he laughs, but thereโs no humor. he makes a slashing gesture with the knife along his throat.
โthey were weak minded. willed. too soft to restore krypton to its old greatness, and something you, kal-el, wish to repeat with humans. and you want to know ( *why ) I disapprove?โ
there was an audible scoff, kaeโs face contorting into something of disgustโฆ disappointment, even. his idealism was nearly palpableโsolid. he could tell with how kal emphasized it, and it simply painted a broader question for him.
โI donโt pity them. I love them.โ His initial response was swift, filled with intentionality for emphasis. He couldnโt believe the words he was hearing. How someone could misinterpret the people he vowed to protect so terribly.
It was an ideal that so many foes had โ
his eyes would open abruptly, staring kal down like he was staring down prey.
โsome of our worldโs leaders had been convinced of our doom. survived. but they continued to lie. to cheat. to hide the truth. they had the audacity to survive kryptonโs doom, if you can believe it.โ
โthatโs going to be a tough sell to uncle sam, but you wouldnโt be ( *you ) without driving a hard bargain.โ
he pulls one of the document foldersโsighing briefly.
โfine. i accept your terms, so long as youโre transparent. that means keeping me in the loop. got it?โ
โextortionist? no. but smart enough to bend things to your liking? oh, yes.โ
kae-zarโs knowledge of jade was in abundance. a well-known manipulator, someone with loyalties that could shift on a dime, and an incredibly skilled assassin.
There was a reason her reputation was what it was. Being too good at the job came with its quirks, good or bad. Or simply annoying.
"Do you take me for an extortionist, darling? I do the job. You pay me. I leave... Until you need my services again. Which, you will."
+
in all honesty, he was ( *impressed ) that someone born of humanity alone was capable of the feats sheโd accomplished.
sheโd earned a hint of genuine respect, and not just for the facade she faced now.
he seems unphased by her pointed comment, dismissing it with an eye roll.
( iโm sorry itโs taking me so long yโall but some of the gifs iโll be using iโm making from scratch and thatโs a lot of work so it might be a few days before i finish the rest )
he kept looking up at me as if he expected mercy.โ
his grin widened marginally.
โhe never learnedโฆ so tell me, did he come crawling to you? or is he still hiding away like a scared, rabid animal?โ
โi just wonderโฆโ his faux smile remained fixed upon his features, eyes narrowed to pinpricks as they drifted across jaxโs frame. the look alone was questioning, a simple thought of what, exactly, made ( *him ) worth keeping to carter.
โ
irises flickering upwards , expression blank .ใ i look scared to ya .แฃ ใhe spoke , a brief beat . ใ yea, i am. whatโs it to ya .แฃ ใhe questioned , tilting his head slightly .
โ
โi left him breathing. itโs remarkable, though, really.โ knife was then tilted downwards, digging into the hardwood of the table between them. โthe sounds a body makes when youโre struggling to stand on crushed bones. each breath through bruised lungs.
โi need to know who its coming from and ( *where ), before we see some wannabe assassin take out americaโs sweetheart.โ an allusion to superman, but naturally he finds himself being wary of kryptonite becoming widespread.
โdepends. i need a direction, ms. ngyuen. moneyโs not here to grease your palms, itโs an exchange for the information that weโunfortunatelyโboth know youโre the only one whoโs able to find.โ
Oh, how she adored when her presence seemed more than enough to ruin someone's day. And they'd still pay her, so who cared? Jade approached with her usual sway, waving a manila folder while sitting atop his desk, nonchalantly checking her nails.
+
over the course of a few months, multiple shipments of kryptonite related weapons had been appearing all over the u.s., and naturally the fbiโs interest was piquedโฆ as well as โkeplerโsโ own.