12 October 3:14 pm EST.beingtwofoldOctober 13 2009, 04:19:46 UTC
Henry has absolutely no idea when it's evening in Gilboa, so he guesses by the time difference between Boston and Jerusalem; this is seven hours and means when he calls (in the early afternoon, when he feels the most stable if he ever does at all) it should be a little after 10 P.M.
Does Henry have a custom ringtone on Jack's phone? Is it hilarious? Either way it's ...ringing.
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.dugdowndeepOctober 13 2009, 04:46:43 UTC
Henry does, in fact, have a custom ringtone, something ridiculously peppy that sounds remarkably like this. It takes him a few rings to answer, and when he does there's a moment of muffled background noise, which cuts off abruptly with the close of a door.
"Henry. How are things?" There's stress in his voice, but he's clearly trying to ignore that and offer forth a happier tone.
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.beingtwofoldOctober 13 2009, 05:02:49 UTC
Henry has mostly quit laughing by the time Jack answers, which is best; his laughter always has a slightly hysterical edge to it lately. "Hello, Jack. They've- been better, if we're being honest."
These two rarely are, or maybe such as both of them exist in so many pieces, they are as much as they're respectively permitted.
Background noise on Henry's end is perhaps notably completely absent. Minimal pleasantries are probably going to be a theme here, but: "How is the monarchy?"
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.dugdowndeepOctober 13 2009, 06:46:07 UTC
"Unpopular, but I'll spare you the details." Which is to say, he would rather not elaborate, really. There isn't a nice way to explain what he's doing without telling Henry the same lies he's telling the court, and Jack is about tapped out of clever obfuscations for the day.
"I'm not ungrateful for a distraction, though. Is your trip going alright?" There's a note of concern, carefully controlled -- and he is concerned, but he's only showing it as a prompt for elaboration. The trial has him micromanaging his behavior infinitely more than usual, sorry Henry.
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.beingtwofoldOctober 13 2009, 11:51:21 UTC
Henry if he knew would be appreciative; he is himself quite tired of his 'business trip.' He lets the state of the monarchy pass, given that he wouldn't ...understand the details, probably, and furthermore if they're being honest (in any sense) he worries about Jack like always, but isn't sparing him much in the way of coherent thought.
Later he'll feel terrible for that! At the moment he has the issue of going mad to deal with. "I'm home now, actually, this is in reference to the usual pipe dream."
That's a new way to refer to what he does, goodness. He wonders with a certain apathy if his voice really sounds as stable as he thinks it does.
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.dugdowndeepOctober 14 2009, 05:48:12 UTC
"Your work?" That...concerns him more, particularly when Henry puts it like that. "You know anything I can do to help there, just name it."
The fact that Henry is even calling him, when he hasn't called other days, even after losing his job and all his funding, is enough to make Jack pay attention. It's always harder to read people over the phone, but one perverse benefit of spending the day ferreting out a man's weaknesses to crucify him in court is, he's tuned in to notice these little slips.
Then again, it's late, he's had a long day, and how much trouble can Henry really be in? (Answer: pfffha.)
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.beingtwofoldOctober 14 2009, 06:16:27 UTC
In all of this Henry has asked very little from anyone, and the fact that it is so difficult to do this now, even to Jack, who he can honestly say that he trusts, whether that is for good or ill (he thinks it is, that Jack needs someone to trust him, but sometimes they are so alike he's never sure whether he's projecting or not), speaks less to pride and more than he has simply existed so long in a state of self-imposed self-reliance he almost doesn't know how any more.
But desperate times, etc etc. (Pfffha.) "Do you remember when we discussed it might be beneficial for me to see what your own country is doing in this field? I'd like to see that now, if I might. I've- hit something of a snag."
Re: 12 October 3:14 pm EST.dugdowndeepOctober 15 2009, 00:06:46 UTC
He makes a sympathetic "Oh" at the snag. "Certainly. That's been in the works, of course, but with a little leaning I can have a thorough report in..." there's shuffling in the background while he pulls out some papers, "Well, however soon you need it. Give me a deadline."
Like it's simple, he says that, though it isn't. He could have accomplished this much more smoothly when he was still on Michelle's good side. Right now he has power in fearsome amounts; he can get people out of bed and working through the night if he has to, but those people won't necessarily do their best work for him. She has a repertoire with the healthcare industry that he can't mimic. And he can't imagine she'll be eager to help a friend of his while he's busy putting her lover before the firing squad.
But these are limitations, not obstacles; he can get it done. Henry is right, at least, that it means something to Jack to be trusted with this--something good for once, instead of just other people's dirty work. Though he has to wonder about the sudden rush
Does Henry have a custom ringtone on Jack's phone? Is it hilarious? Either way it's ...ringing.
Reply
"Henry. How are things?" There's stress in his voice, but he's clearly trying to ignore that and offer forth a happier tone.
Reply
These two rarely are, or maybe such as both of them exist in so many pieces, they are as much as they're respectively permitted.
Background noise on Henry's end is perhaps notably completely absent. Minimal pleasantries are probably going to be a theme here, but: "How is the monarchy?"
Reply
"I'm not ungrateful for a distraction, though. Is your trip going alright?" There's a note of concern, carefully controlled -- and he is concerned, but he's only showing it as a prompt for elaboration. The trial has him micromanaging his behavior infinitely more than usual, sorry Henry.
Reply
Later he'll feel terrible for that! At the moment he has the issue of going mad to deal with. "I'm home now, actually, this is in reference to the usual pipe dream."
That's a new way to refer to what he does, goodness. He wonders with a certain apathy if his voice really sounds as stable as he thinks it does.
Reply
The fact that Henry is even calling him, when he hasn't called other days, even after losing his job and all his funding, is enough to make Jack pay attention. It's always harder to read people over the phone, but one perverse benefit of spending the day ferreting out a man's weaknesses to crucify him in court is, he's tuned in to notice these little slips.
Then again, it's late, he's had a long day, and how much trouble can Henry really be in? (Answer: pfffha.)
Reply
But desperate times, etc etc. (Pfffha.) "Do you remember when we discussed it might be beneficial for me to see what your own country is doing in this field? I'd like to see that now, if I might. I've- hit something of a snag."
Pfffha.
Reply
Like it's simple, he says that, though it isn't. He could have accomplished this much more smoothly when he was still on Michelle's good side. Right now he has power in fearsome amounts; he can get people out of bed and working through the night if he has to, but those people won't necessarily do their best work for him. She has a repertoire with the healthcare industry that he can't mimic. And he can't imagine she'll be eager to help a friend of his while he's busy putting her lover before the firing squad.
But these are limitations, not obstacles; he can get it done. Henry is right, at least, that it means something to Jack to be trusted with this--something good for once, instead of just other people's dirty work. Though he has to wonder about the sudden rush
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