Magnus wakes up in a dark, unfamiliar room, alone. The comforting memory of Lan Wangji holding him for hours stays the swelling disorientation and fear, so while he sits bolt upright, breathing heavily, the breath doesn't catch in his throat.
That's when the heavy jade token slides from the pillow and knocks into his hand. He picks it up, gripping it, willing himself to calm down. This room is dark, which is good, and close, which is not. He stands up, finds his shoes, and slips into the hallway.
Someone has cleaned the glass from his own room, but the window yawns open, its jagged edges scented with the faintest tinge of blood from some cut he must have healed before he even realized it happened at all. The room feels... bad. He clutches the jade token more tightly, giving himself the space of a few minutes to take everything in and think through his options.
Then Magnus is leaping into action. He takes a long, hot shower, scouring the dust and grime from his skin and his hair. He waters his plants, and then scrawls a quick note to slap on the door -- a request for others to check in on them over the next few days. He dresses, simply, in a green t-shirt and jeans. Then, finally, he grabs the go-bag from under his bed -- a habit from his time in Valhalla, back when Loki had just escaped.
He can't stay in this room right now. The cool, slick surface of Lan Wangji's jade token feels good in his hand. It feels like a hug; like being loved; like the way his mom would sling her arm around Magnus's shoulders when they came to their favorite clearing in the Blue Hills and point silently at a baby deer nosing through the underbrush, or the smile Hearthstone would get in that first year Magnus was homeless, whenever he found a new source of food, or the expression in Blitzen's eyes the first time Magnus picked out an outfit at his store to wear when taking Alex on their first real date.
Even that comfort can't drown out the sense of danger Magnus is getting from this room, now. This room where he first saw the zombies; this room where he leapt from the closest exit like an einherji marching to Ragnarok.
He shoulders his go-bag, and tacks the 'please help my plants!' note to his door, and leaves it ajar.
Standing in the hallway, barefoot, wet hair soaking into the thin fabric of his t-shirt, Magnus hesitates for a moment. Jack is sleeping, currently, on his chain; he can feel the vibration. He doesn't want to wake Jack up, and even though Hanguang-jun told him he could find another path, it's probably not smart to strike out without any form of protection. He leaves Jack in pendant form, but he does unlatch the necklace so he can slip Lan Wangji's jade token onto it, too. When he puts the necklace on again, it's much heavier. The token rests, warm, against Magnus's chest, close to his heart. It stays there, comfortable and impossible to ignore, as Magnus slips out of the Mansion and into the woods.
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That's when the heavy jade token slides from the pillow and knocks into his hand. He picks it up, gripping it, willing himself to calm down. This room is dark, which is good, and close, which is not. He stands up, finds his shoes, and slips into the hallway.
Someone has cleaned the glass from his own room, but the window yawns open, its jagged edges scented with the faintest tinge of blood from some cut he must have healed before he even realized it happened at all. The room feels... bad. He clutches the jade token more tightly, giving himself the space of a few minutes to take everything in and think through his options.
Then Magnus is leaping into action. He takes a long, hot shower, scouring the dust and grime from his skin and his hair. He waters his plants, and then scrawls a quick note to slap on the door -- a request for others to check in on them over the next few days. He dresses, simply, in a green t-shirt and jeans. Then, finally, he grabs the go-bag from under his bed -- a habit from his time in Valhalla, back when Loki had just escaped.
He can't stay in this room right now. The cool, slick surface of Lan Wangji's jade token feels good in his hand. It feels like a hug; like being loved; like the way his mom would sling her arm around Magnus's shoulders when they came to their favorite clearing in the Blue Hills and point silently at a baby deer nosing through the underbrush, or the smile Hearthstone would get in that first year Magnus was homeless, whenever he found a new source of food, or the expression in Blitzen's eyes the first time Magnus picked out an outfit at his store to wear when taking Alex on their first real date.
Even that comfort can't drown out the sense of danger Magnus is getting from this room, now. This room where he first saw the zombies; this room where he leapt from the closest exit like an einherji marching to Ragnarok.
He shoulders his go-bag, and tacks the 'please help my plants!' note to his door, and leaves it ajar.
Standing in the hallway, barefoot, wet hair soaking into the thin fabric of his t-shirt, Magnus hesitates for a moment. Jack is sleeping, currently, on his chain; he can feel the vibration. He doesn't want to wake Jack up, and even though Hanguang-jun told him he could find another path, it's probably not smart to strike out without any form of protection. He leaves Jack in pendant form, but he does unlatch the necklace so he can slip Lan Wangji's jade token onto it, too. When he puts the necklace on again, it's much heavier. The token rests, warm, against Magnus's chest, close to his heart. It stays there, comfortable and impossible to ignore, as Magnus slips out of the Mansion and into the woods.