Pre-Game catchall stuff

[rhygret]

Who: Rhys & whoever would like to know him pre-game!
Where: Qresh, Leith, or Westerly which is like everywhere
When: The last 4 years
Summary: Any and all CR from pre-game!
Restrictions/Warnings: Rhys is rich and he doesn't understand why he has to be unhappy like, ever????

[ ooc; hmu at owlits, pm or just leave a blank top level and I will make you a prompt! ]

Comments

Giovanni

[rhygret]

[ Most people, upon meeting someone with a name like "Unit 68" might wonder why exactly they were called that. Why their Company profile says they have a cybernetic spine augmented into their body, or why it included a detailed description on how to kill him. It's not the sort of cursory information one usually gets when they pull up someone's profile.

Rhys though? Skips all of that (except maybe the spine part, that's pretty dang cool) and goes right for one tiny, itty-bitty factoid of information in Unit 68, a.k.a "Giovanni"'s profile:

Dislikes: Handsome Jack

There is literally nothing else that catches his attention like that, and it's the number one reason Rhys has made the formal request to have Unit 68 assigned to him for simple escort. There's someone out there who shares his uncomfortable dislike of the man on Westerly. And yeah sure Rhys dislikes a lot of people, but for some reason this guy just keeps being a...a Thing in his. Like the fact that Jack's name even showed up in a scan by his eye is reason enough for him to wonder what the universe has against him? And how the data got there in the first place, but mostly? Mostly Rhys just wants to...commiserate. A little.

Look he doesn't have a lot of people he talks to outside a professional capacity alright?

Unit 68 is due in his office any minute for duty detail, and Rhys can't help fidgeting with anticipation at his desk. ]

[ofobedience]

[Escort assignments are not his favourite thing. Escort assignments for Company execs with more money than sense are often, quite possibly, his least favourite thing-- in his experience there rarely tends to be any action involved, a lot of standing around looking menacing whilst he's largely ignored by the exec in question who, on average, tends to be paranoid and uninteresting. Sure, it doesn't always go down that way - there've been a few highlights over the last five years - but in general? This is the kind of work he'd prefer to avoid.

Of course, avoidance isn't an option for him-- he follows his orders unquestioningly, and as such he's prompt and punctual now, will give no indication that he doesn't want to be here if his suspicions turn out to be correct. And so when he raps his knuckles against the door of this particular exec's office, his face is cool and blank and impassive despite that he's internally betting with himself on whether the guy will react to him like he's an animate object or try treating him as though he's a literal guard dog. Today, he's betting on the former.

It passes the time.

He knocks, walks inside, comes to a stop two feet away from the desk and bares his teeth in a smile. He remembers the guy from both sight and scent but their last meeting had been too brief and perfunctory for him to form any impressions of the man. He'll find out now, he supposes.]

Unit 68 reporting for duty, Sir.

[His voice is as cool and impassive as his overall appearance.]

[rhygret]

[ It probably doesn't help that in general, Rhys smells like self-indulgent hair care and shampoo products. And ice cream. There's literally nothing that screams "I'm rich" like smell of goddamn ice cream in a place that doesn't even do dairy farming proper. But hey--at least he smells...clean? Not dirty, maybe not good if you don't like artificial scents, but not gross. Like Westerlyns.

But hopefully the fact that Rhys is anticipating him is a point in his favour. He's watching and waiting for Gio to come in the door, and the moment he does Rhys actually stands up like he would to someone...well, someone a lot more important and high-up than a Company watchdog. But Rhys forgets all that propriety in the face of the person he's been waiting for the greater part of the morning and nods to him when he speaks.

And maybe he also scans him again, just for good measure. ]

Right--hi. You're...uh, wow. You're on time? I mean that's good, I just didn't think that they'd actually send you. On time.

[ His job is perfunctory at best. Yeah his name gets him weight to throw around, but literally nothing he does in it matters to anyone, so there's times where his requests or notifications are...slow. He's gotten used to it. ]

[ofobedience]

[The scent doesn't help much, not for someone who's sense of smell is so finely honed and heightened, the falseness there an irritant that faintly (faintly) burns. The products and even that brighthard cleanliness is certainly something he only associates with wealth, with choices, and perhaps if he were going on that alone he'd feel sure he was in for another of those dull, predictable days sat about, wasting time. Time that could be spent on other, bloodier, things.

Although perhaps that's why he's here to begin with-- a little lull in the more pressing matters the Dogs are called in for, a brief absence of anyone to 'clean up'. Perhaps Rhys struck it lucky this time.

Whatever the case, that bright polished scent overlayed with the foreign sweetness of icecream isn't the only thing to catch at Giovanni's attention, or even the main thing. It's the way the man stands, as though he's greeting someone of importance or at least equal standing, the nervous babble of his voice that seems strange in the absence of the scent of fear (something else there perhaps, anticipation? excitement?) and as such there's a moment where Giovanni's professional blankness slips, head canting just slightly to one side in a disconcertingly canine gesture of confusion or consideration or both.

Odd. He hasn't been greeted quite like this before.]

I'm always on time, Sir. I do hope no-one gave you the impression that I would be anything otherwise. It was mentioned that you asked for me specifically, after all.

[It's more than he'd usually say, tends to wait and see what's expected of him, whether they want him silent or to speak only when spoken to or perhaps something else. He's rarely encouraged to be chatty. But somehow the informality of that introductory sentence has him slipping, just a little.]

[rhygret]

No, yeah, I did. It's not that, it's just...things don't exactly happen fast. Around here. [ Nothing pertaining to Westerly ever does, and that's before you take into account that this position of his, as high-up as it is, is really just for show and doesn't carry any actual weight in the Company. Getting things done when he wants them takes more legwork than Rhys is used to, so having Giovanni here on time, outright respecting him instead of just for show is...nice.

Really nice, actually? In a very refreshing kind of way. ]

Sorry. [ As if a Kendry has any need to ever apologize. ] Have you been...briefed at all? On why I asked for you?

[ Rhys clearly isn't bothered by the very slight informality on Gio's part. He actually doesn't even notice it. ]

very close to games current timeline

[r3f4c70r3d]

[It's likely that Rhys is pretty sure- no- positive....pretty sure he's positive, that this icon was not on his desktop the other day, or even last night for that matter. Regardless, there it sits, a light blue circle, wings sprouting from either side. In the middle of the circle seems to be a symbol or design of some sort, but at this size it's too hard to discern what it could be.

If he decides to do a background check or run diagnostics, he will get some information pointing to it likely being part of the recent system upgrade. Automatic updates must have been turned on or something?]

[rhygret]

[ That's probably the case. Rhys tends to prefer having them switched off at his personal residence on Qresh, but The Company likes a certain sort of unity in their systems. So his own personal preferences get put aside in lieu of that, and honestly? There's nothing important on his terminal anyway. His job is a literal joke and he knows that.

So figuring it just another new program for Company employees, Rhys launches the new application as he brings a mug of coffee to his lips for a sip. ]

[r3f4c70r3d]

[The CMD prompt flashes briefly as the program boots up, and soon Rhys's screen is filled with a calm blue. In the center of the screen is the same logo as the icon he just clicked, large enough this time that he can see the center design is a diamond. When the voice speaks, the logo seems to pulse with light as well.]

[Okay. Go Time. Angels voice is cheery when she greets him, a melodic lilt to her tone.]

Good Morning Rhys. Welcome to the Guardian program.

[rhygret]

"Guardian" program... Huh. [ That's new. But kind of interesting? He's digging the voice interface so far, brows lifting as he leans back in his chair. ]

Morning Program. Any initialization protocols you need to run? [ He's expecting the usual, nothing fancy. But man what he wouldn't give to be wrong. ]

[r3f4c70r3d]

[This may be easier than Angel initially thought.]

Nothing drastic, most of this process is merely a formality.

That's a joke. Let me just perform standard diagnostics.

[After a moment of not actually doing much of anything on her part, letting some time pass to make it seem like the program is settling itself in she speaks again]

I've run into an issue. Your firewalls and encryption keys don't seem to be in line to the Company's usual code, as it is I cannot fully sync with your system.

the sexbites these two never talk about

[eusford]

[ It had been three days since Crowley was struck with his sudden "illness", and within those three days he realized how his life had flipped an entire one-eighty.

Sleeping was no longer a requirement, he could hear things he shouldn't behind closed doors, and anything that touched his tongue was quickly rejected. Whenever he had tried to eat or drink a voice would echo in the back of his head, telling him that it wasn't right, and after three days he'd grown sluggish.

Honestly this was probably a hint that he would die soon. He finds it awfully ironic that a monk was the reason behind his life took such a drastic change; Crowley can remember vividly the usual practice of a blood blessing, of how natural it felt, before the coppery taste dripped on his tongue and trickled down his throat.

Now that he thinks about it, perhaps he died then. His heart hasn't been beating since.

His family, confused on what to do, had left Crowley bedridden until they could come up with a solution. Contact with others was cut off but he's never been a man to follow rules to the 't', so he manages to convince a giggly servant to aid him into helping his good ol' buddy Rhys into his room. Honestly it's only because of his family being allies with the Kendry; he views their "friendship" as him being relatively content with the other man around and nothing more, but in this situation he believes that he may be useful. For once.

So when the servant escorts Rhys inside--and Gods does she smell good--Crowley's room he greets the other with his usual, pleasant grin... in bed. ]

Finally~ I thought you died trying to get here for how long you took.

sexbite"s". HOW MANY BITES IS IT CROWLEY

[rhygret]

[ To be fair, "relatively content" is about as friendly as any of the houses get with one another unless they have a very good reason to do otherwise. Crowley is a peer, a fellow member of the Qresh elite...and someone who's about as likely as he is to get anywhere as far as being the family head gets. So there's a sort of general "camaraderie" there (insofar as there ever is), and the main reason Rhys seeks Crowley out at all.

Who better to complaint to than someone in the exact same boat as yourself?

Although he would have preferred if it didn't look like Crowley was bed-ridden with something he couch catch. Why the heck did he let him over if he has some sort of gross plague? ]

Look who's talking. What's with the bed routine? I know you like to take it easy but this is a bit much don't you think?

idk fifty-seven sounds good

[eusford]

Well when you're trapped in your room all day your options are limited.

[ Shrugging his shoulders he tips his head at the edge of the bed and then glances over at a nearby chair, giving Rhys two options of where to sit. ]

I don't think it's anything that bad, everyone that comes in haven't gotten ill. [ A pause. ] But it sure does feel like I'm dying.

wow how is Rhys not anemic

[rhygret]

Well that's comforting. [ That's sarcasm, by the way. Just in case he wondered. He'll pick the chair since he's still not entirely sure about Crowley's "cooties", but it's close enough that he's only a foot or two from the bed. ]

The doctors find anything wrong with you, or are you just enjoying all the attention?

[eusford]

Isn't it? [ It's a good thing, Rhys! You're not dying!

But Crowley is. Kinda. His stomach is empty and he feels cold, numb, and overall it feels as if this body no longer belonged to him. It was as if everything had shifted into something else, something different, to the point that he felt like every movement, every breath, was new to him.

As Rhys comes closer he can feel the heat radiating off of him as he does everyone else. It's a new addition to this "illness", still requiring adjustment, and he has to swallow a wad of spit after realizing just how dry his throat felt.

In that split-second pause between their exchange Crowley swears he can hear the other's heartbeat. ]

They found out everything I already knew. [ There's a short pause, as if questioning what all he should tell Rhys. ] I can't ingest anything. Whenever I try to it comes back up, even water. I have to stay out of the sun or else I'll-- [ Burn. Terribly. In that second he looks to his hand, completely fine despite having caught fire the other day, before continuing. ] --get weak. The list goes on.

So I don't think they'll be able to help me, sure enough in a few days I'll die of starvation so...

[ He doesn't know how to end that sentence, lips pressed together as he looks to the man seated beside him and shrugs his shoulders. ]

trust me i'm a doctor

[mayora13]

[OOC: let me know if there's anything I need to change / details are wrong etc... ;u;b]

[Somehow, upper seemed to always think that Hijikata could drop everything just for them without an issue. Which was partially true - he could and would drop everything for them, but it was hardly convenient.

When the call came he was reviewing the weapons assigned to a raid scheduled for the next night, and it was with a very very stern warning that he departed his subordinates. Don't touch anything. Don't 'test-fire' or 'pose with' the equipment.

As he made his way to Rhys's office, he grit his teeth in doubt. Those idiots were always too eager - or as they claimed, he was too harsh. Either way, he'd best make this quick, so he gave the door a curt knock before announcing himself.] This is Hijikata.

he's here for his physical sir

[rhygret]

[ "Quick" is a relative term. Technically speaking Rhys isn't in any hurry whatsoever when it comes to work and being called upon due to the nature of his job being one big joke. No one cares if his reports get done on time or if they're even filed. His position is for nothing looks and the vain hope from his parents that Rhys will grow out of his "successful businessman" phase and get back to being complacent and rich.

Which...isn't the worst thing in the world sure, there are a lot of other people who have a pretty cruddy hand dealt to them by life. Rhys is privileged as all hell.

But he's also got aims higher than puppet positions with no real power. Which brings him back to his visitor, who shows up a lot more quickly than Rhys expects. He's busy trying to fiddle with a pen and get it to do that cool "flip through your fingers" trick he's seen people do, and failing spectacularly at it. In fact he jumps a bit when Hijikata knocks, pen flying out of his hands and clattering to the floor.

Rhys tries to compose himself quickly, coughing. ]

Come--come in.

rhys is a gift

[mayora13]

[No one in upper was in a hurry to do anything except waste his time. Thinking like that may have left him permanently annoyed, but it made for pleasant surprises rather than constant disappointments.

Enough inconveniences had given him ample practice at keeping his expression neutral, and it's with an almost aloof visage that he steps into Rhys's office. He'd let the cough, and the pen on the ground (that explains the clattering a moment before) go, for sake of getting in and out promptly.]

I'm reporting to your call. What do you need? [His hands rest at his side, tempting though it may be to put them in his pockets - there's certainly nothing imposing about the man he's speaking to that would keep him on guard.]

shhhh

[rhygret]

What? Oh--right. Yeah. [ He'd almost forgotten in his determination to get that pen thing figured out.

Rhys looks over the mess of papers on his desk, lifting a few pieces before he finds what he's looking for and holds out a data chip. It's a little dinged up with age, but still in good condition. ]

I need some touch-up work down on the data inside this thing. Specifically cluster J-17, need the date scrubbed and changed by about a month. Make it clean alright?

[mayora13]

[Leave it to the upper echelons of the Company to dedicate their time to truly important endeavors. Though, really, if they just sat and twirled their pens, maybe the Resistance would have less to get pissed off about.

But Hijikata's not the man to advocate for that, ever a stringent control freak advocate of the rules.

Which makes him a poor candidate for this.

So ill advised of a choice is he that Hijikata doesn't immediately notice what's being asked of him. He takes the chip and the orders impassively.

But his outstretch hand freezes when the request dawns on him. No sorting through implications necessary, Rhys hadn't been any sort of subtle.] Excuse me. Was it entered in error? [Tell him he misheard-]

network | backdated to the worst day of Rhys's life

[shikomizue]

[The message arrives from an unfamiliar sender, only identified by the moniker 'toukai', during the middle of the day. There's no ominous time stamp, no encrypted text - only an attached and secure video file.

A date - familiar to Rhys in it's infamy - of the botched smuggling exchange has been assigned as the video's title, with no other impetus given for him to watch.

Three minutes of a scuffle, grainy and distant, with a ships's spotlight lighting only the center of the action, play out on the recording. The only sounds audible are the clamor of yelling and gunshots. Yet, through it all, faces are recognizable, and among them is Rhys.

The second message comes only minutes after the video has been viewed, as if the sender somehow knew he'd watched.]

You'll want to delete that.

[OOC: let me know if Rhys needs more reason to watch the video I WILL EDIT ;u;b]

literally the worst day of his life wow

[rhygret]

[ Rhys has been on edge. He's been trying to lay low, jumping at even the slightest provocation, and top of it all paranoid to boot. The memories of that day are as fresh as ever despite how many days have passed now. It feels like he's a live wire just waiting to meltdown, and by the time the mail message comes he's convinced that somehow, someway. he's going to be found out and his life as he knows it will be over.

And then he sees it. The video. The message that comes after, and Rhys's mortification is strong enough to make him want to hurl.

To his credit he doesn't, but his fingers are tripping over themselves in his efforts to type out a reply, eyes wide and pupils shrunken. ]

Who is this??????

[shikomizue]

A demon, so far as you're concerned.

Have you deleted it? [The video could be purged from Rhys's inbox, but the message had been sent regardless.

Proof of his involvement is out there, and in the wrong hands, and actual deletion would come at a steep price.]

[rhygret]

Of course I deleted it! Why would I keep that?? What do you want? money? Is this blackmail? Because ohhhh boy I will have you dealt with like seven ways from sunday if you even think of trying to use this.

[ Rhys is blustering at best and he knows it. Whoever this is probably knows it. He has no idea who this is and that's already a point working against him, and that's not even taking into account there's no one he can trust enough to show this to so it can get taken care of. ]

[shikomizue]

I've already used it. [A slew of questions and a baseless threat are enough to tell Takasugi that he's got Rhys exactly where he wants him.

Nervous. Desperate. Isolated.]

Now I need to use you.