Aristos sat in one of the inn's chairs, brooding as he looked into the fireplace. There wasn't anything to do but sit there and wait for the cloaked man to appear again with news. But Aristos hated waiting... He wanted to go up to the palace and kill Zelgadis as soon as possible! Why was he waiting for the cloaked stranger's signal, anyway? It went against his nature to wait...
The strange person who'd let Aristos and company through the gate had cast a temporary invisibility spell on Schnookums, and quietly led them to a run-down, dirty, old inn in one of the few bad parts of the kingdom. It was also one of the few places in the city where a newcomer wouldn't be questioned. Schnookums was left in a convenient abandoned barn which was just barely large enough, and told to wait there. Before leaving, the cloaked man had told Aristos to stay at the inn and not make trouble, or they'd most likely be thrown out of the kingdom. He's also told Aristos that when the right time came, he'd tell Aristos exactly what to do to complete his revenge.
"What do you think, Kit?" he asked of the kitten who was happily sharpening her claws on his cloak. He blinked at her when he saw what she was doing and turned beet red in the face with anger. "Hey...hey! Stop that, you mangy beast!" he screamed. The kitten stopped, yawned, and turned around, tail high and proud. Aristos sat back down with another muttered grumble and stared harder into the fire...
...until he heard the sound of the kitten sharpening her claws on his cloak again. He got up with a shout and went tearing after the cat...
Lina felt the soft, welcoming sheets of her bed and gratefully sank down into them. "Definitely time to get some sleep," she yawned, pulling off a boot.
Zelgadis watched her for a few seconds from her doorway, eyes unreadable, and shut it quietly behind him. Making barely any noise, he glided back to his own room and locked the door. For the first time since Rezo changed him, he was going to sleep as a human, and he wanted to enjoy it without worrying about who would walk in on him.
He yawned, the day catching up with him at last, and concentrated for a second. Tingles spread through his body, and when he looked in one of the many mirrors, he saw his human self staring back. Smiling, he removed his clothes and put on his pajamas, delighting in each touch, each caress of the cloth against his skin as he slipped them on.
I don't think I'll mind this mirror room anymore, he thought amusedly as he slid into the sheets, and quickly fell asleep.
Aristos once again sat back in the chair at the inn, the little fur-ball of a kitten forcefully held in his lap with one hand. He smirked at it and raised his free hand, gathering energy into it as he thought of what things he could do to it.
The cloaked man's voice interrupted his concentration, and the spell dissipated. "It's time to attack Zelgadis," he said in a low voice.
Aristos's grip loosened on the kitten, and the little cat scampered away. He glared at the strange man, and said, irritated, "Now look what you made me do."
"Would you rather play with that kitten or kill Zelgadis?" the stranger asked sarcastically.
Face suffused with color, Aristos listened to the man's plan...
Arms grabbed Zelgadis's limbs, pinning him to the bed with bruising force. His eyes flew open in shock as he was roughly awakened from sleep, and he only got a single glance at one of his attackers before a cloth was tied around his eyes. Another piece of smelly cloth was stuffed in his mouth, and he barely kept himself from choking on the filthy material. His ankles were firmly tied, and they bound his wrists tightly together behind his back. He struggled mindlessly, trying to escape the unexpected onslaught as he fought off the effects of sleep. Strange... I usually wake up easier than this... one part of his brain noted dimly.
Aristos's voice sneered down at him. "So, you woke up despite the sleeping spell cast on you. I'm impressed. You've also managed to turn back into your old self, I see. I was prepared to bind your freak form, but this is much more convenient."
LINA! Zelgadis screamed in his mind as he instinctively turned back into his chimera form, and tried to break his bonds without success. WAKE UP!
What's wrong?! she asked groggily as she was forced to awaken.
"We don't want any trouble, so I'm afraid you're going to have to go back to sleep," Aristos sneered, raising a hand.
Aristos is here! Zelgadis's eyes widened as he saw crackling lightening form in Aristos's hands. HELP!
The lightening bolts hit, and all went dark as pain washed through his body in waves...