happy holidays! could you do mdzs for prompts? thank you c:
Wei Wuxian knows he should be grateful that Lan Xichen is here now, smiling at them from behind Lan Wangjiâs shoulder, that theyâre not going to be forced to wait outside the entrance of Cloud Recesses in a humiliating manner. But mostly heâs just pissed off, at Jin Zixuan for being a jerk, and at Lan Wangji for the same reason, for thinking forgetting an invitation was an appropriate reason to treat them like this. Shijie and Jiang Cheng are clan heirs, just like Lan Wangji is. Heâs pretty sure the idea is for them all to get along here.
Itâs an insult, plain and simple, and Wei Wuxian isnât willing to let the Jiang enter Cloud Recesses like this.
âYou are most generous,â he says to Lan Xichen, making a subtle hand gesture behind his back that causes all the Jiang disciples to freeze and fall back, no longer walking towards the entrance. He can practically hear Jiang Cheng grinding his teeth from here, but he doesnât protest. Rank is a tricky thing with them and the disciples and the best solution theyâve found is to never, ever contradict each other when it counts, even when they think the other person is being an idiot. âHowever, before we enter, I must request you put up your regular wards. I understand the entrance is currently being guarded,â he inclines his head to the two Lan at the gates like he hadnât been giving them shit thirty minutes ago, âbut thatâs no reason to be complacent.â
Pointing out Cloud Recesses nonsensical security system is petty, and a bit of an easy target, but itâs better than nothing.
Except Lan Xichen raises an eyebrow and asks, âWhat do you mean?â
This is just asking Wei Wuxian to trash his clanâs decisions, which makes no sense. Or he genuinely doesnât know what Wei Wuxian is talking about, which is concerning enough that this is no longer about making a token protest. âYou shouldnât put up weaker wards just because you have guards here now. Even if itâs an energy drain, you should always have your strongest wards up.â
Lan Wangji is giving him a super bitchy look, which is at least what heâd been expecting. Lan Xichenâs voice is still perfectly pleasant when he says, âWe do not alter the wards for shifts. I assure you that our wards are constantly set up to provide maximum protection.â
He looks behind him, partially to hide whatever his face is doing, and partially to look at his siblings. Jiang Cheng shrugs and Shijie presses her lips together and gives a slight shake of her head. Okay, wards are his thing, he hadnât exactly expected his siblings to notice, but from Shijieâs reaction the Lan brothers arenât messing with him right now.
âI canât let my shijie stay here if this is your maximum protection,â he says apologetically. He will march them all down back to Caiyi and put them on the first boat to Lotus Pier.
Lan Xichenâs smile becomes a little fixed. âOur wards are put in place by our clan elders. You have nothing to worry about.â
He could stand here and argue with them about it, but. He sketches a talisman in the air, not even bothering to ink it on paper, and sends it forward with an arrogant flick of his hand that he learned from Madam Yu.
As soon as it hits the wards it fizzles, then it all dissolves, the barrier breaking down like a string being cut.
The Lans all turn to it, incredulous. He didnât know they had facial expressions, but thatâs shock if heâs ever seen it. âThey are inadequate. They are ancient and predictable and weak.â He starts sketching in the air again, and this is something that he should grab talisman paper for, but itâs easier for them to see this way. âYou use silver as your grounding base, right? The air around it tastes like it. Copper is basic and old and resists meddling better, although iron will give you more flexibility for modifications. Your also weakened by using a continuous line rather than a feedback loop. Once one section breaks, the rest follow suit, which means someone only needs to find one weak spot to bring it down.â He has to put his weight into this one, shoving the glowing characters into the nearest pillar and watching his red spiritual energy flare across it. The warding barrier is back up, but different than it was before. Better. âThatâll do for now. The Jiang are happy to provide aid in updating your wards.â
If they donât accept that help, theyâre going home. He cannot handle the stress of being worried about all his martial brothers and sisters all the time because the Lan havenât updated their practices since Lan An.
Theyâre all staring at him now. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, not liking their stares, because heâs not sure what to do with them. Theyâre not hostile, he doesnât think.
âOh, Iâm sorry,â Shijie says, voice sweet and full of false politeness. âWe may have neglected to introduce ourselves properly. This is Wei Wuxian.â
Those stares are sharper now. âWei Wuxian,â Lan Xichen repeats slowly. âThe Jiangâs first disciple is Wei Wuxian.â
âThatâs me,â he agrees cheerfully.
âYou are â young,â Lan Xichen settles on finally.
âThe invitation said all disciples below twenty one,â Wei Wuxian says, blinking. âIâm fifteen, so Iâm here. I distributed my duties among the senior disciples before I left.â
âI encourage you to accept his aid. Senior Brother Wei is a master of talismans.â Ooh, Jiang Cheng must have been more pissed off by all this than he let one. He never calls him Senior Brother.
Lan Xichen looks back at the barrier heâd just put up and says, âI see that.â His smile when he looks at them is somehow both more fixed and more genuine. âI will discuss it with my uncle, but perhaps we do need a bit of an update.â He bows and gestures to the gate. âWe welcome the Jiang to Cloud Recesses.â
Wei Wuxian falls back enough so he can walk side by side with Jiang Cheng and tries not to let Lan Wangjiâs heavy gaze bother him.