foolishwren | 010. Text (image attached)

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010. Text (image attached)

_{[The entry is dated as having been sent out the previous evening, roughly when she said she'd be reporting back to begin with.]}

[Despite Heather's best efforts, her Pokegear got pretty wet in the adventure, so video and voice is out.]

[There's nothing in the transmission but a picture:
Heather, along with three others-- Kay, Luke, and Rhode-- all of them looking wet (three guesses as to where THEY were for the past few hours!), exhausted, and bedraggled, but nonetheless relieved, are among the milling crowd in Violet City's brightly-lit Pokemon Center, which as expected has been packed to the brim with relief efforts and people seeking shelter. Heather has a towel around her shoulders and is presumably holding up the Pokegear to snap the photo. She's wearing a weary grin and doing the classic thumbs-up gesture with her free hand.]

[Along with the photo, there's a caption:]

Mission Accomplished.

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... [Sigh.]

Yeah. Thanks for helping--the least I can do is try to explain. Ask me whatever you want.

Yeeeeah, not gonna lie, that wasn't exactly my first choice of things I wanted to do right after getting back from drifting around the city limits all day. _{[In terms of 'Stuff Heather wanted to do', things like getting dry and passing out for several hours were a lot higher on the list than 'Stop semi-friendly acquaintance from being a tardbox and doing something totally insane'.]}

What the hell is up with.... that? I mean-- ... okay, I know the 'totally fucking crazy' version, but I hope you don't blame me for assuming that's not the whole story? ... I mean, seriously, Hal, I don't even know how I kept a straight face during that.

_{[Poor Liquid. Not everybody treats monologues like serious business.]}

I'm really sorry. I needed the help, and I'll make it up to you however I can.

[He took a deep breath, adjusting his glasses.] I'd sit down if I were you. It's a complicated story--I'll try to give the short version.

A long time ago, the greatest soldier of my world was cloned as part of an experiment to make sure his legacy would continue. Creating the perfect soldier, something like that. The way Liquid tells it, one brother was created to be the best, designed with all the qualities that made their father the soldier he was. That was Solid Snake--Liquid was created with whatever was left over.

From what I understand, he was overlooked by his father, told he was worthless to the point where he went as crazy as he is. After all that, it almost makes sense that he'd be an exhibitionist, if just for the attention.

Don't apologize, man, I was... kinda joking. _{[But only kind of. She still wants that explanation, because let's face it, she's helped people out only to find that they were NOT the sort of person she wanted to associate with before. It kinda sucked.]}

.....

... That's quite a story.

_{[She's in no place not to believe it, though. Given HER background. But still. Whoa.]}

... And you're friends with his brother?

It's okay. Really, I seriously owe you.

...yeah. Five years ago from my perspective, Liquid took over a military base and commandeered the bipedal mecha I was working on. He wanted to build a nation of nothing but soldiers and constant war--Outer Heaven. It was his father's dream, but Snake infiltrated the base and stopped Liquid. I've worked with him ever since.

This version of Liquid, he's younger. By at least ten years. I thought maybe I could try and stop him, convince him not to hurt Snake somehow.

..... _{[It's a lot to take in. And unfortunately it SORT of points to Liquid being... exactly the kind of crazy Heather can't stand. ... Albeit sort of on the opposite end of the spectrum. His idea of 'Paradise' was quite different from Claudia's... both in method AND in madness. ... But still. It wasn't personal.]}

... So... so people are coming here from different times for real?

_{[... And then, a little belatedly...]}

... And YOUR Snake is here now, too?

_{[She hadn't realized it, but she'd already talked with him, though briefly.]}

It seems like it. I'd have trouble believing it if I hadn't seen Liquid myself.

[A long pause.]

...not quite. He's Solid Snake, but he's from about five years ahead of me. Not quite like I know him.

_{[... So what James had said might be .... no. No. It wasn't. That would be retarded.]

[There's a long, thoughtful pause on Heather's part, too.]}

... So... if he's your friend, he must be a pretty decent guy, right?

Snake? Yeah--he's the best friend I have.

_{[... In the end, all she could do for the moment was take Otacon's word for it. The survivor in her didn't like those odds-- even if she did paint herself as friendly and confident, in terms of real trust, she had a hard time placing it in anybody after all she'd been through. ... Except the person who'd brought it on her inadvertently, and at one point had aimed a gun at her head. Funny how trust worked, wasn't it?]}

... I guess he must be, then. _{[She offered him a rueful grin.]} Sorry to be so... suspicious. ... I've just been used as a means to an end by people before, and it kinda got to me after awhile.

_{[So that favor she did you last night was a pretty big leap in trust, Otacon! Be flattered.]}

I understand, Heather. Ask me anything you want, it's fine--I'm not the type to use people. I just trust you and needed help.

_{[... There was still that... little... niggling thing. Some weird little subconscious trigger that he set off. Not that it was enough to stop her from liking him. But... who did he remind her of...?]}

Heh. For what it's worth, that means a lot to me. _{[She grins a toothy grin.]} Not that you'd have any way of knowing, but I don't exactly have a great record of being trustworthy.

Anyway... it was nothing. I'm glad I could help.

No problem. If that's the case, then I guess I'm really lucky to have you as a friend.

Besides, not just anyone could stand up to Liquid like that. It was pretty amazing.

_{['Friend' was a nice word. She'd been using it relatively sparingly before she got here-- ... and had still BEEN trying. Eventually you're gonna have to own up and accept that you're making NEW friends, Heather. Otacon definitely being one of them.]}

Hah, really? I've stared down bigger, scarier things than him before. _{[Of course, those monsters were worlds different from the kind of threat Liquid was. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she had been a little worried.]} ... Admittedly, nothing that did flips all over the room and made crazy Disney Villain hand gestures, but...

I-I never thought I could say everything I did to him. Liquid always used to scare the hell out of me.

[At the Disney villain remark, Otacon burst out laughing.]

Y-you don't know the half of it! After Snake destroyed Metal Gear REX, Liquid decided to give a ten-minute lecture on genetics on top of the wreckage. Which...might have been on fire.

[Praise be to the electronic gods for skippable cutscenes.]

Well hey, you weren't so bad, yourself. _{[He had certainly seemed a lot more PISSED at Otacon's words than hers... you just never knew.]}

... Oh god. Wow. I... I think I'd have paid to see that.

I guess I just got tired of being useless.

Honestly...it might've been funny if everything wasn't on the verge of complete chaos.

Hey, you're not useless. _{[Not everybody had the guts or strength to be much use from a muscle standpoint. It wasn't a crime. Especially when you could think a lot of the more 'action'-y people under a table.]}

I'm... not gonna lie, I almost started laughing. ... But I have a feeling that if I'd done that, it would've stopped being funny in a hurry.

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010. Text (image attached)

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