[pfsb] happy halloween!

[acrookedpath]

It's that time of year again.

The inn is bustling. All manner of strange outfits have been donned (some more willingly than others). Lanterns flicker ominously in the corners, pumpkins stand sentry at either end of the bar, and every order comes complete with a handful of wrapped candies.

And -- if you're Wei Wuxian -- Madam Bar has also gifted you with an enormous array of tiny cakes, each one with a little candle stuck in its center. His second birthday at the inn has arrived, and he could not be more pleased.

(He's also wearing a red T-shirt that reads, simply, I'M THE CHAOS. Just like last year, he has set his mild confusion aside in favor of delight at the bounty Madam Bar has given him.)

Comments

[acrookedpath]

"Of course!" The grin firms up. "Come here, this way -- "

He takes Jiang Yanli's hand again -- tracking a little more of the glowing powder onto her, unfortunately -- and pulls her along the path. Hanging over its edges are tiny bluebells no bigger than a pinky nail; vines twist above, draping a curtain of long, long leaves just above their heads. There are flowers they can hold in the palms of their hands, and ones so big they cannot even fit their arms around them.

Here and there, insects have snuck inside to escape the oncoming cold, sending up tiny hums in their wake as they pass by.

[lotus_sister]

The more she sees of this place, the more incredible it seems. Jiang Yanli exclaims over each new discovery, utterly enchanted. She trails her fingers over the petals of different flowers, marveling at color and texture, and beams smiles at both A-Xian and Lan Wangji as they walk.

[acrookedpath]

Alas, while it takes them a while to reach the end of the path, they do reach it eventually. Back at the entrance, near the benches and potting soil, Wei Wuxian draws a deep breath of perfumed air and smiles.

"Not as big as the library after all," he says, wry but light. "Shall we go see the inlet? We can walk past the spot where Lan Zhan and I planted lotuses along the way."

[lightamidchaos]

“Mn,” he agrees, willing to walk wherever Wei Ying wishes now that it is safe, and watches as Jiang Yanli beams.

“Yes, let’s. I want to see both.”

[acrookedpath]

Cheerfully: "On to the lake, then!"

The chill air sweeps them away from the greenhouse as they step outside. Wei Wuxian gives an exaggerated shiver, grinning broadly enough to make his teasing plain, as he leads the way toward the little bend in the lake. It is not the easiest thing to spot in the darkness, but he remembers well enough. There, the three rocks dotting the shore. Here, the grove Lan Zhan pulled them into when Wei Wuxian needed shelter from his darker thoughts.

And straight ahead --

There. Just barely peeking above the water: a single lotus stem.

[lotus_sister]

One hand flies to her mouth as she spots it, small and fragile but there and silvery-green under the moonlight.

"A-Xian, look!"

[acrookedpath]

"Oh."

It is more breath than word, so soft that it's nearly lost under the gentle lap of the water. Wei Wuxian has kept an eye on the lotuses, of course; noticed, with delight, the stems beginning to grow. But he did not expect any to break the surface of the water so soon.

Perhaps it's simply more magic of the inn. But it doesn't matter.

"Lan Zhan," he says, voice hoarse with emotion even as he gives him a playful nudge in the side. "Look. You are a fine farmer after all."

[lightamidchaos]

He shakes his head. "Wei Ying's skill and guidance." Very gently, he places his hand against the small of the other man's back.

[acrookedpath]

He leans against Lan Zhan; carefully, after a time, he loops his arm around him, mindful not to press too hard on his scars.

"All I have wanted," he says, softly, "is a place of my own, with the people I love, and room to grow lotuses. And now I have it." He blinks back fresh tears. "What a marvelous birthday."

[lotus_sister]

Jiang Yanli comes to her brother's other side and places a hand on his arm as she smiles up at him.

"Xianxian. I'm so happy for you."

[acrookedpath]

With no hesitation, he wraps an arm around his shijie as well, beaming down at her.

No louder: "I am very lucky."

[lightamidchaos]

It trembles on his lips to say he deserves it, but he knows Wei Ying’s likely reaction.

“Mn,” he says instead, the small sound soft and fond.

[acrookedpath]

He glances to Lan Zhan, with equally fond amusement, before pecking him on the cheek again. The three of them linger in the quiet a moment longer.

Then, Wei Wuxian lets go of them to give a playfully exaggerated shiver.

"Ah, but it is cold here!" he says. "The inlet is much, much warmer. Let's keep going."

He starts to lead on along the lake shore.

[lotus_sister]

She trades a look with Han-- with Lan Wangji, hers fondly amused, his tolerant and no less fond, she thinks, and turns to follow A-Xian.

"What's so wonderful about this inlet, anyway?"

[acrookedpath]

"You will see!" Wei Wuxian promptly ruins any attempt at mystery by continuing: "It is not a part of the lake at all, but a piece of the ocean. Somehow the inn has carved out a place for it, with warm air and saltwater."

[lightamidchaos]

"I do not understand how," he adds, noticing how startled Jiang Yanli looks. "Some sort of magic, it seems, but there is no apparent harm in it."

[acrookedpath]

"I almost wish it were a little colder," says Wei Wuxian with a laugh. "When it snows, you can see the inlet boundaries perfectly -- all the snow melts the instant it arrives at the inlet!"

[lotus_sister]

"Mn," says Lan Wangji, and Jiang Yanli has to focus on her footing with careful attention to avoid letting her own laughter show.

"I'm sure it's quite different from either of our homes," she compromises on.

[acrookedpath]

"Very," he agrees, "but that's what makes it so interesting!"

The gentle, curving path along the lake has begun to turn to sand beneath their feet. Within moments, a hint of salt-smell drifts on the air, and the grasses -- rather than thinning out little by little -- come to a sudden stop. Wei Wuxian halts on the border between the inlet and the rest of the lake.

"Here we are! Come, stand here -- "

He waves his shijie closer.

[lightamidchaos]

He steps across the border with the inlet to stand where it is warm, and watches as Jiang Yanli approaches Wei Ying and follows his directions.

[acrookedpath]

"Can you feel the change yet?" He's grinning. "See, like this -- "

He stretches out his arms: one hand on the lake side of the border, one on the ocean side.

[lotus_sister]

She gives him a patient look and mimics him. In the next moment, her eyes go wide with surprise.

[acrookedpath]

If possible, his smile brightens even more. He nods enthusiastically, wiggling his fingers as if to beckon both cold air and warm air into his hands.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

[lightamidchaos]

"It is," she declares. "Is it always like this?"

"Mn," Lan Wangji confirms.

[acrookedpath]

"I would have planted the lotuses here were it not for the salt water, since it is always so warm."

He takes his shijie's hands, coaxing her to step into the full warmth of the inlet.

"Sometimes, when I went to visit the rabbits last winter, I would stop here for a moment to warm up before continuing on my way."