day 2 (after trial)

[heroizes]

[ Ever since Jack had seen the profile cards, there had been an immediate and heavy sense of guilt to settle in his gut, because... Good lord, a lot of these really hot people were so young? It wasn't an isolated case, which made him feel worse, but none so much as Elizabeth, who, uh.

Well. He didn't want to think too much about just much he'd been charmed by her. Like, it was the embarrassing "meeting Mox for the first time" level, and that was something he'd never wanted to relive. And yet, here he was, trying to mack on a twenty year old. Dammit.

It's something he's actually pretty embarrassed about, and it's why he hadn't approached her earlier. He knew he really should have, but he at least gave himself the excuse that things had gotten a little crazy what with people turning up dead and all. Still, it's not something he wants to let sit too long, lest she think he's... God, a creepy old perv? He doesn't know. He hates this.

Regardless, after the execution (and probably body cleanup, yikes) as everyone disperses, Jack approaches Elizabeth. He waves idly to catch her eye, though once he's done so, he'll step closer to speak to her. ]

Hey, Liz- [ :) ] Y'mind if we chat real quick? I've got something I want to tell you.

Comments

[heroizes]

[ Jack is surprised when she offers a cigarette, and he'll take it without any hesitation, since he's a casual smoker. In fact, now that it's being offered, he's a bit glad for it, since smoking helps him concentrate. Or at least, he thinks it does.]

Yep, Angel and Rhys. Which, no surprise about Rhys, since he used to work for the same place I do, but Angel, don't know much about her.

[ He'll take the lighter (so long as she offers it), lights it, then takes a drag from his cigarette thoughtfully. ]

Which, unrelated, but worth noting, she's-- Well, you might not know about 'em, since they're, uh, rare, to say the least, but she's a Siren. By rare, I'm talkin' only six of them can evert exist at one time. [ He motions to the side of his body where Angel's tattoos would sit ] You can tell by the tats. Anyways, my point for mentioning that is that Sirens have crazy powers. Like, no two are the same, so I couldn't tell you what might be up with Angel here, but they're pretty damn powerful.

[ Of course, unbeknownst to him, he's talking to someone who possesses rather Siren-like powers... Considering how rare such a thing is, he feels it's worth noting, and he's also unaware that any of those abilities are gone. But.

He waves a hand dismissively, since that's more just information he's tossing out there because he has no idea that it's quite a bit more personal than the detached way he's explaining it now. He moves on to address the rest of what she's said. ]

I mean— Gonna be honest here, with odds like that? Any jackoff idiot is gonna have a pretty good idea of who made the program. So, first of all, I'll take odds of one third, second-- I mean, I know. I'm putting myself at risk here offering to make something like that, but, eh, better than just sitting around with a thumb up my ass, right? [ There's another drag here, and he motions generally towards her ] I'll see what I can do. No promises, but I don't mind putting that target on my back. I think it'll help, so I've got no complaints trying.

[tearable]

[ What kind of bitch would she be not to hand him her lighter? Of course she does. Elizabeth doesn't even ... like smoking. She hates the ash against her tongue and the way her throat stings with each puff. It's becoming habit now, a mask tightening so hard that she's forgetting what's a ruse and what isn't. Jack may know that feeling too. :)

Angel and Rhys, huh? She thinks to herself, trying to weigh the risks of trusting others. ]

I mean... let's look at the positive side - if anyone does get in, it significantly narrows the pool of people viable to do it.

[ Meaning? If they get hacked, look at the hackers. However, he starts talking about Angel and she has to perk a brow upward. She hadn't talked to the girl much... but it remains to be seen that she has no clue that their connection runs much deeper. All they had in common was the mention of 'crazy powers', but Jack certainly doesn't know that. ]

So... that's three people from your universe. You hit the damn lottery. [ Sarcastic. ] I guess just keep an eye on her. Two tech savvy people with connections to you definitely makes it easy to interact with them.

[ It's safe. I mean, her whole notion that Jack and Rhys were one of the only people brought here together dies down a little, she'll let him have that freedom. ]

I guess I should thank you for offering to help. [ She says honestly with a subtle hint of smugness in her tone. ] Targets on backs aren't exactly my goal here, but there's definitely something I'd like to avoid. Seeing you die for my own spurring... not good on my conscience and I'm trying to be a good girl.

[ Of course, she's teasing. ]

Keep me posted? If you need help with anything, I'm here.

[heroizes]

[ ok first of all fuck u

Jack snorts out a laugh, but it's wry and humored. ]

Yeah, no friggin' kidding. A Siren, a billions in one chance, and a stalker that's obsessed with me? --Okay, the second one is. Way more likely. I'm kinda collecting a club here and that's really weird. It's super weird, right? Hah.

[ He laughs again, though the idea of a stalker doesn't seem to bother Jack too much. There's a part of him that really likes the attention, after all, though there's another that finds utlitliy in it. After all, without Nakayata being obsessed with him, he wouldn't have made a couple technological strides that he neatly took credit for. Of course, Jack would explain that's just how Hyperion works, though. ]

You've got it, Liz. Now that we know there's at least one more terminal here, I'm gonna guess there's more, and that will give me a lot more confidence. I don't want to dick around with the commissary or voting for... obvious reasons. But as soon as one not tied to obvious stuff comes up? I'm on it. So—

[ He smiles, and this time, it's all confidence and charm instead of the goofy, awkward impression he had left first. After all, this is a chance for him to use his skills and smarts to be a hero, and to do so for a beautiful woman? There's little that's more of an ego boost for him. ]

You're welcome. If anyone can do something like this? Definitely me.

[tearable]

[ :)

Whatever weird flattery Jack finds in that, Liz ain't touching it with a ten-foot pole. She's concerned, though - he kind of minimizes the impact of what kind of position he's in but... if he dies because of it, it's his fault. Elizabeth is keeping her walls up high, trying not to allude anyone to the fact that she's just as scared and just as desperate to live as anyone else. ]

I'm in your debt. First the skylight, now hacking? Tsk tsk. [ Elizabeth sounds sweet as she takes a heavy intake of her cig. It's thoughtful, but as she drops it to the ground and smashes the remainder with the bottom of her heel, she smiles. ] Don't make me regret it, handsome.

[ Elizabeth's tone shifts more to when he first met her, one that's more sultry than calculative. She turns, her back to him. ]

Find me whenever you need something or want a little company.

[heroizes]

[ Honestly for the best there, Liz... Jack can inflate his ego on his own without help, so adding fuel to the fire is never good. It's what gives him the kind of reckless confidence that she's concerned about, because to Jack, failure really does seem like a near-impossibility.

He starts to laugh when she chastises him, cocky and confident now that this is something he's confident in, but as soon as she calls him "handsome" and her tone shifts to something sultry again... Less so. Even when she is firmly off limits and he'll stick to that, that tone is still. Distracting. Dammit. ]

You. Uh. God- [ Eloquence is his strong suit, obviously. He shakes his head, laughing off his own awkwardness. ] Okay, so, just gotta point it out here. Phrasing. I'm at least 99% sure that was intentional, but still, goddamn.