In Which the Overlord Has the Least Subtle De-age Ever [Open]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Another day in the Overlord's Fortress.

Today, Zetta sat in his throne lazily, feet up on the most freaking sweet ottoman in creation, grinding out a few levels of the freaking sweet new game he'd picked up on XaXing (Nuclear Death Apocalypse Extravaganza: The Annihilation of All Mankind: Tactics) on his freaking 99" widescreen TV.

Yeah, he'd gone pretty wild at XaXing, to judge from the various tapestries and banner's now hanging on the walls, the statues positioned in key places around the fortress courtyard, the sapling planted in one corner that visibly distorted time around it, and various and sundry other luxury goods.

Oh yeah, and he apparently had a body. What's up with that?

[[OOC: So, uh, since Zetta's de-age is, as noted, as subtle as the Overlord himself, and we don't want an obvious reveal too soon, it would be appreciated if any characters who wander by not run off to tell lots of important people quite yet. ^.^ ]]

Comments

[thewunderkind]

Lash was on her way to the Outsider's Headquarters for a few hours of shut-eye and perhaps pool swimming when the sound of something violent and exploding caught her attention on the road trip there (she had a knack for overhearing anything of the sort). And it came from the Overlord's Fortress, which granted was normal but something she didn't expect at this hour. Maybe Zetta was playing explode the Prinnies for no reason, and that in itself alone made her curious. I mean, come on...exploding Prinnies. They were like a siren call to her.

She came in just as Zetta was entering his name on the screen. into the courtyard, and immediately noted how much more tacky it looked. Tacky to Lash anyway. Black Hole wasn't big on decorations or...much of anything else involving green for that matter apart from oil, corpses of the dead, sweat and metal inventions. The statues and the trees just made it look like a big medieval palace, which did make sense considering the occupant now that she thought about it. "Uh, I guess when you have that much money..." It's just wasn't much of Lash's style, that's all.

More explosions again and the screams of thousands of humans dying in unison. Had he bought a bunch of slaves or what? Wouldn't Stacy punish him for tha- oh it was just some videogame of some sort on the largest big screen TV she'd ever seen, it looked really nic-

HEY.

Something was different.

"..."

She just stared at him. Piercing gaze.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Why does it not surprise me you'd be attracted to video games?" Zetta said by way of a greeting. He tossed a wave over his shoulder while the laboriously long intro cutscene went on and on.

He wasn't even looking. He hadn't notice that gaze.

"Hey, I bought a bunch of fighting games too. You seem like you'd put up a decent showing in one."

[thewunderkind]

"I thought you were doing something less wholesome. Like exploding Prinnies. But anyway, yeah I had my share of playing them when I found a portable console during the second great war," she admitted (and this is actually canon) stepping closer to the TV, arms crossed.

He is playing a video game. PLAY. A. VIDEO. GAME.

"And you...play them too?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Yeah. What, you think being an Overlord is all smashing cosmos, perpetual fighting, laughing maniacally, and whatnot? Even we get to enjoy our goofing off."

Besides, anyone with an ottoman THAT sweet would take any opportunity to use it.

"Fact is, we have downtime and hobbies too."

[thewunderkind]

"I guess, but--" OH WHATEVER. She was going to address the elephant in the room before it got too ridiculous. So in her typical Lash fashion, she went at it in the most diplomatic, soft way as possible.

"SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE YOUR BODY BACK?!"

[king-of-koopas.livejournal.com]

Just you wait, Zetta. Bowser's got his OWN construction project underway that'll be fifty times MORE AWESOME than your shoddy dump of a castle.

As it was, Bowser was stomping around the place, hauling one or two last things in and around. For once, the Koopa King hadn't said a word to Zetta all this time, and had only given the Overlord one or two cursory glances as he finished the heavy lifting, grumbling all the while.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Still won't be as awesome as his TRUE castle. Considering he slapped this place together as a book just from his minions, it looked pretty good in his opinion.

"So what did the Koopa King do on his days off, back in the day?" he asked curiously. He figured it wasn't video games.

[king-of-koopas.livejournal.com]

"Before I answer that..."

Bowser set down his heavy load and briefly worked out the kinks in his neck before looking over his shoulder at the (supposed?) Overlord. "Who's asking?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta lifted an eyebrow.

"Uh. Me?"

If the blank white eyes weren't cue enough, the voice of the Overlord remained Crispin Freeman badass in the extreme, after all. "Do I need to order you to answer?"

[king-of-koopas.livejournal.com]

"You? And who-"

Bowser cut himself off and squinted at Zetta for a good three seconds- before promptly going slack-jawed. "Wait, how'd you- what- what the heck happened to you!?"

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

Hit Girl was glad to be back on the ship again, strangely enough. She was actually getting more used to being here than anywhere, when it came down to it, so naturally she had gone off to visit the Overlord. She'd done some small shopping (had a fairly impressive display of weaponry now, YES) and was off to show the overlord, as well as ask for their next session.

"Hey Overlord," she said, then stopped. The HELL?!

"Ok, you're playing a video game," she said, shaking her head, "which is weird in itself, but since WHEN do you have your body back?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Why is it weird that I'm playing a video game?" Zetta asked, immediately fixating on the entirely wrong part of the conversation. "It's not like the life of an Overlord is CONSTANTLY kill-pillage-mutilate-evil laugh. We have our hobbies and fun too!"

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

"Are you on drugs?" Hit Girl said. "The video game thing is just weird, but why the fuck do you have a body? You never had a body before, how the hell did you stop being the damn book? We're not even in the Sensoriums!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"...What the hell are you talking about?" Zetta said, actually going so far as look away from the TV. (Which given the size of the TV was no small feat. "I've always had a body! What, you think I was born a ghost or something?"

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

"You were a born a demon, you ass, but you've been a BOOK as long as I've known you! Why the hell are you acting like you've always been a demon when you're the one who kept telling us that's why you wanted to destroy the Ohm. Seriously Overlord, is it drugs? That would make sense. Its weed, isn't it? That's why you;re paying video games."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex was taking a walk through the City when he found himself in front of Zetta's castle. It had been a while since he'd seen Zetta, and figured that it was about time to let Zetta know he was back so he could pick up on his training again.

When he saw the overlord though, his jaw dropped. "Y-y-your body!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"What up, Alex?" Zetta said, not having properly registered the statement thanks to the shiny digital distraction before him. "Oh come on, how does he have three freaking ranks in Surface-to-Surface Missiles at THIS level?!"

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex moved to stand behind the overlord to see what game was so consuming. Realizing that Zetta hadn't heard him the first time, he repeated, "Y-your b-body... You're n-not a book!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"And you're not a toaster. Go figure." Zetta didn't think much of the comment, it seems.

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"How?" Alex still was going back and forth looking at Zetta's human(oid) form and the game he was playing.

[sonofether.livejournal.com]

Even more of a mess. Even more noise. Despite the soundproofing, that was what Stephen saw when he walked past the Overlord's new, overstated "plaza" or "castle" or whatever he was calling it this week.

"Damn it," he swore under his breath, and stomped onto Zetta's property.

"What the hell is all this shit?" the Scientist asked, raking his gaze over the assorted amalgam of belongings the demon had appropriated. "And--"

He paused, eyes widening.

"Sweet Tesla, is that a Ferrari Infinity? There weren't supposed to be many of those made! How in the hell did YOU get your grubby paws on one?!"

Noticing Zetta had a body? Nope. Ignored in favor of the car.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Hey! My paws are not grubby!" Zetta snapped back. "And it was on that planet we were just at. It was expensive, so I bought it. Pretty nice-looking, I figured it would make a good conversation piece."

Wait, hadn't he intended to drive it? Zetta paused, attempting to consider his motivations.

[sonofether.livejournal.com]

"Yes. They are. You're too good for this car," Stephen growled. "You don't know anything about it! And besides, you're a book, how are you supposed to--"

Wait. What?

Stephen turned to look at the Overlord. Nope, he wasn't a book. Dammit, he'd had a Morgan moment. He'd blame the car!

"How the hell did you stop being a book?" the Etherite demanded.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Nothing is too good for the most badass freaking Overlord in the cosmos!" Zetta snapped back irritably. "And what the hell are you talking about?"

[sonofether.livejournal.com]

"Plenty of things are, your ego's just too overblown to realize," Stephen snarled. "And are your ears as full as your head is empty? Here, I'll go slow in words of few syllables so your tiny intellect can understand it.

"How. Did. You. Stop. Being. A. Book?!"

He almost wished he'd set up video surveillance, because shoving a picture in the Overlord's face would be supremely satisfying.