thisavrou_log | (no subject)

☄Closed to Liquid Snake | Mini Colony

[There are so many damn Snakes on this ship, all with their own unique problems. This time one is finding himself with incorporeal spasms, as one does. So far Niko and Liquid have got along okay, so, might as well make sure he doesn't poof his way into a wall or the floor while his body isn't being a body of familiar density.]

[There might have been a moment of pause regarding spending time with Liquid if he knew the history there. Solid has never told him about his relationship with his sibling. He's gathered that they're brothers from sparse bits of conversation, yeah, and he's noticed that they don't spend a lot of time together. But as an adversarial relationship? He's not aware of it. He is a little aware that Liquid has his own issues but, really, who doesn't have their own brand of terrorism related problems?]

[Niko meets Liquid by the food market he specified, ready to observe or possibly assist in whatever nonsense was about to happen here.]

[At first, Liquid doesn't seem to be where he said he was. Except when a floating cloud of smoke seems to be heading towards Niko.

And then it speaks, and an arm sort of materializes out of nowhere. You know, like normal things do.]

Alright, good, there you are. This is getting ridiculous.

[He says this like it's some kind of minor issue, instead of something that is extremely affecting him right now.]

I am having... a hell of a time.

[Arm. Leg. Head. Leg. Then, there he is, fully formed. Luckily, so are his clothes.]

Finally!

[Perhaps the thing that registers to him the strongest is that Liquid's fluctuations out of and into reality is that the people that are standing around do not seem to care. That says something for the uncommon nature of whatever this is- that it's actually not out of the ordinary.]

[Okay, some people are dodging around them, but it's more about the vapor man and his company being in their way than it is some sort of aversion.]

[Niko looks away from the pedestrians that just walked by and back to Liquid.]

Yeah, it looks like it.

I am glad you got good at your pants, too.

[That's a genuine compliment, if one not given often.]

Yeah, me too. This place might be weird, but I doubt they'd appreciate full frontal nudity. I'm going to skip out on trying the coat for a while though.

[Leaving his coat everywhere'd be a chore, and he's got enough to contend with.]

This is the first time I've been all together in hours. Nice not being a leg. Although being a floating leg terrorizing the colonists would be kind of funny.

[In a way. He clenches his glass hand into a fist, unclenches it, flexes his fingers, stretches his arms out. Ah, corporeality.]

Guess this is the point where I see if I can do it again. Ready to do some climbing?

Yeah, I'm ready.

[He looks up a tall building nearby, and then to the sides for any sign of a fire escape.]

Hey ah... there's a set of buildings? They look exactly alike? Somewhere across town. Don't go into them. They hold you captive and make you work for them.

[Ah, there's what he wants. A maintenance ladder. Locked from the bottom, but when did locks ever stop him? It's a pretty simple one, too. Not an over-complicated, futuristic mess. (Likely nothing valuable in there, then, just something meant to be an inconvenient deterrence for trespassers like them).]

[One of Liquid's arms dissipates for a moment, but it's back to normal soon after. He's hoping it stays that way. After looking around for handholds and pretty much anything that could be useful for climbing, he glances over at Niko.]

That's descriptive. Thanks for the heads up, though. Speaking from experience, then? What the hell is up with this place? Seems everyone's got a freaky story to tell.

[His own story wouldn't have been so freaky if it hadn't been for the smoke powers. Then he would've just had a nice little story about his rise to fame.

Oh well.

He looks to see what Niko's looking at, and nods.]

I like the look of that one.

They are the sort of alike that you would notice. [He assures Liquid.] It's pretty creepy.

[Niko stoops and starts picking the lock.] Turns out the mob bosses own them. Rivals. They are kind of fucks. But then again, most mob bosses are.

[The lock discarded over his shoulder, Niko starts climbing up towards the second floor landing. Smaller jump to be sure.]

I'll have to take your word for it. Funny thing, that, them running two of the same places. They fight a lot?

[That should be a given, but he's not sure how underhanded things are or not.]

So what do they make you do there?

[He starts climbing up after him with no hesitation. He should be just fine jumping off this thing, maybe even higher.

He's fallen off of much higher things.]

I guess. Childhood friend turned enemy crime drama. That sort of bullshit. I kind of dealt with it before.

Basic stuff. Heavy lifting. I did not have to knock anyone around if that's what you mean. [But he would have if he had to. And just hoped he didn't run into the person again.]

[At that particular landing, he stalls by the railing and looks over.]

Think you can poof in and out before you hit the ground from here?

Ah, like a bloody soap opera. Got it. So how'd you get out? Sneak out the back?

[He looks down towards the ground, leaning on the railing. It's definitely an easily survivable fall; his body'll stay in one piece, but that doesn't necessarily mean his dignity will.]

I can, doesn't mean I will. But you don't get anything without trying, so... here goes.

[He gets up on the railing, ready to jump off, but the second he jumps, suddenly he's gone and there's a cloud of smoke hovering there instead.]

...Damn. Let's... maybe redo that.

[Cue some time trying to get his body back.]

Nah, I just did what they told me 'cause I've done worse before, told them at the end I had to go see my girlfriend when they tried to offer me more work.

[But then Liquid leaps, and is left a drifting sliver of smoke. And Niko blinks hard at that.]

... Yeah here, let me get out of your way. Back onto the platform. To try and be altogether again. Shit, this is a weird predicament.

At least they let you leave.

[Well, Liquid didn't fall, anyway. He grumbles something as he tries to return to his usual form, a few body parts flickering in and out of existence here and there as he hovers himself back onto the platform. Or, well, slightly above the platform.]

A little weird, yes. [That's an understatement.] I'll get the hang of it.

[It's a good ten minutes by the time he's entirely corporeal again, and he looks more frustrated than he did on camera, for the brief moments he'd actually been humanoid.]

Alright. Second try. I am going to make this work.

[He climbs up again, glaring down at the ground below. Without much fanfare, he jumps. He's still solid on the way down, but before he hits the ground, he turns into smoke again. He doesn't turn back, but it's better than nothing. He floats back up, barely visible.]

This might take a while.

[The saddest part is that Niko grabbed out for him, just in case. But his hand hesitates, hovering in the air as he watches that vague form float upward.]

...Okay!

[He says it in a slightly distressed tone, because that's definitely a strange thing.]

Hey, you think you can keep floating up? I can climb and meet you on one of the upper levels.

[He didn't mean to distress the guy, but he can't really help it. He needs a better way to do this. But that's what all this is for, so. He automatically tries to nod, remembers he doesn't exactly... have a head, and just hovers.]

As long as I don't start getting body parts again.

[Being a disembodied voice is weird on its own. And hell if he knows how he's even getting anywhere. He's just gonna start floating up without thinking too hard about it.

When he speaks again, he's a few floors up.]

How high do you want to go, anyway?