bang bang (open/closed)

[shashka]

Who: Revolver Ocelot (shashka) & YOU
What: Catch-all for Wyver (with some backdated threads)
When: Throughout Late October
Where: Around Wyver
Warning(s): Shadiness. Possible adult content. The usual.

I.THE OLD CITY

[ the Old City certainly fit its name, though it was unlike any place that he was used to back home, despite his well-traveled status. there were a few different ways to get to know the area.

Ocelot decides on something a little more creative. he separates the coin that he has on him into two pouches. the first, he tucks safely into one of his boots. the second... he places on his belt. and really, all he has to do is wait until just the right person bumps into him, and...

the bait is taken. of course. he does his best panicked expression, before rushing to the nearest person that he can find. ]

That man took my money!

[ if nothing else, it helps him run into a few locals, meet up with a potential new ally, and gain some more information about the area. not that bad, now was it? ]

II.THE GILDED CAGE

[ while Ocelot wouldn't admit it out loud, he felt more at home in the Gilded Cage than he had in Olympia. he likes the intrigue, the information trading, and the fact that you never know exactly who it is that you're supposed to trust.

and so, of course, he's eyeing you. someone like him, who doesn't quite seem like they're from around here.

maybe you're someone he knows. or maybe you're a fellow refugee that looks distinctly out of place. or maybe he just wants to annoy you. either way, he's speaking to you right now, with the ghost of a smile on his face. ]

Can't say I was expecting to see someone like you here.

[ notably, he doesn't say why he's here. let the other person answer first. then he can come up with a reason to match theirs. ]

III.THE UNDERGROWTH

[ there's something about the jungles that remind him of one of his first postings in his youth. he can't exactly say that he's overly fond of it, but all the same, he finds himself feeling a certain sense of... nostalgia.

still, it comes as a surprise to him when he manages to run into someone else among the undergrowth. ]

You trying to hunt, too?

[ he can't say that he's the best survivalist out there, but he's learned enough from the best that he's pretty sure he won't die. ]

IV. WILDCARD

[ got another idea? let me know via PM or over at roflskate ]

Comments

[revlon]

[ She smiles briefly. He doesn't owe her any explanation, regardless of what she can pick up — this isn't work, this isn't her deliberately prying for more information or testing the boundaries of a conversation. This is a chance encounter in a place that values privacy. Or, at least, that's the unspoken rule she's learned. ]

Why else would any of us be here? [ It's rhetorical. Peggy inclines her head. ] I know it should be reassuring, that everyone we know is safe up here. But it can be difficult.

[shashka]

[ it may be a rhetorical question, but he answers it nevertheless, with a smile on his face ]

Oh, I don't know. I suppose some of us might be checking up on old enemies as well.

[ for him, at least, the line tended to blur at times. again, he debates internally with himself on what exactly to reveal. in the end, he decides to go with the "official story". ]

This guy, he is... was, an American agent who I ran into years ago. He was sent in on a covert operation to kill my commanding officer, when I was only twenty.

[ a pause. ]

In the end, despite my best efforts, he succeeded. And not only did he get a medal of honour from the President, but our government also named him a Hero of the Soviet Union. Said he did the country a "public service".

[ he tries to not sound like he admires the man too much. but hey, sometimes "enemies" become friends. ]

[revlon]

[ She didn't expect a story, but the fact he offers it is enough to raise her brows — even more so than the tale itself. And then, of course, the blatant admission of the man in the pod being an agent. She wonders if he'd mind being compromised when he wakes up. She certainly would be. There's a reason she's kept so much about her life before the Storm private, beyond vague mentions of an incident here or there, perhaps a demonstration of fighting skill. ]

Do you agree?

sorry for the teal dear

[shashka]

[ would he be mad? well... Ocelot's done a lot of worse things to him. but, the fact of the matter was, John was already a legend in his own right, and he wasn't revealing anything that wasn't already known on the public record. the more private issues... well, he'd be sure they stayed private. but he might as well get the one fact everyone already knew out from back home, lest a more chatty person from his world wakes up before John.

and as for himself... Ocelot keeps anything else about him a little closer to his heart. other than the fact that he was a Soviet officer with parents who fought in the War, which anyone could find out. that was the thing here. anyone could eventually show up, and he had to be careful with the identity he maintained. just a typical Soviet officer recalling a mission gone wrong. what reason would he have not to share?

or, once again, he may have not shown the best judgement when it came to John. this wouldn't be the first time, nor would it be the last. but he answers the question breezily enough. ]

I can't say I'd be thrilled to see my superior wake up here. [ he words it carefully. ] I don't want to sound unpatriotic, but he wasn't the easiest man to work under.

[ to put it mildly. ]

Have to say, I didn't expect to see this guy again, after all these years. Most action I ever saw outside of a battlefield.

[ a lie. he'd only had one request for the Natha Orbiters. Keep him safe. they'd known each other for twenty years, and counted one another as friends for almost fifteen of them. ]

What brings you up here?

[ and now, back to her. ]

so sorry for the delay!

[revlon]

[ She smiles briefly, easily. ]

Just gossiping with a few old friends of my own.

[ It's neither here nor there. She likes the peace and quiet, as macabre as it can sometimes feel. But even with the close connections she's made on the surface, even with finally being together with the one man she's ever loved, sometimes it's nice to have a chat with someone who will just listen. And keep what you say to themselves.

It's a one-sided conversation up here, naturally. But it helps. ]

The future is a funny thing. I'm curious to know what they'd make of it, as my fellow contemporaries.

dw! :')

[shashka]

I can relate.

[ obviously, right now.

not that he ever really shares too much with anyone to begin with. but still, there were times that it was helpful to see old friends and enemies. remind himself of what he's still doing and what's to come.

but then again, he's never had too much trouble playing the long game. ]

Two powerful countries on an uneasy truce, with the slightest provocation threatening open war. Almost like home, isn't it?

[ it suits him just fine. although, neither Olympia or Wyver are much like either America or the Soviet Union. ]

[revlon]

[ That actually elicits a laugh from her; startled, brief, but genuine. It's not loud enough to echo in the vast stasis chamber but she shakes her head, arms crossing. ]

Yes, I suppose so. [ Peggy takes a breath and the smile fades to something a little more subdued as she points out, ] Although I don't know if it's comforting to know that no matter when or where we are in the universe, people will still find something to fight over.

What do you make of it? The trouble brewing on the surface.

[shashka]

[ well, isn't that just the question of the day. to be honest about it, or not. he decides to go for something close to genuine. ]

The truth? I don't know if either side has really made a case for themselves yet one way or another. So far, it seems to really come down to whether or not you like sweating in a jungle, or enjoying a more reasonable climate.

[ one thing that Russia and England have in common: they both actually have winter. ]

But, I still have to wonder who orchestrated the attack in Olympia.

[revlon]

That's been a puzzle I'd like to solve, too.

[ It's no secret she's a member of the Guard, she wears the uniform and goes on patrol in the city. The depth of her interest in this friction between Olympia and Wyver, however, as well as the attack that threw the whole thing into sharp relief — that's something she plays a little closer to the chest. ]

Any working theories?

[shashka]

Oh, I have a few.

[ he lets that hang in the air for just a moment. as a lifelong spy, sometimes it's just a matter of habit that he never gives anyone a straight answer. but nevertheless, he was also an Olympian guard (albeit, perhaps a not particularly loyal one) ]

I'd say that it was definitely someone working for an independent faction, without any particular loyalty to Olympia or Wyver. While I don't know enough about either country to say whether or not they were the type that would try a chemical attack on their own people, both of their actions after the fact aren't the actions of guilty parties. As to this faction's goal, who knows? Maybe it was pure altruism, to try and calm the tensions. But more likely, someone probably wants to take advantage of the chaos.

[ the edge of his mouth quirks into a lopsided smile. he has his suspicions on the name, but he'll keep that to himself for now. ]

What about you? Any ideas?

[revlon]

[ She nods at that, expression thoughtful but not giving much else away. It all lines up to what she's been thinking, what information she's been able to uncover. The motives are what remain frustratingly cloudy, although that isn't new, either. ]

Some, [ she finally concedes, slanting her gaze towards him. ] Not dissimilar to yours. Violence begets violence, no matter the intent behind it. That's why wars spin on as long as they do. [ And why they were so keen to keep to diplomacy when the Iron Curtain settled into place. Not another war. Not after the last. ] And whatever is brewing here, it seems we've turned up just to be caught in the crossfire.

Both Wyver and Olympia have opened their gates to us. I expect it's only a matter of time until some sort of loyalty is demanded.

[shashka]

That's always how it goes. You've got your leaders who send their people off to war, the soldiers who carry it out, without question, and everyone else, caught in the middle.

[ for just a moment, his expression darkens. it might be tempting to try to fix that cycle of violence. but sometimes, the solution you come up with is just as bad as the problem.

but quickly, he's back to his casual demeanor. ]

I'm sure that they will.

[ and he'll be ready for it. ]

You have any idea which side you think you'll choose?

[ as little as the Cold War had mattered to Ocelot in the long run, the conflict brewing between Olympia and Wyver mattered even less. Back home, there was a method to what he did. but while the one person who ever mattered to him slept, all he could really do right now was see how things play out.

and maybe try to influence things just a little. ]

[revlon]

It's difficult to pick sides when one's loyalty belongs to a country that no longer exists.

[ She smiles briefly, expression otherwise unreadable. ]

And I think it may become complicated, in the long run, to declare a side so openly. We aren't from here and we hardly have all the cards to make an informed opinion. Don't you agree?

[shashka]

So, you're still a true patriot, are you?

[ he keeps that same passive smile on his face, trying to pick up on any other cues from her. ]

Oh, completely. It's only been a few months since the first of us woke up. If anything, I'd say that it makes more sense to try and avoid picking a side for as long as possible. Assess different opportunities.

[revlon]

[ She huffs out a breath, almost a laugh, in answer to his question. Yes, she is. This world is still a mystery to them. ]

And that is the third option, isn't it? Breaking off altogether.

[shashka]

Start your own town, away from Olympia and Wyver?

[ he can't help but laugh at that. once, he'd had an opportunity to do something just like that. but, out of some misguided loyalty, he'd chosen not to, and everything had been worse off for it. ]

But, that's the thing about third options, isn't it? Somehow, you still end up getting pulled into the thick of things.

[revlon]

I suppose it depends on what it would take to do that.

[ For many people, something will most certainly give. Often it will be because of someone you care about or payment of some sort. Who can say? ]

[shashka]

What would it take for you?

[ he's curious, that's all. while he might tell others that his loyalty remains to the soviet union, he's never been all that concerned with abstract loyalty to countries. no, it's people that he really believes in.

yet another reason he was likely such a disappointment to his mother. ]

[revlon]

I won't know it until I come across it.

[ Untrue. The people she loves, her friends — they're the most important. Whether or not they're still sleeping here. ]

You?

[shashka]

I guess I'm in the same boat as you. It all depends on who ends up making the next move.

[ a pause. ]

Until then, I guess it's just a matter of surviving.

[ and entertaining himself. everything was bound to be so interesting. ]