[semi-open] Lay me down let the only sound be the overflow

[zewu_jun]

Who: Lan Xichen, cultivators, and friends!
When: Around mid-month
Where: Lakeside out beyond the Wall (near the forge)
What: swimming, sitting, sighing, and shedding
Warnings: F is for friends who do stuff together.



Everyone probably has their own reasons for being at the lake. For Lan Xichen, working in the forge tends to lead to overheating (especially when he's been fighting off certain stress levels) and the nearby water provides a good way to politely cool off. Maybe you met him on his way and decided to join in or maybe you were already there. After several days this becomes a regular pattern of work followed by an afternoon soak, so it's possibly just a nice diversion when things are a bit too much to handle.

Whether it is swimming, meditating, having a snack, or just enjoying the fresh air along the bank, there are plenty of ways to share time with friends. The only possible warning will come from Lan Xichen himself if it looks like an argument is brewing--he will intervene. He came explicitly for some quiet time, so if anyone starts a fight, they'll probably have a half-naked Lan there to break them up. Maybe that's your thing.

[ooc: This log is a free for all for swimming and lake side games. All our friends are invited to tag in and tag each other. Basically, make up whatever you would like as a starter and cut in wherever if people agree! Non-cultivator friends and 4th wallers also welcome. If you need a specific prompt added, poke me at teaandreveries.]

Comments

[zewu_jun]

[ No matter what titles or changes he may go through, Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan, will always be Xichen's brother, a person he holds dear to him above all else. And if there are worlds where there are seven or eight Lan Wangjis and Xichen has to divide grains, he can pick out the rice from the barley and the wheat and separate them all with a sharp eye and a clear mind. Wangji will always stand out. ]

Mm. [ That question might be a little more complicated, but Xichen looks at his brother with warm confidence. ] My happiness will be seeing my family finally coming together with his fated person after a long wait.

[taciturnly]

( see what he means???? well-being of others. lan xichen is too good, too kind, too selfless for his own good; it shows even here, especially lately, and even though lan wangji inwardly beams at his brother’s unconditional love, he really does want more for him. the sheer euphoria wei wuxian has brought into his life is unmeasurable; lan xichen deserves as much, warmth and love, someone who could take care of him as well as lan xichen has always taken care of everyone. let yourself be pampered already.

so brace yourself, zewu-jun, an odd glimmer in lan wangji’s gaze, maybe a tad bashful, grateful, warm and gentle. ) Xiōngzhǎng. ( a faint smile, and then, as solemn as lan wangji always is... ) Would you let me help you find your own fated person?

[zewu_jun]

[ He's not sure what that particular look means on his brother. He has seen many subtle expressions from Wangji over the years and has even become one of the few of can read his emotions when everyone else apparently seems to think the Second Jade is really made of stone. But Lan Xichen has never seen such a soft, almost shy look from Wangji. What could that possibly mean?

The question doesn't actually do much to clarify it either. ]

How would you do that? This world is full of people from many different lands and the possibility of meeting someone like that is sometimes made difficult by our circumstances. It would be too much trouble to try to force fate.

[taciturnly]

( that particular look, dear zewu-jun, is the direct result of lan wangji’s happiness, which in turn apparently made his face evolve. it’s mostly subtle, because lan wangji will always be lan wangji, and he’s yet to burst into laughter, but he’s well on his way to conquer all the knots that have kept his expressions in chains. you should see the way he looks at wei wuxian sometimes. or not. you’d probably be scared.

also, you can’t answer a question with a question, but lan wangji doesn’t disagree. ) Perhaps. ( but difficult doesn’t mean impossible, and hasn’t he always encouraged him, sometimes very insistently, to befriend wei wuxian? and look where they are now. head inclined in respect and acknowledgement, lan wangji isn’t much deterred. ) And yet I’d like to try. You have always given freely, sometimes to your own detriment. ( a pause, a nod. ) You deserve the same comfort I was granted.

[zewu_jun]

[ It's a look that he is already fond of after only a moment. Wei Wuxian has had a good influence, that is undeniable. He didn't expect a happy ending for them after Wangji lost him, but somehow, by a miracle (and some questionable magic), they managed to find what Lan Xichen can really only call true happiness. he has never seen his brother this at ease. And he is honest when he says that is all he needs to be happy.

That Wangji wants him to feel that sort of love and ease is... complicated. In his deepest heart, yes, Xichen would like to find the person fated for him, to be loved unconditionally and to feel that comfort as well, but- ]

I... never felt that what I gave was too much. I know it may seem that way at times, but it was what I wanted to give.

[taciturnly]

( reluctance was expected. it’s a little peculiar as far as requests go, nothing they’ve ever discussed before. aefenglom has changed a lot of things, and put some others in perspective. lan wangji is high on love, and his brother deserves the entire world.

it’s not necessarily that he gives too much, even though yes, he probably does, and the recipients of his affection aren’t always worthy. lan wangji doesn’t doubt that everything he ever gave was absolutely what he wanted, which is exactly what he’s trying to emphasize here. ) I know. ( and he stares in earnest, an attempt to drive his point across: who else could possibly be more deserving of love? )

[zewu_jun]

[ It's true that he can't tell Wangji that his life so far as been perfect. It has been difficult and painful with multiple misunderstandings so far. He hasn't had the perfect connection with Jin Guangyao that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have, and realistically he knows he will probably never be able to have that sort of perfect bond. But can he say he's not happy? That the feeling he has that pulls him back again and again to that same person isn't fate? Xichen's gaze lowers. What Wangji wants for him, to find that perfect, fated match--he isn't so convinced he hasn't yet brushed against it. ]

You know I will always accept your help, Wangji. But what do you plan to do?

[taciturnly]

( they’ve both made mistakes. chances are they’ll make a few more, a lot more even, though making the same ones after everything they’ve gone through would be the rotten cherry on the cake. to be fair, he hasn’t planned that far ahead. fate can’t be forced, he knows, but a little push here and there seems to be effective enough. it was, for him.

so what will it be? interviews, maybe? unbeknownst to the auditionees. there is time yet, and lan wangji looks at him soft-eyed. ) I will keep my eyes open.

[zewu_jun]

[It's such a soft, accepting promise. Once again, Xichen is reminded that his brother is the best of all of them. Wei Wuxian certainly chose correctly, picking out the cultivator that no one else in all the world could compare to. He smiles, looking up fondly at his brother. When did you grow up so well, Wangji?]

Yes. If you can help me find that, I will gladly accept it. Just don't neglect your own happiness for my sake.

[taciturnly]

( this is a relief, knowing that his brother would allow himself to be loved. he’s punished himself long enough, though lan wangji is a little ill-equipped to judge. it’s not that he does, per se. it’s just. lan xichen, more than most, deserves what he has freely given returned tenfold, and lan wangji won’t ever fully rest until his brother is granted the same peace he now knows.

it’s just like him to still worry about lan wangji’s happiness, his own needs and wishes always on the back burner, even as he accepts his help. lan wangji sighs quiet, fond exasperation as a ghost of a smile touches his lips, and he glances down, where fingertips brush over the scar on his chest. ) It is always safe. Here. ( omnipresent in the beats of his heart, timeless; no need for concerns. )

[zewu_jun]

[ If Lan Xichen has a vision for his own happiness, it seems too distant and ambitious to think it will come to him. Perhaps the seed of it is still there, quietly buried in his heart and waiting to take root, but he hasn't found a clear image yet of what he really wants for himself.

It's just good to know that Wangji at least has found his soulmate. ]

I am glad.

[ And he is. He's relieved. Would Xichen know what that joy was if he felt it? Would he be able to recognize such a deep, profound feeling? ]

I have a good feeling about this place. It feels as though things can change here.