logs | [closed] no cat puns allowed

[ why would leaks check to see if a tree has already been claimed by another? perhaps it's a lack of foresight, a hint of arrogance, and a habit formed a long time ago by knowing he would be alone almost one hundred percent of the time. he'd logically come to those conclusions eventually, but... maybe this will be a lesson he'll need to learn. check the tree before you choose it as your resting place for the day.

because, well. the cough causes both of those ears to twitch. then the question? he slowly opens one eye. his heart? calm for now. again, he thinks about the fact that if he were in danger, then he would've been dispatched. if he were in this person's position, leaks wouldn't have thought any further. easy is as easy does. ]

... does it look like I am carrying around this book as some kind of decoration?

[ he sits up straight, not bothering to look up yet. ]

Reading is a better activity than watching people.

[He sees the twitch, mismatched eyes narrowing in scrutiny, wondering if it's a trick of the light. No. Those are cat ears. Sasuke slings his legs over the branch of the tree, then drops down gracefully into the grass a few feet away. His cloak flutters with the movement; there's a glimpse of the sword at his waist, but otherwise he keeps his body relaxed to show that he means no harm.]

You were sleeping, not reading.

[Or, at least, it had seemed that way by the man's (cat's?) posture, as well as the calm, rhythmic breathing.]

I was watching to see if you were a threat. I still can't tell. [There's something there, he thinks, he can feel the vague pulse of a sensation. But it is nothing like Grimmjow, or anyone else he has met, and it certainly isn't chakra.] At the moment, you seem harmless enough.

Was not.

[ now the ears fold. they go flat and still against top of his head, as leaks does his best to keep a growl and a hiss out of his voice. hard not to, though--- lying is easier when you're not caught flat footed and he's been practically been found prone.

what catches his attention isn't the sight of the young man, but the way that he falls. that his movements have been 'silent'. eyes go to the weapon, and he takes note of it as well. there are things that make him wonder why humans disappeared from his world, and perhaps if they were all like this one, they would have survived. something about sasuke reminds him of his own race. ]

I am only a threat if you are. [ he sniffs. ] Would you consider yourself one?

[ but leaks does conclude that, regardless of his answer, this one can be dangerous. ]

[Now on the earth, Sasuke kneels, seating himself on the grass. There's no purpose to remain standing; his sword is adjusted at his waist to lay across his own lap, eyes flickering briefly to the movement of ears. It's difficult not to look at them, for their quick movements, too telling of tone.]

Yes. [Incongruent to his current attitude, cross-legged a short distance away. His voice is flatly assured.] It would be negligent to claim otherwise. Though not to you, and not right now.

[He frowns, an expression fit comfortably on a dour face.]

Are you native to this world? I haven't seen your kind before.

[ pragmatic. he likes that in a person. most cats are instinctual, rely on reaction, and end up getting themselves killed. that's why he's survived--- fear doesn't drive him mad, only the actions of others and the lack of thinking behind them do. it's why he prefers the silence of a forest and the quiet of his own mind and not the hustle and bustle of more occupied places...

and leaks also likes seeing that expression. malcontent fits everyone better than a smile does. that's what he wants to believe, anyway. ]

No, I am not. [ he leans forward, raising his knees up to his chest and wrapping his hands around where his calves would be if the lower half of his robes didn't cover his legs. ] And by that, do you mean Ribika?

[ leaks clears his throat. ]

Though I suppose it would be easier to just refer to my kind as cats, as that is what we are.

[Ribika. The foreign word doesn't register, but he is not surprised by that. Having a name for the species – cats, as he had guessed – confirms to him that this person must not be native to the Netherworld. All of the other Restless he's encountered in the city properly have been human. Outside that, only mindless monsters, roaming the dark and unstable underground passages in the wild.]

I've never heard of Ribika. [The answer comes honestly.] Some of your features do resemble a cat, though you seem mostly human to me otherwise.

[Perhaps absurdly, he is reminded of the ninneko of his own world, intelligent creatures trained in the shinobi arts despite their species. Generally more companions or allies to human shinobi, yet capable all the same.

Mismatched eyes drop, as if searching to see if this Ribika has a tail as well as the ears.] What is your name?

[ if on cue, that tail of his does finally squirm its way out from below him, the tip of it finally touching air after being cramped inside of those robes of his. he has no reason to explain anything to him. there's no advantage gained or disadvantage wiped away. all this to say--- why should he answer this man?

and yet the idea of educating him is more palatable than silence. ]

At one point in our history, humans existed in our world. However after some time they completely disappeared. It is said we are descendants of them. I do not know if that is true.

[ he looks off to the side. ]

My name is Leaks. What is yours?

[Descendants of humans. The idea is new to him, but not unbelievable given all he's seen of this place since his own arrival. It isn't like him to keep a closed mind either way.]

Leaks. [Repeated carefully, brows furrow.] ... The vegetable?

[Leeks. No, that is not in fact correct, but he won't know this. The appearance of the tail is briefly distracting — mismatched eyes follow its quick, lithe movement.]

Uchiha Sasuke, but just 'Sasuke' is fine. Uchiha is my family name. It's customary for those of my culture to list our given name last. [He's noticed differently of many others in the Netherworld so far.] It must be strange to you, being here surrounded by humans now.

[ he winces. ]

Vegetable...?

[ there's a vegetable that shares his name in some other world? that's embarrassing. the catte's face immediately brightens, turning a soft shade of red that has him turn his head so that sasuke can't see it right away. ]

No, not a vegetable. [ he can feel his fur puff up a little. there's a flicker of anger that crosses his face, but it fades quickly. ] And I only have one name.

[ not that he'd have a family name. ]

It is not that strange. I did not make it a habit to surround myself with others of my kind. So in a way... there are no differences.

[ just a personal observation. nothing more, nothing less. ]

Do you find my appearance to be unusual? Are you fond of cats, Sasuke?

[At the strange reaction, Sasuke frowns. It isn't in his nature to apologize if he's offended someone else; he is not even certain that is what has happened. Yet he notices the tail and reddened face — all signs point to some sort of response evoked from the benign question of curiosity.

In his mind, it isn't unusual to imagine a cat being named after a vegetable. He's never named any of the strays he's encountered yet in the Netherworld, but if he had, it isn't a bad idea.]

'Fond'... It isn't that. They remind me of the past. [You remind me of the past, he almost says, even if the admission might be ludicrous. Leaks isn't the same as the ninneko of his own world — not physically, at least.] It is true that your appearance is unusual. I have met cats capable of conversing and interacting with humans before, but they were smaller, and had more fur than you.

Why were you alone?

[ he likes that answer. the past isn't always good. in fact, leaks might be of the mentality that the past is usually the opposite. how often are positive memories brought up when thinking about what has happened? he can't answer that question. he has none to draw upon.

leaks snorts, a derisive and condescending noise, as he shakes his head. ]

Because I am not to be trusted. Black fur is cursed. Surely you must have similar stories.

[ the cat slowly stretches back out, dragging the heels of his boots through the grass. ]

Or perhaps it is too late, and you will also be cursed simply by knowing me.

[Eyes stray to the side, a granite expression refusing to reveal the effect those words have on him. His attention flickers briefly at Leaks' movement, but when he sees that it isn't an imposition on his own circle of personal space, he returns to a deep, thoughtful stillness. His reply comes at long length.]

I don't believe that is enough to sow distrust. The color of your fur means nothing to me. [It isn't so surreal to imagine a curse was crafted out of so shallow a reason — clearly there is more to it, to these stories Leaks mentions.] I've heard of no such taboo.

The same could be said for myself. [His gaze returns, but now his right eye is a luminous red next to the pale, patterned left.] You won't know what these eyes mean, but to someone from my world, they promise misfortune. Not only for what they can do but for their history.

[He's never revealed even this much to someone else in the Netherworld regarding his eyes. It feels appropriate now.]

When fear is your motivator and anger replaces your logic... I would agree.

[ no amount of arguing, pleading, begging, or hard facts would sway a crowd of angry and riled up morons. combine that with the subtle manipulation of another party wanting power and found that to be the way to give themselves credence? well. there was nothing leaks could do. especially when he also fell to those same two things, albeit in a different way.

but he looks at that eye, then the other. both of his ears immediately perk up. ]

I see. [ now that's interesting. the pattern is unlike anything he's seen before. perhaps it's a word? a letter? he can't tell. either way, he can certainly understand how it could be misconstrued as such. ]

Just like me.

[ similar yet different. but. ]

Perhaps we are both destined for an undeserved end.

[His eyes close, briefly, at those words. The gesture is almost meaningful given the topic of their discussion. Fear and anger — both are weighted in the context of the shinobi world, or any world, where conflict occurs. He's never known a place without it. He once thought he could wipe all of that away, perhaps an arrogance cultivated through his own emotions of suffering.]

People tend to fear what they don't understand. [Sasuke says it, but it feels strange coming from his own mouth. As if he's borrowing the idea from someone else.] But for that 'undeserved end'...

Do you remember what happened? It's said we've died to come to this place.

[So does Leaks have that memory?]

[ sasuke's right, and he nods a couple of times in agreement. it's the unknown that drives people into making impulsive and irrational decisions. they may not always be the wrong ones, but they usually are--- and it's at those times when it's best to take advantage of them. ]

I do.

[ and the cat hums lightly, looking off in the distance. mostly to avoid sasuke's gaze as he thinks out loud. ]

Regardless of the outcome, I was going to lose my life. I would say that the world is better without me. Whether this one will be too, who knows?

[ does a good person say such things? ]

[I would say the world is better without me. It's stated with such certainty that he looks at Leaks for a long moment, reluctant to acknowledge his own agreement with that disparaging sentiment toward his own self. Yet the difference is that he has never dared to say it aloud. Leaks seems at home in the confession, as if it is just another truth in his life.]

I don't know what you've done. But I can truthfully say that I understand what you mean. Still, I believe there is a reason we are here, if only to reflect upon those things that happened to us while we were alive. The actions we've committed.

[Even as difficult as it's proven, Oblivium itself vying to drag them down into the worst, blackest thoughts.]

Are you here alone, or are there others from your world? Other Ribika.

[ repentance? for him? impossible. he doesn't need to think about the countless number of lives he's taken, doesn't need to contemplate how his actions have impacted all of catte-kind. casualties in the hundreds, possibly more. guilt will not make him better. ]

I am alone. Even if I were not, I would not actively seek those who may recognize me. I do not wish for that to happen.

[ his thoughts as of late have never been clearer, though he can feel the probing darkness trying to find a way in. ]

I would rather be... with those of your race. Of others. I would rather continue to learn than look over my shoulder every waking moment.

[He can tell there must be a reason Leaks would rather avoid his own kind, but he doesn't press further, respecting what he senses is a heavier burden beneath those words.]

Learning is an admirable desire on its own. Not everyone is interested in that. They'd rather hold onto the past.

[Eyes dart away, not wanting to expose how it makes him feel to say that much. Because he is likelier to be the one trapped in the past — rather than moving forward. If only it were so easy. He'd agree, though, that not being recognized is a nice side effect of their circumstances.]

... I need to go. But if you have questions about humans in the future, you can ask me. [Sasuke reaches one-handed into a pouch at his hip, removing a blank strip of paper, then a pen. He draws a symbol onto it: 火.] If you want to contact me, look for this symbol on the Netherwork. It's the one I use instead of my name.

[ if he had to categorize their meeting, he would call it amiable. something for leaks to remember in the future--- not just the symbol but the way he holds himself. someone also with a background similar to his own. a wariness that matches his own. one that might hold themselves against what they've known and experienced versus the possibilities lingering in the present and potentially in the future. ]

I appreciate your willingness in sating my curiosities.

[ he allows himself to smile. a thin yet serious one. ]

Thank you. I will make sure to look for you. Take care of yourself...

[closed] no cat puns allowed

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sorry for the delay, holidays got me

<3

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🎀