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.]

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[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?

[He doesn't blame Tony for being withdrawn. He can pick up on it a bit, but he doesn't push; he doesn't need to, because he isn't trying to get anything from him, just filtering something to him for his judgement. Arthur doesn't exactly need to delve into Tony's head for that, and he personally doesn't care if Tony happens to get anything from him on accident. A telepathic connection is honesty, in a way, and trust.]

Talk to the egg, yes. Relay what I get from it to other people... no. [He shrugs slightly, glancing toward the luminous shell again.] I want to think I would be able to tell, if it was some sort of construct, or tainted. When it comes to sea life, I can always tell.

[Tony tends to withdraw from telepathic communication because he's uncomfortable giving that trust. He's been burned enough times by people he wanted to trust that now he can't help but suspect others, even when he tries not to. It's an ingrained habit. And the instinct has proven helpful time and again.

But this time he's making a concentrated effort to open up and listen. Because it's for Arthur, and he does want to help Arthur.]

What if it's an imitation of normal sea life? Then it would feel right because of that.

[He keeps his voice soft, still not really judging despite what he's saying.]

[It's appreciated. He appreciates that Tony will listen to him without judging him, without lording over him that he might be wrong. Figuring this out is what's important, not who is right or who knows more or who is the most cautious and paranoid. He couldn't tell this to Bruce, maybe he couldn't even tell this to Kal or Barry, but Tony's been in his head before. It's alright.

As soon as he's relayed the feelings and thoughts from the egg, he withdraws, gently breaking off the connection, which was tenuous anyway. He's just not as good a telepath as others, with land beings.]

That's what I'm afraid of, that I could be wrong. That I could mess this up by being too sure of myself. Neptune knows that's happened before, and with Kaldur here, I can't let that happen again.

[Tony's arrogance and conceited tendencies are confined to specific venues. He is competitive, and he does tend to show off and be a smug bastard about what he knows, but he's learned that there are things he doesn't know. He's learned in his own way to pick his battles, and that as smart as he is, he's not a god, or a super-soldier, or even a warrior. When most of your associates are more trained than you are, being a spoiled rich kid who happens to have technological genius still comes in second.

In short, Tony Stark has learned the meaning of deference.]

It... feels good. [His answer is calm and reassuring, but not completely committal. He pauses, choosing each word carefully.]

It's hard to trust a feeling like that. Sometimes even harder than trusting a known danger. Because I think if it's too good, it's easy to forget how bad things can get. You want to trust it. But you aren't necessarily wrong here. Just, just be careful.

[It's a good skill, knowing when to step back and be humble about your own abilities and limitations. It's something Arthur had to learn himself, when he was younger. And it's what he's doing now, admitting that he doesn't know, that he can't be sure. They're on the same page of not-knowing, and he's grateful for that, at least. It's not like he expects anyone to have the answers.]

It is. And I remember when my life was so great I didn't think anything could ever go wrong. [He breathes out quietly.] I will be careful, I know what could go wrong... I just don't think I can lose another child.

[Tony isn't the most adept person for dealing with personal situations. He knows that, and while he generally tries to help anyway, he isn't going to claim to be anyone's first choice for confiding feelings. What Arthur says catches him off guard, and he can't help but look genuinely surprised and dismayed by that admission. Maybe other heroes with more training would take that better, but for him, it's a grave statement.]

No one wants this to be a trick. [He feels like he has to assure him of that.] I can't promise you there won't be losses, but the entire city is making sure that the eggs aren't part of them. We'll be careful. That's why we have each other's backs.

[He offers Arthur a faint smile.] Whatever happens, we'll figure it out, okay?

[Arthur has a hard time connecting to people who aren't his family, but Tony makes it... not easy, but easier. The lack of judgement, the relative lack of ego, that's what does it.] I know. Thank you, for the help. For the second opinion. I want to trust it, I know that much about myself, so an unbiased look at things is... helpful.

[Tony's ego is always there. It's a steady part of his being, and he's never really going to be rid of it. It's part of his nature, part of being a genius who has always been at the top of life.

But he's aware of it. And he tries, as much as he can, to keep it in check. It doesn't define who he is. He wants more than anything to make sure other things, people, come before that.]

You don't have to thank me. I'm not sure I really did anything helpful.

[He shrugs with an unassuming smile. Despite himself, he's pleased at getting the compliment of sorts from Arthur.]

I'll be here if you need anything from me. That's what I'm good at.

[Tony's ego is a lot easier to deal with than some of the other League members'. That alone makes him appreciative, because the whole alpha male thing can be exhausting.]

You did, though. A second opinion helps. [He smiles slightly.] The offer extends the other way, too. If you ever need anything from me, just ask.

Well, thank you. If I ever need your help, I'll be sure to ask. I trust you.

[Tony isn't as fond of the alpha male competitions as he is of playing the business game. It's easier for him to get cooperation by negotiating than fighting. He's a businessman at heart.]

Likewise. [There's a mutual respect here that he appreciates, and he does trust Tony, at least as much as he trusts anyone that isn't his family. Tony is a businessman and Arthur is a diplomat, and really, somehow that works.]

[Tony smiles and lays his hand on the edge of the egg's shell. He's barely touching it--making sure that he doesn't influence anything too much here, just in case--but his curiosity is pretty undeniable.]

If anything ever comes up, I'll be sure to let you know personally.

[The egg doesn't really react to him the way it does to Arthur; it warms and glows a little when he touches it, but there's still a sort of thrum of life beneath the shell.]

And likewise again. I'll keep you in the loop.

[Tony figures that whatever is going on--whatever connection Arthur has to the egg--he just isn't tuned in to it. The signal is lost on him. But the warmth is nice. It reminds him of a feeling he used to have, one that feels more like a memory now.]

Thanks, Arthur. And... thank you for trusting me with this.

I have a feeling I was right to trust you. [Sometimes trust just takes a leap of faith from one person, and he and Tony have already inched their way there through Dreaming.]

You were. I won't let you be wrong. [He smiles gently. Whatever happens, he's going to at least keep up on his end. If trust takes compromise, Tony can at least meet Arthur halfway on his end.]

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004 ♒ Audio & Text [Atlantean], Encrypted

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