[ he startles as his father rushes forward... that's... oh. okay then, someone he knows? a slender woman who, even if she's supporting herself on someone else's arm, still looks dignified and strong, gentle without looking harried.
it takes another few seconds before the name registers to him, and he freezes.
"A-Li"...?
of course he wouldn't know what names his father would have used for his family, but if he was as traditional as any other family, the answer is fairly natural. so he stares, distantly feels his fingers going slack around Suihua, hears it clatter to the ground but unable to move to retrieve it, feels his throat closing up, again, his vision blurring, and he doesn't even dare take a breath, lest the two people in the fountain will somehow disappear if he does. ]
no subject
it takes another few seconds before the name registers to him, and he freezes.
"A-Li"...?
of course he wouldn't know what names his father would have used for his family, but if he was as traditional as any other family, the answer is fairly natural. so he stares, distantly feels his fingers going slack around Suihua, hears it clatter to the ground but unable to move to retrieve it, feels his throat closing up, again, his vision blurring, and he doesn't even dare take a breath, lest the two people in the fountain will somehow disappear if he does. ]