silph_co | [Closed] CASTAWAY-- JOHTO EDITION

Who: Jack and Jack
Where: The hallways of the Goldenrod Base
When: BACKDATED to July 29 "Haze"
Summary: Jack and Jack can't find the cafeteria.
Rating: Swears. Mentions of resorting to cannibalism probably.
Log:

"Hmm...hm. Hm."

Since returning to Johto and discovering his new job, Jack had mostly been using his Rocket Base Dorm as extra storage because he needed all the spare space he could get back at the house. Dressers weren't for clothes, they were for HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS.

After dropping off this last load of boxes, he stepped out into the hall. No harm in grabbing a bite to eat before heading back home. It was free after all.

But as he stood there by the water cooler, he couldn't help but notice that his feet weren't moving. Suddenly, with terrifying clarity, he realized he didn't know which way to go. If this had been his first or even fifth day in the base, he would have felt silly and go on a merry little adventure to find lamp-warmed burritos. But today? He had been at this job for months. And he should damn well know were the cafeteria is.

Don't panic, Jack, he told himself. You're just tired. You didn't forget. You've had a long month. Just wait until you see someone else and follow them.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He's not the only one using Rocket Base for things other than living at. But storing things here and making use of the facilities on hand allows Handsome Jack to funnel a bit more money into the public part of his life. It's just practical. And the food may be not great, but it's no worse than the shit he ate for years in Hyperion company cafs.

Except for some reason, today, he was wandering back and forth, like he was in a strange place. He's got things to do! Pictures of his stupid battle animals to take! He just wanted to grab a free lunch before stuffing his fat Houndour into humiliating outfits for the rest of the afternoon.

"Crissakes, what the hell drugs did I forget taking?" He'd been down this hall already. He remembered that water cooler. But last time he passed, Cancer Bag hadn't been there. He could just ask the other guy where the lunchroom is....

Ugh. No. That was like admitting defeat. So he nodded curtly to his fellow Rocket and just sort of slowed his steps a little. "'Sup, Bonesack?"

It wasn't hard to hear The Other Jack's approach.

Jack glanced up when he was greeted, instantly breaking into a bright smile. He was determined to be this man's friend. And besides, he was a sharp fellow. He could no doubt follow him right to lunch!

"I was about to find myself a bite to eat. And you?"

In the back of his mind, he momentarily forgot that he did very much look like a skelton and wondered if they had previously met on the Moon.

"Yeah, you need way more than 'a' bite. Why haven't you died yet?" Because clearly, there was some terminal disease going on there. Nobody could look that sick and not be deathly sick.

"But that's what I'm doing, too, so...guess we're lunch buddies. Yippie." That, at least, was a stroke of luck. Jack could just follow Diseased Jack to the caf.

Problem solved!

Jack chuckled to himself, as if enjoying a private joke. He started to walk, keeping The Other Jack at his shoulder.

"I guess we are! How is Johto life for you? How have you been adjusting?"

And so the blind led the blind.

"Oh, what, we're doing the small talk thing?" Jack just kept on walking, assuming the other Jack knew where they were going.

"Fine. I'm starting up an LLC, so there's that. I mean, it's sure not what I've got back home, god I miss my company! But it's something. Plus, people start asking questions about what I do and why I always have money. 'Cause I'm Handsome Jack, that's why. But apparently that isn't a good enough answer." Gripe as he would about having to make 'small talk', Handsome Jack took any excuse to talk about himself.

"Had a pretty good date the other day. I mean, no banging, but...wasn't that kind of date. She's a classy broad."

"Or we could try big talk if you'd rather," Jack returned, still wearing that pumpkin smile. But he listened. He was glad that this Jack was finding something to do with himself. It wasn't unheard of for newcomers to feel lost. Directionless. Stir crazy even.

"What's her name?"

"There's always option 'C', not talking at all!" Which was unlikely, no matter what Handsome Jack felt about the other guy. He liked to talk.

Even today, when his head was all screwed up.

"Name's Dee. She's friggin' cute. Fun to hang out with - wore a hat for me, on my birthday. I dunno, might be another date in the future." Sure he missed Nisha, but what was he gonna do, just be lonely?

"You...uh...do much dating?"

Oh god, who the hell would date Long, Tall, and Frightening?

"Oh, what fun would that be?"

They turned a corner. More hallway. Long, dingy, unfamiliar hallway.

"Here's to hoping, eh?" He elbowed Jack as though they were long-time friends. It was then his turn to talk. "Not in this world. I have someone waiting for me back home--a brilliant trickster and scientist. I wish she could see all of this..."

Well, this didn't look familiar, so Jack assumed they were going the right way.

He just wanted a crappy sandwich he didn't have to pay for!

"Oh yeah?" That was actually a little surprising. "Science chicks are great. She do any science on you?" Because that would explain a lot. Scientists were weird. And had weird taste. And Sickly Jack looked like he could have wandered out of a containment cell.

Jack suddenly took on a thoughtful look. What counted as having science done to him?

"She did help me find my arm once when I'd misplaced it."

Jack points a finger at the other Jack and shakes it knowingly. "....Starting to make a little more sense now."

What was this dude, a Lab Rat? Or his planet's equivalent, Handsome Jack guesses. That explained a hell of a lot. Pretty much everything, as far as he was concerned. He was some quasi-human abomination with a working brain! Still likely to fall over dead any day now, but a number of questions appear to have just been answered.

There's only one big one remaining.

"Uh...maybe it's just me, my head's all over the place today, but...uh...shouldn't we have hit the caf by now?"

He really hadn't thought it was that far away.

"What's making more sense?"

Jack was just dying to know!

But then the topic of their destination came up. His pumpkin smile twinged at the corners, hinting at the grimace hiding just underneath.

"Hmmm, yes, we should have. Curse this place, I know they want to keep out intruders, but they shouldn't make it so confusing for the people who actually work here. That's just bad business."

"You. Your whole...deal."

Jack doesn't get a chance to elaborate - not that he thinks he needs to. Cancerbag Jack has to know he's weird.

...and apparently doesn't know how to get to the cafeteria either.

"Dickballs. What the hell? We're supposed to be an elite organization, best of the best, we can't even find the damn dining room!" He sighs. Great. "Alright, it's around here somewhere. We'll just...uh...we'll try down here."

He picks a corridor at random.

Jack had opened his mouth to continue his guessing game, but then The Problem decided to show up. He winced just a little at the Other Jack's dismay--but it seemed he was quick to sort the situation out. Dead Jack fell into step behind him and eyed the hallways suspiciously.

"You know...I have a few false hallways in my own house. Suppose some of the members attended last Halloween and got the idea..."

[Closed] CASTAWAY-- JOHTO EDITION

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