"You have to see your sister," he says, fixing Wen Ning with a look, even if his smile had not fully fled. To him, that's non-negotiable. It would be like asking that he not strive to reach his shijie, were she ever here. Utterly impossible for him to accept, pending it wasn't her own death if he did. Her own death again. "I should send you back right now, nevermind that I'm no Master Wei to you anymore, ah?"
Part of him is tempted to do so anyway. He only stays his metaphorical hand because he did believe in Wen Ning's autonomy, from the moment he finally claimed it; and this place, the beacon buried within, holds another importance for getting the living back to their homes.
The mention of a man who resembles him has Wei Wuxian blinking, then laughing, even as he reached for a talisman tucked into the front of his robes.
"Beitang Moran, my better fed, noble half. He has visions of the future, a fascinating man. Politically astute. Absolutely useless for work. As silver tongued as you could want, and better intentioned, which makes him tolerable. A good fighter. Not cultivator levels, but he's not a cultivator, so why compare him to those who are?"
A cluck of his tongue as he fully commits to standing on the wet decking, flicking his talisman forward. It burns itself to ash even as a series of beautiful, light and fire flecked butterflies swarm forward, the barriers that might have been there negated, he hopes, by their presence.
Or never there at all, he muses. The butterflies surge in fluttering throes through the wood, and Wei Wuxian balances himself, pools qi in exactitude to his foot when lifted, and kicks the door in. Once, years ago, he would have asked or indicated for Wen Ning to take the lead on this, but they're akin to equals now, and Wei Wuxian is well versed in what actions he can take without burning through necessary resources.
The problem he encounters is only half the door gives under his powerful kick. The central portion collapses inward, leaving the locked door handle and the hinges still connected to wooden paneling on either side. For all the world, his damage looks like natural inevitability. Wei Wuxian shakes his head, shooting Wen Ning a bright smile.
"It worked! Let's go in and help locate this beacon now, shall we? You'll find them as insufferable as I do, I don't doubt it — ah, Wen Ning. If you see that tar on the dead in the waters here, see any pool of it on walls or the floors in here, avoid it. At all costs. In almost every case, it's cursed."
Delivering that nugget of wisdom, Wei Wuxian slips between the hanging portions of door to find himself in a narrow front room leading to a hall, and doors on either side.
no subject
Part of him is tempted to do so anyway. He only stays his metaphorical hand because he did believe in Wen Ning's autonomy, from the moment he finally claimed it; and this place, the beacon buried within, holds another importance for getting the living back to their homes.
The mention of a man who resembles him has Wei Wuxian blinking, then laughing, even as he reached for a talisman tucked into the front of his robes.
"Beitang Moran, my better fed, noble half. He has visions of the future, a fascinating man. Politically astute. Absolutely useless for work. As silver tongued as you could want, and better intentioned, which makes him tolerable. A good fighter. Not cultivator levels, but he's not a cultivator, so why compare him to those who are?"
A cluck of his tongue as he fully commits to standing on the wet decking, flicking his talisman forward. It burns itself to ash even as a series of beautiful, light and fire flecked butterflies swarm forward, the barriers that might have been there negated, he hopes, by their presence.
Or never there at all, he muses. The butterflies surge in fluttering throes through the wood, and Wei Wuxian balances himself, pools qi in exactitude to his foot when lifted, and kicks the door in. Once, years ago, he would have asked or indicated for Wen Ning to take the lead on this, but they're akin to equals now, and Wei Wuxian is well versed in what actions he can take without burning through necessary resources.
The problem he encounters is only half the door gives under his powerful kick. The central portion collapses inward, leaving the locked door handle and the hinges still connected to wooden paneling on either side. For all the world, his damage looks like natural inevitability. Wei Wuxian shakes his head, shooting Wen Ning a bright smile.
"It worked! Let's go in and help locate this beacon now, shall we? You'll find them as insufferable as I do, I don't doubt it — ah, Wen Ning. If you see that tar on the dead in the waters here, see any pool of it on walls or the floors in here, avoid it. At all costs. In almost every case, it's cursed."
Delivering that nugget of wisdom, Wei Wuxian slips between the hanging portions of door to find himself in a narrow front room leading to a hall, and doors on either side.