"Aye, long time no see, lad."
The old cab rattled as it traveled down the beaten path. Despite it's age, the cab still had a warm, welcoming feel to it. "So, who's yer friend?" the kappa asked, keeping his eyes on the road. A charming sailor's tune faintly played on the radio. A man sitting in the back, sporting a dark-blue headband, raised his head. "Hm? Oh, you can call him Otacon." "...'Otacon', eh? Well, Otacon, yer pal here sure is somethin' else. I tell ya." Dr. Hal Emmerich, or "Otacon", sat next to the other man; Rather focusing on the vibrant scenery outside. But at that instant, Otacon sprang back to reality upon hearing his name. "Y-Yes?"
The kappa chuckled. "I was just sayin' what an impressive man yer friend is. That's all, lad." "Oh... Heheh, yeah. I'd say..." Otacon said, adjusting his glasses. The man with the headband smiled. "So... I be guessin' this is yer first time 'round these parts?" Otacon nodded. "Yeah. It sure is beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before." "...Really, lad? Aye, you kids n' yer videya games..." the kappa muttered quietly to himself. Soon enough, Otacon started to doze off; His right cheek lightly touching the other man's shoulder. The other man looked at him, not seeming to mind the closeness. He too began to nod off, gently stroking Otacon's soft hazelnut hair.
"Is everything alright back there, lad?... Aye, y' seem awfully quiet-" the kappa then took a quick glance into the cab's rear-view mirror, seeing both men were fast asleep. "Ah... I guess I'll hush up, then." the kappa said, lowering his voice to a whisper. The rest of the ride went by smoothly, with the occasional bump here and there. About an hour later, the kappa saw a large building with a light crimson roof up ahead.
"I believe we're here, lad." The man with the headband woke up. "Mrrgh... nnh? What?..." he said, groggily. "I said, we've arrived, lad." the kappa repeated. The man looked out the window, spotting the building. "Yep... That's it, alright." The cab proceeded down a steep hill before making a slight right-hand turn; Eventually stopping in front of the building, parked adjacent to it. "Well, here we are, lad." "Otacon. Time to wake up." the man said, patting Otacon's shoulder. "Huh...?Wha... a-are we here?" "Mmhmm. Here, have a look for yourself." the man pointed to the gargantuan structure that lay before them.
"Wow... It's... It's huge!" Otacon said, eyes full of amazement and curiosity. "Isn't it, though?" the other man said, also marveling the rather impressive piece of architecture. "Just wait until we go inside. But first- Let's go get our bags." He then opened the car door, motioning for Otacon. "The sweet one goes first." Otacon giggled. As soon as both men were out of the cab, the kappa opened the trunk and began to unload the luggage that occupied it. "...Er, do y' mind givin' me a hand, lad?..." the kappa grunted while attempting to lift a suitcase. "Oh, uh... sure." the man with the headband obliged, lifting it with relative ease.
After a rather long and rigorous effort, all of the luggage was successfully unpacked. "Thanks again, Kapp'n. I don't know what we would've done without you." "Aye, all in a day's work, lad." "Ah, I almost forgot! Here," the man handed the kappa a bag. "Fresh from the market." "Huh? What's this? Cucumbers? For me?" "Consider it a tip for the ride." "Aw, lad... you've made an ol' man very happy." Kapp'n said with a smile. "You're welcome." "Oh-" "Hm?"
"Good luck out there, lad." the kappa said with a salute. The man saluted back. "Like I said earlier, thanks a lot." "Anytime, lad." Kapp'n climbed back into the cab, starting the engine up. "Well, this ol' sea turtle should be headin' on back to town now. You two stay outta trouble, y'hear?" "We promise, Kapp'n!" the man with the headband shouted to the cab, which was now heading back to the bumpy dirt path.
The man with the headband took a deep breath. "Well, Otacon, this is it. Smash Manor." "...It's way bigger than I had expected." Otacon said, scratching the back of his head. Both men gathered their belongings, and proceeded to go into the building. The manor's interior had quite an elegant, yet cozy atmosphere; With striped maroon wallpaper, dark green and gold accented carpeting, and an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling to top it all off. It felt like it could be a great place to have a Christmas party with close relatives.
"If you think it's big on the outside, wait 'till you see the rest. Let's see... A bath house... Botanical garden... Heck, there's even a dispensary downstairs." Otacon placed a hand under his chin. "Hm... Impressive." Both of the men stopped to make sure they had brought everything inside with them.
"Alright, Otacon... Well, first thing's first. Give the patriarch a proper introduction to show him we're here." The younger man obediently followed the one with the headband down the long corridor, like a chick to a hen. After what had felt like a few long minutes, Otacon had the feeling that... the other man and he were just simply wandering around aimlessly. "Uh-Uhm... c-can I... erm... ask you something...?" Otacon sheepishly blurted out. The man ahead of him stopped and turned, facing the otaku. "What?" the man with the headband asked. "I-I know this might be offending to you, b-but... do you have any idea where we're supposed to go...?" Otacon said eying the floor, his face full of guilt and embarrassment.
The other man took a long pause. "Why- uh... yes...! ...sort of..." the man mumbled. "So... you don't know...?" Otacon sounded rather crestfallen after hearing the other man's uncertain remark. "N-No! What I meant to say was... er... I kind of have a good grasp of knowledge when it comes to navigating around here... but at the same time... I... don't really know...?" the man with the headband was having some trouble at processing his thoughts. "-I-I mean, last year was my first 'official' year here at the manor... remember I couldn't go a couple years ago because of... well... the incident?" Otacon had a puzzled look on his face. "Incident?... what incident?" the other man looked around, making sure no one else was around. "You know... Big Shell?" he whispered into Otacon's ear. Otacon went silent for a few seconds, then looked down at the floor again as a morose look went upon his face. "...Oh... 'that' incident..." Otacon said solemnly. The other man could tell that Otacon did not take that lightly. Goddammit... Me and my big mouth... The man thought to himself.
"Otacon... honey... it's going to be alright..." the man said softly to Otacon while stroking his arm, trying to mollify the otaku. "We're gonna have lots of fun soon... I promise..." Otacon sighed. "I... I guess you're right. What's the past... is the past." "Er... that's not what I was trying to mean... what I'm trying to say is... don't try to dwell too deeply into the past... it's best to focus on the present. Emma is still with us, in our hearts. I bet she's watching us from heaven right now!" the other man said, enthusiastically. Otacon's head perked up as he stared at the ceiling for a moment. He then made eye contact with the other man once again and smiled, looking relieved, as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Yeah... I bet she is..."
"Now where was I... Oh yeah, we need to find the patriarch's study." Otacon and the other man looked around anxiously in a desperate attempt to find something that stuck out, like a door or a secret compartment. The man with the headband gave up. "Where are my smokes when I need them..." the man fumbled around his pockets, but no success. "I'm holding on to them for now. Remember, we're inside." And besides, I really don't want you to reek of tobacco right now... Otacon thought. The other man sulked. "...Right. I can't wait until this damn registration process is over with..." he mumbled, pinching his brow. Just then, Otacon spotted something glimmering out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see where it might have been coming from, and gasped. "Uhm..." he tugged at the other man's shirt. "I think I found it..." The other man turned around to have a look for himself.