Chapter Text
“Who the fuck are you!?” Someone who looked eerily similar to Zanka yelled from upon a bed, quickly scrambling off and with that, someone else’s head poked up.
“Huh- What’s going on Zank- Holy Shit?!” The man quickly sat up. He looked- exactly like Jabber. But that’s not possible, because Jabber is beneath Zanka…
Zanka looked down at the raider he was pinning to the floor. Okay, he’s still there. He’s got the rings, his raider outfit, his smug smirk. Okay… That eased Zanka’s nerves. Wait- how did he get here again??
-
Zanka was stumped. He’d been sitting in his room doing nothing! For the past few hours.
He’d woken up at his usual time, gotten up and trained, and after training he’d asked Semiu if he could have a mission, nothing too extreme but something to distract himself, Obviously. She disagreed. He was just barely released from the infirmary. And Semiu didn’t wanna see him back there so soon.
What a joke! He didn’t even want a dangerous mission. Could’ve been a singular small trashbeast in some random town in buttfuck nowhere and he’d be happy. But, he guesses it would be unfortunate for Eisha if her patient ended up reopening his injuries so soon.
So he walked away with his tail tucked between his legs. No point in arguing.
Afterwards he’d returned to his room, and with nothing else to do he started writing. What you may ask? He has no idea. Most were notes about Assistaff with an occasional rude input about a raider.
But when that ran out he had no idea how to continue! He still had so much pent up energy and no idea how to get rid of it.
So, he picked the next best idea!
Zanka grabbed Assistaff, hands adjusting their grip on her wood for optimal holding. “Cmon Lovely lady” He didn’t continue talking and just walked out the room.
He was lucky it was empty enough in HQ, most if not everyone was asleep by now. That made traversing the halls easier since he wouldn’t have to worry about running into anyone or getting caught. He wasn’t sure if Semiu would still be at the front desk but if she was it wouldn’t be a problem. Probably?
That’s a problem he’ll deal with when it occurs. He’s still down the hall so he’s got a while to think of an excuse. Training? No, he already did that. Saw someone outside? No, they’d wake up half the building for that. A midnight stroll? No- well, actually that could work.
“He-“ Zanka raised a hand to greet Semiu, pausing when he saw her knocked out on the desk, using a frisky magazine as a pillow. Right… he’d leave her to that. Zanka quickly fled the scene, he wasn’t sure he’d have a chance to sneak out again if he missed this one.
The outside air was cool against his skin, he also felt severely underdressed. He was wearing a blue tinted black haori thrown lazily over a complimenting button up shirt, which wasn’t fully buttoned, leaving room for the collar to crease and move in the wind. Paired with loose fitting pants similar or exact color of the haori.
Zanka had been walking for quite the while. He wasn't really paying much attention though. Most of his attention was directed towards Lovely Assistaff. Zanka wasn’t one to say his secrets out loud —he usually thought them in his head as he held her— but he felt oddly at ease, just letting them spill out as he spoke to his Lovely Lady. It was just them two in the night anyways, right? Or- would you count that person at his left?
Huh?
HUH???
Zanka quickly whipped his entire body to the side, taking a step back in the process. “Where the hell did you come from!”
The raider —from the purple light on his sash, Zanka could only assume he was one— giggled at Zanka’s words, slowly reaching up. What was he doing? As his hands came into view Zanka saw her, adorning the top of every finger. Fuck.
Zanka activated Assistaff on instinct, spinning her in his hold until she remained perched up straight, bottom hitting the concrete floor with a thud. “Jabber.”
That elicited a louder course of giggles as the raider pulled his hood off with a flick of his wrist. “Heyyy Mr bad attitude. Y'know I was waiting for you to notice! Although hearing you talk to Miss Lady wasn’t awful.” Jabber pointed at Assistaff.
Zanka pursued his lips together into a thin line. His fingers wrapped around Assistaff twitched. Who does this raider think he is calling her Miss Lady! That wasn’t even proper grammar. “Don’t call her that. Her name is Assistaff to you.” How dare he point at her too! Didn’t he ever learn to respect women! They are bringers of life; they deserve nothing less than extreme respect.
“She hate nicknames just as much as you?” Jabber seemed to crack up at his own joke. Which did distract Zanka from the danger lurking on the raiders' hands. One second they were engulfed in Anima, the next his rings had snapped into claws. “Shame really.”
Zanka jumped out of the way at the last second. Jabber ended up pouncing straight at a wall like a wild cat. Lion? Whatever, the cement wall started chipping away at the claws digging into it. A shiver ran down Zanka’s body at the realization that would’ve been him.
Yeah he needs to get out of here.
“You just have really bad nicknames.” A scowl was prominent on his face as he took a few steps back. As much as he hated Jabber, Zanka wasn’t in the condition to fight another person. Let alone a person who thrives off physical pain.
Semiu would probably tell him ‘I told you so’ if he came back all beat up. So he’d rather avoid the fight all together. And he wouldn’t wanna inconvenience Eisha so late.
Jabber opened his mouth to speak before another person jumped out from behind a pillar, taking stance under Jabber in a crouch.
Zanka’s face went through three emotions, Confusion, anger, and fear. Confusion because why are these raiders popping out like roaches. Anger because now it’s a 2 v 1. And finally fear, Zanka wouldn’t be able to fight two givers at once, and he’s too far from HQ to hightail it back. His only option is to call his team and hope they show up fast enough to save him
“What’s wrong Mr bad attitude? You look like you saw a ghost!” Jabber snickered obnoxiously loud, dislodging himself from the wall and falling feet first onto the raider beneath him with a thud, the other seemed unfazed though. Probably a usual occurrence.
“Wish I saw one instead of you” Zanka spat, his words were far more bark then bite but anything to distract them longer. His hand holding Assistaff slowly approached his other wrist.
Jabber’s eyes flicked between Zanka’s hands and then to the choker. “Hey no fair, calling backup already?” He hopped off the other raider, taking a few steps towards Zanka.
-
Jabber had ended up pinned beneath Assistaff at his neck, Zanka standing over him with his boots digging into his wrists. Jabber had blood trailing from his nose down to his chin from a punch Zanka hit him with. And some blood coming from somewhere on his scalp from a hit from Lovely. His clothes were also all messed up and dirty from the scrabble, but Zanka wasn’t doing much better, he felt on the verge of passing out —probably looked it too—, hair all messy, his breathing was ragged and uneven, he was just trying to get the air into his body rather than actually breathe, and he had a black eye.
“Not very talkative now?” Zanka leaned forward a little, to anyone witnessing it, it’d seem like he was trying to get in Jabber’s face, but to be honest, he was trying to lean more of his weight onto lovely assistaff. His legs feel like jello and he has no clue how he won that fight.
“Hmm..” Jabber bit his lip, eyes wandering behind Zanka’s figure.
Zanka paused. What the hell is behind him. He lifted his head very slowly, bad idea. He barely got to see the other raider behind him before the terrain before him disappeared and he ended up somewhere else, inside a room? Is this givers jinki like the blue haired raider?
“Who the fuck are you?!”
-
“Woah, you look just like me!” Jabber exclaimed from under Zanka.
Ah, that’s what happened.
Zanka pushed his boot harder into Jabber's wrist. “Shut the fuck up! You don’t know who these people are!” Zanka reprimanded him, how the hell is he just trying to start small talk?! These could be dangerous people- oh well, he supposes Jabber is already a dangerous person, how much worse could it get.
“Hold on- you show up in our room and you are suspicious of us?!” The blonde started wailing his hands around in the air as he spoke, voice cracking a bit at the end.
“Yeah man! Also shit- you’re tracking so much dirt into the room! Lovely is gonna get allergies!” The dreadhead immediately started scanning the room as if he was trying to find something. Or someone?
Actually, Zanka should take in his surroundings.
It was a small apartment, like as small as a shoebox. Jabber and Zanka were at a door, presumably the entrance by the shoes paired up next to each other on the welcome mat. A few steps forward though, towards the two others, there were three other doors, one on the right side and two on the left, one door on the left had been left cracked open and he could see clothes inside, so the right door is presumably a bathroom? Besides that there wasn’t much other than the beds. Two beds paired up besides each other with just enough space between them for a small dresser. Although hadn’t the two come off the same bed?… odd.
“Hellllooooo, earth to Zan-Zan!!” Jabber whined, wiggling in an attempt to free himself.
“What the fuck do you want!” Zanka shouted down at Jabber, he was at his wits end.
“If you're gonna stand on me atleast make it hurt! If not, get off! I ain’t staying in here!” Jabber continued wiggling on the floor, trying to bring his legs up to kick Zanka.
“Pause. Did you just call him Zan-Zan??” The blonde pointed right at Zanka, although his eyes were on Jabber who seemed to stop wiggling like a worm.
“Uh- yeah?” Jabber scanned the other's face, squinting his eyes. “Oh sphere! You look just like him!” Jabber looked between Zanka and the other with rapid speed.
“Found her!” The other deadhead called from the bathroom- hold on when did he get in there??
Found who??
“Well keep her in there! I don’t want Lovely out here with these- these- I don’t know!” The other shouted towards the bathroom.
Zanka was really not in the mood for this. He lifted a hand off Assistaff and brought it to his forehead. Maybe it’s all a dream. “Jabber what in the sphere did you inject me with.”
“Nothing I swear!” Jabber shook his head in denial. “I ain’t even get one hit in!”
You know, maybe Zanka should just close his eyes real quick… just for a little itty bitty moment.
Zanka’s knees gave out and he fell onto Jabber's mid torso with a thud, he was sure he heard the air leave the raiders lungs. Without holding Assistaff up she fell to the ground, whacking Jabber in the face on the way down. But he didn’t have the energy to care, he just wanted to sleep. He lost his last bit of balance and flopped forward, his head finding the man’s shoulder.
Just a ittyyyy bittyyyyy nap, a nap never hurt anyone?
Right?