Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story. The characters belong to Software Sculptors.
Author's Note: Aren't the little kopiis cute!? Much more of them to come. And more people to be brought in.
Ramblings of the Doomed
Chapter 3: Kopiis and Eris
After suffering for an hour or so the night before, Rezo had succumbed to his exhaustion and fallen asleep. He woke well-rested and feeling much better. The headache was completely gone. He changed his robes and brushed his hair into place. He thought he heard some happy-sounding noises, but he figured it was probably just the neighborhood kids. That little Sylphiel girl who lived on the hill was always coming around, picking his flowers and laughing. Oh well. Rezo left his room and headed for the kitchen. When he instinctively tried to brush the door to his lab with his hand, he almost fell down the steps. He heard more giggling.
'Oh no! The lab door! The kopiis!' Rezo thought, panicking. 'They escaped!'
After his near heart attack, Rezo relaxed a bit. "Oh well, screw it," he said, resignedly. "They're so little, how much trouble could they be?"
Famous last words.
But never mind the red priest's ominous words. He had more important things to do.
Rezo walked into the kitchen and made himself some toast. He shook a few little kopiis off of the handle of the utensil drawer and opened it. As soon as he did that, two more jumped in and started fencing with butter knives. Rezo frowned, and after getting his hand banged a few times, he snatched both knives and flung the kopiis off, slamming the drawer shut. He opened the refrigerator and heard quite a few shivering giggles run out. He picked up the butter and went back to the toaster just in time to hear the toast pop up. He picked up the toast, brushing off kopiis whimpering over newly-burnt fingers. "It's your own fault, you know," he told them. "Stay away from hot things. And my food."
By the time Rezo had finished his toast, he was pretty sick of all the little kopiis. "Maybe I should open a pet shop and sell you," he mused to one who had climbed onto his hand. "Many people seem to like happy, annoying little creatures." The kopi giggled and started licking buttery crumbs off of Rezo's fingers. Rezo grimaced and flung the kopi across the room. It bounced off the window and landed on a chair, laughing harder than ever. "…Like ferrets. And children." He shuddered at the thought. True, he had had a child himself, but that had been a fluke. He had been too drunk to know better. He had never been close to any of his relatives, and certainly not at all paternal.
The doorbell rang, and Rezo tripped over more than 30 kopiis on the way to answer it. "On the other hand, maybe I should just call an exterminator. Or open a new hunting season," he muttered.
Rezo opened the door, and listened in dismay as a few kopiis chased each other out the door past his visitor. "May I help you?" he asked, slightly apologetically.
"Oh… aka houshi Rezo-sama?" a youngish female voice asked. She didn't feel as powerful as any of the other applicants. But she obviously had talent, and Rezo had a good feeling about her.
"Hai," he said, smiling. "Are you by any chance answering my ad in the Sairaag Tribune?"
"Hai!" she answered excitedly. "My name is Eris. I… I've heard so much about you, aka houshi-sama!"
"Um… arigato," Rezo said, rather uncomfortable at this hero-worshipping tone she took with him. "Do you meet the requirements I specified?"
"Oh yes, they match me exactly!" Eris said. "I'm very good at white magic. And I've always loved science. I have great eyesight, too."
"Well that sounds good," Rezo admitted. 'Certainly better than the others,' he thought to himself. "Tell me, what do you know about making kop - I mean copies of people?"
"I've researched it as much as I can," Eris said, glad to have caught Rezo's interest. "My real specialty is making chimeras, though."
"Chimeras. Really?" asked Rezo. "If I can ever get rid of all these kopiis, I might want to look into that."
"Oh, but they're so kawaii!" Eris exclaimed, picking up one who had been playing with her boot. "Why would you want to get rid of them?"
"They may be cute, but they're annoying as hell," Rezo said. "You can have any you catch. But I do need some to experiment on."
"Oh?" asked Eris. "What are you experimenting on?"
"I must find a cure for my blindness," Rezo explained in a flat voice.
"Oh, yes," Eris said softly. "Please forgive me, aka houshi-sama. I wasn't thinking."
Despite her thoughtlessness, Eris seemed like the best candidate so far. And who knows who he'd have to deal with next if he didn't hire someone soon. "It's all right. Just try to think before you act, Eris-san. Otherwise you may find you've blown up the house. And you may call me Rezo."
"Then, does that mean… You're hiring me!?" exclaimed Eris, taken aback.
"Hai, at least temporarily," Rezo said. 'If only to have an excuse to turn away those other weirdoes faster. She seems acceptable anyway,' he thought to himself.
Eris squealed with glee and threw herself at Rezo, almost knocking him over. After much hysterical apologizing and more excited outbursts, Eris moved into Rezo's small guest room in the attic. As she moved her belongings up, she was accompanied by dozens of little kopiis, watching with interest and giggling in excitement. Now they had TWO people to play with!!!
*Japanese for Beginners*
Hai – Yes
Aka houshi – Red Priest
Kopii – copy (not really Japanese, but a Slayers term)
-sama – lord or master (or dear)
-san – Mr. Mrs. or Ms.
Kawaii – cute
Author's Note: Aren't the little kopiis cute!? Much more of them to come. And more people to be brought in.
Ramblings of the Doomed
Chapter 3: Kopiis and Eris
After suffering for an hour or so the night before, Rezo had succumbed to his exhaustion and fallen asleep. He woke well-rested and feeling much better. The headache was completely gone. He changed his robes and brushed his hair into place. He thought he heard some happy-sounding noises, but he figured it was probably just the neighborhood kids. That little Sylphiel girl who lived on the hill was always coming around, picking his flowers and laughing. Oh well. Rezo left his room and headed for the kitchen. When he instinctively tried to brush the door to his lab with his hand, he almost fell down the steps. He heard more giggling.
'Oh no! The lab door! The kopiis!' Rezo thought, panicking. 'They escaped!'
After his near heart attack, Rezo relaxed a bit. "Oh well, screw it," he said, resignedly. "They're so little, how much trouble could they be?"
Famous last words.
But never mind the red priest's ominous words. He had more important things to do.
Rezo walked into the kitchen and made himself some toast. He shook a few little kopiis off of the handle of the utensil drawer and opened it. As soon as he did that, two more jumped in and started fencing with butter knives. Rezo frowned, and after getting his hand banged a few times, he snatched both knives and flung the kopiis off, slamming the drawer shut. He opened the refrigerator and heard quite a few shivering giggles run out. He picked up the butter and went back to the toaster just in time to hear the toast pop up. He picked up the toast, brushing off kopiis whimpering over newly-burnt fingers. "It's your own fault, you know," he told them. "Stay away from hot things. And my food."
By the time Rezo had finished his toast, he was pretty sick of all the little kopiis. "Maybe I should open a pet shop and sell you," he mused to one who had climbed onto his hand. "Many people seem to like happy, annoying little creatures." The kopi giggled and started licking buttery crumbs off of Rezo's fingers. Rezo grimaced and flung the kopi across the room. It bounced off the window and landed on a chair, laughing harder than ever. "…Like ferrets. And children." He shuddered at the thought. True, he had had a child himself, but that had been a fluke. He had been too drunk to know better. He had never been close to any of his relatives, and certainly not at all paternal.
The doorbell rang, and Rezo tripped over more than 30 kopiis on the way to answer it. "On the other hand, maybe I should just call an exterminator. Or open a new hunting season," he muttered.
Rezo opened the door, and listened in dismay as a few kopiis chased each other out the door past his visitor. "May I help you?" he asked, slightly apologetically.
"Oh… aka houshi Rezo-sama?" a youngish female voice asked. She didn't feel as powerful as any of the other applicants. But she obviously had talent, and Rezo had a good feeling about her.
"Hai," he said, smiling. "Are you by any chance answering my ad in the Sairaag Tribune?"
"Hai!" she answered excitedly. "My name is Eris. I… I've heard so much about you, aka houshi-sama!"
"Um… arigato," Rezo said, rather uncomfortable at this hero-worshipping tone she took with him. "Do you meet the requirements I specified?"
"Oh yes, they match me exactly!" Eris said. "I'm very good at white magic. And I've always loved science. I have great eyesight, too."
"Well that sounds good," Rezo admitted. 'Certainly better than the others,' he thought to himself. "Tell me, what do you know about making kop - I mean copies of people?"
"I've researched it as much as I can," Eris said, glad to have caught Rezo's interest. "My real specialty is making chimeras, though."
"Chimeras. Really?" asked Rezo. "If I can ever get rid of all these kopiis, I might want to look into that."
"Oh, but they're so kawaii!" Eris exclaimed, picking up one who had been playing with her boot. "Why would you want to get rid of them?"
"They may be cute, but they're annoying as hell," Rezo said. "You can have any you catch. But I do need some to experiment on."
"Oh?" asked Eris. "What are you experimenting on?"
"I must find a cure for my blindness," Rezo explained in a flat voice.
"Oh, yes," Eris said softly. "Please forgive me, aka houshi-sama. I wasn't thinking."
Despite her thoughtlessness, Eris seemed like the best candidate so far. And who knows who he'd have to deal with next if he didn't hire someone soon. "It's all right. Just try to think before you act, Eris-san. Otherwise you may find you've blown up the house. And you may call me Rezo."
"Then, does that mean… You're hiring me!?" exclaimed Eris, taken aback.
"Hai, at least temporarily," Rezo said. 'If only to have an excuse to turn away those other weirdoes faster. She seems acceptable anyway,' he thought to himself.
Eris squealed with glee and threw herself at Rezo, almost knocking him over. After much hysterical apologizing and more excited outbursts, Eris moved into Rezo's small guest room in the attic. As she moved her belongings up, she was accompanied by dozens of little kopiis, watching with interest and giggling in excitement. Now they had TWO people to play with!!!
*Japanese for Beginners*
Hai – Yes
Aka houshi – Red Priest
Kopii – copy (not really Japanese, but a Slayers term)
-sama – lord or master (or dear)
-san – Mr. Mrs. or Ms.
Kawaii – cute