[closed]

[yunxiguang]

🧙 WHO: Lan Sizhui + TBD
⚔️️ WHAT: Catch-all for planned things
🕒 WHEN: October/November
⚠️ WARNINGS: TBD

[Just a place to hold some planned threads. If you have ideas about something you want to thread, my PMs are open.]

Comments

For Wei Wuxian (@raveyardpatriarch)

[yunxiguang]

True to his word, there's no library when Wei-qianbei arrives to the location that Sizhui gave him. In fact, given the lack of space in the city and the informality of the lessons, there's not much of anything at all. The meeting place is a large sectioned off portion of what was most likely outdoor seating for some nearby restaurants. With food being rationed throughout the city, the seats aren't necessarily being used for their original purpose anyway.

Sizhui waits by the tables, watching for Wei-qianbei to arrive before they gather supplies and find a seat. The instruction is informal--one of the handful of Lestari mages stops by to demonstrate how they make the candles, and then leaves them to try it for themselves. If they need further assistance, they're welcome to flag someone down to show them again.

Sizhui, for his part, sets to work immediately with the sort of diligence that is honestly predictable for a Lan disciple. He seems earnest and intently focused on trying to mimic the example that was shown to them, though that doesn't stop him from forgetting who he invited. He glances up at Wei-qianbei, smiling and happy for the company.

"How is your health faring so far?" he inquires innocently with only a very mild amount of amusement.

[raveyardpatriarch]

Lan Sizhui's beatific smile is met with theatrical betrayal poorly disguising delight, and Wei Wuxian makes a note to snitch to Hanguang-jun later, who always seems disproportionately content at being the target of these tales. Was it so wrong of him to maybe slightly exaggerate how much he'd rather learn via praxis than sit around a dusty library? Has he really done anything to deserve this? The worst part being, no one but Lan Zhan would ever believe him that this implacably guileless infant is capable of such needle precision...needling, and he won't weigh in on it, most likely, unless it's to Wei Wuxian's detriment and suffering.

"Much better than it could be!" He says this with the kind of morbid glee usually reserved for ancients expounding on the progression of their complaints at the slightest indication of interest. But this is only superficial clownery; he is in actuality only a little less focused on their task, if only mentally at this stage. The cognitive flavor of magic hasn't truly caught his attention to the same degree death magic has, being either too invasive to apply outside himself, or simply of limited use. Possibly he's been too hasty in this unconscious assessment, and definitely he would benefit from the tutelage, but this project still strikes him as much the same. What's he going to do with this, exactly? Besides use it as a springboard for something entirely different, probably. But that's fine.

"I still don't see why this couldn't have been a sachet, though," he says, gesturing at the materials he has done little so far but fiddle with, with something like suspicion. This is not, notably, a continuation of any conversation, with Sizhui or anyone else, including himself. "Or maybe an incense. Won't help overcrowding much if ten people burn their rooms down tonight."

[yunxiguang]

That Wei-qianbei gives a response more befitting of someone at least two times older is just as amusing for Sizhui as it presumably is for him. Wouldn't he be remiss in his duties to not provide ample opportunity for his senior to air his thoughts? Probably not, most would say, but he'll take to this with dedication anyway. Wei-qianbei's company is enjoyable--and there's a comfort in spending time with someone so easy to get along with that it's almost familiar.

So when his senior continues the conversation (that neither of them were previously engaged in), Sizhui gives that the same due consideration as everything else. "It does make more sense than a candle," he agrees, looking thoughtfully down at the materials himself. "Especially if we're meant to leave them unattended. Maybe they haven't thought to try either before?" There are a lot of comforts from home that are noticeably absent here, or at least more troublesome to find than they should be.

"I think Hanguang-jun would appreciate an incense more... Would it be difficult to make that instead?" They have a lot of similar ingredients already here. It wouldn't be too different in theory, he thinks; but Sizhui directs his uncertainty to his companion. Pointedly not following directions is not a skill that he's well-versed in.

[raveyardpatriarch]

It should not come as a surprise that they will be gifting at least part of their efforts to Hanguang-jun, and indeed it doesn't, really, so much as that being an angle that hadn't yet occurred to Wei Wuxian, being immersed as he already is in the technicalities. He glances to Lan Sizhui in mild surprise and then to nothing in particular, considering both the logistics and recipient with unusual (for Sizhui's experience, anyway) gravity.

And it wouldn't do to discount the fact that Sizhui is all but suggesting they go off course so immediately in this project, even if he doesn't seem likely to lead the charge. Just the willingness to experiment before learning a foundation is admirable, if surprising. He quickly suppresses the notion that he is already, automatically, leading a righteous Lan infant astray and carries on.

“He probably would, you're right. And it probably wouldn't be much more difficult, maybe about the same, even. But what if there's a reason for the candle form that we overlooked? Maybe the ingredients will smell terrible together if burned outright. Or maybe that's some kind of sight element, which we'd need to provide otherwise...” What started as an impromptu caution in thinking critically about why someone might not be right about the seeming simplest solution to a problem (this didn't really get off the ground) has quickly trailed off into more technical speculation, as he sniffs ingredients contemplatively.

[yunxiguang]

This is a lot more consideration than Sizhui originally had anticipated himself. As far as the scent, it seemed straight-forward enough to substitute one for the other--and incense sounded like a much more familiar gift than a candle, to be honest, so how could it be the wrong approach? But what if his senior is right, and there is more to it?

"If there was a sight element, then it wouldn't be recommended to burn while asleep, right? So we should be able to rule that out?" He looks to Wei-qianbei for confirmation. It makes sense to him that you can't see things while sleeping, so that shouldn't have an impact on the effect. But the other suggestion earns a little more thought.

"I'm not sure how we can know if they'll smell the same unless we burn both to compare them. We could make one of each and test them? If they have the same result, then wouldn't that mean it's alright to exchange them?"