week 7 - date tbd ugh fuck me

[refactor]

[ Jack sleeps for a long time. Probably longer than he has in years, and in a way, that's restful. It's a deep, dreamless sleep where you lose a sense of time. But the problem is, you always have to wake up.

The first time he wakes, it's in pain, and Jack's screaming turns into laughter as he holds what's left of his arm. He actually can't believe that he's still alive, because when he'd gone down, he'd thought for sure that would be it. He'd be following after Rhys right into Hell, just like he'd been hoping. But, no. No, he's still here.

The second time, it's stranger, because there's that different realization beyond hysteria that the arm is gone, just like... Well, a lot. It's something he dwells on for far longer than he would like, but eventually, sleep overtakes him after he takes the most meager meal he can.

The third time, he decides he's tired of being in here. He's well aware that there's no one here that would give a rat's ass to come check on him, but that realization doesn't really bother him much. He shifts with a heavy groan to get out of the bed, then starts to gather up the supplies that he might need to tend to himself. Thank god for Nisha, he thinks. If she hadn't taught him how to patch himself up, well—

His hair raises on the back of his neck with the sudden sensation of being watched. That fonder memory disappears, and Jack looks around, towards the vent first, but then, the door. His heart sinks in his chest, but he doesn't look away, even though he wants to. ]

—Uh. Hey.

Comments

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[ Jack shakes his head at first to dismiss it, but at her apology, his expression twists noticeably. He pauses in his actions as he places his hand against the counter. It seems like he's really thinking something over, or perhaps, with what she'd seen of that very ugliest, most violent part of Jack this weekend, it could be mistaken for restraining that.

And yet, his voice comes out soft. ]

Liz— You don't need to apologize to me.

[ It's the softest she would have heard his voice so far, and in truth, it's a tone that very few people hear from Jack. He reaches up and runs a hand through his hair, but he still doesn't look at her. ]

How much do you reme— No. You know what happened?

[brooches]

.. nothing. Only what others told me.

[ She can't remember anything. The times she was used as a puppet for someone else... She doesn't know the details just that she hurt a lot of people. She lied to a lot of people. If the fallout was this incredible.. Was this what the alien wanted..? ]

I hurt you. I... I killed Hancock and Light -

[ how can he even look at her? How can anyone trust her? ]

Jack, truly - I didn't know -

[refactor]

[ Now he looks her way, and his expression is a cool neutral to start. He stops gathering supplies and shifts so that his one hand is perched on his hip. ]

Yeah, actually. I know, Liz. Know better than anyone else, 'cause- [ Jack starts to laugh, as he always would, but pain is quick to flicker across his face as he bend forward lightly. ]

—Fuck. Je- Jesus, okay, laughing, bad idea...

[ Considering that wound on his chest, he probably should have guessed that, but. Jack is a little slow on the uptake with certain things, as legitimately waiting until 10AM the next morning to treat his stab wound demonstrates. He takes a moment to catch his breath, but he nods. ]

It's a long story, so you're gonna have to bear with me if you wanna hear it. But- Yeah, I know I can trust you now. Ironically. 'Cause I've known those things were here since the beginning, Liz. I've been trying to hunt them down. I'm the only one.

[brooches]

[ Despite everything Elizabeth is quick to rush forward at the view of Jack's pain. It's instinct. Call it a honeymoon for her emotions - the one that weren't self-centered - but she feels pity.

She feels turmoil, honestly.

Her pain and suffering is nothing compared to what had gone down in her wake. She's still here. She's physically unharmed. Her body is hers again (she thinks). Fiona, Jessie, Clover, Frankenstein, Hancock, Jack, Rhys, Light - ... not so lucky.

She keeps her distance, afraid she'll hurt him. Afraid he'll think she'll hurt him. Hovering a foot away with outreached hands, reluctant to offer comfort despite so badly. She doesn't think of Angel - Elizabeth can't stomach it. ]

...

[ His reveal was the second of its kind. Her trust - was it worth it? She betrayed Hancock and here is Jack lying his cards on the table. ]

Don't.. don't tell me if you have a role - I'll -

[ She blames herself. Her vision shaky, nervous pupils as she clenches her fist. ]

If you had told me earlier, I could have killed you too. I could have gotten away with this...

[ She feels sick. Handsome Jack saved them all?? What the fuck! ]

[refactor]

Yeah. You could've. Never had any intention of telling you, though. Even if someone's infected, they don't know it. Knew that from the start. I'm only telling you this now because I'm pretty damn sure you're all good on that front, and if not?

[ He shrugs lazily, but doesn't actually elaborate. He really doesn't want to, since that's both very personal and also slightly Elizabeth's fault. Though that has nothing to do with with Elizabeth's infection. ]

Needless to say, you can't tell anyone else about this, kiddo. Pretty sure you get it, but no matter how much you trust 'em as a person, doesn't matter. [ Jack looks down as he remembers something, but then runs a hand through his hair. ] Pretty ironic now, but that's what I was warning you about the other day.

[ "You can't trust anyone. Not really." He had given that advice, though it sits bitterly in his chest now. He had it proven to him four times over the course of a single weekend and that hurts, if he's honest. Twice for how Rhys and Elizabeth both scorned him, then twice for the reminder that he should have never trusted them in the first place here.

This is indeed going to be a long conversation, he feels, and though it pisses him off to feel so injured and weak, he knows not to push it. He grabs a bottle of water, but he ends up walking back towards the bed to take a seat on it. ]

—Sorry for being a dick about the poison, by the way. As soon as we figured out Hancock got poisoned... Knew it was you. --Well, not you, but I couldn't just say that.

[ He groans as he sits down, since he has to do so carefully, but he ends up laughing slightly through the strain anyways, since it's simply how he tends to respond to pain. ]

If there's any rhyme or reason to why I'm the unlucky son of a bitch that got this shitheap of a responsibility, figure that's it. Don't think anyone else could have stared you down and accused you, Liz. I knew it wasn't you that did it. But I still had to pretend I did.

[brooches]

This whole time.... I was someone's puppet and - you and everyone was the collateral damage.

[ Why? Why is she partnered with this responsibility? It's abuse. It's an abuse of knowledge. Hancock died because of it and she can't bring him back. It's her fault and every time she thinks of herself - thinks about what she truly is - she gets angry.

She watches as he struggles, helpless. Completely helpless to truly help him. She can't be there for him, not when she's not sure if she's able to trust herself. ]

I didn't tell anyone about Hancock. Even if he died when he was a suspect, I - I refused to tell anyone even if it would save his life. He trusted me with that.

[ He speaks and everything is like a dagger. She deserves it. She knows it's only the truth. ]

I'm glad you did. I'm glad - I'm ... [ She looks away, wiping away at her eyes. They succeeded but she's standing here. She's proof that there is still a murderer walking among them. ] I wish I would have been killed. You would have accomplished your goal. You would have been one step closer to leaving.


[ She didn't know. The entire trial she didn't know. The flurry of emotions had taken control of her - so many things crumbled at her feet. This was the only time since her awakening that she recalls someone looking at her like she was use to. Not out of fear. ]

I maimed you like - like a fucking animal. [ Wow three f-bombs, new record. She holds back a sob. ] There's no reason for you to put such faith in me. Without you to have stopped me, ... everyone could have been at risk. I don't know if they are still at risk.

[ Another soft sob. ]

Thank you.

[refactor]

[ Jack listens patiently as Elizabeth speaks, and their demeanors couldn't be more of a sharp contrast here. She's emotional and upset, but Jack is calm, almost uncomfortably so.

Everyone here had seen the very worst of just how volatile Jack was, how Rhys was right that he was the most dangerous person on this ship, and how Rhys had paid the price for no one taking his words to heart. In a way, that ended up being for the best, but Jack hadn't known Rhys was one of them either. It was pure coincidence, since Jack's rage burns dangerously hot, and he had been fully prepared to be scapegoated and drag Rhys down with him. He had been calm then. But this calm is different.

It's not so edged and dangerous, but more the sort of weary calm of someone who has been through too much. And that doesn't come from this weekend alone. This is just another experience to add to a pile of Jack's personal convictions proving themselves to be truths in his experience. Don't trust anyone. The ends justify the means. If you're despised, that's just the natural consequence of doing what it takes to be a hero in the real world.

As Elizabeth starts to get tearful, he beckons for her to come closer, though he knows she might refuse. It's not quite an intentional, conscious want to show her that he's not afraid, but he's not. It's perfectly casual, as if very little had changed. ]

Language. [ But his voice conveys that he's not serious, just always with that sort of amiable humor that he usually has. But after that, there's more of a pause. ]

You're welcome, Elizabeth.

[ Those words are perhaps surprisingly humble for such an egotistic person, and he doesn't dwell on them long before he continues. ]

But, hey... I'm telling you this for a reason, too. I mean-- Hell, considering all that shit Rhys said, dunno if you'll even hear me out. But I'm hoping you will. 'Cause to tell you the truth, working on this alone? Sucks. Figured I probably would be working on it alone until I died, but, well, didn't think the problem was "curable." I've still got a goal to accomplish here. But I'm hoping you'll be willing to help me out with it.

[brooches]

[ They're going to kill her. She knows it. She knows that the very next few days will be her downfall. Part of her doesn't blame them - they had seen Elizabeth betray their most valuable and precious friends.

She walks around like a ghost for their sins and they'll try valiantly to rid the world of it.

What do you do when you find this out? To find out your entire life - you weren't what you thought you were? It happened in Columbia. She was some.. freak. Some absolute atrocious experiment for the world to gawk at. To worship as the Prophet predicts her rise to power. Here? She was a monster.

Jack's pain - everyone's pain - eclipses her own. She's that good-natured to try and put her fear of her safety aside. To know she deserves it since she should have burned like the deceiving witch she was. ]

What...?

[ She does step forward. Foots tentative. Her raspy, dry voice returning to a tone he was more akin to. Her sweet, innocence gone but after everything... she finds herself advancing to him.

She's angry, don't misunderstand. There's plenty of questions. ]

Rhys - [ Oh God. His name... she had been so unsure of him but he was willing to - he stopped her from drinking. ] A conversation for a later point. Him... Angel... I need to think - you need to rest.

[ Care, her voice drips with care. ]

How can I help, Jack? I thought I was helping Hancock. I thought.. I thought I was helping everyone.

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[ Emotions flash on Jack's face in quick succession, first a twist of anger at Rhys's name, but it quickly melts away into nothing at Angel's. ]

Y- Yeah, I guess you and me need to-- to actually... talk about all of that.

[ His tone makes it clear that he's not looking forward to it, and he opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but he also seems to decide against it. Jack bows his head forward as he shakes it, since that can come later. ]

But, y'know, even if you hate me for what I've done, I get it. Nothing new there, kiddo. Just want to say that. 'Cause, honestly? Think it's more important that we take care of whatever this shit is.

[ So, yeah, later. And it's a more graceful acceptance than even Jack would have expected for himself, but at its heart, it's much more logic than emotion. He's had the time to calm down and process what's happened, so it's the break he'd needed to actually think through things instead of latching onto his anger and hurt with vicious intensity. ]

You can help me by doing the same thing I've been doing. Looking out for people. I mean, hell, it's actually easier now, since I have a better idea of what to look for in the first place, but we're just trying to figure out if people are infected, first and foremost. What to do from there-- [ He shrugs ] Honestly, I'd assumed I'd just kill 'em. But looks like Alice might have a better solution there.

[ He nods to her ]

So, you in? Not gonna hold it against you if you're not.

[brooches]

[ As selfish as it is to drag him through the mud, to scorn him for what Rhys told her - she wants to. She wants to vent to someone, partially out of her own experiences. Would she ever get to tell Comstock to rot in hell? To knock a false God off his pillar in Heaven? No, after tonight, she thinks not.

The conversation, she knows, has to wait. ]

I don't know how I feel. We need to talk. We need to talk about everything. There's only so much you can handle and I can't - [ She looks to his arm, flinching a bit. ] - I can't put you through that. It would be cruel.

[ SHE SAVES YOUR FEELINGS. ]

It's not possible! No one knows if they're - [ Her voice cracks, a raspy cry as she's standing right in front of him, inches away. Clutching her fists at her size. ] No one knows until it's too late.

[ But, here he goes asking her a question she's not ready - ]

I... I don't know. I'm not a gunslinging hero, you know! I can't even use my powers. I have a target on my back after this. After everything.

[ She truly has to think. She doesn't know how she feels about Jack, but he can see the sincerity in her eyes as she looks to him, trying not to lose her composure. ]

I could ruin you.

[refactor]

[ Her kindness and her continued care for his well-being still feels like something foreign to him. Not undeserved, because he does deserve it, so far as he's concerned, but it's... unexpected. It always is, because so long as he can remember, that's always been something rare.

The earliest memories he has (even though he knows they technically aren't his at all) are absent of it, and as he'd worked for Hyperion, it was more of the same. So he knew how to deal with the lack. Hell, even his wives, his girlfriends, they weren't exactly kind people. Because, really? He didn't know what to do with it when it's given. Just a few days earlier, he had wondered about her kindness, wondered if it was something to draw him closer just to betray him, and in a way?

He was right. He was always right.

But he listens, still patient, still quiet. He's taking in her words, and the beginning there, that's difficult. That's something... he doesn't think they'll reconcile. Hell, he's barely had time to reconcile the fact that his Angel hated it enough to kill herself, if Rhys is to be believed. That's difficult and painful to think on for even a moment, so for now, he doesn't. His anger and hurt at Elizabeth staring him down like he was some kind of monster is fresh in his mind, and that's bitter enough that this is something that he has to truly weigh with himself.

Jack shifts again, standing even after the effort it took to sit down. Goddamn he hates this shit. Just need a friggin' vending machine nearby to at least fix the gashes, then it wouldn't suck quite so bad. But he's making the effort here, because even despite his own doubts about Elizabeth and where this is going, Jack is quite a bit more sentimental than he appears to be. He takes a half step forward, and carefully (for his own sake more than hers), he wraps the undamaged arm around Elizabeth and pulls her into as tight of a hug as he can manage.

Because, when he weighs it now, when he's not so blinded by his anger? He could use her help. If nothing else, that's simple, logical. He may not know how to deal with her kindness, but he can see a practical value enough to put his anger aside. ]

Well, we've sure as hell got that in common. You and me? We've both got targets on our backs. We could both ruin each other, yeah. But that's why we can do this. Because-- Okay, well, I've got waaay more to go off of here, admittedly, but for the purposes of this conversation-- We're the only two damn people who know we're not infected. You don't have to sling guns or be an action hero. It's just about being smart. Clever. And, hell, I've seen that you're plenty of both. It's possible. Hard. But it's possible, otherwise I wouldn't be trying to do it.

[ He gives her a squeeze, though it's brief. ]

I'm not worried about getting "ruined," Liz. Only person that can ruin me is me.

[brooches]

[ Honestly, it's the guilt that keeps her here. There's so many things she needs to yell at him about. So many things she needs answers for. Their conversations... his words, her actions - had he been truly lying to her? Knowing he did the exact same thing to his daughter? Elizabeth could be dangerous. She created worlds where civilization crumbled. People died. She could never wash herself of that blood. She heard the story he told during the trial, but...

Was that why Comstock locked her up? Was that why Jack locked Angel up?

Those answers are waiting, but she can't formulate the approach. She's tactical - carrying in the constants and variables instead of relying on her bitterness. He can see her hands try and carefully hold onto his bicep, as if trying to catch him before he stumbles. He's standing - wounded like a caged animal - but in the moment she prepares to fall (she thinks) he actually embraces her.

He hears the air escape out of her lungs. He hears the swallow of spit. He feels her try and keep her body from against his - his own wounds, her own guilt - eating away. Her breath is there, a soft cry as she just stands there. She accepts it. Like a baptism, she accepts the repentance of her sins. His words drowning her so vividly that if she didn't catch another breath, she'd drown.

Fitting, wasn't it?

Elizabeth cries, choking on her words when she can finally respond. She's disgusted by Jack. She's not sure if she hates him, but she feels indebted. He technically freed her. ]

I don't want anyone to feel this. To feel used. To be used. [ Oops. ] I'm so sorry. There's so many things -

[ Elizabeth breaths after their 20 minute hug is over, his embrace calming the goosebumps down her arms. ]

If Alice doesn't know about them, can we use this to our advantage..? If we seriously commit to this. To bring down the trials and these abominations.

[ Elizabeth grits her teeth, her hands clenched. ]

They need to suffer. Every creature needs to feel pain - emotional, physical, spiritual. [ Her eyes look different, like a girl now a woman. ] We need to destroy them first before we get out of here.

[refactor]

[ She cries, and Jack's grip relaxes, though that is in part because it's not exactly the most comfortable to hold onto her like this. His grip loosens, but doesn't fall away completely, and Jack ends up resting his head against hers as she cries. It's perhaps a bit too physical, but he's a physical guy in the first place, and... Truth be told, he's trying not to pass out. Man. Truly, note to self, don't lose a limb, that shit sucks. Why did Rhys choose to do this? Asshole.

But when she's done crying, Jack shifts, planning to move away, since this is probably already weird. It's a lot for both of them, but as he moves to sit back, he places his weight mostly on the bed, though he still partially stands. Even now, he hates seeming weak.

Though if nothing else, he's more content with silences now than he usually is. Jack is the kind of person to fill every gap in conversation with his own voice, but now? Hearing Elizabeth speak, he doesn't feel a need to. He nods at first to what she says, but as Elizabeth continues far past what he would have guessed for her—

He smiles.

His smile widens into a grin, and he breathes out a laugh. It's probably strange, but hearing venomous words like this, he feels a swell of pride, though he knows that makes no real sense. These words are all her own, but there's still some feeling of being glad that she's coming to this kind of conclusion all the same. ]

You're damn right they need to. There's no way— Human, alien, whatever, you can't just let anything get away with this shit. It's cowardly.

[ Jack seems to have a major objection to that idea, odd as it may seem with his very callous approach to murder. It's as if there are morals there, but twisted beyond something anyone sane would recognize. He's seemingly satisfied enough with her answer, then motions to the side of the bed where his datapad is, since I'm assuming some kind soul brought it with him. ]

Here— Hand me that. I'll just let the files I have explain the rest.

[brooches]

i'm keeping that comment, i don't care

[brooches]

[ LOOK, THIS MOMENT IF WEAKNESS FOR ELIZABETH is just like the moment Jack had. It cost him his limb. It cost him his entire sanity. Whatever he had left of it. By this point, Jack could very well snap her neck. Choke her. Shoot her until she bled for her sins. But, instead, he embraced her in a human kindness unlike any she's felt.

She's weak.

So very weak to that.

Her composure collects, building itself together and replacing it with someone Jack doesn't know. He's never seen Elizabeth in this way and quite frankly, Elizabeth's never felt that way. Even with the anger of finding out her parents locked her up... kept her prisoner to her own thoughts , she never felt this vindictive.

She's violated. Her skin not hers. Her flesh of mortal and mistakes.

Elizabeth wants to destroy these creatures and part of her wants to destroy Jack - but luckily, she collects herself with that one. She'll wait. She'll hear more. ]

There were a lot of times, Jack, that I wanted to kill whoever locked me up. [ Elizabeth monologues real quick. ] I thought of how I would want to. Quick to end it and get me out of there? Slow, to watch them lose all hope like I had? -- The point remains, whether my feelings for you remain in favor...

[ Shiiiiit ]

Our goals are the same.

[ :( :( :( :( NO THEY'RE NOT.

SHE LOOKS TO HIM UNAWARE, abiding him and giving him the datapad. ]

What...? The files? You found something...

good tbh

[refactor]

[ Watching Elizabeth like this, seeing how she collects herself, it absolutely sends a chill down his spine. He'd seen his error in underestimating her already, but he's getting a much greater sense of that now than when she had nearly split in two. That was a monster, and that's easy to define. What she's saying now? That's human. But when he hears those vicious words, he's hearing himself in them. People are so much more dangerous than monsters, but there's such a thrill in having someone stare him down and threaten him. As is always the case, he wants to wrap his hands (hand?) around her neck for daring to challenge him, but he laughs instead. ]

Yeah, I mean— I'm not saying we have to be friends, kiddo. That part? That is solely up to you. So far as I'm concerned, we might as well be business partners. You think you wanna kill me? That's business.

[ He shrugs as he takes the datapad from her. ]

But, consider your point noted, Liz.

[ He turns on his datapad, and the first thing Elizabeth is likely to notice is that it looks a little different from hers. It's no surprise, considering his interest in programming, and indeed, most of the difference is just random applications that Jack seems to be developing to relieve boredom. Jack taps one of those icons, and nothing seems to happen. Does he have an app that buggy?

Of course not. Jack starts tapping some of the other icons on the screen in quick succession, and though Elizabeth may be unfamiliar with technology, she may understand what's happening here. Those applications aren't starting, after all, so it seems that they're a sort of password here. It's all innocuous at a glance, but all of that programming Jack has been doing has been to hide one simple program that doesn't seem to work... Unless you know the password.

A very simple file menu pops up, and Jack passes the datapad to Elizabeth. ]

So, here you go. This is the basics, minus the notes, since. Okay. That ended up turning into like? A diary? It got weird. It's not really relevant, point is. This has all the stuff you need to know.

[brooches]

[ When you have next to nothing to lose - what will you do? One name flashes in her mind.

Booker.

She wants to get back to him so badly, to return to him and escape to Paris. Such a dream is childish now. So irrelevant... There were better things to do than mix peas with porridge. Elizabeth acts on her own bitterness, her own guilt to get her to this point.

She knows there's a time where she will question if she can really kill him. To avenge Rhys, to give redemption to Fiona - to Angel. She doesn't know facts. One conversation, she repeats, one at a time.

Where she sees his datapad filling with dumb programs, he sees promise. He sees opportunity.

As it's passed, her eyes begin to scan. It takes a while for her to ready through it, but she repeats: ]

Pelagic Genesis...?

[ She's unsure, but as he says something, it strikes her. ]

So there's more. [ She says matter of factly. She doesn't blame him - transparency is an acquired trait. ] How far have you sold your soul for this...?

[ It's not exactly demeaning, but she's exhausted. Confused. She sees Booker in him - a man with debt, in some form or another. She's reaching, and he can see her sympathy turn into a clenched one, teeth tightening together the more she reads.

The part with the aliens are interesting, so she stays silent, after. It takes a moment for her to finally part her lips. ]

Infected. I'm not the only one being used... and you're suddenly saddled with this insurmountable responsibility. How many others are there?

[refactor]

Yeah. Just my notes on who I was thinking might have been infected, but- [ He shrugs ] Didn't even know what I was looking for, to be honest. Got my message saying I should root out the infection, but didn't tell me a damn thing about it. So. That part's irrelevant.

[ There's definitely no sense that Jack is lying here, but it's not hard to read between the lines and guess that he might have another reason for being more guarded. It is irrelevant, since finding out Elizabeth and Rhys both were infected had thrown off his informal metric. But the thoughts in that portion were also personal. At the start of his little mission, he had the idea of nobly having those files go to someone if he were (somehow) to fail and to provide them at least something to go off of. Now? Now, they could pretty much all rot, for all he cared.

But surprisingly, for the other half of her comment, Jack's response is immediate. He laughs, though it's cut off with a wince. ]

So- Sold my soul? That's a little much. Didn't even ask for this. Just went, did my digging, removed the pieces from play so that they wouldn't know I was onto them.

[ There's no conflict here for him. He was given a task, asked to be a hero, and he's done everything he could to accomplish it. It may not be simple, but it's straightforward, so far as he's concerned. It at least leads into the next point well. ]

How many, though? No idea. [ Jack says it matter of factly, confident. At least outwardly, it seems that responsibility doesn't weigh heavily on him by that reaction. ] Hell, for all I know, could be everyone.

[ He pauses, considers his words, then shrugs. ]

...I said it, didn't I? "You can't trust anyone. Not really."

[brooches]

[ She reads over them, trying desperately to find something he may have missed. The girl was foolish, it was evident as such before she hands the datapad back. ]

Huh. I suppose those in the future lose their poetic flare.

[ DAMN. She's a little cold, but honestly? Selling your soul for a lead isn't above most. Especially if it could lead to salvation. Elizabeth falters, her hands clutching infront of her. He can tell she's nervous. He can tell that despite the anger and need for revenge... she's growing up. Pulling from mindsets where everything will be okay because it's evident that couldn't be far from the truth. ]

So... memory loss is one of the biggest indictors. Alibis and memories not lining up. Jack, I - I honestly don't recall bringing the wine to Hancock.

[ She says, sad as her eyes peel from him to an unsuspecting wall. ]

The turret, the ivy - ... I just remember painting.

[ Elizabeth looks down, thinking of Rhys. Thinking of the words he said during the trial, how quickly he ripped away at the "lies" Jack told her. She doesn't know how to feel - not that she was terribly close with Rhys but he did so much to save her. Even for a stupid vendetta.

And now? She thinks of Fiona. ]

I'll keep in touch. Don't talk to me in public. I don't care how you feel about me - whatever... whatever moments we shared, how you viewed me... it doesn't matter, does it?

[ A beat. ]

I won't trust anyone again.

[refactor]

Yeah. I know you don't, Liz.

[ His voice is softer there, almost encouraging, but he doesn't push his luck quite that much. It's a good thing too, since with how she continues, it really draws the line in the sand. He had been planning to say more or less the same, that they really shouldn't talk to each other in public anymore, but the rest is what gives him pause.

There's a long moment of silence, and Jack looks down towards his hands-- Or hand, as it would be now. His expression is neutral, coolly controlled, and that's quite different for Jack, who usually wears his thoughts and emotions so openly. It seems like he wants to say something, and he does, but it never comes. He sighs, then nods slightly before he looks back up to meet her eyes again. For the first time, it feels like he's acting more his age, and it shows on his face and in his voice. It's quieter, not quite regretful, but more thoughtful. ]

...Nah, trusting people isn't ever really worth the trouble anyways.

[ Jack shifts, since their conversation is close enough to done now that he can resume collecting stuff to take back to his room. He stands again and walks past her, but pauses before he's back over at his supplies. ]

We'll talk more about... Stuff. Later. But for now, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, kiddo.

[ But he'll continue walking back to his stuff after that without elaborating further on what he's sorry about. Maybe it's for everything. Or maybe it's just for whatever story Jack has spun for himself. Considering this is one of the few times that he seems to be leaning towards silence, it's not really possible to tell which it is. ]