[closed] no cat puns allowed

[dissonyance]

WHO: Leaks & 'friends'
WHERE: Stygia
WHEN: November
WHAT: Catch-all for the month
WARNINGS: Nothing yet; will update when needed


[ starters below for the month!
want something? just PM me and let's set something up!
alternatively, touch my plotting post here. ]

Comments

[dissonyance]

[ leaks blinks a few times. did this man really just say what he heard? he's pretty sure... and then he scrunches up his face in confusion. ]

What?

[ the concept of anyone trying to touch his ears is mindblowing. ]

No one would dare touch mine. [ he scowls, as one of them twitch in an equal amount of irritation. ] Is that what all humans enjoy doing? Touching the ears of cattes as if they enjoy it?

[salvageable]

Oh? You're a cat... person?

[ That makes sense... Those do look like cat ears, after all. Dokja doesn't put too much thought into the question next asked because it's kind of easy to answer? Don't most cats enjoy being scratched behind the ears? He'd occasionally run into a friendly street cat or two, and they'd put up with it.

So he shrugs his shoulders in response. ]

The cats that I've pet seemed to like it.

[dissonyance]

[ he winces. yeah, at the most basic of definitions, leaks is indeed a 'cat person'. it being said like that causes him a little inner turmoil. ]

Do you think that a cat person and a cat are the same? What if I wanted to touch your ears? Would you enjoy that?

[ the questions are not sarcastic, nor does he expect a serious answer. it's ridiculous nevertheless. ]

... regardless, I am curious as to what you may have been researching here.

[salvageable]

[ It's awfully tempting to say no, he wouldn't like it because he's not a CAT person. But Dokja holds his tongue and remembers that he should be acting politely...

And a change of subject does well for that. Some of the embarrassment from earlier returns, but if his company is divulging in his interests, it's only fair that Dokja do the same.

So he finally presents the book he's been holding. ]

It's a fantasy book.

[ The cover presents a man in armor, sword raised at the ready and poised to strike. It's nothing revolutionary or even that well-written, but it's a genre that Dokja is quite familiar with and one that he feels comfortable immersing himself in. ]

I'm not researching anything. I was just reading it because I wanted to.

[dissonyance]

I see.

[ leaks' posture suddenly changes: from pointed and sharp and ready to tear dokja a new one just because he simply... there's something about him that pisses him off. which frankly, that's pretty easy to do but that's not the point... to genuine curiosity. no admonishment, no anger. the subject matter before has departed leaks, and instead in its place is a blinking ribika who reaches out and presses a claw against the cover. ]

Hm. Fantasy... fictional, yes? I know someone else who enjoys them. He believes... they are a way to escape the realities of this place. I think.

[ his tail flicks to the side. ]

Is that... what you desire as well?

[salvageable]

[ Damn, he wasn't expecting to be so casually read just by presenting the cover of this book. Dokja blinks in surprise at the perceptive reply from this guy he'd pegged as kind of bonkers in regards to his temper.

Well, there's no denying it, really. Dokja could lie the way he always does, but he finds that he doesn't want to put forth that sort of effort. Not in the face of this complete stranger, at least. Were it someone he knew, he might have made up excuses, but in this case, what's the harm in admitting to something like this? ]

... Yes.

[ Even so, his tone remains uncomfortable and his gaze flickers off to the side. Stories have always been a form of escapism for him. A way to get lost from the world he didn't want to face. So much has changed since then, so much of him lost that he turns to what he's always known. ]

Or I did, a long time ago. I'm not so sure about now.

[dissonyance]

[ some people are just like the covers of the book they're holding, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily lacking depth. not interesting. things of that nature. perhaps dokja could've lied to save face; surely this catte has met other humans that would be familiar with him and his unique disposition?

but nope he is very lucky. a very lucky boy.

there is something very innocent about dokja's response. ]

I suppose when faced with extraordinary and unusual things, a book may act as relief from them. Even if said fiction is not quite as strange...

[ he trails off. maybe this human isn't so bad after all. ]

... are you searching for a respite?

[salvageable]

[ Oh? While Dokja isn't the best at reading people, he's sensing a loosening of the tension in the air, and that further bleeds some of the nervousness from him as well.

And despite the next question being a bit personal, he finds that he doesn't mind. Unlike the people from his past, he can't feel any judgement coming from this stranger. ]

You could say that. I live with others and occasionally need time away for myself.

[ From watchful, concerned eyes that know more than they let on, but Dokja's too fearful to face what they keep behind them. Rather than dwell on this topic, he's quick to switch gears, one corner of his lip turning up in a slight smile. ]

Is talking to me helping your understanding of humans?

[ He highly doubts it. ]

[dissonyance]

[ sensible. he likes that, though leaks would argue that being with others in the first place would remove the requirement of needing that alone time. to occupy his own thoughts to the extent where loneliness may creep into those dark crevices and fester... that's a dangerous way to live. it's how he got here in the first place.

dokja... would probably make a good cat. he's not sure why he feels that way, even when he despises cats in general, but... ]

Hm. Well, you are not impeding my progress in terms of learning.

[ both of his ears wiggle. ]

I still do not understand how you can survive without a tail.

[salvageable]

[ Loneliness... That's something Dokja knows all too well. He used to think it suited him just fine, but upon gaining trusted companions, he never wants to go back to that lonely life ever again.

... The occasional break is fine, though. Especially with the personalities he surrounds himself with.

This next statement from Leaks gives him pause, however, and Dokja's face scrunches up like he's trying to make sense out of what he's just heard. ]

What does a tail do for you? In terms of surviving.

[ Look at that, now they can learn things about each other. ]