vestigenet | video | un: clouded.judgement

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video | un: clouded.judgement

[The video starts with a shot of the snow covered ground, foliage overgrown but peaking out from under the white powder and very much of a hoppy nature. The person holding the camera is walking through it, lower half clad in pale blue and white robes embroidered with cloud patterns.

The camera spins, catching a glance of the run down farmhouse before settling on the man holding the smartphone. For someone with sticks and snow stuck in their hair, he still manages to look put together and the forehead ribbon he's wearing is not out of place and while there's a crease in his brows there's also an upward turn to his lips. Unfortunately for the protagonist of this story, he also really has no idea what the phone he's holding is or that he's recording and will soon be blasting a video out to the whole of the network.

Fortunately for him, the tumble he took earlier is not recorded. At least it hasn't started snowing. What luck.]

For a nightmare, this feels horribly tame... [There's no rain or snow suddenly falling but Lan Xichen is. The camera broadcasts the video, flies into the air, and then cuts out with the blue clad protagonist of this tale sitting in a lotus pose in a pile of snow. No scream and he nailed the landing, but is definitely worse for wear.]

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( it's honestly just the snippet of robes that keeps wei wuxian from disregarding the video altogether after a few aimless moments of field and snow. and he's quite glad that he did, because that is most distinctly lan xichen. the eldest twin jade with his hair all full of twigs... he doesn't recognize that he's being recorded does he? at the very least, this man (of all men) is quite unlikely to embarrass himself terribly, even if -

ah. wei ying stands quite corrected, nose faintly wrinkled in a wince at the tumble, though now that the camera has leveled out... at least he seems alright? and possibly meditating. meditating the shame away as he does with wine, perhaps - is such a thing even possible? he'll have to teach jiang cheng, if it is. )

Ah - Zewu-jun, can you hear me? ( perhaps he should've let sizhui handle this one, since his own presence might very well be... a bit controversial, depending on what exactly (or when exactly) zewu-jun remembers. but he's already asked the question, so here goes nothing. )

Edited 2021-02-14 06:35 (UTC)

[though the video is disorienting, sizhui still manages holding out until there's a brief glimpse of blue, white and clouds that immediately have his undivided attention, all of which can only mean one thing: surely it's another member of lan clan. unless there is someone wandering around in similar robes? that, however, seems rather unlikely.

whoever they are, they're near the farmhouse, not too far away but certainly a decent trek with the snow-covered ground. regardless, as soon as the camera pans up, he can't resist gasping and—] Zewu-jun? [ordinarily, he might tease himself, insist he's seeing things because how would the technicians have found a man in seclusion? but lan sizhui knows his uncle and really, there's no mistaking him, even with twigs and snow littering his hair.

any other time, he might have laughed, except astonishment – also worry – overrides enthusiasm and before he can stop himself, he remarks,] It isn't a nightmare, Zewu-jun, you are awake.

[ Lana starts her response just laughing her head off. ]

Ohmygod, fucking RIP.

[ But don't worry, she's not entirely cruel. ]

Uh, you okay there, Snow White?

( oh, no. no no no no no. hasn’t he paid enough already? but the fates are cruel, and here lies his brother, a pang in lan wangji’s chest that shouldn’t be there. for one, there’s a modicum of relief beating there, joy, and it’s selfish and unseemly, because lan xichen doesn’t belong here. shouldn’t. none of them do, really, but when your life is already molded like a tragedy, this is just pouring salt on the many wounds.

guilt creeps in. fear. because this is worse than a nightmare, and there’s just so much to unpack here lan wangji doesn’t know where to begin. first, shock. his own feed turns on, and while a mix of concern and solace pounds in his ears, he calls for him. )

Xiōngzhǎng. ( the word almost sounds foreign, for how long it’s been since he said it last. he gets up. grabs a coat, a scarf. and as he gracefully storms out of his cabin, he tries one more time, louder, hoping to be heard. ) Xiōngzhǎng. Your device. ( look at it. )

[Lan Xichen is not quite meditating, though later it will be a worthwhile exercise to contemplate and reflect on what has brought him to this world and what the next step is in moving forward. For the moment, it feels like a dream. While he has often reflected on his own dreams, there's nothing about this -- not yet -- to call forth the flutter in his chest or the feelings of unease he is used to.

He sits with his legs crossed, trying to even his breath and recover from the tumble no one has witness.

At least, until he hears a voice that is familiar. The man who possess it is no where to be seen. He opens his eyes, really looks and finds no one. It takes a moment to brush the snow from his sleeves, pull himself up to stand and then to realize that the sound of Wei Wuxian's voice was coming from the device he'd woken up holding.] Master Wei?

[He asks the air around him, picking up the phone to examine it with a slight crease in his brows. The sound plays again but there's instructions to respond so he repeats himself again, voice even though laced with confusion.] Master Wei? Is that you? [That is a turn of events, a strange thing for his mind to conjure.]

Edited 2021-02-18 04:16 (UTC)

[The sound of familiar voices is comforting and strange, a cacophony filling the quiet space around him. It feels like a dream still, the air around him quiet and unnatural in a way that Xichen cannot place.

There is a wrongness here and while he does not wish for it, it is seeping into his bones in a way his mind could not make up. Not now, not after two years of seclusion.] Sizhui?

[He sounds like the young man that Xichen knows now than the child that frequented his dreams and nightmares, cementing a fact he's already realized. It adds to the confusion, makes him lightheaded and thankful that for the moment he is alone.

The screen is more familiar now and, intuitively, he knows the buttons to press once he's taken a few deep breaths, pushed the panic and confusion aside so that the expression he swears bears more resemblance to concern for the young man on the other side of the screen.] It isn't. [He sighs, takes another breath.] What is this place? Are you alright?

[The laughter is a shock, a piercing sound in the eerie quiet all around him.

Xichen frowns, eyes narrowing slightly at the screen as he looks at the video again. The person seems concerned, at least once the laughter has died down. While he has no idea who she is, it would be foolish not to respond and lose potential assistance if she seems trustworthy. He has no reason, yet, to believe she is not.] Pardon?

[Still, she may as well be speaking another language.] I am alright, thank you, but I am afraid you have me confused for some one else.

Edited 2021-02-18 04:55 (UTC)

[The sound of his brother's voice is not what Xichen expects either but thus far his expectation of this dream world have been dashed. It is a reality, a strangeness that he does not quite understand.

When he'd emerged from the Hanshi a few short weeks ago, it had been a gradual thing. The world he'd returned to had not been foreign, though he'd spent two years withdrawn from it. Much had changed but the routines of his home had not been upheaved, the duties that others had shouldered in his absence had been familiar even if he'd grown tired attending to them at an embarrassing pace. He'd spent time slowly emerging into a place that had once been home, had gone to sleep and awoke in a place that was far from it.

There is comfort in hearing his brother's voice, lost amidst a landscape that is different from the one he'd last looked upon before he'd retired for the night. While their closeness was frayed during his seclusion, the distance one he imposed though he'd never let such a chasm form when Wangji had paid penance for his actions. In the last few weeks it had been growing shorter, his own heart had melted and felt ready for the closeness of family again.

There are questions at the tip of his tongue as he holds the device, brushes the snow from his sleeves and then takes a deep breath. What is happening? Where am I? What is this?] Wangji. [He frowns at the screen, brows creased but he has managed to send a video once already.] What is this place? Are you alright?

[ ....Great, another one of those old timey asian guys with no sense of humor. ]

Eh, don't sweat it. You sure you're okay out there? The snow's not as bad as it was last month, but it's still fucking Siberia or some shit out there.

[Half of that registers, really, but he can guess from context clues what Siberia is and that it's good enough to slip it into conversation. To adjust, to feel like he can blend.

He shudders from the cold, barely holds back the instinct to sneeze.] I'm alright. Uninjured, at least, even though it is... as cold as Siberia out here. Where is out here?

[oh no, it really is lan xichen on the other side of the device. sizhui's heart palpitates for a number of reasons; excitement being the initial reaction, but mostly worry afterward because he can't believe the technicians would kidnap his uncle of all people. hasn't he suffered enough? when will this poor man ever be allowed to rest?]

Yes, it is me. [softer than he means, although that's something xichen needs, perhaps.

in spite of himself, he swallows hard, hoping he doesn't look as apprehensive as he feels. sometimes, sizhui can't steel his expression quick enough, but in this moment, where someone else important has arrived in this godsforsaken place, maybe he's allowed a little anxiousness.]

I'm fine, [the boy reassures.] It's... well, a town that we haven't discovered a name for, somewhere that isn't anywhere near our home. [a moment's hesitation then,] Are you okay? I can come find you, Zewu-jun, I'd just need to know where you are. Describe your surroundings or, better yet, why not show me? The device you are holding, the reason I can see you is because there's something called a ‘camera’ attached.

[It is easier to focus on Sizhui's expression than the hold, to take in and note the changes in his nephew's tone, the expressions that filter over his features.

He keeps his breathing even, though his brows furrow further in concern.] How far away from home? [It is a sudden question but feels important, given that he's already received a video from a woman who could not live in any of the territories and cities he knows. He drifts for a moment, thinking, and then pulls himself back. The temptation to let himself get lost in the worry, the sense of unease is too familiar still.] Ah. I am alright, uninjured at the very least.

[Can this be alright?]

A camera? Ah. [It would be fascinating, if not for the strangeness of it all. He continues to frown, though not deeply and turns the devices to show Sizhui the snowy landscape and the barn in the distance.] There is no need to come or worry -- Wangji is already on the way here. Where ever here is.

[please, uncle, he's so concerned, don't judge him too harshly for forgoing his lan propriety.

being unable to provide a proper answer only makes his expression crease further, outright panic visible in the widening of his eyes before he manages to get some sort of handle over his emotions. there's nothing he can do about it, nothing any of them can do, really. meaning getting overworked won't help anything in this situation.] I'm glad to hear that, and I'm sorry, I can't give you an actual estimate as to how far away it is.

[it's alright enough. (for now, anyway.)]

That's right. It is sort of like a mirror, except instead of seeing your reflection, you can see other people in it. [maybe it's silly, talking about something that's absolutely foreign to his uncle, explaining an item that'd been unknown to him for the longest time, too— but let's be honest, this is a good distraction from his heart pitter-pattering uncontrollably with worry. at least knowing his father is on his way helps ease some of the anxiety, even if only a little.]

Okay. [he doesn't sound all that reassured, however, so here's hoping dadji isn't listening in too closely.] None of us are too sure, unfortunately, but... things are provided here. Food, shelter, clothes— anything you might need, we'll get it for you.

( is he alright? is any of them, really? in this place, the question is better left unanswered, mostly the same wherever you ask. so lan wangji doesn’t answer. perhaps his brother will recognize his elective mutism for what it is, refusing to paint a picture that’s a little too ominous for someone who literally just retired from seclusion.

but there’s an odd sense of relief in seeing him here. it’s terribly selfish, his guilt somewhat assuaged by the fact that he can at least try to protect him. we’re all in this together, someone recently told him, and being able to watch over his brother is a small blessing in itself. and so he walks, long strides through the snow as he ponders lan xichen’s first question. it’s hard to tell what this place is exactly, but... ) One of the courts of Diyu, perhaps.

( nothing to reassure, but it’s the closest thing to what he thinks might be the truth. ) Xiōngzhǎng. Please remain where you are.

( and with that, lan wangji cuts the feed, making his way to lan xichen’s location as quickly as he can, giving him some time to mull over his new reality. he spots him easily, blue amidst white, and he calls for him again, until he finally reaches him and extends both of his arms; one with his palm open, the other offering warmer clothing. take his hand, big brother! )

Edited (what is english tho) 2021-02-20 19:12 (UTC)

[ ...

...

Well.

Fuck.

Jiang Cheng stares at the small screen in mild horror for a while, brain still trying to catch on to the fact that the Technicians have managed to take hostage yet another sect leader. This is bad. This is very bad. Just how strong are they? This is Zewu-Jun, he had been a powerful sect leader already when Jiang Cheng was just a pathetic teenager at Cloud Recesses, he shouldn't be easily snatched and turned into a lab rat. ]

Zewu-jun? [ he calls out once he has wrapped his mind around the new circumstances, a little tentatively though since he doesn't want to startle him with a voice coming from a communication device he probably doesn't even recognize as such yet. Even if he is already sitting. ] Zewu-jun, can you hear me?

[Oh.

Oh dear.

For all that Lan Xichen does not understand about this world, why he has ended up here, he understands that it is not good that so many people he knows are calling. It means they have been pulled from their homes, were once also feeling this sense of dread and confusion that has seeped into his bones.

The device -- which has a camera, he now understands, but does not know its name -- is somewhat familiar now. He lifts it again, looks at the screen with brows creased and breathing not as steady as he would like.] Sect Leader Jiang. [He is not sure what to say next, as anything that follows seems obvious.

Yes, he is also here.

No, this is not alright.

But --- perhaps another sect leader has some idea what is going on.] What--- what is this place?

[Lan Xichen knows his brother, knows his working and habits. He understands well enough the answer in the non-answer, in Wangji's silence and the set of his brows. They are the Twin Jades of Lan, after all, and there are few who know the other better in the world.

They were closer once, Xichen admits, and life has taken them on paths that paralleled and sometimes drifted apart. Xichen's seclusion drew a wedge there as well, but lately they have drifted back again and understanding has come easier. Perhaps, though -- he realizes, that the wall had been more firmly built around him.

The answer he does provide is enough to have Xichen's heart skipping a beat, a sense of nausea returning. His response is a soft 'Ah.' and he can muster nothing more. He takes a deeper breath, counts back from ten to one once, then again. When he opens his eyes, Wangji is in front of him.

Oh.

He's lost time again.

He blinks, looking at the clothing with furrowed eyes and then his brother's outstretched hand. Once, he would have pushed himself to his feet and let his hand hang between them. Once, it would have felt too strange to not be the one pulling the other brother up, ensuring that he has ground to stand on and the firm knowledge that he is supported.

It takes a moment, but Xichen reaches out and takes his hand to pull himself up to stand.] Thank you, Wangji. For coming and these clothes. [Which looks curious but warmer than the soaked robes he is currently dressed in, covered in dirt and sticks still in his hair.]

[ And normally, Jiang Cheng would now kick off his usual "congratulations, you have been kidnapped for murder" spiel but considering this is Lan Xichen, a respected authority person of his own society, he finds himself at least wanting to try to be more tactful.

He is silent for a moment, weighing how he should best go about it. ]

It is a large prison, of a sort. We have been abducted and are kept trapped in this area, consisting of a village and the lakeside community, as well as the surrounding forests and fields. We don't understand their goals fully but they use us... as sacrifices to their gods, as a sort.

[ Okay, so there is really no nice way to put this. ]

[The familiar robes catch bored-Jingyi-poking-the-network by surprise and he perks up at the first shot of them. When the view shifts, the little thrill of recognizing Zewu-jun is immediately overlaid by the horror of Zewu-jun's here also. He does not deserve any of the bullshit that is going to happen to him here. Still, Jingyi cannot help but be, well, relieved, a little.

His return video is better framed but possibly jostling just as much from careless excitement, and his voice is loud as he calls:]

Zewu-jun!

[Jingyi's fallen harder with less panache, but even so.]

Are you okay? Where did you wake up? This is not one of those wake-up-in-a-dream-but-you-are-really-still-dreaming thing. You did actually wake up and those are actual sticks in your hair.

Uh, that's kind of a complicated question.

[ Can she explain their full situation before he freezes his balls off? ]

We're in a sort of... giant cage, kept prisoner by these people calling themselves the Technicians. They're basically trying to kill us in all sorts of new and exciting ways every month. If you can find your way to one of the cabins or apartments, there's a pamphlet that sort of explains everything.

( well, he seems more confused than disapproving or wary so... so far, so good. he flashes a bit of a grin and, )

Aha, you've figured it out! And no, I'm not possessing the phone or trapped in the phone or whatever else might make sense. I've got my own phone over here, we can speak through them and such. ( unless zewu-jun already gathered that fact, but... better safe than impromptu phone exorcism, i suppose. )

[ With the falling and talking, it's very obvious to someone with heightened senses that there's someone outside. Geralt has no intention of actually checking at first, though, because said someone is clearly fine.

When there's yet another fall, however, he sighs quietly to himself, rolls his eyes, and gets up. It's only a few moments later that he opens the door to the farmhouse and looks out at the man sitting in the snow in clothes that don't really look fit for the weather.

He doesn't say anything, though. Just stares quietly with an eyebrow raised in question. Need help? ]

[There are no clear answers here and while he can tell that his nephew wishes to soften the blows, Xichen wishes for clarity.

He nods, managing to turn the camera back to himself so that Sizhui can see him again. The expression he wears is a neutral one, soft and hiding the unease and worry that he feels inside.

He is not hiding behind a smile for now, not wearing that mask. It would do neither of them good and his nephew knows him well.]

I am sure that he will find me. [Assurance is easier, than anything else.] That is good. I am in need of different clothes and a bath, it seems. [After all, Sect Leader Lan is sitting in the snow with sticks in his hair as he speaks on a camera phone to his nephew.]

[Ah.

Well, that is an answer where before he's received no insights into the world around him. He is thankful for that, for Jiang Wanyin's honesty.

The hammering in his chest does not stop, his brows crease together and for a moment Lan Xichen feels like he is about to topple over in the snow. He could blame it on snow, he is shaking after-all. But it is not the cold. For a moment, he wonders if perhaps this folly came from choosing to leave seclusion, to return to the world.]

As sacrifices? Is it possible to remain unharmed? [Can they survive? Can they keep themselves and others safe?]

[There are too many familiar voices reaching back through the device, calling to him. Xichen, who was glad to hear the voice of his brother and nephew for the sudden familiarity in a foreign place, dreads that same sensation by the time Lan Jingyi's voice calls to him.]

Jingyi.

[He responds still, evenly, between one breath and the next.] I have gathered as much from those who called before you.

I am... [There is no point in stating that he is okay.].. unharmed and woke up in the forest. Now I am by a barn with instructions to remain where I am until I am found. Are you alright? [It is easier to ask, to focus on that than the rest of it.]

Ah... [Well fuck.

A nightmare would have been preferable. He sighs, wishes for a moment that he'd remained withdrawn from the world but knows it is unlikely that that would have helped. ] Is surviving those exciting new attempts even possible?

[Seeing someone in the white vastness is not something Lan Xichen expects, not when he's trying barely managed to figure out the device he's woken up with and managed to ensure that only Wangji is making his way to him.

He does not need Jingyi, his nephew, nor any others joining the search.

The place does not feel right, the energy around him unnerving.

He looks up at the man, who stands looming over him. It is fortunate, for Xichen, that he's grown up reading body language and his own brother speaks often in gesture and micro-expressions that would leave most considering the man before him the most expressive man alive.] My brother is coming, so I will be alright. Unless there is danger in remaining here?

[Because he has no idea.

It does remind him that he should stand, not remain seated on the cold floor in soaked robes and sticks in his hair. He pushes himself up and does not manage to wholly stand before he falls again.

At least this man does not expect grace from him. ]

[He has, though the assurance is not lost on him.

He looks at Wei Wuxian on what he realises is the screen and after a moment, confusion flashes over his features. Wei Wuxian looks younger than he remembers, not quite as he did when he returned to the world after sixteen years but as he had before his death. The difference is subtle, if only marked by youth.

The frown remains for a moment, then disappears behind a neutral smile.] I am glad you are not trapped, Master Wei. It would be quite a small space. [The joke, delivered with feigned ease, feels necessary in the midst of so much he does not understand.]

[ Not really expecting anything, but that's still pretty amusing, and Geralt raises that eyebrow even further. ]

There isn't.

[ Even so, the man could clearly use a hand, so he reaches one out. ]

[ Yes, right to the important question. That is good, it is a relief, honestly. Not just a relief to have someone from his own world who shares his focus on the battle, but to know there is another sect leader here now. Especially with three of their cultivators being Lan, and Jiang Cheng never feeling inclined or entitled to wield authority over them.

He thinks for a moment, thinking beyond his usual curt, dismissive answers ] I believe our opportunities are limited. They leave us alone for weeks and months at a time. I have spoken at length to a girl called Namine who has many thoughts on their reasons. There may be more to it than simply killing. That there is a ritualistic element to it, which means we can't simply be killed over and over again. But once they attack, there is very little we can do. We can fight but the dangers they throw at us... It is limited what we can do against them. If they are determined to kill us, we won't be able to fight them off. They can throw wave after wave at us.

[in sizhui's defense, he's being as coherent and intelligible as possible, soft-spoken voice aside; he obviously wants to be conscientious, that doesn't mean he'll lie or forgo details for his uncle's sake. doing so is against the rules and if there's one thing he doesn't lack here, it's his lan propriety.

his own expression is slightly more steeled once the camera faces xichen again, but there's still an ever-present concerned crease between his brows. thank goodness, yes, he isn't doing that or else sizhui might've had to actually question him then.

gently, though a call-out, nevertheless.]

I know he will. [it's hanguang-jun searching for his brother, he'll find him without a doubt— oh. instinctively, he reaches and covers his mouth, stifling the small smile attempting to come across his face. he shouldn't, he knows this, yet can barely help it despite the severity of the situation.] Yes, you are. Wherever Hanguang-jun takes you will have someplace you'll be able to clean up and we can gather new clothes from the store.

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video | un: clouded.judgement

@wei.wuxian, video.

@lan.sizhui → video;

video; @bombshell

@lan.wangji | video

@clouded.judgement | video

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video

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video; @jingi | (please pretend this totally happened two weeks ago, cough cough)

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[Action] This is so late

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all good... i will backtag forever!

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