sizhui | Inbox for prismatica

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.

I'll toast for us, if you'll allow, Nie Huaisang.

[ with their host's permission, wei wuxian pours for all of them, though he makes a point to pour water for lan sizhui as well, mindful of the gusu lan rules that the younger man may feel compelled to adhere to despite their location. he raises a full cup to the men arranged around the table and makes a toast. ]

To friends, old and new!

[ and with that, wei wuxian downs his drink in one go, setting the cup down with a flourish before picking at one of the snacks lan sizhui had indicated. he pops one of the chicken skin pieces into his mouth... and frowns. ]

Hmm, I can barely taste any heat to this.

To friends. That is always a good one.

[ He is pretty sure he shouldn't take much initiative when his cup has water, but this is a good toast.

Then he laughs lightly. ]

No, not this one. I think the red comes from something called 'tomato' rather than from peppers. But when the main meal comes, it should be more satisfactory.

[ nie huaisang lowers his head, a smile playing on his features at the choice in toast. how very wei wuxian - he finds nostalgia for the times that were before — careless laughter in gusu late at night, drunken shenanigans, days spent in idleness after long lectures. ]

Ach, Lan Sizhui, you've become very adept at adjusting to this new world. [ he takes a sip of his wine. not as good as emperor's smile, but decent all he same. ]

You mentioned some questions before, Wei-xiong, what is on your mind?

[he savors the flavor of the liquor, quiet for the handful of seconds it takes for the aftertaste to fully settle on his tongue. it's only then that he addresses his companions at the table, resting his chin on a loose fist as he looks between the two.]

I arrived to what seems like a story already halfway in progress. Tell me, is there anyone I should be minding while we're here? Is there anyone I should know and meet?

[wei wuxian pours himself another cup, and takes slow sips of it as he mulls over his words.]

Si Zi tells me there's another version of me, here. What is he like?

[ Sizhui knows when to be silent when his seniors are speaking.

Even if his seniors are nowhere near as more senior than him as they're supposed to. And even if he's not sure if Sect Leader Nie knows all the people that might need warning about, considering that he is probably from an earlier time than the rest of them.

There are really times to listen. ]

There are far too many moonblessed from other worlds but of the people I have met — most have been perfectly pleasant. [ huaisang sets down his glass and instead fiddles with his fan, fingers pressed along the edges as he considers his words.

but then, if he were in wei wuxian's position he would probably want to know enough information to be safe. to make judgement calls. in truth, wei wuxian's current state is a disadvantage to him, no matter his quick wits and remarkable intelligence. ]

If we are speaking strictly of people from our world then, according to Zewu-jun, you should be careful of Jin Guangyao. Though... [ he flicks his fan open to shield his face ] You probably know him still as Meng Yao.

Wei-xiong is Wei-xiong no matter what but the future held many hardships for you. Your older self is... powerful, smart and still much like his younger self. Quick and eager to help others, and a strong sense of justice.

[ nailed it. hopefully. ]

Meng Yao? Didn't your brother send him away?

[wei wuxian speaks thoughtlessly, his words rushing out of his mouth before he has a chance to reel them back and judge their value. he remembers meng yao as the man who had stood between nie mingjue and a blade aimed for the sect leader's heart. he had bled on the stone ground, nie mingjue's roar echoing through the grounds.

he remembers the confusion, the dawning horror of realizing xue yang had escaped in the chaos, the uncomfortable confrontation after meng yao was dismissed, nie huaisang's dismayed exclamations loud in the stunned silence.

meng yao was favored, in ways that most people of his standing were uncommonly favored. wei wuxian had chosen not to listen in on the matter, for once, it being an internal matter that he understood had no place for outsiders like him.]

Ah, and Zewu-Jun is here too? Who else from the Lan Sect are here? From the Jiang?

[ Sizhui nods immediately. Liangfang-zun is definitely someone to be very, very cautious about. ]

Zewu-Jun and Hanguang-Jun, and Lan Jingyi and myself, from the GusuLan sect, as far as I know. From the YunmengJiang, Sect Leader Jiang.

[ And Sizhui knows that there is someone new here who calls him her Sect Leader here, but that might actually be considered gossip. But on the subject of warning... ]

Young Master Wei, there is someone here also who ... has worked with Lianfang-zun... with Meng Yao before. His name is Xue Yang, though he sometimes pretends to be somebody else, and... you should be careful with him, too.

[ nie huaisang is an individual of theatricality; he obfuscades the truth with a flick of his fan and a well timed complaint about nothing. but even as he holds his fan closely, just enough that the line of his mouth is visible over the edge, there is none of that childish boy wei wuxian met at cloud recesses.

there is someone much older sat across the table, because huaisang - for all his playfulness - had to grow up. but then that is gone as well, leaving the headshaker sitting once again. he knows of xue yang, of course, but that he worked with jin guangyao? that is new to him.

he should ask lan sizhui for details but — ]

Meng Yao or rather, Jin Guangyao ... murdered my brother, Wei Wuxian. Why else would someone with such a weak core as myself be sect leader otherwise?

[wei wuxian's mind is spinning. meng yao? the mild-mannered young man that nie huaisang showed up with at the gusu lan lectures, the well-mannered young man that helped welcome them at the unclean realm? wei wuxian's confusion and surprise must be clear on his face - he can't imagine it.

and yet neither of his current company seem to be lying. he doesn't know lan sizhui very well, but he's sure of nie huaisang's sincerity - his friend wouldn't lie, especially not about family.

he pours yet another cup of liquor and downs it quickly, letting the alcohol burn on its way down.]

What a bleak future we have ahead of us... [he says, eyes going distant for a moment as he peers into his cup.]

Is there any good news?

Well...

If I am not wrong about how things wore when you are from, then a big threat that was over the Cultivation world at your time was removed, so people are safe from the QishanWen Sect.

[ He may have complicated feelings about some of that, but he is also fully aware that the clan of his origin was a danger, beyond anything that he has known in the lifetime he remembers. ]

And, as far as I know, those who did major crimes, [ he nods at Sect Leader Nie, because the one he mentioned includes that, ] have met their punishment.

Those are... good news, are they not?

[ Perhaps he should have deferred again to Sect Leader Nie to answer, but for the first thing... he thought that he had some right to tell about that, too. ]

I guess the fact the sunshot campaign was won by our sects is good news. [ he looks at lan sizhui, a small smile crossing his features. ] But you know how the politics are between the big sects, Wei-xiong. There is always some disagreement somewhere and I truly don't know.

But I am not from as far in the future as young master Lan here, so there are many things I don't know. Still, it seems like everything worked out if Jin Guangyao's crimes came to light and such.

[ he turns to his drink then, uncertain of what more to say. he's never asked the current wei wuxian from here for details of his return but it feels cruel to tell this particularly young wei wuxian the cruel death that awaits him. ]

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