consignation | eastbound inbox

[ Ah, there it is. He smiles as he sighs softly so as not to be heard (he might be, what even are these devices). ]

Wanyin, will you please apologise to her? If only because I have asked. I don't mean to inconvenience you but I find everyone I like is currently at odds with one another and I would like to remedy some of that where possible.

[ there is a deep, slow breath of jiang cheng plumbing the depths of his being for patience he does not actually possess. it has something of a placebo effect, allowing him to have the appearance of patience in his own mind for the time being. ]

I am not... unwilling to take measures if you deem them necessary, but in order to do that I would have to know what specifically I've done to offend her outside of my general existence.

[ He really does try not to chuckle. He tries. ]

Perhaps a broad apology for any offence given, since you met? I'm sorry, I didn't ask for details.

[ the chuckle goes unremarked on as jiang cheng has never known lan xichen to indulge in mean-spirited amusement. instead, he asks: ]

How well do you know Hermione?

Wangji considers her something of a little sister, they get along very well.

[ They're both smartasses and too clever for their own good, he lets linger unsaid. He's also not above playing dirty, softening his voice to something of an audible pout. ]

You would have me in your debt, Wanyin. I'm asking you to apologise indiscriminately, it's a bothersome inconvenience for me to contact you like this with no warning, I know.

That's not what I was getting at. You don't need to start talking about debts. Is the goodwill between our families so poor that you feel such a small thing must be negotiated? I would no more accept payment if you came to dinner unannounced.

[ with a huff of breath, jiang cheng gets to the crux of the issue. ]

Hermione and I do not get along because she's uncommonly particular and is able to find offense where none is intended. I have... similar issue communicating with Lan Wangji, but [ through audibly clenched teeth: ] circumstances force us closer together.

I don't think she would take well to a general apology, and if she interrogated me on what specifically I think it is I'm apologizing for, I wouldn't know what to tell her. It's just as likely to make things worse when I'm accused of being insincere.

Wanyin, you're so serious. [ Gently, he explains, ] I'm teasing you.

[ Back to the main point. ]

... I may know a little of what caused her offence, but only the barest bones. [ He really didn't want to have to admit it out loud, there's no getting around the crassness. ] Once, did you perhaps ... imply she was Wangji's woman?

Did I? [ jiang cheng's face speedruns through all the stages of grief before he settles on, simply: ] I mean, it's not impossible. Neither she nor Lan Wangji are particularly successful communicators, I can see where I may have gotten that misconception but it must have been short lived considering your brother is... [ jiang cheng mentally flips through the entire thesaurus of words that mean the same as 'fucking' and has to discard them all. ] ...involved with mine.

Married, [ "involved" is so wrong, those two are in love, ] as I intend to be upon our return home.

[ jiangcheng.exe has encountered an error. there's a long, drawn out silence punctuated only with what might be incoherent spluttering, jiang cheng trying to figure out where to even begin tackling that. what developments has he missed??? last he remembers lan xichen was languishing in seclusion and now he is to be wed???

after far too long a pause, jiang cheng finally manages a raspy response that's trying and failing desperately to sound neutral. ]

And who is the lucky... prospect?

No one, as of yet, but I've asked Wangji to help me open up betrothal proposals once we return and I exit my seclusion.

[ He'll pretend he didn't hear that strangled noise of surprise from Jiang Cheng, don't worry. ]

[ the little wheel in jiang cheng's head is spinning, but absolutely no progress is being made. this is good news, isn't it? exiting seclusion is a win. it's what he's hoped for on xichen's behalf this whole time, encouraged even. this is absolutely a good thing, so jiang cheng should react as such.

he still sounds a little bit like he's being actively strangled. ]

I hope someone both suitable and deserving finds you promptly. I've had little luck in such matters, but you deserve nothing less than an ideal match.

Thank you. You also deserve an ideal match, I've always been surprised why it hasn't happened yet.

[ He understands why, from a logical perspective, but Jiang Cheng has always been perfectly reasonable with him (if grumpy about it). ]

As Wangji put it, I'll be taking a wife whether it's a woman or a man, [ is he trying not to chuckle, ] so whoever it is will have to be able to deal with that being their title from him.

[ at that, there's more grinding glass in the shattered halls of jiang cheng's mind in the place of coherent thought. ]

Whoever you wed will have to deal with his temperament in general, [ jiang cheng supplied reflexively, barely parsing his own words because he was still caught up on xichen so plainly stating he was on the market for all potential marriage candidates. what had wei wuxian done? was jiang cheng upset about this? he honestly didn't know and had no idea what to feel except oddly... disappointed? ]

A shame that such a title takes me out of consideration, [ he blurted with quiet, nervous laughter. ] It's unheard of for a sect leader to marry into another's family, after all.

[ There's a pause as Xichen ~~makes a Pikachu face at his device, grateful it's set to Audio~~ considers what he's just heard. Instead of being reasonable and agreeing to help soothe that anxiety he thinks he heard in a chuckle, he hums thoughtfully instead to buy himself time. His cheeks feel hot. ]

Unheard of but not impossible to navigate.

[ He's not sure why he doesn't just say You're right, it's crazy. ]

Would ... ?

[ what do you mean not impossible to navigate, lan xichen!! how is jiang cheng supposed to remain resolute in the face of the cold reality that wei wuxian is hoarding the entire cultivation world's quota for unorthodox unions when you toss in your belief of the contrary just like that?? ]

Well, I'd certainly never get your brother's blessing either.

[ this, notably, is not a 'no.' ]

Wangji's opinion is noted and I appreciate his input, but I only asked him to filter out the respectability of potential suitors.

[ He can't keep from smiling, a breathless chuckle taking over. ]

Wanyin is, as specified, a sect leader. [ He has to clarify for his own sanity, ] Would you send Gusu your proposal?

I mean... [ jiang cheng struggles with how to articulate this, but... it's hypothetical, right? they're just chatting. they're not even home yet. they might never be home, and who knows what might be waiting for them when they are. this conversation is unlikely to ever amount to anything, so he doesn't have to be so careful. just a fond what-if between friends. ]

If I felt assured it would not cause a scandal, if I thought you would be happy under Yunmeng's roof— I wouldn't hesitate. Even just to be declined in your own words would be worth my while.

[ 'Even just to be declined in your own words would be worth my while.' Jiang Cheng is??? So romantic? Accidentally? Probably accidentally. Xichen is completely astonished, squashing a soft noise of surprise as he takes in the fact he's hearing such things from a man he considered utterly uninterested in him that way. It doesn't make sense, not with how often Jiang Cheng has seen him a mess, both here and back home at Guanyin Temple. ]

You would marry me?

[ there's a long, drawn-out pause. ]

Technically, you would have to marry me.

[ ??????????????? ]

I don't understand. You don't ... Wanyin. [ Let him get his thoughts together. ] Wanyin.

[ Xichen.exe has now stopped working. All he has left is a name stuck to the roof of his mouth that tastes different to the way it did ten minutes ago. ]

Why would you marry me?

[ jiang cheng isn't entirely following what the problem is, only that xichen seems to have gotten stuck on a completely different point than him. for jiang cheng, he can only marry someone into his family because he can't exactly leave yunmeng jiang unhelmed. he's already well beyond given up on his own romantic prospects, considering just how many doors have shut on him and wanting to focus on jin ling's welfare besides.

for a long time, he's been making himself at peace with the thought that yunmeng jiang will end with him. that's been hard enough a thing. the one thing he can't do is abandon his post before his time.

but lan xichen is focused on an issue jiang cheng doesn't even fully see. his reply to this, full of fluster, is slightly less than articulate. ]

Why not...??

[ He isn't sure whether Jiang Cheng says such things to be blunt or to get his heart racing and he hates not knowing, because he also knows the other man wouldn't play with him like that. Instead of flustering further, he tries to keep his head (and dignity) by closing his eyes and smiling in disbelief, shaking his head. He has to make a point. ]

Because if even my refusal would be enough for a-Cheng, then how could I do anything after hearing that but consider such an offer?

[ A-Cheng, warmly spoken. ]

Edited 2023-12-21 21:33 (UTC)

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