tushanshu_logs

Entry tags:

[OPEN]

Characters: Mark Grayson and OPEN
Date: July after the event
Location: Various
Situation: Now that everything's returning back to normal, Mark's getting used to being Invincible again.
Warnings/Rating: None, but will update as necessary!

A - Mark
[Mark had felt guilty abandoning his job for as long as he had, even if the circumstances were totally understandable... So he decided to make up for this by diving wholeheartedly into his work. Depending on when you walk by the Wayne Enterprises construction site in the Water sector, you can come across Mark doing various tasks at the site: helping the other workers carry beams, looking over the schematics... just generally overseeing the construction like he's supposed to.

At one point a worker informs him they left a tool at another site in a different district and can't continue, though a few minutes later that same worker miraculously finds it after feeling a gust of wind at their back...]

B - Invincible
[It was weird getting into the costume again, but a good kind of weird. He's grown so used to being Invincible over the last few years it almost seems like he's not himself when he's just being "Mark." Not that he dislikes Mark, but it's getting so hard to hide who he truly is. Being powerless was a good reminder of exactly who he was before he tossed that garbage bag into orbit and that he had survived far longer without his Viltrumite powers as he had with it.

...That said, flying was still the most awesome thing in the world to do. He can be found zipping back and forth all around the turtle, testing himself to see just how back to normal things are. Some laps are definitely better than others, as he once dips and almost hits a building during one of them. He's also not going to let a crime pass him by, especially now that the rest of the kedan won't threaten him on sight.]

[OOC: If you want to roll with something other than those two, feel free to either PM me, reach out to me at

redconfession, or just start a thread, your choice!!]

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[Mark didn't bother to hide his greater-than-average strength among the kedan he worked with. After all, they were stronger than humans too, and it didn't make sense to him to not pull his weight the same as the others. Of course, he never showed them exactly how strong he was, but still it would cause a few raised eyebrows for the average person to see a boy carrying a several hundred pound cement mixer in the same manner he might a pizza.

Luckily for Mark, he saw Korra coming before (he hoped) she saw him doing just that, and quickly dropped the mixer--almost on his foot. By the time Korra gets close, Mark is on the ground backing away from the mixer--not because it would have hurt, but because he knew if it had hit him it should have. He gives her a nervous smile as he rises to his feet and dusts himself off.]

We need the hard hats for a reason, heh.

[Stopping by the Water Sector had almost become a daily routine for Korra, it was the ideal place to practice waterbending now that she had it back. Just to break up the routine trip home to the Metal Sector she took an alternative, scenic route.

What definitely caught her eye was the Wayne construction site. Diverting her step from the sidewalk to the entry of the site, Korra traipsed in with her hands behind her head. Casually avoiding beams being swung about and poking her nose over a kedan’s shoulder to see what they were doing. The loud thump caused Korra’s ears to involuntarily move up and she spun around. Hearing Mark’s explanation Korra looked at the mixer by his feet. He wasn’t kidding if someone set it that close to him. Waving, she started walking in that direction.]

Oh, hey Mark! I didn’t know you worked here.

[Then again, she didn’t even know this place was here until a minute or so ago. He seemed out of place to her next to the kedan who easily handled the heavy lifting.]

So…you’re the cement guy?

[Her eyes glanced from the mixer, to the heavy bags of cement, and then back to Mark.]

[Phew, identity safe for now.] I'm, uh, actually the Crew Chief. And you're going to have to wear a hard hat if you want to be on the construction site. [Hands her his before going to get another one. It's not like he needs it, after all.]

Oh. Well that makes more sense. [Of course she was referring to the heavy labor involved with any other position. Giving orders and coordinating other workers was an ideal position for someone like Mark. Or at least, the way Korra saw Mark.]

Um…okay. [A scrutinizing look was all the hard hat got before Korra tried putting it on, the plastic inside catching on her pony tail. The corner of her upper lip curled as she tried putting her hair through the back of the plastic and it got caught, tugging at her scalp. Giving up entirely, she took it off and held it against her hip with her hand.]

A Wayne building in the Water Sector, huh. So how long did it take you to get promoted? [Korra asked curiously trailing after Mark as he went to go get another hat. She sidestepped a kedan hauling two jackhammers in one arm and a bucket of- whatever that gooey stuff was.] Crew chief means you can hire people, right?

[She wasn’t asking for a job, Korra was quite happy with her fishing one. Just sating her curiosity over how a normal foreigner like Mark gets along on Tu Vishan.]

[Looks over his shoulder at Korra, frowning when he sees the hat under her arm.] Please put that back on. I don't want anything to fall and hit you.

I got hired as a Crew Chief, actually. By Mr. Wayne himself. He responded to my network plea for work. [Puts the new hat on his head.] I can, actually. Mr. Wayne's really generous like that.

Are you looking to get into construction?

[That was good for Korra to hear and she gave Mark an impressed nod at his position’s authority. Then:]

Oh wow, no. [Korra put her hands up defensively.] I like the job I have now, pays good and business is kind of booming for my boss. Speaking of bosses, yours sounds like a pretty nice guy. I’ve only met his sons, but so far I just hear good things.

[Looking down at the helmet as if it had just insulted her polar bear dog, Korra looked back to Mark. No way did she want to wrestle that thing onto her head.] Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.

What do you do?

[Waiiiiiiiiit.] Mr. Wayne has kids? [Mark Grayson: Master detective.]

You really need to have one on if you're going to be on site. Sorry, it's the rules.

I catch fish for Finnick’s business. Waterbending makes it really easy, so it only takes a little bit of time each day. [She put her hand up to her mouth so she could divulge the biggest secret on Tu Vishan.] I get to keep whatever is over the quota he set.

[Raising an eyebrow, Korra gave Mark a curious look.] Yeah, I know Damian a little bit better though. But they’re from different mothers.

…I don’t know if I was supposed to tell you that or not.

[Rolling her eyes and giving a little sigh, Korra attempted to put on the hard hat. She tried pushing it back and forth, squeezing her ponytail in and finally managed to get it on after putting both of her hands on top of it and pushing down. It had practically come down to her eyes. Once on, she squinched her mouth over to one side her face, obviously not happy about how dorky she felt for wearing it. She held her arms out and glumly said:]

Well, get your laughs now.

[Mark has to fight himself from laughing at the confidentiality of that last piece of information.] Your secret is safe with me. [He smiles.] If Eve and I want fish, I know who to go to to buy some.

[Different mothers. There's a concept Mark's familiar with.] It's all right, I won't tell. My little brother, Oliver, has a different mom too, so I know how touchy a subject it can be.

[Poor Korra. Though he'd be lying if he said he had no desire to laugh, it was mainly at Korra's expression rather than the haphazard way the hat sat on her head.] No, no laughing. Would you rather we talk outside the site?

Good, thanks. Damian can be pretty serious and I’m not sure how he feels about that stuff. But wow, I didn’t know you have a brother. I never had any siblings, it was just me and my parents. [That would have probably been awkward with her being the Avatar now that Korra thought about it.]

After all that work, you want me to take this thing off? [Korra placed her hands on her hips and her eyes were flat, though they looked that way thanks to the small ridge of the hat the loomed over them.]

Oh hey, does that mean you guys did construction after the satellite thingy crashed? Because I tried not to wreck anything while I was helping people that day.

Just a suggestion! You looked uncomfortable. [I will not laugh, I will not laugh...] But we can stay here.

[Mark smiles at the thought of Oliver, though there's... something else buried beneath it.] Yeah, Oliver. [How to phrase this...] He... grew up with his mom in a different... country so my mom and I didn't know about him at first. But after his mom... fell ill, he came to live with us. My mom's a saint, she's been raising him ever since.

He's a good kid, but really impulsive and crazy stubborn. Not that I can really cast stones, as it runs in the family... [He tugs at the bottom of his hair just a little too hard to just from embarrassment.] He can be really annoying at times, but he always means well... he's just still really young and doesn't want to accept that. [Not that Mark can blame him, given how quickly his mother's species ages.]

Hmm? A little bit. Evandau had put together teams and was paying them, they were the primary teams. We helped out where we could, mainly where they needed professionals.

[Korra shrugged and tilted her head, she’d just deal with the hardhat.]

Wow, Oliver sounds pretty familiar. [Impulsive and stubborn…]

So wait, you’re like that? [Korra gave mark an incredibly unconvinced eyebrow that finally settled on a good spot to judge him from her forehead.] Does the missus know about that?

[Teasing, something Korra could do day and night.]

Sorry if I end up making your job any harder than it already is. Earthbending kind of ruins stuff, but great when you need it in a pinch.

Sort of. [Mark finds himself fiddling with his hands, sliding one over the other in a circular motion.] My dad's side... can be a little short-tempered. [UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY. However, he was not going to say "a race of bloodthirsty warriors who punch anything they can find into submission."] I'm good most of the time, I mean I don't freak out at most things, but... if I see something I perceive as "wrong" I can fly off the handle a bit. [Understatement of the year.]

[Mark moves from circling his hands around one another to just gripping them so tightly his knuckles turned white. Were he holding onto the hand of a normal human it would have snapped like a twig.] I've done some things I'm not proud of. I'll admit that. But my family and friends back home are incredible; they've helped me more than I can ever repay them for. So I'm making an effort to work on it... for their sake.

I'm not a kid anymore, I can't go flying off the handle if I see someone... littering or something. Life's not black and white, as much as I used to think so. Sometimes people do something that looks bad, but really isn't. I need to better understand the bigger picture.

[Finally lets go of his hands and lets them drop to his sides, smiling slightly for the first time in his monologue.] Eve knows. She knows everything. She's incredible and-- [It suddenly dawns on Mark that, while he likes Korra, he has just given a lot of emotional baggage to someone he barely knows.]--and that really heavy, sorry about that.

[Upon hearing Mark’s explanation of his family’s life, Korra’s playfulness fades. Replaced by earnest interest and attentiveness to what she could relate to so easily, this was surprising to her considering how she viewed Mark. Seeing something that comes across as wrong and going to extremes, well, she could definitely relate to that.]

Hey. I got my dad’s temper too.

[She took after Tonraq to an amazing degree. Daddy’s little girl indeed.]

Sometimes people need to do something that looks bad in order to do something that’s right. [The prime example in Korra’s mind was that of Lin resorting to vigilantism to find her.] But for the record, I think you’re doing a great job. Sounds like Eve does too.

[Korra gave a wave of her hand.]

We can’t always carry all the heavy stuff, we have to put it down and get our strength back up. [That’s how it works when working out, so that’s how it works metaphorically. Korra logic.]

I'm just starting to learn that. I just have that... what's the phrase... [Mark pauses like he actually has to think about what he's saying next, primarily to mask that he means it literally.] save the world complex.[He smiles.] I'm slowly starting to see the bigger picture with things.

It's one of the main reasons I won't go see the Emperor, actually.

[He takes a breath and looks over at Korra, glad to see she's no longer looking so miserable in her hard hat.] ...So what's your dad like?

How about a trade: Your save the world complex for my save the world job?

[Uncomfortable hardhat forgotten, Korra asked with a grin.]

If you get that bigger picture, can I get a copy? Sure could use one.

[Korra gave a low whistle.]

Well, he’s a warrior first. I think the Southern Water Tribe wouldn’t know what to do without him. But dad’s a nice, fun guy. I mean we went on hunting trips when I got to stay home with my parents, we’d have waterbending snow fights, arm wrestling contests…

[A fond sigh accompanies Korra smile.]

But don’t get on his bad side. Dad’s usually cool, but once he’s ticked off, that’s just the end of it. [Not that invoked his wrath often, but she had seen others do so.]

Why, what’s your dad like?

[Heh. Heheheheheheh.... If only you knew...] Then you'd be in the same predicament as me. [Smooth, Grayson.]

[He laughs at that suggestion.] Sure. I'll give copies to everyone. I'm sure it's not just us that needs it.

[Mark listens to her story in silence, surprised at just how similar their dads sounded. As he fought off the thought of "well at least her father didn't try to enslave their planet, he wonders who would win in an arm wrestling match, him or his dad? He remembers how far mismatched he and his father were in the beginning, but given how hard he'd been pushing himself over the last couple of years, he couldn't help but wonder if he could give him a run for his money.] ...He's very similar to yours, actually. Strong, well-liked, not someone you want to get mad... He was always there for me too, unless his job kept him away. But he always tried to make it up to me when he got back. I always thought he could do anything, and I wanted to be just like him when I got older.

[His smile fades.] A couple years ago I thought he was the type that was stuck in the past. Like the good old days were better than the present, regardless of what happened then or now, you know? We had... a really big fight over it actually. And we.... we didn't speak for a while after that. I was just too mad at him. But then I ran into him one day, and when I saw him standing there I realized how much I missed him. I couldn't forgive him for the fight, but I realized how much I loved my dad. Shortly after that he had to... go back home to deal with some family things, so I hadn't seen him in a while. [Lets out a small snort of amusement.] I'd actually just saw him again for the first time in a long time just before I got here.

...I'm rambling again aren't I?

Edited 2013-08-16 13:43 (UTC)

[When he said their fathers sounded alike, it became clear from Mark’s description that he wasn’t just saying that.]

Only a little, but that’s good with me. [Said with a condoling smile, Korra tipped up the hard hat so she could see him better. From her view, his hair was just a yellow rim.]

At least you got to see him one more time before coming here, seems like a lot of the foreigners didn’t get that chance. [Obviously the Wayne family was excluded.]

All kids fight with their parents, it’s something that’s just going to happen. But after the fight, things turn out okay.

[A beat.]

After we cool off I mean. Breaking up a few glaciers really helps with that though, I recommend it. [She nodded after that, her mouth became a line that somehow managed to a smile as well.]

Hey, if it helps, I’m kind of holding out for my dad to show up here. I mean, it’s happened with other people from my world and obviously you got Eve, so it’s possible. [She gave him a solid punch on his arm.] Might even get your brother in on the whole turtle parade we’re on.

[Oh, he knows about the glacier thing already.]

Is it bad that I hope the opposite? I mean my parents, Oliver, the G--great people I have at home. [Whoops, Mark shouldn't be caring about a superhero organization like they're his extended family.] If they're here, that means they might have died.

[All the optimism that she had just drained away, smile and all.]

Uh- [That thought had never crossed her mind, not even once.] Wow.

…But I didn’t die when I came here; it was just a spiritual accident. Maybe that’s what’ll happen to. I mean, you’re not here because you’re dead, right?

[She went to scratch her head, but her fingers jammed into the hard hat and she shook the pain out of it while looking at Mark.]

[Whelp, he didn't mean to be a mood killer, but apparently that's all Mark's good at doing. He stares down at the ground and goes back to wringing his hands.]

I didn't die either, nor Eve, but... people keep mentioning the only way to get here is to die because it's the land between the living and the dead, and...

I can't lose him again. I can't lose any of them.

[Mark walks in a small circle, careful not to walk into the air as he tens to when he gets like this. He can't bear to look at Korra in the face.] Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything.

No, no. It’s just- I wanted my family to show up too, but I don’t want to that to be why I see them again.

[With some effort, she managed to wrangle the hard hat off, even though it tugged at her hair.]

Hey. I’m distracting you from your job and I don’t want you to get in trouble because of it. [And be responsible for making him feel down about his loved ones.]

Don’t ever feel bad for wanting to say how you feel about the people close to you, that’s just unhealthy. [It took her quite a lot to get to that point of openness, and journey hadn’t been a fun one. Sparing Mark that was the least she could do.]

You got Eve, I’m sure she’ll want to know if something’s bugging you.

No, it's fine... [But he can tell he's made her uncomfortable with all of the death talk, so he's willing to let it go. He doesn't mean to be so morbid, but lately it's hard not to be.]

Thanks for stopping by. Next time I won't depress you with my rambling, promise. [Only... he's not sure he can abide by that promise.]

Hey- [She tossed the helmet at one of the kedan who was looking for hardhat.] rambling’s not always fun, but it is important. I only had my polar bear dog to ramble at until half a year ago, so trust me. You’re good.

[She gave a him a firm slap on the shoulder, which would have left a red hand print on any mere mortal man.]

Thanks for letting me listen.

[Polar bear... dog? He made a mental note to ask her about it, and remembered to wince when she hit him.]

Thanks for letting me ramble. Talk to you later?

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alphatar - 2013-09-09 16:59 (UTC) - Expand

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shorttempered - 2013-09-13 01:34 (UTC) - Expand

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[OPEN]

Korra - Closed

Korra - Closed

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