zazie the beast

Affiliated with Isola Radiale

[gunsmokeheart-a]

// dropping zazie because i'm finding i prefer indie rp on tumblr, but feel free to hmu on discord if we've talked here!

[sageshadowed]

"Heh. Good point," he says, grins wickedly for the first time. Not like the portals cracking open the city aren't any less chaotic than a fucking dragon hanging around. Macaque is rapidly revising his initial impression of Zazie to swing very much toward liking them. Annoyance at Wukong gives way to mutual annoyance at this fucked up place. Might as well enjoy what they've got while they can.

Macaque slides into Zazie's shadow, which grins and extends into the sand. (Partially as a gesture of I'm not gonna pick a fight with you, partially as a warning of I've got tricks up my sleeve too, so don't fucking try to eat me.) He coalesces back into a solid form, peering down at the place the worm disappeared. "You a—worm trainer, or something? So you can control these things?"

[gunsmokeheart-a]

Zazie's eyes widen with intrigue as Macaque shows off his shadow tricks. That's not normal for a monkey at all, they're pretty sure. They're still pretty sure a grand worm would win a fight with him, so Zazie isn't worried, but they're not really interested in fighting right now anyway.

The Wolfwoods and the Vashes would probably have something to say if Zazie started destroying things with the grand worm and they'd like to keep it for a little while before anyone teams up to kill it.

Zazie thinks about how to answer. The humans on No Man's Land thought of them more like a human that controlled the worms and that could be a useful deception, but there isn't as much point in that right now. "I am one of these things," they say. "I just have a human host body." They gesture to the spy bug, circling above them, out of Macaque's reach. "That's me, the grand worm is me, and this body is me."

[blankticket]

"Aw shucks." The line of Vash's mouth goes wobbly as he blushes, both humbled by the notion and fond of the sentiment from the planet incarnate. "Kind of you, thanks for the visit.

"Hmm, there're also the wild Jewels, they don't seem too hard to tame." Mind racing on ways to help Zazie out, he rubs his thumb against his cheek, unthinkingly smearing some mud there.

Motion detected in Vash's peripheral and his reflexes restored, he's able to react to the next roll of the ball aimed right at him. Razra grunts and huffs, annoyed, as the yoga ball goes even further out than usual. Vash chuckles again, hoping his traveling companion will forgive him for wanting to spend some of their playtime to talk with a guest.

"Jewels're a lot faster, too, even if they can't carry as much. Have you seen 'em before? The wispy-lookin' creatures that roam around here. Miiiight be more your speed?"

[gunsmokeheart-a]

"Hm... I might have seen them, but I don't think I could catch any by myself," Zazie ponders. But they do like the sound of something fast. "Though, ideally, I'd prefer my own flying worms back, but I'm being terribly neglected by the Stars here."

They pout, resting their chin on their hands. "I thought I was going to get a grand worm when those bridges opened up, but it disappeared when the connection to home got severed. That was pretty rude."

Of course, having a grand worm here permanently would be disastrous for everyone but Zazie, but the Beast doesn't seem to care much about that detail.

[sageshadowed]

"That can't be good for the beach," Macaque says, deadpan, folds his hands behind his back. "I believe abruptly introducing alien lifeforms to an ecosystem is generally considered destructive to it."

Still, very impressive. He thinks if Mei were here she would enjoy the grand worm, or potentially immediately try to engage it in violent combat. Macaque manages to get a grip on his self-destructive urges enough to not attack the probably-not-a-teenager next to him. He is, after all, well-practiced at being an accessory to others' violence.

"But it is quite impressive," he concludes.

[gunsmokeheart-a]

"I'm an alien lifeform," Zazie counters, "so maybe if this place didn't want alien lifeforms introduced to it, it shouldn't have brought me here."

They've gotten used to being here and made a home for themselves, but they're still a little annoyed about being ripped away from their home. They miss the desert sands and the wide open, infinite sky, and most of all, their network--a consciousness spreading throughout an entire planet.

"The beach seemed like the least destructive place. It avoids wrecking the buildings, right? Where people live, you know."

[blankticket]

No longer able to hear the telltale whine of the Worms, Vash startles when Zazie speaks up. He's been caught in the midst of something rather mundane—out on the shadier underside of Home, the Plant's tending to his giant boar, Razra. The two had been rolling around a yoga ball to the other, so when the pacifist is caught off-guard, it takes Razra a while longer to detour and chase after the ball. Vash laughs at himself, lightly embarrassed, before jogging over to the edge of the short metal fence set up around the area.

"Hello! Uh, mostly get around on this guy—" a thumb pointing over his shoulder to his companion in play, his stubby tusks carefully nudging around the toy, "—Stars gave me a bike, but I've turned that over to Wolfwood for the most part. Need to get somewhere…?"

[gunsmokeheart-a]

A giant boar... Zazie doesn't think that's a suitable form of transportation for them; it would be hard to make sure it never accidentally crushed any of their network.

"Not in particular, but I thought about it while I was walking over here." They climb up and perch on one of the fence posts, looking down at Vash. "You said we should see each other more often, so I stopped by."

[gunsmokeheart-a]

(ooc) in ur opinion zazie what r the top 5 worms

"Personal bias towards my own species aside, here's my ranking of worms of earth:

Number 5: Ancylostoma caninum, a type of hookworm. I think they have such a friendly face.

Number 4: Megascolides australis, a giant earth worm that can grow up to three meters. Not as big as some of my worms, but still pretty impressive.

Number 3: Pseudoceros dimidiatus, a type of flatworm. They look kind of like slugs, but the green color really appeals to me.

Number 2: The genus Notospermus, which are ribbon worms that can swallow their prey whole. I also like their color.

Number 1: Phyllodoce rosea, a sea-dwelling relative of earthworms, called a 'bristle worm'. We look like we could be related, don't you think?"

// images under a cut because microscopic worm teeth are not everyone's cup of tea

A caninum:

M australis:

P rosea:

P dimidiatus:

Notospermus:

[gunsmokeheart-a]

Well, Vash had said that they should meet up more often, so Zazie sends the spy bug out to find him. Once he's been located, they trot over that way in their host body, still lamenting how slow it is to have to walk most everywhere.

Because it's on their mind by the time they reach Vash, Zazie skips greetings and small talk and asks, "Do you know how to drive a car?"

// @blankticket

[gunsmokeheart-a]

"I don't think it's right that it should be cold when the sun's out," Zazie complains, popping up beside Wolfwood at random. As far as the Beast is concerned, they're currently friends, which means Zazie can show up and talk to Wolfwood whenever, right?

They've acquired a comically oversized scarf, which their spy bug is nestled into, lethargic from the chill.

"Cold is for night time only, if you ask me."

// @punishercross

[gunsmokeheart-a]

( x1 Seasonal Gift from Vash to Zazie! )

Left on the Ark's doorstep, separate from Knives' presents, there's one box specifically addressed to Zazie the Beast. Attached to the large box's ribbon is a note with Vash's handwriting:

Hi there!! I hope you're keeping warm? I'm not sure if this changes what's inside, exactly, but since you've seemed the playful type I hope what's wrapped up keeps you entertained. Can't open the present myself, somehow. Let's meet up again sometime! Vash

The box's contents are that of a plastic model kit of a Grand Worm, and some basic tools to help click them into place. All assembly required!

Safe to say this is the first seasonal gift Zazie has ever received. The custom is a bit perplexing and they briefly wonder if they were supposed to get Vash or Knives a gift, too.

Oh well.

They tear open the wrapping paper, then their eyes light up. As much as they'd prefer to have a real Grand Worm, they do enjoy their spiragotchi and would love to add to their collection. Plus assembling it sounds like a fun puzzle.

[txt] I got your gift. Thanks! [txt] attached image of the completed model. [txt] We don't usually use names, but I'll call this one Stampede Jr.

// @blankticket

[gunsmokeheart-a]

// like for a starter

[sageshadowed]

"I'm aware, yeah. The rest of us just have a concept of personal space," he grumbles, but he shakes the kid's (?) hand anyway. "Six-eared Macaque. Or just Macaque, for short." This said, he shoves his hands into his pockets and tilts his head. "You gonna elaborate on what showing off means, exactly?"

'Cause worms that can tunnel through stone suggests that Zazie's idea of fun might be a bit fucked, actually. Macaque just wants to pick a fight, not get dragged into the audience for a talent show.

[gunsmokeheart-a]

Personal space? Pfft.

"Macaque... that's not a very specific name, but if it works, it works." They thought monkeys had hands more like a human's, but clearly not... Fascinating. They don't look like a very advantageous evolution, but maybe that's why humans ended up dominating the rest of the apes.

"Oh, you want to see now?" Zazie's eyes light up and the grand worm leaps out from under the sand before tunneling back down into it, much like a breaching whale. "It's a grand worm. They're the oldest and the largest form."

[sageshadowed]

"I value my life more than my own curiosity," he shoots back, arms crossed. He's had his more than his fill of evil villain monologues lately. Not that he doesn't do them himself, but—listen. The point is, he's not in the mood for fucking around. Maybe he is in the mood for a fight, though. Macaque hates dying as much as any other guy—maybe more, considering he's had the experience already—but he's reckless tonight.

Like, who hasn't been left behind by their childhood best friend/now ex/but also sort of ally?/whatever and felt so immediately awful that they needed to do something drastic just to stop thinking about it? Even if it means getting his ass kicked by a dragon-type thing (that is not a worm). He can handle it, probably.

"If you want to see an animal go to the zoo. I hear there's a wildlife reserve in the City of Glass," he says, annoyed. "I assume you aren't a normal human teenager. Don't test my patience, kid. What do you want?"

[gunsmokeheart-a]

"Oh come on, only humans kill just for fun. I told you, we're not hungry." Whether or not Zazie knows that to be a false statement is anyone's guess. Zazie sighs, hopping off of the grand worm's head and trotting closer to the treeline. "If I wanted to start a fight with you, the trees wouldn't stop me. Grand worms can tunnel through stone."

They hold out a hand. "I'm Zazie the Beast. And I'm just really happy to have more of my network here and I'd love to show off."

[sageshadowed]

"Huh?" he says, blinks in vague confusion, tilts his head at the stranger. "Yeah, monkey, what—kid, that's not a worm, you probably shouldn't stick around here."

He's still a bit distracted, but he manages to sense that something's off about this whole deal—not knowing about monkeys. Calling the creature a worm. This person's unfamiliar with human fauna, but knows the name of the alien creature he saw bursting into the sky a moment ago.

He adjusts his expectations accordingly.

Macaque glances down to the sand, then back up at the kid, and brings his full focus here. His attention spreads to the shadowy places around them, the trees at the edge of the beach—farther away from what's buried in the earth.

"It's not safe," he finishes, and waits.

[gunsmokeheart-a]

Zazie laughs a little, then decides it's more fun to embrace the situation than pretend to be a normal human adolescent. The worm pokes just the top of its head up under them, lifting them up. "It's perfectly safe, for now," they say. "We're in a good mood and the grand worm isn't hungry." They grin, stretching out their arms.

"Come on, you must be curious. You haven't seen one of these before and I haven't seen a monkey in person before."

[sageshadowed]

Someone had closed all the portals back home, trapping Macaque on the other side of them back in the splintering city, and with the—

dragon? Huge, beetle-like—not long and snaky like the ones he knows. Listen, Macaque is real confused; Spirale falling to pieces is weird enough, and he's fucking homesick. He'd been quietly resigned to whatever the Stars wanted from them, but man was he glad to set foot in his own house, his own city again.

He can't blame Wukong for sealing it off—enough on their hands back home without the threat of another apocalypse, though he can't quite believe that the Stars will be able to reach it—his still feels a bit like a dream, some hazy existence that's more at risk than his very real life. But could he at least have checked for Macaque first?

Whatever. Not like he needs Wukong around, anyway.

Right. There's a fucking dragon. He thinks it vanished somewhere near the beach, much more quickly than anything like that should've been able to move. Macaque decides, very fast, that he would rather recklessly pick a fight than sit around and mope about being left behind. He feels like moving. He runs for the water.

[gunsmokeheart-a]

Zazie sits just above the grand worm's head, seeing if anyone is going to come to try to get rid of it. Mainly, they're worried about Wolfwood killing it on them, but what approaches is...

They stand, seeing Macaque running towards them. "Hey, you're called a monkey, right?" They're very proud of their knowledge of earth animals. Whales are worms that live in the water, monkeys are hairier versions of humans. Zazie briefly wonders if one of their mind control worms could control a monkey, but they hadn't thought to bring any over through the tunnel. Maybe later.

"Did you see that worm in the sky?" They're too excited to fully commit to pretending to be innocent in this. "Pretty crazy stuff going on, right?"

[gunsmokeheart-a]

The portal opening back to Spirale concerns Zazie. While it would definitely be nice to see Knives again, Zazie would much rather be home. After some deliberation, though, they decide to bring a little bit of home back to Spirale. You know, just in case they get suddenly taken back to Spirale again.

A little bit of home is actually quite large, because it's in the form of a grand worm, flying briefly through the air before tunneling into the beach, lurking just below the surface.

// @sageshadowed

[gunsmokeheart-a]

// like this if you want a grand worm in spirale courtesy of zazie

[punishercross]

He's already tired of being back here.

Kicking sand out of his shoes, he looks up at Zazie, groaning at the familiar face.

Shit had already gone down, as far as he knew, and he was pretty much fucked if someone who knew him was finding him even without looking.

At least, he figures, they seem confused, too. Maybe he can confuse them more.

"I'unno."

"I mean, shit, wouldya believe me if I said I've been on some kinda island for the last..." Fuck, had it been six months already? "Half'a year or so?"

Give or take, but he'd been there for a good long while. Which made being back on the desert planet that much more disorienting. "So I don't really fuckin' know whats goin' on." A lie - he'd already been there and back and he knew this time hadn't moved forward last time.

(Half a lie. He didn't remember shit last time, but he remembered everything now.)

[gunsmokeheart-a]

"Oh, you were there too?" Zazie laughs a little. "I met the other Punisher, so I never thought to look for you." They knew it was possible to have more than one, but they just didn't care about deliberately seeking anyone out.

Zazie is obviously very excited by this turn of events, though. Any disagreements or squabbles they might have had with Wolfwood before are easily forgotten in the face of the amazing opportunity they have before them.

"But we're home now, so we should talk plans." They land near Wolfwood, removing their mask, a hint of determination in their eyes underneath the excitement. "I don't know how much you know about the other world, but we're pretty likely to be on a similar path, so we really should plan to avoid that, don't you think? It doesn't end well for either side."