[♪♫♬]

[one_note]

[after Yi City and the second time Wei Wuxian gets Lan Wangji drunk, it takes about a day for them to reach the Garden of Annual blossoms. this curious incident takes place in the space of that day.

outside of appeasing the corpse pieces they've been collecting each night, it's not uncommon for Lan Wangji to take the time to practice on the guqin. he doesn't play entire songs, since he's not trying to interact with any spirits at the moment, but safely broken-up sections of Inquiry and Empathy (was Empathy always a musical technique? it is in this timeline, shut up) and the other songs he uses for battle hum through the walls of the rest stop they've paused at on the road.

it's partway through a passage of Empathy that there's a notable shriek of strings, and then silence; when Wei Wuxian goes to check, he'll find Lan Wangji half-collapsed over the instrument, his breathing harsh and a strange fluctuation of energy around him.

a qi deviation...? oh no.]

Comments

[weiyingdown]

It's just a nicer place to be than here. And you're all dirty! You could get cleaned up. And--

[he leans back slightly, suddenly aware that this position is not one that he usually finds himself in when Lan Wangji is sober. he's not sure what to make of it, beyond thinking that he might be a little drunk. or maybe this place just makes him more honest?

as he ponders what it might be (because it's clearly an abnormality of some kind, Lan Wangji wouldn't act like this normally) he finally notices the little bundle in his arms]

What's that?

[one_note]

[Lan Wangji lets him up, and then looks down at when he’s holding in his other arm. he...hesitates? and then moves it enough to reveal the small, sleeping familiar form]

...A-Yuan could go to the Jingshi.

[weiyingdown]

[for a moment he bluescreens a little, not comprehending what he's looking at. but it's A-Yuan, he's seen him a million times before]

What's A-Yuan doing here? Isn't this after...

[if this is already after the siege, then no one is left, which means A-Yuan should be as gone as everyone else]

[one_note]

[inclines his head towards the split in the trunk]

He was there.

[weiyingdown]

Huh?

[looks up at the tree trunk]

Huh????

[pokes A-Yuan's tiny sleeping face, to check that he's real and breathing]

Lan Zhan, are you sure that you didn't make this up? You didn't really come here and find him, did you?

[one_note]

[he's real and breathing! or at least as real and breathing as this Lan Wangji is. his face is hot and flushed with fever.]

...I looked for you. I found him.

[weiyingdown]

[he's already found himself at a loss for words too many times today, this! keeps! happening! he pokes A-Yuan's cheeks again and puts a hand on his forehead to check the fever. whether it's real or fake in reality, he doesn't know for sure. maybe this is just Lan Wangji's wishful thinking? but no matter which it is, having this moment is already more than he ever thought he'd have.

suddenly more emotionally exhausted than he was dealing with the grief, he leans his forehead on Lan Wangji's shoulder]

Thank you.

[one_note]

[Lan Wangji says nothing -- goes tense under him at the 'thank you,' in fact -- but there's a very careful hand laid on his back, after a pause]

[weiyingdown]

[the moment doesn't last for long--he sits up pretty quickly when he feels Lan Wangji tense up, mentally chiding himself. this is embarrassing! while he wouldn't mind being shameless normally, this feels too...intimate to be something that he can brush off with a thick face. and he was supposed to be helping Lan Wangji, not the other way around

he clears his throat and

smoothly

changes the topic]

Do you, ah, know if anyone else is here? Is it just you and A-Yuan?

[one_note]

[exhales very slowly before he replies, taking away his hand]

You are here now.

[weiyingdown]

I meant besides me. I wasn't sure if I should go further in or not.

[one_note]

If you go forward, there is only older mourning.

[weiyingdown]

Mourning for...

[his memory isn't the greatest, so it takes a second to dig through his sparsely-populated memories]

For your parents?

[one_note]

Mn.

[weiyingdown]

[he's

so curious

it's mourning so it isn't going to be anything particularly pleasant, but the unpleasant things might be what's causing the qi deviation. so, there is an excuse to go and see it]

...If you don't want me to look, I won't go look. But if you don't tell me not to, I'm going to go and take a peek.

[one_note]

[he's silent.]

[weiyingdown]

[that was a very telling response

he gets to his feet, brushing off some of the dirt on his clothes. looking at the mess that is Lan Wangji's clothes, he makes a mental note to bring some clothes from the Jingshi over here later]

Wait here with A-Yuan. I'll be right back.

[whether that's an accurate assessment of how much time it'll take, he doesn't know, but he doesn't let himself dally around any longer. he looks around for the little rabbit; is it still following him?]

[one_note]

[yeah it bops after him when he steps away from the tree. Lan Wangji watches him go impassively.]

[weiyingdown]

[I'll be back for you, sad Lan Wangji!!!]

[he's more mindful of setting changes now, paying attention to shifts in landscape. an added addition is that he is keenly aware of the grief that runs through the background like an ever-present white noise filled with heartache. every step forward he tries to feel out if there's a change, something to indicate that he's reached a new part where the older mourning is]

[one_note]

[it's actually fairly obvious when he transitions into a different stage of grief: the landscape, which was already sparse and stark, nevertheless begins to lose colour, fading around him to greys and blacks and whites. the grief too becomes softer-edged, still present but not so keen. old mourning, indeed.

it's rockier here, and trees and plants start to appear again, which would be nice if they weren't horribly monochromatic...it's shifting into something that looks like part of the Cloud Recesses again, actually]

[weiyingdown]

[at least it's still familiar landscape, more or least. he roughly knows where things are in the Cloud Recesses--not that he's seen all of it, but he explored plenty when he was younger.

and he doesn't know what he's looking for, so he doesn't know where to go, exactly. so he meanders and keeps his eyes and ears open for anything that might point him the right way]

[one_note]

[the rabbit suddenly veers sideways, moving towards a cluster of rocks]

[weiyingdown]

--Hey! Who said you could wander off?

[chasing after it!!!!]

[one_note]

[there's a narrow cavemouth there, hidden until you get in close...

the rabbit leaps directly inside]

[weiyingdown]

[of course it does

there's nothing for it; he can't let Lan Wangji's rabbit get lost, so of course he follows it into the cave]