#fugitivecode

Industry galas were really just corporate pissing contests, so Rhys doubted he'd be missing much as he stepped onto the balcony in search of fresh air—and maybe to sober up a little. Old-money wannabe tyrants always drove him to open bars.

The hand on his arm surprised him. The owner of the hand, when he checked over his shoulder, could not have surprised him less.

"You.” He broke out a slow grin of disbelief. "Again. Can't find anybody in your own income bracket to play with?" One hand pushed up from the railing as he gripped Katagawa's lapel with the other—partly to steady himself, partly from the petty drive to crumple a stupidly expensive suit. "You’re obsessed! What do you think I’ll do if you follow me around enough? Invite you to a sleepover? Kiss you?"

Maybe it wasn't his best jab ever, but what bothered Rhys most wasn't his inability to send Katagawa to the burn ward. It was the fact it didn't seem like the worst idea he'd ever had. Katagawa was... he was always there. Rhys trusted him about as much as he trusted his ECHO's weather app, but at least Junior bothered speaking to the Atlas guy while everyone else made Rhys a punchline.

Rhys decided it definitely was the worst idea he'd ever had approximately halfway through realising he’d gone through with it. Well—almost. He'd bumped his lips to the corner of Katagawa's mouth, aim all off and nose brushing Katagawa's temple.

Sorry, was his first thought when he pulled away. Then he remembered that Katagawa was demonstrably awful, and did not deserve an apology for anything ever. "Yeah," he said instead, weakly. "Yeah, you... take that."

Katagawa Jr loved these kinds of parties, they were a great way of showing off. While he was catching his breath from talking some poor sob’s ear off when he noticed Rhys was out on the balcony,  Katagawa decided that it’d be good idea to go say hi.

It was a nice night out, Katagawa noted as he walked out and put his hand on Rhys’s arm to get his attention. “Income Bracket doesn’t mean their worth my time.”  Katagawa brushed off, his standards were higher than that. “AS if I wan-”

Before Katagawa could have tried to make a better burn (which honestly wouldn’t be hard) Rhys’s lips where on the corner of Katagawa’s mouth,  Katagawa could feel his face go a bit red.

she’s almost embarrassed to have rhys find her knife collection--- almost. given, she’s easily embarrassed and made sheepish by just about anything, but to be fair, she’d found those knives herself. fair and square. no killing, just panic-running to some boxes she found, grabbing what she could reach, and getting out. if she didn’t have those knives for protection, she likely could have died a lot sooner.

but for now, she was just rocking back and forth on her heels. rhys didn’t really have to be worried about offending a ‘pandoran’-- maya didn’t even really technically consider herself one. she only happened to live there by accidental necessity, and she already liked talking to him a lot more than others she could have been talking to, willingly or not.

A voice waking him from a dreamless desk-snooze (standard industry term) would've startled Rhys out of his sluggish haze, had it not been for his familiarity with the event, now. He cracked open his ECHOEye, mouth slack with his cheek resting on one outstretched arm, and furrowed his brow as much as his sleepy state would allow. "Huh? What? Angel—you're up." He reconsidered. "I guess—well, you don't -need- to sleep, but I thought you'd maybe... power down. Whadidyasay?"

   It’s been a while since she first introduced herself to Rhys and this has become an extremely familiar sight. She’s never met him in person -- interacting with him as she does with the others, an AI, means that he won’t find out about her secret ... but her face still shows up on his ECHOEye for a second.  She’s amused, chuckling softly at him.

     Her right hand held the gun, the barrel pointed at the male in front of her while her free hand remained by her side, gently tapping along her belt as she debated his sentence. The Sheriff’s hat lingered in front of her features, for the most part, it was probably a good thing too. There was bloodlust within those eyes and a grim expression as she eyed him curiously.

     ❝Oh? Do you?❞ Her voice was anything less than condescending, ❝Do you even know where you are?❞ Nisha raised a brow before gesturing with her free hand. ❝You’re in Lynchwood, doll. My turf.❞

            SHE’S LAYING ON THE FLOOR, staring upward with a bored expression while she stuffs a handful of candies she had brought from Earth into her mouth, she had just gotten through a rant about one thing or another and she needed a snack break before her temper started bubbling AGAIN.  How far has the hero fallen.

Katagawa Jr. wasn’t anyone anymore, betrayed by his family and thought dead  Katagawa had been left alone to die, but he didn’t he had made a new identity to be able to take revenge on Maliwan. But for now he needed to worry about making money, it did cost a lot for the things that let get back on his feet (like a new arms for one, being blown up does a lot to a body) and he’d need more money for his loftily ravage goals.

He had been hired for a new job, he hadn’t really looked closely at the details before agreeing just based off the pay, though when he went to building and saw it was someone in Atlas he going to be working for he felt a pit in his stomach. Which only grew when the front desk lady sent him in the elevator and he realized that it was going to where Rhys’s office was.

The elevator doors opened much to the horror of Katagawa to Rhys’s office, the  office of the guy who Katagawa had went to war with and tried to murder, who now it was his job to protect from any dangers, as Katagawa cursed his lack of reading what he signed up for the elevator doors closed with Katagawa still inside.

The last of the COV &  Maliwan’s forces had left Promethea,  Atlas was once again safe and Yvette decided to celebrate, and make sure that Rhys did too, he had dealt with a lot due to Maliwan and Yvette could tell that at least some of it got to him.

So with a ding from the elevator Yvette came into Rhys office, with a bottle of champagne.

"So," Rhys begins, then falters. As if being made to wait around somewhere as unpredictable as Sanctuary wasn't bad enough, they've apparently left him on babysitting duty. "Ava, right? You're... a child or young adult. How's that working out for you?"

   There’s a start of a sneer from the teen, but she stops it -- she can practically hear Maya complaining at her for being rude to Mr.Strongfork. Really, it’s not her fault that he’s a twink and his name sounds like a pun in some porno.  She grumbles softly, though, and crosses her arms. This would have to do.

“ -- I’m not a kid. I’m a teen. Didn’t Maya tell you that when she practically gave you the babysitting manual? I don’t need babysitting. ” She wants to be out there with Maya like a real Vault Hunter -- not sitting on Sanctuary with some CEO.

But as much as she wants to complain, the girl takes a long look at him.  This was the CEO of Atlas?