CUDDLR

[hackjack]

RHYS (30) Winner, genius, el presidente and acting CEO. Tech + coding master, also super mega rich. Owns literally the universe and everything in it. Has great fashion sense.

✓       ✕

YES
<span style="font-family: times; font-size:40px; color:#2EB82E;">✓</span>


NO
<span style="font-family: times; font-size:40px; color:#CC0000;">✕</span>

Comments

[athenaie]

[ Athena exhales, the sound almost as tired as she is beginning to look. Lines wearing, edges starting to fray. Panic tore down her walls, exposed the soft core underneath, and unintentionally or not Rhys struck a hard blow. She can only compensate so much. ]

I won't let her smear you into the pavement, Rhys. [ Somewhere she made it her responsibility to keep them alive ─ Rhys, Fiona, Sasha, Vaughn ─ beyond what had been outlined in the contract. ] Or sick her robot on you.

[frysquint]

✓

[just so he can chastise Rhys on his assumption of great fashion sense]

[hackjack]

You are seriously joking.

[hackjack]

[He exhales slowly through his nose in relief, leaving only that bottled, rapidly receding guilt. Doing what's necessary, taking every open opportunity - that's how business works even outside the meeting rooms - that's how he and Vaughn secured that mining deal with a lot of knives in a couple select backs.]

Thanks, Athena.

[hackjack]

That's
the part you think is weird?

Seriously?

[aobutts]

Well

Isn't it?

[athenaie]

[ If she knew she might understand, the tactic is painfully familiar from the days she spent as the knife Atlas plunged into many different backs. It would be hypocritical if she got angry. She lies to Springs just as easily, doing whatever is necessary to ensure she never finds out the truth.

Eyes closing she drops her head, brow furrowing in mild frustration. ]

Have they provided you somewhere to stay?

[hackjack]

I've...got a place, yeah. [It's admittedly not up to his standards, but it beats Pandora, if nothing else, and he can't imagine it'll take long to find some structured ladder to climb in a place as busy and needy as this.]

You?

[hackjack]

No?

I spent more time with Vaughn and Yvette than I did anyone else so
I don't know
aside from the whole touching on strangers thing it's pretty normal to me.

[athenaie]

[ Athena simply nods deciding, at the last moment, to keep the information of it not only being hers under wraps. ]

Echo the location─ [ She stops, frowning, uncrossing arms to wave a hand about the air. Right, the echo net doesn't exist here. ] Text it.

[hackjack]

[She's hard to read at the best of times, but he squints all the same, lip curling up at the corner.]

--you're not trying to come live with me, right?

[aobutts]

Most of my friends are guys too
Actually... all of them are.

But being with another guy isn't really normal where I come from.

[athenaie]

[ She looks at him flatly, something akin to a long suffering sigh falling past her lips. ]

No. But it'll be easier to find you if I know where you're staying.

[frysquint]

I could say the same thing. That load of crap you've got about yourself had me rolling.

[hackjack]

Yeah. You were there ok. You heard exactly what went down.

And it is SO not crap.




You were there, right? This isn't like
another weird time thing.

[hackjack]

No yeah no-- [He wilts under the sharpness of her stare, hand going to the back of his neck at the fact that she effectively rebuffed his joke.] That...makes sense.

[hackjack]

So we break the rules.

[aobutts]

Heh

I actually
Really like the sound of that.

[athenaie]

[ A moment more she stares at him before relenting. ] You know how to contact me. [ With heavy steps she turns and well... leaves.

Bye Rhys. ]

[hackjack]

Sooo thought you might.

Hey, if you ever get some free time, hit me up.
We'll do whatever. No big deal.

[hackjack]

Yeah. [There's a lowness there in his tone, stuck between his tongue and the back of his teeth when he goes to inhale as he watches her leave, feeling out the way the last, sputtering urge to stop her die out.

Better to just be what you are anyway, right? If he's a liar, let him be a liar.]

Later, Athena.

[aobutts]

Alright.

Soon then.