He waits until he is absolutely certain Wei Ying is deeply asleep and will stay that way before he sets the cloth aside and gets to his feet once more.
A while later, he returns, a bag tucked into his sleeve and carrying a tray with hot water (maintained by a warming talisman), a teapot, two cups and a small packet of Yunmeng black tea ready to be brewed. He is not, quite, dripping sea water, having wrung out the excess before entering the inn. His robes are soaked and ruined, however, with saltwater stains up to the middle of his chest -- both from standing in the inlet in the first place and from being splashed by waves driven by the rising tide.
He sets the tray aside on the low table, lays the bag containing the ritual items flat beside it, checks to make sure Wei Ying is sleeping peacefully still, then takes the washbasin, pitcher, and cloths back to the bathing chamber - along with his qiankun bag, which fortunately had escaped the drenching.
A quarter-shichen later, he emerges once more, wearing a clean set of inner and second-layer robes and with towel-dried hair combed through. He hangs the ruined robes over the privacy screen to dry; perhaps they can be salvaged after all, although he is not hopeful. His qiankun bag (with his hairpiece) and his forehead ribbon he hangs from the small bedside hooks as before -- and then he pauses, considering.
Wei Ying is almost certain to have another nightmare tonight, given everything.
With great care, so as not to make noise, he moves his bed sideways, lifting one end at a time, until it rests flush against the side of Wei Ying's bed, with no space between. Lan Wangji crawls into his own bed and lies down, then reaches out to rest one hand lightly on Wei Ying's side, so that he himself will be able to know and will wake immediately if a nightmare begins or if Wei Ying is otherwise disturbed.
no subject
Moving as quietly as he can, Lan Wangji leaves the room and returns to the ocean inlet.
A while later, he returns, a bag tucked into his sleeve and carrying a tray with hot water (maintained by a warming talisman), a teapot, two cups and a small packet of Yunmeng black tea ready to be brewed. He is not, quite, dripping sea water, having wrung out the excess before entering the inn. His robes are soaked and ruined, however, with saltwater stains up to the middle of his chest -- both from standing in the inlet in the first place and from being splashed by waves driven by the rising tide.
He sets the tray aside on the low table, lays the bag containing the ritual items flat beside it, checks to make sure Wei Ying is sleeping peacefully still, then takes the washbasin, pitcher, and cloths back to the bathing chamber - along with his qiankun bag, which fortunately had escaped the drenching.
A quarter-shichen later, he emerges once more, wearing a clean set of inner and second-layer robes and with towel-dried hair combed through. He hangs the ruined robes over the privacy screen to dry; perhaps they can be salvaged after all, although he is not hopeful. His qiankun bag (with his hairpiece) and his forehead ribbon he hangs from the small bedside hooks as before -- and then he pauses, considering.
Wei Ying is almost certain to have another nightmare tonight, given everything.
With great care, so as not to make noise, he moves his bed sideways, lifting one end at a time, until it rests flush against the side of Wei Ying's bed, with no space between. Lan Wangji crawls into his own bed and lies down, then reaches out to rest one hand lightly on Wei Ying's side, so that he himself will be able to know and will wake immediately if a nightmare begins or if Wei Ying is otherwise disturbed.
He closes his eyes, and is asleep in moments.