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[heng_like_a_dragon]

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POKEGO group chat

POKEGO group chat (2023)

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[heng_like_a_dragon]

He knows I died.

[Dan Heng closes his eyes. He feels... tired. Like all the years of his past lives are suddenly weighing down on his shoulders and chest. Even with that, his pride doesn't allow for him to bow his head... despite wanting to. Still, Dan Heng wants his friend to know that his silence has been for a different reason. Where the Dan Heng she knew wanted to keep his Astral Express friends safe from the consequences of Dan Feng's actions, this Dan Heng—]

It... happened only three, almost four months ago, March. Even telling my colleagues was... difficult.

[His voice is very quiet as he says this. "Difficult" is an understatement. It's one thing to tell the people he works with what's going on. That can be more impersonal. It's another thing entirely to tell the people he's close to. Part of him still feels shame for even asking Zhongli, his own damn cousin, to comfort him like he was a terrified child. He still feels guilty that he died and couldn't defend himself.

He pauses for a moment.]

...Do you even have the money for that? [Dan Heng suddenly envisions a March 7th who doesn't know how credit cards work and getting into tremendous debt.] I'll pay for lunch. But... yes. We can talk.

[trailblazingspirit]

[yeah kind of hard to miss the pomsky barking over the network—]

But he doesn't know how you came back?

[Four months ago...worry and heartbreak snag and twist together in her throat, threaten to choke her. Four months he's been carrying this and she didn't know, and Caleb might've known some of it but not everything. She wants to come over right now and hug her friend, tell him it'll be all right now—she's here, she can shield him, she can help.]

...you know that you can talk to us about anything anytime, right? And we'll be here for you whenever you're ready. I won't judge, promise.

[A beat.]

I'm working on it. [Currently, it's...uh. It's. Going.] At least let me pay for the drinks.