The morning sun fractured through cedar lattices, painting Lan Wangji's quarters in tiger-stripe shadows. He tightened his forehead ribbon with military precision, only to freeze at the knock – three staccato raps that could belong to no one else.
Wei Wuxian leaned against the doorframe, ink-black hair cascading over robes embroidered with bamboo shoots. "Lan Zhan," he grinned, twirling a jade hairpin, "Rescue me?"
The Second Jade's fingers trembled imperceptibly as he gathered the silken strands. Wei Wuxian's scalp burned where knuckles brushed skin.
"Done."
The mirror reflected twin jade ornaments – one carved with cloud motifs, the other a lotus in full bloom. Wei Wuxian spun, robes flaring. "Do I dazzle?"
Lan Wangji's throat tightened. "Adequately."
At the foot of Caiyi Town's newest teahouse, a servant gaped at the approaching figure. "Young Master!"
Wei Xuan's safehouse bloomed with medicinal herbs – ginseng roots coiling like arthritic fingers, snow lotus petals preserved in jars of honey wine. The scent of sandalwood incense couldn't mask the frost patterns creeping beneath floorboards.
"Gege!"
Wei Xuan's embrace lasted precisely three heartbeats. Her fingers lingered on his sleeve's bamboo embroidery. "The robes suit you."
"Your taste exceeds your years," Wei Wuxian teased, following her through moon gates where koi ponds shimmered with unnatural clarity.
In the eastern pavilion, a qiankun pouch sat conspicuously on the dressing table. Wei Xuan's smile didn't reach her eyes as she gestured to the carved rosewood bed. "Your sanctuary, dear brother."
The headboard's intricate carvings depicted phoenixes mid-combustion. Wei Wuxian's fingers traced the flames. "Reminds me of..."
"Home?" Wei Xuan's jade pendant glowed faintly. "Funny how fire follows us through lifetimes."
Dusk found them sharing osmanthus cakes, Wei Wuxian's laughter echoing through courtyards built with apocalypse gold. As fireflies ignited above the artificial lake, neither noticed the koi developing scales that shimmered like polished onyx.
Lan Wangji's hairpin warmed against his chest that night, its lotus petals unfurling in time with Cloud Recesses' distant thunder.