10 △ VIDEO; looking fine and augmented

[neveraskedforthis]

[ Considering Adam spent the last two weeks as his old self, that is, the person he was before this and that incident, he takes it remarkably well. The memory of actual, feeling hands is still fresh in his mind, although he hadn't even been able to appreciate it much due to it having been nothing special at the time. It's easier to compare now, however—flesh to metal, feeling to unfeeling, weak to powerful. And for once, the lingering emotion of something having been taken from him against his will doesn't flare up again.

It's different. Much like a disabled person revisits the memory and place where everything happened and changed to maybe, finally, find some closure.

Things happen.

You don't always get a say in it. All you can do is deal, adapt and progress, because ultimately, that's what life has always been about. ]

***


I see everyone's quick to mope or make apologies. Excuse me if I refrain from joining your ranks this time, seeing as I came out of this with a few cute girls, free meals and a videogame—all things I didn't ask for, but I'm still not sharing. The game, maybe, if you ask nicely, but it's somewhat dated. So unless you can appreciate classics, don't even bother.

[ HI everyone did you miss this butt he's sure you did. ]

Oh, and here's your general PSA, directed at no one in particular, especially not the guys around the precinct: get into the habits of locking your tablets if you're just gonna leave 'em lying around. The next time I find one I'm gonna post the entirety of its porn folder to the network tagged with your name. And before you go, oh, that silly Adam Jensen, of course my porn folder is locked and hidden slash I'm an innocent virgin who doesn't even have a porn folder, honest--

Don't make the mistake of thinking that's gonna stop me.


[ Private to Samus ]

You free tonight?

Comments

[neveraskedforthis]

[ Because Collette has the biggest porn folder. ]

Asteroids.

[whatsupcroc]

( If thousands of save files of images of snow and skiers and snowboarders and skateboarders doing tricks counts as porn.

Oh, then all those sky diving shots, and the cave shots, and the really impressively scary shots of astronauts at the moon station... )

Yes! Talk about classic!

... So can I seriously get a copy?

[neveraskedforthis]

[ Yeah and let's not forget Collette is best at getting her horny teenagers hormones shot down by dumb boys. ]

I could copy it for you, I guess. Then again, we're not dating anymore...

[whatsupcroc]

( Shut up Adam just because she has bad luck doesn't mean you have to rub it in!!!

Granted she laughs at what he says, adopting a pout for the sake of... the hell of it. )

Phooey! And here I thought we had something special. ( Pausing for a beat. ) So how's Samus?

[neveraskedforthis]

[ BUT THAT'S WHAT HE DOES

geez fine. ]

We do. Just... next time, don't keep me believing I am actually dating a girl that's barely legal.

As for Samus, I'm about to check up on her.

[whatsupcroc]

Hey, I just let your imagination run away with the rest of you!

Good. Say hello to her from me, too, while you're at it! I didn't end up talking with her, but I saw her on network kind of after the fact.

[neveraskedforthis]

No, I'm pretty sure you let me run away with you. Something tells me you enjoyed that, at least a little. It's okay to admit it. I was pretty handsome at that age.

And I'll be sure to do that. As for the game, it might take me a few days to create a backup copy, so you gotta be patient.

[whatsupcroc]

Yeah, you were! Too bad you only got rugged when you got older. It's a whole different sort of attractive now.

( Wistful sigh. Heh. )

I can do patience! I am so good at patience.

... Unfortunately.

[neveraskedforthis]

Grooming a beard isn't difficult. Get a boyfriend and I'll show him how it's done, if that's what you like.

And patience, you'll find, is something you're gonna get even better at. Especially if it involves something that's worth it. Such is life.

[whatsupcroc]

You're seriously telling the girl in a wheelchair she'll get even better at patience. Have you even been to a hospital before? I am seriously disappointed in you, mister!

Also no way am I bringing any boyfriend I might one day have to you for beard grooming advice, there'd be too many goatees in my life!

[neveraskedforthis]

... I am lacking my own arms and legs, Collette. What do you think? Either way, that's not what I was getting at, at all.

You have such little faith in me. I'm positively hurt.

[whatsupcroc]

( She just laughs, because if anyone can understand what it means to be an amputee without being an amputee literally, she can. Though phantom pains will never really be her thing. )

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be patient! With you, it's usually worth the waiting.

[neveraskedforthis]

I hope you're still referring to the game.

[ Don't scare him into thinking you ACTUALLY fell for his younger self, Collette! ]

But while we're on the subject, I'm gonna tell you something--wanna know how old I was when I entered my first real, long-term relationship?

[whatsupcroc]

( She really bursts out laughing at that. Such a joker! It's what she enjoys about Adam. )

Yeah, the game, the game! Or the next milkshake meet up. Maybe we can combine the two... but hey, now you have me curious. Of course I want to know!

[neveraskedforthis]

[ Sometimes he just can't tell with her. He knows what it's like to be seen as a friend when you'd really rather be something else. ]

Twenty-eight. I know a lot about patience. I'm sure you'll manage before that, so don't worry too much about it.

[whatsupcroc]

Good, 'cause if I have to wait twelve years, I might be dead before I ever get there!

( She pitches her tone dramatic: she wants to come off melodramatic.

Particularly since she strongly, fully believes she doesn't have twelve seconds, and the only sixteen or anything she'll see will be here. But she gets that chance, and for whatever her mixed feelings about back home, she's happy with that here. )

[neveraskedforthis]

[ Melodrama or not, ]

No, you won't.

And you don't have to rush it.

[whatsupcroc]

( She laughs, relenting. )

I'm not in a rush. I promise.

[neveraskedforthis]

... Well in the end, you can do what you want. I really just can't stand seeing cute girls end up disappointed or in trouble.

[whatsupcroc]

It happens off and on, but it's okay! You live and you learn and you look for the next opportunity to present itself and stuff.

[neveraskedforthis]

[ NO COLLETTE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

IT'S LIKE you know how for women they can feel their biological clock ticking and they develop MOMFEELINGS and its like that for adam only with DADFEELINGS

augh

sigh !! ]

Yeah, yeah. Just be careful and stop trusting every stranger offering you cookies or something.

[whatsupcroc]

Is this a PSA on Jesse being a meth dealer? Miles already gave me that one, though he was less straightforward about it.

[neveraskedforthis]

Thanks for confirming that for me.

[ ugh. meth of all possible drugs. ]

Do you know how dangerous that stuff is?

[whatsupcroc]

Mom was a nurse. Think I haven't heard the worst of what every drug on market in the 90's does to you?

[neveraskedforthis]

Stop being dismissive like it's not a big deal. If your mom's told you all about that crap, apparently she hasn't done a very good job of it. Either that, or you're just being thick.