[PALACE GAME - LAN WANGJI RUN]

[laughitoff]

Everything is red. You are dying, somewhere far beyond pain, the very essence of yourself going to pieces. You’re shattering so badly you don’t know if you’ll ever find all of yourself again, if you’ll ever put yourself back together. There are teeth on you, ripping, tearing, devouring. There are teeth inside you, carving their way out, and those are worse.

This is a memory, happening at a remove. It is not yours. This is not happening now.

Everything is grey. You wake up in a prison cell, eyes wide, the ceiling flat and blank and unfamiliar above you. For a moment you simply think, no. You think, Please, wasn’t it over? Wasn’t it enough? You consider closing your eyes again and refusing to get up, until oblivion reclaims you. Even if you’re no longer dying, everything hurts.

This is a memory, happening at a remove. It is not yours. This is not happening now.

What is happening, then?

You–

–sit up.

Comments

[laughitoff]

That's very sweet. Though in the end, we just got him started, you know?

[strikingchords]

I know.

Nonetheless.

[...he'll bow to them and take his leave politely after that, heading to the Jiang compound if he can find it next]

[laughitoff]

[The town's built around its walls, so it's hard to miss. The compound gates are unlocked; if he enters, he immediately sees one banner (THE WHIPPING BOY) hanging over the door of the main hall, and the barest fluttering corner of a second banner from the nearby training grounds.]

[strikingchords]

[...

he doesn't love that.

he feels the urgency, though; heads for the first banner, and goes to touch whatever memory object is near it once he identifies it...]

[laughitoff]

[Inside the hall, it looks something like this, though with more purple silk along the walls, and a raised dais in place of the giant wooden lotus chair. A silver ring gleams upon the dais.

On touching the ring--

There's a woman -- Wang Lingjiao -- standing in your sect's main hall, dressed in a rich but tawdry way. She's smirking at your aunt, who gazes back at her with a cold, unrevealing expression. "Today," she says, "I'm representing the Wen Sect and young master Wen. I'm here to punish someone."

You feel your heart skip a beat as she points at you.

“On Dusk-Creek Mountain," she declares, "this brat made rude remarks while Young Master Wen fought the Tortoise of Slaughter, causing many disturbances. He made the master tired, so he lost his sword and nearly lost against the beast!"

Your brother laughs, hard and furious (as well he might! You and Lan Zhan fought the beast; what is this bullshit?) You're thinking fast, though. The Wen sect waited for a day Jiang Fengmian was away from the town. They timed this audacious display on purpose.

Wang Lingjiao's still spinning her tall tale. “How lucky! The Heavens blessed Young Master Wen. Even though he lost his sword, he was able to safely take down the Tortoise of Slaughter. Still, we really can’t tolerate this brat's behavior any longer! Madam Yu, please punish him harshly and make him an example for the rest of your sect!"

Jiang Cheng tries to intervene, even as you're steeling himself. "Mom..."

“Shut your mouth!” cries Madam Yu.

Wang Lingjiao's pleased by her reaction. “Wei Ying, if I remember correctly, is a servant of the Jiang Sect, isn’t he? Without Sect Leader Jiang present, I’m sure his wife would know what's best to do here. Otherwise, if the Jiang Sect insists on defending him, it’d really make people suspect...if certain rumors are true. Haha!"

Madam Yu's face darkens. Jiang Cheng rallies. “What rumors?!”

Wang Lingjiao continues to giggle. “You ask what rumors? Of course they have to do with Sect Leader Jiang's old romantic ties, no?”

Your fists clench. She can make up stories about you, but not about your family! “You…”

Pain explodes in your back, and the air wheezes out of your lungs as your knees buckle. Madam Yu winds a coil of her lightning-laced whip around her hands, mouth hard and set.

“Mom!” Jiang Cheng cries again.

“Jiang Cheng, move out of the way, or you’ll be kneeling too!”

You've got to stop this. “Jiang Cheng," you gasp, "move over! Don’t worry about me!”

Madam Yu lashes you again, gritting her words out between each crack of the whip. “I’ve said--since long ago, that you--you unruly thing! I said you would bring trouble to the Jiang Sect, sooner or later!”

You push Jiang Cheng out of the way as the blows rain down. You can't bear this, but you've got to. If the punishment doesn't satisfy Wang Lingjiao and those behind her, this threat won't go away...!


The memory blurs, something like static sizzling in your head, and then resumes on a different scene.


You're sitting in a boat by one of the docks, your back still mortally burning from the whip wounds. The edges of Lotus Pier have been set ablaze in the distance, the fire creeping in towards the Jiang compound. Madam Yu removes a silver ring--her spiritual weapon--from her finger, and slides it onto your brother's.

His face is soot-streaked, wild with alarm. “Mom, why are you giving me Zidian?”

"It's yours from now on," she says. "Zidian has already recognized you as its master.”

"What? Won’t you be leaving with us?"


Another brief, static blur.


Your aunt pushes your brother into the boat after you. He tries to leap out again after her, but lightning sparks from the ring on his hand, coalescing into a rope that binds the two of you together. You close your eyes in pain.

“Mom, what are you doing?!”

“Don’t make such a fuss. It’ll loosen up when you’re somewhere safe. If anyone attacks you on the journey, it’ll protect you as well. Don’t come back. Go to Meishan straight away and find your sister!”]

[strikingchords]

[he already knows that Wei Wuxian did Not do this

this resonates much more strongly than he expects with his own experience when Cloud Recesses burned; his eyes burn, too. puts his hand over them, for a moment, before letting it fall again.]

[laughitoff]

[When he drops his hand, Madam Yu's tall, imposing figure stands on the dais. She's an unmoving ghost of the woman he saw in the memory. A vast wound has been gouged into her stomach.]

[strikingchords]

[he will restore her as a ghost, as he did with Wei Wuxian's parents, and bow very correctly to her in deference as well...]

[laughitoff]

[She inclines her head -- her demeanor's still harsh, but she's got no reason to be rude to a visiting Lan heir.]

Lan Wangji of the Gusu Lan sect.

[strikingchords]

Madam Yu.

May I request your assistance? I seek to restore Suibian.

[laughitoff]

[She gives him a very assessing look, displeased by...something?...and then hands a portion of the blade over from her sleeve, without a word.]

[strikingchords]

My thanks.

...

Will send others to you, if possible.

[he'll tuck the piece away, take his leave of her formally as well, and go the where he saw that last corner of banner... spoilers but he will touch whatever object he identifies here, too]

[laughitoff]

[Adjoining the main hall is a large, square area that's clearly meant for training, with the dirt hard-packed and several racks of practice weaponry along one wall. One more banner flaps sadly from one of the racks, but it's blank.

Instead of a memory object, there's another huge pool of blood here, simliar to the cave and the monster village.]

[strikingchords]

[...

hops up to the roof to try to see where there are more banners...]

[laughitoff]

[- a narrow alley mouth
- a broad tree in one of the town squares
- a kite hovering over another of the docks
- the gatehouse by the open town gate
- a stall selling toy swords]

[strikingchords]

[he'll go for the alley.]

[laughitoff]

[The banner, marked THE DISCOVERY, leads him into a filthy little dead-end alleyway. There's not much in here except for a little shrine(?) built against the inside wall. It's mostly just...junk, shiny broken trash objects and interesting little rocks that a child might pick up. There's a perfect slice of melon placed dead center, though, like a pride-of-place offering.]

[strikingchords]

[...

he will take an interesting little rock :X

he'll touch the melon, also]

[laughitoff]

[You are dirty and hungry, small enough not to attract too much ire for stealing yet, but also not big or strong enough to defend yourself or what food you can get from the stray dogs that wander around the town. You've gone two days without now, your stomach a roaring pit to replace the angry throb of the bite on your leg now that it's begun to fade (oh, and won't that be a sign of your potential for strong cultivation later, that you can heal such a wound so fast at your age?)

It's the leg that keeps you from running, when the tall man in violet exclaims at the sight of your face. "Please, don't be scared," he says, and you stare at him, because he's not the first adult you think has wanted to grab you but he's definitely the first one to ask about it first. His voice is...kind. Calm. "Do you recognize the name Cangse Sanren, little one?"

You're surprised enough by your mother's name to nod, though you still crowd further under the shelter where he found you when he offers you his hand. His brow creases a little in thought.

There's a stand selling melon nearby, and he buys two sticks of the fruit, summer-sweet and fresh. You can see he hasn't poisoned it or played any trick with it, and he's kept it in your view the whole time, so you accept one of the skewers when he offers it.

You eat it together. It's one of the best things you've ever tasted.



In the memory's wake, a ghost of Jiang Fengmian has appeared in the alley mouth, still and unmoving. Blood trickles from his mouth; there are many wounds through his chest and stomach.

He might have to walk through him to get back outside...?]

[strikingchords]

[oh my goddddddddd



uses his last Orthodoxy to restore him, the same as the others...]

Sect Leader.

I would restore the blade Suibian, if you will help.

[laughitoff]

[He looks disquieted in a kind sort of way, but gives him the last piece.]

Here. My thanks.

[strikingchords]

[shakes his head]

No need.

[he'll take his leave, take another long look around the area, and head back into the main cavern.]

[FINAL WRAP-UP]

[laughitoff]

[Please go here to sort out the rest of your character's run in this heart!]