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Zaoll spent most of her time lounging around the main room of the HQ, as much as it bothered her to have absolutely nothing to do. Her normal routine had been completely disrupted, leaving her with nothing but a laptop and a lot of free time. Even homeschooling was disrupted because Elsbeth was house hunting, which meant she'd been spending a lot of time playing Command and Conquer. It led to a lot of comments like "Anfibi stupidi, desidero che siano morto già" when her troops got decimated.

After all, her side did not have tanks.

She closed her laptop and set it on the table in front of her, doing what most people might consider sulking. But it totally wasn't, it was completely different. It was just reconsidering her strategies! Really. Either way, Zaoll definitely was ready to do something else - maybe someone would come in soon.

((IF IT HELPS ZAOLL WIN A GAME OF COMMAND AND CONQUER!))

Her steady, quiet monologue of Italian was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. She looked up from her morose contemplation of her laptop, adjusting her glasses as she caught sight of the orbs and then the other Fa'e. "Orb boy," said Zaoll, the first understandable words she'd said in perhaps five minutes. "Buongiorno."

She got up and intercepted the man. "I am very sorry for pulling you into that dream," she said, "Please allow me to apologize." Offering a hand to shake, she tried a somewhat uncertain smile. "My name is Zaoll van Helsing - may I ask for yours?"

This was the second one to say something to that effect. These people were rather odd, weren't they? Zaoll sighed, and lifted both hands as if to say 'what can you do'.

"Sei," she repeated. It was a better name than 'orb boy', certainly. For a moment, she stood there awkwardly and then crossed her arms over her chest, looking around for a moment. Her gaze slid over Sei, the TV, and then - she scowled at her laptop. "Eh, cosa stupida..." Observing the strange, circuitboard-like markings on his face, she snapped her fingers and asked, "Are you any good with computers? There is a -" she paused, trying to remember a word. Her hands circled vaguely as she thought. "- un impulso errato - my game is not playing correctly."

"Eh," said Zaoll unhappily; all she wanted was a nice, quiet life! Free of change and danger, was it so much to ask? She made a sharp, chopping gesture as she swept imperially over to her laptop and flipped open the lid; it played a short, jaunty little tune as it woke up and loaded the screen. She started up the program and then sighed. "It keeps misidentifying units," she informed Sei, "saying that infantry are tanks."

She started a game, paused it after a few minutes, and showed him. The cursor over what was clearly a normal infantry unit was a tank. To highlight the problem, she moved the cursor so it hovered over one of her infantry, where it said "ROMAN SOLDIER". "I would not mind so much except this only happen to the other side, you see. It is an unfair advantage."

Too much talking, she thought; her voice was getting hoarse already.

"Ah!" Zaoll didn't want to pry, but she did peer at the CD case; what kind of games did he play? There wasn't much to do on Earth when you couldn't go outside, other than read books, but she didn't much like to do that. "You play?"

She resettled herself on the couch, ignoring its groan of protest; she looked thin and delicate, but she was made of straight marble. With an appreciative glance at his laptop, Zaoll sighed and flipped the pause off. "I am playing the Roman campaign, so there should be no tanks," she informed him - although if he played, he should already know that. But it was rather nice, to be able to talk to someone about it! Elsbeth, that traitor, always insisted that the entire game was historically inaccurate and therefore a waste of time.

((WHY ARE YOU SORRY THIS MADE MY MORNING))

Zaoll smiled, examining the disc. Command and Conquer should have an online versus mode - it would be nice to play with someone other than the computer. Hmph: the computer always cheated. Always. No exceptions-

The couch collapsed. "It collapsed," said Zaoll faintly, thinking that this was possibly the most embarrassing moment of her life. Or one of them, anyway, as she figured pulling people into a dream must be the Fa'e equivalent of bedwetting or something. "Il mio dio, è sprofondato." How the hell did you explain the collapsed couch?

"I am so very sorry," she said, looking to Sei, "it must be my fault."

Zaoll, who was particularly expressive for a statue, observed Sei's lack of relative cues with curiosity. Most people blushed when they were embarrassed, and he clearly was. Besides, other than the markings and the weird expressionless eyes, he looked pretty human... "I can't ride in elevators because I weigh too much," she informed him tartly. "I am made of stone."

And besides that, she wasn't hurt. The couch was soft enough that she'd only been jolted a little when it gave out. She got up and set her laptop on the table again, then offered both hands to Sei; it was rather jerky, as if automatic. "Il dio mio," she muttered, "perhaps we should just sit on the floor." After all, it was much more likely not to break if one of them moved wrong, right?

Oh, he was laughing, was he? Well, it was true, and she would prove it - Wait.

Sei was made of metal?

Certainly not! He looked very human. Robots were silver, with glowing red eyes! Yet... it would explain his mancanza di espressione umane, lack of human expressions like blushing and cues in the eyes. So perhaps it was true. Idly, she wondered if maybe the metal was underneath his skin - it might be. She adjusted her glasses and sent the other Fa'e a considering glance. "If you aren't lying, that's very interesting," said Zaoll as she picked up the dropped CD case and flipped through.

"You have a good taste in games," she said from her place on the floor. "Do you have the..." A pause, and then, "I'm sorry, I know not the English word. Rabbia dell'espansione del re del lich? The Frostmorn expansion." Language barrier: she'd have to get rid of it. Elsbeth spoke fluent English... Zaoll frowned.