"...Don’t you have SOMETHING to do?” Xue Yang is practically synonymous with a walking headache at this point in the life of one Lianfang-zun. Face half hidden behind a book Nie Huaisang INSISTED on lending him - only because it’s the closest thing he has to look busy with, even though it’s only a travel log and hardly the accounts he’s been pouring over all night, held onto for a little while longer just so he might have a moment’s reprieve. “I’m perfectly happy to assign you more HOMEWORK, if you’re feeling restless and in the mood to cause more trouble - ”

Past the fog of Xue Yang’s home, Song Lan finds himself following a road through a forest. His head and heart pound from their confrontation, his mind a mess of spiraling thoughts. Part of him is convinced that he should turn around and demand Xue Yang explain his past actions, but a larger part is focused on ‘what if’s’. What if he really has changed? What if he hasn’t? What if Xiao Xingchen finds his way to Xue Yang? What if Song Lan never finds him? What if he does? What if he remembers what happened? What is Song Lan supposed to say if he doesn’t? What if? What if? What if?

He’s interrupted by his stomach complaining. Ah. He didn’t end up eating the noodles, did he? Song Lan takes a deep breath. Fine. This is fine. He can do this. He can stray off the path a little ways to look for something to forage. He’s always carried his own rations, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find something to quiet his stomach. He searches. And searches. For a forest full of life, not much of it seems edible. The only thing he really finds is a handful of small brown mushrooms.

These are edible, right? They look like the ones Xue Yang picked. Ugh.

Song Lan’s lips thin in distaste. With nothing to cook them with, he’s going to have to eat them raw. He brushes the dirt from them as much as he can, and decides to just eat them all at once and get it over with.

They taste like dirt, despite his attempts at cleaning them. He wishes he had some water to wash the taste away, and sets off parallel to the road to find a stream.

Except the more that he walks, the more difficult it gets. His legs feel rubbery, not moving quite right, and the trees seem to call to him, wanting him to lie down among their roots.

His normally blank face frowns. Was there some kind of array here? Has a yao found him and trapped him in the forest? He turns, and cannot see the road. He turns again and the trees sway towards him. He doesn’t have his sword. He has practically no defenses. How is he going to defeat the yao?

“Zichen.” Song Lan spins. That voice. It couldn’t be. But… “Zichen,” he sees Xiao Xingchen, standing between the trees. His eyes are covered by a white cloth, but he’s smiling. “I was waiting for you.” Song Lan stumbles towards him, eyes wide. He’s here! He’s here in the forest with no eyes, but he’s here! Song Lan found him! His heart races faster than it’s ever done.

“X-Xingchen?” He reaches out, but can’t bring himself to touch. “Is it really you?”

@coffinseas​ said:  ariadne for ling wen :0

( GREEK MYTHOS IC HEADCANON QUESTIONS ) Ariadne: What nightmare would you escape if you could, and what dream would you love to wake up to instead?

   “  You  mean  like  the  nightmare  of  men’s  egos  and  patriarchy  that  fuels  sexism  ?  “  There  wasn’t  a  moment  of  hesitation  in  Ling  Wen’s  voice  as  she  gave  her  answer  with  an  exasperated  and  slightly  irritated  expression.  “  Or  do  you  mean  sleeping  nightmare  ?  Because  I  don’t  really  have  any  of  those.  “  Never  once  has  she  had  any  nightmares  of  any  of  her  numerous  crimes  or  the  blood  she’d  already  spilt.

From here

@coffinseas​ asked   :    all i can think of is xy giving jgy a dead animal or tongue-tea as a sign of his appreciation 😭 a for effort    -  soft (accepting)    

@coffinseas​ said,  ❝ how do i know you’re real? ❞ (for mxy)