The old walled city of Kowloon has come down.

( this is basically just a very self indulgent list of various fluff, angst, and suggestive themed dialogue sentence starters. )

❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜

❛ your heart is beating so fast right now. ❜

❛ promise me you’ll still be here when i wake up. ❜

❛ you’re not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ i thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

❛ clean yourself up. you're getting blood all over the place. ❜

❛ here, give this a try and tell me what you think. ❜

❛ you can kiss me, you know. ❜

❛ come back to bed. ❜

❛ you look good like this. ❜

❛ working together again, it’s just like old times. ❜

❛ how is it you always know what i need, huh? ❜

❛ you’re lucky you got away with only a scratch. ❜ 

❛ i can’t imagine losing someone like that. i’m sorry. ❜

❛ you know you can always talk to me. ❜

❛ the only one who gets to kill you, is me. ❜

❛ so, what do i owe this pleasure? ❜

❛ ah, so you aren’t heartless after all. ❜

❛ may i have this dance? ❜ 

❛ it’s okay, you can touch me. i won't break. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

❛ hold still. this might sting a little. ❜

❛ we can't keep doing this. ❜ 

❛ you look like you've got something to say. ❜

❛ just relax and let me take care of you. ❜

❛ thought you’d be lighter without all that blood. ❜

❛ i had it under control. you didn’t need to do that. ❜

❛ everything looks so beautiful from up here. ❜

❛ you treat all your ladies like this? ❜

❛ well? how do i look? ❜

❛ can’t sleep? ❜

❛ do you mind if i smoke? ❜

❛ i’m scared of ending up alone. ❜

❛ i don’t think i’ve ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ how long has it been since you've slept? ❜

❛ you are losing my interest, and that’s very dangerous. ❜

❛ i’d suffer hell if you’d tell me what you’d do to me tonight. ❜

❛ you look really pretty right now. ❜

❛ i’ve never cared for anyone the way i care for you. ❜

❛ i’m not wearing any underwear. thought you’d like to know. ❜

❛ just a few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new. ❜

❛ i’d say we make a pretty good team. ❜

❛ i want you to forget this ever happened. ❜

❛ i'm here for business — not pleasure. ❜

❛ if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were jealous. ❜

❛ you'd look better down on your knees. ❜

❛ fine, keep acting like you hate me. ❜

❛ kiss me again. ❜

❛ are you asking me out on a date? ❜

❛ just sit there and look pretty and let me handle this. ❜

❛ you okay? caught you staring off into space again. ❜

❛ well, i do feel better now that you're here. ❜

❛ i'm not drunk enough for this. ❜ 

❛ why is it whenever we see each other, you’re covered in blood? ❜

❛ i was wrong about you. ❜ 

❛ the first time i met you, i had no idea you'd mean this much. ❜

❛ you gonna be a good girl / boy for me? ❜

❛ i’m not afraid of you. ❜

❛ books mean more to me than people anyway. ❜

❛ i just wanted to say thank you for protecting me. ❜

❛ how about a kiss goodnight? ❜

❛ i don’t have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

If anyone’s into newer kung fu movies, here’s a fight scene from the recently released Kowloon Walled City (2021)

Ryuji Miyamoto  /Japanese, born 1947

Kau Lung Shing Chai (Kowloon Walled City)

… Miyamoto’s dystopian night views of Kowloon’s streets and alleyways create an ominous sensation, as if one cannot escape the walled city.

Alley View, 1990. Greg Girard

“Gatekeeping?! Me? How could you--”

Smoke curls from his mouth as he laments, and deeming that it’s done it’s duty,  Shìhóng extinguishes his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe, before flicking it away, into a trashcan. 

A sly smile graces her face, much like a snake in awe of music playing before it. Years of painted skin, lines rehearsed and the occasional verse improvised—yes, she could recognise an invitation for theatrics when she saw it. She would dance along.

The hour is four o'clock. Lightly four o'one by now. Which means it is time… to be a little silly!

“Ah, my hubris has fetched me a hefty penance!” she announces. “I should not have doubted your wisdom. Curry fish balls, tea eggs, pineapple buns. Rù xiāng suí sú, you lead the way. What is the tradition of early risers such as yourself?”

They might even have a DIRECTED BY WONG KAR-WAI pop up at the end of this excursion! What fun!

Does it count as rising early if you haven’t slept? Shìhóng isn’t sure, but he ponders it for about half a second. He drapes an arm around his newfound company and gestures with the other towards the vast expanse of city in the (relatively small) distance. 

“Well I can tell you with my whole chest that there’s a insanely good spot like, maybe a five minute walk from here.” 

He guides her out of the Kowloon Walled City Park, then Carpenter Road Park, with ease, manicured lawns and stone pathways giving way to the electric buzz of Lok Sin road. 

-

"I did miss you, obviously, you utter madman, and you ain't allowed to tell anybody, on account of my reputation for havin' perfect accuracy, which I'd quite like to maintain, thank you very much!"

Peter had, of course, not had the reflexes on hand to throw anything in Shihong's general direction in time. Even with the damn-near-supernatural aim he likes to brag about so much. He'd just been chilling!! He wasn't ready!! Do-over!!!

"You startled me this time, is all-- you're playin' dirty-- I won't miss you twice!"

Cackling already, he reaches for the nearest object which could generously be considered a projectile. Which today, happens to be a dustpan brush. He holds it aloft, in a way that might have been the least but threatening, if not for... literally every other detail of this situation.

"... So, can you be half-solid-half-not, both at the same time, or what? Like, if I throw this will it just pass straight through you? Man-- this ain't even the first time some intangible bastard's phased straight through the door to check up on me in my own home. Blah blah, weird that it happened twice, et cetera. Right, anyway, go long!!"

Before he can finish, the dustpan brush connects squarely with Shihong’s chest with a hollow thud. It clatters to the floor, and Shihong spares it a glance for about half a second. Good, he’s solid. 

So that just means that there’s nothing stopping him from striding across the room to bury his knuckles into Peter’s already messy hair, not gently, mind you-- Shihong doesn’t know the meaning of the word, but nowhere near hard enough to hurt For Realsies. (Jesus Christ is he cold though.)

“So like, twice y’ve got people phasing through your walls to see how alive you are and like, you STILL didn’t learn to call?” 

Unceremoniously, Shihong makes himself comfortable on the closest thing-to-sit-on.