awashlogs | here it is: my january CATch-all

[It's been... a very miserable month, actually, but as Mogget trots through town, he feels his less-than-pleasant mood begin to lift. What is it that humans sometimes say? It's better to give than to receive? He's always believed it to be a ridiculous saying, and yet, as he hops onto Ryan's front step with a carefully wrapped parcel held in his mouth—well, maybe there's something to it after all. Maybe.

It's something to think about, anyway! For now, though, he places his present in front of him before giving the door a surprisingly sharp rap.]

Ryan? Are you there? If you're not busy, I've something for you, my friend.

[And when Ryan opens the door, he will see Mogget staring innocently up at him, one paw placed atop his so-called gift... but those lovely green eyes of his? They're now completely white. Creepy...]

[Fortunately for Ryan, seeing dead people for roughly 20 years gives you something of a resistance to things that should by all rights be kind of creepy-- so when he pulls the door open, he doesn't look down at Mogget with alarm but with concern instead, eyes a little wide.]

--That's really nice of you, but are you okay? What happened to your eyes?

[As he crouches down to carefully pick up that parcel, he stays there without straightening up so that he can get a better look.]

You aren't-- no, I'd know if this was a ghost thing, you don't feel different from usual.

[Mogget isn't the least bit interested in religion, but after spending a month trying—and failing—to regain the color of his once-beautiful eyes? You could say that he's rather desperate. You could also say that he's irritated beyond belief, because it's true! Once he was powerful enough to do whatever he pleased; now he's apparently too weak to recover something as silly as a bit of color, and that is a humbling thing indeed.

Not that he's planning to grovel at the feet of whatever being(s) control this stupid town. As he slinks into the church and hops onto the back of a pew, he looks to and fro for... something. A hint, perhaps? A trace of whatever power has left him in this miserable state? But there's nothing—except, of course, for the familiar figure standing near the altar. Mogget hesitates for a moment, tail swishing, before silently leaping his way up to the back of a closer pew.]

So this is where you spend your days. [He tilts his head, regarding Zelda curiously with his colorless eyes—ugh!—before looking at something off to the side.] And has anyone answered your prayers? Or anything? I'm quite curious, you see.

[And DESPERATE.]

[ quiet prayer and contemplation are just another part of zelda's day, as it always has been for much of her life. people often find her here and she expects it by now, but still she's surprised when she's addressed by the familiar mocking voice of a certain bratty cat. her hands fall apart to return to her sides as she turns, smiling (strained) at him. ]

Mogget. My, I'm surprised. Have you come to say a prayer? I can help you get started if you'd like.

[In true cat fashion, he settles right down against the top of the pew as he pretends to think this whole praying thing through.]

Ah, but I am certain that my pleas will only reach deaf ears. Perhaps you would be so kind as to say a prayer for me? I only wish for simple things. [He glances back her way, almost mischievous.] I would like flying fish, so that I may avoid the water entirely... and, of course, the return of the color that is rightfully mine.

[Hmm, that... sure was some venom creeping into his voice during that last bit...]

Your color?

[ past his mock and drawl, she realizes now that striking green of his eyes is gone. how terrible. slowly she steps away from the altar and approaches him on the pew, hands lacing together by her lap as she walks over. ]

What happened to you to lose it?

[He clicks his tongue in annoyance, looking up at her before once again shifting his gaze off to the side. Just appreciate his terrible sense of humor, Zeldy! Don't look at him... he's surprisingly self-conscious!!]

I haven't the slightest idea, but it seems as though I've made an enemy—and a rather demanding one, at that. Can you believe they've given me a list of tasks to accomplish?

[His tail thumps heavily against the pew once more, because someone telling him to do stuff? Such gall! Such cheek!]

[ a list of tasks? this feels vaguely familiar, like something she read off the computer's forum. nevertheless- ]

Well what are the tasks? Frustrating as it is, you can't tell me you won't at least attempt to see if your color will return through their accomplishment.

I've wasted enough time fulfilling the whims of others.

[And yet... hrnngh, Zelda has him there. Enjoy these few seconds of silence! And watch as he continues avoiding eye contact at all costs, because this... is highly embarrassing.]

But if I do decide to take on these tasks... I must bring a gift to a yellow, nap beside a red, and sit in the lap of a blue. [An unhappy little snort, and then, muttered under his breath:] Ridiculous.

Dreadful.

[ flat and with a small smile, only he would conflate the simplest tasks to be the greatest of offenses. though zelda knows he is a creature of great pride and ego, so perhaps giving a gift or having to rest on someone's lap is simply unforgivable. where is that small violin when you need it? ]

I don't think you'll have that much trouble Mogget. ...In fact, I can always help you with the last one - as someone with blue color.

[He's suffered enough embarrassment these past two thousand or so years, thank you very much! Asking him be nice to people... this is cruel and unusual...]

Why? For a laugh? Would you truly enjoy seeing me reduced to such a state? [Everyone and everything in this place is out to humiliate him, you see, which is why the ungrateful little thing SNORTS.] ...Well, I suppose you would, and so my answer is simple: Thank you, but no.

[ she pauses for a moment and her smile slacks, instead letting her mischievous attitude fall to the way of a gentle sigh. ]

Mogget, though you may think otherwise, I have no desire to demean you. You are a being worthy of respect, just as all lives are. However being without your color for too long... there's no telling what will happen, but your state could get worse.

Tell me now - is your pride more important to you than your well-being? Surely that cannot be the case.

[Mogget doesn't have friends. Mogget barely has acquaintances, but he... is going to do the best that he can with his, um, rather limited options. He needs to fall asleep beside a red? Fine! He vaguely knows a red! And besides, if a window is open, it's not like he needs to ask permission to enter it...

Which is why he, you know, leaps right onto Reim's windowsill at some ungodly morning hour. The sun probably isn't even up yet, but Mogget is—and so, apparently, is Reim. ...Ah. He freezes, strangely colorless eyes fixed right on Reim as his tail swishes back and forth for a few agonizing seconds. This is when normal creatures would apologize; Mogget, however, merely huffs.]

You were supposed to be asleep.

Edited 2019-01-04 05:38 (UTC)

[Windows are not open doors, Mogget!! Reim doesn't expect someone to simply pop in, despite basically everyone he knows being the type to pop in through an open window if possible, and so he is momentarily surprised when suddenly there's this mean cat in the room.

His morning chores? Disrupted? He was trying to dust. He frowns.]

The window is open because I am awake. I'm airing out the room. Can I help you?

[Why did you want him asleep, mean cat!!! Trying to eat his throat????]

Edited (for fuck's sake html) 2019-01-05 07:25 (UTC)

[Why kill a man when you could rip up every fancy coat he owns? Anyway: Mogget's just going to casually leap down to the floor before Reim can, like, shoo him off the windowsill and slam the window shut. He's a cat on a mission!]

...Perhaps. If you're not terribly busy. [Look at him, trying to act like everything is cool as he scans the room for a comfortable napping spot.] Expecting company, are you?

[No... get out of here, mean cat. This is the worst morning ever. Reim just watches him, wary of being clawed out of pettiness.]

No... [why would-- oh] I always wake this early. To tidy up, and air out the rooms, as I just said...

[...What a fucking nerd. Mogget's tail twitches, but he somehow resists the urge to Roast.]

Every day! My, my. [And UP onto the bed he hops. Comfy...] Well, surely you won't mind a bit of company as you clean? I wouldn't dream of getting in your way.

[The roast is implied! He can sense it!! He still just watches Mogget do this, eyebrows raised.]

What do you call this, then? [like.....] I suppose I won't throw you out, as long as you keep your claws to yourself.

[Mogget calls this BEING A NUISANCE, because he obviously does want to get in this fussy man's way. Duh!! He curls right up in the center of the bed, looking oh-so pleased with himself as he begins fluffing up the blanket. Oh, did you want this perfectly made? Huh...]

And I certainly will... provided, of course, that my gracious host keeps his hands to himself. A fair exchange.

[What the fuck... rude cat...]

Were you put up to this? I was under the impression you and I did not get along, and yet here you are interrupting one of the few moments I have to myself...

[As frustrating as all of this new-fangled technology can be, even Mogget has to admit that the so-called "laptops" are somewhat convenient. Need a partner for one of the town's ridiculous quests? Type a few short sentences and people are practically chomping at the bit to join in. That's... interesting, especially when it comes to a quest involving demons, but Mogget isn't terribly concerned. Free Magic creatures, the Dead, his siblings—there are so many tricky and potentially dangerous things in the universe, but he's no longer bound by some silly little collar! Surely he can handle whatever is thrown his way.

But his partner is, um. ...Hmm. Mogget sits right there in the agreed-upon meeting spot, eyes narrowing as he watches this small(!) human walk right toward him.]

...Minato, I presume. [His voice... is so flat? Almost bored, but as he gives Minato a quick once-over, his tail begins to twitch.] You wish to defeat a demon?

[Did Mogget tell Minato that he was a cat? You know what, Cal... I'll let you pick.]

[Wow.

He's being judged by a cat.

That is to say that Minato had no idea that Mogget was a cat, and Minato does pause briefly (because he is trying to imagine this kitty typing away at the laptop, and the image is almost more than he can bear)--

But thankfully, none of that shows on his face. Instead, he clears his throat.]

Yeah. Or, I guess, support you as you go, if that works too. It sounds dangerous, so I want to make sure nobody gets hurt.

[Mogget silently studies him for a few seconds longer, tail beating a staccato against the ground before he nonchalantly says:]

...Brave, but foolish.

[Just like most of the idiot teens he's helped trained back home, but—ah, well. At least this one isn't shaking? Probably because he has no idea what he's about to go up against, but Mogget is trying very, very hard to focus on this one positive as he finally leaps to his feet. Congratulations, Minato! You've passed the test! Or maybe Mogget is just that hard-up for questing buddies, but shh.]

If you believe yourself capable of protecting others from demons, then I assume you've faced them before. Or something like them? [He gives Minato one last Look before turning to trot into the forest.] Tell me as you follow.

[(Well, he is a Fool.)

So demanding... Minato follows after him, hands tucked into his pockets as he does, humming a little.

He handles demanding personalities well, mostly because he is a doormat.]

Yeah, something like that... what we faced back home were called Shadows instead, but I think they must be at least a little similar.

I've heard stories about the demons here, though. We should definitely be careful.

[He's a bossy cat for sure. Case in point:]

Stories and Shadows... [He hums thoughtfully, casting a glance back up at Minato.] Well, well. Perhaps you will prove to be useful after all.

[Mogget can be blunt, yes, but his tone isn't particularly mean; he just sounds old and... rather tired, like he's been down this road many a time before. Spoiler alert: HE HAS! He's Wary.]

But what, pray tell, did you learn from these stories of yours? Any interesting tidbits to share?

Edited 2019-01-06 00:09 (UTC)

[Following a talking white cat into the woods feels like a fairy tale in and of itself... but Minato keeps that to himself.]

Well...

[Hmmm...]

A few people went into the woods before, to try to find some things. They ended up encountering what they were pretty sure were demons instead. They shapeshifted into the people they cared about the most, and tried to steal their color.

[Suffice to say, it was Bad.]

Oh? How very devious of them. I was expecting the typical battle of wills...

[Is there, like, a hint of approval to be heard there? Maybe so, but his expression is as neutral as a cat's can possibly be as he surveys their surroundings. Hmm...]

And how would you fare in such a situation? Would you do what must be done, or would you hesitate?

[... Well...

Minato's quiet for a moment, giving that question some thought.]

... I suppose if someone was in danger, I'd do what had to be done. I can't let someone get hurt just because I'm worried about seeing a friend again.

[Mogget nods, knowing full well that there's a difference between saying such a thing and, you know, actually following through with it... but it still matters that he said it. A teacher always appreciates their pupils reciting the right lines...]

Good. Be sure to keep that in the forefront of your mind - it will make this demon of ours think twice. [Because they prefer to go for weak minds, in his experience. Mogget's looking out for Minato in his own weird way, which is why he comes a bit closer to, like, brush against Minato's leg. A typical cat thing to do for a not-so-typical cat.] But do allow me to do the talking? We will fight if we must, but going up against such creatures does not always require brute force... so long as one knows the right things to say.

[... That's such a typical cat-gesture, and it's... kind of cute...? He kind of wants to bring Mogget a cat treat or something after this for being a cute kitty cat. Is that a faux pas?

(A faux paw?

No, Minato, bad, focus.)

AHEM.]

Got it. I'll try to stay out of your way as much as I can, and just play support.

[That's fine, then, right? And that's...when there's the stereotypical twig snapping out in the distance.]

... Is something out there?

[Spending thousands of years as a servant was nothing short of humiliating? Mogget honestly thought that it could never get any worse than being at the beck and call of a human, but now that he's free... oh, there are certainly worse things. Things like being trapped in a stupid town, or losing the color of his eyes, or, you know, being turned into a bright green frog.

There is a reason he's never taken the form of a frog before. Many reasons, actually. There is nothing fun about hopping! There is nothing enjoyable about feeling the overwhelming urge to jump headfirst into a large body of water! There is nothing pleasant about croaking, even though that's what he's currently doing as he hops his way through Flavo. For the first time in his long, long life, he can't speak, but he's still determined to let everyone and everything around him know just how unhappy he is! ...And also, you know, that he's there. Don't step on him.

The croaking, however, immediately ceases the very second he spots Okuni wandering his way. What is she doing? He doesn't know, but she is the sort of trouble he wants to be as far away from as physically possible. Don't notice this stunningly green frog turning around in the middle of the street, Okuni! Just let it quickly hop in the opposite direction...]

[Mogget didn't spend those thousands of years with faulty danger senses i see

Normally, Okuni would look the other way -- but who are we kidding, she'd never look away from a frog!!! (frogs are top tier animals, right up there with snakes and bugs as "animals that inflict the most chaos on a sunny day") Especially since Okuni's taken this "kiss a frog" quest and run with it as far as possible... If it means Chaos, then she's There

Which is why she'll swoop down on Frogget with a speed that only manifests when she's trying to do punkshittery, hands stretched out to attempt to capture her new best friend --]

Finally! I've been looking all over for you!

[And this is where Frogget should, like, duck into some weeds or something, but he's just not used to being a frog. He's still used to being a cat, which is why, as Okuni reaches out to grab him, he turns to swipe at one of her hands. No! Bad!!

...But he's a fucking frog, so that doesn't do anything at all! Enjoy that slimy high-five, Okuni. Also enjoy that croak of sheer frustration as he's lifted right off the ground, because what can he really do other than glare up at her and croak in a baleful sort of way. Translation: I hate you! Put me down this instant.]

[So this is officially Mogget's life, huh? Teaching teens how to deal with dangerous creatures? Well, at least he no longer has a collar around his neck. That's... something! Something very comforting to think about as he glances over at the girl floating alongside him. She obviously has some useful abilities, and yet, as they make their way into the forest—hmm. He slows his pace, tail swishing through the air as he continues studying her.]

Tell me, girl... what do you know about demons?

[She had been surprised to realize it was the cat she talked to that one time. The one who never actually told her what the proper, polite to greet him was.

But she got over it rather quickly. He wasn't the first talking animal she's met, after all.]

They have horns and a tail. And they carry pitchforks? They're pretty popular as costumes!

[She puts down one finger for each fact she counts.] They eat souls?

[Mogget's eyes narrow, because oh, but this is... this is going to be just as fun as he'd feared.]

Eat them? In a... manner of speaking, I suppose, even if the rest of what you say is pure nonsense.

[A beat as he darts ahead, sniffing the air before casting another Look back her way.]

It will speak to you, girl. It will tell you everything you want to hear, promise to grant you every imaginable wish, and you will find it irresistible. Most humans do. [He snorts quietly, thinking back to the many times he's watched people hand their lives away without a second though. Humans, man! So dumb!] To speak with such a creature is to engage in a battle of wills. Do you understand? You must overpower it before it overpowers you.

[Look, she's from Zettai Karen Children not Ghost Sweeper Mikami. She's never even met a demon...

She's listening carefully though!]

Is it some extra magic that makes them irresistible? And by overpowering it...you don't mean, killing it, right? [Because she really doesn't want to do that.]

[Mogget never misses an opportunity to show off ~everything he knows~? He... is terrible, which is why he snorts when he hears that no-killing bit. Girl...]

Of course not. Even if you could order such a thing to step into Death, you lack— [Everything, really? He shakes his head.] Well, no matter. You need only bend it to your will! Steel your mind and order it to leave before it tempts you to do something foolish, lest I am forced to bring you back to your senses.

[Like, you know, trade your humanity for revenge or money or absolute power, as others have done before. TEENS!!!!]

[She lacks...what, exactly? She feels the answer is probably something mean...]

Well, as a--[Level 7] --n esper I have some resistance to mental attacks...but I have no idea if that applies to demons.

[It hadn't really applied to banshees, after all.]

[She lacks Charter Magic, Abhorsen training, a set of magical bells—he could go on for days, but he's not that rude! Or maybe he just doesn't feel like explaining everything he brings up...]

As it would be entirely too convenient, I doubt it... but we shall soon find out. [He takes another sniff of the air, the fur along his spine fluffing up the slightest bit.] Do you sense it? Somewhere ahead of us.

[Seeing as they were dealing with demons, not espers...]

I don't sense anything. [But she'll take him seriously anyway, steeling herself to prepare to face whatever is coming for them.]

[Hmm! Mogget would prefer to hang back and let someone else take the lead here, but—well, he's not cruel? He doesn't enjoy thrusting potentially defenseless people into dangerous situations, which is why he sighs—rather dramatically, actually—before darting forward. There's some sort of clearing up ahead; he looks back once, just to make sure that Kaoru sees where he's headed, before he steps right into this open space.

And oh, there's certainly a demon waiting for him. A demon in the shape of a young woman, pale and dark-haired, wearing a dark blue tabard overlaid with silver keys... and a bandoleer of bells? Seven bells, each one slightly smaller than the one before it. Kaoru will find Mogget just, you know, sitting across the clearing from this stranger, watching her with flashing green eyes. He's tense, clearly prepared for anything, but does he seem worried? Not particularly. He even manages an indolent little yawn.]

Well. A valiant effort, I must say... but you haven't quite managed to capture her likeness. There's something about the nose... [Mogget tilts his head to the side, studying her.] And you're a few decades behind.

[The girl stares at him, eyes narrowing, before she slides her attention over to Kaoru. Another one, she seems to say, even though her lips don't move. Are her features... blurring? Is she shifting into something else? Maybe so...]

[She follows him, of course.

And...who is that woman? Maybe she'll ask later.

She has to say, the way Mogget is handling this is really cool? Is it normal for cats to be this cool?

But then the demon shifts. She expected maybe it'd be Minamoto or even Aoi. She'd missed them so much, after all and it wasn't like the town hadn't already tried to use Minamoto against her.

The figure the demon shifts into is small and feminine. But it's not Aoi.

Instead, it's Yuuri, dressed in the same outfit Kaoru had seen her in when they were thirteen, when they had fought. There were tears running down her cheeks as she holds out a hand. She mouths the words, save me, Kaoru-chan.

If Kaoru hadn't just seen the demon shift, if it had appeared before her like this she might have struggled more. Because she hasn't seen Yuuri in three years and even though she's left them a letter, telling them she was safe it was different than seeing it.

But she trusted the Foundation, and she trusted Yuuri. And she knew, deep down, that Yuuri was safe, that if she were here, Kaoru would know.

And so she'll take a page from the sass-cat's book.]

You're not her. Yuuri-chan...she saved herself. She's trying to learn to forgive herself so...[Her hands are clenched into fists, her head held high.] Don't you dare use her face like that! I won't fall for it!

[What do you do when you want to get to the bottom of this mysterious sleeping illness, but you don't actually want to, you know, do anything? Well, if you're Mogget, you a) follow the sketchy vines back into the forest, b) find a sunny spot off to the side of the mysterious plant wall, and c) settle down to wait for people to come do all of the work for you. He certainly could chop these things down on his own, but that would require shifting forms... and that's tiring, you see. He likes being a cat.

Plus it's always fun to watch people scramble about? He's content to stay off the side for as long as he possibly can, eyes half open as he watches people come and go, but the second he spots a person that actually seems willing to stick around—well. He leaps right to his feet, stretching languidly before trotting over to their side. Oh, are there two people here? Even better.]

Quite the conundrum, isn't it? [Hmm. He studies the vines before them, clicking his tongue in mock disapproval.] However shall we proceed...

["We," he says, because of course he does. Welcome to Team Mogget.]

Oho, “we,” is it?

[ sierra doesn’t seem bothered, but neither does she seem welcoming to the idea. no matter how cute the talking cat might be, she has no love for animals that don’t conform to their nature. at least it’s not a talking dog.

she yawns, but it’s just her usual sleepiness rather than apparently being susceptible to the curse. ]

Fine. If you both can keep up.

Alright, look, Kyrie can't really say anything about the whole 'jumping into the party uninvited' thing, seeing as he all too happily did the same. But that was when the party contained exactly one other--who happened to be an attractive woman, no less--and no animals. It wasn't just a plus, it was expected. Still, while he certainly doesn't look happy about the new arrival, he's not about to risk his own footing in the group by digging his heels in too hard.

"If you plan on joining us, I hope you at least intend to make yourself useful." At least he's dealt with talking cats before, albeit of the larger variety, so there's that out of the way. "Otherwise, just stay out of the way and behave."

So, anyway... thorn wall, huh? He takes a step back and tilts his head to glance upwards. It's pretty damn high, but there doesn't appear to be a roof overhead...

"I'm sure we're expected to go through, but seeing as that sounds awfully tedious... I don't suppose either of you have a way to go over?"

He's not about to say so outright, but he DID see a post on the forum a while back about a small, silver-haired woman who supposedly ~~goes around biting people, what the fuck~~ can turn into a bat... and he hasn't yet met anyone else who would fit that description. And since he's got his crows...

Cue a very pointed look back down, towards the town's resident stray. Hope you've got some wings, kitty.

[There are many ways for Mogget to respond to such a rude speech from such a rude individual, but if 2000+ years of existence has taught him anything at all, it's that children act out because they love that sweet, sweet attention. Keep it up and he'll snap, but for now—eh! He'll turn his head to oh-so briefly study Kyrie, but his attention shifts back over to the vines quickly enough.]

Over, under, between... oh, you needn't concern yourself with my abilities.

[AKA Stay in your lane, bud!! He takes a step closer, bending to investigate a tiiiiny crack between two of the vines as his tail swishes to and fro. Hmm. Hmm. Neither of these two seem terribly concerned with this obstacle, which is why Mogget glances back Sierra's way. He's too lazy to even pretend to be In Charge, but of the two people before him... yeah, she'll do.]

Shall we regroup on the other side?

I said if you can keep up.

[ which is to say, sierra will continue right along without stopping for more than a second to regroup, because she’s a busy lady with many many things to do. to wait up for a man and a cat is the lowest on her priority list right now, especially considering her dear, sweet kisa is feeling under the weather.

that just won’t do. ]

See you, suckers.

[ with an enunciation that is just off enough to make it obvious she’s centuries old and not the spry young girl she pretends to be, sierra transforms into her silver bat form and flaps right up over the wall of vines. bye! ]

Now she gets it. He can work with this.

Her dismissal only invites a short, muted laugh, because as far as he's concerned, it's directed more so at the cat; and since he hasn't the slightest interest in acting as leader, he's more than happy to let her set their pace.

So, after a pause to acknowledge Sierra's seamless transformation, he takes a step back to arrange his own means of travel: a snap of his fingers invites a whirlwind of feathers into existence right where he stands, hundreds of crows rising up from the ground in a column of black that hangs in the sky like a dark, dramatic cloud--because not everyone gets to have neat and pretty transformations. But it does what it's meant to do!!

Kyrie's quick to descend on the other side, unaffected save for the way his hair has darkened with the use of his ability. The crows... will unfortunately stick around a while, croaking and cawing at a distance. Sorry for the noise, everyone.

here it is: my january CATch-all

fishy nightmares for ryan

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mogget is struck by lightning, ft zelda

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nap time with reim

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demon fight club, ft minato

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frogget: get hoppin', ft okuni

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a lesson in demon diplomacy, ft kaoru

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on wednesdays we wear pink

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