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

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

[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!]]

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Aleksander nodded in response. He was curious as what Lan Wangji wanted to talk to him about that required such privacy but there was only one way to find out. "Lead the way."

Lan Wangji does lead him, then, drawing him away from the slowly-thinning crowd of mourners. He doesn't take him far, only far enough so that they can step into a convenient side room, one that will be well away from any curious ears. He folds his hands behind his back. "Did word of the attack on Magnus make it to you?"

"I had heard something occurred but not the details," Aleksander answered, the memory of Laertes asking him if there was anyone he thought dangerous resurfacing vividly. He'd missed the undercurrents then but Lan Wangji's question made the reason for Laertes' question abundantly clear. It was another sign of his failure to anticipate these events, he thought. He should have asked for details, he should have taken that as a sign to be more vigilant.

But it was too late now and he could only to atone for his mistakes. Again.

Lan Wangji chooses his words carefully. Nina urged him to approach this topic that way, and he still trusts her, even if the reverse is no longer true. "I have been unsuccessful in finding the perpetrator, and now Shen Yuan has been killed, too. Young mistress Nina told me that you might be able to help."

Aleksander raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised. Their relationship had been less contentious since their conversation in the closet but he had not thought it was to the point that she would recommend him to someone else for anything, let alone assistance. "She did? Certainly, if there is something I can do, I will gladly do it."

"Is it true that you can sense the abilities of those you touch?" Again, this is what Nina told him, and he has no reason to doubt her. He and Aleksander have never touched skin to skin; there was no reason for it to become evident before now.

Aleksander fought back the initial surge of panic. He had, after all, told a few people about being a living amplifier and this was a small community. Word would get around, one way or the other. The Mansion did not feel as safe as it used to but it was not Ravka, he reminded himself. It would be fine.

"It is," he answered slowly. "Grisha can acquire amplifiers - bone, scales or teeth of an animal that, when worn, can increase their power. Some Grisha are themselves an amplifier and can increase another's power by touching them. I am one myself. I am not able to tell what kind of power someone has, only whether or not they have some kind."

Lan Wangji nods. It's a slightly curt gesture, although not because of any displeasure with Aleksander himself. "Magnus was attacked by a blade that moved without a hand. The attack that killed Shen Yuan was similar, with a different weapon. I can think of no one with such abilities who would be likely to harm the residents of this mansion, but I am not aware of every power here."

Aleksander exhaled sharply, his mind running through the possibilities. "Nor can I. And not that I can claim to be an authority on anything other than Grisha power, but my understanding was that of those here with powers, line of sight was required. To be able to manipulate weapons without being present speaks to someone with great skill."

"Mn." The only person Lan Wangji can think of who has such power is Asmodean. It would be a stretch to say that he trusts Asmodean, but he does not consider him an active threat, either. "You have not identified anyone through your touch, then."

"No," Aleksander answered, frustrated and angry with himself. Being a living amplifier was both blessing and curse but until now, he had never considered that it might matter what kind of power he detected. Rationally, he knew it was not his fault and but it was just another stinging reminder of his failure to anticipate this tragedy. "I am sorry."

A little startled, Lan Wangji glances afresh at Aleksander. He did not intend this as a test. "There is no need to be sorry," he says with sincerity. Perhaps Aleksander will identify such a person in time, perhaps not.

"I should have seen this," Aleksander protested bitterly. "I let myself become complacent and did not take enough time to know everyone here as I should. If I had, I would have seen this or at least been more aware there was a danger and prepared accordingly. I was a general, I have always anticipated three or four steps ahead of everyone else and I failed."

Lan Wangji can't pretend to misunderstand Aleksander's frustrations. He keeps thinking it, again and again: how he promised that this mansion was under his protection and how meaningless that proved. He cannot go back, though. "None anticipated it. Shen Yuan was immortal, with Luo Binghe at his side."

That was the most troubling part of all of this - Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe were powerful, immortal even as Lan Wangji had said. What hope did everyone else have of defeating this enemy if those two could not?

For a moment only, he considered trying to call on merzost. He was a living amplifier and did not Grandfather Morozova say of Grisha "Are we not all things?" He had focused on his shadows before when using merzost but what if he focused on what it was that let him detect power? If he could expand it, expand his awareness... but even if the Mansion let him do it, which he doubted, he would go down a path he could not come back from. There was already a monster here, he did not need to become a greater one.

"I will keep my eyes open," he said, sounding tired. "If I find something or someone unexpected, I will tell you."

"Thank you." For a long moment, Lan Wangji is silent, a clear and direct gaze focused on Aleksander. Then, he says, "If there is anything you need, tell me that, too."

What Aleksander needed at the current moment was reassurance that the Mansion was safe but this was beyond anyone's power, let alone Lan Wangji's. Still, he appreciated that Lan Wangji asked - it was something a friend would do. With everything so unsettled, it was a good reminder that he was not alone.

"I wil l," he promised. "At this moment, I just want to help however I can. People are afraid, I know, and if I can do something to help them feel safer - go on patrols, be watchful at night... I will do it."

Lan Wangji nods, a slightly curt gesture but one of continued understanding. "You would not be the only one patrolling, but the more of us who do so, the more likely we are to maintain safety here."

"Is there a rota? Or is it all informal?" It was hard not to immediately jump into action and take charge but Aleksander did not trust himself with any assumption of power, no matter how good of a cause it might be. He was happy to help and would but the leading the charge was someone else's job.

"At this time, it is informal," Lan Wangji says. "I circle the grounds each morning." He has done so almost since the first day he arrived. Initially, it seemed that nothing changed day to day, but that is no longer the case. The people here have made their various marks on the landscape. "Perhaps we should change that."

Aleksander nodded. "I believe it would be a good idea. It does not have to be permanent but at least until this situation has been resolved, the more people having eyes out on the ground the better. I can patrol at night and surely we can find someone who would handle the afternoon. Random times so there is no pattern to be picked up on."

Lan Wangji nods in turn, serious. "It is worth pursuing." He hesitates briefly -- he has a fleeting impulse to touch Aleksander's shoulder, for a moment of comfort or connection or both. But he isn't entirely confident that it will be welcome.

If Aleksander had been more sure of his friendship with Lan Wangji, he would have offered him a hug. In these unsettling times, some comfort would be welcomed but Lan Wangji was just as reserved as he was if not more. Rather than cause unintended offense, he gave him a small smile. "We have a small but strong community. I believe we will prevail."

As small as it is, Lan Wangji takes that smile to heart. He can't quite return it, but his answering glance is a warm one, softer around the eyes. He nods. There is nothing he can say without dispensing false hope, but he is glad to have Aleksander among them, despite all Aleksander's troubles and doubts. "That is all. You may return if you like."

Aleksander's first instinct was to make an excuse to stay here and be alone with his thoughts for awhile. He fought back that impulse, aware that it would lead to nowhere good. What he needed - what everyone need in this time - was community so he would go back to the others and offer what comfort he could. "I will do that. But should you need me, let me know and I will be there."

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lightbearinglord - 2024-07-02 03:38 (UTC) - Expand

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