Snowblind Inbox

[warriorscribe]

[Such a wondrous device. Are there little invisible couriers for these messages?]

Comments

[headjacked]

How worried have you been? Any tears? Any -- any anguish? From Angel?

[ Fishing. Lots of fishing. The words still won't flow properly. ]

[warriorscribe]

What? You left with only a cryptic "goodbye", how worried do you think we've been? And you know she isn't specific with these things. Please tell me what's wrong, Rhys. You sound- you sound odd.

[headjacked]

[ That counts, godDAMN, it counts! ! ]

-- Enoch, I can't say - !

[ Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. ]

- why you'd think that! Haven't I, if not ALWAYS, but OFTEN been a ginormous shithead? You only like me because Vamp Boy does, and a dash of your overwhelming guilt complex.

[warriorscribe]

[Jack continues to be a giant dick.

It would hurt, if not for one tiny detail he catches immediately because, as Jack partially guessed, his affection for Beckett does, in fact, overshadow his other bonds. Bad side effect of immortality. But it means he's primed to catch details about him. And it means he's able to process the rest with a more level head.]

"Vamp Boy"? You've never called Beckett anything like that. You've never been cruel to or about Angel. And you would sooner stay away from me than use what happened against me. In fact, the only person who did was...

I'm speaking to Jack, aren't I?

[Unfortunately, he went a little too all-in on the dickishness.]

[headjacked]

Dodging the point to save face, I see. It doesn't matter if it's Jack or Rhys or some unknown gremlin also taking up space in his noggin -- I'm right, aren't I.

[ It was never the best-kept secret. ]

[warriorscribe]

No. By your logic I should also be fond of House.

[Overshadowing other bonds does not mean the other bonds don't have their own merits - that's the part Jack didn't guess.

He's more confident now, though, taking that as confirmation. The momentary outburst plus the forced tone means...]

It sounds as if Rhys still has considerable control. Speak to me if you can, Rhys. I know you must be fighting him.

[headjacked]

You probably are, just a titch, in your overcompansatingwwhhhhh---

[ Fighting may not be the right word, but there IS an unspoken battle that needs outsiders to turn the tide.

It's fleeting. ]

It's. Me. Ask me anything -- tell me anything.

[warriorscribe]

Tell-....oh. It's like that time House returned.

Don't take orders from Jack, all right? I'll let the others know.

[That worked with House to an extent, though it was entirely too easy to overwrite other orders. He hopes this works for a while as he goes to get Angel or Beckett's attention.]

cw: abuse

[headjacked]

OhmanTHANKYOU -- it'll. Probably be awhile before I can rejoin you guys, for obvious reasons --

[ Rhys cuts off with an oof, not necessarily a pained sound. But he's just gotten good at masking those, hasn't he? ]

[warriorscribe]

[There's a message quietly sent to Angel. That may not have sounded pained, but the abruptness does raise concerns.]

Are you all right? [Wait...] Tell me, please.

[headjacked]

No, not really! B-but, Enoch, take- take care of everywhhaaaon --

[ A second not-quite-pained grunt.

Then the telltale pause. ]

Go cry to the bloodsucker about it, if you haven't already. Nothing you two do here makes any difference.

[warriorscribe]

You know that isn't true. But then, your sense of reality has always been skewed, Jack.

[On the one hand, the more reprieve from Jack's control Enoch can give him, the better. On the other, it sounds like Jack is forcing him to hurt himself to interrupt whatever autonomy he can give him. Sure, he doesn't sound pained, but "not really"... Vile little AI...if only removing him didn't entail more than he'd ever dare approach, even without the memory of the tower to make it worse.]

I'll look after them. Rhys, in the meantime, however he's wounded you, I want you to take care of yourself.

[headjacked]

I'm -- I-I'm a tough cookie, Enoch, this won't crumble me. This is -- th -- this is dumb and annoying at worst.

[ Unless he bumps into someone, which is more luck than anything else. Even if they did a PSA, public manhunt, that never fully stopped the repeat offenders.

It never fully stops.

Still, can't hurt, can it? He's about to suggest it, when -

You know the drill. ]

Be -- be seeing you.