thenearshore | [open] the anthem of a bird with a broken wing

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[open] the anthem of a bird with a broken wing

Who: Shun and you!
What: Dragging people out of the spooky dark forest, having Vulture Problems again, and investigating the weird sun-blocking stingray while coming under its effects himself.
When: June 3-4
Where: The spooky dark forest, Nekhbet's temple, affected parts of the Near Shore.
Warnings: Probably some vague PTSD-related stuff in the first prompt, but nothing too serious. Third has more on that front with the potential to get darker given the effects of the stingray ayakashi.

[A: June 3rd, Morning, Far Shore Forest]

[It's been a little while since the dark forest has started appearing, and though Shun's definitely taken brief strolls through it when he's run across it - because whenever he's actively intended to patrol the place, he can never find the damn thing - today's the first time he's doing more than that. It's the fireflies that lead him there first, though he lets them vanish into the far distance once they cross the borders of the woods, and for once, he hasn't been sidetracked into the place when he's had something else he's needed to do or hasn't been in the state to risk staying. He'd been paying for his stubbornness at the festival for about the whole week beyond it, after all.

So it is that he ends up walking purposefully through the trees, head turning at each distant scream or moan that filters through them. It takes everything he has to ignore the urge to run after them, to try and find a source, but constantly reminding himself that it's a lure, like the fireflies and like the nature of the forest itself, gives him something to focus on and minimise the desire to fall into a very obvious trap. Filtering out the distant screams helps for more than one reason, the sound threatening to blur into ones much more familiar to him, but it also means his focus is a little skewed, and when he hears a noise much closer in the trees, his reaction is sharp and immediate as he leaps up into the branches of a nearby tree to check what it might've been.

He can't actually see through the dense foliage to the place he heard the sound, but the sound of any other approach is something much easier for him to notice now, as well as the sight of anyone else roaming the forest. And it is true he's here to patrol, so this scope reminds him of what else he could be doing in this situation, even if it could also find him someone to help track down that stranger noise. Whether one approaches Shun as he's perched in the trees or is approached by him as he winds quickly and skilfully through the branches, his question to whoever he encounters will be the same.]

Did those fireflies lead you in here, or are you here for something else? [He could just ask if people are lost, but maybe this way people who actually are lost won't deny it.]

--

[B: June 3rd, Afternoon, Nekhbet's Temple]

[Anyone in the vicinity of the oddly-shaped, buried-in-a-hill temple that is Nekhbet's might find themselves victim to drive-by vultures, whether in the form of sharp rushes of wind as the large birds swoop excitedly down over people, or wings to the face as a few of them get a little too careless with that enthusiasm. Any amount of investigation will turn up a large crowd of vultures sitting on the hilly "roof" of the temple's ground floor, all tilting their heads curiously and ruffling feathers as Shun picks through the wings of one of them, his grip as gentle as it can be while still being firm as the bird worms around in his hands. Despite being the god of this temple, even he's considered it unwise to go into this particular situation without thick gloves to stop any potential attacks on his hands, and given the pair of tweezers he's angling into one wing, it's probably warranted.]

Hold still. [The remark is more one of open frustration than actually directed at the bird, but it does stop wriggling for at least a moment, and Shun takes the opportunity to get hold of what he's been aiming for. With a sharp tweak, he pulls a narrow thorn out of the bird's wing, casting it aside before smoothing the feathers down and picking through the rest of them. Apparently satisfied, he lets the bird go, and it hops around in front of him in what appears to be some kind of aggressive display for a moment...before it hops into his lap and sits there instead, fluffing its wings importantly.

Shun sighs like he's about to make some derisive comment, but it's interrupted by his notice of anyone approaching, and as his sharp golden eyes look up to scan the newcomer, all of the vultures gathered around him turn to stare intently at them as well, even the one in Shun's lap.

Congratulations, you now have the attention of about two dozen questionably friendly vultures. And a questionably friendly falcon, though much less questionable to people who actually know him.]

If you came to watch that mess, you'll have to wait until another one of them is stupid enough to dive through a rose bush.

--

[C: June 4th, Morning, Near Shore]

[Normally Shun would be doing some training with his powers at this time of day when he has another training commitment in the afternoon, but the weird shadows he's been seeing over patches of sky in the course of his job and general wandering on the Near Shore are getting frustrating enough that he can't put off finding out what it is any longer. It's almost a relief when he gets to the next affected area and the stingray-like thing blotting out the sun is so ludicrously obvious he almost can't believe nobody from the Near Shore has noticed it, but on the other hand, the people below are listless in a manner he's only rarely seen before. The thought puts an unsettled edge to his bearing even as he passes into the shadowed area, and it only gets worse as he questions some of the people beneath it in no more than curt, quick interrogations.

Losses becoming raw once again, as if they'd only happened yesterday. Depressive behaviour thought shed coming back, the listlessness leaving some wondering if there had really been a point to trying to move on. It's different from some, the same from others, but the words weigh down on him in a manner that he knows is unnatural as soon as he notices the effect, and though he knows immediately that he needs to get out of this area, the thought seems to slip from his mind almost as soon as he makes it, replaced with a cloying catatonia. For someone as alert and aware by nature, by necessity as he's been for a long time now, it's an unbearable inebriation, and despite himself, he feels his heart beating faster as he realises that with the size of the creature and the state he's in, he may not be able to escape the area, or at least not for a while. Trying to reach for his godly teleportation ability only nets him a thick fog of twisted thoughts, everything he's had reason to doubt or fear in the last two years tangled into a confusing, impenetrable mess with the excess he'd willingly picked up from the people here settled in over it, and the feeling drives him back to the darkest shadowed areas as the stingray keeps circling overhead, apparently happy in these skies for the moment.

Anyone else in the area may, from a distance, mistake him for an observer, with his slow, seemingly measured steps and his head tilted up towards the ayakashi. However, on closer inspection, his eyes are unfocused and unsettled, his movements short and jagged as he takes another few paces that are clearly taking far more effort than they ever should, towards the edge of the shadow that seems impossibly far in the distance right now. And, perhaps most tellingly for some, his reactions are seriously delayed, his attention snapping to whoever comes near a few metres later than he usually notices an approach, along with a slight recoil as if to prepare for a fight in the moment it takes for him to identify who it is.]

Why are you here? [Right now, the details of just about anything are hard to grasp, including why others from the Far Shore might be in this area. As soon as he pushes one intrusive thought aside, another one pushes through instead, leaving him sifting through things hard enough to live through once with a strained grimace on his face that says he’s going to have trouble doing it alone much longer.]

--

[D: Wildcard]

[[Have another idea? Feel free to poke me for plotting!]]

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[Though Shun knows well enough that he disagrees with Roxas on certain other attitudes, this one, he can't really do that with, and he gives a somewhat approving nod instead. As someone who's fought alongside monsters in the form of birds for as long as he can remember, treating animals like that has never been something he could see the point of.]

Then you're sensible about that, I'll admit. [The unspoken "even if you aren't about other things" is somewhat obvious, but that's just how Shun is.

The closest bird to Roxas cocks its head back the other way when he drops to his knee, watching him for a few moments like it's expecting sudden movements before hopping a bit closer, neck craning out a bit like it's looking for food. The other two follow suit, and Shun gives a faint snort at the sight.]

I just fed them, and they're already trying to scavenge for more off you.

[Hey, hey, he disagrees with his friends about a lot of things, but Roxas is just like that. A long as there's some things that the party can agree on, that's better than nothing.

He blinks before shaking his head.]

All I've got is candy, and I don't know if that's safe for birds.

[That's less surprising to Shun than it probably should be, and he lets out a dismissive, somewhat annoyed sigh in response.]

I don't understand why so many people here are obsessed with sweets. They might try to eat them if you had them out, since they're scavengers, but let's not try it.

[The last thing he needs is to find out exactly how unhealthy sweets might be for a vulture. As he watches, the birds hop a little closer to Roxas, apparently deciding that while he might not have food, the fact that he's still here might mean he's worth hanging around, and the one in the lead hops up to just about within arm's reach.]

Don't make any sudden movements, either. Wait for them to answer to you.

I have a sweet tooth. Always have.

[Yes, Roxas snaps that at Shun. He's always liked sweets. They're great in his opinion.] You don't have to like them, just like I don't like bitter things but I don't judge people who do eat them.

[Birds get no candy.

He wants to nod, but refrains.] They're pretty bold for birds.

[Though Shun doesn't have any outward reaction to the snap, his tone is a little more curt when he replies to that particular point.]

Good for you. I haven't been able to eat them for a while now, and getting sour about me not understanding the draw to them isn't going to change that. You're the one who took it as me judging you.

[Which...okay, it kind of was, but no more than he judges anyone else for doing any other random civilian thing he doesn't really remember the point of anymore.

That difficult-to-read look is back on Shun's face as he watches the lead vulture step a little further forward, and he inclines his head a little at the remark.]

Vultures hardly scare as easily as things like pigeons and seagulls, but these ones are more sociable than I expected. Probably something to do with being from the Heavens.

[Not even going to reply to that. Feels too much like bait for a possible fight. There was more important things right now.

Like the vulture that's getting closed to him.]

If they eat corpses, they can't scare easy... They would have to fight for their food with other animals, right?

[It's a guess on his part.] Maybe since you're their new god they like you because you feel like their old god?

Exactly. These ones still do that, even though there's plenty to go around, so being fearful doesn't do them any favours.

[There are the one or two smaller ones that Joker's been hand-rearing, but they're not any of the ones approaching Roxas, so Shun doesn't feel that's relevant information.

Also, he's still mostly keeping such a close eye on Roxas to see if he does something stupid. He's done better than expected so far.]

None of us have any idea what the gods we replaced were like, so that's just as likely wrong as right. [As Shun speaks, the lead vulture comes forward even closer, craning its neck out like it's giving Roxas an inspection. The ones behind it are getting much closer now, too.]

So it's just in their nature.

[Roxas stared down a water buffalo. This is nothing.]

The deer at my temple were really happy to see me. They came right up to me like they knew what I was there for. It could be the temple, or it could be the god I am. It's not like I can really ask the Heavens. [What a bold bird. He doesn't know if smiling at the bird will be seen as aggression or not, so he stays neutral.]

[With no more than an incline of the head to the first question, Shun follows it with a level stare in Roxas' direction.]

The deer might've been like that, but don't think I'm going to forget about those ghost dogs of yours anytime soon. Not all temple animals are the same level of docile. [Given those were basically Shun's introduction to the concept of temple animals at all, it's hard to forget that Roxas' other ones weren't so accommodating.

Though Shun's honestly a little amused that Roxas is feeling the need to be that still, even though he's not showing that emotion at all, the lead vulture seems to decide that this means Roxas is a suitable perch, and proceeds to hop forward with the apparent intent of sitting on him.]

Ah... Yeah... they act like normal dogs now, except when I feel strongly about something. Then they act like however I'm feeling. [Which makes it harder to conceal his feelings.] They behave better now that they have a lot of people entertaining them. They can even leave the grounds.

[Which makes Kairi happy. They don't feel the need to be at the temple 24/7 just go protect their owner now.

Roxas perks up. What's gonna happen next? Is this one going to be friendly now?]

Not bad progress, then, with how they started. If I remember right, they were attacking your shinki as well.

[And he's going to assume Roxas wouldn't be letting them leave the grounds if they were still doing things like that, because that'd take being either malicious or so stupid it endangered other people.

Even as Shun says that, the lead vulture moves to settle down on whatever bit of Roxas is available to sit on, and...starts preening, apparently completely oblivious to Roxas' presence other than as a sitting post.

At this point, Shun can't quite help a very faint curl to one side of his mouth, though it's such a small change of expression that it might not even be visible from Roxas' distance away.]

Just Raichi. They really like him now.

[Relaxed god means more lax rules, so no more attacking anyone.

Roxas lets out a soft squeak as suddenly there's bird on his shoulder. Okay that bird is a little heavier than expected. How is one supposed to feel about a corpse eating bird sitting on them?]

I guess it doesn't feel like attacking me right now.

I suppose being tackled by a dog is still better than being attacked by one. [At least, he figures affectionate ghost dogs can't be that much different to affectionate normal dogs.

At that noise from Roxas, it gets a little harder for him to disguise that faint amusement on his face, and he watches the vulture pick at its feathers before surveying the scene in general. From the look of the other two vultures inspecting Roxas, they might be planning to do the same thing if given the chance.

When he speaks again, his tone is a little dry, so it's again hard to tell whether he's actually finding this amusing but for what shows on his face.]

I'm sure I said don't do anything stupid, not don't do anything at all.

Wouldn't know. Never been attacked by a dog.

[Though it can be annoying when they forget to be solid and pass right through you...

Roxas would be more likely to snap back if it wasn't for one thing:]

I-I'm not exactly wearing a thick shirt. It's got really sharp claws!

[Definitely going to leave a mark.]

It can't be that hard to imagine what claws and teeth feel like. [Shun's definitely been hunted and attacked by dogs, to a certain value of the term...though robot dogs maybe aren't the best comparison, and it's not something he wants to discuss anyway.

As much as Roxas' response still seems a little amusing to him given how used to the birds Shun is, he has the self-control to not let it any further onto his face.]

What were you expecting it to do? Birds perch, and you're so still you might as well be a tree to them.

[Do Heartless count? Been attacked by plenty of those and Nobodies. That's the only thing he can compare it to. Roxas never had many animals around him before Koriko.

He grumbles softly, not wanting to be like a tree. So he stands up slowly to try not to jostle the bird.]

It's a lighter than I thought it'd be. It looks heavier.

[Standing accomplished. He'll give it a few more moments to see the vulture's reaction before trying to pet it.]

Does it have a name?

[That seems to meet with Shun's expectations, and he inclines his head a little as if to approve the motion. The vulture's head stops in its preening motions for a moment, but then it goes back to them as if nothing had happened at all, and while the other two don't seem too happy that their intended perch has moved, it comes more in the form of disgruntled feather ruffling than anything else.]

Birds are always lighter than they look. They wouldn't be able to fly otherwise. [It's said as if it should be obvious, though it's much less frustrated than the sigh that comes at the follow-up question.]

You sound like Hajime. No, it doesn't, because I don't need to name everything I see.

[Sorry other birds, but Roxas likes being able to stand. What would Sora say to the blond having a large bird on his shoulders like this? Actually, no, don't mention this to Sora. The birds would peck him. Too high energy.

That makes a ton of sense. All those feathers must be what makes it look big.]

But... how would make a specific bird listen to you? [DON'T BE LIKE ROXAS WHO NAMED THE DEER 1 THROUGH 17]

They're vultures. They work in a flock anyway. [As if to demonstrate, he issues a sharp whistle through his teeth. The bird on Roxas' shoulder turns its head briefly, but apparently decides that it'd be getting called again if it really needed to get off this shoulder, and so goes back to preening. The others, however, rally to Shun in a flurry of wings and feathers, including the two that had previously been trying to accost Roxas.

As if in invitation, Shun spreads his arms, and a few of the larger vultures leap up to perch across them.]

If it's a matter of who answers a certain call, that comes amongst themselves. All flocks rally behind a leader.

[Roxas... will assume the one on his shoulder likes him enough now to not want to leave. He should be happy about that???]

So are you their leader just because of the god you are?

[It makes sense to him. Just like the animals at his own temple just kind of congregate around. Never intentionally. They just kind of do their own thing.]

Or do they have a leader in their flock?

[Well, it's debatable whether the vulture's decision to not leave is down to liking Roxas or being really engrossed in its preening, because it definitely looks very into that right now.

Lowering his arms and letting the vultures hop off, Shun shrugs slightly.]

Both. But the flock leaders only come out when I need more order than just myself.

[Which is probably a cryptic as hell statement to anyone but Shun, because to him it makes perfect sense.]

[He doesn't even care if it likes him as a person or just as a tree. A bird is a bird and all birds except ayakashi ones are good. Or those Heartless ones.

Roxas looks confused about that, thinking that over.]

So like... backup leaders?

[Is he getting it?]

In a sense. They're commanded by me anyway, but they can get into the flock and direct them in that way, which I can't do.

[It's admittedly lucky that most of the vultures' reactions to flying straight through vaguely vulture-like card holograms upon trying to attack them was wariness and confusion rather than deciding to riot, but if it works it works.]

Like I said, though, they're only here when I need them to be.

[Are all birds like that? Deer certainly aren't. Roxas chalks it up to the fact that vultures are more predatory than deer.]

That's actually pretty cool... so you can take them into combat if you have to?

[Are they fully trained for that? Or are they more a cleanup crew?]

I wouldn't take them into a serious fight in this place. The potential payoff isn't worth the risk of hurting them. But if any undesirables come to the temple, I don't doubt they'll fight for it with whatever they have with or without a flock leader.

[Even if that does happen to be mostly predatory instinct and vultures just being vultures. Maybe if he had more experience with training birds, he would've been able to do more, but as it is, even if he had the lead two directing them, it would mainly just be a whole-flock attack rather than anything impressive.]

[open] the anthem of a bird with a broken wing

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