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          She tries and nearly fails to keep her face from falling at the           news that she won’t be tapping any money from this particular           vein. It’s strange that a newcomer would wander anywhere           this far from, well, anything important on Pandora without a           little travel money. Spending money. Something. Everything she’s ever learned on this trash bin of a planet is telling her to cut her losses quickly, make up an excuse, and leave. There’s nothing more for her here if this lady isn’t going to fork over some cash. But Fiona feels almost guilty at the thought. There are people in Hollowpoint far less friendly than her. Example: she was willing to take this woman’s money under the guise of being a tour guide, rather than at the business end of a weapon. Who knows what’ll happen with the next native she encounters?           ‘ Lost, huh? Hollowpoint can be kinda dangerous, you know.             What exactly are you lookin’ for? Maybe I could help out             for free... if it’s nearby. ’ There’s nothing around but them and the neon lights of the nearby Purple Skag. That could change quickly. Even Fiona’s starting to feel a little exposed, standing out in the open like this. Ordinarily, she operates from the shadows. Sneaking in when it’s safe and snatching peoples’ valuables, or talking her way out of danger and slinking off to safety in a nearby alley. Or a rooftop. Standing around like a tourist is just going to get them both mugged, if they linger too long.

       Caves weren’t new to Soma; she’d lived in        one for a few years, after all. But a whole town        inside a cave? Her orienteering capabilities        were bad enough outside, and trying to find        her way around only served to confuse and        disorient her even more.

       She had to navigate her way through the town,        and it was definitely more difficult without the        sun. Plus, it was dark. Half the light came from        neon signs for shady-looking bars or pawn        shops, and those weren’t what Soma        was looking for. 

       She was wandering down an alley she was        almost certain she’d already passed at least        twice when the girl with the hat approached her.        The newcomer’s voice startled Soma, on Pandora        she’d learned to be ready for the worst-case        scenario. But when the girl didn’t make a move        to attack, she relaxed a little.

       “Hi, I am lost,” She laughed nervously, wondering        if it was a mistake to say that. “I, uh…don’t actually        have any cash on me, sorry.”

       It was true, she usually left most of her money        in her car. Soma’s plan was to find a nice,        relatively clean inn to stay in, then go back,        find her car, and then get money. 

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He was glad he reached up to grab her hand with his flesh-and-blood one. There were sensory receptors on the metal one, of course, but there was something much better about feeling the warmth of her hand in his. And he could curl his fingers around hers without the worry of awkward snagging. That was a bonus, because he really liked the way she squeezed his hand when she giggled. Sort of the nonverbal equivalent of you’re being a dork but you’re my dork.           He could live with that. Being skag-levels of subtle. He           absolutely could, if it was going to make her grin like that.           He chuckled lightly. He couldn’t help it, she was blushing           so hard and he’d never seen her quite so flustered.

‘ Wanna know my secret now? ’

          ‘ --- You’d better not back out just because it wasn’t a                    real handsha-- ’

Surging forward, she cut him off in the most effective way possible. On instinct, his free hand secured her to him, wrapping around her waist to pull her closer. On the off chance that this was a fluke, he was going to make the absolute most of it. Kissing her back like it was not only the first but possibly last chance, he felt dizzy when she pulled away. He had to laugh at the goofy smile on her face; and at the exhilaration running  circuits through his whole system at a hundred miles per hour.           ‘ This is why communication is important. All this time,              we could’ve been doing that. ‘Cause, yeah, me too.              For a long time. Alright, that’s rule number one in the              new Atlas employee handbook: communicate. Since              it’s-- How... how long, exactly? Like, since the biodome,              or--? I’m rambling. ’ He released her hand, tilted her chin up toward him, and kissed  her again. That right there? Way better than talking. That could be rule number two: kiss each other.            Actually, no, that wasn’t the type of company he wanted            to be running. There were limits.

 “Of course I’ll shake on it doofus. Deals a deal.” Sasha teased. She smirked up to him but the moment his hand went to hold over her own she felt it. That sudden flutter in her chest, the hitch in her throat that always found it’s way there, lodged between a shudder and a shiver of subtle bliss.

Why…Why was he able to do that to her? All it ever took was him was the slightest of most subtle of gestures for her and somehow the stupid giraffe was able to subdue her in to utter silence and her facade of tough and weathered could be cracked and destroyed, turning into the hopeless romantic she was on the inside. Somehow even now the ex Hyperion could melt her stone surface and pull out the softness she always held deep within. He made it all look so easy…

 All with just a gentle touch of his hand and the slide of fingers intertwining together. She couldn’t help but squeeze his hand, not letting go. Not wanting to. Never again.

 Sasha couldn’t help but giggle. At least he was honest with himself. If something about him changed on their journey together it was that Rhys learned to be himself and the humility being oneself had to offer.

 But he still had his casual swagger about it too. It was funny and cute and honest. He was honest with her even if he thought it was embarrassing. How could she not do the same for him? “Yeah. Yeah I know. Even a skag could know. But I like it. I like knowing how you feel…and-and you deserve the same from me.” She said sheepishly, feeling her face light up in a flustered red of it’s own. “Y-You’re too sweet to me Rhys.” Oh man he was so adorable and sweet. Ugh. He was perfect in his own dorky way. “That’s…That’s the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

 Oh what the hell. “Wanna know my secret now?” Before she could stop herself she pulled him closer with her free hand and just close enough to pull him out of the small gap in between them. With one light yank to pull him down, she caught his lips in a soft lip lock, kissing him straight on and with no regrets. Sasha lingered there for a moment before pulling away with glittering emerald eyes finding his own mismatched pair, a big goofy smile on her face. “I-I….I really wanted to do that for a long time~” Sash confessed.

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“You MIGHT want to hang on to something.                                                                Word of advice.                                                                             Up to you.”

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           ‘ --- Is it that time of year again already? ’

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vcughn:

    There was always a sense of doubt. Second guessing. Panic.     It was something that he grew up thinking to himself or being     told by others (more so himself) that he was easily replaceabl-     e.   Bound to be surpassed by someone else and Rhys would     move on. And Vaughn would be telling a massive lie if he said     that he wasn’t worried about that actually happening.

    But he would also be lying like a motherfucker if he said he di-     dn’t believe Rhys was his best friend.   Rhys was his go to for     everything. Well…nearly everything. He was the closet friend     he had and…so yeah. The idea of losing him in some what ter-     rified the smaller Hyperion.  So the announcement of this new     promotion was…it was heartwarming! But…man…

   “OH!” Vaughn hadn’t realized he let his thoughts sink into his fe-     atures,   and was quick to shake them away.    Offering a small     smile. “Hah…s-sorry. Yeah! I just was thinking about the mug I     broke this morning. Good mug. Everything’s cool!”

‘ --- Dude. I am so sorry about your mug, bro. ’ He reaches out and pats Vaughn’s shoulder heavily. He takes anything that upsets his friend seriously, and this mug shall be no exception. Even if he’s pretty sure Vaughn’s never been upset about dishes in his life.

           He’d be a poor friend if he wasn’t aware of some of Vaughn’s insecurities,            but he’s also thrilled enough about the good news not to push about his            buddy’s sudden silence. He’d rather celebrate than get mopey, and there’s            a slightly selfish part of him that’s tempted to sweep the slight hiccup             under the rug in favor of getting on to the good part: alcohol and expensive            cuts of meat for everyone. That’s all a promotion has to mean in Rhys’s            book. Except it also means Vaughn being just as excited as him, ideally. So he can’t just let this drop. But there’s bro-code about this kind of stuff. You can’t just ask your friend about his feelings if he doesn’t want to talk about them. It doesn’t work like that.           It’s time to maintain normalcy until Vaughn feels like opening up.           Rhys cocks his head to the side and gives the smaller Hyperion           employee his trademark future-CEO grin.  ‘ Overpriced dinner? Wine pairings? We don’t have to tell Yvette yet.    I think she’d be happier if I forked out for lunch tomorrow, anyway. ’

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          ‘ -- Heck yeah, I mean it. If we’re gonna do this thing --                 this danger-filled, Vault Hunting thing -- then I                 want you to be able to defend yourself. ’ Truth be told, she’s a little worried bringing Clem along, but it isn’t as though there are any other options. They’re all in this together, and they always have been. Besides, her littlest sister has proven herself more than capable enough to handle dangerous situations. With the way everything’s going, she’ll only be setting Clementine up to get hurt if she doesn’t give her some practical way to look out for herself. Everyone on Pandora learns to shoot eventually.           She has a fleeting thought of Felix, telling her she           could always talk her way out of more situations           than she could shoot her way out of. Fiona trembles, once, and shoves the memory away. Fat lot of good talking to Felix did her.  The road is long and winding and lined with trash, but eventually it dips down into a shadowy part of the cave in which the entirety of Hollowpoint is situated. Down here in this forgotten niche, trash has been accumulating for years. There are veritable mountains of it. Fiona drags some of the scrap out of a smaller pile. It doesn’t take her long to find some glass bottles, which she sets up at various heights all over the place.           The best thing about Devil’s Gullet is that no one            can hear them shoot here. Or at least, no one’s            going to come running if they do. ‘ All right, ’ she says, fumbling at her wrist until the pistol tucked into her sleeve comes free. ‘ Here. Be careful. It’s light, but it kicks back when you shoot. ’ Felix designed it to be lightweight and concealable, but the kick of it still left her wrist buzzing when she fired on August, even with the spring absorbing some of the shock.           ‘ You ready? Which one should we shoot first? ’

She remembered all right, those days she’d try and follow her sisters down this very path but were stopped by either Felix or them, she remembered their little teases and Felix’s as- surance that she’ll go down with them one day for her own lessons– the memories as fresh as yesterdays. 

She was bigger now… ish. 

Clementine’s golds looked away from the graf- fiti stretching along the walls (along with a wanted posted of her very sister) and up at Fiona, hues w- ide in surprise yet understanding. With how everyt -hing went down, it made sense for her to learn how to shoot when things got hairy.

It seemed that bullets got them out of situations more than words nowadays.

       ❝You really mean it?❞

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Rhys + text posts: part 3

part 1 / part 2 / part 4

Others: Angel / Handsome Jack / Athena

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@coldandconfused liked for a starter from fiona || {{ still accepting }}

          Hollowpoint maintains a consistent level of coming and going,           given that no one in the cave can really tell whether it’s night           time or not. The street where Fiona lives, or at least parks her           caravan, is usually empty save for the occasional lost soul.           For the most part, she leaves anyone she encounters on the           streets at her version of night alone, and they usually do the           same. This girl though... firstly, her outward appearance is strange. The mis-matched eyes draw particular attention, as well as the cybernetics. But even if she hadn’t been an irregular sight in terms of dress, she stood out distinctly as not being a member of Hollowpoint. No one from Hollowpoint had ever looked so lost in any of its ten-or-so alleys. Everyone knew their way through the cave.           She’s not usually a good Samaritan on her best day, but           she wonders if she can maybe swing a way to weasel           some cash out of someone who will most certainly not           recognize her face. ‘ --- Hey, you look a little lost. Good news, I work as a guide        here in scenic Hollowpoint... Tours are usually fifty        bucks, but if you’re looking for something specific, I        can take you anywhere you like for twenty-five. ’ 

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@littlesirenkiddo liked for a starter || [[ still accepting ]]

          Naturally, his very first day on the job, Rhys has managed           to get himself completely and irrevocably lost. Helios           station is a little bit like a house of mirrors, except that           instead of bumping into the occasional clown in the           maze of identical yellow corridors, it’s accountants that           keep shooting finger-guns at him. Worse, when he doesn’t           pretend to die on the spot, they look at him like he’s some           sort of alien parasite and refuse to offer him directions no           matter how plaintive he is. In this bumbling way, he finds himself in yet another identical corridor that he doesn’t know his way around, only this one is absolutely empty. As if that weren’t eerie enough, even the normal sounds of a healthy, humming space station seem to have been muted here. There’s none of that weird, whispery vibration noise of generators and thousands of monitors and holo-projectors spitting out ads. It’s just a quiet, singular hum. And the world’s most ominous white door at the end of the hall.           He doesn’t have to be a genius to realize he’s stumbled           into a place he’s not supposed to be. Yet, curiosity gets           its tight, ugly grip around him and he finds himself           walking forward and through that door. ‘ --- Um. Hello? Anybody home? ’

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@vcughn liked for a starter || [[ still accepting ]]

          ‘ --- All right, I’m going to bite. What’s with the long face, man? ’ His smile falters by a fraction as he shifts into worried friend mode with all the grace of a jalopy switching gears. Concern etches away at his expression until there’s but a pursed-lipped, sideways smirk that’s caught between his normal grin and a frown. Like none of his facial muscles were prepared for a potential shift in emotion and are now confused about how to catch up.           Vaughn is usually the first to celebrate their achievements, even when           they’re mostly Rhys’s achievements -- or at least, accredited to Rhys.           But this latest news wasn’t met with quite the display of exuberance           that he was expecting. 

Even the slightest possibility that something has upset the usual balance of their bro-ship is cause for the utmost, yet chillest concern.           ‘ Everything cool? ’

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         Her excited feet move in small, rapid steps to prevent her from          slipping in the sand and rolling the rest of the way to the car. But          in short bursts, she makes it to the flipped vehicle and sinks to          her knees to check the state of the driver. Instantly, she wishes          she hadn’t. ‘ --- Oh. Oh, yeah. He’s dead. Pretty sure you need that        part of your head. That’s supposed to be attached. ’ She doesn’t seem overly bothered by the death itself. It happens fairly often on Pandora -- and a born-and-raised resident of Hollow Point would be pretty fortunate not to encounter random stabbings or shootings on a regular basis, growing up.           ‘ No idea how we can flip this baby back over, but... hey, if we             swing it, we get his stuff. And his car. Yes! No more walking.             Any ideas, Hyperion? ’

Rhys stumbled back in fear as the jeep suddenly flew over head. He stood there shell shocked from the suddenly flash of death in front of his eyes. That was sure to be a way to die if they had has hit them. Death by A jeep and loud dubstep.

“W-”

Snapping out of it he shook his head and followed her down. Whoever was in that jeep wasn’t going to kill them. Yet at least. He was still cautious around those from Pandora. Never knew when someone was going to kill you and sell you for parts on the black market. Though he was thankful for the distraction.

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           Nervous laughter subsides as it occurs to him that            if there were any time to, well, admit to having the            universe’s largest crush on the girl right in front of            him, it’s right now. As in, this exact moment.             Because he’s not blind, and although he’s about            ten-thousand times more nervous than she is,             there’s still enough of it that he can see it in her.            Just the slightest, nervous edge to her voice and            her actions as she tries to string a confession out            of him. And, let’s face it, she’d have to be blind not to know that if he felt compelled to blurt out any not-so-well-kept secrets right now, they’d be all about her, every single one.           If it were a movie, he thinks, this would be the big           scene where he reveals how he feels and gets the           girl. But it’s not a movie, and in the past doing           what he thought would be done in some sort of           action flick starring himself has usually ended           in... shambles. So nervousness clings to his           throat for a moment. And in that beat of time,           he nearly loses his nerve. But she’s looking at him like that.           ‘ --- I mean, that’s quite the offer. A secret for a                  secret? You’d shake on it? ’ He’s a business man, after all. On impulse, he reaches up to place a hand over hers, which is idling near his lapel. The slightest pressure of her hand against his chest, and suddenly bravery isn’t all that hard to summon.           ‘ Because mine’s, um, you know. And by that             I mean I’m pretty sure you already know.             But it’s hard to say just the one thing I find             cute about you when I’m... I guess I’m             trying to say I like everything about you.             E-even the threats of bodily harm. Most of             the time. ’

  “As okay as an over heated computer Rhys. Your face is on fire. I-I could y’know go look for some ice or something.” Sasha giggled softly but retracted her hand when he brought up the subject even though she really didn’t wanna let him go. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to linger. I was hoping my cool touch would relax the heat in your cheeks but I think all I did was make it worse.” She pouted lightly. “Is there…something you wanna tell me? Anything at all? You know you can tell me whatever it is that’s making you all red.”

She chuckled softly and instead went to mess with the lapels of his jacket, her eyes falling the patterns laid out there. “Even if it’s embarrassing or whatever you know I can keep a secret. It’ll between us. I promise. And you know I keep my promises. I mean after all we went through together I’m pretty sure that’s one thing at the least you learned about me. Well that and that I’m an excellent cook. At least better than Fi.” The darker haired brunette teased. “I mean c’mon do I have to go back to memory lane when I caught you like that badass that I am?”

To be honest she kinda had an idea what was going on here but she didn’t wanna say it outright and make the poor guy all the more blushy and flustered. So she had a better idea. “Okay tell you what. You tell me your secret and I’ll tell you one of mine. So that way we both have something to keep secret. Sounds like a good idea.  At least to me.” Sasha gave a wink up to the tall ex Hyperion.

“And it won’t be anything stupid or whatever…it’ll be a secret thing that matters. Who knows. It might even have to do with you~ But I swear if you tell one living soul you’ll have two metal arms when  I’m done with you.” Sasha purred. “Kidding! Kidding…or am I~”

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Clementine’s response earns a smile that, as it’s out of practice, doesn’t quite express how Fiona feels. Her littlest sister still believes in her, Felix be damned, and it makes her feel relieved, proud, and all the more determined to make Clem feel better somehow. And while she manages nothing but a wider-than-usual smirk and a nod, Fiona allows herself a rare moment of being emotional. As she does on occasion, when it comes to the matter of her family.           Gesturing for the girl to follow her, she makes for the           door. The streets of Hollow Point are dark as ever,           being that the only lighting in the cave are the           unnatural pinpoints of street lights kept buzzing by           clunky rooftop generators that occasionally belch           smoke up toward the cavernous ceiling. Still, it’s           almost a comfort to be back home. Her feet carry her along a familiar path, though she knows Clem has never accompanied her here and therefore moves slowly. Her sister is still small, even if she’s got determination and bravery and cleverness enough to take on all of Hollowpoint. And probably Pandora -- if necessary.

            ‘ --- Remember when Sasha and I went down to                    Devil’s Gullet to learn how to shoot, but you                    weren’t old enough yet? We’re gonna make                    up for that. ’ 

Trust. 

That was a funny thing really, it was fickle almost– can either have it or you don’t and having it most of the time came to a price when having none of it can be just as hurtful, lonely even.

Felix may of left them but Fiona and Sasha didn’t, and they were people she knew she could trust… why? Well, the fact that they could of simply had an easier life by leaving her for Pandora to claim when she was just a baby but they didn’t, they gave her a life and almost no one on Pandora would ever give such kindness, even to their flesh and blood.

Clementine nodded.

        ❝More than anything.❞

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@4d1-exe liked for a starter from rhys || [[ still accepting ]]

          There’s a lesson to be learned from cutting corners; taking           risks when he doesn’t know exactly what the consequences           will be. The minute he plugged that ID chip into his head in           a misinformed act of desperation, for example, he’d had no           idea he would be unwittingly letting Handsome Jack into his           brain. It’s stuff like that which makes him reluctant to go           hooking himself up to foreign technology any time soon, or           even to go leaping before he looks in any situation. And yet. A full takeover of Atlas systems requires more than just having the deed to the company. It requires flushing out old, useless data and updating parameters, protocols, and all sorts of technical things that would be easy if his circle of friends was still crawling with engineers, programmers, coders, and hackers. But it isn’t, he sent most of them crashing into Pandora in a big blazing hunk of metal shaped like an ‘H’.           He could sit here for days, weeks even, and still not sort           through every single Atlas record in the old facility. And           so he makes the hard decision. He plugs himself in. It’s a strange sensation, digitizing like this. There’s a split- second pause between his organic thought and how it manifests in code, but after some calibrations, he’s able to make a sort of... presence for himself that’s pretty much Rhys-shaped and Rhys-sized. And in turn, he can pull some of the code straight into his mind, and it’s less like having to read for hours and more like stumbling suddenly across an old memory -- all the information is just there like it has somehow always been.           As he rummages -- all but devouring new information           about the facility, old prototypes, schematics, defense           systems, interfacing protocols -- he becomes aware of           another presence. And it’s not like a scrap of code            forgotten somewhere. It’s like him -- thinking. Moving           organically through the system. ‘ --- You’re... an AI. ’ Other information is on lockdown, apparently, which is frustrating. That’s the main reason he hooked himself up at all: to not be shut out because of stupid things like passwords or other security programming.           ‘ Can you hear me? Can you speak? How did you              get here? ’

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not the birbs

Says the bird fucker.