[ hong lu considers this. yi sang stands there, resplendent in blood. hong lu sits there by the windowsill, in red and gold. he is wearing the robes of a young, unmarried woman from the qing dynasty. the red is supposed to symbolise purity. hong lu thinks, the red dyeing yi sang's clothing is far more interesting. ]

Well, didn't you just rescue me from boredom? I didn't like being all alone up here; there wasn't anything to do. [ his mismatched gaze rests on yi sang. he looks a little flushed, he thinks. was the way up really that exciting? the first thing hong lu does is reach out with a hand. he clasps his hand around yi sang's wrist so that he can feel for his pulse. it's racing, hong lu thinks. rabbit-quick. hong lu has never seen a rabbit before, not a real one, but it must be a little like this.

hong lu brightens. ] Now that you're here, maybe I can go to the bottom, and you can pull me up by the hair. It looked like fun.

[ and if he gets dropped, will he die? lots to think about. ]