tushanshu | 004 ♒ Audio & Text [Atlantean], Encrypted

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004 ♒ Audio & Text [Atlantean], Encrypted

[Encrypted Audio to anyone who might have known Mera or anyone on fairly good terms with Arthur, 60%]
[Arthur just sounds... tired. Resigned. He doesn't mince words trying to break the news gently, because he's the one who cares the most anyway.] Mera, my wife, has disappeared from Keeliai.

[Encrypted Audio to Kal-El/Superman, 80%]
I need to talk to you.

[Encrypted Text to Kaldur'ahm, Written Atlantean, Hackable]
[Feel free to have your character hack his text, but if they do, all they'll come up with is a bunch of odd symbols and glyphs arranged into what are possibly words. Atlantean is a fairly difficult language to parse through.]

Mera is... gone. There was no trace of her this morning, and I can't find her mental signature. Please come by when you get a chance, Kaldur, we need to talk about something important.

[ooc: He's being an antisocial douchebag, but anybody who knows him is absolutely welcome to just come by his place in the Water Sector. The first audio post I'm leaving pretty open-ended on purpose, feel free to just assume your character was included if they know him or Mera, or know OF them. Also feel free to hack it, it's all good.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tony tries to look innocent when Arthur gives him that suspicious look, but he mostly ends up giving him a guilty smile like a bashful kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner. He means well, though, and it seems Arthur understands that. As long as he's forgiven, then it'll be okay.]

No, of course not. She wouldn't go if she had a choice, and I'm sure you're all right. But sometimes it helps to have someone to talk to.

[Just in case. Qualifications perhaps notwithstanding since he's not the best option out there, but he does care.]

[Arthur only rolls his eyes slightly at the look, but he doesn't seem angry. He's calmed down a lot in his old age. Besides, it's the sort of thing Garth would have done for him, and he just can't make himself be angry when he thinks that.]

No, she wouldn't have. We were in a good place. Better than we'd been in years, honestly. [He breathes out a quiet sigh.] Want something to drink? I have... [A pause. What the hell does he have?] Tea? Something.

I don't think I really need the therapy, but thank you.

[Arthur takes the intrusion better than Tony expected, and his smile in response to that is hopeful. He honestly does want to help, even if he doesn't actually know much about the Atlantean other than very basic information and the accidental slip into his dream.]

Come on. Do I look like a therapist? I'm just dropping by to see if anything important turned up. You don't know what might be a key to getting us back.

[That isn't entirely a lie, right? There could be something useful to learn by checking in with Arthur and he's not trying to be his therapist. Tony just wants to be his friend.]

Sometimes it's just... nice to have the company. [Because he gets lonely, so he's guessing that Arthur might too.]

[He takes the flimsy excuse and waves a hand at the place; his suite looks pretty normal (if very marine in decorations, judging from the seashells and little trinkets from sunken cities) except for the massive, six foot tall turtle egg.] Feel free to have a look, then. Nothing was disturbed, though.

...Sometimes it is, yes. [Yeah, he does get lonely sometimes. Well, he didn't when Mera was around, but now that she's gone... There are only a few people he really considers friends.]

[Tony smiles as if he's won some kind of unspoken debate on the subject. He does look around, although with his hands in his pockets, Tony looks more like a lost kid than someone investigating a disappearance.]

You've got a nice place. [He says that decisively. Because Arthur needs to be informed of this.]

So you have one of those things? What are you doing to name it?

[He's starting out with small talk, but that seems like the best plan. After all, he really does just want to try to cheer the man up.]

Do you think it'll grow up thinking it's Atlantean? He? She?

[It's not lost on Arthur that Tony doesn't seem to be doing much investigating, but that's alright. He doesn't really mind Tony. He's been respectful and even pleasant to be around, so there really isn't anything to mind.] It's alright. I don't have much use for all the space. [The upstairs is nearly untouched. And probably kinda dusty.]

It would be presumptuous of me to name it. If this kind don't choose their own names, then it should likely be Asti who names his kin. [Almost unconsciously, he steps a bit closer to the egg, reaching out a hand to touch the shell.] I doubt it has any concept of that. I can only communicate simple thoughts to it, feelings, vague images. That's all I get in return as well.

You're just not making use of it. There's a lot of potential there if you give it a chance.

[Not that he really thinks Arthur has to. If he wanted to, Tony is sure that the Atlantean would come up with something.Tony imitates the gesture as Arthur touches the egg, but as expected he doesn't seem to get much from that. Mostly he just looks curious.]

What's wrong with a nickname? You're basically its dad, right?

There's plenty of space in the sea, this will always be a fishbowl. [He's used to having all the space in the world, nearly literally, to swim around in. And besides, he doesn't care much about this place with no wife here to share it with.]

In a sense, I suppose. [He thinks back to Porm, and how she took him in to her pod when he was alone.] But I still don't know its people's customs when it comes to naming. I want to respect Asti's kind.

[Tony doesn't say anything to the first statement. It's true enough. The world seems to be made of fishbowls that only limit people like Arthur. They're all subject to public opinions and expectations, and those are things that some people, good people, don't deserve to have put on them. That's a truth Tony can't change.

But the second part makes him smile. He looks at the egg and, after a pause, lightly runs the tips of his fingers over the edge.]

If it were me, I'd want to be given a name by someone that cared about me. Even if it was an adopted name. Knowing that someone thought enough about me to want to call me... something always means a lot. That sort of thing is universal.

Edited 2013-12-03 13:51 (UTC)

[Tony has a point, really. Arthur is hardly one to talk, he's got so many names no one ever runs out of things to call him by - Orin, Arthur Curry, Aquaman, King of the Seas, Swimmer... He remembers feeling accepted in the pod when Porm gave him a name in their own tongue.] Maybe you're right. Still, a name might be too complicated a thought to try and communicate. We only seem to manage feelings, vague images. I imagine even that will be harder as it gets closer to hatching.

He'll get it. Don't worry about that.

[Tony actually sounds confident this time. There are a lot of matters outside of technical knowledge that he isn't very good at--most of them involving relationships and commitments--but this one thing he knows.]

You don't need language to communicate caring. That's its own thing.

[Arthur just smiles a little wryly at that. He's not sure about communicating names considering the limits to his telepathy with this particular species of turtle, but it's a nice sentiment from Tony, and he won't pop his bubble.] Perhaps.

I know that much. It's hard to describe the telepathic connection with it, but it does get feelings.

[Tony smiles, trying to be encouraging. He knows that it might not be the best comfort, but he's giving what he can. And part of him really does think it'll be fine even if they can't really communicate. The effort makes all the difference.]

Well, it'll get yours. Call it what you want to call it. If he ends up picking a name later, at least you got him started.

[Arthur snorts lightly in mild amusement, but he does find the whole encouragement thing endearing (if you can even use that word for two grown men, he's guessing no).]

I suppose it will have Uncle Tony to blame for whatever I call it, then. [He says it lightly, and his tone is a bit teasing almost.] Would you like to feel it?

[Tony actually looks startled by that question.]

Who, me? I don't... I mean, it's your egg. Son. Daughter.

[Turtle. Just say turtle.]

Let's not curse him or her by calling me its parent. [Bad things happen to his children, sadly.] It's an interesting experience, and telepathic contact isn't possible with them when they're older, but if you'd rather not, that's fine.

Why would you say that? You're a great egg parent. I'm sure he or she loves you.

[And Tony actually looks a little nervous.]

I'm not saying no. I just- Are you sure about this? I don't want to end up causing problems from mental exposure. What if it doesn't take?

Let's just not. [He doesn't really want to talk about his three dead sons. It's a real conversation killer, and it's not something he wants to bring up when he's already missing Mera too.]

It will be filtered through me, no direct contact. No harm will be done to anyone. [His fingers trace the smooth surface of the shell idly.] Honestly, I'm... curious, what someone else would think about it. An associate of mine was suspicious that the eggs were- traps, plants by the creature, something, and I know my judgement here is a little bit compromised.

[Uh oh. Tony senses that touchy response and braces himself for it. He's been in hot water enough times to know when he's crossing the line. Thankfully, it seems Arthur is willing to just push past that. For the moment he can edge around it.]

Okay, just- don't push too hard. If you think anything feels off, then pull back. No reason to push out luck yet.

[See? He can be responsible.]

That said, I would like to know more about what we're dealing with. Maybe your associate has a point. Or maybe we're just paranoid being out of our elements here... It doesn't hurt to double check.

Understood. I know my limits. [He seems a little hesitant about the whole thing, though. He does want Tony's opinion, because the thought has been nagging at the back of his mind, but he doesn't want it to be true. This whole thing, new hope, new life in this world, being a part of it, it means a lot to him, especially now, with his wife gone and his only family left his protege from another timeline. But his practical side says another opinion will be good.]

He could. Or he could be excessively paranoid, as usual. Either way, I... would appreciate a second opinion. Whenever I'm near it, it- has an effect rather like sitting atop Asti's head. The calming effect. [He sighs softly and fixes his eyes on the shell of the egg, hand pressed against it. When he speaks, it's quieter, an almost guilty sounding admission. Maybe it's easier to say these kinds of things to Tony, who was relatively open with him in the dream world.] I'm not capable of neutrality here. I want this to be the real thing.

[Tony almost says something thoughtless. A joke to go with Arthur's statement about limits, because it's Tony and he always has a comeback for that. But the next part, the more serious and somewhat strained expression Arthur gets when he talks about the egg, cuts him off before the words escape.

He might be a jerk--and a real bastard at times--but he's not so much of a bastard that he can't feel something for the man who can make an expression like that with such a strong admission.

His own expression softens and he places a hand on Arthur's shoulder.]

Anyone would. Don't write everything off just yet. Answers first. We'll work the rest out later.

[This is probably the most honest Arthur has been with Tony, and really, it's the most honest he's been in general to anyone who isn't his wife. It's an accomplishment for Tony, anyway, because maybe Arthur wouldn't trust him completely (there are few outside his family that he would), but he trusts him some. Enough.]

Of course. This is just to see if you can pick up on anything I might be otherwise blinded to. Shall we?

[It's enough that he trusts him at all. Tony is hard to please and easily pleased at the same time. It's just one of those frustrating traits that makes him one of the less favored Avengers. At the moment, he's glad that he managed to earn some of Arthur's confidence. He feels as though he has possibly earned a little more trust from the Atlantean. It makes his response slightly more upbeat and affectionate, even though he knows Arthur might not appreciate his brand of entertainment.]

Hit me with your best shot.

[Arthur tends to be one of the less favored Leaguers too, probably because of his temper and the fact that he demands some modicum of respect be paid to him before he'll pay it out in return. Respect and trust have to be earned, though, and Tony has definitely earned it from Arthur.

He doesn't get the reference, and just nods, one hand still pressed to the warm shell of the egg before he reaches out mentally to Tony - it's a fuzzy connection, a light brush, not as strong as with a real telepath, since he has to go through the parts of the brain closest to marine anatomy (comic book science). The connection is surface-level, and would probably be easy to shrug off or wall out if Tony wanted to; it's basic telepathic etiquette not to go traipsing about in someone's mind and Arthur sticks to that. What he transmits is what he gets from the egg, a feeling of calm, thoughts of safe happy loved content warm, though it's like feeling it through a fog, like a static-y TV set with the antenna a little bit awry.]

It feels genuine to me. [A simple thought transmitted, a soft admission, and the weight of it seems more obvious like this, more naked. He knows he should be unbiased and try to see things for what they are, but it feels so incredibly real to him.]

[Tony doesn't expect him to get the reference. He likes it when people do, but half the time he throws the references and jokes out purely for himself. It keeps him from getting too nervous or thinking too much about what's about to happen.

The link Arthur makes is surprisingly comfortable. Tony's initial urge to resist soon quiets into mental acceptance. He's still a little withdrawn, but that is covered up by another feeling, curiosity, as he takes in the foreign thoughts.]

Everything feels genuine at the time. We just don't know better.

[His answer is mild, not really disagreeing with Arthur in his observation.]

Do you do this a lot?

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