imthe_shit | [ audio ]

I don't know yet. But I'm not going to try to kill myself, if that's what you mean.

_{[... Well okay, that was good enough for her. She may only have just started to get to know him beyond 'Otacon's friend' recently, but when it came to things that made the nerd cry, she had bitching rights.]}

All right.

In that case-- do you have any idea how worried Hal was?!

Ahh... [well he sort of knew this was going to happen sooner or later...]

Hnnrn...

_{[Heather paused for a second, one brow raised (but the other still firmly lowered so that he could tell how PISSED she was. You know. Just in case he forgot or something), waiting for an answer, but then got impatient.]}

He was crying.

[well he's happy he's only got it on audio right now...]

...Hnn... [Frowns. He didn't mean to hurt Otacon so badly with that... but Snake actually thought he was going to kill everyone close to him.]

You think I meant for him to cry? I didn't just set this up to make him break down... I really thought that I was going to end up killing everyone around me.

_{[Heather forgets important details lie this sometimes. Forgive her.]}

I-- look, I-- yeah, he told me. Kinda.

I guess.

But... for fuckin' ...

_{[Now was not the time for a case of the stutters. She was MAD and this was an important thing to convey!]}

But that doesn't make it okay!

You think if HE thought he was gonna kill everyone, you'd like it if he disappeared after being all... cryptic like that?

What's the deal, man?

I thought he was your friend!

He is my friend. [There's a touch of anger in his tone now.] I want to protect him as much as I can, but I couldn't well do that while I thought I was about to become a bioweapon.

That message was meant only for my team, not for anyone else, I can't change the fact that it got to all of you.

I told Otacon what would happen in private.

If I could keep him away from I have to go through, I would. But I can't just lock him away from all the horror... [Sighs, rubbing his forehead.]

He's my friend, but I can't even get near him as long as Liquid's around. There's more to this than what you've heard, Heather.

_{[Heather can be a bitch, but she's not the interrupting kind, at least. Plus, she's not doing this because she hates Snake. Actually she was pretty worried too... but there was that sort of awkwardness when you didn't really know somebody well enough to be all like OMG Y U DO DIS, I WORRY'D without it coming off as all weird? So... yeah, that's part of the reason why this lecture is on Otacon's behalf. The other reason is... yeah, she really DID get protective when her surrogate big brother cried.]}

... I'm sure there is.

There always is.

I'm just saying... ugh, look... I know you were about to become some kind of ... thing... that kills-- things, but... going off and-- and totally making everyone worry isn't the answer. There's gotta be a better way to do things than THAT.

Edited 2010-10-12 04:05 (UTC)

If you find a better way, let me know. Because if I told everyone I was going to start killing everyone against my willpower, don't you think it'd get worse?

I'm sorry I hurt Otacon... And everyone else. But this doesn't mean that it was easy for me to do what I did.

... I meant a better way than dying.

_{[Because... she's assuming that's what he went off by himself to do. The ... concept of one's own death possibly being better for the rest of the world was not one that hadn't crossed Heather's mind before. ... And in the end, she'd been glad she hadn't listened to it.]}

I know you didn't mean to hurt him, but...

... If I had any other options, I would have taken them. I don't get any pleasure from any of the bad decisions I make.

... Hffh.

_{... There still had to have been some other way.}

... In my timeline, the FOXDIE in my body killed Liquid. All I had to do was come into contact with him... and I'd infected him instantly.

The victim then suffers a heart attack and falls dead... I didn't want to see that happening to everyone I cared about.

_{[... Wow okay, she didn't know that.]}

.... You.... you could have, uh-- ... _{[Okay, she's running out of suggestions here, and she didn't want to come right out and SAY 'become a hermit'. But that had been the general idea. That way, he could have at least... you know... stayed in contact with people, without hurting them... but...]}

... I don't usually tell everybody I know about myself... There's too much crap in my life for me to share it with everyone else. I don't want to drag them down, too.

_{[Heather lets out a gusty sigh finally. It's hard to stay angry-- well, legit angry. She's still smoldering because that's what she does.]}

... Neither do I.

... Just... don't... try to shuffle yourself off the mortal coil and we'll call it even, okay?

... Liquid's still alive, in any case. So he's not dead this time.

... All right.

[Frowns at the mention of Liquid.] Try not to worry about me too much in return...

_{[Her tone... softens a little.]}

... Well. I worry more than I let on sometimes, so... it's not exactly out of my way.

_{[These past four months had been the first time in over a year she'd even had more than one or two people TO worry about... it was hard to get used to. But worry she did.]}

The more you worry, the more wrinkled your face gets.

_{[... Was that a smile?]}

... You must worry a lot then, huh?

Hnn. I guess...

... Well, if I have to try not to worry, you do, too.

Can do.

... Just keep Otacon safe from Liquid... When I first met Otacon, he'd fallen in love with his keeper, a member of an organization gone bad... Her name was Sniper Wolf.

I'm worried it'll happen again.

... _{[... That didn't seem too out of character for Otacon, although she'd liked to have thought otherwise. ... She also didn't think Liquid would hurt him. He'd already had plenty of chances to, hadn't he? ... But she knew why Snake was asking her this and to be honest she didn't blame him.]}

All right. I'll keep an eye on him.

And if Liquid tries anything crappy, I'll make him sorry.

_{[Her tone was somewhat lighthearted, but she DID mean it. Liquid was her friend, but... well, Heather didn't exactly have a great track record when it came to keeping friends from becoming her enemies, did she? ... She just hoped that wouldn't happen here. Liquid was a far cry from Claudia, even if they did both have their obsessions.]}

Thanks, kid. I'm counting on you.

I'm going to be heading out of Azalea soon... And through Ilex.

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