Squared 1
(Tentative) Title: Squared (1/?)
Author: eleanor_ariail
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Rating: PG-13 I think, overall
Summary: Azkadellia is not willing to wait for DG to lead her to the emerald and decides she has to go straight to the source.
This is the extension of one of my music drabbles. I had planned on waiting until the whole thing was written, but, as I have absolutely no patience, it's getting posted now. This is an AU/what-if story, branching off from the end of part one. All differences will be explained eventually. Originally posted here.
The melody drifted down the street from an open doorway. The girl followed it mindlessly, drawn to the sound as much as the scent of food that came with it. Even the other scum who populated this street stared at her as she passed, gaping at her tattered clothes and the metal zipper that crossed her head.
She finally came to the door, proud that she remembered her destination long enough to reach it. She poked her empty head in and stared, transfixed by the sight before her. After several minutes, she felt someone push her out of the way so they could enter, but she just crouched down on the threshold, hypnotized by the twisting beauty of the male zipperhead who was dancing on the stage.
He was wearing a pair of snug black pants and a striped shirt, his lithe body moving in perfect rhythm with the music. As the song came to an end, he sunk into a low bow, graciously acknowledging the smattering of applause that came from the disinterested lunch crowd.
He stepped off the stage smoothly, and began to walk towards a back door, but was stopped by a large balding man. “Hey Glitch, you wanna do somethin' about your little girlfriend over there? She's scarin' off the payin' customers here.”
“What?” he stared at the manager in confusion, then followed his pointed finger to see the girl huddled in the door, staring at him with her mouth hanging slightly open. There was dried blood flaked in her hair and across her forehead, the darkness of it making the shiny new zipper stand out all the more. Her eyes were bruised and sunken, but there was still a light that shone from their blue depths.
Glitch smiled gently and begin walking towards her, ignoring his boss's grumbling behind him, stepping around the tables like they didn't exist. He stretched his hand out as he neared her, never breaking eye contact, as if he were approaching a wild animal. Stopping just out of reach from her, he said softly, “Hey there.”
A hint of a smile danced around her lips, and she shuffled a little closer. He moved towards her, still holding his hand out, but not touching her. “Are you hungry? I'll get you some soup from the kitchen if you want to come with me.” She nodded and reached for his hand, but stopped right before grasping it. Looking at him thoughtfully, she stepped up against him and linked her arm around his elbow.
“Well, that's okay too,” he said, patting her hand pleasantly as he lead her around the edge of the dining room and through the swinging kitchen door. “My name's Glitch, by the way, on account of, sometimes my synapses don't fire right,” he said, with a nervous little chuckle.
She stopped suddenly, her arm pulling free of his. He turned around in time to see her face twitch right before she mimicked his laugh. “Sometimes your synapses don't fire right,” she repeated in the same tone.
“I just said that,” he whispered, feeling a chill run up his back, like an old memory trying to squirm its way back into his head.
She looked down at her feet, suddenly shy again. He pushed warm bowl of soup into her hands, and guided her into a chair. “Hey, it's okay, we can be glitching together, if you want to. Do you remember your name?” She shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth slowly. “I think, I think they called me Princess.”
“Well now, that's a fine name. Princess it is. Come on, eat up now,” he said, dropping a spoon into her bowl with a splash.
Splash!
...Find it.....emerald......Gale.......Go, now!
.....
“Oh God, what's happened to me?”
“What?! Who said that? Who's there?!”
“Um, hi? It's me, DG. Who are you? Where are we? What's going on here?”
“DG? But... it can't be! You're dead, for some annuals now. I was at the funeral! Sweet Rainbow, I've finally gone crazy in here.”
“No, I'm not dead. Well, apparently I was, but my mother brought me back. She sent me to the Other Side, where I was raised by robots, and now I'm back to save the world. Or something like that.”
“That's... that's insane. Completely crazy. So crazy, in fact, that I know you couldn't have made it up. Even I couldn't have made that up. So, in that case, have you? Have you stopped Azkadellia? Are you here to save me now?”
“I'm sorry, no. My mother told me where the emerald was hidden, but I couldn't remember. Azkadellia said something about having to dig past the block, and next thing I know, I'm here - Can't see anything, can't move, can't even hear anything, except for you now. Where are we?”
“Oh. Oh, that's not good. I'm not sure how to explain this...”
“Well, start with something simple. What's your name?”
“I'm Ambrose. I'm the queen's - your mother's - head advisor.”
“Wait, so, you're the top dog's right hand man?”
“I suppose you could say that... not a very nice way to refer to the queen of the OZ, but if you wanted...”
“Glitch!! You're alright! You found your brain, and you remember, and everything!”
“I, I'm not sure what you mean. I'm Ambrose, and, I'm just a brain now.”
“....”
“DG? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. But, if you're just a brain, then I must be...”
“I'm sorry. It seems that's all that's left of both of us.”
Author: eleanor_ariail
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Rating: PG-13 I think, overall
Summary: Azkadellia is not willing to wait for DG to lead her to the emerald and decides she has to go straight to the source.
This is the extension of one of my music drabbles. I had planned on waiting until the whole thing was written, but, as I have absolutely no patience, it's getting posted now. This is an AU/what-if story, branching off from the end of part one. All differences will be explained eventually. Originally posted here.
The melody drifted down the street from an open doorway. The girl followed it mindlessly, drawn to the sound as much as the scent of food that came with it. Even the other scum who populated this street stared at her as she passed, gaping at her tattered clothes and the metal zipper that crossed her head.
She finally came to the door, proud that she remembered her destination long enough to reach it. She poked her empty head in and stared, transfixed by the sight before her. After several minutes, she felt someone push her out of the way so they could enter, but she just crouched down on the threshold, hypnotized by the twisting beauty of the male zipperhead who was dancing on the stage.
He was wearing a pair of snug black pants and a striped shirt, his lithe body moving in perfect rhythm with the music. As the song came to an end, he sunk into a low bow, graciously acknowledging the smattering of applause that came from the disinterested lunch crowd.
He stepped off the stage smoothly, and began to walk towards a back door, but was stopped by a large balding man. “Hey Glitch, you wanna do somethin' about your little girlfriend over there? She's scarin' off the payin' customers here.”
“What?” he stared at the manager in confusion, then followed his pointed finger to see the girl huddled in the door, staring at him with her mouth hanging slightly open. There was dried blood flaked in her hair and across her forehead, the darkness of it making the shiny new zipper stand out all the more. Her eyes were bruised and sunken, but there was still a light that shone from their blue depths.
Glitch smiled gently and begin walking towards her, ignoring his boss's grumbling behind him, stepping around the tables like they didn't exist. He stretched his hand out as he neared her, never breaking eye contact, as if he were approaching a wild animal. Stopping just out of reach from her, he said softly, “Hey there.”
A hint of a smile danced around her lips, and she shuffled a little closer. He moved towards her, still holding his hand out, but not touching her. “Are you hungry? I'll get you some soup from the kitchen if you want to come with me.” She nodded and reached for his hand, but stopped right before grasping it. Looking at him thoughtfully, she stepped up against him and linked her arm around his elbow.
“Well, that's okay too,” he said, patting her hand pleasantly as he lead her around the edge of the dining room and through the swinging kitchen door. “My name's Glitch, by the way, on account of, sometimes my synapses don't fire right,” he said, with a nervous little chuckle.
She stopped suddenly, her arm pulling free of his. He turned around in time to see her face twitch right before she mimicked his laugh. “Sometimes your synapses don't fire right,” she repeated in the same tone.
“I just said that,” he whispered, feeling a chill run up his back, like an old memory trying to squirm its way back into his head.
She looked down at her feet, suddenly shy again. He pushed warm bowl of soup into her hands, and guided her into a chair. “Hey, it's okay, we can be glitching together, if you want to. Do you remember your name?” She shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth slowly. “I think, I think they called me Princess.”
“Well now, that's a fine name. Princess it is. Come on, eat up now,” he said, dropping a spoon into her bowl with a splash.
Splash!
...Find it.....emerald......Gale.......Go, now!
.....
“Oh God, what's happened to me?”
“What?! Who said that? Who's there?!”
“Um, hi? It's me, DG. Who are you? Where are we? What's going on here?”
“DG? But... it can't be! You're dead, for some annuals now. I was at the funeral! Sweet Rainbow, I've finally gone crazy in here.”
“No, I'm not dead. Well, apparently I was, but my mother brought me back. She sent me to the Other Side, where I was raised by robots, and now I'm back to save the world. Or something like that.”
“That's... that's insane. Completely crazy. So crazy, in fact, that I know you couldn't have made it up. Even I couldn't have made that up. So, in that case, have you? Have you stopped Azkadellia? Are you here to save me now?”
“I'm sorry, no. My mother told me where the emerald was hidden, but I couldn't remember. Azkadellia said something about having to dig past the block, and next thing I know, I'm here - Can't see anything, can't move, can't even hear anything, except for you now. Where are we?”
“Oh. Oh, that's not good. I'm not sure how to explain this...”
“Well, start with something simple. What's your name?”
“I'm Ambrose. I'm the queen's - your mother's - head advisor.”
“Wait, so, you're the top dog's right hand man?”
“I suppose you could say that... not a very nice way to refer to the queen of the OZ, but if you wanted...”
“Glitch!! You're alright! You found your brain, and you remember, and everything!”
“I, I'm not sure what you mean. I'm Ambrose, and, I'm just a brain now.”
“....”
“DG? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. But, if you're just a brain, then I must be...”
“I'm sorry. It seems that's all that's left of both of us.”