A familiar person is heading down one of the nearby walkways in his direction.  Jiang Yanli sees him and smiles, then starts walking faster towards him.  

"Good morning A-Xian.  I was just coming to see if you were awake."

"Sh-shijie?" How is she alive?  She looks so happy, not even in mourning clothes as she had been last time he saw her, and more importantly, alive.  He runs towards her.

"Is everything alright, A-Xian?" 

He looks distressed.  Perhaps at the upcoming Wen Indoctrination?

He can't think of what to say for a moment, but he grabs her by the shoulders.  "Uh, just a bad dream.  You...you died.  In the dream."

This might even be true- he is even less sure what's going on now than he was before, but she's here, she's alive, things are just a little bit better than he thought they were.

Yanli will comfort him, pull him into a hug.  Of course she'll do anything to calm her little brother's worries.

He hugs her back.  He's crying a little bit.  He's so confused and doesn't know what's happening at all, he has no idea why he's back in Lotus Pier, no idea if what he remembers really happened at all.  Why is his shijie at Lotus Pier, for that matter? He doesn't even know where to begin asking questions.

"What...Why..." He gives up on phrasing his endless questions.

Jiang Yanli doesn't know what he means by those questions.  Perhaps he will tell her soon?

She will begin to gently direct her A-Xian towards her favorite sitting area.  "Come with me.  You'll feel better after you've had something to eat."

He follows after her.  Food sounds good, and perhaps it will help him figure out where to even begin with his questions.  Why Yanli doesn't seem to know what's confusing him is added to the growing list of questions.

She leads him to a covered balcony overlooking a wide garden of lotus blossoms, low square table set up for a meal that's just finished cooking and is waiting to be brought over and served.  He will be able to smell it, the familiar soup's scent mingling in the air with that of the flowers.

Jiang Cheng is peacefully sitting at the table, lounging unconcerned and looking off into the distance.  When he hears them approaching, he turns. 

"About time you woke up."

He seems surprisingly happy.  Perhaps slightly bothered by something, but not by Wei Wuxian.  

He stops dead in his tracks.  He almost starts backing away but... Jiang Cheng isn't angry at him, and he certainly isn't trying to kill him.  He's even more confused now.  The soup smells good, and it's been some time since he had it last-when he learned he was to have a nephew.  About a month ago, now.  He begins walking towards the table again, keeping an eye on Jiang Cheng.  He glances at Jiang Cheng's hand, and notices the absence of Zidian.

"What's...going on" He tries to disguise the utter confusion in his voice, to little effect.

Jiang Cheng thinks that's a very strange question.  Did Wei Wuxian sleepwalk over here?  "Uh, breakfast?"

Yanli goes to retrieve the soup and starts carrying it towards the table.  

"I know I don't normally prepare it so early in the morning, but since you'll be leaving later today I figured it would be worth an exception."

Neither of them seem to understand why he's confused.  Neither of them is a very good liar, and this would be a very strange prank.  Both of them are alive, and here, and happy, and Jiang Cheng isn't mad at him at all.  Suibian was in his room when he woke up.  He's apparently leaving later today, and this isn't news.  He definitely didn't dream everything after the last time he was safe and happy at Lotus Pier.  Is he...in the past?

"Sorry, I just had a rather disorienting dream."

He sits down at the table.

It hadn't sounded like a good dream, if she died in it.  

He can have some soup, and they can all sit together for a while.  

He takes a sip of the soup, and beams at her.

"Delicious!"

He is not lying, or even faking his smile- he has missed her soup.  But still, he needs to figure out- if he's in the past, when is he?

"When are we leaving?"  Perhaps one of them will mention where they are leaving to in the answering.

"The boats are leaving for Indoctrination in about two hours."

She doesn't seem to like the idea much, though is trying to stay hopeful.  Even if it is the Wen clan having political hostages, they wouldn't actually hurt them unless Lotus Pier did something first.  She also needs to stay calm, for their sakes.  

Indoctrination...the Wen clan indoctrination, of course.  He is in the past after all, then.  This is early enough, he supposes- he and Jiang Cheng both still have their golden core, and he will do his best to keep it that way.  He will need to come up with a plan. 

"Ah, Shijie, you worry to much.  We will be just fine.  What do the Wens have on the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng?"

"I know you can handle yourselves.  And I will make sure that everything is fine here in Lotus Pier when you return."

He finishes his soup enthusiastically.  Plan, plan...  Should he try to provoke the Wens less? No, not worth it.  Lan Zhan has been captured, at this point... he needs to keep the Wens attention on him and off of Lan Zhan, he tried last time but he needs to do better at it.  Maybe he could try and avoid the fight with the Tortoise of Slaughter?  He needs to think about that one more.  Probably for the indoctrination he doesn't need a plan... except that he needs to try and avoid that dog.  Being locked in a cell with a giant dog was bad and he doesn't want to do it again.  He's been thinking silently for too long, it's suspicious. 

He sets the bowl down and smiles at them.

He is being strangely quiet.

Yanli doesn't like the ill omen of a bad dream before this trip.  

Jiang Yanli wishes she could go in their place, or join them.  It's impossible, of course.  She's needed here.  She's also neither a good cultivator nor a sect heir, making her unacceptable as far as the Wens are concerned.  

For his part in the conversation, Jiang Cheng is staring off into the water.  

He doesn't like this show of force by the Wen sect.  Everyone being forced to bow to their whims.  Still, everyone is going.

Well.  Wei Wuxian, for one, does not intend to spend his second chance sitting around objecting to things.  He gets up.

"We should gather our things, before we go.  I doubt the Wens will have spare robes for us!" He laughs slightly as he says this.  It's a little forced. 

"That's a good idea," she says.  She notices the forced note to the laughter, but doesn't mention it.  

"I have some things to get ready for your trip, too.  I'll see you at the docks before you leave."