#♚ — resident; zero.

[kinglyisms-archived]

♚ — @azurescaled ;; Zero & Izumi. Stater Call.

"What are you doing?"

Zero had been cleaning for most of the morning, things that were common for him and part of his usual routine. He had brought Eric tea already, checked on Adriel and if Artemis was home. He had found a bleeding, beating heart in his fridge and just about nearly had a meltdown himself. Finding body parts in a fridge that he kept fresh food in was not something Zero enjoyed. So the fridge had to be deep cleaned and sanatized which had been incredibly tedious. A waste of time. Now he needed to go grocery shopping to replace what had been in it.

He had a lot to do, not enough daylight, but had spotted Izumi on the couch and wanted to check on them. Whatever was sitting in their lap, it looked like a book, Zero had been a little intrigued. Izumi always brought something interesting with them, even Eric found whatever books they had facinating. And catching Eric's intereset was actually quite difficult to do.

So Zero leaned curiously over the couch, peering over Izumi's shoulder and tried to get a view of whatever was on it.

[kinglyisms]

♚ — @nihlkahn. Small Starter. Random generated muse: 9 Zero.

"Hello, are you lost?" Only those lost, regardless of how, end up at the Manor. "Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea, the desert is awfully hot."

[kinglyisms-archived]

“I am important to the process and living stability of the manor, I know that. Eric is useless in a kitchen and technology baffles him. He’d probably dump the entire container of detergent into the Washing Machine without even realizing it.” He gives a soft laugh and shakes his head. He could see the mess already and his only assure it wouldn’t happen is probably because Eric doesn’t even know where the Washing Machine is.

One day he’d like to have a television in the manor. That was still something he was debating Eric over. Eric doesn’t want to much “modern stuff” in the Manor but Zero would love to watch his Cooking Shows on a TV while he does laundry. Unfortunately, since he doesn’t actually make a paycheck here, he can’t even save for one. Not to mention, bringing an electrician into the bodies was risky. So, his dreams of a Television were difficult to reach.

His arm was fixed and he pulls it from the table, dropping it into his lap. He worked the cardigan on carefully, fighting with the limp limb, and starts buttoning it up. “I’ll have Eric fix it internally, and then I’ll be so good you won’t even notice anything happened.” He smiled over at Izumi as he works the buttons closed, assuring him he really was going to be fine. Because he was. “Thank you, for everything through and I really do mean that.”

"Horrid relationship or not, it doesn't mean he needs to take his anger out on someone who cannot hurt him. I want you to have peace. And I hate that if I hurt Artemis, I'll simply be ejected from the manor. Leaving you at his mercy is something that I cannot imagine. I don't want you to be hurt anymore."

Izumi does manage a smile at Zero's words. They do enjoy hearing about some of the things that make him happy. It's not much, but really, the fact they share anything with him at all is more than enough.

"You are important, Zero. Without you, how would things get done around here? But more importantly...I wouldn't feel nearly as welcome as I do here without you. So, let me try to stay nearby in order to keep Artemis off of your back."

Izumi sighed as they continued to sew his arm back on, and it's a slow task, but eventually, the stitching is done.

"Magic can be a volatile thing, and to some extent...At least within the human realm, everyone has some potential for it, though the problem with it is that it has to be taught, otherwise, you can be consumed by it. There are far too many tales of those toying with magic they can't control and either dying or being trapped in a fate worse than death."

[kinglyisms-archived]

𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴: 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦: 𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

   It took him a while but Zero finally got the tea up to Eric��s study and sat it down on top of the coffee table, off to the side of the chess board. Eric had finally managed to talk his father into a game of chess though Artemis seemed very much to not be enjoying it. Zero can never tell if the God likes the game or if he just indulges his son when it’s clear Eric is far to board. He straightens back up, gives a gentle sigh and fixes his clothes a bit more into place. As he goes to turn to leave he feels a cough bubble in his throat that just doesn’t seem to stay down. He covers his face, coughs rather hard into his hand and feels the smallest bit of blood trickle down the side of his face. 

   For the briefest of moments he sways, his head spinning as his heart thumps a bit too slowly. It’s enough to get Eric’s attention given the soft alarmed sound of his name. “Zero!” His forearm is grabbed, gripped tightly in Eric’s hold and he gets him standing back up straight once more, the slightest look of concern on the man’s face. 

   “I’m fine, I’m fine.” He attempts to wave off, tugging his arm gently from Eric’s hold and standing straight on his own. “I probably just pushed it a little too hard today, there’s no need to make a fuss over it.” He feels tired, he feels off, he feels weak and he certainly doesn’t like it. Eric holds him with such delicate hands, he doesn’t need to be babied just because things are a little bit harder today than normal. 

   “You should take it easy.” Eric interjects, not at all fazed by Zero’s words. He’s far too used to him, used to his habits. He knows that Zero plays things off that he probably shouldn’t. How many times has he pushed himself too hard and ended up collapsed on the floor of the kitchen? 

   Still, he shakes his head. “I can’t. I was sick yesterday and I put too much off, now it’s building up.” He has laundry to tend to, dishes to do, food to cook. He’s neglected the dusting, the library, the organization of the books Artemis just leaves lying around. He had a lot of housekeeping to do, and he can’t lay around in bed another day letting more of it pile up. He was the only one who did chores here, in this big place, it takes time. And he doesn’t mind it, normally, he’s just a little stressed. It’s been a rough week, with his health.

   There’s a frustrated look that passes over Eric’s face, he doesn’t like when Zero doesn’t listen. When he’s testing the fates and the limits of his body. “And if you collapse it’ll just continue to pile up anyway. If you take it easy, you can get stuff done and still not end up making yourself sick.” 

   “And then what use am I to you?” The cold snap of the words has Eric blinking at him and Zero tries very hard to pull that back in, to take the words back. He can’t. They’re already out there no matter how much he might regret them. 

   Eric’s face gives no emotion away. He thinks he hates that more. “I don’t want you to be of use, I want you to be alright.”

   “And yet, is that not what you made me for? To take care of this place? To tend to your needs? To serve you?” More or less. Zero was created because Eric was lonely and he needed help. He was to fill two positions. The servant, and the companion. He was much better at one role than the other. “If I am too weak to even fold laundry, what use am I around here? I might as well be a freeloader like Artemis over there.” He waved his hand at the God who didn’t even blink, just continued to stare at the chessboard like he was doing the most difficult game of sudoku on his own. 

   He doesn’t want to be useless. All he wants is to be able to do the things he needs to do without collapsing every time he does a bit extra. Out of all the things in the world he could ask for he didn’t feel like that was the worst. Like it was selfish. Eric doesn’t seem to know how to respond, conversations like this with so much emotion are not his strong suit. Zero sighed and turned to leave, taking a few steps before Eric’s slim fingers wrapped tightly around his wrist, holding him in place. 

   “Zero–” 

   “I don’t want to talk. It’s fine, I get it, it’s not fixable and it’s not your problem.” Twisting his wrist he yanked it from the other’s hold and continued out the doors of the study, willing his heart to still and calm inside his chest. To worked up, to frustrated, he just needed to breathe.

   Eric gets a step toward the door before Artemis’ voice fills the silence left behind. “Leave him be, Vercingetorix. He’s angry, but his anger is not directed at you and further chasing of this will only make it worse.” Artemis moved a chess piece on the board. “He’s angry at what he is.” 

   Lips pursed together Eric twisted and looked at his father. “Is that not the same thing?” 

   “Perhaps, in some regards, but in this case it’s a bit different. Zero’s struggles change day to day. The weather if it’s too hot, the movements if he does too much, the pulse of his heart and the rush of his emotions. Everything around him can trigger a different reaction in his body that can affect his heart and by extension, the rest of him.” Artemis blinked at the chessboard and moved one of Eric’s pieces. Continuing the game alone as he thought. “He does not carry the same vices as most of the creatures I’ve made. He doesn’t need to feed on blood, on sex, on human flesh. But his struggles are not to be ignored either. They, in some ways, can be even worse.” 

   He knocks over the Queen and places the pawn down. “To feel weak, to feel pain, to feel useless, over just walking up the stairs can be enough to harm one mentally. To instill negative thoughts into them like a poison. But, this is the nature of what he is. And, there is no changing what you are.” He picks his head up, looking toward his son. 

   “And some days I think there is no one who knows that more than Zero.”

[kinglyisms-archived]

♚ — @azurescaled / Welcome to Abarith.

"Are you lost?"

The inquiry is polite, kind, soft sounding. An attempting to be soothing to the stranger. The only way to find the Manor was to be lost. The magic that hid it in Abarith's desert was intended for that purpose. Being what lived inside, seclusion and secrecy was the best. If one went looking for the Manor? It wouldn't be found. Not unless they'd been there before and had permission. So Zero, naturally, falls into the role of caretaker for the lost.

"I'm Zero. I'm the housekeeper for the Manor. If you come inside I can make you a cup of tea! It's awfully hot out here." He was gardening, something rather risky in the bright sun with his condition, but he wanted to cook something good for dinner and needed the fresh vegtables from the garden for it. He picked the basket of vegtables up in his arms and headed for the stairs of the manor.

[kinglyisms-archived]

Zero isn't even upset there is a heart in the fridge, Zero is upset the heart is near his fresh food and homemade treats.

[kinglyisms-archived]

"You just do what you like that doesn't include doing chores." Though Zero had no room to talk. When it came to self-care he was one of the worst ones at actually doing it appropriately and correctly. He doesn't like taking time off either and when he's forced to it's because he's collapsed and needed to take a day off, forced to rather, which resulted in him being bedridden. Which isn't exaclty relaxing truthfully, it just stresses him out more because things pile up.

"Do you like chess?" He asks, a smile still on his face. "You can play chess with Eric." The Master of the Manor. He was always looking for more people to play chess with. People to get along with. "And if you don't you can persue the library for something to read. There is a wide range of different kinds of books there."

"I understand that, but. . ." An argument sat ready on the tip of his tongue, but he too refused to behave uncouthly. He waited to speak, allowing Zero to finish his thoughtful, oh-so familiar sentiments.

The tip of the wish-granter's middle finger pushed up at his glasses, the thin frames fitting back into place for all of one second before they shifted downward a centimeter. "That may the issue. I haven't had the oppertunity to 'relax' and 'enjoy myself' for quite some times. I fear it's a muscle I've allowed to atrophy."

A pause, then in simpler terms. "I don't know how. I would rather be put to work and be of service than laze about."

[kinglyisms-archived]

Zero when he finds a still beating heart in his fridge: makes an inhuman screeching / choking sound.

The culprite who intentionally left it there when Eric said he can't have his ritualistic blood tea session.

[kinglyisms-archived]

The Manor Boys;

Zero: What's worse than a heartbreak?

Adriel: Waking up in the morning and your phone wasn't charging.

Eric: Waking up in the morning.

Artemis: Waking up.

Eric, pointing to the wall: What color is this?

Adriel: Gray.

Zero: Grey.

Eric, turning to Artemis: Now tell them what color you think it is.

Artemis: Dark white.

*after the Squad's plan goes horribly wrong*

Zero: Now it seems we're back at square one-- finding Artemis.

Adriel: For the record, I already found them.

Eric: And you let them get away before we could have a meaningful conversation.

Adriel: They stabbed me!

Zero: I'm surprised they waited this long, Adriel. We've all had the urge.

Zero, watching Adriel and Artemis fight: Are you sure they should be fighting? What if they get hurt?

Eric, not bothered by the chaos: It’s fine. They’re too evenly matched to hurt each other.

Zero: Then... who’s the strongest out of you three?

Adriel: Eric.

Artemis: Eric.

Eric: Me.

[kinglyisms-archived]

eric you should make another zero this one is borken.

STRAIGHT UP IGNORING THEM.

"Ha--haha." So uncomfortable. "I'm--kind of one of a kind. Zero. The first one. The number Zero. There will never be a one or two or three. Just--just Zero."

[kinglyisms-archived]

"Are you feeling better?"

"It's not like you actually care about my wellbeing."

"No. It would bring me joy to rip your heart out and feed on it. But I care about Vercingetorix and your moping has upset him. So, have you gotten over it?"

"Well if I was, I'm not now." Just out of spite.

[kinglyisms-archived]

"I am sorry, Zero."

"No it's okay, I get it. Soulless creatures can't have soulmates, Eric."

[kinglyisms-archived]

/taking notes/ eric's weaknesses?

"Go ahead." Having weakness does not make him weak.

"Try it."

[kinglyisms-archived]

♚ — Residence.

In The Castle.

Hiroki Nakamura: The 23rd King of Abarith.

Akira Senju: The Advisor

Amir Samaha: Court Mage

In Town.

Wyatt Cross: Court Witch / Black Market Boss / owner of Starlight Bar (lives in his mansion he had built on the side of the mountain Abarith Castle is built on top of).

Luka Reid: Court Pureblood Vampire (lives in a manor in the Vampire District in Abarith).

Satoru Matsuki: Academy Chairman & Librarian / Archivist (lives in his house behind the Academy).

Outskirts (lost manor)

Eric: Manor Master

Zero: Servant

Artemis: God of Creation / freeloader

The Great Forest

Toshiro Kobayashi: Alpha of the Abarith Pack / Voice of the Woodland Creatures on the King's Court / Protector of the Great Forest.

Elliot: Second in Command of the Abarith Pack / Bartender at Starlight.

[kinglyisms-archived]

“It didn’t say to remove the box.”

Literally stood there and watched him do this.

“I was gone two hours!”

[kinglyisms-archived]

“My—my kitchen.” Visual and verbal distress. Horror in his voice. Tears in his eyes. His beautiful kitchen. His polished dark wood countertops. His gold handles. His large microwave. His kitchen. “Why the kitchen? Why not the laundry room?”