César Salazar (
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myicebox2016-06-09 03:09 pm
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Zaknafein Do'Urden and Caesar Salazar Meet. And are immediate bros!
When Caesar wasn't at work doing science, he was at home doing science. There were limits to how many of his ideas that he wanted to hand over to his workplace. Not only were there so many rules and procedures that simply got in the way, but he wanted to retain ownership of the more interesting ideas at his disposal. So that took them to the here and now.
Caesar wanted to play with viewing other universes, and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get approval to do it from his boss. He also didn't want a corporation to take the technology and use it for financial gain. No, this was a purely scientific endeavor. It was important that it remained so. Mind you, he knew there was a risk of his company being angry enough to put him out of a job after he published the paper on this, but he'd be able to find another job easily, considering his skill set. They'd likely pay him even more.
Not that he wasn't paid well now--he was, judging by how his apartment was furnished fairly nicely. It was all mostly normal furniture, chosen for utility (how comfy, multipurpose) over design. It geared mostly towards the modern, but the couch was definitely a big green monstrosity of a thing with poofy seats, backs, and armrests.
Two bedrooms. One bedroom was his, and the other was being used as his lab. He'd at least covered the floor with a protective covering so that it wouldn't get ruined (too much). This was where he was now. Nice hardwoods and crown molding in a bedroom where a Murphy bed was up against the wall in case he had guests. (Mostly so he could sleep in this room instead.)
It was pretty high up, on the eighth floor of an apartment building overlooking a still somewhat busy street. It was Friday evening, and it meant Caesar could work out the bugs on his new toy all weekend instead of go out and be social like normal people. Which his therapist probably would have preferred, really. But Caesar was happy now. Maybe a little lonely, but he chatted with Rex regularly, and both visited at least a few times a year.
But that was an aside that Caesar was not even thinking about at the moment, and would probably be snippy with the narrator if he had any idea about her existence. Right now, he was focused on peering into other universes, mostly because he could, partially because he wanted to prove some of his theories, and a very slight, but more pressing than he would like, need to prove one of his coworkers wrong.
The system was fairly simple: a console hooked up to a server rack, both hooked up to the a metal doorway with various doohickeys on the inside of it to create and maintain the gateway to another world. I also had some more equipment in the front of the doorway to create a force field that would block anything trying to come through. It was all along one wall of the room, opposite the bed.
He was finally ready to switch it on. It was either going to work or cause their part of the universe to implode if he got his calculations wrong. Oh well, c'est la vie.
It was a simple boot sequence, all started by a big red button that Caesar had installed in the console because he found it funny. Everything hummed to life at once, and Caesar tried to keep a grin off his face. Each check and test passed one by one as the sequence went through all of them, and then the portal itself fired up, followed by the blue force field a second later.
Suddenly, Caesar was peering into darkness through the portal as it stabilized. He frowned a bit. It was theoretically working, but... It was pitch black. Nothing. No light at all.
And that's when his machine finally caused the power to dip for a moment, and the UPS for the force field failed, causing it to hum and fizzle out of existence. Caesar stared at the portal, dumbstruck.
"... That wasn't supposed to happen."
Caesar wanted to play with viewing other universes, and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get approval to do it from his boss. He also didn't want a corporation to take the technology and use it for financial gain. No, this was a purely scientific endeavor. It was important that it remained so. Mind you, he knew there was a risk of his company being angry enough to put him out of a job after he published the paper on this, but he'd be able to find another job easily, considering his skill set. They'd likely pay him even more.
Not that he wasn't paid well now--he was, judging by how his apartment was furnished fairly nicely. It was all mostly normal furniture, chosen for utility (how comfy, multipurpose) over design. It geared mostly towards the modern, but the couch was definitely a big green monstrosity of a thing with poofy seats, backs, and armrests.
Two bedrooms. One bedroom was his, and the other was being used as his lab. He'd at least covered the floor with a protective covering so that it wouldn't get ruined (too much). This was where he was now. Nice hardwoods and crown molding in a bedroom where a Murphy bed was up against the wall in case he had guests. (Mostly so he could sleep in this room instead.)
It was pretty high up, on the eighth floor of an apartment building overlooking a still somewhat busy street. It was Friday evening, and it meant Caesar could work out the bugs on his new toy all weekend instead of go out and be social like normal people. Which his therapist probably would have preferred, really. But Caesar was happy now. Maybe a little lonely, but he chatted with Rex regularly, and both visited at least a few times a year.
But that was an aside that Caesar was not even thinking about at the moment, and would probably be snippy with the narrator if he had any idea about her existence. Right now, he was focused on peering into other universes, mostly because he could, partially because he wanted to prove some of his theories, and a very slight, but more pressing than he would like, need to prove one of his coworkers wrong.
The system was fairly simple: a console hooked up to a server rack, both hooked up to the a metal doorway with various doohickeys on the inside of it to create and maintain the gateway to another world. I also had some more equipment in the front of the doorway to create a force field that would block anything trying to come through. It was all along one wall of the room, opposite the bed.
He was finally ready to switch it on. It was either going to work or cause their part of the universe to implode if he got his calculations wrong. Oh well, c'est la vie.
It was a simple boot sequence, all started by a big red button that Caesar had installed in the console because he found it funny. Everything hummed to life at once, and Caesar tried to keep a grin off his face. Each check and test passed one by one as the sequence went through all of them, and then the portal itself fired up, followed by the blue force field a second later.
Suddenly, Caesar was peering into darkness through the portal as it stabilized. He frowned a bit. It was theoretically working, but... It was pitch black. Nothing. No light at all.
And that's when his machine finally caused the power to dip for a moment, and the UPS for the force field failed, causing it to hum and fizzle out of existence. Caesar stared at the portal, dumbstruck.
"... That wasn't supposed to happen."
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With a hard yank, he wrenches the scimitar free from where it had been buried in the wall amidst metal and sparking wires. His attention turns sharply when he hears Caesar yelling, unsurprised at all by the others anger but he can't find it in him to care all that much.
There isn't anywhere he can see that'll protect him, but he drops the swords and runs towards the side of the bed where Drizzt had been dropped and holds himself over the two other males, putting himself between them and the blast.
Thankfully, it's not as bad as it could be, but it's still a rough hit of power against his back.
When it's over, Zaknafein's muscles are tense where he's braced over the Drizzt and the wizard and his breath is coming fast and shallow. He can feel his heart thundering in his chest, and when he finally opens his eyes to look down at them, the red glow casts odd shadows against his dark skin.
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It was better to own than rent if you were Caesar Salazar. (Or Rex Salazar for that matter.) Which is why it's more frustration than anger, because people always seem to be breaking his things. But he also knows that Zaknafein is just trying to protect Drizzt. He knows the intensity of protecting someone, having felt that way to Rex when he was first reunited with him so many years ago....
The explosion is big enough to break a hole in the wall the portal was against, and Caesar can hear the splintering wood. He also feels Zak fall on top of him and Drizzt, an extra layer of protection against it.
Caesar opens his eyes when it is over, looking up at the elf above him. He gives a bit of a smile, but only for a moment, because then Drizzt groans weakly. The scientist turns back to look at him in worry. Zaknafein's likely injured, too.
Shit.
"Help me with him."
Caesar is doing his best to process everything at once, but it's too much. He'll have to check to make sure the place isn't burning down in a moment. First, he needs to stand in order to do that. That's the first step--having Zaknafein no longer crouching over him.
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Shoving the bed aside to give them more room to maneuver, he concedes at least for the moment to allow the human to help him lift his son back up on to the bed. From there he started to feel more than a little helpless. He'd spent his life ending lives, not saving them. No matter how desperately he may want to, he knows that he can't help Drizzt with force of will alone.
He remains close, hovering, but at least having the presence of mind to keep to the side of the bed Caesar isn't trying to work from. All he can do is watch and hope. Zaknafein doesn't pray. He doesn't have anyone he'd be willing to pray to, but he has faith in Drizzt, knowing that his son is strong. It'll take more than this to bring him down, surely.
As time goes on he can feel a throbbing in his side start to become more persistent, but he says nothing. He doesn't even look at the could be wound for fear of distracting the other man from doing his job.
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He tries to take off the armor again, only to wince and jerk his hands back as he touches a hot spot. Caesar stares for a moment, then tries to get the armor off as quickly as possible, trying to avoid spots that feel too warm. He hadn't noticed sooner, but now that he has--
"This needs to be off, now!" Caesar raises his voice to Zaknafein, hoping that his actions are alone enough to indicate the type of help that Caesar needs.
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The weapon's master has never known a fear to run so deep that it makes everything feel hot and raw. He'd never known it possible to be so affected by another person until his boy came into his life. In this moment it makes him feel terribly weak. If he lost Drizzt, he didn't know how he could go on, or what worth his life could possibly have.
He's pulled out of his thoughts when Caesar reacts as though he's been injured. At first he seems taken aback by it, but then moves swiftly when he figures out what needs to be done. Zak knows how the armor is worn, so he makes quick work of the clasps so it can be easily pulled away. The throbbing in his side is starting to become hot, and his winces harshly himself when he turns to quickly, but he ignores it in favor of the task at hand.
AFTER DISCUSSION, we are going a different route lmao.
The shirt is next, and Caesar breathes a bit of a sigh of relief when it lifts off Drizzt's skin without sticking. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe he's not horribly burned. He takes it off quickly, exposing the young drow's heavily muscled physique--surprising himself when he lets out a deep sigh of relief.
Whatever had caused the heat on the outside of Drizzt's armor had not spread to inside of it. Besides the erratic pulse, which seems to be better when Caesar checks it again, the younger elf seems to not be too worse for wear.
"His armor seems to have protected him from something worse," Caesar offered Zaknafein a tentative smile.
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He doesn't understand what Caeser is trying to say, but they way he says it offers him a measure of hope. Hope for the now, and lement the offences of his past cowardice. He'd wanted to kill Drizzt those years ago. To save him. To free him. Had he been a stronger drow he'd have stolen his son away then. They could have run together then as they are now.
He can't help but carry the weight of guilt for all the pain Drizzt has been through since then.
"What more can we do?"
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Of course, he doesn't know anything about their genetics. And it's quite possible for older and younger men to be in love with each other. So really, assuming they're related outright is kind of ageist. Oh, well. Caesar will eventually figure out which it is eventually.
Caesar pauses, not sure what to do next. Ah. There's. Really. Nothing he can do except wait at this point. He could try scanning him with the portable scanner, but who knows if that would even work. At a loss, Caesar scratches his head.
"Ah!" Well, it's stupid, but it's a thing. "Hold on."
The scientist reached up to the top of the bed, grabbed a pillow, and gently eased Drizzt's head up to stick it under the back of it.
"... I'm afraid he's sitting on the blanket."
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"Zak?" The name comes out as a moan, Drizzt not quite capable of forming his full name, still more unconscious than conscious.
While Zak might feel guilt that he hadn't of taken Drizzt away sooner, Drizzt now has Guenhwyvar's statuette. That's what matters more than being away from that place sooner. He loves her as he loves Zak, not that he knows the word for that emotion yet.
Drizzt tries to speak again after a moment, a little clearer, "Father...?"
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(adren-elf-in?)starts to ebb away. But then Drizzt is groaning, barely speaking, and his attention moves immediately back to the boy in the bed."Drizzt?" He moves in closer again, heart thudding hard in his chest but swelling with emotion when he hears those small, soft words. Whatever pain he's feeling is easily brushed aside as he reaches out hesitantly, pausing as though not exactly sure what to do or even if he should, but then he touches Drizzt's face with his fingertips, brushing pale, white hair away from his eyes.
"I am here." Zak's voice is tight, relief finally washing over him. "You are safe now, my son."
And no one will ever hurt him again if Zaknafein gets his way.
That was an awful pun, and I am so proud of you.
Heh. Caesar guesses that some things don't change from universe to universe. The scientist puts his hands on his hips and grins wide. Rex would never believe this.
And he knows they're related now. Father and son. Caesar knows that tone--it's unmistakable. Reassurance, love, relief. He cannot forget that tone, having once heard it from his own father and mother. That day, they had almost lost Rex--a moment that Rex's amnesia still kept from him, but one that Caesar could never forget. Now Caesar can remember them without their memories swallowing him into the hole their loss had left in his heart.
Zaknafein and Drizzt, huh?
"Guess I have a couple of new roommates," Caesar mumbles to himself, glad that his bank account can easily take the hit.
He looks over to them again, a full sweep with his eyes now that he's backed away from them enough, and then he feels his stomach drop out.
Drizzt isn't the one they should be worrying about. Not anymore. And Zak's been so focused on Drizzt that he's completely that he hasn't noticed what the pain means. Well, fuck.
Caesar doesn't say anything out loud quite yet, going to fetch the first aid kit from the walk-in closet first. He could give them a few more moments, and there was no use creating a scene. Also, he could totally take a moment to panic when both of them couldn't see him.
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"How...?" Drizzt doesn't understand what has happened yet, only that his father is standing over him and that he's safe, lying back on what is likely some sort of bed.
Beyond that, the young elf cannot reason more. His head hurts too much, and he does not feel quite right. Sick, almost. But alive.
Drizzt gasps suddenly as if he remembers how to draw in breathe as the moments before suddenly come to him, and he looks at his father in alarm. "House Hun'ett! Two sons of Hun'ett ambushed me!"
And then another thought--"Guenhwyvar!"
He tries to move, tries to sit up, only to groan and fall back as his body refuses to listen, pain shooting through him. "Aghh!"
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Technically, the whole situation was just a big, convenient accident. He is not going to complain, though they have a long, unknown road ahead of them. Before he can say much else, Drizzt speaks up again and honestly, Zaknafein can hardly bring himself to care anymore. Those that attacked are dead. They are safe, and he has no intention of ever returning to Menzoberranzan.
"Drizzt!" Zak winces himself when he reaches for to put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He doesn't recognize the name right away, as his thoughts had been entirely focused on Drizzt, "Stay calm or unless you are intent on injuring yourself further. What are you on about?"
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"One of my dearest friend," Drizzt breathed. "A great cat from another plane, summoned by this figurine. Masoj--"
He stops the explanation, realizing it will take too long, and that his head hurts too much for the full story. "There was a blast. She was caught in it. I... I don't know if she...."
Drizzt swallowed and looked up at his father, eyes wide but keeping a lid on his panic even if he can't say his words; he drops his voice down to a whisper.
"With her by our side, we can leave this awful place and survive--just the three of us!"
For being unconscious less than a minute ago, Drizzt is speaking readily, adrenaline pumping through his veins again. All of this is too important! He can be exhausted later. Right now, they need to escape while they have the chance, before the war between the houses threatens their lives again!
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"A powerful companion indeed." He says with a small smile. "Your cat will be fine. I know that beings summoned from other planes recuperate when they return, though I have never known one to be called with a statue."
Still, there is something far more important to speak of.
"But I believe we have already found a way out." The grip of his hand becomes more firm over Drizzt's. "Unintentionally, but I believe we have found he-"
Then he hitches in a sharp cry as he moves to sit next to his son on the bed, the bending of his body making the shard of wood wedged in his side shift and become too sharp a pain to ignore.
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Drizzt looks up at his father with wide eyes as he continues to speak, realizing quickly that his father had the same thoughts. He had been worried that Zaknafein wouldn't agree to leave, and Drizzt didn't know what he would do then! But now he has no reason to worry--Zaknafein even says they've already found a way out? Are they... free?
All of the hopes starting to rise up in Drizzt's chest are suddenly forgotten when Zak lets out a cry of pain. Drizzt doesn't care about his own pain then, forcing himself to sit up fast, lavender eyes fighting to slide to the infrared spectrum as he turns away from the light source to better detect where Zaknafein is bleeding. The sudden movement leaves his head spinning, and he has to brace himself with an arm behind him, the figurine tumbling from his fingers and onto the bed. Before his eyes even adjust, Drizzt sees the injury, and he looks at his father in growing alarm.
"You're injured!" Drizzt cries out, more in alarm than outright disappear--it doesn't appear fatal, as far as he can see.
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"It's okay!" Caesar's voice rises for a moment to attempt to get their attention, but then he lowers it to something more calming. "I can help with that, too. Just try not to move, Zaknafein. You'll hurt yourself worse."
Caesar knows they can't understand him, and that Drizzt probably hasn't even seen him yet, but he hopes that the tone gets things across as he approaches the two of them again. He's betting that Zaknafein will keep the other elf from attacking him, because the tone he had heard from Zak until a moment ago sounded very promising for trust being gained.
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"If this is the extent of what I must pay to ensure your safety I'd endure it a thousand times over."
His attention snaps back to the wizard as he speaks, understanding naught but his name. He glances to the box, then back up to the human's face, the hand on Drizzt's shoulder holding him steady. "His name is Caesar, I believe. He is the one that took us from the Underdark. He is..." Zak is hesitant to call him trustworthy, not knowing enough to say for sure. "Different."
Looking back up to Caesar again, he regards the man a long moment before finally nodding. They are both injured, but they are both Drow. Should the human try something he won't live to speak of it.
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Drizzt seems to calm as his father is still able to smile and laugh despite being impaled by this object. It does not appear to be a mortal wound, and his father is actively seeking to sooth his nerves. All of this is so sudden and confusing, but Drizzt knows better to look around the room in his current dizzy state.
When the stranger speaks, none of the words make sense, but the tone of the words is something so far out of the ordinary that Drizzt is left breathless. They're full of concern. Genuine concern, and it's written in the human's face as well. Drizzt has seen human slaves before, but not often, yet this human seems... free. And that's only more confusing. The name is certainly foreign to him.
"He's concerned about your current state," Drizzt stated in awe, as if to confirm what his father said. "Where are we? Is what is contained within that box meant to help with your wounds?"
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When Zaknafein nods to him, he steps forward and opens the box to face them, slowly putting it onto the bed so that they can see the supplies clearly. He then leaves the bed for a moment, pulling his office chair off the floor where it had been thrown, and slowly wheeling it towards the two drow. He tries to ignore the smell of it and hopes he's not breathing in too many toxic fumes.
Then, he sits down in front of them, gives them both a reassuring smile, and gestures to Zak before miming taking off a shirt. "I'm going to need you to take that all off."
Keywords sorry
you are not even remotely sorry
And smart mouth.
He gives Drizzt a mostly gently shove with the hand still on the boy's shoulder and looks into the box. A number of the things contained within are unknown to him, but he understands bandages well enough.
"I have no idea where he are." He finally answers as he begins to unlatch his own armor, begrudgingly allowing Drizzt to help him when he can't turn enough without risking more pain and blood. "But we are no longer in Menzoberranzan, that is all that matters. We can survive anything."
It actually takes a bit of effort to remove the armor without upsetting whatever is stabbing him, and Zak winces a bit when he's finally able to pull his shirt up over his head. The blood itself is difficult to see against his skin, but the shard of some splintery brown substance is clearly visible. It's about the size of a small dagger, four or five inches long though most of it buried inside of him.
The wound hurts a whole hell of a lot more now that he knows it's there, but it's not going to be fatal.
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"If we are truly out of Menzoberranzan, then that is all that matters," Drizzt still smiled, not a hint of a joke behind his words.
The levity doesn't last for long, though--not for Drizzt. He helps his father with his armor and, if necessary, his shirt. It isn't long before he's grown grim, looking increasingly worried as he notices the blood. He's still dizzy himself, but it is his father that is the one in danger. The wound does not seem to be mortal from the way Zaknafein acts, but Drizzt stares at it for a long moment before looking up at Caesar with a pleading expression.
He's still scared, only able to control it because of his father's calm.
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Caesar gives them both a reassuring smile, putting the first aid kit on the bed in front of Zaknafein before sitting next to his injured side. He's trying to act like he knows what he's doing, but he's a little nervous himself. He knows the general knowledge necessary for closing up a wound like this, as long as the thing hasn't managed to pierce anything critical. By Caesar's estimation, and a quick few calculations in his head to judge the angle, it likely hasn't. If the human comparison holds, anyway.
He gets a disinfectant wipe and cleans his hands quickly, then puts on some gloves. Caesar gets a large package of gaze and rips it open. With a nod to Zaknafein, looking into his eyes, Caesar reaches over and starts wiping up some of the blood.
"Just be glad you're not a vampire," Caesar jokes weakly, knowing neither of them will understand a single word. "You'd be dead."
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"It will take far more than this to end me. Unfortunately, you are stuck with me for centuries more I fear."
He lets his hand slide back down to Drizzt's shoulder, letting it remain there as he turns back to Caesar, watching everything the other man is doing. There's part of him that is wondering if this is some sort of dream, that his mind finally crumbled under the weight of his own hatred and fabricated an escape for he and his son that couldn't possibly be happening.
The pain is a good indicator of reality though, the corners of his eyes tight as Caesar starts cleaning the area. His attention turns to the human's face when the other speaks, and the whole situation almost seems absurd. "I do wish we could understand each other."
/quietly destroys you
quietly destroys own character as well
cruel and unusual you are
:] I take pride in my cruelity.
*cruelty, because I'm too lazy to log back into his journal to fix it