logs | (catchall / open)

[ He's not really the type to stare at the ground and hunch his shoulders; he's been trained to conduct himself with confidence, eyes forward and back straight. So it's extra embarrassing for this to happen, especially with being lightly chastised. He can hear the deserved sharpness in this man's tone, even if he can't see it for himself right now.

He tilts up his head, but keeps his eyes shielded with one of his hands, his field of vision mostly limited from Leaks's torso down. ]

You're right, of course. But it's... [ goddess, he is not built to lie ] the sun is bright today.

[ nailed it..... ]

[ a troubled man who is more focused on keeping his eyes down than the potential dangers that might be in his way--- that's what leaks sees and what he wonders about. a more aggressive and less caring ribika might tear him into bits, starting with the crown of his head and then working his way down.

instead, dimitri gets leaks.

he kneels down. he looks up toward those covered eyes. ]

Is it.

[ with the tip of his tail swishing just below the hang of his robes, the cat huffs. ]

I do not make it a habit to look directly at the sun.

Edited 2022-11-10 21:38 (UTC)

[ He blinks in surprise as he sees this stranger's face come into full view, and he has... fluffy ears. Like Rosa. That certainly is a trend here, and he stares for what might be half a second too long before he frowns. ]

...Neither do I.

[ He sighs, straightening a bit since there's not much point in the charade anymore when he's being called out. ]

I suppose the truth is that there's something—unsettling with these woods. [ Not the entire truth, but a part of it. ]

[ something... unsettling? those words bounce around in his head. are stories beginning to circulate here, too? about a cursed magician who has found himself in the netherworld after dying, now bringing the darkness and a horrible fate to those who now encounter him?

it makes his stomach sink, but he tries to ignore it. for now. ]

What about them? I have wandered throughout this forest and found nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

[ he follows dimitri in standing back up, though he goes all the way. ]

If you are able to describe what is wrong... I may be able to help.

[ It's hard to get into this without revealing that the problem might not be the forest, but Dimitri. Ordinarily, he'd push someone to get "treatment" regardless. It's difficult to convince himself of that though; there's a level of caution he's curated with regards to his weaknesses, and how much of them can be divulged to a stranger.

Even one that seems helpful. He looks curious, regarding Leaks more closely. ]

Are you a healer?

No.

[ blunt and straight to the point. what leaks doesn't want are people looking to him for help. if and when he wants to offer it, he will do so on his own terms. he's not looking for walk-ins. what does he look like, a doctor???

for dimitri... well. one must broaden their horizons where they can? ]

I am a magician. I can do whatever I wish.

[ said lightly but seriously. if that doesn't convince him, how about another unconscious ear wiggle? ]

[ wiggle......

Anyway, he's kind of offering to be a physician right now, so yes. He does have some current doctor vibes. But maybe he's just the curious sort. Either way, he's offering to help him, which Dimitri can't help but appreciate from a stranger.

He counters, gently, ]

Mages can often be healers.

[ He doesn't mind the blunt dismissal though, used to it from some of his own friends. He pauses before continuing slowly, a new hesitation in his voice. ]

...I just find it difficult to look at the woods here for very long. It makes me somewhat—ill, I suppose. But I haven't heard of anyone else suffering the same.

You are not wrong, but I believe a healer should have some kind of compassion behind their acts.

[ whether leaks thinks he has any of it, he's not willing to admit it or not. not to dimitri. does a mere acknowledgment of that fact confirm having any sort of capability to sympathize or empathize in the first place? perhaps his actions may contradict his words, but... ]

I see. Yet you walk by these woods regardless of your discomfort. Do you make your home here?

[ perhaps if he stays to dimitri's side, where the forest is, he can help block the sight of them and assist the man to his destination. it is tempting to see him suffer, but at the same time... why? ]

[ sorry he's just immediately assigned this catman tsundere

But it's true enough that not everyone with the capacity for healing wounds does so with kindness in their hearts. Though Dimitri's surprised that he seems interested in the plight of a stranger, uncertain for a moment before he relents. ]

Yes, I live in a building with others near here. And usually, I hunt and forage for food in the woods. [ He'd rather not rely on the market, as he's been forced to do. ] And it wasn't an issue until recently. Whether it is a trick of the underworld or an affliction for a dead man, I do not know.

[ Though unlike the flower blight, it only seems to affect him. ]

Hm, I see.

[ interesting. he could see the allure of not wanting to head into the more technologically advanced places if they weren't familiar to them--- after all, leaks avoided it because of that. the lights, the sounds... mirth feels dangerous to him because of those kinds of temptations. he is still an austere and simple cat despite his love for magic. ]

I have seen that building. I cannot understand how one can be so tall and hold so many and not fail in some way.

[ not that he wants to, because it also keeps them from impeding on his self-claimed territory. ]

The way you describe your issue... you make it sound like you are cursed.

[ While he would never claim the wild woods as a safe place, the quietude and relative simplicity of it puts him more at-ease than the bustling cityscape.

It would be a lonesome place if not for all the other people living in Sooyoung's building, though. So he appreciates that much, even if that means he has to stare at the ground to get home this entire month. ]

A great deal of this place is a marvel of construction, yes. [ he lived in a castle, with all its tall spires and walls, but it's not the same as an apartment building. to someone uninitiated, they seem just as grand. ] But there are a great many unexplained afflictions here as well. You may be right—perhaps it's more magical than physical.

[ And it tracks that he'd get cursed, somehow. ]

I wonder if the underworld means to punish us through curses. I would expect as much in a purgatory like this.

[ whatever lurks in the shadows of the trees and nestles itself within the foliage should be more worried about being found by this catte, who will not show mercy if he's interrupted. interrupted doing what? anything. he doesn't fear death. why would he fear a little monster?

leaks simply nods at dimitri's words about the city. about the architecture, about its design. the apartment building is something he'd love to tackle himself one day. maybe... maybe when he's a little more used to being around others in general, he wouldn't mind living in a confined space.

jk, thinking about that already makes him feel claustrophobic. ]

It would seem to be. You do not look to be the worse for wear.

[ and then he shakes his head. ]

A curse is not a punishment. Look at it as a way to guide yourself in a way that you may not have thought of. After all, you are able to communicate. You can walk, you can breathe. Whatever curse you have encountered, I do not see anything out of the ordinary.

[ just be an optimist. ]

[ An optimist... it's not in his nature. Even before the Tragedy had happened, he'd had tempered expectations.

But it's true that there's worse out there. And maybe thinking that makes him careless, because then he lifts his head to look too straight ahead, and he sees it—a copse of trees over Leaks's shoulder. In the boughs, there's a skeleton, its neck crooked where it's held dangling by noose, swaying in the breeze.

Somehow, it seems to smile without a face or lips when Dimitri spots it, rattling its bones in a strange dance, a mix of the frantic motions of someone swaying by their neck and a strangely jaunty dance. And he freezes at the sight—there's a few seconds where he watches, unblinking, every muscle seized tense and unable to even twitch, paralyzed.

And then he suddenly relaxes, shutting his eyes with a sigh. ]

...Right. [ SO ANYWAY, ] I suppose I should think of it as an opportunity. [ He doesn't sound enthused about this. ] I wish I knew what caused it though—do curses just... happen?

[ Aren't they usually cast out of spite or something? ]

[ he watches dimitri's eyes, and soon as he does... is there a reflection of something in them? he swears he could see some kind of movement, but perhaps it's just the man focusing on something that he can't see himself. or it's a trick of the light? some kind of phantom that perhaps... mmm. leaks can't say or not. he's not going to assume. if anything it only lends credence to the fact that dimitri is seeing a figure that he doesn't. that's all.

and besides, he doesn't get the sense that dimitri is a liar. there are far more malicious and nefarious beings out there, surely, so even if this had been all in jest... ]

They can. Perhaps you have touched something that you should have not? There are ways to pass on curses through inanimate objects. That may be a place to start.

[ whether it's true or not in his case? shrug. ]

It could have been a way to safeguard a precious thing.

[ leaks turns to look at the trees. whatever they've done to dimitri... well, maybe it's even better that he's made his home here. ]

[ He shakes off the brief fit of paralysis quickly enough, slightly disturbed but focused on listening to Leaks's ideas instead. A mage would know more about such things than he does, and he nods. ]

All sensible possibilities.

[ He'd have to rethink through what he might've touched or threatened recently... in the meantime, he sets aside his conjecturing for a moment in an effort to scavenge at politeness. ]

Pardon, I've complained to you this long without even introducing myself. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Do you make your home here too, stranger?

[ hey, cursing things is his expertise. not that he wants to tell dimitri that it is. he doesn't need the potential suspicion. best not to use up any goodwill he's earned so far so quickly. ]

What a long name. [ leaks snorts. ] Are all two-canes... human names like that?

[ so far he's only been given a single word for a name from most. does that make dimitri special? ]

My name is Leaks. I do make my home here, though in a small cottage deeper into the woods.

[ he pauses, before humming to himself. ]

Though... I do wonder what it is like to live in that building. Still. I prefer the quiet of the woods.

[ He looks a little amused, because he's self-aware enough to realize his name is long and cumbersome. Announcing himself fully is a habit made from courtly manners, ones he hasn't shed, but... ]

It is good to meet you, Leaks. You can call me whatever is convenient—most do not use my full address.

[ Just 'Dimitri' is preferable, anyway. ]

If your curiosity gets the best of you, you're welcome to visit and look around the premises. I have my own quarters, but it can be... nice not to live in total seclusion.

[ He can come and hang out! Or fight with them on the rooftop. Very exciting prospects at the Han Sooyoung Corporation. ]

[ good to meet him? really?? even if it's just pleasantries and politeness, doesn't mean that leaks is used to it. would dimitri still believe it's 'good' the next time? and the time after that? eventually, he will hate leaks. that's just how it's meant to be. ]

... I will think about it.

[ leaks frowns half-heartedly. he might take him on that offer, if he doesn't decide to move in with someone else down the line.

his tail swishes. ]

I do not know what you see with your special eyes. However... I can walk with you the rest of the way and if any apparitions make themselves seen, I will attempt to ward them off.

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