"He wasn't supposed to die!"

"Anybody can die in the scholomance."

Anyone can die in the scholomance but hello, person being cried on, that is approximately the worst thing you can say to someone who is crying on you.

Hm. "That's true," ugh she hates not knowing people's names, "but I'm sorry anyway. I'm Mochizuki Ayako, from Kyoto."

"Nie Huaisang."

"Jin Zixuan."

"Jin Zixun." He says it like an insult.

"Lan Wangji."

"Lan Xichen. I'm Wangji's brother. It's lovely to meet you."

"Meng Yao. I'm not an enclaver, I'm maintenance track."

"Lovely to meet you too." She had not actually expected half the enclave to introduce themselves. What does she do now.

"Da-ge was supposed to be alive. Because he's the smartest and the strongest and the best at magic and-- no one thought he was going to be the one who was supposed to die-- I draw, my affinity is art, I don't--"

He is going to relieve Jin Zixuan of the holding-Nie-Huaisang duty. 

"The Scholomance is unpredictable but the entire Shanghai enclave is going to do its best to make sure everyone here is safe."

"Of course." She helps Xichen get Huaisang off the ground.

(They're still being watched. That's a good thing. Ayako is a performer before she is anything else.)

"Nie Mingjue was Meng Yao's and my sworn brother before he passed. I hope you can think of us as your older brothers as well."

This is much better than Nie Huaisang had any right to expect.

He bows. "Yes, er-ge*, san-ge**."

*Second oldest brother.
**Third oldest brother.

(Two of the Shanghai enclave sworn brothers with someone on maintenance track? --whatever, she's not going to comment on that, what would she even say.)

Yeah honestly he's also pretty weirded out by that but if he gets a second person invested in his continuing to be alive out of it he's not going to complain.

"Ayako, what's your affinity? Mine is emotions."

Charming smile up at Lan Xichen. "Performing. Dance, singing, anything on a stage, I'm going spellwriting-track." 

"You'll get along well with Nie Huaisang. His affinity is visual art."

"He can kill any mals repelled by extremely fashionable outfits."

Looks like the Shanghai enclave made itself extremely easy to locate. 

"Hey, Lan Xichen! Wen Qing! Nie Mingjue! Jin Xizuan, Jin Xizun! I have mail for you." 

"Jin Zixun is me."

"Jin Zixuan is me."

"Da-ge's DEAD!" Nie Huaisang says, and bursts into tears on Lan Xichen's shoulder this time.