it's that hat, you know the one

[bloomingdespite]

Who: Zahra
What: Zahra has been living like a hermit int he wilderness for the past week. It's high time somebody meets them.
When: December 24th-January 31st
Where: Hau'oli City, Route 2, Route 3

A. Drop the Bass (Hau'oli City)
As much as Christmas Eve is a time for quiet contemplation, holiday spirit, and togetherness, it's also a time for teenagers and young twentiesomethings to party their heineys off; and this goes double for the week leading up to New Year's.

But somebody's got to handle the AV work for these venue-busting events, especially with Team Skull having finally made peace with the local populace and thusly able to shamelessly crash parties and tear things up. (Not that they weren't doing this before, but there's less of a chance of a Jenny getting involved now.) And after hanging with Hideo's group of vaguely thuggish bikers for an extended period of time, Zahra does have the experience.

So they're perched in the booth hanging in the scaffolding of whatever party you're frequenting, carefully monitoring the lights, the sound, the mood of the crowd, the DJ, everything... except for their little baby Deino, Obsidian, who's clumsily nipping her way around the booth. Towards their precariously-placed ankle. It would be cute if it didn't send Zahra tumbling from the scaffolding, hanging by a single hand as they struggle to pull themself up. Normally, this would be an easy task for them, but Obsidian is making things a tad difficult as she panics, flailing around and loosening Zahra's grip every time they're close to safety.

With the light and the heat and the noise and the mosh of the party, it doesn't seem like anybody else has noticed. Maybe you should go up and, you know, make sure they don't die.

B. Menacing Katakana (Route 2)
Fishing is an inherently peaceful activity. Sit down, cast your line, zone out while you wait for wild Pokemon to bite. There still long lulls when it's nothing but you, your thoughts, and nature.

And yet, somehow, there's a palpable aura of menace all around Zahra as their line dangles in the water, mind racing with all the information they've gathered about this new world—and the intriguing way its inhabitants battled using the creatures that ruled it. There were competitions, and professional teams, and metagames, and charts to memorize, and and and

Suffice to say, despite the cold weather, Zahra is liable to spend much of their time hunched over the beach, rod in hand as they contemplate uber-tier teams, type matchups, and movepools; their air of intense, almost furious concentration usually more than enough to deter passers-by and even wild Pokemon.

But even if you're normally put off by the suffocating pressure Zahra exerts whenever they're concentrating, when they bark, "HEY, YOU! HELP ME OUT HERE!" as they fight against their rod while something thrashes in the not-so-deeps resisting their attempts to reel it in... well, they've gotten quite used to giving orders in a commanding voice during crisis situations.

C. Trainer Zahra Wants to Battle! (Route 3)
It's a nice day on the cliffs overlooking the deep blue sea off of Route 3. Flying-types are singing, plant-types are blooming... and Zahra is leaning against the rock, tossing a Pokeball up and down as they stare out into the ocean, expression unreadable. That same energy radiates off of Zahra in waves (appropriate for the setting) while they contemplate the water, albeit less intensely when they were reeling in their biggest catch.

Your presence jolts Zahra out of whatever spell they had put themself under, and they turn to you, gentle smile on their face. "I don't suppose you'd be down for a battle? Me and Obsidian need the practice if we're going to pass the trials."

Comments

[blue_ice]

Kaiba pales. His deck couldn't have been swiped without his noticing...could it? He doubted the Puzzle was still active, but if it was...the pharaoh could have.

He's not one to beg. Or plead. But the fear that runs through him is more powerful than any he's felt for a while.

"I didn't set out to be your enemy, Mazaki. I might not like you, but Mokuba does. And I promised him I'd make an effort. But I can't if I don't know what I did."

[bloomingdespite]

The mention of Mokuba dims the fires in Zahra's eyes for a few seconds, taking them back to a quieter time. When it was just all their friends in a basement, playing games, laughing, having fun.

But the blaze returns brighter than before, and they snarl like a wild animal. If Kaiba looks closely, beyond the hatred and fury, he'll see genuine hurt. Disappointment, almost like how the Pharaoh looked at him when he went too far. Regret.

Zahra is well aware that they're going too far. All of their stored anger outweighs that urge to back down, to stop. "I gave you so many fucking chances, you know. To get it through your thick skull that he's gone, and there's nothing you could do to change that. That I'm me, whether you like it or not. Because he believed that you could be better. But after you betrayed my—our trust like that... I think you're rotten to the core, Kaiba."

Their eyes rake him up and down, coldly appraising him. Zahra can't nail down a precise time, but that look in his eyes... he knows the Pharaoh is gone, so he must come from after Doma. "This is a new world, though. So I'll give you one more chance.

"Say. My. Fucking. Name."

(A comedy of errors.)

[blue_ice]

Well...yes. Yugi had made that very clear, and then Atem had taken the puzzle away when he'd rescued them one last time, or so Yugi had said. ...and then he'd planned to chase him into the afterlife. But somehow he doesn't think they're on the same wavelength.

"I don't know what you want. The answer on my tongue is obviously wrong...but..."

We. Our.

"The two of you fused...souls?"

He just looks honestly confused. But he keeps talking, hoping to stall them. "In my world, Atem was partnered to Yugi. To my knowledge, they were separate...and after he left, yes, I chased him, because he'd left me without the chance to reclaim my title, and worse, without saying goodbye."

His expression darkened as it all sunk in. Because he really tried not to think about this particular incident most days... "But I was wrong. I risked Mokuba's future for my selfish desires...I risked everyone's futures, because I couldn't let the past lie. I fucked up. And I don't have the power to divine who you are...but I'd listen."

[bloomingdespite]

Zahra's expression is unreadable for almost a half minute as they glare at Kaiba. Their stare exerts the same unbearable pressure that they radiated while catching their Dratini, except this time it's directed at a single target: Kaiba.

Then, Zahra laughs.

Their harsh chuckle doesn't have any humor in it. It sounds more tired than anything else. "Two minutes. It took you two fucking minutes to figure out what I've been trying to pound in my Seto's head for two years, and you don't even know anything that happened to me."

Still laughing hollowly, Zahra strides back towards Seto, hands in their pockets. There's still that simmering resentment and suspicion, but it isn't nearly as acute as it was before. "I'm Zahra Mazaki, and yes, that's exactly what happened." They pause, taking the cards out of their pocket to look at them again. "...you know, I think Kisara would want a non-shitty version of you to do the honors. I wasn't screwing wi- okay, I was screwing with you, but Kisara asked me to destroy the original Blue-Eyes copies. Having just enough awareness to know that your soul and memories have been sealed inside a piece of cardboard but not enough to actually know who you are really sucked for her. At least on my world, I don't know how it works on yours."

Zahra hands the cards to Seto, carefully assessing him through blank eyes.

[blue_ice]

There's so much he doesn't understand, but as cautious as he is, he's listening. And at the mention of her name, a certain floppy-eared Pikachu approaches, nudging Zahra's leg curiously. And that probably merits an explanation.

"...my Pikachu is also named Kisara. I didn't name her, she already had that name when we met. And I don't think she's an incarnation of her, but sometimes I wonder if we're connected."

He traces his fingers over the cards.

"But doing this will set her free?"

[bloomingdespite]

"She's already free, Kaiba. There isn't really a trace of her spirit in these cards anymore." Zahra crosses their arms, looking away. They still remember that day, full of so much fear and pain and loss until finally, they somehow managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

(Sometimes Zahra wonders if it was only because of him that they had the ability to bring Mana, Kisara, and Mahaad back.)

"But... knowing that they're still out there, fearing that the same thing might happen to her again... she needs the catharsis."

[blue_ice]

"...mm. I didn't get to learn much about her, and I'm not usually one to go off instincts or emotions. But I'm not as dismissive as I once was."

But for her, the maiden with haunting eyes and a heavy weight that he'd only passed by briefly...Kaiba lapsed into silence. He breathed deeply and closes his eyes, recalling the thrill of battle. The surge of power he felt when playing the majestic dragons. And then the tragedy he'd witnessed from long ago.

Kaiba frowned as he smoothed his fingers over the cards. They were near identical copies, of that he was sure, but the wear and tear lines were in just slightly different places. As his most frequently played cards, he would know---they weren't his own dragons, but the parallel universe Seto Kaiba's.

Now for himself, Kaiba would never argue that he was a good person. But he was trying to be a better one. And from how deeply Zahra was hurt, from the incidents that were alluded to...this other Kaiba clearly needed another reality check. He pictured himself wielding Mind Crush against his past this time. The effect would likely be similar, once the roaring rage wore off.

More immediately, the action would perhaps make it possible for Zahra to forge the most tentative truce with him, eventually. And it wouldn't be easy, but at the moment, it felt like the right path to pursue.

So he took a breath, looked at the familiar illustrations, looked at Zahra, and then at his Pikachu, who gave him the most minute nod...

And in one smooth motion he ripped all three in half, letting the pieces flutter to the ground.

[bloomingdespite]

Zahra solemnly watches Kaiba as he deliberates over the cards, eyes sharp and discerning. Their Kaiba would never have been able to bring himself to destroy his precious dragons, even if they weren't technically his. Hell, he'd probably rant and rave about the audacity if they even asked. There was no way that this one would either, no matter how sorry he-

Rip.

The cardboard lays on the seafoam-damp grass, and Zahra doesn't break their gaze with Kaiba for a moment. A minute passes as they look into his soul (metaphorically, not literally). Then, they sigh, the harshness in their eyes halfway fading to something that almost looks like exhaustion.

"...alright." Not entirely certain what to say, Zahra turns and starts to walk away. Then their hand leaps to the puzzle, and they pause. "He's wants me to tell you that he's proud of you." Pause. "Noa, I mean. And... him, too. I guess."

[blue_ice]

The fading surge of adrenaline has Kaiba feeling like he'd just run a marathon. He looks down at his trembling hands in disbelief, then back up at Zahra, still staring at him. He straightens his posture and looks back, defiant. He'd prove himself yet.

And then it's over. They turn away, and he exhales. Kisara the Pikachu jumps into his arms and he gives her a little nuzzle, but then the voice cuts across his consciousness and he stands still.

Now, one would think he'd immediately latch onto any crumb of approval from Atem. And you'd be right. But the name that immediately precedes that grips his mind, and he latches onto it.

"Noa's still alive? Or... his consciousness still exists?"

His tone is largely one of disbelief, but the emotions flickering through him are hard to grasp. He hadn't thought about his stepbrother much...but Noa had been so young when his body died. And whatever atrocities he'd committed at Gozaburo's urging, how could Seto of all people condemn a person for being warped by that monster?

Not that things would be all peachy between them. Noa putting his trauma on public display had been one of the most humiliating experiences of his life. But from the way Zahra had phrased the message...and from what Seto remembered hearing from Mokuba...was it possible Noa had mastered the change of heart before he himself did?

Clearly, there was still more he had to learn.

"Zahra. I guess I'll see you later. And...if you ever have the time, Noa, I'd like to see you too."

There's just the beginnings of a terrible idea slotting together in his mind.