week 5 - execution

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ONLINE CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (5)

sunday EXECUTION (32) survivors As voting comes to an end, a song filters in played so loud that it becomes distored and fragmented. If a participant checks their datapad, they will see the the victim and suspect chosen by majority's pictures displayed. If they attempt to scroll, they will see a list of characters and their votes in alphabetical order.

victim



culprit



Character Statuses
Setting
Rulebook
Votes

Comments

>:[

[refactor]

[ That "don't" shuts Jack up more effectively than pretty much anything else could hope to, and he takes a half step back as if to give her more distance. He bows his head forward as he pushes a hand through his hair, and his expression is difficult as he tries to think of what to do. His temper had gotten the better of him, and in that, he's not sure how to respond. He'd never been good at dealing with his own temper. ]

That's- C'mon, that's not—

[ Jack starts to protest as she calls her choice foolish, but he falls silent again. His hand falls away from his head to settle back at his side, but his expression is no less conflicted. He waits until she's done speaking, but he nods slowly. There are a few moments before he speaks again, and it seems to be to make sure to at least push the last of the anger out of his tone. He's still angry, rather deeply so, but now it's at least distracted by this. Jack shifts to put his hands on his hips, which is more open and relaxed than how he'd been holding himself to start, but it does feel slightly forced. At least the tone of his voice is more genuinely calm than his body language. ]

Won't happen again, Liz. Promise.

[brooches]

I'm going to be candid with you... Are you not use to people caring about you?

[ She says with her hand still covering her bloody lips. It's a truth she wants to go for. To indulge, really. She doesn't know anyone on the ship in the same degree they may know her. She's told her story to half the damn ship, not realizing it as a vulnerability as opposed to a friendly conversation. ]

Whatever we have between us - we're still very much strangers. I'm still very ignorant in trusting people, in giving a damn about people who show me the littlest bit of kindness. Suppose it was due to being constricted to a tower with only a mechanical bird who turned from friend to guard, but I promise you - with every fiber of my being - they will pay for what they've done. It's not my own selflessness or just the concern I have over your daughter too...

[ She's wise with her words, pulling her hand away and showing the blood that drips form her chin. ]

But, for now... this won't help anyone. Shutting people out and anger won't do anything.

[ And for now, she awkwardly shrugs, looking in the direction of the nearest bathroom or washroom. ]

...Ah... and that's my soapbox... ow.

[refactor]

[ Her question gets Jack's posture to shift again, telling in itself how it closes off. That open posture shifts to crossed arms, though his expression stays largely the same. ]

Not used to— Ha! [ He breathes out a laugh that sounds... pretty fake. ] That's-- That's so stupid. I mean, of course I am, I'm friggin' Handsome Jack. There are so many people that care for me. Man...

[ It sounds fake even to him, and even so, he would have adamantly continued along with it if not for how she ends her soapbox with that concern and that "ow." He pauses, rubbing a hand through his hair again. ] Ahhhh goddammit.

[ He turns, not quite in the direction she's looking, but more in the direction of the medical bay. Largely because it would be weird for him to follow her to a bathroom. Still, it's clear that he still has a bit more to say, but apparently, first thing's first. ]

C'mon, let's-- Let's go get something to take care of that.

[brooches]

[ By how he reacts, she calls bullshit. Immediately. ]

Right...

[ Eyeroll?? Scoff?? She's not having any of that - especially with the current situation so tense. If he's going to lead her to the medical bay, she follows closely - but not closely enough to get hit. Oops. Her hand is still cupping the bottom of her mouth, trying to keep herself from spilling out - there's a few splatters on her top but for the most part, she's not making a mess.

Once they reach the medical bay, she motions towards the cabinets where the syringes, bandages, and cleansing wipes are tucked away. ]

I don't doubt you have your own fanclub but do they really care about you? People lose touch of their followers the higher they ascend in power.

[refactor]

[ Jack is hoping that she drops the topic, since it's not exactly one he wants to elaborate more on, but of course she doesn't. He gives her a disapproving glance when she brings the topic up still, but seeing how she's cupping her face, it's also quick to soften back to something more neutral. He responds first to her motion, waving it off with an idle wave of his hand in return. ]

Yeah, yeah, going...

[ He heads over to cabinet and starts to rifle through them, looking for the cleansing wipes and some cups for water, which are conveniently not quite in immediate view. It gives him time to rifle through things, though there's not a silence while he does so. ]

Fine. Ya got me. No, they don't. They just wanna be me, take my spot, that kind of thing. Rhys included. And you know what? That's Hyperion. You admire the guy at the top, but you also want to put a bullet right between their eyes, because then? Then, you're at the top.

[ Jack sighs, like this is a chore to explain, but really, it's more that he knows it sounds strange to someone that hasn't been working for Hyperion for most of their life. Even worse, she's never even heard of it, so there's no context here for her. There's a brief pause as he considers how to explain that, because it's explaining something so basic about his life that it's difficult to do so properly. But in the meantime, he finds what he's looking for, so he grabs those and heads back to her to hand them over. ]

People have been trying to kill me since I started to climb up the ladder, kiddo. I mean-- Hell, I had a friggin' body double before I even had any kind of real position in Hyperion. Needed one. If I was gonna go to the top? Had to have someone to soak up the bullets for me. Dunno how many I even have now. [ He shrugs ] So, no. I'm not used to it. Not exactly in the business where you trust people to actually care about you.

[brooches]

[ You could have swore they were in a library because Elizabeth was reading the hell out of Jack right now.

Her question actually shows a bit more of a concern. She sees a leader - one that is questionable and has some bad traits - and a father. She knows nothing of what he's done... so she actually just wants to show that she's harmless. That it's okay to talk to her. It's the least she could do. I mean, she is aware enough to blame her own naive view on earning her a busted lip.

Elizabeth takes a seat on one of the stools, listening to him speak. She feels... bad for him. The way he speaks of this is entitled, she thinks. ]

Doesn't that make you sad? [ It's a childish question, honestly. No one would really feel sad when they're in a position of power. Elizabeth never would know that - she's been under someone's thumb her whole life! ] I... I just think of how alone I felt with no one around... I can't imagine feeling that alone when you actually have company...

[ But, when he offers the medical supplies, she takes it upon herself to start wiping away at the blood. It's stopped bleeding, but there's a definite split on her lip and soreness in her mouth. She winces, flinching every so often when the cotton drags down her lip.

After a few moments, she's cleaned up minus a few drops on her chin. ]

I don't have to show concern if you want. I - I really have no right to. You're grieving over the loss of your daughter's photograph. There's no possible reason I should have reached out - there's no way I could have surmised your feelings.

[ Liz...... ]

[refactor]

[ Her question gets Jack to raise an eyebrow as if he doesn't understand her question. He does, since he's not quite that bad to not understand where it's coming from at all, but it's still seems strange to him. In truth, it's just the sort of man he is that the inherent loneliness of his "career" never really bothered him as much as it perhaps should have. He had the people he cared about, and that small inner circle was enough. He didn't trust going outside it, and he didn't particularly feel a need to do so.

That's a hard thing to explain, though, and especially to her. He's a bit glad instead to see her take the medical supplies and start cleaning up that split lip, though he does have to look away. It's like if he doesn't see it, he's not the one that did it. He shrugs to her actual question dismissively, but any further response is forgotten as she takes the burden for the rest, and Jack looks back to her. ]

What? Uh, no, that's-- [ He frowns, breathing out a frustrated noise, but it's not so much at Elizabeth as himself. It's difficult for Jack to interact with her when it comes to this kind of topic, because it's far too easy to feel those fatherly parts of his personality creeping up, but it also doesn't seem right to show that to her. ]

It's... No, it's appreciated, kiddo. I'm just— [ He sighs, and his posture shifts again so that his hands settle on his hips. ] It's not so much the photograph. That's— Okay, well, it's irreplaceable, but it's just a thing. I lost my temper because I'm worried about her. Because, y'know, I've been trying pretty much her whole life to make sure this exact thing doesn't happen. She's got a dad that a lotta people wanna kill and wouldn't have any problem using a little girl to do it. Doesn't mean-- Ahhh.

[ He waves a hand dismissively, but his expression is fairly somber. ]

—Point is, don't blame yourself. That's what I'm trying to get at here.

[brooches]

[ She's never met a father.

How sad is that?

It's hard for her to understand how someone could care so much for their child when her own parents kept her locked from the world. There's a bit of bitterness - jealousy - that Jack cares so much about Angel. It's a dangerous thought, one that makes her awkwardly look away. She knows her judgment is poor in any sense - thinking of Booker as a true friend, thinking of Jack in any way a fatherly figure... But, she's here. Writing letters that will never be sent to Booker. Truly hurt that Jack couldn't control his own anger. She's snapped back to reality when her lip pangs with pain - a reminder that she had no father. ]

We need to start planning how to get out of this situation. [ Wow??? ] These killings are getting worse. They're getting petty and for nothing at all. This isn't anything compared to what someone could do to me - or you in the future.

[ She sounds... pretty ruthless, honestly. ]

I won't harp on about your actions, they were in the moment and I have my fair share of assaulting someone only trying to help me. With books, but not... the point, I suppose.

[ Elizabeth stiffens her posture in her seat. ]

You daughter will be fine. If there is any possibility that I can open one of my tears - control them - she will be the first person I go to find. I promise you.

[refactor]

[ That awkwardness isn't something Jack misses, but it is something he misinterprets. He immediately regrets sharing, rambling because he's not the sort of person who's comfortable letting a silence linger, and also feeling guilted into sharing in the first place. There's that deeply paranoid part of himself that seizes up in response because it's too much shared, and everything Jack knows says that's dangerous.

Yet that dangerous kind of fear doesn't show on his face. There may be some areas where he's poor at hiding his expressions, but anything that could be construed as weakness he's much better at hiding.

So rather than dwell on that irrational worry, he plunges himself into Elizabeth's followup instead. At least, after a brief thought to note that she didn't actually respond to much of what he'd said. ]

Yeah, that-- That's why I'm concerned. Definitely selfishly. Won't deny that. But they're escalating, and that's not a good thing. It's taking more to convince people to off each other? I dunno. That's really easy on Helios and Pandora both.

[ Why won't people murder each other for a few bucks? That would be way easier, god. ]

So, yeah. Getting off the ship, taking it over, any of that is gonna be to our benefit. I prefer number two there, since no idea how we're all gonna get back to where we belong otherwise, but, hey, not discounting any possibilities here.

[ Though that last part— Jack pauses, considering her offer, then shakes his head with a smile. ]

That's-- You don't need to worry about that, Liz. Appreciate it. But- [ He laughs ] Well, this is probably going to sound super weird, since I'm sure this is-- It's really a "dad" thing, but that's something I've gotta do on my own.

[ He pauses, since he already knows this is stupidly corny, but he shrugs and speaks with a touch more softness in his voice. ]

I've gotta be her hero.