Backlash Part 1

Chapter 106: Confusion of Loss

"How were things today? We didn't get to talk much once I left to talk with the kids." Wei Wuxian inquired gently. The two of them had been sitting in silence for a while. Wei Wuxian was settled in his favourite spot, Lan Wangji's lap. Lan Wangji had been quietly touching Wei Wuxian, stroking his arm lightly, dragging his fingers through Wei Wuxian's hair. Wei Wuxian wasn't certain what the occasion was, but he loved the attention.

"Elders were unhappy." Lan Wangji said quietly. Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow and leaned back enough to see Lan Wangji's face.

"What did I do?" Wei Wuxian asked in confusion. Lan Wangji was not happy that Wei Wuxian automatically assumed it was because of him. He frowned unhappily and suddenly Lan Wangji didn't want to say anything about the elders or their complaints. "Lan Zhan~. Tell me." Wei Wuxian prodded.

"Disagreed with what to say to the children." Lan Wangji said with a small huff. Wei Wuxian would have responded faster, except that Lan Wangji's unhappy frown made him look like a pouting child. It was too preciously adorable and Wei Wuxian found that his brain stopped working for a while as he stared at the Second Jade. Wei Wuxian cleared his throat awkwardly.

"So what exactly did they think the children should be told?" Wei Wuxian asked. Lan Wangji frowned.

"They did not say." Lan Wangji replied. "Only complained about saying so much about the battle and death." Lan Wangji sounded annoyed. Not the pretense of annoyed to hide that he thought Wei Wuxian was adorable, but properly annoyed with the words and behaviour of said elders.

"This is why I volunteered to be the one to talk instead of just making suggestions." Wei Wuxian muttered. "No one was going to like my recommendations, but no one else wants to be the one to explain death to little kids." Wei Wuxian sounded suitably annoyed and Lan Wangji had to agree.

"Told them if they had complaints they could do it." Lan Wangji admitted.

"What?" Wei Wuxian squawked. "Lan Zhan, are you serious? You said that to an elder?" Wei Wuxian's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Mn." Lan Wangji affirmed, then after further consideration. "They were annoying." Wei Wuxian laughed. His entire body shook with his laughter and Lan Wangji had to hold Wei Wuxian upright to keep him from falling over.

"Ah... You'd think they'd have some idea how to talk to kids about such things. Surely they have done it before." Wei Wuxian said as his laughter quieted. Lan Wangji became very still, prompting Wei Wuxian to become instantly concerned. "Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian prodded gently. Lan Wangji was reminded of being told his mother was 'gone'. Of not understanding what that meant.

"Does Wei Ying have experience talking to children about this?" Lan Wangji asked quietly. Wei Wuxian smiled somewhat sadly.

"After the war I took the DafanWens to the Burial Mounds to try and keep them safe. A-Yuan was so little... By the time the sects came to destroy me, destroy them, he was only four years old. Four years old. He had lived through a war, been abused in a labour camp, and lived in poverty in the Burial Mounds. Explaining death and coping with this sort of stuff is not one conversation you have with a kid. It is answering questions, giving reassurances, and explaining the events in many conversations to come. At least that's how I think it should be." Wei Wuxian mumbled.

In his case Wei Wuxian had spent the years following his parents death left to wonder what had happened. They left him at the inn while they went on their nighthunt. It was only supposed to be one night. He should have been sleeping for most of the absence, but when he woke up in the morning they weren't back. Then it was midday and they still weren't back. Then it was the next day and the innkeeper told him he couldn't stay anymore. Wei Wuxian had begged and pleaded and cried. His parents told him to wait there. He couldn't leave, if he left how would they find him? The innkeeper just shook his head and said that obviously they weren't coming back.