OPEN!!

[ex_break829]

Who: Handsome Jack and YOU?
What: Following up on some promises to CR. March event stuff (Rubber Ducky, paranoia.) Plus a bunch of drinking and fighting and rocket science in between. This post has some pretty generic starters, but I'll also be doing closed starters in the comments so feel free to work something specific out with me/hit up my cr meme comment.
Where: Around.
When: Rest of March.
Warnings: Jack is Bad, here's his general warning and opt-out, I'll edit if there is more specific Bad.

— one
[ Jack is reeeeaaaallly not into this.

"This" being following through on a promise he made to Rosie, chopping and stacking wood in the orchard. He's really more of a gun person? And he works out enough to keep like, some musculature, or he did during his body-having period, but the work here isn't some time on the treadmill in his office while he verbally eviscerates some peon over ECHOComms. It's hard manual labor. And Handsome Jack didn't get off a shitty backwater planet using only his wits and ambition to become a multi-trillionaire just to lug wood.

At first it's kind of fun — Rosie watches, which he kind of is into, and he gets all shirtless and sweaty and sure, okay, he's not happy or whatever but it's. Okay. Probably he wouldn't kill anyone who tried to chat with him at this point.

The murderousness comes later, when his arms are killing him and his ears and neck are sunburnt. And he looks directly at whoever's nearest: ]

Don't suppose you wanna take over for me?

[ Not even a 'please'. ]


— two
[ Jack visits the bar a lot. Like a lot, a lot. It's not a drinking problem — it's a drinking solution.

Seriously that's all this prompt is. Jack sitting at a bar drinking hard liquor for the umpteenth time this month. Tell him to stop hogging the good whiskey, challenge him to a drinking game, or just ask about the mask, he loves that. ]


— three
Hey so, I try and keep my language PG-13, but does anyone want to explain what the actual fuck is going on with the technology here?

[ He has a bike engine he's been working on clutched in his arms, and when he puts it down, loudly, it's obviously not your typical combustion engine... or anything that looks like it obeys regular physics. ]

How am I supposed to turn this into anything spaceworthy? Huh? C'mon, you all seem like smart people, any ideas?

[ Has he even been here before or did he just show up and start shouting... ]

Comments

closed to: nil.

[ex_break829]

[ So maybe you pick up the photo in its frame, and you're looking out of someone else's eyes. It's just for an instant, no details, but they're in Hadriel, near the city's edge. You know this trail, you've walked it before, but if you walk it again they're gone by the time you get there.

So maybe you don't care enough to touch it again for a while, but you must not throw it away, the sweet dark haired girl waving out at you with her blue blue eyes and gap-toothed smile. Maybe you fall a little in love with her just from seeing her picture; you wouldn't be the first. Maybe you keep an eye out for her, in the crowds of other faces in the city. Maybe you touch the photo again.

With the mask on, Jack has one blue eye and one green eye. With it off, he has one blue eye and one ravaged, milky hollow, blind in the middle of the twisted scar on his face. You can see the lines where his skin under the mask doesn't get enough sun, though his face is still darker than the mask's actual coloring. He's more real like this, the lines of his nose and cheekbones less artificial, his age a little more visible. Someone who doesn't know better might think he's a little less a predator, with his chin all soaped up and the bare blade of one of the kunai Zelda gave him scraping away his stubble like a dangerous straight razor. (They would be wrong).

A blink, and he's gone.

Maybe you touch it again, just to watch him finish shaving, rinse his face, brush his teeth, eyes sliding over his own face in the mirror with a practiced un-seeing. Or maybe you do better at finding him, now that you know who to look for. ]

[atravellerwithabow]

[Nil doesn't live indoors, but he comes across the photo frame like he was meant to find it. The way his fingers spasm around it as picking it up instantly throws him into the eyes of another person keeps him from dropping it in shock, and he realises in the moments of recovery that follow that he recognises that path.

It's one he's worn and walked many times. By the time he gets there, it's empty.

He doesn't throw the photograph away. It's carried around in a small bag attached to his belt, and now and then, he remembers it.

When he pulls the frame out this time, he's ready for what happens. What he's not quite ready for is what he sees this time. Jack, but in a position of peculiar vulnerability that Nil finds he feels like an intruder on. He does try to glance around the room, but his attention is fixed on where Jack's is and he concentrates far harder on the man's face than the man himself appears to.

Nil does not find much difficulty in what he does next. He and Jack are well-acquainted, and he finds him easily enough once he knows who he's looking for. Once he does, it's only after greeting him that he offers him the photograph, still untouched in its frame, with a steady gaze fixed on his eyes.]

This is yours.

[ex_break829]

Aw, buddy, y'shouldn't have.

[ Because his immediate assumption is that whatever Nil is giving him is like, a gift, something he found or made or whatever. What he doesn't expect is to be handed a framed holo-memory that had sat on the desk of his office for — years, past even his own death.

His little girl.

For a moment he's really glad about it, since he hadn't had any pictures on him when he showed up here, and he had definitely felt a lot of anger about that a couple weeks ago, when Angel had seemed to consume his thoughts. This is a belated relief—

But then he looks up, eyes dangerous, because there's a lot of questions here that he's not sure he's gonna like the answers to. If it were anyone but Nil he'd be asking them with a hand around his throat. ]

Where'd you get this.

[ And how the fuck did you know it was his? ]

two

[hot_mes]

[Law's not a heavy drinker but...yeah, after seeing through other people's eyes anyone would need a drink. His eyes go straight to the figure at the bar to silently judge whether it's someone he would mind being around.

Oh. That guy.

Nah, there are worse options. It could be someone cheerful. That'd be the worst.

So the tall, lanky pirate goes to grab himself something, squinting at the bottle in front of Jack]

Are you hoarding that whiskey or can anyone join?

[ex_break829]

[ Some random person probably asked Jack the same question like, what, five minutes ago? And was laughingly told to go find his own bottle and fuck himself with it. But when he swivels and sees a familiar face, Jack actually pushes to consider it, before deciding sure, why not. Slides the bottle across in answer, though Law might gotta locate his own glass. ]

I dunno about 'anyone'. What's up, doc.

[ That isn't a reference, he comes from a looney toons free world. ]

[hot_mes]

[good, because he needs something besides that weird rum he had the other day. He thunks a glass down and pours himself some before sliding it back.]

Same shit, different day, really. Though, I guess this round of shit isn't as annoying as some.

three

[lifetothefullest]

[Lance is not often at the lab, but that day a thought had come into his head and prompted him to wonder if maybe Brennan had left any of her things there. So he'd decided to go see, both for that reason and just to havea reason to get out of his apartment, which is why he's lurking around when Jack shows up.

And augh, so much loudness, between the comments and the setting down of the engine, though Lance decides to ignore it all for the moment; this place is frustrating as hell sometimes, and he remembers this guy's network post about the spaceship parts.

So instead he gives a sympathetic expression, trying to offer an explanation--]

As I understand, the gods don't really know how technology works and so just approximate it. Everything seems to run on magic instead.

i should have been clearer!! you got there tho that's the important bit

[ex_break829]

Magic.

[ Since Lance has responded, Jack hones in on him, and dials it down a notch — well, the volume, anyway. His seething frustration is still visibly intense. ]

Friggin' magic. Newsflash, kiddo, magic is what losers call science that they don't understand yet.

<3!

[lifetothefullest]

[Lance raises his eyebrows at that response, but decides to just enjoy that the volume lowered even if the words are... Annoying...]

Fine, then it's the gods' technology that no one understands. Maybe you can be the first?

[He says it neutrally and sincerely enough, but there's definitely an undercurrent of sass there.]

one

[abyssalarcana]

[Oh, it's later. Caedra comes walking past, curious about the chopping. Is someone cutting down the trees? That would sort of be a shame. She actually likes these trees, a little. Maybe not enough to stop someone cutting them down, though, depending on their reasoning.

She should find out who cares about these trees the most so she can watch as they suffer while she kills them slowly, one at a time. All she would have to do is stand invisibly next to one for a while. And then try not to laugh.

But as she approaches, she sees it's someone chopping wood that appears to already be cut down. No orchard demolition going on here, evidently. He looks pretty tired - and honestly, as far as shirtless guys go, not that attractive. Definitely on the scrawny side. Not her type.

She laughs as he suggests she take over, though. She has to admit to herself, brute strength is not really her best ability. She's skilled with a sword but most of the real damage comes from the magic that infuses the blade. She can dance circles around most opponents, but chopping wood sounds exhausting.]

No, no, it looks like you're doing a perfectly fine job on your own. What's that all for, anyway?

[ex_break829]

[ It is exhausting! Which is why Jack doesn't wanna do it anymore. ]

It's uh, it's for a good cause.

[ Yeah, the good cause of he owed Rosie a favor for saving his butt and she called in hard. But really, he gets the impression that the orchard reconstruction is somebody's passion project — maybe they're even hoping to grow some fresh fruit eventually? Jack doesn't know or care, but this lay might, and Rose isn't around to contradict him if he just lies his ass off. m]

Yeah, you know, they need to turn all this bullshit into lumber for like. Helping people to... build houses. For orphans.

[ No, okay, that's overselling it. ]

Okay, I'm kidding about the orphans, but man, it's, you know, probably gonna make someone somewhere very happy, or something.

[ Listen.... listen, he's tired. ]

[abyssalarcana]

So you don't know why you're doing it, you're just working yourself to exhaustion for no reason other than that it will help someone?

[Dear mother Abyss why do these people act this way? It's fascinating and yet sort of starting to creep her out, with how eager you humans are to help each other for no reason. It's one thing if they expect something in return but some of them just do it, just because. Caedra knows, on a cosmological level some creatures are just inherently good. It's part of their being. Angels, for example, which makes abusing them entertaining for a while but then boring after because of how self-sacrificing they try to be when they see there's nothing more they can do. Everything to shelter someone else. It's abhorrent. But mortals aren't cursed like that, they just... are. And some of the things they are are very weird.]

Sounds boring. I'm sure there's something else you can put your talents to. Something a lot more fun.

1

[murderpotato]

[Gren's been watching Jack do this whole lumberjack bullshit for a couple of minutes, and, like... it's okay? The guy gets all shirtless and sweaty and Gren's all for a free show, but he could get a better one from his current squeeze any day of the week, so he's got high standards here. Jack ain't bad once you get his shirt off but he's got kind of a dad bod going on.]

[But hey, free show. Gren drinks bottled beer and watches, until Jack tries to pawn off the job onto him. And at that point, Gren just fucking laughs right in Jack's face, because fuck you, that's why.]

Fuck you, no. [Natch.] What, you too old to do a fuckin' day's work? Dead fuckin' trees a little too tough for you?

[ex_break829]

Too old?

[ He should have known better. He should have known freaking better than to think this asshole would actually help him out. Like Rosie he is content to drink and watch; unlike Rosie, Jack finds that super annoying.

And then that comment. Jack hefts the axe into the stump that's been serving as his block, tries to consider if there's a better way of asking: bribery, maybe? Threatening him's not gonna work, the whole point is that he is tired and Gren can take out shit in one punch. ]

Man, you're an asshole.

[ Instead he's just gonna come over and steal one of Gren's beers, thanks. He's taking a break. ]

[murderpotato]

Yeah, no shit.

[Jack really should have known better. Gren is an asshole and he readily and fully admits that, and he is perfectly content to watch another asshole get tired and sunburned because he promised hard labor to a pretty face. Could he help? Yeah, he could. And he'd probably be able to get the job done pretty quickly. Will he?]

[No.]

[But he's mellowed a little with age and regularly getting laid, so he lets Jack take a beer without a fuss. He's got a six-pack, anyway, he can spare one.]

You're lookin' a little toasty.

[That mask has gotta give some weird-ass tan lines.]

Three!

[1019]

[Has he been here before? Did he just show up and yell?

Probably enough. On both counts.

'Cause this ain't nothing but a storefront.

Lucas heading his way out with a tug on the straps of the backpack he's picked up.

His eyes turning aside with a low-prickling, low-browed mental bristling -- "hey, so" what -- ...

...But.

His eyes go huge - round, unblinking, and ghost-pale, at the sight of that engine.

Looks like a machine, of course, all right, he knows machines, he knows engines, a stilling in his muscles as he holds his slouch, face turned, that... ain't nothing he's ever seen before...

Eyes dart up to the guy's face. Hang for a moment, before doing a repeated up-and-down-taking, jaw hanging open...

Lingering back on the guy's face with a push like hot water out of a seafloor font and scoffing off water. Tugging on an uneven sneery smile, voice coiling like so much thin, tarnished wire...]

-- Eeehhhhhh, you tell me -- ...!

[A faint grunt as a hand comes up to give one of those bag straps a haul...]

Here I am, still gotta be makin' myself guns from scratch.

[Eyes snapping back up under heavy eyelids and a heavy brow, a brief puff of air, before he puts this out under experimental probing, projection of voice winding tighter...]

Y'know, you don't look like an alien, partner -- ...!

[With a half-deliberate, half-still in the spirit of probing Cheshire grin carving itself wider into his face.]

two;

[restinglichface]

[Jack's not the only one spending a lot of time at the speakeasy these days. This meeting's likely been a few weeks coming.

Lup plops onto the stool next to Jack without any fanfare, without even noticing him at her side, the elf already throwing up a hand to signal the barkeep for a drink. It's not until her drink of choice, also a whiskey, has been set in front of her that Lup allows her gaze to wander.

Well. Look who it is.]

God, it's you again. If you get the urge to start stranglin' randos again, let me know so I can just set you on fire first.

[ex_break829]

[ Jack lives in a state of hypervigilant paranoia, so he put a hand on his gun the moment she sat down. Considered just leaving, but no, fuck that, he was here first and he's... he's not afraid of this chick!!! ]

Whatever. I was under a lot of pressure, okay.

[ And his default response to losing control is to kill people until the situation fixes itself. That's totally normal, right? ]

Besides, there's too much liquor hear for fire. You send all that up every friggin alcoholic will be out for blood.

[restinglichface]

[Maybe not totally normal, but hey, it's not like Lup hasn't gotten a little too used to killing either.

Also, having the whole of Hadriel coming after her isn't a frightening in the slightest, but losing all that alcohol? Gods, don't even mention it. She's shivering at the thought.]

Alright, fair. I'll play nice, but only if you do first. I'm just here to get trashed anyway, not lookin' for a fight.

during rubber ducky event;

[whip_poor_will]

It doesn't take very long for her to notice that she's being watched. They're brief flashes, but her perception has a way of picking up when others perceive her.

Or, rather, are perceiving through her.

Interesting.

Eventually, she decides to drop in on her little surveyor. A man with a mask of his face over his face. Also interesting. She doesn't make herself known right away, and instead presents herself as a six-foot-eight tall 'something' covered by a large white sheet that appears in his midst.

Ravine may or may not be pulling out a page from a friend's book by taking their joke a little too literal but, come on. What isn't entertaining about a towering dead woman wearing bedding?

[ex_break829]

Jack kinda knows how this works? Since he's already had someone checking him out. So when he picked up the necklace (hey, free loot!) and had suddenly been looking out through someone else's eyes for a flash, he'd known it was the object.

But sue him, he's a curious guy.

He could probably argue that he needs to keep peeking, to figure out who this belongs to. But it's not really true: he could ask over the network, for one thing, or just abandon the necklace all together for some other sucker to play match with.

He's not using it when she shows up, though; the necklace has been left unceremoniously on the kitchen counter of the house he's calling home for now, and Jack is in the living room, incongruously taking apart the chassis of a motorcycle. What, it's not his furniture.

"What the fuck!" he shouts, forgetting his little PG-13 language rule in favour of leaping the hell backwards, an impressive scoot that just has him collide with a couch. He looks up at the — apparition? — in confusion. It had startled him with its sudden appearance, but... is this just someone in a fucking sheet? Maybe two kids sitting on each other's shoulders?

"Is this some kind of practical frigging joke, ghostie? Because I'm not laughing."

[whip_poor_will]

As a figure covered completely from head to toe in white fabric, she doesn't make it easy to tell what could be under there. It could be a couple of kids, but--

"Ooo," Ravine chants, her voice even distorted and crackling. She does what she wants, and starts waving her arms all spooky-like (except she's not really scary at all). "I am the ghooost of Christmas fuuutuuure! Also you have something of miiine."

Now she's just fucking with him -- even more than before.

three!

[sciencelizard]

[Alphys jumps as he enters, having been lost in thought before he showed up, whipping her head up from her desk near the back of the room. Oh. Right, from the network. Alphys scrambles out of her chair and across the room to meet him, where he can see... yeah, she's a four foot tall lizard. With glasses.]

You're uh-- Jack, right? From the network?

[ex_break829]

What the fuck.

[ Is Jack's immediate response, which probably answers the question since he is pretty tonally distinct. Still, he does catch himself after a second — he's seen weirder shit than this, he reminds himself. ]

Uh, I mean, yeah. That's me. Handsome Jack.

[ A wink. ]

[sciencelizard]

[She cringes, but just a little. Alphys is pretty used to people being surprised by her appearance- most people who show up to the city are human, and very few actively look like her. Still, she tries to stay civil.]

C-Cool, uh, I thought so, since you were, uhm, talking about rocket stuff? This is about rocket stuff, right.

[He was talking about it being spaceworthy, so...]

You're, uh,welcome to any of the stuff we have here, but a lot of it's N-Null scrap. So I don't know how useful it would be in, uh, making into other things.