In Which the Overlord is Flat On His Face

[badassfreakingoverlord]

It's going to be one of those days.

In the hallway directly outside the mess hall lay a book. The bright red body and overall size clearly pointed to it being the Overlord, for those familiar with him, but his back cover was the one facing upwards. No sign of any minion around. None of the cursing, struggling, and flopping one would expect from Zetta in such an undignified posture.

Just a tome, lying flat on the ground, as if a crew member had simply discarded it thoughtlessly.

Comments

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Would that work with you, Hit Girl, or Ruffnut?" Zetta said accusingly.

[thewunderkind]

"Not really! But I'm pretty sure they'd understand." Lash thought so, anyway. At least before she cracked a grin.

"Granted they might see this as a sign of weakness and challenge you." And now she was just teasing and being terrible. At least this was tossing some of the tension aside.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"EXACTLY!" Zetta said, doing the exact opposite of shedding tension. "No trackers! There's nothing wrong with me anyway!"

[thewunderkind]

Oh. Well. Down that path again, then.

"I contacted you on your comm system an hour ago. Or that feels like an hour ago anyway. You can check if you want, and you'll see."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"For -- for all we know it was like ten seconds!" Another feeble argument from the Overlord. "You know time is weird here! What were you trying to contact me about anyway?"

[thewunderkind]

She just started at him, knowing that even from the Overlord, that was a really weak argument.

Then she spoke up about her problem at had.

"Oh Dog wrapped himself in a cocoon." You know, it really said something that she was now treating this as the normal thing between that and finding the Overlord unconscious.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta latched onto this as an eager chance to get off the topic they were talking about (and really, didn't that occur in about three-quarters of their conversations?). "A cocoon? Are you sure it's a cocoon and not a chrysalis?"

[thewunderkind]

Well his gamble paid off, as Lash was momentarily distracted. "Isn't that just the same thing?" she replied with a slight shrug, rubbing her hand over her chin. "Look human organics and technology she knew. But humans did not come from cocoons or chrysalis.

Part of her was surprised Zetta knew the word at all.

"I guess you could say he's in one of those too, yeah."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Lash... he's a BOOK. It's done wonders for his vocabulary.

"So that just means he's transforming into a new form or something, right? That's not a bad thing."

[thewunderkind]

She would argue that that made no sense, Zetta.

Yet there was that scientist twinkle in her eyes when she spoke again. "Yeah! I'm betting it is. A few people told me that already, over the com system. I kinda wonder what he'll end up looking like..."

At least it was better than being dead.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Well, don't things that do that usually turn into flying creatures afterwards? Maybe you ought to be watching it."

Don't bring up her reasons for not watching it at the moment, Zetta you dummy!

[thewunderkind]

"Well we are dealing with dogs found on another homeworld..."

TOO LATE. She went from grinning into deadpan serious again. This is the part where there would be a slow clap at Zetta's logic.

"Well I would have, if someone had been answering their communication posts and not on the floor unconscious, genius."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Damn it!

Time for a really, really cheap shot.

"Pfft. Don't tell me you were worried about me," Zetta scoffed.

[thewunderkind]

Wow that was cheap Zetta. Really, really cheap.

"Hey! For all I know, you could have been thrown out by someone who didn't like you into space again!" Yeah if he was going to play dirty, so would she.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"That can't happen AGAIN, it never happened in the first place!"

And now to nitpick over tiny details!

[thewunderkind]

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Fine! It's not like I care or anything!" Because she totally didn't! "Next time you'll end up unconscious near a vent or a garbage shoot and you'll get tossed aside before you know it!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Why would someone just put a book into a garbage chute?!" Why was he attempting to argue the logic of this particular point out of all the nonsense?!

[thewunderkind]

"Why are you even arguing about that point and ignoring the fact you keep turning up unconscious?!" Yeah seriously Zetta, when Lash pointed this out to you, of all people.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Last time I was in space! I think it's fully sensible for that to have happened! Space is-- space is boring!" Zetta insisted.

[thewunderkind]

Well step one in admitting that at least Zetta knew he was falling unconscious. Sort off.

"What? No! it's got stars and planets and supernovas! How can space be boring?" Lash had wanted to see space for most of her young life Zetta. This was like someone saying trips to the moon were boring.

"So why did you fall unconscious now? Got bored of eating food?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Because those things are really far apart, Lash! MOST of space is just freaking empty! Especially everything we were going past at the time!"

Zetta was starting to lose his head of righteous steam, just because, well, as entertaining as arguing with Lash was -- and it WAS entertaining, because she was just a human girl but she never treated him with any fear or even much respect for his position... well, after a certain amount he kinda wanted to not argue with her any more. Go figure.

"You have to admit the food here IS that boring."

[thewunderkind]

Yeah that's right Zetta. Lash had no respect for your position at all.

"Well, you are talking to the girl who lived with food packets for most of her life," she reminded him. "But at least we've got the sensoriums, right?" In other words, why were you eating here alone in the first place dude. A book eating gloop by himself. Why did that sound so sad in her head...

"That way you can eat something that you think tastes better and make things explode as well." Also, you get hands.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"It's still fake, you know? Even if you think it tastes good." Don't be sad for the Overlord, Lash! Just because he'd lost everything but his life, including his body and his ability to affect anything meaningfully, didn't mean he had felt sorry for himself. Maybe a few moments at the beginning, when the realization hit. Maybe then. But not once since.

[thewunderkind]

You can't stop her, Zetta. Not that she'd ever tell you anyway, so it's all safe for everyone involved!

"Hey it's still better than anything I ever tasted," Lash replied. "Sides, we sorta get that from the packages we stole on Galilee and whenever we do a shore leave." Although randomly...so how does a book process food anyway?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Answer: who the hell knows?

"Yeah, I could kinda do with some real food next time I eat," the book grumbled. "Even if it is crap and not real like actual food."