[open] purple burst of paper birds

[revolutionfalcon]

Who: A: Shun, Temeraire and you, B: Shun and you
When: A: Backdated to September 16th, B: September 19th
Where: A: Central District, B: Heavens' Library
What: Shun reads the news to a dragon, and practices making ofuda that actually work.

[A: Central District, September 16th]

[Ah, an autumn morning. Birds chirping, leaves starting to change, the sound of...something extremely large and scaly in the grass...

Shun usually does this in his garden, but his vultures appear to be having some kind of congregation there today, so instead, he's sitting on a large rock near the main path that runs in front of his temple. From a distance, he probably looks uncharacteristically distracted, thumbing through his phone, and especially so considering that taking up the grass in front of him is an extremely large, black dragon.

The dragon leans over more closely, massive head tilting close to Shun's as though he is conspiring, or possibly as though he is about to bite Shun's head right off like an hors d'ouvre.

He rumbles curiously, and tilts his head again, one eye's pupil dilating until the blue is almost drowned in black.]

Is catnip particularly good to eat? Does it taste of cat?

[Shun blinks and looks up from his phone at that, looking like he hadn't expected the question, but still giving it somewhat of a deadpan response. Slowly, his gaze travels over to the nearby path to spot for any passerby.]

I don't suppose you know anything more about catnip than what it does to cats. [Save him from this disaster he's resigned himself to.]

--

[B: Heavens' Library, September 19th]

[Ever since he mercifully managed to find this book after several days of finding corny shojo manga instead, Shun's been trying to decipher the not particularly clear instructions on how to make functional ofuda. He's been interested ever since Obon, and even more so since Wendy suggested she was looking into it, but ended up getting impatient enough to go looking himself. At least it paid off in some way, though there's still the most important point of practice, practice, practice.

Which is why he's taking up a rather large table in the library, most of it being covered in strips of paper, some of them already marked. He doesn't feel there's a great deal of point in completing the charms until he knows they work, so there's no fabric slips to put them in for now; he's just working on the charm itself. He seems to be going through different varieties of ofuda in sequence, but protection against evil and accidents seem to be represented a bit more frequently than the other charms, considering he figures those are the most broadly useful against ayakashi for if he can get them working. Letting out a slight hiss through his teeth, he dips his calligraphy brush into the ink again and writes another set of kanji on one of the slips. If nothing else, he's getting neater - the first two dozen or so charms are written in incredibly rusty handwriting, as if he hasn't had need to write, or at least write neatly, regularly in a very long time.

As usual, though, Shun is extremely prone to noticing any approach, and if anyone comes out of the shelves near him, he'll immediately look up from his work to eye them off.]

If you're looking for a table, find somewhere else. [He's not moving all this mess now that he's started.]

Comments

[revolutionfalcon]

Then reconsider your priorities or don't do it. It's simple.

[Again, this is more a case of "simple to Shun" than "simple to anyone else".]

[kokuyoyo]

[It's certainly starting to sound that way.]

So music can only ever be about other people. [He wonders if Davesprite got the memo.]

[revolutionfalcon]

You can put part of yourself into something and still have the audience in mind when you perform it. [That's generally what makes entertainment unique and...well, entertaining.]

[kokuyoyo]

And if there's no audience?

[Basically all of Chikusa's hobbies are focusing on himself, after all. At least for now.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Then do what you like. In that case, your audience is yourself.

[If you're not satisfied with the performance, then it's unlikely anyone else is going to be, selfish or not.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Another long bout of silence comes and goes before Chikusa makes a small noise.]

That's... more thoughtful than I would have expected... from you.

[revolutionfalcon]

It's something I haven't had reason to be thoughtful about in a long time. [With that rather cryptic answer, Shun sets the piece of paper he'd been attempting to ignore Chikusa with previously aside and pulls another one towards him to start with.] You're more interested than I would have expected from you.

[kokuyoyo]

[That sure explains absolutely nothing. Fortunately, Chikusa doesn't really care about whatever backstory Shun might have behind him. Instead, his gaze just lazily follows after the paper.]

....I'm picking music up.

[It's not like it's a secret or anything.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Obviously not from anyone associated with that idiot. [While she's one of the most vocal musicians around here, Shun's seen a few around that aren't Hibiki or involved with her. It's more of a remark to what they were talking about earlier than anything.]

If you're keeping it to yourself, then it's your business what you do with it.

[kokuyoyo]

I don't think I'd learn anything from her anyway...

[Not to mention Hibiki very clearly has a specific idea of what acceptable music is like. Chikusa is simply going after what he's liked listening to in the past, which seems simple enough.]

[At any rate, it's good to know more about this sort of thing before he gets into it... Who knew that Shun could be useful?]

[revolutionfalcon]

I'm surprised anyone can. [Shun definitely has very little respect for Hibiki, though most of their interactions have ended with him doing something unpleasant to her anyway.

Continuing his writing on the current slip of paper, Shun glances up towards where Chikusa is hovering.] If you find anything else on ofuda, let me know.

[kokuyoyo]

So that's what you're making...

[Shuffling closer, Chikusa takes a look at them all.]

For something in particular?

[revolutionfalcon]

Not really. I just heard someone suggest it might be possible for us to make charms that work. I've had an evil warding one around since Obon that deterred smaller ayakashi well enough.

[Even if it doesn't do anything about larger ones, it can be useful to ward off the interest of minor threats when looking for more major ones.]

[kokuyoyo]

...And you're certain you can make one yourself...?

[Well, that's interesting enough to follow through on, he supposes.]

[revolutionfalcon]

The instructions are ridiculous and fiddly as hell, but apparently they take practice to make work anyway. So I'll find out.

[If he goes long enough without any progress, then he can safely assume it's a lost cause, or at least inconvenient enough for the payoff to not really be worth it.]

[kokuyoyo]

Do you plan on telling people if you get the process smoothed out?

[Free information is sometimes the best kind of information, after all. Chikusa already does enough work as it is looking into shinki spells.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Maybe. Depends how useful I think it is to them, and how likely it is people will use it.

[He might just offer to show people how to do it instead, so he's not just rattling off the instructions to people who don't care, especially with how fiddly they are.]

[kokuyoyo]

...Well. Let me know. Or the school...

[That's an entire place dedicated to teaching people things, after all. It also means Chikusa would have easy access to it by connections to Hakkai.]

[revolutionfalcon]

If I willingly let that guy know, then I might as well just spread the word myself. [The way Shun stresses "that guy" is a general reminder of his less than stellar attitude towards Hakkai.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Chikusa doesn't quite make a noise, but there's no denying the aggravation laced into the long sigh slipping out of him.]

Even if you don't like him, he's the only person who has something set up for spreading information and skills.... At least, unless you feel the older gods are better...

[revolutionfalcon]

The older gods would probably just expect us to know already like they do about everything else. [Shun definitely doesn't sound bitter at all about that, in a manner that says he's dealt with that particular problem on multiple occasions before.]

But I'd rather do it myself than ask favours from him.

[kokuyoyo]

....How is that a favor to you?

[Chikusa is pretty sure that it'd be a mutually beneficial agreement if anything. And yet, right now, he can't tell if this bout of stubbornness is more Hakkai's fault or Shun's.]

[revolutionfalcon]

It would mean me not having to teach it personally. [Which anyone who knows Shun would likely consider a favour to him, considering his general disposition towards dealing with people.]

[kokuyoyo]

....And he'd get to have a new thing at the school.

[Chikusa can get not wanting to deal with people, but still.... The judgmental stare continues.]

[revolutionfalcon]

He's got plenty at the school already, he's not desperate for anything else.

[Shun's just going to stare right back at Chikusa, because he is no stranger to the judgemental staredown.]