Blues dominate, yellows spring up from the little gardens as rogue rock-flowers make use of the ponds and waterways, and the only true splash of vividness is a flash of red whenever Wangji's zhiyin careens through. It is not hard to keep the news of visiting Sect Leader lowkey but it does require that Xichen tactfully sends Sizhui and his friends up the mountain to enjoy a day off in the cold springs if they wish, needing to use some quieter, younger juniors whom he knows will not bring word of Jiang Cheng's arrival to the Jingshi up the hill. No doubt Wangji and his husband will come barrelling in at some point tomorrow when news eventually travels, but if Xichen cannot keep a secret for a single night he is not much of a leader at all.
That is how Jiang Cheng is greeted by two very respectful youths at the gates and led to the Hanshi where Xichen has been secluding himself (save for idle jaunts into the town where no one knows him beyond his title and a gulf of respect so wide it leaves him more alone in a crowd than not). With the knowledge of a visiting guest he actually wants to see lifting his depression somewhat, he has combed his hair and has tea waiting to be poured when Wanyin is escorted in.
His smile is genuine, dark eyes soft as they linger on Jiang Cheng above a bow. For as displaced as he feels most of the time, he anchors onto the other's presence and has a sense of his true self again. ]
Jiang-zongzhu, welcome. Please, sit with me after your journey. Tell me all about it.
[ Jiang Cheng remembers being at Cloud Recesses when he was younger, before everything had changed and his life had fallen apart around him.
It's strange, to be back here now as a completely different person, trying to ignore the ache in his chest and the prickle of discomfort that he feels. He knows that Wei Wuxian is haunting these lands, both literally and metaphorically, and the idea of coming face to face with him isn't something he is emotionally prepared for. Their relationship might have improved since his brother had first returned to life, but things aren't necessarily good. It's too intense for someone who hasn't had an hour of preparation.
Walking through the gates and up to the quiet buildings, he feels a sense of overwhelming relief - but also an odd little nervousness. It isn't often that he and his fellow Sect Leader are together alone, and he wants to make the best impression that he possibly can. He's embarrassed himself so often in front of Lan Xichen that the idea of making a fool of himself now makes him nauseated.
The first thing he does, of course, is offer the proper bow, his smile genuine for the first time in many days. Spending time travelling is good for him, he enjoys that, but there's something to be said for excellent company. ]
No, thank you, Lan-zongzhu. I am glad to have been invited. [ Stepping inside, he places his sword down gently as he makes himself comfortable. ] It hasn't been a difficult trip. I don't think I have done anything worth too much explanation, just met with a matchmaker and visited some of the quieter areas of Yunmeng.
[ Xichen relaxes as they sit down and pours the tea, gaze flitting over Jiang Cheng as subtly as he can manage to take in the sheer life that exudes from him, vibrant with energy and colour. He feels like more of a ghost of himself than ever, swapping his favoured pastel blues for whites and greys like a washed-out canvas; Xichen sometimes thinks he made himself available to A-Yao in too many ways and wants to crawl in a burrow like one of the snow-rabbits, visually nothing.
He looks better today though, some colour is in his thinner cheeks. Faint bruises lie under his eyes that sparkle happily to have good company. ]
While I haven't done anything as thrilling as visiting a matchmaker, I found some old texts in the library and have been spending my time restoring them. [ Which sounds boring, but. ] Wangji has been helping me, whenever he is home.
[ Jiang Cheng cannot blame Lan Xichen for the position that he is in - while their interactions with Jin Guangyao were different, they had both been betrayed. He wouldn't dare suggest it was on the same level, that what his fellow father to a-Ling had done to him could dare equal what he had done to his fellow Sect Leader, but he can at least empathise.
It is strange, to see Xichen in such sad, melancholy colours, the kind that suit his brother better. It doesn't make him feel particularly comfortable, but it's not his place to make any kind of suggestion on fashion. ]
That sounds like a better use of time, if you ask me. [ He almost rolls his eyes. Almost.
Jiang Cheng's jaw, however, tightens at the mention of Lan Wangji. ] Yes. I've heard they have been travelling as well.
[ The soft indent of his smile follows a demure blink at their drinks, thanking the junior who arrives with their food (a few meat dishes have been prepared for Jiang Cheng, the rest is vegetarian). Xichen did imagine he would be fielding the topic of Wangji and his own new brother-in-law, prepared to approach it as tactfully as possible. ]
Spending four months sequestered in Gusu for the honeymoon was not to Wei Wuxian's liking. [ To put it mildly, tradition went out the window: loud complaints were made ('I'm not a wife so it doesn't apply!'), Wangji would only indulge his husband, and Xichen enjoyed hearing about all the places Wei Wuxian wanted to explore. ] They have been spending their time travelling without being assigned any missions to do with cultivation in the surrounding districts.
[ They have been roaming around having fun, in short. Wangji needed it after sixteen years of pining.
Xichen sips his tea, patiently watching Jiang Cheng's reaction. There is no way, truly, to avoid the fact of the union existing less than a mile up the mountain, so it may as well be addressed first. ]
[ Jiang Cheng is quiet as they're brought food, offering a quiet thanks, appreciative of the fact that they've gone out of their way to provide him with something he's more accustomed to. He would have been fine eating anything from Gusu Lan, but he appreciates the gesture all the same. He doesn't smile, but he is soft in voice if nothing else. ]
No. I don't imagine he enjoyed it at all. [ His voice is a little more sour now. He doesn't particularly want to hear about his brother's nuptials, doesn't want to hear anything about what Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have been getting up to. It isn't because he cares about them choosing to marry one another - he'd had to get over that quickly enough - but because he will never, in this lifetime or another, become friendly with Lan Wangji.
His siblings have a tradition of marrying the men that irritate him the most.
Shaking his head, he leans forward to take a drink of his tea. ]
They arrived back two days ago. We won't see them for a while unless news travels, [ it is sweet, he has to admit, how besotted they both are, ] but it shouldn't.
[ As much as he indulges Sizhui it is wildly obvious who the boy's best friends are, tightly-knit in their group, and he was careful when selecting which would be on guard-duty tonight. Jingyi is at the cold ponds too, so Xichen hazards a safe guess that Jiang Cheng's visit is not widely known. Yet. As much as he has been in seclusion, Xichen cannot escape being the Sect Leader of dozens of high-spirited teenagers and he knows them all well. ]
Travel suits you, too; Jiang-zongzhu looks very well. Will you stay for a day or two before moving on?
[ Does he mean good for them, or good that they're travelling, or that he won't see them? He isn't sure yet, he can barely tell what he means himself, uncertain and irritated by things he can't control. Jiang Cheng can't say he's happy as he is, but a part of him is happy to know Wei Wuxian has finally found a place of happiness.
Even if the price had been steep, in the end. ]
I would gladly take advantage of your kindness, if you would allow it, Lan-zongzhu. It has been too long since I saw the beauty of Cloud Recesses.
To be honest, Lan-zongzhu, I only mostly listened to the rules as a student.
[ He did spend a lot of time with his brother, trying not to cause problems and still breaking a handful of rules at the same time. His smile, this time, is a little fond. ]
I think I would rather spend my time reading, the same as you.
[ Jiang Cheng would much rather that Lan Xichen have a better impression of him than that, and he shakes his head, as if that'll get rid of the silly memories.
He wants to be seen as someone good, and strong, and worthy of respect. ]
Most things. I've taken an interest in history, since I needed to rebuild Yunmeng.
[ Of a teenager, which he himself was only lately not one back in those days. He shakes his head to reassure him the reports were never anything with gravitas (frankly, the sheer magnitude of Wei Wuxian's outshone anyone else's reports for a good few years). ]
We should have something in the archives on Yunmeng in general, at the very least, architecture and history are two of our main sections. We can visit in the morning, at whichever hour you arise.
[ Lan Clan hours are 5am, after all. Some things never change but Jiang Cheng's need to wake at the crack of dawn has, with his status, done just that. It's nice to offer him the indulgence of Cloud Recesses as a getaway. ]
I would appreciate that. I've tried to rebuild as much as possible from memories, but more knowledge would be nothing but a boon.
[ He doesn't intend to be awake as early as the Lan are, but he wakes up early enough. There are never enough hours in the day to do all the work that he needs to do, even if he tries to delegate Sometimes.
Rarely. ]
I won't wake up as late as a troublesome student, I promise you.
I would have come sooner, if I had thought you wanted my company.
[ Because, really. Jiang Cheng doesn't expect anyone to want to spend more time with him than they need to these days. Maybe his temper has calmed a little, but he still wouldn't be described as pleasant. The matchmaker had proven that. ]
Hopefully you will continue to find the company good.
Your company could not be anything but. I hope mine is sufficient.
[ He will make sure every need and whim of Jiang Cheng's is met but he is not (on a daily basis) as upbeat anymore. It feels like he had a lung carved out somewhere along the way and lost his thrill of being social for too long before becoming breathless with a need for solitude.
Xichen really should be more of an active member in their world. It's tiring to think of how much effort that would require, paranoia eats at him at night, yet he feels none of that apprehension around Jiang Cheng who is (sometimes roaringly) honest. He doesn't care if that temper goes against decorum, as long as it is rooted in genuine emotions.
I believe this is the kind of company that I need more, these days.
[ Quiet, rational, kind. Jiang Cheng has spent too many years around manipulation, danger, trouble, frustration - all things that have robbed him of joy and calm that might have made him a different man. This soft comfort is exactly what he needs now, growing older and settling into his place as leader.
Xichen taking to seclusion doesn't surprise Jiang Cheng, nor does it offend him. He can't be blamed, given all that happened, and he shakes his head, scoffing a little. ]
I should be thanking you. You've been incredibly kind.
I have? [ It's not fishing for compliments, he looks genuinely surprised while topping up Jiang Cheng's tea. ] If anything I am being selfish and fully intend to covet your attention while you are here.
[ Having a temper is no reason for anyone to shy away from Jiang Cheng, who is like a bear to Wei Wuxian's fox. Louder and scarier, perhaps, but still very brave and kind at heart from what Xichen has experienced. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ Purple is a rare colour in Cloud Recesses.
Blues dominate, yellows spring up from the little gardens as rogue rock-flowers make use of the ponds and waterways, and the only true splash of vividness is a flash of red whenever Wangji's zhiyin careens through. It is not hard to keep the news of visiting Sect Leader lowkey but it does require that Xichen tactfully sends Sizhui and his friends up the mountain to enjoy a day off in the cold springs if they wish, needing to use some quieter, younger juniors whom he knows will not bring word of Jiang Cheng's arrival to the Jingshi up the hill. No doubt Wangji and his husband will come barrelling in at some point tomorrow when news eventually travels, but if Xichen cannot keep a secret for a single night he is not much of a leader at all.
That is how Jiang Cheng is greeted by two very respectful youths at the gates and led to the Hanshi where Xichen has been secluding himself (save for idle jaunts into the town where no one knows him beyond his title and a gulf of respect so wide it leaves him more alone in a crowd than not). With the knowledge of a visiting guest he actually wants to see lifting his depression somewhat, he has combed his hair and has tea waiting to be poured when Wanyin is escorted in.
His smile is genuine, dark eyes soft as they linger on Jiang Cheng above a bow. For as displaced as he feels most of the time, he anchors onto the other's presence and has a sense of his true self again. ]
Jiang-zongzhu, welcome. Please, sit with me after your journey. Tell me all about it.
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It's strange, to be back here now as a completely different person, trying to ignore the ache in his chest and the prickle of discomfort that he feels. He knows that Wei Wuxian is haunting these lands, both literally and metaphorically, and the idea of coming face to face with him isn't something he is emotionally prepared for. Their relationship might have improved since his brother had first returned to life, but things aren't necessarily good. It's too intense for someone who hasn't had an hour of preparation.
Walking through the gates and up to the quiet buildings, he feels a sense of overwhelming relief - but also an odd little nervousness. It isn't often that he and his fellow Sect Leader are together alone, and he wants to make the best impression that he possibly can. He's embarrassed himself so often in front of Lan Xichen that the idea of making a fool of himself now makes him nauseated.
The first thing he does, of course, is offer the proper bow, his smile genuine for the first time in many days. Spending time travelling is good for him, he enjoys that, but there's something to be said for excellent company. ]
No, thank you, Lan-zongzhu. I am glad to have been invited. [ Stepping inside, he places his sword down gently as he makes himself comfortable. ] It hasn't been a difficult trip. I don't think I have done anything worth too much explanation, just met with a matchmaker and visited some of the quieter areas of Yunmeng.
[ He glances around the room, almost shyly. ]
How have you found yourself, Lan-zongzhu?
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He looks better today though, some colour is in his thinner cheeks. Faint bruises lie under his eyes that sparkle happily to have good company. ]
While I haven't done anything as thrilling as visiting a matchmaker, I found some old texts in the library and have been spending my time restoring them. [ Which sounds boring, but. ] Wangji has been helping me, whenever he is home.
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It is strange, to see Xichen in such sad, melancholy colours, the kind that suit his brother better. It doesn't make him feel particularly comfortable, but it's not his place to make any kind of suggestion on fashion. ]
That sounds like a better use of time, if you ask me. [ He almost rolls his eyes. Almost.
Jiang Cheng's jaw, however, tightens at the mention of Lan Wangji. ] Yes. I've heard they have been travelling as well.
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Spending four months sequestered in Gusu for the honeymoon was not to Wei Wuxian's liking. [ To put it mildly, tradition went out the window: loud complaints were made ('I'm not a wife so it doesn't apply!'), Wangji would only indulge his husband, and Xichen enjoyed hearing about all the places Wei Wuxian wanted to explore. ] They have been spending their time travelling without being assigned any missions to do with cultivation in the surrounding districts.
[ They have been roaming around having fun, in short. Wangji needed it after sixteen years of pining.
Xichen sips his tea, patiently watching Jiang Cheng's reaction. There is no way, truly, to avoid the fact of the union existing less than a mile up the mountain, so it may as well be addressed first. ]
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No. I don't imagine he enjoyed it at all. [ His voice is a little more sour now. He doesn't particularly want to hear about his brother's nuptials, doesn't want to hear anything about what Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have been getting up to. It isn't because he cares about them choosing to marry one another - he'd had to get over that quickly enough - but because he will never, in this lifetime or another, become friendly with Lan Wangji.
His siblings have a tradition of marrying the men that irritate him the most.
Shaking his head, he leans forward to take a drink of his tea. ]
Travel suits him.
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[ As much as he indulges Sizhui it is wildly obvious who the boy's best friends are, tightly-knit in their group, and he was careful when selecting which would be on guard-duty tonight. Jingyi is at the cold ponds too, so Xichen hazards a safe guess that Jiang Cheng's visit is not widely known. Yet. As much as he has been in seclusion, Xichen cannot escape being the Sect Leader of dozens of high-spirited teenagers and he knows them all well. ]
Travel suits you, too; Jiang-zongzhu looks very well. Will you stay for a day or two before moving on?
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[ Does he mean good for them, or good that they're travelling, or that he won't see them? He isn't sure yet, he can barely tell what he means himself, uncertain and irritated by things he can't control. Jiang Cheng can't say he's happy as he is, but a part of him is happy to know Wei Wuxian has finally found a place of happiness.
Even if the price had been steep, in the end. ]
I would gladly take advantage of your kindness, if you would allow it, Lan-zongzhu. It has been too long since I saw the beauty of Cloud Recesses.
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You must go and do as you wish while with us, now with the freedom of not being a student beholden to upkeeping our rules.
[ His eyes twinkle with a hint of a tease, remembering well the days when Wangji's peers were students. ]
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[ He did spend a lot of time with his brother, trying not to cause problems and still breaking a handful of rules at the same time. His smile, this time, is a little fond. ]
I think I would rather spend my time reading, the same as you.
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[ It's said lightly, lashes lowered. His smile remains as he eats, pleased to have an excuse to be around the other man following this evening. ]
What do you like to read?
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[ Jiang Cheng would much rather that Lan Xichen have a better impression of him than that, and he shakes his head, as if that'll get rid of the silly memories.
He wants to be seen as someone good, and strong, and worthy of respect. ]
Most things. I've taken an interest in history, since I needed to rebuild Yunmeng.
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[ Of a teenager, which he himself was only lately not one back in those days. He shakes his head to reassure him the reports were never anything with gravitas (frankly, the sheer magnitude of Wei Wuxian's outshone anyone else's reports for a good few years). ]
We should have something in the archives on Yunmeng in general, at the very least, architecture and history are two of our main sections. We can visit in the morning, at whichever hour you arise.
[ Lan Clan hours are 5am, after all. Some things never change but Jiang Cheng's need to wake at the crack of dawn has, with his status, done just that. It's nice to offer him the indulgence of Cloud Recesses as a getaway. ]
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[ He doesn't intend to be awake as early as the Lan are, but he wakes up early enough. There are never enough hours in the day to do all the work that he needs to do, even if he tries to delegate Sometimes.
Rarely. ]
I won't wake up as late as a troublesome student, I promise you.
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[ The fond look he wears deepens, warming him as effectively as his refilled tea as he considers Jiang Cheng before him with a thoughtful gaze. ]
It is refreshing.
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[ Because, really. Jiang Cheng doesn't expect anyone to want to spend more time with him than they need to these days. Maybe his temper has calmed a little, but he still wouldn't be described as pleasant. The matchmaker had proven that. ]
Hopefully you will continue to find the company good.
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[ He will make sure every need and whim of Jiang Cheng's is met but he is not (on a daily basis) as upbeat anymore. It feels like he had a lung carved out somewhere along the way and lost his thrill of being social for too long before becoming breathless with a need for solitude.
Xichen really should be more of an active member in their world. It's tiring to think of how much effort that would require, paranoia eats at him at night, yet he feels none of that apprehension around Jiang Cheng who is (sometimes roaringly) honest. He doesn't care if that temper goes against decorum, as long as it is rooted in genuine emotions.
Quieter, he adds, ] Thank you for coming.
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[ Quiet, rational, kind. Jiang Cheng has spent too many years around manipulation, danger, trouble, frustration - all things that have robbed him of joy and calm that might have made him a different man. This soft comfort is exactly what he needs now, growing older and settling into his place as leader.
Xichen taking to seclusion doesn't surprise Jiang Cheng, nor does it offend him. He can't be blamed, given all that happened, and he shakes his head, scoffing a little. ]
I should be thanking you. You've been incredibly kind.
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[ Such a terrible person. ]
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[ He waves a hand - as if it is selfish, given the fact... ]
Few others here would want the company.
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[ Having a temper is no reason for anyone to shy away from Jiang Cheng, who is like a bear to Wei Wuxian's fox. Louder and scarier, perhaps, but still very brave and kind at heart from what Xichen has experienced. ]
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[ Xichen sees a much kinder side of him, Jiang Cheng can admit that, and it's rare that he has occasion to be soft outside of Yunmeng. ]
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Do I seem very fond of you?
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[ It feels a little embarrassing to even consider it, truthfully. ]
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I am fond of Jiang-zongzhu for his own merits, yes. Not entirely out of respect for his position.
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