at a certain point i think all brad's relationships are doomed to fail because you're never probably gonna be as important as his next adventure. it's just... not likely. there's always some distance, always some lack of presence on his part, he's never gonna be able to give the attention some need. he's wild. a puff of smoke and gone.
@deadlincs / Higu :
At least you didn't tell me to 'be myself'.
that earns a guffaw from the archangel; it's clangorous and grumbles like a grinding stone. yet still, it's sweet. it carries the sound of the heavens and sweetens itself with their succor. fallen or not, there's an elegance to it no mortal could hope to emulate. it's timeless —— brimmed with complex feelings, most bitter. this might be the first time he's humored higu with his attention since beginning his crossword. even in the overcast sky, dawn's light rests in his gaze. it flickers none too different than a blooming flame. if one peers close enough, if one dares to pick at his visage, they might even note the gilding around his iris. a thin rim of gold none too different than a halo —— albeit more weighty.
❛ y'know, most people try to avoid listening to the devil on their shoulders. ❜ he begins languidly —— words punctuated with a gentle hiss. ❛ if i'm giving you advice, ain't it a given that i'm lyin'? or you're fucked beyond compare. oh, it's probably that one, huh? ❜
prompt, not accepting.
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just some cass metas so i can figure things out ;
001. Cassandra learned body language before language. It became the first and only thing she could understand. Since taking up the mantle of b//atgirl, she's undergoes/undergone speech therapy to improve her speech. Despite being able to speak, she speaks more so with clear intent or prefers fewer words. When she speaks in a longer form, it's with feelings behind them or meaning.
002. I believe this sits as canon for most bat//family members, but Cass teaches self-defense techniques to the women of G//otham on a volunteer basis. Giving them the means to defend themselves from the city's mean streets, she's thrilled to put her skills to use for more than crimefighting. To give her bloodied legacy a far better meaning alongside serving as b//atgirl.
003. Strong silent type. Most problems are internalized, although some are expressed through reckless behaviors in the field. A strong sense of guilt sits inside her from past actions, along with the sting of failure that comes from the past. She throws herself into the field in a way to make up and bury those feelings more often than not. A bit hard to get a read on if you don't know her very well.
004. It's almost impossible to lie to Cass. Reading body language and additional training made her a walking lie detector. The tiniest shift of weight, the subtle twitch of an eye, a quirk of lips tend to be more than enough for her to read people. She doesn't think fondly of liars, especially when they're close to her. On the same note, because her social skills are developing gradually, her mouth reacts faster than her mind to family matters. Reading the members of the b//atfamily, unfortunately, happens all too often. She worries for them; she blurts out what they're trying to hide, sometimes leading to more friction between them.
005. A strong craving for fast food, not necessarily the fondest of sweets.
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inhaling what's left of the burger half, wally cleans what little bits of ketchup and mustard are still clinging to his fingers. it wouldn't be lying to say he felt a hundred——no a million times better already. it'll give him more than enough juice if he needs it, although he isn't expecting much. las vegas ... surely it's not a place with anything to worry about? it wasn't a mission——as others insists. enjoy yourself, they told him. at a point it started feeling like they were just trying to get rid of him, which, y'know, fair enough.
"tourist-y stuff——no, wait——stuff locals like——uh ... any chance we can do both?" it's the first time he's stepping foot into vegas; he's been through her more than few times but he meant that literally. it's a blur on his travels to other places and he barely remembers a thing each time. to put it simply: it's his first time ever spending more than thirty seconds in the city of sin. bit odd that it never popped up during his time with the team. you'd think it would've been the first place to stir up all sorts of trouble for them to be sent to deal with.
"oh, and by we, i mean me. i mean, i can't expect you to follow me around all day and help me out ... right? not that i'd turn down a certified guide." it's a bit of a leading question, he'll admit. not his finest attempt to thread the needle of a delicate topic, but he's doing his best. "but, y'know, if that is something you DID want to do i can cover today's expenses for us." all hail the batman appointed credit card. "whaddaya say? wanna be my partner in crime?"
Damn. He must have been really hungry.
Mark comes close to feeling bad about having made his acceptance into a bit, but it's hard to linger on those kinds of guilty feelings when the guy's sticking around for a chat after scarfing down his leftovers. He's probably not all that torn up over the specifics of getting them.
"Well," he starts, still sporting a bright grin, "you're in luck! No-one in the world's better at this whole tourist thing than I am."
Expertise just comes with the package of being on the move so often; Mark is a tourist everywhere, taking in everything he can everywhere he stops. A local might know a thing or two about some niche, out-of-the-way place for good food or a good time, but Mark's always been good about sniffing out things or places that are entertaining.
He rests his arm on the back of his chair, then leans his head into his waiting palm, attempting to give his food thief some sort of scrutiny—like he's trying to judge exactly what sort of avenue to take this. "So what, you lookin' for some typical tourist-y stuff? Or are you one 'a those people who wants to pretend they know how to blend in with the locals? Plenty 'a shit to do either way. You like shows? Lotsa shows. There's a rollercoaster in a casino. Isn't that the sickest fuckin' thing you've ever heard of in your life? Who does that? It's probably a death trap but that's a sick way to go out. My sister made me ride it."
Mary Oliver, from a poem titled "March," featured in New And Selected Poems: Volume Two
【 @metanoen , magik to cass | 'Why stay somewhere safe and comfortable when we could be in mortal peril?' | bg3 party banter , accepting.
gotham streets don't look any kinder from above, a place where no angels dare tread, a den of crime. a gentle breeze brings no leaves, only litter, and a chill with the scent of filth. it's home [...] where people she cares for stay, more than enough to dawn the cowl, to protect and save / to risk life and limb once more. mask sits drawn up, only revealing lips, only enough to drink and eat. usually alone, usually with steph—— although [...] maybe blondes were drawn to them in some strange, cosmic sort of way. same hair color, far from the same.
magik, something sits about her, something harsh &. craggy. like stone polished smooth yet edges going unworn, unseen until it cuts ( and cuts deep. ) steph's loud, quick-witted, funny. magik [...] a bit quieter, quick-witted at times, a little less funny. jokes often coming with a more deadpan edge, still, quite clever. still, quite funny. [...] just like others, cass knows a survivor—— a fighter—— those carving out paths themselves. some with capes and cowls while hers done with ethereal sword. ( wants to touch it, hard to ask if she can. )
scrutiny [...] truth. words were far from lies, spoken with conviction, without masking. it's the shifting of weight, the alertness to small changes, the subtle lean off rooftop to see further—— signs of hunting. jason. she reminds them of jason, sometimes wild, sometimes kind, carrying burdens. burger wrapper balls itself in fist, thrown off the edge into a trashcan below, no littering. too much already. a small detour, that should be enough, always enough if lives are saved.
❛ docks, ❜ she decides, a quick affirmation. ❛ don't fall behind. ❜ it's not stern [...] in fact, it's a light taunt. only picked up by those close, only given to those same people, a peek beneath cowl soon drawn down &. nimble frame flung from rooftop. falling, falling—— swinging from building to building with grapple line, knowing other could easily follow close behind.
Papers in the wind. Hotaru, Good Samaritan despite the way he speaks of people: bends to help gather the materials which seemed to spill from the professor(?)’s hands. Sometimes a rabbit doesn’t know it’s crossed a lion and wanders in its den regardless. “… bad weather. Ah, here you go.”
a single second. lots can change in one — an arrow might strike true, or an encounter might occur. in a single second, his attention drifted. golden irises, deep and rich like pools of ichor, glance towards the sky. it's getting later, the purplish orange hue edging the far reaches of the sky warns him. still, the sun hangs up above with unchallenged bravado. it does not shy away from the shadows; it does not fear sinking beyond the skyline — it knows it will rise. it will always rise; its destined to shine, so let it do as it was destined. and in a single second, he's jealous of its certainty — of such a simple fate.
papers slipped from his fingers, plucked by thieving winds, howling and cackling as they went. a soft curse, a dead word, in a foreign land — slips from his lips. at the very least, none of them went far. explaining how he lost more than half of the documents pertaining to the school wouldn't have been a pleasant conversation. not that thane worries about such things. it's almost time for him to find another place, as things would have it. to see what the next school might offer — he's sure his colleagues are appalled by how often he comes and goes. their job security is why they stay. however, it's the security he does not want.
the thin metal clips in his dreads clink gently as he kneels carefully, none too eager to exacerbate old wounds. everything he does is stiff — a plain attempt at coddling discomfort. and suddenly, he's not alone, not that they crept 'pon him unseen. it's just more papers returned to his hands than he gathered himself. some of the glow in his gaze darkens if only for a moment; it's never truly gone — the lambent within.
❛ & —— and just like that, you're my favorite student. ❜ lips curve into a mannerly smile. ❛ even if we've never met before. ❜ he straightens up, smoothing out each document, a practiced gesture. ❛ thank you. ❜
unprompted,