The Snake Who Sold The World

He nods at her words, processing them as he dusts his hand over the cover of the book lightly. A regular at a library? An interesting notion. He himself preferred the privacy of his home, but occasionally he would hide away in a corner so as to be left undisturbed.

“Something about heroes and adventures. A change of pace from my usual selection.”

He was the kind of man to read Sun Tzu on a weekly basis and study the conflicts and decisions of military leaders from his time, so anything in the realm of fiction was already abnormal for him.

“I always find myself interested in what the public views as a hero. Don’t you?”

He rises from his seat, book held in his metal fingers. Never one to believe in villains or heroes, V simply believed in lesser evils, since evil was always present. Even he was evil, in the eyes of some people. That was due to his role in the never ending wars back home, but here, he could be seen as questionable at the very best.

“Reading gives me a chance to…live a different life for a moment. Something everyone likes to do, I’m sure.”

Heh… Oh, if only you knew! If it wasn’t for these worlds, these escapes…. Would she even be here today? Would any of the things have happened? Would they still be going about their lives as normal, happy….?

A bunch of innocent words brought back a lot of memories, pain and regret. Heh… perhaps this was a sign for her to stay on her toes and keep on living her life on the island, repenting for the sins she had committed. It was very brief, but those feelings were reflected in her gaze.

Beatrice’s thoughts were fortunately brought back to the current moment by remembering she was asked something. Heroes, huh?

“Certainly, even if it was just for the thought. One should still always stay true to themselves, no matter what… It can be easy to just be swept away by the expectations of others.“

Perhaps it was natural for him to ask that, it was rather obvious this was a man that had been through great strifes. The scars, the hand, that gaze… It was all way too obvious. What was he fighting for to go through such lengths? What were his views?

… What kind of a hero did he want to be?

“Not everyone has a choice.” He says, mind churning to that fateful day in the helicopter and that long stay in the hospital, and all the events that would lead up to the discovery of his own identity many years later. “Some people are given their role in the world, and while they can do their best to fight out of it, they will always remain in that role.”

And what was his role? Phantom. Body Double. Play the part well enough, and maybe you’ll die well enough to continue playing the part well after.

“In case you’re wondering, I don’t want to be a hero. I’d rather just be myself. If the public deems me worthy of the hero title, so be it.”

“No compensation required.”

“Ah. So you’re no longer in need of my services. That’s disappointing. However, I’d like to make an offer.” This is his way of saying ‘ah, you hired them, but I’ll do you one better.’ “If you were to let me sponsor you, or vice versa, I would provide you a team of volunteers once a weekend who can help with your bakery. If you might provide a care package of baked goods once a month for morale purposes, I feel as though this might work for us.”

“Oh wow..” What Snake was proposing definitely caught Mizi’s attention, and it was enough to make him seriously consider it. He didn’t like to think of it, but the spirale island was very dangerous at times. And even besides that, there was a real risk of robberies. Having Sonic on call was great, but was it enough? 

Snake wasn’t asking for money, not directly at least, and the labor his volunteers would provide might cover any costs that he’d spend making the care packages. “That’s a really generous offer…” But he had to be smart about this too. As a new business owner he didn’t want to make a foolish mistake. He needed to ask questions.

CALLING ALL UNITS! CALLING ALL UNITS! DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO JOIN THE DIAMOND BATTALION?

Do you believe in peace in your time?

Do you believe in strength in numbers?

Do you just not fit in with the normal business crowd?

Do you have a need to fight the good fight?

Do you want a family that will care for you and stick with you through hell and high-water?

JOIN THE ISOLA DIAMOND BATTALION TODAY!

Perks Include:

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WANT TO HELP OUT, BUT NOT SO SURE ABOUT JOINING? GOOD NEWS!

The Battalion is seeking sponsors and organizations willing to aid them! Contribute without a worry!

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Staff

“ Hello Mizi. I heard you were looking for…professional security. One that won’t threaten you and has a…solid…record.”

“Oh, Mr.Venom Snake, it’s you..!” Mizi let out a small sigh of relief. “Um, yeah…I was, aha…I kind of hired someone already…but he’s only working part-time on-call… for alerts and stuff, so…” He began to tug at his hair, looking up as he gave it some thought.