Inbox: Ximilia

[singlelogbridge]

// Wei Wuxian

TEXT • AUDIO • VIDEO

XIMILIA

Comments

[singlelogbridge]

From what Leixi said, it would have at least been there at some point. Maybe if there are dragons there, they can help us. Who knows, maybe the one that carried the High Queen's daughter is still alive. [It was a dragon after all, it must be long lived.

He reaches up to push back a few hairs that are about to fall into Itachi's face and smiles at him warmly.]

And if the dragons can't help us, we figure it out when we get there.

[blackfire]

Yes.

（ they have done this more than a few times, now. it is not to say there are predictable throughlines — but the stories have, thus far, ended only one way.

itachi sighs faintly, lulled by the fire and the warmth of the blanket, and the nearness of his friend at his side. he turns his head, tucks his cheek against the man's shoulder. he has slept very poorly on the silent plunder, and it is easy to feel the weight of that now. it is rare he relaxes, or lets his guard down enough to invite the fleeting grasp of safety not borne of his own skill, but there is an awareness in the back of his mind that it is here to seize upon, if only he wished to do so.

pensively — ）

Tell me something of your world. I do not care if I have heard it before.

[singlelogbridge]

[He hums thoughtfully and instinctively reaches over again the moment Itachi turns into him, stroking a hand over his hair.]

When I was sixteen, I went with Jiang Cheng and Shijie to study at the Cloud Reccesses—the home of the Lan clan—it was considered a great honor to be among the disciples able to study under the noble Lans. [There's humor in his voice, but not derision. For all that he has some hang ups about the Lan clan now, this isn't that kind of story.]

They had three thousand rules, including when to rise and sleep, what and how to eat, not to run or be over excited, and most offensive to me personally, no drinking.

As you can imagine, I broke many of the rules. [There's humor in his voice now as he recalls those days.]

I was always waking up late too and arriving late to the lectures. Poor old man Qiren—that's Lan Zhan's and Zewu-jun's uncle and he assisted Xichen in running the clan—it's amazing I didn't give him a qi deviation.

The Cloud Recesses were beautiful though. They were up high on a mountain and in the winter I've heard they're blanketed entirely in snow and all of the streams and waterfalls freeze over then. I'll show you a drawing when we're back.

[blackfire]

（ it's the sound and steadiness of his voice, more than anything, that lulls him like the gentle lap of water against the shore.

one arm is draped across wei ying's chest, and his head nods against the man's shoulder.

by the time the story is finished, he is asleep. ）

[singlelogbridge]

[It takes him a couple of minutes of talking before he realizes what's happened and though he pauses in his description, after a moment he resumes, keeping his voice steady but lowering the volume just a little.]

There are hot springs there, and cold springs too. I think you'd agree with me that cold springs are ridiculous though. Who would ever want such a thing?

[After a few more minutes of talking, eventually he grows quiet. It's tempting to join Itachi in sleep and he knows that he could if he closed his eyes and relaxed, but Itachi would feel better knowing someone had kept watch. Anyway, it's hardly a burden to remain awake and listen to the soft sounds of his breath occasionally interspersed with the crackle of their fire.

For all of the times they've slept near one another, barring injury, it is the first time he's actually seen the other man asleep. He savors the privilege of it now, continuing to skirt his hand through the other man's hair and simply existing in the peaceful quiet of it. There is, he knows, nowhere else in the entire multiverse that he would rather be than here in the cave with Itachi at his side.]