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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
Humbaba said:
Don't feel too bad Ling Qi. I mean to be honest that was pretty rude of him. Especially since he said this not a minute earlier:

Even if his parents are legitimately important and very busy holy hell was that rude.

The language choice around his sort of not actually an apology doesn't help either. Emphasis mine:

Honestly this interlude has actually made me like Bao Qiuan a bit less [Edit: and I liked him a fair bit before]. His casual talk of how he's using his wealth to undercut the local baron's children when talking to Ling Qi the baroness and former streetrat didn't do him any favours even before we got to that part.
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So... I'll admit that he's kind of tone deaf here. There's stuff about being poor that Bao Qian simply does not get at a fundamental level. That said... the fact that his parents are basically unavailable has been a fundamental fact of his existence for his entire life. There's a very real chance that he's spent more time in his mom's presence before being born than after.

yrsillar said:
the memory of awakening brought a smile to his face. It was the only time he could ever remember Mother and Father being home the whole day.
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So... he was dangling the idea of it, in order to express his continued strong interest. Then....
yrsillar said:
Internally, she sent a nasty look Sixiang's way. The muse whistled innocently in her head. "I suppose if we're talking about that kind of thing, what about your parents?"

"Ah, that is probably a long way off. We would probably need to come to an actual agreement first," Bao Qian replied carefully.

Ling Qi caught what she thought was his meaning though, and wrinkled her nose."I suppose there is that much difference in status huh?"

"That was not my intention," Bao Qian deflected. "They are just very busy individuals. Even I do not see them often. Their business is such that it can only be set aside for major events and festivals."
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I read that "replied carefully" as the point where he realizes that he's put his foot in it, and doesn't actually know how to escape the social situation without damage. The fact is that there is that great a difference in status, and, at least technically, that difference in status is a big part of what drives the difference in parental availability. (His parents' status is all bound up in their constant work and resulting unavailability, and Ling Qi pretty solidly outranks her mom, which makes said mom easily available for such things.) The thing is, he really, really isn't trying to imply the thing that would normally be implied by such things - suggesting that he did not respect her, or that he did not respect her family. He's just stepped into it unthinking, and now getting out of that part of the conversation while not offering insult and also not lying is suddenly very difficult. That bit about "Ling Qi caught what she thought was his meaning though" is also pretty important here.

At the same time... I agree with the underlying bit about her not feeling too bad. As far as she's concerned, this is profound neglect, and she's all Family-oriented, which means that having your parents be so distant is really kind of awful. From his perspective... this is the way it has always been. He had peers growing up who had it worse. (Hi, Qingling!) He's not feeling hurt about it in the way she would feel that he almost inevitably must.

So... basically here we have them dancing the same dance they have before... slowly stumbling towards a better understanding of one another, and trying not to step on each other's toes too much while they do.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[x] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Follow up regarding the Hui, you're a little curious to hear Bao Qian's thoughts on the recent history of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Follow up regarding the Hui, you're a little curious to hear Bao Qian's thoughts on the recent history of the Emerald Seas.

I'm fine with either one, but I didn't like seeing this option lose so badly. I don't think we know about the Hui in-depth.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
Orkus Majorkus said:
Qian asked her out to get to know each other, Zhengui's there as a ‎chaperone ‎and she told her mom. It's a date.
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This is pre-Victorian morality. Think of Jane Austen. The presence of a chaperone is independent from it being a date (or not).

[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[X] Ask him about the song. It is beautiful, even in its simplicity. You're curious about the musical traditions of the Emerald Seas.
 
[x] Follow up regarding the Hui, you're a little curious to hear Bao Qian's thoughts on the recent history of the Emerald Seas.

The Hui have been repeatedly stated to be The Worst...but we've only heard from enemies or one deranged Hui.
I want to know the Bao perspective, considering they were moving to defect from ES entirely at the fall.
 
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