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paixaorpg2006-05-09 01:33 am
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Entry tags:
Deeper into Paixao - [COMPLETED]
Character(s): Raiden, Rayne
Content; In which Raiden goes deeper into the city and reflects on the people he's met. (Anyone near here? Anyone? :D)
Setting; I8, near St. Destino Hospital
Time; Sunday - afternoon/evening
Warnings: Uber mild cursing
According to the map, Raiden was near "St. Destino" Hospital".
In other words, he was good and lost.
"Stupid piece of crap," Raiden muttered venomously at his journal. It beeped cheerfully. Raiden resisted the urge to throw it at someone.
He still wasn't quite clear what to call it; it clearly wasn't like any PDA he'd ever seen. He accessed the map function entirely by accident trying to figure the damn thing out. Ever since he found that Morrigan woman on the message board, he had been trying to pick his way through this godforsaken place and get a feel for where he was. He hadn't seen even one car here. No buses. In fact, the technological level of this place looked to be nonexistent, if it wasn't for the fact everyone seemed to be carrying the same journal device he did.
Despite how unreal this all was, Raiden tried to keep a level head about everything, as he carefully took in his new, alien surroundings. He'd always prided himself on a good memory and what with his nanomachines and their improvements, it was practically photographic now. As he walked down the street, he made sure to mentally note anything of interest or out of place.
There was a lot out of place here.
The locals, for one. He hadn't seen any old people yet and for some reason, every civilian ("Paixoan?") had blue eyes and blond hair - he probably could pass for one of them if it wasn't for his Skull Suit. The lack of any diversity at all was baffling. What was more, everyone was entirely too helpful and orderly and not once had he heard an argument break out. Money seemed to be practically arbitrary from what he saw. Even bartering seemed to be more of an option than a requirement. Raiden hadn't seen anything like it before - no amount of VR training could have prepared him for any of this. No one even seemed to notice the flood of non Paixaons, much less the fact there didn't appear to be any living plant life or wildlife at all. He wondered briefly where they got the food. He decided he didn't want to know.
Raiden ran a hand impatiently through his hair, looked down and consulted the map. The names were meaningless, all places he didn't know. He had a vague inkling where this Morrigan's mansion was, but that was it. This job lined up seemed a bit iffy, but what other choices did he have? He needed information and seeing as she looked fairly well off, she was probably his best bet for the time being.
The FOXHOUND operative crossed the cobblestone street, glancing around carefully and taking in every detail. Houses here were a bit on the rundown side here and the St. Destino hospital had a decidedly creepy air to it, looking like it was slumping down in exhaustion. He hurried past it, his strides quickening for a moment. It gave him shivers for some reason.
Raiden took his mind off the place and tried to organize what he knew so far. He had made contact with a few of the non-locals. They seemed human enough...at least they exhibited real emotions. The other American - Asuka, was it? - seemed alright, if a bit on the hot-tempered side. Kind of moody too, like a kid sister might be (Raiden couldn't help being glad he was an only child if sisters could be like that). Asuka reminded him a bit like Rose when Rose got pissed off, which meant she could get scary.
Raiden knew well enough that when you were around people like that, and they got Pissed Off, you booked it the hell out of there.
Jenet seemed...interesting. That was the only word he think of. He hadn't seen her face to face yet, but he couldn't help but be a little intrigued by the woman. You have a girlfriend, dammit. He wondered if they would ever meet - now that he thought about it, meeting had never come up. Might not be a good idea to mention it until he knew more about this Paixao place. If things got hairy, he would like at least to have a general idea of all the escape routes and good defensive positions. He didn't want to trust his journal alone for that information. Still, he figured that of all the people he had met, this Jenet seemed the most on top of things.
And that Genjo Sanzo guy?
That was easy. The guy was a dick.
Content; In which Raiden goes deeper into the city and reflects on the people he's met. (Anyone near here? Anyone? :D)
Setting; I8, near St. Destino Hospital
Time; Sunday - afternoon/evening
Warnings: Uber mild cursing
According to the map, Raiden was near "St. Destino" Hospital".
In other words, he was good and lost.
"Stupid piece of crap," Raiden muttered venomously at his journal. It beeped cheerfully. Raiden resisted the urge to throw it at someone.
He still wasn't quite clear what to call it; it clearly wasn't like any PDA he'd ever seen. He accessed the map function entirely by accident trying to figure the damn thing out. Ever since he found that Morrigan woman on the message board, he had been trying to pick his way through this godforsaken place and get a feel for where he was. He hadn't seen even one car here. No buses. In fact, the technological level of this place looked to be nonexistent, if it wasn't for the fact everyone seemed to be carrying the same journal device he did.
Despite how unreal this all was, Raiden tried to keep a level head about everything, as he carefully took in his new, alien surroundings. He'd always prided himself on a good memory and what with his nanomachines and their improvements, it was practically photographic now. As he walked down the street, he made sure to mentally note anything of interest or out of place.
There was a lot out of place here.
The locals, for one. He hadn't seen any old people yet and for some reason, every civilian ("Paixoan?") had blue eyes and blond hair - he probably could pass for one of them if it wasn't for his Skull Suit. The lack of any diversity at all was baffling. What was more, everyone was entirely too helpful and orderly and not once had he heard an argument break out. Money seemed to be practically arbitrary from what he saw. Even bartering seemed to be more of an option than a requirement. Raiden hadn't seen anything like it before - no amount of VR training could have prepared him for any of this. No one even seemed to notice the flood of non Paixaons, much less the fact there didn't appear to be any living plant life or wildlife at all. He wondered briefly where they got the food. He decided he didn't want to know.
Raiden ran a hand impatiently through his hair, looked down and consulted the map. The names were meaningless, all places he didn't know. He had a vague inkling where this Morrigan's mansion was, but that was it. This job lined up seemed a bit iffy, but what other choices did he have? He needed information and seeing as she looked fairly well off, she was probably his best bet for the time being.
The FOXHOUND operative crossed the cobblestone street, glancing around carefully and taking in every detail. Houses here were a bit on the rundown side here and the St. Destino hospital had a decidedly creepy air to it, looking like it was slumping down in exhaustion. He hurried past it, his strides quickening for a moment. It gave him shivers for some reason.
Raiden took his mind off the place and tried to organize what he knew so far. He had made contact with a few of the non-locals. They seemed human enough...at least they exhibited real emotions. The other American - Asuka, was it? - seemed alright, if a bit on the hot-tempered side. Kind of moody too, like a kid sister might be (Raiden couldn't help being glad he was an only child if sisters could be like that). Asuka reminded him a bit like Rose when Rose got pissed off, which meant she could get scary.
Raiden knew well enough that when you were around people like that, and they got Pissed Off, you booked it the hell out of there.
Jenet seemed...interesting. That was the only word he think of. He hadn't seen her face to face yet, but he couldn't help but be a little intrigued by the woman. You have a girlfriend, dammit. He wondered if they would ever meet - now that he thought about it, meeting had never come up. Might not be a good idea to mention it until he knew more about this Paixao place. If things got hairy, he would like at least to have a general idea of all the escape routes and good defensive positions. He didn't want to trust his journal alone for that information. Still, he figured that of all the people he had met, this Jenet seemed the most on top of things.
And that Genjo Sanzo guy?
That was easy. The guy was a dick.
no subject
He shouldn't be tired, now that he thought about it. A little food or water deprivation shouldn't be a problem, not with his nanomachines. The Skull Suit felt the same as before, with that strange, almost suffocating pressure that indicated it was still working in conjunction with his internal nanomachines to keep his body at top form. He'd assumed that it would curb a little fatigue while it was at it. There was the problem of food; Skull Suit or not, he'd have to eat and drink sometime and he hadn't exactly brought his wallet with him to the Big Shell mission.
There's no way I'm just going to walk into a store and steal their food, Raiden frowned, gazing at some of the oblivious locals passing by. He could probably get away with it but that didn't make it right. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. He would've preferred the terrorists to the Paixaons (or whatever they preferred to be called).
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Rayne wandered a decent amount, noticing the other people around her were all blonds. Not a shred of difference among them, aside from height and attire. They hardly glanced her way. Well, Rayne smirked to herself, she’d have a steady diet here. Excellent. Enough people around that they wouldn’t miss one a night or so.
She idly played with one of her blades, flicking it back and forth as she paused, looking around to get her bearings. Wasn’t there a map of this place somewhere? She did have a good sense of direction, but she would rather see a layout of the place before she did any heavy exploration. Then something caught her eye.
There was a man not too far from her, sitting on a curb, wearing a most bizarre outfit. ’What the hell…’ Rayne’s brows furrowed. Her curiosity was piqued. She’d never seen anything like it, the closest being the Nazi uniforms she’d seen in Argentina and Germany. And those were nowhere near what the man was wearing. Figuring there was nothing to lose, she walked over to the strangely-attired man, her blades tucked behind her arms. “What on earth are you wearing?” she asked high-handedly once she was close enough, standing before him with hands on her hips.
Now that was more like something out of a hallucination.
no subject
Startled, Raiden looked up.
There was a woman standing imperiously in front of him, hands on her hips in a no-nonsense fashion. The first thing he noticed was the rather wicked looking blades seemingly attached to her arms - they looked like they could easily take off a man's head. Half-relieved that here was someone who wasn't wandering around in a world of their own, half-concerned that those blades were a bit too close to his person for his liking, Raiden managed to keep his eyes up front. She had a downright distracting figure.
Eyes on her face, Raiden carefully held up his hands, slowly getting to his feet to show he wasn't an enemy.
"It's called a Skull Suit," Raiden replied neutrally. He was painfully aware of how vulnerable he was - he doubted he'd have a chance with his M9 if she did anything and the utterly confident, almost lazy way the strange woman held herself told him that he'd probably have more than he could handle in hand-to-hand combat, VR-training or not.
"What are those?" Raiden warily nodded his head to the blades on her arms, trying to sound conversational.
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"A Skull Suit?" she asked, confused. Like that answered everything in one fell swoop. Was it common knowledge what that was? No. Definitely no. But before she could pry more, he asked about her weapons. "Oh, these," she said with a laugh. "They're my custom blades." With a subtle movement of her wrists, she reversed the direction of the blades in demonstration, holding them out to her sides. "They increase my reach substantially. I think you have a good idea of what I do with them. But I can demonstrate if you like." She grinned wickedly, lowering her arms again.
no subject
"I'm Raiden," he said. He tried to look friendly and approachable, but the most he got out was a tired little half-smile that didn't quite reach his pale eyes. "I'm from the United States," he added.
The FOXHOUND operative didn't hold out his hand for introductions. There wasn't any sense in bothering anymore.
At this point, he was starting to doubt she'd come from the same time, much less the same place. Raiden was careful not to ogle the woman in front of him - she was well-endowed in just about all the right places (making Rose look plain by comparison, no small feat there) and he thought it safe not to start getting in trouble because his eyes were in the wrong place at the wrong time. There seemed to be something off with this woman though. Something he had noticed when she was talking. Something with her teeth. Raiden was probably imagining things, but he thought some of them looked almost inhumanly sharp.
no subject
She noted that the young man’s eyes kept wandering. It made her smirk somewhat. She had intended her outfit to be distracting to men. While they were busy ogling her, it made it easy to attach her lips to their neck, or to spring a bladed surprise attack on them. It had worked flawlessly many times before. If the man before her were an enemy, he’d already be dead. Luckily he posed no threat in his weird costume.
She pointed her blades back to the safe position. “I’m Rayne,” she said curtly. He had been courteous in offering his name, so she offered the same back to him. “Do you live in this place by any chance? I’m pretty lost, and I like to know exactly where I am at any given time.” She gave a sweet smile, this time giving Raiden a much clearer look at her incisors. “Be a dear and help me?”
no subject
Raiden felt an urge to sit down again and rub at the growing headache: it hurt after a while trying to remain calmly skeptical about all this BS.
"I don't live in this place and I'm glad I don't," Raiden said, suddenly fierce. He wished he'd actual ordnance on him - he had a sudden, uncharacteristic urge to blow up some of these too-perfect houses, if only to see whether any of the locals would even notice.
"I'm lost just like you are and to tell you the truth, I'm weirded the fuck out by all of this," Raiden glared pointedly at his surroundings, glowering in particular at a passing Paixaon - the young man gave him a sunny smile and waved, making Raiden's teeth grind together in irritation. He clenched his fists, resolved. He really had to get going and head to this Morrigan woman; she had to know something about this place and maybe help him get the hell out. He didn't think he could take this all as well as he had if this kept up.
The young FOXHOUND operative took a deep breath, calming himself. Rayne might(?) be a vampire, but she had just arrived, confused, like he had. Supposed vampire or not, he didn't have any right lashing out at her like that.
"...I'm sorry, Rayne," Raiden apologized quietly. "I'm still trying to take all this in myself. I'm just frustrated because it's like I'm stuck here. I don't know how much I can help show you around, but I'm heading toward someone who might be able to help you more than I can. Maybe I can get you that far, at least."
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First things first. “You’re trapped here?” She tilted her head some. “I may be mistaken, but I came into this place through a great big gate.” She pointed back over her shoulder. “You could always just walk right back out. Though if you’re anything like me, just dumped on your ass in this shithole without rhyme or reason, it may not be so easy. I’d keep looking. A way in always has a counterpart.”
She paused, then offered a thin smile. “Someone else could help me more than you? That, I’m sure of. You haven’t even told me what the hell a Skull Suit is.” Her eyes swept him once again. “I’ve never seen anything like it, though it’s probably not important conversation right now. Anyway, thanks for your offer, but I think I’d rather go on my own route. If you’re going, go. I’d rather find out as much as I can through my own…experience, if you catch my drift.”
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"I am looking for a way out, actually," Raiden admitted slowly. "I just woke up here the other day - I was surrounded by ocean before then. I don't think it's quite as easy as just waltzing on out, but you're right. People can't just get sucked in without an exit somewhere. The problem is finding it. And getting used to all...all this."
Raiden waved a gloved hand in annoyance at the passersby and the housing, at the strangely painted, quaint domes overhead. He tried to keep his temper in check as he recalled what she said before: he had to admit that he probably couldn't be much help here. Not when he was pretty much unarmed - the point of the Big Shell mission was he'd procure all his weaponry and ordnance on-site from the terrorists, so that he couldn't be traced back.
Someone needs to seriously fix that damn rule, Raiden thought, exasperated. It would've made situations like this easier to deal with if he was actually armed.
"As for this Skull Suit?" Raiden thought quickly. It was supposed to be hush-hush, but at this rate, the secrecy might not even matter. "It's basically a 'smart skin', made with electrofiber technology. It's linked up with my nanomachines through a bio-feedback system to monitor my health and improve my physical performance."
Textbook definition. Raiden was momentarily surprised how flat he'd sounded just then. As if the very thing protecting his life was nothing worth mentioning. He shrugged, glancing down at the Paixao PDA-device in his hands. "Well, I won't stop you if you want to go do your own thing. What you do isn't my business, is it?"
Raiden glanced north, his pale eyes narrowing slightly. The domes were hell to his sense of time, but he guessed it was probably afternoon by now. A part of him longed to see the old, familiar amber glow of the sun.
Something real.
"Rayne, I'm going to head toward this 'Morrigan', but if you ever need to get in touch with me for any reason, I think we can use these," Raiden held up the hand-held journal, "to contact each other. Probably not as reliable or safe as Codec, but it works. Just in case, if you catch my drift."
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And then came the explanation about the suit. Raiden’s flat tone quickly drove home the meaning of ‘curiosity killed the cat.’ Her eyes just about glazed over with all the technical mumbo-jumbo jargon he gave her. Well, she did want to know what it was, but it was clearly beyond her comprehension.
“Uhm, splendid,” she replied, forcing a smile. “Your suit–yeah. Thumbs up there.” What the hell was that all about? He was definitely from another world. Funny how she had been doubtful of other worlds until now. Either that, or this hallucination was reeeeeeally strong. She hadn’t decided yet.
And then she had to bite back a laugh. What he said next was impossible. Rayne held up the small metallic box between two fingers, staring at it. “Raiden, maybe you’ve been in this place too long. Unless this… thing is just going to sprout a telephone of sorts, I don’t think we can use it to, er, contact each other. I don’t even know why they gave it out at the gate. Paperweights make great gifts, sure, but giving one to everybody is a little excessive.” She glanced at Raiden expectantly, “I don’t know what Codec is either, so I’ve not only missed your drift but any boats as well.”
no subject
"Hey, you asked about the Suit, I gave you an honest answer," Raiden replied, sounding a little nettled. "Sorry if the only way to say it was so technical."
This woman kept pushing his buttons and he had absolutely no idea how to react to her: she was unreadable, unpredictable, in a fashion that Raiden hadn't ever encountered before. She seemed..."ageless", if that even made any sense at all. Her blatant derision about his suggestion made him flush slightly in rebellious irritation, as if he was nothing more but a teenager who didn't know any better. Not only that, but the utter lack of familiarity with even something so common as a PDA was downright baffling; the way she looked at the things, he was surprised she even knew what a telephone was.
"This thing could be helpful - it's not just a paperweight," Raiden continued, stung. He didn't appreciate being talked down to. "I don't know where or when you claim to come from, but this looks like a computer from where I'm from."
Raiden paused, trying to figure out how to explain this. He might have to assume she didn't even know what a computer was and he was startled to realize he wouldn't know even how to accurately describe one in the first place without getting technical.
Like this could get any more awkward. Christ...
"A computer's like...it's kind of like this machine that stores information, Rayne. It can act like a telephone, except with printed words rather than voices. A small computer like that," Raiden nodded toward the one in Rayne's hand, "can contact other people with the same machine. I've already tried it - it definitely works and I've managed to talk to a few people with it. I can't tell you why they were giving them out for free, but they do have their uses. They might not even have phones here, so this might be the only way to even contact people aside from face-to-face contact.
The young FOXHOUND operative gestured at his ear, trying to be patient and an adult about all of this. "Codec is basically the same as a computer. I've something called 'nanomachines' that they've injected in my blood which makes Codec function - they're like millions of tiny computers in my bloodstream, I suppose. Codec's the most secure way of communication where I come from. It's kind of like having a telephone implanted in the bones of your ear: no one can eavesdrop unless you let them. I'm guessing you don't have nanomachines, so Codec is a moot point anyway."
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“Codec sounds, ah, interesting,” Rayne said awkwardly. Nanomachines? Computers? What…? It was all so confusing. All this information being thrown at her! If this wasn’t a hallucination, she didn’t even want to think about the kind of world this guy came from. It was obvious this place was not her world, or his, so they had been brought here somehow. All right. She could understand that. But not everything in life had a neat ‘why’ answer, so she wasn’t going to attempt that one. She was here now. She could handle that much.
“So this is a computer.” Rayne looked at the small box in her hands. A machine that stores information? “Okay.” Don’t question the how or why. Just accept that it is. “And we can talk to each other through it?” That was doubtful. She found a catch on the side of it and undid it. She opened the box and found little letters and a miniature screen. “What is this? A typewriter and a very tiny cinema screen? How interesting!” She poked at it curiously, and jumped when it made beeping sounds. “This thing is odd! Ah! The screen glows!” She stared at it incredulously. Her mind screamed for the whys of it all. She doubted even Raiden would know how it worked. It just did.
Rayne poked at the buttons some more. “It makes letters on the screen and not on paper,” she observed to herself. She glanced up at Raiden. He must think her an idiot. Well, so what. Most men thought women were nothing more than tits and asses anyway. Let him think what he wanted. She was fascinated, and the little computer-thing held her attention fast. She was determined to figure it out like a new toy.
When she looked up again, she smiled delightedly. “Well, thank you, Raiden, for all your information. If you’re going to meet this Morrigan, I think you ought to go soon. She’s probably expecting you, after all, and I don’t want to keep you for any longer than I should. You’ve been a great help.” Even though she couldn’t understand most of what he’d told her.
no subject
Watching Rayne's increasing wonder at the PDA, Raiden couldn't help a boyishly lop-sided grin himself: her smile was infectious - now that it didn't give off that vibe of pure sarcasm - and it was almost amusing watching her turn over the device in her hand as she made sounds of wonder. When you lived around computers practically all your life, they turned into something taken for granted, something he hadn't bothered really looking closer at; rather like the Internet, he guessed. There were ethical and social issues surrounding them, but he hadn't given it much thought; he hadn't ever thought computers were that special before.
Still, if she hadn't ever seen a computer before, that left him to wonder what era she came from. She said she was from the US, didn't she? She did, he was sure of it. And he recalled her mentioning a telephone, typewriter and a "cinema". The "cinema" bit caught his attention: he hadn't heard anyone call a movie that before. It was downright archaic. If she hadn't heard of computers, it was probable she was from the 1950's. Maybe earlier. Maybe if he'd paid better attention in his history classes, he could've narrowed it down. So 50's at latest would have to be his best guess. Even if that was true, he was amazed she could go around dressed like...like that. Her attire didn't exactly fit what he'd seen in all the movies.
She was anything but a 50's housewife. He couldn't really picture her happily and submissively waiting at home for any man.
Still, he couldn't figure out the reason for that outfit. It was nice to look at, sure, flashy too but he didn't think it was the most appropriate thing to wear for combat, especially not with all those exposed vital spots - for one thing, her stomach was exposed, which practically screamed "target".
Raiden had to tear his eyes away again from Rayne. For some reason they kept drifting over of their own free will and he angrily reminded himself yet again that he had a girlfriend. One who would kick his ass three ways to Sunday if she thought he was looking at other women. Rose was scary enough already when her fears were unjustified: he couldn't even imagine what she'd be like if she was actually right for once. He was a guy, yeah, and Rayne was definitely (very) attractive, true, but he wasn't that big of an an asshole to think it was okay running after other women just because Rose wasn't here.
"You're welcome, Rayne. I try to do what I can," Raiden said, a little more gruffly then he intended. He cleared his throat, all business now. "My meeting with this Morrigan isn't until tomorrow, actually. Anyway, a few minutes won't make a difference."
He nodded pointedly to her journal.
"I can show you how to communicate with me and others through this, if you'd like. I don't know what else it can do yet, but I do know it does have communication abilities and a map of this city.
no subject
Rayne almost didn’t hear Raiden, she was so absorbed in the small computer-box. It did strange things when she pressed the buttons, mostly results that showed up on the mini-cinema screen. It was amazing, really. Why didn’t they have these things in her world? It would have made keeping contact with Mynce so much easier. Things wouldn’t have had unfolded as they did.
Her regrets spurred her back to reality, and she looked up to meet Raiden’s eyes. She pushed back her childlike enthusiasm and promptly looked. “You’d show me that? Really. And how much would it cost me? I’m not inclined to pay for what I could find out on my own. I’m not the type to do favors, either. So if you’re some self-appointed teacher or something, I’ll pass.” If it wasn’t money, it’d be sex. And that was not happening.
Harsh, especially to a stranger. She thought better of it. “Thanks for the offer, though,” she said tightly. “It’s more than most people would do.”
no subject
Raiden looked like he'd been slapped in the face - naive he might be about certain things, but he was hardly stupid. He got the underlying meaning what she said. His pale face flushed slightly as he stiffened in offense.
"I wasn't going to ask for anything!" he protested, stunned. He gritted his teeth, starting to get angry this time, convinced he should've just left before another crazy person jumped him. He should've just booked it the moment she started going on about those arm blades of hers. "I don't know what people are like where you come from, but where I come from, just because a man offers help doesn't mean he's expecting anything."
He tried to calm down before he started getting really pissed off, counting to three and taking a deep, stabilizing breath. Okay. So she thought he probably expected some kind of sexual favor for offering to help her with the PDA. Not cool. The very idea made Raiden want to shudder. She might be attractive, but he wasn't the unfaithful sort. Trying to get laid with another woman just didn't fall into the Okay Category.
And anyway, he'd had it. He'd had it with all the insane shit going down here and he'd had it with all these girls - women in some cases - making him feel like the crazy-commit-me-to-the-asylum one here. He got ready to go, body language terse.
"Forget I said anything," Raiden threw up his hands, muttering under his breath. "I'm sorry I even offered."
He could feel another pounding headache coming on now. It probably was the nanomachines this time - somehing in Paixao didn't agree with them - but he stubbornly held onto the belief that it probably didn't help that he was surrounded by utter insanity.
no subject
“I see that you’ve had enough,” she said almost triumphantly. Oh, he was ridiculously easy to annoy. Maybe he was that way naturally. Maybe this place had pushed him to his limits. He did mention before that he had arrived ‘the other day.’ How long ago that had been was questionable, especially if the place distorted time. But… that could be considered later. Thoughts like that tended to make her head hurt. “You certainly are an exceptional one, Mr. Raiden,” she said, her eyes sweeping him cursorily. “I think I’ll be able to figure out this silly little chunk of metal and light on my own.” She waved the little computer thing at him. “It shouldn’t take a genius to work it, especially if they are given out like candy at the gates.”
She shifted her weight impatiently. There was an interesting building nearby that she was eager to investigate. It might be empty and it could serve as no-cost housing. Parts of it seemed run down and would likely be abandoned. It could be her base of operations. Rayne was hardly used to luxury, and she could make herself comfortable there with very little effort.
First things first. Raiden had offered to help her in his own interesting way. He did give her some slight answers. The very least she could do was offer him a second chance. “If you truly want to help me, even without payment, fine. But if I’ve somehow offended your sensitive tastes and worldviews, I’ll be on my way. If that is the case, I’ll wish you luck with that Morrigan woman tomorrow and go. It hardly matters to me.”
no subject
Raiden bristled under Rayne's gaze, ignoring the PDA getting waved in his face as if it was just a child's toy. He made a vague brushing aside motion, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he struggled to keep his temper in check. He was not in the best of moods, infernal nanomachine-headache or not, and he most certainly didn't like being treated like an idiot or some kind of delicate wallflower for no good reason.
I bet Solid Snake never had to take this kind of crap, Raiden thought wistfully. Despite the whole awkward fact Snake was supposed to be a terrorist (according to the intel), Raiden was pretty damn sure that the biggest badass of all time wouldn't just sit here and take it.
It occurred to him that he picked an awfully difficult man to idolize, what with Solid Snake 1). being a terrorist and 2). being dead.
Awkward indeed.
Anyway, he wasn't Solid Snake and he'd have to figure his way out of this mess on his own. Glancing warily at Rayne's impressive arm blades, Raiden decided he'd probably be better off on his own for now. No telling if he'd wake up minus a head one day if he went with this bizarre redhead and he'd really rather keep his head attached to his shoulders for the time being, thank you very much.
"I'm not hanging around, Rayne," Raiden shook his head, holding up his hands. "I've had it up to here with the insanity in this place and I'm not going to sit around here any longer. If you've got a question about the PDA or something, okay, I'll help you quickly. I'll show you how to communicate with other people through it, but after that, I've got to go."
He pulled out his own PDA, exasperated with himself. I get pushed around too goddamn easily, he grumbled, as he quickly pointed out the menus and functions of the handheld device outloud to Rayne. It was one thing to get pushed around by Rose all the time - he supposed she nagged because she cared, which was the only reason he tolerated it - but getting pushed around by a strange woman who acted like computers were a "silly" children's novelty was just too damn much. He drew the line somewhere and Rayne was far beyond that line.
Raiden couldn't wait to get back to Big Shell.
The Colonel ordered him to keep his presence to a minimum there, but Raiden thought he deserved to knock some terrorist skulls together after all this, Sneaking mission or not.
no subject
Despite Raiden’s quick, curt manner, she learned everything she needed to about the device. She committed everything to memory, as she was nearly certain she wouldn’t be able to bully anyone else to such an extent without getting into some kind of fight or tussle. Fun as he was to annoy, Rayne didn’t want to fight Raiden. After all, the day was on its way to an end, and the day was the time she normally spent at rest. She did have a few hours of rest under her belt, true, but it wouldn’t be enough to sustain her through a fight. Besides, the fellow was clearly unarmed, and she doubted his fancy outfit would protect him much.
“Well, Raiden, thanks for the lesson.” She grinned, showing fangs to best advantage. It was wonderful to have her way. As it always should be. “I doubt I’ll have need to contact you, but I’ll look for you on this network thing you talked about. And who knows. That Morrigan woman might be too much for you to handle.” She laughed. “I’m very interested in how that little meeting will go. Do write about it on your computer. For now, I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” Still vastly amused, she backed off, making an extravagant, mocking bow at him, and then she quickly leaped into the air to land on a nearby rooftop. She was still within eyeshot of Raiden, and so she turned to blow him a kiss before she ran off more.
The run-down building, which turned out to be one St. Destino Hospital, looked more and more inviting with every moment.
no subject
Raiden didn't get a chance to say anything before Rayne was gone. He watched her make it to the top of a building with a single bound and coyly blow him a kiss. A shiver ran up his spine. Once she was out of sight, Raiden checked to make sure everything was still attached to his person.
Head still on. Check.
Arms and limbs everywhere and intact. Double check.
Balls still there? They most certainly were, thank God.
Satisfied that he was still more or less in one piece after another encounter, Raiden turned, glancing down at the Paixao map and suppressing a wince. The nanomachine-headache seemed to come and go, ebbing only to return in full force later, capable of almost flooring him at times. Sometimes it was just an irritating buzz at the back of his skull, a kind of annoyingly harmless white noise, while other times he'd be forced to sit down and close his eyes trying to will it away. Something about this Paixao was messing around with the nanomachines inside him and he wasn't altogether sure just what else the effects might be if they were rejecting this place like this.
The FOXHOUND operative had read some of the reported incidents of nanomachines malfunctioning or rejecting an owner; the accounts hadn't been pretty, to understate it. Hopefully this wasn't one of those cases, he mused. Maybe it was something just temporary. Like jet lag.
Promising himself that he'd rest and try to sleep off the headache soon, Raiden got up and began to head north once more. He hoped he wouldn't run into any women any time soon - he had his share of crazy girls for the day.