In which Niki can't write a damn thing without tl;dr'ing all over the place...

[warisallweknow]

It was perhaps the last place Fox had expected to find himself during his exploration of the nexus. In hindsight, that was probably foolish of him. But it was strange, to find FOXHOUND's HQ-no, merely a clever replica of it-just as he had left it some two, three years ago. The same, but also unusually empty, like a husk, like the shell of some dead

Comments

Your tl;dr makes me feel small and inadequate

[still_a_rookie]

[Does Fox's needed supplies list include "Rookie"?]

[Unaware of his future-best-bud-who-eventually-tries-to-kill-him's stealthy wanderings, a Pre-N313 Snake enters the hallway and heads for his own quarters. The young soldier's hair is still damp from the shower he'd just finished after putting himself through an especially grueling training session. Staying in fighting condition was downright hard in the Nexus; not necessarily because of the lack of conflict but because of the dearth of distractions.]

[This wouldn't be the first time Snake's lost himself in a steady workout and emerged from the gym to find that a day (or two) had passed.]

ffff it shouldn't.

[warisallweknow]

[He's on his way back by now, cardboard box of supplies tucked under one arm. Still alert, especially for any who might try to follow him back to his current base. He didn't trust a damn thing about this place, and there was no telling who else might be here.

As someone steps out into the hallway directly in front of him, he slows, considers doubling back before they notice him and taking a different route. But...]

-Snake.

[It didn't make any sense, but then nothing in this place did. Snake, at least, was a friend. This wasn't Zanzibar Land- although Fox doesn't doubt it's hidden behind one of these doors.]

[still_a_rookie]

[Snake turns quickly, a look of genuine surprise upon his face]

Gray Fox?

[It's been months since he'd seen the other man in any way, shape, or form. In fact, the young soldier had almost not recognized the other man's voice. That doesn't really say much though, since Gray Fox wasn't the most verbose of men to begin with.]

[Still, the FOXHOUNDER's abrupt appearance managed to startle Snake into automatic deference. The man was a higher-ranking officer despite what the young man had been told. He straightens his back and throws a quick salute.]

...Need a hand with that, Sir?

[warisallweknow]

[Sir? Snake's tone, that hasty salute, the open surprise on his face-it had been a long time since he'd seen the man so open-told Fox more than any explanation could. He offers a smile: a slight, practised thing which doesn't quite seem to come naturally.]

That won't be necessary. Relax, Snake. Neither of us are on duty.

[And Fox wasn't a superior any more, though whether Snake was aware of that or not...]

[fancy_shooting]

[None of the cigars Fox had been hoarding will be missing, but the same scent of smoke is wafting in the hallway.]

[In an entirely cocky manner, with grandiose sweeps of his arm and wrist, Ocelot lifts a cigar from one of the Big Boss's stashes to his lips, pulls a mouthful of smoke, and gives it a flick to shake ashes off of the glowing tip. He's been practicing, or just copying; he savors the smoke without choking on it, as Big Boss would.]

[warisallweknow]

[The smell of cigar smoke was distinctive, too familiar, and he follows it carelessly- straight to someone who definitely wasn't Big Boss. He'd let himself get too hopeful, too sentimental, like a damn fool. Should have known better.

It's probably too late by now to make himself scarce before he's noticed, so instead he approaches. Better to keep control of the situation. And he'd be lying if he said this man didn't interest him. Those mannerisms were also familiar, if exaggerated.]

Good choice of cigar. Cuban, right? [Just a hunch.]

[fancy_shooting]

[He thought he was alone. That little interruption throws off his concentration enough that he inhales a bit of smoke. For a moment, he stiffens, and looks like he might turn green, but then manages to exhale in a controlled sigh.]

[He glances at the cigar, rolling it between gloved fingers, before he bothers looking over the stranger; someone he's never met, not even in duplication, but perhaps he's heard of him.]

That's right. Only the best.

[He moves closer to the man, sizing him up with sweeping looks.]

Good for relaxing. Looks like something you could use yourself. I'm guessing you're a soldier, right?

[warisallweknow]

[Nice save, kid. But don't think he missed that. There's the faintest flicker of amusement in Fox's eyes, but it's gone by the time Ocelot cares to look at him. His gaze is drawn to the floor at the clink of spurs as Ocelot moves towards him, before trailing up to the holster at his belt. Was that-

Interesting choice of weapon.]

What tipped you off?

[He meets Ocelot's eyes coolly. There was no point in denying it; his clothes (and his scars) clearly marked him out as military, though he'd left behind his jacket with its incriminating patches.]

lets see if I remember how to do this

[formerfoxhound]

[It's been far longer than two or three years for Snake since he left this place. And it's one of those places where the bad memories, or at least, the hard memories, outweigh the good. In any case, it's nowhere he planned to be again anytime soon. Unfortunately, the door he entered through no longer leads out, so he's stuck pacing the halls slowly as he finds a way that does.]

[The way he remembers it, FOXHOUND ought to be as dead as Big Boss himself. It's like walking through a grave. Or slightly less melodramatically, a ghost town. One that doesn't even have the decency to know that it's far past its own time and the world has moved on. The lights are bright, all the machinery and the miscellaneous parts of the building function perfectly. (And even those that don't - like a few flickering florescents or the door heading to the mess, which is prone to squeaking - are very specific and eerily familiar.) All that's missing is the people.]

[Most of the people, anyway.]

I have rewritten this tag a dozen times and I still don't like it. 8T

[warisallweknow]

[The sound of footsteps echoing in the near silence of the building is distinct and strangely out of place. Ghosts in this graveyard he might have expected, but another living being? The nexus was expansive. What reason did anyone else have to be here of all places? He moves in on the stranger's location with the stealth he was known for. Here, he was the ghost, pale and silent and no longer belonging.

Fox was not a hesitant man, but when his target comes into view, their appearance is enough to give him pause. Was it really... Perhaps a little taller, far rougher around the edges- and damn if he hadn't grown to look like his father did so long ago. But Snake looks much older than he should, and the way he holds himself, the way he moves, suggests someone with far more experience than the rookie he remembers, fresh from his first betrayal.

He trails the man for a while, observing from a distance. And then, as Snake turns and heads in his direction, he steps out in front of him.]

I thought maybe you just didn't love me anymore <3

[formerfoxhound]

[Yeah, it's a big place. How does anyone ever manage to bump into just the right (or the wrong) people here half the time, anyway? Sources say it's probably less reason than it is convenience serendipity. Or randomness. Sod's Law? Something like that.]

[As alive as the base is pretending to be, it's clear that it's been abandoned for a while. Still, just being here puts Snake on edge. Not because he's expecting someone to attack him, it's just...unnerving. When he catches the hint of movement in his eye, Snake reacts on instinct and training. Takes a step back to maintain the distance between them and reaches for his pistol. There aren't a lot of people who can sneak up on him so easily, and the odds are good that if they have, they're not necessarily friendly.]

[It's only after the matter of seconds it takes him to draw and line up a shot that he actually takes the time to identify the man in front of him. When he does, his breath catches and his eyes widen with uncharacteristic shock. The barrel of the gun dips down

[warisallweknow]

[If Fox needed any confirmation of whether he'd found the man he thought he had, that reaction was it. A wry smile tugs at one corner of his mouth as eyes drift from the gun pointed at him to the face of the man holding it. Another person might have put a bullet in him first and stopped to ask questions afterwards. But that was the thing with Snake: he'd always known when not to shoot.

Fox lifts his hands a couple of inches at his sides, palms open towards Snake, before letting them fall again. Not armed- not that that meant much. Not here to fight, at least. And now that he's close enough to see Snake clearly, he takes the opportunity to study the man. He really did look older than he should, older than two or three years might allow for. That rookie is long gone, and the man standing in his place is... fascinating, for all the wrong reasons.]

Snake. It's been a while. [Longer for some than others, if he wasn't mistaken.]

[old_papa_john]

[The old man is prone to wandering when he's left to his own devices. With so little to do, and so few people to talk to, perhaps he's gone a bit mad. Feeling lonely, he wanders the halls looking for anyone...or anything to converse with. Half the time, he's sure he's seeing ghosts and not actual living people, but out of sheer desperation he will attempt to address them anyway. John figures that if he's really all alone, no one but the walls will care if he's talking to himself and he has no worry about that.]

Ah, Fox. It's been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been?

[Big Boss addresses what he thinks is his ghostly Son casually, not yet wise to the fact that this isn't the Fox that he's used to...or that this one is actually breathing.]

How are things with Elisa?

[warisallweknow]

[Big Boss. Something washes through him-relief, perhaps, though he's hesitant to call it such-but quickly falters at the sight of the man. Fox has never seen him looking quite so tired before. He's not sure what to make of it.]

Elisa, sir? [Now there's a name he hasn't heard in a long time.] I'm not sure what you mean.

[old_papa_john]

...I see. Never mind that. I misspoke.

[It didn't take him very long to realize that he's mistaken. This is a new Fox; one he hasn't met before. Big Boss will try to be more understanding of the other man's confusion surrounding his being in this place.]

I take it that you are new here. I didn't know. Forgive me for my assumptions.

[The old man takes a more careful look at his Son. There was little way he could tell just where he was from, but he's also in awe at being able to see him again.]

[warisallweknow]

[There's really nothing to forgive, but Fox gives a nod in acknowledgement anyway. He already has an idea of what had happened. Another him walking around... That's a strange thought.]

I've been here for about a week now. I set up a temporary base of operations and I've been scouting the building-

[And a pause, because he's not keen on explaining that this place makes even less sense the more he learns about it.]

-I wasn't aware you were here, or I'd have found you sooner.

[viscous_serpent]

[Footsteps echoed in those empty halls, but Solidus barely noticed the heavy sound his battlesuit made on the floor any more. Once or twice, the long metal tendrils of his Snake Arms struck against the wall, his eyes flickering sharply towards the sound only to look away again at the recognition.

His own apartment on the first floor was not his destination; no, Solidus was heading towards the kitchens. It was time to stock up on his stores; he was taking no chances lately. Not if Raiden was still around and trying to kill him. As a result, one of the undulating tentacles gripped a thick leather bag between its metal fingers, digging in so tightly that it left deep marks in the strong material. He swung it idly, boredly, as he walked, and lightly began to hum a jaunty tune.

...he could really have done with radar. Really, protagonists were all cheaters.]

[warisallweknow]

[Talk about hearing someone coming from a mile away... But that was better, at least, than them trying to sneak up on him. Fox stills, and for a minute or two he just listens. The length and speed of the stride is human, but the footfalls are strangely weighted. Metallic. Some kind of armour? Occasionally there's another sound, like metal striking a hard surface. A weapon of some sort being swung around, he imagines, but he can't tell what kind it is.

As the stranger draws closer, Fox can hear them humming, and he considers making himself invisible. By the time Solidus reaches his location, it'll be just another empty hallway.

Time for some stalking.]

[viscous_serpent]

[Solidus suspected nothing.

The hallway was empty, silent to the point of chaotic. Silence had never been a friend of his, but he had grown used to it by now. Despite that, he had the urge to fill it. Solidus may have had a dramatic flair, but where there was no need for drama there was no need to tolerate silence. He kept his pacing fast, visible eye flickering around for any signs of threats.

It took him a few moments to reach the nearest kitchen and he set the bag on the first table there. The fingers of the Arm delved into it, tugging a mass of fabric out and he gracefully plucked it away before it could tear. Slipping the kitten-covered apron over his neck, he let it hang loose - really, as if any apron could fasten around that suit! His cape might have done a better job - and began to rifle through the cupboards in search of ingredients. While he was here, he might as well make something hot to eat before he grabbed his supplies

[warisallweknow]

[Speaking of white-haired cyborg ninjas-or future cyborg ninjas at least-there's one stood right behind you, Solidus.

Fox doesn't have a damn clue what to make of this one. At first glance, it was Big Boss... but some things were off. The eyepatch, for one, and that strange battlesuit for another. Tentacles? He's not even sure what to think.

And let's not even start on that apron...]

That's an interesting choice of attire. [To say the least.]