flawedmemes | TEST DRIVE MEME

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TEST DRIVE MEME

01. ARRIVING IN PELEA
A cold wind singing down from the white-capped mountains which hang blue-black in the distance stirs your cheek, the tall grass all around you. A bough creaks as the wind makes it tremble, and the dappled shadows drift over you, leaves rustling. As you blink awake, you hear the quiet hiss of water over stones. You are not where you once were!

You and a large group of strangers are blinking awake, pulling yourselves up off the dirt, grass, and rubble near a small wooded stream. There is no evidence of civilization in sight, and as you exchange stories you realize that you must decide what to do.

Will you head past the trees and towards the mountains? Deeper into the forest? Stay put and wait for help to arrive? You might even try to meet everyone else, and either convince them to band together... or head their separate ways.

02. CITY SLICKER
There are many cities throughout the world of Pelea, and in most player characters, the Flaws, are welcomed as curiosities. From the pastoral villages or bustling, grand cities of Shousal to the massive, sprawling bureaucratic centers of the Empire, your characters will find a wide variety of cultures and races to interact with and investigate. They could be seeking empoyment, answers to the mystery of their arrival, or a quiet place to drink away their worries.

03. WILDCARD!

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It was hard not to notice the stretched silence or the looks, but Legolas said nothing of them. Not out loud anyway, only when their eyes met again did he arch a brow in question and some vague amusement and poorly contained mirth. A man of very, very few words, then, and in that, he was a stark contrast to Legolas himself. Few words were said, but no doubt there was a lot going on in spite of them.

"Come then," he nodded farther into the empty street where they stood, away from the eye of the crowd, "With the way you are dressed, it is best we avoid the folk of the city."

He paused, though, giving the stranger another glance, and finally undid the cloak from about his neck, pulling the thin but strong fabric from beneath the quiver, and offering it to him. It was a temporary measure, until they got him better clothes. Which, unfortunately, meant resorting to theft again. Coin was not easy to come by at all, especially when one was still learning the ins and outs of the world.

"A brief glance will be fooled, an observant one may see what it fails to hide," he shrugged, "But it is the best I may offer in this moment."

It was only for the fact that he watched the stranger remove the cloak, that Snake didn't automatically block the oncoming hands and try to flip the boy to the ground with all his strength. Close quarters combat was so built into every muscle reflex he had that someone he didn't know touching him was seen as a threat. The primal part of his mind that had been trained to react without higher levels of thought in such situations would rather break arms first and ask questions after, of why someone would reach out towards him.

Luckily Snake was able to keep his body tense, and still, while the cloak was offered to him. "A brief glance, huh?" He repeated the phrase without actually needing any further explanation; it was just an odd personality quirk of his to repeat people. Snake used his good hand to shift the cloak over his shoulders and he took a second to hide the sniper rifle more carefully under its folds. While he did have a glove on his hand, the first two fingers were not covered and he was able to feel the texture of the material. Odd.

Snake looked up to the other and stared for a second before he started walking in the direction which it had looked like the archer had been ready to head in. After just a few steps he asked. "Run or walk?"

Legolas too began walking as the stranger did, his pace easily brisk, and yet not seeming hurried at the same time. His steps were silent, not even stirring the gravel on the path, his motions smooth and graceful.

"Walk," he responded with a smile, as brief as the man was, but... it did not last at all, for all that Legolas wanted to try and match him, more words followed quickly enough. It was not in his nature, and all in all, he was not keen to fight his nature unless absolutely necessary. "There is no rush, at least, not yet. I have a camp outside of the city, hidden from all, temporary before I move on to where I am headed next."

He gave a small shrug, glanced to his company with an arched brow.

"Would you give me a name to call you by, as we are to become travelling companions? I am Legolas, son of Thranduil." Though it didn't matter a whole lot here, his father's name unknown to most everyone he met, and Thranduil not present to make it known. All the same, it was important for Legolas, the familial bond.

Snake didn't mind walking, even if it was out of the norm for him. He was either crawling around on his belly among the bushes or running full tilt it seemed like. A nice normal walk? Was far from normal for him. It was, oddly, kind of nice. Even when he was on Mother Base he would dash from platform to platform, ever on the move, always preparing for the next mission or debriefing after the last one. Sadly, his lieutenants were usually the ones who had to remind him to eat, sleep, or even shower. Then again Ocelot seemed to overly enjoy dumping buckets of water on him. Maybe it was payback for all the times he would surprise tackle the blond.

At the question, Snake came out of his thoughts and glanced to his side at this blond. Blonds. He seemed to surround himself with blonds over the years. "Hn."

The question itself caused him some pause and, as was becoming predictable, he took a long time to answer. He had several codenames that he went by, and part of him wanted to be known as Ahab; then again he was fond of Boss but he wasn't Legolas's boss or anyone else's boss here, let alone the Big Boss. "Hmm."

There of course was Snake, his overall designation, but there were several Snakes out there and if one of them showed up it could cause some trouble. Usually one Snake caused enough trouble on his own and this one hoped that none of the others would show up. That would just be bad for everyone, but mostly for himself. Snakes didn't get along well with one another. He glanced again at the other, at this Legolas, and he wondered if that was his real name. By the archaic addition of a father's name he could guess that it was. That said something about Legolas, something about honesty and no pretense, no masks, no monikers to hide behind. Interesting.

"V," he finally voiced with a quick look over his shoulder before he focused on the path ahead. "Or Venom." That was the closest he could come to something personal and true for himself.

Whatever the hell that meant.

It was, all in all, a very strange experience for Legolas. The moments of silence, moments of thought he assumed, they stretched long and deep, and though he had not felt the urge to fill them with words, it was something of a novelty for him. Patiently, he walked along, and did not urge for any rush. As he had said already, there was no need for it, not in their journey, and also not in offering answers and asking question. They had time, if nothing else, especially between now and getting to his camp.

When the answer finally came, it was surprising. Legolas looked to the side with surprise, eyebrows arching, eyes wide, though his lips remained set into a small smile. To be named after something that could be as deadly as Venom, he didn't expect that. But perhaps it was fitting, this man was clearly a warrior, and perhaps he was as lethal as the worst of venoms in the world. Or perhaps the moniker came from using venom in fighting. It was something Legolas could accept, and something that he would certainly keep in mind.

"Well met, then, Venom," he dipped his head in a nod of greeting, politely making no comment on the name choice. Then, he smiled, a little mirthful, but still mostly friendly, "May I ask, why were you hiding in a box for such a long while?"

A disguise, likely, but why such a peculiar one?

Well met? Again it seemed archaic, and out of place, until he realized with some humility that it was himself that was out of place. The weight of the cloak was minimal but seemed heavier, and once again he reached up to feel at the material of it. When another question came so soon after the first he looked sidelong at Legolas again. Curiosity was natural of course but he wasn't used to talking to people who didn't already know him, and know his methods. Snake had been all over the world fighting various conflicts, starting and ending wars, but he never socialized. Outside of his lieutenants and soldiers, and once in a great while his enemies, he never even talked to anybody. Even then, it was all business.

Either Legolas was very nosy or simply had a curious mind. Maybe, those were the same thing, but Snake didn't think so. His own curiosity was high and while he could think of a hundred questions to ask in return they weren't vital and so he kept them to himself.

"The box is a tested strategical reconnaissance tool." Some memories annoyingly wiggled their way inside of his head and Snake slowed his pace the next few steps, then took a few sharp looks over at Legolas. The man wanted to talk?

He could talk all day about boxes. His gruff voice started off slow and grew more animated as he talked and Legolas could likely guess, it was a rare moment for the old soldier to talk so freely. "There's not much a good box can't do. It's a weapon of stealth, easily transported, you can fit yourself and a buddy inside. You can use it to gain vantage points you otherwise couldn't reach. It provides cover by itself even if you're not hiding within it. You can jump out to surprise enemies or use it to distract them. And of course, you can use the box to transport goods to and from the battlefield more easily. Every soldier should have a box." He paused just a moment. "I should have brought the box with me..."

And Snake actually stopped walking and turned to look back at where they had departed from, a slight frown on his scarred lips. "Maybe I should go get it."

The change from short and curt responses to, what likely passed as a passionate, monologue was... unexpected. Legolas couldn't contain his surprise, but as ever it did come with a smile. A bemused one, but a smile nonetheless. Venom certainly was passionate about his disguise box, for reasons that perhaps made some sense. Still, boxes did not tend to move on their own, and there were spots where they'd look out of place and only draw attention to themselves.

All in all, however, it was very endearing to witness. A man so aged, a man thoroughly experienced in battle, normally of few words, speaking so freely and animatedly about something so... well, in some ways silly, though it was clearly not silly for Venom, so Legolas withheld a chuckle. He did not want to insult him, or even put him off, and most importantly he did not want him to stop talking again. Even if silence was another way of learning a lot about another person.

When Venom stopped, so did Legolas and he looked back the way they came as well. He looked puzzled for a second, but then had to keep himself from laughing all over anew. Endearing, indeed, was strangely accurate.

"We have time, if you wish to bring it with you we may return for it." They did not get very far either way.

"Return for it?" Snake only had to consider a second before he nodded and set off at a fast run. It was a normal pace for him, nearly as fast as any human was capable of, and he was back with Legolas in less than two minutes. He had taken a moment to fold the box when he had retrieved it. Once he slowed his run to a jog and then a walk while nearing Legolas, he finished folding it the rest of the way.

Snake tucked it into the back of his utility belt under the cloak, then gave a firm nod to Legolas. He was ready to continue. "I don't have enough supplies with me," he shared as they picked up their pace together once more in the direction of Legolas's camp. That was his reasoning for risking going back for the box. Normally he had endless access to supply drops that would come via helicopter from Mother Base.

He mused at the idea of being known as Naked Snake out here, being as he had no back-up and no supplies. He wasn't really Venom any longer. That moniker meant revenge, for himself and for allies, prejudiced judgment even, and that did not apply here. Still, Venom was his own and he therefore clung to it no matter how much it didn't matter. It was his.

After a minute, feeling a little more secure in the presence of the stranger, he finally decided to share the tip of his own curiosity iceberg. "Your ears?"

With so little time to react, Legolas was left standing in confusion for a couple seconds before he gathered his wits about him again. That was strange, very strange, and he could only stare at Venom's back as he ran back to pick up his box, then ran right back to him. Fast for a human, especially fast for a human of his apparent age. Equal parts bemused and amused, this time Legolas couldn't quite help it, he chuckled as they began walking again.

Oh, he could understand that sentiment however. With how few supplies they all had, literally everything was of great value. Some things they used, other things they could always sell for coin. Legolas himself had few needs, but those few he did have... well, they required more coin than he had on his person. He was an elf, and more than that, an elven prince, it was rare that he ever had to buy anything. So this was new and he was still learning how to live like this— resorting to theft was truly the last resort. It did not sit well with him, but at the end of the day, his survival was of utmost importance to him.

The question posed at him in turn was a good sign, he thought.

"Leaf shaped, as the ears of elves are, and an elf I am," he said, glancing sideways with a grin, "Or leaves are what many compare them to!"

Legolas, personally, found it quite an accurate comparison.

"An elf, huh?" There had been ancient legends of such beings but he wasn't one much for history unless it was related to warfare. He seemed to remember a few drawings in children's books but that was so many lifetimes ago he couldn't remember if their ears had been leaf shaped or not. Snake supposed it really didn't matter. There was an elf here now and that ear was undeniably leaf-shaped.

It posed a whole host of new questions but for now, he kept his mouth shut. He gave a simple nod in acceptance of the explanation before his attention was on the path ahead. His mouth may have been shut and his eye forward, but Venom was acutely aware of the presence beside them as they walked. He took note of the light and graceful movement, the surety of step, and the utter silence of each footfall. His own steps were very quiet, especially for a man of his size, but they were definitely not silent. The silence suppression in his souls worked best on harder surfaces anyway and not the earthen ground they were covering.

It was impressive. For a many who had been working in espionage for decades, the silence was profound, and earned Legolas quite a few marks of respect from the man. Snake was hard to impress, and usually found odd things to be impressed about. As a case in point, he began wondering just how hard Legolas could throw a punch and if he could ask for one.

One question that received an answer, then acknowledgement and silence fell again. Legolas grinned to himself, every so often glancing at Venom, but at least he resisted shaking his head. He let it last a little longer, for no other reason but to see if anything more would come without prompting, but when it stretched beyond a certain point, Legolas decided to break the silence again.

"Do you have no more questions?" He asked, looking over and studying Venom's expression and if it had changed at all to his words. "Perhaps—," he chuckled then with a small shrug, "Not about me or about elves, but about the city, the country, the continent? There is plenty to know of, after all, although I have no knowledge of everything."

Continent to not say the world, that still sounded and felt so, so very strange for Legolas to say. And so if he could avoid it, he would.

"Hm." There were so many questions that they all tumbled around in his fractured mind like a whirlwind. Memories, old, new, false, all too real, swirled into the mix and Snake found himself suddenly missing the near constant strong breeze from the Seychelles sea. Davy Jones Locker, he thought to himself, completely derailed from reality or the elf next to him or what he was supposed to be focusing on. He wondered where the term came from, Davy Jones Locker. I won't scatter your ashes to the heartless sea...

"Uh." Snake blinked a few times, only coming back to reality as his foot falls slowed and he lagged behind his new companion a few steps. He caught back up and forced himself to recall what the question had been.

Questions - right. "Questions. Sure." Why were they here? How did they get home? Why were they called flawed? Why did the natives not like them? Why weren't there weapons here? Why hadn't the flawed militarized yet? Who was in charge? Did the flaws have a leader? Were the natives their enemy? What was a soldier supposed to do without an enemy? Without a war to fight?

"Questions. Why a leaf? Why not a..." He tried to think of things shaped like a leaf. "A tear?"

Elves were known for their near infinite patience, and though Legolas did not exactly consider himself so very patient as the most of them, he still indulged these long stretches of nothing, and did not rush Venom to say anything. If these few past moments were anything to go by, that was simply how he was. Likely a lot of thoughts, but a very few words.

When the question finally came, Legolas had to laugh. Apparently his ears were a very thought-consuming subject.

"For our love of nature, perhaps, for our affinity to it," he shrugged, actually uncertain why they say leaves rather than anything else, "Even my name, it is for my love of the trees— though this would only speak for me and my reasons.

"May I ask a question in return? As in barter! Pay for knowledge with knowledge."

"Barter? Sure."

His skeptical side wondered what the hell the elf could possibly want to know from him, as he didn't know anything about this world or its people obviously, which meant it would have to be some kind of personal question. And, Snake really had nothing personal to share. He was a soldier, nothing more and certainly nothing less. Whatever world Legolas came from it had elves with nature affinity and that was not Earth. Therefore what would Earth's conflicts mean to Legolas? Nothing, in no way that Snake could guess at anyway. Not a personal question then - something tactical, maybe about the box?

An affinity with nature, he repeated in his mind, wondering what exactly that meant. His one good eye glanced sidelong and downwards to consider the plain looking leather boots on the other. They couldn't explain the eerily quiet or light-footed walking. That could be part of it, he reasoned, but he had to wonder what else was a creature capable of walking in silence able to do? If there was anything he had learned over the past year it was to not underestimate people whatever their intentions or backgrounds appeared to be. Snake told himself not to underestimate Legolas.

"Shoot," he offered, signifying he was ready for this question.

There were many things that came to mind to ask about, some more about the sort of a world Venom came from, out of sheer curiosity alone, some others, indeed, more personal. It was difficult to pick just one, and so this time it was Legolas's turn to fall quiet as he got lost in thought. He missed the looks he received, looking up to the sky instead as if it would aid him in picking the best question for the moment. There was nothing written in the clouds, though, Legolas smiled himself at the thought and turned to Venom with a small grin.

"Is Venom a name you have chosen for yourself?" He asked finally, deciding it best to simply start at the very beginning of the long, long list of questions he had. He could only hope that Venom would indulge him for all of them, until his curiosity was at least partially satisfied. They had so much time, it would be a waste to spend it in complete silence at all times.

You went straight down to hell, and they pulled you out, your eye wide open. Full of venom. The days of Naked Snake are long gone. Welcome back, Venom Snake.

After he'd woken up from his nine year coma, Ocelot had debriefed him, and given him his new moniker. Yes it had meaning, a lot of meaning, but to no one but himself. What was a name to most people but what they had to sign on their rent check? His name was his reality, his name was his job, and the tenuous thread of his phantom existence. It felt strange and almost uncomfortable to have the elf zero in on the code name so directly.

There was a slight, hesitant tone of emotion as he began speaking but his grumbling voice soon evened out. "It... was given, to me." He could have stopped there, but he continued in a quiet tone. "Venom Snake. In aboriginal cultures a snake's venom means revenge, or vengeance. The mythologies speak of a 'horned snake' with a crest on its head like a diamond, covering the whole world with venom in revenge for injustice from the gods."

The edge of the shrapnel in his skull rested on his optic nerve and it was therefore impossible to ignore, especially when it caused him headaches or hallucinations. It was simply a part of him now. Repeating the story though, it was obvious just how weirdly appropriate the code name really was. Now it was his turn to ask a question though and his own was much more practical.

"How do you walk silently?"

Horned snake, that phrase drew Legolas's attention to the strange piece of ... metal, he thought, lodged in Venom's head. He wondered about it, a lot, but found it far too rude to ask about. Far as he could see, it did not cause Venom pain, it was not a recent injury at all, and truth be told, he couldn't even be so sure it was an injury at all. Not in Pelea, not out of another flaw. He learned early on not to assume much, if anything at all, about the fellow flaws.

Still, he took in the answer and nodded with gratitude for the clear and simple honesty. He wondered then just what was the cause for Venom's vengeance, but it was not his turn to ask questions and perhaps that could be too personal. Patience, Legolas told himself, and he couldn't help a small chuckle at the question.

The truth was, he had no other answer to it other than I am an elf! Still, he tried to put it into words in a way that could be understood.

"I am an elf, and elves step lightly, we step carefully," he mulled it over, then continued with another chuckle, "We are not held back by the limits of the flesh in any way... it is the best I can explain it."

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TEST DRIVE MEME

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