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Tryout Fic #12: MyWorldIsSquare - Village FicIt was a rainy, miserable day at the battling coliseum, and despite the ongoing match between Crono and Tom Nook, most of the participants stayed in their hotels, already aware of the impending outcome. Even Magus had lingered behind, assured of Crono's victory and too interested in his own philosophical studies to bother seeing a 'friend' win. He's the type that treats even his closest friends like *******, while expecting a gold ******* medal in return. I've met a few myself. Lance, goddamnit...he's the one that always comes to mind... The halls of the West Hotel were painted a putrid olive color, and Tommy Vercetti could barely contain the sensation to gag just from the sight of the place. Maybe that's how these walls got their color in the first place, he noted sardonically. Then again, keep a type of guy like me inside any place for too long and I'm bound to become ill. Indoors, he felt deprived, helpless. While other contestants were busy reading books or working out in the weight room, he was pacing aimlessly, thinking of something...anything...to actually accomplish. He needed fresh air, he needed exercise, but most importantly, he needed the thrill and excitement of a chase. The lingering feeling of anticipation made him wonder exactly why he entered the contest in the first place. At the time, he felt like he needed a vacation from running the estates at Vice City, and thought the coliseum would be a good chance to prove himself to the world as one of the best. But while my subordinates are runnin' around doing my dirty work for me, I'm stranded in nowheresville. He wondered how the cocaine deal with the Haitians was going. He left his best employee, 'Filthy Freddy', to deal with that **** while he was occupied. Freddy was competent, but not a fast driver. Freddy had no problem dealing with drugs, and the youngster was familiar enough with Little Haiti's alleyways. But the damn kid wouldn't run a stop sign unless you held a .45 magnum to his head. Another pressing concern was Joey Andruzzi. In his absence, Tommy set up Joey to handle one of Avery's real estate jobs, but Avery wasn't the type to trust newcomers. In fact, the ruffled cowboy had called Tommy as he was leaving Vice City. Tommy had brought one of those damn cell phones with 'em. Those huge contraptions are pains to lug around, and I'm indebted to that Duke Nukem fella for letting me borrow his while I'm here. How the hell did that muscleman find one so ******* tiny? Avery had practically begged Tommy to stay and do the demolition job himself, convinced that Tommy was the only one with the balls to handle his assignments. Tommy turned down nearly $900,000. Nine hundred thousand...what the hell were you thinking, Vercetti? Vice City is your crib, and these coliseum games are just pick-me-ups for those softie Nintendo and Squaresoft folks who want to be reminded how much they're loved and cared for. Tommy didn't really need the satisfaction, and although part of him wanted to prove himself in front of the big names, another piece of his soul missed the bikini-clad babes and old friends back home. Not to mention the heaps of money that comes with the ownership of any damn fine corporate empire. After nearly colliding into a wall at the end of the hotel's halls, he finally decided he would go out for a few drinks at the bar. A nice drive around the city will do me some justice. More importantly, I'd never miss a fine opportunity to get drunk. Before he went out, though, he'd have to change his attire to something a little more...comfortable. His dour expression began to brighten a bit as a devious plan formulated in his mind. Tonight, I'm going out in style, ladies and gents. And he wouldn't be going alone, either. ---- Meanwhile, in a hotel room not far from Vercetti's, a young woman was crying. Memories of him had driven her mismatched eyes to tears, and before long she began wailing, as she had done for the last few days around this very hour. This was the hour he would come knocking on my door with a bouquet of flowers, and he'd...invite me...for a... Her mind was losing concentration, her vision blurred with an undeniable scent of salt. It took me so long to find you, and now you've left me...again... The girl's makeup was nearly washed away, had bleached her skin a bit as it dripped down to her white dress. At this moment, Yuna of Besaid no longer looked like the proud daughter of Braska, much less a noble summoner who saved the world. Instead, she was now merely a woman desperately in love...and unexpectedly torn from her lover. Tidus had promised me...that if we both made it to the second Round, he'd ask for my hand in marriage while we were here...I brought this dress along with me for the journey in the vain hope that our wishes would come true... Yet dreams and fantasies had a way of deceiving Yuna. Now, she had no desire to defeat her opponent, Knuckles, in their upcoming round of combat. The only thing on Yuna's mind was a blonde blitzball player whose image faded from her memory with every passing hour. Tidus... She imagined an emerald field of grass, wide and vast, filled with blades of grass that, while sharp, were soft as tiny pillows. She was sitting there, a slender hand of hers brushing against individual strands of her hair. Beneath her, the hill eventually met its abrupt end, jutting out to a cliffside that fell sharply into cerulean sea. In front of her, the sun was setting in front of a stranded piece of machina, remnants of a great civilization from long before her time,nearly completely submerged in water. Of course, he was next to her, standing tall and proud, muttering thoughts of blitzball tournaments and of defeating Sin. She could not help but smile, remembering how his mere presence made her feel lighter than air, as if a gust of wind could blow her away into the violet clouds, take her to a land she so desperately sought to find. He'd tell me...he'd take me to his Zanarkand, one day. And I always said I wanted to go...but the truth was, I really wasn't so much interested in going to Zanarkand...as I was interested in the thought of going anywhere with him...just him and I... Yet when one eye, her green one, opened, she saw not the emerald green of grass, but the olive wallpaper of the hotel's decaying construction. It was enough to make her start a wailing fit of tears all over again, but she forced herself to stop dreaming and deal with reality. She'd have to think of someone else...someone like Auron. In fact, the only thing keeping the brunette's composure from completely falling apart was Auron. Auron's victory over Tails had reminded Yuna of her original purpose in being here. Auron was the only person left here who she knew, her former guardian, and he promised Tidus that he would protect her with his life, if necessary. Yuna, Auron, and Tidus had journeyed to these foreign lands to bring victory back into the hearts and minds of the people of Spira, who had long lost hope since their pride after so many years of fighting Sin. Though Spira would no doubt lose hope after seeing Tidus come back in shame, they would quickly brighten when knews of Auron's victory spread from Beville to Besaid. Tidus just didn't have the raw experience that a swordsman of Auron's caliber could provide. He's a wonderful lover...I'd know firsthand...but when it comes to combat, Auron is far more skilled and capable a leader. I only wonder how well I could do... Knuckles, the red-furred creature she would be dueling against in the first round, was one of Tails' best friends, and surely he'd be motivated to avenge Tails' loss by defeating her. He's a headstrong personality who relies on instinct rather than logic. However, he's also very skilled with his fists, and quick on his feet. Auron was able to take advantage of Tails' youth in age, but Knuckles is older...and bound to give me more of a fight. And I want to see Tidus so badly, I'm not sure how much I'll try... Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. "Ex...excuse me?" Yuna stuttered as she quickly tried to compose herself. She managed to run into the bathroom and quickly tried to clean her image. I'm sure it's one of the boys...well, the odds are it's a boy, anyway...and I'll want to look my best, even if it's not Tidus... So, she proceeded to play with her hair and reapply a new coat of lipstick as the knocking on the door grew in intensity. "J-just a minute!" Yuna now got her first glimpse of her ruined outfit, and decided she needed to change. She ran back out to her bedroom and threw her cupboard open, flipping through her various articles of clothing while practically ripping her dress off her body. She was only wearing a bra and panties when the door barged open. Yuna's reaction was to scream; a bloodcurdling, scared-as-crap kind of wail that carried effortlessly across the hotel's walls. She pulled a blanket from her bed and wrapped it around her bare skin, but the expression of raw panic did not recede from her face. "Ahh...w-what...what are you..." "You think I've never seen a naked woman before?" The man called back, with a playful, careless tone in his voice. "Hey, you don't need to be afraid. I'm not going to bite...unless you ask." The man was clean-shaven, with raven hair that was cut short and a long chin that his face carried well. He was wearing a neon orange Hawaiian shirt, spruced with designs of white palm trees, which managed to be both casual and stylish. As soon as she recognized him to be a competitor, the man known as Tommy Vercetti, Yuna's expression receded, and her face turned blood-red. "You're blushing," he said with a wink. "I sure get that kind of a response a lot." "HEY! You're not...supposed...to be...in here!" Yuna gasped. "You really...need...to put...some more...power...into...that voice!" Tommy said back, mimicking her speech and gestures. His criticism was met with a slap to the face. It wasn't a particularly powerful jab, but it caught Tommy a bit off guard. Back at Vice City, the whores would be all over me in two seconds flat. But this girl's got some class. Gotta respect that or she'll send you back to the dogs. "Don't...you DARE make fun of me!" Yuna growled. Tommy felt the urge to tug at that blanket and strip her to the bare necessities, but he shrugged his instincts off and continued to flirt instead. "Make fun of you? Nah, girl...just tellin' it like it is. Say, whaddya say you and I have some fun tonight?" "I have a boyfr..." "You mean, you have a girlfriend." "WHAT?" Yuna shouted. "I'm not...you can't..." "You're talking about Tidus, right? Or should I say, Meg?" Tommy sneered, a snicker escaping his lips. "You know, I always wanted to meet her, but I didn't think I'd find her in a videogame contest of all places. She makes quite the leading lady in her movies with Tom Hanks." "That's horrible!" Yuna hollered. "You've got...to be kidding!" "No, I actually gotta be honest here. She's really, really cute. I was actually thinking, you know, maybe you could set me up with her after the games?" Tommy was know breaking out into a full-out laugh, barely able to contain his amused emotions. She acts tough, but she's so easy to break. "Tidus is NOT a woman!" Yuna responded, placing one hand around her hip (as the other hand sternly kept that blanket around her). "For you, sir Tommy..." "Excuse me? Did you just call me 'sir'?" "Don't change the subject!" "I didn't change the subject, I was just wondering," Tommy shrugged, that smirk still adorning his mouth. "You know, I'm also wondering if you'd like to come to dinner with me tonight." "NO CHANCE IN HELL!" Yuna bellowed, backing herself into a corner. "Well, hell's gonna have to freeze over for the night, then," Tommy replied, beckoning her with a finger. "Come on. Admit it. I'm cute. I'm masculine. Meg...I mean, Tidus...he can't compete. Come with me, just for one night. I'll let you leave as soon as we get to the bar if you're unsatisfied. I'll even pay you if it doesn't work out." "You're that desperate?" Yuna responded, now almost pitying him, he must have absolutely no success with girls if he'll pay me to go with him. "...say yes..." Yuna stayed silent for a moment, but then shook her head. "I'm sorry. I have a boyfriend. I'm not...messing around...with you...under any conditionality..." "Well, day-emn, girl, you really brought the pleasantries to an end." He pulled out his pistol from his khaki's back pocket and aimed it at her face. "Would you be a little more interested in getting your ass into my car now, cutie pie?" A bead of sweat dropped from Yuna's face, her expression now frozen in fear yet again. "You wouldn't..." "No, you're right, I probably wouldn't shoot ya. But let's not put me in a situation where I'd have to decide, okay? I'm not asking for sex. I just want you to get in the car, and let's have a goddamn good time at the club." "You could just...ask Zelda..." "Yeah, you're right, I could. Only one problem there. That ***** has her scrawny little boyfriend still around, and I'd have to mess with him to have a chance. And frankly, I'm not in the mood to upset the winner of last year's competition. So, sorry, honey. You're available, I'm desperate to have some fun..." "...unless you consider going to jail for the rest of your life on attempted kidnapping charges to be fun, Mr. Vercetti, you should drop your weapon." Tommy was now the one to hold the expression of paralyzed fear over his face, for the man who had just entered the hotel room was none other than Solid Snake. ---- "Well, well, Snake, looks like we caught a molester in action." The voice was crackling a bit, and the connection was obviously strained, but Snake still recognized the voice to be Otacon's. Otacon was somewhere back in the States, but he still managed to spend some time speaking with Snake via their com connection, a few hours a day at the least. After Snake had heard the shrieking woman's voice, Otacon tracked it down to the exact coordinates, and all the experienced Fox Hound vet had to do was sneak in with his SOCOM pistol. For a man with decades of training, it was almost too easy. "****!" Vercetti swore, but maintained his composure. Snake stayed silent, waited for someone to make a move. "I've faced worse odds than this, Snake..." Vercetti responded, pulling the gun away from Yuna and pointing it at Snake's forehead. "Exactly what were you trying to do to her, Vercetti?" Snake muttered, emotionlessly. He was wearing his grayish-blue bandana over his head...as usual...but was otherwise adorning a casual outfit, nothing like his standard stealth suit ware. Unlike Vercetti, Snake wasn't clean-shaven...he was, in fact, letting a goatee freely grow over his face...but despite his menacing figure, Yuna was only too glad to see him. Yuna quickly ran to Snake's side, holding onto her blanket as she went, and eventually she embraced the older soldier. Vercetti wasn't about to risk his life by shooting at anyone or anything in the meanwhile. "Look, first of all, I come from a town where rape is practically legal," Vercetti said. "...but even still, Snake. I wasn't gonna do anything wrong with her, I just wanted her to come with me, have a good time." "And drive 160 miles-per-hour on the freeway?" Snake shot back. Vercetti laughed. "As usual, buddy." "With you, Vercetti, a trip to the grocery store is suicidal." Snake slowly approached the gangster, until the two were close enough to breathe in each other's faces. Snake then quickly and unexpectedly kicked Vercetti in the groin, stripped him of his gun, and dragged him by his feet, out of the room. Yuna waved kindly as he slammed the door to her room shut, and most likely would begin to dress up, try to forget about what happened. Snake, meanwhile, continued to drag Vercetti until they were out of hearing range. As soon as he was confident they were alone, he allowed Vercetti to pick himself off the ground. "Hey. You want a cigarette?" Snake mumbled, flashing a Camel in the younger man's face as soon as they were at eye level. "...I guess..." Vercetti said, taking the cigarette out of Snake's hands and lighting it himself. "Listen, newbie. Here at this coliseum, where the population is more than eighty percent male, you're bound to get a little...caught in the moment. But if you want to win a girl here, you're not going to win her over by pointing a Colt pistol at her forehand and ordering her around." "I'm not exactly looking for a long-term commitment..." Vercetti muttered. Snake casually interrupted him. "None of us are. But I've learned, over the years. You have to make her think she loves you to get what you want. You know that beautiful elf who lives in that room over there?" Vercetti winced for a moment, a little dazed. Then he recognized who Snake was talking about, and his mouth opened in astonishment. "Don't tell me..." "Yeah, I've slept with her." Snake said, nonchalantly. Holy ****, it's like he doesn't even think it's a big deal... "Zelda? You ******* SLEPT with ZELDA?" "Is that her name?" Snake said, with a wide-mouthed smirk. "You gotta be ******* kidding me..." "Otacon can prove it, if you'd like. Otacon, you did save visual feeds, didn't you?" Vercetti couldn't make out this 'Otacon' character's reply, figured that Snake somehow set up a communication feed that only he could hear, but he also knew that Snake wasn't exactly the type of person to lie. "How the hell did you do that?" Vercetti said, stunned. "Simple. You'd be surprised to know, first of all, that she and Link aren't dating, at least not yet. So I sweet-talked her for a bit, had a nice dinner with her, went shopping with her, got to know her...and we had...an experience." "That's crazy, man..." Vercetti mumbled. "...you gotta teach me all your secrets, Snake. Hell, money is not an object for me. I'll pay you by any method necessary!" "Just watch a James Bond movie. You'll get the gist," Snake said with a shrug, as he lit his own cigarette and took a long, dramatic puff. "Girls...are like dogs. Treat 'em nice, buy 'em gifts, feed 'em, and rub 'em, and eventually you'll get what you want from 'em." "Heh. Back in Vice City, I'd never even have to..." "You're not in Vice City anymore, kid. This is the land of Lara Croft and Zelda, Yuna and Aeris, KOS-MOS and Jill Valentine. Score with one of them and your name goes down the history books of gaming. Miss your opportunity and you have no one to blame but yourself. Play your cards wisely, because you never know if this tournament will be your last..." Snake effortlessly dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on is as he walked away, leaving Vercetti in awe. It takes a lot for me to like a guy, especially after that **** with Lance went down...but I might just come to like him... Tommy thought to himself, before he began to wonder exactly what kind of flowers he should buy for Yuna as a makeup present. Next Entry Back |