"He is here?" Lan Qiren shuffled through papers, making a show that his youngest nephew was low on his list of priorities and that he was not in any hurry to make room in his schedule for his most glaring disappointment. "Tell him I will see him in two days. I have a Sect to run, and he contributes little, other than the barest minimum required."
Lan Xichen spoke softly, knowing his brother could hear every dismissive word. "Uncle, you know that Lan WangJi completes everything you assign him. It is always perfect, he applies himself to each class he teaches, every duty asked of him That is not fair."
"I say what is fair in Cloud Recesses, Sect Leader. Mind yourself. Yet he refuses my direct order to stop that incessant playing on the qin every night."
"He uses the Quiet Spell each time."
"And still, everyone knows he calls out for that criminal every night, despite my orders to the contrary."
Lan Xichen stiffened. "When Lan Zhan grieves, it is deeper than most. Need I remind you of what happened when Mother died and you did not allow him that time he needed?"
"How dare you blame me?"
"Who else was to blame? You pushed him to his limits after Nightless City, when he tried to save Wei Ying, and he nearly died for it."
"Do not mention that miscreant's name in front of me again!" Thundered Lan Qiren.
"Do not keep pushing my brother to his limits, Lan Sect Master." Lan Xichen's usually well-modulated voice rose in warning and the two men stared furiously at each other, neither willing to give ground.
A voice, even and measured did that for them. "Lan Sect Master. I am here to suggest something, that may put your mind to rest."
The two turned around and found Lan WangJi prostrate on the floor. He waited without moving, white robes spread perfectly around him. Lan Xichen was bitterly reminded of him in that posture before the Elders, waiting punishment. This was also not lost on his intractable Uncle who had the grace to blanch at the sight, before he gathered his self-righteous armor around his arrogant soul, once again.
"Lan Zhan, please rise. Do not..." Began the older brother, his anger instantly dissipating.
Lan Wangji stayed firmly in place.
Finally, Lan Qiren spoke sharp and unyielding, "Rise and stand before me. Let me hear it. "
The Second Jade, no longer perfect, flawed, his value lessened in his Uncle's narrow eyes, drew a deep breath. His eyes were distant as if looking past the walls surrounding him as if probing another dimension Lan Xichen knew instinctively that he was seeking the unattainably lost, and would never stop, in this lifetime or the next.
"Send me into Chaos.
Every night possible.
I will seek it out.
Every monster, every evil entity. Let me go into battle. Afterward, I will sing Inquiry at the Field of Slaughter. Nobody will be disturbed here in Cloud Recesses. On the nights when battle is not needed, I will go to the caves near the Cold Spring and play it there, where it cannot be heard. And where it cannot be noticed by anyone passing near the Jingshi. Then I will return home to sleep."
"Lan WangJi, do you take me for a fool? I know why you want this. You hold out hope that one day, by some miracle, your night-hunts will bring him to you. You still have value to this Sect, and risking your life on an idiot's quest is a misuse of a resource. No."
Lan Wangji gave a slight wince at the words and nodded. "Then I will leave with or without your permission. At least, if my request is granted, you and the Sect receive credit. If not, then I look as if I have gone rogue. You will look like a leader who can no longer control his disciples. Either option does not matter to me."
The Sect Master was white with rage. "Get out, both of you. I will not see either of you until I have thought this through. GO!"
The Jades left as he bid them and wandered quietly through the lilac evening. They found themselves on the hillside where the rabbits lived, all deep within their warrens, settled for the night. They stretched out on the fragrant spring grass, enjoying it, knowing that it had a short lifespan in these majestic yet austere peaks.
"Little Zhan?"
"Mn...?"
"Why go to this extreme?"
Lan Zhan was quiet for so long, that Lan Xichen doubted he would answer.
Finally, the Second Jade dropped his guard and began to speak. No frills, no hyperbole. Just Lan Zhan. Halting, raw ...
"I miss the sweetness of his Chaos."
He brought me that. Every day we were together was a challenge to all that I thought I knew.
I disliked that voice shouting my name across Cloud Recesses or during the Wen reeducation camp. In battle against a common enemy or against me. How I disliked it. But how I yearned for it. I found it as addicting as that first taste of fresh honeycomb.
While it melted in my ears, I looked forward to a tiny bite which never came. He never stung me; he, simply, wanted my attention. And how I fought it! I hid from him but rejoiced when I was found.
When he disappeared that day, I felt an emptiness that I cannot now feed, no matter how extreme the hunger. I rejoiced in each agonizing strike of the Discipline Whip; I feel each mark as the scar tissue aches and itches and continues to thicken, to this day.
I want my Chaos back, Lan Xichen. Even if the night never comes when I can find him in this newer mayhem. At least this cheap imitation of Wei's wildness will ease it until the next night-hunt beckons.
Lan Xichen wiped tears from his face as he listened then reached over and held his brother's hand. At that moment a Junior ran up, breathless and urgent.
"Masters, Sect Master Lan Qiren has asked to see you."
They rose and made their way back. Lan Zhan stood, head bowed, calm to all appearances. But Lan Xichen saw his hands clenched deep within the funeral white robes he now wore, the only expression of grief as a soulmate he permitted himself to don. Not even the palest blue adorned him any longer.
"I grant you this boon. But, it will be the last time I do this. If you do or do not find what you seek, (and face it, he is gone into the ether and will never return), you will come back here and leave this idiocy behind. Am I understood?"
When Lan Zhan raised his head, the other two Lan were stunned at the radiance on his perfect face, and for the first time in 11 years, he spared a smile for his Uncle.
"Xiexie! Xiexie, Sect Master."
"I have one condition. Pick twelve juniors to go on these hunts with you. If they are to learn effective night-hunting, it might as well be from you. Their safety is in your hands. Use caution. You are dismissed."
Lan Wangji bowed once more and left as quickly as he could.
Lan Qiren sat down to his paperwork. There was silence for a few long minutes.
"Where do you think he is going?"
"To the Caves.To summon Wangji, To play for Wei Ying."
"Of course. As usual. Stubborn and foolish. A complete waste of time to honor a practitioner of the dark arts. Young Wei Wuxian is probably in hell right now.
"We are not gods; how dare we presume to know their minds? But I know Lan Zhan's heart, and it grieves in the only way it can, Uncle. Everyone's way is different. I do not envy my brother's form of sorrow. He will play Inquiry and his fingertips will bleed each night. Until they meet once more."
A/N Hello, trying something a little different. In the states we have a thing called Flash Fiction. It is a short story form designed to be read in a very compact format. Something to be enjoyed with a morning coffee and bagel or on the bus to work or if you are stuck in traffic. A quick bite of satisfaction.
So each one is a tiny stand-alone. What you see each time is what you get; then you get a new one the next. One may be sad. One funny. One romantic. One scary.
Hope you enjoy!