[Those walking down this particular hallway might notice that Ursula is... not exactly looking like her regular, composed self. Mostly because she's slumped against the wall on the first floor, one hand against her head and the other helping to hold herself up.]

[Reaching into her pocket, she retrieves a tissue- Into which she begins to cough violently. She most likely wasn't irradiated enough so that her immune system would be severely weakened by it, but Ursula chooses to blame the nuclear disaster that Elisa has witnessed as a child for her current situation nonetheless. Something has to be blamed.]

[As the coughing fit ends, the girl pushes herself away from the wall and attempts to get herself together. Her steps are slow and precise. It's still pretty obvious that she's sick, however.]

((Poke the bear? In her current state, it's unlikely that you'd be killed for it. At least until she's feeling better.))

[John has found a kitchen that has remained a kitchen and is now putting together what appears to be the biggest concentration of carbohydrates know to man. Noodles, rice and potatoes? Wtf. He also appears to be humming to himself.]

You can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man, no time to talk~

[Care to help take advantage of this kitchen? Boggle at his food choices?]

[A rarely seen Otacon is wondering on down the hallways, looking slightly disoriented, probably because of some crazy time where he was asleep. It was weird. He had no idea how he had fallen asleep for all those days... or was it weeks? He didn't know.]

Doesn't seem any different...

[So he's on his way, but before he gets too far, he stopped by a door that just seemed to scream "Open me!"]

[And he was stupid curious enough to do it.]

...?

[When he walked in, it looked just like any other "party" like room; a few couches here and there, some chairs, a tv, and some tables against the walls, with various types of snack foods and drinks. There was also a cooler full of beer in the kitchen.

When he tried to call out to ask if this happened to be anyone's, he found he could no longer speak. He panicked momentarily like a good Otacon should before giving up. His voice didn't want to come back.]

...

[He sighed, and looked at his hands. What the hell kind of room was this?]

((welcome to the Charades room. it might look like an ordinary gathering room, but once you come in, you won't be able to talk to anyone...

you have to act out what you want to tell them.

the only time you CAN talk is if you finally have the answer to what the person is acting out, and you can blurt it out then, but only in a quick, sharp yell. go go go go go))

[soda? Check. Popcorn? Check. Big screen TV with DVD player? Check. Star Wars original trilogy DVDs? Check. Someone looks like he's about ready for a fun night in]

"This world is a dark place,
your friends can become your enemy in but a blink of an eye.
Politics are fickle, countries rise and fall..."

[He's been meditating on this for the past ten days. He glances to the pile of clean laundry on the corner of his futon that he never got to; it's all wrinkly since he never took the time to fold it. John takes that moment to get that done now all the while thinking about the future and the past, as it were. He tries to kick it all out of his mind and focus on the task at hand, but every once in a while, it comes back to taunt him: the emptiness he feels and the collossal amount he still misses The Boss.]

...

[Following that train of thought, it then occurs to him that he's still got children to look after and a boy that he still needs to teach the alphabet to properly. He'll have to locate his notes to figure out where he left off.]

[Things have not been going well for this Big Boss. She had to kill The Boss yesterday and learned today that 'ADAM' was a Chinese spy all along. Then, the government had the nerve to award her for killing her beloved mentor, fully knowing that she had never betrayed America. It was seeing the grave that broke her, though. After setting down The Boss' Patriot and some white flowers, she saluted and tried not to cry, but tears ran down her cheek, anyway.

She only closed her eye for a moment, but, when she opened it, she was no longer in the graveyard. She stopped saluting and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She needed to figure out where she was.

It seemed clear now that the world hated her guts.]

((ooc: This is Para-Medic or, rather, Flying Snake from the merylgearsolid AU. Basically, Para is Big Boss. Details on the MGS3 part of the AU can be found here. On that page, there is also a link to the original concept.))

[Pain opens a door and finds a fountain of coffee in the middle of a park-looking area. He also finds himself in a pink frilly apron and carrying a tray of mugs. It looks like the room wants him to serve coffee to everyone.

...Well, why the hell not?]

Who wants some coffee?

[No sleep while working on coding makes Emma fall asleep at computer. She has a lovely imprint of the keyboard on her face and an equally lovely imprint of her glasses on her arm. There's something in the mug that looks like sugar with some coffee in it. She makes a soft noise, moving her head slightly, waking just enough to be surprised once someone comes by]

[AU!Hal is in a chair in the corner of the library. The is a book about the history of robotics open on his lap. He stares at the page, not really seeing it.]

[His hands are very slightly trembling.]

All right... now that I've got my camo index up fifty-five point 6 percent, time to sneak around and take pictures of anything suspicious.

[Camera in hand, Snake is searching for things to take pictures of to send to Otacon for evaluation. The more suspicious or Meryl's ass, the better.]

[Screaming Mantis is sitting in the hallway on a bench looking dazed. She is lightly running her hand over her now scarred face, thinking of the fight she got into in the Kiss room. A really big part of her is disappointing that she didn't just kill E!fear, and most of her sanity seems to be gone at the moment.

She's humming to herself softly trying to blocked out the sounds of screaming and gunfire, that seem to be louder than usual, that was going through her head.]

((OOC: Mantis is feeling a little crazy right now, so approach with caution.))

[Liquid's week was finally looking up. Even with Julie's blood staining his face, hands and uniform and the crimson-coated knife hanging loosely in his hand, Liquid was starting to feel much better.]

[Six years to live? Who cares? He had gotten a small measure of revenge against the woman that had hurt his friend, the only person Liquid had ever loved. The soldier was feeling pretty damn good at the moment.]

[...Of course, now he had to find an infirmary. The harlot's nails had cut into his arm, not to mention he'd need to wash off her revolting blood.]

[As he wandered down the hall with a smug and satisfied smirk painted across his face, Liquid couldn't help but think in the back of his mind that he had acted too rashly, that Hal wouldn't be all that pleased with his actions.]

[He'd deal with that when necessary.]

[There were bullets in his chest, and they burned bright like fire and brimstone.  And everything was fading around him-- the voices that droned in his head like wasps, finally drowned out and deadened and gone.]

[Silence.  A few brief, voiceless moments of silence.]

[Which was, of course, broken, because the universe operated on narrative laws of irony.]

...

[Mantis woke and found that he was alive.  Which was strange, because half a dozen bullets to the chest, followed by all-consuming darkness, was usually a less-than-subtle indication of death.  And death, a thing that Mantis had gotten much experience with, was usually not temporary.  Or, at least, none of the people he'd killed had gotten up to talk about it afterward.

Nevertheless, overwhelming evidence pointed to the fact that he was not dead yet.]

Well.

Where...?

[Julie tucks her hair behind her ear, her long, manicured fingernails lightly brushing against her scalp as she does so. She starts to walk down the unfamiliar hallway in search of Hal, her light haired boy who was moaning her name just a moment ago, or so she thought.]

[There is someone new in the Nexus. He's right in the lobby, laying on his side, breathing heavily. His eyes stare sightlessly ahead as he tries to recover from what ever has knocked him so thoroughly over.]

Haa...haa...Hal?

((Time Lord Snake, just now in his second incarnation. He's from sometime after MSG4))

[A few weeks ago, Fortune agreed to take a member of her team- Chinaman- to the beach. She's aware of how much the man enjoys swimming after all, and it would probably be a great benefit to his shark-friend Reginald. So despite not really being in the mood for any real outings, the woman accepts.]

[She's unsure about whether this is really just about finding a new "home" for Reginald. Not being aware of any feelings that he may have for her outside of friendship, (Even after the kiss he gave her), Helena can only assume that he's making one of his attempts to prevent her from being emo and locking herself away in her room to die a slow death moping too much.]

[Taking the elevator up to the 14th floor, Helena gives Chinaman a CALL on his radio.]

((The door to the beach appears to be open. Perhaps there are others inside already? The weather is pretty great today, considering the time of year. Beach Room is always open to all, of course.))

[So where exactly was FM's infamous shopkeep? Enjoying simulated autumn weather on the rooftop terrace while a fraction of the other occupants were stuck kissing, dancing, or vengeful. Thumbing through the touchscreen soliton-netbook phone's data on ties between various weapon and biological conglomerates, as of late, it was difficult finding a link amongst them... until he 'stumbled' upon a particular testing facility in the Northwest United States.]

...Rivermore Labs. Testing data and laser targeting experiments, assisted with ArmsTech President Kenny Baker in project REX at Shadow Moses. Hn. Can't say I knew that before, but what's their relation to SaintLo--

[Pauses, noticing the hazard klaxon and a breach of security alert upon the screen of his device. His laptop was in use... and accessing black-ops records! Drebin quickly attempted to remote access the laptop and lock communication, but to no avail. Whoever was using it was damnably talented, possibly more than himself with hacking. #893 swiftly texted a warning message to Nastasha before slipping the device away, readying himself with his sidearm - "a non-ID tagged custom M1911A1 recovered from the 70s". Granted, had he known who one of the original owner were, he might've opted for a simple Glock17 from his armory. However, collectible items were the last thing in mind right now. Preservation of himself and Nastasha was a definite must.]

How could they have decrypted my channel so easily...?


((#893's headed for the 1st floor basement rather paranoid and gun-toting. Those who pass him en route to the site looking suspicious might catch a bit of hell.))

[Wandering around the nexus bored Fury noticed a large shimmering door, and despite her better judgment she decided to enter. he first thing she noticed was the slow music drifting through the room, then the large dance floor in the middle of the room.]

Fuck...

[Then that her suit had been replaced with a sleek black dress that went down to her knees, displaying all her burns and scars. She looked up and found the counter.]

[Dances 0/3]

[She sighed.]

((OOC: Dance room, dance with three different peeps in order to leave. All ages acceptable here~))

[She can't believe she's asking this, but...]

Uh... does anyone here have extensive medical knowledge..?

[Liquid might be good at fighting, and her secret talent, which was building things, but she was never very good at treating her own wounds. She had Raven for that.

Her ankle is twisted, and she has various cuts, bruises, and wounds on her body. She has blood all over her body, but she's not that stupid as to not know how to clean up herself.]

[Big Boss is walking the hallways.]

[He's walking directly past his office.]

[He's currently supporting a BFG ready to hurt some people. Namely saltpeppered.]

[His mood is not the greatest right now. Cross him and say something, and you might suffer the consequences of his wrath.]



_{((ooc: Already been three days since he died and he's ready to kick some ass. Tread carefully!))}

[The Oldacon's found a room where one of the kitchens used to be. It's not remarkable in any way other than it's irritating non-kitchenness. There are some comfy chairs, a nice plush carpet, some reddish mood lighting-

-and a door that won't open again.]

Oh, you... come on. [He fights with the door momentarily, getting nowhere at break-neck speeds. He sighs and moves to sit in a chair, looking somberly around. He has no idea what the room wants, but it's not letting him go just yet.]


((OOC: This is a room that forces people to say truths they normally wouldn't divulge. You can only get out after saying one of these truths aloud for someone else to hear. The effects could last for as long or as short a time as you wish. Feel free to either bother Hal or just wander in alone or wotever.))

[Ume has been very busy today, working on baking pumpkin cookies. She wants to make something special for her sons and friends, and actually hopes the smell might attract some new people that she hasn't met yet.

Unknown to Ume, the sugar she used in her cookies isn't just any normal sugar. Eating these cookies will make you feel unusually affectionate with everyone you come in contact with for a short time. You may even want to give your worst enemy a hug.]

[Raiden walks down a corridor, on another quest to find Solid Snake. He's gone a few weeks without seeing a single one, despite several claims that he's easy to find. Standing at a crossroad between hallways, he ponders which one to take, just wishing that he'd find that damn man.]

drebin 893 | codec 148.93 | 1st floor basement

As always, the DREBIN™ shop located conveniently in the
1st Floor Basement, has all the great items and armaments
you could ask for... and then some! Got an item that's not
in inventory? Well...
WE. HAVE. YOURS.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

*rip!*

[Dalton tore the advertisement posted on the lobby bulletin board down from wall, crumbling it up before hitting the elevator button to descend. His "research" led him to the infamous shopkeeper's 1st Floor Basement headquarters; determined to find truth behind the Koppelthorn Engine and the EGO drive itself. As the elevator chimed its arrival to the desired floor, the agent stepped out and found the facility silenced and scattered with ammo crates and shipping boxes. But no sign of #893.

Stepping further toward the work desk, he found an open laptop with a spreadsheet program open. The file read as some sort of quartermaster's shipping inventory, with major inbound requests for BEAGLE International-NEKAL, ATGC, and even small arms market deliveries. Before he scrolled further, his eyes glanced to the left at an open can of NARC™ cola... with pink residue around the mouth-hole.]

More of that 'stuff... hn.

[Looking back upon the computer, he attempted to post a bulletin of his own using #893's own AT SECURITY log-in and permissions.]

___________


drebin 893 | codec 148.93 | 1st floor basement

WANTED: Genetic/Biological scientists, special ops/intelligence analysts, computer experts for research & study of new product. Experience preferred but not necessary. To 'apply', please visit The DREBINS Shop, 1st Floor Basement. Come Alone.

drebin 893 | codec 148.93 | 1st floor basement

[After accidentally falling into a mindwiped room, a few days prior, LB no longer feels an overwhelming sadness consuming her. In fact, she doesn't even really remember much of anything of the year she had spent in this place. She was absolutely sure she had just come from the battle with Old Snake, but yet it seemed as if she already knew her way around the hallways. Had she visited this place in a dream before? Or perhaps she had passed away in the fight, and this was the afterlife. She wasn't quite sure.

And to make matters even more weird, she had run into a few individuals who also brought a feeling of nostalgia within her. And everybody was so nice to her here! This place really seemed too good to be true...although she wondered why wondering down one hallway (which led to her old room) brought forth a discomfort so great, she tried to avoid the area as much as possible. Also, after the kiss room, she wondered why she felt oddly disappointed after leaving her new friend, Thomas. She still chalked it up to nerves though. And there was also the mystery of the two rings, one of which was too big for her.

However, let us put these mysteries aside, for now, as we go into the present day. After escaping the previously mentioned Kiss Room, LB was so dazed from the experience, that she mindlessly opened a door to another room...and was instantly covered in a waterfall of chocolate pudding. The force of it was so strong, it pushed her to the ground. Once recovering from the...oddity, she coughed up the pudding that went down the wrong windpipe for a while, looking down at the brown puddle that now covered the hallway floor.

A couple minutes later, she brought her hand up. Hesitantly, she gave it a lick.]

Hahaha?! Chocolate?!


[Well, at least it wasn't something else that could be brown.]

((TL;DR: LB'S COVERED IN B-...PUDDING! Whether you play in the puddle, help the poor confused lady, or stare at the hot chick covered in chocolate makes no difference! SO COME ON DOWN.))