Closed Post: The only way to learn is by playing

[futaille]

There has been a seismic shift in the pinball status quo and Grantaire unwittingly brought it just by mentioning the game at the wrong time. Or the right one, really. Watching Magnus play was honestly kind of amazing, but it also was a very fast shift in fortune, especially with tales of Alex even beyond that. And if Grantaire wanted any hope of keeping any Rs at all on the high score list long-term, he needed to refine his game. (Sometimes it's easier to be spurred on by someone clearly ahead of you than someone coming up behind.)

So he is, of course, in the game room one dark (and Dark) evening, working on improving. Of course, as always, his plans are fully subject to change when previous offers come back to the forefront.

Comments

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji allows the barest upward quirk of his eyebrows to convey the follow-up question for him.

[futaille]

"When I woke up as myself the next day, I was wearing a silken robe. Very unlike anything that had been in my closet." He pauses. "... I wonder if after Dark is over, the mansion could be prevailed upon to make a similar one that's actually sized for a dragon."

[lightbearinglord]

"Interesting?" Lan Wangji echoes, again fairly dry about it as he glances down at his own clothing. As always, he is dressed in several layers of crisp white robes.

[futaille]

His eyes widen. "Oh, no, no, not in a bad way, just in the sense of never personally having worn anything similar." A pause. "I don't think christening gowns count, as I was certainly too young to remember that, in any case."

[lightbearinglord]

Not that Lan Wangji was actually offended, but the hasty explanation serves to amuse him a little regardless. "Christening gowns?"

[futaille]

"Oh, right, you wouldn't... it's a long white gown for a baby to wear for their baptism. And that's a ceremony which is the first step to induct someone into the Church. Dipped in water three times, and since you're an infant, your parents make the vows in your stead, and it's basically a promise to raise you properly in the faith."

[lightbearinglord]

The ceremony itself doesn't sound inherently objectionable, but Lan Wangji would like to be certain he is directing his skepticism appropriately. As such, he asks, "This is the faith with the cruel god who punished humankind for seeking knowledge?"

[futaille]

He can't help but laugh. "That's one way to put it."

[lightbearinglord]

"Mn." The expression on Lan Wangji's face barely changes, but his disdain is obvious enough in that deliberate stillness.

[futaille]

"There are nuggets of goodness there, of course, but give anything to man for long enough and they'll certainly do their best to ruin those."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji tries not to take such a grim view of human nature, but given his own mood and the mood of the mansion as a whole recently, he also feels he is not in a position to argue the point. He nods, a little rueful.

[futaille]

"One wonders what justifications some men take for their actions after hearing 'love your neighbor as yourself'. But justifications are easy enough to make, so it's hardly surprising."

[lightbearinglord]

"Justifications are easy." Out of respect for the minor experiment he is conducting regarding whether Grantaire will ever remember to take a turn, Lan Wangji does not allow his gaze to stray to the board or to Grantaire's bowl of stones. "Doing what is right is less so."

[futaille]

Grantaire is an excellent experimental subject. "You won't get much disagreement from me on that score, but as an inveterate contrarian, I'll put forward that sometimes people put forward a great deal of effort to avoid doing what is right."

[lightbearinglord]

"Because true righteousness requires sacrifice," Lan Wangji counters. "The effort of avoiding it outweighs the effort of grasping for justification."

[futaille]

"And yet doing that usually sacrifices things much more valuable than anything they're reaching for."

[lightbearinglord]

"Mn." It's a quieter agreement, one more pointedly solemn. He can think of too many for whom that is true.

[futaille]

"I suppose it all comes down to what someone values, which often isn't what they claim to."

[lightbearinglord]

It would be impossible not to recall Jiang Wanyin's cold and angry face in answer to that, the fury in his posture as he ordered Wei Ying out of the Jiang family shrine, his equal fury anytime it becomes obvious that Wei Ying is lost to him. He claims to love him, yet every action he takes to keep his shixiong does nothing but drive him further away. "True enough."

[futaille]

"Granted, I'm not immune to that particular affliction, although I also certainly never claimed virtuousness."

[lightbearinglord]

In Lan Wangji's experience, those who claim virtue the most loudly are the least likely to deserve that claim. He doesn't argue this point directly, though; he only looks impassively at Grantaire, skeptical but subtle about it.

[futaille]

"Another reason to visit the land of the elephants. I have a suspicion that they're nowhere near as hypocritical."

[lightbearinglord]

Now they are truly straying off their intended path. "Young master," Lan Wangji says, gentle enough but perfectly level and steely about it, "focus."

[futaille]

"--oh." He turns a bit red, shifting in his seat not entirely unlike a child caught in the middle of some mischief. He swallows. "Right. Yes. Of course. Sorry."

He fishes a stone out of his bowl and plays it near one of his others.

[lightbearinglord]

That was a satisfyingly prompt response. Lan Wangji watches Grantaire's reaction with some bemusement. That was by far one of the mildest chastisements he is capable of giving. He considers his options, then deploys his own white stone, now beginning the task of encroaching on Grantaire's territory.