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○ MID OCT

[seaboard]

[ There is a delivery of food outside of the door when they come back one day mid-October, packed in a crate full of jars and wrapped foods. On the top is a note: ]

To kindly resident of the Lake,

For your winter stores, I have prepared this food for you to keep before the snows come. Whilst we have a glut of food at present, it is best to keep this in the case that should we be trapped inside your house, you can rely on this food to help you see through until the thaw frees any blocked roads back to town.

I hope you find it suitable and that it keeps you well.

In Health and to your Good Will,
Gilia St. Loe, Second Child, Daughter-Sea, Of the Isle St. Loe, She Who Sings the Sea to Prosperity

[ The package includes:

5 x 1kg bags of Salt

5 x 1kg bags of Sugar

30 x 1kg bags of Flour

3 x 280g Yeast

30 x 1ltr jars of Butter

10 x Jar of Pickled Cabbage

10 x Jar of Pickled Tomatoes

10 x Jar of Jam Fruit Preserves ( Assorted: Strawberry, Blueberry, etc )

10 x 1kg sides of salted meat ( pork, lamb, beef )

5 x Jars of Dried Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Coriander, Dill

20 x Pancake Mix

10 x Cake Mix

1 x 2kg Flax Seed ( + recipe how to use it for cakes to replace eggs )

1 x Recipie for How To Make Bread, 1 x Recipie for How To Long Stew Dried Meat

1 x Large Cooking Pot

1 x Baking Tray

]

text | @lan.wangji

[taciturnly]

Wen Ning.

Two days now, since a goat claimed residency on my porch. It bleats incessantly, quieter when I indulge and share my tea.

I was informed that you own one such a beast.

@bullied.by.children

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

You found Jianjian!

[ Wait. Uh oh. It probably reflects poorly upon him that he can't even keep track of his own pet goat. ]

Thank you, Hanguang-jun, for letting me know. I will come collect him as soon as I can!

[taciturnly]

( it's fine. once upon a time lan wangji couldn't even keep track of his own feelings, so. )

Jianjian seems rather fond of tea leaves.

I will keep him well-fed until then.

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Feelings? What are those? We don't talk about those here. ]

Hanguang-jun's gracious hospitality knows no bounds. Thank you again!

[ Rather than text anymore he's just going to leave his phone on his bedside table and head out...











...except then he realizes he doesn't know which cabin Lan Wangji is staying in, so he goes back to get his phone after all. ]

Where should I find you?

[taciturnly]

( WELL THAT FOR SURE IS TRUE. )

No need. He is fairly persuasive.

Eleven.

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

I will be right there!

[ And off he goes! Bringing with him a rope to loop around Jianjian's neck to lead him back home. Hopefully this time he won't chew his way through it...

When he arrives he stops short and bows to Lan Wangji, still feeling really embarrassed that this whole thing has happened. ]

[taciturnly]

{ and lan wangji bows right back. nothing formal, head inclined in respectful acknowledgement, a fond and fleeting look towards the goat. he loves animals, okay. he’s used to bunnies, but goats are pretty cute, too.

as is wen ning, in a way, though it’s not exactly that. or that at all, really. it’s more like, a hint of innocence and vulnerability, no matter his strength or powers. lan wangji considers him for a silent moment, then take one step back, closer to the door. } Tea? ( since his goat already pestered him for leaves, he might as well invite wen ning in for a real cup. )

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning honestly wasn't expecting this interaction to last more than a minute or two— he'd show up, take his goat, apologize profusely, then bring Jianjian back to his own cabin. But... Who is he to reject an invitation to drink tea with Hanguang-jun himself? ]

Ah... Y-yes, thank you.

[ He quickly loops the rope around the wayward goat's neck and ties him off to a nearby tree, making sure the knot is good and tight so he can't break loose, before giving Lan Wangji another thankful nod and following him inside. ]

[taciturnly]

( it’s hard to tell, what wen ning remembers. what he doesn’t. lan wangji’s already put his entire foot in his mouth once, and he’s not about to make that same mistake again. but there is something he can do, regardless of forgotten memories, and it’s waiting there around the small table, in the inaudible sigh he sighs as he gracefully sits and pours wen ning a cup of tea. )

Thank you. ( for what? he doesn’t look up, pours until the cup is filled, expertly keeping his sleeve out of the way. and then, lower: ) For watching over Sizhui, and Wei Ying. ( y’know. while you were all here and he was still home. )

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ There isn't a single part of this interaction that hasn't taken Wen Ning by surprise. Lan Wangji offering him his thanks is no exception. He smiles, falteringly, and clenches his hands in the fabric of his robes where they rest over his knees. ]

I'm sorry that I didn't do a better job of it.

[ Both Lan Sizhui and Wei Wuxian came to harm even under Wen Ning's watch, and it's a failure that he doesn't allow himself to forget. ]

[taciturnly]

( ah. guilt. one of the many things lan wangji is much too acquainted with. he looks up at long last, a sliver of old aches flashing in his gaze. )

Wen Ning. ( his jaw tightens, arm slowly drifting down as his hand curls around his own cup. ) You owe me no apology. ( or anyone, for that matter. ) Our lives, their playground. Beyond protection, you have offered friendship. ( and loyalty. even before the technicians, wen ning was there, when wei ying had no one else. not even lan wangji. his eyes momentarily stray, before refocusing on him. ) It matters.

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ He had been having trouble looking Lan Wangji in the eye, keeping his gaze averted, focused on the wood grain of the table in front of him, the ceramic pattern of the cup, the rich depths of color of the tea. But when Lan Wangji tells him that it matters, that everything he has done and tried to do for Wei-gongzi and Lan Sizhui matters, well. His head springs up in surprise, and a soft, grateful smile spreads across his lips, much more assured than the tentative smile that had been there previously, more for politeness than actual emotion. ]

Th-thank you, Hanguang-jun. I care deeply about them. [ A pause, as though he's not sure whether to say the next part. But ultimately, he decides to forge on ahead. ] I care about Hanguang-jun, too. Because you matter to the people I care about, and you care about them, too.