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[whattail]

Characters: Konoe and you
Date: May 1st
Location: Dreaming Bridge, randomly around the city
Situation: There's a very lost and confused catboy who's arrived in the city. This place is too strange for him to handle
Warnings/Rating: None yet, except for possible catscratches


~A~

The city of Aifaran and the Dreamfolk that now inhabited it were probably used to a variety of strange sights, and todays was a young man with cat ears and a crooked tail despairingly clawing at a wooden post. A shopkeeper had been breaking down his stall, only to find Konoe attached to the last piece he needed to take care of. He knew how to deal with mungas attacking people's ankles, but a person sized animal? No one was sure how to react.

Konoe himself was just sinking his claws into the wood trying to calm the anxiety of all the strange bright lights and sounds around him, his tail swaying nervously back and forth.

~B~

The next thing Konoe knew was that he was being accosted by some human-like looking creatures. He understood they were probably after money, but the only money he had was the stipend that was paid to newcomers. Konoe knew in cities like this not having money was a bad idea but his pride also didn't allow him to back down.

His fur was standing up and eyes narrowed into slits. "I said I had no business with you and to not bother me."
He was drawing his sword at this point, and the would-be muggers looked less than friendly. Maybe now would be a good time to step in for everyone's sake.

~C~--Closed to Zephyr--

This was exhausting. Konoe, thanks to the kindness of some Kin'nal and Dreamfolk, finally managed to find his way to the Dreaming Bridge where he supposedly had a room to stay. It was better than nothing, he musing, sniffing around the rest of the room and finding it surprisingly familiar like he was back in Bardo's inn. He only allowed himself a little bit of homesickness before picking one of the beds that didn't have a person's scent on it and curling up under the blankets.

He started grooming his fur, but the bed was so soft and comfortable that he soon fell asleep as a lump beneath the blankets, the tip of his tail slightly peeking out from under the sheets.

~D~
Wildcard? You have your own plan? Go for it.

Comments

[whattail]

"Two Canes are supposed to be gods. They walk around on two sticks like legs, have very large heads, and can tunnel through the ground and fly." Konoe was beginning to wonder if what he was encountering might in fact be a Two Cane-they looked so much like him-but that was even harder for him to believe.

At least he wasn't picking up any painful surges of anger and killing intent anymore, so this guy probably wasn't going to chop him with his axe. "I've never been called an elf. We're cats, or ribika."

[bestofthevein]

Unless Konoe has access to a particularly large trebuchet capable of launching stocky, dense dwarves, Kit definitely cannot fly.

"Cats," Kit ends up repeating again, and gives his head a slight nod, as thought to confirm for himself that a talking cat man makes about as much sense in this place as any of the other weird shit he's seen since arriving. (He's got a pet rabbit-owl, after all.)

He fetches out a cigarette and lights it, because frankly, who's going to stop him. "I'm Kit," he introduces himself, blows out a whorl of smoke, and nods back at Konoe. "What's your name?"

[whattail]

Konoe certainly wasn't going to stop him, but he did wrinkle his nose and take a couple steps away from the cigarette. It was a bit smaller than the pipes he saw other cats at the bar smoke, but it still had an awful smokey smell to it.

"...Konoe," He said after a moment's hesitation. He still didn't know what to make of this short man, but the sword was finally put away. Konoe didn't send any more danger or anger after all, though he kept his ears on alert for any sounds. "You never told me what you are, since you're not a cat. Are you a Two Cane?"

[bestofthevein]

He notes Konoe's aversion to the cigarette smoke and sort of makes an attempt at holding it down wind--but he's not going to put it out. "Nice to meet you," he says once he gets the guy's name, and while he's not exactly sure that the meeting has been nice, it stands to reason that it doesn't have to go downhill from here.

"I'm definitely not a Two Cane. I'm a dwarf," he replies affably and gestures at himself, like it should be obvious. "Just a regular person, like a human or an elf. Nothing special."

[whattail]

"A dwarf..." He hadn't heard that word before. Konoe hadn't really seen someone like this before, and it wasn't just the height. He was quite cool and stoic looking as well as strong, but nothing like any of the ribika he'd seen.

"I think I've heard of humans. Kaltz and Razel mentioned that's what Two Canes were called. I've never seen anything like you."

[bestofthevein]

"I think I've heard of humans. Kaltz and Razel mentioned that's what Two Canes were called. I've never seen anything like you."

"Yeah, well," Kit starts to say, taking an interest in his cigarette, and then gives a vague gesture around them. Not just the street, of course, but the city itself, and the turtle that they're stuck riding around on in the middle of this ocean. "I haven't seen anything like most of this place before. Continents made out of giant turtles, rabbits with bird wings--cats that talk," he adds, smirking a little. Up comes the cigarette for a drag, before he turns his face to the side to breathe it out again. "I figure this is all just the beginning."

[whattail]

Konoe just sniffed in the best form of contempt he could muster, but it wasn't much. This man had a friendly demeanor and lack of aggression that made it hard for him to stay mad at. Even if he did smoke those terrible smelling herbs.

"The beginning of what? Do I really have to stay here? Everything's so noisy."

[bestofthevein]

...all right, maybe he is going to put the cigarette out--but not without taking one last drag from it and then blowing the smoke out down wind from Konoe. (He's nice that way.)

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replies, shrugging, but he hasn't lost his crooked smile. Maybe it's a touch wistful, or maybe it's just a trick of the street lights. "I'm in no rush to go back to where I came from. Can't beat the sunshine," he adds.

Also, y'know, he's dead back in Thedas, so there's that.

[whattail]

"I have to get back!" Konoe couldn't just leave the matter with Leaks undone, and there was still the matter of the devils. "I can't just run away from my problems like that."

Even on days when he wished he could, Konoe knew that it was a bad idea. He'd just rather face his enemies head on rather than dying-especially with ones that were just toying with his and everyone's lives. "Don't they have a way to solve this or something? Some magic?"

[bestofthevein]

"I can't just run away from my problems like that."

Hey, speak for yourself, kiddo, running away from his problems is what Kit does best. (Or worst, depending on which way you decide to slice it. He did end up dead.)

He drops the cigarette to the ground and puts out the burning ember with the toe of his boot. Easier to look at the ashen remains of it than the earnest hope in Konoe's expression; poor kid. "I don't think so, salroka," he admits, grimacing. "I think if the folks at Aisling Tower could figure that out, there'd be far fewer Dreamfolk here than there are. The way it looks to me is we're all here until the Dreaming decides it's done with us."

A moment's hesitation, before he says a little more quietly, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I know what it's like, to want to fix something so badly, even when you can't."

[whattail]

Konoe had pretty much known all of that despite his limited experience with magic, but it was still disheartening to hear. He knew he wasn't the only one in this situation and that he wasn't immediately in danger-yet. But he still had unresolved business that involved his very life.

"Do you? That black cat is just going to keep tormenting me and the Void is just going to keep spreading the longer I go without dealing with him. I don't even know if I'll survive here for very long if he finds out how to bring back my curse here too. Devils can travel very far!"