week 7 - still don't know the fucking daaaate

[refactor]

[ Ultimately, he doesn't feel safe here.

Jack is actually pretty genuinely surprised that he ended up in the medbay at all, because truth be told, when his vision had started blurring, he really thought that was it. So waking again was a surprise, and even moreso that it was alone. Objectively, that's stupid. He'd killed a man in front of everyone, just as he had been promising, yet they left him alone?

Though as he looks up towards the vent in the room, he can take a guess at why.

Nowhere in the ship is safe, most likely, but he doesn't like being here. It's too open, too full of dangerous implements, and so he's decided that before the end of the day, he's definitely going to leave. Just, you know, after some of those salves or whatever do a little more of their work. He's already reopened one wound and had it get him into trouble, so he's not keep for a repeat on that department.

Still. It's pretty fucking boring. Jack has been sitting here basically hoping that someone would come by so that he could at least talk to them, but finally, in desperation, he's turning to his datapad. He hasn't really touched it yet, and for reasons that will become apparent as Yuno enters the room. He's concentrating on the screen, tapping away with one hand, albeit slowly, though without thinking, he tries to swipe the screen with his other hand. ]

Oh, goddammit.

[ Jack may have a little bit of a learning curve here with the whole "no hand" thing. ]

Comments

[bloodteller]

[ for a moment, yuno wonders when the last time she heard words of encouragement from someone like jack. her father comes to mind; the adoptive one. raised in an orphanage, yuno didn't know who her dad was until she was sent home with the gasais, and it's been so long since she's heard her father's voice that she can't even try to imagine that it's him saying it. "plenty you're good at," it echoes in her mind, over and over.

briefly, she remembers a little girl in an orphanage who had sudden outbursts, and who struggled to get along with the other kids -- a girl who grew up there, watching everyone else get adopted, everyone else getting picked over her, until the couple who would become her mother and father walked in and decided on her.

that's an irrational thought, one she doesn't need, and she discards it as soon as it strikes her. (this is not going very smoothly at all, is it, yuno?)

yuno inhales, focusing on her breathing to avoid the thought. jack clearly wants to discuss saturday night. that's understandable. she knew this was coming. this is just another form of business. there's no need to bring up her parents and wonder what their voices sounded like. it's almost been three months, right...? ]

That... I'm glad. A lot of people have a strong sense of justice, so I didn't want you to get implicated. I knew you didn't do it, and you shouldn't give them a reason to vote for you. [ with rhys gone, no one can prove handsome jack is as terrible as he believed, right? she thinks so. to her, this is part where the hero rises from the destruction of the previous act, ready to save everyone. ]

But what I told you, Jack, that's how I learned to kill. So... I guess that's another thing I'm good at. [ not bringing people back, no. she realizes the implication quickly, and steps back to hold her hands up. ]

To learn how to do that, I-- I had to join a game, and... That's sort of the prize. A way to see people again.

[refactor]

[ His smile briefly shifts to almost apologetic when Yuno mentions not giving people a reason to vote for him, since now, he does recall their earlier conversation. He had promise to be a bit more careful, but... Well, so much for that, at least at the time. Now, he doesn't feel it was ever really a danger, but he had lost reason to his anger. He considers explaining, since perhaps-- Perhaps she deserved to know why he had been so angry at all, considering their allience. His anger went far deeper than what it seemed on the surface.

Yet it's not something he particularly wants to explain, so as Yuno continues, he doesn't give it any further consideration. Maybe later. Maybe never. But he listens to her story, though his expression does turn serious again as he mulls it over. It's clear to see him analyzing it and truly thinking hard about it, since for all his bravado, he is at least sharp. ]

—Yeah. Gotta say, that sounds like one of those "too good to be true" deals. Not saying I don't believe you, though. Just-- [ He pauses, seeming to want to choose his words carefully. ] Why do you believe it's true?

[bloodteller]

[ there's a long, shaky breath taken in. yuno has to prepare for what she has to do. it might be clear that this is something she doesn't want to say, to admit, but jack can take her home. yuno fully believes that. in order for her to get back to yukiteru, this is a necessary step. besides, if something happens, and jack can't use her to bring his daughter back, then he's out of luck. after the reset, then he won't remember a thing. it's safe. she convinces herself of that. ]

Back home, God is dying.

[ that sounds really hokey, she knows. silly. ridiculous. still, she is sincere; it's easy to read in her expression. ]

Because of that, there's a game. In this game, God, his name is Deus ex Machina... He's chosen twelve potential successors. I'm one of them.

[ she pauses the swallow. it's hard to keep looking jack in the eye, so she takes a second to blink away the threat of tears before continuing. admitting all of this is-- difficult, to say the least. if yukki knew, that would be the end of them. ]

If you win the game, you become God.

...Jack, I won. In order to do it, I had to kill everyone. All of them. Y...Yukki, too. I killed Yukki, and I was going to bring him back. But when I did--

[ it's all too much for her; yuno raises a hand to wipe away falling tears, and finally looks back at jack. ] I learned the hard way! I learned the hard way that I did it wrong! Because of me, Yukki was so unhappy, so I did it over. I made it all go back to before the game started...! I know what to do now, how to win, and how to bring everyone back. Back home, he's alive. Yukki is alive. I have to kill everyone again, but when I win the game, Jack...

[ for all the tears, yuno is determined to prove how serious she is here. her gaze is genuine and honest. she makes sure to make eye contact with jack. ]

I can bring her back. I know how to do it, now. I can bring them all back, if that's what you want. I just have to get home and win the game.

[refactor]

[ Once again, Jack is quiet. His silences almost seem rare with how animated and talkative he almost always is, but for people that know him, those silences tend to say a lot. Jack is the kind of person that thinks so quickly that his words can't even keep up with him, and that energy and sharp mind is where that unfiltered, near stuttering way of speaking comes from. So when he's quiet, it's a big deal. It means he's taking his time, listening, truly evaluating a situation.

So, for people that know Handsome Jack, they also know that this is when he's dangerous. So when Yuno talks of God, Jack hears talk of kings, of opportunity. His hand comes up to his chin, resting there thoughtfully, but his gaze is fixed and focused on Yuno in a different way than she's seen before. It's intense, and Jack makes no effort to hide the fact that he's looking at her as if he's trying to discern the truth of her story. A few weeks ago, he would have dismissed it as imposibility, but with the things here? The people he's met?

He actually breathes out a laugh when he realizes it, because it should be preposterous, and yet, he believes her. ]

So— [ He starts, but his voice is shakier than he expects. He's not sure whether it's excitement or something else, but he laughs again, and it's gone. ] Man, so you're pretty much an expert at this, huh, Yuno?

[ It's different, and Jack knows it, but he doesn't elaborate or correct himself. That comment isn't particularly important, after all. His smile grows dangerously, but it's not at Yuno herself. No, on the contrary, Yuno has just become incredibly valuable to him. Their alliance at first had been something useful to him, something that he felt he would accomplish regardless, so Yuno watching his back was only a help in that overall goal. But now, with her dangling possibility in front of him, it becomes mutual. ]

If-- If you can do that, then, kiddo? I'll help you. Not just get off this ship, not just make sure you and Liz get home, but to win your game. It sounds— Hah, gotta say, sounds crazy! But, y'know? Being able to bring people back from the dead at all, that, that's pretty damn insane. But, hey, at this point, I'll take that risk.

[ He has nothing else to lose, he thinks. So even if this fails... It's no more loss than he's already facing. ]

My Angel, Rhys, we'll bring them back. Everyone else? I'll let you decide. But my baby girl, I've at least gotta get her back.

[bloodteller]

[ it's not hard to figure out she's being sized up. in this situation, yuno's a mouse, and jack's a cobra. she makes one wrong move and she's food. she knows that; that's why she stands tall and honest in her words. she has nothing to hide. nothing to lie about. if jack can read that and see it as what it is, the truth, then... it'll be fine.

and it is, because jack tells her that he wants to bring angel back. he laughs, like he can't believe himself, and she doesn't blame him. a shy smile breaks across her face, in contrast to the tears still welling up in her eyes. if someone else had told her this story, she might not have believed it. ...no, she wouldn't have. jack's not a normal man, but he's probably never dealt with gods or magical cellphones. ]

You're being too kind to me, but I know you want to make sure. That way, even if something happens to me, you'll be able to bring her back, your daughter. Her name... it's Angel, right?

[ how fitting. not even death can stop angel and her influence on her father, like some kind of biblical passage. ]

You'll bring her back. [ by yuno's hand, yes, but it's jack's actions that allow it. ] I can tell... you'll do it.

[refactor]

[ Jack smiles in turn when he sees that softer smile, since really, he can't help himself. He's probably projecting, and he probably even knows that, but still... There's something about seeing a kid smile like that that touches on what little humanity he has left. ]

Yeah-- Yeah, that's her name. And I mean, I'd sure as hell like to. To, uh, say the least.

[ He laughs, though it's breathy and a little weak. Jack pauses, considering something, then reaches out to place his hand on Yuno's head carefully. It's the sort of affectionate, tender gesture that shows his support, since in truth, he'd probably hug her right now. Just, you know, that kind of hurts. ]

So, trust me, kiddo, if there's a way outta here? I'm gonna find it. I promise.