Post
by Zan » Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:10 am
Everyone in the Hideout seemed to be in a general lull, most of the conversations having died down and a handful of the members either gone or napping. Zan was too lazy at the moment to conjure up a topic of universal conversation that would address the group as a whole. Eh, he'd wait for more of them to rouse from whatever activities they were engaged in before he even began to think of what he'd say. Hell, Nighthand...er, Silverblade...would probably get to it first. Maybe. That was a topic he hadn't quite mulled over yet. The AI had only ever spoken to him once and that was when he had decided to rejoin the ranks of the Freedom Fighters all that while ago. As far as he could tell the guy was rather sound and controlled. That wasn't to say that Nighthand was insane and in a constant rage, but Silverblade seemed to have a general air of knowledge and faith about him, like he believed in the group on a basic level. This, sadly, was more than Nighthand ever gave them. Still, Nighthand was a better leader than Nall, so Zan could hardly complain. He'd follow his fellow Heavy Blade miles and years farther than he would the Blademaster. Why? Well, aside from the fact that Nall tended to act on instinct and be more or less useless in the majority of their fights, the lycanthrope really didn't know. He just wasn't a fan.
Yawning a bit, Zan finally mustered up enough energy to end his slouch and actually sit up, eyes glancing over the remainder of the common room. Rayo was still slumbering away and most of the others were off...doing whatever. Healing, sleeping, training, eating, etc.; the possibilities were now vastly expanded thanks to Raine. Eating...eating...should he? The lycanthrope had already decided against it before on the grounds that Nulus would probably make him go all crazy with hunger and basically make him look like an oinker. Oinker. Pig. Pork. Bloody, squealing meat with its innards spilled out over the ground...mmm. No. Wait. Damn it, this was exactly why he didn't want--that hadn't been Nulus. Zan's mental walls were still slammed in place, keeping all but the Shade's words out of his head. Those hadn't been words, but feelings, sensations, and needs. His own Beast was starting to break loose from the chains he had so aptly set it in at the probability of food that Zan kept denying it. The Lycan wasn't afraid of losing control, not really, but the distraction of his inner animal throughout the next hub would be a little too much. Perhaps it was time to indulge a little. Just a little. Sighing in defeat, Zan rose to his feet, stopping by Rayo to plant a vile of Mage's Soul next to sleeping form with a 'From Zan' tag hanging loosely from the cork. The Wavemaster needed it more.
The kitchen was...nice for a quickly programmed place to grab a bite to eat in-between scrimmages with the Elites. For a while the NPC cook simply stared at him with that sort of dull, mindless stupidity that most of them did, the same question falling from its lips every ten seconds or so. What did he want to eat? Did he go for what everyone expected and get a nice juicy slab of raw steak, or did he aim for something a little less obvious? Fuck it, he wanted what he wanted. A minute later and he was sitting down at one of the single-seat tables, a stack of five raw, completely uncooked steaks stacked up like pancakes with watered-down cow blood dribbling like stake over the edges. Also on the table was a big black jug filled with a whispered drink, something Zan was careful to keep low and between him and the cook. This he ignored, for now, while he stabbed his fork into the middle of the first steak, biting into it with huge gnashes of four inhuman canines. The lycanthrope had managed to make it through three of them this way before he simply set the fork aside and grabbed the steaks with both hands, bringing them into the darkness of his hood, the sound of tearing meat hitting the kitchen air until there was nothing but air left in his hands. His stomach was sated, but still he reached for the jug, picking it up with both hands to dip into that darkness, great gulps following the shudders of his hands in a notable pattern. When the black jug was finally empty, Zan set it on the table, a steady, thick drip of red pooling from his hood and onto the table in turn. Maybe it had been fruit punch. Or tomato juice?
Wiping his mouth, feeling oddly dizzy...floaty more like. It was almost as if, after years of starvation, he had finally been given exactly what he had always craved. Zan had grown so good at ignoring the impulses of his Beast that he hadn't realized how much it wanted the meat. Not to this extent. It didn't matter now, things were perfect. Things were as they should be. Lowen. That one word took away his buzz, mind sobering up in but a second as he waded into the common room once more. Sadly, it was just as he had left it, only a person or two reclining here and there. Huh. Finding more time on his hands then he thought he'd have in their break, Zan began to ponder again over what he'd suggest to everyone, what would be best for the group as a whole. As far as he knew they only had two more hubs left and some of the others had already gone through the second for at least an hour or so. That gave them insight. Going to a hub that was completely alien to them was unavoidable, but if they could start out with something part of the group already knew something about then (theoretically) they'd have an advantage, right? First thing was first, though, everyone needed to gather and hear what the people did know. That way they'd all be in the loop and wouldn't have to worry about last minute shocks. Though, with the luck of the Freedom Fighters, the whole field was different by now.
People were too spread out to talk to verbally, so he'd have to start this via flashmail.
Flashmail!
To: The Party
From: Zan
Subject: The Next Hub
Well, as much as I'd like to sleep for fucking ever in this place, I think we should start considering our next move. Primal was tough, I know, but he was also only the start of this thing. Before we make any real decision on where we'll go, I suggest everyone whose able come to the common room. When that's accomplished, Rayo and whoever else went to the last field can give us some insight into the hub they visited (even if it was only for a small while). Since we'll have some insight into that field and, ideally, time to prepare, my suggestion is to hit that hub station again.
So yea, everyone who can, come down to the commons, if you would. The sooner we get this started the sooner we can rest again and the closer we'll be to being past this whole hub ordeal. I'd appreciate it.
See you soon,
-Zan
Flashmail! End
That done, Zan once again simply waited on the couch, wondering what he'd do to pass the time while everyone (if they chose to heed his advice, anyway) gathered. There was plenty to discuss, plenty to be prepared for, and hopefully the cards Rayo had given him were a sign of what they'd need in the hub to come. That or he was just giving out random items to be nice and helpful. Either way, he was grateful. Mind wandering a bit, the lycanthrope had the mental opportunity to wonder why Nulus hadn't even tried to break down the walls of his inner shields to experience the meal. Zan couldn't help but grin at that. He knew he had control over what Nulus could and could not do, but this much? Against the First Beast? The Oldest Wolf? Or was it First Wolf and Oldest Beast...eh. Zan was losing track of the glorifying names Nulus liked to be referred to as. Either way, it seemed almost impossible. It was then the Lycan realized just how much his 'friend' had lost in the transition from Shadow to The World, how much it had cost him to turn from cookie file to a stable piece of data. Zan wanted to laugh, to point and cackle at the annoying AI's misfortune...but he actually felt bad. Nulus was a prick, but he had given a lot to cure his cub, to cure Zan. Sure, he got his freedom...but Zan kept him imprisoned within himself most of the time. Surely Nulus had anticipated this. Then why did he do it? It was...fatherly.
Luke, LUKE...I am your father! Mocking laughter ensued, as was expected.
Stop quoting ancient movies, dumbass.
I got it from your head, 'dumbass.'
Zan was silent. Then... Shut up. Another pause. And besides, how did you read what I was thinking? I thought I was blocking you hard enough. You couldn't experience me eating, I know you couldn't. I would have felt it.
It was Nulus' turn to be silent. Annoyed, by the feel of it. Eh. Your shielding still has cracks here and there. When you patch up one you open or reopen another. It's amusing how far you have to go.
Zan didn't dignify that obvious truth with a response. No, instead he wallowed in the fact that his brain wasn't as fantastical as he had allowed himself to believe. Shucks. Shrugging, plastering over that chink in his mental armor and knowing full well it just opened up something else to Nulus, the Heavy Blade continued to attempt to busy himself while he waited for the people to gather. Again, it was only a vague hope. Zan, though he had proven himself to be as interested in the group's safety and success as anybody, wasn't their leader. He would never expect to be. All he wanted to do to help and, hopefully, that's all anybody had seen from his flashmail. Yawning, quickly losing that perfect pose in the couch, Zan was slumping once again, continuing to put off the necessary visit to the training center. It was too much physical work. The man needed just a littttttle more rest and he'd be good to go. Yea, yea, yea. Excuses. Was that his thought...or Nulus'? Sometimes, annoyingly, it was hard to tell. Shrugging it off, not wanting to flip out over something so small, Zan continued to sit.
And wait.
Lv. 50 Heavy Blade
Wishlist
Special: Levels, GR Sendai, PL Sakai, Darklore.
W: Tonosama Sword, Mineuchi, Jundachi.
A: Samurai Helm, Able Hands, Rare Greaves.
I: Holy Sap, Treebane, Cooked Bile, Nightbane.
EX: Elemental Summon (Lv. 2), Overdrive (Lv.1), Elemental Attacks (Lv. 2), Enhance Dark, Elemental Breath (Lv. 2).