01

[nobarnacles]

Characters: Zelgadis and you!
Setting: Room 1-6, or elsewhere in the dorms
Format: I'll reciprocate whichever
Summary: Zel wakes up
Warnings: Zelgagrumping

This wasn't what Zelgadis expected would happen when he woke up. In fact, even the waking up part was a jolt; he still has a spell about to be released in the back of his mind, and he remembers that he was falling, like he tripped over a rock or something, but it doesn't make any sense that he would suddenly be in a place like this.

For a few moments, he strains to move, or yell, or cast a spell, or anything, but nothing happens, as if there just wasn't a connection between his mind and his body. It occurs to him that maybe he did actually die in battle, and he stops flailing at his unresponsive limbs so he can instead try to think a little bit about what all of this means. It doesn't take long for him to notice that he can move again, though, and with the quiet repose of a man who has accepted his own death, he calmly sits up and looks around the room. It's quaint, really, if a bit melodramatically gloomy.

Then he finds the notes, and shortly afterwards, the collar around his neck, and his calm mood drops all the way as far down as the tower goes. He hastily flips through the contents of his trunk, the laughable representation of the world he was plucked from, and grabs his sword. The familiar weight of it sitting around his hips is just one more sensory input in this rapidly solidifying consciousness, and he storms into the hallway with a renewed energy. He's pretty tired of getting jerked around.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

He's not expecting magical answers to drop out of the walls, but shouting lets off a little bit of steam.

Comments

snickering loudly at my keyboard

[nobarnacles]

[ Terrorizing otherwise innocent people in the course of getting answers is just part of Zel's charm. ]

Sorry? For what? People are generally only sorry if they know they've done something wrong.

[ That sword is going to stay steadily pointed at the spot right between Rick's baby blue eyes, and Zel's expression is holding just as steady at 'cold and menacing'. ]

oh it gets worse

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick yelps and flinches, drawing his knees in close. He might as well be sucking his thumb at this point, the silly man-child.]

I-I-I-I have! [The words jam themselves so far in his throat that he can barely speak, but fear forces out a whisper.] I've m-m-m-m-made you a-angry. P-P-Please don't hu-hurt me.

[Look at those big ol' eyes. Can't stay angry at those.]

poor baby

[nobarnacles]

[ Zel waits impatiently for the answer to escape Rick's mouth, then rolls his eyes at how much of a lame cop-out one it is. ]

I don't generally trust things that can change their shape. Why were you watching me?

[ The ridiculousness of the position he's in is starting to dawn on him, but he has to at least follow through with this. The human-appearing thing in front of him might look intolerably pathetic at the moment, but who knows what could come next? Nope, not dropping the sword yet. ]

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick is stammering so badly that he's barely comprehensible.]

--wasn't--just--you were--the hall--territory--walking--

[BLUH THIS IS SO BAD]

[nobarnacles]

[ oh for god's sake ]

You're not making much sense.

[ And with that, he sheathes his sword and folds his arms, since the stammering is getting rather tiring to listen to. But he's not letting his guard down yet. ]

Am I really that scary? Try again.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick nods his head vigorously. He's tempted to leave it at that, but he manages to convince himself that, if he can't speak now, he might not speak again until the drones revive him. He forces himself through gasping breaths and numerous halting stutters.]

I...live...I-I live here. D-D-Down the hall. [He cautiously points towards whichever bend in the hallway leads to room 1-16.] Just a few...a few days. R-Rus--the c-cat n-n-needed a walk.

[nobarnacles]

[ Honestly, Rick's not making that much more sense, but at least the words were more intelligble this time. Zel rubs his forehead, making a sound like two rocks being scratched together; this is going to give him a migraine. ]

You live down the hall from me. You've only been here a couple of days. Your pet cat needed a walk. Instead of being an actual cat that walks around, it's a cat you turn into. Anything else to add?

[ He supposes he could apologize for scaring the shapeshifter, but he's not really in the mood for it. ]

[bashfulshifter]

[Okay. Okay, deep breaths. The man just wants information. But hold on...]

...Y-You're new? [Rusty pitches in and tempts him to say, "I don't recognize your scent," but Rick will not have any more of the cat's sass after getting him into this mess.]

[nobarnacles]

Is that a question, or an assertion?

[ Zel's not going to give away any more personal information than he can get away with, though it's probably not hard to find out that someone's new here. ]

What else do you know?

[bashfulshifter]

[He shrugs. Both? It is pretty obvious.]

N-Not a lot. [Still looking very uncomfortable. Rick is not used to being the one who gives information, and it shows.] The note...a-and those. [He points to the terminal behind Zel.] P-Probably better...better s-s-s-source than m-me.

[nobarnacles]

[ There's a sigh, and then an eyeroll, and then Zel turns away from Rick for the time being. It's growing clear to him that despite being interesting because he can change shape, the terrified man is probably mostly useless in terms of giving him anything he needs to know.

He peers back at Rick over his shoulder. ]

Let's try this, then. You've been here longer than I have. What's the strangest thing you've seen so far?

COULDN'T RESIST

[bashfulshifter]

[The idea hits him like a brick to the face, and he doesn't have time to mull over the consequences--and with every voice in his head screaming for him to escape, the moment that Zel turns around seems like the perfect opportunity. Rick takes it in stride.]

[When Zel looks behind him, he'll probably be shocked to realize that the cowering blond man has disappeared. If he's quick about it, he might even catch a glimpse of an orange tail darting around the corner of the hall intersection to safety.]

[Too bad you didn't get his name!]

[nobarnacles]

Where did you...damn it!

[ A stony fist collides with the wall in frustration, and Zel curses himself for turning his back on the slippery shapeshifter for even a moment. He's not going to bother chasing the cat again this time, but he's definitely going to be on the lookout for both forms. ]