An Untamed Musebox

"Hi, I'm here from Gusu Lan, I was hired to play for the cocktail reception? Where should I set up?" Yuan gives the security guard at the back door a polite smile, though it's met with nothing but cool professionalism as the muscular man asks for his credentials in response.

Yuan digs out the company's copy of the booking confirmation and his own ID to show him, but though his smile never falters it's also never returned. The man doesn't look unhappy, just... not the smiling type, apparently. Yuan doesn't take it personally, just thanks him politely as his ID is handed back and shifts his guqin case on his shoulder while he waits for the guard to check his list.

Finally he's waved through and told where to find the event coordinator. He'd sort of been aware that this event was a big deal - it was a Jin Group event after all, everything they do is a big deal - but the fact they even had a bouncer on the service entrance suggested it was pretty serious even by their standards.

The event coordinator at least gives him a smile, however brief, but she also gives him an almost militarily precise rundown of the event. It seems like it's been scheduled to the second. There's to be a small press conference in the ante-room outside, followed by a cocktail reception for the invited guests to mingle (where he'll be playing) and then the official swearing-in of the new CEO followed by a dinner. Yuan will also be playing for the dinner as part of a group, but the others are due to arrive later.

Once she's double and triple checked that he knows exactly what he's doing, gone over his song list to confirm it is the planned and approved selection they agreed upon with his boss, and gives him a list of rules that would be dizzying if he didn't work for Gusu Lan (even part time), he's left to go and set up.

The hall for the reception is empty right now, apart from waitstaff hurrying about getting everything in place, so Yuan moves to his designated corner and begins setting up and tuning his qin.

"So you're the music guy, right?" An obnoxious voice breaks through his quiet concentration as he sorts through his sheet music and he looks up in surprise.

"Yes?" He says softly, wondering if there's some issue. The young man is about his own age, and for a moment Yuan mistakes him for one of the waitstaff, until he realises that his black trousers and white shirt aren't quite the full uniform of the staff, and they look much better quality than anything worn by anybody else in the room.

He's also got a glass of red wine in his hand, and none of these servers would be caught dead drinking on the job.

"What even is that thing?"

"It's a guqin." Yuan answers politely, patient with someone who is quite possibly a guest who's slipped into the room early.

"A gu-what?" He scoffs, carrying on before Yuan can repeat himself "So fucking pretentious. Everything about this stupid event is so pretentious."

Yuan isn't quite sure how to reply to that, so he just smiles politely.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?"

The young man just sneers at him and then, without any kind of pretense, just pours the remains of his glass over Yuan's dress shirt. Yuan's eyes widen in horrified shock.

"Wha-" He manages to get out before the guest bursts out laughing.

"Your face! Ha!" He taunts "Not so fucking perfect now, is it?"

He walks away laughing, knocking a tray of glasses out the hands of a server as he goes. Whatever the hell is going on with him, he's clearly just looking to cause chaos.

The event coordinator bustles in and stops in horror at the scene.

"You three, help clear that up," she barks out immediately, drawing other servers in to help with the broken glass situation before marching over to Yuan "do you have another shirt?"

Yuan shakes his head apologetically and she grits her teeth like she wants to say something unprofessional but can't.

"The kitchen will have baking soda and the bathrooms are down that hall, please just do what you can, and quickly." She says - brisk but not unkind. Yuan nods and hurries through to the kitchen and then to the bathroom, glad to find it empty as he tugs his shirt off and spreads it on the counter so he can try and wash it.

The first day of the tournament dawns bright and clear in Lanling - there's a chill in the air that speaks of the coming winter, but the sky is clear and the sun is bright and the day promises to warm long before any of the events actually start. It's an auspicious morning.

Officially, the tournament is being hosted by four clans - Jin, Jiang, Nie and Ouyang - but everybody knows this is Jin Ling's time to shine. This is the young clan leader's first official public appearance since the attempt on his life, and though his people have seen him several times, rumours have been rife amongst the cultivation community - the tournament is to be well attended, the visitors all expecting to confirm the rumours or dispel them.

There's talk, too, that Jiang Cheng's involvement in the planning is largely to try and repair his own damaged reputation, and Ouyang are there to strengthen their own ties with the Jin clan rather than improve their shaky relationship with the Jiang. Nobody's quite sure why the Nie clan are involved at all, though recently a few more rumours have surfaced about recent 'planning' trips to Lotus Pier...

In short, the gossip is everywhere and everybody who is anybody wants to be there to find out the truth.

It's the grandest tournament to have been held in quite some time - days of feasting and competition intended to bestow glory and accolades upon the greatest cultivators in the land. The Lan clan are not known, of course, to seek such things, but they similarly would not shy away from the chance to prove their worth and put their students to the test.

There are yet more rumours that Lan Xichen himself will be attending - it is known that the clan leader has come out of his seclusion, but he hasn't yet left Cloud Recesses, could this be his first public appearance as well? Not to mention the talk of Hanguang Jun's long lost son...

Those wishing to gawk, however, should have gotten up early, for the Lan delegation is one of the first to arrive. Xichen is indeed there, along with the chief cultivator and, of course, the incorrigible Wei Wuxian, and they climb the steps of Lanling followed by a column of young men, clad in pristine white and walking two by two in perfect step.

And at the head of that column, walking beside his sworn brother, is a young man whose serene expression perfectly hides the turmoil in his heart, and he can't help but be reminded that the last time he was here everything was different.