[Xiao Xingchen listens, brow furrowed and eyes slightly parted. Came back to life? No one could say something like that and not expect shock and skepticism, surely. But is he one who could deny it? As far as most people know, giving one's eyes to restore the sight of is also impossible. So many "impossible" things have happened, both in the world they both know and elsewhere.]
No, I...
[He can't help but look at a loss. Of course he can't find out the truth here and now. He simply doesn't like not knowing how to act one way or the other in front of potential danger; as soft as others may perceive him, he prefers to take decisive action rather than to agonize and delay.
So after another pause:]
If you are telling the truth, then there is nothing to fear. If the stories about you are true, I cannot imagine how you should be punished even further than death. I suppose... the only thing that could still matter to me is the sort of man you are now.
[Could he say that to any accused criminal who pleads their innocence? He isn't sure. It's unfair to those who might have suffered because of his actions, but could he condemn the man without any evidence? Xiao Xingchen heard the same thing everywhere across the land, yet he knows he doesn't have the whole story.
Xiao Xingchen had long since realized his hubris in his thoughts of saving the world while not knowing how it even worked. Never did he expect back then what kinds of situations he'd find himself in, with no clear right or wrong. How can he find the way to be fair to everyone, and make even the smallest of changes around him towards the foolish dream he once had? If Wei Wuxian is what the stories make of him, and he ends up hurting others... what could Xiao Xingchen even do to stop him anymore, anyway?]
I would not want you to leave. In fact, I believe you're right, and we should learn more about each other. Both of us surely have many questions we wish to ask.
[He couldn't call the other man a friend just yet, but he knows now that he needs a fuller picture. What would the real Wei Wuxian do in this vacuum of morality?]
no subject
No, I...
[He can't help but look at a loss. Of course he can't find out the truth here and now. He simply doesn't like not knowing how to act one way or the other in front of potential danger; as soft as others may perceive him, he prefers to take decisive action rather than to agonize and delay.
So after another pause:]
If you are telling the truth, then there is nothing to fear. If the stories about you are true, I cannot imagine how you should be punished even further than death. I suppose... the only thing that could still matter to me is the sort of man you are now.
[Could he say that to any accused criminal who pleads their innocence? He isn't sure. It's unfair to those who might have suffered because of his actions, but could he condemn the man without any evidence? Xiao Xingchen heard the same thing everywhere across the land, yet he knows he doesn't have the whole story.
Xiao Xingchen had long since realized his hubris in his thoughts of saving the world while not knowing how it even worked. Never did he expect back then what kinds of situations he'd find himself in, with no clear right or wrong. How can he find the way to be fair to everyone, and make even the smallest of changes around him towards the foolish dream he once had? If Wei Wuxian is what the stories make of him, and he ends up hurting others... what could Xiao Xingchen even do to stop him anymore, anyway?]
I would not want you to leave. In fact, I believe you're right, and we should learn more about each other. Both of us surely have many questions we wish to ask.
[He couldn't call the other man a friend just yet, but he knows now that he needs a fuller picture. What would the real Wei Wuxian do in this vacuum of morality?]