lake party invite + mingle (open)

[channellings]

Who: any and everyone!
Where: the lake and nearby!
When: right now! (july 7th, afternoon)
What: motha 👏 fuckin 👏 lake 👏 party
Warnings: Language (!!!) for now, will be added as needed!



[no, this is not a joke and yes, it's an actual invite to a party over the network from the username: cock.licking.idiot (and no, that's not a joke, either).

those who decide that they'd rather not be square will arrive at some unspecified patch of lake shore (thanks, klaus) at a similarly unspecified time (good work, asshat) to discover that something resembling a slapdash but heartfelt lake party along the northern waterfront. a couple of tables have been dragged out of nearby cabins and now hold a probably inadvisable quantity of foods, at least half of which don't belong at a party by any means. is this what rationing looks like? this is definitely what rationing looks like. there's also an alcohol table, filled pretty sparsely early on in the party but gathering bottles and cans throughout the day. (word of mod says feel free to wing it on what kind of alcohol we have!).

a number of chairs sit in a wobbly line in the stone-filled waterfront sand, most of them not meant for beachgoing but nearly all of them able to recline. about fifty feet down the beach seems to be the splash zone, where all water horseplay exists well out of range of splashing those sitting in beachside chairs. some people dive or cannonball off the mostly-sturdy pier, while others seem to be batting around a-... is that a beach ball they have? no, it seems to be a balloon that says "get well soon". how fitting. please, someone bring them a fucking beach ball.

(this is a mingle! go ahead and make top-levels or tag into other people's.)]

Comments

[deferences]

[the aforementioned alcohol has left sizhui with a decently pleasant buzz, too. being fair, it'd taken a second drink – something distinctly different, far fruitier – to get the perfect balance of delightful warmth yet still leaving him just coherent enough to keep from tipping over into the lake. thank goodness, he's quite the lucky one and needn't have to ever worry about his tolerance like lan wangji does. (or worry about having to learn that fancy golden core trick uncle xichen should've taught poor hanguang-jun!)

by the time wei wuxian returns from collecting his beverage, he's gotten one arm unwrapped and is fidgeting with the other, well-aware there's footsteps approaching, though he doesn't automatically look. whoever it is, they've no reason to— oh.

sure, they can sit beside him, that's fine! as he turns to greet them, however, sizhui comes up short with any actual words when he sees who has sat down. it isn't that he's avoiding wei wuxian, per se, but their last meeting hadn't gone well; it's clear the former(?) yiling patriarch has no idea about this particular lan boy and sizhui's alright with letting it stay that way. fate, on the other hand, has different plans.

he's grateful wei wuxian fills the silence first since his thoughts are even more twisted than the ribbon he's wrapped around his hands while the man talks. at least a name is easy enough:] Sizhui, [he offers quietly, attention flickering back over and— is that a smile? ...maybe.] Now, you can threaten me properly.

[mannerless]

( sizhui. he repeats it in his mind, perhaps even mouths it aloud, to commit it to memory. it's the least he can do, after... well. the way he acted. part of him insists he was well within his right, but the rest of him knows for a fact that he was more than capable of tempering his tone and his words to a soft-spoken lan junior like this one. regardless, it's hardly sizhui's fault for wanting to help. )

Lan Sizhui, ( he repeats aloud, head tilting a little as a grin spreads across his lips. ) Unless you'd like to be dunked in the lake, I wouldn't push my luck. You know who I am, don't you? You have to. ( a lan disciple, of all people, will have heard from good ol' lan qiren about the dread yiling patriarch and what a poor example he sets. or perhaps wei wuxian's head has gotten a bit too big these days. )

[deferences]

[and sizhui simply nods with confirmation, redirecting his gaze back to the water for now, knowing full-well that wei wuxian was right and he should've done as told, but how could he accept leaving him behind with that mechanical monstrosity? especially after he'd just gotten back the memories of who he is, neverminding the fact he doesn't recognize him— that's something to worry about later when they aren't sitting side-by-side.

however, the threat(?) captures his attention again, has his eyebrows lifting with consideration.] Of course I know who you are. [because of course lan qiren has told them about it, but that doesn't mean sizhui didn't do any studying and make his own decision. which is exactly why he dares:] You wouldn't.

[mannerless]

( ah, so this boy knows perfectly well who he is and yet he still has the gall to all but politely request to be threatened? and then to tell him he wouldn't.

the look wei wuxian casts this boy in the corner of his eye is considering, perhaps dangerously so. half of him wants to do it just because he's been told that he won't, and thought that plays out clearly in his expression.

but then he siiiiiighs, flopping back onto the dock on his back with his arms out to the sides. )

What use is a murderous reputation if can't even scare the juniors? ( he whines, one of his dangling feet kick-splashing a bit of water out in front of them. )

[deferences]

[if this foolish boy had any idea what exactly it would be like to go up against wei wuxian in an actual battle, he wouldn't have even dared. he has, of course, heard of his fearsome reputation, but he also knows other things that give him a sort of advantage.

unsurprisingly, there is a very brief flash of uncertainty across sizhui's expression whenever wei wuxian looks at him, really seems like he's considering an awful idea—

before dropping backward onto the dock like some defeated fellow junior (oh, wow, that's weirder because they're not too far apart in age!) who's lost a game to him. sizhui's head tilts contemplatively, lower lip tucking between his teeth while he ponders, shifts somewhat and tucks his arms across his chest then glances out across the water.]

...yeah, some fearsome Yiling Patriarch you are. [oh, he went there.]

[mannerless]

( see, the thing is, wei ying can complain about his own reputation being useless, but now that the lan boy has done it, he feels like he has no choice but to defend it somehow. funny how that works.

and so he looks up at him for a long moment, considering, mouth opening to retort - but then it closes, and instead he sits up abruptly and gives the boy a sweeping shove off the edge of the dock.

when sizhui resurfaces, he'll find wei wuxian staring down at him with a raised brow. is he perhaps more fearsome now? )

[deferences]

[making a fuss about one's own reputation is different than someone else doing so; sort of like how it's different when siblings pick on each other but whenever someone else picks on one of them, the gloves come off. in this scenario, it's technically his adoptive father, though it's no less familiar in that sense.

sizhui doesn't even have time to realize what's just happened before he's toppling face-first off the dock and into the lake, barely managing to catch a quick breath—

then he's in the water, immediately reacting by snapping his eyes open, shifting against the weight of his leftover robes and clawing his way back to the surface. he breaks with a gasp, treading water, thankful he hadn't unrolled his sleeves after all.] How rude, [the lan boy huffs, lacking any actual heat, yet that doesn't stop him from retaliating by cupping his hand and tossing water straight up into wei wuxian's face.]

[mannerless]

( the huffed 'how rude' reminds him inexplicably of lan zhan, it carries the same poised indignation of the rebuke he received that long-ago day in the library even with none of the fury - but in sharp contrast with lan zhan, the boy splashes a two-handed cup of water directly up into his waiting face.

wei ying can't help it, he lets out something like a childish cackle and falls back against the dock for a moment in laughter, but he's righting himself before long to pull his feet up crosslegged and offer the boy a hand. the other braces between cracks between the planks of the dock, because he may be more benevolent than he lets on but he's certainly no fool. jiang cheng has pulled him headlong into the water far too many times to fall for that here and now.

(jiang cheng, who is at this party, who likely heard his burst of laughter, who likely watches now as he offers a hand down for the lan boy just as he always used to do for him.) )

No tricks this time, ( he promises, dragging himself back into the moment. )

[deferences]

[where else would he have learned it from? tossing water up into wei wuxian's face is half his own doing and perhaps a little bit of someone else they both know all too well, but everything about it is wholly sizhui nonetheless.

at the burst of laughter, he smiles wide, can't help giggling himself too, especially when the man falls backward onto the dock. following another amused huff and a quick head-shake, the lan disciple sweeps through the water in an attempt to get up again, hesitating once wei ying offers him a hand. sizhui's eyeing it skeptically at first, wondering what the catch is, curious as to what else he might try and pull while the mood is right. however, ‘no tricks this time,’ he says and, to nobody's surprise, sizhui believes him.

despite still being slightly dubious (and having considered dragging wei wuxian into the water with him), he reaches to catch the extended hand with a soft,] Thank you, [then moves his other hand to clutch the edge of the dock so he can help haul himself out of the water, considering it won't be the easiest of tasks, what with his remaining layers being absolutely drenched.]