Re: The Fatal Conflict! (GBS2G7) (Round 1: Everybody's Dead!)
08-24-2010, 01:33 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.
After both Zachs calmed down, they couldn't help but notice that their new time-travelling friend had disappeared, off to some random point in space and time. After that, the two turned their attention to the large, black, squiggly ghost...thing. That was black.
Zach watched it curiously as it hummed and twisted around in the air. As they were both in the same competition, he probably should have felt at least a bit apprehensive, but he couldn't help but feel that it looked too graceful to kill anything. His more corporeal buddy grew disinterested and leaned against a nearby wall.
Eventually, Simphonia calmed down as well and returned the interest. She seemed to observe her fellow ghost carefully as she slowly circled around him. Zach started wondering how one actually becomes ghostly music when something suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, uh, Zom," he said. Zombie-Zach took a few seconds to respond, unused to his new name. Scott's suggestion was great, just hadn't been implemented long enough for them to be comfortable with.
"How did she fit in the briefcase?" Zom turned back to the two and gave a sluggish shrug. At this point, Simphonia suddenly noticed Zach's dead body and rushed towards him with renewed curiosity, giggling (at least it sounded like a giggle) as he swatted at her in irritation.
Zach thought a little more. "How did she even get in the briefcase?" Zom just grunted in reply as he attempted to ignore Simphonia's inquisitive poking. Zach walked over to the broken briefcase that Simphonia had made her surprising entrance in and examined it, forgetting that since he was floating in the air, walking was a bit pointless. Besides it being rather grungy, it was disappointingly normal.
Well, of course it was a regular briefcase. What was he expecting? A hole in the bottom? A hidden passageway? An entire room that would be much too big for a regular suitcase to hold? The ghost reached for some scattered pieces of paper that used to be shut within the briefcase and frowned when his hand went through them. Since Zom was no longer playing the 'avoid the zombie's swipes' game, Simphonia wandered back towards Zach to see what he was looking at. He looked up upon hearing her music get louder and almost fell over when he saw how close she had gotten. (Actually, can ghosts fall over?)
Now that Simphonia's cheery music was so close to his ears, Zach could feel a small niggling feeling of annoyance in the back of his mind. Still, his curiosity was stronger than this sudden bout of annoyance and he pushed it aside in order to try to figure out this strange musical ghost.
Once he stood straight again, he stared a bit and hesitantly reached out to touch the shifting ghost.
Simphonia seemed to condense and formed herself into the vague shape of a generic woman. She formed a face by spacing some of her musical components in such a way so that she appeared to have eyes and a smile. As the sound of a triangle tingled in the air, she reached out with a shifting arm and when their fingers met, Zach shivered, although he did not know why.
"Uh, hm. I think...I guess it used to be human? Maybe? Do you think she can understand us?"
Zom looked up from the various dead bodies that littered the ground and replied, "What are you asking me for?"
His non-ethereal counterpart did have a point. Zach hesitated, feeling a little awkward about talking to what amounted to a bunch of musical notes, before saying, "Uh. Er. Hi. Do you understand me?"
Simphonia started manipulating her pseudo-face so that her mouth appeared to move, but the only thing that came out was more chittering music. Zach couldn't be sure if she was legitimately trying to respond or was just mimicking him for whatever reason.
Her mouth soon stopped moving but the music continued. He took this as a sign to continue talking. "So. Um. I was, uh, wondering...er, the briefcase." He pointed helpfully at the broken briefcase still on the ground. "And you, well, you came out of it, like, uh, pwhooooosh..." The 'pwhooooosh' was accompanied by random hand movements.
Simphonia's smile didn't drop, but he could feel the incomprehension wafting from her. He stood a little helplessly before desperately trying again.
"Briefcase." Simphonia looked at the briefcase politely as he gestured towards it. "Uh. Boom." Zach performed a strange dance that composed of explodey-arm-wavey motions.
"You look a bit of a moron," said Zom. Zach ignored this comment and instead pointed repeatedly at Simphonia, hoping that she would eventually get it.
Simphonia had been slowly shifting back to her default formlessness, apparently having gotten bored, but sharpened once again as she seemed to understand. With a chime of comprehension, she whisked herself back into the briefcase and closed it. After a few seconds, she popped violently out again. All that was missing was a loud 'Surprise!'
Zach was a little disappointed, seeing that the ghost had obviously misunderstood him. But watching her watching him expectantly over the side of the briefcase still made him smile. Then he visibly started and stared at the crop of musical notes protruding from a nearby piece of paper. He peered inside the briefcase to see Simphonia's torso-ish-thing disappear through another piece of paper that was inside. Simphonia watched, bemused, as he rushed towards the paper that she was currently using as a portal and attempted to pick it up. When that didn't work, he tried flipping it a little. "How do you think she's doing this?"
"I dunno," Zom replied.
"You know, you could be at least somewhat helpful."
Zom shrugged. "It's true. I don't know. Sorry. I'm a little distracted since I've been feeling a little hungry..."
Wondering why Zom had suddenly trailed off, Zach turned to see that he was staring at something. He had no time to wonder how a dead body could eat because this something, as he soon found out, was Laura.
She was approaching slowly. He rather she didn't approach at all.
After both Zachs calmed down, they couldn't help but notice that their new time-travelling friend had disappeared, off to some random point in space and time. After that, the two turned their attention to the large, black, squiggly ghost...thing. That was black.
Zach watched it curiously as it hummed and twisted around in the air. As they were both in the same competition, he probably should have felt at least a bit apprehensive, but he couldn't help but feel that it looked too graceful to kill anything. His more corporeal buddy grew disinterested and leaned against a nearby wall.
Eventually, Simphonia calmed down as well and returned the interest. She seemed to observe her fellow ghost carefully as she slowly circled around him. Zach started wondering how one actually becomes ghostly music when something suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, uh, Zom," he said. Zombie-Zach took a few seconds to respond, unused to his new name. Scott's suggestion was great, just hadn't been implemented long enough for them to be comfortable with.
"How did she fit in the briefcase?" Zom turned back to the two and gave a sluggish shrug. At this point, Simphonia suddenly noticed Zach's dead body and rushed towards him with renewed curiosity, giggling (at least it sounded like a giggle) as he swatted at her in irritation.
Zach thought a little more. "How did she even get in the briefcase?" Zom just grunted in reply as he attempted to ignore Simphonia's inquisitive poking. Zach walked over to the broken briefcase that Simphonia had made her surprising entrance in and examined it, forgetting that since he was floating in the air, walking was a bit pointless. Besides it being rather grungy, it was disappointingly normal.
Well, of course it was a regular briefcase. What was he expecting? A hole in the bottom? A hidden passageway? An entire room that would be much too big for a regular suitcase to hold? The ghost reached for some scattered pieces of paper that used to be shut within the briefcase and frowned when his hand went through them. Since Zom was no longer playing the 'avoid the zombie's swipes' game, Simphonia wandered back towards Zach to see what he was looking at. He looked up upon hearing her music get louder and almost fell over when he saw how close she had gotten. (Actually, can ghosts fall over?)
Now that Simphonia's cheery music was so close to his ears, Zach could feel a small niggling feeling of annoyance in the back of his mind. Still, his curiosity was stronger than this sudden bout of annoyance and he pushed it aside in order to try to figure out this strange musical ghost.
Once he stood straight again, he stared a bit and hesitantly reached out to touch the shifting ghost.
Simphonia seemed to condense and formed herself into the vague shape of a generic woman. She formed a face by spacing some of her musical components in such a way so that she appeared to have eyes and a smile. As the sound of a triangle tingled in the air, she reached out with a shifting arm and when their fingers met, Zach shivered, although he did not know why.
"Uh, hm. I think...I guess it used to be human? Maybe? Do you think she can understand us?"
Zom looked up from the various dead bodies that littered the ground and replied, "What are you asking me for?"
His non-ethereal counterpart did have a point. Zach hesitated, feeling a little awkward about talking to what amounted to a bunch of musical notes, before saying, "Uh. Er. Hi. Do you understand me?"
Simphonia started manipulating her pseudo-face so that her mouth appeared to move, but the only thing that came out was more chittering music. Zach couldn't be sure if she was legitimately trying to respond or was just mimicking him for whatever reason.
Her mouth soon stopped moving but the music continued. He took this as a sign to continue talking. "So. Um. I was, uh, wondering...er, the briefcase." He pointed helpfully at the broken briefcase still on the ground. "And you, well, you came out of it, like, uh, pwhooooosh..." The 'pwhooooosh' was accompanied by random hand movements.
Simphonia's smile didn't drop, but he could feel the incomprehension wafting from her. He stood a little helplessly before desperately trying again.
"Briefcase." Simphonia looked at the briefcase politely as he gestured towards it. "Uh. Boom." Zach performed a strange dance that composed of explodey-arm-wavey motions.
"You look a bit of a moron," said Zom. Zach ignored this comment and instead pointed repeatedly at Simphonia, hoping that she would eventually get it.
Simphonia had been slowly shifting back to her default formlessness, apparently having gotten bored, but sharpened once again as she seemed to understand. With a chime of comprehension, she whisked herself back into the briefcase and closed it. After a few seconds, she popped violently out again. All that was missing was a loud 'Surprise!'
Zach was a little disappointed, seeing that the ghost had obviously misunderstood him. But watching her watching him expectantly over the side of the briefcase still made him smile. Then he visibly started and stared at the crop of musical notes protruding from a nearby piece of paper. He peered inside the briefcase to see Simphonia's torso-ish-thing disappear through another piece of paper that was inside. Simphonia watched, bemused, as he rushed towards the paper that she was currently using as a portal and attempted to pick it up. When that didn't work, he tried flipping it a little. "How do you think she's doing this?"
"I dunno," Zom replied.
"You know, you could be at least somewhat helpful."
Zom shrugged. "It's true. I don't know. Sorry. I'm a little distracted since I've been feeling a little hungry..."
Wondering why Zom had suddenly trailed off, Zach turned to see that he was staring at something. He had no time to wonder how a dead body could eat because this something, as he soon found out, was Laura.
She was approaching slowly. He rather she didn't approach at all.
Spoiler