//eyes on me

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

[After a room had turned Liquid into a perfectly healthy version of himself that actually looked forty-two rather than death warmed over, his mood had improved considerably. Add that to the fact that he had finally reconciled with his Otacon, and things were definitely looking up for him.]

There should be one around here somewhere.

[So now they were walking through the halls in search of a kitchen--some calm and quiet time between the two of them was long overdue.]

[Locked to vestri_vires]

Comments

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...what is it, James?

[There's a tentative note to his voice, as if he's expecting James to say something he isn't going to like.]

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

You...changed me, Hal. Drastically. I was a cold, cruel individual before I met you...and I was alone.

I couldn't go back to being like that even if I wanted to, and it's thanks to you that I'm like that.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...James...

[He's startled to hear such a frak confession out of Liquid. It's true that he was a different person when they first met, but the thought that he'd contributed so much to it... it's overwhelming.]

I'm glad that you changed. You're not alone now, and I like you the way you are. You don't frighten me. But I don't think it was all thanks to me.

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

You definitely had a large part in it, I assure you.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...really? Wow. I feel... sort of like I did something really special without knowing it.

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you did.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

Whatever I did, I'm glad I did it. I'm even gladder I got the chance.

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

I'm quite pleased as well, Hal.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

[Smiiiile.]

That makes two of us, then!

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

I suppose it does, doesn't it?

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

Hey, James?

[He sinks down into a chair, leaning his head on his hand.]

Are there a lot of those weird rooms from before?

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

Quite a few.

[He sat down across from Otacon, crossing his arms.] It's a bit risky to open doors at random, at least.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...are there any clues to hint towards which rooms are dangerous?

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

A few of the doors will be marked somehow. Otherwise? Not particularly.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

Hm... has anyone tried recording which rooms have been discovered yet? Like a map?

[He has no idea the rooms can move...]

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

A version of Emma gave some effort to it, but some of them appear to move around. At least I think so, given the number of times I've been stuck in one while looking for a damned kitchen.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...huh. That's kind of... odd.

[How can the rooms move? Some sort of mechanism, perhaps? ...wait, the question should probably be more of a "How can the rooms reduce someone's physical age and change genders"? There must be some trick to it...]

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

...'Kind of'? Just 'kind of'?

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...well, the rooms moving could be done by a complex mechanism; I've seen something similar before, though never to this level. But I'm not sure how the actually effects could work. I suppose it could be nanomachines, but they'd have to be absurdly well-developed and administered somehow without our knowledge.

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

[Ah, technobabble.]

No idea, frankly.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

...it might be something in the food. Or it could be in the air. There's no way of knowing, unless there's equipments here capable of testing samples of it...

[Otacon sounds lost in thought.]

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

[Facepalm.]

Or it could operate on the same bloody mental logic that brought us here at all.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

Hey, we don't know anything about this place. There has to be a logical explanation for it.

[worlds-serpent.livejournal.com]

The 'logic' is that it utterly defies logic, physics, and everything else.

[vestri-vires.livejournal.com]

[He laughs, shaking his head.]

That's true, but there must be some way to explain it logically.