#devilmarked

Having absolutely and undeniably no idea what in Ribika's good name was going on was, suffice to say, jarring.

He tried not to panic really but with the way his cat ears kept twitching at even the slightest sound, it was hard to relax. Konoe wasn't prone to just sitting around and letting things be decided for him however -- he acted and he acted fast. The closest to him was Bardo in terms of distance and he'd made a mental note to get to Asato somehow, someway, but for now, he hurried to where Bardo was.

Luckily for him, he was able to keep himself hidden for the most part and slip through nooks and crannies if need be. Not so luckily and something he denied vehemently was his sense of direction. Cats should have good directions so why did he kept going in circles?! Hadn't he already seen that wall too? -- Shaking his head, he was losing it and growing frustrated wouldn't help him. Konoe frowned and huffed and puffed and went around one more time until he finally came into contact with the larger ribikan.

"Bardo! Have you been here the whole time..? "

"Never mind that - come on, we should hurry and move!"

Exhaling and sounding snappy was hardly his intention but he couldn't really control being riled up like this. As much as Konoe tried to suppress that empathy that connected to others all around him, all the widespread panic and fear made him sluggish, made him just as panicked and fearful if not more. But he had to put on a strong face, he wouldn't let this curse or whatever it was, beat him down. Forgetting his laments, the smaller cat tugged on Bardo's arm as if to urge him along, eyes already in clear slits from the dominant predatory instinct.  

When Konoe woke up -- he felt strange.

It's as if there was something he was forgetting to do when he got out of bed that morning but he couldn't quite place what that something was. He tried not to think about it too much as he curiously looked around his own room, why did it feel like something important had just happened the day before? Maybe he was imagining things -- there were just undoubtedly strange feelings welling up in his chest. It's what drove him to the living room next, then out of the apartment completely and onto the streets. He hadn't made it far from the complex when he ran into another cat. 

"Hey, do I know you? It's like your name is on the tip of my tongue." 

Konoe had been told he was being selfish by deciding things on his own. And maybe that was true, maybe he was being selfish by coming to this conclusion on his own. But, while originally he had intended to leave without warning, his mind had been changed thanks to a bit of advice he received. That meant calling all the other Ribika to his apartment in the city.

When they had all gathered in the Sanga's apartment he began to feel the weight of his decision on his heart. 

"I wanted to ask what you all thought about it but before that, I want you to know that. . ."

When Valentine's Day had been explained to him, Konoe wasn't entirely sure the reason for the "holiday" was all that special. Giving chocolate to someone you like, a loved one, or friends -- ? Why would a day be dedicated just for that? This was like Christmas all over again, which he didn't quite understand either but Two Cane's seemed to enjoy giving gifts to each other without much reason. He supposed it was a nice sentiment.

Given that the small Ribika was stuck in a Two Cane type of world, then it was best to do as the Two Cane were doing, right? But to do that, he required a certain big cat's help.

So here he was, wading through the District beneath his sector to find the Inn Keeper. It wasn't hard finding him thankfully, though it had probably taken longer than it should have as the Sanga had taken some wrong turns a few times -- not that he would admit that, fluffing up defensively at the mere thought that his bad sense of direction would go noticed. He pushed the thought from his mind, hurrying to meet the other. He had accepted to teach Konoe this after all, though he wanted to keep this a secret from certain Tougas as much as he possibly could. 

"Bardo!"

Hey, it was meant to be a surprise. Though none of the other Ribika would get any sneak peeks until after it was actually Valentine's Day, anyway. He'd make sure of that.

There were sometimes, harsh conditions in Sisa. The weather wasn't bad year round but like any other place, it had its share of rain, wind, and of course, snow storms. Konoe had woken up that morning, bundled in his bed sheets yet still shivering relentlessly from the cold. He didn't want to get up but something about this seemed off. His ears twitched atop his head as he made his way to the nearest window, brows furrowed from the frost bitten scene he could peer at through the iced down window's glass.  

A light sigh left his lips and he hurried to get dressed -- thoughtful to check on Asato, Konoe packed a few things into his bag, hurrying to the living room where Rai usually rested. He wondered if he was feeling just as frozen as the smaller Ribika was? -- Not that he would say, he mused, pulling his hood up and nudging the white cat with his tail. He didn't know if Rai would agree, stop, or what he would really do but Konoe had no intention of being stopped now, his mind was set.

"H-Hey, we...or I-I, I'm going to go check on As..s-sato."

"Y-You can come..if you w-want, but don't try and ssstop..me."