[sidereal - the dreaming]

[laughitoff]

[for MDZS AU plot-related shenanigans]

Comments

[laughitoff]

[turns away so hard himself that Lan Wangji loses sight of what's there altogether, and there's only darkness]

[strikingchords]

[he couldn't see anything except the sparks before anyway!!!!!11

it's very quiet. Lan Wangji is breathing harder, upsetting whatever is wrong with his rib a little.]

[laughitoff]

[Wei Wuxian feels like an open wound, himself, too many different stabbing aches to pick apart; he does not break the silence]

[strikingchords]

[well, Lan Wangji isn't going to break it

his breathing eventually evens out, at least.]

[laughitoff]

[that's great for him!!!]

[strikingchords]

[this hurts so much and he tried; he really tried. his thoughts feel dull and sluggish. he does not know what to do.]

[laughitoff]

[he is so tired and hurt himself, and he has no body of his own that he can command to at least fix what's wrong. it's like being a ghost all over again, with the added merciless aspect of eyes on him through all of it and no defense against them. Lan Wangji feels him trying to fold in over his own emotions, like a Xuanwu curling into its shell, to try and make some more distance, futilely]

[strikingchords]

[...

...

...

takes a deep breath and sort of... tiredly gathers himself to inch that way again...]

[laughitoff]

[tries to back up, but there's only so far he can go]

[strikingchords]

[stops just out of arm's reach and rolls a fragment of memory at him, quiet

(he feels something soft settle over his head and back... Lan Wangji draped the blanket from the other night over his shoulders. with his head in his knees he could become a blanket turtle and disappear under it if he wanted, actually.

he can feel worry and confusion next to him, muted and oddly gentle.)

Lan Wangji turns away and then just. stays put there, metaphorical back to him, eyes open again and attention steadily and deliberately on the physical world; he can still feel Wei Wuxian there, of course. but.]

[laughitoff]

[there is quiet, a little longer (shocked, guilty, unhappy), and then Wei Wuxian finally comes forward again, trying to push his own grief and sorrow and anger aside. the sparks of the strange orbs under Lan Wangji return to view.]

Can you still reach your sleeves?

[strikingchords]

[he checks... he can't bring his hands together but he can tuck the less-painful of his arms back into his sleeve far enough to reach what's inside easily enough.]

Mm.

[laughitoff]

[blank talisman and ink and brush, he instructs, and presses the design for the paperman spell into Lan Wangji's head

Wei Wuxian has always been very good at working through pain without addressing it at all.]

[strikingchords]

[folding and inking a paperman in the dark one-handed is a bit of a trick

Lan Wangji manages it, because of course he does]

[laughitoff]

[what a fucking relief it is, to pour himself into that different vessel for a little while; jumps off Lan Wangji's hand immediately and hurries to see what's locking him down]

[strikingchords]

[literal padlocks! if Wei Wuxian can influence his paper body enough to stiffen his arm and press inside where the tumblrs should be, he can probably get at least one of the less-securely locked ones to click free; he can't try too hard or he'll break his own arms, but one should be enough if it's close enough to one of Lan Wangji's hands.]

[laughitoff]

[yeah cool he'll do that and then paff his hand once it clicks loose]

[strikingchords]

[wriggles his hand loose and starts to work on the lock on the other side





after a couple of tries he just infuses enough spiritual energy into his hand that he can crush it and pull it loose :| DOES THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES TILL HE CAN SIT UP]

[laughitoff]

[he's found one of the bigger red marbles to perch on while Lan Wangji does that]

[strikingchords]

[lights a fire talisman in his hand once he's free and finally looks around...

they're in a tunnel underground that heads east-west under the mountain surface. it's fairly even except for the spot they're in, which is a bigger, rougher circle in the middle of the tube. it could be to accomodate the chain-net trap, but it also looks a little like something crashed down here and made a hole.

that impression is reinforced by the heap of gold and red marbles that he was laying on top of. they're concentrated most in the middle of the circle, but they spray haphazardly out into the tunnel on either side, as if someone poured a giant bucket of them out in the center and watched as they bounced away across the floor.

picks one up curiously, now that he can see them properly...]

[laughitoff]

[it feels warm and curiously vital under his fingers, but also oddly faded]

[strikingchords]

[is there any difference between the red and gold?]

[laughitoff]

[the pulse in the red is stronger and the energy in it has a feverish feel.]

[strikingchords]

[...

he frowns and retrieves his guqin and the spirit-trapping pouch with the couple in it. his arm is already less painful, fortunately; without having to worry about Wei Wuxian in his head temporarily he's healing himself as fast as he can.

Are these yours as well? What are they?]

[laughitoff]

[no is the first answer. when they try to answer the second his guqin just

goes dead

like it still looks fine and it's working as it should but the notes just stop and his vision goes bad when he tries to sightread from the strings]