“Even if you didn’t know that we thought you were dead,” Jin Zixuan says, “you knew that everyone else did. What was your plan for announcing your return from the dead?”
Wei Wuxian frowns and scratches his nose with his flute. “I don’t have one, really. I imagine quite a lot of people still want me dead. But not anyone important, right? Sect Leader Yao wanting me dead isn’t remarkable. That’s like a Tuesday.”
For fuck’s sake. That kind of forethought is how they ended up in this mess in the first place.
“I’m pretty sure my father wants you dead,” he says.
Wei Wuxian makes a face. “I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that I care even less about your father’s opinion than I do Sect Leader Yao’s.”
Yeah, he’d made a point of that when he’d stolen every Wen from him and set up camp in the land between the Jin and the Jiang.
Yanli rolls her eyes. “We were thinking some sort of secret mission to explain A-Xian’s absence and special training for A-Ling’s.” Then, apologetically, “I had been hoping your father would be dead by now.”
“I can just kill him,” Wei Wuxian offers.
Jiang Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose. “Do not reenter society by killing a sect leader.”
“We can also hide out as new disciples,” Wei Wuxian says. He really must be worried about his brother if he’s dropping it that easily. “Which might not be a bad idea until we can find out what was happening to all our letters.”
There’s a pause. Finally, it’s Lan Wangji who says, “You and Jiang Yanli are rather recognizable to most cultivators.”
Jin Zixuan is surprised that they managed to go thirteen years without being recognized, even with staying out of cultivator territory. They certainly won’t manage the same now that they’re back into it.
“Plus the several dozen junior disciples who already know who we are,” Yanli says gently. “A-Xian, we came back so we could stop hiding. So our children could stop hiding.”
Wei Wuxian softens. “Okay, okay. But then, realistically, I am going to have to kill a sect leader. Or two. Definitely no more than three.”
It really says something that Jiang Cheng is his less irritating brother in law.
Me: Okay guys remember that it’s important in improv to establish your characters at the beginning of the scene.
Students: ok
Student 1: Hello. I am the president of the United States.
Student 2: Hello madame president. I’m William Shakespeare and I’m here to assassinate you.
This is the best opening to a scene I’ve ever heard of
Here’s how the scene actually went as nearly as I can remember.
Student 1: I’m the president of the United States. How can I help you?
Student 2: I’d like to make a complaint about the Vice President.
Student 1: Okay let me just get out my chalkboard where I tally complaints about the Vice President. Let’s see, that makes five… hundred! What’s your complaint?
Student 2: Well you see, I’m here to assassinate you, but I don’t think that guy should take over when you’re dead.
Student 1: Okay let me make some calls. Beep boop beep boop beep beep beep. Hello? I’m here with— What’s your name?
Student 2: I’m William Shakespeare.
Student 1: I’m here with William Shakespeare and he convinced me we need to replace the Vice President. When? Let me ask. — When were you planning to assassinate me?
Student 2: I mean I was thinking like, as soon as I was done talking to you.
Student 1: Okay sounds good. Yes we need to replace him right now, one moment. Beep beep boop beep. Hello? You’re fired. Bye. Ring, ring. Oh, it’s my assistant again. Hello? What’s that? Oh, they want to know if you’re the same William Shakespeare who wrote Romeo and Juliet.
Student 2: Yes, that’s me.
Student 1: What’s that? He’s been dead for four hundred years? Okay thank you goodbye. Sorry they said you’ve been dead for four hundred years so you can’t assassinate me.
The world is oftentimes such an ugly place, but sometimes it can be so beautiful.
Like, when two choirs, one from Croatia and the other from Zimbabwe, met on the opposite sides of a Lisbon subway station and both sang to each other.
I unfortunately do not know what the Zimbabwe children choir sang to them (although it was so beautiful), but the Croatian klapa Kastav sang ‘Kuća puna naroda’ (a house full of people).
And let my reward be a house full of people, my life, give me a voice, so I can embrace you with songs.
