middaeg | catch-all (partly open; partly closed)

Entry tags:

catch-all (partly open; partly closed)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's not lost!! ... or that's what he'd like to say. It's too much of a flat-out lie for even Konoe to dare say it, though. In the end, he just lets out a soft, frustrated sigh, and decides not to respond to that particular hypothetical conclusion altogether. Maybe if he ignores it, it will go away...]

... Okay. Let's ask, there.

[Maybe they'll have some sort of city index, or someone will have heard of that Fang person, or at least they can get enough of a general direction that Konoe will recognize something again....

Konoe's note to self: the moment he figures out this magic thing, he needs to figure out some sort of guidance spell to find his way to wherever he needs to go.

Still halfway hugging the cat, Konoe heads into the direction Solas gestures, hoping it is indeed the correct one to get to Undermael College. Not like Konoe knows any better.]

[Luckily it just takes them back to the road Solas was walking on just previously, which has become a well-trod path for him: any other street in Aefenglom and he’d be lost as well.

As Konoe seems closed off, he doesn’t try to break the silence as they walk, and himself seems quite comfortable with it. Though he’s curious and would enjoy conversation, they’ve got an afternoon ahead of them, evidently, and he’s not someone who needs to talk when there’s no need to or when it would be unwanted.

Anyway, he seems to be looking for something he left behind on the busy street -]

Ah. There – my books. [Still where he left them, deposited haphazardly on the pavings. He makes to stride over.] That is a relief – these belong to the library.

[Konoe wouldn't mind conversation, but he's not naturally inclined to start it for no reason, and he's trying to focus on both holding the cat and keeping a better eye on their surroundings so he doesn't get lost again (honestly unlikely). He's comfortable with the silence, anyway. It's kind of nice, not needing to make conversation.]

... You left them in a place like that?

[He's judging. A little. Not that he wouldn't have done the same exact thing a thousand times over, but it's still a little dumb - and this is an easy thing to say when smalltalk is next to impossible.]

Not the most sensible action, no. [He leans down, gathering them up in a pile. Looking at it titles, they’re mostly books on his current area of study – ones on divination and dream-walking.] I am sure the librarians would not appreciate my treating them so.

[He straightens again, books in arms.]

I suppose I am too quick to leave things behind. [Still, he hardly minds. It was better than being encumbered, and he did end up able to help.]

[Konoe stares at the book titles with equal parts envy and repulsion. (Okay, maybe more envy than repulsion!) That's really what he should do to get better at magic: study from books. But he's not that great with books, so he's mostly focused on taking the classes offered by the Coven, and then practicing...

That's not going to make him better than whatever the Coven decides is okay, though, is it? Maybe it's enough for now, but eventually he's going to have to buckle up and improve his reading skills.]

... It's kind of hard dragging heavy things around when running, anyway.

[Which is sorta-kinda-almost an apology for his rudeness before, if you squint. He didn't really mean much of anything by it in the first place, but even he can acknowledge that it wasn't very nice.]

So that's the type of magic you like? Divination, and what not.

[A subject he’s happy to talk about, with the same ease with which he walked in silence, as they fall into step again.]

Not exactly. In my experience, prophecy and soothsaying are dubious concepts at best. [Though Mythal herself had a penchant for delving at length into both: they differed, on that.] I believe we are the ultimate determiners of our fate, not the stars or dregs of tea-leaves.

But to divine is to know, and I seek to know more of this world. To that end, my immediate goal is to walk once more in the realm of dreams, as the master divinators of the Coven claim to do.

[Konoe wonders about that... He wants to believe he can decide his own fate, but if everyone can decide their own fate, then no doubt there are some who would determine others' - and isn't that exactly what happened to him, before? Someone suddenly turned him into entertainment, siccing demons on him and making him cursed. It was like being thrown into the middle of a lake without knowing how to swim: determination and fighting could only get you so far. What, exactly, determined your fate then?]

The realm of dreams, huh... That is where you can find answers?

[There are no gods or threads of fate that cause the world’s greatest tragedies and joys, as far as Solas has seen: there are only people. That does not make the world fair, nor does it mitigate the sad reality that the powerful are oppressive, and that the only choice available to many is the bleak choice to do what they may to survive, day-by-day.

He muses on it idly, but puts it aside: those are old thoughts.]

Perhaps. The wisdom I gleaned from dreams generally served only to give rise to more and more questions. [He seems pleased about it. Life is riddles upon riddles.]

I seek definite answers now. [He frowns, listing off some pertinent questions:] Do our souls walk in the ream of dreams? Where does our magic come from? What will reveal the boundaries of this world?

[If Solas is tickled by all the questions this world brings, Konoe is aggravated by them. He's curious, yes - very much so, in fact - but he barely knows where to start looking for answers. He wasn't exactly the most learned person in his own world, and here, he's completely out of his depth. It's frustrating enough that he'd rather focus on other things than hunting for answers that only bring more questions, more mystery, more frustration. Not that he always manages to hold back the way he tries to...]

... And how did we end up here?

[That sure is a very down-to-earth question compared to the others - Konoe very much means the falling through the mirrors, rather than anything more philosophic about existence - but it's the question he's asked himself most often.]

[With determination:]

Precisely.

[When they understand that, they’ll be that much closer to returning to their worlds. He may even learn how to take from this world, and make his world and his plans for it better: then this will not have all been a devastating waste...]

The Coven is generous to grant us use of their resources. I must make use of them, for the sake of my world. [Though it’s not exactly granted Konoe feels the same strength of commitment to his own world that Solas feels to his, so he looks sidelong, interested.] Do you feel much the same?

[It's a complicated question, even if it doesn't seem to be.]

I don't know... if returning to my world would benefit it.

[He was kind of cursed, supposedly bound to bring about that world's end, for a while there. Even if he no longer seems to be cursed, there's no way of knowing that the curse wouldn't come back if he returned.]

But I at least want to know what happened. And... [He pauses, trying to figure out where to draw the line between what's sensible and what he wants.] If I can let people know that I'm okay, that would be good.

[Few enough people would worry about him, but one or two might. He doesn't want to burden them with unnecessary worries.]

[Lonely words. The gaze Solas is affixing Konoe with becomes sympathetic.]

A sad appraisal to make of yourself.

[Which is not to say it’s wrong: he cannot guess the meaning and context of words from a stranger from a strange world. But he is sensitive to the presence of hidden pain. He does not need to understand to respect it. He adds:]

I hope that, with effort, we will yet find a way to pass such a message back to your world.

[Maybe it is sad, at that. But it is the way it is, and it's nothing personal. Konoe may not always be the most selfless, but he at least knows better than to risk the existence of his world for a selfish desire to return to it.

This world isn't so bad, anyway. It's just kind of lonely, being the only cat.]

Yeah. [He nods in determination. That's honestly as much as he wants to do with his own world. He doesn't want Tokino to think he died. Even if he supposes it's entirely possible he did die, in that world.]

... You want to go back to your world?

[He inclines his head in the affirmative, slow and serious.]

Yes. I could not abandon it now. [Though in effect he did, when he stepped through a mirror - another betrayal he must do what he can to set right.] My world teeters on the brink of final catastrophe. I must do what I can to help save it.

[Were he speaking candidly, he would even say that his world needs him. There’s a marked distinction to be drawn there, between the pair of them.]

[It really is the exact opposite from Konoe, isn't it? Saving the world or destroying it, by design or otherwise. That makes it a little awkward to talk about, but Konoe is still curious.]

What were you going to do? To save it.

[It's not like Konoe can just do the same thing in his own world and be fine... but he'll take any tips he can, at this point.

With the cat in his arms finally calmed down some, he leans down to lick at its ears.]

[He goes to answer – with the preface that the plans made are in no way good plans, and intending to make all the necessary omissions.

But Konoe licking the cat surprises him so much he pulls up short and he laughs aloud, not unkindly. Every day he finds something new and unexpected. He says, with sincere warmth, unable to hold back his curiosity now his ignorance has been revealed:]

I have never met someone of a nature like yours, Konoe. I have known shapeshifters who came to prefer the shape of an animal to that of an elf, but you would not still inhabit the body you do if you were a mere shapeshifter. Who are your people?

[Laughing is fine, but when Konoe belatedly realizes it's laughing at him, he makes a noise that almost sounds like he's coughing up a furball. (Don't worry, he doesn't do that.) Listen, it's not his fault if this is an awkward moment for his motherly(???) instincts to awaken! Grooming is perfectly normal, and he can't believe he hasn't found a single person who realizes this.

He gives the cat another lick on the ear or two - just on principle, and to show how intimidated he isn't - before answering.]

I'm a cat. [Wait - that has only ever lead to confusion before. He glances down at the actual cat in his arms.] A ribika.

Everyone's like this, where I'm from.

[He means the way he looks, more than licking around, but...]

[He can understand the difference. He’ll remember cat, if it’s what Konoe prefers.]

And I am an elf. [An apology is due, so he adds:] I should not have laughed. I was surprised, but that only marks my ignorance.

[As they’ve been walking while chatting, they’ve been strolling through the leafy campus, and are approaching the library entrance now. Inside, there’s a reception desk where Solas means to ask directions as said. He muses:]

You are alone here, then, stranded in a strange world among strange people. [From a lost elf to a lost cat, he sympathises with that.]

[Konoe doesn't really prefer either term. "Cat" is more commonly used where he's from, but it's also more likely to lead to confusion here. Ribika works just as well, but feels a little more formal. It's kind of like "human" and "homo sapiens" are interchangeable, but not quite the same.]

An elf...

[He repeats the unfamiliar term, trying to figure out the defining characteristics of the species. The ears, maybe...? Apart from that, he couldn't tell.

Really, though, isn't it weird that it's always the ears? Or maybe he's just weirdly focused on those without realizing..?]

It's the same for you, right? [He's not offended. Much. Okay, he's a little offended, but he'd rather pretend that nothing happened than to make a big deal out of it.] As long as you realize, it's fine.

[Since Solas called himself ignorant, Konoe can only accept his apology of sorts. There's no point in arguing with someone who's already given in.]

[It’s always the ears.]

Just the same. [Echoed agreeably.]

Is the world of cats much different from Geargadas?

[A material, linear plane, or a world of dreams and spirits where will defines what is real? He suspects, from Konoe’s manner, the former – but the intermingled cat characteristics, which reminds him of shapeshifters and werewolves, leaves him curious about what role spirits might play in it.]

No. This city is a little different, but not much.

[The technology of this place is miles beyond the complete lack of it that Konoe's world has, but apart from that, it's similar enough.]

The forests are like it, too.

The only real difference is the population.

[Only cats, like he said. There are monsters, too, but they're not like the monsters here.

Then there's demons, but the less said about those, the better.]

[A material world, then, as he suspected.]

People do more to give a world character than trees or buildings. That difference could be great.

[Which is true enough – and it’s also true that difference can amount to not much. While talking they draw close enough to the doors that either of them could pop in to the reception desk, so he adds,]

We can ask directions here. How is the cat?

It is... and it isn't.

[It's hard to explain just how different (or not) his world is. For the most part, it's the same. If the population is different, Konoe honestly couldn't tell if that is what makes things different, or if it's just his feeling of detachment, being away from other cats, that's the difference.

It's funny how he never felt any connection to his species, before, yet being away from it makes him realize how much he's missing.]

She's calm. [He looks down at her.] A little hungry, maybe.

That's what you get for running away.

[He says that, but he scritches the cat's ears anyway, his behavior not matching his verbal attitude at all.]

[It’s strange to be alone and far from home. Solas benefits from having this be the second time he’s been unwillingly dragged into a new world, and surrounded by a strange people who not his own but yet are in many ways a mirror of his people. There’s a frame of reference he’s working with that gives him an idea of what Konoe might be feeling.

That sympathy goes into the smile he gives Mrs Mittens.]

Good.

[She yawns and starts to nuzzle Konoe’s fingers.]

Maybe we can impose further and find some lunch for her.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

catch-all (partly open; partly closed)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

call it a thread hereabouts? <: