romeo is bleeding but nobody can tell (open)

[lancifolium]

WHO: Lily Evans & You if you like, along with some planned closed prompts
WHEN: After the dust settles.
WHERE: Both in and outside of Taravast.
WHAT: Smuggling Attaryl bodies and giving them proper graves.
WARNINGS: Mentions of death and dead bodies, will add more as needed.



Prompts in comments. I'm very here to begin some new threads feel free to reach out via pm or on the discord server if you'd like to do something.

Comments

[binghua]

Lily's desire to learn tugged a smile from Xingchen. There was something about her eagerness that was incredibly endearing. If they ended up talking deep into the night - or whatever time it was - then he would be happy with it. "Yes. There are countless cultivation sects and most are headed up by a family clan, including the most powerful ones. That's why you'll often hear them referred to with their location and the clan name. So, for Lan Wangji and Lan Sizhui, they come from the Gusu Lan Sect and because their surname is Lan, they are part of the family clan." Xingchen took a moment to think about the headband comment. He hardly came into contact with the bigger sects that such a detail was far from his mind. But that was a detail that people remembered, and since Lily mentioned it, he knew it must be true, even if he had never seen Lan Wangji or Lan Sizhui with his own eyes. "Lan Sect members do wear the headbands, yes. I do not think it is something anyone else does, or at least no one I had ever met."

Any warmth in this conversation he may have felt eased off at the mention of war. Xingchen had never fought in one; the Sunshot Campaign raged on while he had still been a young teenager on the mountain, far, far away from any of that awful violence. But to hear Lily speak of it like she had already experienced too much hung heavy on Xingchen's heart.

And then, he hadn't forgotten where they were right now, surrounded by half-dug graves for more victims of strife. "Trying to resolve situations through conflict seems to be a commonality between all of us. I pray your war will end soon, and also for your safety."

[lancifolium]

She almost wished she had one of her notebooks on hand to jot down all this very useful, incredibly fascinating information about the lives Xingchen and some of her other friends lived before arriving in this world.

"Are you born a cultivator, or can anyone learn?" Then, because she simply had to know - "is it hereditary?"

Secretly, she rather hoped not, but it was a hope born more of the rift in her world and the conflict driving the war than anything else. Her knowledge of the world Xingchen and some of the others had come from was patchy at best. It was wonderful to have someone willing to answer her questions.

Looking over at one of the freshly dug graves Lily frowned, though the expression softened some at his kind words. "I'm not certain it will," what bits Hermione told her about the future didn't paint the best picture. "But thank you. I hope you get to live in peaceful times when we all go home."

[binghua]

He took another sip of tea, still giving Lily the time and opportunity to ask whatever she wished. "Anyone can learn, as long as they have the proper instruction, though not everyone has a talent for it. Like anything else, it takes time and effort." So much meditation, swordsmanship or musical education, a lifetime's worth, for some.

It wouldn't be the first time Xingchen wondered where he'd be now if his own cultivation hadn't taken a step back after going blind and staying out of the public's attention. Not that he had weakened in his own cultivation since then, he just felt almost as if he had...plateaued. Stagnated, in a way.

Hearing Lily's lack of confidence in a short war or a swift ending, Xingchen sighed softly. How unfortunate. "I hope so, as well." Except knowing now that he'll return to live with the man who continuously ruined his life definitely colors his opinion badly. If only he could know if Song Lan would find him, since Wei Wuxian told him the other man had always been searching. If he could return home and only have to wait a short amount of time until meeting his dearest friend again, then...he could do it.

A smile returned to his lips, however, and he took yet another sip. It was good tea, though he didn't recognize the blend, if he knew it at all. "And what about your school? Is anyone able to enroll?"

[lancifolium]

For a moment it almost appeared as though a slight shadow passed over Xingchen's expression as their conversation hovered over the topic of peaceful returns. She was grateful when Xingchen changed it, though she frowned when answering.

"Sadly not. Where I come from if you're born magical you're usually noticed by the Ministry of Magic, and then when you're eleven you get a letter inviting you to school. It's all a great secret from people who can't do magic unless they have to know like my parents did when I got my letter." There was good historical reason for the Statute of Secrecy, but that didn't mean Lily didn't see all the flaws in it.

[binghua]

That all seemed rather complicated, though Xingchen was sure there were reasons for it. Instead, he chuckles and says, "Well, I suppose it would be pretty foolish to subject oneself to studies where one would be at a disadvantage like that. I hate to know there is a divide, but I think I can understand the need for such rules in your case." Not that he had all the details, of course, and he wasn't about to bore poor Lily by asking her to recite the reasons for everything in history.

Still, having a school specifically for students who have an innate talent or predisposition - or whatever it was that made someone magical in Lily's world - was one thing, but the secrecy bit didn't sit well with Xingchen. "May I ask why there is a need for keeping it secret?" It could be prejudice. Humans could do wonderful things, but also could be blatantly jealous over the silliest reasons. Or, perhaps, there was some other explanation.

[lancifolium]

"There were times through history that people who couldn't do magic decided those who could were evil and had to be destroyed, it makes sense that after so much death wizarding kind would retreat and stay secret, but often I can't help but think of the good we could do if the rest of the world knew we were there."

Lily sipped her tea, looking over the graves she'd been working on. "The world is a complicated place, whichever world it is." She had heard enough bits and pieces of the lives of others in their group to gather that nobody was having an especially easy go of it before they ended up here in this world.

"I hope I'm not making it sound grim, it's a lovely school."