In these days I'm no longer their default for a villain, another having taken my place in the spread of gossip and grizzly stories.
It's funny how quick everyone will change their tune when they have another to decry and you become less convenient as a target.
[He had saved everyone's children, he had uncovered the villain, he was accepted by GusuLan and the venerable Hanguang Jun. He was not a convenient target anymore.]
But that doesn't make such gatherings any less awkward and filled with politics I woukd rather avoid.
[And though he tried to keep his tone light there was still a weight to it. An unpleasantness to the concept. A sadness and tiredness to it all. He was so sick of the cultivational world and it's politics. How quick it could praise who were convenient and decry who were not.]
Somehow, the skin of the lotus needles tenders under Lan Wangji's nails, breaks and gives way. He stares down at his workmanship, struck by his own misplaced violence. Aggrieved by it. Then, hollowed out. Indifferent.
By contrast, Wei Wuxian sits a stain of warmth on his back, a misshapen and glorious sun. Who can blame him for drawing all in his orbit? Testily, Lan Wangji reaches out to offer the seeds, some crushed, some painting-perfect. ]
Then, we avoid them.
[ Together. A simple pronouncement, no matter its implications. ]
[He can't help but laugh a little, though it comes out as a muffled snort. The ravished seeds some abused and some unscathed. At one time he wouldn't have noticed these subtleties, but now he's learned to look.
He takes some of the offered prizes gladly, as carefree as ever.]
Thus a politician I could never make. There are others better suited with more promise and skill.
[ Like sunlight, inescapable, pervading every obstacle before it. Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang — of Yiling, after — can be intermittently avoided, but never truly outrun. Or captured, though enough of Lanling Jin and Qinghe Nie and Qishan Wen have tried.
Lan Wangji too, for all his kindness, must pay the bribe price for his presence, offers of lotus seeds, a warm back, a few sweet words. Like a small, adorable animal, Wei Wuxian doesn't lend himself to a long stay easily. ]
You should have roamed and played longer.
[ Carefree, with no responsibilities, the lesser son of a great clan, stumbling on his future as he might do on pebbles in his path. Not what the sects made of him.
Things then would never have allowed it, no matter what.
[Everyone was pushed so hard to be first in cultivation, to not fall behind. Even before the war started and things errupted, the strain caused by the QishanWen were great. In a way he envied the juniors, able to cultivate at their pace, able to be children and learn comfortably....]
But now, I can play, but who wants to play alone?
[He turned as best he could without releasing his back from Lan Wangji, his hair up in a ponytail moving with his head in a swish.]
Lan Zhan should also experience roaming and playing.
[It's never too late, and he would make the same offer each time. Play with him.]
[ Never as vocally, as ignorantly, as unchained — never, in such a way that might whip his hair across another's nape, or make an obvious nuisance of his person. He is not yet so thick-skinned that these feats can be brokered easily. But he has learned to bend, before he chooses to break. Learned to shift, so Wei Wuxian can move and turn, to accommodate him in the negative space of Lan Wangji's body. ]
I play now.
[ And, to illustrate, he lends even more of his weigh onto Wei Wuxian's back, careful evidence that he knows all too well what he's doing — and crushing his feebler confidant is some strange plot of earning his laughter. Let Wei Wuxian, who boasted his skill with the bow and ease with callisthenics so often before, struggle, for a change.
He sounds smugger than any virtuous adept of the school of Lan has a right to, by the end of it: ]
[He cried out getting back into a better position to not be pushed over by Lan Wangji's sudden humor. Of course despite his outcry he is smiling, having fun in the moment and enjoying the moment of levity.]
[ As if, crushed into his own corner, Wei Wuxian has that great of a choice. Lan Wangji allows himself this one moment of victory, before a quiet exhale signals the start of mercy, and he pulls back in time with Wei Ying's push.
There. Let it not be said he pays no mind to his lesser, feebler companions. Like a rabbit, Wei Wuxian needs constant, proficient care. ]
Were you not building strength?
[ An entire core of it, to hear Wei Wuxian boast. And what's come of that? ]
[His tone was a mix of a pout and a whine, he was quite proud of his swiftness, he was pretty sure his sword was one of the fastest, and he had always been great at dodging even without his core. The streangth of his cultivation was completely seperate from his physical.]
Then next time I'll have to prepare.
[He leans back completely at the mercy given, allowing his full dead weight to lean. He will have to remember to go all out when another encounter rears it's head. Just to prove some decency still exists within him.]
[ Not muscled and hard-boned, but steel-willed and somehow still soft-hearted for all the hurt endured at ignobly bloodied hands. Lan Wangji allows the resistance, even feigns, at the last moment, a healthy degree of impressed recognition — why, look how Wei Wuxian carves space for himself. How wickedly forceful he is, indeed.
Never mind that Lan Wangji has half of a mind to lean back and gain himself a fine new mattress. It would teach him many a lesson deflected in Cloud Recesses, about foresight, caution, knowing his own measure. Taking a proper look at the adversary's strength. Acting wisely.
But then, when has Wei Wuxian ever learned, if he was not of a mind to? ]
[He might not always act with forethought, but he was always good at finding an unseen opportunity and gaining advantage when needed. If Lan Wangji wanted to prove a point by flattening him out, he might just decide to be dangerous in seizing openings. A lesson that could also be taught. They both had their failings and their strengths.
A good balance.]
You give me too much praise.
[He can't help but laugh, but again, it was a soft one, not so much self depreciating as much as respecting such a valued gift.]
But, I will do my best for it. It would not do well to not meat your expectatuons.
[ Well spoken for it, even as silence thralls them for the span of a few minutes, gently interrupted by the crack and scratch of nail on seed, rupturing the last few petals of hard skin to reveal a tender inside.
He feeds each and every last piece of Wei Wuxian, but for the one-two seeds he remembers to thieve for himself in an act of residual "sharing." Finally, the deed is done, and whatever bond had woven between them feels on the brink of overspilling — of solidifying in a way he can neither ignore, nor acknowledge.
He starts, slowly, to stir himself, numb limbs barely answering the call. ]
Thank you. I've stolen my fill.
[ He can only indulge in so much peace and relaxation, before he owes the world its war. ]
[In all honesty Wei Wuxian could sit there probably all day, as fidgety and wild as he could be he also greatly loved lounging and simply spending time with others.]
If you need to steal again, feel free to burgle.
[If that was an excuse that made it feel more palatable, he could play along.]
And tell me how it goes, I can't help but be curious now.
[The theory behind the curious situation, he wanted to hear about it.]
[ Curiosity killed the cat and buried Wei Wuxian at the feet of the abyss. Lan Wangji's brows lift incrementally, but he recovers the composure to turn around and search Wei Ying's face for the signs of that terrible madness, his love for purposeless drama. ]
Wei Ying. [ Be calm. Be good. Be composed. ] You know why I do not ask your company.
[ Not for want of skill, for distrust in ability, for of the ugliness of soul and heart that might have been suspected of the Yiling Patriarch, so many years ago, among the clans.
For his health. His welfare. For Wei Wuxian's own care, too often neglected, even by those who would claim his friends, let alone the man himself, in the new instrument of his fragile body. ]
Next time. I will take you. When your core returns.
[ A nod, subtle, the pact so sealed: if a story and a faithful account is all that Wei Wuxian wants (claims) for his study, then Lan Wangji will suit him. Heavens help them both, but they have lived long years without indulgence. Why not carve a humble beginning for it now? ]
And more lotus seed.
[ For all his reticence, Wei Wuxian has shamelessly erased most of the offered portion, a man seizing his bribe. Lan Wangji may not have counted each breath and each bite, but he knows when he has done well with his choices. Knows, too, that Wei Wuxian would never ask more of him. Not as they are now, each word measured, each kindness bartered.
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no subject
It's funny how quick everyone will change their tune when they have another to decry and you become less convenient as a target.
[He had saved everyone's children, he had uncovered the villain, he was accepted by GusuLan and the venerable Hanguang Jun. He was not a convenient target anymore.]
But that doesn't make such gatherings any less awkward and filled with politics I woukd rather avoid.
[And though he tried to keep his tone light there was still a weight to it. An unpleasantness to the concept. A sadness and tiredness to it all. He was so sick of the cultivational world and it's politics. How quick it could praise who were convenient and decry who were not.]
no subject
Somehow, the skin of the lotus needles tenders under Lan Wangji's nails, breaks and gives way. He stares down at his workmanship, struck by his own misplaced violence. Aggrieved by it. Then, hollowed out. Indifferent.
By contrast, Wei Wuxian sits a stain of warmth on his back, a misshapen and glorious sun. Who can blame him for drawing all in his orbit? Testily, Lan Wangji reaches out to offer the seeds, some crushed, some painting-perfect. ]
Then, we avoid them.
[ Together. A simple pronouncement, no matter its implications. ]
Who are they, to deserve your time?
no subject
He takes some of the offered prizes gladly, as carefree as ever.]
Thus a politician I could never make. There are others better suited with more promise and skill.
no subject
[ Like sunlight, inescapable, pervading every obstacle before it. Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang — of Yiling, after — can be intermittently avoided, but never truly outrun. Or captured, though enough of Lanling Jin and Qinghe Nie and Qishan Wen have tried.
Lan Wangji too, for all his kindness, must pay the bribe price for his presence, offers of lotus seeds, a warm back, a few sweet words. Like a small, adorable animal, Wei Wuxian doesn't lend himself to a long stay easily. ]
You should have roamed and played longer.
[ Carefree, with no responsibilities, the lesser son of a great clan, stumbling on his future as he might do on pebbles in his path. Not what the sects made of him.
Not what Lan Wangji failed to prevent. ]
Do it. However foolishly and shameless.
no subject
[Everyone was pushed so hard to be first in cultivation, to not fall behind. Even before the war started and things errupted, the strain caused by the QishanWen were great. In a way he envied the juniors, able to cultivate at their pace, able to be children and learn comfortably....]
But now, I can play, but who wants to play alone?
[He turned as best he could without releasing his back from Lan Wangji, his hair up in a ponytail moving with his head in a swish.]
Lan Zhan should also experience roaming and playing.
[It's never too late, and he would make the same offer each time. Play with him.]
no subject
[ Never as vocally, as ignorantly, as unchained — never, in such a way that might whip his hair across another's nape, or make an obvious nuisance of his person. He is not yet so thick-skinned that these feats can be brokered easily. But he has learned to bend, before he chooses to break. Learned to shift, so Wei Wuxian can move and turn, to accommodate him in the negative space of Lan Wangji's body. ]
I play now.
[ And, to illustrate, he lends even more of his weigh onto Wei Wuxian's back, careful evidence that he knows all too well what he's doing — and crushing his feebler confidant is some strange plot of earning his laughter. Let Wei Wuxian, who boasted his skill with the bow and ease with callisthenics so often before, struggle, for a change.
He sounds smugger than any virtuous adept of the school of Lan has a right to, by the end of it: ]
You are losing.
no subject
[He cried out getting back into a better position to not be pushed over by Lan Wangji's sudden humor. Of course despite his outcry he is smiling, having fun in the moment and enjoying the moment of levity.]
You're stronger than me. Of course I'm losing.
no subject
[ As if, crushed into his own corner, Wei Wuxian has that great of a choice. Lan Wangji allows himself this one moment of victory, before a quiet exhale signals the start of mercy, and he pulls back in time with Wei Ying's push.
There. Let it not be said he pays no mind to his lesser, feebler companions. Like a rabbit, Wei Wuxian needs constant, proficient care. ]
Were you not building strength?
[ An entire core of it, to hear Wei Wuxian boast. And what's come of that? ]
no subject
[His tone was a mix of a pout and a whine, he was quite proud of his swiftness, he was pretty sure his sword was one of the fastest, and he had always been great at dodging even without his core. The streangth of his cultivation was completely seperate from his physical.]
Then next time I'll have to prepare.
[He leans back completely at the mercy given, allowing his full dead weight to lean. He will have to remember to go all out when another encounter rears it's head. Just to prove some decency still exists within him.]
no subject
[ Not muscled and hard-boned, but steel-willed and somehow still soft-hearted for all the hurt endured at ignobly bloodied hands. Lan Wangji allows the resistance, even feigns, at the last moment, a healthy degree of impressed recognition — why, look how Wei Wuxian carves space for himself. How wickedly forceful he is, indeed.
Never mind that Lan Wangji has half of a mind to lean back and gain himself a fine new mattress. It would teach him many a lesson deflected in Cloud Recesses, about foresight, caution, knowing his own measure. Taking a proper look at the adversary's strength. Acting wisely.
But then, when has Wei Wuxian ever learned, if he was not of a mind to? ]
I would have asked nothing of the weak.
no subject
A good balance.]
You give me too much praise.
[He can't help but laugh, but again, it was a soft one, not so much self depreciating as much as respecting such a valued gift.]
But, I will do my best for it. It would not do well to not meat your expectatuons.
no subject
[ Well spoken for it, even as silence thralls them for the span of a few minutes, gently interrupted by the crack and scratch of nail on seed, rupturing the last few petals of hard skin to reveal a tender inside.
He feeds each and every last piece of Wei Wuxian, but for the one-two seeds he remembers to thieve for himself in an act of residual "sharing." Finally, the deed is done, and whatever bond had woven between them feels on the brink of overspilling — of solidifying in a way he can neither ignore, nor acknowledge.
He starts, slowly, to stir himself, numb limbs barely answering the call. ]
Thank you. I've stolen my fill.
[ He can only indulge in so much peace and relaxation, before he owes the world its war. ]
no subject
If you need to steal again, feel free to burgle.
[If that was an excuse that made it feel more palatable, he could play along.]
And tell me how it goes, I can't help but be curious now.
[The theory behind the curious situation, he wanted to hear about it.]
no subject
Wei Ying. [ Be calm. Be good. Be composed. ] You know why I do not ask your company.
[ Not for want of skill, for distrust in ability, for of the ugliness of soul and heart that might have been suspected of the Yiling Patriarch, so many years ago, among the clans.
For his health. His welfare. For Wei Wuxian's own care, too often neglected, even by those who would claim his friends, let alone the man himself, in the new instrument of his fragile body. ]
Next time. I will take you. When your core returns.
no subject
Next time I can be more helpful. But, just because I can't come and help, doesn't mean I can't know how it goes, right?
[This was on the level of local gossip enough, right? And the topic was interesting. How could he learn of it and not know how it ends?]
I'll train hard, so a story is a fair reward, right?
no subject
And more lotus seed.
[ For all his reticence, Wei Wuxian has shamelessly erased most of the offered portion, a man seizing his bribe. Lan Wangji may not have counted each breath and each bite, but he knows when he has done well with his choices. Knows, too, that Wei Wuxian would never ask more of him. Not as they are now, each word measured, each kindness bartered.
He lifts himself, but lingers. ]
One day, we may have another night hunt together.
no subject
Lotus seeds will never be rejected.
[Sacred as they were, the cure to all ills. There was nothing as comforting as lotus seeds.
At the mention of a possible night hunt he perks up excitedly.]
I hope it can be soon! I feel like I really need to try to show off and save my reputation.