In Which The Overlord Compromises A Previously-Held Stance

[badassfreakingoverlord]

He'd said he hated it. That was still true.

He'd said it'd be nothing like the real thing. That was still true.

He'd said he'd never do it. And that... was where he had to change his mind.

Months stuck as a book (and that one time, a big robot for the party) had taken their toll. He'd ignored it, he'd dealt with it, he'd shrugged it off like it was no big deal. And really, it wasn't. He still had his mana power, and that was really what mattered. Getting everything else back was just a matter of patience and kicking ass.

But damn it, he really freaking missed arms!

So today the sensorium held not a book in the arms of a vapidly cheerful minion, but a tall demon with literal fire for hair and swirling mana around his legs, examining his hands as he slowly flexed them.

"Hmph. Not as good as the original... but, better than I had hoped," he said out loud.

Comments

[ruffntumblenut.livejournal.com]

A low whistle let him know he was busted.

"So this is what you're always going on about?" Ruffnut approached, as always flanked unwillingly by the imaginary Tuffnut.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Reflexively, he looked around for Hit Girl; the two were rarely separate, it seems.

"No," he said with a sort of 'duh' tone. "This is a pale imitation of my full glory!"

[ruffntumblenut.livejournal.com]

"Maybe he ought to get some more sun." Tuff snorted and Ruff rolled her eyes. "No I'm serious! How does a guy with fire for hair not have darker skin?"

Ruff didn't silence him she just ignored him pacing around Zetta looking him up and down. "So what took you so long to try this?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta shook his head. "It's not my real body. It's just an illusion. It doesn't feel quite the same, it isn't as powerful. It's fake. And getting my real body back is what matters."

[ruffntumblenut.livejournal.com]

Even Ruff understood that and nodded, "Well I can see why you want it back. Thumbs are awesome." She brought up both arms and wiggled her thumbs.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae walked into the room eying curiously. "Hey Zetta, what... What are you doing? I thought you said you didn't like doing this sort of stuff?"

She looked him up and down raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"I don't," Zetta said, still flexing his hands with the same sort of masochistic determination of a person who keeps prodding an aching tooth with his tongue, as if it somehow won't hurt this time. "But you try being a book for months and see how much you miss limbs."

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"No, I understand. I... I'd hate not having them." She indeed would, not because she was needy, but because she wouldn't be able to do any of the things that brought her the small bouts of joy. Her art, her music, tinkering in engineering. She would definitely be devastated.

She moved closer to Zetta, studying him. It took a few moments of eying him over before she stood in front of him, looking up at his face with her usual caring innocent face. And then she hugged him.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"...what the hell, Ronnae." He'd seen that coming a mile away -- this WAS Ronnae, after all -- so he managed to not earn himself a few violations by kicking her so hard she flew clear to the obs deck. It was so predictable, really, the question was almost rhetorical.

But not entirely.

She was lucky she wasn't a guy!

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

She knew Zetta would complain, but she also knew he wouldn't hurt her. After all this time spent with him he had done nothing but try to help her, and comfort her in his unique way. For all it was worth, she could count on him, and he had her as a close friend, no matter how much 'OVERLORDS DON'T HAVE FRIENDS!'he spewed.

She moved back and gave him a playful grin raising an eyebrow. "What? I wanted to see what hugging the most badass freaking overlord felt like." She smiled, "It felt good~ And I'm sure once it's real it'll feel better."

She laughed a little before looking back up at him, "So what does bring you here? Just wanted to try it out or? Something else on your mind Zetta?"

a million edits gdit

[thewunderkind]

"Your hair is on fire. Funny. I wouldn't have known that from the statue." Thank whatever for them in any case, or else Lash would have had no idea who that was. "I guess that's almost cool, in a way."

Hey look, that was almost a compliment!

"So, you got tired of being a giant book or what?"

...And back to square one.

"Why do I have so many notifs? Oh."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Yeah, and if you'll notice, it also turns into bats when it flickers away," Zetta said. "I don't suppose it occurred to you I don't have much choice in the whole 'book' thing."

"Because Pixle is addicted to edits." And now to edit this one 10 times (no)

[thewunderkind]

"Nope! But I'll keep that in mind," She flexed her own hands and looked around. "Sooooo apart from being back in your fabulous body, what were you doing here? Preparing our next training session?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Why do I need to be doing something besides being close to my old gorgeous self again? I bet if you were a book for a few months you'd enjoy just standing around remember how awesome it was to have a body!"

That wasn't very likely to happen, though...

[thewunderkind]

She'd have the most bitching afro book hair, that would be for sure.

"Eh I guess not..." Idly she moved her left hand and a neotank sprung up from the ground. "I'd been thinking of doing a bit of good-old war training. If you want..." she had no idea what she was getting herself into, but what's a little fun without the risk. "Maybe a match?"

Here I'll throw in a two for one.

[shapeshiftqueen.livejournal.com]

Gandrayda was very rarely seen in the sensoriums. A shapeshifter didn't have much use for the place; her world was already space and Stacy's ship was simply a change of scenery. Besides, knowing you'd end up dead sooner or later meant she'd just take everything in stride.

But perhaps a little bit of training couldn't hurt. She could use the practice and besides, she was bored. Boredom and Gandrayda never got along together well. Actually they never got along at all.

Oh but who was this tall and handsome fellow? Why, he wasn't bad looking at all. And so one(1) purple see-thought shapeshifter (http://shapeshiftqueen.livejournal.com/profile)walked up to the man and giggled.

"Well hello. I don't think we've met before."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Nope," Zetta said. "I'd remember."

Possibly that was just a flirtation, or possibly Zetta just meant he'd have noticed a freaking Shapeshifter title on a status screen if they'd met once before. He was noticing it now.

[shapeshiftqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'd remember as well," she countered, crossing her arms. "You're not bad looking at all. Do you have a name or am I going to have to trick you out of it?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Overlord Zetta! The most badass freakin' Overlord in the entire cosmos!" And damn, it felt good to say that in even a facsimile of his proper body again!

"And I'll ask yours for formality's sake."

[shapeshiftqueen.livejournal.com]

"Formality?" she repeated with a grin and a fake sigh. "If we must...Gandrayda. The second best Bounty Hunter in the entire cosmos."

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

Allenby had pretty much had to force herself to keep walking all the way to the Sensoriums and had given herself a mental punch to actually go inside. Ever since she'd learned just how this place worked, it had given her the creeps. But Zetta'd said that he wanted to fight her in here. And other people's programs wouldn't make Stacy peek in her head.

Hopefully.

Spotting Zetta did manage to put that out of her mind quite handily. Even if he didn't sound totally satisfied, Allenby still gawked. Those kind of features belonged on a Gundam, not a regular person! "Wow, this is how you're really supposed to look?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

He turned to face her with a smug grin, hands at his sides to show off every feature of his gorgeous body, from the purple energy swirling around his legs, to the hair that was also fire that flickered off into bats which flapped away before guttering out.

"Yep. This is what my body looks like."

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

Allenby raised her eyebrows as Zetta blatantly showed off. Then she chuckled--flaming hair? Bats? Yeah, she could believe that. "Ya know, I'm gonna make a real wild guess and say you designed it yourself," she said. "It sure does suit ya."

It was a compliment, mostly.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Did you forget I'm a demon? I was born this way!" That grin only grew broader. "We're not like humans. We're born to strength and power."

He lifted his hands, fingers splayed to show off the talons, before purple fire burst out from both of them. Then he snapped his hands into fists abruptly, cutting off the flames.

"Actually," he said in a less SCREAMINGLY EGOMANIACAL tone, "a lot of demons look even less human than I do."

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

"And showin' off," said Allenby. "I think I like the more human form anyway. I've had enough of things that don't have normal bodies lately." As long as he was tangible... if he just dematerialized or whatever in a fight, she'd be mad.

"That is a real body, right? Something I can hit? Or are ya just gonna turn into mist or fire if I try to punch ya?"