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[ He does not raise a hand to wave away the genuine gratitude although he wants to, mildly embarrassed as if he has overstepped somehow (having felt that way since Wen Kexing cried over his sick zhiji). Instead he only nods deeply in response to accept it, swallowing his own insecurities to remain a gracious recipient (not everyone can get away with speaking their mind like Wangji) since he really does like Zhou Zishu the longer they talk and wants him to feel at ease. ]

In truth, he saved me, so I will owe him for as long as I live. It's merely that.

That is something we have in common. Before I met him, I had no desire to live. Now...

Well. Fate has its way of playing with us all.

Perhaps that is why he persisted with me.

[ There's a soft joke at his own expense in there somewhere, but Xichen is too tired of being sad to dwell on it beyond acknowledgment. He pours them more tea. ]

I'm glad he has you. I was worried you would not care for him or take advantage of his kindness, so I apologise for my concerns. I can see Zhou Zishu is in fact exactly the man a-Xing painted him to be.

What has he been saying about me? [ He shakes his head, lifting the cup for another sip. ] You shouldn't believe him. He says the most outrageous things, most of which are terribly untrue.

[ Zishu blinks slowly, looking down at the shimmer of his tea. He doesn't even realize that his tone has shifted into something softer, warmer when he continues speaking. ]

Lao Wen is-- He is overly complimentary, when it comes to me, especially because he finds my reactions entertaining. But he does not mean anything ill by it, and it makes him happy to tease.

I know.

[ His smile quirks. ]

He is extravagant and embellishes whatever he can to make the world a more colourful place, it is one of his more charming habits.

[ Xichen tilts his head at his own teacup thoughtfully. ]

He doesn't lie about his opinion of people, however, so I should have known to curb my concerns and take him at his word. There is a sweetness to him though, feral and rascally as he likes to appear, and I feared he was being taken advantage of.

[ That makes him smile, a small, soft thing that curves the corners of his thin lips. He should, perhaps, feel insulted--but Lan Xichen did not know him beyond what Wen Kexing has said, did not know what sort of man he is, still doesn't really, and was worried out of true concern for Wen Kexing. Zhou Zishu cannot begrudge him that. Zishu won't thank him again; that will get old quickly, but he's grateful all the same. ]

He is not always the best judge of people, but it is rarely because he trusts those he should not. What else can I do to assuage your uncertainties? If Master Lan has other questions, Zishu will answer what he can.

[ Within reason. ]

[ He did intend to ask something, to be far more forward than he has a right (Will you adore him? Will you keep him safe? Will you give him every reason to laugh?). Wen Kexing has been agonising over his love not being returned by this man, he has wailed about it and truly been miserable at the prospect ... but as Zhou Zishu sits before the Gusu sect leader, Xichen doesn't think Wen Kexing has much to worry about. ]

I would not presume, all seems to be in order. However, if there are questions you have, I am at your service.

[ Also within reason. ]

Then, if Master Lan will allow Zishu to be presumptuous... I would like to know more about your sect. I don't know how much Lao Wen has told you, but from what he's said, it seems as though we hail from similar, yet different worlds. I do not know of Gusu Lan, and it seems as though I should. And, more selfishly, I would like to know more about Master Lan, and the man that Lao Wen values so highly.

[ That's fair, given he waded into their life with his business. ]

My sect lives at the top of a mountain in Cloud Recesses to the far East, it is somewhat inaccessible during winter and we host other sect's heirs for lectures in the summer. We are descended from monks but despite what a-Xing may hint about our many rules, we are not monks ourselves.

[ Imagine Wen Kexing's joy, his amused expression says, when he learned of there being nearly 4000 rules to make fun of. Endless entertainment, yet Xichen has never taken it unkindly meant. ]

My brother is Lan Wangji, married to Wei Wuxian, and my nephew is Lan Sizhui. All of them are present in this realm.

Young Master Lan-- ah, Lan Wangji, that is. He and Lao Wen don't seem to get along particularly well.

[ He saw what happened in the responses to the notice Wen Kexing posted. His voice goes slightly wistful when he goes on, though: ]

My own sect was in the mountains--Four Seasons, for the ever-blooming flowers on our lands.

[ The flowers blossom in all four seasons, knowing everything in the world. He exhales slowly. Information for information. ]

I don't know whether congratulations are appropriate, that you have family here. It seems a difficult place for that.

Four Seasons sounds very beautiful.

[ Jinlintai was a little like that with flowers constantly in bloom, though they were simply gardened intensely and groomed for show like the rest of that place. He can no longer bear to go there. ]

Ah ... [ Xichen wondered how long the topic of his brother's beef with Wen Kexing could be avoided. ] I was a broken man before I came here, my brother saw that. He is very protective of me as a result, for which I cannot fault him.

[ It is currently the only thing he is not displeased with Wangji about, at the moment. ]

His husband is very similar in gaiety and cleverness to a-Xing, so it is not that he takes issue with him on a personal note. It is ... likely that I showed such favour that Wangji raised his standards so drastically. [ Here, he bows forward just to underline his regret. ] I apologise for his behaviour and beg lenience for his fraternal piety, which is meant in good faith to me.

I can't fault him for that--and I am glad it seems you are happier, now.

[ Wen Kexing does that for people. Zishu just has a hard time with people who so clearly have A Problem with Wen Kexing, nevermind that he himself was one of them. What a difference time makes, that Zishu went from finding Wen Kexing incredibly irritating to incredibly entertaining. Still irritating, but in an entertaining way. He can't imagine his life without Lao Wen at his side. ]

Thank you.

[ Xichen does not want anyone taking issue with Wangji, as much as he allows himself to be annoyed with his little brother sometimes. He hopes he will not have to choose sides because he will always have to choose Wangji, as his brother must know; it is already a strain between them, that Xichen will not give up Wen Kexing to please him. ]

I am better than I was.

[ He cannot say he is happy, not when people he cares for tend to slip through his fingers like grains of sand. Already, he misses the barrage of noise in his life that was Wen Kexing before Zhou Zishu arrived, but.

But Xichen is already trying to bow out with grace, without causing ripples. What else by way of lasting good can he do? ]

Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin of Yunmeng Jiang is also here, if he seems confrontational he is not. It is just his way. He is a good man and martial brother of Wei Wuxian.

There are..a great many from your home, it seems. I will keep it in mind.

[ He doesn't quite know what to do with this, and doesn't like the feeling of feeling outnumbered, overwhelmed. Out of place. Zishu tucks it away. ]

Lao Wen tells me your swords are spiritual. That they have--not sentience, but, ah... A soul?

[ He leans to one side to uncover his sword from a cloth, laid upon a table in a stand provided by the tea-shop: no need to go displaying weapons at a first meeting, even if he can't exactly leave it at home. Its beautiful scabbard of translucent white and green jade has silver fittings and the handle is white jade with cloud carvings. ]

Shuoyue is semi-sentient, she is ... not unalive. Liebing, [ as he uncovers the white jade xiao from his layers of robes, tied to his belt, to hold in both hands, ] is much the same. They speak to me in their own way.

[ His eyes widen, the most dramatic show of surprise he's made since his arrival. Cloth shouldn't have made all that much difference, but perhaps it's simply being aware of the weapons-- They sing on the air in a way Zishu does not understand. ]

[ Watching that reaction, he does what most cultivators from their world would not and unhooks Liebing, offering her over for the other man's inspection. A pale blue sparkle shimmers over her length along the engravings of clouds, cold as fresh snow and serene to the touch if such a descriptor were possible for a mostly-inanimate object. ]

She is part of my soul.

[ Almost none of the people with spiritual weapons would commit such a taboo, in fact, yet he owes Zhou Zishu something indefinable and this favour may go a small way to paying it. ]

Please.

[ Even without the spiritual attachment, Zishu hates seeing his sword in someone else's hands. This xiao seems to be just as particular to Lan Xichen, part of his soul, and Zishu takes her with both hands, his touch reverent. He is well aware what sort of honor he's being given, and he doesn't want to make it seem as though he's ignorant of it.

He runs his fingertips along the jade length, gentle and careful, and exhales slowly. ]

Has Lao Wen played for you?

[ Liebing is quiet and placated by the touch, responding with a shimmer of blue spiritual energy that sends the scent of mountain pines and fresh snow up at Zhou Zishu in a swirl. He is very respectful, Xichen observes, also idly noticing the handsomeness that Wen Kexing has been bleating on about. ]

We played together in the street for money. [ His lips twitch: it was a world away from the sight Xichen presents now. ] Our busking meant we could buy sweet treats that day.

I must assume Master Lan is very skilled, and hope you will not take my presence as a reason to stop playing together. It must be a pleasant change for him, to have someone that he can play with.

[ Zishu can play, in that he can control his qi through music. That doesn't mean he is particularly skilled at it, which Wen Kexing has often lamented. ]

Ah, we don't play often. Neither of us had much money for food so we combined our efforts on the day, that was all. A-Xing plays excellently, you're right.

[ With a mischievous gleam in his eye, Xichen tilts his head. ]

It occurs to me that if we were to send him a picture of us meeting here without him, via one of our devices, he would be very annoyed.

[ >:)! ]

Edited 2023-11-11 13:26 (UTC)

Perhaps you should. It seems too much a pity to not. But, of course, that is entirely up to Master Lan.

[ It pains him to hear about Wen Kexing not having the money for food, when he had to suffer through so much of that as a child, but that doesn't seem like something he should dwell on. Instead, he focuses on the other point mentioned. ]

A...picture, though. How would we do that? Is that another function of these devices? [ A brief pause, and his brow wrinkles. ] Just what can't they do?

They are very useful in a pinch, I will say that much for them. I wish my brother did not have the option to write to me, he says less than if he were speaking given a choice.

[ Wangji loving to text is too real. ]

Master Zhou, would you mind sitting next to me? The screen will show us what we look like before I capture our image.

[ Does he pat the side of his thigh to welcome him over? Maybe. ]

[ That's...bold. A little surprising coming from a man who had been, thus far, rather reserved. Still, Zishu is very curious and slides around the table, settling at Lan Xichen's side. No part of them touches, but their robes and sleeves pool together, heavy silk against silk. ]

You are very close to your brother. That's good.

[ ~~Bolder than touching his xiao?~~ Xichen takes out his device, once a dragon necklace but since made easier to hold, and angles it so they both fit in the shot. ]

Wangji is very supportive of me, he is the best brother a sect leader could ask for. Now, let's lean a little closer or you'll be in the background of this picture ...

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