Yin And Yang |WangXian| Avatar AU

8| Mellow Wine

The clouds rested in the calmness of the night. Rain quietly poured. Hushed splatter noises resonated upon impact with the ground and roofs. Petrichor wafted all over the air due to the mixture of fallen rainwater and the soggy soil of dirt-covered grass. All of the individuals who were dwelling there at the time were sheltered indoors, protected from the rain and cold.

Lan Zhan sat alone in the library pavilion with a candle burning aflame as his only company.

He expertly stroked the brush as he wrote down his report on the water serpents. From the wide, open window, something was moving fast outside. Still, he noticed this and already knew what or who it was.

Wei Wuxian ran through the halls. He had two jars of Emperor's Smile in his hands. He sped his way to his sleeping quarters, where he would take the jars.

Once he reached his room, Jiang Cheng was the only one waiting inside, a scowl on his face. He knew they were breaking the rules, but Wei Wuxian insisted they drink. In celebration, he said, quoting: "For how awesome they were back at Biling Lake." Wei Ying also promised they wouldn't get caught. Jiang Cheng could only cross his fingers for Wei Ying's sake, saying a prayer that they wouldn't really be caught with the forbidden alcohol. They waited for Nie Huisang to arrive before they could proceed with drinking.

Outside their room, a boy in green robes nervously looked around, trying not to be seen. He clutched a fan and a bag of peanuts as if his life depended on them. He dashed to the door and knocked—a structured rhythm known only to the three.

The door slid open a little.

"Why'd you just get here?" A voice whispered from inside.

"I went to grab peanuts." Nie Huisang whispered back, pointing at the item wrapped in his hands.

Wei Wuxian's head peaked out to look through the halls, looking left and right before pulling him by the shoulder to quickly get inside.

The three sat at a small square table and began drinking from the jars of wine. Wei Ying started the conversation. He chose to talk about the events that transpired at Biling Lake. He was giving vivid and exaggerated descriptions of what took place in Nie Huisang's absence. Giving out the details from the start until the end, only leaving out the part of what occurred with the Yin energy when he submerged into the water. The earthbender listened very closely, his face giving out so many reactions. Most of them were expressions of wonder and admiration.

"Wow, Bro Wei. If only I had been there to witness you and Bro. Jiang waterbending. You two were already amazing back in Caiyi town." Nie Huisang praised

Wei Ying huffed and puffed his chest, raising his chin up.

"You really should have seen us. We were much more awesome when we faced the Mother Water Serpent," he boasted.

Jiang Cheng grumbled at him, annoyed at his lack of humility.

Nie Huisang drank from his cup and sighed.

"It's such a shame I couldn't watch. I heard the Yunmeng Jiang Water Clan's waterbending techniques are very unique. They say it is as powerful yet as beautiful as the waves when they move." He looked at Wei Wuxian expectantly.

"Exactly! What you heard is right! You would've been shocked at how graceful Jiang Cheng moves even with such a grumpy expression permanently stuck on his face." Wei Ying laughed out loud to tease his shidi.

Jiang Cheng grumbled a reply and drank from his own cup. He took a peanut shell and threw it, aiming to hit Wei Ying. The older man used his arm to shield himself from the incoming peanut shell and laughed in response as it bounced off him.