ic inbox

[headjacked]

Heyyyyyyyy, kiddo, you've reached me. Me who is Rhys. Anyway, not sure why you're trying to get in contact with the king of the dweebs, but I'm sure you've got your reasons. Reasons you should probably re-examine. I'm just sayin'.

Last chance to back out.

No?

Don't say I didn't warn ya.

Comments

[jumpthegun]

[Oh... maybe not so clever. Poor dear.]

You kept Handsome Jack?

[headjacked]

Yeah, I kept him. Powerless, voiceless, unable to do anything but observe. If that.

[ I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, anyone? ]

[jumpthegun]

[John's not entirely sure what the greater cruelty is.

Definitely keeping him alive like that, Mary chimes in, looking somewhat wary. He deserves it, mind.

The doctor sighs, rubbing his eyes again.]

Y'know what? Fine. That's fine.

It's... my wife. My dead wife. I'm seeing her. Happy?

@Mnemosyne; text; Day 225

[bookofnope]

Hello, Rhys. I assume you've stopped panicking by now since you're checking your inbox. Perhaps Angel has already checked hers and averted the panic altogether? One can hope.

I can imagine in great detail the spiral of guilt I am sending you both into; I apologise, though I think you're well aware that I don't actually hold either of you responsible. MY departure has nothing to do with ill will towards you. I simply need time. To process, if you will. I suppose at heart I'm not as tamed as I thought.

As I've told Angel, I will meet you two at the entrance to the eastern tunnels in three days' time. Try not to lose any limbs in the meanwhile. Watch over each other.

[headjacked]

[ Panic has, indeed, settled to a dull but ever-present misery. He's tuckered himself out. ]

That's an actual promise, right? You're not just trying to make us feel better before you charge headfirst into an anomaly?

[bookofnope]

Rhys, in all the time you've known me, have I ever lied to anyone to make them feel better?

[headjacked]

You're old as dirt, so you're probably familiar with the phrase 'first time for everything'.

[bookofnope]

Old enough to be a creature of habit, alas. Old wolf, new tricks, etc.

[headjacked]

And now you're letting me call you old without going full grumpire. Color me extra worried.

But seriously. Keep in touch? Please?

[bookofnope]

I'll see you in only a few days. I doubt I'd have anything terribly interesting to say in the meantime. It's a song and dance we both know intimately well by now I think.

action; night 231;

[phaseshifter]

[ The all-too familiar anomalies may be gone, but that doesn't mean that sleep is going to come easily. Clan Vamperion are crammed in a bathroom overnight, and no amount of blanketage can make that entirely comfortable.

Still. Sleep comes. Angel's is fitful, though, and at approximately fuck o'clock she awakens for the billionth time and decides that sleep can go eff itself. Maybe she'll just surf the network for a while. It's better than just lying there thinking about things that she can't do anything about.

So she opens her eyes. ]

ERK--!

[ "Erk" is not a thing that real people actually say when they are startled. Except this once. Angel honest-to-god fucking erks before covering her mouth with both hands.

Jack has been freaking watching her sleep and that's creepy as heck. WEIRDED OUT WHISPERING, HO. ]

What the heck are you doing?!

[headjacked]

[ The blanket hog some call Rhys snorts and jerks his leg a little, but remains asleep throughout the Angel based disturbance. Jack himself just raises an itty bitty brow, unmoved by the Erking or accusatory whispering. ]

'It's called keeping watch, and it's a perfectly valid strategy in the art of Not Letting Our Asses Get Slaughtered.'

[ Another snorf from Rhys. Jack isn't bothering to whisper. ]

[phaseshifter]

[ The snorflebeast gets a half-second glance before Angel's glowy blue gaze returns to Glowy Blue Dickhole. It's a very skeptical gaze, and it's accompanied by a vague shooing motion. Bene. ]

Shh! We are locked in a bathroom. Even if spiders start spewing from the showerhead, there's not a lot you could do to help aside from yell "hurr blurr kiddos wake up so you're conscious for this."

[headjacked]

'Wow, SOMEONE'S a Grumpy Gertrude tonight.'

[ The taunt is actually delivered in a louder tone. He holds onto what small rebellions he has.

Prince Snorf actually raises his head a little, mumbles a tired bweeee, and flomps back down. ]

'What's keeping you up?'

[phaseshifter]

[ REES A CUTE. No that Angel gives a frick because wow don't wake her bff??? ]

Dude. You wake Rhys or Beckett and I'll have someone who isn't you to talk to. Your call.

[ Which. Kinda says she's willing to talk, doesn't it. While the nerds are in dreamland, at least. S o ]

I was just thinking. About... stuff.

[ and things ]

[headjacked]

[ Jack sighs. All right, point. He won't admit that out loud, but still. ]

'You're never not thinking, hon. But you need your sleep.'

[phaseshifter]

Don't hon at me.

[ It's more grumpy and automatic than properly venomous. She's very tired, okay. ]

If I could sleep, I'd be sleeping. Don't act like you'd find it easy if the whole sleep thing applied to you.

[ remember that lil meltdown u had jacko

angel does ]

[headjacked]

[ Oof, he should have expected that was what's been weighing on her, but it still looks like it smacks him across the face.

He needs a second.

But only one. ]

'Yeah, well. Sh-she's gone now, so no use dwelling on... that. Thing.

[phaseshifter]

I'm not, much. I'm more concerned about Rhys and Beckett and the thought that we'll all probably end up as shambling mindless monsters too sometime soonish.

[ Which sparks a Thought as she says it, but she tucks that away for later. There're other things to discuss right now.

And. He's calling it a she, even if he can't refer to it by name, and that's... something. Something pitiable? A potential weakness?? It's not an attempt at manipulation, anyway. Too subtle. Too genuine. ]

It's pretty obvious you were more effed up by it than I was, anyway. A lot more.

[headjacked]

'Messed up.'

[ Using eff isn't completely sanitizing your language, child. ]

'It's 'cause I have the most memories. Not exactly a mystery, hh... hhhAngel.

[phaseshifter]

[ EYEROLL. EYEROLL TO THE MAX. EFF YOU JACK.

Points for curbing the "hon," tho. ]

Mmmhmm. I'm just saying you should worry about yourself, not me. Lose it like that again and it could play havoc on your systems - and it may be gone now, but you know what this place is like.

[headjacked]

'I'd be touched if I knew this was coming from a place of love.'

[ Jack says this without accusation or malice.

Just a fact. ]

[phaseshifter]

Well, we all have ifs, Jack. If you hadn't hecked things up with Rhys, for example, my concern might be more than a matter of practicality.

[ Slightly frosty there, but not overly so. It's true, after all. She gave him a chance and he blew it spectacularly. ]

[headjacked]

''What do you want me to say? What the he'll CAN I say?'

[phaseshifter]

Iunno. It's not even about saying things, it's about actually feeling some freaking remorse and acting on it. God, you're such an-- did you ever actually apologise to Rhys? For real, not some kinda "no hard feelings, kiddo, my bad" thing?

[ STILL WHISPERING

MAD WHISPERING ]