Seeking Partners in Crime

Under the Juniper tree, on one of the benches, the new Godfairy in residence was hard at work.

Even if an atmoic bomb had gone off next to him, Zin's ink-black eyes would not have been parted from the map he so lovingly studied. He greedily drank in the layout of the school, the gears in his head turning at an alarming pace. For what more could a prankster want than a detailed layout of his new playground?

The godfairy's mouth quirked up in an infectious smile. On a whole island full of magical misfits, Zin could almost weep from the creative possibilities. In the hand that wasn't clutching the map, he grasped a simple black notebook. Inside, written in godfairy short hand, half the pages were already filled with his plots and dreams for this new home. He figured half a notebook would be good enough to start with, so he felt reasonably confident in moving onto Phase 2.

Phase 2 was all about finding partners in crime and doing the math work before the fun began. Since some of his biggest schemes would require help, the time to hunt down fellow tricksters had begun. It was probably a good idea to befriend some of the teacher's pets, too. They're insider information could be invaluable. They might be able to help him pinpoint which teachers would be more relaxed and which ones would be more of a problem.

Zin planned to figure out just how closely he could flirt with danger before expulsion. He needed to explore the rooms and ferret out all the little secret places and quirks of the castle...But then, leg work done, the ball could really get rolling. If things went according to plan (and pranks were the only thing he did by plan), Lillegard Academy wouldn't know what had hit it.

After a few more minutes of religious study, he rolled up the map and stowed it safely inside his coat. Languid and slow, Zin got to his feet and stretched, arching his back until it cracked comfortably. Anticipation and excitement were enough to combat the general chill of Scotland, which normally would have left him tired and aching for days. But today, not even Jack Frost would have stopped him.

On the run from schoolwork, Esteban found himself wandering off into the courtyard again. He had come to like the place. It was spacious, with enough room to breathe, but still the walls all around gave him that 'caged tiger' feeling of frustration that he was used to. In some twisted way, he liked being frustrated, it was familiar and gave him energy to keep going just to defy the world that was keen to make him that way.

Hands in pockets, he strolled into the courtyard from the breakfast room, immediately scanning the area for any company he could find. And it seemed that he had gotten lucky. A grin stretched his lips as he began walking in the other guy's direction. At first, he made nothing of him; a dude like many others. One he hadn't noticed around before. But then, as Esteban got closer, his eyes were drawn to the other's ears. Oh... Subconsciously, his hand traveled to touch his own, similar ones, well-hidden underneath his long hair grown especially for that purpose.

Well, well...

The changeling approached, wariness mixing with curiosity clear on his face.

"'Ello, dere." he said slowly.

Should he enlist troublemakers or teachers' pets first? He bit his thumb thoughtfully, considering. It was easier for him to make friends with the crooked people- they were more familiar, more like his own kind than not. But, if he got a reputation going, it might be harder to befriend the shy people later on...and he really needed to find out who might snitch....

It was in the middle of this debate that movement caught Zin's gaze. He turned, half paying attention, only to realize another student was approaching him. The guy's intriguing appearance captured his attention, and Zin let the debate in his mind drop for a moment.

The other student was about as tall as he was, with a green complexion and dark red eyes. Immediately, the godfairy mentally scrolled through the impressive list of magical creatures he'd read about at one point or another. But, to his surprise, no label immediately jumped out at him. Interested, he tilted his head. It could be a galmour, but...no, that didn't seem to fit either....

Zin was still pondering the other's possible origins when the guy spoke up. “Ello, dere.”

Maybe it was the wariness mixed in with his greeting, or the tribal tattoos on his arm...but he looked like the kind of guy who might enjoy causing trouble. Or at the very least, one who seemed to find himself in the middle of it more often than not. Zin perked up. People like that were fun. People like that were useful in pranks.

It seemed fate had made the decision for him. So it was to be troublemakers over teachers pets, then. The godfairy could live with that. There was always the off chance he was misjudging this book by its cover, but Zin was willing to risk trusting his gut on this one.

Eyes still glinting with the mischief of his plotting, he quirked a smile at the other student. “Hey,” he replied. “I'm Zin, or Z, if y'like. I'm new here.”

The closer he got, the more obviously scrutinizing Esteban's expression became. He never was too good at pretending and hiding his feelings or agenda. Not that it would help in this case at all. He searched the other guy's face for traces of... whatever it was in the eyes of the others, but he seemed friendly and his smile genuine. They couldn't smile like that.

Well, okay. Maybe he was just an elf or something. "'Sup." he said, stopping in front of the other guy and flashing a tentative grin as he looked him up and down again. "M'Esteban."

His curious gaze was still locked on Zin as he strolled around him to take a spot on the bench, plopping down him butt and pulling up his feet to sit cross-legged. Leaning back against the back of the bench, Esteban let out a thoughtful hum, deciding to keep playing it cool. That was the safest. His head tilted back to glance up at the still-naked branches of the B.A.T., then his attention returned to the other. "So, were ya from?" he asked casually, as if it was no big matter at all.

If Zin hadn't been watching Esteban with just as much interest, the godfairy might have been worried that he'd made an error in his normal glamour. Esteban almost seemed like he was searching for something in his face, but Zin decided to dismiss it for normal curiosity.

He plopped back down on his side of the bench, feet stretched out in front of him, relaxed with one arm resting on the back of the bench. “Where it's warm,” he replied. “So, South America-ish. The Godfairy Citegdal tends to drift from location to location, so it's hard to specify.”

He gave a half shrug, as it to say it couldn't be helped that the enormous city was capable of movement. Then, without missing a beat, he redirected the conversation back towards Esteban. He was much more interested in the other's origins than in a conversation about a topic he already knew everything about.

“Where are you from?” He asked, tilting his head slightly, genuinely curious. “Why's your skin green? It's pretty cool.”

Zin half thought about trying the color on himself. The Glamour would not have altered his actual skin color, merely others' perception of it. If the day had been warm and sunny, it would have taken a half thought, no problem. But... considering he was cold even with his coat, his ears numb and his fingers unpleasantly stiff, it probably wasn't the best plan. He might not have the magic to spare.

Well. Come summertime, he was definitely going green. The thought brought a sudden wicked smile to his face, eyes lighting up. He had an idea. Why limit the color change to just himself?

Glamouring another person, let alone a group, was much harder than just tweaking his own appearance...but...no, he couldn't resist painting the school inhabitants multicolored. It would probably only be for a maximum of ten minutes with a few select people, and it would take disciplined practice and saving up his magic in the upcoming months...

But turning your professors poka-dotted and zebra striped? Even if it was only some of them...how could he resist THAT? No, it was definitely happening. He would FIND a way, and figure out the perfect time to implement it. Timing and irony were essential to good humor. In the mean time, as he got to know everyone, he could start to select his starts for his multicolored drama. Afterall, casting was almost just as important as the timing...

It had only been a slight pause in his attention, but it took Zin some effort to refocus on Esteban. He reluctantly put a mental sticky note on the new idea, planning to flesh out the details later. Right now, he needed to focus on phase 2. Befriending people like Esteban.

At the first words, Esteban's hand wandered to his bare forearm to rub at it mindlessly. Right, it was probably still rather cold. He couldn't feel it at all anymore, he realized, and so had no need to wear anything but a t-shirt...

The thought was quickly wiped from his mind, though, as the other went on. Esteban blinked and his forehead wrinkled. Right, so a fairy in the end... how many kinds were there? Either way, Zin seemed one of the harmless types, like Jami. Not like... yeah.

As the question was bounced back at him, Esteban twitched slightly, taken aback and confused as to what his answer should actually be. The lack of immediate answer didn't seem to matter to Zin too much, however, as he appeared to drift off into some thoughts of his own. Esteban bit his lip, then quickly shrugged to regain some air of carelessness. "Mnnnrh," he began, then his eyes widened and he cleared his throat. The hell was that? His gaze flickered around nervously, then he tried again. "My." he said tentatively, let out a sigh of relief, then continued. "S'in ain't green. Mei bloot is." Holding up a hand to his mouth, he coughed forcibly a few times. Was he getting sick again or what...? He snorted, then shook his head. "An'm from New York, sorta. Whasda... wha'eva yo said yous from?"

Zin was a little envious of the other's ability to withstand the cold, which was easily the soft underbelly of his race. Esteban was only wearing a t-shirt. Next to him, Zin felt overdressed in his heavy black coat, gloves, and scarf. But if he had gone without the extra layers...well. The concern wasn't worth thinking about at this point. He would deal with that when they time came.

As Esteban coughed into his hand and cleared his throat, Zin shifted towards him a bit, eagerly waiting the explanation. At first, he'd have thought nothing of the other's actions. But as he turned, looking into the Esteban's face, something in the others eyes raised a mental note. For a moment, Esteban had almost looked nervous. The emotion had vanished as quickly as it had appeared, but Zin had seen, and he was further intrigued. He tilted his head, soft locks of ink black hair brushing his temple. What was he momentarily unsettled by?

And green blood? Well that raised far more questions than it answered. If Esteban hadn't had his full attention before, he had 100% of it now.

“The Grand Godfairy Citadel,” Zin repeated. “It's where most of Godfairies- at least, the ones who aren't drifters- live,” he explained, off handed. Once more, wanting to sate his curiosity, he attempted to redirect the conversation. “I haven't been away from it for long before, so I can't say I've ever been to New York. Do most people from New York have green blood? Can you change colors, or is it just green?”

As much as he tried to focus on Zin talking, his mind kept going back to the occurrence from moments before. What the heck was it? It felt sort of like a sore throat, but... different. Still, that was probably it - just another sickness sent to torment him. And so, he would ignore it.

It was not all that hard to distract himself from it, as what the guy was saying seemed to grow more and more ridiculous. Esteban tilted his head to give him an askew look of disbelief. "Ah yo fer reel?" he said a bit too loudly, as if trying to convince himself that nothing at all was amiss with his speech. "Shudna ye be... like... lookin' over some kid?" He snickered at the image as he shuffled around in his trousers' pocket, then with a click, a switchblade was opened in his hand. Giving Zin a glance, he poked the tip of his index finger then squeezed it over his palm. A few drops of blood in a rather jolly spring green color oozed out as he outstretched his hand in the other's direction to show him. "Used ta be red." he said thoughtfully. "Meybe t'will be 'urple next... Or black."

Esteban was still nervous about something, Zin realized. For a split second, the godfairy considered being worried, and then decided against it. If Esteban was like humans at all, when he was nervous he'd be focused on himself rather than on Zin. Predictable enough, and hardly a threat. Although it was oddly intriguing, since Esteban didn't strike him as the nervous type.

Zin's eyes crinkled with his smile, the comment drawing a small chuckle from him. A citadel would sound old fashioned to a human. “Let's certainly hope not,” he replied, feigning a grave tone. “I'd be a terrible influence on a kid. With the trouble I cause...I'd turn a kid into a hooligan in record time.” The prankster almost sounded proud of his own prophecy, but his eyes were still locked on Esteban, watching to see what he was looking for in his pockets.

When Esteban pulled out the switchblade, Zin's eyebrows arched in a quizzical fashion, gaze drawn to the glinting metal. He watched silently when Esteban cut himself, and leaned forward to study the green blood that welled up. Glancing back at Esteban, there could be no mistaking the curiosity on his face. “So it may end up turning another color? What makes it turn that color? What type of creature are you?”

A half-smirk quirked Esteban's lip and he tentatively decided that he liked the guy. Flipping the hand over and shaking off the droplets of blood, then wiping the rest off against his trousers, he gave a chuckle. "Yo ask too many queshuns." he said darkly, wriggling his fingers. "Ain' sum tings be'a left a mystery?"

He leaned back, unable to sit still as he was, and raised his arms as if trying to grasp the lowest-hanging branches of the tree. Hopeless, as they were obviously way too high up, but it was not the point. On his face, the remnants of an amused smile remained... but then, they dropped as suddenly as his arms and he looked to Zin suspiciously.

"So ya's new 'ere. Are ya doin' home'ork a'reedy?"

His whole opinion of the guy now hinged on the answer.

Zin was about to pout and pester for more answers, and then Esteban said the magic words. Oh, his curiosity was sorely deprived, and one way or another, he would eventually get the answers out of Esteban. But now they were onto another fun subject, a subject he couldn't afford to miss. On cue, Zin cackled and snorted with laughter. “Nah, I don't have any of my assignments yet, so I couldn't even if I wanted to. It's given me plenty of time for this.”

Conspiratorially, he scooted closer to Esteban, glancing around to make sure no one was within hearing range. “This,” he explained gravely, tapping the notebook, “Is my Prank-Bible.” He flipped open the black leatherbound. Pages and pages of godfairy shorthand spilled forth, spiral characters written in golden pen on black page. “This here is a detailed list of the pranks I've done in the past two months and their outcomes...which ones were successful, warnings for the future, how to improve them...”

Zin thumbed through the pages until they'd passed the first quarter of the notebook. He landed on a familiar page, barely glancing at the words. Half of them were written in his mind he'd read them so many times. Bits and pieces of maps were tapped next to some paragraphs. He'd detailed an outline on some of the forest paths leading to Lillegard, circled a few words. Sometimes stick figures accompanied the diagrams, most of them making strange faces.

“THIS,” he declared, with no small amount of pride, “Is for the pranks I'm GOING to do here. I'm sorely disappointed that not one single person has tried to prank me yet. Things have to change around here.” Now Zin looked at Esteban full in the face, closing the notebook. “I'm looking for a few people to help me. Some of these pranks are too big for one person to do alone.” No light fell into his eyes, even as his dark smile stretched. “I don't know enough about the castle yet. I need some people to help me get a feel for this place. THEN the fun can begin.” The offer was implied, and now Zin could only cross his fingers for a good reaction out of Esteban.

Esteban was pleased to hear that it was not homework, but as Zin went on to describe what it was, he began to consider the truth was not actually worse. The godfairy was doing this out of his own free will. Eyes widened with disbelief, he leaned forward slightly to peer onto the strange notebook.

It was not his thing. Elaborate pranks required the sort of creativity and forethought that he didn't have. TPing somebody's house, leaving a bucket of water over a door or slicing tires was more his kind of a 'prank'. If something included more than five steps, he was doing something else. But this... He hummed as he rubbed his chin in thought, still not having looked up from the black pages, as he considered Zin's proposition. What is was, basically, was an opportunity to do something new with all the boring bits already covered.

How could he say no?

Slowly, a devious grin blossomed on his face as he looked up to Zin's eyes. "Deal." he simply said. "Whacha need ta know?"

Leaning back on the bench, he stretched out his arms, then scratched his head idly. "A'v got ey top dog 'ere, whoz been here for a longer time. 'E migh' be use'ul."

Zin almost couldn't bear waiting for Esteban's response. But he bit back more gushing, squirming while he waited. Until proven otherwise, he'd treat Esteban as a human; someone who could get frightened off by too much intensity too soon. So he silently watched the other study his beloved prank-diary, mentally crossing his fingers, trying to distract himself by coming up with theories for why Esteban had green blood.

He broke into a smile more befitting of a demon when he heard the agreement. In a companionable way, he lightly hit Esteban in the shoulder, laughing. “Excellent,” Zin responded, and rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I'll need to know....Where people hang out and when, which teachers are more lenient, possible snitches...and, well, your comfort level. I'll probably get you into loads of trouble.” He doubted Esteban was the sort to care about trouble, but it was a courtesy the godfairy tried to extend.

“And who is this guy?” He tilted his head. “Would he help us?” It almost sounded too good to be true to find two partners in crime at once.

At the smack, he chuckled, but the questions asked immediately afterwards caught his attention and he bit his lip in thought. He pulled his legs up onto the bench to sit Turkish style. "Iz name is Owen." He shrugged. "An 'e will."

He would, because Esteban would make him. It was for his own good, anyway; he really needed something to do.

Rocking slightly back and forth, the changeling continued. "Aye 'on't know people's schee'ules, but I kin start. Da rest, I can tell ya." He hummed. "I can do anythin, jus' don wan'a git chucked out, ya get? Dey feed me 'ere."

That simple and a little painful thought made him reconsider. Was he going to hinge his stay here on some random guy he'd just met? It felt really stupid to suddenly be so cautious, it really wasn't his style, but... he needed to stay here. Eyes narrowing, he looked to Zin with sudden mistrust. "'Neway, how do I know yous nat jus' pullin' all this from you backside?" He pointed accusatorily at the black book. "So smart, writin' the stuff in a way nobody kin read."

Owen and Esteban. Humans had such strange names. “Can't wait to meet him,” Zin replied, content and happy that stage 2 of pranking was going remarkably well in it's first 10 minutes of life. He listened attentively to the rest of Esteban's answers. Only when the question was directed at him did he shift, mulling over the mistrust that had suddenly arisen.

“Good question,” Zin said, approving. Suspicion, in a measured dose, was healthy. Understandable. It was also further proof that Esteban was taking his offer seriously. “As for the journal... even if the teachers get a hold of, I can be sure they won't be able to read Godfairy,” he reasoned, a little smug over his own cleverness. “And as for why I'm not pulling this 'out of my backside'...” the godfairy trailed off. The second answer wouldn't be so easy to rattle off.

Elbow crooked on the back of the bench, Zin rested his head in his palm, thoughtful. If they were caught in anything, Esteban had the right to know that Zin wouldn't be able to lie to get them out of trouble. Not that Zin would give the others away; he'd take interrogation in stony silence like any godfairy. He gave a little sigh when he made his decision. Perhaps there was no avoiding it.

“Because I can't physically lie,” he finally answered, without at trace of his inner nerves. “You have that, for one. Two: I'm not aiming for expulsion. If I do anything that's going to get someone expelled, it's me who'll do that part of the job. And since unpleasant things wait back at home should I fail too badly here, I don't plan on getting kicked out anytime soon.”

The godfairy offered another untroubled smile, hoping against hope that they could skip over this topic in favor of more fun subjects. Like what Owen and Esteban had done for pranks before, or what teachers might be fun to trick.

He had to admit, it was a good point. Esteban's scrutinizing expression eased up a little, though he was still wary, seeing no reason for Zin's hesitant pause.

When the answer finally came, first he blinked with disbelief, and then a goofy, seemingly out-of-place grin popped onto Esteban's face and remained there while Zin was talking. This guy was screwed over even worse than him... Oh, he liked him already.

Still beaming stupidly, Esteban gave a shrug. "A'igh'." It was a simple agreement, accepting of what Zin had said. It was reasonable, believable, and heck, he could relate. And above all, Esteban was tired of sitting and chatting away like some old ladies on a park bench. He stood up and stretched out, shoulders cracking loudly, then looked down at the godfairy expectantly. "Let's go, den." The grin, which had faded a little, returned again with a mischievous quality to it. "Show me you skills."

No hounding questions? No disbelief? Just a giant grin? For a moment, it seemed too good to be true, and Zin hardly dared react. Only after waiting a second to see if it was a delayed reaction, did Zin relax enough for his own face to light up in response to the silly smile. Opinion rising, Zin was pleased to find that he and this intriguing green person were off to a remarkably good start. Oh, this guy could definitely be a lot of fun.

Zin surged to his feet, scrambling to stand up after Esteban. A second wave of contagious energy had hit him (as if he'd needed any more.) “Where do you want to start?” He clapped his hands together, both for effect and to try and get the blood flowing to his fingertips once more. Sitting still for so long, planning and then talking, had made him a bit cold. “Anyone you want to prank in particular? Do you want to start big or small?” There was an undercurrent of thoughtful creativity under his voice, like an artist chatting before picking up a paint brush.

Personally, he wanted to prank the dean as a way of announcing his arrival. But Esteban might not have such inherent destructive tendencies, and that prank in particular would have to wait until he learned more about her personality. And, at least in the beginning, he wanted Esteban to feel like he could contribute to the ideas and plans. Admittedly, Zin knew he was likely to take over everything, but he could at least pretend to listen to suggestions.

Esteban blinked, his smile dissipating, then shrugged impatiently. "Wha'ever goes, yo da boss."

His decision to agree was flippant, and as such, he didn't really have any preferences. Heck, he wouldn't have come up with the idea of pranks himself. So now, it was up to Zin entirely to prove to him that the choice was a good one... as well as prevent him from making an equally offhand decision to spend his time differently. Esteban smirked and threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Wanna go git'a loo' 'round? Yo kin tell mey a' 'bouchu plans."

Without waiting for an answer or sparing another glance, he turned around and headed for the door to the castle.

“You speak funny,” Zin remarked, in way of simple agreement. He sped up to catch up to Esteban. But instead of stopping and falling into step next to him, the godfairy darted forward and spun on his foot, walking backwards in order to face the other student. “So, we could start small, do the simple stuff,” he offered, clapping his hands and seeming unconcerned with the fact he could run into a wall at any moment. “Like make the ovens explode with ketchup or glitter bomb a teacher's office. Kid's stuff- hardly worth planning- but still entertaining. However...”

Zin gave a dark chuckle, a silent dare in his eyes. “If you're feeling ambitious...does the school have a-” He stopped short, a perplexed confusion clouding his face. It was shortly replaced by irritation, mind grasping for the word. “Damn. This ruins the suspense...but I can't remember the English word. Inter-inter something.” The godfairy gnashed his teeth together in a moment of frustration, before waving a hand dismissively and shrugging. “The thingy were the dean could get a hold of all the students if there's an emergency. Also, we'll need nails. I've got a hammer. And where's your least favorite class? Also, what kind of food do we have in the kitchens? How do you feel about heights? Do humans eat bugs?”

"Aaye do." He chuckled at first, but in light of what happened moments before, the amusement soon faded. Try as he might, it had gotten pretty hard to ignore the odd sensation in his throat when he spoke. It was not pain, he hardly remembered pain, but he was certain he would recognize it if he felt it again... it was more like tingling. Or tension. Like something wasn't lining up properly.

His brow creased, Esteban kept walking, only half-listening to Zin's babble. There were no conclusions to be reached and the only thing he achieved was his frustration increasing. He hated thinking about it, and he hated the fact that it got harder to avoid thinking about it. Luckily, there was a distraction right in front of him.

If only it wasn't such an irritating one.

Esteban let out a sigh. "'N'ercom?" he suggested, quirking a brow. The fact that he couldn't even get that out without blundering added fuel to his anger. Inclining his head, he gave Zin a resentful look as he pocketed his hands. "Kin yo chill th' frick oot? An' axe one queshun at 'nce?"

The godfairy took a tiny moment to study Esteban, tilting his head slightly. It was in the little signs that other creatures usually gave themselves away: a hitch in tone, the movement of their eyes, a twitch of a facial muscle. To Zin, Esteban's distraction and slight distress as visible as if the green student had painted the signs in bright magenta across his forehead. Godfairies were compulsively drawn to distress, sharks to fresh blood, and Zin was no exception.

But as far as reacting to the other's subtle mood shift, Zin only went as far to tap another sticky note onto the mental profile of his new partner-in-crime that he was creating. There was no friendship or allegiance that bound him to inquire further, at least not yet. And the compulsion to either help or screw over another living creature was dormant for now, in a light slumber. Without being curious enough to snoop or push, Zin opted to act oblivious to Esteban's frustration.

Distress noted and appropriately ignored, the godfairy gave a light laugh. “Intercom,” he said, tasting and remembering the word. “That's it.” He attempted to reign in some of his giddy excitement by evening out his tone and controlling the bounce to his step. His control was not going to last long. “One question at a time, then,” Zin agreed. “Let's start with the intercom; does the school have one?”

Esteban was entirely unconvinced as to the effectiveness of Zin's attempt to rein himself in. He kept eyeing him begrudgingly as he gave a nod. "Yea, sum sart." He shrugged, letting his gaze wander over the castle walls surrounding them. As he looked over Zin's shoulder, suddenly a slight smile brightened his expression. He locked eyes with the godfairy again as he made a sweeping gesture around the courtyard.
"But, tis not a no'mal one, i's magic or somet'in'." He cleared his throat. "Na spea'ers."

He continued walking forward casually, very subtly changing direction to herd Zin, as he scratched his head in thought. "I 'onno 'ow to work it, and the 'ogs usin' it of'n don't, evver." He remembered at least two of the teachers or staff fumbling with... whatever it was that served as the intercom. Granted, they were probably old people, so it would stand to reason they'd be as ignorant about magic as about technology. Esteban snickered lightly. "No idea were iz it, tho. Oder ques'ions?" He raised his eyebrows in an expression of overly eager interest.

Behind Zin's back, separating a patch of some vegetables from the grassy path, was a knee-high fence. Just a little bit more... and the first prank would be complete.

The godfairy pursed his lips, then waved a hand dismissively. “No matter. I would guess the Dean's room. How exactly do you feel about possible breaking into a few rooms? Also, we're going to need a ladder, unless you know someone who can fly...” Mentally, Zin was kicking himself. He already had the paint buckets and general supplies...but he had forgotten to bring a ladder. How could he possible FORGET a ladder? There was really no excuse for such an obvious lapse in planning...

Without warning, his leg knocked into something solid with his last step. In a grandiose battle to regain his balance, Zin threw his hands up and flailed around for a few seconds, expression close to panic. He almost managed to recover, but gravity was not having it. Up went his feet and down went his head, straight into a vegetable patch.

Zin blinked several times at the sky, before twisting to get a look at Esteban, half grinning. “You knew I was going to walk into that,” he accused, approval clear in his face. Without pause, the godfairy stretched over to one of the weeds in the garden and uprooted it. Dirt, roots and all, he chucked it at Esteban's face in retaliation.

While he had encouraged Zin to ask more questions, he only half-heartedly listened to them, giving just a vague nod in response. Really, he didn't care. There wasn't much that he wouldn't do. What was even the point of talking?

There were more important things on his mind - like the show unfolding before his eyes. And it was just perfect. That look on the godfairy's face, that comedic moment of struggling for balance, finally that pratfall... Esteban laughed heartily, clutching at his stomach, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the flying plant. He took a step back, staring down at Zin with a satisfied smile. "S'mtimes," he said, "yo don' 'av ta say anythin' to do a prank." He pointed a finger at himself. "An' das my plan." The finger moved to point at Zin. "You work on yo plans, 'n let me know when dere's somthin' ta do."

Having said that, he spun around on his heel, tucked his hands into his pockets and started strolling away.


((Sorry, I gotta end this -- don't feel bad, it's not your fault or anything ^^; ))