[Wow his ring is fine! Maybe it's just a normal piece of jewelry he found somewhere! DON'T LOOK AT HIM.
But they're of the same mind, then, as they often are. He'd gone with Wei Wuxian the night of the meteor shower to scan the rivers, checking for damages and injuries and observing the general state of things, and they'd both agreed that the whole thing felt... unnatural. Following it up with a prophetic dream hadn't made Lan Wangji any less dubious, but the compulsion inside of him is too strong to fight--and besides that, he truly wishes to help.]
The dream implied they would cause death and destruction.
[Implied... but Lan Wangji doesn't know how to explain that it's more than that. That he fears for them, for the entire country, that while he's not sure he trusts the sense of purpose in his chest, he's confident his thoughts would be the same, regardless. At the core of everything, he's only ever wanted to do good.]
But I believe it is preventable. They may be able to help.
[ He wouldn't wear a random piece of jewelry he found somewhere. Shinobu knows this. She didn't give it to him, so there's only one option left, and she doesn't like it! She's going to confront ask him about it, but the dreams and the Maou should be talked about first because she is MATURE.
She frowns. ]
So whoever they are can either save us or destroy us. That's one incentive for finding them, but why is this happening now?
[SHE IS MATURE, far more mature than Lan Wangji honestly. Luckily, they're both capable of staying on-topic--even though Lan Wangji doesn't have anything he can really say, to that.
He reaches for his own tea, taking a sip as he ponders her question.]
I would like to know that, too.
[But who could they ask that would know any more than they do? Where would they start? Should they try praying for guidance?]
[ Why should they pray to the cause of all this, even though they don't know that yet? Gods are fickle.
Like a mirror, she picks up her own cup of tea, and because tea can be medicinal—
Without blinking and before she can think, her hand moves into motion, abruptly tossing the tea at Lan Wangji's face. She follows it by hurling the cup with as much force straight at him. ]
[Oh, y'know, just to see what they say. Let them have a little chat, on the spirit telephone. Surely nothing would go wrong with that at all.
But any thoughts of plans or strategies are about to be wiped from his mind. He reacts on pure instinct alone, with no time to be confused over why his skin is prickling in warning before he's dodging her unprompted attack. The tea spills everywhere, and behind him comes the sound of the cup shattering against the wall--but he doesn't even look, too busy staring at her in concern.]
[ Nothing bad could come from talking to gods. Absolutely. That's why Lan Wangji's going to try, isn't he.
Shinobu is shocked, her eyes wide and all signs of a smile wiped from her face. She looks from her hands to her brother, a sense of lingering horror fading from her. She doesn't move because she's a little afraid of what just happened. ]
I don't know. I didn't want to do that. I wasn't thinking or feeling like.... It just happened.
[ Her confusion is etched in how her lips curve into a frown. ]
More importantly, he's looking at her with concern. If she says she didn't mean to, he believes her unquestioningly--but then, what happened?
He gets up, moving around the table, intending to sit beside her and take her hands to check them over. The tea and broken cup are totally ignored. Messes can be cleaned up--right now, all that matters is her.]
[ Not physically. But mentally, emotionally—there may be a small wound. To think she could ever attack someone she holds so dear like that is unthinkable even in her darkest moments. ]
I almost hurt you.
[ Shouldn't she be asking him that question instead? ]
You did not. [He says it not unkindly, but firmly. He knows her, of course, and he can't expect her not to feel upset about it, but he'll do what he can to reassure her. For him, and for now, that comes in the form of trying to figure this out.]
How do you feel now? [Is she back in control of herself?]
[He'll clean up the cup later. For now, he rises, stepping delicately out of the room to go and fetch his guqin. When he returns, he settles it across his lap, and pauses for a moment--he hasn't played for her for this reason in a very long time.
He closes his eyes, and starts to play.
As his fingers move across the strings, the air between them shifts--growing heavier as his power thickens. When he opens his eyes, they're glowing a soft gold, and as he looks at her, she'll be able to feel the way he's looking into her. No part of her will, of her heart, is left unknown.
He knows her well enough that anything out of ordinary would make itself readily apparent. It's probably mildly concerning, then, that it takes a while for him to finish, even with how thorough he normally is about everything he does. The song winds down relatively quickly, and he closes his eyes again, forcing his ability recede. He keeps his eyes closed as he rests his hands gently on the strings, waiting for the last notes to fade before he shakes his head.]
Something is off. But it is not from any cursed object.
[So she didn't touch anything funky without knowing it. He's pretty sure it's not possession, either, but he couldn't trace the source itself, nor could he figure out how to purge it. That's what took so long.]
[ It is a little concerning when he takes so long. Is it something he can't see, or is it something else? She keeps silent and still, though, calm and composed while waiting.
Even if her hands betray her, she won't let her other behavior do so, if she has anything to say about it. ]
Then... is this another effect of the meteor shower?
[ She flexes her fingers. That's still under her control, but for how long? Until when? She doesn't want to experiment and test it when the outcome is attacking the person she loves the most. ]
If you couldn't sense it, then there may be no way to remove it.
[ Which pains her as much as it angers her. ]
... Perhaps we should see each other less for a while.
[It's always so difficult, when she makes a point he can't argue with. He could probably disarm her if she attacked him again, or at least make sure she didn't cause him any serious damage, but his heart aches just to think of the look that would put on her face. He knows how it feels, to be unable to control yourself. It isn't pleasant when it's not harmful--he can only imagine what it must be like for her.]
I will remain close by, then.
[In case she needs him. In case it gets worse--he needs to be near enough to stop her from harming herself. As long as she doesn't catch sight of him, that should be enough, right?]
[ It's an automatic gesture, to reach out to him for a touch of comfort, but when it's her hands that have betrayed her, she freezes. There's an expression that flashes across her face, that probably only Lan Wangji would have seen in recent years, and she shuts her yes, closing off her open vulnerability. ]
All right.
[ She knows he will loom nearby, but it's better than trying to hurt him instantaneously. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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But they're of the same mind, then, as they often are. He'd gone with Wei Wuxian the night of the meteor shower to scan the rivers, checking for damages and injuries and observing the general state of things, and they'd both agreed that the whole thing felt... unnatural. Following it up with a prophetic dream hadn't made Lan Wangji any less dubious, but the compulsion inside of him is too strong to fight--and besides that, he truly wishes to help.]
The dream implied they would cause death and destruction.
[Implied... but Lan Wangji doesn't know how to explain that it's more than that. That he fears for them, for the entire country, that while he's not sure he trusts the sense of purpose in his chest, he's confident his thoughts would be the same, regardless. At the core of everything, he's only ever wanted to do good.]
But I believe it is preventable. They may be able to help.
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confrontask him about it, but the dreams and the Maou should be talked about first because she is MATURE.She frowns. ]
So whoever they are can either save us or destroy us. That's one incentive for finding them, but why is this happening now?
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He reaches for his own tea, taking a sip as he ponders her question.]
I would like to know that, too.
[But who could they ask that would know any more than they do? Where would they start? Should they try praying for guidance?]
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Like a mirror, she picks up her own cup of tea, and because tea can be medicinal—
Without blinking and before she can think, her hand moves into motion, abruptly tossing the tea at Lan Wangji's face. She follows it by hurling the cup with as much force straight at him. ]
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But any thoughts of plans or strategies are about to be wiped from his mind. He reacts on pure instinct alone, with no time to be confused over why his skin is prickling in warning before he's dodging her unprompted attack. The tea spills everywhere, and behind him comes the sound of the cup shattering against the wall--but he doesn't even look, too busy staring at her in concern.]
Shinobu?
[What was that??]
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Shinobu is shocked, her eyes wide and all signs of a smile wiped from her face. She looks from her hands to her brother, a sense of lingering horror fading from her. She doesn't move because she's a little afraid of what just happened. ]
I don't know. I didn't want to do that. I wasn't thinking or feeling like.... It just happened.
[ Her confusion is etched in how her lips curve into a frown. ]
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More importantly, he's looking at her with concern. If she says she didn't mean to, he believes her unquestioningly--but then, what happened?
He gets up, moving around the table, intending to sit beside her and take her hands to check them over. The tea and broken cup are totally ignored. Messes can be cleaned up--right now, all that matters is her.]
Are you hurt?
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[ Not physically. But mentally, emotionally—there may be a small wound. To think she could ever attack someone she holds so dear like that is unthinkable even in her darkest moments. ]
I almost hurt you.
[ Shouldn't she be asking him that question instead? ]
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How do you feel now? [Is she back in control of herself?]
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I feel like myself.
[ But that doesn't mean too much since she felt as always until she threw the cup at him. ]
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May I play for you?
[Use his ability, he means, to see if everything's normal. If it's possession, he'll likely be able to tell.]
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He has blanket permission to do so with her whenever. She doesn't have anything to hide from him. ]
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[He'll clean up the cup later. For now, he rises, stepping delicately out of the room to go and fetch his guqin. When he returns, he settles it across his lap, and pauses for a moment--he hasn't played for her for this reason in a very long time.
He closes his eyes, and starts to play.
As his fingers move across the strings, the air between them shifts--growing heavier as his power thickens. When he opens his eyes, they're glowing a soft gold, and as he looks at her, she'll be able to feel the way he's looking into her. No part of her will, of her heart, is left unknown.
He knows her well enough that anything out of ordinary would make itself readily apparent. It's probably mildly concerning, then, that it takes a while for him to finish, even with how thorough he normally is about everything he does. The song winds down relatively quickly, and he closes his eyes again, forcing his ability recede. He keeps his eyes closed as he rests his hands gently on the strings, waiting for the last notes to fade before he shakes his head.]
Something is off. But it is not from any cursed object.
[So she didn't touch anything funky without knowing it. He's pretty sure it's not possession, either, but he couldn't trace the source itself, nor could he figure out how to purge it. That's what took so long.]
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Even if her hands betray her, she won't let her other behavior do so, if she has anything to say about it. ]
Then... is this another effect of the meteor shower?
[ How else could she be affected?
Her brows knit slightly in thought. ]
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[That alone is somewhat concerning--it's not often that something can be obscured from his Sight like this.]
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If you couldn't sense it, then there may be no way to remove it.
[ Which pains her as much as it angers her. ]
... Perhaps we should see each other less for a while.
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He tries his best not to look wounded--it's not like he doesn't see where she's coming from, but of course he can't agree so easily.]
If it worsens, you could harm yourself.
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It would hurt me more to hurt you.
[ The fear that she tries keep a lid on creeps into her voice, making it sound softer and younger than she has in years.
It's terrible, but she'd rather hurt everyone else in the world first before hurting him. ]
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I will remain close by, then.
[In case she needs him. In case it gets worse--he needs to be near enough to stop her from harming herself. As long as she doesn't catch sight of him, that should be enough, right?]
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All right.
[ She knows he will loom nearby, but it's better than trying to hurt him instantaneously. ]
I'm sorry.