victory_road | 001 ♟ audio/video

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001 ♟ audio/video

[There's no video for this broadcast, just audio. Well. There's background noise, anyway, for a few seconds. Then someone awkwardly clears his throat.]

Um, is this... working? [Huh, funny. Isn't that voice familiar? The tone's a little off, but the sound of it's definitely the same as that Jack guy, right?] How... How do I know if it's...

Oh! Wait, the light's on, that probably means people are listening and... hearing me talk to myself... like an idiot. Great. Cool.

[...He quickly clears his throat. Right, yeah, let's not keep talking to himself like a moron, that's no way to make a first impression.]

I mean. Hello there, youuuuu, ah, lovely... people. Oh god, that was terrible. This is... Jack. Handsome Jack. That's... me. In the flesh. I mean, not that you can see that, but--

Just. Just got a quick question. I... These Pokémon things, they're supposed to be like... animals, right? Um. I'm just gonna turn on the video for this, one sec... [And then the video feed clicks on, showing off one very excited Ditto, smiling right at the camera.] So... Seriously, what the hell is up with this thing? This is just... I don't even know. Someone used some jello for a science class and something went wrong or whatever? It's kinda freaking me out a little...

[The Ditto doesn't seem bothered being talked about like this, still looking as happy as can be.]

I... don't really know what to do with it. Do I like... feed it? Does it eat? It doesn't look like it eats, but... don't wanna kill it by mistake.

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If something really pisses him off, I doubt he'd be able to hold it in for the sake of appearances. I don't think even he could've stopped those fits after Lilith screwed him over twice.

[She just shakes her head. Those outbursts had been a bit surprising, yeah, but looking back on them now... it was like a kid throwing a temper tantrum.]

He thought the same thing about me, apparently. He thought we were friends, like I would even have thought that back when we worked together. [She may have respected him at first, but that's... a completely different thing than friendship.] Seems like there's no part of his life where he isn't deluded on some level.

True enough. That involved attempts on his life, though. I mean, I don't know if I'll rate anywhere near that level of-- [And then Tim remembers how Jack basically just sees him as an extension of himself. Right.] ...or... no, it actually might, come to think of it.

[Yeah, Jack's not really the type to react with anything resembling chill.]

Oh, yeah, he said that too, about you. Threw in something about how it could be just like old times. He just... really doesn't get it. It's almost incredible.

...Not like the times are really all that old for me yet, though.

[Well that's.... an interesting comment.]

What do you mean by that?

...Well, uh. You know that mission to get the H-Source, right?

How... long ago was that for you?

[... she has an idea of where this is going...]

A bit over three years ago.

Yeah, so... That was like a few days ago for me.

What?

[Yeah, that's what she was expecting when he asked her that. It's like what happened with Rhys, who didn't even remember their battle with the Traveler. But for the last thing for him to remember being something from so long ago...]

You've got to be joking.

Yeah, kinda wish I was, because it's kinda messed up hearing I'm apparently so behind the times? I mean... Three years is a long ass time, I have no clue what's happened in that time. Well... I mean, Jack mentioned a few bits and pieces, but not really all that much.

[And that's all told with a whole bunch of Jack's bias, so... Who even knows how much of it's legit.]

So uh. Yeah, guessing we probably got a bunch of catching up to do, huh?

I bet he forgot to mention that he died in that time, huh?

[Nope, she ain't gunna hide anything. Have fun with that revelation, Tim!]

Right. Well. I'm not going to pretend I know what the hell is going on here, but if you want to catch up, I'll fill you in on anything you want to know.

Nah, he didn't mention anything about--

...

[Wait.]

[Wait.

Wait, what.]

[He's trying his hardest to process this, honest.

But honestly, whaaaaaaaat.]

What... He's...

[Oh god, okay. Yeah, just drop that one on him out of nowhere, Athena, wow!]

Holy shit...

Seriously? He's... He's really dead?

[She'll just. Wait. Unfortunately for Tim, this is Athena so she doesn't really offer any kind of comfort, but she at least lets him get all of his freaking out done with.]

He is. Killed by a group of Vault Hunters who were helping Lilith stop him from taking control of that "Warrior" he mentioned back on Elpis. I wasn't there, but those Vault Hunters seemed pretty happy to give me the details of that showdown.

[It bugs her a little, since there are definitely a few things they haven't told her, but... well. She can't particularly blame them, considering she was their prisoner for a while.]

...Fuck.

Fuck, okay.

[Right now, at this point, Tim's not even sure exactly what his reaction to this is. It's gonna take a little more processing for him to figure out his exact feelings. What this means for him, what this means for how he deals with Jack, how he deals with everything back home...

But one thing, though.

One thing he's sure about.]

...Good.

[Good. Fucking. Riddance.]

So he... he knows about it, huh? Man, bet that's fucked him up a bunch. If he's not just being delusional about that too.

[She can't help but crack a small grin at that. Good, she's glad that he doesn't feel the need to hide behind that kiss-ass facade or pretend that he really gives a shit about Jack. Now if only he'd act like that when Jack was around...]

Oh, he's absolutely delusional. He thinks he's still alive, and Lilith is messing with my head or some crap like that. Because half a year without Handsome Jack's iron grip on Pandora isn't enough proof that he's really gone.

[He'll get there one day, Athena. Eventually.]

Yeah, I'm not surprised. I don't think he can actually imagine losing. Easier for him to just go into denial.

But... fuck, okay, he's gone, he's been gone for a little while apparently. So... how have you been doing?

[Because screw just constantly talking about Jack. Hearing how one of his friends has been is a way better topic.]

I've... been doing well for myself.

[Athena isn't really one to fidget all that much, so that makes it all the more noticeable when one hand drifts up to a thin chain around her neck, hanging from which is a silver ring she rolls between her fingers.]

I settled down in Hollow Point. Not the best place, but the worst thing anyone has to worry about there is drunken psychos.

[Which... is pretty bad, yeah, but on a list of things that can go wrong in your typical Pandoran town, that's actually pretty low on the list.]

That's good to hear. I mean, I got the feeling you'd be doing well, since... well, it's you. Still, I'm glad.

[...Okay, yeah, definitely noticing that chain. Huh.]

...So that's new. [He motions to the ring for a moment.] You definitely didn't have that when I last saw you, anyway. So... someone special give that to you?

[Because it sure looks important to her.]

Uh... right. It is.

[At that... well. At that, Athena smiles. Like, actually smiles. It's probably pretty damn weird for Tim to see, if he isn't already weirded out by that awkward reply.]

I guess since everything that happened on Elpis is still pretty recent for you... I don't have to ask if you remember Janey Springs.

Yeah, of course I...

[...Oh.

Ohhhhhh.]

Whoa, whoa, wait. You and Springs? Oh man...

Yeah. The two of us.

[God, why is she clamming up now??? It wasn't a problem when it came up with Fiona and Sasha and the others! But this is a past friend of hers, he looks so amused, and just...

It's. Weird. It shouldn't feel different, telling him, but it does. It's like it actually matters this time, or something.]

We... a little after the Elpis mission. She came with me when I went back to Pandora. That's why I accepted Jack's H-Source mission, actually. To support the two of us.

Ha ha, damn! Didn't see that one coming. I mean, y'know, no offense or anything, it's just that you didn't seem much like the romance type?

[He remembers hearing some of the flirting during the mission, sure. It's not exactly like Springs was subtle. But for something to actually come of that, wow...]

But seriously, that's great. At least something good came out of that whole mess.

[For a minute, it looks like Athena's about to punch him in the arm, but... no. She calms down, mostly. Her ears are still a little red, but she looks less like a turtle trying to withdraw now.]

Believe me, I didn't think I was either. Atlas didn't exactly encourage us to feel anything that would resemble normal human emotions. [She'd been pulling Tina's leg the last time she used that excuse, but... it still wasn't exactly a lie.] It just sort of happened. I didn't know how to stop it, so... I went along with it.

Best decision of my life.

001 ♟ audio/video

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1/idk yet let's find out

2/???

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4/5 almost there, i'm so sorry

5/5 and done

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