Jiāng Chéng (zidian) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-05-12 07:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, ~player: jamie, ₴ inactive: jiang cheng, ₴ inactive: jiang yanli |
Log: Jiang Siblings
Jiang Cheng had never been and never would be all that patient when it came to the people close to his heart.
Still, it was his sister’s birthday and he would not let it go uncelebrated when not so long ago, he’d known he would never get to acknowledge such a thing again. He knocked quietly on the door of her rooms before ducking his head inside, a small purple box in his hands. “Jiejie? Are you in here?”
Yanli hadn't necessarily forgotten that it was her birthday when she woke that morning; she simply just had so much else on her mind. Though home could be unpredictable, it was nothing quite like Vallo. Never would she have imagined people being stuck inside of a snowglobe, as had been the case for one brother, or being thrown back in time, as was now the case with the other. Given just how much she cared about both of them and the sheer amount of her world and heart they took up, she probably could have been forgiven for the lapse in memory.
But, as she had been readying herself for the day, the realization of what the day was hit her. Yanli wasn't expecting much of the day, of course. She rarely had expectations when it came to attentions being on her, as she was just too busy keeping an eye on everyone else. But, there was the added layer of people missing that made her becoming another year older all the less important -- even if she had dismissed the nagging feeling in the back of her head that her birthdays had been limited back home and this, in and of itself, was a gift.
By the time her brother had found her, Yanli was seated comfortably in her favorite chair, a book laid out before her. "I'm here," she replied, immediately slipping her bookmark between the pages and smiling warmly at Cheng. Before he could say more, she checked, "How are you today?"
Jiang Cheng lifted an eyebrow at her question and let himself all the way into the room. “Frustratingly helpless, just like yesterday,” he answered bluntly. But a ghost of a smile chased after the words. “But today is a better day just by the nature of being your birthday.”
He moved toward her, carefully setting her gift on a table next to her and then bringing his arms in front of him to bow. It was a little overly formal in the privacy of her rooms but she was still his older sister, even if her age didn’t show it. There was no one he respected and loved more.
“I’m sorry it’s not an ideal day. I owe you a lavious breakfast and a day of entertainment as soon as…” Wei Wuxian’s absence felt like a cold breeze through the room. “When things are better,” Jiang Cheng finished lamely.
Though her smile didn't lose its sincerity or fade completely from Yanli's face, it did dim down just a bit. It was her default to worry for her brothers and being separated from Wei Wuxian certainly weighed on her. But, she was nevertheless appreciative for Jiang Cheng being there and clearly trying to make something of her birthday -- she was quite lucky, she thought.
Nodding her head at the bow, she indicated the chair next to her and sat up a bit more in her own. "You have no reason to apologize," Yanli replied. "It may not be ideal and I'm very worried for Wei Wuxian, but I'm hopeful that this will be over soon. They were able to figure out how to bring you to us, yes? Surely they will be able to make that happen twice." Ever the optimist, she couldn't see any other way for it to play out.
"Besides," she continued, "I have you today, which I am ever grateful for."
The part of Jiang Cheng that was forever changed by the last sixteen years twisted at her optimistic words. He was too jaded for such things. But he wouldn’t steal them from her. He only forced a tense smile and sat in the chair she indicated.
“I hope you’re right. It’s trickier, it seems. Crossing time versus crossing space. But I won’t pretend to understand any of that.” He rolled his eyes a little, though it was more affectionate than real annoyance. “That didn’t stop Wei Wuxian from beating me to giving you a gift first, though, so it had better not stop us from getting everyone back.” He said everyone like it meant something. Like it was important. Then he gestured at the box. Inside was a hairpin with a small enchantment that kept it in place and kept it from tangling the hair. “I...I’m very grateful you’re here. That I’m here with you. Happy Birthday, jiejie.”
Yanli gifted him one more warm smile, accepting his words and letting them settle in her heart before she took the box in her hands. "I would say that you didn't have to," she teased gently, moving to open the box, "but I am very curious about what is inside."
Once the box was opened, she looked down at the hairpin. "Oh," she sighed, lifting it with one hand. She looked it over, turning it in her hands. Though Yanli could value a simple life, it did not make her immune to pretty things. What she appreciated most, though, was that it was a gift from Jiang Cheng and that it was something he had sought out specifically for her. There was much to be said for that.
She looked back up to her brother, her expression soft. "Thank you, truly. It is beautiful."
Jiang Cheng looked younger for a moment, as he dropped his chin bashfully and nodded in response to her gratitude. “I was going to get you something for cooking, but I didn’t want you to feel like your birthday is about you doing something for other people. This has a little magic,” he said, reaching out to touch the hairpin’s delicate filigree. “It’ll stay in place and be gentle.”
He sat back in his chair with an embarrassed shrug. There were probably better gifts. His curiosity about Wei Wuxian’s was winning out anyway. “Did you find Wei Wuxian’s gift?” His eyebrows lifted, bratty and somehow sad at once. Wei Wuxian should be here for this mocking. “Was it a big picture of his dumb face?”
With a soft laugh, Yanli shook her head. "It wasn't," she confirmed, both in that she had found the gift and that it wasn't anything like the prank that Wei Wuxian had pulled on their brother not too long ago. She pulled back one of her sleeves, revealing the lavender jade bracelet that she had found in the jingshi, just as Wei Wuxian had instructed. Though she wished that he had been there to gift it to her in person, the thought that he had gotten her anything at all and had wanted her to have it on this day was one that warmed her heart considerably.
Yanli stood, moving just enough to stand before her mirror. In what was certainly far less formal than the bow Jiang Cheng had given her moments before, she slipped the pin that she had been wearing out of her hair so she could replace it with the new gifted one; she didn't think she could be faulted too harshly at the casualness of it all. "My brothers are going to make me the best dressed in Vallo, at this rate."
Jiang Cheng had conflicted feelings about the bracelet she showed him. He was relieved Wei Wuxian had done well, frustrated that he wasn't here to give it to her himself, and annoyed that it was an effortlessly beautiful gift. He could, apparently, want his brother here, be proud of him, and wish he wasn't quite so good at everything at the same time.
"Well. I'm glad you like it. Them." He stood at her shoulder as she did her hair. "When Wei Wuxian returns, we'll make a day just for you." The emotion in his chest grew for a moment, too strong to ignore. He pulled her into a hug. "I'm very glad to be with you. To celebrate you."
Yanli let Jiang Cheng pull her into the hug -- she didn't know of a situation where she wouldn't let him do that. Now, though, she knew it was more than just because it was her birthday. It was because of that, but this wasn't just any birthday. She hadn't had a birthday for many years in the time he had come to Vallo from. It was odd to think, when the last memories she had were of the days leading up to her wedding. There had still been time for her before it came to an end, but it would end.
And for that reason, among so many others, she was grateful for Vallo and how it had brought her siblings -- and the others that she considered family by extension -- back together. It may do strange things, like it was doing right then, but Yanli was confident it would be okay again. It had to be.
She clung to her brother tightly. "I'm glad to be with you, as well." She paused for just a moment, before releasing a gentle sigh. "I love you very much, my brother."
"I love you too," Jiang Cheng echoed, as solemnly as if it were a vow he was taking to protect a country. The days when he'd been able to say that with lightness and mischief were long gone, but maybe he could get back there someday. If this place was kind enough to let them have that time. He pulled back and gestured towards the door, a little reserved now that he'd expended some of his tightly controlled emotions.
"It's a nice day out. We could sit on the dock or go for a swim. If we have fun without Wei Wuxian, he might even hurry back out of spite," he smirked.
Despite herself, Yanli had to let out a soft laugh at that. "I'll bet he would," she agreed, pausing to check her hair in the mirror one last time before looking to Jiang Cheng. "So I say we do both of those things, then find something particularly delicious to eat, okay?"
Though she asked the question, Yanli didn't wait for an answer before she looped her arm through her brother's. "I did say that I wanted a cupcake today, so I think we should make that dream come true."
Jiang Cheng snorted an undignified laugh and pulled her arm in under his, stepping towards the door. He would never get enough of her laugh or the simple joy of her wanting things that were actually within his power to get her. He smiled softly and actually looked forward to some of the morning, even if it still held a cloud over it. They would make the best of it. And Wei Wuxian would return to them, one way or another. He was sure of it.
"It's your birthday, jiejie." He opened the door for her with a little bow. "Why settle for one cupcake when you can have two?"