thenearshore | [OPEN + closed/semi-closed] a nightingale in a golden cage

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[OPEN + closed/semi-closed] a nightingale in a golden cage

Who: A + B: Shun and you! C: Shun and existing CR, D: Shun and Ren
When: A: July 20th, B: July 21st, Morning, C: July 20th-22nd, late evening to ungodly hours of the morning, D: July 22nd, late evening
Where: A + B: Around the Far Shore, C: Temples of just about anyone Shun knows decently, D: Inanna's Temple
What: Shun having sleep issues and trying to be productive about them ~~by lurking suspiciously around the temples of people he knows at why this in the night/morning~~, testing the surveillance bird Ankh left him, and toting a vulture around with him as one does.
Warnings: Possible minor mentions of murderplot things, prompts C + D will be dealing with PTSD-related traumatic nightmares.

Prompts A-C [2 Open + 1 Semi-Open]

[A: July 20th, Open]

[It's been quite a while since Ankh's disappearance - almost a month and a half by now, and Shun's spent that time on and off messing around with the can bird robot the god had left him. He'd managed to work the thing's transmission method out enough to view the last video left on it by the old owner, but actually making it work to transmit images to the device he has best suited to that sort of thing, namely his duel disk, has taken much more working out. Even so, he still doesn't have a good idea of the distance the thing can transmit from or how well it can actually be remote controlled, so it's time for a little field testing.

As such, people around the Far Shore may encounter a very small, red and silver bird robot attempting to get up in various business, poking around temple gardens and maybe bumping into some heads at its worst. Not too far away in any of these cases is Shun, who might appear to be wearing some kind of oddly designed wrist computer to anyone unfamiliar with the technology. Not helping is the fact that he's returned his cards to their deckbox for the moment, since there are a quite a few people here now that he'd rather not catch wind of him having them at all, and one of them lives with him.

As always, Shun is the epitome of polite company (except not at all), and if the bird happens to be inquiring around anyone in particular, he'll call out to them across the distance with a short nod to the bird.]

Say something to it. [He mostly just wants to know how well it takes audio...]

--

[B: July 21st, Morning, Open]

[As he'd said he would a few days ago to Izuku and Lavi during their late-night discussion, Shun's accentuated his morning patrol with a friend. Specifically, an almost-metre-long, fluffy-headed, brown and white and feathery friend who is presently riding on one of his shoulders. Apparently his coat is thick enough to shield from the claws involved, and having a not-insignificant weight on his shoulder doesn't seem to be bothering him any aside from the times the vulture leans too far into his peripheral vision and he has to look around her to actually be able to see anything.

Having a hand-raised vulture is presenting one or two unforeseen problems, though, the main one being that she's prone to jumping off Shun's shoulder at the sight of other people and hopping over in apparent birdly curiosity. Her size might make even that offputting to some people, though, so it's probably lucky Shun's around to distract her if she decides to inspect anyone too closely.]

Don't bother with her, she just wants food. [Excuse him while he takes a cleanly-wrapped ball of raw meat out of his pocket and holds it out to lure her back in his direction.]

--

[C: July 20th-21st, Late Evening/ungodly hours of the morning OR July 22nd, Evening, Open to existing CR]

[Unfortunately, Shun's particular surge of productivity, even for him, has been born of something else. Namely the fact that his nightmares are coming back in force for the first time since May, and it's getting to the stage where even trying to sleep is a laughable idea, when it feels like so much as shutting his eyes is all the cue his mind needs to pull sounds and images of burning and screaming, combat and destruction out of everywhere from its surface to its deepest recesses. So obviously, the solution here is to spend that additional time on something else useful.

As such, anyone Shun knows and might be inclined to keep an eye on may end up with him lurking in and around temple grounds at what ranges from reasonable but still late in the evening to hours of the morning that should only be known to night shift workers. On one hand, at least he's quiet, so he shouldn't be waking anyone up. On the other...maybe hope your windows aren't available to be stared through, or that you don't run into him by chance. His eyes are a little sharper than they should be in the darkness, owing to the silver bracelet he's wearing with the kind of thick body and intricate lines one might expect to see more on a ring, and his focus turns just as quickly as usual to anyone he notices through it...though perhaps not quite as well as the days wear on, and anyone catching him on the 21st or 22nd stands a good chance of noticing the more pronounced shadows and lines beneath his eyes, those of sleep deprivation rather than his usual faintly worn countenance.

Anyone who catches him outside from inside is likely to just get stared at until such a time as they might choose to come out. If they're already outside, they'll get a slight nod from Shun as if this is an entirely normal thing to be doing at entirely normal hours.]

You're out late. [Implying he isn't.]

[D: July 22nd, Late Evening, Closed]

[Even with what he knows will be willing help available, it takes Shun a while to swallow his pride enough to take it. But by late on Friday, he can feel his alertness and habitual reactions slipping away like they had done the last time he went without sleep for longer than this, and with things as they are right now, he doesn't want to risk that. He isn't sure not being alone will help, but nothing else seems to anyway, and all that's going to happen if he doesn't admit it now is getting found out tomorrow.

It still takes him longer than it should to actually send the text asking for that help, that isn't even directly doing so. Old habits die hard.]

If you're not asleep, I'll be at your temple in a minute.

[He doesn't really think this is worth dragging Ren out of his temple or even out of bed for, but the text is more a warning for something he was already on his way to doing. It is really only about a minute before he shows up, leaping up to alight on whichever balcony happens to be closest to Ren's bedroom, and then having to lean back against the barrier and press a hand against his face as even that simple motion makes his head swim. He'd been driving himself much less the last time he went this long or longer without sleep, and the additional exertion apparently hasn't been doing him any favours.]

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[By the time Reisi even gets to shutting his book, Shun's already asking himself how he keeps ending up with shinki observant in this specific thing. Reisi just seems observant in general, admittedly, but Fubuki tends to be oblivious to just about anything that isn't very pointedly Shun doing something that maybe isn't that great for his health.

With a frustrated, somewhat resigned sigh, Shun crosses his arms, fingers of one hand playing a restless beat along his upper arm.]

Nightmares. It happens every few months. It's nothing worth concerning yourself with. [While defensive isn't quite the right word for his tone, it certainly gives the impression of someone trying to put up a wall between other people and his problems.]

[Strangely, Reisi feels as though he could relate... But he doesn't really understand how and why, except that it might be related to his past, in which case, he's better off not thinking about it.

That said, he's always been a sort of preachy type in general.]

I disagree. That which affects a god's well-being may also affect the shinki. Even if shinki don't 'feel' their god's negativity directly—

[Here, Reisi's going by information mentioned in the pamphlet.]

—the effects can manifest different ways. Increased irritability, recklessness, irrationality, distraction, and impairment of judgment, to name a few.

[That rattling off of information mostly gets a dead-eyed stare from Shun, because while he really can't argue with any of it given what happened last time he wasn't sleeping, he's not quite used to concerned reactions coming in the form of apparently having swallowed the book on sleep deprivation.

He turns his head, the motion somewhere between a concession to the point and an expression that it isn't that simple.]

What do you expect me to do about it? I can't make the nightmares go away. Riding it out is the only choice I have.

[Unlike last time, where there was a troublesome but possible solution to the matter of the fireworks keeping him up, there's no miracle cure for nightmares.]

[Suddenly quiet, Reisi's expression shifts into a neutral one as he studies Kurosaki.]

The only choice, is it? As in, you've absolutely exhausted every coping method?

[He can't help finding that somewhat difficult to believe. Sure, there's no surefire way of preventing nightmares completely, but there are coping mechanisms.]

[Shun studies him right back, eyes narrowed a little. He supposes he should be grateful that at least this "help" might actually help instead of just being sentiment.]

Talking about it doesn't work. It's not like I have the list of coping methods memorised, so if you have any suggestions, you might as well say them.

[As acidic as he can be about the prospect of taking help at all, if Reisi has something useful to suggest, he'll listen.]

[Just as Reisi had expected.

Kurosaki is a cautious and private person who has no desire to burden others with his own difficulties. Even if Kurosaki were to confide in others, Reisi is certain he wouldn't be the god's first choice. Typically, people with concerns appeal with sentiment, but Kurosaki is already quite used to that and is quick to shut it down. Therefore, Reisi's appeal comes not in the form of sentiment but through reason and rationality.

It worked, and now he has Kurosaki's attention. At this point, he supposes it can't hurt to show some weakness, so with a knowing smile, he takes out his smartphone...

What? It's not as if he knows everything!]

[It's probably a good thing Shun's so used to getting screwed around by this point that something harmless like this doesn't even register with him anymore, bar a slight sigh of annoyance.]

Should've guessed. [He doesn't recall the internet having yielded anything particularly helpful on the matter, but then again, he didn't look all that hard. Things concerning his own wellbeing tend to end up at the bottom of the priorities list pretty quickly.

So he'll play along for this, at least. He's trying to get into the habit of allowing his shinki to help just enough that pushing them away doesn't become an issue. He doesn't want them to feel like that, because he's like that with damn near everyone, but he also wants to avoid any misunderstandings like the one with Joker, who'd ended up under the impression Shun didn't value his opinion at all.]

[Given Kurosaki's exasperation, Reisi's satisfied that the god is indulging him, even though it might be difficult to tell from the amusement on his face. As he's going through his phone, he continues.]

Anyone can have nightmares at any given time. However, yours are recurring, often with some months in between, which means there likely is a source or catalyst.

Do you know what specifically causes yours?

[He knows this question gives Kurosaki an easy out—all it'd take is a 'no' answer. But in truth, Reisi doesn't want to push the god that hard, especially if something's troubling him.]

[There might be an easy out, but Shun doesn't tend to outright lie about this sort of thing even when he'd prefer to avoid it. So while he certainly doesn't want to go into detail with Reisi quite yet given how short a time they've been working together, he does give him an answer, however short and curt.]

Traumatic memories. [The term is a little more clinical than he usually prefers, but it's the most succinct way to put it when it comes to something like this, and will probably get more helpful answers than trying to phrase it a different way.]

If you're asking what usually makes the nightmares this bad, I don't know that part. [His best guess would be stress, but that would also mean admitting he feels stress, which isn't happening anytime soon.]

[Most of the treatments and coping mechanisms that Reisi finds recommend therapy, generally in the form of discussion. Internally, he debates whether talking about it really doesn't work for Kurosaki, or if it's his general distrust that prevents effective therapeutic discussion.

However, he reaches the conclusion that Kurosaki cannot and will not accept that advice. And other suggestions include behavioral changes to reduce stress and anxiety, which Reisi knows the god is unlikely to admit to having.

While he frowns inwardly, his outward expression softens to a calm and neutral one. He's not exactly satisfied with this outcome but will at least keep an eye on Kurosaki.]

I imagine you might've seen most of these already: therapy, nightmare analysis, behavioral changes to reduce stress and anxiety, attempts to practice more lucid dreaming that might help you change the course of your dreams...

[A beat.]

Would you like some tea?

[All of those suggestions merely get a short nod from Shun, because he has seen them all before, and all of them are what he'd consider not an option, whether it's due to distrust or lacking anyone experienced enough in the area to help, or both. It's about the result he'd been expecting from this search, so he doesn't look at all surprised by it.

Reisi's abrupt switch in tack is a little stranger to him, though, and he hesitates slightly before his eyes narrow a little as if in suspicion.]

I can make it myself. You don't need to offer. [He has been drinking tea before bed fairly frequently of late, but it's habitual to rebuff offers like that, particularly from his shinki. He's never liked the concept of asking them to do anything he couldn't do himself.]

Oya? [Reisi feigns surprise to hide his disappointment.

Putting his phone away, he continues.]

As it is, I'd been thinking of making some for myself. Besides, I enjoy tea ceremony very much and thought it'd be convenient to make some for you as well.

[It's one of his hobbies and a means of relaxing.

He rises from his place, plucking up the notebook that he had set aside earlier.]

[That changes things a bit, and Shun considers for a moment, still eying Reisi a little warily. If he's making it anyway, then it'd probably work better to just go along with that instead of going away to do it himself. It still doesn't quite feel comfortable to him, but eventually he lets out a quiet sigh.]

I suppose it's fine as long as you don't expect me to join you for the ceremony part. I don't think I could sit like that for more than a minute or two these days. [The battlefield hadn't exactly offered a wellspring of opportunities for him to have to seat himself that formally, and if lacking practice didn't get him, his now-natural restlessness would.]

[He pays no mind to the god's guarded look. In the end, Kurosaki will think whatever he thinks, and Reisi is prepared to deal with that. He offers a small, parental smile.]

Very well. But I'd prefer if you stayed close at the very least.

[It wouldn't do, having to get up and leave it so he could fetch his god.]

I can probably deal with being in the same room. [His tone is faintly dry, as if he might maybe be trying to make some kind of insinuation at humour. It's kind of hard to tell with Shun sometimes.]

It's not surprising, anyway. That's exactly the kind of thing I would have expected someone like you to be interested in. [At least the remark isn't judgemental, though it is very blunt even if it's otherwise neutral. Reisi does seem like the kind of overly formal person who'd actually enjoy participating in something as rigidly dictated as tea ceremony.]

[Kurosaki isn't wrong. Given Reisi's appreciation for ceremony, formality, and decorum, it's no wonder that tea ceremony is one of his hobbies.]

I'll take that as a compliment.

[With that, he prepares what he needs before silently setting to making the tea.]

It's not an insult. [So Shun just shrugs. It had seemed more of a neutral statement to him, but after all the explaining Ren has had to do to him about how compliments work, he supposes it isn't so bad if he sees it as one.

While Reisi makes his preparations and settles himself in, Shun takes a seat near enough by to be easy, but also far enough away that the sound of what he ends up doing isn't going to be incredibly annoying. Honing and sharpening his dagger might serve as a productive thing to do with his hands as well as something with repetitive yet complex enough motions for Shun to distract himself with for a while, but the grind of the knife against metal rod probably isn't as easy to phase out for bystanders to the process.]

[As he focuses on the task at hand, Reisi feels more relaxed and capable of remaining composed, allowing his earlier disappointment to fade into the background. He finds the process of tea ceremony consistent and stabilizing.

Hearing the grind of metal on metal in the background, he vaguely wonders if that process helps Kurosaki as tea ceremony helps him. But he doesn't dwell on that for long as he tends to the mindful manners of the art of tea.

After some time of relative peace and quiet,]

It's finished.

[By the time Reisi is finished, Shun's been done with his knife for a little while, and is instead looking at something on his phone - though presumably not anything on the BBS, or he'd be doing more scrolling. As soon as Reisi says he's done, though, Shun glances up and puts it away rather quickly, as if he'd been snapped out of thinking about something else.

Sweeping a thumb under his eye, as if he's simply dusting something off rather than attempting to rub some of the tiredness out, he gets up, comes over, and sits down closer to the proceedings. It's extremely obvious he's still not really used to sitting down on the ground for reasons that don't entail him needing to be prepared to get up again on a moment's notice, because he rearranges himself a bit awkwardly for a moment before getting himself properly cross-legged.]

At least it's quiet.

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[OPEN + closed/semi-closed] a nightingale in a golden cage

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