Seclusion is not isolation, Xichen reminds himself. It can be, but his seclusion is voluntary and not the same as the punishment given to his brother on the eve of Nightless City.
His seclusion is a withdrawal from society, a step back from duties and responsibilities to reflect. He is not unlike his father, though the difference is that Qingheng Jun had withdrawn after heartbreak. There are whispers that Zewu Jun has abandoned his sect out of more selfish reasons, because he was a fool who had been blind as he helped a wolf lead the sheep to slaughter. Xichen has not heard them himself, of course, but he knows that the gentry clans can be far from kind.
His duties have fallen to his Uncle, for his brother has stepped into the shoes of Chief Cultivator. His nephew is traveling and Xichen has yet broached the topic of his secession with the boy. His father is the first obstacle, after all.
So.
That leaves him to spend his days within the four walls of his self-picked prison, with the windows shut now that the summer has given way to fall and the rains have come.
Dressed in only one layer on top of his inner robes, Xichen's hair is pulled back in a plait that lays down his back, his forehead ribbon the only adornment he has worn in -- he is not sure how much time has passed.
He is expecting the quiet sound of footsteps outside his door, of a junior disciple placing a tray of food outside the door. That's not what greets his ears at all, instead it is the sound of stomping and hushed voices insisting that 'Zewu Jun is not to be disturbed!' to someone new.
Oh.
Ohohohoh.
That is also not who he expects at all, outside his door.
By the conditions he has set for himself, Xichen has only seen his Uncle and Brother. He should certainly not open the door when he hears Jiang Wanyin call out his name. He should remain where he is, seated in a failed attempt at meditation. He should. And yet-- he is sliding the door open before he realizes it, heart pounding in his chest.
"Sect Leader Jiang?" he asks, aware -- all too late -- of his state of dress and how hoarse his voice sounds.
Re: let me know if this start works for you <3
His seclusion is a withdrawal from society, a step back from duties and responsibilities to reflect. He is not unlike his father, though the difference is that Qingheng Jun had withdrawn after heartbreak. There are whispers that Zewu Jun has abandoned his sect out of more selfish reasons, because he was a fool who had been blind as he helped a wolf lead the sheep to slaughter. Xichen has not heard them himself, of course, but he knows that the gentry clans can be far from kind.
His duties have fallen to his Uncle, for his brother has stepped into the shoes of Chief Cultivator. His nephew is traveling and Xichen has yet broached the topic of his secession with the boy. His father is the first obstacle, after all.
So.
That leaves him to spend his days within the four walls of his self-picked prison, with the windows shut now that the summer has given way to fall and the rains have come.
Dressed in only one layer on top of his inner robes, Xichen's hair is pulled back in a plait that lays down his back, his forehead ribbon the only adornment he has worn in -- he is not sure how much time has passed.
He is expecting the quiet sound of footsteps outside his door, of a junior disciple placing a tray of food outside the door. That's not what greets his ears at all, instead it is the sound of stomping and hushed voices insisting that 'Zewu Jun is not to be disturbed!' to someone new.
Oh.
Ohohohoh.
That is also not who he expects at all, outside his door.
By the conditions he has set for himself, Xichen has only seen his Uncle and Brother. He should certainly not open the door when he hears Jiang Wanyin call out his name. He should remain where he is, seated in a failed attempt at meditation. He should. And yet-- he is sliding the door open before he realizes it, heart pounding in his chest.
"Sect Leader Jiang?" he asks, aware -- all too late -- of his state of dress and how hoarse his voice sounds.