trans_9 | In Which the Overlord is Flat On His Face

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In Which the Overlord is Flat On His Face

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.

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"Well I'm TRYING to sleep with her, but she's got absolutely no understanding of anything like that, so it's not an easy path."

Zetta wasn't deliberately being horrible or dodging the question. He seriously thought this was where it was going.

"Somehow I don't think that's the case. You're as subtle as a falling brick most of the time," Kaya said, making a face. "Granted, I was really talking about what you think about her, but I get the message. I don't think even you are ready to go down that path yet."

At least he wasn't asking about the bite marks. They could concentrate on him.

Uh. The bite marks were pretty self-explanatory, Kaya. Zetta had no intention of asking for the details.

"I've been ready for PLENTY of time now. She's not." The Overlord sounded noncomittal, but it was... an odd level of sensitivity for him to be displaying, wasn't it?

Good. It was bad enough she didn't really have girlfriends to talk about this with, talking about it with the Overlord would have been weird.

Even if there was a small, small part of her that wanted to brag about it, just a little.

"She's still got the mind of a scientist and a military commander then," Kaya said. "You can't blame her for being that way. But who knows? The ship has a funny way of making some things happen when you least expect."

"Considering how we ended up running around together in the first place, you don't have to tell me twice." After all, what were the odds that they'd both be de-aged to a compatible level under any other circumstances than here?

"How did you guys end up running around together anyway?" Kaya asked, curious. After all, Nokosi and her had met usually when she was in one of her funks. Luckily, Nokosi (and even Overlord Zetta) had been patient with her during those times.

Zetta wouldn't describe himself as patient so much as determined to get her out of the damn funks and back to being productive and kicking ass.

"We ran into each other in the art gallery with that stupid transforming statue and just started talking. As for hooking up, she was one of the people I was hitting on during that whole de-age thing."

Oh, she remembered some of those events, particularly when it came to the deaging thing. Zetta even looked impressive back then until he actually started talking. Maybe it was something to do with a random inclination toward bad boys?

But if that was how he met Lash, she chuckled. "Are you telling me she's the one who didn't turn you down?"

"Naw, she foolishly challenged me to a game!" Zetta said, grinning. "If I won, she'd go on a date with me. If she won..." He snickered. "We didn't actually decide what would happen if she won, so I planned to tell her that because she won, she had to take ME on a date. Didn't matter, though, because I won, of course!"

"I really should have thought of doing that," Kaya said thoughtfully, "although you could say I wound up going on a date with you anyway, since we did sit and see that movie. Honestly, I do like that side of you, when I get to see it. But Lash, I bet she likes the side that gets into trouble, that blows things up. It makes you guys pretty interesting that way."

A bit cracked too, but who was talking about that?

"What are you, kidding? If you don't want to go on a date, you say so! You don't set yourself up for having to do it by issuing a challenge. Not that I'm complaining about her mistake." The Overlord laughed, smugly. "But of course Lash likes the explosions side. It's kind of her thing, too, you know?"

Not that the Wunderkind didn't have her sweet side, but she and he both pretended it didn't exist, and they were both happier that way.

"Yes, but its Lash, so of course the thing she would have done would be challenging you!" Kay said, grinning. "I don't know why, but her enthusiasm is infectious. If she had been a villain in my world, I might have actually considered joining that side."

MIGHT.

"Have you SEEN her boss? He's a big dump stupid... jerk!" Zetta said. "With no sense of humor! What she sees in him I don't even know! You'd take one look at him and run like hell for the good guys' side!"

The Overlord was taking this... oddly personally.

Kaya narrowed her eyes. Ok, she could clearly see what was going on here, but considering how he'd been freaking out over her just saying he and Lash might be dating, this would likely bring another bout of denials.

"Isn't the boss supposed to look imposing though? If he was cracking jokes and looking like a dope, would anyone have taken Lash's organization seriously?"

"Hey, I have a freaking sense of humor and that doesn't stop people from taking ME seriously!" Though his sense of humor had lightened up a lot since he came on the ship, if anyone were to actually track its nature.

"And some people tend to be serious all the time. It doesn't make them bad, just hard to talk to. Heck, Zuko is one of the most serious people I know, but he's loyal and would do anything for a friend in need. Maybe Hawke is a lot like that?"

"Well, I don't get what the hell Lash sees in him. She's fun-loving and quick to laugh." Zetta stop talking up your girlfriend as awesome (which of course he is not doing, as she is not his girlfriend).

"He's her leader, Zetta, and that is what she sees in him. Maybe you don't understand because you tend to stay alone. But if you have war comrades, you share a bond, right?"

And she smiled a little to herself. Oh RIIIIIGHT, Lash is just some girl. Please.

Damn straight, Kaya! Good to see you understand!

"Leader's a position you earn, it's not like you get automatic respect just for being in charge. At least, not unless the title needs the sort of ass-kicking that's worth respect automatically. Like 'Overlord'."

Kaya looked confused. "Wait, so you're saying that Hawke is a bad leader then, and doesn't deserve Lash's respect. But then whey would Lash give it to him then? That doesn't sound like her."

"That's what I want to know!" Zetta seriously had no idea what Lash saw in Hawke at all.

"So why don't you ask Lash or, here's a crazy thought, talk with Hawke for a little bit? Because if you don't, and you just start spouting off abut him, someone might think you were intimidated, which is definitely something a demon overlord does not feel about a mere human, right?"

"Obviously I'm not intimidated," Zetta said patiently, as if explaining the obvious. "No one would think that."

"Right, but if you don't actually have a good reason for not liking him, other than him being serious or, in your opinion, boring, you could see how people would think otherwise, right?"

EVERYONE would think that.

"Wait, you're saying 'boring' isn't a good reason for not liking someone?" Clearly, Lash had influenced the Overlord a certain amount in their time together...

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