text.

[camouflage]

I got something in the mail from home that got me thinking about a few things:

- Has anyone ever made it back to their own time/place?

- Has anyone ever escaped and been recaptured by the Moira? If they have, did time move at all while they were away from home?

If you don't know, I'm also curious about the general morale. Do you like/dislike the ship? Why?

Comments

[camouflage]

Good. [he takes another drag of his cigar, relishing in the taste and the dose of nicotine after weeks of not having it. he's not addicted to smoking, has enough self discipline to go cold turkey for months if he needs to, but it helps his stress levels. and after coming aboard the moira, john can admit he's been a little stressed.

but hearing that ahab is doing better and the knowledge that kaz doesn't look at him with disgust puts him in a better mood. boss looks down into his glass, swirling the whisjey around softly.] I knew you two would be able to take care of him. I never wanted this for Ahab, but... It's good to know he was able to take it in stride.

[he takes a drink from his glass, before he gives ocelot a look. it may very well be gratitude or maybe it's just a sense of pride welling up in him.] You did good, Adam.

[yer_pretty_good]

[Ahab is a good person, and he was a good soldier for MSF. He didn't deserve what happened to him, but what soldier ever does when the mission turns bad? Ahab is lucky to still have his life after what happened, and he's been able to turn that life into so much more by carrying Big Boss' legacy into the future for them. Ocelot is proud of Ahab and what he's become; even more so after accepting the truth.

Speaking of pride, if there is a man alive Ocelot would want to make proud, it's his friend, the man in front of him. So when John looks at him that way and says he did 'good', Ocelot chokes on his whiskey. Bad time to be taking another drink, it would seem. He coughs several times, his face turning red; whether that's from the drink or the compliment may be hard to tell.]

Boss, come on now, we both know my ego doesn't need the help.

[He croaks while pulling himself together.]

[camouflage]

Take it or leave it, cowboy. Who knows when you'll ever hear that again. [john is quite aware of the state of ocelot's ego, but that doesn't stop him from giving the man a well deserved compliment. while the wily marksman's hot-headed personality might've cooled off in the twenty-odd years they've known each other, big boss knows ocelot is every bit the preening feline his codename comes from.

adam was his most trusted friend and confidant. they rarely got to talk so freely between each other and as much as adam has dedicated himself to the cause, john feels he could do with a few more compliments.]

You gonna be okay over there? [his lips quirk up in a pitying smirk. maybe next time he'll warn the guy if something nice is about to come out of his mouth.] Don't die on me now, I'd be a mess without you. [totally nonchalant about that, by the way. john takes another drink from his glass before he sets it aside, smoking his cigar once more.]

[yer_pretty_good]

[Ocelot clears his throat and reaches for the water this time. Maybe he'll lay off on the whiskey for a bit now that his lungs are burning.]

Oh I know it, John.

[That he'd be a mess without Ocelot around to take care of things. He kept Snake informed of Zero's moves for sometime before Zero vanished, and if even Ocelot can't track someone down, they're entirely in the wind.]

But I'm glad you're taking all my hard work for granted.

[If he wanted to, he could probably be a very high ranking and important man in the Russian army by now, but he's always put himself in positions that were not for his benefit. It was always for John.]

[camouflage]

Without Zero to chase around, I'd say you're hardly working these days. [maybe anybody else in their shoes would find time to relax, to forget everything else that was happening a world away. maybe they'd consider being here a well-deserved get-away.

but john could barely stand it. working for so long and so hard to a singular goal and then to be ripped away from it? being on the moira was pretty much torture.]

But neither am I. I'm really not...built for this. Living in a lull. [his very short stint as a civilian an age ago had proved that. if he couldn't keep himself occupied, he might climb a wall out of frustration.]

[yer_pretty_good]

Neither of us are.

[This is not the life they've ever been accustomed to.]

Next time we land on a planet that isn't entirely weird, let's get some shore leave in, alright? Go exploring and see what's out there.

[It might be fun.]

We could also run some drills or training scenarios in the simulation room. I haven't actually tried out the technology yet.

[camouflage]

Sounds like a good of plan as any. [that, at least, he hadn't minded as much. getting onto solid ground, even if that ground was more like rickety settlements precariously balancing on little to nothing, had calmed him down after tumbling out of the ingress. he had been to clear his head and refocus his thoughts.

now he knew what those naval servicemen felt like being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean.]

I have. Well, once. It ended, uh... [poorly? oddly? what was the right word to describe a situation in which you had to stare down the thing you hated most and then be groped by a 20 year old?] It was interesting.

[yer_pretty_good]

[Ocelot finishes his glass of water and gets a look in his eyes like he's had an idea. Which he has. And he has great ideas.]

I got an idea. A real test of your skill. We can't have you growing old and dull on this ship.

[Big Boss needs to remain in top condition to live on as the legend the world needs. That won't be done if he's not in practice.]

Yeah, this'll work. I'll call you when it's ready.

[camouflage]

[he doesn't like that look in your eye when it's directed at him.]

Not sure I should be excited or wary about this idea of yours. [see? john knows adam will give whatever he's about to do a 110% of his considerable brain, and that scares him a little, considering what the simulation room can do.]

But I'm curious about what'll you get up to, either way.

[yer_pretty_good]

Someone's gotta keep you on your toes.

[They don't want him getting rusty. Besides, this job is dull enough that Ocelot can spend all his time thinking of ways to test John's skill. This could get a little out of hand.]

[camouflage]

Just no vampires. [seriously, adam, once was enough.]