View source for 2015-10-18 (PostU) Surprisingly a Lot in Common

{{Logsummary|
Title    = Surprisingly a Lot in Common
|Summary = Just a chat between a gnome and a chimeara
|Who     = [[Doommuffin]], [[Zelgadis]]
|Date    = October 18th, 2015
|Where   = The Usual Restaurant
|Log=

It's just a regular Sunday evening in the Usual Restaurant.  Many regular people, regular schmoes are here.  A rowdy table in the corner laughing loudly at a joke noone else heard.  A family at another celebrating a birthday.  A drunk man at the bar trying(emphasis at trying) to pick up the two women a few seats down.  The gnome in decidedly evil looking armor sitting on phone books in order for her to actually be of a decent height to drink from an oversized beer stein...  Okay, well, that last one isn't quite so common.  And neither is the ghostly cat sleeping on the stool next to her.  "And so then I told him, 'If you think I look tasty, why don't you try eating my steel!"  Well, at least she thinks the story was funny.  The guy on the other side of her from the cat doesn't seem to agree and, in fact, excuses himself as he heads for the door.

Zelgadis moves aside to allow the man out as he finds himself desiring to UR it for a bit. Sake doesn't just brew itself and he's evidently a lush. Who knows? He glances about the restaurant for just a moment, his hood classically hiding most of his face, before deciding on his 'usual' seat in the corner. Get it? Because the-Ya know what? Never mind. He gestures to the barkeep for his normal order and settles in.

Doommuffin, a bit miffed that the guy she was attempting to talk to just got up and left, of course watches in annoyance as the guy leaves.  But OOH!  Someone much more interesting looking just walked in!  THIS is something that must be investigated!  She carefully sets her drink down onto the stool next to her before climbing down from her own.  Now on the ground, she takes her two phone books and balances them carefully in one hand, held similarly to how a waitress may carry a tray of food.  Those now balanced, she takes her stein in her other hand and walks over towards Zelgadis.  "Hi!  What are you?" she asks in her creepy, echoey voice as she carefully places the phone books on the stool next to the chimeara.  Subtlety?  That's for rogues!   Death knights don't do subtlety.

Zelgadis raises an eyebrow. Did someone just ask him WHAT he was? Well, I guess around HERE that isn't such an odd question. He turns to address the speaker and...promptly flushes a bit. Anything remotely female throws him off just a tad. He clears his throat and offers DM a slight smile, at least from what she'd be able to tell. It's hard to see his face. He offers a hand to shake. "I am Zelgadis Greywers, at your service."

Doommuffin carefully sets the beer stein on top of the stacked phone books (she nearly has to stand on her tip-toes!) before reaching up to Zelgadis's hand.  For such a small woman, she has a surprisingly strong grip.  Of course, she would have to to be able to use that giant(for her at least) sword on her back.  "Doommuffin," she identifies herself as.  "I don't believe I've seen your race before.  The skin texture suggests to me that you would be related to earthen, but your ears have the appearance much more similar to an elf, and yet your build really feels much more human like than anything else,"  she says, all while still shaking his hand.  Letting go, she turns back to her newly claimed bar stool to begin her climb up to the bar.

Zelgadis hmphs. He doesn't really comment on his obvious 'condition' and really doesn't SEEM like he intends too. Of course, he might answer if pressed on it. Who knows? He flicks his fingers briefly. If Doommuffing doesn't counter it, which she has an opportunity to do here of course, he'll softly intone: "Ray Wing." and a moment later, a bubble of what seems to be manipulated atmosphere (air) will lightly tighten around her and lift her into her seat.

Doommuffin, not expecting combat right now from someone who has been nothing but polite, does in fact not attempt to stop the spell being cast.  She is taken off guard by the spell, shouting as she is lifted up.  Seeing the purpose of it, however, she quickly reaches for the beer stein as soon as she's able in order to get it out of the way, setting it down on the bar as she's deposited on top of the phone books.  "Thanks!"  Further down the bar, some of the other patrons appear to be freaking out as the ghostly cat hops onto the bar and walks calmly back towards his owner.

Zelgadis does address the ghostly feline with a curious glance but he doesn't seem to be terribly bothered by it. Of course, he's seen things that would shatter the brains of some of the other patrons ANYWAY...so take that as you will. He returns his attention to DM and nods briefly. "Forgive me for not giving you warning first. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

Doommuffin says, "Oh, it's quite all right!  I much appreciate the assistance!"  She seems way too cheerful to be wearing armor with that many skeletal motifs on it.  "But I've noticed that you don't seem to be answering my initial line of questioning.  Ooh!   Is there some sort of magical compulsion that keeps you from discussing your biological nature?  Or perhaps even you yourself aren't familiar with the causes of your own appearance?"  It seems she's pressing on the subject like a child with a giant red 'do not push' button in front of her.  "Oh, my, I'm sorry...  Is it a skin condition?  I'm sorry, I'm more used to causing diseases than identifying them."  Wait, what?"

Zelgadis blinks once. THAT was an interesting battery of observations and informational tidbits. He sighs softly. He brushes his hood back so she can better see his 'affliction'. "I am a chimera. I was human once. My...grandfather... I asked him for power and this is what he did to me. I have been trying to cure it ever since. ... Did you say you cause diseases?"

Doommuffin says, "Oh, that's just a part of being a death knight.  Chimaera, you say?"  She peers at him more closely.  "I suppose in your world that means something very different than in mine.  Where I'm from, a chimaera is a flying creature with two heads, three horns, and a tail that splits into two halfway through.  I apologize, but I don't know anything about removing curses."

Zelgadis quirks an eyebrow. 2 heads? Well, COULD be worse, he guesses. He waves it off. "It's fine, thank you. I appreciate the concern, however." He quiets down for a few beats, not wanting to point out the elephant or anything but... He smiles slightly. "A...death knight, you say? I suppose terminology DOES suffer a bit. May I ask what that entails?"

Doommuffin says, "Oh, of course!  In my world, there was a bit of a...  major undead invasion from the north.  I got involved in the mopping up after the end of it and, well, got killed.  The leader of that previously mentioned undead force then resurrected myself and a fairly sizable number of others into warriors that wield both sizable weapons we generally refer to as Rune Blades as well as vast necromantic powers.   This would, in fact, be the cause of both my odd voice and the glow that my eyes emit.""

Zelgadis doesn't have much to say on this for just a FEW moments. His smile doesn't fade but...he definitely has to process this for just a moment. He speaks finally after it manages to JUST get a tad awkward. "...Well. Firstly, my condolences for your abrupt and very unfortunate passing. That is a terrible thing. As for the latter fact at hands...let me be blunt, if you don't mind? You seem very personable and thus far, peaceful. Do I take it that your prior responsibilities no longer apply?"

Doommuffin laughs and waves a hand dismissively.  "Oh!   No, no, no, sorry, no.  If you want, I can tell you the entire story, but the short of it is we were freed from the Lich King's control and went right to fighting against him.  And don't worry about my death, that's long in the past by now."  She picks up the stein and takes a good, though comic looking, swig from it.

Zelgadis ahs. Nodding briefly, his smile softens a bit. "Once again, forgive me my impertinence. I had to ask. I am glad to hear that you once again have control of your destiny." He retrieves his own sake, figuring this was a drink break, and takes a swig himself.

Doommuffin nods enthusiastically as Zelgadis says this.  "Yes!  I am free to do as I wish and tinker away on as many things as I like!   I just need to keep inflicting pain to keep myself from rotting away, but really, that's not too much to ask."  She is...  way too cheerful as she says that.

Zelgadis seems to be having a giant 'Hey, universe, mess with me why don'tcha' moment today. He sets his sake bottle down gently and turns, with careful precision, and addresses Doommuffin. "That sounds horrible. Exactly...whom do you keep inflicting pain on?..."

Doommuffin shrugs.  "Back on Azeroth, there was always somewhere I could go where people needed to die.  It's a bit of a violent place compared to here.  So I've mostly been getting by through small pests here, actually.  If it's something intelligent, just going through battle is usually enough, but I swear, I really need to almost dissect a rat alive in order to satisfy me."

Zelgadis folds his arms as he ponders the short murder weapon before him. She seems to be quite friendly and...SEEMS to be trying not to hurt anyone, not that the rats don't have a right to live and all. He sighs once again and nods. "This seems like a problematic situation, honestly. I suppose you do what you must. Are you...quite sure it won't get worse?"

Doommuffin tilts her head.  "What?  My condition?  I suppose noone really knows.  Death knights aren't exactly an ancient art that we've had decades or centuries to study, like shamanism or druidism.  If there are any real long term effects, then noone can be aware of them until proper time has passed."   She seems to ponder this a few seconds.  "And if the bronze dragons know, they aren't telling anyone.  They never do.  For all I know, I will live a much longer life than I would have as a regular gnome.  For all I know, the magics that brought me back may wear off in just a few more seconds."  She pauses another moment.  "Nope."

Zelgadis laughs softly, in spite of himself. If only all undead were so charming. He glances down at his own, stoney exterior that gleams back at him in the form of the light glinting from the back of his hand. ... "I suppose we all have questions about ourselves."

Doommuffin turns her head slightly to the side, giving Zelgadis a sidelong glance.  "Well, you know what the most surefire way of getting answers is?"

Zelgadis didn't quite expect that particular anecdote would incite a further discussion. He looks slightly surprised. He shakes his head ever so slightly. "The most surefire? Perhaps not. Enlighten me?"

Slowly a smile creeps across the creepy gnome's face.  "Experimentation!"

Zelgadis has this odd urge to scream 'LEAVE ME ALONE WASYUU" but he ISN'T sure why exactly. He blinks a few times and manages to even blush slightly out of the sheer intensity of the situation. "E...Experiment? With what? Are you mad?" @.@;

Doommuffin laughs in a manner that, had her voice not echoed in that wierd way, would probably be adorably cute.  "Oh, don't worry, I'm not the one that would be doing that kind of experimentation.  I tinker with mechanical devices, not biological ones.  You'd need to find someone who specializes in that field to look at your cells to determine anything for you.  With me, you only need to worry about your cell phone."

Zelgadis blinks a few times. He seems completely perplexed. He laughs a bit again, still managing to find it cute in spite of any creepy echos. He MAY be slightly weird himself. He comments, "Something tells me you were quite a character even BEFORE your unfortunate event."

Doommuffin says, "Really?  Other than my propensity towards using large bladed weaponry, I never really considered myself to be truely that unusual."  She pauses, her eyes turning upwards toward the ceiling.  "For a gnome, I suppose.""

Zelgadis mms. Shrugs. "Admittedly you're one of the only gnomes I've ever met. I've met many a dwarf but...the gnomes of my home are none so social. Of course, they're also extremely small."

Doommuffin actually seems surprised by that last bit.  "Wow, even smaller than me?"  As the smallest race on Azeroth, it surprises her that there'd be something significantly smaller.  "They must truely be very different from those of us on my own world if they're so avoidant."  With a laugh, she jests, "Next you'll even tell me they don't constantly push technological boundaries.  OH!   Have you met Muradin?  He's a dwarf from my own world that was here before me.  I'm always curious as to how wide his social circle had gotten before I arrived here in Twisted.  As far as I've seen, it's just his lady friend, for the most part."

Zelgadis shrugs slightly. "Technology in our universe is minimal for the most part. We are a world of magic users." He shakes his head at the mention of the dwarf. "I have met no dwarves since I found my way to Twisted. Did you know him in your own universe?"

Doommuffin says, "Oh, not personally, no!  He's the brother of the late king of Ironforge, and represents the Bronzebeards on the Council of Three Hammers.  I'm more or less just a foot soldier.   I think he recognized me, though.  I had spent a fair amount of time within Ironforge back before the Third War."

Zelgadis just sort of nods along as best he can. She's just about speaking gibberish to him at this point, because he really doesn't know anything about DM's home universe. He remains polite however and tries to follow along. That being said, he stops to take a swig of his sake before anything else, nodding an apology just afterwards.

Sometimes, Doommuffin forgets who she's talking to and just talks.  Other times, she remembers who she's talking to all too well.  "So what exactly did your grandfather do to you?"

Zelgadis raises an eyebrow at that one. He reaches an arm out and gently raps it with a knuckle from his other hand. A gentle clacking noise follows, as if one lightly tapped two pebbles together. "As you can see, miss, I am only a third the man I used to be. I went to him wanting power. Power that I couldn't seem to manifest for myself. He helped me on the grounds that I help HIM restore his eyesight. This....body was the way he offered me that power."

Doommuffin blinks, which is a little odd looking as that makes her face less well lit for that split second, as she actually gets the idea that Zelgadis isn't pleased with the result.  "So he turned your body into this, and then expected you to still help him?  Did it even sufficiently enable you to actually cure his blindness somehow?"

Zelgadis sighs softly, as he's prone to doing. He rubs his forehead, pondering over the events long past and eventually returns his attention to the situation at hand. "He forced me to help him. He could control me quite easily, in fact. I was unable to help him cure his blindness on my own, however, no. For the better, really. When he finally cured his sight, we had a much worse evil to deal with."

Doommuffin says, "Aaaah.   Yes, a...  bit of a similar situation to my own with the Lich King, I suppose.  Well, the controlling part.  After Arthas got killed, it was a bit more time before we had a larger problem rear its ugly, steel jawed head."

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