daozhangs | ic inbox, ryslig.

( it does taste a bit watery, yes, but xingchen isn't complaining about the potency of the alcohol he has been gifted. he will, however, offer: )

If you don't like it, I can try to get us something better?

( not that he's any good at identifying 'better', but he can't possibly have worse luck than jiang wanyin did. for now, the conversation regarding others from china takes a backseat. )

[ No, he doesn't like it, but he did pay for the bottle so he would be determined to empty it before getting anything else. Only... they did leave the conversation on the topic of other Chinese monsters and there is one he does know about and hasn't mentioned yet. Isn't too keen on mentioning, though he knows he must. ]

Go ahead and try your luck [ he offers thus, though it comes with a little disdainful scoff. ] Don't expect much, the bartender is extremely rude!

[ That will at least give him some time to figure out how to tell him about Wei Wuxian's presence without letting on that his presence is one of the things that drove him to drink in the first place. ]

( and so xingchen rises smoothly to his feet, a hand reaching out to pat lightly at jiang wanyin's shoulder (a comfort for having received such terrible rudeness, perhaps) as he steps by and heads for the bar.

though xingchen's voice is, by nature, quiet and difficult to eavesdrop into, the man left behind on the couch will at least be able to see his friendly body language as he politely solicits the bartender's attention. the bartender does indeed recall the rude man demanding chinese wine, as indicated by a glance jiang wanyin's way that xingchen doesn't catch. but then the bartender says something and xingchen offers a warm and appreciative smile.

the conversation continues for a minute from there, a minute in which the bartender makes first one drink and then another as they chat cordially. and then xingchen thanks the man and returns to their corner table, setting a tall glass full of a darker drink in front of jiang wanyin, while his own is (little does he realize) a vivid blue. )

This should be quite a bit stronger, at least. It's called a 'Long Island Iced Tea', though I'm assured that there's no actual tea in the mixture. ( there are, however, four different forms of strong alcohol with a couple of other ingredients for flavor.

xingchen's own drink, he's been told, is essentially the same thing but with fruity flavors instead of darker ones. he has yet to try it, though, waiting for jiang wanyin's verdict first. )

[ Jiang Cheng pouts a little at the shoulder pat, feeling the tiniest bit condescended by it. On the whole, though, he is happy enough to watch Xingchen talk to the bartender, then quietly pouts some more since that conversation is going so much better than his own was. He gives the bottle of sake a sour look and pours himself another glass to keep himself entertained while he waits.

He has actually had two shots by the time Xingchen returns. ]

Finally! [ It's just a good-natured grumble, followed up by another grumble when he inspects his new drink out of suspiciously narrowed eyes. ]

I would believe you there is no tea in it [ he agrees after taking a cautious sniff, mellowing already towards the drink. ] It smells very strong, though I don't recognize the liquors used. Yours looks absolutely horrifying, by the way. [ Which is probably why that grisly bartender sold it to Xiao Xingchen - abusing a blind man's trust, exactly the villainy you would expect from a barkeeper who sells you wine as strong as water!

Despite all these complaints, he takes a cautious sip and then a larger gulp, followed by another. ] This doesn't taste bad at all. [ Not that he has much interest in food or drink anymore but he can still appreciate the components of taste and flavor, even if the joy he finds in them nowadays is mostly in the memory of them bringing joy. But he can taste strong liquors and that's what he is here for, after all. ]

Edited 2020-09-21 23:17 (UTC)

( his drink looks 'absolutely horrifying'? xingchen supposes that shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the name of the mixture, but he can't quite picture what that might be. is it black as ink? some sort of odd... viscosity?

he's distracted from that train of thought as jiang wanyin expresses his approval, and for the second time thus far today he presses his lips together to resist a smile that would appear entirely too pleased with himself to be proper. fortunately, he has a beverage with which to mask such a smile, and he's lifting it to take a generous sip now and - )

Oh. ( not a displeased 'oh', just a 'this isn't quite what i was anticipating'. already the mouthful he did drink warms inside his stomach and chest the way the wine valiantly tried to, and the slightest buoyancy carries each breath from his lungs. (it's from the wine finally kicking in, not that he realizes as much.) by way of explanation, he simply offers: ) It's quite strong. ( and then takes another sip. )

Just like mine then. But yours is bright blue and looks like... [ He wrinkles his nose, trying and failing to think of something from home that is such a disturbing shade of blue. ] Like drinking paint. [ He would rather be drinking paint, to be honest. Nah, he is glad with his brown drink. At least that's a reasonable enough color for alcohol, even if it doesn't look terribly appetizing.

He sticks to sipping on his drink, mulling on his thoughts and waiting to feel some kind of buzz. There is still nothing, maybe the wine was indeed watered down.]

How have you. You know. How have you been dealing with everything?

( bright blue? what sort of fruit (because he can only assume it's because of one of the fruits making a valiant attempt to mask the alcohol) is bright blue? his brow knits in thought, and he takes one more sip with intent to consider which part of the drink tastes blue - but his thoughts on that particular matter are interrupted by jiang wanyin's much more important question.

his smile comes more easily now, lighter, not the warm but restrained curve of lips that years as a daozhang has made habit. ) You're taking this blood feud rather lightly, ( he teases, before more genuinely offering, ) I've been well enough. Growing a bit more accustomed each evening.

[ That earns him an amused snort and while he still doesn't feel even the slightest effect of the alcohol, Jiang Cheng relaxes his posture a little, slumping into the couch cushions with the glass lazily propped up on a thigh. ]

I'm not going to get worked up over every little blood feud [ he retorts dryly, a playful gleam in his eyes. ] I'm afraid you'll have to work yourself up to warranting my wrath.

( xingchen's posture, however, is ever-proper - perhaps even more so as a delightful blur begins to encroach along the edges of his mind. almost like dizziness, and yet uplifting instead of disorienting. )

Mm, well how about the indignity of being outdrank by a former daozhang? Is that feudworthy enough? ( there's an impressive bravado to his voice, but it takes at most two whole seconds before his lips press together to hold back a laugh that escapes as a huff through his nose regardless, and he shakes his head a little. ) I couldn't possibly. I'm almost certain I'd die of it.

( another sip from his drink, which reminds him - ) Jiang-xiong. ( he's quite serious now, 'looking' at the man properly to express as much. ) I want your word that you'll stop me if I begin to embarrass myself. ( it won't be difficult, xingchen's certain his intoxicated self will listen. )

Of course I'm going to stop you! [ He gives a little eyeroll at that, remembering only too late that Xiao Xingchen won't be able to see it, though he figures he can still hear it in his voice. ] Who do you take me for? Do you think I would stand by and watch you make a fool of yourself? [ No, no, he wouldn't do that to him. He wouldn't let someone he respects as much as he respects this man embarrass himself from alcohol. However... Eyes, narrowing, he adds, ] But don't make it too hard on me. I'm planning to get drunk myself, and as far as I know I don't do anything too foolish when I'm drunk but I don't plan to be in any state to be chasing you through the city.

[ No, he plans to be in a state where he isn't capable of thinking or doing much anything. This subpar alcohol is just taking frustratingly long to show any effect at all. ]

( he can absolutely hear the eye-roll in jiang wanyin's tone of voice, don't worry. the latter bit has xingchen's mouth opening slightly in mock offense, though he waits for the man to finish speaking before he says, ) What sort of embarrassment do you take me to be?

( but there's something almost like laughter in his tone, and his lips are already curling to invalidate the pseudo-offense. ) I plan to make my best effort not to burden you with the task, but I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to trust my own judgment. ( perhaps he's being overly cautious, but he wanted to be certain before he allowed himself to drink any more of this. which he does now, closer to a proper-sized drink this time rather than the sips he's been stealing. )

[ Jiang Cheng gives another amused harrumph, this one accompanied by a slight crinkling of his nose. ] Just as long as you don't expect too much of my good judgment once I'm drunk. I'm planning to forget all my worries of the last month for one day, at least.

[ Which, come to think of it, is probably admitting to a lot more than he has been willing to admit to so far, just by confessing that he wants to forget. But that can't be helped now. If only the alcohol would kick in already... He takes several large gulps, impatient to kickstart at least a slight buzz. ]

And I'm not sure what kind of embarrassment you would be. I should be able to handle it as long as you don't try to get naked.

( it may, at first, seem like xingchen didn't quite catch the 'forget all my worries of the last month', or like he at least assumed it was the typical monthly worries here on the ryslig peninsula. perhaps he even thinks nothing of the gulping of jiang wanyin's drink, clearly unsatisfied with the way that he currently feels - something xingchen can't quite imagine, as jiang wanyin has consumed nearly double what he himself as and xingchen already feels distinctly better than he has in quite a while, even rationally knowing that it's purely artificial.

'i should be able to handle it as long as you don't try to get naked.' his brows raise a little, and - ) I think I can safely assure you that won't be an issue. ( based on how he's feeling right at this moment, he thinks he'd be more inclined to bundle up more - to seek out something plush and wrap it around himself.

but! being slightly intoxicated hasn't ruined his memory, and there are more important things to address. he takes one more drink from his beverage, then leans to set it on the table and thoughtlessly pulls his feet up crosslegged just as he would if they were sitting on the floor. it makes it quite a bit easier to swivel slightly to face jiang wanyin, head tilting a bit as he asks. ) Are you so set on forgetting your worries? You could tell me about them, instead. I hear that I'm not entirely awful at listening. ( slightly presumptuous perhaps, but that lapse in courtesy seems to slip right past him. )

[ He chuckles a little in appreciation at Xiao Xingchen's dry reassurance that getting naked won't be an issue, giving him an amused little grin to go with it though he won't be able to see it.

But then Xiao Xingchen returns to his line of questioning, he remembers it very well for someone on his way to being tipsy if not drunk - and how unfair is that, when Jiang Cheng has drunk far more? On that note, he takes another large gulp of his drink. ]

We'll be needing more of that soon, even if it isn't any stronger than the rice wine. [ It should be stronger, it tastes stronger, just does nothing for him yet. Then again, it hasn't been long yet since he got it.

Enough stalling, huh? He fixes his eyes on his friend and sighs heavily. ] I don't know what listening will do here. I have lost control and killed and as if that isn't bad enough, now he is here. [ His voice has turned cool, clipped with these words, his earlier amicable, relaxed tone of voice vanished. ] The Yiling Patriarch.

Edited 2020-10-05 20:27 (UTC)

( though xingchen can't see the grin, he hears the way it shapes the man's breath, and he presses his lips together a moment to keep from grinning in turn. this, he realizes, is getting increasingly tricky as he continues to drink. not grinning and whatnot. but it also seems a bit less important than it did some minutes ago, this silly decorum of his, so he supposes he'll see how this goes.

he has no trouble fetching more drinks when they've finished theirs, though he hesitates to agree that it's no stronger than rice wine. perhaps it simply tastes stronger? regardless, they've moved on (with a telling sigh from jiang wanyin) to that which inspired this drinking adventure.

the yiling patriarch is here. last xingchen saw he and jiang wanyin, they were brothers - but he certainly hasn't been far enough removed from the world to miss wei wuxian's defection, his flight up to the burial mounds and the speed with which the cultivation world turned on him. xingchen knows little of what occurred there, aside from the fact that wei wuxian had embarked on a journey of demonic cultivation with help from some sort of resentful amulet, which fostered a wariness in the daozhang for quite obvious reasons.

he hums a quiet thoughtful hum, and - ) Has there been any sign of his amulet? ( let's get the most pressing concern out of the way. )

[ That... is a good question. One which Jiang Cheng should have been concerned with sooner but he had been so caught up in the differences between this Wei Wuxian and his own that the most obvious concern of a Wei Wuxian coming from a point earlier in time hadn't occurred to him. ]

I... don't know for sure. [ His voice is tentative, eyes averted. Jaw clenched, then unclenched again. He looks down at his hands. He is holding his weird brown drink very tightly, as if he is clinging to it. Tch. Pathetic. ] I haven't seen it, or seen evidence of it. He shouldn't be able to use it anyway. None of our powers work here.

[ But now he's frowning, wondering. ] Then again, demonic cultivation is different. From what I understand, it doesn't need power within you, it relies on available sources of power. And even if I can't sense it anymore, this place must be full of resentment with so many having died violent deaths at the hands of monsters or all these disasters...

( xingchen hums again, more gravely than he properly feels at the moment, but he can still be quite serious if the situation calls for it. which this does, for the moment. ) We will be vigilant, ( he says, as if such a thing were ever in doubt - either the vigilance or the solidarity. ) Until we've evidence of such a thing here, it's a waste of our breath to fret about that.

( leaning just enough to reclaim his glass (it feels half-full now, perhaps a bit less), he takes a drink and lowers it to his lap between his hands. old two-handed tea-drinking habits die hard.

then his head tilts slightly lips curling at the corners as jiang wanyin might by now recognize as mischief. ) That's not why you've brought him up, anyhow. Come now, tell me what he's done to irritate you this time.

The problem [ Jiang Cheng grinds out between gritted teeth, sitting up straight and bristling in indignation ] is that he exists.

[ He takes a deep gulp from his glass and then just keeps drinking until he has it drained, and turns a spiteful glare on it for the crime of daring to be empty. There he goes, slamming it down on the table before he returns his attention to Xiao Xingchen. ]

He's different, too. He's from the past and he's... [ He scowls, trailing off, frowning. This part is harder to put a finger on, harder to describe without sounding like Jiang Cheng has lost his mind. ] He is different. He is not the man I remember. Like a painting that is drawn by memory and is slightly off. His looks, his mannerism, his speech... It is all familiar but just a little bit wrong.

( the slam of the glass has his brows and lip twitching in the faintest wince - sharper hearing has its drawbacks, for certain. but it's not enough to disrupt his smile entirely, even as that very smile fades a bit in thought. )

Perhaps he isn't your Wei Wuxian, then. ( the answer, as irrational as it is, comes much more easily now than it would if he were sober and dedicated to proper consideration of the issue. ) That's... silly, I know that - but you say that he's incorrect and I trust your judgment on that. Can the Fog God do a thing like that? Skew a person in such a way?

( another drink of his drink, and oh, look at that - it seems nearly emptied as well. ) Tell me your thoughts and then I'll get us another.

[ That... is disturbing. Disturbing enough that he doesn't care anymore for his empty drink or that he still can't feel even a hint of a pleasant buzz.

He stills, turns grim and solemn, gaze turned inward as he thinks back to that exhilarating reunion with the different Wei Wuxian. It had been painful and upsetting but... There had still been so much of him that had been happy to see him. The breath he sucks in is shaky. ] I know he is different. I... I thought it was a game of the Fog God. To bring someone who is similar but not the same. [ Then, quieter ] someone who remembers only the bad, not the good. I... I did not consider that she did something with him. Some copy, maybe. An imperfect copy. Like the bug copies below Kulen.

( mm, you see, he hadn't quite realized such a suggestion would be so difficult for jiang wanyin to stomach. he's usually a bit more attuned to these things, at least with this particular man, and he quite honestly feels a bit bad that he didn't think more carefully before he spoke - a pensiveness he hides behind one last drink of his drink, only to elegantly choke on it at 'the bug copies below kulen'. )

The what? ( oh, but he's grinning now, utterly delighted by whatever it is that he's just heard. he knows this is serious, truly he does, but you can't just say something like that. )

[ Oh, it had been kind of funny when Majima Goro first told him about the giant bug who had taken over his life and left him with ten different subscriptions for mail-order ham.

Now... it is far less so and he just makes a concerned little noise, which comes out as low static crackle. ]

The colony of giant bugs beneath Lake Minska! Who sometimes replace people with bug imposters! [ His voice is driven by more urgency now as he really gets himself fired up on his new hypothesis. ] Their imposters are convincing but just somewhat off.

[ Just like Wei Wuxian, suspected bug. ]

( oh, but his glass covers his lips again now if only to properly hide his grin behind it as he tries desperately not to laugh and fails entirely in his attempt. )

Forgive me, Jiang-xiong, forgive me - I know this is serious, it's just not quite working at the moment. The serious. ( oh, but he said he'd fetch more spirits, what a good excuse. ) Here, I'll fetch you another and then I'll come back and we can discuss this with appropriate gravity, we'll be fine, ( xingchen's saying as he uncrosses his legs and rises smoothly to his feet (though his decorum is quite apparently impaired, his balance has not yet been significantly touched). then he leans to snatch jiang wanyin's drink from the table where it was so eloquently slammed, and he makes his way back up to the bar.

this time his stay at the bar is a bit shorter but also a bit more jovial, xingchen's tone is amused even if the words can't quite be caught from where they sit, and then he's returning with another pair of drinks. the one he sets in front of jiang wanyin is certainly a color. )

It's called a June Bug, I thought it was rather fitting. ( but as he sits on the couch again, he sets the other less offensive beverage beside it. ) And since I doubt you'll touch the June Bug, I've also brought you this - it's an Angry Badger. You see? Never pretend I don't know you well.

Edited 2020-10-13 11:34 (UTC)

[ Now he is getting laughed at! The indignity!

Jiang Cheng stews in silent sulking while Xiao Xingchen gets them another round of drinks and when he returns with the toxic-green atrocity he called a June Bug of al things, it does absolutely nothing to make him feel any less sulky. ]

Of course I'm not going to drink that! It looks like poison! Like green poison.[ He wrinkles his nose and pushes the June Bug towards Xingchen. Then he grabs the other drink, which looks actually vaguely like something meant to be drunk by human beings. ]

June Bug, Angry Badger, why do they give all these drinks stupid names?

Edited 2020-10-13 13:29 (UTC)

( perhaps jiang wanyin would do well to laugh as well, that way he's being laughed with instead of at. xingchen would much prefer that, for a host of reasons including but not limited to 'jiang wanyin is laughing'.

meanwhile, he can't quite decide if jiang-xiong has realized he's teased him about being an angry badger or thinks he's just teased about being particular with his drinks, but it's not worth clarifying. he'll simply take his glass of poison in hand, sink down on the couch (mostly facing jiang wanyin this time) and pull his feet unrepentantly up to sit crosslegged again. ) One can only assume they've run out of dignified ones. At least these are nicer than what they've seen fit to call the blue one.

( he takes a sip of his drink - not quite as strong this time, and a creamier sort of fruity? he thinks creamier is the word. or perhaps thicker, but not in texture.

oh, but there was an important conversation to be had. he lowers the drink back to rest in his lap at the joint of his crossed legs, his smile broadening just slightly as he says, ) Now, you have my undivided attention. Tell me what else is wrong with this Kūnchóng Laozu.

Edited 2020-10-16 10:43 (UTC)

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, XIAO.XINGCHEN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 * XIAO.XINGCHEN has joined 018.07.154.55 <XIAO.XINGCHEN> You have reached Xiao Xingchen. <XIAO.XINGCHEN>** I am often away from my laptop, but I will do my best to answer as soon as I'm able.

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