there ain't nothing in this world for free [OPEN]

[firefall]

Who| Riley and YOU
What| Obligatory open intro log
Where| District 9's suite, and then wandering the tower
When| TODAY
Warnings/Notes| Riley has a foul mouth. Also possible mentions of violence and zombies & her being expectant of her own worse-than-death fate whoops.


Despite her much more pressing concerns, the first thing Riley does when the soldiers (ignoring the creative invective she sets on them the whole way) leave her in the large room - cleaner and better furnished than any she's seen, that's for sure - is raid the fridge. Because fuck it, you know? She's dead to the world in a few hours to a couple days, if these assholes decided they just needed to bump in on an infected girl's last few moments of sanity then she's going to take or use all their good shit because she fucking can and it won't have any consequences she'll remember. She intends to have something good in the final hours she's spending as herself, and anyway the stuff they've stocked in here is way better than your ordinary unfortunate ever glimpses in their rations.

But once she's stuffed herself to the metaphorical gills and left the kitchen a mess, she's back to her real priorities - finding Ellie, or finding a way the hell out, hopefully both if she's got some luck left. She doesn't want to be in a populated area when the mushrooms start growing in her brain, she's out to protect the people, from her own shambling not-a-corpse if need be. Alternately, if the creepy military jerkwads intend to use her as a caught infected for experimentation, she will do her damnedest to deny them the utility of her mindless shell. She doesn't owe them shit.

She'd rather find Ellie, though. She doesn't want to be alone. Doesn't want to leave Ellie alone like this, either. And if they kidnapped Riley, they probably have her as well.

"Holy shit," she mutters to herself as she wanders the halls, trying to find some kind of exit. The whole place is so lit up it's a sheer fucking waste. They could be using this kind of electric power to actually help people live in a less shitty situation, and instead they're wasting it on some bigwig's personal playground. "Every time I think I can't be surprised by how shitty and self-serving the higher-ups are anymore, they gotta do something like this just to prove me wrong."

Comments

[firefall]

"Hoooly shit-" Riley backs off with a quickness lent by reflexive paranoia, so the plate and cup go spilling across the floor a few inches from her worn-down shoes.

"Nah, I think I'm good," she says after a moment's quick glance for confirmation. "But you know, juggling all that seems kinda awkward. Don't you have a better way to carry stuff around?"

Riley comes from a world where everyone wears backpacks at every possible moment, so this seems like common sense to her.

[celebrityskinned]

"Well, you can get the Avoxes to do that, but it seems kind of rude when I can try and carry it myself these days."

Venus almost feels reflexively like she has to do her own work now, if only because she lives with Azula, who makes messes just to watch the Avoxes scramble. It's not as if Venus is unused to being waited on, but by now it's out of spite for her less-favored Mentor.

Riley, by contrast, doesn't look like she came up in the lap of luxury at all. She's skinny, ragged, looks jumpy. She reminds Venus of Ellie a little, or of some of the other kids in the Arena.

"Sorry. Hi, I'm Venus." She holds her left hand up. "You mind shaking on the left. I've got soda on the right, it'll be sticky."

[firefall]

"I mean like some kinda way to fit your shit in your bag." Not having your hands free is a bit of a liability, after all. Riley can't help the bit of disdain that colors her expression as she looks Venus over - soft life, soft everything - but at least the woman's clearly not some dainty flower, from those muscles.

She reaches out and snags the offered hand. "Riley. So does everyone around here dress as weird as you, or are you just making some kinda statement?"

[celebrityskinned]

She gives Riley a solid handshake, but there's still a certain flightiness to it, like she's expecting to get pulled away at any second. Back when she shook hands with fans there could be a moment at any time when a bodyguard would step in and take her to safety.

The concern on her face is cracked by a snort and a laugh. "Oh, honey, you ain't seen nothing yet. I'm dressed tame compared to some of the people you'll see around here."

[firefall]

"Pretty sure I don't even wanna see 'em, then," Riley replies with a little laugh of her own. She pulls her hand back, shoves both her hands into her pockets. "So, guess you've been here a while, then. Personally I find it kinda hard to believe that anyone could get used to- fuck, all this." She does a sort of shoulder shrug that manages to gesture at their surroundings. "But hey, everyone's got their own idea of what's normal, I guess."

[celebrityskinned]

"See, for me this is all sort of like back home. I'm mostly just getting used to other people getting used to it." All the post-traumatic stress disorder and meltdowns make it a bit hard for her to just relax and enjoy the indulgence their captors provide. And it's strange - she used to not even believe them to be captors.

"Mind if you walk with me while I set these aside? I don't want to be rude and just leave you hanging halfway through an introduction."

[firefall]

"Shitty kinda home. No offense or anything." She shrugs. "But sure, it's not like I've got any super pressing engagements or whatever. Lead on."

[celebrityskinned]

"You think? It seems almost nice by most of the standards here." She waves a hand. "You know, if you need an outright tour, I have time."