[♪♫♬]

[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

[one_note]

[they won't come off]

[weiyingdown]

[whines]

Lan Zhaaaaan.

[adjusting them so that they're not covering his eyes or impeding his mobility, at least; they can stay as long as they don't get in the way]

[one_note]

[he can shift them that much, as long as he doesn't try to pull them off outright.]

[weiyingdown]

[they can stay. for now.

fully mummified, he makes his way over to the incense burner and does set it upright; he also looks for some incense to put into it since he's there]

[one_note]

[there's a box of incense sticks next to the burner. he can light one. the slow, cold scent of sandalwood curls through the room.]

[weiyingdown]

That's more like it.

[while he, personally, does not see an issue with a room being a little messy, it's Lan Wangji's room. so he sets about cleaning it up where he can. having all of the ribbons on him has, technically, fixed most of the mess, but he goes over to make the bed properly.]

[one_note]

[tidying the room lifts the heavy aura in it slightly, but most of it's still there]

[weiyingdown]

[that's within the realm of expectation at this point.

he kicks off his shoes and sits down on the bed, and tries to unwind one ribbon from around his wrist and tie it into a knot with one still wrapped around him]

[one_note]

[he can tie it however he wants as long as he doesn't remove it entirely!]

[weiyingdown]

Lan Wangji, are you trying to turn me into part of the Lan clan like this?

[weiyingdown]

[stops fiddling with that ribbon and goes to rummage around in Lan Wangji's drawers for some white robes]

[one_note]

[the rabbit, sitting next to the bed, suddenly turns away to scratch its ear vigorously with a hind leg at the comment.

he. he can find Lan Wangji's clothes sure. they're a little too big for him.]

[weiyingdown]

[no one is here to stop him, he is putting on the too-big Lan robes over the ribbons that are all wrapped around him. he tugs the ones on his head up a little, so they're resting over his forehead like a very messy, very bad version of the Lan's single forehead ribbon. he spins around to show off for...the rabbit, since the rabbit is the only one there.]

Well? Do I look prim and proper? Serious and upright?

[one_note]

[SOMETHING SLAMS INTO THE FLOOR OF THE JINGSHI FROM UNDERNEATH]

[weiyingdown]

[u-under

neath...

he tries to leave the bedroom to go back out to the main area again]

[one_note]

[it's rocking the whole building.

WHAM

WHAM

WHAM]

[weiyingdown]

CALM DOWN!

[goes back to the secret compartments, opens up the first, and the second, and digs a little ways in the second compartment to make sure there isn't a third secret compartment

WE ARE JUST BEING THOROUGH HERE]

[one_note]

[THERE IS NO THIRD COMPARTMENT OVER THERE, WEI WUXIAN!]

[weiyingdown]

[WELL THERE WAS A SECOND ONE SO IT WAS A REASONABLE DOUBLE-CHECK!!!

he's running back to the bedroom to look for secret compartments and doors in there, which mostly means he's making a mess of everything again by pulling it all out in his search.]

[one_note]

[there's some kind of wardrobe and drawers with the clothes, the bed, and the table with the incense burner and incense box; what is he messing with exactly?]

[weiyingdown]

[he is starting with the wardrobe because it looks most likely to have a secret trap door]

[one_note]

[no, but Bichen has been thrown in there and is lying at the bottom, unsheathed. that's weird.]

[weiyingdown]

[that IS weird. he takes Bichen out of the wardrobe and loops it into his belt, careful not to stab himself. checking the drawers for the sheath next...? and also trap doors.

is something still slamming into the floor or did it stop when he yelled at it]

[one_note]

[something is still slamming the floor, but it's pretty irregular now. the drawers don't yield anything except yet another Lan sect ribbon, only notable because it doesn't try to tie him up instantly]

[weiyingdown]

[that ribbon can stay where it is.

closes the drawers and checks under the bed to see if there's anything under there]