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

[qingxinling]

There's an abrasion on Jiang Wanyin's wrist where Zidian was ripped free. Neither of these things should be possible: Zidian only responds to her masters, and does not harm them.

It's a small matter in the face of the strength of Jiang Wanyin's core¹, but the implications are horrifying. He stares at the child -- no, not a child; he seems to be about Jin Ling's age -- who caused this to happen, without so much as a talisman, shocked into stillness for barely the blink of an eye. It's enough time for him to hear what Wei Wuxian mutters about him, and he twists to stare at the man, aghast. Too much propriety! That's obviously not the only reason --!

...Jin Ling would be upset!!

Sandu leaps back to Jiang Wanyin's hand after an irritated jerk of his qi, but Zidian is harder to locate. Jiang Wanyin glowers at Lan Wangji, at Wei Wuxian, at this intervening adolescent -- and turns to locate his spiritual weapon, instead of pressing forward with Sandu alone. Lan Wangji will probably do something stupid and infuriating, like try to squirrel Wei Wuxian away yet again.

Whatever². All reports from Jiang Wanyin's disciples at lectures in Cloud Recesses this year have been that Hanguang-jun and his cultivation partner are nowhere to be seen for months; that it's unclear if they're in seclusion or traveling or worse. It seems Jiang Wanyin has forgotten, in this brief peace their disappearance has allowed him, that his former shixiong, like a cockroach, is impossible to destroy. He hasn't been looking for him, and now that he knows that he's tucked away in some weird stupid array with his stupid fucking canker sore of a partner, he can make extra sure to keep not looking for him.

¹Ah.
²The least-heartfelt 'whatever' in the world!

[lightbearinglord]

Jiang Wanyin is distracted, very briefly. That is all Lan Wangji needs. He makes quick and purposeful eye contact with Wei Ying and then with Magnus, but doesn't waste time speaking.

Bichen flies back into the air, the flat of the blade hovering parallel to the ground. With one hand in Magnus' and the other in Wei Ying's, Lan Wangji jumps onto it, pulling them with him, einherji tight against one side and husband tight against the other. He thinks for a dizzying and unpleasant moment of the dream that must have come from Luo Binghe, and then banishes the memory in favor of directing Bichen toward the mansion at the height of its speed.

[summerdude]

"Um," says Magnus, who is kind of totally out of it, now, between the panic and the shockwave and the nosebleed and the being yanked through the air by Hanguang-jun. He peeks around Lan Wangji's chest to catch Wei Wuxian's eye. "You knew that guy? Who was that?"

[wwx_isdead]

"We were raised together. For a time, we were inseparable." Even Lan Zhan's love for Magnus cannot get Wei Wuxian to tell the whole of the story, especially not in this moment. "I caused him to be hurt very badly."

It may not have been his fault, it certainly wasn't his intention, but he still bears the wounds of it -- and so does Jiang Cheng. "Thank you for stopping them, Magnus."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji would object to the framing of this story, but he has more important things on his mind. Namely, drawing up to the nearest mansion entrance, leaping back to the ground with both of them in tow, and kicking open the door as a result of his reluctance to let either Magnus or Wei Ying out of his grasp. Bichen slides home again, and Lan Wangji carries them both inside. Only then, ostensibly safe and with the door swung shut behind them, does he release them.

[summerdude]

Ooooh, Magnus was not prepared to go inside today. He's with Hanguang-jun though, so it's okay. "So, like, family stuff?" he guesses, directed mostly at Wei Wuxian. "I get that." He's pretty sure that if Alex ran into Uncle Randolph again anytime soon, there might be a similar outcome.

[wwx_isdead]

Wei Wuxian nods, slumped against Lan Zhan. Family stuff except that calling it that is what had gotten them all into trouble this time. "You don't need to worry about it if you see them like that again. They really won't do anything permanent to each other."

(His faith in them is perhaps a bit more than they deserve, but it's mostly faith in Lan Zhan, who he is certain can survive whatever Jiang Cheng throws at him and who he is equally certain will not hurt Jiang Cheng beyond repair.)

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji curls his arm into its customary position around Wei Ying's waist, awash with pure relief to have taken him away from that. He knows he needs to let Magnus return to the outdoors, but for that moment of flight, he could think of nothing but sheltering the two of them against any possible dangers.

He takes a breath and seizes Magnus' wrist, transferring another measure of qi to him. When he can catch Magnus' gaze, he looks meaningfully toward Wei Ying, not quite able to speak but asking for Magnus' understanding. Wei Ying needs him; Lan Wangji needs to take care of him. He will find Magnus as soon as he can.

[summerdude]

Magnus doesn't really need whatever healing Lan Wangji is trying to push at him -- his own innate healing has already stopped the nosebleed, and he'll have a new tooth by the morning. But he has things of his own to get to, now that the shakiness of the panic and the Peace have faded, so he nods at Hanguang-jun.

"Good to see you again, Wei Wuxian," he says, politely, pulling away from Lan Wangji and stretching. "More cooking lessons soon? When you're feeling better?"

[wwx_isdead]

"Absolutely." Wei Wuxian manages a quick, genuine smile for Magnus. "Don't you worry about me! I just need to speak with Lan Zhan."

[lightbearinglord]

That's all the permission Lan Wangji needs. With one final assessing glance at Magnus, to satisfy himself that he is well, he bundles Wei Ying into his arms and makes for their bedchamber with haste.

[qingxinling]

Meanwhile, still on the banks of the lake, Jiang Wanyin glowers. Stupid fucking Wei Wuxian is always running away. He doesn't know why he expected anything different.

He gathers his consequence tightly around him and, glaring in the direction of the weird fucking building Hanguang-jun flew Wei Wuxian and the strange boy to, stalks off to find his way back to Yunmeng.