[pfsb]

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian's notes have long been a haphazard disaster, and it has reached a point where he knows he's circling a revelation, missing only one or two key parts, and said parts are probably lying half-forgotten in a notebook he thought he'd reserved for another project entirely. In theory, he is trying to dig through everything to organize it a little better.

In theory.

In practice, however, Wei Wuxian is staring out the window with his chin in his hand, and he hasn't touched the papers scattered across his table for about two hours. He's too busy smiling an absolutely foolish smile at nothing in particular.

It has been a very good couple of days.

Comments

[herald_ingress]

She nods, taking everything he says to heart.

“Now that I know the basic story, I’ll never ask about it again. But I’ll also know what to take seriously when we talk, so that I don’t make light of something or ask questions that hurt you by mistake.”

[acrookedpath]

"No, no no -- " He waves a hand about as if shooing away the very idea. "You have nothing to worry about, Ingress. You have not hurt me, and I do not want you to tread around our conversations like you would on broken glass."

A crooked smile.

"I may explain more later, if it is appropriate. But please do not worry about me."

[herald_ingress]

“I promise that I will try very hard not to worry.”

Even though it’s easy to do, since wants the people she cares about to be happy. But she’ll try!

“And actually I wanted to tell you more about my brothers. My elder brother, Arch, was murdered along with my parents when I was very small. But my brother, Gavroche, I sort of adopted him without asking when I brought him home from Milliways when I was five. He was about nine, he thought, and had lived on the streets all of his life. And that’s where he died. I didn’t really understand what that meant then, but I do now.”

[acrookedpath]

"Oh," he sighs, as if she has struck a tender place in his heart. "I am sorry. I knew there were painful memories tied to the House of Arch; that is a terrible loss. Does Gavroche still live in the House?"

He does not fully understand the rules governing the spirits of the inn; he was able to leave for a night, but has come to understand he cannot leave permanently unless it is to -- whatever comes next, as some have put it. But perhaps there is a world Gavroche could inhabit freely, somewhere. It would not surprise him.

[herald_ingress]

"He does. Wei Wuxian, I want you to know that none of the strangeness, none of the sorrow, nothing is new to me, or shocking, or upsetting. It simply is. And it doesn't matter."

[acrookedpath]

Another smile touches his lips, reflexively, as he looks back down at the papers.

"It is not that I believe you couldn't handle it, or you would think less of me for what happened." Quiet. "It is that I would rather focus on what I have, not what I have lost."

[herald_ingress]

"Then that's what we'll do," she promises.

"Listen, Lan Wangji is going to ask you to come with us on a trip. I'd invited him to consult with a Herald Mage in Haven about his magical cultivation. And now, you simply have to come with us."

[acrookedpath]

He relaxes at last, back on sure footing, and glances up at Ingress --only to let out a startled laugh as she goes on.

"Wait," he says. "Is this Vanyel?"

[herald_ingress]

"Yes, has he already mentioned?"

[acrookedpath]

"Yes," he says, and covers his face with his hands as he descends into even more laughter. "Aiya, Ingress, I was so jealous when he mentioned him -- he did not say much of course but he looked so excited to meet him!"

For a Lan Zhan value of excited, of course.

"And I assumed he would visit alone, because this was before I had confessed my affections -- "

[herald_ingress]

Ahahaha, yeah, about that...

Ingress grimaces. “When I invited Lan Wangji, I didn’t know that you had feelings for each other. Vanyel is the most gifted Herald Mage in Valdemar, beautiful as he is gifted, and he’s Shaych, he only likes men. I swear to you on my Companion that I was not intentionally matchmaking, but if anything happened like a spark, well, how nice for two lovely people. But as soon as I knew, I told Lan Wangji to bring you, and he, of course, agreed to that right away, no hesitation.”

Honestly now that she thinks about it, it’s actually Wei Wuxian who is more Vanyel’s type than Lan Wangji...

“Mostly, though, I just wanted Lan Wangji to share his bardic gift with someone on my world who could possibly replicate it because I’m a terribly selfish and awful person.”

[acrookedpath]

"Oh, no," is all Wei Wuxian gets out amid his redoubled laughter. "Ingress! Now I wish even more I had figured out my affections sooner!"

He wipes tears of mirth from his eyes.

"No, no, it is fine, all is well -- and you are not selfish or awful for wishing others could learn what Lan Zhan knows. He has always been happy to share his gifts when they can help others."

[herald_ingress]

"And Vanyel is the same way. It'll be a good informational exchange. I'm afraid Haven isn't anything like London Above - no electricity, no loud music, no dance clubs. We do have a couple of nice taverns, though."

[acrookedpath]

"That will be much more to Lan Zhan's taste. Well -- not the taverns," he allows with a grin. "But everything else. And it may be nice to visit a place that is so much like how I spent my life, even if there are no dance clubs."

His (and now Lan Zhan's!) room is situated much like home, with lanterns and candles to provide light in the evening, but the intricate plumbing of the washroom remains a novelty. And even if they go unused, he has noticed several discreet electrical outlets here and there.

[herald_ingress]

“It will be pleasant for you, then. Only Tom and Door have ever visited with me, and they aren’t too keen. They’ll never say it out loud, but I can tell.”

[acrookedpath]

"Ah, yes," says Wei Wuxian with a perfectly straight face. "Tom-gongzi does seem like the type to enjoy a very loud dance club with hundreds of people in a very small space."

[herald_ingress]

"Don't let him fool you," she says, crossing her arms. "I've heard stories. I know for a fact that he and Door have gone out dancing. Maybe not to that club, exactly, but they, um, what is it called? Swing dance! That's it."

[acrookedpath]

"Is that more formal than the -- " He waves a hand as if to indicate some enormous, imaginary club just beyond the borders of the inn. "Dancing we saw?"

[herald_ingress]

"Yes, but it's just as fast. There are steps, and there's swirling and lifting and spinning. I've never gone with them, but I've seen them dance at weddings."

[acrookedpath]

Swirling, spinning, and weddings combine to give Wei Wuxian the (inaccurate) assumption that swing dancing must be closer to the traditional dances from home he has seen. He makes a small, intrigued noise, trying to picture Tom-gongzi performing anything of that nature. It's... still a stretch.

"Well, so long as I am not expected to dance anywhere, I will let those who wish to have their fun," he says graciously.

[herald_ingress]

"I'm not much of a dancer, either, unless I have a sword in my hand. Courtly dances are slow and precise, and I always feel silly trying them. But I think I could do the London Above dancing," she snickers. "since you basically just writhe about to the beat of the extremely loud music."

[acrookedpath]

"Ah, yes, that dancing is easy, but it is not -- "

Every so often, for all his easy openness and acceptance, it becomes apparent that Wei Wuxian is from a very particular society in the very distant past. This is one of those times, as he waves his hands around again trying to catch the right words.

"It is not something I would want to do with a stranger," he settles on.

[herald_ingress]

Cue devilish smile.

"What about with Lan Wangji?"

[acrookedpath]

"You -- !"

He smacks Ingress on the arm, cheeks flaming, and (very tellingly) does not deny it.

[herald_ingress]

She throws back her head and laughs.

"Please, I have to live vicariously these days. Especially after-"

Now it's time for her cheeks to turn red, as she remembers her ridiculously awkward conversation with Harrow and her laughter fades into an embarrassed groan.