foolishwren | 038. Text/Action (forward-dated and/or back-dated (lol what is timelines) to arrival in Goldenrod.

_{[CIVILIZATION. PAVEMENT. RUNNING WATER THAT IS NOT FROM A RIVER. BEDS WITH SHEETS.]

[After finally reaching the edge of the city with Kaito, one way or another, Heather's obtained one of those much-sought-after hotel rooms after a long day of worn-out job-hunting, which she apparently set off to do the moment she got into town. You can't say she's not dedicated. It took awhile to find a place that would be impressed enough with a bedraggled ex-fugitive traveler (even though she HAD grabbed a quick shower in the Pokemon Center to make herself a little more presentable), but she'd finally found one in the form of a cashier in the department store.]

[Work started sharp the next day, which meant that here and now-- after a good month of roughing it in the wilderness and little to no normal creature comforts, Heather was finally able to wobble into a room that she didn't have to sneak into. You know how good that feels?]

[Answer: REALLY FRIGGING GOOD.]

[Backpack? Tossed on the floor. Vest? Chucked over in the little chair by the window. HEATHER? Flopped onto the bed, just long enough to rattle off a text message containing the words she's been waiting to type for WEEKS.]}

MADE IT TO GOLDENROD, BITCHES

AW YEAH



now I am going to take the longest shower in the history of mankind

and NO ONE CAN STOP ME

are you a bad enough dude to stop me? No. Nobody is. Sorry, it's just the truth.



Be back later

If you wanna contact me and I don't answer, don't panic. It'll be ok

As I said, I am taking the longest shower in the history of ever and I'm not coming out until my fingers are so pruney they look like scary old grandma hands.


OKAY ANYWAY BYE

HOT WATER IS CALLING AND ONLY I CAN ANSWER IT.

_{[Five minutes later]}

Oh my god you guys, this place is so fancy, it has LOOFAHS

this is so hardcore

brb scraping off the dirt from my skin with the body of a dead sea creature impaled on a stick, LIKE A MAN

_{[... Looks like someone's excited about being back in business for real.]}

_{[ooc: Action for those in Goldenrod regardless of timeframe-- they can encounter her when she enters the city, while she was waiting around in the Goldenrod Department Store trying to pick up a job, when she staggered into the lobby of the hotel towards the end of the day, OR later that night once she's finished with the SHOWER TO END ALL SHOWERS. She'll be around.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

_{[Heather lifted her hands and rubbed them into her eyes, groaning.]}

Nnkay... so... what am I supposed to do?

Dissuade him. He listens to you.

Considering I just convinced him he didn't have something deeply wrong with him for liking you?

Bit too late for that.

_{[UH OH. YOU'VE GOT A DOUBLE AGENT ON YOUR HANDS, LIQUID.]}

There isn't anything wrong with him.

[It was Liquid who wasn't suitable for ~~wasn't worthy~~ being Hal's lover. Hal deserved someone who could love him back; Liquid didn't think that he'd be able to do that.]

Right. I forgot you're a shattered, irreparable China glass plate.

[Not shattered, maybe, but certainly cracked.]

I'm not joking, Heather. I'm not what he wants.

[He wanted his brother, and if Snake had been young and strong as he was in Otacon's world, the engineer wouldn't have given Liquid a second glance. Liquid was an acceptable substitute, what Hal could settle for now that the superior wasn't available.]

[He had always been just a substitute.]

And who're you to tell him what he wants?

_{[Heather couldn't claim to know all the nitty gritty dynamics between Otacon and the two brothers, nor was she trying to. But still. Gawd.]}

I'm not blind, Heather. I can see what he wants.

He wants the Snake that he knew in his world, and he sees a shadow of my brother in me.

So you think he's shallow, then.

_{[Heather's just gonna keep twisting your words until you give a little, Liquid.]}

Does everything always have to have a deep reason, Heather?

[Liquid doesn't give an inch on anything.]

It's my brother he cares for, and I have my brother's face.

[If he let his hair grow out, there would hardly be any different between himself and Snake. Just an accent, and maybe the color of their eyes.]

Is it really so hard to believe that he would want me for that?

[It wasn't as though there was any other reason for Otacon to want him.]

_{[Neither does Heather! ... Usually.]

[She finally sat up, growling under her breath.]}

Yes, because I've met plenty of people who fall head over heels with someone just for their looks. Hal's not one of 'em. There's more to him than that.

I've MET Snake. He's a cool dude, I like him.

But he's nothing like you.

M'pretty sure that just because you might LOOK like he used to wouldn't matter if he didn't like the rest of you, too.

_{[Keep pushing it, Liquid. Heather might punch you soon.]}

[But he's nothing like you.]

He isn't, is he.

[He was perfect. Perfection had been built into him on a fundamental level, just as Liquid was fundamentally flawed.]

Even if what you said is true... I'm not a very good choice for more than just a one-night stand. Hal will want someone who can love him in return-- I can't. If I ever had the capacity for such a thing, I don't anymore.

_{[OH STOP IT LIQUID THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE MEANT. Snake is hardly her idea of perfection. Even if he is pretty ripped for an old dude, hot damn.]}

'While ago you told me that I was your friend.

I think that if you're human enough to have friends, you're human enough to love. Somehow. Maybe it wouldn't be easy, but it's not impossible.

_{[She turned around a little on the bed to face him, frowning.]}

I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But I'm not gonna play watchdog and stop Otacon from getting closer to you just because you're totally delusional and have the self-esteem of a slice of lemon, all right?

Otacon's your friend, too. That doesn't need to change. But don't shut him down just because you think he wants your hot bod and doesn't care about the rest of you.

[And yet it had been so similar to the things his father had told him.

'You're nothing compared to Snake.'

'Your brother is twice the soldier you'll ever be.'

'At least your brother turned out to be worth something.']

There is a world of difference between caring for someone and loving them, I would think.

[He'd cared about things before-- prior to coming here, he'd at least cared about himself, if nothing else. But he'd never loved, nor been given it.]

...I would have at least been able to understand that.

[He could have understood if Otacon only wanted him for his body or his resemblance to Snake.]

_{[If only he'd voiced this out loud-- she'd have set him straight so firmly he wouldn't even know what hit him. ... But he hadn't, so she didn't know.]}

It's not as different as you think.

There's a lot of different kinds of love. Caring for somebody isn't so far away.

_{[She trails off there, possibly thinking about just what he meant by that. ... The truth was, she sort of understood.]}

... The other thing about it is that it's not easy to understand, either.

_{[Shrugging her shoulders, she looked over at Liquid, expression solemn.]}

Not everyone's just looking for their own gain when they want to be close to somebody.

... A lot of people are... but not everybody. Not Otacon.

[His father's cruelty wasn't really something that came up in conversation very much.]

...

[He only knew how to deal with people who were out to use him for their own gain. He was used to there always being an ulterior motive for someone to get close to him; it was the same with him. The only reasons he'd had in the past to actually get close to someone was for the purpose of putting a knife in them later.]

[Telling him that there were people who wouldn't use him was like telling him that unicorns were real-- it would be nice if it was true, but all practical evidence was pointing to the contrary.]

...I know. He's a good man.

[Liquid wasn't. His brother was the hero; he was never cut out for that role.]

_{[Heather was well-acquainted with being used. She'd been used by most people in her life, after all-- even ones who legitimately loved her. Like Claudia had. But she was also lucky. She'd had Harry to prove to her that not everyone would do that.]}

Then maybe it's about time that you found out what it was like to have a good man care about you.

_{[Since it obviously had not happened before.]}

038. Text/Action (forward-dated and/or back-dated (lol what is timelines) to arrival in Goldenrod.

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