fissionmailed | Snowball fight, anyone? 8D

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Snowball fight, anyone? 8D

[James has been getting antsy and so, even though he's been warned that going into random rooms is dangerous, he's eager to take on any challenge today. Energetically, he flings open a random, seemingly normal door, and enters a room, temporarily blinded by a cold gust that suddenly kicks up snow.]

[Once the initial wind dies down, James finds himself in a pure white snowy field. It's nearly immaculate, fresh and untouched. There's an old log cabin off to the side and on its porch stands some kind of weaponry that James has never seen before. Very curious now, he rushes towards it, and starts to hear an interesting whirring sound...]

[... before he gets hit right in the stomach with a snowball, nearly losing his breath at the hard impact. He doesn't notice the TARGETS HIT: 0/3 counter above his head, either...]

((Welcome to the SNOWBALL FIGHT room! You must hit three people with snowballs in order to leave. :3 There are special snowball-shooting weapons stored in the log cabin if you can reach it... as for what kinds of weapons they are, I leave that up to you. :3))

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Okay. [An attempt at a smirk. It quickly dissipates thanks to his teeth getting cold.]

Right - it is. [Hal looks up just to make sure. He nods, trying to keep his talking to a minimum. The man spots Snake's filled counter then turns and walks towards the exit, watching his white breath fill the air in front of him. Emmerich leaves the room, holding the door open for the other two, and sighs into the warmth of the hall.]

Much better.

It is.

[Jupiter still has her very nice doggiecoat, too.]

[The man closes the door behind the three of them, really glad to be out of the cold.]

So, what do you want to do now?

[He looks over at him. Hal doesn't have plans.]

Well, I dunno, I'm still getting my bearing here...

[Lonely old man is lonely. Can you tell?]

[Hal rubs his cool hands together.] There's a few nice location rooms here. There's a beach, a tropical jungle, and the roof. Want to go visit one of those?

[He can help Dave be not lonely.]

A beach, huh? [The jungle might be too much for Jupiter.]

...What's the roof like?

[The man nods.] There are... 3 scattered around that I've visited. They're all pretty nice.

I guess its just a regular roof. [Emmerich shrugs minutely.] It has a gazebo and a small garden. The place is great if you want some fresh air.

So, where to, Snake?

[He wouldn't mind any of them himself.]

...I'd like to see the beach, I think. [Grins!]

[The last time he visited the beach was a long time ago.]

[Hal nods then walks off, arriving at one of them. Soon after entering the room, his attire completely changes (http://209.197.9.112/f4n6v3z2/cds/uberreview.com/wp-content/uploads/rubiks-cube-swim-trunks.jpg?dopvhost=cdn.uberreview.com&doppl=1e71d721535087ab530087ab82c58ec5&dopsig=8e3b79352d5d3ecfdfb0e73b644c9c61). The man looks down at it, internally sweatdropping. A identical green towel also appears in his grasp along with a bottle of sunscreen. Emmerich doesn't turn around but he addresses the man anyway.]

Oh, right, some of the rooms dress you when you enter them. Our regular clothes will come back after we leave.

[There are scars on the front of Hal's body he doesn't want his friend to see quite yet.]

[Blinkblink. The old Snake's clothes have changed to. His has green snakes in it.]

Ahhh. [Enjoyes the warmth. Wonders a bit why Hal isn't facing him when he talks to him, but doesn't ask...yet.]

[Jupiter now that a suncap on.]

[Emmerich walks off, assuming Snake will follow him. His feet dig into the warm sand then he stops near the water, closing his eyes to let the cool breeze caress his body. Hal takes off his glasses and decides to stand there for a little bit, just taking in the relaxed atmosphere.]

[He momentarily forgets about the scars decorating his body. There's one going horizontally across his throat, where a Vamp had dealt a finishing blow. There's also a small one on his belly, where the same Vamp had stabbed his stomach. And there's five going down the inside of his right arm and many small ones crisscrossed across the inside of his left wrist as well.]

[........Starrrrrrreeeeees.]

[Have a Snake looking at you, Hal. Yeah, it's Snake, not Dave - Not now.]

[A hand goes up, trying to trace the scars.]

[His Nano-nets have began to raise warning signals.]

[There's also two faded puncture wounds on his neck where another Vamp had decided to snack on him.]

[Hal stretches his arms up then his attention lands on his friend and that stare. He instantly looks away from him, his eyes aimed at the ocean water coming in on the shore, his arms dropping to his sides. An ashamed blush forms on his face and minutely on his neck.]

[Emmerich swallows, the self consciousness of his... despicable body coming back full force.]

I... got into some fights.

...You got into some fights?

[That does not sound right at all.]

Who, why and when.

... Before the Nexus, I was on some medications and they didn't arrive with me when I came here. I was going into withdrawal and with the stress of abandoning Sunny and not being able to escape this place, I ... I wasn't myself. Everything was becoming more and more... unbearable. And then Vamp ran into me and started bugging me about Naomi and I... I snapped. I attacked him and he, well, he fought back. [He runs his hands over the scars on his stomach and his neck.]

...

I'm not sure where these came from - I think it might have been a room, it must have been, but I honestly can't remember anything about them. [Points to the five going down his arm.]

And these. [He rubs the puncture wounds in his neck.] A female version of Vamp decided to snack on me on the way back to my place. I eventually fought her off but the deed was done.

[Hal looks down at his wrist. He puts his hand into a fist.] ... This was after I buried you.

[The man doesn't see a reason to lie to his friend but he's not proud of any of these scars. They remind him of what a horrible person he really is.]

[He was wondering about which Vamp it was, he'd seen a couple, and what he could or should do about it, but then.]

[This was after I buried you]

[No. Nonono - ]

[Breath. Breath. Let the nano-nets do their thing.]

[Turns away. Turns back and takes Hal's wrist. Traces the scars.]

[Looks at Hal's face. He's making that 'I'm a horrible person' face again, when it was Snake who had failed him and just gone and died.]

[...Well, no, that had been a different him, and it wasn't as if the other-him had wanted to die either he didn' think. But.]

[...Just holds him, as the waves lap.]

[Hal's hand twitches when Snake's fingers slide across the scars there - the area is healed but its still a little tender. He doesn't lean into the hug or move really. The man wriggles his wrist out of Snake's grasp.]

... I worded that wrong. It was after I buried him. I mean, you are him and he is you but... I meant him.

[His voice turns a bit bitter.]

... I found out that reacting badly to new meds, drinking too much alcohol, and being alone wasn't a good combination.

[This is, surprisingly, the first time he has talked about his suicide attempt since coming to the Nexus. He has avoided the conversation by... keeping his clothes on.]

[The old man just nods, and doesn't try to touch him again.]

[Gently] ...Tell me what happened?

[Jupiter sits at their feet, quietly.]

[Sorry, Snake. Hal really doesn't like being touched. The man sighs then sits down in the sand, the waves gently caressing his toes. He crosses his arms and places his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his lower right arm.]

... That was a pretty good summary of it.

A few months after y - David's death, it was just a normal day. I... was still seeing the world in shades of gray but I actually had gotten myself out of the house to pick up my new prescription. So, you know, I took it and uh... I - I didn't react well. Next thing I knew I felt so thirsty and no matter how much water I drank, I - I couldn't replenish myself. Nothing in the refrigerator seemed to help either so I opened up a cabinet with the alcohol we mostly used for cooking or special events. And I drank... And I just couldn't stop...

Then I started thinking... about... everything and the past and well, just, thoughts. And I reached for the knife and I ---

[And there's a long pause in which Hal slowly closes his mouth.]

Jack was the one who found me. I-I'm glad he stopped Sunny from seeing me there on the floor.

I, uh, woke up a few weeks later in the hospital.

[Hal sighs again and tucks his face into his arms a small amount.]

How could I.... How could I have been so selfish? What would have happened to Sunny if I wasn't there? [His voice is trembling but no tears are on his face. He hugs his legs closer to himself, going further into a fetal position.]

[Emmerich trembles and embraces himself tighter. He's more ashamed than anything that he had pushed himself to that point. But he knows Snake can probably relate - the man had almost committed suicide himself, although for different reasons... Maybe Dave wouldn't understand then.]

[...Note to self. If you ever get home, make sure that Hal is using those nanos with the full health inhancers, including the mood stabilizers.]

[...And also tell Raiden to be on alert. Just in case.]

[........Sunny, too.]

...............Hal. Why in the world are you blaming yourself for bad reactions to drugs.

Or becoming depressed. [Because of ...Other-him.]

It's like blaming yourself for not being able to will away a broken bone by sheer willpower. Just stop.

[It would be nice if he could actually make certain younger alternates of his believe this. No, he knows that that probably isn't happening, but.]

[If anybody could see into the old man's mindscape at the moment, it would look quite strange indeed, because Dave is sitting on top of a box he just stuffed Snake in. He just couldn't deal with the cold coiling ferocity, at the moment.]

[They would deal with this.]

......And your Sunny and Jack wouldn't even know you were gone, right? Unless they came here, too. You abandoned nobody.

[Sits down on the sand, getting at eye level with Hal.]

[Is seriously considering going around the medical facilities here to see if they have any up-to-date (from his point of origin) nanos. This Hal looks like he could use them.]

It's all right. Let it go. Just heal.

[The man pauses, absorbing his friend's words. He closes his eyes.]

No, that was pre-Nexus. Sunny had gone out with Jack, Rosemary, and John for the afternoon... I'm just glad Sunny wasn't the one to find me... dying from blood loss on the floor.

I... I've been trying to, Dave. [Hal looks up again and rubs his wrist.] I know I've felt a lot better lately. With Sunny, you, Jack, and everyone else I care for here, well - mostly everyone, I have no reason to do something like that ever again... Not like it would do much good anyway. Death isn't even permanent here.

[Hal automatically caresses his neck, where Vamp had killed him, then lets his hands fall. He lays down on his back, staring up at the sky.]

Sorry for bringing that up.

[And now Emmerich feels embarrassed about telling Snake everything. But ... maybe it is a good thing to finally tell someone.]

[Death isn't even permanent here.]

[Vamp had killed him???]

[Breath, breath, let the nanos work, let the serpent coil so he could deal with this properly.]

[Later.]

...Which Vamp was it? [There were so many.]

[But first he really had to see if this place had the proper nanos.]

Good. That you're feeling better, I mean.

[Puts his hand out, but doesn't touch. Yet.]

[Hal can sum up why Snake asks which Vamp it is.]

Snake - don't. I don't want you seeking him out because of what he did to me.

I'm... I'm glad, too. Its nice to be able to see the world in color again. There's no point in being so damn depressed all the time.

[The man only partially believes that now - he's gotten better at brooding when people aren't around instead of when they are. Emmerich is learning to mask his emotions around others more effectively.]

[...Note to self. Don't try anything about any Vamp till you calm down and can think properly.]

...I can't even avoid him unless I know which one it is, Hal.

[Not a lie, even.]

...Good. Good.

[Doesn't quite believe him, but. The proper nanos could probably make him sleep without nightmares, and that should help. He really hopes they're available here.]

[Jupiter comes closer to Hal, but doesn't touch him, either.]

[Hal is hesitant, because he doesn't want the cycle of violence to continue, but then he mutters.]

He's the one from the point when he died. [Referring to moments after Naomi had offered him the syringe to kill Vamp and Vamp had decided to inject himself instead.]

[Emmerich sits up again, staring out across the ocean. He's going to change subjects.]

Before coming here, Sunny and I used to live on a beach similar to this.

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