love set you going like a fat gold watch (open)

[higginbottom]

Esther is being entrepreneurial. In fact, she has set up a small booth in the Mansion foyer with a sign that reads:

Let Me Write You a Poem (Or Equivalent Prose)

Of course, she hasn't had any takers yet, so she's feeling a little discouraged. But no matter! The point is, she's there, sitting and looking very prim and proper.




Looks can be deceiving, though she herself may not realize that yet.

Comments

[higginbottom]

"Um, maybe his face?" she says, unsure of what exactly is going on here. Esther's a good writer, but Wei Wuxian is really throwing her.

[ghostmaster]

"Didn't you say you were almost done?" Wei Wuxian cocks his head. "Shouldn't you know what you're focusing on?"

[higginbottom]

"Well, if you stopped interrupting me, maybe I could finish faster!"

[ghostmaster]

"I'm in no rush," says Wei Wuxian peaceably. "I'm just surprised that you'd say you're almost done and not even know what part of his handsomeness you're writing about."

[higginbottom]

"His hair is long,
his legs are strong,
and every day, he sings a song

of welcome. Welcome to newcomers,
welcome to those who are lost.
His is the face that knows the cost

of trying, of knowing how to be kind.
His face is soft and lovely, like his heart."

"There," she says, after reciting her poem. "Ugh. I'm finished." if Esther could flop over, she would.

[ghostmaster]

Wei Wuxian reads it over and starts cackling, delighted. "Ahhhh, young mistress!" he says. He doesn't actually know her name. "It's very good. Can you imagine Lan Zhan singing?" Of course he knows it's a metaphor, but the mental image has captivated him. "I should really make him try it next time he's drunk."

[higginbottom]

"I think you should," she says, a smile of relief spreading on her face. "And thank you."

[ghostmaster]

"What kind of poem is it? What tradition are you following?"

[higginbottom]

"It's free verse with a little bit of rhyme thrown in for flavor, I suppose," she says with a shrug.

[ghostmaster]

Wei Wuxian shakes his head, tsking his tongue. "That's not a complete answer to my question, is it, young mistress? Tell me the history of the format!"

[higginbottom]

Esther kind of wants to fall over and die right now, thanks.

"It's relatively modern," she begins. "For me, I mean. I'm from the 1950's, so." Another shrug. "You really want a history lesson?"

[thepurpledanger]

Gu Xiang's eyes flash. She smiles, stalking toward Esther on light feet. Her purple sleeves stream behind her as though in an unseen breeze.

"Sing, you weak east wind!
Howl feeble complaints!
What beauty you have,
your jealousy taints.
Seethe! My long black hair
and my rose lip paint
make you envy-wild.
You lose all restraint."

[ghostmaster]

"No, I want a poetry lesson," brightly. "Plus, I don't think it counts as history. Not for me."

[higginbottom]

Esther pouts. She wasn't expecting this woman to be so good at poetry!

Still, she continues:

"Yes, you have beauty,
but is it truth? Retreat
before it's too late;
your own envy clouds
your lack of real hate."

She's noting how, in fact, pretty Gu Xiang is. Hmm.

[higginbottom]

"Well, free verse came about in the early 20th century - T.S. Eliot was a huge force in getting it started, though some might argue it was already beginning with Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman," she says, a touch wearily. Esther was not expecting this.

[thepurpledanger]

Tilting her chin up, Gu Xiang meets Esther's blue eyes--but although the fierce challenge in her gaze hasn't dimmed, there's a playfulness now in her expression that was missing before. This is no longer a duel to the death; it's a sparring match between two equally matched opponents.

"Why should I envy
the willow's long arms?
The scholar tree blooms,
and bees flock in swarms
to that fragrant tree."

She pauses, dangling the comparison in that unfinished verse long enough to insult--then relents.

"But my hard heart warms.
Maybe there is room
For the willow's charms."

[higginbottom]

Esther actually blushes. This is...strange. There's a sort of thrill in this, this game between them.

"You're very talented," Esther says, after a moment, her mouth suddenly dry, and her face still hot.

[thepurpledanger]

"So are you," Gu Xiang admits, backing up a step and folding her arms. "So you'd better not break Gaheris's heart, or I'll pull your entrails out through your nose."

[higginbottom]

"I won't, I promise," she says. "He's so sweet; I could never hurt him."

A pause.

"You and he would be a good match, too, I think."

[thepurpledanger]

And if that hurts like a broken rib, Gu Xiang is ignoring it. "He doesn't think of me that way," she says, confidently wrong. "So you'd better not make him regret his choice!"

[higginbottom]

"Well, I won't," she replies. "I'll be kind to him, don't worry."

Esther is looking at Gu Xiang's lips. They're very nice lips. Hm.

[thepurpledanger]

"But you also have to be strict!" She begins circling Esther now, studying her like an aunt sizing up a niece for the marriage market. She's very slender, but also very pretty. She'd have great reach if she studied the sword--but she has a scholar's muscles, not a swordswoman's. She'd get eaten alive in the jianghu unless she was very, very tricky. No, she's probably better suited to be a fine lady, the kind who writes beautiful calligraphy and dresses in beautiful gowns and gets waited on by demure handmaidens all day. She probably knows all of the polite ways to eat and never just puts her face next to the bowl and shovels rice in. "He needs firm, clear guidance. He's got a deficiency--he's the unluckiest man I've ever met. So you have to make sure he knows exactly what to do, every step, or he's going to mess it up somehow, and it's not his fault! He's just cursed or something."

[higginbottom]

Esther watches Gu Xiang observe her. She thinks she's very pretty, and smart--not in the way that she expected, but still, very, very smart. Esther has a deep respect for anyone with intellect; Gu Xiang is no exception.

"I'm unlucky too, in some regards, but I've learned from my past," she admits, hoping that doesn't disqualify her. "I think he's a smart man, and that he could learn, too."

She shifts her weight in her chair, and feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she continues to blush.

"I have faith in him. He's a good person."

[thepurpledanger]

"What happened to you?" Gu Xiang asks immediately. "Was it before you came here? Or did it start when you got here?" If there's a bad-luck epidemic, she doesn't want to catch it!

[higginbottom]

"It was from before," Esther explains softly, looking down briefly before meeting Gu Xiang's gaze. "I struggled with depression, and had a nervous breakdown - among other misfortunes. Since coming here, I've felt a lot better. I'm much more stable."

For a moment, she looks as if she might cry.

"I want to be a better person. Gaheris helps me in that regard. He makes me feel...well, like I could aspire to something greater."