al2955 | kampff week three

[there's hiding her true emotions down like an actress can and does on a daily basis. and then there is deliberately letting her irritation show, through a scowl, tension in her posture, and also something in her presence. she's not happy, she's not the cold calm she was before, and leaning against the stand, she's chosen to take up a place where she'll be able to see the men the instant they arrive.

when they have, then she speaks.]

So. Two in two weeks. Lovely.

[ Once Jack walks in, he tilts his head curiously as he takes in that coldness, but once it's elaborated on, he just ends up laughing. He shrugs helplessly, but it's an exaggerated gesture. ]

Ha— Yeah, that- That's a word for it alright. Gotta say, actually kinda disappointed, since, hell, she was actually pretty decent, so far as scary women that threaten to cut off my dick go.

[ thanks tsukuyo ]

Ah, well. Hopefully someone will grow some balls and just kill someone this week. Figuratively speaking. Totally equal opportunity here, for the record.

[laughing. it only serves to aggravate her more, lips pressing into a tight line until he finishes. you aren't amusing her this week, Jack, not a bit, and she doesn't hesitate to make it known.]

And what if they don't? Where does that leave us? Slowly being whittled down to nothing?

[this is not a good start to the game, and even those not genre savvy can tell.]

Well, yeah. That's kinda the idea, so far as I took it.

[ Jack doesn't seem bothered by the prospect at all, though that calm is also for very Jack reasons. He doesn't think it's possible that he would actually die, after all. He's beaten death once now (sort of), so even if it's unwarranted, he doesn't feel the kind of fear that perhaps he should. ]

Those are some pretty great incentives we've got here. So of course they ain't gonna be easy to get. I mean, it's a game of chance no matter how you swing it. Might as well be on the side with more on the table.

Chance? You think this is up to chance?

[and in a second, she's no longer against the stand, walking towards him swiftly with her arms tightly folded. she stops not so close that she's in his face, but on the fringes of personal space, letting that anger radiate outwards.]

This is not about pure luck. This is about being smart. This is about knowing what you're against and how to set your enemies against each other! And if we keep dying, then we're the idiots here! That's not chance, Jack!

[ Her anger just seems to fuel Jack in a way, though there's more tension in his posture as she approaches. He stands straighter and crosses his arms, both definitely gestures that are implicitly intimidating, but they're not completely conscious on his part. ]

It can be both, dollface. [ He'll truly never stop with the nicknames ] I'm not saying we don't play this smart. We've gotta play it smart, hence why I didn't go out of my way to throw the friggin' con artist or the kind that tried to open an elevator with a sword under the bus. Me going out of my way to defend anyone is going to be weird, and I'm really hoping neither one of you are going to go out of your way to save each others' skin. That part is being smart. But it's still luck.

[ He shrugs ]

No matter how smart you play it, the odds are still against us. We've got thirty-plus people all thinking real hard about who's definitely down to kill, and that? That makes it a hell of a lot harder to actually get away with murder. You get thirty shit-for-brains psycho midgets in a room, and hell, even they could probably manage to figure it out, even if it was just random guessing. It's being smart, sure. But you can't be perfect. So that part is just luck, so far as I'm concerned.

They're still human.

[she says the last word like it's a curse, flinging it down between them.]

The odds were against us a little less before. But you, and him - [jabbing a finger in Iron Bull's direction] - are content that our odds are shrinking by the week? How in heaven's name can you be calm about this?!

[she knows she sounds partly hysterical. she knows she shouldn't be losing her temper so easily, or so soon. but she's upset, and she's the only one upset about this, and if they fail...

if she fails. all of them dead. the chaos, the destruction that would cause. the unbalancing of the entire city, perhaps even the country. the images from that video seared into her mind. even as she wants what success brings, what failure entails is yet more important. that responsibility is hers to somehow manage.

god. she almost wishes that Alice would reprimand them somehow. that, she could endure. not this careless behavior from those she had to take as her reluctant comrades.]

[ Jack raises a brow lightly at "human," not because he's doubting that part (it's a bit difficult to do so with people like Bull here), but because it's so wholly irrelevant to him that it's a surprise that she's bringing it up. He thinks about making that point, that no matter what they are, they can all die. In fact, he's a breath away from saying it, but that breath is instead put to a sigh as she continues. ]

Now you're just putting words in my mouth. Content? Nah, I'm not content.

[ His expression actually gets more serious, showing far less of that almost over the top animated nature that he usually displays. ]

I mean- In case you missed the implication, I'll spell it out for you. What's on the line for me? It's my baby girl, my daughter's happiness. So failure? Not an option. I'm not content at all, because anyone that tries to use my daughter as leverage— I've been trying as long as she's been alive to prevent that. But considering the circumstances, there's not much room to be anything but determined to succeed. You worry about failing, and that's all you're gonna think about until it becomes true.

[ He puts his hands on his hips as he shrugs. ]

Easier said than done, I get it. But with the risk of this becoming a fully fledged pep talk? You can't carry around a defeatist attitude if you want to win a big stakes gamble. That's all this is.

[she's about two seconds from lunging at him, tearing out his throat with her teeth. and then he talks, and it's the slap in the face she had been waiting for. the metaphorical stinging that she needed so badly to step back and know it was enough. the change in her demeanor is slow, but it's there, a lessening of the hostility, and her taking a physical step back.

she doesn't like this at all. not a bit.

you worry about failing, and that's all you're gonna think about until it becomes true.

wasn't that so true.]

...My apologies, chief.

[she's settled. for now.]

[ You seem as if you might be mad.

Bull doesn't seem all that concerned about either the dramatic drop in their numbers or the rather dramatic entrance Grell is choosing to make, doing his usual easy walk in and sitting down heavily. Relaxed. ]

Seems that way.

That's it? That's all you have to say about this?

[you have the audacity to look relaxed about this? no. if her spine could go straighter she'd make it do so, but as it is the most she can do is glare.]

[He's used to being on the receiving end of some nasty looks, they basically mean nothing at this point. He does give in a little to her demand he look somewhat apologetic though, sighing deeply and leaning foward. Offering his hands as a sigh of surrender.]

Look, it's not as simple as all that. There's only so much we can do once she's out there, doing her plan. Like to point it out, she didn't exactly consult with us on how that went down either - we can't help, but hey. Some advice might have steered her in the right direction. So it was her choice to go it alone.

You can take it as a lesson in that it's harder to pull this shit off than it looks like, so keep that in mind.

[somewhat apologetic is better than suffering alone with emotions. she's placated, mildly, but not enough to fully back down just yet.]

I know.

[it's easier to hide a murder when you aren't trapped on a spacecraft.]

But now it's three of us against all of them. What about those odds is even slightly reassuring?

kampff week three

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