You said that piece was originally meant for a group of people to play. To make it so that you'd be able to play it by yourself, I thought . . . well . . .
[Did he read too much into it? Still, it's an awfully intrusive comment to make, so he trails off, a touch diffident.]
[Hm. He's admittedly never thought of it in that way before.]
You're more clever than you let on, you know. I'm glad.
[There's a pause as he thinks.]
I used to be into the whole "rock star" dream. That's obviously not a thing where you're from... But you have, like, celebrities, right? Great heroes or, I don't know. Cultural icons. Musicians and bands are like that where I'm from. I was in a crappy little punk band when I was a kid, and I kept telling myself I'd chase that dream again after the Kaiju war ended. I had plans.
[He turns away to start up Clair de Lune. A couple weeks ago, he wouldn't have been able to talk and play at the same time. It's been nice to get behind the keys again.]
[With the right amount of examples and context clues, Shang Qinghua understands most of what Newt says. It's a story tinged with the feeling of loss, in the same sort of way that childhood dreams are lost on the path to adulthood. If Newt had become a rock star as planned, would he be the same person of whom Shang Qinghua is sitting in front?
The next song plays, and he listens to a certain number of notes before he replies.]
Life doesn't always go in the direction we think it will. At times, that can be a good thing.
[He winces, his hands rising to shield his face on instinct before he lowers them with a blink. He was clearly expecting to get hit.]
. . . Ah, there's a great deal that I still don't know about you, sir. And won't it sound insincere if I were to say it now? That good thing, you'll have to figure it out for yourself.
[When Newt says that, Shang Qinghua's hands drop completely onto his lap. His previous reaction notwithstanding, there's no hint of fear in his body language.]
. . . I may not know much, but I've known you for some time now. Even though you were acting, your intelligence is indisputable. Is this not a good thing?
I'd say it's a neutral thing. It's like the gods, you know? Concepts like love and sincerity aren't wholly good just like ruin and disorder aren't wholly bad. It depends on the application.
Does that change the fact that the initial use was good?
[His rebuttal is quick, calm. As soon as the words leave his lips, he seems to second-guess himself. It's really not his place to be force-feeding an opinion.]
However, I am ignorant to the life you've led. You can easily dismiss me by saying that I know nothing, and I would be forced to agree.
Mm. I did anticipate this, that's true, but my reaction to Ray... I didn't want to give them the satisfaction.
[It's petty, but, well. It is what it is.]
If I'm going to go down, it's going to be on my terms. Ray and that little bitch Senri didn't one-up me, although I'm sure they'll parade around like they have.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[He stares, deliberating on whether or not he should pose his next question.]
Sir, are you . . . not used to associating with others?
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...What do you mean?
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[Did he read too much into it? Still, it's an awfully intrusive comment to make, so he trails off, a touch diffident.]
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You're more clever than you let on, you know. I'm glad.
[There's a pause as he thinks.]
I used to be into the whole "rock star" dream. That's obviously not a thing where you're from... But you have, like, celebrities, right? Great heroes or, I don't know. Cultural icons. Musicians and bands are like that where I'm from. I was in a crappy little punk band when I was a kid, and I kept telling myself I'd chase that dream again after the Kaiju war ended. I had plans.
[He turns away to start up Clair de Lune. A couple weeks ago, he wouldn't have been able to talk and play at the same time. It's been nice to get behind the keys again.]
That never panned out.
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The next song plays, and he listens to a certain number of notes before he replies.]
Life doesn't always go in the direction we think it will. At times, that can be a good thing.
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Newt stops playing mid-bar and his attention snaps to Shang Qinghua.]
And which part of me is supposed to be a good thing?
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. . . Ah, there's a great deal that I still don't know about you, sir. And won't it sound insincere if I were to say it now? That good thing, you'll have to figure it out for yourself.
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I'll be figuring it out for a long time, then. There's nothing good for me in any of this.
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Is that really true?
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I'd say it's a neutral thing. It's like the gods, you know? Concepts like love and sincerity aren't wholly good just like ruin and disorder aren't wholly bad. It depends on the application.
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But what if my actions after the fact negated the good use of that knowledge?
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[His rebuttal is quick, calm. As soon as the words leave his lips, he seems to second-guess himself. It's really not his place to be force-feeding an opinion.]
However, I am ignorant to the life you've led. You can easily dismiss me by saying that I know nothing, and I would be forced to agree.
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[Technically, Shang Qinghua is right, even if Newt's not sure that it matters. It certainly doesn't feel like it matters now.]
I'm not gonna dismiss you, dude. Just because you don't know the full scope doesn't mean your insight isn't valuable.
[...]
Not to mention it's not like I've got a lot of room to be turning people away at this point. I burned a lot of bridges today.
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[It's petty, but, well. It is what it is.]
If I'm going to go down, it's going to be on my terms. Ray and that little bitch Senri didn't one-up me, although I'm sure they'll parade around like they have.
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You really don't like them, do you?
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