"So you're the one who killed the owner of this body," you say smoothly. Although the young man tries not to react, his breath does catch slightly, and his eyes narrow ever so slightly in confusion. As he risks a glance at you, you continue, "Still, I suppose I should be grateful, if you hadn't poisoned him, I probably wouldn't have this body right now."
It is obvious he is sizing you up now, trying to figure out if the previous owner of your body is simply playing some sort of trick, but from your new memories you get the feeling that while your new body likes tormenting others, it didn't usually take the the time to do so psychologically. He is probably also considering the possibility that you have lost your mind. You hope to make use of him, so you need to disabuse him of that notion as soon as possible.
"Sit down, Tivus," you sigh, gesturing to the nearby cot. He starts a bit, and now truly begins to look worried. "That is your name, isn't it?" you continue, "the memories of this body say it is."
Up until this point Tivus has not said a word, but he manages a "But, my Lord..." before you cut him off, saying "I'm not your Lord, let's get that straight. This body's name's Gorvind, right? Not very catchy. How about for now, you call me Vin? That probably won't go over well in front of others, but for the moment, we are alone, and it will make things easier. My old name won't work very well with this body anyway. Well, sit already," you finish, pointing at the cot with your huge hand.
Tivus walks over to the cot and seats himself on the edge nervously. He is completely at a loss now, and you see it is up to you to win him over. You could use an ally in this strange life, and in a strange way it amuses you that the person you have chosen is the one who killed your body. Still, considering your new body's proclivities, you can actually sympathize with Tivus to a point.
"No, I'm not crazy, so you can stop thinking that," you begin in response to his penetrating gaze. You pick up the cup and set it back on the table. "Anyway, you poisoned this drink, so you more than anyone should realize this body should be dead. I guess you can call me a wandering soul. As near as I can figure it, when this body died, the soul left, and I happened to get sucked in. I'm nothing like Gorvind, but I do have his memories and skills, as you can see. My prior body and life, however, were completely different, and I still have those memories too. So now, I have to sort through two sets of memories and try to live a life that is not truly mine, at least not yet. That is where you come in. You obviously don't like the original owner of this body, but I'm not him. Perhaps we can come to some sort of an accomodation. You help me learn how to live in this world, and I look out for you. This body obviously had more power than you, and we can use that to our advantage. However," you pause sternly, "if you try to kill me again, or if you deceive me, I'll let this body do what it wants to do with you. And I can tell you, from what I know about Gorvind, that won't be pleasant. So, what do you say?"
You can imagine how Tivus' mind must be reeling, but you are not sure how much time you have to spare. Besides, having him off balance could work to your advantage, since he won't have much time to come up with a plan to deceive you. You get the feeling he is too savvy to ask the obvious question, but you figure you'll answer it for him anyway.
"Why should you trust me?" you query rhetorically. "Well, you have no reason to, but ask yourself. If I was really Gorvind, and you tried to poison me, would I sit you down and have a conversation with you?"
You see from his eyes he knows you are speaking the truth about that, at least. His hand clenches a bit, and you feel he has come to a decision.
"All right, Vin," he says resolutely. You listen as he states that he...