It’s been a good six months for Rhys: spending time in a new, bandit-free and
amenity-abundant city, making friends that had a very, very low chance of stabbing
him in the back, and most importantly, finally being free of the digital plague that
wrought an undesired havoc amongst his friends and his mind. Now, Rhys was simply
basking in his freedom, with only the occasional pangs of homesickness striking him
every so often. He could venture throughout the city, never really getting over its
uniqueness, and do as he please without worry.
That is, until a strikingly familiar voice calls out to him from a short distance away.
He’s momentarily locked in place, attention pulled from whatever was going through
his mind at that second as he can only focus on this man, right here, approaching
without hesitation. How he was able to recognize him for one of his own employees,
Rhys wouldn’t know ( or maybe he did, but really now. ), but god if he wasn’t too
dumbstruck to think clearly.
Hands trembling, mismatched eyes sweep over the visage of this man before him,
whom of which is very irritated, very in his face, and most definitely living and in the
flesh. Rhys honestly wasn’t sure how to react aside from gawking and wanting to
take a much-needed step away from Jack, though he’s interacted with some form of
him long enough to know that showing cowardice was the worst possible thing one
could do.
⟨ I-I-- Hhhhah, wh-- How is this. I don’t---, ⟩ is the most he can stand to mutter out
when faced with someone who should be referred to as a ghost at the moment. For
a good second, Rhys thought he was just seeing and hearing things, certainly not
unlike that fated encounter in a rundown Atlas facility so many months ago.
Talk about the worst and most unwelcome case of deja vu, right? Nonetheless, Rhys
straightens up as best as he can in the face of kinda, maybe, probably certain death
in order to respond.
⟨ Y-Your in Koi, Jack. Some city on some planet I don’t know the n-name of or
anything. ⟩ He swallows hard as he does his best to gather some words, hoping to
rearrange them into a coherent sentence for his superior. ⟨ As for why you’re here.
I... I don’t know. I’m sorry...? ⟩