[april catch-all]

[spellslots]

who: Taako & various
what: What it says on the tin! Assorted threads for April that don't fit anywhere else
when: Aprilllll
where: Your mom's bedroom
warnings: drugs, booze, probably some slightly nsfw content
notes: hmu if you want something

Comments

[signifies]

[ They made that point when Taako stopped him from moving.

Clark moves his arms and flexes his fingers. If he didn't feel so weird he might have asked someone to shoot at him to see if he was still as fast. ]

I think we're good. Thank you.

[spellslots]

[As he tucks the wand back into a pocket, Taako drops the lingering spells, leaving Clark back exactly as he normally is.]

Sorry for finding your weakness. [It's not his fault, but it still must suck for Clark.] If you're, uh– I dunno if it makes a difference but any magic user you go up against isn't gonna have as easy a time casting shit as I did, since you weren't tryna avoid it.

[Clark is fast, and a lot of physical spells can be dodged.]

[signifies]

[ Clark shakes his head. ]

It's all right. I'd rather find out with you now than in a fight with someone trying to kill me with magic.

[ He's been doing some reading since he first learnt about the existence of magic and not all of it works the same way. ]

Can you cast something that protects me or Jon?

[spellslots]

[Yeah, that makes sense, and Taako gives a little nod but decides not to comment much more on magic users trying to kill Clark.

Especially when he brings up Jon.]

I can hide one of you at a time, from divination spells, and I got a couple different shields, or spells that protect places. But wizards are kinda about the offensive magic, not protective. You'd want a bard or a cleric for that. [He shrugs, but it's lacking the real carelessness.] Sorry, bubbale.

[signifies]

It's all right.

[ He can go to the library and do some research. ]

Are you hungry? I can make us something to eat or fly us back to the city. Dinner's on me.

[spellslots]

[Taako's smile is apologetic; he wishes Merle was around, he'd be a bit more help on the protective front, but there's nothing he can really do about that.]

I could eat. If your cooking's as good as your baking I'm for sure not gonna turn that down.

[He gave a compliment! Good job, Taako.]

[signifies]

Make yourself comfortable. I'll get the fire going.

[ Congratulations! In return, Taako will be the first person in Riverview to see Clark's heat vision in action. He uses it to start the campfire. ]

[spellslots]

[Comfortable is going to have to wait; he gets halfway there before he sees exactly how Clark starts that fire, and, well:]

What the shit!

[He's laughing, somewhere between delighted and caught completely off guard.]

Why the fuck are you worried about magic when you can do that!

[signifies]

[ He's invulnerable but not invincible. Dick has told him about his many enemies.

Clark beams at Taako. ]

You're a little too excited about me roasting someone with my eyes.

[spellslots]

Who wouldn't be, that's rad as hell!

[Most people aren't as casual about people dying.]

What else are you hiding?

[Not that he can't understand wanting to keep something like laser eyes out of public knowledge, but colour him incredibly curious.]

[signifies]

[ Most people aren't Taako.

Clark doesn't mind. Taako isn't being weird about this. ]

Well, I have something called ice breath. I've never tried it.

[ He found out about it last week. ]

[spellslots]

Are you gonna try it? Cause I'm not wasting any more spells if you can freeze shit by breathing on it.

[He's assuming that's what ice breath does. It sounds wild.]

[signifies]

We could...

[ Is there something he can freeze? This spatula might do. ]

[spellslots]

[Don't freeze the spatula!!! There's dozens of tree and rocks and shit around.]

What's the worst that could happen?

[There's no downside to ice breath, surely.]

[signifies]

[ Clark has broken and burnt too much by accident to be able to joke about that. He decides to cup his hands and blow into them while thinking of the cold.

Nothing happens.

He tries again. A wobbly T forms in his fingers. Clark adds an A, A, K, and a perfect O.

He shows it to Taako. ]

[spellslots]

[He's so delighted, enough to actually applause before he's practically bouncing over to inspect the letters, giving them a little poke to check they are actually cold.]

That's some of the coolest shit I've ever seen! What the fuck!

[He has magic, sure, but this is just... Clark, no magic and no tricks, just cool stuff he can do.]

[signifies]

Thanks.

[ He can't take this joy in his abilities.

Actually, he should tell Ellie. She'd think this was amazing. ]

I think I can work my way up to statues if I practice.

[spellslots]

[He wonders how much damage that would do in a fight, but there's no real way to test it. Maybe if there was a healer around Taako would risk it, since he's got his ring to negate frost damage, but he's not particularly in the mood to be frozen.

It makes a little more sense now, why Clark thought that people would be scared of what he could do. Taako isn't, he doesn't think anyone who's actually met Clark could be scared of him, but he gets why Clark would worry.]

That's a hell of a lot more precise than any freezing magic I got. You should start a business selling sculptures.

[He's just teasing.]

[signifies]

[ He's glad he didn't find out this existed by accident, unlike his heat vision. Some of Clark's abilities can't be used in a neutral or helpful way. He's cauterised wounds and purified water. That's it besides starting a fire. ]

I'll think about it.

[ an ice bridge over the river might be nice. ]

[spellslots]

Next party I throw you're in charge of the ice.

[He's entirely serious; ice is expensive.]

So you got fire, you got ice, any secret lightning powers?

[That's kind of the trifecta in Taako's experience, at least in terms of damaging spells.]

[signifies]

Not that I know of.

[ He sighs heavily and approaches.

Krypton is dead. So few people know this. He avoided telling Bucky because it can be reasoned out that he grew up alone on his adoptive world.

It's not the whole truth.

He swallows. ]

Taako, I'm the last of my people, and the first to grow up on Earth. We don't know anything about what I can really do.

I had never flown until two months ago. I didn't even know I could have children with a human until I met Jon.

[spellslots]

[Oh.

His expression softens instantly, not quite sympathy but the lightness disappears as he seriously considers what Clark is saying. Taako's the last of his family, everyone else is gone and it's... empty, sometimes, like there's a piece missing from him, and it's enough that he can imagine what that would be like amplified. What it would feel like if he was the last elf.]

Shit, Kal. I'm sorry, that's– I mean it's bullshit, saying sorry cause it's not like it fucking fixes anything but I don't, uh– shit, I dunno. [He's not good at this and sometimes words just happen when he's struggling for what to say.] Do you want a hug? [He groans at himself.] Sorry, that's just as fucking stupid, you're not even a hug guy. I'm not even a hug guy, and like– I'm gonna shut up now.

[The fact he's flustered means he cares, he just sucks.]

[signifies]

[ He's allowed to sputter. Clark dropped a bomb on him. ]

I'm a hug guy.

[ He doesn't often because it sucks to modulate his strength not to crush bones.

Clark purses his lips then drops his shoulders. ]

Are you?

[spellslots]

[In all honesty, he's not really, because it's a little too close to genuine actual affection and that's Scary(tm), but Magnus has trained him to deal with it and when Taako sees the way Clark's shoulders drop, there's not really a question.]

Bring it in, bubbale.

[He holds his arms out, and makes a come here gesture. Clark has a good few inches on him, but he's used to that, too.]

[signifies]

[ Clark keeps the hug quick, because while he likes platonic affection and Taako probably doesn't mind that it's Clark, he's still making a concession. ]

Sorry about that. I should have told you that was coming.