Nightshift 29: M91-100 Hallway

[vintage_brit]

Mason took a few moments to rub his eyes and yawn before waking up fully. He finished off the whiskey, then stuffed Gone With the Wind back into his pants before exiting out into the hallway

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[accursed_rock]

With his sand-colored cape flaring behind him, Zelgadis made his way to Mason's room. Lucky for him the man was right there, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

It wouldn't really be fair to attack without revealing himself.

But the fight earlier hadn't been "fair" either.

[vintage_brit]

Mason, glancing around in search of attractive women, noticed Zelgadis heading in his direction.

"Oh, fuck me," Mason moaned. He had been planning to spend some quality time with the ladies, have a heart-to-fucking-heart with Lyta, and then he'd beat up the whiny teenager.

"You come for another nose-breaking?" Mason called out, hoping the teenager would just leave.

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis swept back his cloak with a flourish, standing in front of the taller man.

"Yes, yours." He grinned deviously.

[vintage_brit]

Mason raised an eyebrow. Especially at the cloak flourishing.

"Did you just say, 'yes, yours?'" the reaper demanded unbelievingly. This kid was fucking ridiculous! Clearly, if anyone was going to get their nose broken, it was Zelgadis.

"Come and fucking break it, then," he challenged, right before he swung a fast punch at the side of Zelgadis' face.

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis hit the ground hard. God damnit, not again! He was going to pay!

He swung his leg out to trip Mason, pulling himself to his haunches.

[vintage_brit]

Zelgadis' leg hit Mason in the ankle, and the reaper hit the ground hard, face-first.

"You fucker!" he yelled, rubbing his bleeding nose angrily. With a roar, Mason flung himself from a semi-lying-down position, trying to wrap his arms around Zelgadis' knees and bring the teenager back down to the ground.

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis smiled despite his throbbing cheek and nose, happy to see some success on his part. Narrowly avoiding Mason's sweep at his legs, Zelgadis ended up with one arm of the ground in an awkward backward-crab-like position.

"You only get what you deserve!" He yelled back.

[vintage_brit]

Unable to stop his flight through the air, Mason found himself crashing into the wall. He picked himself up, doubling over and clutching his stomach in an attempt to keep the book tucked into his waistband from slipping downwards.

"You right little cocksucker," he snarled at Zelgadis, bracing his back against the wall.

The last time he'd been in a fight of epic proportions, he'd had Daisy cheering him on from the sidelines, which had been a big morale boost. Now he knew that she was the one who had put him in here, that she clearly didn't love him, and that him carrying Gone With the Wind around with him everywhere was a bloody waste of effort.

He didn't want to cry in front of this teenager, but he couldn't help his eyes tearing up and his breath catching in his throat. "Fuck you, Daisy Adair," he mumbled, running a hand through his unkempt hair. The reaper whirled around the punched the wall as hard as he could, which hurt a lot, so he stuck his knuckles into his mouth.

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis pulled himself upwards, anticipating another blow from Mason. To his astonishment, however, Mason turned to the far wall and punched it, sobbing softly as he sucked his bloody knuckles.

Feeling a wave of sympathy for the man who had previously broken his nose, Zelgadis stepped towards him with a look of concern,

"Are you all right?"

He touched the man's shoulder,

"Mason?"

[vintage_brit]

"Fuck off," Mason mumbled, taking his hand out of his mouth and crossing his arms peevishly.

The last thing he remembered before waking up here, they had all been at the Waffle Haus, eating candy on All Hallow's Eve. And Daisy had smiled at him, and he'd thought he saw the engagement ring he'd given her around a chain on her neck. And then she'd... what? Knocked him out, thrown him in the back of a lorry, and dumped him off here? "Fucking Daisy," the reaper mumbled, turning away from Zelgadis' apparently caring words.

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis removed his hand from Mason's shoulder, surprised at his reaction. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have done that, he assured himself, he was just shocked by Mason's sudden turn, that's all. He was still a rock-hearted swordsman.

Well, minus the rock.

What was he, really, in his old body and new place? Rezo had stirred up so many memories in him, so many false hopes... And the past, with Lina and Amelia and Gourry, it was becoming dim. Was he really crazy? The other's stories seemed crazy-- the girl that died, the man obsessed with finding "Chidori," it certainly sounded like an insane asylum. Maybe Rezo's spell to make him stronger had broken him and he'd simply dreamed his travels.

To his even greater surprise, Zelgadis felt a tear travel down his cheek.

[vintage_brit]

Mason glanced over at Zelgadis, who seemed to be crying too. Yes, his love for Daisy was an epic and tragic tale, fraught with... the kinds of things one usually finds in tragic romance. But why would a complete stranger be crying over Daisy, too? Unless this kid used to be some posh movie star from the 30's or something.

"She break your heart, too, mate?" the reaper asked, thinking back through all the old movies he'd seen, trying to place the kid's face. Mickey Rooney? Nah, that was someone else... Maybe. "Are you Mickey Rooney?"

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis looked up at Mason, confused.

"What's Mikee Runey?" He asked.

Embarrassed for his emotional outburst, Zelgadis turned slightly away, wiped the tear, and turned back to Mason.

[vintage_brit]

Okay, not Mickey Rooney.

"Did you do any fucking movies?" Mason demanded, getting exasperated. "She wouldn't've bothered with you unless you did movies - you have to be fucking rich to get Miss Fucking Daisy Adair to break your heart! I'm just fucking lucky!" he practically shrieked, hitting the wall again.

"Owie," the reaper whined, sticking his knuckles back in his mouth.

[accursed_rock]

Wide-eyed at Mason's outburst, Zelgadis felt anger rush out of him,

"I am not crazy! I am not!"

He grabbed Mason's shoulders roughly,

"Stop talking gibberish! We're not crazy!"

[vintage_brit]

"I'm not fucking crazy!" Mason whined, unhappy about being shaken around by a teenager. "And I'm not fucking talking fucking gibberish!"

Now quite thoroughly irritated, Mason ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was.

"Okay, I might be crazy. I might. Because this girl, this really fucking pretty girl, she put me in here, and she wouldn't do that! She would fucking do that!"