[♪♫♬]

[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]

[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]

[one_note]

[oh.

THERE'S the trapdoor.]

[weiyingdown]

[he IS going to crawl under the bed to open the trap door, but he's going to make faces about it. does anything immediately jump out at him or is he allowed to safely peer inside before jumping in?]

[one_note]

[he can peer in.

it's dark.]

[weiyingdown]

[i have a convenient sword that kinda glows in the dark sometimes!

he inches himself into the dark legs-first, trying to see if he can touch the bottom or if it's much further down than that. he'll keep inching until he's hanging by his fingers, if needed]

[one_note]

[it's deeper than he's tall, but Bichen faintly illuminates that the floor's not far below.

he can hear that angry thumping not too far off.]

[weiyingdown]

[lets himself drop to the floor. WHICH WAY TO THE ANGRY THUMPING? does it look like a tunnel or a big cave from down here, or something else?]

[one_note]

[from what he can make out in his poor light, it's some kind of squared-off dirt tunnel, like a much larger and more extensive version of the compartment under the floorboards. if he advances far enough he'll realize that the tunnel soon splits. it's hard to tell which direction the thumping is coming from exactly.]

[weiyingdown]

[goes with a guess, then, and picks the right side to go down]

[one_note]

[the thumping gets a little fainter, but he hears a faint, effortful coughing ahead instead]

[weiyingdown]

[continues forward, picking up the pace as much as he can while still being wrapped in way too many ribbons]

[one_note]

[he hits a small side chamber. Lan Wangji is here, sans weapon and ribbon and outer robe, leaned against the wall like he's been injured. he straightens noticeably when a beribboned Wei Wuxian walks in on him, though, his eyes widening]

[weiyingdown]

[most of those ribbons are hidden under a Lan sect robe. which probably doesn't make this situation less weird to see, visually, with two whole eyes.]

Lan Zhan? What are you doing all the way down here?

[one_note]

Wei Ying...?

[there's a trace of uncertainty for, obvious reasons,]

[weiyingdown]

It's me! I promise I'm not an illusion or a hallucination or anything like that.

[he makes his way over to Lan Wangji with the intent of checking him for injuries. is there bleeding anywhere??]

[one_note]

[there are dark bruises on his throat and showing on what little Wei Wuxian can see of his arms; no blood that he can see. Lan Wangji holds very still for the inspection]

...how...?

[weiyingdown]

I'm not really sure either. But I just crawled through the trapdoor in your bedroom.

[the smile leaves his face as he inspects those bruises]

What happened to you?

[one_note]

[his eyes track away from Wei Wuxian's face for the first time, toward the tunnel mouth and the dark there, the noises]

...qi deviation.

[weiyingdown]

I didn't expect it to be so violent.

[he takes one of Lan Wangji's hands without really thinking about it, holding it like he intends to transfer spiritual energy to him to help him heal...and then he remembers that's not a thing that he can do. after a heartbeat he starts to dig around in his own sleeves for a healing salve instead]

That's what all the noise is, then?

[one_note]

Mm.

[...shakes his head, putting an arresting hand on Wei Wuxian's wrist]

...you should return upstairs.