ataraxion | [003: Video]

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[003: Video]

[When the video feed starts up, Laughing Beauty looks to the camera nervously, still unsure if making this kind of request was the best to do publicly. But what choice did she have? LB knew she couldn't do this herself.]

Hey, uh -- heheheh -- hi.

[Yes, this was already getting off to a smooth start. LB gives the camera an awkward smile, before continuing.]

There's a lot of people here who can fix things... right? So, if anyone had any spare time, I was wondering if they wanted to try to fix-- [She swivels her communicator around, in a blur, until it focuses on a broken down, unoccupied Octopus Suit. With it occasionally sparking and one of it's tentacles broken apart, it's certainly seen better days, to say the least.]

I, uh... [The camera focuses on her face, deep in thought as she tries to think of a convincing lie as to how her suit got broken in the first place. After a while, however, she glances away from the camera.] Ah, fuck it, I broke it in a fight. But it's okay! Heehee! I... don't think I'll have to worry about that person anymore.

[Which is her roundabout way of saying that she hadn't seen Zer0, since after the fight, and she was pretty sure she killed him (even if that wasn't actually the case). It was a little sad, because he seemed like someone she could be friends with, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Regardless, she's not admitting to anything.

As she scratches her head and generally looks uncomfortable, it might be easy to tell that she's possibly hiding something.]

A-anyway, I'm not sure what I can offer anyone in return, but I guess we can discuss that later.

[After that, she had intended to turn her communicator off, but there was another burning question on her mind, lately. For this inquiry, she hesitates even longer, before finally spitting it out.]

Also... does anyone know if the masks give you any power or benefits? Hahaha? For a while, I had a bad feeling about them, but lately? I've been wondering if maybe I've been thinking of things in the wrong way.

[LB positions her deceptively cute mask next to her face, mimicking the expression with a smile.]

Besides, I'm no stranger to wearing things that are unsettling.

But - ah - that's all, I guess. Eeheeheeheehee... thanks in advance.

[[I've got it planned out for Peter Parker to fix the suit, but people are still welcome to inquire about it!]]

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Sounds inefficient.

[It's still a difficult thing for him to wrap his mind around, all these supposed alternate universes, and half the time he's not sure he believes everything everyone is saying. Most of him still thinks the Normandy is a short jump away and all of this is some kind of terrible goddamn joke. The suit is unfamiliar, but now that she's explained what it does, it's not exactly cutting edge tech.]

Depends what you're after. We've got tactical cloaks like your camo there. Don't think the shapes of the weapons have changed much, just what's inside.

[Pause as he switches on the feed. He's holding Jessie out so the girl can get a good look at it.]

M-8 Avenger. Not exactly high end where I come from, but dependable as hell.

Edited 2012-11-21 00:00 (UTC)

It's efficient enough, if you're on the losing end of a battle. [a beat.] Or you need to find a hiding spot to gain the tactical advantage.

[Once the video feed flips on, she stares at the screen with a sort of awe.]

It's nothing like what I've seen, at least gun-wise. Haha -- and it's certainly more futuristic looking than my own gun.

[She disappears off the screen for a second to display her own gun.]

I just have a FN P90. It's probably obsolete by your time, huh? Haha? Regardless, being dependable is what counts the most for a weapon, I suppose.

Well, that and it being able to kill your enemy.

[Zaeed can't help but smirk a little. Anyone who admires Jessie is good in his books.]

Beauty, isn't she? Her name's Jessie. Bloodthirsty thing. Thought she'd given up the ghost ages ago, but I got her fixed up for one last battle. Then I ended up here.

[The gun is ancient-looking by his standards, but then she's said she's from 2014. Not that he believes that much.] Yeah, never seen a gun like that in my time, but dependable's all you need. What kind of work did you do?

[She might be a little young to be doing wetworks, but he started young, too. And he's not so stupid as to underestimate her just because she looks like a kid to him..]

A gun actually stopped working for you? Haha? You must have been on the battlefield for quite some time, then.

As for me? I was the part of the Beauty & the Beast Unit and head of the Pieuvre Armement PMC. Usually, I just went wherever they needed someone killed -- heheheh -- but typically my PMC dealt with stealth missions and guerrilla warfare. I was stationed in South America, before coming here. [And on the losing end of a battle, but she wasn't about to admit that.]

How about you? With that kind of weaponry, I can imagine you live the mundane life of a civilian, heeheehee!

[A crooked grin.] Yeah, you could say that.

Sounds like you stayed busy. Shouldn't wonder, with a suit like that.

[He shrugs offhandedly.] I'm a merc, same as you. Freelance, though. Not much call for PMCs out in the Terminus Systems. Work better on my own.

[No need to mention founding the Blue Suns. The sting of it has faded with Vido's death, but it's not something he likes to spread around, anyway.]

I've been busy for quite some time, hahaha. [Her smile takes a melancholic turn, but she didn't really feel like elaborating on the fact that she was only doing that work for what was promised, in the end.]

I haven't heard of the Terminus Systems, though. Are the numbers of soldiers small enough that it's actually possible to work on your own?

[And there's a story he wants to hear, but something about her smile discourages him from asking. Guess at least a little of that laugh might be for show.]

Can't say there's any Citadel presence at all. [Right, a century and a half in the past. He changes tack:] It's the edge of civilized space. More frontier worlds than anything. Lawless and goddamn brutal, but a man keeps his wits about him, he can stay out of sight for as long as he likes. Made a name for myself as a bounty hunter out there.

[LB looks really confused at first, by the mention of the Citadel, but her expression relaxes as Zaeed continues to explain.]

I wish I could be surprised that the universe still seems siimilar to the one I knew, about 150 years later, but I haven't been too optimistic in a long time. Heeheehee....

But it's no wonder why you've survived that long, in a place like that; the ones that typically survive are the ones that are smart enough to hide, when they need to.

[She gives a brief pause, before giving an inquisitive stare at the screen.]

So, what kind of people did you have to go after?

[A grunt.] Why would it? Still full of goddamn people.

[Still, there are the beginnings of a slow smile on his face, and he relaxes noticeably as he talks. This kid speaks his language.] 'Sright. You gotta know when to lie low. Not that I was ever really fond of the low profile approach myself.

Hunted down all kinds. Serial killers to delinquents. Whoever was stupid enough to piss off people who could afford my services. Not overly bothered about the particulars.

[She sighs.] I guess...

And that approach can be plenty fun -- heeheehee -- though you do have to have the patience to lie in wait, until the right moment. Then when the time is right? Haha? [She smirks, seeming maybe a little too proud of her previous encounters.] Usually the opponent doesn't even see it coming, and then all that waiting it worth it, in the end.

I suppose when I was in the line of work, I never really asked questions about my targets either. What really matters is what's promised in the end. [Even if it's something that seems as impossible as getting a reprieve from her pain and suffering.]

[He returns the smirk.] Not a patient man by nature. Can't deny the odd job's worth the wait, though.

[And there's something weird about the way she phrases that. Something that makes him think she's not talking about credits. He tilts his head a little, fixing her with his good eye.]

Yeah? What'd they promise you?

[She frowns at his question, hesitating because she wasn't sure of how much she should reveal about her past, especially on a public transmission. From the sounds of it, Zaeed probably wouldn't be particularly judging of what she did, in the past, but she knew that there was people here that might treat her differently if they knew what the past revealed about herself.]

...a peace of mind. Hahaha... [It might be vague, but it was still more than she'd admit to most people.] Maybe even a way to end this perpetual laughter of mine.

[Zaeed's uncharacteristically quiet for a moment after that. It's tough to admit it, but her answer's blindsided him. Not a lot of wannabe mercs her age would admit to that kind of thing. It's all bravado and stupid deaths from that lot, mostly.

Guess she's not much of a wannabe. And the laugh--well. He's not sure how it fits into the whole equation, but it's good to know it does, somehow.]

Peace of mind's a rare thing in our line of work. [The smirk's gone now.] Hell of an employer to promise that. You sure they can follow through on the deal?

[She goes silent for a while, mulling over his question in her mind. After a while, LB gives a shake of her head with a weak smile.]

I don't know -- hahaha -- I was so desperate, when they first approached me, that I didn't even really think about it. By coming here, it seems that my superiors lied to me on at least one thing they told me, but I don't really know now if they would have given me what I desired or not. Even if I had the chance to complete my main objective.

But if there was any organization resourceful enough to do it, I think it would have been Outer Heaven.

[Nevermind the fact that it was run by the world's greatest backstabber.]

[So she's not a merc by choice. Zaeed has to frown a little at that. Not at her, though. He hesitates for a moment, wondering if he should ask what she means, before he decides against it. It sounds personal. He can respect that. Besides, he doesn't even know the kid.]

Where I come from, a PMC's main export is bullets, not peace of mind. I'd like to see the job that could net you something like that. Hard to imagine.

I really don't know how they would have done it for me, to be honest. Hahaha -- and you're right, I don't think any of the numerous PMCs I've known weren't famed to deal in that kind of business.

It's possible now, that I've had more time to think about it, that they were lying the entire time.

[LB shrugs, tilting her head along with the motion.] I'll probably never know now. But in a way? Being put in charge of the battlefield, rather than being afraid of it?

Heeheeheehee... maybe it's a little strange to most people, but to me... it was almost a little therapeutic.

[Being scared and told to fight anyway by a bunch of liars. Being good at it. Doesn't that just ring a goddamn bell. Pragia was almost a year ago, but Zaeed's not the kind of man who forgets easily.]

Not that strange. Might've heard something like that before. Reminds me of someone I used to work with.

Oh? [She looks at the camera with interest.] I guess that shouldn't be such a shock, considering that there were three others in my unit, all similar to me. It'd only make sense if there were people like me, in other worlds.

Haha... but what happened to your - uh - former ally?

Edited 2012-11-29 06:28 (UTC)

Can't say. We all went our separate ways after the mission was over.

[He'll have to ask Vega, the next time he sees the man. A man on Shepard's crew might have some news of the old squad.]

Sorry. Doesn't make for much of a story.

Ah, well at least you finished whatever your mission was. Must have been nice, hahaha.

Don't worry about it, though. It'd be silly to expect someone to keep tabs on another at all times. [Even if she wasn't too bad at that herself.]

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[003: Video]

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