middaeg | June catch-all [OPEN unless otherwise indicated]

Entry tags:

June catch-all [OPEN unless otherwise indicated]

Who: Konoe & other groovy cats
When: June
Where: the far corners of our non-existent minds; also ~around~
What: things happening in June that are things and also happening
Warnings: will be added if something comes up

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1. FESTIVAL PREP: decorating

Even with little to no idea what this festival is about, Konoe finds himself kind of excited for it. Much more than before, this place is starting to feel like home, and helping with the preparations for the festival feels like staking his claim on a place to belong in a more active sense, too. Besides... he really likes the decorations. The ribbons are nice; the flower wreathes are stunning. He needs to take the time to learn how to make those, at some point, but for now he'll content himself with hanging up wreathes made by other people.

... He probably spends a little too much time on it, really, studying the results of his decorating and then making them a little bit better several times over until he's satisfied. But how could he not? It's supposed to be a big festival, and the wreathes and ribbons are top quality. He wants them to come out perfectly.

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2A. FETCH: basil

Konoe enjoys these random assignments a lot more than an actual steady job. He likes going all sorts of places and finding all sorts of things... even if he does get lost sometimes. It feels good, finishing a task: it makes him feel accomplished in a way that just reaching a certain time on a clock could never do.

Even so... isn't this assignment kind of dodgy? Just taking basil from a farm...

Konoe had thought nothing of it at first, rolling his eyes at all the demands of this Fuzzy person, but somehow not realizing the actual problem until he was approaching the farm. 'Don't let anyone see you' - seriously? Isn't that just theft?!

Well, he's decided to do it now, so do it, he will. If he just takes a little bit, there's no harm done, right? With the day still early, Konoe hopes that maybe no one will be around to notice what he's doing.

Or maybe he should come back after nightfall, after all...

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2B: FETCH: crystal sand

Konoe may not like getting wet, but he doesn't hate it either, so he has no problem taking on this particular quest. Sand from ponds in the Wilde that glitters rainbow in the light... He's honestly curious. Shedding all his clothes except for some underwear, he gets into those ponds, going underwater to bring up some sand.

He's stunned, when he finds it. Just as described, the sand glitters in all colors of the rainbow, and Konoe turns his hand this way and that, mesmerized by the effect that the light has on the sand.

"OW!" His fingers and toes, as it turns out, are fine in spite of the warnings to watch them. His tail, however, is proving to be a wonderful lure for hungry fish. (Must be that hooked tip.)

An instinctive swat with his tail proves predictably useless underwater, and Konoe soon gives up on the idea of chasing the fish away, instead scrambling to get out of the pond. In his rush to save his tail from further torment, he doesn't manage to bring a lot of crystal sand ashore.

Time for round 2?

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Feel free to wildcard, or poke me at

sharkasm or through PMs for plotting!
Use whatever tense and format you're most comfortable with. I'll adapt.

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[Don't feel bad, Zack! Konoe honestly deserves it.]

Yeah.

[Sort of. It counts, even if he's rewarded, right? He feels a bit better, now that he can explain.]

Someone was asking for help finding some things, and basil was one of them.

Edited 2019-06-19 12:10 (UTC)

Ah, so it is work!

[Zack nods. He moves to hop over the fence to join Konoe on the other side in the field.]

Basil is a pretty common herb, I can smell it all over the place here.

[Konoe can only hope that there's no angry farmer getting ready to jump out at them, but there are no signs of other people so far, so he figures they're safe. He feels a lot better just having Zack around, anyway - not to help him with his job, and certainly not for defending him, but just because -... Well, the unpredictability of this world feels a lot easier to handle with another mirror-traveler by his side.]

You can?

[It's not like Konoe can't smell basil, too, but he couldn't begin to apply a quantity of even a direction to the scent.]

The person was really specific about the basil he wanted... Fresh and not smelling of any neighboring plants...

[It is a rather calm day. There isn't another person in sight and the roads are empty too. That's why he came out here in the first place. Sometimes a little peace and quiet is the only thing that helps his head from hurting so much. The horns that are slowly growing in at the top of his skull are there, hidden in the locks of his wild black hair.]

Yeah, my sense of smell has gone through the roof in the last few days... Monster stuff. I guess. I can smell everything from the plants to the dirt right now.

[It's like getting a dog's nose.]

They were really that specific about it? Wonder what's so bad about having other plants grow around it.

Sounds pretty convenient.

[Not that he's underestimating the horrors of sensory overload - the time he first set foot in a big, bustling city when he'd gone days without so much as talking to anyone before was terrible - but there are definitely benefits, too.]

"Don't pick any next to lavender, I hate the smell of lavender. Take it from the center of the basil plot only!" Is what they said.

[Konoe says it with a vaguely stuck-up voice in spite of having no idea what Fuzzy actually sounds like.

It's about this time that he recalls the instructions not to let anyone see him. Oh, well. He's pretty sure Zack doesn't count.]

It's not when you can't get the smell of magic out of your nose.

[He sighs a bit. The sweet smell of magic is kind of ... intoxicating to him.

But anyway, he snickers at Konoe's impression and pats a hand quick on his shoulder.]

Alright. I'll help you out if you want. I'm not about to rat you out.

Even magic has a smell, huh?

[That's definitely not something Konoe ever experienced, but then, he's no monster. The conclusion he jumps to, based on Zack's reaction, is that magic stinks. Konoe can only hope that the stench doesn't stick to himself, too. He is a witch, after all, even if he's still learning.

He appreciates Zack's offer to help, but honestly? Konoe isn't sure if he should be going through with this. It really is like theft... At the same time, since he's decided to do it, he doesn't feel like going back on that.]

... I'll just take a little.

[That should be fine, right? He won't do to much damage to the farmer and his business, and he'll do the work he intended to do for that Fuzzy person.

It'll be just fine.]

Even magic.

[He gives a small shrug of his shoulders. Magic is so sweet to him but it's worse the when the sky turns red and the moons get full. It's like the scent magic sends him into a bit of a feral frenzy. He tries to play it off like it's not a big deal, not wanting to express how strange his new sense might be. Or to make anyone uncomfortable. He's already subjected some of his other witch friends to some unsolicited cuddling. So he's trying to avoid that...

Glancing at Konoe he notices something's still amiss so he smiles again.]

I don't usually think stealing is the best way to go but if it's just some herbs who's that gonna hurt? If we get in trouble I'll take the blame.

[Unsolicited cuddling... How lewd. But, look, if Konoe smells good, there's a time and a place for that, you know. It's just possibly not in the middle of a high-risk(?) basil heist.

Zack calling it stealing, even if that's clearly what it is, makes Konoe uncomfortable about the whole thing all over again - but not as much as the idea of Zack taking the blame.]

No way! There's no need for that.

[And actually he wouldn't allow it. If he's going to be thieving, he'll take responsibility all by himself.]

... They never said how much they needed. I'll just take a little bit.

[Even if he doesn't get rewarded, then, so be it: it's the best middle ground he can think of between fulfilling his self-imposed mission, and not dragging an innocent farmer into things.

He turns to head back into the basil plot, then warns over his shoulder:]

You stay here.

[There'll be no taking the blame from you, Mister!!

Whatever happens, Konoe doesn't take long, taking a few sprigs from the center of the basil plot as instructed. He takes a moment to smell them on the way back. It really is a nice scent, even to non-enhanced senses.]

[Look, he can't help that witch magic smells so good if he gets a good whiff he just wants to stick his whole face in it--

Konoe seems so determined to finish the task on his own that Zack can't help but smile and nod and cross his arms over his chest to watch. He observes how Konoe snatches some up and is sure to glance over his shoulder for any angry farmers. Seems they're in the clear for now.]

Got enough? [He's curious to see how much Konoe took.] Wonder if basil's used in potions are something. Do ... Do witches study potions?

[What a naughty ~~but cute~~ puppy.

Nervous in spite of himself, Konoe nevertheless manages to complete his task quickly... and, on second thought, decides to grab an apple from his bag to put in place of the basil. That makes it a fair exchange, right? It's definitely not theft like this! He'll just have to conjure himself some fruit to eat instead, later. Not that conjured food satisfies at all, but the taste will be good.]

Yeah, it's probably enough.

[... He has no idea what's enough. But he takes what he considers a fair exchange for an apple, and that makes it enough. If Fuzzy has any complaints, he should have been more specific!]

They do... sometimes. This was said to be for a spell, though, so maybe another kind of alchemy..?

[Konoe isn't that big on potions, himself. There can be brewing involved, and hence fire - and he's not a big fan of fire.

Anyway, he'd rather not think of multiple stressful things all at once. He glances over his shoulder at the basil plot, and decides he's done as good a job as can be expected.]

Let's go.

[He can't help smiling to himself when he catches a glimpse of Konoe leaving an apple in place of the basil he took. It's adorable and pretty nice of him too. Hopefully, the farmer or owner of the crops can accept that. He's still glancing around for any watchers, though. He'd still take all the blame for this little mischevious endeavour if he needed to.]

Alright, let's get out of here. Mission success.

[Zack grins and laughs. With that, he quickly hops the fence again.]

Potions, spells, alchemy... There's stuff similar to that in my world. But it's more like chemistry and science. Do you have magic and potions where you're from?

[It's more of a relief than it should be, walking away from the farm, mission accomplished. Konoe is satisfied with the compromise he's made in regards to not stealing anything, and he did what he set out to do. Maybe it's objectively not much, but it's a really good feeling all the same.]

Magic... existed, more or less. Only very few cats could use it, though.

[Most of the magic Konoe had witnessed in his own world had barely registered as magic to him, though: they were just things that existed, that some people could do as a unique skill. He never really thought of them beyond that: he'd never considered wanting such skills for himself, let alone if there was a chance to learn them. There had always been such a distance between him and most of the rest of the world...]

... There were Singing Cats. That was the only "magic" that more than one cat could practice.

[As far as he knows, anyway!]

[Zack raises a curious eyebrow. He can't help glancing up at Konoe's cat ears. He thought they were a monster thing at first but that doesn't seem to be the case now seeing Konoe's a witch. Cat-people are real.]

So cats are pretty normal where you're from, huh...?

[He grins.]

And what's this about singing cats? Are you one of them?

Everyone's a cat, where I'm from.

[Hence why it's honestly taken him a long time, getting comfortable around here. He'd never seen a human before, and with no cat ears and tail to read their mood off, not to mention some cultural differences, humans had been pretty hard to deal with at first.]

Yeah. Or... I was.

A Singing Cat can support a fighter in battle with his song. The song becomes light, floating to the fighter and giving them strength and speed...

[It sounds so weird, putting it like that. Objectively, it must sound weird; it was definitely weird to him, when he first witnessed it. But he'd also witnessed the huge effect it had, and the sheer power of it eclipsed any other wonder.]

... Everyone lost their own magic and powers when they came here, right? I did, too.

[Zack still seems momentarily amused. He has a very small urge to want to reach out and touch those cat ears just to know what they feel like. That's probably rude... But he can't help think it. He decides to stop staring at those ears and back at Konoe properly.]

Er. Yeah, when we all got here we lost all our native powers. None of my old magic works either. What a shame, that kind of support magic sounds really useful.

[He sighs. Working a lot of odd jobs lately that require fighting out in the Wilde and all... A support song here and there sounds great.]

What kind of magic are thinking of learning now?

[Touching without asking is definitely a bad idea; asking might not go over too poorly, though. Konoe will be a little weirded out, but he considers Zack a friend, and if he's genuinely curious... why not?

Ain't no one touching his tail, though. That's reason for a firm clawing right there.]

I don't know if it would have worked to support other people than cats, anyway.

[So he can deal with losing it, especially since he's also lost some very, very unpleasant things that he's more than happy to be rid of. On the whole? He came out ahead, and he knows it.]

I'm learning all sorts of things... Barriers and other protection, because of the Shades. And... magic to help find the way. [HE'S. EMBARRASSED.] If you head into the forest, you need to find your way back, right? That's why...

[And also because he has no sense of direction and always gets lost, even in the city. Shut up. Nobody will ever know!!]

... And conjuring. They don't have my favorite fruit here, so now I can at least enjoy the taste, even if eating conjured food doesn't fill you up.

[It's still nice to wonder a little. Zack will probably find himself glancing at those cat ears a lot more often from now on.]

Magic to help find your way? [He gives a grinning tease while nudging Konoe's shoulder.] Do you get lost a lot? I don't blame you, this place seems huge. And not just the city either. The Wilde is ... Well, wild.

[Zack's sense of direction is pretty decent but he's already gotten lost in those woods once. Fought a giant bear with his bare hands. Just Wilde things.]

I've heard about conjuring from a few people too. You can really conjure up magic food just for the taste? I wanna see that happen. You should show me sometime.

I-It's not like I get lost all the time!

[EXCEPT THAT. HE REALLY DOES! Of all the un-cat-like things... He hates this almost as much as he hates his crooked-tipped tail, but at least his lacking sense of direction is easier to hide... usually.]

It's just -... [He can't even come up with a good excuse anymore, and his shame-inspired energy runs out, leaving him deflated.] The Wilde. Like you said.

[Why does he have to be this way?! And in front of cool people like Zack, too...

Conjuring (and kuims) makes for a happy change in topic, and Konoe jumps on the opportunity. Even apart from stepping away from the more embarrassing sides of their conversation: he's pretty proud of his conjuring, and he loves his fruit.]

Sure. I can show you right now!

[He glances over his shoulder, but he considers them far away enough from the farm to be safe, by now.]

Hmm, sure. I really believe you.

[He might be still teasing but his smile is warm. He's happy to change the subject back to magic as well since he's not really about embarrassing Konoe all the time. But he's getting the feeling he'll like to do that once in a while. Konoe really is a fussy cat.]

Anyway, yeah. Let's see what you can do with this conjuring magic.

[He watches Konoe with some curiosity.]

[Honestly, while teasing is an offense to his pride, Konoe doesn't mind it beyond that. He gives it as much as he takes it, if and when an opportunity arises; it's a nice and "safe" way of connecting with people.

That still won't stop him from being offended just on principle, though.]

Okay!

[Konoe was half planning to do some conjuring regardless, but somehow having Zack on board for it makes it even better. He puts down his bag just to relax a bit more, making it easier to focus. Konoe may be pretty good at conjuring by now, but he's still not a natural, and focus is important. Holding out his hands cupped together, he whispers an incantation, and sure enough, a kuim poofs into existence.

If he seems kind of proud of himself, that's because he totally is.]

[He hasn't seen a lot of magic spells yet and this is his first time seeing actual conjuring. He seems excited to see what Konoe can do. So much that he sort of forgets how sweet magic can smell in his noise. So, when the spell begins and that little fruit appears with a pop the first thing that Zack notices is the incredibly lovely scent of Konoe's magic.]

That's... wow.

[There it is again. Zack's lightheaded feeling at a simple magic spell. He's really got to figure out a proper bond one of these days so this stops happening so often.]

That's awesome, Konoe.

[He inhales a bit and then manages a proud grin. It's a simple spell but it's still very impressive. Conjuring must really be a powerful thing. What else can it do? He reaches out for the little red fruit.]

Can I touch it??

[Failing to realize what Zack is going through in spite of their previous conversation, Konoe just gives a little smile, proud of himself for earning Zack's approval more than proud of his conjuring as such. He really needs to look into the monster side of things more (and into bonding for that matter), but since his monster housemate is not one to talk about those things, Konoe is largely ignorant of them.]

You can even eat it, if you want. It won't actually fill you up, but the taste is great.

[In his opinion, anyway. He's kind of biased.]

[Zack seems pleased with that and he picks up the fruit from Konoe's hands. It's got the heft of a real fruit and he lifts it to his nose to sniff. Smells like real fruit too. Even with that waft of sweet magic coming from it too.]

It smells great. There's something dangerous about being able to conjure any food you want and not get filled up from it.

[Because what if ... like- an entire mountain of fast food...?

He laughs a bit and then goes ahead and takes a generous bite out of the fruit. It's delicious! The flavor pops in his mouth.]

It's... damn! It's great! No wonder you like it!

Right? It's sweet and sour!

[Like most fruit, really, but Konoe is definitely a fan of this fruit in particular.]

It's nice to be able to taste whatever you want to taste whenever you want to taste it, though.

[Konoe has never heard of calories, but if he had, he would presume that conjured food has none of those, just like it doesn't fill one up. Whether that's true... is a mystery for the ages. Either way, his food-conjuring is focused mostly on kuims, since he can't get those here.]

[Teach Konoe about hamburgers later, got it.]

Magic is pretty sweet, after all. I'm a little jealous.

[He takes another bite of the fruit and swallows before smiling again.

Witches are pretty impressive. All he really has for show is the horns growing in on his head and the sharp wolf claws he's got (and later in the month a wolf's tail) so when it comes to actual talents he's still only got heightened strength and endurance. And for every new transformation Zack goes through it takes pain and growth. Witches really get it easy.]

You're gonna be great at this witch thing, Konoe.

Edited 2019-07-09 14:08 (UTC)

[PLEASE DO! He needs to discover that culinary wonder.]

It's nothing special. It isn't like what the witches of the Coven can do...

[Konoe is not unhappy with his magical achievements so far, but even so, he thinks they need to be put into perspective. Where he's at is perhaps baby's first word, whereas proper witches speak several languages fluently. He's done pretty well in the time he's been here, but that still doesn't make what he can do all that impressive, in his opinion.]

Monsters got their own skills, right? That sense of scent can be handy.

[And it can be a downside, too, sure, but that goes for everything.]

That's true, I guess we're all still starting out at step one, here.

[He reaches up to run a hand through his dark hair, fingers briefly brushing over the curved black horns that are starting to peek out from his skull.]

Yeah, my sense of smell is still one of the strongest things that's happened to me so far. Plus I almost broke a door handle the other day by opening it a little too enthusiastically?

[Translation: He's strong.]

Back home, I'm used to strength enhancements but everything is a lot more natural with me now.

[Yeaaaah, horns are... still not Konoe's favorite, for personal reasons, but he has at least grown to see them as more than a strictly demon characteristic. He doesn't hate them anymore, but they still kind of make him look a bit, where other animal features generally don't.

It's fine. He knows it's a personal problem, and would never hold it against anyone horny.]

That sounds pretty strong...

[He's... a little jealous? No - that's not really the right word for it. But it's a trait he can admire in a person, anyway!]

... "Strength enhancements"?

[Hopefully Konoe won't hold it against him for being horny. He won't like looking like a demon either but that's what he gets for being a chimera spliced with a wolf and a ram. And later hawk wings... The chimera struggle will be real.

He can't help but grin a little warmer, proud as he crosses his arms over his chest. He's always been proud of his own body, to be honest.]

Yeah, I'm a soldier in my world. [Or technically... He was.] We're enhanced through an energy called mako to make us as as strong as we can be. No mako, no extra strength here, though. So I guess I got lucky in that department that my monster strength is just as, if not, better.

[He can't wait to see what else he can do with his bare hands.]

[Zack will be beautiful, and Konoe will feel so too. In many ways, fully changed monsters are easier to deal with, visually: they just are the way they are. Their look leading up to that isn't the most important thing, but the instability of it all makes it uncomfortable. Which changes will get more extreme? Which changes will follow at some point? It's the one thing Konoe decidedly doesn't envy the monsters of this place, a sympathy that he doesn't quite know how to channel, leaving him just feeling awkward.

He listens attentively to the information about Zack's home world, trying to create an image of it in his mind. That's easier said than done, but the important thing is trying, he thinks.]

Try not to break anything else.

[It's only a playful "reprimand", though. Since he can't just outright admire someone's monster strength or much anything else, this is his way of acknowledging Zack's talent - and showing his own friendship, in a way.]

Edited 2019-07-10 09:44 (UTC)

[That has him smiling warmly, again.]

I'll just have to ask you to conjure me up more door handles.

[New friendships are good, and he finds that he appreciates how they've fallen into that fairly quickly. He still has more questions about Konoe (those cat ears still) but it's nice to forget about other circumstances and just get to know someone. And at least he knows he's not alone in his new feelings of going through strange new transformations, being a witch or a monster.]

Edited 2019-07-11 15:41 (UTC)

[Konoe's barely-suppressed smile widens at that, enough to almost make him laugh.]

It'll cost you!

[Of course he wouldn't actually charge Zack money, let alone for something so (relatively) simple, but that doesn't mean that he won't threaten to.]

Edited 2019-07-12 10:21 (UTC)

[He barks with an amused laugh and his smile widens.]

What?! You'd charge me?! What kind of cost? Saving you from angry farmers isn't enough?

[Heavy lifting? Moneys? Work? Zack's amused at the joke.]

Who did you save me from?! I didn't see a single angry farmer.

[Honestly, Konoe doesn't know what he'd charge Zack, mostly because he's not planning on charging him anything at all. But it's fun to tease and prod a little.]

I was still keeping watch! For hypothetical angry farmers?! Who knows what they would have done to you!

[He nudges Konoe's shoulder with another casual laugh.]

[Konoe breathes a laugh, himself; he just can't not. Maybe it's partly the pressure of stealing basil falling off of him with the mission a success, but he's also just having a good time, being ridiculous with Zack in general.]

They couldn't have caught me anyway.

[... That's probably true, too. Even so, he only says it to continue their banter.]

Yeah, is that true? Are you able to leap and climb and run like a cat too?

[He's grinning still! Just how much like a cat is he?]

Obviously. I am a cat.

[Konoe doesn't know just how he compares to the tiny cats of this world, having only seen a little of them (and not of the best behaved ones, either...), but he's still a cat himself, so he can say this much with confidence. Only after that confident assertion does he try to give a more serious answer.]

I'm no worse than humans at those things, anyway.

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