Tal-Rho

Low priority roleplay for Tal-Rho from Superman & Lois. Sideblog to + affiliated with @oftomorrow​‘s Clark Kent.

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"Rest assured, Miss Barnes, I've spent the past seven days gathering all the information I can." He pulled a file folder from his inside coat pocket and handed it over to her, so she could peruse through what he had -- some floorplans, a few patents for security systems. "There's a facility just outside of London. Outwardly, it's a private munitions supplier, but all the basement levels house some of HYDRA's most prized assets. I believe the Eradicator to be there, guarded by kryptonite safeguards as well as other nuisances.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔?

Basil

You wear a thousand masks and you claim them all. You say they are all you, all parts of you but some of them you picked up when you needed to be brave, some you picked up when you failed because you were yourself, some of them you picked up because you needed to be stronger for someone smaller, better for someone bigger, useful for someone crueler, and you can't help but desperately scramble for first place, for usefulness, to prove you're worth keeping around, to prove you're the best, to prove you're good enough, valuable, enough. You just want someone to tell you you're enough. You strive for success, to be a role model, to take the lead, to be someone everyone loves, someone who can't fall, someone who can't be hurt the way you were once, the way you're running from even now. Sometimes you just want someone to hold your hand and let you spill all your broken fragments outward but you know you could never let it go. The only thing holding you together some days is the image of perfection and success and security and the worst part is that everyone else needs you to never falter either because you so often are the one holding everyone together too. You can't help but wonder if your emotions are ever your own, if you are just an actor in a life that's not your own, if you were cursed to be a mannequin, a doll, from the moment you were born and placed into a life where you were a child meant to be seen, not heard, to perform, not live, and the jealousy the injustice or the pain is fueled into masks as you take the world by storm.

Killed Someone Under Orders | Had Someone Killed On Their Orders | Spared Someone’s Life | Invented Something | Been Hungover | Kissed Someone | Slow-Danced | Been In A Long-Term Relationship | Had Sex | Had Sex And Regretted It | Had A One-Night Stand | Had A Threesome | Had A Kid | Wanted To Have A Family With Someone | Done Something On Drunken Impulse They Regretted | Gone Traveling | Had A Bounty Put On Them | Eaten An Insect | Been Groped By A Stranger | Been Dumped | Dumped Someone | Smoked | Gotten High | Flirted With Someone To Get Free Drinks | Put Someone In A Headlock | Won A Bet | Lost A Bet | Forgiven Someone Who Wronged Them | Indulged In Petty Revenge | Hallucinated | Has A Noticeable Physical Defect | Gotten A Noticeable Scar | Been Permanently Disfigured Through Injury | Kneed Someone In The Groin | Had An Unattainable Crush | Laughed Themself To The Point Of Tears | Been Kidnapped | Been Sexually Assaulted | Been Brainwashed/Hypnotised | Had A Recurring Nightmare | Been Bullied | Bullied Someone | Experienced Survivor’s Guilt | Been Tied/Chained Up | Given Someone A Massage | Received A Massage | Been Backed Up Against A Wall | Shot Someone | Stabbed Someone | Saved Someone’s Life | Cheated On Someone | Been Cheated On | Been In An Open Relationship | Had A Friendship With Benefits | Been In A Queerplatonic Relationship | Had A Stalker | Been Betrayed | Been A Traitor | Been Possessed | Been In A Bar Fight | Been Thrown Out Of A Bar | Been Arrested | Broken Out Of Jail | Been To A Funeral | Been To A Brothel | Had Surgery | Broken Someone’s Trust | Broken Someone’s Heart | Had Their Heart Broken | Broken/Damaged Something Out Of Anger | Broken/Damaged Something Out Of Spite | Gotten A Piercing | Gotten A Tattoo | Used A Fake Name | Been Tortured/Tortured Others | Been Abused | Been Blackmailed | Gotten Away With A Crime | Shared A Bed Platonically | Been In Love |  Suffered From Sleep Paralysis | Been Forced To Flee Their Home | Learned A New Language | Joined A Rebellion | Fought On The Losing Side Of A War | Fought On The Winning Side Of A War | Become A Godparent | Become An Aunt/Uncle

“Gimme a week,” Jane said, accepting the scribbled phone number. “I’ll finish up in New York and then I’ll call.”

She was as good as her word, contacting Morgan Edge exactly seven days later, having left HYDRA’s operations in New York a mess of flames and blood. HYDRA knew by now that the Winter Soldier was off her leash, and that she was coming for them. They’d be trying to anticipate her next move now, probably think that she would target DC and Philadelphia – exactly what her original plan had been. In that respect, perhaps Morgan Edge’s request for assistance would be of some benefit. HYDRA wouldn’t be expecting her to target an operation in London next.

[SMS]: send coordinates. i’ll meet you there.

It was rather enjoyable, really, watching Barnes’ crusade from affair. To his superiors, of course, he was aghast, promising all the resources of his company to track down the rogue Winter Soldier. In reality, he’d sent a couple of people on a wild goose chase around DC.

He was more than ready to leave this entire operation behind him, so her eventual text was welcome. The coordinates were provided readily, along with a date and time -- an abandoned warehouse owned by Edge EnerCorp, on the outskirts of the city. If anyone asked, he could say he was inspecting the property for future renovations.

botanical headcanons ( accepting )

botanical headcanons ( accepting )

BOLD   —  character trait.

ITALIC   —  situational.

Although he got a bit surprised that the man had connected the dots and now knew who he was, it wasn’t surprise that briefly flashed in his eyes. No, for a second, his eyes grew darker as anger and betrayal flared up, but as the well-trained young elite he was, Tim quickly shoved his feelings away. “Well, it’s only Drake now, I’ve dropped the Wayne part.” Legally, he hadn’t, but unless a signature required it, he didn’t use Bruce’s last name anymore.

“Metropolis is a bit too… bright and cheerful for me. I like the old gargoyles of Gotham.” Although he would’ve preferred if there were less crime too.

“Morgan…” Tim repeated to himself. British, name Morgan, knows about Drake Industries in a way only entrepreneurs usually did… hmm… Wait a minute! He’d heard about what happened in Smallville, the investment, or rather failed investment. Tim slapped a hand to his forehead, he should’ve figured out this so much sooner. Pouring coffee, he then turned towards his guest again. “So, didn’t you just… disappear, Mr Morgan Edge? You look very present to me.” You didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that something was not what it seemed here.

Tal chuckled softly -- so the boy had heard of him after all. His human identity, anyway. “I’ve found disappearing to be rather boring. Especially when it involves being locked in a cell. Freedom is much more thrilling.”

“Now hold up just one minute,” Jane said. “I agreed to help you. I didn’t agree to drop everything and help you right this instant. I got business to finish in New York before we go haring off to London. You want to work together, you gotta let me wrap up my mission here first.”

Jane had no objections to cooperating, but she was in the middle of a job right now, and she certainly didn’t feel like scrapping all the effort she’d put into gathering intel and tracking down HYDRA’s agents for the sake of Morgan Edge and his own personal crusade. He wasn’t her handler. She wasn’t going to be at his beck and call. This was going to be a partnership of equals, not yet another person giving Jane orders, or else she wasn’t interested.

Tal huffed rather melodramatically and rolled his eyes. He’d been hoping they could leave immediately. But it was best to stay on her good side, since she’d agreed to help. “I am not the most patient man, Miss Barnes. But very well. How long do you anticipate this mission of yours taking?”

“So you don’t believe I’m a burglar or something anymore?” Or did he himself have something to hide? Also, why was he so familiar. “Have we met somewhere before? You look very familiar.” Tim hadn’t connected the face to Morgan Edge yet. It wasn’t like he thought he’d meet the former CEO of Edge EnerCorp in the Kent’s kitchen.

Giving the man another look, he then shuffled over to the coffee pot to make some coffee. He definitely needed some now. “Do you have a name or should I continue to call you Mr Bond?” Or would the man leave so he didn’t need to call him anything? Somehow, Tim didn’t want that. There was something with this man he found interesting. “I can start. I’m Tim. Tim Drake. Proud Gothamite, stuck in this godforsaken hole over the break.” He loved the Kents, he really did, but Smallville was not his favourite place, the teen really missed the gloominess of Gotham City. It might sound weird, but it was still true. “Coffee? Or are you too British for that?”

Tal raised an eyebrow -- the name Drake did ring a bell, and his Kryptonian mind had locked away the information. “Timothy Drake-Wayne. The young heir of Drake Industries. Fascinating. I don’t often frequent Gotham -- I’ve always preferred Metropolis whenever I must be in the States.”

“I hope not. I don’t really like fighting, even if that was one of the reasons I was made. But if it does come to it, I will defend you.” It was in his genes, quite literally. Yoyo had noticed quickly that he couldn’t see suffering of any kind without helping.

“That’s amazing, Mr. Edge! What a kind man you are.” The boy smiled warmly, eyes glittering. “I’d love seeing some of your projects, but I have to admit that food sounds good too. And… uhm… bathing. That’s like showering, right?” There were plenty of every day things he didn’t know or knew very little about. “I am healthy, I can’t get sick. Well, I can, but only for like a day and it was a mix of some really dangerous things that would’ve killed a human. They never said exactly what it was, but it was bad stuff. Made me feel almost as bad as when close to kryptonite.” He was rambling again and still not realising how wrong the things he said was. “But I’ll let a doctor examine me if you wish that, but they won’t find anything unhealthy with me.”

Tal was gradually walking them towards his car, eventually holding open the door so Yoyo could get inside. “Yes, it’s to clean yourself. I imagine you’ve never had a proper bath. It’s quite a wonderful feeling.” It also made his blood boil, remembering his own years of hardly being allowed to clean himself...

Jane was starting to think that Morgan Edge was perhaps a little more desperate than he seemed. Assuming she agreed to his proposal, he’d just handed her another weapon – the knowledge that this mysterious mineral could be used against him, that it could be another safeguard to prevent him from double-crossing her.

As for his claimed extraterrestrial origins…well, it wasn’t the craziest thing Jane had ever heard. Aliens were known to exist – Hell, they’d attacked New York City a few years back – and it wouldn’t surprise her if HYDRA had a few in their pockets. Plus, it was a weirdly complicated story that Edge was spinning, which made it unlikely that this was a ruse to lure her back.

“All right,” she said. “It’s a deal.”

Telling her about the kryptonite was a calculated risk -- but one person having it in their possession would still be an improvement over his current situation. And his offer of help was genuine. Ideally, there would be no reason for her to attempt to double-cross him. They could simply complete their arrangement and go their separate ways.

01. NAME / ALIAS :  Jeanette

02. BIRTHDAY :  February 7

03. ZODIAC SIGN :  Aquarius

04. HEIGHT :  5′5″

05.  HOBBIES :  roleplay (duh), graphic design, web design, video games

06. FAVORITE COLOR :  purple

07. FAVORITE BOOK :  could not possibly pick just one - childhood faves include Warriors, ASOUE, Inkheart, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson

08. FAVORITE FOOD :  chicken parmesan

09.  LAST FILM / TV SHOW :  I’ve started a very slow/casual Doctor Who rewatch. For reasons.

10. INSPIRATION :  For Tal, I’m mostly fascinated by him as the inverse of Clark. Taking a superficially very similar character and exploring how their very different lives shaped them so drastically. He is not at all my usual muse type so that’s been interesting.

11. STORY BEHIND URL :  It’s the Kryptonian word for brother that Tal uses in the show. Aoe is the word for sibling, and the suffix te denotes that it’s your brother, not just anyone’s brother. That also makes the literal translation much closer to “brother mine” which I thought fit him wonderfully. (Technically aoe is gender neutral while ue is masculine, so it should be uete instead. But Tal clearly says aoete in the show so I’m sticking with that.)

That was a much more tempting offer than Jane had anticipated. After all, there were a few people who would be extremely difficult for her to target on her own – people like the Colonel from her days back in Siberia, who had a list of code words that he could use to neutralize her as a threat, or even to regain control over her. Having an accomplice would help.

“You still haven’t told me why you think I’ll be able to retrieve this ‘item’ when you can’t,” she said, partially because she wanted the information, but also partially to buy herself time to think. “What kind of safeguards do they have in place for me to contend with?”