(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?

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[summerdude]

"Look at them!!!" Magnus whispers, utterly charmed. "They're gonna be best friends."

[lightbearinglord]

Of that, Lan Wangji is not so certain, but he has no interest in telling Magnus that he is wrong. "They will require time," he repeats, "but they are doing well." Xiaoxue has dropped a piece of mustard green in Lan Wangji's lap; he plucks it and feeds it to him.

[summerdude]

"Well, obviously," Magnus says, not looking away from all the babies. "Rome wasn't built in a day, or whatever."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji tucks away the idiom for future usage, glad that he stumbled accidentally upon a history of the Roman Empire in the mansion library some weeks ago. The rabbits are most certainly still slightly unsettled, their attention riled, because they aren't settling calmly into Lan Wangji's lap the way they usually might after being fed, but they're less rattled by Drosera's presence, at the least. He gives Danding a congratulatory pet on the head for having been quite courageous today. "Galahad drew these two and presented me with the drawing at your birthday celebration." He doesn't actually say and I was very touched, but he intends the sentiment of it in his ensuing pause.

[summerdude]

Magnus picks up Lan Wangji's meaning immediately, of course; he's made a study of his quiet guys and the meanings of their silences. "He's great that way, huh."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji realizes now that he is uncertain whether Magnus knows anything at all about the quietly tumultuous history between himself and Galahad. If not, there is no reason to bring it up, but it does color the relief he feels as he says, firmly, "He is."

[summerdude]

Magnus, as always, knows absolutely nothing about the social histories of his friends or fathers. He can sense that Lan Wangji is having an emotion, though, and gives him a quizzical look before deciding that it probably has to do with the way the little bunny noses are twitching and Drosera is starting to peer curiously at them again now that her leaf is in shreds around her.

[lightbearinglord]

Too little of this story is his own to tell, so Lan Wangji settles for saying, "I once believed Galahad would prefer never to see me again." It's rare that it comes as a relief to have been wrong, but this is an unusual circumstance. He looks down, fond at the brave wariness of his rabbits.

[summerdude]

"Whoa, what? Really?"

[lightbearinglord]

"Mn." He tears off and offers another small piece of mustard green to Danding, who takes it eagerly. It can't go amiss to teach the rabbits to associate Drosera's presence with food.

[summerdude]

"Why?" He reaches to scratch Drosera's belly, and laughs as she kicks her hind paws against his arm. When he pulls his hand free, he rescues some shreds of the leaf she destroyed and passes them to the rabbits, too.

[lightbearinglord]

The rabbits, unsurprisingly, are thrilled to accept Drosera's vegetable carnage. Lan Wangji watches them for a beat before he answers, "Claudius asked me to help him. I went about it poorly." Even still, he has trouble imagining how he could have done otherwise. He knows where he erred, but it is as he told Claudius: he was the wrong man for the task.

[summerdude]

"Huh." Magnus is wildly curious, but he doesn't want to press.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji looks at Magnus with a nearly apologetic, if not quite, flicker of an expression. He knows that that is unsatisfyingly little information. Perhaps he can ask Galahad about it, since the two of them are close. He glances back down at Xiaoxue and Danding. "They have done well. I will put them away for now, this time." He would rather not push his luck.

[summerdude]

Magnus gives them each another scratch on the head. "Say goodbye to your new friends, Drosera," he tells her, and then, "It was lovely to meet you both," to the rabbits.

Drosera straightens up and cocks her head at the bunnies. baby play!!! she insists.

"Next time," Magnus tells her, scooping her back into his lap and holding her steady. "You have to show me how gentle you can be with your toys first, okay Dro?"

She's clearly displeased by this, so Magnus gives the rabbits an apologetic look. "She's very young," he tells them. "But she likes you a lot."

[lightbearinglord]

Murder-Taloned, Danding repeats back to Magnus, but in a much less horrified sort of way this time around. He will eventually come around, most likely.

Xiaoxue, arguably more polite, chimes in with, Thank you for the food!

Still unaware of a significant portion of the conversation occurring in this room, Lan Wangji scoops the rabbits up as he stands. He does address Drosera, however, to say, "Thank you for your restraint."

[summerdude]

"Your rabbits are extremely polite," Magnus tells Lan Wangji, stroking Drosera's fledgling feathers soothingly -- she looks like she wants to get up to follow the rabbits.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji stops and thoughtfully considers this, taking it at face value. "That could be attributed to either Claudius' influence or my own."

[summerdude]

"Por que no los dos?" Okay, that's definitely weird! He said it in Spanish but it sounds English to his ears. Obviously he knows about the translator now, but -- still! Trippy!

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji, who hears it in Mandarin as he hears everything around the mansion, merely nods in contemplation of the question posed. "Mn." With that, he's off to deposit the rabbits safely back in their hutch, which is free entirely of griffins, friendly or otherwise.

[summerdude]

Magnus rises with him. "I should probably get her back," he says, a little regretful. "Cool hangs, Hanguang-jun. Thanks for letting us meet--" my brothers? "--the bunnies!"

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji gives him one of those near-trademark looks that is a smile without being a smile. "You're welcome," he says, meaning of course that he is already looking forward to the next time he sees Magnus.