[[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

[wickedwit]

Wryly, not unkindly, he says, “It always catches up with you. There’s nowhere to run.”

[summerdude]

Magnus makes an unconvinced sound.

[wickedwit]

Then Claudius keeps holding him, however long it takes.

[summerdude]

"Gods," says Magnus, eventually, highly embarrassed. "I really am okay." He hiccups on 'okay,' and another tear or two leak out, but it's a lot better than when he couldn't get the mental image of Shen Yuan's limp body, dead forever, out of his mind. Now that there's a potential solution... at least it feels less dire.

[wickedwit]

"And you aren't alone," Claudius reminds him. "I hope you realize I won't allow you to take sole responsibility for this project. That isn't a weight you have to bear and, speaking frankly, you shouldn't."

[summerdude]

Magnus pulls back far enough to give Claudius a blatantly confused look.

[wickedwit]

Claudius smirks, and shakes his head. "You know, I like to think I'm good at reading people, but I'm not a mind-reader. What's that look?"

[summerdude]

"Shouldn't?"

[wickedwit]

"We're a community, aren't we?" Claudius can believe it as he says it, and that's a wonder in itself. "The success of Shen Yuan's resurrection shouldn't rely solely on you. There's no need for it. There are others here who know about cultivation and botany both, and who have a stake in the mansion's safety. The more of their knowledge you can draw on, the better your chances. I assume that's why you confided in me."

[summerdude]

"Oh. I thought you meant, like, it could be dangerous or whatever."

[wickedwit]

Rueful, Claudius says, "Of course it could be dangerous. I'm taking that as a matter of course. Danger is also safer shared."

[summerdude]

Magnus nods. "I would like your help," he says. "Guidance, whatever. I can grow things but you know things. But..."

[wickedwit]

"But?"

[summerdude]

"Dude, Luo Binghe is, like, always there," gently.

[wickedwit]

"I could not care less where Luo Binghe is," frankly. "It's irrelevant. I'm not going to let it stop me from studying something that could help the entire mansion. If this plant can be propagated, many more lives could be saved through it, and others spared the grief we're all feeling now." "

[summerdude]

"Okay." Magnus trusts Claudius to know his own limits. "Galahad's not going to like it." There's a measure of guilt to his tone now: he thinks Luo Binghe is fine now, and that he's not going to, like, hurt people, but he does know how his best friend feels about the guy, and he does respect it, and lately, for obvious reasons, he has been spending more time with Luo Binghe than with Galahad.

[wickedwit]

"I let Galahad surprise me with what he does or doesn't like. Except for certain recipes," he allows. There are certain loafs he knew Galahad wouldn't like. "He's someone I trust to listen if I explain my position, and form his own opinion from there. If he has reservations, I'll answer them." He doesn't ask whether Magnus needs to explain anything to Galahad, but the thought does occur.

[summerdude]

Magnus nods. "I'll talk to Luo Binghe," he says. "And then you and me can go together."

[wickedwit]

It goes without saying that Magnus’s presence will help in answering Galahad’s reservations … and Claudius’s own, if he’s honest. Whatever killed Shen Yuan is an unknown threat, but Luo Binghe is a known one. Claudius can only hope that ‘consideration’ for Shen Yuan’s friends continues, for as long as there’s a possibility of Shen Yuan’s swift return.

He nods. “Thank you.”

[summerdude]

Magnus nods, too, then fiddles with some of the gentians for a moment, then says, "Can, um," and falls silent.

[wickedwit]

Claudius waits patiently for him to find his words.

[summerdude]

Part of Magnus remembers, from childhood, that it's considered rude to invite yourself over to someone's place for an activity. The rest of him has been homeless and/or living in a pagan afterlife for eleven years. Maybe he doesn't know about manners. "Can me and Alex come over for dinner with you guys tonight?"

[wickedwit]

But Claudius, who has longed all his life for a home he can play the host in, brightens considerably at the request. "We'd love to have you. I'll let Galahad have the last word on the menu. My attempts at cooking are still all rather experimental." And put to the wayside, after everything that's happened. Perhaps he'll attempt a single gelatin dessert. There's a wine jelly he'd been wanting to try.

[summerdude]

"Oh. Great," Magnus says, earnestly; the prospect of a nice evening with his best friend and his girlfriend and his, uh, fellow bamboo stalk or whatever has him actually, visibly relaxing for the first time in days, shoulders slumping, tension simmering down.

[wickedwit]

Claudius was, of course, humoring Magnus when he last said he was okay. Now he looks at Magnus and believes it. He will be okay, if nothing else, letting some of his burdens be shared and returning to what brings him comfort. And it's good for Claudius, too, to sit and plan with Galahad how to make a pleasant dinner for their friends, putting aside all thoughts of training and preparing against invisible threats, focusing on what they can do to enjoy a moment of peace together. "Excellent. Know, too, thou art always welcome with us."