(no subject)

[theboogieman]

Who: Zhas and whoever wants in on this grumpy trainwreck.
Broadcast: None probably.
Action: All day every day.
When: Forward dated to the dust moon because SOMEONE (me) can't be patient.

---

[gunning for the prestigious "first asshole to get irresponsibly drunk as soon as they land" award, there's this guy. he doesn't normally do this kind of thing, but it's been a spectacularly harrowing six months or so. he landed, took one look at this tiny town, and thought, "Nope. Not going to participate."

he has since been working hard to remove himself from the responsibility of being a functioning human being. is this a good idea? of course not. but he has reasons and he has a gnawing evil in his chest, and he'd love for one of them to just shut up for a while.

so, acquaintances will be surprised to find him out in the late evening, dressed up like a normal person and not covered in face paint. his eyes still have kind of a dim orange glow to them, but genetics can't be helped. anyone, friend or stranger, is welcome to find him either:

a. in the process of getting drunk (at the bar, hunched grumpily over his glass of bourbon)
b. getting into a fight (because the other guy... something... doesn't really matter anyway)
c. wandering the town streets (uncoordinated, content, and oblivious to a bad nosebleed)

on the bright side, the ratings he'll get from this will probably pay for his bar tab.]

Comments

c!!

[hellofist]

[From far down the street, Cassandra spots Zhas as he wobbles his way along. She watches him for a few long moments, at the way he could blend if he was walking properly, pleased in a very quiet way that his body language is clear enough to her at this point that she can recognize him at this distance when he looks so little like himself. Picking people out of crowds isn't a new skill, she's always been able to, but there's something special about Zhas.

She makes her way to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, to steady and to greet him.]

I'll help you.

[Because bro you need it.]

golly

[theboogieman]

[at this point, Zhas is somewhere very far away. he's not running into people or tripping over his own feet, but he has lost much of the command and dexterity he usually carries. he's busy with numb eyes and the way strong lights leave streaks, the way the ground rolls under him like the moon really is round.

a moon, isn't that funny? underneath all those pretty, pretty stars, a billion burning suns so far away that half of them haven't even realize they've died ye--oh. there's a person. Zhas stops moving, but looks confused for several seconds longer than he should.]

Ah...

[...he doesn't get it.]

>:3

[hellofist]

[She was mostly just intrigued, before. Curious. Now, seeing him looking at her that way, concern is starting to win out. She squeezes his shoulder gently, affectionately.]

Did something happen?

another c!!

[recopy]

[Honestly, the last time they'd met in person had been in the shadowy corridor of an alien bug ship dead in the water of space; combined with Zhas' usual more...interesting getup, Megaman almost misses the guy in passing as he drifts down the same street himself, preoccupied with his own worries. The face paint had been the most memorable part, after all! And without it, well, Zhas seems like an almost entirely different person, especially to the untrained eye of a simple acquaintance.

Fortunately, though, Zhas still has his eyes going for him, and it's just beginning to tip close enough to evening for the lighting to give them away. The eyes had been memorable too, anyway, if only a bit less so than the skull paint--and so that's what snags Megaman's attention first, before the unsteady steps register second, and the hint of something red and wet around the nose sets in third. Startled, he pauses in his steps--and then changes direction without thinking, surprise shifting to mild alarm.]

Wait--Zhas? Whoa, are you okay? What--what happened? [Oh my god that sure is some blood WOW IT LOOKS...JUST AS BAD IN PERSON AS HE ALWAYS THOUGHT IT'D PROBABLY LOOK oh gross oh that's so unnatural--wait, no, rewind. Freaking out will probably not help things here. And...this is Zhas, right. He realizes his mistake halfway over to the guy, but at least Megaman has the decency to sign a haphazard 'You ok?' as he closes the distance.]

sweet!!

[theboogieman]

[for someone with blood all over his face, he seems entirely unperturbed by the small person approaching and freaking out about it. he stops walking, at least, looking very calmly down at him... but he remembers this guy, the little robot man who helped way back on the ship...]

What... [what he doesn't remember is how he pretended to be deaf the entire time. he tilts his head and lazily signs something one-handed and unreadable, ending with a question mark.]

A! Enter the babysitter

[child_of_bhaal]

[Getting off the ship at any possible time is always a priority for Syeira. She's not really made for this desert-like place, but it has wind and earth and a sun that rises and sets, so she'll take it.

But there's not a whole lot to do here, and so the saloon is her #1 vacation destination this stop. Which is how she finds Zhas, slumped, grumped and getting drunk. (There's no term for 'drunk' that rhymes, shush). She doesn't even bother to ask questions, she just slides onto the seat next to him, and motions for the bartender to bring over two of whatever Zhas is currently drinking. One for her and a second for him. Because he looks like he's in that mood.]

A for AWESOME ok

[theboogieman]

[he looks over in time to catch her ordering a couple of drinks--he hasn't quite caught on that one of those will be for him, but just the fact that she's settling in for drinks next to him is putting her at the top of his "favorite people" list for the night.

because the weird truth is that he drinks to be social--he just doesn't ever know where to start. he waves just a little in greeting, already looking interested in her being there.]

C ....

[ino]

[ Okay, so normally she just kind of ignores drunk people wandering around. They're drunk. It's what they do. As long as they aren't hurting themselves or other people and don't look like they're dying, it's kind of the norm at nighttime for most places to have a few people like that wandering around, right?

So she's about to walk right past him, but the nosebleed catches her eye, and there's just something about him that seems familiar. Maybe she had seen him on one of the ships ... ?

She stops in his path, before coming closer to have a look ]

-- Hey, are you -- here, hold on. [ She'll pull a handkerchief out of her bag and hand it to him ] You're bleeding.

ino you are a good person

[theboogieman]

[he was having a lovely time off somewhere else, contemplating the stars and the fresh air and wondering how they managed to get a moon of this size to have normal gravity--but then there's suddenly a person in his path, and he stops with only a little bit of a wobble.

...a handkerchief is being handed to him. he takes it, because that's what you do when people hand you things, but...]

...Huh?

[he's what? ...he doesn't get... did he miss something? yes, he missed something.]

b

[openhands]

[Disgusted. Noise.]

[Cassandra doesn't even know why she's surprised to find Zhas not only a mess, but picking a fight with someone else. And she means picking a fight. As rough as everyone on this dusty moon is, they are more than content to leave people be as long as you leave them be. This is clearly not what has happened here.]

[So, the real question is: does she let it go or does she intervene? For the moment, Cassandra waits. As long as it's a somewhat fair fight, she doesn't feel particularly compelled to get Zhas out of whatever trouble he's managed to get himself into. She will just mind her own business with her drink in that case.]

i'm sorry cassandra

[theboogieman]

[he absolutely could have avoided the fight. but he loves antagonizing anyone bigger than he is. he knows too much about menacing people--and after a couple of drinks, he stops using his powers for good and starts using them for stupid.

the fight's pretty short. Zhas gets lifted up, thrown into a table--and then soundly decked in the face the moment he's on his feet again. it'd look bad for him, if he didn't then whip around and punch the guy right in the solar plexus.

he ducks away a second later, out of the gathered crowd. you'd almost think he was having a good time, with the way he shows back up at the bar to get his drink...

and spots Cassandra. and tilts his head, looking a little surprised. ignore that his nose is starting to maybe bleed a little, it's probably nothing.]

c

[blindoptimism]

[Even if everyone isn't asleep, Nunnally at least likes to know where the crew is most nights. So when Zhas is out particularly late... Well, she can't help but start to fidget and worry. When it gets late enough she eventually buttons up in a jacket and heads out to make sure he's not like... Dead in a ditch or something. And after bit of asking around she hears about an average sized man with glowing eyes who got super drunk, went FIGHT ME!!! a lot, then left bloody and woozy.

Hm who could that be.

So when she stumbles upon Zhas, she might look more than a little worried. Enough so to call out to him instead of trying to sign as she rolls her chair in his direction]

Zhas? [she waits to say more until some of the distance between them is closed. It feels rude to call out loudly late at night]

oh gosh yay

[theboogieman]

[he hadn't really considered that he'd worry anyone even before he got drunk and nearly kicked out of the local saloon... so he's definitely oblivious when she finds him. he's busy walking and basking in how nice it feels to exist in a numb body; the stars above keep him clear and make him feel small, which is very reassuring.

--but hearing his name still gets his attention, and he looks over to see little Nunnally rolling towards him. he looks surprised, but waves at her with a kind of friendly curiosity.]

You're here...

A

[kill_switch]

[At first glance she didn't think he was anything special. It wasn't until she'd settled with a drink of her own that she took a closer look and found some vague recognition. Hadn't he been one of Nux's crewmates to take him down, that first day?]

[She moves over to occupy the seat next to him. While the dust planet may hold many similarities to her own world, the little towns and establishments like this were new to her. So far, it's a novelty.]

You're on the Red Fish, aren't you?

aw yes

[theboogieman]

[he probably recognizes her a lot faster than she recognizes him. Zhas has weird eyes and a distinctive pointy face, even without all the paint... but he can pick her face out of his memories of Nux's little video feeds. that boy drags his communicator everywhere, is always asking the same woman questions. he was still deferring to her in that last fight; the hunter hasn't said anything, for several reasons, but he would have been stupid not to notice.

he looks her over a little, noting the arm--but at least he doesn't lean away or frown or seem at all bothered by her being there. he nods.]

You're on First Breath.

[not that he looked her up, but he... might have looked her up. his voice holds all of he human warmth of a particularly monotone gravel driveway.]

hello yes i remembered this post i'll take a little of column A -which may become column B who knows

[noncriminal]

[Space is cold. The ground in October hadn't been warm and snuggly either. But here, his tolerance doesn't do him favors. Murphy's hair is plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck in places, and he's foregone his jacket entirely by tying it around his waist. Some scattered older gentleman at the general store had honestly thought Murphy'd given him back all the coins he'd dropped (what an idiot), something he'd be a little more high on if he'd gotten more out of it and if everything wasn't so hot and cranky.

[He drops his coins loudly and rudely on the counter, dropping heavily onto the stool beside Zhas and waving a hand at the money. He has no idea what it adds up to, but.] Whatever that gets me. I don't know, something wet and boozey and something else on a plate. Chop chop.

[Jeez. He talks to nobody in particular:] Can you believe this place? [Looks like the movies they used to air every month down in the mess halls. He turns to Zhas, since he's nearby and subjected to this without much option.] -Well, you can probably believe this place; I can barely believe your eyeballs are real.

[NEVER MIND. He thought he was talking to someone normal, and not a superpowered demigod or whatever is happening beside him right now.]

[theboogieman]

[Zhas is extremely determined not to work today. a full-fledged vampire could walk up in front of the hunter, insult either of his mothers, and his response would be nothing more than a flat stare and to drain whatever was left in his glass.

but, on-duty or not, he can't just turn off. he's already sizing Murphy up by the sound of his voice, the weight with which he'd slapped down money and flopped into the stool. his creepy, jack-o-lantern eyes don't slide towards the guy until he's being actively talked at, and even then, he's very methodical.

looks Murphy over. looks at Murphy's clothes. glances at the money he's put on the counter, posture very still and unsettling-like.

...oh, but eventually he squints back at Murphy's face, and points to both his own eyes. you talking about his eyes?]

yet another c

[princessia]

[ Knowing that it's getting far too late in the evening for her to be staying out, Elize is hurrying along through town, heading straight back to her ship hopefully before anyone can worry. She's usually punctual about her bedtimes, but even she loses track of the hour sometimes.

She's about to keep moving past Zhas, but her curiosity forces her to glance back at him. ]

Zhas?

[ First it's shock from seeing the nosebleed, then an admonishing stare as she places her hands on her waist. ]

Zhas.

it's wonderful ok

[theboogieman]

[it's maybe good that she said his name a second time, because she didn't really catch his attention the first time--and he still looks a little confused when there's a little girl standing in front of him.]

Huh...?

[he tilts his head. hello...] Elize. You're here.

[he seems... oblivious. to a lot of things.]

B

[redactions]

[ Who has two thumbs and was about to enjoy this nice glass of whiskey? Yeah. This guy. Jim tends to ignore bar fights on the whole; his blood's not hot or itching, and whatever this native's problem is with the funny fella with glowing eyes it's really none of his damn business. ]

[ It's hard to ignore when one of them falls on the table and breaks it in two, however. He raises an eyebrow. ]

Pal, you gonna break it up?

[theboogieman]

[that would be Zhas falling through the table. they either make them flimsy around here, or the guy's a lot denser than he looks.

he turns his head to look up at Jim, not that it helps him much... as the Big Guy he somehow started a fight with comes lumbering over to pick him up again. he gets hauled onto his feet, the Big Guy swings his arm back, and--takes a much faster punch right to the solar plexus.

which stalls things a little, but no. he's not about to break it up.]

a??

[mortalcoil]

[how... did he even get here.

especially with how his last adventure into the world of alcohol had gone, all the promising he'd done to himself and others, all the grief he'd caught for the whole thing... how did he let himself be lured in and sat down at a bar, with a drink soon pushed into his hand.

it's the same way it always happens, probably.

sometimes, he just can't resist orders.]

A+ you mean

[theboogieman]

[of course. it's happened because Zhas has allowed it to happen.

Zhas is actually onto drinking water, this time of night... but since this is one of the seediest places in town, and no one's going to fuck with a guy who's painted a skull on his face, he doubts anyone's going to give him shit about it.

besides, he's got enough drunk in him for the rest of the night, and maybe some of next morning. he signs at him, their gesture for Coil's magic.

'Catch me up.']

c.

[deshabille]

[Alcohol doesn't affect Mal like it does human beings. She's had several beers, but she doesn't really feel it - she drinks because she likes the taste and it reminds her of Polly, not because she wants to get drunk.]

[So it's easy for her to recognize Zhas in an instant, and, an instant later, to smell his blood on the air. She freezes like a prey animal, just for long enough to be disgusted with herself, and then straightens up, narrows her eyes across the space between them.]

You've got red on you.

[theboogieman]

[he notices. today's a day for forgetting and ignoring and pretending to be someone else, but there's a little something at the back of his head that draws his eyes in her direction in the middle of an otherwise aimless wander.

he stops. his stare lacks clarity, but he he knows who this is. rather than get all murderous and venomous, he... sniffles, smears under his nose with the side of his hand. looks down to see that there is, in fact, the color red on his hand.]

Hn. Look at that.