TWENTY: linkin park softly plays [VIDEO]

[livesarock]

This isn't--

[a gulp. Zel wipes at his face, swiping at bangs. ear: pointy. cured guy: distressed.]

This has nothing to do with...the shape-changers. It's different. [hunched over, he digs the heel of his hand into his eye, grimacing.

a beat.

he moves the comm back, setting it on the floor to free up his hands. he pulls his sleeve back, exposing blue blotches scattered around his forearm.]

I need to know how to stop it. Before it...[swallow.] Before it spreads.

I need help.

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[halfwitch]

Are you sick?

[livesarock]

N-no, it's...

[a couple glances from the comm to his arm.] I don't think so. I'm not sure.

[halfwitch]

Then why's your arm doing that? [She pauses.] Did someone hit you? Those kind of look like really bright bruises.

[livesarock]

[grimacing.] No. It's not that.

It just looks...a lot like my curse. My old one. The one I didn't have anymore, when I came back...

[halfwitch]

Curse? Like a magic curse?

[livesarock]

Yeah...

[getting a distant, numb look on his face.] Yeah. Again.

[a beat. he seems to startle, head shaking once.] But...but it's not the same. Not really. Just...blotches like this isn't... [a huff, getting frustrated.]

[halfwitch]

Did a witch get you? [She's perfectly, deadly serious when she asks.]

Maybe it's a slow kind of thing.

[livesarock]

[his hand curls to a fist, head dropping 'til his knuckles graze his forehead.

beat.]

No. Maybe.

[halfwitch]

[She tries to assess his body language to see what to say next, and bites back from asking more about the curse and how in the world a witch couldn't have been involved.]

Oh. Are you scared, mister?

[livesarock]

[his head jerks back up, big-eyed for a minute.]

...No, [yes] it's...I just want to stop this. Whatever it is. I don't have spells to fix this kind of thing...

[halfwitch]

What kind of spells do you need to fix it? [Then, more quietly.] If you got some spells, does that mean you're magic too?

[livesarock]

[head shaking in rhythm with his responses, getting mechanical:] I don't know. I hadn't found anything in my own world. I don't know how the first spell worked.

[halfwitch]

Oh. I'm sorry.

[livesarock]

[wavering for a moment, mouth tugging down on one side.]

I don't...know too many people here. Even the magic ones. If you know someone who might know how...

[halfwitch]

I just got here. But if I hear about someone, and they're not some witch and you aren't one of those things everyone's acting so scared about and they aren't one either, I'll tell them to help you.

[livesarock]

[his shoulders droop a little, looking disappointed before his head drops into a nod.]

...Yeah. [slight pause. quieter:] Thanks.

[halfwitch]

You're welcome. Can I know what your name is?

[livesarock]

[absently:] Zelgadis.

[halfwitch]

Zel-gawd-tis? Okay. I'm Gretel.

[livesarock]

[namefail is enough to drag his attention from the brink of WOE IS ME land back to the conversation at hand.

blinkblink. uh--] ...Zelgahdis.

[halfwitch]

[But that's totally what she just said, right? Trying it again, very slowly.]

Zel-gah-dis.

[livesarock]

[a slow, slow nod.

beat.]

...Who are you?

[halfwitch]

I'm Gretel. [She pauses.] Grr-etel.

[livesarock]

[he gets this split-second flat look of i know how to say that dangit, nodding once more.]

Gretel. Right.

[halfwitch]

[In her defense,... well, yeah. She was just being kind of sassy.]

I'll keep a look out for someone to help you, Mr. Zelgadis. Try not to get any sicker.