[open] a picture that focuses

[wenyuan]

Who: Wen Sizhui and open to all
Where: Coach G - Greenhouse
When: Month Llama, Day 17
What: Wen Sizhui pieced together what had happened to his family in the other world. He needs a quiet moment to himself but really, he doesn't want to be alone.
Warnings: mentions of death and execution and murder (past).



As far as he knew, he was never far from home. Ever. There was hope that was given to him that he would return to his time and place without so much as a moment that had passed for him. Qing-shenshen, Granny Wen, and Uncle Four were all alive back home and happy and healthy.

He clenches his fists in his hoodie as he walks along the path in the Greenhouse carriage. It seems...peaceful. And a good place to contemplate what he had gleaned from his recent adventures. He sniffles a little and wipes his nose with his sleeve. Not very gentlemanly of him but at the moment, he doesn't feel like one.

No one had said it outright but he understood that in order for him to grow up as a Lan, that meant that his family...

He makes his way toward one of the raised beds of soil, reaching down to sink his fingers into it. He gives a very soft smile at it, recalling how Xian-ge buried him twice. Once in the Burial Mounds and once again in Dafan Mountain.

To grow big and tall!

Comments

[weisexual]

Lan Wangji has been spending most of his time in the greenhouse car. It is the most familiar place on the train besides the library. And as peaceful as the library is, sometimes he just wants to be surrounded by signs of the outdoors.

He is walking past the raised beds with one hand placed behind his back as he notices someone else in the greenhouse. He pauses in his movements and watches for a moment. It is not hard for him to recognize the teen that he raised from a small child. But he also has been informed that multiple versions and worlds exist.

Since he has met the one he is most familiar with, despite their similar appearance he is still able to tell that this is not the one he knows. But that doesn't make him any less important. The soul of Sizhui is the same, no matter what world he might be from.

He doesn't make a sound but he does take a couple more quiet steps towards him.

[wenyuan]

Sizhui is still a cultivator, despite a different origin. He looks up as soon as he senses another presence coming near him. His eyes widen and he pulls his hand out of the dirt, immediately joining his hands in front of him and bowing.

"Hanguang Jun."

When he straightens again, he tries to determine if this is the Hanguang Jun from his world or another.

[weisexual]

There is a small twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips that fades quickly as dirt flies from the young cultivators hands in his speed to greet him, watching as small grains of it land on the ground.

He walks up and reaches out, placing his hand on top of the others in order to get him to stop bowing to him. He pulls it back away to place it behind him once more.

"Are you going to plant something?"

Or is this just a relaxing stroll through the gardens.

[wenyuan]

The touch is familiar and he has to resist from clinging to his leg. He quickly brushes off more dirt back into the box after seeing the smile fade.

"I suppose I just miss the feel of the earth underneath my hands for a little bit," he replies. "I came here to give myself time to think...reflect on some things I learned during the last mission."

[longforgottenpromise]

"Wen-gongzi?" He hasn't seen him since the mission. He's spent a lot of days in bed recovering and hadn't really emerged until the day before, to help those on the platform.

He spends a lot of time in the greenhouse, sitting by the kouji and Lord Gyousou's sword, now with sweet peas beginning to grow up over it.

He spots Wen Sizhui and starts towards him with a wave but then pauses, taking in his posture, that sniffle.

"Are you alright?"

[wenyuan]

His head snaps up when he hears his name being called. Sizhui quickly wipes at his eyes.

"Ah, Taiki-gongzi."

Though it suspiciously still sounds watery.

"I'm fine."

He stands up again and tries to smile like nothing's wrong.

"How is your recovery coming along?"

[longforgottenpromise]

He closes the distance to him and reaches out for his hand, to offer some comfort even though hes's not sure at what had upset his friend.

"I'm alright, you don't need to worry. It wasn't as bad as it sometimes is."

Which perhaps isn't reassuring, but he doesn't like burdening his friends with worry when there's very little anyone can do about his very nature.

[flatteries]

Inigo has no idea what Sizhui is going through - what he's thinking about. But when Inigo spots the other guy all alone in the greenhouse carriage while he's passing by, of course he isn't just going to walk past him without saying anything.

There's a slight smile on his face as he speaks up.

"Thinking of trying to grow something?" Inigo asks.

[wenyuan]

He pulls his hand out of the dirt.

"Perhaps. I always ran underfoot of everyone when they tried to plant things there."

[flatteries]

"You should try it! It's fun," he says with a slight smile, pointing at some flowers in the distance. "I put those here. Took them along from some of the worlds we visited, because it just felt too bad that we'd never be able to see those pretty flowers ever again after leaving the worlds."

He glances back from the flowers to Sizhui.

"And it's also a slightly mindless thing to do, you know? It's good for when you don't really want to think too hard about other things."

[fennu]

The greenhouse is not where Jiang Cheng spends a lot of his time, but he's taken to wandering - that's what brings him here, almost stumbling over the Sizhui that he knows is not his own. The one who spoke of Wen Qing as though she was still alive, waiting for him to come home. That's enough to leave him feeling uncomfortable, but for all that he might appear a grizzly and frustrating man to know he's not the type to leave a child upset.

Not one he knows, at least.

Walking forward, Sandu clutches in his hand, he peers down at the soil.

"Did you grow things in your home too?"

[wenyuan]

Sect Leader Jiang's presence is a comfort. Even if he isn't the man he knew.

"We tried to in the Burial Mounds," he admits. "Things were more fruitful when we moved to Dafan Mountain."

He pulls his hand out of the dirt and brushes it off of his hands.

[fennu]

There's obviously something going on, something under the surface, but Jiang Cheng has never been diplomatic enough to get to the heart of problems without inspiring something a little more negative. When he settles down near Wen Yuan all he can do is nod his head.

"I saw," he admits, voice low and soft. "I visited the Burial Mounds, once. You... Lan Sizhui hugged my leg."

Did the same happen for him? Who knows.

[lanxichen]

There is the soft sound of a xiao, probably from the other side of the car. Garden car is where Xichen usually plays, but, sometimes, it is the greenhouse, too.

He is aware the young man is there, cultivator senses are sharp enough that he could hear than sniffle. But he knows that if young master Wen needs company, it would be his choice.

[wenyuan]

The xiao is a familiar sound. Zewu Jun. He takes his hand out of the dirt, careful to brush it off before making his way over to where the player is, patiently waiting for the song to finish before bowing.

"Zewu Jun."

[lanxichen]

Xichen lets the tune wind down even as he puts in spiritual energy in the soothing sounds, looking gently at the young man, and lowers the xiao from his lips to incline his head.

"Young master Wen. Has... something happened?"

Sorry I'm late!

[deadwenwalking]

"A-Yuan?"

Wen Ning stops in the doorway, feeling as though he's walked in on his younger cousin at an awkward time. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything and walked back out without interrupting him, but he also can't stand to see the boy look sad about anything.

He attempts something light-hearted to start out. "Were you planning on doing some gardening? If it's radishes, don't tell Master Wei." Sizhui doesn't appear to have any tools or seeds with him, so he doubts this is the case.

better than never <3

[wenyuan]

"Ning-shushu."

He raises his hand out of the dirt and immediately makes his way over to hug him tightly, wanting something familiar to hold onto.

[deadwenwalking]

Wen Ning isn't entirely surprised by the gesture. Sizhui hugging him is something he's come to see as a common possibility here, especially with there being two of him to provide the hugs. He doesn't wrap his arms around the boy, but he doesn't stiffen. Instead he lays a gentle hand on the top of his cousin's head.

"A-Yuan." He repeats the name gently. "Has something upset you?"

[weifinder]

Wei Wuxian has debatably decent chicken on hand, but what he offers down to Sizhui, wrapped in a towel, is unseasoned chicken from the kitchens. Cooked, because he still doesn't know what fresh means from the refrigerators, but unspiced, and frankly smelling of little more than meat.

"Feel up to helping me toss the Deku Baba something to eat?"

[wenyuan]

He stares at the chicken with wide eyes for a moment before reaching and taking it.

"What's a Deku Baba?" he asks.

Not the question he really wants to ask Xian-ge but one to start.

[weifinder]

"Oh, that's not an explanation, it's an experience." He gestures for this alter version of his son, one who had the benefit of actually knowing him in all his growing, to follow him, grin more playful than most have seen in decades.

He's been tempered by time, less the easy, mischievous soul than he'd been in his youth. He still has moments, glimpses of it, but there's an easiness that now is only recently coming genuinely, and not just for show. Now... now is one of those moments, as he ushers Sizhui through the raised beds to the end where the Deku Baba was cordoned off, unable to reach out and casually snap at unaware passers by.

The plant swiveled its "head" around, two broad petals separating to reveal a row of jagged, needle teeth. It leans forward toward them, giving an experimental shake of its head in the air, but while it reacts, it doesn't seem to have much more than impulsive cunning.

"It's a plant native to another passenger's world, a Zelda. The seed pods of these have certain properties she makes use of, but in the meantime, it's one to be aware of." He grins, tossing a piece of the chicken he still retained toward the plant, to have it snapped out of the air with uncanny precision.

Jumps on the band wagon

[achickenformylove]

WangJi had walked into the greenhouse car, planning on visiting the rabbits as this was where they lived when they weren't in the cabin with him. They seemed to like it here better than the cabin though... which made sense.

But walking in, he spotted a familiar face. He stood quietly for a few minutes, watching him before he finally spoke.

"Wen Sizhui, are you well?"

it's a fun wagon

[wenyuan]

He looked up when he spoke and carefully took his hand out of the dirt, carefully brushing it off and bowing properly.

"Hanguang Jun. I'm afraid I'm...learning more and more about Lan Sizhui's world."

It is

[achickenformylove]

He gave him a slight bow back in response. At the comment, the faintest look of sadness crossed his face for a moment. He had tried not to mention what had happened in his own world, but it was inevitable that it would spread.

"I understand. Even though he and I may not be from exactly the same world, many things are the same. His past and yours are very different."