divine comedy - joiner

[body]

Being no more than just a little rat, Ksitigarbha can easily be mistaken for prey. Well, easily enough, if one were to look past all the gold. While it's easy to pass him off as tonight's dinner when stripped of all his bling, he considers being decorated like a god is not only a way to show off his "status" but to announce to the world that he is, indeed, sentient, and doesn't belong in anyone's belly. Of course, there are animals that care little for whether or not he's got rings around his arms, as proven by the large bite that had recently been taken out of his cape. Ksitigarbha had escaped the jaws of a feral cat just in the nick of time while on the road, and he had lost most of his wares in the process. By the time he could even look back, the cat had already destroyed and made away with most of it.

With nothing to trade, Ksitigarbha had no more livelihood. He could easily just steal some more things, but trading stolen goods is... it's a bit hypocritical of him, of all creatures, to say immoral. Ksitigarbha has made many a mistake in his life, done others more wrongs than rights, but he likes to think that with all his crimes put aside, he's a decent rat. He's just trying to make a living and keep himself occupied. Or at least he was. Now he's got nothing to do with himself, and no one to talk to. He feels alone, and honestly a little scared.

These aren't his sewers. This isn't even the city. It doesn't look like the city. He's pretty sure this isn't the city. See, he's spent most of his life underground, scampering around the sewers and occasionally treating himself to a romp around the subways at night, but the city had only been what the rats called whatever was aboveground. Only the bravest of them all would even dare to venture past those grates, where light from above would seep through, and very rarely were they ever seen again. He realizes, with a fleeting sense of pride (followed by a heavy feeling of dread), he's become one of those rats. It isn't like anyone but his rivals in the market will know he's gone, and rather than launching a search party, they'll celebrate his absence.

He finds himself trying to navigate the valley he finds himself in. With nothing but his cape, the fur on his back, and a scrap of metal to double as a sword, Ksitigarbha feels lost. It's a sure mystery how he even got this far in the first place, but that doesn't matter as much as finding shelter of sorts, or even another rat. Hell, he would even accept the company of a cat at this point.

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

The scent of a rat drew Atbash over to where Ksitigarbha was, and the Chief was practically stalking the guy before she caught sight of the rings and metal he had on. Correction: when those accessories ended up blinding her for a few seconds. Atbash let out a cry of alarm as she was blinded by the sun reflecting off of Ksitigarbha‘s body, doubling back and rubbing her eyes with her paws.

Eventually her vision did return, though there was definitely a little headache left. Atbash shook her head, blinking, as she tried to regain focus on the land. ”Hello?” She called out to Ksitigarbha, trying not to look at him directly this time to avoid being blinded again. If the rat was sentient, then he would respond, and if not? Then Atbash could find a way to hunt him. But hurting another sentient creature was not something she would do, and the accessories he adorned hinted at some sort of consciousness.

//mobile

[arcy]

Izuku had aleays wondered why he'd never encountered any sentient prey animals beaides, well, Cry. He'd wondered if it was just a hunter thing, but then there were deer, and thrn he was just confused. There seemed to be more sentient cats and dogs and the such than prey. How curious. Was there a reason? Izuku isn't sure, but he was gradually beginning to become curious. Maybe he'd do some research, later? Izuku isn't sure how he'll go about it, though. Hm. Things yo ponder at a later date when he's feeling better and also isn't swamped by work.
Similar to Atbash, and many othee people, perhaps, Izuku gets the impression that the rat is not all of what he seems, judging by the cloak. Which is a kind of scary thought, come to think of it. Had Izuku ever accidentally killed or eaten a sentient prey animal without realizing? Was that wjy there were so few of them? Oh no, oh no. Izuku is hit with a sense of panic that's hard to get past. His paws tremble just the slightest, but he braves it through to place himself nearby Atbash and the strange mouse. The Maine Coon blinks, before laying himself on the ground, partly to seem less threatening. He was pretty big, so he was probably kind of spooky to little things like this one. He doesn't say anything, though, feeling off-center from his earlier realization, and just keeps a look of passive curiousity on his face. Would he ever be able to eat meat again? Questionable.
//also mobile

☀ what was i worth

[body]

When Atbash cries out, so does he. Ksitigarbha finds himself stumbling backwards onto his haunches, wielding his tiny scrap metal sword, however he soon realizes that what is a hulking weapon to him will be no more than a splinter in this beast's paw. He has heard countless tales of cats, with their snapping jaws full of teeth, razor-sharp claws and nimble bodies, however he has only come this close to a cat once in his lifetime. Well, he supposes, this makes too. The fact that he makes this cat, this towering monster of an animal, yelp and stumble backwards, makes him feel invincible. Though she could easily swoop him up and gobble him down in one bite, Ksitigarbha arms himself with his makeshift sword and thrusts it threateningly towards her.

"Right, demon!" he hollers, waving his scrap metal sword about wildly. "Stay back!" One might think his hostility is unwarranted, given that the feline had merely offered him a hello, showed him mercy, but after his most recent encounter, he isn't keen on showing her the same kindness. It's to save his own skin, after all. But as Izuku joins her, he is further baffled by their... friendliness. This must be a trick of some sorts. They're just trying to get him to let his guard down, and when the moment is right, snatch him up and make him their dinner when he least expects it. He won't be fooled! He will fight tooth and nail for his life. Two cats aren't an issue for him. He took down one, he can take down a couple more. Hell, maybe he can even -

The big fluffy cat, Izuku, moves to lay down, and Ksitigarbha screams again, scrambling several feet back. He's shaking now, trembling, and even with his tail to balance him he's having a hard time sitting upright to point his sword. "Not food!" He declares, though the confidence in his voice has suddenly vanished and now he sounds just as scared as any other prey would. So much for being a valiant knight, or whatever he thought he was.

[arcy]

Izuku feels kind of bad, seeing the other's panic. The Maine Coon's ears flatten just a little. Aw -- he supposes it's to be expected. He'd registered the other as more of prey than a potentially sentient creature at first. He supposes others would probably be more impulsive and hunt before anything else. Plus feral cats. Feral cats and other predators wouldn't even hesitate. So, no, Izuku couldn't blame the other. Really, he admired how willing the other was to fight, even if it seemed absolutely terrified, and y'know what? That was completely fair.
"No, not food," Izuku agrees with a little smile. No teeth, if course. Teeth were threatening, he knew that much. Still, it takes him a long few moments to pull himself together. Opposite of prey, honestly. Ten seconds into meeting this strange mouse-rat (what was the difference??) and Izuku was already ready to fight tooth and nail for the little thing's safety.  He understood the other's terror in a way, y'know? "..I don't think anybody here would eat something .. not feral. Who are you?" Izuku, upon his thoughts on ferals, gives Atbash a nervous loom. She wouldn't, as shown by her willingness to speak, and Izuku thinks he knows her that well. But anybody else, he's not sure of. Isn't in a place to properly know. But she would, wouldn't she? Well, either way, they could probably sway people into .. not .. eating the poor mouse-rat-something pretty easily, especially considering how laid back most of everyone here was.

☀ what was i worth

[body]

Not food. Someone gets it! Ksitigarbha lowers his sword, though still keeps it drawn in case the other cat proves to be meaner than this one. This could still all be a trick. He must not let his guard down. What if he gets too comfortable and they strike? Then it would be game over for him - with one well-placed blow, he would be dead in a second, and he would become a snack to pick out of their teeth later. "I not food," he repeats, just to make sure Atbash hears it as well. "Am Ksitigarbha! Merchant of sewer." Though he's not a merchant anymore. The goods he would sell and trade are now long gone, probably being digested by that stray cat as he speaks, but Ksitigarbha has nothing else to call himself. Without his job, without a way to make a living, he's nothing but a grimy little rat. He may as well become food.

With a moan, Ksitigarbha flops onto the ground. "Wares gone!" he cries. "No more thing to sell!" He squeaks and sniffles. "Am lost! Do not know where am." He doesn't think that he could go home, even if he were to figure out the way back. He would be broke and have no spot in the sewer. Pipes these days are far too expensive. The marketplace had been the only way to make a living. He had thought his situation before was bad, but looking at it now, living in a pile of waste was heaven compared to where he currently is. Now he's laying in snow with his belly exposed to a bunch of cats, who most likely want nothing more than to chew him up. He's doomed.

[galexiux]

  People still sell things? Cry chuckled as she hopped beside her cat clan mates. So. A rat. ... Weird. Good, but....... weird. The bird stared, amused. She, herself, was also a 'prey' species, though she was a tad big bigger than Ksitigarbha himself. Rat vs Raven. Ravens bigger. Quick maths and all that. She slowly blinked. So the kid was lost. That was a shame. It seemed a lot of people got lost here. She supposed it was a tundra covered in frozen grass and snow. Not exactly a lot of landmarks to go off of. Tree. Tree. ... Oh another tre- oh and a rock too. Yeah. Super useful.

  Cry hummed at the rat throwing himself onto the ground. So he's out of stuff. She raised a brow. ... Ugh fine. She reached to her chest, pulling a necklace hidden by her feathers into veiw. She fiddled with the charms. Ice Breaker's snowflake charm (Nope), Syn's heart locket (hell no), a shard of the Evergrove (nuh-uh), and a small silver coin. She hummed, raising a brow. She honestly couldn't remember where she got the coin. She sighed, disconnecting it from the chain necklace. Here, She tossed it over to the rat, It's got some rust and dirt on it, but I'm sure you'll take better care of it than me.

"SPEECH"

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tags

[ATBASH CIPHER.]

Atbash wouldn’t dare hurt anything with a consciousness enough to speak to her, so Ksitigarbha didn’t have to worry about her trying to eat him. The Hailcaller briefly looked over at Cry as she flew over, before turning her gaze back to the rat spouting things about him being a merchant. ”You’re in Snowbound territory.” Atbash replied to his statement about not knowing where he was. ”We’re basically a group that lives here, and uh...” Would he be interested in the shopping system Jacob started? Hopefully. She didn’t want to be the only one selling things (though she hadn’t completely set up shop just yet). ”If you stay here, you can still be a merchant if you want. Maybe you can find all your wares and sell them around here. We have our own currency.”

//mobile