cultivation_npc | oom: THE CULTIVATOR JOB

"... and that little black-hatted bastard came down and said there's a thief on the loose," one of the people was saying, "and now he wants us to check everything. My guess is it's just a fire drill. Wants to keep us on our toes, wants to see if we've still got it. Life was so much easier when it was just the old man and the boys."

Jin Guangyao smirks to himself. It's not his job to make life easy for the guards and servants.

Zenigata's eye roll so hard they threaten to fall back into his head. He'd show them a thing or two, if they were his men. Such lack of discipline!

Lan Zhan remains placid and silent, eyes like unpolished coins in their obvious disdain.

Lupin deserves to leave with his pockets full of valuables, and then the real Jin Guangyao will make life hell for the guards that fell for his con.

"Let's go keep watch over the necromancer instead," another guard says. "That way, nobody can claim we were lazy."

The voices drift away.

Who's going to steal a necromancer, you twit?

Zenigata's thinking it as loud as he can, but his lips are pressed into a thin line, listening to the voices recede. Then he glances to Jin Guangyao at the same time Lan Zhan does.

They're just waiting for a signal to move.

Jin Guangyao looks rather displeased -- he'd argues it's twats, not merely twits -- but nods, points forwards, and starts moving.

Both apply.

Zenigata and Lan Zhan are both silent in their shadowing; one because he's trailed a thief, the other because he's learned to walk on fallen leaves without making them crackle. Still, he's duly impressed that the Big Loud Man who was very ready to adopt Wei Wuxian is... well, capable of this level of quiet.

Lan Zhan says nothing about that, though, and simply keeps an eye and ear out for possible interception.

The watchman at the beginning of the corridor leading to the prison cells is asleep, rather than joining Lupin's wild goose chase.

For a moment, Jin Guangyao is so furious he considers drawing Hensheng to end that miserable wretched life there and then; but it might be a bad idea to murder somebody right in front of Hanguang-jun.

He'll do it tomorrow.-

He takes a deep breath, puts a finger to his lips, and creeps forward.

It's a very bad idea to murder anyone in front of Zenigata OR the honorable Hanguang-jun. Still, both of them manage to look disgusted at his dereliction of duty.

In fact, Zenigata is just getting angrier the more he's here. This Sect is riddled with corruption and incompetence! Lan Zhan isn't as angry, because he already knew that, but still hates to see it in person.

Jin Guangyao creeps past the guard, then down the corridor and around a corner. "I will clean out this nest of sleepy vipers," he murmurs as he stops at a door, and nods.

It's a heavy door, with an elaborate padlock.

Lan Zhan takes up a flanking position to the other side of the door, though he still has not drawn Bichen. He won't do that until it's absolutely necessary and for now, it remains unneeded.

Zenigata on the other hand, is pulling something out -- a pack of thieves tools, some of them quite modern and others very basic. He puts an eyepiece on to give him a better view of small, intricate tumblers. Even at a glance he can glean some information, but most of the work will be done by feel.

"Hope Lupin's doing his best wherever he is," Zenigata says, before he sets to work.

"He seems to," Jin Guangyao murmurs, watching him. "The guards were nicely agitated, apart from the one that wasn't."

"Couldn't get you much else help but him," Zenigata says as he settles into his work with long, pins. He's glad he brought his heavy duty tools -- this is a heavy, ancient padlock; the thin tines of his more delicate tools would have snapped inside it.

Worse comes to worse, he has a 'nuke' in his pocket, but there won't be a lock if he uses it, just broken. He wants to avoid that. The less evidence left behind, the better.

Lan Zhan stays still and silent, mouth pressed in a thin line. He does not like this waiting for the subterfuge to occur, but at the same time it's necessary.

"No help but him?" Jin Guangyao says, dimpling deeply with amusement. "Are you completely overlooking yourself?"

Oh. Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like he has no self-esteem.

Zenigata just grunts once in response, trying to keep his attention where it's most needed, and it's not on his pride. He's listening to metal scrape against metal, feeling where pressure starts to give.

"You know what would have been smarter than bringing me," Zenigata says as he hears a tumbler give. "Getting the key, making a wax impression, and then then making a copy elsewhere. Ah well, ideas for the next time we need to rob your sorry excuse for a father."

Yeah, there's that self-esteem issue again.

"Then I could just as well have stolen the key for this purpose," Jin Guangyao says. "I did factor in that option, but this way is better -- all keys have been accounted for the entire time."

Zenigata mumbles something unintelligible under his breath, though it's soft and not grumpy sounding. Just - talking to himself or the lock under his breath, at this point. But then there's the satisfying click of the padlock coming undone in his hand.

He eases it free of it's latch, and then extends it to Jin Guangyao. "This is yours, I believe."

Jin Guangyao takes it, nods, and pushes the door open.

Then, he gestures for Lan Wangji to enter first.

Finally. There's a slight dip in Lan Zhan's shoulders as relief takes him for a single crystaline moment, before he ices over again. Then he steps to the door, speaking softly: "Wen Qing? Help has come."

Promises are being kept.

Wen Qing rouses herself from hunger, exhaustion, and despair. For a fleeting moment, at seeing Lan Wangji, she wonders if Wei Wuxian has appeared to save them again.

But then she remembers the sounds of her clan dying, the ropes snapping, and tears spill for he is too late to save them all.

She realizes she is being rude and pulls herself to a shaky stand, stumbling once before she's confident enough to offer a polite bow.

Not wasting a moment, in a gesture that might be achingly familiar to Jin Guangyao, Lan Zhan steps up and puts his hands to her arms to stop the bowing.

"This is unnecessary," he says, but it's coiled in kindness instead of striking like a viper. "We are here to help you escape, Wen Qing. Please, come with us. We have a door, back to the bar between worlds."

"Do not be alarmed," Jin Guangyao adds, stepping through the door. "When I learned about this dungeon, I knew I could not leave the best doctor of our generation in the ungentle hands of Xue Yang and my father. I want you to find a life in another world."

The kindness, after so many days of neglect and casual cruelty, makes her blink back tears. She takes a steadying breath and offers a hint of a smile in a serene expression.

"I thank you," she says to Lan Wangji before turning to Jin Guangyao to offer an apologetic nod of her head. "And I thank you and apologize for my harsh words when last we spoke. Let us retrieve Wen Ning and leave."

"We cannot retrieve Wen Ning," Lan Zhan says, with all the heavy weight those words must imply as he grips her arms that much tighter, incase emotion overwhelms her. "If we could reunite you with your brother, we would gladly do so, but he is gone."

Zenigata's stays silent, watching at the door for guards or any other distractions. Clicking on his comm, he tells Lupin Princess in hand, prepping to rescue her from the castle. Will update soon.

Jin Guangyao pauses by the door, eyes downcast.

"I am sorry," he says, softly. "Xue Yang -- took him apart to see how he worked, on his quest to make more of his kind."

Pause.

"That's how I knew I had to save you, despite my father and his wishes."

Tears spill at the words and she doesn't even notice. All her life she fought to protect Wen Ning and now she has failed. It feels like there is nothing left for her and she is tempted to stay.

But a stubborn voice within fights against the idea of letting the Jin have that final victory. She takes a few moments to accept the loss of her brother before taking another steadying breath and nodding.

"I am ready."

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