[ In truth, that slap against his knee wouldn't have pulled him out of his anger, because this one is an especially deep-seated one. Jack has problems with perceived betrayal, to put it very lightly, so he's absolutely not kidding to say it'll take great restraint to not murder Rhys when he sees him. He's focused on that idea, almost a rabid rage, but as he sees those tears well up in Elizabeth's eyes—
Ahhh, shit.
It's all he can think, because he's definitely not sure how to comfort her. He wasn't even good at comforting his own daughter when she cried for chrissake. That had always been something that-- Well. There used to be someone that was better at that than he was. His rage simmers down in the face of her own tears, though it's not quite out of empathy so much as awkwardness. ]
Geez, Liz, that's-- C'mon, y- you think—
[ He starts to interrupt, because it had never quite occurred to him that he could have died. It simply wasn't a possibility, because he was Handsome Jack. And if anyone was going to take out Handsome Jack, it certainly wasn't going to be one of the jackasses that worked for him, and it wasn't going to be Rhys. Even now, after getting stabbed, he doesn't think Rhys was trying to actually kill him.
But he falls silent for the rest. At first, it's just something different to latch onto, a concrete plan of action that he likes, but then... That last little sentiment is different. When he hears something like care, empathy for him it's his immediate instinct to reject it. Jack doesn't trust people. He doesn't trust peoples' intentions, because he has many, many cases in his life where he's seen that words like this were a way to get closer to him. You let people close, and that's always a risk, and it's the one he never felt he could afford to take.
If this were Helios, he would kill her. He could never trust something like that coming out of a Hyperion's mouth, and it may as well be a sign that they've gotten sloppy. Like, good job, asshole, you were too obvious about your clever plan, and now you've gotta die. But. She's not Hyperion. This isn't Helios. So for a solid few moments, his stare turns frighteningly intense, as if she's said exactly the wrong thing. His hands relax at his sides, and the hand that's not holding the needle reaches out to her. ]
1/2
Ahhh, shit.
It's all he can think, because he's definitely not sure how to comfort her. He wasn't even good at comforting his own daughter when she cried for chrissake. That had always been something that-- Well. There used to be someone that was better at that than he was. His rage simmers down in the face of her own tears, though it's not quite out of empathy so much as awkwardness. ]
Geez, Liz, that's-- C'mon, y- you think—
[ He starts to interrupt, because it had never quite occurred to him that he could have died. It simply wasn't a possibility, because he was Handsome Jack. And if anyone was going to take out Handsome Jack, it certainly wasn't going to be one of the jackasses that worked for him, and it wasn't going to be Rhys. Even now, after getting stabbed, he doesn't think Rhys was trying to actually kill him.
But he falls silent for the rest. At first, it's just something different to latch onto, a concrete plan of action that he likes, but then... That last little sentiment is different. When he hears something like care, empathy for him it's his immediate instinct to reject it. Jack doesn't trust people. He doesn't trust peoples' intentions, because he has many, many cases in his life where he's seen that words like this were a way to get closer to him. You let people close, and that's always a risk, and it's the one he never felt he could afford to take.
If this were Helios, he would kill her. He could never trust something like that coming out of a Hyperion's mouth, and it may as well be a sign that they've gotten sloppy. Like, good job, asshole, you were too obvious about your clever plan, and now you've gotta die. But. She's not Hyperion. This isn't Helios. So for a solid few moments, his stare turns frighteningly intense, as if she's said exactly the wrong thing. His hands relax at his sides, and the hand that's not holding the needle reaches out to her. ]