bang! crash! the lightning flashed!! -- that's another story, nevermind, anyway!

[qingxinling]

Jiang Wanyin sweeps along the shores of the lake, glowering. This is not his beloved Lotus Pier. These waters are cold, foreign, uninviting. Clearly there's been some trap: he's been distracted by duty in this hunt, and when he followed the slight tug in his chest, he ended up getting pulled into unfamiliar territory.

No matter. He draws himself to full height, letting cool arrogance slip down his shoulders and suffuse him. Sandu is naked in one hand; Zidian crackles in the other. He can handle whatever monsters may arrive.

Comments

[lightbearinglord]

Ah. It is not only one of those days. It is a day designed to force Lan Wangji to run the entire gamut of every emotion he can possibly feel. He could almost be resigned, but ice-cold disdain has washed away everything else.

He had meant to bring Wei Ying to the lake shore for a meditation under the willow tree, a favored spot of his, and then perhaps to entertain himself by tossing Wei Ying into the lake itself and affecting innocence. He stops dead, though, when he sees Jiang Wanyin, and his arm tightens around Wei Ying's waist, drawing him flush against Lan Wangji's side. He has nothing kind to say, so he says nothing, but his free hand drops to Bichen's hilt.

[wwx_isdead]

Wei Wuxian is halfway through a laugh when Lan Zhan pulls him close--and not in an enjoyable way. He looks up, curious as to what danger Lan Zhan has seen and then he freezes, tight against Lan Zhan's side. Even knowing that this encounter would be easier if he stepped away from Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian cannot bring himself to. He touches Chenqing and then calls out, "Jiang Cheng!"

[qingxinling]

"Wei Wuxian!" Of course he's here. Of course they're both here. Where else would they be? If this is a trap, it's a clever one to keep stupid Wei Wuxian and his awful Hanguang-jun contained for so long.

Jiang Wanyin's fist flexes. He doesn't know what to say, and he hates that. Jin Ling has been palpably worried about where his stupid uncle got to. This is the only thing staying Jiang Wanyin's hand and tongue.

[lightbearinglord]

Immediately, Lan Wangji wants to gather up Wei Ying, step onto Bichen's blade, and whisk him away. Jiang Wanyin does not deserve his shixiong's company. He doesn't even deserve the spiritual power that he has. It belonged to Wei Ying, once.

He knows, however, how much Wei Ying loves this noxious man. He does not interrupt -- yet. He does keep his arm firm around his husband's waist, however, and he does grip Bichen's hilt with intent, gaze locked on Zidian.

[wwx_isdead]

The knowledge that as yet, no one who has come to the mansion has been able to leave again, hits Wei Wuxian suddenly and he squeezes Lan Zhan's forearm tightly. Lan Zhan may have stepped home briefly, but when they had tried that door again, it hadn't brought them home.

Maybe it would be good for Jiang Cheng to be here. Maybe it would be horrible for all of them. The barrier between these worlds may be thin today, but Wei Wuxian knows in his bones that it won't be forever. "Jiang Cheng, turn back! Before you're stuck here!"

[qingxinling]

Jiang Wanyin, however, advances. "Is that your excuse?" he demands. Sandu glints in the light. "You got stuck? What the fuck does that even mean, stuck. Stuck avoiding your responsibilities?"

[lightbearinglord]

"Jiang Wanyin!" Lan Wangji snaps, the frostiest possible warning. He releases his hold on Bichen, but only so that he can summon his qin loose from its place on his back. Wangji leaps into his touch, strings at the ready beneath his fingers.

[wwx_isdead]

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian hisses. Jiang Cheng's words have struck home; Wei Wuxian has been avoiding returning to any sort of responsibility other than his experiments and Lan zhan. And yet, it would hurt him to see these two hurt each other. As calmly as he can, he continues. "No one who has come to this place has been able to leave. We aren't alone here."

[qingxinling]

"A convenient excuse," Jiang Wanyin snaps. "What is this, some array? Some trap? Have you even tried to get out?"

[lightbearinglord]

If such a thing is possible, Lan Wangji's jaw tightens even further. He could be made of pure jade, a pillar of protective anger. Jiang Wanyin spent an entire Lotus Pier childhood observing how clever and hardworking Wei Ying can be, and he thinks they have not even tried to get out?

"Wei Ying," he says, low enough for Wei Ying's hearing only. "Do not take his bait."

[wwx_isdead]

A rather large part of Wei Wuxian wants to keep taking the bait. That part of him is certain that Jiang Cheng is correct; he should be trying even harder than he was before Lan Zhan admitted to being so happy here.

Even so, Lan Zhan's request almost -- almost -- wins out. "I have. You may also, if you care to."

[qingxinling]

Quite frankly, Jiang Wanyin couldn't give two shits about what Lan Wangji thinks. "Fine," he says. Shouts. Whatever. He can leave anytime. He hasn't tried yet, but clearly there's nothing for him here. Plus he has a sect at home. Responsibilities. He doesn't run off and goof around whenever he damn well feels like it, unlike some people he could name. "Whenever you decide to get off your ass and go home, you fucking better stop by Lanling."

[lightbearinglord]

Of course. Wei Ying's nephew. Lan Wangji has mixed feelings about the child¹, but he knows how much Wei Ying cares for Jin Ling.

For this moment, Lan Wangji remains silent, but he continues to seethe, and he does not remove his hand from where it hovers over the strings of his qin. He knows that Wangji can best Zidian, if it becomes necessary. He would be more than willing to prove it.

¹When a child stabs the love of your life, it can be hard to get past that, even if it was a surprisingly understandable stabbing given the circumstances.

[wwx_isdead]

The reminder of his nephew shakes Wei Wuxian's resolve, even as he knows it was meant to do so. "Just go! If I can get to Lanling, you know I will!"

[qingxinling]

"Do I?" Jiang Wanyin demands. If anything, the fact that Wei Wuxian does give at least half a shit about Jin Ling makes him angrier. What right does that guy have, to care about a-jie's son! Wei Wuxian would never go back to Lotus Pier to let anyone know he's okay¹, why bother going to Lanling! Why bother ever leaving Gusu!


¹So he's been banned, so Jiang Wanyin definitely hates him. Like that's ever stopped him BEFORE!

[lightbearinglord]

In all honesty, several things would be easier if Wei Ying did not love Jin Ling so much. Ideally, he would also exile Jiang Wanyin from his heart. Lan Wangji understands, however, the impossibility of that, and that he himself would not love Wei Ying the way he does if Wei Ying were not so given to loving others, even those who barely deserve it.

Love does not compel Lan Wangji to stand here and listen as Jiang Wanyin aims poison darts at Wei Ying's heart. "Jiang Wanyin," he says again, in a voice like crackling ice, "hold your tongue." As a warning, he lets Wangji's strings rumble beneath his fingertips.

[wwx_isdead]

Wei Wuxian does not need to put his hand on Lan Zhan's to tell him to remain peaceful; he knows Lan Zhan both knows and respects his wishes. But he needs Jiang Cheng to see him do it and so he reaches out, holding Lan Zhan's hand still. "It's fine," he says, then turns his attention back to Jiang Cheng. "You know that I care about our family! If I didn't care, I wouldn't be telling you to go home!"

[qingxinling]

Our family??? Our family?????? Our family??????!!!?! "Wei Wuxian--!"

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji truly cannot stand this man. He flips the hand over Wangji to hold onto Wei Ying's hand in turn, then leans down a little to speak into his ear: "Wei Ying." That's a Wei Ying of With your permission, I would like to leave this situation immediately.

[wwx_isdead]

It's never going to change. Wei Wuxian knows that and yet he keeps trying. But it's exhausting and so he nods, short and quick. "Forget it."

[lightbearinglord]

With immense relief, Lan Wangji drops a fortifying kiss to Wei Ying's temple, and then wastes no time. Bichen flies out of its scabbard and Lan Wangji steps onto the blade, pulling Wei Ying with him.

[qingxinling]

Absolutely not. Jiang Wanyin is not done here. Without even really thinking about it, Zidian lashes out and wraps around Bichen's hilt. He yanks.

[lightbearinglord]

Bichen jerks hard under Zidian's pull; at first, Lan Wangji has time only to catch Wei Ying before he stumbles and then to leap back to the ground with his arm back around Wei Ying's waist. He is distantly aware that Wei Ying is saying his name, and Jiang Wanyin's birth name, but more than anything, he is aware that Jiang Wanyin has gone too far.

Lan Wangji puts out a hand for Bichen, which is too heavy for anyone but him to go far under Zidian's pull, and then stalks forward to block Wei Ying from view as he finally unleashes all the qi built up in Wangji's strings in one single low, cutting chord.

[qingxinling]

Finally. Jiang Wanyin yanks Zidian free and then uses it to counter Lan Wangji's stupid chord, qi and lightning shooting out to meet the attack. He's glad that Sandu is naked in his hand; he brings the sword into his favorite of the Jiang forms. Lan Wangji is boring and stuffy and obnoxious and part of the most annoying sect in the world, and Wei Wuxian still chooses to live in his ascetic shithole of a home instead making a nuisance of himself at Lotus Pier despite Jiang Wanyin's strict orders to the contrary????? If this truly is an unescapable hellhole like others have been saying, at least Jiang Wanyin can unleash on this fucker the way that he's wanted to for years.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji wishes dearly that Crowley's absurd so-called folk tale had been real and that Jiang Wanyin had truly encountered a thousand years of bad luck the moment the demon set those books alight. He would have enjoyed seeing Jiang Wanyin tripping over his own garish whip at a moment such as this, for instance.

At least he doesn't need the workings of luck to best Jiang Wanyin in a fight. Bichen gleams blue in his hand. Lan Wangji stays where he is, determined to keep Wei Ying safe and entirely out of reach, but he is otherwise focused solely on releasing sword qi and yet another slicing chord at the same time.