Zuri, Abby, Strips ~ Private

[petdr89]

Strips was nodding, agreeing that Zuri getting some clothes on was a good idea. He had his eyes open now and was just staring at the wall. Then as Zuri was walking by, right at the point when Strips was able to see him through his peripheral vision, his towel dropped. "Oh come on!" Strips began pounding his skull into the mantle. He seemed to be awfully uncomfortable at the sight of Zuri in a towel, or lack there of.

[zash]

Zuri just kinda started laughing. "Geesh man, you act as if you've never been in a gym shower before." Zuri wasn't one to talk really. He hadn't been in a gym shower in a long time and he'd be disturbed if he saw Strips in a towel. But Zuri just picked up the towel again and put it back around him. He placed the bowel on a table and walked for the bathroom. His clothes were still in there. "Hey, atleast I had my underwear on under this. That would of been disturbing if my towel would have dropped and I had nothing on underneath."

[petdr89]

Don't get him wrong, Strips was extremely grateful Zuri at least had a towel on. He pondered Zuri's statement, looked up in thought. "I don't think I ever have" he muttered to himself. It was kind of odd, though, how Strips still wasn't wearing a shirt yet he didn't have any problem walking around in front of Zuri. Yet, he couldn't stand looking at Zuri while he didn't have any pants on.

After Zuri had retreated to the bathroom, Strips stayed still for a minute. He ran his finger over the back of the picture, until he eventually picked it up and walked back over to the couch. He just kind of stared at it, sighing softly. It was one of those real fancy-pants pictures, where he and both his parents were dressed up real nice; featured him as a young boy, when both of his parents were still alive.

He sighed again, and eyes closed tightly for a moment. He hadn't seen this picture since the last time he was here, with Azura.

[zash]

Zuri had walked for the bathroom and stepped in once he got there. "Ooook. Where are my clothes?" Zuri wasn't entirely sure where he had left them. He looked around and found a few pieces of clothes finally. His shirt was on the rack and somehow his pants had gotten thrown into the cabinent below. He pulled all his clothes together and got dressed again. Zuri sighed and started to think about Abby. "What am I going to do? She's been out all day with Strips and didn't really seem mad but everytime she sees me she gets ticked off." Zuri sighed again and opened the bathroom door and walked out. He then walked into the living room. "You know your still shirtless right?" Zuri asked Strips as he walked into the room.

[petdr89]

Strips's ears had been pinned back the entire time he was looking at the picture, but they immediately perked as soon as Zuri walked back into the room, and he frantically stuffed the picture down into the couch cushions. "Huh, what? Shirt?" His eyes drifted to view his arm, worked his way up his arm until they met his chest, and then down his chest to his abdomen. "Oh, yeah, I know I'm still shirt-less. Didn't really see the point in puttin' one on. 'Sides, all my old clothes are dusty, and I didn't want to wear the ones I was wearing yesterday. Tell ya the truth, I ain't wearin' any underwear either." He didn't know why he felt the need to tell Zuri all of that. Maybe he wanted to take his mind off the picture so his brain just wouldn't let his mouth shut up.

Strips didn’t have to say anything else, though; because right at that moment, Abby walked back into the room. She had a box of something in her right hand, and she was still glaring. Suddenly, she chucked the box of pregnancy tests right at Zuri’s head. Screamed, “Thanks for thinking I’m pregnant, you jackass!”

Strips rolled his eyes; he was getting tired of this.

[zash]

"Good grief. At this rate maybe you are! Or you on you period miss moody. Fuck!" That was the last straw. Zuri had been trying to hold it in but it wasn't gonna any more. Much Strips had said before. Keep it in to long and your gonna need a place to vent. "You know what, I wouldn't of even thought about it if Strips hadn't of said you looked fat! Which I agree miss tubby. Strips is the one that first suggested it actually, about getting you this!" Zuri bent down and picked up the test and tossed it at Abby like a frisby. He little restraint now and was just pushed over the top; he wasn't gonna take it any more.

[petdr89]

Abby ducked the pregnancy tests, so they flew back into the kitchen, where they belonged. She growled in pure hatred as she glanced between Zuri and Strips. "You said I freakin' look fat?! That's it, I'm takin' you both out!" Flames burst out the palms of Abby's hands and circled around her wrists, but she didn't get a chance to shoot them anywhere.

Strips growled, glaring at Zuri. "You little rat" he said through clenched teeth. But before he took care of Zuri, he had to take care of Abby. "Abby, that's not true. It was simply a sick joke, and I admit I went along with it, but I deny every calling you fat. Now if you will please show a little restraint in my house!"

Abby narrowed her eyes, but eventually the fire dissipated into the air.

"As for you!" Strips continued; by this point he was standing, walked up to Zuri and was about ready to start getting in his face. "I was nice to you, even after you tried to kill me. I tried to get her to be nice to you, even though it works out in my favor that she hates you right now. Now, I don't know what it is, I don't know what I've done, but obviously you and I have something we need to work out, alone." He gave a quick glare to Abby at the word 'alone'. "If you have some personal vendetta against me, then we shall work it out on the field of battle!"

[zash]

Zuri looked over at Strips. The thought that he had betrayed him passed through his mind. "Oh, crud." Was all Zuri really thought about it. "Well, I heard of a tournament coming up here pretty soon. Some Darigan tournament in the battel dome. It'll be in two days. So if you want to fight we could do it then. Thats if your wussy ass could make it through the rankings to fight me. Thats unless I take you out in the very beginning."

Zuri just looked at Strips for his responce. He was ready to get out of the room and go somewhere, though it is kinda sad since all he can do is go to the bathroom and hide out. He could go outside but last time that was a bad idea. Maybe just go out back and do something. Maybe find the weapons shed. Zuri's main weapon is the sword but he's used some others before, just not in an extremely long time. But for now Zuri was trapped in a room where Abby blocks one path and Strips the other. He'd probably just have to shove his way out one way or another.

[petdr89]

For a while Strips had been questioning himself on whether or not there really was something wrong with his and Zuri's relationship, whether or not Zuri really did have some sort of sick vendetta against him. But by accepting his challenge, Zuri was confirming his question. Apparently he and Zuri still had something they needed to work out, though he still wasn't sure what it was, or what he had done to cause it.

"Very well; however, you had better hope my wussy ass doesn't come to meet you in battle; because if it does, I'll tear you to shreds." Oddly enough, Strips said this rather calmly.

This gave Abby an idea. She had been listening quite intently, and this tournament sounded like a good idea to her. Perhaps she would sign up as well, only hopefully without either male finding out about it. That way she would hopefully get revenge on Zuri for treating her as badly as he had, and then maybe she could finally calm down. She doubted she would be able to calm down unless she got her revenge. There's nothing scarier than a woman's wrath.

[zash]

"Alright then. We'll save it till then. But until then we just calm down I guess. But I'm going out back." Zuri said rather calmly, probably affected by Strips' calm voice and no one yelling at him any more. He then brushed past Abby and walked out the back door.

Zuri saw a gleam coming from the shed. "What the..." He walked over and opened it up and saw it was full of weapons. "Alright, good grief man." He saw some rather small throwing daggers hanging on the side of the shed. He reached over and grabbed them. "I hope he doesn't mind." Zuri walked over to the target and took a few large paices back. He then put all the daggers in one hand and had them nice and neat and then picked one up. He held it by the blade's end and threw it towards the target.

[petdr89]

Strips took a step back to allow Zuri more room to leave, watching him as he left. Of course he didn't care that Zuri was getting into the weapons; that's what they're there for. Besides, he keeps all the really expensive/his favorite ones locked up. After Zuri had left, he walked back over to the couch. Upon plopping himself down, he heard what sounded like glass cracking under his weight. "Ah shit" he muttered as he reached under the couch cushion. He pulled out the picture he had hidden earlier, and sure enough, the glass had become cracked.

Abby watched him, cocking her head. "Mind if I look at it?" She asked as she crossed the room and sat down beside Strips.

"Hell, you can keep it" Strips replied, handing the picture to Abby. He stood again and started walking into the kitchen; it had been far too long since the last time he had eaten.

"Your mom was very pretty, and your father very handsome." Abby ignored Strips's comment about her keeping the picture; got up and followed him.

"I suppose."

"And your dad never got re-married?"

"Nope."

"Wow, they must have loved each other a lot then."

Strips shrugged, "well, I'm sure my father went on dates from time to time, but he never got re-married".

"Yeah, but still..."

[zash]

The dagger had hit. Just not the target. The dagger had stuck itself in the tree. "Dang, its been a while since I've last done this. My aims off." Zuri said as he picked up another dagger and threw it at the target. The dagger had hit the white lines outside of the actual target. Atleast they were sticking and not bouncing off. Zuri sighed and tried to calm down. Good thing Strips had this stuff. It was good for cooling off from time to time. Zuri just kept throwing the daggers at the target, occasionally hitting inside the target and maybe hitting a red line or inner white line. He was getting better as he went along. Eventually he had to go back over and pick all the daggers off and start again. It was kinda soothing and helping Zuri take his mind off of things.

[petdr89]

Abby's mood swings were starting to creep Strips out. She had just said she wanted to kill both him and Zuri, and now she was all buddy-buddy with him again, talking about his parents like the incident with Zuri had never happened. Seeing Zuri eating soup earlier gave him a craving for it. He pulled a can of chicken noodle soup out of the cabinet, along with a pot, and put the pot on the oven, turning the burner on.

"Heh, wouldn't that be funny if you had a brother or a sister and you didn't know it" Abby said, thoughtfully.

Strips stopped everything, blinked a few times, and then stared at her with a serious look on his face. "Don't even joke about things like that."

"Aww, I'm just kidding." Abby smiled, wagging her tail.

Strips didn't reply, but merely got back to making himself dinner.

[zash]

After a few times with all of the daggers Zuri's arm was getting tired. So he went over and put the daggers back and closed the shed. "What to do now? I can't exaclty go back inside. Oi, I just took a nap and so I can't do that. Ooooh, what to do?"

Flying didn't sound all that fun either. Zuri was pretty much trapped in the back yard doing nothing. But he just went over to a nice place in the grass and laid down. The sun was gleaming on him, well about as much sun as there is in Darigan, and he was pretty relaxed and comfortable. Let some of the affects of the alcohol drain out and let him regain control of his body. He just laid there and thought. "What am I gonna do with those two. You think they'd be used to it, expetually Abby, she's the one who transforms and kills everyone. Atleast I didn't actually harm anyone. All I did was throw her, which was for the best. Like I was gonna be able to just set her down and go after Strips again. I probably would of started useing her as a punch bag if I wasn't able to get her out of harms way in time." Zuri thought to himself. He was getting mad as he thought.

He sat back up and went back over to the shed. He took out the bow and a few arrows and started to shoot with that. After using the daggers to get ready he had fairly good aim. It had been awhile since he used a bow but after a few tries he was able to remember. He was able to hit the target and got fairly close to the bulls eye from there on but never quite hit it directly.

[petdr89]

"So, can you tell me about them? What were they both like?" Abby continued pestering Strips; never thinking, or simply not caring, that he might not want to talk about this particular subject.

"Not much to tell, really. They were both very strong individuals, but I'm not just talking physical strength; I'm talking about strong-minded. They made a good pair." Strips paused, a small sigh escaping him. "You know, when I was younger I pictured myself ending up like them; finding my other half, that is. Their relationship seemed perfect, and I always kind of hoped I'd one day find that special someone, like they had. But, I guess anything can seem perfect to a five year old, and now I'm beginning to think that for some people, there is no other half."

Abby stared in bewilderment. "Wow, Strips, I never thought of you as being so...I don't know... so, deep. I always thought of you as the type of person who never wanted a commitment."

Strips chuckled, "Ah, yeah, it'd probably be best for you to forget what I just told you. I don't know what I was saying." By this point he had already put the soup in the pot, and it was nearly done by now. He was just hanging out by the stove waiting for it, with his back leaning against the counter.