[ Sleep has never been much of a priority on Hei's list. Last to bed, first to rise -- it wasn't a habit, but a necessity. At least, back home. The City's environment affords a certain level of lenience. But it isn't one Hei knows what to do with. He's not built for stagnation. This place feels too much like a belljar; one in which you have to punch cracks to escape. There's a suffocation to his days here, a suffocation his intense focus on protecting Pai alleviates, but can't dispel. ]
[ In the single-digit hours when the City is at its quietest, he enjoys the sharp wind of the mountainside, face upturned to the stars. Beneath the open sky, the storm in his mind calms. Wide spaces. Rough terrain. Mountain-climbing is a task for an existentialist. No preoccupations. Only instant-by-instant choices. Nothing before and nothing after. (It's almost like conducting reconnaissance in Heaven's War.) ]
[ Not that Hei's hiking tonight for recon, or physical therapy. He's planning to conduct an experiment. The gravelly surface of the mountain alerts him to a newcomer's footsteps. He glances up from rigging an anchor against the rockside. Blinks a moment in pretend-surprise, before letting 'Li's good-natured smile slip in place. ]
I guess it is. But I like to watch the stars from up here.
[ Not quite a lie. A telescope case protrudes from his backpack. (Something to study the Barrier with.) ]
BEFORE ; alwaaaays ; - ; <33
[ In the single-digit hours when the City is at its quietest, he enjoys the sharp wind of the mountainside, face upturned to the stars. Beneath the open sky, the storm in his mind calms. Wide spaces. Rough terrain. Mountain-climbing is a task for an existentialist. No preoccupations. Only instant-by-instant choices. Nothing before and nothing after. (It's almost like conducting reconnaissance in Heaven's War.) ]
[ Not that Hei's hiking tonight for recon, or physical therapy. He's planning to conduct an experiment. The gravelly surface of the mountain alerts him to a newcomer's footsteps. He glances up from rigging an anchor against the rockside. Blinks a moment in pretend-surprise, before letting 'Li's good-natured smile slip in place. ]
I guess it is. But I like to watch the stars from up here.
[ Not quite a lie. A telescope case protrudes from his backpack. (Something to study the Barrier with.) ]