OTA

[lan_wangji]

Who: Lan Wangji and Anyone/Everyone
What: Lan Wangji has discovered sledding. He is baffled. Come try and convince him to try it or avoid it, etc. He has a white and a black bunny hopping along with him.
When: From Jan 8 to whenever
Where: A hill I made up right outside of town.
Rating: PG for Sledding? Maybe PG-13 if Wei Ying comes along.

Lan Wangji has seen something like this, once, in Gusu. Although he spent a fair amount of time traveling on night hunts and various duties, he'd rarely spend any real time among townspeople. They were loud and rough and stared at him, a stern figure all in white. The uneasiness was mutual. However, it was impossible to wholly avoid them and there had been one winter he'd nearly been run over by a group of boys sliding down a snowy hill on what seemed to be a piece of scrap metal. It had been irritating and confusing, both.

Apparently, this is somehow a universal activity. The locals seem to have fashioned wooden implements on which to go down the steep hills around the city and it makes it no less baffling. Lan Wangji's bunnies, hopping dutifully along with him look no more impressed as he stops to watch, trying to understand. Wei Ying would be able to explain, he thinks, immediately finding himself flushing at even the thought of Wei Ying. It has taken considerable effort to re-balance his qi following their last interaction and he's certain it will be a wasted effort as soon as he sees him, again.

Life is very, very different than it was.

Comments

[vagabone]

Lan Wangji should count himself lucky the skeleman's not joining in, because that's about the amount of sense he's got--he'd be right there on the steeper hill too.

"Don't even need to ask. You hungry?" he says, shaking the little bag around. Only polite to offer some to the guy who actually has a stomach! Héctor's just being greedy, if one thinks about it.

[lan_wangji]

He shakes his head, although he appreciates the offer. He settles the bunnies down in between them, watching them immediately start sniffing in interest at Hector.

"Am glad to see Hector," he murmurs. "Lan Wangji owes an apology. Did not mean to get so inebriated or ask such prying questions. Hope my apology will make amends."

[vagabone]

Cats are good. Dogs are fantastic, and he'd be all over a pair of puppies. But bunnies... do they even enjoy petting? Damned if he knows the first thing about rabbits. He'll stick to looking, not touching.

"Nothing to apologize for. Blame me, I didn't think you'd get drunk so quick. Must be a living person thing, I don't know. Anyway..." A knowing smile. "You feel better about things now?"

[lan_wangji]

"Not a living person thing, is a Lan Wangji thing," he admits with a tiny grimace. He wonders idly if Brother has ever had the same problem as he managed the drink at the Discussion Conference.

He looks down at Hector's smile, pleased and embarrassed and fighting his own smile. "Spoke with Wei Ying. It has been resolved, positively. Master Hector's words were wise."

[vagabone]

He leans back, kicking his legs out and letting his smile grow. Good to be right, fantastic to watch everything turn out for the best. It's so rare he gets to see that, he's got to savor the moment.

"I'm glad you two have a second chance. I really am." Anyone can say that sort of thing, and yet he's so sincere about it. He usually is, a big ol' bony sap.

[lan_wangji]

Lan Wangji nods his thanks, still very unused to talking about such matters at all, much less as they pertain to Wei Ying.

"Many, many years keeping the secret. Still strange to speak it freely. Am sorry if it is difficult for Master to speak of such matters."

[vagabone]

"No, it's not." He flings up a hand dismissively. No biggie. It's not as if he's never seen happy couples before, and he resolved to never let his own feelings ruin anyone's good times... most days, anyway. His Yearly Madness is the one exception. "I had my shot and I blew it. Ruined it, I mean. But you two can do better."

[lan_wangji]

Lan Wangji thinks on this, silent for several moment as he discards immediate questions and inquiries.

"Is this a subject that Master Hector would rather Lan Wangji not speak of?" he asks, raising his eyes to meet Hector's. "Or is it a subject Master Hector would like to talk more about? Forgive but I cannot always tell. Do not want to cause undue stress."

[vagabone]

Some part of him does want to talk about it. Stand on the rooftops and scream about it, until he loses his voice or crumbles to dust--whichever. But that's not fair to everyone else, is it? There's nothing they can do for him, and it's all his own fault.

So... he shrugs. "It's over and done with. Nothing you or I can do about it, it's ancient history. I was just unlucky." He pauses, twining his fingers together. "I had a wife, I was crazy in love. I still am. Never met anyone else like her. And we had... had a daughter. Coco. She's always been the world to me."

His voice wavered a little there, oops. "The little girl in the picture I showed you. Then I had the bright idea to go traveling with my friend, play music for people, and ended up getting sick on the road before I made it back home to my family. Bad luck, that's all."

[lan_wangji]

Ah...

Lan Zhan is unsure if he should have pushed. It is often difficult for him to tell these sorts of conversation and social appropriateness. He hopes that if needed to, Hector would tell him no.

"That is very tragic," he murmurs, staring down at the snow as he folds his hands in his lap. His own suffering is nothing in the face of losing a partner and child.

"Unfair to you."

[vagabone]

He shrugs, as if it doesn't matter, probably not fooling anyone. He could hardly appear to be more fragile, and yet he does, somehow. Smaller. Drawing in on himself, far more worn down than he really realizes.

"The world's not fair. Things happen. Gotta make the best of it."

[lan_wangji]

He listens and thinks for a moment, trying to gauge how he should respond. Hector looks miserable, the kind of misery that Lan Zhan does understand, to a point.

"Mm, not fair. Agreed. But I mourned Wei Ying for years, alone. Told no one. Harder. If Master wants to speak of it, we are here."

[vagabone]

"I don't know that there's much more to say."

No, that's a cowardly lie. It's much worse than he's admitted it to being. He's almost gone. He's sure to vanish within hours, once he's returned back to where he belongs. It's going to be over soon... and even with the extra months to think about it, he's not sure how he feels about that. He'd be relieved, glad to finally rest, if he were guaranteed to be with Coco as he faded...

Hector just gives another tired, sad smile and shrugs. "At least I've got good friends. Yeah?"