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overjoyed_logs2016-12-07 03:45 pm
refactor) wrote in overjoyed_logs2016-12-07 03:45 pm
general pre-game catchall
Who: Handsome Jack + You
Where: Various
When: Also various!
Summary: This is a general catch-all for pre-game activities — If you'd like to do something in particular, feel free to ask!
Restrictions/Warnings: There's a possibility of violence and morally questionable things since they come hand in hand with Jack, but nothing in particular for now.
i. panera breads i've been banned from (semi-OTA) (~3 years ago)
Where: Various
When: Also various!
Summary: This is a general catch-all for pre-game activities — If you'd like to do something in particular, feel free to ask!
Restrictions/Warnings: There's a possibility of violence and morally questionable things since they come hand in hand with Jack, but nothing in particular for now.
i. panera breads i've been banned from (semi-OTA) (~3 years ago)
[ You might know Jack, or at least have heard of him. It's not every day a tech-oriented worker actually requests to go work at the Prisoner Intake Facility, so he's not quite as anonymous as he once was. That's especially true considering what had happened a few years prior, and that, if you have any kind of knowledge of the Company and their gossip, whether you're working for them yourself or just a nosy RAC agent is what had given Jack a bit more of a reputation. It's all rumors, and never anything really confirmed, but those rumors were juicy ones. Apparently a few years ago, Jack's boss had tried to get him killed. It had failed, but now? That boss has been missing ever since, and Jack is comfortably sitting in that spot.ii. get out of my office (for Killjoys) (~1 year ago)
So, definitely juicy gossip. Even the Nines would be proud of that kind of political intrigue.
Even so, it wasn't like Jack had escaped completely unscathed. Where most people would simply put their money into a good plastic surgeon, Jack had taken a very different, though unusual route. If you haven't seen him for a while, you're going to run into it today if you're taking a trip to Leith's bazaar. After all, there are a fair amount of people looking at the man wearing an odd, but what certainly seems to be flesh mask over his face. It might not get many glances on Westerley where body modifications are at least frequent enough, but here? It's a little more jarring to the locals.
Maybe Jack catches you staring or maybe he just speaks to you randomly, but either way, you'll be getting a smile that's almost sharp. ]
Man— [ He laughs out that first part, then shakes his head ] I mean, c'mon, I know I'm handsome, but seriously, the stares? Getting to be a liiiittle much. Dontcha think, pumpkin?
[ If you're a RAC agent, you might have gotten a warrant with an unusual caveat to just how it's turned in. Warrants with caveats come up every once in a while, sure, but it's usually about the job itself. Instead, this one is about just how it's turned in. Instead of the standard processing, it requests that your person be handed off to a particular sector manager at the facility.iii. wildcard
At least you don't have to sit in processing long before a man steps through the door with a bright smile. He's a very clearly strange-looking guy from his mismatched eyes to that odd mask that he's wearing, but at least he's friendly...? Maybe. ]
Ahhhh, there you are! Was wondering where you were, buddy. Would have been a shame to miss ya.
[ It might seem like Jack is talking to you at first, but he plops a hand down briefly on your target's shoulder before he takes a seat across the table. His feet are quickly propped up on the table casually, and he pulls the datapad from under his arm as he looks it over. ]
Soooo, Killjoy! What up. Have a good mission? Bust any heads? Nahhh, what am I saying, of course you did! That's what people pay you for.
[ Now he's talking to you apparently, but disarmingly casually as he looks over the records before intake. Is this really the man you were supposed to drop them off with...? ]
[ None of the above work? Make a prompt of your own! I'll happily roll with it, and if you have something specific in mind, you can always ask! ]
no subject
[Akemi throws his head back and laughs like he's just heard the funniest joke in the world. When he rights himself, the hair has fallen from his face and there's a dangerous, manic gleam in his eyes.]
Ah, but that's where you're wrong! You should always mix business and playtime. We humans were born to play, weren't we? Everything we learn during childhood is via experimentation, imitation, entertainment... in other words, it's through play that we expand our minds. But then we become adults, and we stop having fun...
[He slumps, manic energy dwindling fast. He really could go for dinner, date or not. It's been a while since anyone's bothered to feed him.]
What was I supposed to do when three heavily armed killjoys broke into my lab? Fight back? The logical option was surrender, so that's what I did. I suspect that it was my own fearful, small-minded colleagues who reported me... they said I'd "crossed a line." But there can't be any lines in science! Lines become walls, and walls become prisons...
[He smiles again, somewhat unfocused.]
I'm pushing the boundaries of humanity, Jack. Why should we be limited by our bodies and our brains? I could take your mind apart and put it back together however I like. Why should we be limited by laws, or morals, or society? Why should we be limited by which dirty little terraformed rock we were born on when I can create worlds inside the human mind? Why does anyone care about meaningless deaths when I can create lives?
no subject
He looks for use in other people.
So he listens quietly, drinking in every word, because each bit provides a detail he needs. The skill, that was one thing, and on skill alone, yeah, he could probably recommend the guy to get conveniently snatched up by the Company. But skill wasn't it. There had to be more than that, because skill didn't mean much when it wasn't accompanied with other personality traits that Jack found useful too. ]
Oh, yeah, got that answer for you real easy. Because it is batshit crazy, one. I mean-- Look, just objectively speaking here? The whole "oh man morals don't apply" thing? Totally nutso. Like, that's the kinda talk where coming from the wrong mouth? Ohhh man, I put guys like that in the very tops of the mines so they die slow. But. We're still evaluating that aspect. I am.
[ He smiles in a way that's full of charisma unfitting for the moment, so it's much more like a wolf's smile. ]
But, will admit, there is a line there. Ambition, drive, that's all positive. People that strive for innovation, I mean, hell, that's admirable. Plenty of people innovate every goddamn day, and y'know, under questionable circumstances, most likely. Don't question that, do we? But there's a difference there. You know what it is?
[ It seems like a leading, rhetorical question, but Jack does pause. He genuinely wants to hear what Akemi's answer might be. ]
no subject
[He leans back in his chair, insouciantly balancing it on two legs. With no way to catch himself, Akemi is in for a hard fall if he isn't careful. He licks his cracked lip and smirks. He's dehydrated and exhausted from days spent in the killjoy's holding cell, but his eyes are sharp and alert. Akemi observes Jack like a scientist studying a strange new organism, taking mental note of his behavioral quirks. Getting out of here will require convincing this man that he's more useful alive than dead.]
But I don't really care if it's a quick death or a slow one. Dying here at 30 or dying in a nursing home when I'm 120 - what's the difference? I want to make death obsolete, so it's as out of fashion as that suit you're wearing.
Anyway, if we're talking about what separates me from second-rate vivisectionists... in purely practical terms, the difference is that they're employed by interplanetary corporations making billions of joy, while I'm just an academic working off a measly research grant from the University of Leith. It all comes down to joy in the end, doesn't it?
[He smiles again, beatific and unsettling.]
I told you, didn't I? We humans exist to play. Everyone's looking for joy, in some sense.
no subject
[ And this is probably why the guards were dismissed, since technically, this kind of threatening from a sector manager is frowned upon, but maybe Jack was something of an exception here. Whether it's reputation, skill, or something else, it seems like he's able to get away with a bit more.
Though there's certainly a hint to that with a subtle shift of his expression when Akemi says "obsolete." There's interest in Jack's expression that's a bit less casual. There's investment there, but his expression is still schooled and careful. He doesn't seem shy about expressing himself, but there's still no illusions for him that he's dealing with someone potentially dangerous, and certainly someone he considers below him. Any criminal would be, after all. ]
Sure, comes down to Joy. Joy makes the friggin' Quad go round, so, y'know, can't escape it, now can you? Especially- I mean, especially not after ending up here. Assuming you leave, no university is gonna take you back, right? Shame. Sounds like you're super into that research. And, I mean, might be total bullshit! But what do I know?
[ Jack sets the datapad down on the table as he turns it off, apparently not needing it anymore. ]
But. You really believe in that research of yours? I mean, scale from one to "would ironically die for it," how important is it to you? Just curious.
no subject
Jack is mid-game-boss tier at best. If Akemi loses here, he never even had a shot at the final boss... so there's nothing to lose. He abruptly rights himself, metal chair clanging against the metal floor as he sits up straight.]
What did I tell you about death? It's obsolete. With my technology, you could live a hundred different lifetimes. You could know everything there is to know, experience everything there is to experience...
In Akemi's file, it says that he kept his daughter, Lily, imprisoned for seven years as he used her - and dozens of other unwilling subjects - to conduct bizarre research into brain implants and neural reprogramming. It says that his daughter was found in a state of extreme neglect, having never felt the light of the sun, or been to school, or felt any sort of love or affection. But none of that is true! He'd given her everything: beautiful worlds of his own creation where she'd lived as a princess, a queen, a living goddess. She had never been imprisoned - her mind had been freed from the ugliness and banality of the real world. And in time, he would have even freed her from death. That's the love that Akemi has for his daughter. That's the love that he has for the human race.]
If I wanted an ironic death, I'd ask you to kill me right here. You dismissed the guards, didn't you? Make it something really ironic so we can both get a good giggle out of it.
[He sighs, pausing a moment before continuing.]
How important is this research to me? I'm doing this so I can give my daughter a better world. Do you have kids, Jack? If you do, then you know how many lives I'd give for this.
no subject
Jack stands as Akemi speaks of an ironic death, and it almost seems like he might fulfill that request. He has half a mind to, but having that question posed stays his hand. His response is a laugh at first, dismissive and callous, and in that, it might seem like a solid "no." Jack doesn't exactly have the personality of a family man, at least not at work. It's just as much because of his work that his daughter is kept a secret, since there are plenty of people that he's wronged that might use an innocent girl just to hurt him. Her isolation is for her safety. That's always been obvious, since the Company doesn't hesitate to hurt family if they have to, and being here? Oh, some psychopath would absolutely take the chance. He's sure of that. ]
Ah, ah, ah-- We're not talkin' me here. We are talking you.
[ He walks to the water cooler in the corner and fills up a simple paper cup. It's his first peace offering, because his interest has definitely been caught here. He walks back and sets it on the table, not handing it to Akemi, because there's a weight and meaning in Akemi taking it for himself here. ]
But, hey, family's a good motivation! Really keeps your eyes ahead, right? Useful stuff. You'd think what with the contracts coming to an end relatively soon, people would be wayyyy better at that, but, nope. I get plenty of short-sighted idiots ending up right where you are. [ He half-sits on the desk's edge, still casual, but he's getting more of what he'd been looking for here, and so he's getting to his point too. ] So, family man. Let's say I were to put your resume—so to speak here—on a few important desks. No promsies here. Not everyone is going to want to take on some batshit crazy asshole that ends up slated for the pit. But. If someone did—hypothetically here—you could keep stepping towards that better world.
no subject
For a moment, he thought that Jack might actually kill him... and for a moment, Akemi felt an ice cold shiver of primal fear run down his spine like proof that he's still human. Ah, so that part of himself is still there after all. What kind of person would he have become if he'd embraced his humanity instead of seeking to transcend it?
Probably someone really boring.]
That's quite an offer, Handsome Jack. I won't pretend I'm not interested.
[There had been a point Akemi's life when he would have flat-out refused an offer to work for the Company, but that had also been a point in his life where he wasn't bound and awaiting transfer to a secure mental rehabilitation center (AKA a mining labor camp run by psychologists, which is somehow even more insulting than a normal labor camp). So even though he opposes the Company's stifling restrictions on human modification, the idea of 1.) not dying and 2.) not having to worry about stingy research grant boards does hold some appeal.]
But what's in it for you?
no subject
[ Jack laughs, and it's a sharp, barking kind of laugh, but it's not malicious. Actually, the fact that Akemi is considering seems to please him, though his way of showing that isn't exactly normal. He speaks with his hands more as he continues, gesturing grandly to match the kind of ambition in his words here. ]
Same thing you want. I want to change the world! Well- Not juts the world, but the Quad. All of it. But I'm not a friggin' moron. I can't do it alone, one. And I'm not looking to start any kind of revolution here. [ He almost spits the word "revolution" out, so that sentiment seems to be genuine in its distaste. ] I know the path to the kinda world I want. And that path is putting people in the Company where I can use them. Simple, right?
no subject
[Akemi almost sneers. If he'd wanted to be used, then he could have taken a corporate job right after graduation. Instead, he'd stayed true to his ideals... not out of integrity, but out of pure egotism.
But Jack just might - might - have an even bigger ego than he does, and even Jack has recognized the fact that overturning an entire star system isn't a one-man job. Even the Resistance, with countless members spread across three worlds, has done little more than cause minor inconvenience for the Nine.
Akemi can use Jack, too. He can use that grandiosity, that ambition, that charm... Jack is a big man, both in personality and stature, and he'll cast a broad shadow that can hide Akemi's plans. There's no reason why the arrangement can't benefit them both.
So instead of sneering, Akemi smirks.]
...Fine, then. If this works out, I'll be your agent within the Company's scientific division. [He shrugs with a laugh.] I'd shake on the deal, but... you know. I'm a little tied up at the moment.
no subject
[ In response to that almost-sneer, Jack's smile is honeyed and easy. After all, he's the one bargaining with more power here and he knows it. He's offering Akemi an out, and it's completely his choice on whether to take it, just like the water. It doesn't particularly hurt Jack if he refuses. It makes things way easier, actually. The dude goes towards the bottom of the mines, and chances are? Next time Jack sees him, it'll be on an autopsy report. He's being generous here, because even if he loathes working with criminals, he's not an idiot that's going to throw away talent.
Just, you know. He might be keeping a very sharp eye on all of Akemi's activities if he accepts. If the guy didn't have a medical background, he'd consider something like a bomb in his face to ensure his loyalty, but, eh... That was a bit much. And experimental, if he's honest.
But, hey, maybe it'll be less experimental with this guy owing him a debt. Jack smiles more, confident and self-assured when Akemi accepts, and he shrugs. ]
Yeah, can't do anything about that one. I'll take the handshake in spirit, buddy.
[ It's no guarantee, after all. It's just a "I'll see what I can do," and Jack never shakes on something that he's not completely sure of. Despite his... Everything, he's a surprisingly genuine businessman. ]
But, hey, glad to hear it! And really, you'll see that being my "agent"—which, for the record, bad term here—comes with a lotta benefits. That's the mutually beneficial part of this deal. You work for me? I look out for you. Easy. I look out for my people way more than the Company as a whole does.
no subject
Jack himself is an unknown quantity, though, and that uncertainty takes this from a game to a gamble.]
Well, I wasn't expecting this to turn into a job interview, but here we are. When do I start, Boss?
no subject
[ Jack's smile reaches to his eyes for a moment, like he's really enjoying this exchange, but it's not very clear why. Despite being so expressive, he can be somewhat hard to read if only because the way Jack thinks is a unconventional. His trains of thought are definitely hard to follow, and that could be why he talks so much.
Or it could be that he just likes the sound of his own voice.
Take your pick. ]
But! You're in luck, since I've got a guy that's lookin' for a guy like you and also owes me a favor, so, y'know, chances are good. Corporate relations, baby. So optimistically... A week? Ish?
no subject
Fine. Assuming that I don't die of boredom by then. There's only so long that I can bet on cockroach races and try to imagine pictures in the stains on the walls of my cell before I go crazy, you know?
[He snorts, but returns Jack's momentary smile. He actually likes Jack, despite himself. Oh, he has no doubt that the prison administrator would snap his neck without a second thought if felt like it, but at least Akemi knows where he stands with a man like that. Fresh from betrayal at the hands of his own colleages, he appreciates someone who at least has the audacity to stab him in the front.
He'll wait a few years before he tracks down Lily and takes her back. There are undoubtedly plenty of people in the Quad who are far better suited to raising a 7-year-old than he is, after all. And when he finds the person who took his daughter, he'll be sure to thank them profusely for all they've done.
But for now, he has a job to do.]
Well, Jack... I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship~
no subject
[ There's an alliance here, but Jack isn't exactly dismissing Akemi's crimes either. He's acutely aware of them, and there's certainly a sense that if Akemi steps too far out of the confines that Jack has in mind here, he'd be likely to pay for it, but Jack exudes that kind of impression naturally.
But even so, the comment doesn't have any real bite (comparatively speaking), and his smile is still charming and jovial. ]
But that, you can at least be sure of. Things work out? It'll be good for both of us. [ Jack stands again and heads to the door to tap on it before he steps aside. The guards return, and Jack gives Akemi a playful little salute. ] So. You probably won't see me again for a while, but things pan out, these guys will come get ya. So, good luck, buddy.