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Post by Superboy on Mar 14, 2012 13:55:24 GMT -5
Monkeys. Sure, he could accept that. Why wouldn't he have experience in handling monkeys? Seemed legitimate...
Still, he doubted that that would help them out now.
"Every other time I've done this I just had to chase them around the field trying to get them to go in the direction of the barn. I wanted to use a rope. You know, like a lasso. Apparently that wouldn't do them any good..." He looked slightly miffed as he added this last fact, and it was clear that he had been informed of this by his guardians, who seemingly just wanted to make his life more difficult.
He folded his arms and looked across at the horses, and tapped his chin with a finger thoughtfully. Then he clicked his fingers. "Okay," He said, turning to Brainy, "If we can back them up, right... in a corner..." He suggested carefully, "Then I can... pick them up..." he raised his hands up in front of him, palms up, to demonstrate, "And walk back over here... and put them in the barn that way!"
Having made his explanation, he paused, and realized how stupid that sounded out loud. But it was the most simple solution he could think of to the problem. It would be stupid for a human to try something like that, of course, even if they were strong enough to pick up a horse, the kicking a squirming that would probably ensue would be enough to throw them off balance and get them trampled to death. That wasn't a worry Conner had ever had to deal with.
"Or," He began again, feeling the urge to give another, less ludicrous suggestion so that Brainy wouldn't rate him any further down on his mental IQ chart, "If we use some sort of bait... From what I can tell, animals don't tend to like me, so even when I try that it doesn't work. I'm not sure why. Superman's always rescuing cats and whatever, and he doesn't have any problems..." He shook his head to right his mental course, "Anyway, maybe if you tried it, they would follow more willingly. I could get them to move, and you could lure them in the right direction. I don't know. What do you think?"
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 14, 2012 14:32:02 GMT -5
“That… is really inefficient,” Brainy replied to that statement, quirking an eyebrow at Superboy. While he understood the Kents’ concerns, for the clone beside him couldn’t control his own strength, and could harm the horses, chasing them around to try and get them into the barn? …Yeah, that wasn’t the best idea. That would something that Ferro Lad would plan out, or something.
He was about to speak up with his suggestion on luring them, perhaps with sugar (Koko had liked sugar, but he didn’t know a horse’s diet), when he realized that Connor had his ‘thinking face’ on. It was eerily similar to Superman’s, and brought the same small smile to his face, as he waited for the other to speak what was on his mind. The idea… had some merit. Considering the other’s Kryptonian heritage, it would be reasonable, but after the other’s displays of… less than desired control, he wasn’t ready to try that, unless there was another option.
As the Coluan hesitated, torn between bluntly stating ‘No’ with an equally blunt explanation, or just offering up his alternative (he was no good at diplomacy, sprock it all!), the other offered up another one. His idea. While part of him bristled at the fact that the other had stated his idea, and now it was Kon’s idea, not Querl’s, the reasonable part of him spoke up, saying that there was no one there to recognize such a fact, so it didn’t matter.
In the listening to the former, it probably helped that he was half a clone of Superman, though there was the added distraction. Animals probably didn’t like him because of the Lex Luthor part of him. It seemed obvious. Did he not know…?
Tucking that away to examine later, for he didn’t want to give the future away, Brainy considered his response. “I am… fairly good with animals. They usually attempt to either eat parts of me or use me as a perch.” So, would that idea work? Hm… Yes, he believed it would. “Yes, that’s agreeable. They may listen better. If not… you can attempt to pick them up.” Though he really hoped it wouldn’t come to that, oh no.
With that settled, he approached the nearest horse warily. It wasn’t threatened by him, and it didn’t greet him, but it looked up, and Brainy braced himself, hoping that Superboy wouldn’t scare them, and that they would not attempt to eat him. True, the only thing that they could eat was his hair, and maybe his ‘clothes’, but it was still not something he looked forward to.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 15, 2012 12:57:56 GMT -5
Luckily at least the second of his ideas seemed to pass the Brainy test. And by the sounds of it, his first one, as 'inefficient' as it may have been, was going to be back up. He wondered if he should maybe stop and explain some of the differences between monkeys and horses, but decided that if it was that important, he'd find out for himself very shortly. Even so, as Brainy started off toward the nearest horse, he couldn't help but mutter "Good luck..."
He kept his eyes on the horse as Brainy approached, observing it for the signs he had come to recognize as meaning 'I'm going to run away from you now! Chase me! Chase me!'. It didn't seem to be giving any, but it looked wary. About as wary as Brainy did.
This entire process would go a lot more smoothly if they had --
Oh yeah, the bait he was talking about. Moving quickly, he ducked back into the barn and there were the sounds of his rummaging through the metal cabinet, and he shortly returned out into the yard again holding a little drawstring bag. He called to Brainy (not too loudly - anything he did could set those damn animals off), and then tossed the bag of sugar cubes his way. That would definitely help him draw them in the right direction, even if it never worked for him.
Okay, so Brainy was playing the attracting force, and the only other thing Conner guessed he could do, as the repelling force, was get to the other side of the horses, where he didn't want them to go. The idea was simple enough - they'd move away from him and toward Brainy. But how would it shape out in practice? Only one way to find out...
Deciding that flying over the top of them would most definitely set the horses into a panic, he instead began to slowly circle around the area in which they stood, purposely not looking at them as if that would make them less suspicious of him. In fact the only way he could have looked more suspicious is if he had been whistling to himself as he walked. He got there though, and when they finally had the two horses in the wide space between them, he gave a ridiculously un-subtle nod in Brainy's direction to let him know that he should lead the way.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 15, 2012 15:59:16 GMT -5
So far, so good, it seemed. Brainy was determined to make this work, if only because he did not wish to have to use the back-up plan; that would be utterly ridiculous. So he slowly approached the horse, who remained still, sizing him up. The Coluan hoped desperately it was because it perceived him as a threat, rather than food.
Noticing in his peripheral vision that Superboy had darted off, he had his doubts for a moment, wondering why he was headed into the barn, and what exactly had happened to the plan, (usually, if you stuck to a plan, you were 94.8% chance guaranteed of success, unless there were variables you did not take into account), when the other reappeared. Hm, had he really not developed his super speed? Either way, the other was quite fast, which boded well. Faster than Brainy, most likely, but he never sped. But he had more years than humans, by far, which contributed to that factor.
Catching the bag, he opened it. Ah, sugar! Exactly what he had been thinking! Had he been in a better… situation, he might have smiled, but as it was, receiving the rather large nod from Superboy (lifting an eyebrow in response), he pulled out a sugar cube, laying it on his palm, and extending his arm so that his hand hovered just in front of the horse, without him moving his body an inch.
That seemed to be the right move, for the horse promptly began to try and eat it, and he slowly pulled his hand back, like he was dangling a carrot in front of it. It followed, warily, and when his hand was completely at his side, normally, he allowed it to eat the sugar cube, although he wasn’t too keen on the teeth displayed.
The other horse followed the first, clearly seeking sugar as well, but that left Brainy in a bit of a dilemma, as the first horse was now licking his hand, trying to get the last remnants of sugar. Taking his hand away, he grabbed a sugar cube for the second horse, stepping away with it on his palm, back towards the barn. The first horse didn’t seem too pleased at that, however, and turned to go back… But Superboy was there. Apparently, waiting for sugar was better than confronting the clone, so the horse promptly came back those last few steps. It was getting too close for Brainy’s comfort, but he’d much rather be uncomfortable than have to lure the horse in all over again, so he allowed it…
When it promptly began chewing on his hair. Like it was hay. The horse was chewing on his hair.
Had it been any normal person who was organic, they likely would have freaked, but Querl just narrowed his eyes, grit his teeth, and let out a muttered “Grife.” He could freak out later.
So he continued to step backwards, luring one horse with sugar, and the other with his hair, trying to ignore how… matted his synthetic hair was getting, and the strands that hung from the horse’s mouth.
Superboy owed him for this.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 16, 2012 6:32:32 GMT -5
It seemed like Conner's role as the dissuasive element in their little formula was working well enough - for a moment it looked like one of the horses was going to make a break for it, but having caught sight of him it thought the better of the idea. But Brainy was the real star of this show. Watching intently, Conner saw how he managed to bait the both of them in using the sugar cubes, quite expertly. It was hard to believe he hadn't handled horses before. He was doing better in these first few moments than Conner had since living on the farm. In all fairness, that was mainly because the horses wouldn't go anywhere near him if they could help it, but still...
Yes, everything was going just perfectly - perhaps too perfectly, in fact, which explained the turn of events that came next. He was sure the event must have seemed much more dramatic for Brainy (perhaps it happened in slow-motion...) but for Conner all that happened was that one of the horses simply reared its head and clamped down on his hair.
Now he was torn between three instincts.
The first was to leave his position at once, tackle the horse to the ground and make sure Brainy was okay. That would be a given reaction if the victim of the horse consumption was human, but the Coluan's understated reaction reminded him that he was dealing with something else entirely.
This prompted his second instinct, which was to stay exactly where he was and let Brainy handle it - let events just play out, and apologize later. Anything he did would just scatter the horses and undo Brainy's work so far.
The third reaction might have been the least helpful of all, and that was simply to burst out laughing at his friend. Again, if this had happened to a human it wouldn't have been funny at all, but the way he simply stood there and muttered something under his breath was all kinds of hilarious - at least to Conner it was. If only he could make a quip right now about the joys of working on a farm. But he would save it, as he wasn't willing to risk making a sound right now. He bit down on his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud, though he tried his best to make the expression look like one of pure concern.
Brainy continued to lure the horses toward the barn using the sugar cubes and his hair (which Conner hoped could be repaired as easily as his limbs, or else he could be in serious trouble with his new mentor). Conner could only follow quietly behind the group, offering a hopeful thumbs up to let him know he was doing well. He doubted it was any consolation.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 16, 2012 7:48:18 GMT -5
He was slightly relieved that Connor didn’t really have any reaction to it, despite the fact that he sort of wished he did. On one hand, considering that a horse just starting munching on his hair, it would have been nice to get some sort of consolation from it, but on the other, any reaction from Connor might have scared the horses. Hence why the Coluan didn’t do anything, either (briefly, he wished either Timber Wolf or Chameleon Boy was there, they would be able to handle this far better).
Despite the fact that the latter made more tactical sense, though, he was still only twelve. Ah well, he could deal with reactions and the like after he got those dreadful animals in the barn.
Pulling his head away by elongating his neck, so that his hair was pulled from the horse’s mouth (leaving behind too many strands for his liking), the robot instead hooked the bag of sugar cubes around his wrist, and offered another one to that horse. It didn’t seem as pleased as when it was munching on his hair (Probably in retribution for being treated like an animal, he thought darkly), but it accepted it. Thank goodness, they were almost there.
Backing into the barn, they followed more hesitantly now, and the Coluan found his mind whirling. Stalls. They had to stay in stalls, right? At least, the animals on Winiath did, and he didn’t think it would be any different here, considering there actually were stalls… Deciding to go with that, he chucked some sugar cubes into two stalls, uncaring if they were the right ones, only knowing that they were empty, and waited for the horses to enter, hesitantly.
But they did, and he promptly shut one of them in with a ‘good riddance’ look on his face, leaving Superboy to do the other. Now it was time to deal with his hair.
Fingering the side where the horse had taken a bite, the Coluan realized that it had taken a couple inches off. A couple inches! Immediately, his eyes narrowed, and he began a mixture of cursing/talking to himself in Coluan, irritated. “Grife, I sprocking hate horses, I’m never going by them again. If we ever get a mission related to animals, Garth and Cham and Brin can handle it, I’ll stay home.” The words were audible, the only thing preventing him from having a complete freak-out (he had designed that hair, made sure it was modeled after Mother’s, and they ate it!?), though it would be entirely internal, of course, but it didn’t matter.
Wasn’t like anyone but Coluans knew Coluan anyway. The formal, harsh, and 'coding-like' language was kept just amongst the race themselves.
With a sigh, he lengthened his hair, producing more of the synthetic material, and then it was back to normal. Still annoying, though, to have to waste energy on such a trivial matter.
But he wouldn’t let his hair stay that way.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 16, 2012 15:48:45 GMT -5
Conner shut the door on the second stall, meaning that both horses were secure and safe for the night. He felt a sudden and inexplicable urge to mock them for all the times they had run away from him, but the fact that the two of them, together, had managed to outsmart a couple of horses, wasn't actually bragging material so to speak, and so he withheld his taunts. He was, however, glad that, all going well with Mrs. Kent, he wouldn't have to deal with the animals again.
With that problem finally solved, he turned his attention back to his friend, who had once again been injured in combat. This time he wasn't as worried as when he had accidentally kicked Brainy's leg off, but, strangely, the Coluan seemed to be more irritated this time than before. Surely hair was a lot less of a bother to fix than an entire robotic leg? The sound of annoyed muttering in an alien language that he didn't recognize was enough to keep him from posing the question though.
Worried that maybe it wasn't as easy to repair hair damage as he thought, Conner was about to offer a lie about how it didn't look that bad, and that it was barely noticeable anyway, when he was glad to discover that he wouldn't have to, because, as usual, Brainy had it under control. Within seconds, his blonde head of hair was back to its usual self. The only proof that the traumatic event had ever happened was in the digestive tracks of a half-wit horse.
Still, it was another ordeal Conner had put him through today. This was getting ridiculous. First the leg, then the overheating, and now horse-related hair loss... Conner had only known him for a day and he was already running out of ways to damage him. "Sorry about that..." He offered awkwardly, "Guess that's two I owe you know, huh? Okay, the next time a giant mutant horse is rampaging through the streets of Jump City and terrorizing civilians, I'll totally take care of it. You don't even have to worry." His disarming smile started to falter when he realized that he had no idea how often things like that actually happened in Jump. Had he just made a promise he would later regret? Well, whatever. He'd cross jump over that bridge when he came to it. For now, he was elated that the chores were over and they could finally get down to business.
"So..." He went on, in what was his attempt to slide the conversation in a preferable direction, "I think Mrs. Kent is in the house... I mean, unless you'd rather hang around here for a bit longer. It's your call, really."
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 16, 2012 18:25:03 GMT -5
Ah, the other apologized. Good, that made it slightly better. Fixing his eyes on him, Connor’s offer was enough for the majority of his irritation to bleed away, and he nodded. “I’ll hold you to that. I have now decided that I… greatly dislike horses. Though this is the only one I will collect for; you only owe me one.” Brainy sent an irritated glance at them, but that was the last of it. As Clark had once said, in his usual odd fashion as he repeated words of ‘Ma Kent’ wisdom, ‘no use crying over spilt milk’. What kind of person would cry over spilt milk, he didn’t know, but the meaning was plain.
Besides, any words of wisdom that came from Superman’s mouth were plenty for him, however odd.
Grateful that apparently, his venture into the world of ‘chores’ was over with (fixing the roof had been an easy task, but he had decided that any animals besides monkeys were intolerable), he nodded. “It would be best to present the matter now,” he stated, mind already running over the plan he had concocted. It should be fairly simple, especially if she went the extra step to contact Superman… Although he was slightly worried about the other’s reaction. What if… this was post-Brainiac? (He hadn't mentioned Mr. Kent, so it was quite the option.)
Resolving that if he were rejected, it was inevitable anyway, he motioned for Superboy to follow him, headed towards the house, close as it was. “Act and speak how you think appropriate,” the Coluan instructed the clone seriously, acting as if this were a mission debriefing and not just them asking for permission from a mother (or a pair of parents). “But follow my lead.”
That said, the short distance covered easily, he pushed open the door to the house, entering first, and holding a finger to his lips in the universal signal of ‘be quiet’. That had, of course, lasted throughout the years, and he had picked it up from Norg. The simplicity of humans.
Stepping quietly into the kitchen, where something smelled pleasant, perhaps the chicken noodle soup that Clark so loved, he observed Mrs. Kent, ‘Ma Kent’, setting the table, silverware in hand. This was it. Now or never.
He cleared his throat slightly, something which he never had to do, it being an action of organic being’s, but as a simple way of gaining her attention. She looked up, surprised, and her eyes widened behind her glasses, as the bright forks, knives, and spoons slipped from her hands as she gasped, clattering on the wooden floor.
He supposed it wasn’t everyday that one found a green robotic alien in their kitchen, even if one was the adopted mother of Superman. Most of the time, they tended to wait outside the house.
“Hello, Mrs. Kent,” he told the woman politely. “Do you remember me?”
Her look of surprised recognition was almost comical.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 18, 2012 17:30:25 GMT -5
While he didn't exactly expect Brainy was the type to hold a grudge - or at least not for something like this - Conner was glad that his apology was instantly accepted, and any excess hostility was directed harmlessly back at the horses through a withering glare. They did deserve it.
As for the next step in their Smallville Escape Plan, it seemed that Brainy was more than willing to lead the way. Which was fine with Conner. He supposed that his robotic companion had already figured out exactly what they would say to Martha, whereas, as excited as he was about the rapidly approaching conversation, Conner had very little idea what he would say for himself. Well, he'd think of something. He didn't plan for Brainy to simply speak for him entirely. He could argue for himself. Though he understood well enough already that any point he could put forth could probably be put forth with better explanation by the Coluan. He would just have to wait and see how it transpired. There was no point in predicting a conversation in your head before all the participants were even present... well, unless you were a super-genius...
Brainy then turned and went to lead the way to the Kent household, and Conner lagged behind only briefly to grab The Block from the side where he had left it, taking it in his hand before nudging the barn door shut with an elbow and catching up to his friend just in time to hear that he was allowed to say what he wanted, but that he should do as Brainy did. He was still unsure of whether or not he liked being the follower in this little situation, when it was his future that was being decided, but this time he was ready to put his trust in Brainy and assume he knew what he was doing better than Conner did.
Therefore, even though a sneak-entry wouldn't have been his first choice of a manner to enter this conversation in, he nodded at the unspoken command to keep quiet as he followed Brainy into the house and then into the kitchen where they encountered Mrs. Kent. The way the woman gasped was enough to instill a (perhaps irrational) stab of fear in his gut that she was going to keel over in shock just from seeing another alien in her kitchen.
He stood there with Brainy in the kitchen, now that the three of them had assembled. For a person who had only been on Earth for a month or so, Conner had been in a lot of what would be considered 'strange' situations. This one definitely ranked up there.
"You remember the friend I mentioned on the phone?" He spoke up in addition to Brainy's rather impersonal greeting, "I ran into Brainiac 5 here in town while I was delivering the apples to the store." A pointless detail to throw in, he knew, but he felt like he had to say something, he couldn't just stand there. Was that going to be his role in the conversation? Adding the little human details to what Brainy said to make it less blunt? Well, better than standing silent, he supposed.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 20, 2012 15:12:45 GMT -5
At Connor’s words, which were very tactfully put and explained, comprehension and understand seemed to flicker over Ma Kent’s face. She seemed to recognize him, seemed to understand that he was not a threat (though he was certainly feeling like on, for the sheer fact that Mr. Kent… wasn’t with them), and the older woman seemed to relax, though her eyes flickered between Connor and Brainy.
“Are… you two going to the future, too?” she asked, clearly worried at having come to such a reasonable conclusion, and the boy couldn’t help but marvel at the adopted mother of Superman. Maybe his mother, somewhere, was similar to her…
But his answer was prompt. “No, we are not,” he replied respectfully, shaking his head. “I am currently stranded in this time, and-”
His explanation was cut short as Mrs. Kent let out a cry, moving forward and taking his hands in her own, while Querl looked at the conjoined pairs, confused. “You poor thing!” she told him in a very motherly tone, , wrapping what was likely supposed to be a comforting arm around his shoulders. It just made him uncomfortable, and wished he was older. She had acted much the same, last time, though her heart wasn’t as into it. Perhaps this helped her, with… being more alone. “I think there’s some pie in the fridge. You and your friends like that before, right?”
…But even through guilt, he kind of had his limits. He was not good at dealing with stuff that required physical contact. Emotional, he was better at, though he certainly wasn’t much, especially when one looked at his completely organic teammates, but this was out of his reach, out of his league. Last time, he had had Bouncing Boy and Saturn Girl to divert her, along with the fact that she hadn’t been as alone. Now, though…
So instead of replying, Brainy looked back at the clone, his expression begging him to come and help him, something which had been, in fact, bestowed by him upon Imra last time, who had divested him from the woman’s clutches. Yes, Ma Kent was very motherly, and very nice, and acted much like a more affectionate and older version of Saturn Girl, at times, but… he could not deal with it.
Hopefully his new friend would have pity on him, because he had overlooked this factor in his equation.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 20, 2012 16:05:34 GMT -5
As far as reactions went, offering pie and hospitality definitely wasn't the worst one that could have come up. And they'd taken the clear step now from bewildered staring to recognition, so Conner was glad they'd gotten that out of the way. Then again, he would have been more than a little surprised if she couldn't remember Brainy from their first meeting - he was quite memorable in both appearance and everything else.
So the conversation was off to a good start. But from the way Brainy glanced back at him, he looked as if he had been snapped up in a bear trap and Conner knew that the time for intervention had arrived.
He stepped forward between the two of them and actually removed Mrs. Kent's arm from his friend, though he did so carefully, as if worried about accidentally breaking the bones. "Actually, Brainy's just passing through." He explained to her, "He's staying in Jump City right now. He just came to Smallville to see if Su--" He hesitated, "If... Clark was around."
Having freed Brainy from the woman's clutches, he steered her back toward the table, and then pulled up a seat for her. That was social norm during an important conversation, wasn't it? He had seen it on TV. When police officers entered a house they always told the homeowner that they'd 'better sit down'. He wasn't sure what the danger of standing up and talking was, but he was keen to do things the right way, even so.
If he had been the one in charge of the conversation, he decided he would then go on to say how Brainy could really use Superman's help, but Superman was just so busy saving the world on a daily basis and all, that there was just no way he could go back to Jump with him and help him out. But Conner had already said he would follow Brainy's lead, and so instead of speaking his mind, he looked back to his friend for whatever was supposed to come next in his conversational plan.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 21, 2012 14:55:13 GMT -5
He almost let out a sigh of relief as he was extracted from the motherly woman’s grip, but refrained. As much as he wasn’t a people person, he wasn’g going to be rude in any way, not in front of Mrs. Kent. You just didn’t do that.
It was a good thing, honestly, that Conner called him ‘Brainy’, rather than ‘Brainiac 5’, which he was certain Clark had, if he had ever mentioned him to his parents, for he didn’t know whether the matriarch knew the name of her husband’s… Well, if she knew the name of his ancestor, it would be best to not draw parallels between them. “Yes, I cam looking for Clark, but now I have another purpose,” he told the woman, before launching out a question. “Mrs. Kent… Did Clark ever tell you why we brought him to the future?”
She blinked, seemingly taking aback the apparently random shift in topic, before nodding slowly, her answer slightly confused. “Your history books said he would become Superman, so you trained him for it…” A safe, harmless explanation, similar to what he had given her when he first arrived. Nothing about the Fatal Five, the dangers they had been in… Either he had advised Clark on that answer, or the other had grown into the role of Superman by then.
He wasn’t sure which one he wanted to be true.
But Brainy nodded, anyway. “Correct. And though it would be in Jump City, rather than the future, Conner is to become Superboy, so…” he did not finished his sentence, instead leaving it obvious where he was going. That way, she could fill it in herself, with her own words for their plans, and there would be less for her to pick at, should she choose to do so. It was always harder for one to pick at their own words.
But Marth Kent instead turned her eyes upon her adopted ‘grandson’. “Conner?” she asked, searching for his opinion on the matter. “You want to go train in… Jump City?” The question ‘To be a superhero?’, or one similar to that, was left unsaid, yet it hung in the air, almost audible to all of those in the room.
Brainiac 5, personally, was very pleased at the way he had manipulated and directed the conversation.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 21, 2012 17:52:34 GMT -5
It seemed like Brainy was handling the conversation as easily as he thought he would, but now that Mrs. Kent was sitting down, Conner felt like he was interrogating her or something, and that was definitely uncomfortable, so as she looked up at him to pose her question about what he wanted to do, he pulled up the chair beside hers and sat down before replying.
'Yes'. Was the answer that came to mind. He wondered how effective that would be. It was the truth, but it didn't do much to convince her to let him go, if she was going to try and give resistance. So instead his brain ticked over for a second or two and formulated a response that would be more fitting for the situation.
"Mrs. Kent, I'm really grateful to you for taking me in as you did, giving me a place to stay when you had no obligation to, and showing me the ropes of leading an ordinary life..." He delivered this little speech while staring deeply and seriously into her eyes. Eye contact was important to give maximum impact to the words, he'd figured that much out already. "But everyone knows that that's something I'm never going to have. I'm not Clark. I can't have an upbringing, a childhood like he did - it's too late for me. But that's okay, because I can still find my own path in life. And as much as I'm thankful for you and for Smallville..." He gestured shortly around the kitchen, "This isn't where I'm going to find it... standing in Superman's shadow. You understand me, right?"
Finding my own path. That sounded a lot better than 'Going to beat up some bad guys with no adult supervision'. Brainy may have been able to predict a person's responses in a conversation and figure out how it would unfold like lines on a map, but pushing the matter from the emotional side - giving it the human element - that was important to getting what he wanted too.
They. What they wanted. Manipulation wasn't bad if it was for a good cause, right?
His glance flickered to Brainy, as if silently tagging him in for the next round. He hoped he wouldn't mind his extended input, but he knew that with two of them working at this they would convince her a lot quicker.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 21, 2012 19:24:53 GMT -5
Hm, Conner was very good at this. Perhaps he realized the way his words were unfolded so correctly, unveiling his intentions in something that Brainy would’ve thought would be written by a, well, writer, and not a clone of Superman, sitting there, pleading with his ‘grandmother’ to set him free. It seemed that, when it came down to it, tactical arguments were not the best ones, but emotional. He wasn’t… emotionally invested in this, no, but Conner was, and he had learned something here. Next time, he’d let the other use his emotions to lead such a thing. Feelings helped, it seemed.
And they affected Mrs. Kent. She sighed, seeming to sag in her seat for a moment, understanding. “I… see, Conner.” With that, she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly. “I’ll call Clark, to make sure it’s fine with him, but I don’t see why not, as long as you’re careful.” With that, she gave his shoulder a squeeze, before standing up and moving over to the phone, picking it up.
Though there was no need to speak at that moment, and everything was handled, Brainy couldn’t help but speak up in a slightly desperate and hopeful voice. “Can… Can I talk to him?” he asked, trying to plead with every inch of his body language, without actually begging. He wanted to talk to Superman. Needed to talk to him, very badly. He missed his best friend, missed Clark, and… it was post-Brainiac, and he needed to know. Did… did Superman accept him, still?
It seemed like a dream, not a possibility.
She blinked, surprised, and Brainy didn’t know what she was surprised by, nor wanted to know. It could’ve been the ‘please let me talk to him’ radiating from every part of his body, or the words themselves, or even the fact that his voice had sounded so desperately hopeful. He didn’t know, didn’t care, but she nodded, punching in the numbers and passing the phone over to him. She said something, something about it being better for him to speak, anyway, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it over the small, hopeful smile finding its way onto his face, and the sound of the tone in his ear.
He knew how they worked, of course, as archaic as they were. But he had to watch his conversation, not give away too much, because Conner would be able to hear both sides of the conversation, and he didn’t want the clone to know of Brainiac. Please, no.
The click signifying that someone picked up resounded, and Brainy was sure that if he had a heart, it would be pounding wildly. Instead, a familiar, yet different, voice resounded from the other end, sounding slightly cheerful, yet tired. “Hello?”
This was it. Now or never. “H-Hi, Clark,” he told the other, now completely oblivious to anything but the phone his hand was wrapped around, and the voice of the person at the other end, even ignoring the way that his voice cracked slightly in his nervousness. He didn’t know the other’s reaction. Nothing could be predicted at this point. Nothing.
A sharp intake of air came from the other side, and a disbelieving voice sounded, confused. “Querl?”
If he had one, his heart would’ve stopped.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 23, 2012 14:47:02 GMT -5
With a weary sigh and a pat on the shoulder, it seemed as though they'd done it. Conner didn't know what he had been expecting from this conversation, but he had to admit that it had been fairly easy to get Mrs. Kent to let him go. Then again, she didn't have any real attachment to him - the only thing that bound the two of them together was her adoptive son, and although he looked like Clark, that was really where their similarities ended. Why should it matter to Martha Kent whether he was in Smallville or Jump City?
Then again, they had already known that Mrs. Kent wasn't the real deciding factor here. When it came down to it, if Conner wanted to go to Jump, there was nothing Mrs. Kent could do to stop him. Superman, on the other hand...
Even as she was crossing the room, Conner was waging an inner war with himself, deciding whether or not he would request to speak to him himself. He thought he wanted to. Superman was the most important figure in his life, no doubt, and any chance to exchange a few more words with him he was sure he should grab without hesitation. But then, what would he say to him? If their previous conversations were anything to go by, there would simply be a lot of awkward silence, which he was sure would be even worse over the phone. For two people who were genetically the same person, they always seemed to have stunningly little to talk about.
But before he could even come to a conclusion on the matter, it was taken out of his hands and put into Brainy's. Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a flash of something as Mrs. Kent handed him the phone - jealousy, maybe. No, of course it made sense for Brainy to be the one to talk to him, as planned. They had a connection already, one that spanned almost a hundred years. All Conner had was his DNA. There was no contest. If the emotion that he felt was jealousy, then, he didn't show it on his face as he waited with Brainy in the silence that preceded the beginning of the call.
When the voice appeared at the other end of the phone, Conner stood up out of his seat, a unconscious action, and kept his eyes fixed firmly on Brainy and the phone he was holding. This was an important call - he had the right to be interested. And with the entrance of Superman into the situation, a whole new person had been added to the conversation. Conner could hear every word Superman spoke from here, and if he were to speak, Superman would be able to hear him too. The only person not in the conversation any more was Mrs. Kent.
His fingers drummed out a quiet beat on the table he stood behind, but he said nothing - there was nothing for him to say. It was all in Brainy's hands at this point, and although he trusted him, probably more than he should considering they had only met that day, he didn't like the sensation of his fate being decided by the conversation of two other people. It reminded him distinctly of his time aboard the Watchtower, being an outsider to all of those meetings and discussions that were being held to decide what to do with him next.
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