No Mans Judge

An affliated with Isola Radiale Zazie the Beast RP Blog from Trigun Stampede/Stargaze specifically. Not indie friendly, sorry!

[punishercross]

"Right, good." He firmly shakes their hand, and then moves to ruffle their hair like he did the time they were pretending to be some lost orphan. In a way, he thinks, they are right now. Isolated from their family, from Noman's Land itself.

"I'll be back, no promise on the number of pieces." Setting that deal in stone, he takes a moment, listens for what little he can hear of footfall on sand, and then runs out from behind the Beast's nest.

The effect is instantaneous, gunfire hailing on his heels. Luckily nothing makes direct contact, only grazing him so far. He kicks the stand up with his heel, the sound of metal on metal comforting right now.

Luckily the bike starts right up - Vash's bike, not the Starbike - and the headlights illuminate the shadows gathering in front of him.

He snorts, thinking back to some scripture of shadow and light, and then the engine roars to life, cutting through the dead of night and the gunfire as he takes off across the dunes, heading toward the Mistwood.

The shadows follow him en masse, ants crawling from their hill to get an intruder. And the desert will soon go back to the calm it was before the storm.

[nomansjudge]

Zazie would have griped about the hair ruffle, but now is not the time. They press back into their limited cover as Wolfwood sprints off.

The second the engine roars, the Bug pushes off from the sand. As the shadows swarm like ants to an intruder, Zazie the Beast darts away. Their own silhouette barely visible as they make it to the closest door to Home.

"Vash! Open up!" They shout, just as the quiet settles on the desert, following the priest and his flock to the Mistwood.

[punishercross]

He knew that Zazie coudn't offer much. They were still relatively new here, so they wouldn't have anywhere near their level of abilities back on Noman's Land. Worse off than him, he thinksagain, to be cut off in that way.

And now that he'd run into their nest, they were in danger, too.

"Yeah, alright. Didn't piss anyone off, but," he can hear them getting closer, and he's starting to figure out what's going on. "At least not this kinda pissed off. Listen,"

Best way to deal with Zazie the Beast? Make a deal with them.

"I'm gonna run over to where the bikes're parked an' distract 'em, and yer gonna run over to the ship. Tell needle-noggin' there's some island shit goin' on," that's gotta be it. He can only hope. "An' that I'm takin' the good bike into the Mistwood to draw 'em out of Umber. You do all that for me, and you can have my candy stash. Cabinet above the fridge. Deal?" He holds out his hand, hoping this is enough to get the Beast to do this favor for him.

(And get them outta the line of fire.)

[nomansjudge]

Zazie's attention is immediately taken away from trying to figure out how to get out of this predicament. Wolfwood makes his deal, and the Worm is all too aware that time is precious.

So is their safety. While the idea of leaving Wolfwood to deal with this on his own feels less than stellar, Zazie is very painfully aware of their limitations.

The Worm doesn't hesitate. They take Wolfwood's hand. "Deal, but you come back in mostly one piece." The Worm says. "Or else how is that stash getting refilled?"

[punishercross]

He sprints for cover the moment he can, ducking out of sight and behind the shed. The shed which, of course, won't be able to hold out that long. Sand isn't much better, but if he can make it to cover while staying out of sight, then he can possible get to a place where he can...

Figure out what to do next. He's not armed, and he's not sure he'd be able to make it back into Home to grab the Punisher. He's not sure that he'd be able to...

No, not gonna worry about that now.

Instead he dives for a nearby sand dune, only to find-

"Zazie!?" Any nickname he could've used left his mind as he blew his cover with his surprise. "Shit-" Diving down, he gestures to the worm,

"Are you sleeping here?" Why not come inside!? Or at least use the shed. But, no time for that as bullets fly through the sand around them. "Fuck, no time for that, we need to, ah, shit, do something-"

@nomansjudge

[nomansjudge]

They were having a peaceful, warm nap in the sand. The buzzing of technology only was located to the Home ship and shed nearby.

But it seems fate decided that Zazie isn’t allowed any more peace. Bullets hit the sand dune they had nestled into, and the Bug is quick to scuttle out of the way - right into Wolfwood’s path.

They let him have his bewilderment. “I was,” they snark back, already pressed down as flat as they can. “I can’t do shit to help,” Zazie points out. “Or else, I’d offer something. Who’d you piss off?”

[burytone]

" My roommate-- "

Midvalley winces.

" Yeah, of course I do. We actually moved in at the same exact time. "

And the saxophonist had not put on his best performance when coming face to face with the man he was supposed to live with. He definitely made the guy all kinds of confused with what he had to ask; nobody in that building knew about the Earth Fleet, or Noman's Land.

If they had crash landed on this planet, all of this would had made sense.

He sighs and presses a hand to the back of his head, shaking it.

" Not like I trust him, or anybody else. Neither should you, worm, " he purses his lips, thoughtful for a moment.

" Guess this means we're out of work. Not like it meant much to you, " Midvalley idly gestures with his hand.

[nomansjudge]

"Ah," Zazie says, noting Midvalley's discomfort. They almost consider trying to be consoling, but they realize that they are not that.

"I rarely trust anyone anyways," the worm drawls as they approach Midvalley. "Out of work, I guess. Though a job might help you stay busy." They reply.

"Is your housing in this ward or are you in another?"

[sinscythe]

The relief of facing a ghost over another student quickly dissipates when the other asks him a question any other low attention span beginner might have asked to get on his nerves. His lips purse, eyes focused intently on the vials rather than- whatever the correct term for his newly found companion is.

" I'd rather face the devil himself in this laboratory than my classmates. Right now, I am trying to focus, " he mutters under his breath, couple of more labels attached before he moves the track of samples into the cabinet of other specimen.

Finally, Knives turns to face the other, pushing his glasses further up the sharp line of his sloped nose.

Maybe, maybe a part of him is intrigued by the physiological components of someone like this.

" Are you dead? " the words are bold, bordering on disinterested.

[nomansjudge]

Zazie hums, a tiny hint of a snarky smile on their face. This one sure is a grouchy human.

When they are inquired about their state of being, the ghost lets out a loud laugh. How direct!

"No, I'm a figment of your imagination," Zazie responds sarcastically. "Yes, I'm dead. How do you think I became a ghost?"

Now who was asking the obvious.

[lawfuliet]

@nomansjudge

" My concept of possibility versus fantasy has been tested a lot in recent years, " he quips.

" Hivemind networks are observed in insect colonies. There have been no such cases in mammals, much less humanoids. But, if what you claim is true, " a sugar cube is dropped into his cup of tea, and L daintly stirs it with a small spoon.

" Then the you that I am looking at is no more than a host being piloted. "

[nomansjudge]

While the other is enjoying their tea, the Hivemind is enjoying the sugar on the table. They pluck another cube, the fourth one so far, and pop it right into their mouth.

The smirk on their face isn't hard to miss as their tea companion makes their deduction. "Right on the dot there, Mr. Detective." They gleefully answer.

"Only problem is, I'm not connected to anything. So how do you think I'm still sentient, hm?"

Another sugar cube is plucked and eaten.

[punishercross]

"Yeah." He pulls a lollipop out of his jacket, tossing it over to his (reluctantly admitted) ally. At least they're not arguing the point - that, and they seem odd at his apology.

It must suck, he thinks, to be cut off from so many others. And then he pushes that thought aside, instead turning on the screen on his phone.

"Would'a been better if you brought yers, since mine is all fucked up." He opens it up, scrolling through his haphazard and completely unorganized apps.

"...I guess the first question, O' Great Worm Majesty, us, uh,"

"Do ya know how money works?"

[nomansjudge]

Zazie catches the lollipop with inhuman accuracy. They eagerly unwrap the sweet and places it in their mouth. Their eyes close, briefly, as they savor the sugar.

Then their attention is brought back to the phone lesson at hand. "Eh, probably, but your phone's like you. Rough around everything, but still functioning." They say.

Then they laugh. "Money? Really?" Zazie wipes their eye, having a hold on their lollipop. "Not a clue. Didn't need it back home. Guessin' I need it here?"

[blaedes]

Knives is intimately familiar with the fear that crawls under his skin, how it hooks its claws onto his nerves and locks his mind and body in a constant state of fight or flight. Dying and being brought back have done nothing to deter it; much the opposite.

Zazie's presence has always been an odd one. He knows they never chose a side to offer their full support to, and likely never will. Still, the two of them have accompanied each other for a long time. It feels like several centuries have passed since they first met in the middle of the desert. Knives had been just a child.

" Fine. But there is no such thing as feeling better in this place. "

[nomansjudge]

Zazie knows that Knives is deeply afraid. "I'll be glad to be proven wrong." They say as they pick themselves up from the ground. Even if Knives never will admit it, Zazie understands that they are one of the trusted few that Knives will willingly hang around for longer than he would most others.

A right not even Legato Bluesummers has earned yet, and one Zazie keeps preciously close to their chest. The former hivemind dusts off their bottom as they look at Knives. "Ready when you are, Knives."

[sinscythe]

The wonderful, relaxing silence of the lab is ruined in seconds, almost making Knives drop the vial of liquid in his hand. His head whips towards the sound, brows furrowing at the sight of the- clearly not human.

Good. He would rather deal with a wandering spirit, or a dozen of them, than another student. The only reason he frequented the laboratory in the late hours of the night was to not have to answer stupid questions. But judging by the tone, this one wouldn't leave him be if he simply ignored it - as tempting as it is.

" Sample analyzing, " he pushes his glasses further up his nose, adding a sticker on the side of the vial before placing it in the rack with the others, all organized by type and color. " Have you been spying on me before? "

[nomansjudge]

"Sample analyzing?" The ghost asks. "What are you doing that for?" They only give the tired student a shit-eating grin.

"Sometimes," the specter replies. "Not all the time. Just when you're in here alone." Zazie immediately takes a 'seat' on the table top on the other side of Knives.

"Don't think others would really appreciate seeing a ghost. You seemed chill."

[nomansjudge]

Having been here for as long as they have, Zazie realized that there wasn't much they could do while here. Not like they used to at No Man's Land.

The former-hivemind hangs themselves upside down off of a branch of some tree they had been sitting in earlier. Clearly, they look unamused.

"This is soo booooriiingg!" They whine. "Isn't there anything to do around here?"

[blaedes]

The bug weighs barely more than a single, empty cardboard box, yet it's still enough pressure on his shoulder to make it ache again. Knives grits his teeth together harder, breathing out a sharp frustrated exhale before setting Zazie down. It's something between a gentle movement and a violent toss - a middle ground, as most things between the two of them are.

" So there is no need for death to end up here. "

Every time he thinks he has figured out something about this place, he is proven wrong.

He shoots a sharp glare toward the other again.

" This place is inescapable and crawling with humans. I'd rather not stay in the city and wait for one of them to snap. They took away every defense I had, " a moment of silence follows, brows furrowing in thought. " I guess next best thing is to get one of those man-made blades. "

[nomansjudge]

Zazie lands with a soft thump, and a giggle. Always the middle ground, it seemed, even in this strange and new place. Knives' displeasure - and pain - is noticeable.

"Nope, seems like it." They chime in, unhelpfully. Zazie doesn't move when Knives glares at them.

"Yeah, that makes sense," they murmur. Their visible eye glances up at Knives. "If that would help you feel better, I'd recommend it. Wanna head out and start looking now?"

Not an ask to join, no. Zazie never asks. They just follow Knives whenever they felt like it.

[blankticket]

Whether Zazie would put their lips to the canteen, drain it all, dump it down Vash's turtleneck... Despite the swarm incarnate having a reputation of being a trickster, the Plant at the reins saw no decision of theirs as something he couldn't handle. So all he does at the comment about his trust is chuckle sheepishly.

"Ah, y'mean... lookin' out for people around here?" Kind of like a 'forest ranger' from what he understood of the neighboring Mistwoods, really.

"I don't stick to a routine, exactly. Sometimes I'll head into the town of Umber proper, see if anyone needs help there too. Maintenance at Home with the rooms n'geodome n'the animals... Visit the inner Wards. So, 'being on the move', I'd say that's what I'm often doing, haha."

He's not mentioning the strange situation he'd come into to begin with—the all-hours project of taking on what his past self had left behind, and deciding what to do or how to feel about it. It's a half-lived legacy he didn't ask to inherit, nor did his past self ask to create it. But talk about it with Zazie might not even be all that interesting to them.

"So, plenty of people n'fauna n'flora to occupy your time with here, if this is someplace you'd like to be. A lot less Plants around, though... Ah!" Oops. Well, that was quite a slip... The subtle implication he isn't the only Plant around might complicate things.

[nomansjudge]

"That, and the fact you aren't that worried about worm toxins." Zazie points out before Vash continues on about his "routine" of sorts.

The swarm incarnate hums, a familiar frequency between the both of them, as they listen to Vash speak. When Vash lets it slip he's not the only Plant, Zazie just laughs softly.

"I already met the other you. The taller one with dark hair," they say - knowing exactly what Vash let slip. "He pointed me to this way. Mentioned that you and Punisher live out here."

Still, they don't move much from their seat. Their brain's already considering about the other flora and fauna the Plant before them mentioned.

[foreverembrace]

"So, I found this moth the other day," he held up the jar, holding it up to the ghost. It was resting quietly, well taken care of. "I fed it this morning, so I thought it would be nice to bring into the club." The club that seemed to consist of himself and...A ghost. At least right now.

Ivan was the head of the entomology club, and was very good at recruitment.

Just...not so good at retention.

Luckily, Zazie was always happy to join for clubs sessions.

(He's not sure if it's them being a ghost that he talks to, or that he'd rather hang out with the bugs than talk to other people.)

"But otherwise, I've just been working on grading midterms for my advisor. What about you, Zazie?"

@nomansjudge

[nomansjudge]

Zazie, the ghost in question, leans in close to the inspect the resting moth Ivan shows them. "Interesting, what kind of moth is it? I can't tell." They inquire, floating back a little.

When Ivan asks what they've been doing, the ghost lets out a laugh. "Oh, you know, being a ghost." They cross their legs on the table they now "sat" on. More like hovered over.

"My usual person I bother had his brother with him in the lab I haunt, and so I decided to cause more noise in the hallway. Don't like being around too many people if I can help it. Outside of that, though, just ghost things." They grin - childlike just like the size of their form suggested they may be - at the other.

"Watched some crickets skitter about in a old supply closet."

[kyouufu]

His shoulders visibly tense as he comes to yet another standstill on the page of his book. Several minutes pass as Legato completely ignores his unwanted company, staring as the black ink slowly drips from the tip of the pen, leaving a black splotch on the middle of the page.

" Master Knives is busy. You should find ways to entertain yourself in this place, as I am trying to, " the words are spoken under his breath, hushed and tinted with irritation.

Another bookmark is placed on the page to accompany the few dozen others sticking out of the book before he closes it, head tilting as he runs his fingertip along the carving of the cover.

" Other ways than bothering me, that is, " a necessary addition. He leans as far back against the bench as possible, head turning towards Zazie.

" I found myself here. I befriended someone who is me from another timeline. I moved in with him. It's been an odd year. "

[nomansjudge]

"Boorinngg~" Zazie answers immediately, still keeping their legs crossed on their seat. "Bothering you is entertaining."

They look Legato in the eye - well, the visible one at least - as he looks back at them. "Another you from a different timeline, huh? And you moved in with him? Interesting." The hivemind tilts their head to the other side.

"And you haven't gotten at his throat yet?"

[burytone]

"They did, they took everything off of me, my saxophone, my double dollars-- but they gave me this thing," he pulls the communication device from his pocket and points to it, a frustrated look visible on his face.

"I don't think either of us are in good condition right now. I can't defend myself, you aren't able to use your network to scout out where we are," Midvalley sighs, a hand resting on his hip, brows knitted together. He had to think.

"We might be better off if we stick together, until we have a better idea of what we're dealing with. Whatever was powerful enough to bring us here and strip us of our skills is bad news."

[nomansjudge]

"Oh, yeah, I was given that, too." Zazie says as Midvalley pulls out the device. "I think it's got something to do with being here."

Zazie stands there, arms crossed over their chest, as they watch Midvalley think. They knew he is right - after all he was just voicing the obvious to help his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah," they say in their trademark flippant manner. "You find your assigned housing yet? Got any of these things called roommates?"

[sinscythe]

Knives had come to notice that the city was crawling with strange beings. Whether it was better or worse than being stuck in a place filled with nothing but humans remains to be seen. Either way, his attempt of avoiding contact with others has failed.

His vacant stare drifts up towards the peculiar stranger, now dangling before him like a ragdoll from loose strings - and clearly amused by his irritation. At first glance, they don't seem like more than a simple nuisance.

" Not much of a spy if you have to ask questions like that, aren't you? "

[nomansjudge]

It seems that this was not their Knives. Well, the hair made it obvious, but the blank, vacant stare really sealed it. He must be like that other Vash they met.

"Not really a spy," the Worm responds. "Just curious. You look awfully similar to someone I know." They hum - in a specific frequency only they or Plants could hear. Another test for this look-not-alike.

"Though, they don't smell like rotting plant."

[nomansjudge]

"Heyyy, you're here pretty late again, Mister." The voice comes from over to the student's left side. It's not hard to tell that this wasn't a normal person - the oppressive cold air around them is a clear giveaway - as they lean in to look at what's on the lab table.

"Whatcha doin'?"

@sinscythe ghost homie checkin' in