♕ HAIL TO THE KING, BABY ♕

citta-alveare affiliated || Indie Friendly || Handsome Jack

[coleosseum-deactivated20190219]

@handsomx

“Wh–?!”

A jolt shoots up your nose and all through the rest of your skull – or maybe that’s just the sand in your nose. When you look down, your knuckles are bleeding. Luna and Esperanza are in your sidecar. You’re sweating, cold and heavy under the blistering sun. You have no clue what’s going on, but you do know you’re driving your bike like fucking thunder and lightning, tearing up the desert in your wake.

And you’re about to tear through some rando in front of you, if you don’t break.

“Fuck!”

Swerving to the left, you manage to avoid the guy, your chest slamming into your handlebars. Taking a deep breath, you wince, and immediately look over at Luna and Esperanza. They’re okay, thank god… but your poor collarbones are gonna hate you for this, later.

“Yo,” you look over at your unfortunate buddy here, who is probably caked in dirt from your bike trail. “Might wanna watch where you’re going. Didja not see me coming?”

Not really the nicest thing to say to somebody you almost ran over, but it takes you a minute to think straight.

“Sorry.” You exhale. “What are you doing out in the middle of the desert, though? You lost? I, uh…” Tilting up your shades so you can see his face better, you breathe out once more. “I can give you a lift, if you want.”

It’s suspicious – nobody in Orre goes out this far into the east desert without company. He’s probably got a bunch of bandits hanging out with him nearby, waiting for a nice stranger to pull over with a wallet up for grabs. Usually, you wouldn’t bother stopping, but you didn’t have much of a choice this time. That might be a new trick they’ve come up with, these days… wait.

You aren’t in Hive City, anymore. And this guy looks maybe a little too well-dressed to be a bandit.

“… I’m Leo,” you offer carefully, “and this is gonna sound weird, but… you know where you are, right?”

[handsomx]

              His head was POUNDING -- and yet, his hair was still perfect. Priorities were vital and the Hero of Hyperion always had his right and line. One moment he was in that new city, all comfy eating pretzels with his feet up on the desk as his new LACKEY was scrubbing the floor around him -- then the next second he was coughing up sand and dirt. So much for plotting domination. 

              SEARING heat from the sun above caused his dual coloured irises to squint. You know what could come in handy in this sort of situation? A horse. No-- A UNICORN made of diamonds --- if those BASTARDS hadn’t cut her up. 

              Oh Butt Stallion, I hardly knew ye. 

              Disorientated didn’t quite begin to put it. You see, he was USED to using Fast Travel to get from place to place -- but being thrown through whatever it was, without even having time to finish coding his latest program ended up with him being FRAZZLED and confused. 

              He found himself taking foot. Maybe this was part of this EXPERIMENT thingy. To be thrown into new terrains and forced to survive - and survive he WOULD. His stomach CHURNED but that was because he hadn’t had time to chuck up whatever he’d just eaten. He had to look SLIM, looks were IMPORTANT especially for someone with Handsome (rightfully) in their name. 

              As he was beginning to get his bearings just right he heard a sound from the distance -- this sure didn’t look like Pandora, but it was similar. Maybe it was a remote segment of it he hadn’t visited yet and had been transported to -- scenarios bounced back and forth in his mind. 

              Then the sound began to close in -- and before he knew it a machine-made sandstorm BLEW in his face. He coughed and spluttered, opening his mouth to spit out the dirt. 

                ❝ EURCKH- Son of a BITCH! ❞

              Hacking the residual dirt, he glanced over at the guy on the weird looking vehicle -- well, it wasn’t like those CARS -- those super out-dated ones that accountants in Hyperion would drool over. So it was a bike. 

              You know what was funny? The dirt didn’t even TASTE like Pandorian soil. Not that he knew what that tasted like...  

              ❝ Okay first of all this is a DESERT it’s not like I was walkin’ in the middle of ROAD there. No set paths, you see? SAND. ❞ His boot stomped on the ground for extra effect, scooping some up in his hand and throwing it back down right away.  ❝ Well if this ISN’T Pandora, then I’ve got no FUCKING idea, cupcake. But yeah, you OWE me for nearly KILLING me. ❞

[scratchyourownnuts-blog]

Right, he could do that, this was fine, absolutely fine, he surely didn’t anticipate being choked by an idol of him that he finally got the chance the meet while he was still alive.. But he could get out of his mostly unharmed, he just had to give Jack what he wanted, he did that so much during his career, telling people what they wanted to hear.

“I know you aren’t sorry, I’m not a bandit or a vault haunter, I’m the opposite of that!”

Well, to be honest, he was hunting down a Vault, probably in the most unorthodox way, so in definition, he could be called a Vault Hunter. If Jack was alive and didn’t know him, it meant that in his head, he was still looking for the Vault that lead to his downfall, so… yeah, staying quiet about the Vault of the Traveler was the wisest choice he had made since he appeared in that city.

“I..I don’t know their names”, he admitted. “It was a team of four, typical Vault Hunters pack.. There was a Siren with them, I know that for sure.. No, two of them..” It was harder to speak when Jack was squeezing his neck, blocking the air of coming in and out comfortably. “If I can…access the ECHOnet here.. We can look it up more..!”

Did Jack say that they would work together and that he could give him everything? He learnt not to believe the other man when he made promises, but the cybernetic eye he kept in his pocket, with his AI stored inside said otherwise - that was it!

“In my pocket! I have my previous cybernetics, your AI is imprisoned in there, see for yourself!”

[handsomx]

              Two sirens -- that narrowed it down DRAMATICALLY. He could feel his face STINGING after what Lilith had done to him, duel coloured eyes NARROWING to the memory of it alone --- the BURN searing through him - at that point he could see EVERYTHING; he saw the WORLD, his ENTIRE LIFE, everything he could ask for before she RUINED IT.

              She. Ruined. EVERYTHING. 

              He paused, momentarily. God he hated them, he hated ALL of them. Why did they have to ruin it? He could have had EVERYTHING, he could have made Pandora a PARADISE. He was supposed to be the HERO. 

              Well, if you can’t do it there -- then do it HERE, amiright?

              He didn’t BOTHER waiting for HIS new lackey to pull out what was in his pocket (personal space? Pfffft.), instead he reached in there himself and pulled out -- a gumball, some lint and -- JACKPOT, there it was, a small implant that had been by the looks of it, torn out. 

              ❝ This... This is GOOD. You done good.... What was your name again cupcake? I couldn’t hear on account of me CHOKING you. See, there’s a difference between strangling and choking-- I’ll tell you in a sec.❞

              He opened the box of hardware, that was SO out-dated but a company like this -- the one he worked in currently -- had limited resources he needed to upgrade. But quickly he dug through the basic wires and began fixing the severed ends. 

              ❝ How the hell did this get so damaged?! ❞

[firstclassihei-archive]

Her eyes narrowed, if only for a few seconds, at ‘cupcake’; yet, she’d heard worse. Still she listened, having no trouble finding a few things to doubt in his spiel. Even if he was lying, she couldn’t think what angle he’d be working by doing so. Talking one’s self up was a common occurrence, especially when the person in question had no way to back it up.

– Oh, now she knew who he reminded her of.

At the thought of that boy, she closed her eyes for a few moments; he was annoying, but the man before her was nowhere near as obnoxious… At least, not yet, so she could ignore those reminders of her neighbor.

Her eyes opened once more, locked on the man’s face, as he posed his question. Exploring the city, despite how incredibly vast it was, was the most logical option. She knew that from traveling all over Kanto, and this guy knew the advantages of exploration, too.

She sighed, and slumped her shoulders – why not? If anything went wrong, she could probably out run him, anyway.

“Fine,” a nod was all that was really needed, but she spoke up; he’d probably go off on another tangent regardless.

[handsomx]

            ❝ You know, I just LOVE how chatty you are, something tells me we’re going to get some INCREDIBLE conversation going between us, Leaf. ❞

            But truthfully, Jack adored the sound of his OWN voice. What was better than filling the awkward void with a smooth, handsome, elegant, suave ( and any other synonyms for AWESOME ) voice. When he was a lower level coder long nights in the office were the norm --- who else could keep himself company? And what BETTER company? 

            Ah, sitting in the office, drinking coffee and watching cat videos --- those were totally NOT the days. But anything beats hauling around the ass of his now DEAD unicorn. 

            He began to lead the way, making sure she wasn’t left behind despite his L O N G strides -- his legs were remarkably disproportionate, I mean what were those designers THINKING -- anyway long strides. One foot in front of the other in this new quiet place. 

            ❝ I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you’re not HAPPY to be here? ❞

[warmcnger-deactivated20160530]

A talkative one, Kaz knew the type. He used to be that narcissistic: egotistical, self-centered, yappie. There is a stark difference between the two: the lesser man was far worse off than he was (is). Kaz is borderline, this man entered the field of narcissism. It unfortunately doesn’t win him any points with Kaz. On the contrary it irritates him.

The other brought up a valid point in his ramblings. He doesn’t know how he survived from 1983 to the current year of 2016. Part of him knows he shouldn’t be alive. He’s cheated death so many times, thus his demise will be violent, gruesome, and horrid; the Grim Reaper has little patience for life.

“Cryogenics, it’s been dabbled with before, never been accurately used. So I have to say no. I appeared in this city as I am–whatever happened to me is in the past,” though, not forgotten. He hopes to whatever higher power there was that his body wasn’t abused. He prays for the security of the scientists, for if they harmed a hair on his head, he will get his vengeance.

“Does it look like I care what you think?” he harshly replies. His shoulders pull back, head high and his jaws tightens. Like a dog, he meets eyes of the others and nearly bares his teeth. 

[handsomx]

                 Talk about a STICK IN THE MUD. His lips stretched thinly, naturally arched brows tilting in a way that could only suggest an unwavering sense of D I S G U S T. He could opt to ignore that last bit -- or more likely -- he WOULD ignore that last bit because who DOESN’T care what Handsome Jack thinks? Sooner or later he’d rule this place, somehow -- THEN they’d care what he thinks, then they’d ALL care what he thinks. 

                ❝ Oh wow, so you’re UNBURDENED by the whole idea of being GOOD at your job and you know, using DECENT weapons -- I COULD be jealous of you but I’m not. Actually, it’s FUNNY --- prehistoric relics walking around straight outta the ICE thinking they’re--- gimme a second to laugh --- able to SURVIVE in this sort of place. Wait wait, I’m not done with that laughing --- lemme just... okay okay, NOW I’m done. So if you don’t CARE what I think then I can continue being condescending to you, kitten. So do you want a uh-- what was it the old people used to use? A NINTENDO SIXTY FOUR to entertain yourself? Geez, that thing is a RE-LIC. ❞

                When he saw the other man raise his hackles he placed his hand over his mouth, appearing dramatic. But then again -- He wouldn’t want a punch in the face mask. That shit HURTS. And he can’t teleport -- yet. 

                ❝ Down fluffy. Wait, what shall I name you-- Smelly or fluffy? Either way. If you didn’t care you wouldn’t be gettin’ PISSED. So you know, maybe... I’ll give you a chance to rewind what you just said.  ❞

[starry-caramel]

“Always two there are… A master and an apprentice.” Handsome Jack\Rhys + Sith code

[misskadamifyourenasty-a]

@handsomx

          “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing an anniversary or something else equally as important.” Nisha replied, running her fingers over the new gun. It was beautiful. It had to be actual silver and gold layered over the iron, engraved in the scrollwork that she loved in her Jakobs pistols. “I love it.” She purred, bringing the cool metal to her lips for a moment before she turned and kissed Jack tenderly. “But I love you more.” She grinned for a moment before wrinkling her nose. “Oh, ew, that was sappy. What are you doing to me, Jack?”

[handsomx]

              NATURALLY he was proud of his handiwork. After climbing the ranks from simple coding into something far more PRACTICAL and applying his knowledge to fix his own gadgets, he was sure that he could fix ANY gun, no matter the brand. Resentful as he was that a Hyperion branded gun didn’t rest in her current arsenal. That was bound to change. 

              The kiss allowed the corner of his lips to rise in a pleased, triumphant grin. 

                ❝ Wow wow, did you just say the L word to me? And I’m not talking about that one that means two ladies get it on. You’re blaming ME huh? Now what have I done to yank out your inner sap, baby? Asides from kill a backstabbing LIAR in front of you in cold blood.❞

[warmcnger-deactivated20160530]

These calm days were productive for recon and recruitment. Unlike his world, there wasn’t a Black Market that allowed for information to be passed through. Not to mention without the Fulton retrieval system, it is difficult to gather the enemies as their own and break them into Diamond Dogs. This passage is less invasive yet more time consuming. At least Kaz is able to use the appointed time to lose himself within his thoughts.

“Ever heard of cologne?”

The stranger approaches with ill-manners, a bad sign. However untrue as the statement is, Kaz resorts to tilting his chin low to sniff at his figure. Aside from the usual stench of natural musk, he doesn’t spot anything warranted to be called pungent. 

Behind the golden aviators he meets the mismatched irises with a scowl. The man looked dangerous, though Kaz would keep his guard up and prevent any unwanted circumstances from occurring. 

Hearing the man continue, it wasn’t about the musk he was referring to yet the fine particles of gunpowder attached to his clothing. The above average sense impressed Kaz, though not to the point of expressing; he is sure if he did, it would be rubbing the other’s ego, something he did not want to partake in.

“Glock 1983, actually. Whoever controls his place took and left me with a cheap knock off version. What are you going on about, why so interested in my scent?” 

[handsomx]

              The expression that painted Jack’s over-expressive mask was BEYOND mortified. His brow stapled tightly, sharp edges forming into an angular shape that was sharp enough to CUT. 

              Did he REALLY say 1983?

              ❝ Okay so that explains the SMELL. It’s not only a gun that belonged to my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-greaaat-greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt grandpa’s grandpa, but you’re also a RELIC. What did they do to preserve you, huh? Put you on ice like a guy in this place that rhymes with Shmaptain Schmerica? Or wrap you up in bandages and EMBALM you or something. I mean, holy shit they did a good job, look at you -- walking and talking like you’re not a thousand years old. Whatever chryo you were in, I gotta INVEST in that. ❞

              Confidently his arms tucked into a fold, eyes scanning the man from tip to toe and very clearly JUDGING his clothing. (Look who is talking, Mr Orange Shirt and Shirt-Coattail-Things) 

              ❝ You’ve got terrible taste in guns by the way. If it’s not by Hyperion it’s crap -- or should I say, considering there’s only one weapons manufacturer as far as I can see, a Glock 1983 is outdated even by THEIR standards, pumpkin. ❞

[blodaue]

So rare was it that a man would so openly talk about things with such vigour and excitement unprompted and unwarranted, it left his audience in a daze for he understood, still, only brief flashes and words as they came and passed like birds swooping and diving in and out of the thicket. He continued to brush the dainty and weary petals of the plants there, his eyes drifting to a close upon the other man’s final words, if only so that he could concentrate quite plainly and without worry of distraction. “ Because, sir, out of the entire cityscape, these plants are single in their living without cruel natures. They do not want for anything but light and rain, warmth and growth. It seems unfair that whilst disgusting people may commit disgusting deeds, these flowers are suffocated without love and light, thus I believe justice is only right– “

As he had spoken, beneath his feet and further deep into the rich soil there, the ground shook only a little. Buried thick within the darkness sprouted a root spawned from sheer will and up it rose, curling and bursting from the ground as a thick stem evolving into a larger vine. It broadened and thickened, becoming all the more great and foreboding, until it bloomed high above them into a great tree, freckled with spring flora and the thin spread of fruit, crimson and bright. 

“ I know full well how much humans fear and what it does to them. If it does not cause them to grow violent, they flee and hide away like burrowing rabbits. They either lash out with fire or they pretend to not exist at all. But what is it that separates you from them, hm? You don’t seem all that docile – and you don’t smell quite as bad. “ He spoke as if to suddenly grow a tree from nothing was normal. Well, it was in some respects, though he paid it no mind. There was now a great tree to guard that patch of life, thus Gerwyn rose and dusted off his soil-coated knees before cocking a brow in spite of the other’s demeanour. 

[handsomx]

              Both his blue and emerald green eye remain FIXED on the rapid growth of greenery. It seemed UNREAL but after witnessing the abilities of sirens first hand and encountering a vast array of creatures along his travels, it shouldn’t have SURPRISED him. Yet, there Jack was taking a slight step BACKWARD. That cowardly code-monkey was starting to show -- no, he had KILLED that part of him, he had STRANGLED him (not to be confused with CHOKING -- you see, that’s completely different from cutting off circulation completely. Anyway, you get the point).   

              For a moment his mouth hung open, wanting to ask HOW the fuck he just did that. But composure was important, it could WAIT. 

              The more this kid was talking (in the strangest accent he’d heard in a while) the more he’d think twice before stepping on a blade of grass... maybe. 

              ❝ There are a LOTTA things that make me different from THEM, kitten. For instance, asides from my vastly superior mindset, I’m someone who tries to look for OPPORTUNITIES. Not to demolish, but to rebuild. To grow and harvest what the world has, to tend to it and make it a BETTER place. Y’see sweetheart, there’s a place called Pandora, back home. A planet that DESTROYED itself; war, famine, illness, greed. All of those had RUINED the planet, and there I was trying to seek a way to IMPROVE it. Make it STRONGER and rid the place of y’know... The crazies that were murderin’ people. But I was misunderstood in my intent, and so... Was made a bullseye. People like to pick holes in EVERYTHING. They like to see the FLAWS in people. Me? No. I’m an OPPORTUNIST, I love to see the GOOD in people. They love taking hold of my goodness and trying to twist it, SPIN it so that I’M the bad guy. They don’t understand. That all I want to do... Is SAVE the place... So you asked, what makes me different? Okay asides from having the COOLEST diamond unicorn, not to toot my own horn here, but I want to see the world flourish and not perish, because I’m not HUMAN. I’ve got a mindset that’s... Different. I always have. Don’t let this ruggedly handsome body fool you, cupcake. ❞

[handsomx]

“Let me help you with that.”

ADORABLE STARTERS: // [ＡＣＣＥＰＴＩＮＧ]

❝ I’m not going to say NO, sweetheart. Six cups of coffee is hard to juggle myself, y’see… I usually have a coffee monkey do this FOR me. My bigger question here is why there aren’t any helper-bots to do this FOR us. It’s so fucking backwards in this place. What’s a guy got to do for a little HELP, but if you’re the one offering cupcake, then I can see why these guys are slacking – might be on purpose. Ya feel me. You ever heard that expression before? I hear the kids saying it all the time, instead of ‘I understand’ they go FEEL me, one of the many COMPLEXITIES of the regular human mind. (if they weren’t all idiots).❞

[handsomx]

“That looks cute on you.”

ADORABLE STARTERS: // [ＡＣＣＥＰＴＩＮＧ]

❝ Cute? Cute... Not what I was GOING for, kitten. What’s so cute about the whole badass rugged hero look, huh? Not that I’m necessarily COMPLAINING sweetheart, a compliment is a COMPLIMENT. Don’t get me WRONG. The choice of vocabulary though. 

Okay okay, I thought I wasn’t concerned but I AM. You some sort of wardrobe stylist? You think the coats too much? Nah, I don’t think so. Look at it, I look great in it, right? Not CUTE but-- awesome. Put my mind at ease, sweets. You gotta. ❞

[handsomx]

“That was a nice surprise. What’s the occasion?”

ADORABLE STARTERS: // [ＡＣＣＥＰＴＩＮＧ]

❝ The occasion? You don’t think I can be NICE, baby? I should be insulted, really. Like wow. Change my name to Nice-Jack -- well I would, if I wasn’t so... Well, you know. Still. You get the point cowgirl. Actions speak louder than words even though when I don’t say them they don’t sound as cool.❞

[handsomx]

“How did you like the flowers?”

ADORABLE STARTERS: // [ＡＣＣＥＰＴＩＮＧ]

❝ Never been one for FLOWERS pumpkin. You want to win my heart? You give me the HEADS of the douchebags that tried to kill me. See, it’s not all bad -- I mean it’s only because they came after ME. Villains that wanted to destroy a man who wanted nothing but HARMONY. Flowers have heads, so if you decorate decapitated heads and dab up that blood, splash on a bit of paint that counts, right? ❞

[onlyrpmemes]

Adorable Starters

“Guess what I got you!”

“That looks cute on you.”

“Sorry I worked late today. Want to do something?”

“I just want to run my fingers through your hair.”

“I’m exhausted. Want to just cuddle?”

“Calm down. It’s okay. No one was hurt.”

“It’s a beautiful day. Want to have a picnic?”

“Want to marathon something on Netflix?”

“Care to dance?”

“That was a nice surprise. What’s the occasion?”

“You are so adorable!”

“There’s a festival this weekend. Want to check it out?”

“Does this look silly?”

“Plenty of room under the blankets…”

“Let me help you with that.”

“Can we just stay in today?”

“I cleared my schedule to spend all day with you.”

“How did you like the flowers?”

“I feel like going to the beach.”

[halfscissors]

she was quick to pull her scissors from her belt, giving them a flick of the wrist, they extended to full size, a scissor sword for each hand.

( my rapey, batshit ma’. yeah, seems your type, if sociopath alien mindslaves runnin’ multi billion dollar conglomerates bent on world destruction with huge knockers and glowy hair are your type. but yeah. that ain’t gonna work either? when i had a hand in murderin’ her ass? maybe i should just chop off that dick’a yours and send it t’her in a box then, yeah? snip snip. )

[handsomx]

              By the time the snot nosed kid with the vocabulary extent of his left pinkie -- wait no, the right pinkie. Yeah --  whipped out whatever it was, by the sound of it - two machetes, Jack had already began walking off. Bye meant BYE, no matter what language it was and he would have thought strange looking weirdos would’ve GOT that but it confirmed his theory that everyone here was stupid. 

              What was the point of fearing DEATH when they respawned? Rhys and Boss guy had told him all about that. 

              Sure it might’ve hurt like a bitch but who cared. 

              ❝ Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked               Money don't grow on trees (but technically it kinda does, I mean? Paper, right?)               I got bills to pay               I got mouths to feed               And ain't nothing in this world for FREE                 MAN, why this tune been in my head since I got here? Weird. Don’t even... Remember listening to it...  ❞ 

              He shrugged casually, continuing talking to himself and ignoring the existence of whatever was behind him, pursing his lips and tapping his hand on his arm as he swayed to the beat in his own head. 

              ❝ I wonder if there’s an industrial sized fridge around here. Gotta store Butt Stallion before she starts smelling-- not that she doesn’t already but rotting corpse is ten times worse, no wait, rotting dead DIAMOND corpse is ten times worse.  ❞

              Jack whistled and continued on, lanky legs guiding the way accompanied by the sound of his own voice with not a damn care in the world. 

[scratchyourownnuts-blog]

Damn, he wasn’t kidding, this Jack was as real as he could get, as real as your former boss and idol stopping you from breathing, in a context that wasn’t fun at all, oh no. If Jack was in a better mood, this could have easily played out as one of his favourite fantasies, but he was furious, in rightful denial and completely pissed off. He was squeezing too hard and Rhys gasped for air, cybernetic arm reaching for Jack’s own hand and squeezing it further in a poor attempt to free himself. If his friends saw him, they would without a doubt not be surprised to see him ending up in such a situation.

“Nobody sent me! You did, some Vault- some bandits killed you! But you’re alive here, I don’t get it -”, he coughed. There was no point to try and explain this, it was way too familiar, and this time around, Jack’s hand wasn’t just going through his body, this was for real, real.

“I found, Nakayama’s ID Drive down on Pandora, you got into my head for a while, you’re not there now, I swear! I work for Hyperion, see? I swear!”

He wasn’t going to beg, oh no, it would totally make him seem so uncool in front of his entirely psychotic idol - wait, if he was meeting a version or clone or whatever version of Jack that didn’t know him.. Maybe he could make it work better this time around.

“You and I are buddies, please, believe me!”

[handsomx]

              And here he thought this new city would be a new START for him, but someone knowing who he was-- now he wasn’t going to say he was WRONG but he wasn’t right about things which of course, did NOT make him wrong it made him right but not... Yeah you get the point. 

              Whatever-- What was he saying? Something about buddies? 

              ❝ The last BUDDIES I had tried to KILL me so yeah, excuse me for wanting to break your fucking SKULL. You know what? I’m not even SORRY.  ❞

              But the way he carried on about his loyalty to Hyperion and babbling like a small kid as Jack’s hand pressed HARDER into him, lowering his head to peer at him through the top of his eyes (A+ menacing stare) -- it made him think. If Jack was in this kids head - did he allow him control? Or did he just sort through the data to use what he wanted; all of the information about the Vault, everything that the artefact had given him. 

              Before he could fully CHOKE him, he let him go, eyes sharply focused on him. 

              ❝ What do you know? Give me NAMES of who killed me and I’ll reward you. How’s that sound huh? You could work with ME if you tell me. Come on, who wouldn’t want to work with me? I’m INCREDIBLE. I could give you everything in exchange for a couple of names....  ❞  So he could RIP their spines out and watch them DIE. God he’d watch them squirm like insects. 

[blodaue]

What land belonged to man, any man really? The earth, no matter the realm or the time, was free truly, down to every peeling bark and weeping petal. Each blade of grass belonged to nothing, to nobody. Nature was beautiful in such a way, relentless and eternal even despite mankind’s best efforts to bring it down to its knees. Still, Gerwyn was protective. He’d not often leapt across the fences of the nearby gardens, merely due to the lack of interest he had in meeting with their ‘owners’. People were so rude, humans more so. They grumbled and spat, did not wish for beauty in their gardens. They grew their flowers for control, for something to do as if caring for a beast. Both were cruel, unjust.

“ Huh? “ He hadn’t understood the story, the one presented by a man who stank of humanity though not quite looking like the rest. Though, Gerwyn had never been a great judge of character. He narrowed his gaze as he came to stand upon two bare feet, soil grinding through the gaps of his toes as he sized up the stranger who spoke too fast for him to keep up, whose appearance was grand yet something he could not entirely admire. “ Your kind are obsessed with narcotics, is being a human being so terribly dull that you all must smoke plants to escape your lives? “ Rhetorical, but real all at once. “ Break my hands if you’d like, it wont bother me. I’m merely here to tend to this flowerbed. Don’t you see? You’re letting the rain drown the poor things… “ 

He knelt back against the earth, the fabric of a teal dress donned merely for public use scraping up dirt and colouring itself black and brown. He presses his fingers against the wilted petals of the roses there and one by one, rainwater dripped from their hollow caves and ran down the skin of his wrists like jewels studding his knuckles and arm. “ What a waste… “

[handsomx]

              He tilted his head a little, agile fingers drumming at his side. The way he mentioned ‘kind’ pushed a little switch in Jack’s head. He HATED being cateogrized; lumped up with the primordial SCUM of the planet. He even remembered when he’d first joined Hyperion, how the psyche evaluation was all part of his job -- and god, did he want to SMACK that guy in the mouth. Who was ANYONE to put him in a box like that? He wasn’t anyone -- no, he was HANDSOME GODDAMN JACK. 

              Dual coloured eyes fixed on the strange -- person (?) in his patch of land, but he seemed more focused on the flowers. People here and their PRIORITIES -- he couldn’t quite gauge anyone here and it was driving him NUTS. Was he not SCARED that he would break his fingers? 

              It was time for a change of tactics. While his fiercely shaped brows yearned to furrow he instead let them lift and he SMILED.  

              ❝ You got me ALL wrong, pumpkin.  ❞ He laughed, taking a few steps closer to squat down beside him, lanky legs making the squat pretty awkward. 

              ❝ Firstly, I don’t DO drugs. I'd sell them and become a drug lord and RULE the drug industry if I did. But you got a point, I gotta give it to you. Lives need EXCITEMENT, which is what I do for a job. Why sit at home puttin’ your feet up calming your INCESSANTSHAKING with some sort of herb, probably because they’re scared out of their WITS that when they go outside someones going to RIP them up and skin them of their faces and use that very face as a MASK. It’s fear that makes humans bored, sweetheart. I don’t want to rub it IN or anything but I find myself -- not like them. I learned a lot... About survival, about greed, but that’s another story for another day.  ❞

              He sucked his cheeks in and gazed at the flowers. Truthfully he hadn’t seen many flowers that weren’t artificially grown or planted by some scientist. Again, man-eating plants were more of a common sight - not soft looking delicate flowers that could be CRUSHED under his boot. But beauty wasn’t something he’d really learned to appreciate, anyway, he had his OWN perception of what beauty was. 

              ❝ I just got here kitten. I didn’t let ANYTHING happen. Why do you CARE? Why rescue something thats dead, huh?  ❞

[firstclassihei-archive]

Despite the completely uninterested expression she held, she actually was listening; in a way she could relate. If someone had hurt her Pokemon in such a horrific way, well, she would be distraught. Maybe not as dramatic as the man next to her, but upset regardless. In fact, considering that her team had been taken from her, and only her Bulbasaur leftover, she was somewhat empathetic.

So, she merely nodded, her eyebrows momentarily pressed together as she thought about the agitation he must be going through and the mental image he was detailing.

“Horrible,” she stated, her hand reaching into her pocket, where her Bulbasaur’s Pokeball rested.

She looked up at him with the change of conversation; Handsome Jack? Well, someone was cocky. She doubted that someone actually named their son that, but also knew how adults could be forgetful about family members’ names. So, anything was possible in that department.

He was a quick talker, and she still didn’t follow all of what he said – unicorns, Pandora… Was that a region she’d never heard of? – yet, he was reminding her of someone… She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Leaf,” she replied curtly, hoping he wouldn’t ask her if that was her real name. She shook her head as a response to his questions. She hardly knew anything about this place, and it displeased her by the second.

[handsomx]

              He wasn’t ALL bad really, but he wasn’t being pushed away either which was always NICE. Even as she dead-panned he could see that there was some sense of empathy, and rather than someone flat-out calling him an ass, she was LISTENING to him. 

              Perhaps if more people were like that then he wouldn’t have had to resort to summoning the biggest monster the Vault had to offer to destroy the entire planet. 

               ❝ Leaf? S’pleasure, cupcake. So we’re in the same boat. Y’see, back home I’m an ADVENTURER, a HERO. Not like these greedy hunters that BACK-STAB each other for treasure, no, I’m the one who wants to make the world a better place. I guess now that I’m here I should carry on that mentality, make this place better even though it seems just PEACHY. I mean, in comparison to home, of course. Seems more like my space station... ❞

              He didn’t think much of her name, he’d met people with stranger names; like... Claptrap, really? Or Brick... 

              Ew... 

              ❝ How do you feel about exploring this place? Getting some supplies and travelling.  ❞