[ He can see that she doesn't buy it, not really. There's something minutely upsetting about that, but as always, it's covered up by that easy, blanket justification. She doesn't understand that it's what he had to do. She never will. He sighs, thinking that it's the end of that part of the conversation, but she keeps the door open instead of closing it, much to his surprise.
Jack looks to her, though it's brief, since he's looking away thoughtfully almost as soon as she asks. There's a lot he could say. He knows that she's waiting for something he can say to bridge that kind of gap, and always a quick thinker, many things come to mind. But he pauses, because he wants to pick the right one. If there's one of those options that could get her bitterness to fade, that's the one he wants, but ultimately, he doesn't know. Maybe he can't make it fade. Maybe, he's starting to think, he'll never be able to put the words together right so that Elizabeth can understand that there was no other choice.
But if nothing else, he thinks that he would like Elizabeth to understand at least one thing. ]
—She wasn't always locked up.
[ His words are careful as he starts, since this is something that Jack never speaks of. Even people he knows very well, loves, they never hear about this. But that care comes from something else too. Even as Jack thinks on this and how to explain it, there are gaps that he can't fully reach out to grasp. Whether they were never there in the first place or they're just bugs in his programming, it's when he thinks on a subject like this that he remembers most what he truly is. Even so, it's a strange disconnect that he denies at every chance. Objectively he may know he's not Handsome Jack, not truly, he still has so much of what made that man who he was. But still, that disconnect is something he wants to hide, because he feels the objective truth here didn't matter so much as his perception. ]
I dunno if you know about them-- No, probably not. But, there are people in the universe born with powers. Kind of-- I mean, think yours is different, but they can do impossible stuff like it seems like your powers can. It's why I asked about tattoos, actually. Thought for a second you might be one of them. But these people, we call them Sirens. There can only be six of them in the universe at any time, and they're born, not made, kiddo. My daughter, she's one of them. What they can do, it's all different, but-
[ Jack actually laughs here, and though it's short, it's fond. Proud, even. ]
Yeah, kiiiiind of ironic, like the universe is probably laughing its ass off here, but my Angel? Her powers let her work with tech like nothing I've ever seen. I'm amazing with tech, but my little girl, it's as natural for her as breathing. I mean-- I mean, if Angel could get into this station, we'd be en route back to wherever we all wanna go within a minute. Alice wouldn't stand a friggin' chance.
But like I said. They're born. Not made. And incredibly rare, even if they all end up on Pandora for some goddamn reason. So... It's not the kind of thing you find a mentor for. So far-- So far as I can figure, you just gotta learn how to use it yourself. But, I dunno, easier said than done.
[ This is where the story gets hard, clearly, but also... Less distinct. It's just an impression, a set of feelings about an event, but he can't recall them with any detail at all. He doesn't remember what happened, since that memory was never there for him in the first place. ]
Couldn't control it. Angel, she was just a kid. Little kid. And she killed her mom. My wife. I watched, and there was nothing I could do about it. And after? She didn't really understand what she'd done. I-- I don't know if she even really remembered it? But she would ask for her mom. She didn't understand what'd happened. And I tried for a while to just try and make sure it wouldn't happen again, but-- Y'know, I couldn't. I'm just a normal guy, and against a Siren, I've got no chance. So I at least made her a place where she'd be safe from other people, because there are a lot of people that want to get their hands on a Siren. But... also to make sure that my kid wouldn't become a murderer. And, you know, funny thing about that is? I've killed more people than I can count to make sure of that.
But one day, she won't need to stay locked up anymore. I mean, she'd been helping me get to that point where it would be safe for her, and for a hell of a lot of people. At least, well. That was the plan. Sounds like it didn't turn out like that at all in the end.
[ He sits up a bit straighter, taking a large sip of his coffee first. There are parts of the story he leave out, of course. Some of them intentionally, like just how much Vaults play into this story, but others not. It's the extent of his delusion that he doesn't even think about parts of this story: about Angel and Eridium, about the atrocities he'd committed that had nothing to do with it with a smile on his face, and so much more than that. Handsome Jack is the hero of the story, and in the real world, a hero doesn't just gloss over hard choices. In his mind, these don't come up at all, since they're just pieces of pain to pave the way for a greater good. They're irrelevant.
And that's where his charisma is so deep-seated. Even when Jack so obviously shows how insane and unhinged he is, there are the moments like this, the reasons and justifications that make him frighteningly human. ]
So... I just want you to know that. You can disagree. I mean, I'm not gonna lie here, it gets me pretty riled up, because, yeah, hard decision to make. Asshole decision to make. But I had to do it.
[ There's another pause, but this one is longer. Jack truly seems to be thinking over his words here, but when he speaks, they're nothing short of sincere. ]
Family-- That's important to me, Liz. And Angel most of all, because, man, it's the hardest thing in the world to explain, but the way I feel about my kid... It's not like anything else. I love her. With all my heart. And if you're giving me a chance to speak, yeah, that's what I want to get across.
no subject
Jack looks to her, though it's brief, since he's looking away thoughtfully almost as soon as she asks. There's a lot he could say. He knows that she's waiting for something he can say to bridge that kind of gap, and always a quick thinker, many things come to mind. But he pauses, because he wants to pick the right one. If there's one of those options that could get her bitterness to fade, that's the one he wants, but ultimately, he doesn't know. Maybe he can't make it fade. Maybe, he's starting to think, he'll never be able to put the words together right so that Elizabeth can understand that there was no other choice.
But if nothing else, he thinks that he would like Elizabeth to understand at least one thing. ]
—She wasn't always locked up.
[ His words are careful as he starts, since this is something that Jack never speaks of. Even people he knows very well, loves, they never hear about this. But that care comes from something else too. Even as Jack thinks on this and how to explain it, there are gaps that he can't fully reach out to grasp. Whether they were never there in the first place or they're just bugs in his programming, it's when he thinks on a subject like this that he remembers most what he truly is. Even so, it's a strange disconnect that he denies at every chance. Objectively he may know he's not Handsome Jack, not truly, he still has so much of what made that man who he was. But still, that disconnect is something he wants to hide, because he feels the objective truth here didn't matter so much as his perception. ]
I dunno if you know about them-- No, probably not. But, there are people in the universe born with powers. Kind of-- I mean, think yours is different, but they can do impossible stuff like it seems like your powers can. It's why I asked about tattoos, actually. Thought for a second you might be one of them. But these people, we call them Sirens. There can only be six of them in the universe at any time, and they're born, not made, kiddo. My daughter, she's one of them. What they can do, it's all different, but-
[ Jack actually laughs here, and though it's short, it's fond. Proud, even. ]
Yeah, kiiiiind of ironic, like the universe is probably laughing its ass off here, but my Angel? Her powers let her work with tech like nothing I've ever seen. I'm amazing with tech, but my little girl, it's as natural for her as breathing. I mean-- I mean, if Angel could get into this station, we'd be en route back to wherever we all wanna go within a minute. Alice wouldn't stand a friggin' chance.
But like I said. They're born. Not made. And incredibly rare, even if they all end up on Pandora for some goddamn reason. So... It's not the kind of thing you find a mentor for. So far-- So far as I can figure, you just gotta learn how to use it yourself. But, I dunno, easier said than done.
[ This is where the story gets hard, clearly, but also... Less distinct. It's just an impression, a set of feelings about an event, but he can't recall them with any detail at all. He doesn't remember what happened, since that memory was never there for him in the first place. ]
Couldn't control it. Angel, she was just a kid. Little kid. And she killed her mom. My wife. I watched, and there was nothing I could do about it. And after? She didn't really understand what she'd done. I-- I don't know if she even really remembered it? But she would ask for her mom. She didn't understand what'd happened. And I tried for a while to just try and make sure it wouldn't happen again, but-- Y'know, I couldn't. I'm just a normal guy, and against a Siren, I've got no chance. So I at least made her a place where she'd be safe from other people, because there are a lot of people that want to get their hands on a Siren. But... also to make sure that my kid wouldn't become a murderer. And, you know, funny thing about that is? I've killed more people than I can count to make sure of that.
But one day, she won't need to stay locked up anymore. I mean, she'd been helping me get to that point where it would be safe for her, and for a hell of a lot of people. At least, well. That was the plan. Sounds like it didn't turn out like that at all in the end.
[ He sits up a bit straighter, taking a large sip of his coffee first. There are parts of the story he leave out, of course. Some of them intentionally, like just how much Vaults play into this story, but others not. It's the extent of his delusion that he doesn't even think about parts of this story: about Angel and Eridium, about the atrocities he'd committed that had nothing to do with it with a smile on his face, and so much more than that. Handsome Jack is the hero of the story, and in the real world, a hero doesn't just gloss over hard choices. In his mind, these don't come up at all, since they're just pieces of pain to pave the way for a greater good. They're irrelevant.
And that's where his charisma is so deep-seated. Even when Jack so obviously shows how insane and unhinged he is, there are the moments like this, the reasons and justifications that make him frighteningly human. ]
So... I just want you to know that. You can disagree. I mean, I'm not gonna lie here, it gets me pretty riled up, because, yeah, hard decision to make. Asshole decision to make. But I had to do it.
[ There's another pause, but this one is longer. Jack truly seems to be thinking over his words here, but when he speaks, they're nothing short of sincere. ]
Family-- That's important to me, Liz. And Angel most of all, because, man, it's the hardest thing in the world to explain, but the way I feel about my kid... It's not like anything else. I love her. With all my heart. And if you're giving me a chance to speak, yeah, that's what I want to get across.