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[alongfallfromgrace]

There is a rocky ledge overlooking the river in Cloud Recesses. Wei Ying was last here in a previous lifetime, before war barged into his life. He was last here with his brother and his friend, enjoying the sunshine, enjoying freedom from the library, secure in his victorious teasing of one Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying is there again, in a different body, in a world that is so different from that one of so many years ago. And now he his here alone, with only his mask and a bamboo flute for company. The sun is still shining, but it is cold, the winter lingering here in Cloud Recesses the way it doesn't in Lotus Pier.

When he first came back, he figured he'd have a bit of an adventure figuring out who this kid hated so much to sacrifice his own life over it. Somehow instead he's found a mess involving the evidently not-straight-forward death of Nie Mingue, the unfortunately long life of Xue Yang, and the death of Xiao Xingchen.

Honestly, Wei Ying barely knew Xiao Xingchen. He'd seen the man fight once, with an elegance he could never hope to match. He of course heard the man's reputation - who hadn't? But Xiao Xingchen was also that most elusive thing for him - a link back to his family. He always thought that sometime, somehow, he'd have a chance to meet with his marital uncle again - to talk about where he and Wei Ying's mother had come from and their mysterious leader, to see if Xiao Xingchen had any memories of Wei Ying's mother, to flesh out the very few he had left. He had thought, after meeting Jiang Cheng again, and the disaster that was, that at least there was that one place to turn for family in this world.

He doesn't regret leaving Xue Yang's death in Song Lan's hands. But he does wish he could have gotten in a little stabbing himself. It would have immensely assuaged his feelings.

Or so he thinks, anyway, as he watches the water tumble by and tries to make sense of his equally tumultuous feelings.

Comments

[thesecondjade]

Wei Ying is here, and for that Lan Zhan is grateful.

Mo Xuanyu is gone, sundering his soul in his grief. For that, Lan Zhan is saddened. Not so saddened, however, that it overshadows his joy in Wei Ying's presence.

Forgive me for loving him more than I can muster sorrow over your pain, Mo Xuanyu.

"Perhaps. But we must see to the things he could not," Lan Zhan says, instead of dwelling. "The conference is still our best bet. For now, resting and planning should be our focus."

[alongfallfromgrace]

"Does anyone have a map of Koi Tower? I doubt Jin Guangyao will be so kind as to leave a copy of his clan's nefarious plans just lying about the common areas of the conference." Wei Ying points out wryly, back to twirling his flute as he thinks. "I'll have to think of some way to explore without catching attention - Mo Xuanyu was a Jin for a while, maybe that can be of help."

[thesecondjade]

"Mn," Lan Zhan says, thinking on the Koi Tower for a moment. There was one that surely knew his way around, especially into places that Jin Guangyao would feel safe with him seeing... and places he probably shouldn't be going at atll. But he'll have to carefully dance around that subject with his brother later.

"I will look for solutions," he finally says.

[alongfallfromgrace]

"Good - I'll see if I can make up some talismans - maybe something for invisibility? It would have to be related to ones for wind control, I think, or... light? Hmm." Absent-mindedly he scratches his nose as he contemplates this new project.

[thesecondjade]

For a moment, there's just stillness and quiet as Lan Zhan admires Wei Ying's clever mind at work. He's so sharp, so quick witted, already chasing a solution. He's been back only for weeks and they already fell back into a good pattern of partnership.

It makes him ache. Even if Wei Ying could not reflect his feelings, could not return them at all, he would have been happy to have moments like this, even if he had to wade through hip-deep with Wei children to get them and bow to some wife or another. The time that was taken from them -- it just isn't fair.

But, he reminds himself: it brought him Lan Sizhui, and he loves his son very much. He is so proud of the man he's grown into.

He just hopes Wei Ying will be, too.

[alongfallfromgrace]

Wei Ying, oblivious to the idea that he has anything to look forward to after all of this except one less wound on his body and an abrupt end to his new-life-task-list, finally realizes that theorizing is well and good but it's testing that'll get him into the secrets of the Lanling Jin.

"Eeeh, no use speculating when I could be trying, right Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying huffs a laugh at himself as he rolls up onto his feet. "I'm going to head back, try out some of these ideas, okay? I promise, nothing that explodes, your house is safe." He swears, with a three-fingered salute. "Maybe I'll be able to figure out something that works."

[thesecondjade]

Watching him rise in silence, Lan Zhan considers asking for more. More time, more regard, more -- just more. But beyond the question sealed up behind his tongue and teeth, beyond the tension of his fingers on the strings of his guqin, it is an invisible desire that hangs over him. He does not give it a voice or a moment on his face.

"Mn," he replies, watching Wei Ying with his usual intensity. "Report back, we can strategize further."