(Almost) Everything Is Comin' Up Chase [closed post]

[summerdude]

Magnus, triumphant, has finally managed to make some old bamboo sprout. With Drosera fed recently enough that she's not complaining of hunger and resting in her new favorite perch (lounging on his shoulder tucked right against his neck, her beak tangled in hair that is once again getting long), he sneaks it into the Mansion, hides it in a large gift-bag a closet gives him, and hangs it on Claudius and Galahad's doorknob with a quickly-jotted note that reads Claudius, What next? - MAGNUS CHASE.

Then, since he's already inside, he figures, why not wander around until he finds someone to talk to?

Comments

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji truly did not intend to be rude to Magnus, but even that short exchange stretched the limits of his ability to talk about his mother. He seizes this piece of information about Alex with some gratitude. "It counts," he says, quite sure of this, "if you took notice of her then."

[summerdude]

"I recognized her when she got to Valhalla?"

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji nods, accepting that of course this corroborates his belief that their first meeting was meaningful. He pauses, then, his eyes still on Magnus, and manages to say, with some effort, "It is not easy for me to discuss my mother. Wei Ying learned of her situation from my brother rather than from me."

[summerdude]

Magnus lets this sink in for a second, and then kicks himself carefully out of his handstand. "Thanks for telling me about her," he says, sitting down next to Lan Wangji and leaning against him. "Like, it's obviously super different situations, but. I get that." He pauses. "My friends back home only know about my mom because Hel taunted me with her a few times."

[lightbearinglord]

In that case, of course Lan Wangji sits right back down alongside Magnus. He recognizes this name too, Hel, from the reading he did; as always, he is glad that he did it and does not need to stop Magnus there to ask for clarification. He does, however, frown and glance at Magnus. "That was cruel."

[summerdude]

Magnus shrugs. "She and Loki were trying to manipulate me," nonchalant. "Into giving up Jack and letting Fenris Wolf go free. It didn't work, which I guess is a bigger deal than them trying."

[lightbearinglord]

Not that Lan Wangji is surprised to hear this, but it still sparks a little rush of pride and fondness. "I did say that you are brave."

[summerdude]

A blush appears! "It's not bravery, just... I'm Middle Ground Guy. I guess I'm more impervious to that kind of thing."

[lightbearinglord]

"Middle Ground Guy?" Lan Wangji can make a reasonable guess about what Magnus means by this, but he would like to hear him explain it himself.

[summerdude]

"Yeah, like," Magnus says, and stops to actually think through how to phrase this. He goes slow, since Little John had told him he's prone to speeding through things. "Summer exists between the extremes of the fires of Muspellheim, which is the primordial World of fire, where all the fire giants live. Like Surt, the one who killed me and who's going to eventually kill my dad, too. And the ice of Niflheim, which is the primordial World of ice, so cold that even I almost froze to death there. Peace exists between the extremes of the kind of war-like-ness that the Aesir gods and most einherjar prefer, and inaction. Since Frey is the Summer-and-Peace God I'm, like, fundamentally Diplomacy Dude. I don't pick sides or go to extremes, usually. Hel rules Helheim, which is a completely cold and lifeless World where all the dishonorable dead go. She represents an extreme, in Ragnarok, because it's the dead of Helheim who the einherjar of Valhalla are fated to fight against until everyone's, like, dead for real and disintegrating into Ginnungagap. So I guess I'm probably at least a little resistant to her, um. Methods."

[lightbearinglord]

As he always does, Lan Wangji listens attentively to every word Magnus says. He doesn't actually need every explanation Magnus gives for the terms he is using, but he doesn't stop him, either. He likes listening to Magnus, the way he likes listening to Claudius or Wei Ying or even, occasionally, Crowley. The explanation does nothing to convince him that Magnus is not brave.

"Diplomacy is not my strong suit," he says, with just the faintest hint of wryness about it.

[summerdude]

"Really?" Magnus asks, incredulous. "But you're so--" he gestures, indicating all of Lan Wangji.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji raises both eyebrows just a little. He looks down at himself at Magnus' indication. He cannot imagine what Magnus is attempting to convey, so he only glances back at him and waits to see if he will complete the sentence.

[summerdude]

Sorry, Hanguang-jun! Magnus is pretty sure he's made himself abundantly clear. "You know?"

[lightbearinglord]

The corner of Lan Wangji's mouth twitches. "I do not know," he tells Magnus, very seriously.

[summerdude]

"Thoughtful? Measured? Nice? Considerate? Attentive?"

[lightbearinglord]

A little surprised, Lan Wangji looks at Magnus in silence for a beat. "Thank you," he says, utterly sincere, "but none of those qualities lend themselves to diplomacy. I am stubborn. I don't care to waste words. I try to avoid lying."

[summerdude]

"I don't, mean, like, Claudius's kind of diplomacy," Magnus clarifies. This is probably important to say, not least because Claudius's form of diplomacy seems to involve a lot of sex? "Or, like, formal diplomatic ties between nations, or whatever." He doesn't know anything about that. "I mean real diplomacy. Um, not that Claudius's isn't real. Um, I think I mean not-political diplomacy?"

[lightbearinglord]

That distinction does, actually, clarify the issue considerably for Lan Wangji. "Mn. I also do not care for politics." He says this a little bit dryly, as he considers it exceedingly obvious.

[summerdude]

"Who does?"

[lightbearinglord]

"I have known such men." Magnus is warm at his side. Lan Wangji watches Drosera as she continues to play. "Those who want power are the least suited to wielding it."

[summerdude]

"Oh, big agree," Magnus nods. "Like, insane cop energy, every last one."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji gives Magnus a sidelong glance. "Would you like to explain what that means?" He can accept it if Magnus does not, but he may as well give him the opportunity.

[summerdude]

"Oh, right." Magnus makes an apologetic face. "Claudius didn't know it either. Um, do you know what a police officer is?"

[lightbearinglord]

Magnus has said the word police to him before, but specifics seemed unimportant at the time. "I don't," Lan Wangji admits.