The arrow flies true, and the ghost hound rears back with a roar that echoes through Wei Wuxian's bones - he grits his teeth, ignoring the pain where the monster's claws raked across his arm, and rolls to the side as the beast rages and claws forward - in the direction Chenqing fell, that'd be useful, before the hound gets over the pain and decides to tear out Wei Wuxian's insides for real this time - a second arrow screams through the dark and buries itself in the hound's other burning eye, and now Wei Wuxian's impressed.
"Da-j-Wei Wuxian!" Jin Ling rushes to his side before the energy's finished pulsing around the hound's flickering corpse, and Wei Wuxian can hear the muffled sound of someone kneeling in a hurry - not very smart, Jin Ling's going to get dirt all over his nice robes. Jin colors are so impractical, YunmengJiang purple is much better at hiding both dirt and blood! Not as good as Wei Wuxian's own black, but, ah, that's the privilege of being - Wei Wuxian doesn't feel like wondering if he's a rogue cultivator or unattached or honorary GusuLan these days. Focus.
"That was a good shot," Wei Wuxian says, "almost better than I'd have done myself."
His mouth stays open once he's done, as if surprised he could finish his sentence. If Jiang Cheng were here, he'd have snapped at Wei Wuxian for being an idiot and cut him off, but - wow, Wei Wuxian must be more tired than he thought.
"I know," Jin Ling mutters under his breath, "that's - how many fingers am I holding up right now?"
"Three," Wei Wuxian says, "Jin Ling, is that a way of talking to your seniors? I paid you quite the compliment, you know." He pats himself on the back for not saying any upsetting word. Mentally, because his body is still comfortably lounging on the ground, and Wei Wuxian intends on moving at some point, but there's no rush, is there?
"We're going to Lotus Pier," Jin Ling decides out of the blue.
"What? Noooooo, Jin Ling, that's a bad idea - are you worried about me? I feel fine! Nothing a good night's rest at the nearest inn won't fix!"
"We're going to Lotus Pier," Jin Ling repeats, more firmly this time.
It's not like Wei Wuxian's surprised that a child raised by Jiang Cheng is stubborn as hell, especially shijie's son - but Wei Wuxian's used to being able to wheedle away Jiang Cheng's most stubborn resolutions, and Jin Ling? Jin Ling didn't grow up with Wei Wuxian cajoling him into breaking his firm refusals to get involved in trouble.
Jin Ling's also surprisingly strong - he holds Wei Wuxian upright on his sword as he flies them to Lotus Pier. After the first time Wei Wuxian's foot slips and he almost falls, Jin Ling fashions a makeshift harness out of his outer robes and ties it around both Wei Wuxian and himself, so Wei Wuxian won't fall, or, more likely "if I fall, I'm going to take you down with me," Wei Wuxian points out, "that's pretty silly. You should just leave me here and go for help."
"Jiujiu would break my legs," Jin Ling says, matter of fact, and there's something off about this logic, but for the life of him Wei Wuxian can't pinpoint what, "so I'm going to bring you to him so he can break yours instead."
Wei Wuxian hums. "That seems fair," he volunteers, "but I don't think Jiang Cheng wants me there at all, even if you bribe him with letting him break my legs." Privately Wei Wuxian is also sure Lan Zhan won't be happy if Wei Wuxian's shidi breaks Wei Wuxian's legs, but he keeps it to himself - he doesn't remember Jiang Cheng caring enough about Lan Zhan's feelings.
"Yeah, that's also something you and jiujiu should talk about," Jin Ling grumbles incomprehensibly. Jiang Cheng raised a brave kid, but not one that makes a lot of sense a lot of the time; though maybe that's hypocritical of Wei Wuxian to think so? "Just - stay put, da-jiu, okay? There'll be soup and you can sleep there."
It sounds a bit too good to be true; soup and a bed in Lotus Pier. But it's happened before, and it sounded too good to be true back then as well.
It sounds like something he could get anywhere; it sounds like home.
i have a lot of feelings about Jin Ling and YunmengJiang and how he carries the legacy of his mother's investment in the WWX+JC familial bond, and *vague gesture* look this started out of wanting WWX to know JC used to tell JL the best archer YMJ had was JC'S former head disciple (without ever mentioning that was the YLLZ) and JL is better, because I like donghua JL being introduced with his bow and arrow and I like JC passing on sth of WWX that he can rationalize away, and in the end this didn't go there, so! /shoves /runs
Fill: The Untamed, Wei Wuxian + Jin Ling
"Da-j-Wei Wuxian!" Jin Ling rushes to his side before the energy's finished pulsing around the hound's flickering corpse, and Wei Wuxian can hear the muffled sound of someone kneeling in a hurry - not very smart, Jin Ling's going to get dirt all over his nice robes. Jin colors are so impractical, YunmengJiang purple is much better at hiding both dirt and blood! Not as good as Wei Wuxian's own black, but, ah, that's the privilege of being - Wei Wuxian doesn't feel like wondering if he's a rogue cultivator or unattached or honorary GusuLan these days. Focus.
"That was a good shot," Wei Wuxian says, "almost better than I'd have done myself."
His mouth stays open once he's done, as if surprised he could finish his sentence. If Jiang Cheng were here, he'd have snapped at Wei Wuxian for being an idiot and cut him off, but - wow, Wei Wuxian must be more tired than he thought.
"I know," Jin Ling mutters under his breath, "that's - how many fingers am I holding up right now?"
"Three," Wei Wuxian says, "Jin Ling, is that a way of talking to your seniors? I paid you quite the compliment, you know." He pats himself on the back for not saying any upsetting word. Mentally, because his body is still comfortably lounging on the ground, and Wei Wuxian intends on moving at some point, but there's no rush, is there?
"We're going to Lotus Pier," Jin Ling decides out of the blue.
"What? Noooooo, Jin Ling, that's a bad idea - are you worried about me? I feel fine! Nothing a good night's rest at the nearest inn won't fix!"
"We're going to Lotus Pier," Jin Ling repeats, more firmly this time.
It's not like Wei Wuxian's surprised that a child raised by Jiang Cheng is stubborn as hell, especially shijie's son - but Wei Wuxian's used to being able to wheedle away Jiang Cheng's most stubborn resolutions, and Jin Ling? Jin Ling didn't grow up with Wei Wuxian cajoling him into breaking his firm refusals to get involved in trouble.
Jin Ling's also surprisingly strong - he holds Wei Wuxian upright on his sword as he flies them to Lotus Pier. After the first time Wei Wuxian's foot slips and he almost falls, Jin Ling fashions a makeshift harness out of his outer robes and ties it around both Wei Wuxian and himself, so Wei Wuxian won't fall, or, more likely "if I fall, I'm going to take you down with me," Wei Wuxian points out, "that's pretty silly. You should just leave me here and go for help."
"Jiujiu would break my legs," Jin Ling says, matter of fact, and there's something off about this logic, but for the life of him Wei Wuxian can't pinpoint what, "so I'm going to bring you to him so he can break yours instead."
Wei Wuxian hums. "That seems fair," he volunteers, "but I don't think Jiang Cheng wants me there at all, even if you bribe him with letting him break my legs." Privately Wei Wuxian is also sure Lan Zhan won't be happy if Wei Wuxian's shidi breaks Wei Wuxian's legs, but he keeps it to himself - he doesn't remember Jiang Cheng caring enough about Lan Zhan's feelings.
"Yeah, that's also something you and jiujiu should talk about," Jin Ling grumbles incomprehensibly. Jiang Cheng raised a brave kid, but not one that makes a lot of sense a lot of the time; though maybe that's hypocritical of Wei Wuxian to think so? "Just - stay put, da-jiu, okay? There'll be soup and you can sleep there."
It sounds a bit too good to be true; soup and a bed in Lotus Pier. But it's happened before, and it sounded too good to be true back then as well.
It sounds like something he could get anywhere; it sounds like home.
i have a lot of feelings about Jin Ling and YunmengJiang and how he carries the legacy of his mother's investment in the WWX+JC familial bond, and *vague gesture* look this started out of wanting WWX to know JC used to tell JL the best archer YMJ had was JC'S former head disciple (without ever mentioning that was the YLLZ) and JL is better, because I like donghua JL being introduced with his bow and arrow and I like JC passing on sth of WWX that he can rationalize away, and in the end this didn't go there, so! /shoves /runs