🐱

[catasstrophy]

Name: Konoe
Date: now-ish
Format: voice

[Typing is terrible for someone not used to it (and someone not even that great at writing, at that): one attempt has been enough to convince Konoe never to try again if he can help it.
Video, however... is honestly creepy!? How do people get so small, and how can they be sure they'll get out of the watch again? He may be a cat, but he's not stupid!
So he tries for voice, even though he's not used to voice calls, either. He gets really close to the watch and pronounces everything a little slowly, overly clearly.]

Before - you - came - here, - were - there - demons - with - you?

If - not, - were - you - in - great - danger - some - other - way?

And - were - you - cursed - at - some - point?

[There, he did it. There's an audible sigh, of determination as much as relief, and then the feed ends.

Look, he's just trying to get some answers, here. There must be some pattern to who was pulled here through the mirrors and why!]

Comments

[catasstrophy]

That would be good.

Did you... do this kind of thing a lot? In your world.

[Gathering information about curses? World hopping in general, maybe?? Konoe means it in the broadest sense.]

[iminthebook]

Investigating things? yes. It was kind of my job. I helped people find things and not end up dead.

[catasstrophy]

[Konoe can't help but be amused at that darkly humorous way of phrasing it.]

Somehow the latter seems easier than the former. [Not always true, he's sure. But even so.]

If you don't mind my asking... how does that kind of thing get you cursed?

[iminthebook]

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes.

[ He chuckles. ]

People don't always like it when you stop the person they want dead form being dead, and also find the thing they want lost. It makes them... angry.

They do foolish things then, like make me angry.

[ it isn't said boastingly, just matter-of-factly. ]

[catasstrophy]

[That kind of work making people angry is fair enough; having such people be able to curse you is something Konoe hadn't considered yet. After all, in his case, it had been demons who cursed him. Demons, and maybe a wizard.]

Can everybody curse people, where you're from?

[iminthebook]

No, but those who are rich and corrupt, if not so able, often can afford to find and hire such beings.

And many of my cases cross the lines with that which goes bump in the night.

[catasstrophy]

That's a good point...

[Konoe isn't sure why he barely gave that possibility a thought before, even in his own case. But then... it's scary enough to think that demons might exist. To find out that they're real and targeting him was just plain terrifying; the idea of someone hiring them would have been even worse than that.]

Bump...?

[iminthebook]

A saying for supernatural beings. Because in old horror stories, monsters would make noise as they came in the night.

[ He grins as he speaks. ]

[catasstrophy]

[Now Konoe feels a little dumb for not knowing that expression - and so he ignores the actual content of the conversation to make it seem dumb, instead.]

Whether they make noise or not, "bump" isn't a sound monsters make. [Probably?? He's not an expert.] What, are they supposed to bump into everything?

[iminthebook]

Its a saying used by those, mostly, who did not believe in monsters. So they made up stories, and in the stories monsters always came at night and always made some sort of creepy noise.

[ Harry just shakes his head. People are weird. ]

[catasstrophy]

[That's dumb. That's definitely dumb.

Except that Konoe definitely got cursed through dreams he had at night, so now he's creeped out for no good reason except that very superficial and probably not even real connection.]

R-Right... That's dumb.

[Did he say that already? ... Nah, he's good.]

[iminthebook]

It's the kind of thing people who don't believe in things and don't want to believe, do.

[ He has sadly seen it too much, too often. ]

[catasstrophy]

[Hng... Maybe Konoe will just. Not think about that anymore. Yup, that sounds like a plan. Whatever "goes bump in the night" in this man's world and his own has no relation to this world whatsoever.

Probably.

More importantly:]

So, if you were cursed... how did you get uncursed?

[iminthebook]

I died.

[ Harry nods.

Yep. He said that.

a pause. ]

I got better.

[catasstrophy]

... Depends on your definition of "better".

[No, he's joking. He's trying to joke, even if all he succeeds at is being rude.

He does, at least, continue more seriously after that initial low-key lashing out. (That's what you get for making him feel things!)]

You died... before coming here?

[There are definitely people who died and found themselves here, so that would be less of a surprise, somehow. Konoe can't help but wonder if he died, himself, especially with dying apparently an established way to rid oneself of curses.]

[iminthebook]

[ Harry laughs and grins at the other. ] Nice!

[ Harry nods, and smiles ruefully. ] Yes, sadly, and was brought back. It hurt, but it worked.

I prefer not dying when traveling. Much more fun.

[catasstrophy]

[Konoe would have been extremely offended if Harry had been offended, no matter how reasonable it would have been; as it is, the positive reaction makes him smile, his tail giving a happy swish. Even unseen, he's kind of proud of himself for that successful verbal strike. (Funny, when angering Harry would have made it unsuccessful in his book!)]

Not dying at all would be ideal.

[Well, you know... Not in the short term, at least. It's not like Konoe wants to be immortal.

Anyway, time to be a good student!]

So 16 people replied, and not everyone answered the questions, but...

Demons: 1 yes, 1 maybe; 1 more in the past.

Danger: 2 yes; 3 more in the past... and someone who said everyone's always in danger... [You can hear the eyeroll, can't you?]

Two people were dead when coming here, one of whom also died in the past; 3 people died in the past.

Three people were cursed when they were brought here... and one more was a maybe. One was cursed in the past, but not anymore... That's you.

[iminthebook]

I agree. Not dying is a good thing.

[ Harry listens, and nods, thinking, and writes it all down. It is a lot, and he is not sure how it will help, but data is good. ]

You've done a lot here, already. Nice work!

[catasstrophy]

No. [It comes out very decisive. Gratitude is always awkward; Konoe has no need for it.] I wanted to ask some questions, so I did. That's all.

[iminthebook]

[ Harry arches one eyebrow, and nods. ]

Are you settling in okay, otherwise?

[catasstrophy]

Yeah, it's fine.

[One day he'll realize just how much he's been overusing that word when he feels the exact opposite, but today is not that day.]

... I'm not used to being around humans, though.

[iminthebook]

What sort of beings are you used to being around?

[ Harry has some doubts about that fine, but he won't press just yet. ]

[catasstrophy]

Just cats, like me.

[And demons, but, you know. Screw those guys. (Except Froud; he'd probably like it.)]

[iminthebook]

[ Harry nods, hmming. ]

I've known some Fae who were cat-beings, but never a race of cat people all to themselves. I would love to hear about your people some time.

[catasstrophy]

["Cat people" still sounds a little weird to Konoe - much like "human people" might to a human - but at least it already shows a better understanding of his species than he's gotten so far, from a human perspective.]

I don't mind talking about it, but... there's not that much to say.

[THAT IS A LIE but not a deliberate one. He's just so used to cats, it's hard to describe them to people.]