acrookedpath | [pfsb]

Wei Wuxian turns in a circle, taking in the view as if he were seeing it for the first time. There is the lake, glittering and serene; there, a path dipping deep into the forest that he hasn't explored yet. Over Lan Zhan's shoulder he can see the distant shape of the inn.

"Impressive!" he says. "And very useful indeed."

"It can be, yes," the Aes Sedai murmurs. "And from this place, it is possible to cross worlds with it, as well as to move between the Mirrors of the Wheel."

She tilts her head toward the gateway, inviting them to return through it.

"The Mirrors of the Wheel?"

He vaults lightly back through the portal, boots landing on the floor of Moiraine's quarters.

"What are those?"

"'From Stone to Stone run the lines of If, connecting all the worlds that might be,'" the Aes Sedai quotes. She waits for Lan Wangji to follow Wei Wuxian back into her study, then steps through herself and releases the weave. As the gateway winks out, she continues,

"Think of each Mirror as a parallel world, some lying as close to each other as the pages of a book. Some are separated by only the smallest of choices, others are far more distant. In the world where I was born, it is possible to use Portal Stones to traverse between them, although it is extremely dangerous to do so. However, there are other ways, for some."

Wei Wuxian has tried his whole life -- and now his afterlife -- to live without regrets, as he swore beneath those lanterns so many years ago. But it is a task easier said than done.

How can his heart not clench as he thinks of those thin separations between worlds? Just beyond reach, there might be a place where his shijie still lives; where Lotus Pier was not destroyed; where he never met the Jins on Qiongqi Path and sent everything spiraling toward its end.

His easygoing smile dims, and for a moment he cannot answer Moiraine.

He moves closer to Wei Ying's side on the instant, and gives the Aes Sedai a sharp look, warning her not to say a single word. She arches an eyebrow, but remains a quiet observer.

"Wei Ying," he murmurs, for his husband's ears alone. He is sure that he knows what the other man is thinking - how can he not, seeing how his own thoughts have run? Worlds so close as that, there must be one where he had gone with him, stood by his side, where Wei Ying had not died, where they had not lost everything. "Do not."

He exhales a brief, wobbly breath; it might have been his attempt at a laugh. "I am trying," he says, no louder.

Lan Wangji places his hand at the small of Wei Ying's back, trying to steady and support him.

"The Pattern's weaving is complex," Moiraine murmurs, after a moment. "The more so, when it comes to those who are touched by ta'maral'ailen."

He frowns when the inn's magic does not translate her last words, and looks Moiraine's way.

"By what?"

"It is a web," Moiraine tells him, ignoring the sharp look from Lan Wangji. "Sometimes the Wheel's weaving bends a thread such that all other threads nearby are forced to swirl with it, whether they wish to or not. That swirl, that shift, that is ta'maral'ailen."

Wei Wuxian looses another soft breath at that. An unwilling, unfelt smile tugs at his lips; he drops his gaze.

"Well," he says, his lightness just as forced, "this pattern, in this world, has already been woven, with all its runs and crooked strings, eh? Undoing one bad thread would still make everything fall apart."

"The Pattern has room for small changes," Moiraine murmurs. "Larger ones are not always possible. Especially when one is ta'veren. But perhaps that is a matter of philosophy for another day."

"I think it is, yes," says Wei Wuxian, still with that false breeziness.

He cannot tell if Moiraine agrees with him, or if she is about to argue in favor of ridiculous things like destiny and fate. Perhaps both. Either way -- this is not the time.

He glances to Lan Zhan with another crooked smile -- this one not nearly as forced -- and catches his free hand for a quick squeeze.

He keeps hold of Wei Ying's hand and meets the Aes Sedai's eyes with a level stare. "Is there anything else we should know before we travel with you?"

Moiraine raises her eyebrows very slightly as she considers him. "Is there anything else you wish to know?" she counters.

Ah, there is the Moiraine he remembers.

Wei Wuxian eyes them both, ready to intervene if it becomes necessary.

"I have asked," Lan Wangji says, levelly, and the Aes Sedai has to fight not to let out an exasperated breath. She needs their assistance, she reminds herself. Besides, it is useful for her to remember what it is like to be challenged so. All things are part of the Pattern.

"And I have responded," she replies, with perfect poise. "I am not unwilling to speak, but I have also learned not to make assumptions about your beliefs and desires. To a certain extent, you may be as prepared as is possible, but if there are other things you are curious about or would wish to discuss beforehand, then do not expect me to read your thoughts to discern them."

Wei Wuxian breaks into an uncertain laugh, turning take Lan Zhan by the shoulders as he insinuates himself between the pair.

"I am certain I'll think of plenty to ask once we have a good look at the anomaly," he says. "We know enough to get started at least, eh?"

He has already had this argument with Moiraine before -- what she considers unimportant, a cultivator may find very important, and vice versa -- and it got him nowhere. Lan Zhan will have even less luck, he's certain.

It takes him a few moments of leveled gaze before he looks over at Wei Ying and gives an infinitesimal nod. "Mn."

He will just have to be watchful. More watchful.

Wei Wuxian's expression blossoms into a bright grin. He doesn't bother restraining himself from kissing the tip of Lan Zhan's nose.

"Good!" he chirps. "Then shall we?"

Light help us all, Moiraine thinks, but inclines her head in assent. "There is little to be gained through further delay, I should expect."

She glides to the door of her study and opens it, then waits for them to pass through so she can set the wards before departing.

Picking up his bag, Wei Wuxian slings it over one shoulder -- almost knocking it into the doorframe of Moiraine's room -- as he exits.

As Moiraine busies herself with... something; probably like the locking talismans on their own door, he lowers his voice so only Lan Zhan can hear.

"What do you think?"

"That we shall soon see." He rests his hand at the small of Wei Ying's back to guide him for a moment as they follow the Aes Sedai.

An amused snort. "We will," he agrees, before lifting his voice a little -- not quite including Moiraine in the conversation, but no longer angling for any semblance of privacy. "How many worlds will this be now? Let's see, there was Ingress, Tom-gongzi, Geralt-qianbei and Ciri -- ah, and that brief visit to Canaan House to assist Harrow -- "

"Other worlds than these," the Aes Sedai observes over her shoulder, without turning. There is something very dry about her tone, for some reason.

"Many other worlds than these!" he says, unperturbed by whatever private joke Moiraine might be making. "And now we may add one more to our list."

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