victory_road | 001 ♟ audio/video

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[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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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.

Whoa, you've got it bad, huh? Man... I'm happy for you guys.

Hell, the more I think about it, the more I get it. You guys seem like you'd be a good match.

[Good to know reality matches up with that. Maybe he's focusing on this a lot now, but hey, it's like one of the few things from home that's not depressing to think about.]

You said you settled down, so... What do you guys actually do now? I mean, I imagine you're out of the vault hunting game now.

... You think so?

[Athena doesn't really care what other people think. She's pretty sure Janey's friends have definitely questioned her when she says she's dating an ex-Crimson Lance assassin turned Vault Hunter. Especially since, around other people, Athena doesn't really act all warm and fuzzy. But that didn't matter to her, because she knew that Janey loved her, and she loved Janey, so that's what was really important.

But she knew it was important to Janey. So if he thought they looked like a good match... well. Janey would be happy, so in a way, that opinion did matter to Athena.]

Janey runs a vehicle service, like the one she had on Elpis. She's still got her junker business on the side as well. I just... take odd jobs where I can.

[Ah. There's that awkwardness again.]

Yeah, I do. I mean, not that I'm an expert on the whole thing or anything [Yeah, Tim, that's obvious], but that's just... the vibe I got, I guess.

[Right, yeah. Of course Janey would stick to what she's best at. Still plenty of people who need vehicles on Pandora. And Athena...

...Huh.]

Odd jobs. [So that's... vague.] What kind?

Anywhere that needs an extra hand and is close enough to a fast-travel station, really. From protection jobs right down to working crappy food stands.

[Yeah, even she can't believe she took that job. But she only just recently got herself off thin ice with Janey, so... she had to. At least to put her fiancee's mind at ease.

Thankfully she doesn't save herself the embarrassment of trying to dodge the question like when she first met Fiona and Sasha, but she does look... a bit ashamed of herself.]

I, uh... I used to chase bounties, mostly. But I stopped that.

[For a bit, Tim just stares at her. Totally quiet.]

...Sorry, I'm just trying to imagine you working at a food stand and the mental image is just... not happening. Oh my god.

[He's not laughing or anything, he's not about to do that, but you bet he is amused. And can you really blame him? No. No, you cannot.]

Oh, huh. Yeah, that sounds more like you.

But... hm, right, I bet that doesn't really work long term when you're settling down, huh...?

It could've worked. Hunting people down and killing them are the best skills I have, so that's my best way of making money.

[Unfortunately for Tim, Athena doesn't look amused. She looks... frustrated is probably the right word here, but it's not at him. The way her jaw clenches and her arms cross tightly are signs of her clamming up again in a much less funny way.]

But Janey wanted me to stop. I promised her I would, but... for a while, I didn't keep that promise.

...But you did eventually, right? So... it all worked out, yeah?

... It almost didn't, because of the lies. If it wasn't for... a friend of mine...

[It's true, that they were able to talk and work things out. That they were able to come to agreements on how to handle how Athena works. But that's only because someone else had to step in, because Athena is too damn stubborn and too damn new to this sort of thing that she still rooted herself firmly in the camp of I wasn't doing anything wrong.

Even now it frustrates her, how her own stupid inability to be a normal person almost cost her the best thing that ever happened to her.]

Hell, for all I know, things might've gotten screwed up all over again, thanks to whatever damned higher power dragged us here.

I dunno, I mean... If you got things worked out before, I'm sure she'll get that you didn't just disappear for the hell of it. And as soon as you guys can see each other again, I'm sure she'll get it. Hell, maybe she'll end up here too?

[...Man, what the hell, now he's trying to be the optimist? He sucks at being an optimist. But uh... he'll try.]

I don't know... Janey's the kindest person I've ever known, and more forgiving than a person living on Pandora probably should be... but I lied to her enough times that her ability to excuse it all may have finally run out.

[His optimism isn't unwelcome, but at his mention of hope of Janey being dragged here, Athena's expression hardens again.]

I'm not sure if that's a good idea, considering the current list of people here from Pandora.

Right... I mean, can't exactly say that lying is good for a relationship. But, I dunno... After you worked things out last time, did she get why you lied? If she did, then... well, hopefully that'll give her enough trust again for now.

[Mostly he just has to guess here, since he doesn't know how everything's been going with them. But he knows Janey's a good person, so... better to just assume the best.]

...What, cause... cause of Jack?

[Athena just makes an mmm noise in response; it's unclear whether it's positive or negative. She's still not really used to talking about her feelings and her relationships, so she's just. Going to end it there. At least they got pretty far, right?]

Exactly. Jack doesn't scare me, and I'm sure as hell confident I can fight off anything he throws at me or any of us, but that doesn't exactly change the fact that I don't want him anywhere near her.

[Or knowing just how close she and Athena are. Because once Jack has his meltdown - and she can tell it's coming - he's going to get desperate to get at them. Athena's already had one loved one used against her in a horrible way. There's no way she's going to let Janey end up like Jess. Hell no.]

Makes sense. And I get it, really. Not that it seems there's any way to control who ends up here, but you don't want her involved with that.

Still, she's tough, so... If she does end up here, it's gonna be fine. And hey, worst case scenario, it's uh... it's a big place and Jack can't be everywhere, right?

[That was supposed to be encouraging, but he kind of failed at the end there. But uh... he's trying?]

Hell yeah she is. [Is that pride in Athena's voice? You bet your sweet ass it is.] So tough that she helped take on a Vault Guardian when some companions of mine came calling for aid.

[Honestly, if she hadn't been completely in love with Janey before then... yeah. That would've done it.]

But you're right. As long as we're vigilant when we pass through the city he's holed up in, nothing will go wrong.

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