Lion of the Frontier

Indie Zig from Last Ranker Side-Blog to ofstarsandskies

[aestuavis]

@ofstarsandskies / @marginalfighter asked :

"Akane, there's something I need to tell you." Thanks to a lull in incidents, Zig has enough freedom from his schedule to sit down and talk one-on-one. He would've said something earlier, but this project took a while and he just got done yesterday with Ludger's help. He'll always be a fortune man he recruited a top-tier chef as a temp secretary. "Ever since our talk about the difference between croissants and other types of bread, I committed to trying all the types that are out there. And I have come to a conclusion."

"All bread does taste the same unless you add butter or sugar to it. And I like the non-sugar versions more. That should settle the argument, right?"

unprompted. || always accepting

|| 茜 || :: how long had it been since she had last seen him ? years, surely. she had already lost count on the exact number itself and while she was absolutely delighted to see him being safe and sound ( and barely changed much if at all from the last time they met ), his CONVERSATION OPENER had the suzaku narrow her eyes with a clear hint of judgement.

                " zig ... " his name still sounded familiar on her tongue, fitting right into her voice as though it had never left. there was, however, a tinge of exasperation in the way those vermilion hues landed on him. she stared at him, letting the silence stretch in a wordless way of conveying her EMOTION towards the conclusion he had drawn. again, it was very much like zig to bring this topic back up, but that was also exactly why she was pouting slightly, too.

                " we have not seen each others in years, and this is the hill you want to die on ? that all bread taste the same ? " her right brow was twitching as she said it, an unconscious response to repeating something she viewed as utterly absurd. " first of all, they are not the same. there are actually various methods of making and baking bread. croissants and puff pastries with their delicate layers, or sourdough with ... a rather monstrous looking starter that will turn out heavenly if used right. "

                ah, ludger, your patience is so commendable, how many loaves and breads had you fed this weed eating idiot ?

                " second of all, when someone is going through the trouble of making you different kind of breads, at least give the credit when it's due. ludger is too nice to hit you with bread, but i will throw one at your head despite it being a waste because i know you'd pick it up and eat it. " a long sigh escaped her. seriously. this ? this was her welcome back after half a decade ? THIS ?

                " and lastly, if you don't walk over here and give me a hug right now, i'm breaking up with you. " that, of course, implied they were in a relationship to begin with. let's not fret over details on how and when that happened. they're dating. it's been twelve years. of course they're dating.

[marginalfighter]

That sharp look of disappointed and pointed silence wasn't the reaction he expected at all. Did he... speak without thinking things through enough again? He thought giving all bread a fair chance and concluding the difference would've made Akane proud, but Zig's plan is backfiring in real time.

"I don't want to die on any hill--" He attempts to explain, though he's cut short by Akane's list of the flaws to Zig's conclusion. They all make sense--he even makes a mental note to thank Ludger more properly later--but the last one.... It cracks through his thick skull and strikes straight into his heart.

Even after so many years, he's still got a ways to go before he offends someone without meaning to.

"I'm sorry for spoiling your welcome back, Akane," Zig stares down at the hand held close to his chest; a nervous habit he's picked up at some point. "I thought if I gave all types of bread a try, you'd know I was still thinking about you despite how long it's been. Guess I should've asked Ludger first if that made sense."

But he won't let the apology end with just words. As Akane requested, Zig sheds all his gloom aside and approaches his waiting girlfriend and holds her tight with all the love and care that's been waiting for many, many years. And much unlike Zig's usual, his permanent neutral face has since cracked into a genuinely bright smile.

If she wishes to tease him, he won't mind at all.

"It's good to see you again, Akane. I at least hope the fact I'm still boneheaded assures you I haven't changed much, for better and worse."

[marginalfighter]

"Hey, Ziiiiig~!" A cheerful voice fills the air and pretty soon there's a familiar face in front of him: Elle, beaming for all she's worth and carrying a giant teddy bear (which held a heart in its hands) along with a bundle of pink, red, and white heart-shaped balloons bobbing behind her.

"I was thinking we should hang out today! We can wander around the city, and you can rip weeds out from between the cracks. Maybe fight a pigeon or two over them. How's that sound?"

(warmthofthehearthfire's attempt at Purple Elle)

@warmthofthehearthfire || Ah the ship that was a joke but then became hilariously real. May it sail forever onward!

Today's definitely an important day from what Zig's people watching tells him. The streets are filled with couples walking hand-in-hand, flowers and chocolates hidden behind their back or lovingly held to their chests. He could ask Ludger, but Julius was pretty insistent he let Ludger spend the whole day with someone special.

Is today a celebration for couples? If that's it, then I--

Speak of the devil, his rather unlikely (mostly in the sense Victor hasn't murdered him for it) special someone's found him. And sure enough, she has a gift in hand for him: a rather impressively sized teddy bear and several heart balloons. Seems unlike him, she knew what today was.

He really has to study up on all the city people customs so he stops failing Elle when it matters...

"That sounds nice, but let's drop the teddy bear off at my place first. He'll get dirty if we try to drag him around with us," Especially if they're apparently going out to pick weeds.

Still before they go, Zig shuffles the bear into one arm so he can hold one of Elle's hands. Then, he'll do as he always does: come out and say it, "Sorry I didn't get you anything in return yet. I'll make it up to you if you see something on the way. There's probably some Bunnykins holiday stuff somewhere."

[marginalfighter]

Victor slapped the sheet down with disgust. He had only done it at Elle's insistence--she seemed to think it was funny--and she'd even nitpicked everything he'd (not) filled in until he'd ended up filling in practically the whole chart.

Without a word though, he turned to leave. He had no desire to talk about this at all--now that it was over, it was better to pretend it didn't happen at all.

Zig was halfway through a crescent roll when Victor's hand slammed into the coffee table.

"What--?" By the time the shock wore off, he couldn't even ask what's wrong before Victor retired to his room for either the next hour or the whole night.

Why's he so pissed off all of a sudden? I didn't bother anything today far as I know-- hm? There's a paper on the table with his name on it. Flipping it over, it's that fill-in-yourself "are you my type?" bingo chart. No doubt Elle put him up to it, but even with her breathing down his shoulder, he expected a blank sheet or just the free space filled in out of spite.

From the sheer amount of stamps just on the first row alone, seems not. Hell, he actually bent the knee about the cold baths. Who knew the day'd come?

"I guess all the jokes about us being closet best friends isn't too far off," Before Victor commands he burn this, he'll fold the paper and stuff it into his pocket and... do something with it. Maybe prop it in the dresser so he'll see it but Victor sure won't.

Are you goat boy's type? || @unborderedreflection

[marginalfighter]

With some convincing from Elle and testimonials from Ludger & Julius doing one of these in the past, Goat Boy has done the same. Might self-fill with BE+ Victor cause I mean he is Zig's not-wife at times

[warmthofthehearthfire]

"Um..." Elle looked down slightly, her brow wrinkling in concentration. "Some were... stolen? And then we got rid of the rest because it was a huge lie-ability. That's what Alvin said at least!" She looked back up.

Victor eyed Zig, wondering if he was thinking the same thing.

[marginalfighter]

A few boats got stolen, hm? Meaning one of those stolen boats might be stashed in one of the wrecked houses. Victor's look is return with a nod; securing one of those boats is now on the list.

"That's too bad-- fishing's more fun on a boat than on land. Plus if you get mad at who's with you, making them swim back's annoying yet harmless revenge."

Spoken from personal experience on both ends. Might add another to the receiver tally if Victor stays in-character should they find a boat. Though the forest is the first search priority.

"Has Alvin talked about getting rid of any other stuff lately? I like to give people's junk a second chance to be useful. Like we--" Zig almost forgot who's in the room, so he reconsiders, "...--ird knickknacks."

[beyondbinaries]

†. ┊❝I have lemon flavored candy!❞ she's sure limes taste yummy so who is she to judge him for eating them?

[marginalfighter]

"That'll work, thanks." He'll sample a few of those. But like usual, he doesn't just eat them-- he combines it with a sprinkle of lemongrass. "Has Victor been tame around you lately? He's been a bit nicer to me, so I worry he might be projecting elsewhere."

[beyondbinaries]

†. ┊It her! She offer candy! Will you accept?

[marginalfighter]

He's no fan of sweets, but it's rude to refuse gifts. He'll bite, "Got any sour ones? Ludger banned me from eating the limes in the fridge."

[warmthofthehearthfire]

She looked at him, confused for a second, before nodding. "Uh-huh! Swimming in the lake is fun! But... don't even try to go all the way out to the ruins, okay? Lots of people... got hurt... trying to get over to it, so that's why nobody's allowed over there anymore. Besides, we don't even have boats! Alvin said he used to rent boats to people, but they're all gone!"

"...It's true, there have been reports of loss of life in the lake, however..." He had never seen anyone visit, much less die trying to get to the ruins.

[marginalfighter]

There's ruins beyond the lake? Another major landmark to check out because there's warnings. Though unlike the forest, he won't follow the brute force approach of swimming over there. Not worth risking a lake guardian dragging him to his watery graves.

"I'll take that warning to heart." Until he finds a working boat, that is. "But how come the boats are all gone? Were they stolen or broken?"

[warmthofthehearthfire]

"...Hmph." Victor nodded at that response. Of course it was; there could have been no other option.

When he asked Elle about her preferences, he had a slightly amused smile on his face. The answer would be the obvious, of course, and it would be in his favor.

"Huh...? Who takes a cold bath...? Is that like swimming? The lake's pretty cold if you want to swim in it!"

[marginalfighter]

So hot baths were a city standard. It's official: city life is a complex dance he'll only sort of understand by observation. He almost doesn't want to know if the Zig he used to be accepted that twisted reality.

"No, it's like a hot bath... I think," Zig couldn't trust logic to speak with confidence. City life keeps adding new rules to once simple tasks. "But is the lake okay to swim in? I thought since the forest is off-limits, the lake would be off-limits too."

Not that rules would stop him. Still good to know what crossed lines might get the village to decide he's gotta go by any means necessary.

[warmthofthehearthfire]

Victor was grinding his teeth in the other room at hearing that. Fine. He'd reconsider what he knew just for that but... He really didn't like the idea that he was still getting fooled, even having broken away from all of this a long time ago.

After a couple of seconds, he said, "...I'm just about done."

"Yay!" Elle said, the tapping growing more impatient. "Hurry up, hurry up!"

Not long later, and he returned from the kitchen with three plates balanced perfectly before setting them in front of both of his guests and then sitting down himself. "Enjoy," he said.

"Thanks, Victor!" Elle said before immediately starting to chow down. "It's really good!"

Victor eyed Zig to see what he'd say about it.

[marginalfighter]

Given Victor's scowl, he must've conceded Zig's claims weren't baseless. But they'd talk about that after Elle went to bed or Zig walked her back. If he did the latter, would Victor follow him again? What'd make him worry less, he'd wonder...

Victor returns in almost no time, something Elle's overjoyed to see. She's shoving the plate down her throat the minute it's set down. Though Victor's actually wanting him to comment too.

"Your cooking's always great. Thank you, Victor," He says with a faint smile; can't be too strong or Victor'll get upset. But speaking of Victor, he's been wondering...

"Hey Elle, do you like your baths hot or cold?"

[warmthofthehearthfire]

"Oh wow...!" She looked with interest at the bracelet. "That's really cool! ...I don't know if we have enough people for all that..."

Considering the state of their town, it would be clear to Zig they didn't have anyone able to patch up buildings to keep them in good repair.

"The girl from the... graveyard?" Elle looked puzzled at that, but shook her head. "It'd be fun if I had more classmates! But it's also really easy to learn from Miss Poppy with just me."

A second later and a change came over her; her voice became flat.

"Although the town has permanent residents, circumstances may create chances for new residents to appear, as if they had always been."

After speaking, her face returned to normal and she started tapping on the table. "Anyway! I can't wait until the food gets served!"

[marginalfighter]

That's a no then. If he ever got the graveyard girl to leave the place, Elle might enjoy having a friend her age. They both love cryptic talk unprompted.

And right on cue, he's getting another round. This time, it's about how the village can grow in size at will. Though best of all? It can do so and everyone won't notice.

In short?

He. Goddamn. KNEW IT!

As much as Zig wanted to make it known he was right the whole time, he's not self-centered enough to disturb a host while he's busy. So he'll opt to hide a satisfied grin behind his hand with his new proof from Elle's mysterious character breaks.

"Same here-- How much longer, Victor?"

[warmthofthehearthfire]

Her eyes widened at that. "Whaaat? You'd never heard of money before? But... you need money to buy stuff from people."

When he asked more about the school, she nodded. "Uh-huh, ever since before I started going to school! We don't have any other teachers though since... I'm the only one that goes... but it's still fun to learn from her!"

[marginalfighter]

"Not where I'm from-- we get our stuff by crafting it," Case and point, the bracelet now spinning from Zig's index finger. "It's not as easy as buying things, but everything's built to last and easy to repair; you know your work best."

And if Victor was listening, he might complain about one thing Zig makes at home. It still sat pretty on top of the cabinets, ready for their target.

"No one else? Not even the girl from the graveyard?" Weird, he pegged her at a couple years older than Elle. "Does Poppy want other students, or is she fine with having only you?"

[warmthofthehearthfire]

"People still need money," Elle lectured him, straightening up and becoming a little haughty. "Just 'cause we live in a town like this, we still gotta buy stuff from the outside and get it in-port-ed here. That's what we do at the general store! Make sure we got stuff we can't make ourselves! And then people spend money at the store to buy that stuff. Don't you know anything about eck-nom-icks?"

"I'm stronger than I look!" she told him, before jumping up to go pick up the cat. "See! I can even hold Lulu!"

"Meow..." the cat said.

Setting him back down, she sat back at the table, kicking her feet. "It's really fun! Miss Poppy reads books to me and teaches me what I need to help Alvin run the store. But she hasn't had any new books lately so we haven't been able to do that for a while..."

[marginalfighter]

He must've said something wrong, as he's now receiving a lecture. Or maybe Elle liked feeling smarter than him (which for city life, not hard to achieve). Still, her talk of imports did make him wonder: how did imports work? Were trucks exempt from the magic, or was this another smoke-and-mirrors town trick?

Too bad he couldn't ask.

"Only the bare bones-- I didn't know money existed until a year ago." And there he only bought new equipment when old ones broke or didn't meet his standards. Where that left his food supply... he wouldn't fuel Victor's fire.

Elle's show of strength earned her a round of applause, though her poor weight didn't sound thrilled. But she did let him rest once she got talking about school (which he still stood by wasn't always there).

"Sounds like a good time," Zig said, though he wanted to push his luck for a moment, "Has Poppy been running the school for a while?"

[warmthofthehearthfire]

Victor side-eyed Zig at that comment, thinking to himself that it wasn't as if Zig ever ate anything aside from weeds. Still, after a second, he headed over to the kitchen to begin cooking.

"Umm... Is he...? I guess Alvin's a friend?" Elle said, though it was very questioning. "But he needs a lot of help since he can't do anything on his own! Besides, it's fun to do that after being at school all day."

[marginalfighter]

...Strange, Zig didn't think he asked a hard question. This was the boss she saw every day. Still, he wouldn't press it; might trigger the same shutdown as Ludger when they first met.

"It's rare to find jobs that are fun and worth the money-- not that anyone here seems to need money." Kind of like Cantalera... before it perished. "Just be careful about lifting anything too heavy. Tried lifting my friend Faz's broadsword once, hurt my arm for a week."

He could now, but back then? Faz was the brawn between then; weaker, swift strikes were his thing.

Elle went to...? --Right, the building Victor claimed always existed. "What's school like? I grew up in the country, so I've never been to one," Since Zig caught Victor looking at him earlier, he'd add, "Is that where city people learn to take hot baths?"

[warmthofthehearthfire]

Victor just shook his head at that.

Her eyes lit up at that suggestion. "Then how about... hamburgers!"

"Hamburgers it is," Victor said. Though after a pause, he said quietly to himself, "Hmm... I may have to go hunting again for more meat soon..."

[marginalfighter]

"Good choice-- everything tastes better with meat," Even weeds tasted better with a rib or roast on the side. Though he'd keep that thought to himself; wouldn't want to anger his not-wife.

While Victor got to cooking, he'd field Elle a question he neglected last night, "I meant to ask this morning, why do you work at Alvin's store, Elle? Are you two good friends?"

[marginalfighter]

Zig Modern AU -- A World Ending in Lead

A once orphaned child adopted by the Cerda family. Really close to the Cerda's biological son, Faz, who always made Zig feel he's lived with the family all his life. Often labeled the 'future serial killer' due to his natural red eyes, hyper fixation on weapons, and a brutal honesty that does not consider consequences ever. Despite that, he still maintains a small group of friends to this day.

Zig's fascination with guns and Faz's emphasis on studying earns him a scholarship to a well-off trade school for gunsmithing. When Faz and Zig move out separately, the two promise to call each other every day so they're with the other in spirit. Their promise holds true until a year in, when Faz doesn't pick up for a week. Zig's worries lead him home to ask his parents if Faz is okay. Alas, the news is grim: Faz and his sister Missy were killed by a group of gangsters who all got away.

Zig swallows his emotions and finishes his schooling, but not out of love for the craft anymore. His new goal: fill whoever killed Faz and Missy with lead from guns he makes. Through illicit trading his weapons for information, Zig learns the Bazarutas, led by Yuli, are his targets. And thus, a bloody path of vengeance awaits...

Though he's unaffiliated with any major group, Zig will help out any rivals of the Bazarutas for jobs that'd damage their reputation or personnel.

Zig's specialty is dual wielding a knife and a custom magnum revolver to fight at both short and long-range at any moment. He's much more of a marksman than a blade expert, though.

Zig's "day job" is running a small workshop near his school's campus. In reality, it's a fancy storage locker that resembles a shop so his parents believe the lie.

[warmthofthehearthfire]

By the time they'd made it back to his house, Victor had just arrived. "Oh, he's here." He pointed towards the sounds of enthusiastic chomping to show how he'd fed the fat cat.

"Rollo! You're here too!" Elle ran over to give him a hug, though he was far too focused on the food to pay attention.

Victor shook his head. "Anyway, it seems like you managed to convince her... somehow. I'd better get started on dinner."

[marginalfighter]

Hm. Victor must've just come home if dinner wasn't already going. Did he wait around to make sure Zig came back safe? Touching, but he knew Victor'd scoff if he brought it up, so his little secret.

"Why would I 'convince' her? I just told Elle the truth and let her decide," Zig didn't do coercing. The truth either worked or it didn't. And this time, it did.

"Feeling any food in particular, Elle? I'm sure Victor doesn't mind a request."