[When Tyzias finds Rex, the orange dome top is off, revealing a face that looks significantly younger out of costume. Reddish-brown hair is pulled tightly into an extremely douchey manbun, and if he has anything to say about it, no one else is ever going to see it down. One of his sleeves is off, and while he slips it back inside as soon as he jolts to attention, she will notice that it is bandaged.
And bloody.]
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
[Yet, he still has enough energy to be a mouthy piece of shit.]
Y'know for a place where the mess hall rules include, oh, I dunno, um, one final round of whack-o-mole? You miiiight wanna give a guy some kinda heads' up. That is all.
[Also so he doesn't deck her- He isn't sure what her particular skill set is, but a hit from a cybergenetically engineered supersoldier, power-nerfs or no, will definitely hurt. He was designed to kill, after all.]
Ugh, well, that was one helluva interdimensional shitshow.
[While that might sound like a dig, what follows after is surprisingly sincere.]
How are you holdin' up? Got any more space up there? Ah, fuck-
[He first taps his head, then pausing to move his hand to his heart. Different things.]
[Tyzias looks like she's having downright war flashbacks at Rex's manbun. Too many blackmailings. Too many legal fees. Brrrrrrrr.
Still, she's legitimately concerned when she spots his arm.] Shit, my guy, you good?
[And then of course Rex immediately treads all over Tyzias's empathy. She rolls her eyes. At least Tyzias recognizes that it's mostly bluster.]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll punch my head off. Whatever.
I'll admit, it was kind of a shitshow. At least we have something like a plan of action now, though.
[Tyzias is like a deer caught in the headlights when Rex offers some concern of his own.]
Not having any space up in my thinkpan has never stopped me from shoving more stuff in there, and my chromabeater being a yawning black void of despair has never stopped me from getting on with my day anyways.
Same as usual, essentially.
[She may sound droll, but Tyzias is being unfortunately sincere.]
...thanks for asking, for real. What about you, though?
[So she's an overthinker. He knows the type. Honestly, when he isn't filling his time with booty calls and drowning his misery in superhero-sized beer cans, he's one too. There's a reason that Rex spends oh-so-much of his precious and limited free time on supposedly useless distractions.]
Doesn't matter.
[Meaning: He's fucking miserablle.]
Sooo, uh.
I didn't wanna say this in front of the others 'cause they aren't used to stuff like this-
[He means being in danger, all the time, with death lurking behind every corner constantly-]
But, abilities. Powers! Super shit. Anything other than the muscle power or agility of your average human of whatever size build- They're all off, yeah?
[Here, his voice trails off a bit. There is a softness to it that doesn't rear its head often, suggesting that perhaps he isn't quite so macho in every corner of his daily life, as much as he'd like to keep up that farce.]
Powers like genetically enhanced super strength and um, magic, for example?
[He points to his own hand as an example, punctuating the super strength comment.]
Shouldn't be off at the same time. I mean! Think about it.
Like, the sources of all of that shit- Should be different right? Usually it's one or the other. So, to nix 'em? You've gotta be pulling all sortsa punches.
But they're all gone. Does that not seem... Like, majorly freaky-deaky to you? Hear me out.
[Rex waits and watches for her reaction.]
Edited (sorry 2 ur inbox omg) 2021-07-25 08:36 (UTC)
[Tyzias was, as far as these things go, normal back home. No psionics, no superstrength, nothing to miss when Jack shut off everyone's powers. Still, she curses herself for missing this obvious contradiction even though it's right in her blindspot.]
...if it was just shit like magic, stuff that relies on the rules of the world you came from, I could buy it. But you're right. Something fucky is going on here.
My bet is that he either messed with our bodies somehow or there's some special property in this station that suppresses powers. Like, when you wind up for a punch, the force of your own body has a super-powered impact but the station's field somehow blunts it when it hits so that it's a normal strength punch.
Either option isn't great. If it's A, he could've fucked with our bodies in ways we haven't found yet or even messed with our brains, and if it's B, he has a massive amount of control over the way reality works in this place. I don't like it.
[This wouldn't be the first time someone had opened him up. Perhaps Rex had gone willingly, if terrified, but he was a child then, and what sad, hungry little boy would ever say no to superpowers?]
Right.
[He tips his head at that.]
So, what-ever the fuck is happening? It's the major leagues. Which means-
[Rex is uncomfortable saying the following few words out loud.]
We can't rule out the big guns. Hallucinations, mind control? Compulsion? God, just thinkin' about it makes me wanna hurl.
Basically, if and uh, when everybody starts to turn on each other? We can't even really be sure that it's all them.
You see what they're doin' to us, right? Putting us in teams, splitting everybody up.
[With an air of sincere, existential horror and disdain-]
It's disgusting. Some of these kids are only, what, fourteen? That's a... Rough age. That means they'll listen to anybody, no matter how smart they might be.
[Tyzias isn't an idiot. She can hear the pain, the subtle implication, in Rex's voice.
That is the moment where, despite everything (including how big of an asshole he is), she decides to trust him fully.
She leans against the wall, contemplatively staring out the window into space as she replies.]
Bingo. You're smarter than you act most of the time, Rex. [That's a genuine compliment.]
...the system back home encouraged everyone to betray each other. Fuck, I've nearly been turned in for treason by a kid sweeps younger than me more times than I can count.
I don't blame her for it. She was scared, and convinced that nailing me for thoughtcrime was the only way to ensure her own safety. I blame the system that cornered her and made her think that way.
It's the same thing here. Whatever else happens, no matter what, I'm not going to blame anyone in this station except for Jack. He's our enemy. He's the one who put us here, he's the one who fucked with us, he's the one that's probably going to make everything worse soon. We can't afford to forget that no matter what he throws at us.
She has doubts as to whether he'll succeed given how much power Jack has over them, but...]
I'm terrible in a fight, but when the chips are down... I'll help. Have to at least try, you know.
[Tyzias has said a lot about Alternia these past few days. Frankly, having to explain it to a group of ignorant aliens who have no idea how deeply shit is fucked only makes it seem worse.]
...I don't have any illusions about me being able to make a change on Alternia. It's all too fucked for any one troll to tackle, and revolution, well. [Tyzias snorts.] The first big one got an entire caste permanently genocided and the last one got all the adults exiled from the planet. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can do better.
But someone, someday, in the future, will. And that's what I use to keep myself going. Carve a space out for that troll to be born, to survive, to know there's hope, to know that other people have tried. The chains of history bind us all, but they also reach into the future, one link at a time. And if a single link can change its direction even slightly so that, when the day comes, it doesn't bind but instead offers a way to climb up... I'll be satisfied.
In the meantime, I just gotta do as much good as I can.
God, no! We need to keep your brains on the inside of your skull, alright? Leave the heavy lifting to people like me, sounds like we've got enough of 'em. 'S what I'm built for, anyway.
[Rex, for all his chastizing verbiage, knows that Tyzias' head is important, invaluable. You can train whatever dummy and help them become as strong as they come, but tactics? Intellect? That's the real deal.
With wide eyes and a pair of now folded arms, Rex listens to what she has to say. It's a lot of information and terms that he doesn't understand, but the sentiment?
Oh, how he knows what she means, wholly and completely.]
I don't know how much good we can do if we're all equally fucked, but...
I'm gonna do my best. I don't...
[Want to die here.]
I don't wanna go out without trying.
This really sucks. You guys don't deserve this! Like, I risk dying every day, but I made that choice. That was me!
Oh thank fuck, I was just saying that to sound heroic and cool since that was the mood but I really would snap like a twig. I'd be better as a blunt force weapon, honestly.
[Listen. Tyzias knows the score.]
...yeah. Yeah, it's really not fair.
[Tyzias sticks out a hand.]
That's why we're here.
To being a pair of obstinate fuckers who don't know when to quit when they're behind.
[He may not say anything in reply, but Rex understands.
The mask, the cheap verbal shots, and all the pompous, overbearing posing- Like his hero skill set, it's all smoke and mirrors. He is alive after years of putting himself through hell because while he does care about the people whose lives he has been entrusted to protect, he knows when to bow out, provided that his ego doesn't get in the way.
It helps that he can take quite a few hits. She is not worth less for wanting to save herself, and in all honesty, who else will? For now, Rex will do his very best.]
Ayyyy! Hey, that's the thing about being an unlovable asshole.
We do the shit those cutesy-ass motherfuckers don't have the guts tah-do.
[That is "to-do" but um, Rex style pronunciation...
He balls his hand into a fist, offering it to her as well.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
After the meeting
Yo. You had something you wanted to talk about, right?
cw: spoilers for invincible, probably- past s1
And bloody.]
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
[Yet, he still has enough energy to be a mouthy piece of shit.]
Y'know for a place where the mess hall rules include, oh, I dunno, um, one final round of whack-o-mole? You miiiight wanna give a guy some kinda heads' up. That is all.
[Also so he doesn't deck her- He isn't sure what her particular skill set is, but a hit from a cybergenetically engineered supersoldier, power-nerfs or no, will definitely hurt. He was designed to kill, after all.]
Ugh, well, that was one helluva interdimensional shitshow.
[While that might sound like a dig, what follows after is surprisingly sincere.]
How are you holdin' up? Got any more space up there? Ah, fuck-
[He first taps his head, then pausing to move his hand to his heart. Different things.]
This. This is more important.
You good?
no subject
Still, she's legitimately concerned when she spots his arm.] Shit, my guy, you good?
[And then of course Rex immediately treads all over Tyzias's empathy. She rolls her eyes. At least Tyzias recognizes that it's mostly bluster.]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll punch my head off. Whatever.
I'll admit, it was kind of a shitshow. At least we have something like a plan of action now, though.
[Tyzias is like a deer caught in the headlights when Rex offers some concern of his own.]
Not having any space up in my thinkpan has never stopped me from shoving more stuff in there, and my chromabeater being a yawning black void of despair has never stopped me from getting on with my day anyways.
Same as usual, essentially.
[She may sound droll, but Tyzias is being unfortunately sincere.]
...thanks for asking, for real. What about you, though?
no subject
Doesn't matter.
[Meaning: He's fucking miserablle.]
Sooo, uh.
I didn't wanna say this in front of the others 'cause they aren't used to stuff like this-
[He means being in danger, all the time, with death lurking behind every corner constantly-]
But, abilities. Powers! Super shit. Anything other than the muscle power or agility of your average human of whatever size build- They're all off, yeah?
no subject
Yeah. Doesn't really affect me, but a lot of the others are pretty fucking shocked.
Why do you ask?
no subject
[Here, his voice trails off a bit. There is a softness to it that doesn't rear its head often, suggesting that perhaps he isn't quite so macho in every corner of his daily life, as much as he'd like to keep up that farce.]
Powers like genetically enhanced super strength and um, magic, for example?
[He points to his own hand as an example, punctuating the super strength comment.]
Shouldn't be off at the same time. I mean! Think about it.
Like, the sources of all of that shit- Should be different right? Usually it's one or the other. So, to nix 'em? You've gotta be pulling all sortsa punches.
But they're all gone. Does that not seem... Like, majorly freaky-deaky to you? Hear me out.
[Rex waits and watches for her reaction.]
no subject
...if it was just shit like magic, stuff that relies on the rules of the world you came from, I could buy it. But you're right. Something fucky is going on here.
My bet is that he either messed with our bodies somehow or there's some special property in this station that suppresses powers. Like, when you wind up for a punch, the force of your own body has a super-powered impact but the station's field somehow blunts it when it hits so that it's a normal strength punch.
Either option isn't great. If it's A, he could've fucked with our bodies in ways we haven't found yet or even messed with our brains, and if it's B, he has a massive amount of control over the way reality works in this place. I don't like it.
cw: body horror
Right.
[He tips his head at that.]
So, what-ever the fuck is happening? It's the major leagues. Which means-
[Rex is uncomfortable saying the following few words out loud.]
We can't rule out the big guns. Hallucinations, mind control? Compulsion? God, just thinkin' about it makes me wanna hurl.
Basically, if and uh, when everybody starts to turn on each other? We can't even really be sure that it's all them.
You see what they're doin' to us, right? Putting us in teams, splitting everybody up.
[With an air of sincere, existential horror and disdain-]
It's disgusting. Some of these kids are only, what, fourteen? That's a... Rough age. That means they'll listen to anybody, no matter how smart they might be.
Re: cw: body horror
That is the moment where, despite everything (including how big of an asshole he is), she decides to trust him fully.
She leans against the wall, contemplatively staring out the window into space as she replies.]
Bingo. You're smarter than you act most of the time, Rex. [That's a genuine compliment.]
...the system back home encouraged everyone to betray each other. Fuck, I've nearly been turned in for treason by a kid sweeps younger than me more times than I can count.
I don't blame her for it. She was scared, and convinced that nailing me for thoughtcrime was the only way to ensure her own safety. I blame the system that cornered her and made her think that way.
It's the same thing here. Whatever else happens, no matter what, I'm not going to blame anyone in this station except for Jack. He's our enemy. He's the one who put us here, he's the one who fucked with us, he's the one that's probably going to make everything worse soon. We can't afford to forget that no matter what he throws at us.
...I just hope there's a way to protect the kids.
no subject
I'll do it.
[Rex says that with a fiery, resounding sort of determination.]
No one's touching the little ones as long as I've got something to say about it. And, huh, as we both know? I've got a hell of a lot to say.
[Oh, but look! More actual empathy, even if the mention of hurting kids has made him extra grumpy-]
It's messed up, what those kinds of places do to everybody.
I mean, who wouldn't go crazy? It's nice of you to give whoever that was the benefit of the doubt, though.
Shit's fucked.
no subject
She has doubts as to whether he'll succeed given how much power Jack has over them, but...]
I'm terrible in a fight, but when the chips are down... I'll help. Have to at least try, you know.
[Tyzias has said a lot about Alternia these past few days. Frankly, having to explain it to a group of ignorant aliens who have no idea how deeply shit is fucked only makes it seem worse.]
...I don't have any illusions about me being able to make a change on Alternia. It's all too fucked for any one troll to tackle, and revolution, well. [Tyzias snorts.] The first big one got an entire caste permanently genocided and the last one got all the adults exiled from the planet. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can do better.
But someone, someday, in the future, will. And that's what I use to keep myself going. Carve a space out for that troll to be born, to survive, to know there's hope, to know that other people have tried. The chains of history bind us all, but they also reach into the future, one link at a time. And if a single link can change its direction even slightly so that, when the day comes, it doesn't bind but instead offers a way to climb up... I'll be satisfied.
In the meantime, I just gotta do as much good as I can.
no subject
[Rex, for all his chastizing verbiage, knows that Tyzias' head is important, invaluable. You can train whatever dummy and help them become as strong as they come, but tactics? Intellect? That's the real deal.
With wide eyes and a pair of now folded arms, Rex listens to what she has to say. It's a lot of information and terms that he doesn't understand, but the sentiment?
Oh, how he knows what she means, wholly and completely.]
I don't know how much good we can do if we're all equally fucked, but...
I'm gonna do my best. I don't...
[Want to die here.]
I don't wanna go out without trying.
This really sucks. You guys don't deserve this! Like, I risk dying every day, but I made that choice. That was me!
[Well, sort of.]
It's not fair.
no subject
[Listen. Tyzias knows the score.]
...yeah. Yeah, it's really not fair.
[Tyzias sticks out a hand.]
That's why we're here.
To being a pair of obstinate fuckers who don't know when to quit when they're behind.
no subject
The mask, the cheap verbal shots, and all the pompous, overbearing posing- Like his hero skill set, it's all smoke and mirrors. He is alive after years of putting himself through hell because while he does care about the people whose lives he has been entrusted to protect, he knows when to bow out, provided that his ego doesn't get in the way.
It helps that he can take quite a few hits. She is not worth less for wanting to save herself, and in all honesty, who else will? For now, Rex will do his very best.]
Ayyyy! Hey, that's the thing about being an unlovable asshole.
We do the shit those cutesy-ass motherfuckers don't have the guts tah-do.
[That is "to-do" but um, Rex style pronunciation...
He balls his hand into a fist, offering it to her as well.]
Up top!
[#bitchonbitch solidarity]
end thread?
But, eh, fuck it. Why not?]
Up top.
[Tyzias then spent a day in the infirmary for dislocating her shoulder.]
End thread!