The return

[inquiryguqin]

WHO: novel!Lan Wangji and you! ota to everyone

WHAT: Lan Wangji returned home for a canon update. He disappeared Friday to Sunday, returns Sunday afternoon (July 5th). The first prompt, he has no memory of the place. The second prompt, he remembers everything and he's drunk. The third is a wildcard after everything else.

WHEN: Sunday afternoon to Tuesday, July 5 to 7

WHERE: All over the hotel

NOTES: Emotions, depression, more to be added

I. Casino lobby, Sunday afternoon, July 5th
He had a strange dream. A man wearing a white suit and a white rabbit mask. He followed him to the mirror and upon entering it, there was darkness and then he woke up in a padded box, in a strange hotel.

What is this place? The natives call it Wonderland. Some of the staff recognized him and said, Welcome back, Wangji, it's been a while. How have you been? But he doesn't remember them or being here at all, and becomes annoyed at their friendly greeting when they didn't give him the answers as to why he is here. He frowned, this place took him here.

"..." Translation, where is Wei Ying? Where is everyone?

He wandered all over the usual places in frantic search.


II. Bar, Monday, July 6th
The memories of his previous stay came slamming back into him. Of course, Wei Wuxian is nowhere to be found.

Morose, dealing with the reality that he left Wei Wuxian back home with the others, and remember where he last left him in this place, the weight of his guilt becomes a heavy one. Wei Ying is gone.

While he doesn't drink, he can be found in a bar. The glass of his drink on the table is already empty, having drunk it down.

"..." Translation, Wei Ying.

III. Wildcard - July 7th and afterward
[Start your own starter basing on the scenarios above!]

Comments

[inquiryguqin]

Lan Wangji nods his head as he chatters instructions on how to use the elevator away, and by the looks of it, he gets it.

He nods also at how to use the keycard, remembering the room number of his room, and once he steps in to get comfortable and looking around his room, surprise it looks like his own jingshi.

Perhaps it's best not to tell Lan Wangji there's no reply back while he looks around his room. If there's no reply, that means his soul-twin is not physically here.

Turning around, he has to show his gratitude. "Thank you, Wei Ying."

[sadflutenoises]

He slips the Empathy back into his pocket as Lan Wangji looks around his room. It's as Wei Wuxian remembers, from the couple times he's been by. Familiar, but just different enough to remind him they are fundamentally not the same.

"It's no trouble," he assures, "you-" did the same for me, he doesn't say.

"You need anything else? Did you say you were hungry?" he knows full well it's Lan Zhan that was asking him earlier, but maybe it will help to have some distractions. For both of them. Less time to worry about where his soul-twin has gone to.

"Oh! You should tell me what the last thing you remember from home is. That's... what everyone asks about," he nods, looking expectantly at Lan Wangji.

[inquiryguqin]

Quietly, "I don't know. Maybe I'll rest for a while and then go search for Wei Ying." That's very predictable and expected of him. "Then perhaps, I'll eat."

At his question, looking at him. "Guanyin temple. Meng Yao is responsible for framing you, among other things, and he tried to kill you. Including manipulating my brother. He's a snake. Don't trust him."

[sadflutenoises]

He nods along, more or less expecting that answer. It's probably best to give him some time to acclimate.

"I'll ah- I'll look in the mean time. I know most of the places he likes to go," he adds, fully intending to track down his twin and drag him up bodily if he has to. Besides, it's easy enough to find where he usually hides, since they're not all that different from his own.

Everything else, though, catches him completely off-guard. He knew he and Lan Wangji had gone off, solving mysteries and probably night-hunting and avoiding too many questions at Cloud Recesses, but-

His knees feel weak. What? There's so much to unpack in so few sentences. Framing him? How? Why? What grudge could Meng Yao even have against him? They'd exchanged maybe a handful of words since first meeting.

"Oh," his voice cracks and he clears his throat, shaking his head.

"Right, I remember," he doesn't. He needs to get out, needs to sit down, needs to work this out, needs to remember to breathe, and it feels like too many things, all at once.

"I'll... leave you to it then," his voice sounds a bit hollow as he heads toward the door.

[inquiryguqin]

Before he heads out the door, Lan Wangji caught him by the arm before he leaves. Call it quick thinking and quick reflex, but he felt the need to tell him.

Looking at him seriously, "Wei Ying, be careful. You're..." Even if he looks different and is different from his own, he could somehow tell that it's him also. Call it an unconscious intuition.

"You're always in danger. You're not alone. I'm on your side."

[sadflutenoises]

He can only keep the smile in place for so long, and as he turns to face Lan Wangji, there's an honest vulnerability there, like he's only just holding himself together around the edges. There's a faint tremble he can't hide, even where Lan Zhan grips his arm. He doesn't trust his voice, so he just nods faintly.

"Mm," is all he manages, as he tries to retreat, feet scuffling back a step or two over the floor.

[inquiryguqin]

Reluctantly, he lets him go, watching him go, feeling the warmth lingered briefly. He closes the door shut.

A short rest and he'll resume and continue, for the longest search of his life.