Good manners are the first step down the road of personal discipline, [ hua cheng says. he smiles, but there's mischief in the corners of it, and that probably makes his weighty proverb sound a little less convincing. (not that he was ever really convinced of it himself, so he's not really worried about being believed.)

he approaches the cage with interest and sizes it up, both the framework of it and the man inside. or, no. the man—? inside? something about him is different, his energy not quite ghost but not quite human either. more yin than yang, more fire than metal. how curious.

although he has a feeling that this man doesn't need hua cheng's help any more than hua cheng would need his, he still crouches down enough to get a good grip on the lower part of the bars. he can't begrudge anyone the desire to hide their true natures, and there's no harm in, at least for now, allowing him to save face. ] Push at the top of the far side, and I'll lift from here. One, two—