catch-all (partly open; partly closed)

[catasstrophy]

Who: Konoe and friends acquaintances (and enemies, and whatever)
When: May
Where: ~around~
What: All the things! So far: herb quest with Dylas; Mrs. Mitten quest with... you?
Warnings: The general stupidity of a catboy chasing a cat? 🙀 Will edit as things come up.
Feel free to use the format/tense you're most comfortable with! I will happily adapt.
If you want to wildcard me for whatever, go right ahead. You're likely to find Konoe around the city, following the magic classes the coven's giving, maybe attempting some very minor magic in a secluded spot, sitting on a rooftop looking out over the city and trying not to feel lonely, or... very much lost because he has no sense of direction.

[closed] HERBOLOGY HELP

It's not for the reward that Konoe does this; in fact, he's not sure what the reward even is. But he's been wanting to take a look at the forest, even if it's supposed to be dangerous, and this gives him the perfect excuse to finally do it. And, since he's not alone... he doesn't have to worry about getting lost either. (Shut up.)

It's strange how much the forest feels comfortable and familiar, yet something about it is still very much off. The smell of the trees and plants is not so different than that of the world he grew up in, but there's definitely something odd on top of that, very faint and sickly sweet, yet anything but sweet at the same time. That's new. The Void never smelled like anything... but then, that only made it more dangerous.

This still feels more like home than a city ever could. Konoe appreciates the comforts of a city, but it's hard to beat scents for nostalgia.

"Follow the river in the forest, it said..." And that's what they're doing. "Do you think it's much further?" He doesn't mind either way. He's just trying to make conversation, in his own way - and perhaps trying to calm down somewhat, with that eerie sickly sweet scent lightly prickling at his nose.


[open] MRS. MITTENS

In a city full of magic and monsters, there's a wide variety of things one should expect to see, and very little that should surprise you. Even so, the sight in front of you may raise a few eyebrows.

"Hey - wait!" There's a young man with a tail and cat ears, his hood long since fallen off his head and flapping behind him like the rest of his mantle. He's running at a pretty impressive speed, jumping obstacles... and perhaps knocking over a thing or two (hopefully not a person or two) in the process, oops.

That's not really the noteworthy thing here, though. The strangest thing to note is that he's chasing... a cat. The catboy is chasing a cat.

"I'll give you milk, so come here already!" He remembers that these Cats are supposed to like milk. He has still not accepted that they apparently - supposedly - can't talk, though... and even if he did, he expects them to at least understand what he's saying.

Clearly this particular Cat is just very rude.

Comments

i didn't think he could do it, let alone so quickly. yako is just that good

[catasstrophy]

He opens his eyes when she tells him to - something he'll choose not to think about later, embarrassing as it is to just follow orders like that - and even though he didn't really doubt his success as such... it's still another thing entirely to see it. The moment he does, the ball of light flares up, and he has to focus to keep it from exploding altogether.

"We really... did it."

He's not sure himself why he's so shocked, but he is. Maybe there's a difference between thinking he can do it and believing it, after all.

It's her turn now, and he knows it, but he doesn't want to end the moment just yet.

"Can you... let go?" He wants to see if he can keep it up by himself, now that they've gotten it started.

[topslug]

Yako can sympathize with that need for independence all too well -- the need to see for yourself that you have the strength and ability to do something on your own, without wondering if you're only succeeding because someone else is propping you up.

"Of course," she says, still smiling broadly. Her hands move off Konoe's, but not all at once, like she's slowly letting him go to carry a weight on his own instead of shocking him with an abrupt departure. Not that she's sure that's how magic really works, but it helps somewhat to think of it that way, like her mind still needs the analogies she's familiar with even if magic doesn't at all obey the laws of physics.

[catasstrophy]

He maintains the ball of light for a moment or two, three longer, growing more confident in the feeling. It's steady, too - but then he has to undo it. If they could make it, though... surely undoing it is easier?

It's like popping a bubble, in a way: he just gives a little poke to let the magic forming the ball of light disperse again, and that's exactly what it does. Maybe it was just a short experiment, but he doesn't want to push his luck - and he wants Yako to have a chance to try, too.

"Your turn."

[topslug]

Yako can't help but sigh when the light dissipates -- but with Konoe offering to take over her role, she supposes it's not as though he could be expected to keep it up forever.

"Right." Tucking up a bit of hair behind one ear, she brings her hands in front of her again, nose screwing up with determination. She's never had much luck with this before, but Konoe's success makes her want to try her best, too! "Um ... I don't think you need to do it the same way I did. Do what feels right for you."

[catasstrophy]

"Right..." What feels right for him, though? He's never done anything like this before coming here, so 'right' is a very nebulous concept.

He puts his hands under hers, thinking about a way to make this his own. Maybe that's not easy, but it's the only way he'll ever get any good at this magic anyway, right? He'll just have to do it.

"... I'm not going to say the incantation out loud. If that's okay."

His Singing never used his voice, either, and that was different for every singing cat: maybe that will be something he does with this world's magic, too.

[topslug]

Yako waits for Konoe to figure out what he's comfortable with, though his question seems to surprise her a little -- it certainly draws a smile.

"That's definitely okay," she assures him. "I'm going to start trying now."

With that much warning given, it's a matter of closing her eyes and concentrating, trying to find that elusive pull of magic in her. Given how out of her experience magic is -- demons and the like aside -- associating magic with herself is still difficult.

[catasstrophy]

Even if Yako isn't associating magic with herself, Konoe still is. He knows her, and he knows she has magic. He also knows that they were able to pull this off together just before, so he absolutely believes that they can do it this way around, as well.

He closes his eyes as well, feeling her hands in his. The warmth of them is comfortable, more than just physical somehow, and he focuses on adding to it, giving the feeling a little push by focusing on thinking of that incantation.

If he doesn't, like, burn their hands, it will be successful?? Thankfully the incantation will probably save them from any damage.

[topslug]

Even as she runs over the words of the incantation in her head, Yako's already thinking, trying to imagine what she can try to do differently. When she'd tried this before, she couldn't summon so much as a twinkle between her hands. She feels the warmth of Konoe's hands against her own, and that's pleasantly grounding, something that reminds her she isn't alone.

Maybe making a ball of light isn't in the cards for her, but what if she tried a different kind of light instead? She bites her bottom lip briefly before she starts to recite the spell, concentrating on the image she wants to produce in her mind's eye.

Nothing very much happens, at first. And then slowly, one by one, small motes of light begin to lazily drift up from their joined hands, more like small fireflies lazily taking flight than the same concentrated light that Konoe was producing before.

[catasstrophy]

It takes a moment, but Konoe is uncharacteristically patient, even as he opens his eyes and stares at Yako's hands in his: he has absolute confidence in Yako's ability to do this. If she needs a little bit of time to find her way, then that only makes sense: Konoe thinks nothing of it. He doesn't do more than he did before, just keeping up his steady support the best way he knows how. Maybe it isn't much, but it's solid, unmovable. For someone trying to find their own way, that seems best.

He's not disappointed, either. The first little speck of light confirms his trust, but when more and more of them appear, he gasps in utter awe. Okay, so it's not a concentrated ball of light - but it's a million times more beautiful, and he's absolutely mesmerized.

eventually they'll discover how to make magic laser pointers and then konoe will die

[topslug]

The sound he makes has Yako opening her eyes quickly, worried that something's gone wrong -- only for her to gasp in turn. In her case, it's less about being caught by the sight, and more struck by what it means. She is a Witch, after all. She can do magic.

She doesn't say anything for a moment, though her own surprise has already cut off the spell, startling her out of holding her concentration. It seems the particles of light don't have much trouble persisting on their own a little longer, though whether that's because of the effort both of them have put into their respective spells or simply a quirk of her own casting is hard to tell, but the lights settle on their clothes and hair for now, and Yako stifles a laugh before leaning forward, turning her hands so she can clasp Konoe's and leaning in to whisper like it's some great big secret.

"Looks like we can do magic, after all."

NGL HE'S ALREADY INTO THE SPARKLIES but needs more movement, yes (please make this happen)

[catasstrophy]

It's a strange but beautiful experience, like standing right in the middle of a starry sky. The lights settle here and there, and that's both funny and kind of pretty in ways Konoe had never put much thought into before.

She grabs his hands, and he can't help a smile, as sincere as it is faux-conspiratorial.

"Obviously."

Said as if it's the most normal thing in the world. But the fact that they both know it isn't - shouldn't be, for them - is what makes it such a fun inside joke.

future witch hangouts just turn into konoe tripping on his own private planetarium

[topslug]

The moment's one of triumph for both of them, and so Yako will let them savor it for a little longer, having to press a hand against her mouth to stifle a giggle at Konoe's cockiness. She's used to a certain amount of strangeness in her life, for certain, but this is still on another level of extraordinary, even if she knows it's the very simplest of what magic in this world can accomplish.

In a few seconds, most of the lights have faded, though there's one still twinkling on one of Konoe's ears and in Yako's hair. The urge to brush it off is put on hold for a moment though, as Yako's expression grows a bit more sober as her hands slowly slide away from his.

"I guess we have to learn how to, right? You know, so we don't..." Is there a nice way to say 'blow up'? There really isn't. But the risks of underutilized magic potential, abstract as it may be to apply it to themselves, have been made pretty explicit.

omg he would literally die, send help

[catasstrophy]

"Yeah. If we're going to do it, we can't do it halfway."

There's probably some way to avoid magical explosions, if you never try magic at all - much of the population is like that, it seems - but that's only if you never use magic. And Konoe wants to use it. Not using magic in a world like this feels like too much of a handicap. He wants to be able to defend himself, even if it requires fighting fire with fire.
... Or, you know. Less scary things than that.

He's not worried about exploding, himself. It seems straightforward enough to use magic and so avoid going supernova: it's not exactly a complicated process they have to go through. Maybe if he witnesses such an explosion at some point, he'll feel differently, but for now? It's theoretical knowledge that barely affects him.

[topslug]

Yako nods in agreement. She has her own worries about the matter, of course, with a personality much more inclined to takes warnings seriously -- but his certainty bolsters her own confidence some, making her sit up a little straighter.

Though the next subject she brings up might be potentially even more uncomfortable than potentially going supernova.

"So does that mean you're going to take a Bond?"

[catasstrophy]

Uncomfortable? Maybe not, but that Bond thing is certainly a little weird. Only a little, though.

Konoe's next exhale comes out a little too loud at the start, like he started to say something already but realized he didn't know the right thing to say. He takes another breath, buying himself some time to think.

"Probably. Since it's important." That's the logical part of himself talking, small as it is, but it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what he feels about the topic. "I don't think that's something to do on a whim, though." Bonding itself never is, of course, but he's mostly talking about choosing who to bond with. "I don't want to do it just to get it over with, either."

If he's going to take a Bond, he wants it to be something that works for both parties, something they're both committed to. Maybe he's setting his standards too high, though...

please, konoe’s standards amount to “who can give him endless kuim fruit”

[topslug]

“Of course, the ideal situation is finding someone who you feel comfortable being your partner...” Reality often falls short of the ideal, though, as Yako’s had ample experience with. Should they set their expectations low and be pleasantly surprised?

“But I also heard that Bonds that don’t work out can be annulled, so I think I’d be fine being someone’s emergency backup if they couldn’t find someone else they liked more.”

Yako has less hang ups about giving someone a direct connection to her, given she once let a shapeshifting serial killer in her head...

i mean... you're not wrong

[catasstrophy]

Yako, please... At least anyone should be easy after that.

Funnily enough, Konoe isn't all that worried about letting people into his head, even if he should be. He's always been the one to feel other people's emotions, burdened by the empathy that he's thankfully rid of now, but the other way around? He doesn't fully understand the consequences, maybe. He considers himself direct and honest - and, for the most part, he is, so in that respect he has nothing to hide. Perhaps the problem is that he doesn't even realize just how much he truly feels much of the time, downplaying it for his own sake as much as others'.

"I don't want to be anyone's emergency backup. And I don't want anyone to be my emergency backup, either." Only when he's stated his opinion so bluntly and certainly - for he really is certain about it - does he try to fill in the resulting blanks for himself. "If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. I don't mind annulling. But I'm going to take a Bond, I at least want to go into it with conviction."

He... is probably setting his standards too high. But he feels the way he feels, and that's not likely to change anytime soon.

[topslug]

Wow, Konoe’s actually kind of a picky guy, huh? Yako cant help but smile at the way he says that, so firmly resolved.

“I think, if that’s what you want to do, then you’ll definitely find a good partner to Bond with.” And she means it in earnest, too, not as empty flattery. “Still, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who’s thought about it. I guess it’s not the most important thing right now.”

Admittedly... most of her important thoughts tend to revolve around food.

[catasstrophy]

Food is very important. Konoe would never deny this.

He'll 'definitely find a good partner', huh..? It's strange to hear her say that; it's stranger still to have it feel like a huge compliment. Konoe has always prided himself in his independence: needing a Bond at all should be an annoyance if anything.

So why do her kind words actually make him feel something? Did his awakening as a Sanga make him more likely to partner up, somehow? Is it just because it's Yako giving him a compliment that he cares?

"... I wouldn't be so sure." When in doubt about even a clearly sincere compliment: deflect! "The guy I bonded with back home was the worst."

Okay, maybe not the worst. But he was still pretty bad in some ways, and Konoe would like to state that for the record, if only because it may make him feel better about being away from him.

[topslug]

If asked, Yako would say anyone would be lucky to have Konoe as a partner, obviously. After all, he’s a sincere, earnest guy — or has been, in her experience, prickliness aside. You never have to second guess someone like that.

Oblivious to Konoe’s brief internal crisis, Yako tilts her head curiously. Maybe they should go back to trying out more magic, but she’s honestly happy for a better chance to get to know Konoe too. They might have been sharing the same room (and bed!) since they got here, but that doesn’t mean they’ve talked much about themselves or the circumstances they came from, and she hopes he’s in a sharing mood.

“So bonds exist back in your world, too? Is it like how it is here, or different?” She’s curious exactly what sort of guy Konoe got bonded with, too, but that’s definitely a question to sneak in later...

[catasstrophy]

Konoe is rarely if ever in a sharing mood, but that's mostly because he doesn't see the point, and he never knows when and where to start; it's not like he insists on keeping everything about himself a secret. They really should be continuing their magic training, but it's been a success so far, and the conversation topic is... vaguely related.

"It's definitely different." Enough so that he now feels kind of silly for comparing them in the first place. But then, he's never once talked about his few friends... acquaintances... from home, and he really does miss them.

Now that he's come this far, it still feels kind of awkward to talk about it. He likes Yako; he trusts Yako. That's not the problem. Maybe he just doesn't entirely trust his own feelings... or his ability to keep them under control. There's a brief silence as he figures out roughly what he wants to say.

"Where I'm from, everyone is a cat. Most cats are Fighting Cats - actually, almost everyone is."

This used to be so normal to him. Talking about it now, in a world very different from his own, makes him feel like a weirdo. But he decided to talk about this, so he will.

"But some people are Singing Cats. They can Sing - with their voice, or an instrument, or without actual sound at all - to support a Fighting Cat, making them faster, and stronger..." The more he says, the weirder he feels. Halfway explaining, halfway apologetic, he adds: "I guess... it's kind of like magic, but... it's no good for anything other than fighting."

Not for Singing Cats, anyway. The same may not apply to creepy stalking wizards.

[topslug]

As foreign as the concept sounds to Yako, if she listens, she gets it. So in some sense it isn’t different from Aefenglom’s population being divided into either monsters or witches, but referring to ability rather than magical makeup. She can guess which kind Konoe is, and she touches her hand briefly to her chin.

“But that means Singing Cats help keep the Fighting Cat they’re with on their feet, right? Being able to support a partner like that... it’s pretty amazing, if you ask me.” She pauses. “Do you know why there are fewer Singing Cats? Do they spend time fighting those monsters you mentioned before?”

[catasstrophy]

"... It's definitely an asset, having a Singing Cat." Which is about as much as he can say. He was shocked, finding out he was a Singing Cat, but he's always been aware of where he needs to improve more than counting his blessings... and circumstances and his 'partner' hadn't been such that he could sit back and enjoy what he had, either.

"It's just that not everyone has the ability to Sing... though I wonder how many people have it in them, but never realize it." Especially in an individualistic, survival-oriented world like his. It might be different in the big city, but most villages are probably as isolated and hardened as Konoe's. "... I only found out I was a Singing Cat a little while before coming here, myself."

Why is this so awkward to talk about? Is it just because it's all in the past, and he's pretty sure he couldn't Sing even if he wanted to anymore? (Why would he even want to, when there are no other cats to sing for?) Is it just that he misses other cats in spite of his best intentions to the contrary? He's met so many nice people since coming here, but in spite of that he's felt even more like an outcast than when he was cursed.

"That... probably happens." Fighting monsters. "There are bounty hunters who focus on that kind of work. But even fighting other cats, like bandits, it's good to have some help." Except that Rai sure hadn't needed help with that, most of the time...

It's really stupid and pointless, wondering what people back home think of him now that he's gone. He doesn't even know if any time has passed, there.

[topslug]

That thread of awkwardness Konoe’s struggling with ...Yako can pick up on it, at least enough to wonder at the cause of it, too. Some of it can just be put down to the difficulty of explaining something so unique and taken for granted to someone with no frame of reference for it, but ‘an asset,’ Konoe says. A world of bounty hunters and bandits, of fighting cats and singing cats. Konoe’s home doesn’t sound kind, or at least not his part of it, so it’s all the more surprising it would produce someone like Konoe, who can’t seem to hide much of what he’s feeling any given moment at all. That kind of vulnerability can be a liability.

“Did you only find out you were a Singing Cat when you met your partner?” Yako finally asks, more directly than she’d originally intended to. Even if she has an inkling of Konoe’s feelings on being a Singing Cat just from how he talks about it, she thinks that the most revealing thing would certainly be the relationship he associates with it. “What kind of person are they?”

[catasstrophy]

"A little afterwards... technically." Did their first meeting even count as a meeting, though? ... Then again, had their second meeting been any better?! Things had just sort of happened, and while Konoe had warmed to Rai somewhat, he sincerely doubted the reverse was also true.

Well, it's whatever. Not like there's any point in thinking about that now.

"He's the kind of guy who'd fight you just to test your strength, whether he ends up killing you in the process or not, because 'if you're not strong enough, you'll probably be killed by bandits anyway'." ... Yeah. Yeah, that sure is a thing that happened - though clearly Konoe didn't die, so it's... okay? Or more okay than it might have been. "He's abrasive and rude. He always does whatever he wants, and he always wants to have things his way." Not that Konoe ever let him, beyond where their goals happened to align.

"But... he's also the kind of guy who doesn't give up no matter what dangers you're facing, even if they seem impossible to fight." Maybe that doesn't seem like much, compared to all the negatives, but Konoe appreciated having that particular strength to lean on. He hates giving up, but when you're suddenly cursed and all alone in the world, targeted by forces unknown... it's really not so bad, having someone like Rai next to you. "And, if he's on your side, even if it's for his own reasons... he doesn't give up on you, either."

It had been years since Konoe'd had someone looking out for him in a very practical sense. He hadn't needed anyone like that either, of course! But when the curse happened -... It was when he'd needed support the most, but also when he could objectively have least expected it. He couldn't and wouldn't have blamed Rai for ditching or even killing him.