Video / Action - Open with one closed

[achickenformylove]

Video
[As seemed to be per usual when WangJi made a lot of posts, he was in the Greenhouse Carriage where the rabbits' hutch was. Today though, there is now a very large scaffolding in the view with him. Behind him, if one is observant, they will see his black rabbit, Little Carrot, trying to figure out if he can climb it.

Spoiler: he can't.

But WangJi had his other rabbit, the white Little Radish sitting patiently in his lap]

For those that knew him, it seems that my brother Lan Xichen had departed the train. I hope that he returns home and can find some peace.

Action - Open
[WangJi could most definitely be found in the Greenhouse Carriage for a good part of the day. Later, he could be found walking the corridors of the train with Little Radish. It would be a good distraction to meet some of the new arrivals]

Action - Closed to Sizhui
[It had been an important day between now and when the train was at the previous station. As such he had spoken with his son and asked for his input.

And now that it was a new platform day, it was time to deliver on his promise. He went to the Luggage Carriage to retrieve the "item" with his name on it, a pet carrier. Now that he had it, he set out to find Sizhui]

Comments

[weifinder]

Yes, just find me the artistry in that, ah?

( he shakes his head, even while he moves to where the pots are, in fact, kept, and pulls out one of the smaller ones. benefits to not making so much that he needs the big pots, or having made so many noodles as to require one anyway. in this continued, and now to him also ridiculous (... maybe it's a reassurance thing, maybe this is a gift he can give, who knows? he sure doesn't) that they're still holding hands. it's also a challenge.

to the sink, to fill with water, just as much as he thinks they need. finagling the pot as he heads for the fires, the, what were they called, the ranges? the stoves? the whatever they were, the cooking places with none of their fires to bank and the turn of dials to provide the heat. he rather enjoyed that whole process, novel as it'd been. )

Notice there's not really any of the proper cooking stuff we use? It's all very shiny, I appreciate that, and... ah! There we go, now the water can warm up.

( he might have clapped his hands at that, only instead, he pats his own thigh as if he were clapping, then holds out his free hand, gesturing. )

We can set the noodles down, what do you want with your noodles? Mushrooms? Chives? Ginger?

( he smiles at the last. ginger, well, ginger can be too much bite, its own kind of spice, while not... remotely near chili oil levels of delicious tongue melting. )

[achickenformylove]

It is still effective for cooking even if it is not the most elaborate.

[From the man whose sect believes in eating bland meals all the time. Everything probably was boiled to be honest so that was normal for him. Yes, they were still holding hands but as long as WuXian was willing to continue this, he would continue to hold his hand and follow him around the kitchen]

It is shiny. Most of what we have is not. There is a lot different here.

Mushrooms and ginger would be fine.

[weifinder]

( the admission to ginger perks him up noticeably, and then he's waiting for the noodles to be set down before he's taking them to the cold storage for the mushrooms, and then the cupboard with the ginger, leftover pieces kept in here instead of tucked back away into the stores. on the range, the pot slowly warms. )

Which kind, ah? Look, there's so many, I like the look of these ones...

( out come a variety of mushrooms because why not, there has to be opportunistic growers in the greenhouse carriage, and by variety it's shitake-like and enoki-like, because again, why not? still limiting from what he might prefer, if he were being over the top, but more than he expects, which is nice in another way. )

Want to slice these up together or ( and he gives a squeeze of Lan Zhan's hand, finding this novel and odd in its way, but not a bad kind, kind of a fun sequitur in his life events; ) on our own?

( this is being silly, and he doesn't mind in the slightest, his open hand full of one mushroom, the second container offered to Lan Zhan before departing for the counters again. )

[achickenformylove]

[Ginger was not bad. Stronger flavors were starting to grow on him a bit, but he still wouldn't do things such as peppers. That was just asking for trouble, especially around someone with a palate like WuXian's. WangJi would surely end up hurting if he accepted that]

Those look good.

[He gestured to the mushrooms he would most like with the noodles]

We can try together.

[Might be challenging, but he was willing to give it a try. He accepted the second container of mushrooms when offered, holding it in his free hand as he continued to hold WuXian's hand]

[weifinder]

Hah! Then a challenge it is!

( Declared with lips quirked in amusement, now taking this as not precisely a game, but as something of an ongoing personal challenge, too. Once he tugs Wangji back to deposit the mushroom containers on the counter, he tugs him along to collect decent cleavers, then back, and oh no, wait, he tugs them off again to the cupboard with the boards for cutting, and then, then he's ready.

... He thinks. )

I'll hold it, you'll cut it?

( Indicating to the mushrooms, and the cleaver. )

[achickenformylove]

[He could accept a challenge. It was kind of an amusing idea so he would go along with it. Let's see how long they could keep holding hands while trying to cook.

WangJi followed WuXian along to all of the different locations in the kitchen and sometimes back again when they needed to get the cutting board]

Mn.

[WangJi took up the cutting implement and once WuXian was properly holding the mushroom, he began to cut the mushroom. Carefully. So he didn't cut WuXian or himself]

[weifinder]

( it's in this fashion that they take way too much time to cut everything, but do manage to cut everything to size for the soup, while the broth is content to formulate out of water and whatever else, where it's set to a low, steady boiling. keeping the sliced veggies (such as they are) to one side, and then ending up with less and less cutting surface to use, it's for the better there's not more to do before they fully run out of space for this exercise in what's fairly silly things.

it also means that now they've got to get the veggies in, before lastly adding the noodles. a nod to one side and his own hand reaching for the opposite, he quirks a brow: )

Think we'll make it to the pot and not lose everything we just sliced up in the process?

[achickenformylove]

[It did seem to work out for them that they literally had just enough space to be able to carry out this exercise. It might have been silly, but sometimes the best things didn't necessarily make much sense. One of the things that WangJi had learned from raising Sizhui. Children were good at nonsense and silly things and the best thing for adults to do was just to go with it. So WangJi didn't argue with the holding hands as they cut up vegetables thing]

That might be risky.

[weifinder]

We can always wash thing off--

( look now they can try, do they try, this is the challenge, Lan Zhan )

[achickenformylove]

Hmm... that is true. It would be preferable if they did not fall... but they are also going to be cooked as well.

[Fine. He accepts the challenge]

[weifinder]

( and now... he leads them in the balanced move of the board with its vegetables, to tip into the boiling broth. its a sideways shuffle, with a close call when the shifting of the vegetables over the pot happens, but with some creative movements...

... he gets their held hands up there to shove the veggies into the pot.

... which works, for the most part, though he can't take himself seriously in any of this by now, minus knowing it'll be good. because he's not been allowed any chili oil. (if there's any lingering around, anyway.) )

And the noodles--

[achickenformylove]

[WangJi followed WuXian, moving very carefully so that they do not drop the vegetables onto the floor. Yes, even though they could wash it off and the kitchen of the ship was cleaner than the kitchens of their world, he still did not want the food to fall on the floor.

So far, it seemed that they were successful. Nothing seemed to have fallen on the floor. Even though he probably would have heard it fall, he still did glance back just to confirm that they hadn't]

I believe the noodles are over there.

[He gestured with his free hand to where he remembered they had been]

[weifinder]

( step whatever they're on, so far, no major catastrophies! while holding hands. he's committed to this ridiculousness, so once they get that cutting board set down again, he's nudging Lan Zhan toward the noodles. )

Grab 'em, grab 'em! Then we can stir them in or whatever you want to call it—

[achickenformylove]

[Yes, it was ridiculous and WangJi would be the first to admit that it was, but he wasn’t going to argue with the fact that WuXian wanted to do this]

Of course.

[And he would reach to get the noodles that he had just pointed out. He brought them back over and if WuXian indicated, he would put them in]

[weifinder]

( thus indicating, the last step of assemble of longevity noodles... is complete!

though he had to lean over and snag the spoon so they might stir everything together. in the end, however, it's coming together. )

... I think we need a different ladle thing to serve the soup.

Sorry for the delay. I was traveling and it is hard to tag on a tablet

[achickenformylove]

[It definitely looked good and it smelled good as well. Even though WangJi was the strong silent type and wouldn't say it out loud, he was definitely looking forward to it. When he didn't add a lot of spices to it, WuXian wasn't a bad cook.

... He was probably still a good one even with all the spices, but that was too much for him]

Yes, that might be easier.

all is well! i hope traveling was smooth!

[weifinder]

( some of them live for spice. wei wuxian... and most of yunmeng is in fact those "some", but let it be known, he can manage otherwise!

though now he pauses and looks to lan zhan, lifting an eyebrow. )

You don't happen to remember where another one is?

It was. A lot of fun. Turbulence on the way home, but what can you do.

[achickenformylove]

[He would definitely give WuXian credit that he could manage otherwise in the fact that he didn't immediately add spice into WangJi's noodles. If he had, WangJi would have said that ridiculous and thought that he had no control over his need for spice. Of course, WangJi could certainly understand that not everyone grew up eating the way that they did. It had been the only style of cooking he knew so it was how he ate]

I think there is another one over there.

[He gestured to the spot where a second one would likely be with the hand that was not still holding WuXian's]

yeah, when it comes to flying you get stuck with whatever the winds scribe for you, unfortunately

[weifinder]

( he leans in to nudge at Lan Zhan's shoulder, encouraging him to move even as he shifts his feet, heading toward the indicated location. )

Right, right, then let's look, shall we?

( though with angles and such being as they are, Lan Zhan comes in reach of it first, thus leaving it to him to reveal the presence... of another ladle! )

Aah, got it, got it! That is, you do have it, right?

yeah, unfortunately

[achickenformylove]

[He didn't need much a nudge to begin moving in that direction. It would be easier after all to go get the ladle if he actually moved to go get it with WuXian]

Of course.

[Yes, he did find the ladle first and indeed did reach to retrieve it]

I do. Shall we go back?

[weifinder]

If we want to eat.

( he says, like it's a great feat and like the number of teenagers on board can't make the noodles disappear if they wander in anytime soon. with lan zhan handling the ladle, it's back to the soup and noodles and the empty bowls for serving, and thus he shifts sideways, tugging their joined hands, and picks up a bowl in his free one. )

Unless you want me serving you first?

( instead of lan zhan serving lan zhan's portion first, wei wuxian could do it. )

[achickenformylove]

Yes, that would be easier if we did.

[Difficult to eat food while standing at a distance. Not impossible, but horribly impractical. Also if they didn't, it was true that someone else might come in and take for themselves. WangJi followed him back in that direction]

If you would like to.

[weifinder]

Sure, why not? It's celebrating your life, you don't need to serve yourself.

( still, he makes a gesture of trying to hand Lan Zhan the bowl while using their joined hands to balance the ladle, all to make that exchange. it's not the most sensible way, which he knows, and that's half of why he's doing this, and why they're still holding hands, and how ridiculous it all is, making a man who is and is not exactly the same man he claimed as soulmate longevity noodles on a vehicle none of their lifetimes would see realised, touring between spaces between universes of stars. the heavens, he thinks, know not how large they truly are.

antics navigated, the noodles do lend themselves to looping, draping ladling, broth and vegetables and not entirely evenly made noodles into the bowl, until it's full, generously so. then he lifts his brow, smiles with an air of "we are continuing to not think this through and that's fine by me," but at least Lan Zhan's bowl has been filled with good wishes and more immediately nourishing goods. )

[achickenformylove]

[Yes, it was ridiculous and it would have been far more efficient to just let go of the hands that they had joined, but even knowing this, WangJi still didn't let go WuXian's hand. Not even when they were having to balance the bowl and ladle did he let go of WuXian's hand.

WangJi watched as WuXian attempted to fill the bowl, noting that this really wasn't the best way to do this, but he didn't stop him. That was fine with him]

It looks delicious.

[weifinder]

It is, it is!

( muttered: )

Probably.

( then at regular volume again, gesturing to the bowl now that it's full. )

For you! Though, haha, Lan Zhan, are you good at eating with one hand?