to break it.
There are pieces of it still left, but they have to stay hidden. ]
I won't wish you luck. You look like you'd do away with luck, if you could, if it would give you this.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week one, monday
How good are at you surgery, Jiuqing?
[ Operation: the board game. ]
no subject
[she looks down at the game.]
...oh. You meant for a game?
no subject
[ She gestures. ]
Shall we try our hand at it?
no subject
[what else are they going to do with their time, really?]
So... it looks as though we'll be removing things from the board?
no subject
[ Famous last words because I refuse to let Roxana be be good at this stupid game.
Bzzt! ]
no subject
...oh, so it makes a noise if we touch the sides...
no subject
That's one way to penalize. It's your turn to try.
no subject
she pulls it up with no problem.]
That wasn't so hard.
no subject
That makes sense for a doctor.
no subject
[she smiles]
Go on, it's your turn again.
no subject
nope.
she makes no comment. it's that forced kind of zen. ]
no subject
she doesn't comment on it, just picks up the little tweezer thing and goes for it.
i rolled a 16 i'm crying]
no subject
a 9.
Well, anyway, ]
Once, my mother was almost killed. I gave my mother an excuse to leave a tea party that one of my father's other wives, Maria, held, when it was clear that every choice Maria made was going to be torture for my mother. I thought she was going to be safe, but monsters attacked after she left the party.
One of my siblings threw one of monsters at her. It was lucky someone kind was around to save her in time.
[ Roxana now has a very deep frown because as if she wants to tell stories like this. ]
no subject
My aunt spent years plotting to try to kill my mother. She's been my father's mistress since the very beginning... my cousin, who's about the same age as me, is also my half-sister. She thought that if she killed her, my father would take her as his official wife.
I learned medicine to save my mother because I knew she was going to try to poison her. Once I started to interfere, she and my cousin started trying to murder me, too. I don't think they're in a position to be able to hurt my mother anymore, but I'm so worried that they're going to try something while I'm gone, and that when we finally get out of here I'll come back to find that my mother is dead.
[
then she frowns because that was NOT what she was planning to say.]
no subject
You've excelled remarkably.
[ She may not have witnesses Jiuqing in her home and in her element personally, but it's clear in how Jiuqing holds herself. ]
It's horrible how families, even so far apart, lack any goodness. I take it your father isn't any better than the two of them.
no subject
[she hates men.]
I cut ties with him, and I don't regret it. My mother left him, too. We're doing much better on our own, without him.
no subject
I am glad you two managed to free yourself from such a horrible environment. It doesn't sound like you've had an easy time of it still, if you're worried that they're still coming after your and your mother's lives.
no subject
My aunt and cousin just don't know when to quit. They didn't have enough power to pose any kind of real threat right before I left, but that will probably only make them more resentful...
[what can qian do? she's a concubine in the su household now - not a wife, as she'd hoped to become by driving jiuqing's mother out - and honyan's new wife treats her horribly. not only that, but honyan is too afraid of offending his wife's family to stand up for her. and waner? she's been brought into the peng family, but also as a concubine, and zion's mother isn't about to give her any real power.
but if murder had entered their hearts when they'd lived much easier lives, she can't imagine that their current circumstances would have just made it go away. the opposite, in fact. they've never once taken responsibility for their own actions; surely, they're looking for someone to blame.]
no subject
[ Her younger sister Charlotte is similar, but with the way power and influence moves in the Agrece family, Charlotte is too impotent to do anything to harm her. And like most children of the Agrece family, Charlotte fears her father's punishments. It pays to be accomplished and terrible. ]
Is there any way they can be found guilty for their crimes?
no subject
[a certain amount of time (tHAT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH OF BECAUSE THIS CANON JUST WON'T GIVE US AGES/DATES AAAA) has passed since it happened. is it too late to bring them to justice in the normal way?
would she even feel satisfied, if they were punished that way?]
...but they'll pay for what they've done, one way or another. I'll see to that.
[that just slips out because it's part of her sad tragic backstory and not because she actually meant to say it.]
no subject
It's not like Roxana would be put off by that with all the plans she has in motion at home. Revenge, downfall, self-preservation—she knows the lengths she'll go to for those things. There are some things that you have to take into your own hands. She understands. ]
I wish for your success. Some people deserve to meet their downfall.
[ She isn't ever going to pretend she has upstanding morals. ]
no subject
Yes, they do.
[jiuqing's moral compass is mostly intact. if given the choice, nine times out of ten she'll make what would be considered a moral decision. but it's different when it's personal, and, well - the whole situation with her aunt and cousin was deeply personal.
it would be a relief to see the two of them dead, but that's not really good enough for her. she doesn't want to let them off so easily. she doesn't want anyone to pity them for being gone too soon. she wants everyone to see just how awful they are, and she wants them to suffer for it.
then they can die.
but the average person she crosses paths with? she'd rather help them than harm them, as long as they don't pose a threat to anyone she loves.]
no subject
There are pieces of it still left, but they have to stay hidden. ]
I won't wish you luck. You look like you'd do away with luck, if you could, if it would give you this.
no subject
[she smiles. there's something sharp in it.]
I'll make it happen myself. I have enough skill for that.
no subject
[ go get 'em, jiuqing. wreck those lives. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)