<div class="floatleft">(http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5499ff2ce4b0b85c868a2158/t/556fb05ae4b01eeb36c217a6/1433383003661/)</div><hr/><strong>Name:</strong>Arthur Curry/Orin (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=239229.msg11802466#msg11802466)<br/><strong>Affiliation:</strong>The Atlantean Empire.<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Saturday the 17th of October 2015, 20:16<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Gotham Central Bank, Central Gotham<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Hood, Flash, Ivy, Thorn, Kori.<br/><strong>Theme Music:</strong>Starvation - Thomas Bergersen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnGaCAHhGfo)<br/><br/><hr/><hr/><strong>Summary:</strong>Barely managing to suppress his rage at Hood, Orin instead focuses on the matter at hand. He dispatches a Seagull to contact Garth, then creates a portal to the GCPD; should the heroes decide to follow his idea, the portal will take them directly to the GCPD with little delay.<br/><hr/><hr/><br/>Well...that didn't exactly go to plan. Whilst Thorn is still imprisoned, apparently Ivy now had the ability to teleport at will, seemingly being immune to imprisonment at least to the extent that she could escape his magical prison. At least that gave him some insight into that particular method of travel; since the cage extended below the Earth and - hypothetically - prevented any physical passage through it, he could at least theorise that her teleportation was exactly that, rather than any kind of physical transportation beneath the ground; the vines might have served as a medium for her transportation, but they were not the vehicle or method of her movement, so any physical barriers between her and her destination were largely irrelevant. But that begged the question; if she could transport herself at will through any obstacle instantaneously - or near enough - why hadn't she used that to escape the first time, instead using that giant flower as a method of exit? The former couldn't be pulled back, that he could see, but the latter could be so...why? Had she wanted to be pulled back? But then, why look surprised when she realised that she was back where she started? An act? But what possible reason could she have for that? No, that didn't add up. Perhaps she couldn't take things with her in the case of the former, so she had to take the "slow way" if she wanted to have something or someone accompany her? That would explain things, though he wasn't entirely happy with it as an explanation but he couldn't put his finger on it....no matter. She could evidently escape his clutches, at least, whenever she wanted...which meant that she was more than likely either playing a long game...or was utterly sincere in what she was telling them. He wasn't sure which one he would prefer.<br/><br/>He heard Kori arrive, of course - as well as picking up on her presence through his low-level telepathic field - but he didn't have the time to greet her at that moment. He turned his head and gave her a brief smile of acknowledgement, of course, but other than that...long-winded greetings would have to wait. There was something else bothering him, and it was driving him insane. Something Ivy had said had jiggled something in his memory and he was determined to somehow shake it loose..."The Green," "The Red," "The Rot...." all of them sounded vaguely familiar, if he was honest, but he couldn't think of why. Perhaps something Garth had said, or the Oracles? It wouldn't have been about the nebulous Doom approaching, he knew that much, but...it<em>sounded</em>familiar. From what they were saying, The Green connected all plant-life, and The Red connected all Animal life. The Rot, it sounded like, represented death and decay just as the other two represented facets of life...something about that explanation was bothering him. A frown flitted across his face momentarily....and then it hit him. Something his Father talked about, and something Garth had explained to him once, during the Schism; there were primal forces that governed the elements and life and death and constantly vied for their own personal interests, kept in balance by the others. The reason "The Green" and "The Red" sounded so familiar was because it sounded a lot like what his sorcerers informed him was called "The Clear," which was the overseeing "council," of sorts, of the Oceans and all Aquatic life. Nobody knew much about them other than they existed, but...well, it sounded a lot like the one of the "Other Forces" that Ivy mentioned. He could always mention it, ask about it...if she said yes and corroborated what he knew, then he'd know that if she was lying, it was an elaborate lie based in truth. If she contradicted what he knew...well, they were back at Square One, and would get the truth out of them via the Circle. No big deal either way.<br/><br/>He opened his mouth to speak...and then that psychopath Red Hood decided to open his mouth before - wisely - making a hasty exit. Because honestly? Had he stayed any longer, Orin might well have decided to break one of his guiding rules and killed the arrogant fool right there and then. His eyes flashed murderously at Hoods back as he retreated, almost incandescent with rage. The trident pulsed softly as his extreme emotions threatened to get the better of him, and the golden cage around Thorn actually ended up constricting a little, before fluctuating back to its default state. How<em>dare</em>that cretinous, cowardly Jellyfish speak to him in such a manner, when he is characteristically ignorant of anything more complicated than how to pull the trigger on one of his cute little toys! First of all, his "We're not so different" nonsense rings hollow for one simple reason; the Circle doesn't compel an answer, it just detects and prevents lies. It doesn't force anybody to speak at all, so not answering is always a viable option within that circle...it's no different to being placed on one of the human lie detectors, in that you can try to lie, but it will likely be detected. It's just a...more effective version. There's a difference between putting somebody in a lie detector and detaining them for crimes they have committed and actively torturing or executing them. The fact that Red Hood believes them to be equatable just shows his lack of understanding for the severity of what he does; he unnecessarily injures and kills people with little to no remorse and no understanding of just how serious that is. Orin, personally, would rather let a guilty person live than risk killing an innocent. Killing and "physical compulsion" is sometimes necessary, yes, but it should never be relished and it should never be the first resort as it seems to be with Hood, and it should certainly not be relished as much as Hood seems to.<br/><br/>But that is a minor niggle compared to just what Hood decides to say to him before he leaves, and he's halfway tempted to pursue him and give him a thing or two to think about; Hood wouldn't stand a chance if Orin were to follow him back to his base and throw him through a few walls, now would he? Then maybe they could have a long overdue chat about why you<em>don't</em>antagonise somebody who could snap your neck with his left hand. Deserting Coward?<em>Deserting Coward?!</em>While that arrogant, posturing<em>fool</em>was swanning about on the surface playing Judge, Jury and Executioner, Orin was fighting a war the likes of which Hood would likely never see! He saw and did things that Hood would balk at, and he did not appreciate being accused of cowardice and desertion by somebody ignorant of what was happening, and of somebody who seems unable to grasp the simple notion of "Torture is usually not ok." And for somebody who claimed to want to "settle it like humans," he could almost guarantee that he would be packing some kind of little gadget designed to give him an edge rather than "settling it like a man," making him a hypocrite on top of everything else. Next time they see each other, he would indeed "settle it like a man," but he would settle it like an Atlantean, not a man...and that would mean a few more broken bones on Jason's part. Maybe a broken femur and a cracked rib or six would teach him some proper respect. He grit his teeth, murder still flashing through the brain...there was a time when he would have sent somebody to the infirmary for such an insult - accusations of cowardice had been grounds for duels to the death in Atlantis's not-so-distant past, and was still seen as one of the worst things you could say to somebody, let alone an officer or commander in the military - but he forcibly restrained himself. No. He was no longer that person. He was not brash and arrogant and prideful. He was a King, and he needed to exercise restraint. He and Hood would settle things later, he had no doubt, but now was not the time for that.<br/><br/>He drew in a deep, steadying breath, closing his eyes for a moment to allow himself time to recover - deciding to ignore Booster; it was not a good time for his intolerable smarm - before his eyes flicked open again. The anger was still present in his stiff posture and furious eyes, but he turned towards Ivy and managed to keep his tone level. "The only evidence we have is that you are more powerful, Ivy. That does not mean you are being truthful about how you came into such power, or your connection to this 'Green.' I am inclined to hear you out, if nothing else, and am even willing to accept this 'Green's' existence, if it is anything like what my Sorcerers call 'The Clear.' However, we still need to make certain that you are telling the truth before we decide whether or not to aid in the struggle." After all, even if he was inclined to believe that The Green and The Red and The Rot were real, that didn't mean that Ivy was necessarily acting on The Green's behalf. You could use aspects of the truth to spin a convincing lie, after all. "Suspicion when faced with an extraordinary claim posed by an individual who is so often at odds with the safety of those we protect is only healthy, after all. We need to be<em>sure</em>you're telling the truth." He glanced into the sky and - mercifully - found what he was looking for; he reached out with his telepathy and touched the small seagulls mind, bidding it to approach, which it dutifully did, alighting on his finger as he lifted his hand for it to perch on. People often mistook his telepathic abilities for "talking to fish," which used to annoy him in his younger, brasher days, when in actual fact it's more like communication<em>and command</em>of any life that lives on or under the water...and that includes both birds and amphibians, too. Hence, the gull; it spent the majority of its life near or on water, which gave Orin authority over it...of course, he tried to avoid using his Command ability; a good King needs only ask rather than compel. After giving the Gull its instructions telepathically - namely, to find Garth at his home and tell him to meet them outside the Gotham City Police Precinct - he lifted his hand up, allowing the Gull to launch itself into the air and fly into Gotham. He didn't know whether Garth had a phone number or anything like that, and he didn't have his on him anyway, so...it was better to be safe than sorry. He turned his head to look at the remaining heroes.<br/><br/>"That Gull will find Garth and instruct him to meet us at the Gotham City Precinct. It seems as good a place as any to take Ivy and Thorn at first, at least." He took a step backwards, and gestured with his trident; a moment later, a large, horizontally suspended pool of water, about eight feet tall and six feet across, shimmering in the air. Another wave of his trident had the water pulse a little, it being transformed into a portal that led to the fountain just outside the GCPD; once they stepped through that water, they would emerge at their destination, albeit a tad damp and possibly disorientated from the change in orientation. But he could handle the former; control of water meant that he never had to slow-dry his clothes, at least. It struck him for a moment how similar his teleportation was to Ivy's - she moved through plants and he through water - and considered idly whether, if her teleportation was facilitated by this "Green," his was made possible by some kind of connection to The Clear, if they were indeed of the same nature, but discarded it as irrelevant at that moment in time. They needed to know whether Ivy was telling the truth, first. He glanced at the assorted heroes and - in Ivy and Thorn's case - villains. "That portal will take us to the GCPD," he explained, "If everybody is in agreement?"