[It takes Jack a second, just as long as it takes for him to remember where he glanced that name, and realize whose notes it was on, and what those notes were about, and which wall he found them on.
Jack's knowledge about conditioning is simultaneously faint and far too intimate - if you've made a machine out of a man, the easiest way of keeping the controls out of his hands is by keeping him from knowing they exist at all. But he's aware now, and unchained from them, and no amount of distance will be enough to make him forget what it felt like to respond unconsciously to a simple phrase.]
Similar fashions do abound, it seems. [a humorless smile] Though, it's more... When you've figured out the pattern, that those who speak most kindly are the ones that will be the most cruel, you start hoping the next one opens by striking you across the face.
[Well, right broadly, wrong specifically about the 'joke', maybe. But at the same time... He's already felt once what it was like to nearly hear 'would you kindly', and he imagines - no, he knows if he'd been approached on this ship by someone full of confidence and promises to steer him right and look out for him and they'll both make it out of this just fine --
Well, he'd also want to skip to the part where they're hopped up and screaming at him over a radio.]
Ah... Yeah, I get you.
[Still, some remembered exhaustion sinks over Jack's features as he speaks. Or commiserates?]
Not that it's any less fucking obnoxious when they're upfront with it.
I'm sorry you went through that. Getting literally controlled, or just jerked around emotionally. It's fucking awful to go through.
[There, condolences offered, and even if it's just a fraction of what the Captain went through, it's offered from experience and not just a blanket sentiment.]
[Okay, great, because even saying that much turned out to be more emotionally open with his life experiences than Jack was ready for, so Jack's also looking at an interesting spot on the wall a little to the left of the Captain.]
Uh, yeah. So uh -
[Nope, not going to say thanks out of reflex, but also how do you exit a conversation like this?]
- catch you later.
[Great, flawless, excellent, fantastic, perfect work, Jack turns and walks away at a not-at-all awkward pace.]
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Jack's knowledge about conditioning is simultaneously faint and far too intimate - if you've made a machine out of a man, the easiest way of keeping the controls out of his hands is by keeping him from knowing they exist at all. But he's aware now, and unchained from them, and no amount of distance will be enough to make him forget what it felt like to respond unconsciously to a simple phrase.]
Jesus christ, you too?
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Well, he'd also want to skip to the part where they're hopped up and screaming at him over a radio.]
Ah... Yeah, I get you.
[Still, some remembered exhaustion sinks over Jack's features as he speaks. Or commiserates?]
Not that it's any less fucking obnoxious when they're upfront with it.
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I think you're fine to generalize if you're pulling from hundreds of examples.
[... A beat.]
Do apologies or - condolences fall in the same box as saying thanks?
[Y'know, just so he doesn't make it worse for the guy.]
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[it is, in fact, a secret third thing.]
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[He shrugs, and fuck it, here goes nothing:]
I'm sorry you went through that. Getting literally controlled, or just jerked around emotionally. It's fucking awful to go through.
[There, condolences offered, and even if it's just a fraction of what the Captain went through, it's offered from experience and not just a blanket sentiment.]
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shrugs.]
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Uh, yeah. So uh -
[Nope, not going to say thanks out of reflex, but also how do you exit a conversation like this?]
- catch you later.
[Great, flawless, excellent, fantastic, perfect work, Jack turns and walks away at a not-at-all awkward pace.]