#masqce

nianqing didn’t intend on actively seeking anyone out at the party. as much as there were things on his mind he was a person who believe in the importance of manners, and hunting anyone down at an event of this caliber would be unseemly. it wasn’t entirely the same if he ran into someone by chance though, so when he happened to spot mu qing nearby he didn’t hesitate to approach. “a word?” nianqing asked, nodding to the side and moving off away to a quieter area of the party without waiting for much of a confirmation. “there was a development in things with the heavenly emperor lately. i was curious if you or any of your friends had spoken to him recently.”

@masqce for jesper fahey

"you've got fine taste." nina remarked as she reached for her glass of wine. and boy did she love to drink. especially when they came at a discounted price due to the market in town. "and i don't just give that compliment to anyone."

"looks like tonight will end uneventfully," dohee commented as she joined her bodyguard's side. her blind date was somewhere, and had been there for who knows how long now. she likely scared him away with her talks of elopement and prenup requirements. it was for the better, she ecided. what she needed was a husband, not a sweetheart. "at least for me. there's neither an attempt at murder or marriage to be committed tonight."

"and here i thought you wouldn't be able to afford any of the drinks here." it wasn't quite true. it had been long enough that francis didn't actively pick every single bar he went to with the necessity to avoid lott in mind, but he hadn't gone anywhere he knew the man might frequent since the end of their friendship. after blowing up a little bit towards the end it wasn't like francis was actively looking for ore drama around the whole thing, instead just ditching the entire group of friends and doing his best act of avoiding people. he wasn't even sure how much he still cared or felt burnt from the whole event, but that didn't mean he wanted to be hanging around lott again any time in his future. "or did you just accidentally stumble in?" he supposed that would be in character, lott in the wrong situation by accident, and then almost certainly making a huge deal out of it.

he didn't know where he had wandered off too, having just picked a direction in the building to disappear off too, forcing himself to keep going until he was sure no one had followed. it was probably some area he wasn't supposed to be, or at least particularly far out, considering he had somehow ran into his uncle in the process. jin ling didn't even have the energy to start his usual argument with jin guangyao, things about memories and murder a distant thought right now. "i'll find my way out of here soon i just need ten minutes without having to talk to my advisor." and the man would certainly corner jin ling again the moment he was given the chance.