capeandcowllogs | one more shifty, slightly leveled field of communication

Entry tags:

one more shifty, slightly leveled field of communication

WHO:

inthirds (who is cured)
WHERE: MAC
WHEN: Way super early 11/10
WARNINGS: MANLY TEARSno idk nobody dies at least
SUMMARY: Hey old man it's me, the pal you carved up like a week ago!
FORMAT: No

He could've just fallen asleep right where he was so easily had his mind not wandered back to his first contacts. It hit him like a knife in the back, causing him to start a little, though hardly much to disturb the sleeper curled up on him.

It had been well more than an hour, hadn't it? Not even a day back, already falling behind...

Further still, as it took a length of time to free himself and slink down the hallways. Barefoot, still feeling like he was stuck in a surreal dream...feeling his footfalls. Coarse carpeting. Cold, concrete steps in the stairwell. He was in danger of a sensory overload nearly every time he changed places. Goose pimples to go with the anxious knots in his stomach...how long since that was ever a thing?

Zelgadis wound up staring at the appropriate door longer than need be. He wasn't completely lost; he knew he had the right one. But the correspondence left him with uncertain footing, so to speak. And the disturbing remarks of that Goku person only gave his mind ample opportunity to draw the most unsavory conclusions. What had happened, and did he even want to know?

One way or the other, though, he had to knock. Four muted raps by the backs of his knuckles, drawn away as quick as they were brought forward. The notion that the hour was a little unreasonable had only just struck. Perhaps he ought to just go back upstairs––

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"Come in."

Geddoe was still awake, as he rarely kept a normal schedule no matter what. And, thanks to decades of keeping watch at campfires overnight, he had developed a habit of sleeping light. Either way, he was home and not passed out. Out of armor, even, wearing one of the sweatshirts Zatanna had foisted on him a year prior.

There was a lot on his mind, but none of it was coalescing into clear thought. He knew he and Zelgadis needed to face one another, but he didn't know what would come of it.

Zelgadis flinched, almost regretting a response. He really didn't know for sure what was going on, why he didn't remember things he was told he ought to. It was hard to read the situation from brief snippets on the communicator – harder still standing with a door barrier, which left him little choice but to suck it up and open the door.

He slunk in, cracking the door open only as much as he needed to squeeze by. Being as narrow and not scraping stone as he was made that less an embarrassing thing to do, leaving him plenty of brainspace to realize how stupid it was to go mulling around without shoes.

The door clicked about as loud as anything at the hour with no other sounds to muffle it when he leaned his weight against the door. His arms were bent behind him, feeling the press of his back. He was staring more at the floor and nearer furniture before venturing a look up, ultimately so because it was just agitating to feel so uneasy and chastised without really knowing why.

That weirdo said "old man with the eye-patch"...

"I'm," he had to stop to clear his throat, starting to straighten up. "I'm back."

Geddoe sat up from where he had been lounging on the couch. He, at least, was none the worse for wear, having only gone to the outskirts of the city before meandering, looking for a smith to repair his blade and then just sort of living in the wild for a week or so. Touching base with his roots, in a way. It left him no more shaggy than usual. If asked he wouldn't lie; he had been keeping a watch on his comm device, waiting for the very words just spoken in his own flat. He had pondered a response all that time and still didn't know what words to use when the moment came.

He rubbed his face with one big hand and studied the very human-looking Zelgadis for a moment. "I see that," he finally muttered.

A million questions and no words to ask them. Dammit.

Zelgadis flushed, feeling absolutely ridiculous for some reason. Like a child caught causing trouble being called in by a parent – ridiculous. Thinking like that would have to put Geddoe on the same level as Rezo, which was more insult than anything after all the things that had happened since he had been young. Why was he even thinking about that, anyway? He had to shake his head to clear himself of it, looking back over at Geddoe. Reality.

"I don't remember everything that happened," he declared, his tone and posture beginning to deflate rather quickly as he went. "But...I've been hearing about it a little."

"Mm." Geddoe studied him a little more, and then dropped his gaze and gestured idly for Zelgadis to come in further. Cowering against the door like that, what was he thinking? Although, the captain could probably guess. His irritation may have ebbed by now, but he still had some rather stern thoughts about what had happened prior to the park. Those questions he would need answers for, by the end of this night.

"A little," he repeated. "How much do you know, then?"

Pushing off the door, Zelgadis took a tentative step or two forward before trying to gravitate to something he could lean or sit on, rather than stand in the void point-blank as he was. His hand found the back of a chair to clutch and anchor him, even weakly separate him for all the good that limp bit of security did for him. He was a much steadier person when he knew the score for himself, but the less he knew the less surer his demeanor.

Then again, he wasn't sure he wanted to be sure of everything.

"I know that...whatever happened," his shoulders drew up with his breath, dropping with a slight nod at the elder, "I caused a lot of problems. For you. And Terra."

Sorry lodged in his throat and remained there, unsaid at the moment. He didn't want to think about what he had to be sorry about.

"You did," Geddoe agreed plainly. "But more than that, it caused this entire city and possibly this world problems. That demon was responsible for it all."

Thinking of Illidan brought the scowl back to his face. He was the one most to blame, but Geddoe was not the kind of man to let Zelgadis off the hook so easily. After all, he had choices, and making the wrong ones could not be brushed away with a pat on the head. Being forced to kill a comrade was rather small compared to nearly bringing about the end of the world. He peered at Zelgadis, and it was most certainly not the traditional look of disappointment. He was angry at the outcome, or would be if he didn't hear the right answers. "Do you recall anything at all of what happened when you went to him?"

He flinched at the scope described, moreso at demon, which, in light of his conversation with Goku, took on a fresher first definition. The bile behind the word wasn't new, though, and a quick glance at Geddoe could confirm he meant that demon. It was a small bit of relief, at least.

Eye contact wasn't easy to keep; Zelgadis couldn't hold gaze for more than a few seconds at a time before sending his to wander, ultimately looking elsewhere when the question was posed.

"A little," he admitted, reluctant. "Telling me how sure he was about this attack of his, that he was going to..." his frown darkened as he tried recalling the words, or words close. "To make me stronger to fight." He shook his head. "And that the deal would be done."

Geddoe's expression registered more dread than anything else. At least it was done, past, and not something to prepare for in the future. "It had better be done," he growled. "I warned you. The only reason I'm not saying 'I told you so' is because no one deserves what you got for going to him."

After a moment, he abruptly pushed himself to his feet and blundered into the kitchen to see if he had any booze stashed. This kind of chat was going to require some, eventually.

He stiffened, feeling heat creep back up his neck and face at that notion of told you so. He was more than aware he should've handled things better – like everything, really. That seemed to just be his lot in life, dammit.

But what you got gives him a very unpleasant chill, causing him to dig his fingernails into the back of the chair with an increasing tightness. His stare follows Geddoe from the kitchen and back with a very concerned but reluctant look about him. It takes seconds longer to find his voice again.

"What I got," he echoed, tilting his tone to a wary question.

There was only one bottle in the fridge, some fruit-beer he had picked up a while ago and didn't like enough to finish off in a hurry. Geddoe returned to the sitting area with it. A question like that made him pop the cap off immediately.

"You don't remember precisely what he did to make you 'stronger?'" he asked warily, keeping his eyepatch-side to Zelgadis. "I'm not surprised you remember nothing afterward. You weren't yourself."

It had begun to hurt, gripping the chair like he was. Zelgadis' face ticked with a sharper grimace when he released, feeling the hurt in a way he wouldn't with a tougher hide. He continued to slowly flex his fingers for moments after and let the blood rush back in. That was hardly on his mind, however. He wasn't liking where things were going.

"Then that guy," he mused, staring at his hands without seeing. "Whoever he was...when he was talking about fighting a stone demon..."

Geddoe lifted his head, peering curiously. "You spoke to the kid?" That was what he got for shutting off his comm prematurely. He took a sip and then nodded. "There was a fight."

Rarely did his tight-lipped nature prove a curse rather than a mere quirk; right now was one of those times. It was easy to clam up rather than reveal too much.

It was a poor guest who threw up all over a person's clean floor, but Zelgadis was feeling less and less capable of not doing just that the more he probed. Fist clenched again, it drew to his face, uncurling and pinching at the bridge of his nose.

The blue demon with all the elemental powers, he said. That was you right? But the grandpa killed him.

The dead part he'd gleaned to some degree already, given Terra, but...Should he be thankful he was offed by a familiar face? It was one thing to say, but quite another to deal with.

It really was all his fault, wasn't it? Him and his stupid decisions, one after the other – the endless domino effect that was his life choices. If he knew what the hell dominoes were, anyhow. But if he did, that's what he'd consider it.

Geddoe's lack of detail only gave Zel's imagination room to roam to terrible conclusions. Dead isn't just dead, and fights aren't just fights...

His nose was starting to hurt. Enough of that. His hand dropped with a dull sound onto the chair.

"I shouldn't have gone at all," he muttered bitterly.

Edited 2011-11-10 06:35 (UTC)

It was a good thing Geddoe was not offering to share his beer, then.

He stood towering over Zelgadis, sighing through his nose. "No, you shouldn't have," he said gruffly. "I don't even understand what damned sense of ethos drove you to it. If you ever pull something like that again..." His left hand curled into a fist, as if it wanted to punch something. Something soft and fleshy. "...I don't give a damn what you believe is the thing to do, I will make sure you aren't capable of going anywhere near that demon. One way or another." His lips pressed tightly together for a moment, and then he added in an undertone, "I will not be put in that position again."

For some reason, despite being made of mainly rock for most of his recent life hadn't conditioned Zelgadis to not flinch when a friend threatens to harm him. It was probably mainly because, somehow, Lina could do a great deal of damage regardless. His windpipe could attest to that...and portions of his cranium. Which was weird, but not something he readily dwelt on.

Regardless, it wasn't being suddenly a lot more punchable that caused him to shrink and freeze in place, gaping up at the stern face. He twitched back to life at the concluding remark, rattled by a fresh stab of guilt through his ribs.

He managed a mumbled sound, but something not very close to a word. He dropped his head, shielding his face from scrutiny with that mess of bangs. Like getting rocks chucked at him, or the elbow to the head, or the chokeholds, or...well. The list went on. But that's what his friends did to keep him from being stupid and ultimately remind him he had friends. Somehow, that was more sincere and telling than much else.

Being moved by threats...Lina Inverse had really warped him, hadn't she?

Geddoe stared down at him, fully aware that Zelgadis was probably a bit mentally fragile but under no compunction to coddle him. That simply wasn't his way. If it would teach him to make better decisions in the end, even once, it was worth a bit of a lecture. "At least you weren't conscious of the fight," he muttered. "Whatever possessed you, at least I didn't have to look into the eyes of a friend and know betrayal. As you sit here, I know you aren't the individual who wanted to kill me. It was the magic."

Zelgadis was very compelled to put at least a little distance between them, moving around the chair to sit heavily as the other was speaking. That weird guy was probably being honest about things, then, more to his distaste. He grimaced behind the hand drawn to his face once more, feeling a sting of pressure from trying to make Geddoe's remarks fit into some fuzzy sequence of events.

Magic, huh...

"Something about that," he mumbled, sliding his hand away to be heard. "Something about not being good enough on my own...something about...a skull, or a sorcerer. Or both, maybe."

"Hm." Geddoe vaguely recalled a skull...didn't Illidan have one around him most of the time? Twice Geddoe had invaded the church, and he was pretty sure at least one of those times there was some kind of glowing skull nearby. He gave a scoffing snort at the insinuation that it was done to improve Zelgadis' skills. "He wanted you fully under his control, that's all. Not a servant, but a slave."

At least by now, after his spat over the comm, he understood Illidan to be completely deranged and not to be trusted. Powerful or not, he was a foe plain and simple. Despite being disgusted with the immature behavior of stalking him and killing him in cold blood, Geddoe privately hoped maybe he'd stay dead this time. Watching him was going to be troubling from now on, if he returned. He took a long drink and set the bottle down on the table next to the couch. "I'm starting to wonder if his interest in you had nothing to do with you at all. You were a pawn. Disposable. Enhancing your powers only meant whoever faced you would have to kill you to stop you, instead of knocking you out and leaving you there to nurse your pride."

The remarks weren't made in spite of him, but Zelgadis could still feel a bit resentful at the implications. Slave. Disposable. It made his skin crawl and his blood heat up just enough to look as irate as he was starting to feel.

"Terra said he's dead," he said, looking over at Geddoe for confirmation. "So the chances of something like this happening again..."

"...depend on whether he returns as well." Geddoe would not beat around the bush. "Again. I have no doubts he'll cause trouble so long as he's here. But." He turned back to Zelgadis and gave him the scowl again. "The chances of him taking you under his thrall depend entirely on you."

The second time around, Zelgadis was less chastened and more defensive. He put on a scowl in exchange, mouth twisting with a bit of defiance.

"I'm not repeating the same mistakes over and over," he said, folding his arms. "I'm not an idiot."

A fool, maybe. But a fool who could learn now and again.

"No?" Geddoe huffed a little. "Then if he does come back, I take it you've washed your hands of him."

"I don't want anything to do with him," Zelgadis asserted, shoulders shrugging up for effect. "I haven't for the longest time, except he kept dangling that stupid deal in my face and what he considers charity."

Recalling that incident, seeing his hand fleshed out and normal again...he visibly shuddered with a mix of repulsion and unease. He uncurled his arms, staring at his hand for a moment.

"But it's all over. And even after he took this away from me...I have what I asked for in the first place."

"Good." Geddoe's shoulders sagged a little, a sign that he was much less interested in punching than a little while ago. "I should have to do something drastic if you hadn't realized that much."

He looked down at Zelgadis where he sat, wondering if the other rumors were true and death caused a temporary loss of power. That meant this state would not last, either. But he didn't bring it up. Instead, he went and sat back on the couch. "I told you I would protect you. I wish you would have trusted me with that...but perhaps you will at least from now on."

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