[ open post: Lan Wangji and guests ]

[lightbearinglord]

In the wake of his disorienting and unpleasant stint in Gu Xiang's body, Lan Wangji has done his utmost to resume and enjoy all of his usual pursuits. He has, he believes, thoroughly made up for his lapse in his promise to Wei Ying. He has wielded kitchen knives, his ink brush, and Bichen with precision and enthusiasm. He has sunk into long, restorative shichen of meditation. He has, at Claudius' behest, thoroughly perused Emily Post's instructions regarding how to conduct oneself as the best man at a wedding.

There is the matter of his qin, too. The discovery of the spirit in Gideon's sword struck Lan Wangji with greater surprise than he might have expected. Such things were once commonplace for him; he hardly went two weeks, before he came to this place, without finding himself called to some night-hunt. He does not like to believe that he could become complacent, and he has always practiced diligently, but still.

The tableau is a familiar one: a certain parlor near the entryway of the mansion, one that often houses this particular cultivator along with his spiritual instrument. Wangji is balanced on a table at the center of the room, polished black wood gleaming and strings freshly tuned, and Lan Wangji sits cross-legged before it. He is not actually playing it at this precise moment, however, because he currently has guests. A small white rabbit sits next to the qin, munching his way through a piece of lettuce. An equally small brown rabbit is perched in the crook of Lan Wangji's elbow, eyeing his brother with some envy. Ostensibly, the rabbits are in trouble, because they have recently laid waste to Lan Wangji's copy of Emma. It is impossible to tell, because Lan Wangji is petting Danding's head with exactly as much solemn focus as always.

Comments

[futaille]

Grantaire is walking by, passes the room, realizes what he actually saw in the brief glance as he walked by, and returns, standing in the doorway.

"Small friends?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad is used to finding Lan Wangji here, and indeed was planning on finding him here today. He has his sketchbook as usual, and he's wearing the cloud-soft, sky-blue sweater Magnus picked for him; he has to roll the sleeves up over his hands or they're too long, but there's something pleasing about the sensation.

He hasn't seen Lan Wangji since Enjolras' meeting. He comes in quietly and sits nearby -- at a respectful distance from the table and Lan Wangji -- and flips open his sketchbook. In the last two weeks all his drawings have taken on a blasphemous cast: he keeps adding hagiography to his portraits, lambs and doves, croziers and aspergillum, vestments and symbols (Laertes with a discipline, Gideon in her skull paint with her sword aflame; Tress holding spores in her hand the way St Lucy holds her eyes, Claudius with great angelic wings; all of them haloed). There's something soothing about taking this language that he knows so intimately and using it to write about the people here, knowing God would hate it.

The latest sketch is Lan Wangji. With the rabbits and the qin he already looks like a saint surrounded by his associated objects, the way St Cuthbert is always shown with the otters who warmed his feet while he prayed in the north sea at night.

[kadewest]

Kade walks past! He's whistling a tune. Someone who knows something about music as a tool might be able to parse out that this tune is a communication, for all that Kade hasn't wanted--and therefore hasn't bothered--to look for the usual pan-pipes. (He's not actually talking to anyone; it's just a nigh-automatic recitation of one of the Court of the Rainbow Princess's ballads as he tries to excise it from being stuck in his mind.)

He's also still trying to be more present in this place. When he sees the open door, he pokes his head in.

[rememberettersberg]

"Hanguang-jun, hello." Nightingale raises a hand in greeting as he passes by, then doubles back to look more closely at the scene. "New arrivals?"

[ravkanwitch]

Upon seeing Lan Wangji in the parlor, Nina has decided to test out the name that Magnus told her he likes to be called. "Hi, Hanguang-jun, it's been a while since-- Who are these?" She immediately stops short upon seeing the two small rabbits, though, interrupting herself.

[sagramore]

Sagramore is determined to stop being so miserable around everyone, and that includes Lan Wangji, who has had to listen to far too much pitiousness about Asmodean. As an apology for said pitiousness, he's brought spicy arugula for the rabbits, wrapped in a paper towel, and coffee for himself -- he knows Lan Wangji will have tea for himself.

"Good morning."

[temnota]

Out of curiosity, Aleksander peered into the room he was passing by and was delighted to spot Lan Wangji. His smile widened as he noticed there were two small guests. His heart was quite irrevocably given to Szarka but the rabbits were rather adorable in their own rights.

"Hello Hanguang-jun and friends," he said warmly. "Am I interrupting?"