#alloycoded

Breathing into his hands, Wei Ying stood on the trail that lead to the estate deep inside of the mountain which belonged to his adoptive family. It had been their decision for a fun getaway with friends and family to get a break from what they normally deal with in their daily lives. He had agreed to wait for the last few remaining guests that would be arriving while his siblings were already at the estate with the ones who arrived already. They were making sure that the estate was in working order before the rest of their friends did arrive, he wished that it wasn’t so cold though. Wei Ying would be claiming a spot by the fireplace and a warm drink as soon as he got to the estate, he had never been to fond of the cold though. But, he was looking forward to this getaway since it would be a break from his job and just life in general. A break that he felt he needed. One that probably everyone needed who would be staying here during the week long getaway, maybe he could explore since there was always plenty new to find. 

The forest had plenty of secrets that surrounded them, secrets that were unknown because of how large the mountain was. The siblings haven’t had the chance to explore the entire mountain while their parents didn’t want them to wander far from the estate. One could easily get lost if they didn’t know their way around the mountain. 

Wei Wuxian let out a small breath leaning against the wall that rested behind him, he glanced at his phone checking the time. It shouldn’t be too much longer before the last arrival should appear, he hoped so at least. He really didn’t want to stand out in the cold weather for much longer even if he was wearing his favorite jacket. One that Wei Ying wouldn’t leave anywhere, it was a common occurrence for the raven to be seen wearing it and his sister made sure that both of her brothers would stay warm while they were in the mountain. It got cold up here fairly quickly, something that he learned the first time he came up here and with clothes that weren’t warm enough. Lucky enough, Yanli and his stepfather thought of this beforehand because of his carefree attitude when it comes to himself. 

      Grief came in waves. Some days, seclusion was easy; Lan Xichen followed the rigid Lan schedule, participated in solo meditation, study, music, and cultivation practices, ate three meals a day, and felt almost like the man he’d been before the betrayal of one of his dearest friends. Before he’d known he had played a role in the deaths of not one, but two of his sworn brothers. 

        Other days, grief was all he could think about. Getting out of bed became difficult, and the last moments of A-Yao’s life played over and over again in his head. The shout from Nie Huisang that had sparked every angry thought, every bit of adrenaline. Shouyue firm and familiar in his hand. The blunted thud of a blade parting flesh. The blood, hot and sticky against his clothing. The look of utter betrayal on A-Yao’s face as he stared at the one person he’d supposedly never planned to harm. Lan Xichen couldn’t escape any of it, couldn’t stop the repeated remembrances no matter what methods he employed to do so. It got worse when he slept, when he dreamed of Nie Mingjue and accusations of willful blindness, of allowing Jin Guangyo to get away with what he’d done, of helping to drive one of his dearest friends to Qi deviation and death -- it didn’t matter that Lan Xichen hadn’t know, that he had never wished his sworn brother harm. He’d contributed. He’d been part of evil schemes.

     Some days, Lan Xichen grieved for the person he had been along with his sworn brothers. 

A human! This one dressed well indeed, although the drab white seemed plain in contrast to the pale blues and shimmering brocades that adorned Ao Bimei’s body. Ah, but what could one expect from these mortal creatures - if they were not terribly slow, then they lacked common sense, or style, or something else equally important. 

Truly, it was a mystery that the gods chose to watch over these odd creatures, with lives so short and meaningless they were little more than dirt underfoot.