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Day 18

[Greenhouse]

Glorfindel has been spending a lot of time in the garden, what those on the train called the greenhouse. His flowers were already starting to push up through the dirt, which he was encouraging with his light. He was also singing some songs from his old home, back when Ecthelion kept making up songs for every occasion and then getting them stuck in everyone's heads.

If anyone else is growing something in the greenhouse, it is thriving by association.

He is singing softly to his flowers as he waters them, the room is suspiciously bright.

[Cabin](For roommates to walk in on him if you want to!)
Glorfindel frowned at his bed. It was...functional, but lacked interest. If he was going to spend time here, he wanted to personalize his space more. He knew there was fabric available somewhere on the train. He wondered where he could get his hands on some, and if they had any greens and yellows, if there were sewing kits available, and what his roommates would think of custom curtains.

[Hallway]

Glorfindel stepped out into the hall, glancing out the windows at the colorful display outside. He was on a mission to find a sewing kit. He wondered where to start looking.

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Glorfindel frowned. "How awful for him. And for you that you do not remember so much that was shared between you. But...you are together now, again. And you seem to be making the most of it." He smiled at that.

"It is my pleasure. Ah, if you decide to keep the flowers in your cabin, do be aware they have a calming effect on bad dreams. It is not in any way narcotic, simply they promote healing of the body and spirit."

"Others have said how sad he was when they arrived as I had left not long before. But we are together now and I don't intend to leave him." So yes, he was making the most of it.

"That is a good thing to know about them. A wonderful benefit." If only they'd had that when WuXian had first started to practice the other path. It might have helped him.

Gorfindel wished he had what these two did, though, not exactly the same, of course. One had to make their own happiness, and he was sure that this was not the only obstacle they'd had to overcome.

"If there is anything else I can do, or offer?" he asked. A flower seemed like an insignificant gift for such an occasion.

No one should have to go through obstacles that WangJi had had to in order to end up with his fated one. He had lost him, seemingly permanently only to get him back over a decade later. He wouldn't wish that on anyone.

A flower might seem insignificant, but to WangJi, that was a very nice gesture. First, it was a good symbol just from its colors, but it also had healing properties. That was something special in his opinion.

"I think that is good. Wei Ying will surely like it as well."

"All right then," Glorfindel said. "I wish there was a potter's wheel on this train so I might at least offer you a nice pot. I am far from a professional, but I did spend a couple of decades practising, when Lady Celebrian was trying to convince her husband Elrond that he needed a hobby."

He laughed suddenly. "They too are together again, now. What a happy thought."

"You practiced pottery? That is a good skill." Not one that WangJi had ever had to practice given his station and profession as a cultivator, but he wouldn't take their work for granted.

"That is nice. Everyone deserves to find their fated one."

"Practiced is the right word for it," Glorfindel said. "I'm nowhere near professional quality, of course. My path lay towards the sword and protection. But it made a nice change from hunting Orcs and keeping watch for Darkness encroaching."

"If they have one." Glorfindel sometimes wondered about that.

"Mine also lays towards the sword and protecting others. I do find respite in playing my guqin." He could also fight with it as well. "It was never my place to make something like pottery, but if I had to, I would learn."

Gusu Lan stressed learning. If all came to naught, WangJi would learn something new like that.

"I wondered too until I found Wei Ying." Again.

"You play a musical instrument?" Glorfindel was suddenly very interested. "I've not heard of it, what is it like? How is it played?" The Greenhouse car was eerily silent and he felt it could benefit a great deal from music.

"If I may ask, how did you know he was the one?" Glorfindel asked.

"I do." There's a pause as WangJi produces a small bag from his robes. It shouldn't look like it is big enough to hold anything except coins... except that it apparently is as WangJi produced his guqin from inside of it, settling it on his lap.

"It is a seven-stringed instrument. You can change the tones based on where you have your fingers when you play it."

With that, he played a few notes on the instrument. At the question, he paused, putting his hands over the strings to silence it.

"I have known I have had feelings for him for a long time. But we were not connected. In his first life, I was never able to tell him how I felt and the attempts I did make were not understood. In his second life, we understand each other much better."

The instrument was absolutely beautiful, as was the sound it produced. Glorfindel was not fooled into thinking it was simply the guquin, however. If it were in his hands, it would not make such hauntingly beautiful sounds.

A new instrument, one he'd never seen before. Though he was a warrior, not a bard, his fingers itched to try it. "It is beautiful. I...do you ever give lessons?" He asked.

He laughed a little at that. "I can definitely agree that dying can bring clarity of mind necessary for clearer understanding. Though it must have been hard on you; I am not qualified to say if it was for the best or not."

It probably would not given that it was a spiritual instrument and he used his spiritual energy when he was playing it. But it was still a musical instrument and it wouldn't be hard to show to others.

"I have taught my son and other juniors of our sect. I have not offered any here, but if you are willing to learn, I will teach you."

"Yes, death does bring a different perspective. It was a long thirteen years without him. In a way... it was better for the cultivation world when it became so broken, but it was not for the best."

"Then, after the wedding, I will look you up for lessons," Glorfindel said with a smile.

"That sounds like an interesting tale. May I ask what happened? And...what exactly is 'cultivation?'"

Edited 2020-05-03 01:15 (UTC)

"That is fine. We can meet for lessons then."

"Cultivation is using your spiritual energy to control not only your own life force but the world around you. Many cultivators use it to help defeat creatures that wish to do the living harm. My sect, Gusu Lan, uses music for different tasks as well."

So yes, he used the guqin for his cultivation.

"The story is complicated. I would need Wei Ying's confirmation of what to share. It is not my place to decide."

"I look forward to it."

"Interesting. That does sound a lot like how some elves and maiar deal with the world. So you don't just look like round-eared elves, then," he said with a quick grin. "I have a couple of old friends who would be fascinated by your sect. To them music is as important as breathing. I am very fond of it myself, but can go days without playing something." But not humming or singing. He does it for the plants. Really.

"That is perfectly understandable. If the two of you decide to share, I will be happy to listen. For my part, my story is mostly my own, so there is that."

"Elves have abilities like what I have described then?" He hadn't really heard of them before, but now he was curious. "What sorts of things are they able to do?"

"My story is mine, but his is his. We lived very different lives that intersected for the longest time without coming together. Now, our stories will join."

"It depends on the elf, of course. But combining magic and art is not uncommon. Feanor, Nerdanel, and their children are excellent examples of that. In Imladris we convince the plants to work with us to make a harmonious place to live. And we oppose evil. Strongly." Even their swords glow at the presence of evil.

"Ah, of course. It is not just his story that interests me, of course. I would be interested to hear your story as well, if you were to share."

"Gusu Lan is not like most cultivation sects. Any gentleman of standing will study and attempt to excel in the six arts - rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. Nearly every disciple of Gusu Lan practices one instrument since we can use our energy to work through it. Being able to work with plants does seem like a worthwhile endeavor."

WangJi strummed on his guqin.

"I am the Second Master of Gusu Lan. My father was the sect leader, but he had gone into seclusion so it was my uncle who raised myself and my older brother XiChen."

Glorfindel nodded at the six arts. "We do not study charioteering, as we tend to ride on the horses, rather than behind them, but other than that, it sounds like a fair approximation of what a young elf would be expected to learn. Including learning and instrument. Music is very important to us."

Glorfindel made himself more comfortable, slipping into his meditation pose, as he listened to Lan Wangji's story.

Edited 2020-05-07 03:28 (UTC)

"I don't use a chariot myself either. I ride on horseback." Interesting how the two were so similar to each other.

"I was raised as a disciple of Gusu Lan, following our family rules perfectly. Our uncle would have it no other way. When I was sixteen, disciples from other sects came to Gusu Lan to study. Among them was Wei Ying."

He paused for a moment, still strumming on the guqin. Not any song in particular.

"I was attracted to him since, as far I can tell, the moment I saw him. But he was so very different."

Interesting how similar their peoples were, Glorfindel thought.

"Are there many rules?" he asked.

"Was this a common thing, having other sects come to study at your own? It does seem a little like the exchanges we have as well, honestly. Exchanging people with the Greenwood, back in the day, with Lothlorien, with Mithlond. Back in Valinor there was even more such things." He remembered it with great fondness in fact.

"Different in what way," he asked, curious.

"At the time I came of age, there were 3000. Now there are 4300."

"Exchanging disciples was more common back then. Gusu Lan has the largest library of any sect and Uncle is considered a master teacher. At the time, he was said to be able to straighten out even the most unruly of students. He has only had one true failure."

"That failure was Wei Ying. He did not want to pay attention to our rules and frequently broke them. His first night and our first meeting, he broke three: having alcohol, being out after curfew, and unsanctioned fighting as I was trying to prevent him from entering as it was after curfew."

Glorfindel's eyebrows went up. "That is a lot of rules. Are they mostly common sense ones, Like No Fighting, or more esoteric ones, like Do Not Touch the Sharp End of the Sword?" Which was totally a rule in Imladris. He was still a little grumpy at the fact he'd had to make that one, but some trainees just wouldn't listen.

Glorfindel laughed. "From your description, he sounds a bit like Master Erestor. Right down to the library and dealing with unruly students. He was one of my best friends."

"I see. That is one way to make an impression, to be sure!" Glorfindel could just picture it. There was always one like that. "We do not have a rule against drinking, per se, as it does not affect elves very much. Though there is against drinking while on duty, and on doing so while fighting. But then, *my* trainees were there to learn to fight, so different needs." He tilted his head. "If he was such a person, what made you think, "Ah, he's the one?'"

"I suppose it is both rules and things to live by. Alcohol is forbidden, as is running, unsanctioned fights, causing noise, and talking behind people's backs. However, there are others like do not disrespect the younger; do not disrespect the elder; be respectful and humble, and do not give up on learning."

"I'm sure Master Erestor and Uncle would get along then."

"Alcohol can cause so many problems if it is not handled properly and within one's limits so Lan An thought it best to forbid it from our sect." He's relaxed a bit on that over the years. He allowed Wei WuXian to have alcohol and even bought it for him. But WuXian had a higher tolerance than many.

At the next question, he paused again, letting the strings vibrate. "I can't be sure what started it anymore. It was his face, his free spirit, the fact that he never felt defeated by a situation. Unlike myself and others in Gusu Lan, he was and still is unpredictable."

If WangJi knew anything about teen dramas, this would be the "good girl falling for the bad boy" story line, but he had no idea about that.

Glorfindel nodded. Those do make sense. Our human trainees are not allowed alcohol while they are in training, of course. Erestor might know if the rules were ever written down and numbered, but as far as I am aware, most were unspoken rules." He smiled slightly. "Elves are quite good at those."

"It only takes one or two abusing something to ruin it for everyone," Glorfindel agreed. "Was she the one to first write the rules, or did they gradually evolve? It sounds as though they are still doing so."

"I can see the appeal." Briefly he thought of Aragon and Arwen, though theirs was a different romance.

Fortunately Glorfindel is not one to educate him on that, as he knows nothing about them either.

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