!! Stilted, nervous handsqueeze.

"How long...?"

"Only a few minutes." She gently brushes her thumb over the back of Lan Zhan's hand. 

Lan Zhan restrains a full-body shiver. "I am alright now."

"Good. Lan Zhan, ah, you really are amazing."

- she Is?

"You protected me from that dog and you kept the Yin Iron away from the Wens and you're just. So good." 

Handsqueeze!

Of course she protected Wei Ying from the dog. Wei Ying being scared or harmed in any way is a grave injustice.

“We were fortunate. They first imprisoned me above a rabbit burrow where the Yin Iron could be hidden.”

"Awwww. Those bunnies sure are lucky for Yin Iron protection."

They're such good bunnies.

"I'm really sorry I got you into this mess, Lan Zhan. If I hadn't mouthed off to Wen Chao like that..."

Headshake. "Be sorry on your own behalf. I would be in these dungeons anyway."

"With a giant dog!?!?!?"

"Wen Xu, usually."

"Oh. That might be worse."

Yeah. Plus, this way she gets to be with Wei Ying. Wei Ying does not belong in a dungeon and this is a very selfish thing for Lan Zhan to appreciate in any way, she knows, but -- still.

Being held like this is nice.

"Then...I'm really glad you're here with me, Lan Zhan. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be stuck in a horrible cell with."

I love you, she doesn't say.

The two of them manage to get any sleep that night. 

Wei Ying wakes in the morning to the sound of approaching guards and Wen Chao, whose obnoxious speculation as to how badly mangled the prisoners would be was unmistakable, and, grimacing, crawls over to the dog to pull out Wen Ning's possibly incriminating needles. 

It hurts to sit upright, but Lan Zhan forces herself to face the door before it opens.

Wen Chao peers in, notices the only lightly scathed women and the just-now-stirring dog, and scolds the dog for not doing extremely horrible things to the prisoners. He gestures for the soldiers to take them back up to the indoctrination with the other hostages. 

Where Jiang Cheng has been F R A N T I C since Wei Ying failed to come back last night.  

"Hi A-Cheng, I'm fine A-Cheng," she says tiredly. 

"What happened?" he hisses. 

"Wen Chao is a bitch. But Lan Zhan protected me," she assures him. 

He takes in Lan Zhan's considerably more battered appearance and does not look super reassured.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister." While I couldn't goes unsaid.