tɦɛ iɳquiรitѳʀ (freemarched) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-05-14 20:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, maxwell trevelyan (the inquisitor), olivia moore |
Who: Max & Liv
What: Zombie Liv with a chipper personality shows up to see the Judgment Throne, cue the 'what the fuck happened'
When: Backdated to last week
Where: Max's place in Anaheim
Rating/Warnings: It's low - there's chatter about eating brains
Status: Complete
Liv had been busy. Lot’s of dead bodies coming in lately. There was some sick serial killer out there and the victims ended up in her morgue. Not to mention that she was following the case trying to help solve it. As well as all the other murders that showed up that Leon was nice enough to keep her in the loop. Probably because he wanted to use her psychic skills to his advantage when they finally showed up, which they had. Liv was now a zombie. But it wasn’t as bad as she had thought. She had easy access to brains so it wasn’t like she had to hurt anyone. This first brains wasn’t bad either, she was seeing everything in a new light. Everything was just brighter, the world wasn’t such a terrible place. Even with living in Orange County. She finally had a day off and it was beyond time she saw this Judgement Throne that Max had. Better late than never right? Besides she didn’t think it was going anywhere. Liv knocked on his door with a smile that stretched clear across her face. Well, she was right about one thing. That Judgment Throne was not going anywhere - firstly, it was heavy to move and Trevelyan didn’t want to bother. Secondly, it was so ugly he was actually getting kind of fond of it in a sick and twisted way - never did he think a spiky monstrosity would actually fit in here in his house, but eh. It really was an intriguing part of his history and experience as the Inquisitor - even if part of him feared that everything he and his companions were doing was all going to be for nothing in the end. Thedas didn’t allow anyone to revel in triumph and happiness for very long. Anyway, the knock on the door surprised Max. He didn’t think he’d been expecting anyone, but he shut his laptop where he’d been working on some therapy session notes for work and went to see who had come by. Lo and behold. “Liv, hey! Come on in,” his own smile was welcoming, but his platinum blonde friend here, with hair recently resembling spun moonbeams, she wasn’t usually so...cheerful. Was she? Or this...different. Magic had a scent. His kind - Necromancy - especially did, at least to him. Like something sultry, like burning embers. He picked up a definite change in her. “...What happened, exactly?” was his next question. If it was possible for Liv’s smile to widen when Max opened the door it did. Her cheeks were slightly sore from it even but she didn’t care. It was the good sore. “Hey!” she replied her tone chipper. “I thought I’d finally stop by and see that throne of yours.” It wasn’t every day you got to see a throne. Or ever. So even though it was delayed Liv definitely wasn’t passing up the opportunity. His question caught her a bit off guard. The conversation about how he would be able so sense zombies completely out of her mind. But she did remember he hadn’t seen her new look in person just yet. “You mean with my hair?” and the pale skin. “It’s how I look in the dreams and I just woke up looking like this. I’m getting used to it now.” She even liked it at the moment, but then she was liking most things. “Don’t you?” she asked in that eerily chipper tone. It was like she had been replaced by a pod person, in terms of demeanor, and Max rubbed the back of his neck - obviously confused - but shut the door behind his guest, motioning to the living room. He’d at least moved the throne so it fit in with the ‘aesthetic’ of how the furniture was placed (meaning, not right there in the middle of the room) - and Liv couldn’t miss it, as soon as she walked in; the thing was red, handcarved, an all-seeing eye symbol right in the center (that symbol was everywhere, he’d noticed, during the Inquisition). For him, having the medieval throne in the modern world looked strange - it looked much better in Skyhold, fitting in with the torch-glow to everything, and the thick draperies. “Have a seat,” he quipped, and really, she could sit in it if she wanted. Trevelyan didn’t mind. “But no, I like your new look, I’m just...” How to explain this without sounding accusatory or completely insane? “You smell different. It’s like your whole aura or whatever you want to call it changed. Don’t take this the wrong way, but...” He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you...undead?” Of course Liv spotted the throne right away. It wasn’t like she could miss it. Normally Liv would make a comment about just how atrocious the throne was. However at the moment she was seeing everything in a positive light. Even the massive throne. “Wow,” Liv said as she took it all in. “It’s huge, and very red,” she said as she climbed on to it since he did tell her to have a seat. “I don’t feel judgmental,” she commented in her chipper tone. “More like royalty. Is that how you feel like you sit on it? Or did your whole judgement role carry over from the dreams?” If there was any color in Liv’s face it would have drained as Max went on talking, especially when he reached his question. Their conversation about how he could sense the dead and zombies came flooding back to her. How could she have forgotten that? Well she did have a lot on her mind lately but still. “Of course I’m undead,” she replied trying to play it off, her tone still on the cheerful side. “Isn’t everyone?” she asked but knew that wasn’t what he meant. She realized he probably had it figured all out already so she might as well tell him. Maybe he wouldn’t think it was so weird, he was a necromancer after all. Probably dealt with the dead and undead all the time. Although as far as she knew she was the only actual zombie around. “But I guess that’s not what you meant,” she added her tone more serious now. “Not really what I meant, no.” Max settled near the gigantic throne, leaning against the armest while Liv sat in that monstrosity. He hoped Skyhold appeared, somehow, in some way (was that even possible?) just because the throne would go better there and he didn’t have to explain an eyesore to guests who came over and weren’t exactly ‘dreamers.’ He was concerned, of course, because Liv was his friend. It wasn’t just that she’d physically changed either, it was that her personality seemed different - and that had happened overnight, which was worrying. She was fine the way she was, with her sort of adorably dour outlook on life. All the excessive cheer was...strange. “I can sense something different, is all,” he continued. “And I promise, it won’t matter - I just want to help you, if I can. No judgment,” the Inquisitor motioned to the throne, “That’s merely a conversation piece. Definitely more royalty than condemnation.” Not like he’d been fond of making those difficult decisions, that meant life or death, during the course of the Inquisition - but it was the burden he had to bear, unfortunately. Liv almost made a comment about how the throne said differently about judgement when Max addressed it himself. There was no need to add to it. And she did know that he wouldn’t judge her. At least she didn’t think so, even with the throne. The point was she trusted him and he had shared his dream powers with her, it was only fair she did the same, right? “You’re right,” Liv said a small smile still on her face as she remained perched on her throne. “I’m undead. And not in the way everyone is.” The smile disappeared but there was no frown on her face. She was just neutral. The effects of the positive brain were still there, but they didn’t always over ride Liv’s own feelings. Although being a zombie wasn’t as bad as she had imagined it still wasn’t anything she would wish for. “I’m a zombie.” “A...” Max trailed off, trying to process that. Because she said zombie, Liv was an actual zombie. In his dreamworld, the undead were demons of a sort - they were often malicious, and an embodiment of dark emotions. Usually their status was a result of a great conflict of their inherent nature versus the fallout from unfinished business - intelligence varied, but he’d met some pretty smart demons in his day. Some less so. Not that he was equating Liv with a demon, not at all. She was never going to be like the ones he had seen. “You’re a zombie,” he finished. “So are you...okay? I mean, what does that mean in the scheme of things?” Her life would change, sure. Not being human anymore was a big deal. Max seemed to have some trouble processing. Not that she could blame him really. It wasn’t exactly normal. Not that being a necromancer was all that normal either but at least he was still basically human. Just with some extra powers. She wasn’t human. She survived on human brains now. It made her a predator. She climbed off the throne because it just didn’t feel right to be up there anymore. “Yes,” she confirmed her eyes focussed on his, but she kept distance between them. Just in case he was frightened. “I’m a zombie,” she said again he voice a bit more solemn this time. “I’m okay,” she assured perking up a bit again. “It just means I need to eat brains to survive. But they don’t have to be alive!” The second sentence rushed out of her mouth. “I don’t have to kill or anything. I can survive on whoever comes into the morgue,” and they were already dead. Of course she felt bad about it. She had only done it once in real life, multiple times in the dreams, but still she always felt bad. It took a lot more than this to frighten Max - he was a steely sort, and some days felt like he’d seen and experienced it all when he woke up. So he closed the distance put between he and Liv and he hugged her, a comforting gesture - because she was still his friend, no matter what the merging of realities had turned her into. “Brains, huh?” He couldn’t even imagine - then again, it probably wasn’t the worst thing a person would need to survive on - blood, brains, oxygen, we did what we had to do. “Well, it’s a delicacy in some parts of the world. You just...do you cook them, or?” Maker, he couldn’t believe he was asking that. But really, Liv’s revelation had spurned a lot of questions. “How often do you need to eat them? Is that why you had the psychic visions?” As his arms wrapped around her the smile was back on her face and she returned the hug. That was certainly a relief. In her dreams Ravi had always been accepting. Peyton was scared and ran off and she wasn’t quite sure what Major’s reaction was yet considering she had just told him in her last dream. And then scratched him to keep him from dying. However her dream world was also a word where the supernatural wasn’t known about. But here, with the network, everyone seemed more open to the idea and have their own changes to deal with. “I think that’s cow brains,” Liv replied with a laugh. She was fairly certain she hadn’t heard of anyone eating human brains. But still the sentiment was very much appreciated. “I haven’t yet, here at least.” In the dreams she cooked them frequently. Putting them in different meals, on pizza, in chinese, etc. But it was all still new here. Like a few days old. “I’m not sure how often I need to.” So far she had just had some about once a day. She knew if she went too long she would lost all aspects that made her human. She would be a mindless, aggressive, thing that only cared about her next meal. She’d seen it happen in the dreams. “Just before I get too hungry I guess,” she shrugged. “But yeah. I get visions from whatever brain I eat. Of the person’s life. Eating human brains seemed like a Silence of the Lambs thing. Not really Max’s cup of tea, but maybe if Liv spiced them up they wouldn’t be too terrible? Added some cinnamon and sugar for dessert brains? Hey, you never knew. “You’re probably still learning about...everything,” he said, turning to move toward the sofa - they could both sit on a piece of furniture that wasn’t a fucking throne. Plus, it was a lot more comfortable. “That’s definitely interesting zombie lore though. Most times zombies are just depicted as...well, you know.” Bumbling and brainless, not to mention lacking intelligence and emotions. At least Liv could use her abilities to help people - the fact that she chose to was noble of her. He tilted his head a bit, studying her. “Do you want a drink or anything? I’m sorry, I should have offered earlier. I don’t know if it would still taste the same, or what.” “Yeah,” Liv agreed. “The dreams helped me prepare but even in them I’m still learning things. And experiencing it for real is different. But I guess you know that?” Yeah he hadn’t changed species exactly but Liv had a feeling that using his powers for real felt a lot different than it had in the dreams. “I definitely lucked out on the type of zombie,” Liv agreed with a nod. If she had to be a zombie might as well be one that could somewhat pass as human and still had a personality and emotions. “It’s fine,” Liv said smile back on her face as she plopped down on the sofa herself. “We had other things to discuss and I was more curious about the throne.” Plus she had shown up unannounced. “But if you have any jalapeños or hot sauce I’ll still be able to taste.” At least she would taste the spice. “But if you want a drink for yourself don’t let me stop you.” The conversation did kind of call for it after all. Jalapeños or hot sauce? Were those the only things that Liv could taste, and everything else was bland as cardboard? Also...interesting. And it’d be a shame to not ever be able to indulge in cake and ice cream or other delicious things. But maybe he could come up with new recipes - a braintini, just for her. “I might have something, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks,” Max admitted, and decided to fix a boozy concoction at the bar for himself quickly - then he had about a hundred other questions to ask about Liv’s new situation, so hopefully she wouldn’t mind sitting and chatting for awhile. It’d be a good time to catch up anyway. |