[ The message he plays on Wangji, devoid of cultivation power so only another Lan trained in the language of Inquiry can understand it, is:
"The Queen distilled a tea that granted Wei Ying the ability to use and understand Inquiry with Chenqing. She may be able to do this with everyone's abilities, and may be using the spirits to spy on us.
"The spirits mentioned beheading, and a previous Queen of whom they are also afraid. They said nothing else." ]
[ And every day Wangji provides another reason for Lan Xichen to be proud of him. He plays in return:
"There is a staff who heard stories about group of people who oppose the Queen. She doesn't understand why they would oppose her, and states that the Queen is not her grandmother. She would not say anything else." ]
[ He wants to argue that he would be happy to take the blame, whether Wangji will put it on him or not - but he doesn't, because he can't argue against Wangji standing up for his own choices. He can only try to stand with him. ]
Then I will support you in however you wish to approach this with him, and whatever you choose to tell him.
[Sometime in the late evening, there's a knock on the door. It was a neatly folded note slipped under the door, sealed with a drop of red wax, and written in elegant calligraphy addressed to him. When he opens it, it reads]
Xiongzhang, thank you for the help searching for Wei Ying the other day. Wei Ying has returned back in his room. When he returned, he's covered in gold and that's what happened
[He leaves it at that. Short, but said much. He left to attend to other matters.]
❰ there is much that xichen can do for himself, even with only one arm. he can eat, he can write, he can dress himself — that last might not be as simple were they home, with their many-layered robes, but here in the hotel it is as simple as xichen wishes it to be. while he would never be rude about it, meng yao knows that xichen would also not accept help for any of these things, and so has never offered.
there is one thing, however, that he cannot do by himself. xichen's hair has become — plain, is perhaps the kindest way to put it. he hasn't had the chance to take care of it properly with only the one hand, and so he has taken to not wearing it in any particular fashion. meng yao has noticed, and waited for hanguang-jun to take the responsibility of aiding his brother, and when it's become apparent that hanguang-jun will not, or xichen will not allow him —
well. xichen is in this situation because of him. perhaps hanguang-jun was waiting for meng yao to take responsibility.
he arrives at xichen's door with a comb folded away in his sleeves, and knocks softly, in the familiar pattern they used to announce themselves to each other when they were on the run. ❱
he is not ready at all but he's gonna do it anyway
[ It's only temporary, he tells himself. If it was permanent - or should it prove to be permanent, if they do not end up returning to replace the ceramic arm with a flesh one - he would accept more help than he has. He would make allowances, he would establish a new routine and develop a system to not just make do.
But he is operating under the conclusion that it is temporary, for now, and so all he needs is to make do. He has done it before, of course. He can dress himself simply, and wear his hair plainly. He is not so proud that he feels any shame in doing so.
If he misses the ritual of doing up his hair, of making sure his forehead ribbon is perfectly tied on, well. It is only temporary.
Hearing the familiar knock makes him smile, even in the middle of his meditation, and he stands to open the door. ]
❰ meng yao smiles when xichen opens the door, though it wobbles, a little, when he hears gongzi — xichen is the only person who's ever called him that, ever afforded him even that shred of respect. xichen is the only person who would ever put himself in danger for meng yao's sake, who would lose a limb for him. it's — well. whatever it is, it's not for right now.
meng yao bows in greeting and steps gracefully into xichen's room. ❱
I hope I am not disturbing you. I wished to ask for a few minutes of your time, but I can return later, if now is inconvenient.
[ If he is honest, he will admit that the act of first coming up to Meng Yao to personally accept his gift was purposeful, intended both to reassure him and to silence the whispers of others without directly acknowledging them in the first place.
But calling him gongzi had never been. It just was, and it's easy to fall back to it even after so many years of A-Yao. It is not a loss of familiarity, only a sign of continued respect.
He would bow in return, but with one hand holding open the door and the other nonresponsive at his side, he has to settle for bowing his head, and closing the door behind them. ]
I was only meditating, and not very successfully. The interruption is welcome. Is there something you wished to discuss?
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in person/handwaved/for your records
"The Queen distilled a tea that granted Wei Ying the ability to use and understand Inquiry with Chenqing. She may be able to do this with everyone's abilities, and may be using the spirits to spy on us.
"The spirits mentioned beheading, and a previous Queen of whom they are also afraid. They said nothing else." ]
ditto!
"There is a staff who heard stories about group of people who oppose the Queen. She doesn't understand why they would oppose her, and states that the Queen is not her grandmother. She would not say anything else." ]
text
He is not responding.
no subject
Would you like me to help you look for him?
no subject
no subject
Please tell Wei Wuxian it is my fault. Or - I can tell him myself, if he continues to not respond.
no subject
no subject
I encouraged you to keep it from him, for my own sake.
no subject
It was a choice I made.
no subject
Then I will support you in however you wish to approach this with him, and whatever you choose to tell him.
Note slipped under the door
Xiongzhang, thank you for the help searching for Wei Ying the other day.
Wei Ying has returned back in his room.
When he returned, he's covered in gold
and that's what happened
[He leaves it at that. Short, but said much. He left to attend to other matters.]
hey you ready to get fucking married
there is one thing, however, that he cannot do by himself. xichen's hair has become — plain, is perhaps the kindest way to put it. he hasn't had the chance to take care of it properly with only the one hand, and so he has taken to not wearing it in any particular fashion. meng yao has noticed, and waited for hanguang-jun to take the responsibility of aiding his brother, and when it's become apparent that hanguang-jun will not, or xichen will not allow him —
well. xichen is in this situation because of him. perhaps hanguang-jun was waiting for meng yao to take responsibility.
he arrives at xichen's door with a comb folded away in his sleeves, and knocks softly, in the familiar pattern they used to announce themselves to each other when they were on the run. ❱
he is not ready at all but he's gonna do it anyway
But he is operating under the conclusion that it is temporary, for now, and so all he needs is to make do. He has done it before, of course. He can dress himself simply, and wear his hair plainly. He is not so proud that he feels any shame in doing so.
If he misses the ritual of doing up his hair, of making sure his forehead ribbon is perfectly tied on, well. It is only temporary.
Hearing the familiar knock makes him smile, even in the middle of his meditation, and he stands to open the door. ]
Meng-gongzi. Please, come in.
no subject
meng yao bows in greeting and steps gracefully into xichen's room. ❱
I hope I am not disturbing you. I wished to ask for a few minutes of your time, but I can return later, if now is inconvenient.
no subject
But calling him gongzi had never been. It just was, and it's easy to fall back to it even after so many years of A-Yao. It is not a loss of familiarity, only a sign of continued respect.
He would bow in return, but with one hand holding open the door and the other nonresponsive at his side, he has to settle for bowing his head, and closing the door behind them. ]
I was only meditating, and not very successfully. The interruption is welcome. Is there something you wished to discuss?
no subject
Your headdress should reflect your status, Zewu-jun. Please allow me to assist you.