001) Home is Where the Heart Is

[abyssbound]

Who: Asura and anyone who wants to help with construction/landscaping. Or just want to watch a buff, half-dressed man do manual labor. No judgement.
Which: Open log, mingle post
Where: Out in the farmlands to the east of Reverein
What: Tree houses aren't for everyone, so Asura's building a house on the opposite side of town where it's quiet and he can raise his geese in relative peace. This log takes place over the span of about a week.
Warnings: Shouldn't be any.


Days 1-2
[Over the last few days, Asura has been collecting usable pieces of lumber and debris from around the city over to a small hill out in the farmlands, halfway between Reverein and the Wildlands. By now, the frame of a cabin has been erected--large enough to comfortably house two people.

Asura has stripped off the upper part of his robe while he works, using his Spiritual Entity's sharp edges to carefully chisel the beams so they'll fit together without nails (for there is a notable lack of iron in the city right now thanks to the redcaps). He'd intended to build the entire house on his own, but he won't turn down a helping hand or two. Or just someone to talk to while he works.]

Days 3-4
[Once the house is put together (or at least the walls, floor, and roof are), what comes next is that lotus pond Taishakuten wants. Asura's already dug out a large crater in the ground, but until it fills up with rainwater (or by some other means), it's not much more than just a big hole in the ground. The geese are already interested though, and can be seen wandering down into the crater in curiosity, or waddling around the rim and being a general nuisance to anyone whose name isn't 'Asura.']

Days 5-6
[The hole in the ground is now filled with water! Somehow. Whether it was rain or someone helped fill it up, the fact of the matter is that the crater is now a pond. As for planting the lotuses, this is something Asura will need some help with, because he's never actually grown them the correct way before.

Thankfully, the geese are safely locked up in the hutch so they won't bother anyone today.]

Wildcard/Catchall
[Catch Asura while he's taking a break from work, or if you have another scenario you'd like to play out with him, here's that option! Feel free to use this log to mingle during the construction as well.]

(OOC: If you have any questions or want to throw some ideas my way, you can reach me at hsumi or on Discord at hsumi#6070.
Fun fact, the technique being used here to build without nails is a real thing!)

Comments

days 1-2

[areminder]

[Fret's exploring when he happens across Asura, hard at work. Far be it for him to ignore a buff, half-undressed guy doing manual labour... and he's also a familiar face, so he heads on over with a wave.]

Heeey, Sure-sure! Whatcha doin'?

[Building something, obviously, but he's curious to know what.]

[abyssbound]

[Still checking in after getting bullied before? Brave of you.

Those same deadly tentacles that had shredded bugs and threatened Fret before are now being used for something as mundane as carpentry, and Asura looks up from his work to acknowledge his guest.]

Building a house. [He answers simply as he fits a support beam into place.] I don't care for the tree houses.

If you want to help, you can go to that wood pile over there, [He points to a stack of crude lumber nearby] and find two pieces about the same length.

[areminder]

Um, I wasn't exactly volunteering...

[Fret looks apprehensively over at the lumber -- it looks heavy. But, being the JRPG protagonist he is, he can't exactly say no without feeling bad either.

So without much further grumbling he heads over, and after a cursory examination, he drags out two pieces that look roughly the same, and waves over Asura.]

How about these?

[abyssbound]

You're here now, so you might as well make yourself useful. [Asura chuckles at Fret's protest. He continues to chisel while Fret looks for the specified pieces of wood, only looking up from his work when the kid waves him over.]

That's good. [He nods, extending two of his Spiritual Entity's arms to take the logs from him and bring them over to the house frame he's working on.]

What brings you out here, anyway?

[areminder]

[Fret was expecting to be asked to haul the logs over himself, so he breathes out a not-so-subtle sigh of relief when Asura takes them off his hands. Manual labour really isn't his strong suit.]

I was just curious to see what was out here. I didn't expect to find anyone wanting to set up a house all the way out here, though. Are towns not your thing?

[abyssbound]

[He just needs the extra pair of eyes--Asura has plenty of extra hands as it is.]

Not really, no. I'm not a big fan of crowds. [Or tree houses.] A quiet life suits me best. [For a guy who enjoys combat and carnage as much as he does, Asura really does long for a peaceful life with the warmth of one other person more than anything.]

days 1-2

[sleightofhans]

[Hans has tried venturing out to the Wildlands when he first arrived and while that ended in disaster, he hasn't quite stopped exploring the area outside of their humble little city. He usually doesn't see too many people out here, which is why he's honestly surprised to see Asura hard at work and obviously building something.

He is well-aware that their last encounter did not turn out so well, but that hasn't stopped Hans before. Maybe if he's getting physically threatened he'll bail because this guy is definitely buff.]

Oh, hello there. I did not expect to see anyone building this far away.

[abyssbound]

[Buff and has very dangerous-looking spinelike tentacle things coming out of his back at the moment, though for now he's just using them for carpentry rather than turning someone into bloody chunks. He's able to use them as arms to steady the beams as he fits them into place, but he pauses when he hears the familiar voice, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the man.]

I don't care for crowds. [Is his explanation as he grabs another piece of lumber from a pile nearby using one of those tentacles from his back.]

What are you up to all the way out here? I didn't take you for the farming type.

[sleightofhans]

[The tentacles are definitely alarming, but seeing that they're busy lifting and building the structure that buff guy is intently working on, Hans feels a little more at ease. Also, a good sign that he hasn't threatened him or told him to leave, so the prince finds a nearby rock to plop himself on it. He's not gonna offer his help, mostly because it seems like this guy has everything under control, but he can maybe provide a decent conversation.

Mostly, get to know this guy a little bit more.]

Crowds can be most tiring. Exhausting to smile and be talkative to every person there. [Hans folds his leg over the other, before leaning forward on his hand to watch the guy work.]

A little fresh air never hurt anyone... and I like to explore, get to know the city I'll be spending an indeterminate amount of time in.

[abyssbound]

[It's just as well, if he did offer to help, Asura likely would have declined anyway--not because he dislikes him (though he hadn't left the best first impression anyway), but because he doesn't seem like the sort who'd be any good at manual labor.

Asura is quiet as Hans speaks, though he does listen to every word.]

Yet here you are smiling and talking to me though I didn't ask for it. [He responds dryly, using one of his Spiritual Entity's arms to hammer a notched plank into the similar notches of another one.] If it's exhausting to put on a fake smile and pretend to care about the conversation, then don't.

[sleightofhans]

You caught me there.

[He chuckles lightly, seemingly amused by Asura's comment. There's definitely no offense taken on his end yet.]

Maybe that means I do care about this conversation. Helps that I haven't met a dozen people in one setting as well. [Hans shrugs, before deciding to offer another explanation to all this.] But humans are also a mess of contradictions, aren't they?

[He's assuming that his friend here isn't human, because tentacles.]

[abyssbound]

[Asura absolutely isn't human, but apart from being half-Celestial on his mother's side, even he isn't certain who or what his father was.]

Hmph. [Asura snorts derisively and sets down the lumber he'd been working with before those Spiritual Entity tentacles of his retract into his back and vanish from sight.]

What do you want? [Asura asks, staring directly at him.]

[sleightofhans]

[Ah, there goes those tentacles. He doubts they were a construct of dream energy, so yeah, not human. Maybe it's a little nice not to see those strange appendages coming from his back, but honestly, Hans doesn't care all too much.]

Hm? Why would I want anything from you?

[In all out honesty, Hans isn't wanting anything from Asura, not yet anyway. Maybe that won't ever change in the future, but he likes to keep his options open.]

Days 5-6

[fatedmahou]

[Mirai has been doing her best not to overuse her magic here when she was already in Overlimit, but the temptation to make everything pretty was too strong at times. She just happened to be walking by when she noticed him hard at work.]

Oh wow. Did you do this? [Gesturing to the house and everything.] This is amazing.

[She can certainly help with the lotuses, but she would probably need help building a shelter herself when she stops being stubborn about not wanting to take everyone else's space. One day she'll stop sleeping in random trees.]

Re: Days 5-6

[abyssbound]

[Asura looks up from his work of carving a boat oar out of a plank of wood when the girl speaks, and he affords a quiet chuckle at her enthusiasm.]

Thanks. [He says simply and sets the oar aside.] Treehouses don't do anything for me. [That and he doesn't want that many neighbors. Just himself and Taishakuten out here in their little shared cabin is fine by him.]

[fatedmahou]

I wouldn't even know where to start. I guess I should probably find something though. What do intend on working on for your home?

[She's assuming it's for him anyway.]

[abyssbound]

You don't like the tree houses? [That sure seems like "somewhere to start" at any rate.]

I'm planning on using some of the farmland nearby to grow peppers, [He places a hand to his chin as he thinks over what he wants to do with the land.] and some lotuses in the pond.

[fatedmahou]

Mmmm... I don't mind them, I just never built a house before.

[That and she doesn't want to take up everyone else's perspective homes.]

I think farming would be a great help here. I used to help out people back home when I could.

days 5-6, took some extrapolation liberties so lmk if i got details wrong

[mannerless]

( it's honestly sheer luck that has wei ying passing along this way, a restless drive to stretch his legs and clear his mind which carries him aimlessly off in a direction he hasn't yet wandered. the farmlands were an intriguing discovery, at least at first - though by now he's been terribly bored for the better part of an hour, and the only thing which keeps him from turning back is the fact that he's gone too far now not to see it through to the end. to scope out these 'wildlands' on this side of town, perhaps see how they match up to the ones across the way.

either way, he doesn't quite make it that far. on this day, in true danmei protagonist form, he finds himself sidetracked by a rather impressive hole.

it's actually the honking that draws his attention, some sort of waterfowl expressing their vague discontent, but his gaze lands on the pit instead. a house stands beside it, or the beginnings of one - wei wuxian is honestly not nearly as pressed about the house as he should be, compared to the mysterious hole in the ground, so it's paid fantastically little attention as adjusts his path and wades through the grass to investigate.

it's a pond, he notes as he strolls a bit closer, jet-black flute twirling idly between the fingers of one hand. it's not quite full yet, but it's more than full enough to hold some sort of... fish? plant life? the edges look a bit too sharp to be a natural pond. hmm, what's this? a small bag sits beside the pond's edge, open at the draw-string top, and curiosity once more gets the better of him. wei ying leeeans just a bit, just enough to subtly peer down into the bag without giving the proper appearance of snooping. within the shadowed space inside rests what looks deceptively like a generous quantity of lotus seeds, but before he can consider it any further, a movement in the corner of his eye catches wei wuxian's attention. a man, fairly muscular in build (which certainly explains who dug the pond), emerging from around the corner of the house.

so wei ying straightens up a bit, both hands wrapped neatly around his flute just below the small of his back, and he offers a sheepish grin. ) Ah - I was just passing by, and - ( that's the extent of his capacity for appropriate social graces, alas, and he finishes that sentence with - ) What are you planting? ( one hand releases the flute to use it to gesture down to the bag, and - ) They're seeds, aren't they?

Perfectly fine!

[abyssbound]

[If they get some rain over the next few days, the pond should fill in the rest of the way. As it is, a few small, shimmery gummy fish from the welcome feast swim around in what little water is already there.

Asura looks impassively at his guest when he comes into view, but Wei Ying's fidgety behavior prompts him to arch an eyebrow. Still, it doesn't appear that he's gotten into anything, and the bag in question doesn't look to have been touched, so Asura doesn't bother telling him off.]

Lotus seeds. [He answers simply to confirm Wei Ying's assumption.] The other person who lives here likes them.

[Well, Asura does too, but mainly for their association with the aforementioned housemate.]

this was definitely completely on time

[mannerless]

( oh, wei ying absolutely noted the gummy fish upon arrival, a brief delighted little grin blooming on his face at the sight - he is, perhaps, the slightest bit proud that his young friend's silly little dream-fish have made their way out to songerein proper. but now he's more occupied with the stranger and his bag of (yes indeed!) lotus seeds, which earn a more proper grin this time. )

It's a wonder you've found them, here of all places. ...Found them? Dreamed them? ( is it as simple as that - wanting lotus seeds and then simply dreaming them up? it can't possibly be. such a thing would be damn near limitless, in wei wuxian's the wrong hands.

either way, his gaze drops again to the pond, eyeing the conditions a bit. a hum, and he shakes his head. ) It's not shallow enough. Seeds are fussy, you need, ah - ( pardon him, circling around the pond a couple of meters to kneel next to a wider stretch of shallows. ) This, you need it more like this - the soft mud, and then the water this shallow. A finger's-depth or so, shallow enough that it's always a bit warm. Anything colder and they won't even bother. ( if the man were starting from tubers, that would be quite a different matter. he could very nearly lob them right out into the middle of the pond and they wouldn't have all that much trouble. it's the 'seeds' part that gets tricky. )

What even is time really?

[abyssbound]

[To be perfectly honest, Asura isn't sure where Taishakuten got the seeds, but he's also not entirely sure he wants to know.

And yet here is a man who is apparently fairly knowledgeable on the subject, and so Asura remains quiet as he lets Wei Ying continue his explanation. He kneels beside him near the shallows and brings his hand to his own chin in thought before dropping in down into the shallow water to get a feel for the mud Wei Ying refers to, even grabbing a handful of it to pull it out of the water and ooze over his fingers.]

You've done this before. [He nods, lowering his hand back to the water to rinse the mud off.] I appreciate any advice you might have here.

[mannerless]

( it would be perfectly well within this man's right to tell wei wuxian, a complete stranger wandering unannounced onto his claimed land, to stop lecturing him on wet mud and fuck off away from his pond.

but what happens instead is quite a bit different. the man crouches beside him, seeming very much like he's making an active attempt to absorb what's being explained. which is pleasing enough in itself, but then - 'i appreciate any advice you might have here.' )

Yeah? ( his gaze lifts to asura, surprise and delight brightening his grin for a moment before he presses his lips together pseudo-thoughtfully to squash that grin back down. wei ying taps his flute (actual-thoughtfully) against his pursed lips for a moment, deciding where to begin... and then, ) Ah, first! The seeds, you have to open them up or they won't take in water. But carefully, not like you're going to eat them, like - ( here he snatches up a vaguely round rock, using that as his pretend lotus seed to mime slicing a line along one edge. ) Just a hole in the outer shell, and be careful not to nick the inside. And then you toss them in water for a bit, not the whole pond but a little bowl or something, 'til they pop out a sprout and leaf. That's when they're ready, you can plop them in the mud after that. ( and he pops the "seed" (rock) down into the indicated shallow-water mud, which in retrospect was pretty unnecessary but he's not about to dig around and pull it back out.

and wei wuxian glances back at the bag of seeds now, considering. it's not full but it's certainly not empty. readying that many seeds is going to be quite the day's fine-fingered work. ) I could help with the seeds, if you'd like. The cutting-them-open part. It gets old a whole lot faster than it gets finished, and having done it both ways, I can tell you that it's much better with company. ( an assessment not at all biased by the fact that 'with company' was with jiang cheng and shijie in lotus pier and 'without' was alone in a cave with resentful spirits screaming in his head and a coreless body that felt more dead than alive. )

[abyssbound]

[Hey, Asura can admit when someone is more knowledgeable on a topic than himself and isn't so arrogant as to ignore their advice. Especially when the topic is his good friend's favorite flower.

He listens closely to Wei Ying's instructions, and when he offers to help, Asura nods and stands up to go retrieve the bag.]

I'll need to get pick up bowls in town, we only have two here and Taishakuten and I need those to eat with. I assume they don't have to soak immediately after piercing, right? [If Wei Ying is here now and volunteering his help, Asura will take him up on the offer. He can put them in bowls afterward.]

[mannerless]

( the question gets a vaguely 'nn'-shaped sound and a shake of his head. ) As long as they don't dry out on the inside, ( he says, shuffling a half-meter or so back from the water's edge to give himself room to work before sinking down properly crosslegged. ) You'd be fetching the bowls tomorrow? I'd wrap them all up in some sort of damp rag. That should be able to keep for at least a day or two.