[Her script is neat when she writes back to Mianmian and Lady Luo of
what to name their goat. Her official correspondences are in a neat pile.
The proposals, however, well...they get an icy glare from Lan Wangji as if
she could somehow banish them with a look alone. She finishes her mail and
bundles the proposals into a pile to be thrown into the fire later.]
A lantern festival, it seems.
[She sips at the tea he's brought to her, touched at how attentive
he is.]
( He collapses in elegance at the side of her table, by the bundled letters, plucking one from the pile through wiggling, curious effort as he replies. )
Floating or flying?
( Interest in both, and the unfolding of the letter temporarily purloined to skim his eyes over its contents. He clucks his tongue, shaking his head when he does. )
( a state of being, a state of exchange in rites, a shift in relationships. he hasn't asked this before, hasn't said the word, other than in amusement over letter after letter. )
Surprising? No, only a little, I mean. No, you always know your mind, I just hadn't realised.
( like he's pointedly not getting who it is she's interested in marrying. who is going to accept her traveling on the road with him? soulmates or not, she already has to deal with enough insensible fools trying to imply this or that about her integrity, as if Lan Zhan has ever been anything other than exemplary in all her life. )
( He's standing in the moment after her, but is not sure he wants to let that particular bone go. )
Lan Zhan, who?
( If she's wanting to marry, she should, anything she wants she should have, but he would like to vet the person! Give them a good old soulmate shakedown! They have to be worthy of her, and as one who knows he isn't, that bar is High in his estimate. )
( he stands there, dumbstruck, then goes into hand waving motion, both blushing from the back of his neck up and surprised and laughing in that awkward, reactive way, before he's making sure to properly face her and goes: )
Lan Zhan, you mean it? You really do? You want, ah, this?
( he gestures to himself, aware he's got so little to offer in the scheme of things. it doesn't make sense, it's also something he's... )
I'm what you want?
( When Wei Ying is ready. How was he even good enough in that respect? He's still learning how not to be a failure of a soulmate, and that, that's a lot! It really is! )
[She watches as he reacts to her. Her Wei Ying. As much bluster as
he gave, he seems to never think himself good enough. There is a sense of
satisfaction when she sees the red creep along his neck. But then he faces
her and just as she was sure when he returned to her life, she is sure now.
She nods]
Mmn. If you do not find that amiable, then Wei Ying is not obligated.
[The last thing she would wish would be to trap Wei Ying against his
will.]
[She's Chief Cultivator; the most talented in their generation;
raised a son without divulging his true parentage. But she's still a woman
and proposing to a man was Not Done.]
That is why there is a stack of letters and a stack more in Cloud Recesses
waiting for my response.
[She watches him quietly and thinks back to when they made their
bows at the Jiang Ancestral Hall. She stands before him and nods to show
her resolve.]
( Still staring at her, and he smiles, and that smile cracks, and he laughs, and he's red faced, and his hands, oh his hands, they're trembling. )
Ahaha, Lan Zhan, I, you... I only have whatever this is, ( he says, gesturing to himself ) to offer, and that's not trouble free. I wish I could give more than that, but if anything, you're the one who's given so much to me already, I...
Yes. Of course? It's not a question of anything but yes, but... Do...
( He moves his hands in front of him, motion abstract. )
[She takes a step, then another, then another toward him until she's
right in front of him, reaching until she is holding his trembling hand in
her sure and steady one. She looks at him in the eyes]
Mmn. Whatever Wei Ying wants. You never will walk that single log bridge
alone in the dark again.
( His hand folds to hold hers in turn, keeping her gaze. HIs smile, slow to build, is sweet and genuine. )
I haven't been alone on that bridge since you stood with me at Jinlin Tai, Lan Zhan, but thank you. I won't regret a lifetime of standing besides you, come what may.
( ignore the water in his eyes. they're burning hot, and his heart feels like claws have sunk into it, and he does, frankly, feel like he's about to cry. is being happy needing to feel like this? )
[She allows him a small smile from her and leans to capture his lips
in a brief and soft kiss. She doesn’t say or bring attention to how wet his
eyes seem and can infer that they are happy tears from his warm and sweet
smile. ]
( He shouldn't be crying right now, perhaps, but he still is, bringing his free hand up to skim her jaw and under her ear before he's tangling his fingers gently into her hair. Kissing her back, when she pulls away again, because it doesn't need anything harder to have meaning just as it is. Even if his hand still trembles, his fingers twitching tighter as he holds on, and allows himself to dream. )
[She leans up and presses soft kisses along his cheekbones and the
corners of his eyes to kiss away any tears before they even began their
journeys away from his eyes. Lan Wangji brushes her lips along the line of
his nose before kissing him softly again]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Her script is neat when she writes back to Mianmian and Lady Luo of what to name their goat. Her official correspondences are in a neat pile. The proposals, however, well...they get an icy glare from Lan Wangji as if she could somehow banish them with a look alone. She finishes her mail and bundles the proposals into a pile to be thrown into the fire later.]
A lantern festival, it seems.
[She sips at the tea he's brought to her, touched at how attentive he is.]
no subject
Floating or flying?
( Interest in both, and the unfolding of the letter temporarily purloined to skim his eyes over its contents. He clucks his tongue, shaking his head when he does. )
How many does this make?
no subject
Floating.
[she pauses as Wei Ying reads over the letter]
…enough to request that xiongzhang wrote to me to consider serious candidates.
no subject
( a state of being, a state of exchange in rites, a shift in relationships. he hasn't asked this before, hasn't said the word, other than in amusement over letter after letter. )
no subject
Yes.
[She sips her tea again, letting the liquid comfort her along with Wei Ying's presence.]
no subject
You do? ( a short pause, and then: ) To who?
no subject
[Her ears burn red at his question.]
Does Wei Ying find it surprising?
no subject
Surprising? No, only a little, I mean. No, you always know your mind, I just hadn't realised.
( like he's pointedly not getting who it is she's interested in marrying. who is going to accept her traveling on the road with him? soulmates or not, she already has to deal with enough insensible fools trying to imply this or that about her integrity, as if Lan Zhan has ever been anything other than exemplary in all her life. )
no subject
[She sets down her teacup, then stands]
The festival will start soon. We should go.
[go and leave this awkward conversation behind]
no subject
Lan Zhan, who?
( If she's wanting to marry, she should, anything she wants she should have, but he would like to vet the person! Give them a good old soulmate shakedown! They have to be worthy of her, and as one who knows he isn't, that bar is High in his estimate. )
no subject
[She looks at him. So he hadn't figured out their song. Wei Ying can be brilliant. Wei Ying can also be incredibly oblivious.]
Someone I consider a soul mate.
no subject
... Hahaha, wait, do you have more than one soulmate?
( He can also have the self confidence and self worth of a wet piece of paper, but hey. He's... really... uncertain, here. )
no subject
No. Only Wei Ying.
[She says it with certainty.]
When Wei Ying is ready, then we will discuss.
no subject
Lan Zhan, you mean it? You really do? You want, ah, this?
( he gestures to himself, aware he's got so little to offer in the scheme of things. it doesn't make sense, it's also something he's... )
I'm what you want?
( When Wei Ying is ready. How was he even good enough in that respect? He's still learning how not to be a failure of a soulmate, and that, that's a lot! It really is! )
no subject
[She watches as he reacts to her. Her Wei Ying. As much bluster as he gave, he seems to never think himself good enough. There is a sense of satisfaction when she sees the red creep along his neck. But then he faces her and just as she was sure when he returned to her life, she is sure now. She nods]
Mmn. If you do not find that amiable, then Wei Ying is not obligated.
[The last thing she would wish would be to trap Wei Ying against his will.]
no subject
Lan Zhan, did you just propose?
( Okay so he backed up a full minute, but still. )
no subject
I cannot propose, Wei Ying.
[She's Chief Cultivator; the most talented in their generation; raised a son without divulging his true parentage. But she's still a woman and proposing to a man was Not Done.]
That is why there is a stack of letters and a stack more in Cloud Recesses waiting for my response.
no subject
( Said with a faltering quirk of his lips. Proposing marriage to marry in seems somewhat...
... egotistical? Presumptive? Ridiculous? All of the above. )
no subject
[She watches him quietly and thinks back to when they made their bows at the Jiang Ancestral Hall. She stands before him and nods to show her resolve.]
Mmn, then I ask for Wei Ying's hand in marriage.
no subject
Ahaha, Lan Zhan, I, you... I only have whatever this is, ( he says, gesturing to himself ) to offer, and that's not trouble free. I wish I could give more than that, but if anything, you're the one who's given so much to me already, I...
Yes. Of course? It's not a question of anything but yes, but... Do...
( He moves his hands in front of him, motion abstract. )
Can it be just for us?
no subject
[She takes a step, then another, then another toward him until she's right in front of him, reaching until she is holding his trembling hand in her sure and steady one. She looks at him in the eyes]
Mmn. Whatever Wei Ying wants. You never will walk that single log bridge alone in the dark again.
no subject
I haven't been alone on that bridge since you stood with me at Jinlin Tai, Lan Zhan, but thank you. I won't regret a lifetime of standing besides you, come what may.
( ignore the water in his eyes. they're burning hot, and his heart feels like claws have sunk into it, and he does, frankly, feel like he's about to cry. is being happy needing to feel like this? )
no subject
[She allows him a small smile from her and leans to capture his lips in a brief and soft kiss. She doesn’t say or bring attention to how wet his eyes seem and can infer that they are happy tears from his warm and sweet smile. ]
no subject
no subject
[She leans up and presses soft kisses along his cheekbones and the corners of his eyes to kiss away any tears before they even began their journeys away from his eyes. Lan Wangji brushes her lips along the line of his nose before kissing him softly again]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)