Longing for Inquiry - Lan Wangji

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The moon glittered down on the wishing water, Lan Wangji silently watched as he strummed his guqin. His rabbits where gathered all around him, all peacefully nibbling on grass and occasionally asking Wangji for a carrot from his robe. One of his rabbits kissed his robe with her nose. Wangji couldn't look at a rabbit without being reminded of Wei Ying, so he tried not to, no matter how much he loved them. He took out the small pouch of carrots and propped one on his robe. The rabbit sniffed around his arm and grabbed the treat carefully.

The gentle wind started to pick up, and a booming thunder came from a distance. Wangji's black hair danced wildly in the wind. His guqin sustained the last note, it echoed off the crashing waterfall and settled into the air. His rabbits perked up as he stood, his fingers were raw and weeped blood, he had been playing for as long as he could endure. If he didn't have Sizhui to take care of, he'd play for days.

He bid a quiet farewell to the moon and to his rabbits. Hugging his guqin in his arm he walked along the rushing stream. A few rain drops fell on his face as he looked up at the dark cloudy sky, the moon was now concealed. Only the scattered lanterns of the Cloud Recesses were visible. Following closely beside the stream, the rain pelted him. Still he kept walking. He stopped abruptly when he heard a flute playing. Curious, he continued on, walking a bit faster. The player of the flute was on the front porch of Jingshi (The Quiet Room).

The player stopped and smiled gently. "Sizhui was crying, so I put him back to sleep, he wanted to hear a flute." Lan Wangji nodded, but was a bit surprised that Zewu-Jun left Hanshi (The Cold Room). He had locked himself away ever since the events of Guanyin Temple. "I left because I wanted to see the storm, I'd feel regretful if I let Sizhui cry." Zewu-Jun answered, knowing the meaning of Wangji's face. The peaceful sounds of the sleeping child came from inside the residence. Zewu-Jun stepped off the porch, "Wangji, you should clean yourself up. I know you haven't been taking the best care of yourself." He smiled and walked past Wangji to his own quarters to rest.

Sizhui was curled up on the floor, holding tightly to a lotus seed pod. Wangji stood at the door, another surprise. Where could the boy have gotten those? The quiet desperation Wangji felt for Wei Wuxian clouded his perception. Signs and symbols of him were everywhere it seemed. Wangji has tried inquiry many times to no avail. He shook the thought and walked in to change out of his drenched clothes.

He softly picked up the snoozing Sizhui and opened up his umbrella before stepping back outside. The rain pattered on the top of the umbrella, little Sizhui hugged Wangji close. Opening the door to Sizhui's room he drew his umbrella closed. He tucked Sizhui into bed and placed the lotus pod onto the table. He quietly shut the door and turned around to a bright moon peaking through the clouds. He allowed a second to enjoy the moon again as he walked back to his room.