TEST DRIVE MEME 001 (#2)

[happyheartsstaff]

HAPPY HEARTS HOTEL

You wake up in a padded box. It rocks, gently, as though suspended in mid-air. You begin to stir, confusion or distress pushing you to try to sit up — and then the air begins to smell sweet, and you fall back asleep.

You wake up in a padded box. For a moment, you are beatifically calm. You don't know how you got here, or why, but that isn't really all that important. You don't need to know where you are. You're just... here. And here is a wonderful place to be.

But there is a niggling suspicion growing in the back of your mind. A suspicion that here is not somewhere you wanted to be. That it is not where you're supposed to be. You remember... chasing a white rabbit (or was it a person)? A mirror? Bright light, and green ivy crawling over your skin... Before you can worry too much, the box jolts, and then settles, and after a long moment the walls fall from around you to reveal —

A hotel lobby?

"Welcome to the Happy Hearts Hotel and Casino," says an attendant behind a desk. "We're so pleased you could join us for our grand opening gala. We have your room keys and Empathies here, please make an orderly line and we'll hand them out once we've confirmed identities. After that, feel free to explore the hotel! We highly recommend starting with the casino. Everyone's a winner here in Happy Hearts!"

Is this normal? It doesn't feel normal. And hey — you could swear you had shoes before!

I. THE CASINO FLOOR

As you pass through the entrance to the casino floor, an attendant passes you a small bag of chips. The casino is loud and bright and filled with games of every kind — you want to play poker? They've got a table for that. Sabacc? There's a table for that, too. Slots, pachinko, and bingo are just a few of the other games on offer. The attendant in the lobby wasn't lying, either — everyone who plays wins. Everyone, every time.

Servers wander the floor with trays of shotglasses full of multi-coloured liquids, offering them to every Oyster "Compliments of Her Royal Highness." If you're expecting alcohol, though, you'll be surprised — these drinks are teas made of the distilled emotions of every Oyster in the hotel. Each colour of tea corresponds to a different emotion, and as soon as you take a sip, you feel overcome with that emotion.

JOY — the distilled essence of happiness, this tea makes even the most rough and tumble of Oysters giddy with happiness — for a moment. The effect fades into a general sense of contentment and affability after a few seconds, and that itself fades away slowly over the course of twenty minutes.

ANGER — this tea, anger in liquid form, can make the most even-tempered of Oysters ready to absolutely blow a gasket. For twenty minutes, anyone who drinks this tea will find themselves much more easily annoyed, frustrated, and all around irritable and snappy.

SADNESS — distilled sadness is a potent tea, capable of turning a stoic, stalwart Oyster into a blubbering mess in moments. Events that may have previously only been a minor disappointment become the end of the world, every repressed unhappiness comes to the fore, and for twenty minutes, any Oyster who drinks a sadness tea can hardly keep themselves together.

II. MAKING WAVES

If gambling isn't to your interest, there are many other areas of the hotel to explore! For the moment, only The Pool Of Tears and the Pig & Pepper Buffet are available for Oysters to peruse, but the staff assure anyone who asks that the other facilities will be open by the next day. Unfortunately, that means no one can buy any swimsuits from This Elegant Thimble, but the staff aren't going to kick anyone out of the pool for jumping in in their clothes!

There are four main attractions to The Pool of Tears: the pool, the jacuzzi, the wave pool, and the lazy river. The water is always just the right temperature, clean and clear and refreshing. It feels as if the sun shines down from above you, warm and comforting. Scattered through the pool area are clusters of modern lounge chairs, just waiting for someone to come relax in them. The Pool is, in a word, serene.

But not for long. The waves generated by the wave pool begin to get choppier, and larger, until it becomes clear that the generator itself is malfunctioning — too late, however, to avoid the tsunami that crashes through the whole Pool and leaves it flooded. Thankfully, no water escapes into the rest of the hotel, and the hotel staff work quickly to rescue those trapped in the Pool and drain the flooding — but you better hope you can tread water until they get to you!

III. EAT ME, DRINK ME

The Pig & Pepper buffet serves lunch foods from across all different cultures, offering something for everyone, and some things you've never even heard of.

On offer with these lunchtime dishes are cookies and biscuits and scones of all kinds, held on tiered trays with signs that proclaim Eat Me! in delightfully whimsical calligraphy. Nearby, hotel staff man a small booth for doling out cups of fruit waters from large pitchers, which have Drink Me! painted playfully on their sides.

It takes a while to feel the effects — perhaps you've even left the Pig & Pepper by the time it happens — but those who eat the cookies and scones inevitably end up growing in size, whether a few inches or feet, and those who drank the fruity water similarly shrink. Eat enough and you might strain the ceiling; drink enough and you'll be the size of a thimble! It's not permanent — if no one else can help you figure out how to get back to normal, the staff certainly will — but it's definitely inconvenient!

IV. WELCOME HOME

Maybe you just want to be alone — well, that's what you have your room key for! Oysters room on the second and third floors of the hotel, one to a room. You were assured your room would be exactly what you'd always wished for — and for some, that's right! It's exactly as you would have decorated it yourself. But for others, their rooms are totally wrong. A grizzled cowboy can't have a pink room! Hotel staff are firm, though: every room is exactly as its owner wants it to be. Search your feelings, Oyster. You know it to be true.

On each bed are the Oysters' personal effects, minus weapons, as well as a towel folded in the shape of a heart, and a single foil-wrapped chocolate. If eaten, the chocolate is delicious, and incites a feeling of tender warmth in Oysters — not lust, but a desire for closeness. Why spend time in your room, when you could go find a new friend in the casino?

Welcome to the (second!) first TDM of Happy Hearts, a new panfandom roleplaying game here on DW! If you have any questions, please direct them to the first comment on this page. Happy playing, Oysters!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS

© tessisamess

Comments

Wei Wuxian | The Untamed

[sadflutenoises]

As if it were not jarring enough to wake up in a new body, a new life, and the idea that he still had work to finish before he could keep either, it seemed that waking up in strange places with no idea what was happening was to be commonplace as well. He could remember quite vividly that stab of guilt as he'd realized who Jin Ling was, as he chased memories of better days and happier lives on the riverbank, but those reflections on the water had grown distorted and chaotic. He could recall only vague notions of chasing a white rabbit, though how one traveled so far from Gusu was difficult to imagine.

It all mattered little though; when the darkness fell away to reveal this new alien place, Wei Wuxian couldn't help staring open-mouthed.

The staff were... helpful, he supposed. He knew what the words Hotel and Casino meant, but this place resembled neither that he'd ever seen before. The architecture was uncomfortably foreign, and everywhere were signs that glowed with a light that was neither candle-flame nor talisman.

He nodded vaguely as they handed out keys and some kind of magic tool. Had they just called him by name? Yes, the staff had definitely said Wei Wuxian and not Mo Xuanyu as they pushed things into his open hands. Wuxian fixed his mask a bit more firmly to his face and pocketed the items, though not without fiddling with the device. It didn't have any spells inscribed, but it lit up like the signs at his touch, and would certainly require further investigation. The more pressing matter now though, was finding out where on earth he was... and where his shoes had gone.

I. THE CASINO FLOOR

Wei Wuxian was many things, but curiosity was firmly rooted in his being. The dancing lights of the Casino were hard to resist, and managed somehow to be even gaudier than a gathering of the Jin clan. He wasn't even certain what to do with the bag of coins. It was obviously the currency for this place, but it was like no metal he'd seen. More like a lightweight porcelain or resin. Strange.

There were many games he didn't recognize, but at least Mahjong and Fan-tan were familiar, probably the first familiar sights in this place. He didn't have much interest in the games, they were too obvious a distraction, but as a passing staff-member offered him a drink, he was quick to take it.

Even the cups here were strange, showing off the multi-colored liquors, just as bright as the rest of the setting. To his credit, he did make sure to smell the cup first, and found it odd that the usual tang of alcohol was nowhere to be found. The scent was much more like tea, and curiosity tugged at him once again before he indulged it, knocking back the cup in a single swallow.

II. MAKING WAVES

After his experience in the Casino, Wei Wuxian wasn't keen on trying any of the other offerings of food and drink, at least, not for a little while. He was much more interested in exploring what the Hotel had to offer. There was mention of a pool, and that, at least, sounded familiar enough to be worth a look.

As expected, it was nothing like the pools he was familiar with. More of the nonsensical architecture and furnishings, and with how warm it is, it's hard not to feel stifled in his dark clothing and mask. He crouches at the water's edge, and it's impossibly clear and cool. Not quite the hidden caverns in Cloud Recesses, but refreshing nevertheless.

He left his outer robes, and mask in a messy pile on the side of the pool before jumping in, though even then he was tempted to abandon the rest, weighted down by his red inner robes. Still, the water was pleasant, and hopefully there were people to talk to, questions he could ask beyond what the staff would say.

IV. WELCOME HOME

His exploration seems to have only left him soggy, and with more questions. The staff assure him he can change and tidy up in his room, which leaves him little alternative but to find out where exactly that is.

It does take a bit to work out how the key functions, but he does manage to get the door open. There's a moment of wobbly-kneed shock as he drinks in the details and takes a few steps inside.

The walls are dark and oppressive, talismans are strung here and there, almost decoratively, and he can feel his stomach start to sink. The room feels less a room and more a cave, designed after his once jokingly named home in the Burial Mounds. A fitting name for a fitting place, he'd thought then, and laughed hollowly at idea of finding something so similar made to be a home for him here.

The bed, at least, was in nicer shape than the makeshift one he'd built, and infinitely more comfortable as he sat shakily on the edge of it. The heart-shaped towel and candy seemed to mock him, and he ate it sullenly, crumpling the delicate wrapper before looking for some dry clothes to change into. Maybe staying in his room wasn't the best idea after all. There was still plenty of this place he had yet to see.

making waves

[billowing]

Lan Wangji spends a lot of time in his room meditating, but the time he does not remain inside, he goes to the pool, because it's the closest thing to the outdoors they have here. Today, he sees the back of a familiar-looking head. After all, this was Wei Ying's favorite spot as well. But there's just something strange about him today.

Curious, he steps to the side to get a look at his face, and as he slowly rounds the front, his eyes open wide as he runs into the water, fully clothed, slightly ungracefully for Hanguang-jun.

"Wei Ying!" he calls.

He reaches out to catch him by the wrist, and then stares, as if unsure whether or not he is dreaming. It wouldn't be the first time.

[sadflutenoises]

When he'd hoped for people to question, Wei Wuxian could not have imagined that the first familiar face he'd run into would be none other than Hanguang Jun.

He could feel his stomach sink. He'd managed to get out of the Mo family estate without being noticed, and even survived the awkward meeting in the forest with clans of Lan, Jiang, and Jin all present. The mask wasn't a great disguise, perhaps, but it wasn't as if people expected the Yiling Patriarch to be traipsing through their towns over a decade after his death! Even at the height of his infamy, few knew him by face alone, and fewer still were likely to recall his looks after so many years.

So to hear his name called so familiarly was about as shocking as being dunked in icy water. He barely makes it two steps before Lan Wangji has caught hold of him, and he's stuck making shaky and uncertain eye-contact. He wants to bolt, but honestly where would he run? He wants to hide, but again, the middle of a pool isn't exactly spectacular for such things.

"Y-you're mistaken!" he insists.

It's his last line of defense, weak as it may be, and he has to look away as he says it, tugging lightly at his wrist, "I'm Mo Xuanyu."

[billowing]

He'd already met the Wei Ying who looked like Mo Xuanyu. Now the one wearing Wei Ying's face wishes to say he's Mo Xuanyu. This is giving Lan Wangji a headache. But he doesn't let go, instead just looking at Wei Ying, trying to find an answer.

He also remembers that Wei Ying is not from his own timeline, that alternative things had happened to him. Perhaps this is the same way. Perhaps they never met up again, and Wei Ying has had to be by himself. So he says, "I believed you."

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I should have stood by you." He will not let Wei Ying believe that he is all alone in this world, or in the world before. Somewhere back there, his Lan Wangji is waiting for him, is still searching for him in every note he plays, and is tortured by his dreams and his own failures.

[sadflutenoises]

Despite how he pulls, Lan Wangji's grip doesn't loosen, and he's stuck in this uncomfortable confrontation. The lie does nothing to help. Whatever this strange interlude has been, he's sure Wangji will be dragging him back to face judgment, to pay for his crimes to-

"I-... What?" he has to blink a few times, unable to follow this sudden turn in conversation. Believed him? He's barely said a handful of words to Lan Wangji since being revived in a new body, and none of it had been the truth!

Lan Wangji seems so earnest in what he's saying, but the context is lost on Wei Wuxian at first. I should have stood by you.

His mouth falls open and he probably would've lost his balance, if not for the strong arm holding him there. Wei Wuxian's lips quirk in a nervous smile and and empty laugh that falls flat.

"What're you..." he shakes his head. "What kind of trick is this?"

Because really, that's all it can be, can't it? His own brother couldn't even stand him in the end, what reason did Lan Wangji have to think he'd done wrong? Who on earth would think they should have stood by the Yiling Patriarch? He can feel his heart speed up, the breath tight in his chest.

[billowing]

"At the Nightless City," he answers, face serious, eyes looking directly at Wei Ying in the way reserved for him, as he had always been peerless, politely averting his gaze. And yes, he had fought on Wei Ying's behalf. He had been the one trying to pull him back up the cliff. With his arm slashed, broken, and bleeding onto the rock below, he couldn't lift Wei Ying up.

If onlies plagued his dreams, and then his daily thoughts, until they consumed him. He thought a brand would quiet them. He thought the whips would have tired them.

"Not a trick," he says at last, and finally lets go of Wei Ying's arm. It's useless to say such a thing here, when no one else is around. Here, there's no one who thinks of Wei Wuxian as the Yiling Patriarch, no one who would sooner have him hanged than ask him a question first. He cannot prove that his intentions are good, and so, he says no more.

He can only hope that Wei Ying gives him a chance, and believes him. There is another Wei Ying here, he reminds himself. So no matter what, he will not walk alone. That is all he can ask for.

[sadflutenoises]

As if reading his thoughts, Lan Wangji continues, confirming his suspicions. At Nightless City. It's hard to remember much after his Shijie's dying words, her form lifeless in Jiang Cheng's arms, but it's there in flashes, in the main families united against him, in that dissonant melody that seemed more his own delusions, in facing down Bichen's blade, the rage of his brother's sword, and in the flicker of white that held him for just a moment longer.

His throat feels tight as he swallows, for once at a loss for words, when so often they tumble carelessly from his lips. Lan Zhan, for all his efforts, how did he still believe he owed Wei Wuxian anything?

He'd known the moment he said it that it couldn't be true. Lan Wangji didn't lie, didn't tease, didn't of all things joke. There were rules in place to discourage just that.

When Lan Wangji's grip finally eased, Wei Wuxian's arm fell uselessly to his side, his own grip nerveless and uncertain.

"Lan Zhan," his voice is quiet and soft and it takes more effort than usual to find what he wants to say, but Lan Wangji at the very least deserves absolution. To think he's held on to such a thing...

"You didn't do anything worth apologizing for," he insists, trying to ignore the weak feeling in his knees. He's caught for a moment by those intense eyes, and has to look down, look away, as guilt hangs heavy in him as well.

I. The casino floor

[inquiryguqin]

Everybody wins at the casino games, no matter what games you pick from the card games to the roulette. There's no challenge in the games, so they are boring.

Sitting across him from one of the tables, Wangji is drinking a rose pink colored tea when their eyes met and he does a double take. The other looks familiar. The only difference is the eyes, the style of clothes even though it comes from the same era, there's a variance in the black robes, the red ribbon, and the hairstyle..

When they meet eye to eye, his head band has the cloud motif around his hea, and wear an all flowing white robe with light blue swirls of clouds patterns, and a jade amulet tassel hung from his waist. However, his eyes are light brown, almost a golden color.

Blinking, wondering if the other is a mirage. "Wei Wuxian…?" Tone soft, and curious. Is he the same Wei Wuxian as his own and change his appearance or one of the doubles? After having met his own double, his world getting topsy turvy.

[sadflutenoises]

He'd barely swallowed his drink before he caught a flash of white in the corner of his eye. Strange tasting tea, was all he thought, before he glanced over.

A sort of queasy feeling settled in his stomach as he recognized the unmistakable blue and white robes of the Lan Clan. Like they're in mourning, he thought briefly, before the very thought brought back memories of tragedy and pain like an unexpected slap to the face. He'd known he was repressing some things since he'd gotten his new lease on life, but he hadn't expected them to hit this hard.

And, as he recognized the face of the man who'd approached him, who'd known to call his name even with the mask, he took an instinctive step back. He looked like... Lan Wangji, but with small differences. He's taller, and just a little more intimidating than he remembers, and some of the details in his robes seem off somehow, but he puts it out of mind.

"Sorry?" he doesn't have to feign his confusion, and the idea of being recognized by a member of the Lan Clan at all barely registers as his eyes start to water, threatening tears. How could he have been found out so easily? What's wrong with this place?

"No," he swallows thickly, turning slightly away, reminded painfully of too many memories just before his death, "I'm... Mo Xuanyu."

[inquiryguqin]

The mask was new. Lan Wangji wondered if he got it from the shops from somewhere. As to how he recognized him, he has known Wei Wuxian with so many details, but there is a resemblance in his looks, height, and the tenor of his voice...and his fragility. The resemblance was striking.

Of course, when he confessed in admitting as Mo Xuanyu...which the other Wei Wuxian tries so hard to convince him, he already knew. If he knew of the pain and turmoil he caused by just asking, he would have not pressed any further.

He already knew since the Wei Wuxian mentioned wanting to play as Mo Xuanyu. "All right. Did you just arrived here?" When he knew his own Wei Wuxian has been trapped here in this hotel for weeks.

[sadflutenoises]

If he could see a little more clearly through his tear-blurred eyes, he might have noticed a few more differences between this man and Lan Wangji, but he was most certainly related somehow. Maybe Wangji had a cousin? Maybe he'd been dead longer than he thought and this was a son instead?

It was far too confusing, whatever it was, and the vice-like grip on his heart only seemed to increase with each passing moment. A tear slid free, beneath the mask, sliding down his cheek and he turned aside, scrubbing it away with the back of his sleeve. At least the man seemed to believe him, when he told him the false name.

"I..." he sniffled, trying to force some semblance of decorum into his voice and failing to keep a small quaver out of it.

"Yes, I... just earlier," he managed. There was a discernible crack in his voice as he finished, more tears joining the first now and he felt helpless to stop them, his eyes already red-rimmed and stinging.

He wanted to apologize for this loss of control, for making such a spectacle in front of someone he didn't even know, but who seemed to know him. At least it would only further prove his lie. Who could believe the Yiling Laozu could act so pitifully?

And with just the thought of that title, another flood of memories shifted through him, heavy and overbearing. The swaying bodies of the Wen clan minimal survivors, now forever silenced, the utter waste of lives at his own hands, Jin Zixuan, his own sister, even little A-Yuan...

He felt his knees buckle in this weak body of his, and did nothing to stop himself from dropping to the gaudy casino carpet.

[inquiryguqin]

Lan Wangji suspected he is crying? He is concerned. He never wanted to see Wei Wuxian cry.

Still, with his answer. "You came from earlier." That proves this is the double that complements the other Wangji. He grows more curious, fascinated with admiration and awe by the other perhaps. Is there a difference in thoughts, feelings, mannerisms? History and timeline? He's very curious to know more about him.

But later on, he grew more alarmed when just like that, Wei Wuxian dropped to the carpet and fainted.

"Wei Ying?!" By instinct, Lan Wangji gracefully kneels to his knees to reach over to catch him and placed two fingers on his neck to feel for his pulse.

"No, my apologies. Mo Xuanyu. Are you all right?" He gently taps his face to check if he's conscious.

[sadflutenoises]

He knows well enough his heart is weak and easily hurt. It doesn't take much to move him to tears, but even so, this feels overwhelming. He hadn't mean to fall, but strong arms keep him from hitting the floor too hard, and he's vaguely aware of hands that seem much too close. Someone calls his name, even the voice sounds right, hits a nerve, and there's a moment or two of blinking comprehension as he shakes his head, his mask knocked askew.

Tears won't stop falling, unbidden, like there's a weight around his heart, and it seems little use to keep wearing the unwieldy mask when he can barely see to wipe his own tears. Up close it's impossible not to notice the striking similarities to Lan Wangji. Has time passed again without him? How else could he account for the differences?

He tries to cover his face, hide behind hand and sleeve as he shakes his head in reply, too thrown by the chaotic emotions to understand it. He was fine just moments ago. Is it a curse?

"There's something... wrong with me," he sobs now, ugly and wracking.

Making Waves. Whoop whoop..here we go

[scaredofdogs]

Wei Wuxian has had about enough of this week already. As if the games of the hotel didn't give him enough to deal with..all these alternate versions of people he knew was enough to give him a headache. If he had to explain why he looks like Mo Xuanyu one more time, he might just lose his mind. The crazy act won't be an act any more. He will just accept his fate.

The one place he knows he can go and at least feel marginally less stressed out and overwhelmed by this place is the pool. And so he has headed there, towel over his shoulder and his new black and red swimming trunks the only thing he is wearing.

He pauses when he sees someone else already in the water. He grins as he realizes he might meet someone new from the hotel and walks up to the edge, lifting his hand in a wave, "Hey! Don't mind if I jo..."

But then something familiar hits him. He has a sinking feeling that he might just be meeting another one of the doppelgangers. He looks over and spots the pile of clothing. It's also rather familiar. Similar styles. This could be bad..

He looks back at the one in the pool and sets his towel down on the side as he very slowly walks into the water.

[sadflutenoises]

The exuberant shout is enough to draw his attention, but just like everything here, it's not something, or someone, rather, that he recognizes. It's something of a relief to not have to worry about hiding his identity, at least. But the way the voice cuts off, and seems hesitant... does he actually know this man?

Nothing about him seems familiar. Though he can respect the man's choice in color coordination, that's really all he has to go on. He tries a friendly smile. If the guy is local, at least, he can try to get some information.

"Plenty of room!" his tone is light and easy, if a little forced.

"Sorry, I'm kinda new here around the uh- Hotel and Casino. Never seen anything like it, right?" his tone came a little easier and friendlier the longer he went on, "You know your way around? I gotta say, I'm a little lost."

[scaredofdogs]

His eyes widen and it's like he has been frozen in place, only making it into the water up to his knees. It is the other him. He thought the possibility had been there that this could happen but he had hoped maybe he would get a little time to adjust to so much craziness happening. No such luck. The real question is..how does he play this out? What does this man know? But it's hard to focus when it's his own face staring back at him. The face he will never see or have again. Or at least..he never thought he'd see it again. It's a little unnerving.

He knows if he stays frozen like that for too long things will get awkward so he tries to stay focused for now. Play up the fact that this person has no idea who he is. This face is not one known to the people of that alternate world. "This place? Yeah I've been here for a few weeks so I've got a pretty good handle on it. But, that's as long as it decides to keep everything in place."

But just how long is he going to be able to keep his cool in this situation...remember..You are Mo Xuanyu..you have that name to fall back on if necessary. Maybe that name won't mean anything to this version of himself.

[sadflutenoises]

There's definitely a spark of recognition in the man's face, though Wei Wuxian can't place him. Not... that that really means a lot. His memory isn't great on the best of days. And since coming back to the world of the living, it's felt more than ever like there's dark, empty gaps of things he should know.

Still, he decides to keep things light and friendly. The man hasn't run off screaming in the other direction that the Yiling Laozu has returned, so that's a good start, right? Maybe he's just another of the many impersonators that frequent Yiling. The similarities in style certainly would indicate as much.

But for now, he'll just focus on getting some answers.

"Ah, just a few weeks," he repeats, though the rest sounds almost like a riddle. As if the building itself can warp and change of its own volition. But that's ridiculous, isn't it?

"Right, right, I guess no one really stays long in a hotel," he admits, rubbing the end of his nose, "They... like to change things up a lot?"

And then, hoping he'd at least get something to go on, he added, "sorry, didn't catch your name."

[scaredofdogs]

And there it was..the inevitable question. One he can't exactly escape for long. He decides to answer the others first and work his way up to what could make for a very interesting conversation.

"Last week things were moving all over the place. It wouldn't be so bad except they also took away our senses. You think navigating a forest blind folded is hard..try navigating a hotel that moves its rooms."

He folds his arms in front of his chest as he enters the water up to his waist. "My name is Mo Xuanyu." He watches the other's face closely, waiting for whatever reaction that might cause.

[sadflutenoises]

This time it was his turn to look confused. Moving rooms? Missing senses? Blindfolded in the woods? As if that's not enough, the name he replies with is Mo Xuanyu!

"Moving... you say?"

And then it seems to click into place. Wasn't Mo Xuanyu known for being a little... well, out of his mind? It seemed to make the most sense. It was strange to be in this new place, but talking about the building as if it could move on its own? There was a chance it could be related to some local haunting, but there were just too many coincidences. And if Mo Xuanyu had been the one to sacrifice his body, he had to have at least some idea of what Wei Wuxian looked like, so that might account for his odd reaction...

"Oh- ah, nice to meet you I'm-" he scrambled for the first name on his lips that wasn't Wei Wuxian or Mo Xuanyu and failed. Utterly.

"-Lan. Ah... Lan Ying."

Nailed it.

Welcome Home (sorry Wei Wuxian apparently it's reunion central)

[equivocations]

[ Lan Xichen happens to be walking through the upper level to return to his own room - it, too, is decorated in a way that remind him too much of home, but for the moment, it's the only place where he knows he can go to be alone and meditate.

He's been here only a short time, and there's already so much on his mind. Though he supposes, not all of it can be attributed directly to the hotel.

He is polite to those he passes, giving a small smile or a return greeting, but it's very clear he has no desire to stop and engage in communication. At least, not until he spots a very familiar figure exiting one of the rooms - no, then he pauses immediately to take a closer look. He's already met a Wei Wuxian who didn't look like himself, but there's no mistaking this time - this time, he looks exactly as he did when Lan Xichen saw him again after so many years.

And then he realizes he's been looking a touch too long to be polite, and immediately offers an apology. ]

Excuse me. May I inquire - do you recognize me?

[sadflutenoises]

[He'd barely managed some dry clothes, and felt like exploring once more, and... oddly enough, maybe some company? Which felt odd considering just how many strange people he'd come across today.

Still, when he senses another pair of eyes on him, he can hardly keep from sighing as he raises his eyes heavenward. Who now?

He almost bit the inside of his mouth as he realized it was yet another jade pillar of Lan. Where once there were two, now a third? At least this one was familiar, if only through his past interactions with Lan Zhan.

After the earlier meetings, he was exhausted from playing the part of the fool though, and it seemed little help to try to disguise who he was. Not that the mask had helped in the slightest!

Wei Wuxian made a resigned bow in return, though it was probably sloppy and unrefined in comparison to the leader of the Lan sect.]

Oh- Ah...

[Is there even a point in lying here?]

Should I not recognize Zewu Jun?

[equivocations]

I've already found two younger brothers and another version of you, so it was certainly possible. [ There's a brief pause as the corner of his mouth lifts in a small smile. ] It's also possible that you might have pretended that you didn't.

[ Of course, Lan Xichen is glad he didn't, since the Wei Wuxian who doesn't look like himself had already tried to fool him, and he's relieved not to have to go through that again. ]

Has Wangji found you?

[ As much as Lan Xichen is curious to see when he got here, what he makes of this place - perhaps even what he remembers, given his interactions with the Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian from another world - that comes first. He's fairly certain that if Wei Wuxian has been here for any length of time, of course Wangji has found him, but still.

He's also fairly certain he would have a disgruntled brother if he found out that Lan Xichen knew that Wei Wuxian was here and didn't make sure that he was informed. ]

[sadflutenoises]

[Two Lan Wangji and another version of himself. Yeah, that was more of less the day he'd had, nevermind the tidal waves and mysterious tea. Which gave him mild regret about eating that candy on his bed, come to think of it...

He lets out a soft sigh, his own lips twisting in a grin to match Lan Xichen's.]

I fear my other self may have made a poor impression. Allow me to make it up to you.

[He tries a second bow that's slightly more formal and less exhausted. Xichen's follow up question is no less to-the-point, and Wei Wuxian shifts, only slightly uncomfortable. He'd managed a truly shameless crying fit in front of one, and only seemed to have upset the other(though with Lan Zhan, that actually seemed about right...)]

He has... [Cough] Both, in fact. It's been quite a busy day. I'm only grateful I could tell them apart.

[Imagine if it'd been reversed and he'd dissolved into tears in front of the other Lan Zhan. A terrifying thought. He'd never live it down.]

[equivocations]

There's no need to make up for something you haven't done.

[ It's gentle, despite that it's said firmly. He isn't only speaking of the actions of the other Wei Wuxian, but even if he was prepared to do so, this certainly isn't the place to go into more detail.

He smiles once against when he notes that he was able to tell them apart - it's no less than he would expect, of course, because if there's anyone who knows Wangji better than him it's Wei Wuxian, but he's pleased about it for his brothers' sake.

But Wei Wuxian says it's been a busy day, and Lan Xichen remembers that he has essentially accosted the man just as he stepped out of his room. ]

Please forgive me for interrupting you from where ever you were going. I would like to talk with you, but it can wait for a later time if you have something else to attend to.

[sadflutenoises]

[He wants to point out that either way, Wei Wuxian is at fault, but he holds his tongue. It's not as if there's a precedent for such things, after all. Instead, he just gives a good-natured smile in return, glad at least for a conversation that seems easy.

The thought of being alone again turns his stomach and he's not entirely sure why, but he's hesitant to let Zewu Jun just leave now that they've met here.]

Oh! No, no, not at all. I, that is, I just needed some air. I've got nowhere to be.

[And his room is far from inviting. If anything, Lan Xichen is doing him the favor here.]