If Wei Wuxian is out of practice, he's not alone. Shouldn't Lan Zhan know better than anyone not to give anything he says so much obvious thought? Just because Lan Zhan has the patience doesn't mean he should waste it on that, even if the idea is painfully Lan Zhan-typical in a way that makes him feel like he's dissolving a bit with fondness. Solid, implacable, and willing to sort through triviality with the same resolve and dedication as everything else he's ever done.

Though clearly in whatever sorting he's done, he's arrived at a place requiring Wei Wuxian's actual input and not just warm, sentimental looks that ought to be reserved for mementos and not people who are physically present to experience them. He'd feel bad if he weren't busy feeling entirely justified, having recently been dead. Unfortunately, even alive, he still finds himself out of the loop beyond that, no matter how ruinously expectant Lan Zhan looks. Isn't mercy one of the guiding principles? He can't help but gently shake his head, which does nothing to banish any of this, and lean forward with an air of commiseration, that is at least as well meaning as it is teasing.

"Lan Zhan ah Lan Zhan, how am I supposed to know what's going on behind that face if you won't say? Have mercy just the once, please. I'll do better tomorrow."