A VIPER is a snake and snake is sneak spelled sideways

[a_monetized_mind]

1. Urrrgh....

[Jen's had a rough few days, and can be found easily enough-usually slumped over books on various weapons systems, or booklets of accounting figures. ]

Well, looks like the balances work out now...those were nice apartments, though...Still need to figure out how I'm going to pack more power into that tiny robot. And I could really deal with more money, too...

[She pours herself a clear, strong-smelling drink from a bottle; notably, it has a "95.6% ABV" label. Jen's glass is more like the kind you would use for drinking beer, but she takes a drink from her glass anyways. And then immediately makes a face.]

...This tastes terrible.

2.[Gym practice time! Which for Jen means boxing, her fists moving in a blur as they strike at the sandbag. Meanwhile, some weird mix of pop-idol singing and metal instrumental work blares from a stereo.]

Hm. For a crazed terrorist, she's not that bad at singing...

Comments

1

[stupidhonor]

What are you doing?

[Sielje has been lured in by unfamiliar words and actions. She looks around curiously, but is forced to take a step back as soon as she smells the drink.]

Ah! What is this, is it poison? Is it poison you drink, Jen?

Re: 1

[a_monetized_mind]

Ah. Oh, yeah, that's basically poison. If you drink more than a tiny bit of it, you'll probably die.

[Jen drinks a few more swallows of it, anyways.]

Anyways, I just finished working out my budget for the next month, so now I'm doing some reading on weapons systems I could try to make for Cethlenn. It's harder than I thought...

[stupidhonor]

Why would you do that?

[a_monetized_mind]

Well, I was able to take Doomstar down with some creativity, but more firepower's never a bad thing. Cethlenn tends to lag behind the rest of our team in dishing out damage, anyways.

[A pause, while she keeps drinking her shitty drink.]

Oh. You mean this, don't you?

[stupidhonor]

Yes, this is what I mean.

[a_monetized_mind]

So it turns out, that weird junk Cethlenn shot me full of when I got in it-in addition to letting me pilot the crazy thing, it's made me almost totally immune to poison. The doctor said I'd heal a lot faster, too, but I'd rather not test that one out...

The downside is that it categorizes alcohol as a poison, so the only way I can get even remotely drunk is with this stuff. Caffeine, too...

[stupidhonor]

Ah. I see.

[And just like that, the explanation is accepted without even a blink from Sielje's side. Except...]

... Alcohol?

[itbelongsinamuseum]

You tried drinking that? I thought people doing so was only a myth about crazy high school students wanting to get drunk cheaply.

[a_monetized_mind]

Sometimes adults want to get drunk cheaply, you know.

...Anyways, It's the only alcohol that has any sort of effect anymore. I probably wouldn't get sick until I downed six or seven bottles of it.

[itbelongsinamuseum]

At least it still has an effect. I thought you were completely immune to getting drunk.

...Sorry, I was just surprised. Pure alcohol is not something I see people drinking every day.

[a_monetized_mind]

I should hope not! That'd be a nightmare for the local hospitals...

...Well, I thought I was immune too, but if I drink enough alcohol fast enough, it'll get me drunk...for a little bit. I wasn't much of a drinker before, so that much is fine.

I'd probably have better results-per-price with industrial alcohols, but...That doesn't seem wise. It's more of a secondary vice, anyways.

[itbelongsinamuseum]

Industrial ones also add different poisons to prevent alcoholics from drinking them just in case.

So why experiment if you thought you were immune?

[a_monetized_mind]

Perseverance is a virtue.

1

[totallyhonest]

You're also having money trouble, eh?

Re: 1

[a_monetized_mind]

Yeah. Honestly, I've half a mind to go talk to that Viper guy about a position...

Re: 1

[totallyhonest]

You too? Don't tell anyone, but I was serious when I asked about his portofolio really.

Re: 1

[a_monetized_mind]

...Really?

Re: 1

[totallyhonest]

Yes, but looking at someone's portofolio doesn't mean I'm going to join them though. I have to see first about their profit expectation, or whether they have "burning orphanage" in their future business plan, those kind of things...

Re: 1

[a_monetized_mind]

Well, that makes sense. I just didn't expect anyone to be that...upfront, about it.

2)

[not_a_prize]

[Peola, who had recently vacated the sandbag for Jen's benefit was now making use of the barbells. There was plenty of weight on it, and while she wasn't straining herself, she did look plenty angry with each lift she made.]

Jen. That is... one of the most horrible... songs I have ever... heard!

And I've had a pitiful excuse for... a bard come up with a song about... my buttocks... on the spot!

Re: 2)

[a_monetized_mind]

[punch punch punch]

Well, I like it. If you want to change it, do it yourself.

[more punching.]

[not_a_prize]

Okay sure. Fine. Thank you.

[There's a thump as Peola set the weights to the ground, sauntering over to the stereo and squatting in front of it with a grimace. She does nothing for a while before attempting to mess with the thing. There's a massive amount of scrambled warbling as space princess attempted to find something resembling music to her despite the fact she barely had an idea of what she was doing.]

[a_monetized_mind]

[Jen doesn't do anything about it...for the first minute. Then she stops smacking that poor bag of sand.]

...Have you never used a stereo before?

[not_a_prize]

YES! Sort of! The one in the security room had less... everything!

[She gives the stereo a flummoxed look and even goes so far as to pick it up and shake it a little like it would do something.]

Ki based society, not electrical!

[a_monetized_mind]

Okay, okay, I get it.

[Jeez, between her and Sielje, this is almost a running joke...]

Just put it down and I'll show you how to work it, princess.