Thank you for the clarification, because I was ready to tell you there is NO ⚔️ list. I am still mentioning that, to make sure. We do not have a ⚔️ list.
By the time Lan Wangji's path has taken him to Wei Ying's door, Klaudia has still not responded to his last message. It leaves him with an ill feeling on top of the roil of emotions their exchange had caused. How had it taken such a harrowing turn? Would it have been better to say nothing at all? Who better to know the cruelty of having a person one cares for so wronged. And most of it isn't his to share regardless.
He should have been more in command of himself and the conversation, he should not have allowed himself to be so shaken by a question whose painful significance she could not have known. Or could she have? Her reaction implied she knew something of Wei Ying's death. What had he told her? Yet it hadn't been enough to soften the horror and impotent fury at his fate, clearly coming as a shock to her. A horror he still has no answer for, for Klaudia.
For himself, though, there is Wei Ying. For the bile and bitterness of recalling how their whole world had dragged his name through the dirt, had driven him up a barren graveyard mountain and then down, down to the bottom of a cliff, there is Wei Ying free of worries in this world. For the ache of knowing he will not return home so long as it is a world devoid of the one who knows him, there is Wei Ying alive and well in this one, and there is the promise he had made to cherish this every day.
And that is why Lan Wangji is knocking on his door now, heart racing in his chest and fist wrapped around a second key to his own door, clutched so tightly it will leave a mark on his palm.
The knock comes as a surprise, even if the person behind it won't. After being left to his fate by Klaudia it was only a matter of time, if he is to complete his assignment of figuring out the best way to gently steer Lan Zhan into sharing space. For the good of the overcrowded city, and Lan Zhan himself, who can realistically be expected to understand there are fates worse than Wei Wuxian leaving artifacts on the floor, without serious objection to the imposition beyond the obvious. That's not even really the concern, if he's being honest, as much as the ongoing morass of--something. Keeping a vow to himself to honor a bond in the face of exceptionally unexpected trials, without making it into a stricture, maybe. Or drawing attention to--anything. He's really just been dragging his heels and turning his thoughts into rats' nests about the inevitable, trying and failing to steel himself before seeking Lan Zhan out. Being saved this effort should be relieving, but instead he just feels like he's been caught at something. Possibly this is in part due to the alleged spying, which he suspects now maybe did not go as undetected as was implied.
Recognizing a knock at the door is one thing, but being faced with the intensity looming behind it when he opens it is another, and it isn't putting him at ease so much as tabling his own problems for later in favor of what is clearly a new (if welcome) one. Only his own personal scholastic tradition of interpreting Lan Zhan's minutest and most cryptic expressions keeps him from assuming he's here for a duel over some unknown (but probably fair) grievance. As it is, he can only grin nervously and block the doorway like his unease is something tangible in the room behind him.
[Being woken in the early morning after being up most of the night is never pleasant... even less so when it's to the news that their flat has been snowed in. Klaudia spends the first hour checking the full perimeter of the apartment, doors and windows alike. The snow covers all of the windows, and opening the front door is met with a wall of frigid white. The urge to claw her way to the surface is strong, but not strong enough to overpower her fear of caving all that snow into their already tiny living space. She's never seen so much snow before, and it's terrifying.]
[She spends the next fifteen minutes pacing the length of apartment, annoying her roommate with her fretting, and trying to think of what to do. Which culminates in sending a lot of very hasty texts to the first people she can think of...]
Today may be of special significance to many inhabitants of Camelot and its refugee population, but none could match the one on Lan Wangji's mind. Today has been a day for cherishing Wei Ying, to quite a bit of success already, thanks to Klaudia's wise forethought. And although it is evening now, the sun having set and the first stars beginning to show through a loose cloud cover, he isn't done with the day's purpose yet.
Having finished up dinner at one of their usual places, they are on their way back to the inn. Though, following Klaudia's example, Lan Wangji neglects to comment as he suddenly takes a turn onto a different route, one leading away from the inn. Whether Wei Ying notices or not, he will continue to walk down this new street bathed in the warm glow of pumpkin lanterns, steadfast and unperturbed as he is seemingly drawn to another destination entirely.
It's even odds but Wei Ying does notice the deviation from route, though he is only gently curious about the purpose of it, if any. Lan Zhan may want to see the pumpkins. Lan Zhan may want him to see the pumpkins, since he's been pretty enamored with every other aspect of this unusual holiday (look, it's at least a little funny, right? And the lanterns are festive!). Whether it's about him or just inscrutable Lan Zhan business, Wei Wuxian is happy to accompany him on any level of errand or idle postprandial stroll, and has gotten through most of his mischief energy allotment for the day already. Or perhaps he has mostly been appeased by gifts and attention.
This doesn't mean indirect prompting is off limits. “Lan Zhan has good ideas as always. It's not every year my birthday is a holiday, how can I let it be over so soon?”
~⭐~🌠~⭐~🌌~⭐~🌠~🌙~🌠~⭐~🌌~⭐~🌠~⭐~ You are cordially invited to this year's Simril bonfire celebration. To be hosted on December 21st at sundown, lasting to December 22nd at sunrise. To be located in the field outside of Camelot's West gate. Cushions and potatoes will be provided. Bringing food and music is encouraged. ~⭐~🌠~⭐~🌌~⭐~🌠~🌙~🌠~⭐~🌌~⭐~🌠~⭐~
Spirit luring is very useful and I practically invented it, but I think if your candle emits so much energy it appeals to ghosts, you probably have more problems than putting one in a jar. Also why are you researching putting ghosts in jars? 🤔👻 ⬅️ (ghost concern)
A message from Klaudia pops up on Wei Wuxian's phone. There's no text, just a picture of a jar of peppers sitting on the edge of a familiar tea table located conveniently in their living room.
[Of course, a ghost trap. This is probably normal. Wei Wuxian will accept this for what it is and go to his certain ambush jar of peppers, broadcasting unwariness the whole way.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[text]
💀👻✨🧙🚫😱❓
(Do you know any people with death magic who are also not cowards?)
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text, un: selcouth
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🎂🎂, ➡️👻
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I'll be out of town starting today, so if you're looking for me, you'll have to message me instead.
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[A few seconds of hesitation later... ]
😈👍❓ No pictures, I'm afraid it's your phone that got stolen.
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text; un: selcouth
🚫💀👻‼️
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[September 22-ish]
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😈🆗❓
A smart sand cultivator would surely lead with that if she weren't. You're not going to fight it, right?
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just a Normal text message to get
💅🤡💢🚮🚮🚮
🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫
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💅🤡💢⚔️❓
❓❓❓❓❓❓❓❓❓
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Some late morning, early october
Are you available this afternoon? I was hoping that you would accompany me for a project.
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Or not formal enough? Maybe all requests for assistance should be submitted in writing for due consideration.
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[text, early october]
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text; un: selcouth [mid-month]
Hypothetical ❓. Are there any clan leaders that would not be on the ⚔️ list? As in, not want to ⚔️ with you?
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1/...?
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He should have been more in command of himself and the conversation, he should not have allowed himself to be so shaken by a question whose painful significance she could not have known. Or could she have? Her reaction implied she knew something of Wei Ying's death. What had he told her? Yet it hadn't been enough to soften the horror and impotent fury at his fate, clearly coming as a shock to her. A horror he still has no answer for, for Klaudia.
For himself, though, there is Wei Ying. For the bile and bitterness of recalling how their whole world had dragged his name through the dirt, had driven him up a barren graveyard mountain and then down, down to the bottom of a cliff, there is Wei Ying free of worries in this world. For the ache of knowing he will not return home so long as it is a world devoid of the one who knows him, there is Wei Ying alive and well in this one, and there is the promise he had made to cherish this every day.
And that is why Lan Wangji is knocking on his door now, heart racing in his chest and fist wrapped around a second key to his own door, clutched so tightly it will leave a mark on his palm.
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Recognizing a knock at the door is one thing, but being faced with the intensity looming behind it when he opens it is another, and it isn't putting him at ease so much as tabling his own problems for later in favor of what is clearly a new (if welcome) one. Only his own personal scholastic tradition of interpreting Lan Zhan's minutest and most cryptic expressions keeps him from assuming he's here for a duel over some unknown (but probably fair) grievance. As it is, he can only grin nervously and block the doorway like his unease is something tangible in the room behind him.
"Lan Zhan! Was I supposed to be somewhere?"
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text; un: selcouth
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Hello Master of Six Arts of Questionable Artistic Value 😔
Is making snow-people an art? Are you good at that one, too? ⛄⛄⛄ Asking for a friend! (The friend is me.)
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The artistic value is fine, I'm never telling you anything again!
I'm not used to a lot of snow but I'm sure I'm very good at this. I won't even put ghosts in them.
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text; un: selcouth (backdated to the mid-month snowstorm)
[She spends the next fifteen minutes pacing the length of apartment, annoying her roommate with her fretting, and trying to think of what to do. Which culminates in sending a lot of very hasty texts to the first people she can think of...]
Are you awake???
❄❄❄❄❄❄
It snowed and we can't get out
I don't know what to do please help
All the doors and windows are blocked
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Okay, that sounds worse actually, don't do that, just the first part.
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Having finished up dinner at one of their usual places, they are on their way back to the inn. Though, following Klaudia's example, Lan Wangji neglects to comment as he suddenly takes a turn onto a different route, one leading away from the inn. Whether Wei Ying notices or not, he will continue to walk down this new street bathed in the warm glow of pumpkin lanterns, steadfast and unperturbed as he is seemingly drawn to another destination entirely.
no subject
This doesn't mean indirect prompting is off limits. “Lan Zhan has good ideas as always. It's not every year my birthday is a holiday, how can I let it be over so soon?”
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text; un: selcouth
😱🗣️❌🐍✨✔️🦆✨!!!
😱🗣️😱❌➡️🌊
... 🐣✨➡️🦆❓
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😱👍🐦, 👎🐍, 👎✨, 👎📘
✔️😱➡️🌊. 👻!!!
...✨🦆 🤔🤔🤔 🌊✔️
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text; un: idontknow
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No, I don't even need to know, you're definitely not a bird murderer. But...I do want to know. Why would you be a bird murderer?
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text; un: selcouth [backdated to a week ago, before emoji poem drama]
You are cordially invited to this year's Simril bonfire celebration.
To be hosted on December 21st at sundown, lasting to December 22nd at sunrise.
To be located in the field outside of Camelot's West gate.
Cushions and potatoes will be provided. Bringing food and music is encouraged.
~⭐~🌠~⭐~🌌~⭐~🌠~🌙~🌠~⭐~🌌~⭐~🌠~⭐~
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This humble 👻 cordially accepts both the invitation and the encouragement.
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[At midnight on New Year's]
text; un: selcouth
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[Jan 28th, sort of text but not for long]
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certain ambushjar of peppers, broadcasting unwariness the whole way.](no subject)
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[text]
🤔❓ 🥄👍👎❓ 👻✨👍👎❓ 😈✨👍👎❓
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[late february]
😈🏫👍❓
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☁️⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐, ☁️🤔⬆️⬆️⬆️ 👍🏫
👻⚫
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🎶✨⬅️👻👻👻💨❓
🎶✨⤵️📦🎶🎶⬅️👻👻👻💨❓
👻⤵️🎶✨📦❓
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❓😈♾️🤔⤵️👻📦🫙🥣🥫❗❗❗
👻😟
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text; un: selcouth
⚔️! 🏹! 🐎🛡️🗡️!!!
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