Brothel meme continued

[lastjinstanding]

Continued from here

Jin Ling had really hoped he'd have A-Yuan at his side for this, but he didn't blame the sweet man for being ill one bit. In fact, he really enjoyed holding him as they finished traveling up to Lotus Pier. He sends servants off the boat to arrange a discreet delivery of his ill and subdued guest to private chambers following Ling's disembark. He instructed only Fu Geming to carry A-Yuan with Liling.

Sadly, after that, he had to leave his pets in his servants care. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped onto the pier. He bowed humbly to all of his relatives and gave them each a proper greeting- or in Wei Wuxian's case, a cheeky one.

He was brought into the main hall and given the seat next to Jiang Cheng's throne. Wei Wuxian was seated beside him with Lan Wangji at the next seat. And yes, Wangji had been offered the throne but had chosen to stay at Wuxian's side. It was Jiang Cheng's wedding, after all.

Jin Ling is happy sitting to a nice cup of tea and some wine after a long day of travel with promise of dinner coming.

~~~

"Jin-Guniang, is the young master Zheng in this room?" A young, unfamiliar male voice asks. "I have some medicine I wish to offer if you'd announce me."

"Of course. Let me ask for you," Liling says in a warm tone. She knocks on Yuan's door and peeks in. She smiles when she sees him awake. She comes in and shuts the door behind her. "Zheng-gongzi? How are you feeling? A friend of Jin-zongzhu from the Lan Clan is here to offer you some medicine. Would you feel up to seeing him?"

Comments

[lastjinstanding]

Xiaowen grins victoriously over Yuan. He leans down like he's about to caress his cheek, he slaps him across the face instead. He reaches down and grabs a fistful of his hair only to yank his head roughly upward.

"Tsk tsk, little slut. We're not doing this your way. You're not going to enjoy any of this!" His grip tightens and he drags the young man by the hair across the floor to the bed.

~~~

Ling nods, praying his friend is right. This has to work out somehow. He can't lose his uncle too! He's relieved though that his friend hasn't turned on him and isn't mocking him for what's happened. In fact, as he thinks about that, he does a very unusual thing for him (and almost regrets it as soon as he does it because it's so weird). He hugs Zizhen. For like.. five whole seconds.

"Okay.. let's.. um.. let's go." He stammers, trying really hard to pretend like that didn't just happen.

~~~

"He will," Lan Zhan says with the same certainty he had when he told his brother Wuxian was speaking the truth. It was a fact, no more no less. This was going to happen.

He gestures toward the walkway that lead toward the boats. His husband needs some fresh air and the short walk would help them both calm down. However, they hardly get more than a couple meters past the door when a man in gold and cream robes gets blasted by a streak of purple from one of the boats.

"Where is he?!" Bellows Jiang Cheng's voice as he leaps from the boat to the pier, Zidian sparking around his hand. He catches the Jin disciple by the collar of his robes and drags him to barely an inch from his own intimidating face. "Answer me, you worm!"

[notaturnip]

The force of the slap nearly sends him tumbling to the floor, he catches himself but not before the sharp tug on his hair makes him gasp with pain. He doesn't fight as he's dragged, only grabs at Xiaowen's wrist to try and ease some of pull to his scalp, scrambling with his legs for the same reason.

He can do this, he can survive this, Xiaowen has been in moods like this before - not exactly like this, never quite like this, but close enough that Yuan knows (hopes) he won't do anything he can't handle. As long as he isn't hurting anybody else, as long as he isn't hurting Jin Ling, he can figure this out.

~~

Zizhen is frozen for a second, because did... did that just happen? He knows they have more important things to worry about but this is going to take him a second.

He's so telling Jingyi about this.

"Uh, yea. Let's go." he agrees, deciding wisely not to say anything (until he tells Jingyi. Even though the other boy won't believe him) and heading off towards the guest quarters.

~~~

"...Jiang Cheng!" Wei Wuxian looks up at his yelling brother in surprise and alarm "What's going on?"

Who is he looking for? Jin Ling? He only left a few minutes ago, surely that can't be right...

[lastjinstanding]

Xiaowen leans menacingly over Yuan, catches him by the throat, and sneers. "Take your clothes off." He orders. "I want you to know you allowed this to happen. You gave yourself to me." He gives Yuan's neck a squeeze, warning him of the consequences of disobeying.

~~~

Nope. Zizhen, you imagined it.

*Coughs*

He doesn't know why he just did that. He has such a bad feeling. A panic that is sweeping over him, making him move faster as he moves as swiftly as socially allowed for a sect leader to go back toward the rest of the house. This was a stupid place to come and check! Anything could be going on back there! Where was Yuan?!

~~~

Wanyin shoots a dangerous look at his brother. "You're dealing with your family, I'm dealing with mine!" As his glare turns back to the disciple, the man quivers.

"I don't know! I swear I-!" He doesn't get any further before a hard fist strikes across his face sending him to the ground. The crackle of Zidian threatens to be unleashed again. "Someone said Xiaowen was listening t- to the main hall after we were sent away. He stormed off a- and we haven't seen him since!"

"I entrusted you bastards! You swore to keep him safe! Tell me why I shouldn't gut you right here like the worthless guppy you are!"

"Please! Please have mercy, Jiang-zongzhu! I didn't- He threatened my family too! Please.. I'm sorry!"

Wrong answer..

Wanyin's eyes narrow and he draws his hand back as the purple whip of lightening appears.

[notaturnip]

Yuan gasps for air, feeling the fingers press into his throat so hard he's scared they're going to bruise, but he reaches for his sash with trembling fingers and starts to undress - he's going as slowly as he dares, wanting to drag this out, but not wanting to encourage Xiaowen to further violence.

~~~

"That's weird," Zizhen comments - and not just the fact that Jin Ling seems to be getting weirdly desperate "didn't Jingyi come with Yuan? Normally we would have heard him by now..."

It's mostly a joke, a little attempt to lighten the mood, but he is a little surprised he hasn't heard a laugh or something. They could be talking about something serious, but he's getting the same creeping feeling that something is off.

~~~

Dealing with his? What's that supposed to-

The guy mentioned Xiaowen and Wuxian suddenly recalls he's heard that name before. It takes him a second to place it, the Jin guard's pleading in the background making it hard to concentrate, but he suddenly realises.

The guard A-Yuan had told Jin Ling he couldn't trust. The guard who had stormed off after hearing something from the main hall.

He catches Jiang Cheng's arm before he can hit the guy with zidian again.

"Leave this one, Jiang Cheng," he says, looking at the cowering guard "Where did he storm off to? What direction?"

If Xiaowen knew his cover was blown, Jin Ling could be in danger. A-Yuan could be in danger.

[lastjinstanding]

Xiaowen leans down and catches Yuan's mouth in a kiss. It's punishing and bruising instead of an of the sweetness that's supposed to be there. He pushes Yuan's robes open and roughly grips one of his hips. The hand around his throat doesn't let up, squeezing tighter and tighter with each passing minute.

~~~

Jin Ling certainly doesn't take it as a joke, especially since he was thinking along the same lines. It doesn't occur to him that maybe some of this worry might be paranoia from all his stress or something to focus on instead of Jiang Cheng disowning him. There's only one thing he's listening to and that's his gut- and it's screaming at him.

He comes to his own guest room and tries the door. He frowns when he finds it locked. "Yuan? Yuan, it's me!" He stares at the door and his frown deepens. He doesn't hear rustling in there or voices, so why would their room be locked.

He steps back, eyes narrowing, and draws his sword. "HH-YA!" He cries, leaping forward and kicking in the door.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Jin Ling sees red, giving Xiaowen only barely enough time to move before he's run through. Sword clashes with candlestick, but there really isn't a match here. As strong and large as the captain is, Ling hadn't been kidding about his skill growing. "I'm going to feed you to the rats in the streets! You aren't worthy of being food for my dog!"

~~~

Wanyin looks half ready to strike Wuxian with zidian instead when he stops the blow, but just beyond his brother his Lan Zhan with his hand on Bichen. Don't even think about it!

"I- I don't know! I wasn't.." Oh wait, maybe if he made something up they won't kill him? "I- I think he went toward the uh.."

They all hear the loud crash and scream from somewhere in the house.

[notaturnip]

Between the rough kiss and the hand squeezing his throat, Yuan is so breathless he's starting to see black spots swimming at the edge of his vision. He just lets the kiss happen until suddenly there's a crashing sound and yelling and he's falling back against the bed and gasping for breath.

Dazed, he lashes out with his foot towards Xiaowen - it's barely anything, he doesn't have a lot of strength right now and the angle is awkward, but all he needs is to be a distraction, is to give Jin Ling even the slightest extra help.

Zizhen is drawing his own sword but truthfully he can see how this is Jin Ling's fight, he's there to be backup and nothing more, he's happy to let the sect leader handle this by himself - and it seems he's more than capable of doing so.

Which is probably for the best, because it's at that moment that he spot Jingyi slumped to the side and he dives for the Lan boy, sword forgotten in favour of checking him over with wide, panicked eyes.

~~~

Wuxian's head whips round at the noise, giving his brother the barest of glances before he takes off towards it, quite certain that both Jiang Cheng and Wangji will be right there alongside him.

It doesn't take them long to get to the source of the chaos and it's quite the scene they arrive to - Yuan slumped on the bed with his robes half open, dishevelled and gasping for breath, his throat already blossoming with bruises. Zizhen cradling an unconscious Jingyi in his lap as he clings to his wrist, pouring his own spiritual energy into the boy and begging him to wake up - and Jin Ling attacking Xiaowen with a ferocity that was bordering on extreme even for him.

[lastjinstanding]

The guard who has always seen Jin Ling as weak, is helpless against the wall as the sect leader wails on him. In a series of stab wounds that each would've been fatal on their own, the last move in this one sided fight is to take Xiaowen's head clean off his shoulders. The young man looks ready to just keep going too, but by then Jiang Cheng catches his sword arm. As Ling turns to fight his uncle, still lost in his rage, the one called Sandu Shengshou wraps his arms tightly around him and pulls him to his chest. A bloody Suihua falls to the floor with a clatter.

Lan Zhan ignores Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling in favor of the other boys, unfortunately he's torn between his responsibilities here. He wants desperately to go to Yuan, but seeing Jingyi is unconscious, he has to tend to him first. He touches the young man's hair, not getting in the way of Zizhen's aid and frowns. He reaches into his robes to draw out a small pouch with some powder. He spills some into his hand and slips it behind Jingyi's head. Not wanting the young man to move, he gently presses the medicine against the wound. "He's lost a lot of blood. Can you continue what you're doing for a while longer?" He asks Zizhen.

[notaturnip]

Yuan lets himself slump back against the bed when Jin Ling takes Xiaowen's head off, a dizzying flood of relief rushing through him with such suddenness he almost passes out. As Lan Zhan moves to his unconscious disciple and Jiang Cheng embraces his nephew, Wei Wuxian makes a beeline for his son.

He helps Yuan sit up, pulling his robes back around him as he pulls the boy carefully into his arms, shushing him softly when he tries to speak - he can see the bruising, he knows speaking is going to be too painful for him right now. The shock and adrenaline of it all finally wears off and Yuan lets himself be comforted, the tears coming as his shoulders shake with gasping sobs that he can't stop despite the agony each one brings. He wants nothing more than to go to Jin Ling, but he doesn't want to intrude upon the moment he's having with his uncle - even if he could move, which right now feels a little bit like a step too far.

Zizhen nods firmly, looking up with relief at Hanguang Jun.

"I can keep going as long as he needs me." he promises.

[lastjinstanding]

Jiang Cheng steps back, perhaps too soon for Jin Ling but they had their moment. That was enough. He feels numb, remembering another time these floors were soaked in blood and violence was prevalent within the walls of his home. This was quite different from back then, but the shock and horror was uncomfortably similar. Even worse, he has his nephew and these other people relying on him. He has to be the one to remain calm and do the practical things now.

Just what he was going to tell his fiancé and guests, he didn't know. No one here needs to know what this was about to cost him. In comparison, it didn't matter, even if it was him once again making the silent sacrifice. He'd promised her a scandal-less marriage. Peaceful. They could opt out of the drama if there ever was any and live their quiet lives together. To gain an heir and a stable home for that child, it had seemed like enough. Now?

He looks back at his nephew and the guilt almost made him scream. He'd left his nephew alone for too long. He'd known the boy had pulled away and was trying so hard to be brave and independent. Jiang Cheng had encouraged that. However, he hadn't known what Jin Ling had really been fighting all alone. Wanyin had just wanted peace.

"Go to your bedroom next door and wash the blood off," he instructs his nephew in as even a tone as he can muster. "Hanguang Jun, Wuxian, take your son either to Ling's room or back to your own. Ouyang-gongzi, give me a moment and I'll get one of your cousins to help you with Lan-gongzi." This room needed to be sealed until it could be cleansed.

Jin Ling staggered slightly when his uncle first let go of him. He had been far from ready. He tried to recover quickly and act like he hadn't been affected by it. When he was told to leave the room, he scooped down and picked up his sword, but he waits, turning to look at Yuan. "I'm not leaving him," he informs whoever cared to listen to him.

[notaturnip]

Nobody seems in the mood to argue with Jiang Cheng in that moment, not even his brother.

Yuan's sobs have died down a little, but he's still crying into his father's shoulder - he wants to tell Jin Ling he doesn't want to leave him, either, but he can't seem to stop the tears long enough to get actual words out, even if he could speak. Wuxian seems to understand, though, he nods a confirmation at Jin Ling and shifts, lifting Yuan easily into his arms as he stands.

"I'll bring him to your room." he tells his nephew simply.

He glances at his husband, a silent question whether he's going to come with them or stay with his disciple - either answer completely acceptable, under the circumstances.

"Yes, Jiang-zongzhu," Zizhen nods obediently, still focused on giving Jingyi spiritual energy - if he needs to be the moved that's fine, but he's not leaving the other boy's side until he's awake.

[lastjinstanding]

Lan Zhan gives Wuxian a sad nod when he looks his way. He needs to say with Jingyi. He's worried about his disciple and Zizhen shouldn't face this injury alone. However, his husband knows he wants to be there and he hopes Yuan will know too soon enough.

Also, before Jiang Cheng can leave the room, Lan Wangji proves he might not feel like arguing with the man, but he's not following his instructions perfectly either. He scoops Jingyi up in his arms and nods for Zizhen to follow him. He takes both boys back to the room his own room (which he's glad the servants have changed sheets since that morning).

Jin Ling leads Wuxian and Yuan to the room next door and offers the bed.. that clearly hadn't been slept in the night before. Shh. Don't notice that Uncle Wei! He goes over to wash his hands of the blood and remove his outer robe before hurrying over to the bed to join them.

Once everyone is gone, Jiang Cheng is highly tempted to whip Xiaowen once more for his own gratification but he knows from experience that doesn't actually make you feel any better.

He steps out of the room and puts a ward on the door to seal it. He pauses to look at one of the many red and gold decorations along the halls and picks it up. With a sneer, he crumbles it in his hand before turning to go speak with his fiancé, knowing what the outcome was going to be.

[notaturnip]

Wuxian raises an eyebrow at the pristine sheets but doesn't comment - he's showing marvelous restraint, of course, but under the circumstances it seems inappropriate even to him.

(Maybe just because the other boy involved is his A-Yuan)

He settles Yuan on the bed, sitting beside him and making sure there's space on the other side for Jin Ling. Yuan stays leaning against him with his face tucked into his shoulder, but as soon as Jin Ling joins them he turns, curling up against his side instead. His father keeps hold of his hand, though.

"I'm sorry," Yuan whispers hoarsely to Jin Ling. He feels like everything going so wrong is all his fault. It's ridiculously painful to speak, but he needed to say it.

[lastjinstanding]

Jin Ling is trying very hard not to notice that he's pretty sure his uncle noticed the bed not being slept in. They were all just.. not noticing that.

Also the fact that Yuan totally just picked to lean against him over his new father when he sits down. That wasn't awkward at all... or amazing. He wraps his arms gently around Yuan and kisses his forehead gently. He remembers after doing that that Wuxian is there and blushes a little.

His attention is drawn back to Yuan with the whisper and his heart breaks for the sweet man who stole his heart. "Shh, lovely, don't speak. I know. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm so sorry I didn't protect you better." He never should've listened to all these jerks who said he should go find his Jiujiu! He should never have left Yuan's side, even for an instant. He was taking Yuan back to Carp Tower, building him the most amazing music hall ever, buying him all the prettiest robes he could possibly want, and never letting him out of his sight!

He didn't have to night hunt or survey his land. He could be like those other Jin clan leaders who were lazy and stayed in their tower and never did anything useful ever. If he kept Yuan safe and happy, he'd be okay. That was love, right?

[notaturnip]

Wuxian actually approves of the arm around Yuan, the gentle kiss - it's increasingly clear that there really is deep affection between the two of them, and he likes that someone is so clearly protective of his son.

The sleeping together part he'll deal with later. Possibly while demanding a marriage proposal.

"No, I-" Yuan tries to protest but his father cuts him off.

"A-Yuan, hush," he says gently "nobody thinks this is your fault and you need to rest, trying to speak is only going to hurt you."

Yuan tilts his head to look up at Jin Ling, eyes searching his face like he wants to make absolutely sure he's not blaming him - he wants to make sure Jin Ling knows he doesn't blame him, either, and it takes all his effort not to try and say it. Instead he leans up to press a gentle kiss to his cheek, then snuggles up against him again.

[lastjinstanding]

Jin Ling doesn't entirely know what Yuan is trying to say, but he knows it's something loving and too giving. When he sees the question in Yuan's eyes he smiles at him and the kiss on his cheek makes him blush a little and glance again at Wuxian. It is silly to be bashful now after declaring his love so valiantly in the other room, but he isn't used to being soft and certainly not soft in front of others.

He finds himself waking up, unsure just when he fell asleep when a knock comes to the door. Lan Zhan enters the room a few moments later and has a tray in his hand. There are several cups and bottles on the tray but the first one he hands off to his husband is clearly a bottle of alcohol.

He kneels in front of the bed. He passes a small bottle to Yuan. "Drink. It'll soothe your throat." If there's a little medicine for soothing his nerves in there too, well, Lan Zhan isn't going to mention that.

[notaturnip]

Yuan is still a little too tense to sleep, but he's warm and comfortable curled up against his love and he feels himself start to calm slowly, content to just sit there quietly - even Wuxian, normally incapable of staying quiet for that long, manages to let them both rest.

"Lan Zhan," he greets his husband softly with a smile as he enters, broadening into a grin as he's handed the alcohol. "Mmm, you're my favourite."

Yuan lets go of his father's hand finally, taking the little bottle of medicine and drinking it obediently, wincing at how painful it is to swallow and hoping it works quickly.

He opens his mouth to speak and Wei Wuxian puts a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Ah ah little radish, rest your voice. He knows you want to say thank you, right?"

Yuan closes his mouth and nods.

[lastjinstanding]

Lan Zhan gives Yuan a small encouraging smile and a quiet nod back.

"How's Jingyi? What's going on out there?" Jin Ling asks, hating how silent this man always was. Didn't he understand they were worried? Yes, he was very afraid of him, but.. still. Jingyi.

The smile on Lan Zhan's face fades. "He's sleeping. I don't know when he'll wake." There's an edge to his tone to indicate it isn't as simple as what time but almost an if. "The guests are waiting for Sandu Shengshou to make an announcement. He's speaking now with the Ouyang sect leader and Ouyang Anju's father."

"Why? What's this got to do with any of that?" Jin Ling prods, realizing the first set of answers was a rare gift.

Lan Zhan simply looks away without answering the rest.

[notaturnip]

Yuan bites his lip worriedly - Jingyi had to be okay, he had to be, Yuan would never forgive himself if the other boy didn't wake up. Xiaowen had been waiting for him, if Jingyi hadn't been there he wouldn't have got hurt... he turns to press his face into Jin Ling's shoulder and tries not to start crying again.

Wei Wuxian frowns at his husband's follow up, looking concerned.

He's about to say something but his gaze flicks briefly to Jin Ling and he decides against it - the last thing he needs his nephew to hear is the possibility that his uncle might be having problems because of the chaos. It's not Jin Ling's fault somebody tried to assassinate him. It's not Jiang Cheng's fault either.

"I'm sure he's handling that well." is all he says. He does not sound convinced.

(Maybe he shouldn't have stormed through the pier attacking Jin guards...)

[lastjinstanding]

Lan Zhan gets up and moves to a kneeling desk on the other side of the room. With a wave of his hand his qin appears on the table. He glances at Wuxian hoping he recognizes this song and leaves if he doesn't want to be effected by it. He starts to play Rest to slowly charm both of the injured and/ or stressed boys to sleep again. There was no benefit for them to be awake right now and sleep would speed their recovery, reasons the Lan leader.

In the rest of the house there's plenty of un-rest. There are Jin clan members injured and after just being attacked by the sect leader's realm they're currently in. The wedding guests were hungry and slighted. The groom and bride were at odds. And there was a dead man in the next room.

[notaturnip]

Wei Wuxian takes his liquor and sleeps off the bed, giving his husband a kiss on the forehead and making a vague excuse about going to see what he can do to help.

(He knows that the best thing he can do to help is stay out of the way, technically, but he's sure he can find something)

Yuan looks up long enough to give him a soft, grateful smile before curling back into Jin Ling's side. As the music washes over him he sighs softly, feeling himself begin to relax against his love, sleep stealing over him.

[lastjinstanding]

As Wuxian leaves the room and heads down the hall, he eventually passes by a smaller meeting chamber where there are several angry tones.

"You swore! You gave her your word! You know the kind of insult you are delivering to my clan?" Ouyang Huifang, Wanyin's supposed future father-in-law cried with outrage. "I will not forgive this slight! Tell the servants, we shall leave at once!"

"Please, Ouyang-shidi! Calm! Jiang-zongzhu! Reconsider! This is still a good match! Lady Ouyang Anju may be willing to wait. Circumstances happen. We all know this."

"No, Ouyang-zongzhu. No. I've made up my mind. It's off. I'm needed elsewhere," Jiang Cheng answers, though his voice was more hollow than it normally was. That hollow tone was still encased in steel. "You may tell your clan and I'll go inform the rest of the guests. I'll return whatever has been gifted to me or repay the value as is proper-"

"Double! Triple! I want triple for this humiliation! There should be retribution!" Huifang demanded.

"No, Ouyang-shibi, no. Let's be reasonable. If Jiang-zongzhu will pay an additional.. fifty percent. That should be-"

"Thirty!"

"Triple!"

"Thirty-five?"

"Done."

"Jiang-zongzhu will pay back the dowry plus an extra thirty-five percent and thus will dissolve this agreement. Sandu Shengshou, I am sorry for what happened with your nephew. I hope you can assist him in rebuilding his guard." The Ouyang sect leader and the former-future-father-in-law leave the room, leaving Jiang Cheng looking about ready to commit murder.

[patrianarchy]

Wei Wuxian debates, for a moment, just turning around and leaving the way he came - in the wide world of people who can piss Jiang Cheng off, he's pretty much hogged the top spot for more years than he cared to count.

But Cheng is his brother, and Wei Wuxian cares about him (cares about him enough to give up his golden core) and the last thing he wants is for him to be left alone - if he wants to yell at someone, he can yell at Wei Wuxian, they're both used to it.

"Jiang Cheng?" he peers around the door, suddenly glad he picked up another couple of bottles of liquor in his wanderings, and he lifts them up to show his brother "Seems like you might need a drink?"

[jiang_cheng]

Wanyin isn't the philosophical type. He isn't unintelligent, he's just very practical. Nonetheless, he wonders if there is a point you can literally transcend anger to a new reality of rage. If so, he is nearing that point. There is the blue part of a flame, well he just might be the purple part of the fury.

As far as wise choices for self-preservation, Wuxian's decision to come near him wasn't a good one. In fairness, it wasn't because of who he was just simply anyone coming into his proximity had a much higher chance of being struck by zidian today than usual. In this moment, that probability should have petrified his older brother. Well, except they both knew better.

His glare is borderline deadly when he levels it at Wuxian but after a moment, he holds out his hand. "This isn't your god-awful lotus wine is it?"

[patrianarchy]

It's simultaneously the best idea and the worst, he can see that, but he thinks the benefits might be outweighing the potential costs - which is to say, the benefits to Jiang Cheng outweigh the likelihood that Wei Wuxian is going to feel Zidian again.

But not right now, and that's something.

He hands over the jar and laughs, shaking his head.

"No, no, this is much better." It's some of the wine Jiang Cheng bought for the wedding, but he's not going to make mention of that right now, no sense bringing up something that's just been called off. "There's more where that came from, too. C'mon shidi, let's get drunk."

[jiang_cheng]

He looks down at the bottle and of course recognizes it. Part of him wants to just throw it against the wall, but instead he uncorks the top and takes a sip. "This is your solution to everything, isn't it?" The criticism normally would be bitingly harsh, but there was no fire behind it now.

"Whoever you made a wager with that this wouldn't work out, you should go collect from," he says in one of his bitterest tones. Which is saying something, since he has a number of them.