[[open post and announcement: no mourners, no funerals]]

[ravkanwitch]

[cw: discussion of death!]

Nina knows that word of Shen Yuan's death has been slowly spreading. She tried to put out a general warning of danger right after it happened... but she's not sure how many people were warned by it. She wasn't in the right mind at the time, after all. This time, she's more careful and collected. With SecUnit's help, she's alerted and gathered everyone who's interested for an important announcement in the lobby of the mansion. Despite all appearances of bossiness and stubbornness - all quite true - Nina has never been in charge of anything so serious. Kaz, Zoya, and the King himself; she followed their lead. As people slowly begin to gather and she attempts to compose herself, she wonders why she decided to put herself up to this.

Deep breath, Zenik. Pretend that - well, that this is pretend. She's back in the orphanage as the official greeter, making an important announcement to all the other children. She's the governor of a small town, making sure that all the citizens are aware and prepared. It does have to be her, after all. She's playing a crucial role in everything. She also doesn't want anyone else to carry the emotional load.

"Hi," she tells everyone gathered, trying to paste on a somber but not-too-morose expression. "Thanks for coming. I'm sure some of you have heard part of this announcement already and I'm sorry that it took so long to pass this information onto everyone else... but there was an incident not too long ago. We're not sure what caused it, whether it was the house or whether it was an individual, but... Shen Yuan is dead." There's most likely a reaction at this point and Nina forges onwards as confidently as she can, pitching her voice above the hubbub.

"But there is a way that he can return. We're sure of it. We're just trying to figure out the details, which might take a while. If you want to know more about that, you can ask Magnus, but I'm not sure how much he can tell you. Also, if you encounter any signs of Shen Yuan's spirit, you can talk to--" Here she meets Aleksander's eyes almost instinctively; this line of conversation is something she's purposefully kept from him. "You can talk to myself. Or... to Lan Wangji. ...That's all. Thank you."

A confident start but slightly deflated by her last few sentences, Nina steps back and allows for conversation to happen. If anyone would like to speak to her, she's looking much less strained and grim than she has in a while.

[[Feel free to post a single comment reaction and/or start a thread with Nina in the comments!]]

Comments

[lightbearinglord]

With another minor application of effort, Lan Wangji suppresses a flare of irritation. He doesn't want to be irritated with Magnus, who is one of the brightest parts of his days and who has been grieving. He breathes one more time. "Then we will find someone to keep watch over Sunny while we walk."

[summerdude]

"Dro has her, it's fine," Magnus says. He disentangles himself from Hanguang-jun's hold and gestures for him to follow.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji takes one moment of his time to glance around the room. He sees Aleksander, clearly shaken, but sober and clear-eyed, no stranger to death in its cruelty. He intends to speak with Aleksander once he and Magnus return, but for the time being, he catches his eye and draws Aleksander's gaze toward Sunny. He is relieved to see understanding light in Aleksander's expression and to see him begin to cross the room toward her.

With that settled, Lan Wangji follows Magnus.

[summerdude]

Magnus leads them outside -- not to the pavilion, but to one of the few trees dotting the wide expanse of lawn. "There's these plants," he explains, after glancing around. "They can grow into people."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji has heard of stranger things. Plants can cultivate into yao. The question remains: "What does this have to do with Shen Yuan?"

[summerdude]

"I'm growing Shen Yuan a new body with them."

[lightbearinglord]

Several things slot into place. They need Shen Yuan's spirit and an array in order to draw that spirit into this new body that Magnus is, apparently, growing. "I wasn't aware you had that ability."

[summerdude]

"What, growing things?"

[lightbearinglord]

"Growing plants that can become people."

[summerdude]

"Oh." Right, context. "Shen Yuan started it. He got the seeds... somewhere. He asked me to help out, if anything happened. It just... took me some time to remember, for some reason."

[lightbearinglord]

The pieces of this hang together, but they seem to do so jaggedly, like a vase that was smashed and repaired inexpertly. Lan Wangji looks at Magnus, feeling almost helpless. This is good news. He knows that it is. Shen Yuan can return, so long as they can see their way through the necessary steps. His uneasiness also fails to hang together. "Did Shen Yuan suspect something would happen to him?"

[summerdude]

Magnus blinks. That part of the memory hasn't unearthed itself fully yet. "He must have, right? To key the plant to himself?"

[lightbearinglord]

"If his spirit remains, I will speak with it and ask him then." Again, the uneasiness, but Lan Wangji doesn't let it show. "Thank you for telling me."

[summerdude]

"Of course, sir."

[lightbearinglord]

He wants to fondly correct Magnus, Hanguang-jun. He wants to tell Magnus how good he is and how brave he is continuing to be. Because he can't quite seem to do either, he reaches for Magnus' hand instead.

[summerdude]

Magnus reaches for Lan Wangji's, too, and squeezes. There's a lot of really silly and dumb and pointless words brimming at the tip of his tongue, words like I missed you. That's stupid, because Lan Wangji has been right here? The whole time? He knows how to find him?

He's so, so tired. He shuffles closer so that he can lean against Hanguang-jun and close his eyes.

[lightbearinglord]

Glad for the silence and the fact that there is no need, for this moment, to speak, Lan Wangji tucks his arm firmly around Magnus and holds him there. There is a path forward. That will have to be enough for now.

[summerdude]

From this angle, to Hanguang-jun, it probably looks like Magnus's face -- his perfect, healing body -- is bruised under the eyes. It's the exhaustion, the way he's been holding himself together with spit and duct tape and Alex and wanting to not freak the new baby out and little else for days. He tries to let himself relax, but his body is tense straight through.

[lightbearinglord]

It feels almost like touching someone other than Magnus, who typically flings himself into their every embrace with open enthusiasm, sweet and easy. Lan Wangji looks down at him. He feels helpless again. He lifts a hand and smooths Magnus' hair, fingers gentle but assured at his forehead and then his temple.

[summerdude]

Magnus shudders, but doesn't relax.

[lightbearinglord]

"Magnus," Lan Wangji says quietly. He can't promise Magnus safety. He can't promise that everything will be well. What can he promise? Only himself. "I have you."

[summerdude]

He nods. His eyes are still closed.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji lets out a small, careful breath. He flattens his hand between Magnus' shoulder blades, pulling him in a little closer, and continues stroking his hair with the other hand. "What can I do?"

[summerdude]

This gets Hanguang-jun the sum total response of: one shrug. But never fear, as soon as it's over, Magnus is pressed up against his side again.

[lightbearinglord]

Very well, then. If there is nothing Magnus can bring himself to ask for, Lan Wangji can only keep holding onto him, keep stroking his hair with a careful hand, keep looking at his dear, weary face with quiet attention. A face this young should not look so ragged.