sizhui | Inbox for prismatica

... oh dear. I should... really talk with Yuri about that. You might not get to sleep soon, too, that is another effect of coffee. But then you're exhausted because... you haven't slept, and the effect of the coffee wears out. You do not have to try all the flavors at the same time. They will still be there another day.

[ Sizhui's face goes a little sadder. ]

Well he... was the Sect Heir, but he also lost both his parents when he was very young, less than a year of age. So a lot of people were unpleasant to him, and he learned to be unpleasant back, and preemptively, but he - he's really a good person and a good friend.

But you could say he has a chip on his shoulder. It just... there are reasons why it's there. I think he'll grow to be a much calmer and better Sect Leader, too.

You're fond of him, aren't you?

[it's less of a question as it is a statement, but wei wuxian cushions it as such to soften the implications as propriety dictates he should. he hums under his breath, falling silent for a handful of seconds before curiosity - as always - gets the better of him and prompts him to inquire. he does the math in his head, accounting for the time that lan sizhui's mentioned previously, and his estimate of the young man's age... if jin ling is heir, then—]

What happened to Young Master Jin Zixuan and his wife? Who did he marry? Jin Ling is his son, isn't he? Unless Master Jin Guangshan acknowledged his other sons - but that seems unlikely.

I am.

[ Sizhui walks a little bit in silence, but not very long - a half dozen steps, maybe. ]

Young Master Wei, I will answer your questions to the best of my knowledge, but I need to warn you first - you will not like the answers to some of them. Please have the patience to learn all of the events before you try to take any action?

I'll do my best. [there's an awkward pause, to which wei wuxian attempts to lighten by raising three fingers in salute to lan sizhui.] I promise.

But you have to agree to be honest with me, too! Unless... If it's something you'll get punished for, then don't tell me. But with everything else, be honest with me.

You know the rules of the GusLan Sect. I will not lie to you.

Sect Leader Jin Guangshan acknowledged two of his illegitimate sons, eventually. Lianfang-Zun, Sect Leader Jin Guangyao, and eventually Young Master Mo Xuanyu, though he was sent away a few years later.

Young Master Jin Zixuan was killed before Jin Ling's one-month celebration, and his wife, who you know as Maiden Jiang, shortly after. At the time, Jin Guangshan was still Sect Leader. After he passed, Jin Guangyao, born Meng Yao, became Sect Leader until he... died, not long before I came here.

[a picture: wei wuxian, coming up short and stopping in the middle of foot traffic, his face wiped clean of any humor.]

No, that can't be right.

[the words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself. shijie, married, and shijie, heavy with child — but also shijie, dead.

wei wuxian stumbles on nothing. the lans would never lie. the lans would not lie, especially not on this matter, and yet—]

Who— [force the words out, wei wuxian, spit them out--] If you must answer nothing else, please tell me - were they avenged? Where were we? Did we—

[in wei wuxian's mind there's no question who "we" are. he'd sworn to stand by his shidi, sworn to give his life to the jiangs. together, they should've been unstoppable. and yet— and yet.

how could it have come to pass at all?]

What happened?

Edited 2019-11-22 12:25 (UTC)

[ Sizhui considers the questions, but then gives a small nod. ]

As far as I know, all of the people responsible, directly or not, had either already lost their lives, or lost them, immediately or later. They were avenged.

I was too young to be certain of the facts exactly. It is possible that Hanguang-Jun will tell you, if you ask.

You... died, shortly after, too. Then, more than a decade later, Young Master Mo - Mo Xuanyu - used a ritual in which he sacrificed himself to bring you into his body.

Edited 2019-11-22 12:28 (UTC)

[wei wuxian will not pretend to be a good person. a righteous person, certainly, and one who believes in doing the right thing at every chance he gets. but to be good - truly, deeply good - is to be forgiving, to be gentle, to be kind. shijie was the first truly good person that wei wuxian has ever met and loved.

he finds no small amount of vicious satisfaction in knowing she was avenged. a thousand deaths would not be enough for the light that was snuffed out by his sister's death, nor would it be enough to atone for the orphaning of her son. motherhood was a duty to which shijie would have devoted her life to, and jin ling - his nephew, his nephew - would have grown to be just as good. no child of shijie's could ever be anything else, no matter the father.

there's no love lost between him and jin zixuan, but if shijie married him, then she must have loved him.

she loved him, and she had a son by him.

wei wuxian will not cry, nor will he cry out.]

Thank you, Lan Sizhui. [he tries to be discreet in wiping at his face, to dry the hot tears at the edge of his vision; he mostly fails.] I'll have to ask Lan Zhan when I meet him. He won't be too happy, haha.

[he can already imagine it - lan zhan's face, pinched so delicately as wei wuxian plies him with smiles so clearly possessed of motive, but refusing to tell him off because it's not the lan way. wei wuxian chuckles wetly, because what else can he do?

his affected levity is marred by a frown, however, as he considers the last part.]

Lan Sizhui, are you saying I was summoned? [never mind dying - wei wuxian has always considered that he will die young, relative to the lifespan of a cultivator, and he's always assumed it'll be in a great battle with jiang cheng by his side. he doesn't question that he'll die. but to be called back after his death invites more questions, multitudes that are controversial and thrilling in their subject matter.]

To summon a soul and trap it in a still-living body— that's— [brilliant, he doesn't say. a proof of theory, he doesn't say. i want to know how it was done, wei wuxian thinks but swallows down.] Why me? Why would he choose me?

He... Hanguang-jun won't be happy, no, but he would not lie to you without a huge reason.

And I do not know, about Young Master Mo. I never met him, only after he had done this. So I cannot answer that.

[ Sizhui points to an entrance. ]

This is the restaurant, Young Master Wei. If you wish, I can order while you consider more questions, or you can do it for yourself, of course.

Oh, and... You said you did not have much Chroma. That is not a good thing, since using spiritual energy burns through Chroma, too. I can... Help with moonlacing, as much as you are comfortable with.

[ nie huaisang is someone who enjoys being idle and he's not a great cook, so restaurants tend to be his first choice for eating at any given time. it's not like he is lacking of chroma after all, his spiritual core is weak and he does plenty of moonlacing with jiang cheng daily.

the only way to use it is to spend it.

he's stepping towards the same entrance pointed out by lan sizhui and spots the familiar lan robes and a familiar - albeit young face. without missing a beat he lifts his fan and waves it in the air to grab their attention. ]

Oi, Wei-xiong, Young Master Sizhui!

[the voice is a shade different, and the face isn't quite the one he remembers, but there's no mistaking that enthusiasm, that mischievous glint around the eyes - that fan.

nie huaisang!

wei wuxian lights up, tension draining off his shoulders at the sight of his friend - who seems older, in that ageless way that some people seem older while still looking the same. perhaps this is another case of a time slip, as he's starting to call these paradoxical appearances in his mind. it fits, after all; someone's slipped from the time they came from originally, the question left unasked being whose timeline is the correct one.

ah, well. those are thoughts for later. wei wuxian takes lan sizhui with him, his grip loose around the other's arm as he draws them even closer to the nearing nie huaisang.]

Huaisang! Is it really you! I've never seen you dress so seriously before!

—Ah, Lan Sizhui - you must know each other, yes? - well, we were just about to get something to eat, talk about some things I've been meaning to ask about. Will you join us?

Sect Leader Nie. [ Sizhui cups his hands in front and greets politely, the tension subtly tugging his face easing a little because an adult would surely know what to say and what not to...

If Sect Leader Nie looks at him, he'll glance at Suibian, held by the youth next to him; if not, well, he'll still try to warn the eldest of the three. ]

Young Master Wei was saying he has only little chroma, as he has recently arrived, and I was about to suggest we sit close while at least waiting for the food to remedy that.

Do you enjoy spicy food as well, Sect Leader Nie?

[ Surely that is a safe question, as he lets Young Master Wei to make up his mind about the offer. ]

[ in truth, huaisang is a keen observer and he can discern enough to know this is not the wei wuxian he has met in prisma so far. he looks from lan sizhui back to wei wuxian and then back to sizhui.

you know what? whatever is going on, so far, is not the weirdest thing nie huaisang has seen since arriving here. ]

Ach, Wei-xiong, as if you would ever catch me wearing anything less than the finest silks. [ he flicks open his fan ] Luckily, I have plenty of chroma so why don't I treat you to some food?

I heard really good reviews about this place. Although, I'm not as fond of spicy food as Wei-xiong.

Let's go inside.

[sect leader. it prompts even more questions, doesn't it? master nie mingjue is as strong as a hurricane, just as furious too; the ways in which wei wuxian can imagine nie mingjue giving up his seat as sect leader don't paint a nice picture.

he'll ask. eventually. later. it might come up during their dinner, anyway; wei wuxian simply needs to be patient and ferret the information out piece by piece. for now, he reaches for nie huaisang with his free hand and pulls the other into a one-armed hug.]

Last I saw you, you were swimming away to safety from the Muxi caves, [wei wuxian murmurs against nie huaisang's shoulder. there were moments in the caves where wei wuxian had thought he might die. it's nothing too morbid; his mind considers the possibilities of every situation, and he knew there were high chances of his dying in the caves. at the time, his main regret was that lan zhan would have to suffer with him.

heroism demands martyrdom, and often. anything more and heroism becomes tragedy.

anyway—]

If you're paying, then I'm getting the spiciest dish they have on the menu! Let's go!

[and so wei wuxian, brand-new and shiny as far as the city is concerned, pulls both lan and nie into the restaurant like he's been here all his life.]

[ Sizhui watches after him for a moment fondly. ]

I can help with the payment, too, but I do not want to leave him low on Chroma so that he won't hurt himself.

[ Calm and reasonable. Also... important addition. ]

Yuri let him drink coffee. A lot of coffee.

[ Sect Leader Nie lives in the same house as Jin Ling. He must have witnessed the disaster that coffee + cultivators wreak.

A nod, and he holds the door open for the the senior. ]

It'll be my treat, for both of you. [ nie huaisang beams because, hey, what best way to ingrain himself on lan wangji's good graces than by treating his de-facto kid to a nice meal alongside his ... well, future-husband? or something.

he has a lot of questions too.

but he returns wei wuxian's hug with both arms and gives a squeeze and allows himself to be dragged inside.]

Come let's sit over there and no more coffee for Wei-xiong. [ the restaurant has a comfortable feeling to it; it is not quite home cooked meals but it certainly has a more intimate air than a high-end place; it's well lit and sparsely decorated. if anything, it has all the signs of a place where the food is very, very good despite the modest decor. ]

[this is-- almost like finding something familiar, holding hands with two people whose names wei wuxian holds dear. sizhui is like a softer lan zhan, if he ever learned to express himself beyond frowns and curtly spoken monosyllables, and nie huaisang is nie huaisang, clever in all the ways that will make their elders shake their heads at the wasted potential.

wei wuxian feels at home, and at the same time he yearns for it so strongly that his heart aches for a handful heartbeats.

ah, but that's too serious for this. nothing that a bottle of liquor can't fix.

they're led to their tables and wei wuxian sits on one side, setting lan sizhui free to take a more polite distance if he chooses to. wei wuxian, though, invites nie huaisang to sit close, so that he might ply the others with the frivolities of youth - prodding, flicking, pinching and the like, all with abandon.]

Everything here is full of glass - ah, so expensive! [to nie huaisang:]W e're getting liquor, aren't we? Do you drink, Lan Sizhui?

You can tell me, it'll be our secret!

Expensive and less so are a little different, here, I think it has something to do with what resources are easily available and what aren't.

[ There is a pang in his chest, with Young Master Wei placing him further and Sect Leader Nie close, but he understands - the person who saved him first did not know him, not know of him, either, while the other man was a friend, a schoolmate. But the imprint of his hand is still so warm on Sizhui's...

He gives a small head-shake while still settling as close as the arrangement allowed. ]

There was one time when the group of us ... Well, we thought that Hanguang-jun was up in his inn room, so some ordered wine, but - I'm one of the eldest, I thought someone should make sure everyone was all right, so I didn't try it.

[ And then Hanguang-jun, inebriated, had come in from the inside with his forehead ribbon tied around Senior Wei's wrists, and Sizhui's cheeks darken just a bit for thinking about it. ]

We, ah, we were wrong in thinking Hanguang-jun was upstairs, anyway.

[ nie huaisang looks over with interest at the story lan sizhui has told; he has a magpie's instinct when it comes to tidbits of stories and gossip, always something useful to read between the lines presented.

and while there is a lot of the future he does not know (and the parts he does know make him wary) he smiles. ]

Where was Hanguang-jun then? [ huaisang lifts one hand and flags down a waiter, makes sure to order plenty of wine. best way to get people to loosen up and let their words flow with ease. ]

But before you answer, has Wei-xiong been introduced to everyone else yet or?

I've only met the both of you, and Wen Ning. You remember him, right? The quiet younger Wen who attended with us at Gusu? He looked very different from what I remember. Aaah, I feel like my memory's being worse than it usually is!

[he keeps one particular meeting close to heart: xue yang. the man had kissed him - kissed him! - and left wei wuxian at conflict with himself. there's truth to be ferreted out, xue yang having painted a terrible picture for wei wuxian in their scant time spent in each other's presence.

wei wuxian has no qualms in admitting to himself: he ran away. he wasn't ready for it.

but this, the company of nie huaisang and lan sizhui, within the comfort of well-decorated walls and the bitter-sweet fragrance of served liquor - this, wei wuxian can handle.]

Lan Sizhui - may I call you Si Zi? I feel like I'm your mother, calling you by your full name every time. Did Lan Zhan scold you for drinking? Was he mean about it? The first time we truly spoke to each other, he recited the rules of the Gusu Lan to me, counting off every one that I've broken. What did I know? I hadn't even seen the wall of rules then!

You didn't get lashed, did you?

Edited 2019-11-24 14:22 (UTC)

Young Master Wei wanted to Sect Leader Jiang first, but I could not reach him, and going there directly did not... seem a good idea, what with the latest birthday gift. But if you think better, of course you can take them.

[ He turns to Wei Wuxian, his smile a little sad but very fond. ]

Wen Ning lives with us, and yes, he has changed from how he looked before - he was here from before, when we first arrived, but then he disappeared and showed up on the Iris moon from later than I am, if not by too much.

[ Sizhui doesn't choke about I feel like I'm your bother, but only because he's neither eating nor drinking yet. Only his fingers clench a little around the robes over his thighs. ]

Hanguang-Jun...

Most people call me Sizhui. But of course you may call me what you wish, it might take a little time before I remember you mean me. [ He cups his hands in front of him and bows slightly. ] Please forgive me if that happens, I mean no disrespect.

Hanguang-Jun turned out to have been outside, along with Senior Wei, and they came in partway through our dinner. Some tried to hide the alcohol, but he Hanguang-Jun did not pay attention to it, not at that time. I suppose because we weren't at the Cloud Recesses...

... there may be more rules there now than what you knew.

[ nie huaisang tilts his head in thought, listening carefully. he's not inclined to interrupt other than to discretely pull out his commlink and send a message to jiang cheng. he does not disclose that wei wuxian is here, but rather that they should speak when they're both home later.

a few moments later a waiter appears with the ordered wine and some small salty snacks. huaisang takes the initiative and pours out the drinks. starting with wei wuxian, followed by lan sizhui and then himself. ]

I hope the wine will be to your liking Wei-xiong, but ah don't let me interrupt your story, Lan Sizhui. I did hear rumours about the new set of rules but ... [ he shrugs, feigning ignorance. ]

[ more rules. wei wuxian makes a face at the news, shaking his head as he graciously accepts the poured drink and downs it in one gulp. it's a different flavor from what he's used to, but it goes down smoothly, leaving behind a pleasant warmth. ]

It's as if three thousand isn't enough... is there anything left that doesn't have a rule against it?

I'm glad you didn't get punished, though, Si Zi. The lashings are terrible! [ don't mind wei wuxian, he's gonna pick through the snacks. some look familiar, while others are completely foreign. wei wuxian picks a nacho chip and bites into it, a look of momentary panic flourishing on his face as the chip crumbles. ] Ah!

What is this?!

... four thousand and nineteen now, but, really, they don't all forbid things. Some are more like instructions.

And this... [ He points to a reasonably red cold dish, after a moment of discretely observing other customers, ] I think you are supposed to dip what you are holding into that and eat them together. I don't know what the difference is.

Also, I think the ones with this symbol, or this, might be to your liking.

[ The symbol is three hot peppers.

Or four. ]

[ nie huaisang continues observing over the rim of his wine, the glass distorting his smile and half hiding his expression. not as effective as his fan, however there should be no need to hide here, not when wei wuxian is so young, excitable and himself. it is enough to make huaisang smile with more honesty than he has in a while.

at least with people who are not jiang cheng. but jiang cheng had managed through happenstance to find huaisang's weaknesses and shield him. ]

Everything here should be fairly spicy, Wei-xiong, but if find it lacking you ask for them to make it more spicy.

We should toast... I don't know to what. But we should, like we did back at Gusu.

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