IC Contact - Snowblind

[phaseshifter]

This is Angel. Leave a message.

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[devoutish]

Rhys doesn't remind me of me.

[So there's... that.]

He reminds me of my assistant at home.

[phaseshifter]

Hehe, oof. Don't ever tell him that, or he might feel the need to prove himself superior. Hyperion culture can be pretty freaking competitive. Scarily so.

[ SHE'S KIDDING. BUT ALSO NOT KIDDING. ]

[devoutish]

I'm rougher on my assistants than Rhys would be good at handling, right now. But I like Ollie.

[He misses him.]

[phaseshifter]

Maybe he'll show up here! It'd hardly be the weirdest thing to happen in town, right? What's he like. Um, other than Rhys-esque.

[devoutish]

He's quiet. Perceptive. Good at disappearing into the back of a room and making everybody forget that he's there. He'll still panic a bit sometimes, when the stakes are high and things don't look like they'll turn out well for us, but he's loyal. He'd walk through fire for me, if I asked.

Fucking hell, I hope he never shows up here.

[phaseshifter]

[ Oh. Right. Being brought to snowhell is a bad thing for people who aren't dead and/or from situations bad enough to make Norfinbury feel like a place full of friends and freedom.

THIS IS AWKWARD. ]

Um - well. If he does show up, I'd be happy to help get him settled. Or help out in general. Not that I think it's likely! Just - if the worst happens. I mean, you've helped my loyal-but-jittery friend! So I'm just saying if you ever need the favour returning, I'm. You know. I'm here?

[ A++ WORDS ]

[devoutish]

Me being here makes it more likely that people I know from home would come too, yeah?

[He's noticed how many people here end up with somebody - or multiple somebodies - that the recognize.]

It's not a sure thing, right, but it's likely enough. Him, a business associate, an enemy, a family member.

[That last category in particular twists his stomach.]

[phaseshifter]

M...aybe. There are plenty of people here who are without anyone from home! So it isn't like it's a sure thing.

 

But, um, yeah. You might wanna brace for the possibility. It could even be someone who's dead from your perspective, so. Iunno if that makes it better or worse. Sorry.

[devoutish]

Somebody must have told you that you'd died, yeah? Do you wish they'd kept it a secret?

cw suicide mention cries

[phaseshifter]

Um, it - no. That isn't... mmmh.

[ AWKWARDNESS POWERS, ACTIVATE ]

I remember dying, it was - er. It was my choice, I kinda had to. So. Doesn't really apply.

[devoutish]

Something to do with Jack?

[phaseshifter]

How'd you guess. It's a long story, but he was using me to do something terrible. The only way to stop him for sure was to die, so. Worth it.

[ Except she's since learned she died for nothing but NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT ]

[devoutish]

Mm. I'm not a good man, but if I was a bad dad, I'd be fucking ashamed of myself.

[Jack sucks.]

[phaseshifter]

He was a good dad once! Things just got kinda hecked up. You know how good intentions sometimes go way awry?

Um, not excusing him, though. Sorry. Bad habit. You can see why Rhys' situation resonates, right?

[devoutish]

He's your father, your family, and you can think of him how you like.

[phaseshifter]

Nuh-uh. Jack was my dad. Handsome Jack was just an asshole and I really have to stop defending him when he doesn't deserve it.

[devoutish]

What was he like, before he was Handsome Jack?

[phaseshifter]

Err. Well, when I was little he was the best. My hero. A little overprotective, but it was justified? Because - you know. The siren thing, my tattoos - they had to be hidden? But he was really good about that so I was never scared or anything.

Things got harder after mom died. We were still pretty cool until he got the mask, though. He was a narcissistic jerk even before then, but he never killed anyone. He wanted to be everybody's hero! Not just mine.

[devoutish]

Got the mask. What mask?

I don't know much about him. We spoke once, twice.

[phaseshifter]

Oh! Er - his face was horribly scarred a few years ago. He's very sensitive about it. Think, like - a giant brand across his face. Very deep. Instead of dealing with it or risking surgery to minimise it, he had a mask clamped to his face instead.

A. Mask of his old face. A really advanced one - it moved with him and even restored the appearance of his burnt-out eye. If the AI uses video again, take a close look - he has the mask, it's just harder to notice with him being a freaking hologram.

[devoutish]

[You people and your metal body parts, he swears to god.]

He got worse in increments, then. Getting himself used to it by degrees. Telling himself it was all right each step of the way.

That's fucking dangerous, that is.

[phaseshifter]

Yeah, well, so was he. Fu-- freaking dangerous, I mean. The terrible thing he was trying to do? Wake up a huge effing monster and use it to eradicate the entire bandit population of Pandora.

And, you know, everybody else. Pandorans and bandits were basically the same thing to him.

[devoutish]

I've heard.

[He talks to Fiona about this.]

[phaseshifter]

Oh. From Fiona? Or Rhys? Fiona, right.

[devoutish]

Fiona, yeah. Mostly Fiona. But I'm sure he would have told me himself, eventually.