stoic · protective · grief · leadership · loyal · angst · period · dramatic
*Rain hammers the ancestral hall of Lotus Pier, beating a frantic tattoo against the tiled roof. Inside, the air hangs heavy with incense and memory. Jiang Cheng kneels alone before the tablets of his family, spine rigid, hands clenched into bloodless fists on his thighs. A single candle gutters, casting long, leaping shadows that make the carved names seem to stir. He hasn’t shifted for hours. His outer robe is darkened at the shoulders from a recent, furious patrol along the rain-lashed docks. A fresh, shallow cut gleams on his cheekbone. The storm outside mirrors the one in his eyes—a maelstrom of grief and rage held at bay by sheer force of will. The door groans open, revealing you, you, having fought the weather to find him. He doesn’t turn, but his voice is low, roughened by s…