middaeg | [closed mingle] This is family business

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[closed mingle] This is family business

Who: Basically the whole Untamed/MDZS cast
When: One Mid-Septeril evening
Where: The Jin/Jiang family household
What: It's Family Dinner Time (and also time to reveal the truth about what happened back on their world)
Warnings: Discussions of murder and death, infidelity, revenge, and a lot of general family drama.

There are so many Mirrorbound from their world, and almost all of them are related in some way, through blood, marriage, or sworn bonds. After discussing it with his wife, Jin Zixuan decides it's about time they all sat under one roof to share a meal. Sure, one third of their contingent is not exactly on speaking terms with another third, and the last third is caught in the middle trying to live their lives as quietly and peacefully as they can, but Jin Zixuan has frankly had enough. He's heard bits and pieces of the future that is waiting for him once he returns to their world, but he's tired of the pretty lies, half truths, and careful dancing around subjects that everyone seems to prefer when he is around. He knows there is more to the story, and he is determined to find out what it is.

The evening begins innocently enough, with Jiang Yanli preparing delicious courses of food in their well stocked kitchen, and Jin Zixuan making sure the dining room is set for the numerous guests they are inviting. There is plenty of alcohol for the adults who like to indulge-- both bottles of grape wine and jars of baiju-- as well as sparkling fruit juices for those who are underage (sorry, Jin Ling) or who would prefer not to partake. The table decoration is tasteful and elegant, a mix of the local style and whatever Jin Zixuan has been able to scramble together that is reminiscent of their own world back home.

When guests arrive, Jin Zixuan greets them at the door and shows them to their seat in the dining room, having carefully plotted out who will sit where so as to avoid any unnecessary conflict (a skill he learned at an early age from his mother). After a few short words of thanks for everyone who came, the meal begins. The food is delicious, of course. No one would expect anything less from a cook like Jiang Yanli. And the conversation is polite, sticking to current events and the trials and tribulations of witch- or monster-dom. Then, partway through the evening, when the main course has been finished but dessert has not yet been served, Jin Zixuan speaks up, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Once again, I would like to thank you all for coming. You have all been a great help to myself, A-Li, and A-Ling as we attempt to find our ways in this world." A good start, neutral enough and gracious to boot. "However," he continues, his face losing its polite smile and turning gravely serious, "I know that there is much that you have been keeping from us. From me, in particular. We have both been made aware of our own deaths, and the many deaths that will follow. But the exact details of how and why those deaths occurred and who is really to blame have been conspicuously left out."

He turns his gaze to each guest seated at the table, each in turn. Everyone except Jin Ling and Jiang Yanli.

"I think it's time we were forthright with each other. Don't you?"

After that, all thoughts of dessert are forgotten. The table erupts into chaos. Guests can speak freely at the table, or pull individuals aside for more private conversations. Or, if the tense atmosphere is too much for them, they can simply choose to leave. But however the truth chooses to come out, Jin Zixuan is welcoming it. And keep in mind, he will know if you are lying.

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Zewu-jun makes a good point. He could have said something any time he liked. Instead, he had waited for the more knowledgeable, more guilty parties to come to him. He'd gleaned only half the story from conversations with Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian, and expected the rest to be handed to him on a platter.

He's no fool, not to know what others think of his high opinion of himself, his status as heir to the wealthy Jin sect. He should have seen a retort like this coming, and yet he walked right into it, blind in everything but eyesight.

"It is less that I am unhappy, Zewu-jun, and more that I am uninformed. I know pieces of the events that will come to pass once I return through that mirror, but not enough to make any sense of them as a whole." He takes a deep breath through his nostrils, spreading his talon-like fingertips across the surface of the table to steady himself. "I know death is an unhappy subject for dinner conversation, but I felt there was no better occasion to ask than now, when everyone is gathered together. I may not be long for our world, once I return, but it is the world in which my son will live-- has been living. Its affairs concern me all the same."

Jin Zixuan is owed answers. His death and the debt owed to his family for all the pains they suffered is something that should be discussed. But as Lan Xichen looks around the table to the various faces with a mix of emotions, he can't help but relate to that cornered feeling he catches from his Bonded. Jin Guangyao is guilty of many things, but the current talk feels like a trap. Impulsive moment or not, he can only disapprove of the way they are approaching the topic of truth. There's a sigh stifled in his chest as he takes the moment in.

"Please don't say such things," he offers with a gentler voice. "I understand the feeling of uncertainty and feeling you have been kept in the dark for too long. It is not something I wish anyone here to be burdened with. However, you should not think of your life as something that only exists in what has happened beyond this place. You live now, and you have a life here. Please, ask your questions with that in mind."

Jin Zixuan isn't looking around the table anymore, keeping his eyes focused on Lan Xichen. But he can feel the anxious, and in some cases, angry glares of the others seated around the table, and he knows he could have executed this better. Making such a public spectacle was more of his father's modus operandi, not his. And if there's one person he does not want to be like, it's his father.

He sits back down, admitting defeat but refusing to relent completely. When he gathers himself up, ready to speak once more, his voice is calmer, more conditioned. He's drawing strength from his bond with A-Li to soothe his righteous fury.

"Zewu-jun is correct. I have a life here, one that I would never have had the opportunity to have in our world." For better and for worse. He glances over to the empty seat that Jin Ling has since fled. He feels awful for having embarrassed his son like this, but it is for A-Ling's sake that he must know the truth.

"However, just because I am attempting to forge a life here, does not mean I should be kept in the dark about the lives of my loved ones there."

He does understand. He doesn't particularly like the feeling of being surrounded during what should be a peaceful dinner setting and greeted with essentially subtle demands for obedience, but he can understand the impatience when the situation is so intense already. Of course Jin Zixuan wants more details. He has a family to protect and no one can hold that against him.

Lan Xichen keeps eye contact, unafraid of facing the judgment of that righteous fire himself. Since they have already come this far, he might as well see it through.

"I would not ask you to remain silent about your concerns. I'm only surprised you've chosen this as the time to voice them. But as you have, what is it you would like to know? Is there something of me in particular, or would it be better if I remain quiet for now?"

Jin Zixuan is far too used to demanding obedience. Or rather, he's far too used to having obedience shown towards him, that he expects it even if he doesn't always actively demand it. Maybe, if he keeps making missteps like this, he'll learn that there are better, less dramatic ways of getting what you want. But the Lanling Jin Sect always leaned heavily on dramatics.

"I have heard nothing so far that would cause me to believe Zewu-jun was involved in any of this. Unless you have information that proves me wrong, I don't require any of your secrets."

"I believe there is no way any of us are not involved," he says. It's still mild, but he holds his calm stance with purpose. "Answers are never simple. In fact, the more we know, the more complicated the situation becomes. Be assured that I bear you no personal wrong, but I also cannot speak for the relationships between those around us. The desires of sects are always shifting. That is the truth. At some points I might have done you wrong without any intention."

He probably has played a part. What Jin Zixuan wants to know is far bigger than a simple answer that can easily be filed and tallied in a ledger for payments. It's the rippling effect of many years and multiple wrongs, and while turning on Jin Guangyao would be the easiest response, it wouldn't necessarily be a clean answer either. If it were, Xichen himself might have an easier time of just denouncing him. But he does want to try to ease some of that pain anyway.

"How would you like to proceed?"

This is a disaster. There are many questions he wants to ask— how did A-Li die? How did his father? What does Chifeng-zun have to do with any of this? What role did Jin Guangyao play in any of the aforementioned deaths?— but he's realizing now that absolutely none of this talk is appropriate for the dinner table. He's gone and ruined all the hard work his loving wife put into cooking this meal for them all, just to serve his ulterior motives in search of the truth.

He gives Lan Xichen an apologetic smile, nodding curtly.

"Zewu-jun is right. It is best to proceed carefully in such matters. Bringing everything out in the open is... inelegant, at best. I was blinded by my frustration and acted rashly." He takes a deep breath, reaching under the table to grasp his wife's hand for support. "I would still like to hear of the future. But perhaps this is not the time nor the place for it."

There are many details that Jin Zixuan is owed, but after over a decade of wrongs and complicated lives, it is difficult to approach them. Lan Xichen agrees that these things shouldn't be dismissed entirely--they should be shared--but coming out with everything like this, over a meal, with so many people and their different perspectives and feelings, all of it feels overwhelming. He doesn't want to relive the chaos of the temple again, with so many angry secrets coming out all at once in a wave of emotion and bloodshed.

Thankfully, it seems the questioning will at least be kept within reason. He still feels uncomfortable, but if they can just talk without falling back on violence, then that is all Lan Xichen could wish for.

"Jin Zixuan is very patient. Forgive us for causing you so much concern for so long. I did not realize that these questions had not yet been addressed. Be assured that if you have need, I will do my best to support you until you are satisfied with the answers."

It really is what he wants, after all. The truth to be delivered fairly and everyone to find peace. Even the one that made enemies of them all.

Jin Zixuan is beginning to think he's been the exact opposite of patient, forcing everything out in the open this way, but... It really was an inelegant way to go about it. If he had taken perhaps even one lesson from his half brother's book, he could have avoided this entire mess, and still uncovered the truth he sought.

His mouth tightens into a hard line-- not quite a frown, but definitely nowhere close to a smile, either. He isn't so sure he can be satisfied, even after he has all the answers. But Zewu-jun is generous to offer his support, as usual.

"I may..." He clears his throat, lets go of Yanli's hand under the table in favor of smoothing out the front of his robes, falling back on the familiar gestures of propriety and keeping up appearances to cover for his tumultuous inner anxieties. "...consult Zewu-jun on these matters, at a later time. In a more private manner."

It would be difficult for any of them to learn late like that, and Lan Xichen can't claim he would have been any gentler. In the temple, he had made all sorts of demands from Jin Guangyao, ignoring everyone else as they told him not to hear anymore. But the truth has to be heard. Otherwise, it's only the biases written by one's own heart. Even the seed of righteousness can become corrupt when buried in one's silent feelings and left without any other perspective or voice. Jin Zixuan does deserve the truth.

But maybe not in a setting like this, where emotions run high and people can be swayed to distort things either in defense or through passion. Good intentions are only intentions. Actions are much harder.

Lan Xichen pushes back from the table and stands, bowing deeply to Jin Zixuan.

"If you have anything to ask, I will offer what I know to the best of my ability. You have my word. My only fear is that it has caught us by surprise, and to engage too much in questioning now may be... less informative and more an expression of feeling. It would not serve your needs in the end."

It might feel better to vent, but he's very tired of violence. Jin Guangyao or anyone else, he's seen too many people end up caught between the wrath of powers or the target of wild strikes in the heat of the moment. He's speaking to one even now, and Lan Xichen is committed not to condone it again.

"I apologize for making you feel this way. No matter how long it takes, when the time is right, ask, and I will answer until you are fully satisfied."

When Zewu-jun stands, so too does Jin Zixuan, not wanting to force the other man to look down at him. He understands the sentiment behind his words completely. Tonight has gotten out of hand. Best to leave things as they are and come back to the matter at another time, with cooler heads and fewer wild emotions.

He steps back, drawing his hands in front of him to return the formal bow. "Zewu-jun is right, again. I will seek you out again, once we can put the missteps of tonight behind us." He has definitely learned his lesson here. He is not well suited to ambush tactics. His spine is strong, but not strong enough to withstand his own mistakes.

He nods, plastering a polite smile on his face as he falls back into the lukewarm role of gracious host.

"Thank you for visiting our home. Please know that you are welcome here at any time."

Despite what Jin Zixuan may think of himself, he has his father's steady control and ability to smoothly redirect matters, the way the former sect leader had effortlessly done so to target what he wanted in the past. Unlike Guangshan, however, the younger Jin is more honest and has considerably more presence to him, in Lan Xichen's opinion. Jin Guangshan in his prime was intimidating through power and cunning, but the man at the head of the table now carries real nobility. He's... a bit rough around the edges, yes. A little entitled, like his son turned out to be, and maybe a bit brash like Nie Mingjue, acting on impulse and emotion. But noble still. Jin Guangshan would have never admitted to one mistake in his life.

Lan Xichen's smile is genuine and soft, appreciating this shift between those generations. He can observe it now that he has had a chance to step back and reflect, which is one thing to say for his seclusion. He's started to become aware of the roles they all played.

"Xichen appreciates your generosity and your wisdom. I promise it shall be repaid."

He returns to his place as a quiet guest, allowing most of everything else to go over him without any disturbance until the possible threat of more messy conflict comes.

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[closed mingle] This is family business

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