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Handsome Jack here! I'm way too busy being awesome to answer the phone, but tell me why you're calling and if you're important enough, your people will hear from my people.

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[ Rhys most certainly gives a damn, because he paid some big bucks for those clothes. They're in serious need of a wash because they're bloodstained and everything, but he'd rather have them on his person than just nowhere at all. But now's not the time to go whining about it. Rhys just wants to get the hell out of here in one piece.

He thinks that maybe it's possible, especially if he just takes the pikachu shirt and the sweats and runs. His heart sinks to the floor though, when Angel is dismissed. Jack's promise to cause pain in one way or another rings in his head (...didn't they settle that though? what part of rhys is nagging about that?), and he looks to the door. God, all he wants to do is leave...

But Jack approaches. It feels like this is a never ending cycle: Jack does something that gets Rhys in trouble (or he gets himself into trouble. drinking himself sick last night was a mistake.), Jack tries to "help". Ultimately, doesn't help. Doesn't see anything wrong with what he did, and ends up totally confusing Rhys. Then the cycle continues.

Half of Rhys is screaming for him to just turn away and go. This is Handsome goddamn Jack he's in front of. He's crazy, narcissistic, and unable to see others problems other than his own. The other brain is still, still clinging onto the image of Jack as a hero, the person who Rhys longed to be. How long had he idolized Jack? And now, after some AI program unleashed chaos in his head, he's throwing this all away?

The AI Jack could have been an exact copy of Jack to the T. Physically, absolutely so. Mentally...maybe? It had all of his quirks and his speaking habits that Rhys could pick out in the ECHO logs of Jack he kept around, but he didn't know. Rhys is absolutely, positively conflicted and it's starting to eat at him. ]

L-Look, can you at least see where I'm coming from? You were my hero for years, until I got stuck with this AI program of you. You tried to kill me at least three different times in Helios. Now all of a sudden I'm meeting you in person, and I'm being told that everything that people have told me is wrong?

Did you do all of that stuff? Yeah. Was it nice? Yeah. But I can't- [ He can't keep doing this. ] It's just...a little too much right now.

And I kind of doubt that Athena took off without me? Knowing her, she probably would have sent me a video last night telling me in a million different ways why I deserve it. [ Rhys frowns, crossing his arms. He's not going to tell Jack about Fiona or Vaughn, though. Especially Vaughn.

...Oh shit. He should really get in touch with him after he leaves. If he leaves. ]

The AI, the AI, the friggin AI! I am sick and tired of hearing about that stupid thing! 'Cause that's all it was, Rhys. A thing. A bunch of codes and light refraction and soundbites all put together by a sad, obsessed man! But that's not my fault! None of that has anything to do with me. I didn't make that thing! I didn't program it to screw with you or try and kill you!

[Jack throws up his arms. They're back to this again. Why can't Rhys just make the distinction between Nakayama's private Jackogram and the human being currently yelling at him?]

Would you please forget about the million times damned AI? Look, do I yell at you? Yeah, of course I do. I'm Handsome Jack. I yell! Do I threaten you? Damn right I do. Again. Handsome Jack here. But that's just who I am! Lemme ask you a question, Rhys. Have I ever done anything terrible to you? Like actually terrible?

[And right now, it's pretty handy that he hasn't. He ought to, but...it's a pain in the ass, when he has to go all over to actually get to the guy. By the time he has Rhys in a position to do something, he's moved on to something else.]

And I dunno what she's doing, just that she's not coming to get you. And she knows where you are.

[ Rhys is so tired of this. He feels his frustration boiling, to the point where there's a new headache throbbing away behind his eyes. He wants to dig his hands into his scalp and yell about how incredibly angry he is over this...but he doesn't. He can't. He can't show Jack how angry this is making him. Instead, he just lets out a wispy sigh, shaking his head. And he'll mutter under his breath, maybe loud enough for Jack to hear: ] I can't...

[ He wracks his brain, but honestly? Rhys can't think of anything. Jack has "guaranteed" the chance of him getting seriously hurt somehow, but how long ago was that? Here he was, even in front of the man right now, and he was perfectly healthy. Alive and well. Incredibly frustrated, but okay.

He stays silent, shaking his head. ] You haven't. But you will. [ Because he's Handsome Jack, and thinking that everything was peachy and okay was absolutely stupid. Rhys was smarter than that. ]

Do you forget that Athena isn't my only friend here? [ That was true! ] If she won't travel with me, there's a group of others that will. If she wants to be that way,then fine.

Oh, that's just great. Sure, now you're gonna be pissed at me and blame me for things I may or may not do at some point in the future. But I'm the bad guy here. Sure.

[Jack throws up his hands. Why is he even bothering? What the hell is it about Rhys that keeps him trying? He should just strangle the guy and be done with it!]

Awesome, perfect, you can call one of them, then! If I find your clothes, I'll send'em to you. Holy nutballs, you know...usually if I've gotta deal with this kind of crap in the morning, I had a lot more fun the night before!

[Jack's already turning away, heading to the kitchen. His visiting spirit, tired of being banished to the bedroom and intent on doing what it's here to do, has returned to follow at Jack's heels.]

[ Rhys doesn't respond to that. This whole entire charade with Jack has left him ultimately confused. He's silent when Jack almost seems to wave him away, turning his back on Rhys and heading to the kitchen. The little Angel appeared nearby, following him silently. And just like that, Rhys is left alone in the living room.

He doesn't dare stay. No way in hell. Rhys sighs as he starts for the door, looks off to his left where the bathroom is, and-

-hey, are those his clothes there? He can just barley make out his skag skin shoes in the corner. Silently, without disturbing Jack anymore than he already had today, he creeps his way into the bathroom and takes what's rightfully his. Socks and shoes and tie and everything.

He'll head for the door, slipping his way outside and leaning against it when it's shut. When will this end? ]

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