Peace was never an option

[abyssbound]

Who: Asura and OPEN
Which: Open catchall log for Feb + Interactive dream
Where: the Plaza, the Wild Harvest, Asura's farmstead
What: One very surly swan and a dream of war
Warnings: None for the Swansura prompts, canon-typical violence in the interactive dream.

1. Foul-tempered fowl.

A.

[ As planned, Asura had been killed a week ago when his Shards went berserk and his power threatened to overtake the dream world. A handful of brave heroes had challenged him and won, and the champion Link had dealt the final fatal blow. Asura--the Mara--was dead, and as his body vanished, so too did the accumulated destructive power with it. Yet Asura is still a Celestial, and Celestials are notoriously hard to kill permanently. For so long as their Spiritual Entity--their souls in physical form--survives intact, a Celestial may revive over and over again. ]

Honk! [ A week after Asura's demise, there's an apparent newcomer in Reverein. It's a large black swan with a distinctive blaze of red feathers on his chest, and even if he's not actively menacing anyone at the moment, he's still big enough to be intimidating. At the moment, he's simply hanging out in the fountain in the plaza all by himself, just paddling around on the surface and minding his own business. Attempting to approach the swan, however, will result in some very painful wing-shaped bruises. ]

B.

[ The swan has made his way over to the garden area of the Wild Harvest, and can be found either busying himself with poking around and plucking bugs off the plants, or paddling around the lotus koi pond. He appears to be slightly more tolerant of people getting close to him here than he was in the plaza, but he'll still get nippy if anyone tries to touch him. ]

C.

[ Alternatively, the swan may be found at Asura's farmstead, picking up residual debris from the explosion a week ago. While he is considerably stronger than your average swan, his capacity to lift broken branches or repair structural damage is limited by what he can hold in his beak, so the cleanup effort is slow going. ]

2. Lotus Crown (Interactive Dream)

A. A chance encounter.

[ The remains of a battle stretch out across a field streaked in red. Drawn by the scent of the dead, crows feast on the bodies of fallen demons and men alike. Even so, there is still life in this grim landscape, and as the dreamer takes their first steps away from their starting position, one of the demon bodies stirs nearby. It notices the dreamer, and with a loud war cry, it hoists its weapon into the air and charges for them with the intent to take at least one more head before it dies. ]

B. The Wings.

[ A grand city of gold and alabaster with towers stretching skyward stands out like a sore thumb upon a backdrop of forest and farmland, like a piece of the Heavenly realm dropped onto the earth. High walls separate the pristine inner city from the poor slums that surround it, leaving those born into misfortune to weather the hostile conditions on their own.

The main gate opens to allow a large group of armed men to leave the city. They are led by Asura, with another man walking beside him. Both of them have grim expressions on their faces, and Asura regards the poverty just outside the gates with visible frustration, but the man beside him gently touches his shoulder and they continue walking.

The scene shifts then to a military encampment at night. The camp is hidden well in the forest, and the soldiers are busy preparing for battle. Before the dreamer can take a step, Asura calls out to them from beside the bonfire. ]

You look a bit out of place. [ He comments, waving a hand to invite them to join him beside the fire. ]

Comments

2.A

[threebetrayals]

[He'd been told this was place of dreams and that things might be weird here, even for someone who doesn't tend to dream or just has the same old nightmares when he does. Still, this is...well, it certainly is a nightmare even if it isn't one of his. Wanderer looks around, curious, and then takes a step forward.

The demon stumbles to its feet and lunges at him, and Wanderer takes to the skies. It'll wear him out, but it's a lot easier to throw wind blades at this idiot when he's three inches above his head and out of range of his sword.]

[abyssbound]

[ The wind blades bite into the already-wounded demon's flesh, and with a cry of pain it falls to the ground once more, no longer breathing. With its death, the battlefield falls quiet once more save for the sounds of scavengers picking at the corpses. ]

A survivor!

[ ...At least until a voice cuts through the cawwing of crows, and two male figures crest a nearby hill. One of them is a mountain of a man with long black hair and red flame-pattern markings over his chest, while the other is a pale blond wearing white robes, and appears to have lotus flowers growing out of his body. ]

Are you injured? Hold on a moment, we'll be right there! [ The slighter man calls out to the Wanderer as both of them descend the hill to meet him. ]

[threebetrayals]

Hm?

[...does that man have lotuses growing out of him? Is he alright? That has to hurt.

Wanderer comes back down to the ground before he can get too tired.]

I'm fine. It couldn't reach me.

[abyssbound]

[ The man with the flowers growing out of him doesn't appear to be in any discomfort, at least, and he chuckles softly in relief as he and his companion approach the stranger. ]

'You're unharmed, good.' [ He says before the taller man steps forward. ]

You aren't one of our men. [ He observes, looking the Wanderer up and down. ] You're not a demon or a Celestial. What are you doing out here?

[threebetrayals]

[Well, that answers the question of "what the hell happened here". But is it safe to tell these men that one of them is dreaming? Is it like sleepwalking?

He shrugs.]

I got lost.

1-a

[retrieves]

[you know, Riku wasn't thinking about it too much when he was walking past the fountain in the plaza. it's just a bird, after all.

but he jumps at the sound of the honk, looking over at the black swan and ducking the wings as they beat towards him.]

Hey, hey! I'm just passing through!

[abyssbound]

[ Too bad, you have incurred the wrath of the bird! The swan's wings smack and thwack at the hapless Riku when he gets too close to the fountain as though he's claimed the whole thing as his territory and Riku is an intruder. ]

[retrieves]

Whoa--!!

[the wing smacks at the side of his head, and he covers it with his arms as he backs away.]

I'm not interested in your fountain!

[this is so suffer--]

[abyssbound]

[ Thwack! Thwack! But once Riku is far enough away that his wings no longer reach him without getting out of the water, the swan settles back down and resumes his paddling.

There's also a distinctly smug look on his avian face. Somehow. ]

[retrieves]

[...... what is this--]

What's your problem?

[he's. talking to a freaking bird.]

Fowl-Tempered - C

[zomboii]

[ It's been a while since Unnamed's stopped by Asura's farm proper. Not for a lack of want, but because he is keenly aware of the Might Beast which guards the flock of geese. A healthy fear of Lord Swan has been instilled in him, so even if he wanders nearby, he doesn't approach unless he can see Asura in the yard.

Normally he can catch the man's scent long before he gets nearby, but it's been some time since he's smelled it. And after all the recent returns to their waking worlds, he can't help but feel just a bit paranoid. A check-in is in order, which is why today finds him hovering at the edge of the property behind the safety of the fence, trying to peer around the garden growth for any sign of Asura. ]

[abyssbound]

[ Yet today, he might indeed smell Asura's scent, though perhaps not from the source he would expect. There's a black swan here as usual, but it appears that there's actually two of them, with one of them significantly larger than even Lord Swan. This one has Asura's familiar red flame mark on its chest and is currently occupied with trying to drag a downed branch out of the pepper patch. ]

what the heck that icon is so cute

[zomboii]

[ It is a surprise--a very welcome one, which has his nostrils flaring as he stands up a lot straighter. He forgets his fear of Lord swan for just a minute, enough to run to the fence and push his hands into it and lean over...

...And catch sight of another, bigger swan. ]

Ueeehh!

[ ABORT, ABORT. And by 'abort' I mean he ducks down behind the fence, hoping this newer and bigger swan hasn't noticed him. ]

It's from the 6th anniversary concert! ( https://youtu.be/MjCh_pTUL2s )

[abyssbound]

[ Even stranger, the smell seems to be coming from the swan himself, who looks up at the sound of the shout. Since the swan knows that voice, he waddles over from the damaged pepper plants to investigate his visitor by hopping up to perch on top of the section of fencing the zombie boy is hiding behind.

He doesn't appear to be behaving aggressively at least, and simply lets out a soft, squeaky honk of acknowledgement. ]

1B

[judicialassistant]

[ It's business as usual for today, and Susato is in the Harvest's kitchen, struggling to keep up with her many tasks. When the large swan finds its way into their garden, however, there will be many animals there to greet him, including many snakes, who wonder about the sudden newcomer.

Most of the snakes are sporting little neckerchiefs or sweaters, though most of them are shy about engaging, and so long as the swan leaves them alone on its way to the pond, they seem to go about their merry way.

Word eventually reaches the staff, however, or at least Susato, who blinks when Aura the snake finds her way into the kitchen. Why is she not with Kazuma?

There is hissing that probably translates into something like: Are you aware that there is a large bird in the pond? ]

Hm? ...What do you mean?

[ She's got an order to deliver out in the garden anyway, so after a moment, she'll head out there with a tray in hand, following Aura. When she sees the large black fowl, she gasps. Her instinct is to step back, though she notes it does not seem to be as aggressive this time as she might be expecting. ]

Ah! Aren't you...?

Re: 1B

[abyssbound]

[ The swan has been leaving the residents alone, preferring only to pick at pest insects or fae critters that might do harm to the plants in the garden. He's content to stay near the lotus koi as if calmed by their presence. He certainly doesn't react to Susato with aggression, either, and simply looks up in her direction when she speaks up, answering with a single squeaking honk. ]

[judicialassistant]

[ She flinches slightly at the honk, but otherwise does not seem deterred. There's a pause, and she continues her approach with curiosity. ]

Um, hello. How... did you get here? Do you understand me? [ She holds a hand out tenatively, as one might do for a dog or cat. ]

[abyssbound]

[ Why yes, he can understand her, but his own methods of communication are a bit limited in this form. What he will do is look around from where he floats as if trying to visually locate something. When he finally spots what he's looking for, he climbs out of the pond and waddles over to a potted pepper plant as if that answers her questions at all. ]

1B

[locumstudentesquire]

[The koi pond is one of Ryunosuke's favorite spots around the Harvest, and so he often likes to take charge of feeding the fish whenever he can. This time though, when he heads out there's some unexpected company.]

Where on Earth did you come from...!?

[He's standing at the edge of the pond, pouch of fish food in hand, regarding the bird warily. It's kind of just harmlessly swimming around in there right now, sure, but Ryunosuke has spent a summer in London before. He's been to parks. He's not sure if it's a good idea to let it stay in here, when it might start hissing at and harassing customers? And another thing...

The koi are all mouthing at the surface of the water excitedly, but Ryu doesn't want to toss the food in if the swan's going to just paddle over and gobble it up. He holds up a piece of it, making eye contact with the bird.]

Look, I don't want to be rude, but. This not for you, alright? It's for the fish. So... Please don't take this.

[He tosses just one in, waiting to see if the bird tries to get over and snipe it from the pond's legal residents.]

[abyssbound]

[ All things considered his healthy apprehension regarding swans isn't a bad thing. Still, the swan watches Ryunosuke while he talks to him, and even seems to let out a somewhat annoyed huff at the implication that he would steal food from the fish. These fish and him are bros now, dude.

So while the swan does float over to follow the koi, the fish are allowed to eat their fill in peace as the bird seems more invested in watching over them than snagging anything to eat. ]

[locumstudentesquire]

[That's a surprise, but Ryu's not complaining. It's doing exactly as he asked, after all. So he starts tossing the rest of the fish food in, absentmindedly brushing his hand off on the side of his trousers once it's all been distributed.]

Huh... Well, thank you for following the rules? You're strangely clever for a wild bird. [....] That, or you just weren't interested in the stuff. Either way...

one day my brain will catch up

[abyssbound]

[ Honestly? Asura has better taste than that. He can eat pretty much anything if necessity calls for it, but he still has preferences, and dried fish food isn't one of them. The swan ducks his head briefly in something akin to a nod of "you're welcome," and paddles over to the edge of the pond before climbing out.

As it approaches Ryunosuke, it "points" to his hand with its beak--specifically the hand he'd used to feed the fish--and lets out a small squeaking honk.

...Communication is hard in this form. ]

1C

[ectoherbology]

[Wendy had completely missed what happened with Asura... she'd stayed in for the coldest days of winter, appreciating her free shelter for the time, and when she returned to the farmstead that Asura had invited her to use she just saw the remnants of battle. What on earth happened here...

Well, if nothing else, she could set herself to work. Cobbling together an axe, she steadily worked on hacking all of the fallen branches into more manageable sizes of lumber for her to carry away. She's already there when the swan arrives back at his home, and she wipes her brow.]

... Abigail, look. We've never seen a proper swan before.

[The ghostly sister giggled and 'bounced' a bit, floating up to Asura more freely.]

[abyssbound]

[ A big mess is what happened, and it's for the best that she had missed the worst of it... not that he can really explain anything with his body currently in this shape.

He's somewhat surprised to see the girl hard at work when he returns home that day--he'll have to thank her and compensate her for the effort after his body recovers. The swan gives her spectral sister a cursory look but waddles past her to appraise what Wendy has already finished. Not bad at all. ]

[ectoherbology]

Hmm...

[Wendy is certainly none the wiser about the identity of the swan... if she was, she wouldn't be giving him such an appraising look.]

I haven't had swan before. I suppose it wouldn't be much different than goose.

[But she's making no gesture to attack, just picking up chunks of wooden debris.]

Good to remember if food does get lean.