[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

[chifeng_zun]

[It's only normal to be jostled a little. A saber-wielding Nie can probably give Lans and their crazy arm strength a run for their money. Mingjue nods approvingly when he accepts the offer, though. Maybe it isn't necessary but he did give his word, and he intends to keep it.]

I have not seen him here yet. [He says with a mild hum, glancing back out at the lake. Hearing that Sect Leader Jiang might be avoiding Wei Wuxian, though... that could be a problem. His expression grows a little more solemn. The two are brothers, he knows, and at least once upon a time, he thinks they were close.] I see.

It sounds as if a discussion may be in order between the three of you. Avoidance can lead to regret, as can holding in the things that need to be said. [He may have some experience there.]

[weiward]

[regrets are the one thing that he never wanted to have. so he knows he's right. he needs to get the three of them in the same room together and find out what's behind the look in jiang cheng's eyes, and what's behind the scowl on lan zhan's lips whenever he says his brother's name.

he sighs, and kicks at the water a little, determined despite that brief moment of silence.]

I'm sure he'll be around to pay his respects to you. And once everyone's a little more settled, we can get back to the planning. I still haven't made any progress on the one thing we'll need. And we'll have to get fitted for robes at some point, but I don't even know where to find someone who makes them here.

[he sounds a little more cheerful now. wei wuxian stops kicking at the water, thinking of something.]

Chifeng-zun, do you think Nie-xiong- [he looks over at him, paues, and then finishes by laughing nervously.] Eh, nevermind, nevermind.

[chifeng_zun]

We've spoken once, toward the beginning of the month. He is older than I remember, but I am still suitably impressed. [He'd still been pretty new as a Sect Leader back when Nie Mingjue were still alive. He remembers hearing about Lotus Pier and feeling, underneath his rage at the Wens, a sort of empathy for Jiang Wanyin's situation. Mingjue took over a whole Sect as a teenager as well, and he had it easier, inheriting a whole and strong clan with an intact seat of power.]

Mm. [A nod, as if to say 'keep with it'.] I have lined up a fortune-teller, a diviner from the Coven. I am told she is very accurate. As far as robes, the woman I work for frequents a particular Witch tailor in the Aristocratic District - I will make inquiries. [If they give someone a good enough idea of what is needed, he doesn't see why they can't be made.

He quirks an eyebrow slightly, watching him with a little curiosity.] Would my brother...? If you asked him something, I'm sure he would agree.

[weiward]

Chifeng-zun!

[wei wuxian's eyes grow wide at the updates. color him impressed too! he ticks those boxes off in his head before turning more in his direction.]

At this rate, Lan Zhan and I could be married by the next full moon! [and in his excitement, he forgets that he wasn't going to ask this, but...] If Nie-xiong has stuck to his books, he could sleep in the marriage bed between us!

[chifeng_zun]

[He's treating this a little like going to battle. Is it any surprise that he buckles down and gets things done? Nie Mingjue does not procrastinate or beat around the bush.] Mm. Be sure to tell me when you are both free for fittings, should I succeed.

[And his brain is skidding to a screeching halt now. Has his brother kept to his books? Does he want to know that? Well, he wants to know if he's found any happiness, certainly. And if there is anyone who has broken his brother's heart that he needs to go... speak with. So too does it remind him that there were ten years he was not with Huaisang...] You would have to ask him this.

...I admit I do not know if he has been seeing anyone. [This is accompanied by a little furrow in his brow that is more thoughtful than angry.]

[weiward]

Ah - right.

[a little laughter. of course he shouldn't expect him to ask huaisang about that. he has a brother too, after all.

....actually it might not bother wei wuxian. at least he might find out if jiang cheng had found some happiness.]

Lan Zhan said that Jiang Cheng hasn't married. I'm worried that his standards are so high, he might never find someone. He was close...once.

[chifeng_zun]

[He's still trying to catch up from 'is Huaisang seeing anyone' to this turn about Jiang Wanyin. Possibly Nie Mingjue is noticing a pattern here, considering they also tried to hint-hint-nudge-nudge him into bonding with Lan Xichen.]

It is not the end of the world to live a life without a romantic partner. [He feels the need to point out, considering... his own life. He never even looked, knowing he'd die early anyway. He didn't know it would be as early as it was, but the thought was still there, that he didn't want to subject someone to losing him so soon.] It sounds as if he knows what he wants from a partner, and if he does not want to relax his standards, then he must not feel the need to be with someone in that way.

Not everyone will find their perfect match, as you did.

[weiward]

I did do that.

[he's lucky, there's no denying that. would he want jiang cheng to lower his standards? the important ones, no, and not for anything less. but so what if she talked a little more than he liked? or had short hair instead of long? he feels like he should be there to put these things out to him. in the end, he worries less that jiang cheng will live his life alone and more that he'll be lonely. or chifeng-zun for that matter.]

But is there anything so special about me to deserve someone like Lan Zhan? No. I think having a soul means that its match is out there somewhere. Maybe it's not always romantic, but men don't spring from one person alone. I don't think they're meant to go through life that way either.

[chifeng_zun]

Such luck is rare in the world.

[He admits that with a small smile, almost a hint of wistfulness. Nie Mingjue has never had relationships on the table; he knew long ago he'd die before his time of a qi deviation, it only happened sooner than expected. He hadn't wanted to leave a widow or widower behind him. That doesn't mean he's made of stone, and love in the world should be protected.]

Maybe they aren't meant to, but many will. If one does not or cannot find romance, then the love of family can be a balm. You can hope that Jiang Wanyin finds the person he is meant to be with, but it isn't like these things can be forced.