milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

Wei Wuxian has been out back every day. Every, day, for hours, putting himself through the training he knew as a child, as a young man. The progress has been painfully slow - Mo Xuanyu didn't do himself any favors through the years. This body is unused to sustained physical effort. It hasn't been fed or cared for properly, and resists gaining muscle or conditioning.

But Wei Wuxian is immensely stubborn.

So every day he is starting again.

Today he is out by the lake, with a sword in his hands. It's not a proper blade. It's not like Suibian, his reclaimed sword that is now waiting for him in Cloud Recesses. It's a carved length of wood - the correct length and heft of a sword, but there is no spiritual strength needed.

He's resigned to the fact that it's much more likely he'll get an acceptable amount of physical strength long before he convinces this new golden core to do much more than exist.

He'll take existence. That's a gift he never thought to gain.

So he's out by the lake, carefully working through Yunmeng Jiang forms at quarter speed, focusing on making each movement as close to perfect as he can manage.

(OOC: RP, the it's too hot outside so I'm hiding inside by the portable AC version :D)

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Elrond has been walking along the shore, listening to the water, watching the light play across the water.

It's very soothing.

His path takes him close to where Wei Wuxian is training, but he is loathe to interrupt what looks like a focused session.

He is dressed as befits the weather, in a light outerrobe with a tunic and trousers underneath. The colours are of the forest; green and golden,with dark browns and flashes of the pure white of flowers.

Yunmeng Jiang's style is fluid like the water they are surrounded by. It focuses more on finding weaknesses in the defense of others and cracking those open, rather than the brute strength of Qinghe Nie or the impressive (and impossibly over-complicated) dramatics of Lanling Jin. So Wei Wuxian flows, his black robes swirling around him, allowing flashes of his blood-red under-robe to show. The red ribbon tied in his hair flutters in the breeze as he whirls, purposefully eye-catching.

He lands, his footing sure even as his muscles complain, and freezes at the hint of movement in his periphery. Once he's sure he's not going to overbalance the second he moves, he straightens, and...

Well. He's never come across something like this before. With perhaps an over-abundance of caution, he bows, politely.

Elrond returns the bow, just as politely.

He chose his path long ago and since then he has been counted fully among the Firstborn. But he counts not just Men and Elves among his kin but a Maia too. And he has carried one of The Three.

He is not like anyone else.

"Well met," he says.

His voice is full-toned and pleasant.

"I hope I did not disturb you?"

"Oh no, I'm alright." Wei Wuxian promises, settling out of ready pose. Sure, the 'blade' in his hands can never be sharp, but it's still good manners. "I cannot begrudge anyone a walk along this lovely lake."

"It is indeed very lovely," Elrond agrees.

"It reminds me a little of my childhood home."

His ears are gently leaf shaped. His eyes are ancient. And lit by the light of stars.

He nods at his feet. "Training on sand and rocks will certainly make you work. It's a wise choice."

More demanding than the flat, even ground of the sparring ring.

It is... thankfully not well known, but a persistent fact that Wei Wuxian's memory is an inconsistent, fractured thing. Some things it holds on to with a frightening tenacity. Some things, no matter how many times he's told, refuse to stay.

Thus it's really no surprise (to him, anyway) to realize he knows this fellow. Or at least, he's run into him before, during a... um. Less-than-optimal meditation. Oh right. No, it's okay, he's got this.

"Just making up for lost time. Besides, we were always near water, where I first trained. This feels more correct, though more troublesome."

At least he hasn't rigged a dock over the water, to add the punishment of being dumped into the water if he puts a foot wrong.

Elves are memory made flesh.

There are few things that Elrond does not recall vividly.

The ride to save Celebrian.

Parts of his early childhood.

But time moves strangely in Milliways and so Elrond is inclined to let every meeting be new, at least if the first left something to be desired.

He nods. "Familiarity - or a semblance thereof - is often good."

"I'll take what I can get." Wei Wuxian shrugs, resigned. In a perfect world, he would return to Lotus Pier and rejoin the sect that made him one of the most formidable cultivators of his generation.

In a perfect world, he wouldn't be in this situation to begin with, however.

The sigh is eloquent.

"This is not a bad place to go through drills," Elrond remarks.

Giving you space, relative privacy, and time.

"At least the air is clean." Of smoke, of resentment, of a few too many memories... take your pick. Wei Wuxian is a little afraid that if he does manage to survive his current set of obstacles, he will be forced to disappoint Lan Zhan by never being able to practice sword forms in Cloud Recesses. It's too hard to maintain focus when you keep seeing your shijie out of the corner of your eye.

"And I have jerky for the bunnies, so they haven't attacked for a while." Lan Zhan thought of that, because Lan Zhan is terribly clever.

Elrond smiles.

"That is a clever trick. I shall have to remember that. I have a friend who at times is - unsettled - by creatures that breathe fire. That would be a good way to keep them away if needed."

"Lan Wangji, one of the other cultivators here, thought of it - he is very smart, thinking of these sorts of things." Wei Wuxian is sure to stress. There's a whole (small) world of people here that don't know that Lan Zhan is the best, and Wei Wuxian is not having it. So he'll spread the word.

"It is indeed clever," Elrond agrees again. "And a good alternative if you do not want to hurt them."

"Lan Wangji would never hurt a bunny." Wei Wuxian declares, utterly serious. He's actually a little worried Lan Zhan will become a bit overfond of the demon bunnies here and decide they're under his protection.

"I should prefer not to. However, they can be quite aggressive at times."

Elrond understands the need to protect small,furry creatures.

"Oh, they're terrible." Wei Wuxian allows with a laugh, "And they aren't even good eating, but Lan Wangji likes them." He shrugs - what can you do? He now has to defend the fluffy weirdos, because he doesn't want to see Lan Zhan sad again.

"I must admit I haven't even tried," Elrond replies. "I have yet to come across a fire breathing creature that is edible."

"You have seen other fire-breathing creatures? They are not so common in my world - I didn't know I should be grateful for that!"

There was a clan that was fond of flinging fire around, but... that ended poorly.

For them.

Eventually.

He nods.

"Dragons. I have met one here, but she was not like the ones at home. They are evil creatures."

Huge. Dangerous.

"We do have evil creatures, though they make do with a lack of fire." Thank goodness - he can't even imagine fighting the Tortoise of Slaughter if it'd had fire on its side as well.

"Some of the evil things in my world breathe fire while others don't. Luckily, the fire breathing ones are rare."

"Well, that's some good news, at least. Rare and hopefully getting more rare, eh?" Wei Wuxian encourages, cheerfully.

No, he is not going to join a 'Save the Balrogs' ecology club.

"Definitely so. They were far more common in my youth than they are now," Elrond replies.

He doesn't look that old.

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