towerofanimus

Entry tags:

01

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.

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[La-de-dah, making the rounds, dum-de-dum...]

[...Hmm, what a strange noise. Oh, a person--an alien? Could be a trick of the cat senses, but Rick doesn't have to be a tower veteran to know that quite a few of the inhabitants aren't human, so either case is not immediately surprising. He even raises his tail in greeting to this newcomer in his territory.]

[It is around this point that the human part of his mind recognizes the fellow's tone of voice, and the cat part catches on that he is being rather loud and stompy, and also coming down the hall at an unpleasantly quick rate that shows no sign of stopping--]

[Very alarmed, the orange cat with a blue collar puffs his fur for a moment, and prepares to make a run for the nearest hiding place.]

[ Ah-ah, kitty cat! With Zel's current mood, everything is suspicious now, regardless of whether or not it looks out of place in the current environment. He stops his rampage mid-step, glowering at the orange creature that has his attention. ]

Please tell me you're not a trap.

[ His right hand curls up at his side, ready to call on a spell if he needs it.

No one needs to point out to him how silly he looks at the moment, preparing to fry an innocent-looking animal. ]

[Even if Rick were physically capable of speaking, he would not have been able to respond. He remains rock-still at the hallway junction, eyes wide and locked on the angry-looking man.]

[He will run at the first sign of movement.]

[Zel's hand curls.]

[Rick bolts!]

[ At least the cat didn't start talking, because that would have been a sure sign of something really weird going on.

Not that this wasn't already pretty weird. ]

Bom di wind!

[ The spell he released was a strong gust of wind, filling the hallway between himself and the cat. It wouldn't hurt anything, being just enough to knock a smaller creature off its feet so he could sprint forward and make a move to snatch at a tail, or a leg, or a collar.

Failing a grab, he'd just keep chasing. ]

[OH SHIT]

[The gust of wind pops the large cat several feet into the air, screeching all the while, but the return journey gives him enough time to align himself and land on his feet. He is, however, terrified and disoriented, and rather than run for the safety of his room or the elevator, he instead goes for the dark alcove of a network terminal. Rick does not realize that he's trapped until after he scuttles beneath the desk, and by that point it is definitely too late.]

Damn it! Get back here!

[ Zel doesn't even know why he's chasing the stupid cat anymore, but once he's started, he's not just going to stop. He allows himself a small moment of victory once he realizes the cat is cornered, slowing down his pursuit once he sees that tail disappearing under the desk.

In a slow, careful motion, he crouches in front of the terminal, peering under the desk with his hands up, ready to make another grab if anything comes flying out. ]

Come on out, kitty. I just want to meet you.

[ Yeah, right. Less than a breath ago, he was yelling like he was going to skin him. ]

[Can't think logically, too busy hyperventilating! The cat's eyes glint in the darkness like a pair of extremely bewildered headlights, and then he makes another attempt at escape--]

[--straight into Zel's waiting hands, no doubt.]

Got you now!

[ Zel's not going to waste any time clamping his hands shut as soon as an orange blur darts towards him! His stony fingers dig in firmly, but not with the intent to injure. Mostly, he's looking for a handhold so he can wrestle the cat into a more manageable position; by the scruff, or maybe the legs, if the panicking animal would cooperate for half a second. ]

[Rick is quick, but not nearly quick enough; Zel's hands come down on his lower back and get a firm hold of his leg and tail, promptly flooring him. He yowls in protest, struggling furiously on the smooth tiles.]

[It doesn't take long at all for Rusty to decide that he's had enough of this rough treatment, so he retreats back into Rick's mind and lets him deal with the consequences. Just as suddenly, Zel will find that his hand holding a cat's tail is now holding thin air, and the other is wrapped around the ankle of a pudgy blond man scrabbling with blind panic at the opposite wall.]

That voice is one Lina hasn't heard in a long time - and given the nature of the tower, she's half-inclined to think she imagined it at first, but curiosity is something she can't just ignore, and after stepping out of her own room, she looks down the hallway.

And lo and behold, there is indeed one grumpy blue fellow.

Part of her wants to run up and hug him, but her pride won't let her. (That, and she knows that running up to hug Zel will likely end up in unwanted pain. Plus, Zelgadis has never been one for that kind of thing.) So instead, she opts for an obvious question.

"Zel? Is that really you?"

What the--!

[ Okay yeah that's totally not cool. Zel's just going to promptly drop that leg and scramble backwards to his feet now. He draws his sword and keeps the tip between himself and shapeshifter. ]

I knew something was funny about you! Quit flailing and tell me what you're up to!

[Oh not this again.]

[Rick freezes in place save for his labored breathing, sitting with his back pressed against the wall and his hands held defensively in front of his face. His eyes peek over his arms and they are terrified.]

S-S-Sorry! Sorry!

[Still too panicked to answer Zel's question--but at least he's not moving around so much, right? That's an improvement? Maybe? No?]

"Of course it's me, Lina, wh--"

There's a brief pause as he catches up to what he's saying. The flash of memory is clear; it was only moments ago, to him, that they were facing Phibrizzo together. Oh boy.

"So, you ended up in this place, too, then?"

[ 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'. ]

[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.]

[ 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. ]

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

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

[BLUH THIS IS SO BAD]

[ 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.

[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.

[ 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. ]

In 1-05 there's another new arrival, and she's having a pretty spectacular freakout. She's managed to put on her school uniform and strap on her evoker before hearing shouting out in the hallway.

As she steps out to find the source, she nearly runs headfirst into him -- and once she gets her bearings and realizes what she's looking at, her hand's at her evoker, ready to summon her Persona if necessary.

"Who are you!?"

[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.]

At the appearance of another person, Zel tenses as well; he doesn't know what she's up to, but he knows a weapon when he sees one. His feet are planted and his hand is covering his sword, ready to draw on her if she made a sketchy move.

"That's none of your business. Who are you?"

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?

[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.

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Page 1 of 3

01

Floor One Dorms

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Dorms!

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snickering loudly at my keyboard

oh it gets worse

poor baby

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Floor one hallway for misunderstanding shenanigans~

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good, i love misuderstandings

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