League Of Assassins - Blog Posts
*In the league of assassins*
*Years later*
References:
Tim: what's the meanest thing you've ever done?
Jason: i know you expect me to say trying to beat you to death that one time, but in the league i once told Damian that Talia was lying about his heritage to manipulate Batman and his actual father was Lex Luthor. so that.
Tim: ?!
Jason: yeah i faked a DNA test to prove it and he believed me for like 4 months.
Tim: holy shit
Jason: to be honest the meanest part was probably putting hair removal cream in his shampoo and convincing him he was going bald due to genetics. he was nine.
Tim: you are my hero. hear me say these words. I. Love. You.
Jason: i know buddy. i know.
LOA!Danny idea where he uses needles of ice to kill ppl :D
Ok, so you know those posts/hadcanons where the batfam has hallucinations about Jason and his ghost, and how sometime this hallucinations continus even after his return (usually fo Dick)?
Well, you know how Jason, when he was Robin (especially at the start), said "Robin is magic" or "Robin gives me magic" or similiar things?
Lazarous pit is technically a magic pit, no? And "Robin" made Jason magic, right? What if the 2 types of magic can't coesist? Lazarous gives anger, suffering memmories and all, and Robin is a "happy" type of magic, so the 2 can't coesist togher in a sole body... So... here to you my headcanon:
There was no ghost before the pit, sometime Bruce and Dick saw the shadow of Jason, like usually people who just lost someone they always have around do, but it dosen't last long...
Talia found and took Jason body and threw it in the pit, Jason revived, stronger, angrier... but something now was missing.... his happines.
That same happiness that left the now angry body returned to Gotham, right after Bruce and Dick kinda of vendetta against Joker and a week after the "shadow" of Jason gone away.
Jason Robin: Hey! Dick: What?! not again, I tought I would't have any more allucinations Jason Robin: ? Jason Robin: Dad! I'm here! Bruce: *starting to cry* Please, no, not again... Jason Robin: *more confused*
Years pass, and finally Jason return, but the little magic ghost never when away, but only Bruce and Dick would see him sometimes
Red Hood: why are you here? I tought that when I died the magic of Robin vanished Jason Robin: nah, not really, I just got expelled because of that stinky greenish pit Red Hood: but still, why are you here? To stop me? because I won't, Joker is still alive, they didn't vengence me Jason Robin: well... that is actually a really long story, it was a long fly, I arrived after that... so I'm not sure of all the details...
After Jason reconciled with the batfam the ghost was still there
Dick in his apartment: Jason returned, why are you still here? Jason Robin: I alredy told you! Robin makes me MAGIC Jason who just broke in to share info with Dick: Hey Dickhead Dick: Jason? why- Jason: hello to you too little me Dick: YOU SEE HIM?!
The Blob
Dpxdc Prompt #20
Danny is a blob ghost now and he's fine with that.
Turns out all blob ghosts are just regular ghosts who have expended to much energy and turn into balls of pure ectoplasm and emotion to recharge.
It's honestly a much needed and much appreciated vacation from all of his responsibilities.
He doesn't understand why he's getting so many worship-fear-cowed emotions from these people, but he's a blob right now, he doesn't have to care.
There's one boy that constantly projects awed-love-infatuated towards him. Danny likes him a lot more than all of the other guys.
In the mean time, Ra's Al Ghul has just found what he believes to be the conscious personification of the Lazarus Pits and there is no way he is going to let any of his assassins offend it. If only he didn't have to worry about his grandson being so enamored with the being as well.
Grandfather never let Damian have any pets.
"Distractions," he would say, "Unnecessary attachments."
Damian disagreed, but he was smart enough not to voice his belief. The Demon Head's word is law and he bows to nobody.
Or at least... nobody until the little blob of sentient Lazarus Water.
Grandfather says that it must be the pits personified and therefore needed to be treated with respect so there would be no chance of them being taken away.
Damian has no problem following this rule, he finds the little blob cute, like the pet Damian would never get to have. When nobody's watching he pets the blob, tells it stories about his day, and stays silent as it does happy little purrs.
In the hell that is Nanba Parbat, the blob is a bright spot in Damian's days.
So obviously when he leaves to meet his Father and claim his right as heir to the Cowl he slips the blob into his go-bag. No one will notice, the blob normally floats around as it wishes, sometimes going missing for hours.
By the time Grandfather realizes the blob has been away too long for it to have been without intervention it will have been too late. No one will suspect that Damian took the blob with him.
At least, that's what Damian tells himself to justify taking the little guy with him. He is comforted by the low hum in his bag, the blob is happy, if no one else.
Post final battle, they're recovering. Al, instead of coming back to amestrias, ends up in Ra's Al Ghul's clutches. As he is obviously sickly, Ra's has him thrown into the Lazarus Pit, determined to train him and use him against the Bats and Birds of Gotham.
Alphonse Elric has spent a significant amount of his life as a soul bound to a suit of Armour. His biological father was a living Philosopher's Stone. He performed human transmutation and saw the Gate of Truth. When he gets thrown into the Pit, he performs an instinctual transmutation that turns the chemical infused, magic revival juice into a Philosopher's Stone.
While the League of Assassins is dumbfounded, Alphonse uses the imprints of knowledge he got from the pool before he transmuted it and leaves, trying to go to America and Gotham.
Meanwhile, Edward Elric is about to break a cosmic representation of knowledge for not giving his brother back.
saving this for later, and also sharing this with others. An absolutely amazing concept!
The Blob
Dpxdc Prompt #20
Danny is a blob ghost now and he's fine with that.
Turns out all blob ghosts are just regular ghosts who have expended to much energy and turn into balls of pure ectoplasm and emotion to recharge.
It's honestly a much needed and much appreciated vacation from all of his responsibilities.
He doesn't understand why he's getting so many worship-fear-cowed emotions from these people, but he's a blob right now, he doesn't have to care.
There's one boy that constantly projects awed-love-infatuated towards him. Danny likes him a lot more than all of the other guys.
In the mean time, Ra's Al Ghul has just found what he believes to be the conscious personification of the Lazarus Pits and there is no way he is going to let any of his assassins offend it. If only he didn't have to worry about his grandson being so enamored with the being as well.
Grandfather never let Damian have any pets.
"Distractions," he would say, "Unnecessary attachments."
Damian disagreed, but he was smart enough not to voice his belief. The Demon Head's word is law and he bows to nobody.
Or at least... nobody until the little blob of sentient Lazarus Water.
Grandfather says that it must be the pits personified and therefore needed to be treated with respect so there would be no chance of them being taken away.
Damian has no problem following this rule, he finds the little blob cute, like the pet Damian would never get to have. When nobody's watching he pets the blob, tells it stories about his day, and stays silent as it does happy little purrs.
In the hell that is Nanba Parbat, the blob is a bright spot in Damian's days.
So obviously when he leaves to meet his Father and claim his right as heir to the Cowl he slips the blob into his go-bag. No one will notice, the blob normally floats around as it wishes, sometimes going missing for hours.
By the time Grandfather realizes the blob has been away too long for it to have been without intervention it will have been too late. No one will suspect that Damian took the blob with him.
At least, that's what Damian tells himself to justify taking the little guy with him. He is comforted by the low hum in his bag, the blob is happy, if no one else.
What are your guys thoughts on the Al Ghuls having a connection to magic/potentially being magic users themselves? Do you prefer the scientific approach to Lazarus, or the magical side? Would you like to see Damian, Talia, Ra’s, or Jason have some sort of magic as a result of their connection to the Lazarus magic?
Personally, I wish DC would do more with it. I think there’s a way to give them a slight magic connection without it making them over powered. The idea that the dramatic use of Lazarus has made it bind with their blood and thus always with them is so interesting.
The way I think about it is just that Ra’s was more in tune with the scientific side of things, sticking with more grounded realistic ideologies, which makes his disconnect with magic very realistic. Thus Talia would be rather uninformed about that side of things until much later in her life. I really want to focus on her exploration of magic in the story I’m writing, hopefully that’s something people will be interested in seeing!
ALSO! Do you guys prefer Talia to use traditional weapons like swords, bow/arrows, etc or do you prefer her original choice of guns? I genuinely like to see a mix of them all, but I sort of prefer the traditional weaponry, despite my having drawn her with guns a few times. I think it shows how she has become more ingrained into the league over the years.
I think the effects of using the Lazarus pit are determined by several factors, and this is all my hc ofc. I hope you don’t mind me using this old post as something to go off of teehee
For one, Lazarus pits can’t be used “raw.” There is a very tedious process of purifying them before they can be used that involves science and magic. It is, in itself, a ritual. If the steps are not taken correctly, something may go horrible wrong, a la Lazara. If you were to take a swim in raw Lazarus, your skin would probably melt, much like Melisande.
This raw Lazarus is an excellent energy source, capable of powering cities. It’s also a clean energy source, of course, and has no negative effects on the environment. The Al Ghuls don’t keep the pits to themselves out of selfish reasons, quite the opposite. The pits are hidden because they’ve seen what humanity has done with oil and coal and would not intend for the pits to be used irresponsibly.
Once Lazarus is processed, it is safe for human contact. Taking a dip for too long can lead to harsher Lazarus madness, so it is important that the length of time you’re in there is relative to the severity of injuries. Lazarus can also be processed into ingestible or injectable medicine that can cure otherwise incurable diseases. (This is why we see Talia, in the Batman Spider-Man crossover, provide a cure for Vanessa Fisks terminal illness.)
We’ve seen people get dipped in the pits after being completely dead to the point where their bodies began rotting. That sort of power is probably incredibly draining both on the body and the mind, and the Lazarus madness would be much more severe. Hence why Jason becomes insane for a while.
Though I should mention that I don’t think Lazarus madness necessarily constitutes unreasonable aggressiveness and violence. It is shown to also have an amnesia-esque effect, causing short or long term memory loss. (In my hc, Nyssa has perfected this process, using it to brainwash many members of the LoA but especially Talia. Alternatively, Ra’s has nearly perfected the process of healing with the pit.)
There’s also the point of Jason Todd gaining a white streak, and this is extremely symbolic to his character for a plethora of reasons. Some writers can make this very questionable and honestly poorly written, but it can be done really well. Nonetheless, it does beg the question as to why only Jason gained this streak!
I’m not sure if it’s ever been covered, but I do hc that Ra’s has these same white streaks due to his constant use of Lazarus for hundreds of years, AS WELL AS because of his age. Talia will also have one, but it’s towards the back of her hair, and she keeps it hidden and cut short. (Sort of like how in Rapunzel, she has that one little lock of short brown hair tucked away?)
With Ra’s, he still feels these effects every time he uses the pits, and needs time to recover after using them. This is someone who has been using them for hundreds of years. So imagine how severe that effect might be on someone for the first time? It might seem like it’s completely gone and then manifest again suddenly after a traumatic experience, or a reminder of that sensation.
This could be the same for a lot of people who use it in a dramatic way. It’s meant to be something you micro-dose. A small amount can heal so much, to submerge yourself in it is like taking an entire bottle of medicine instead of just one pill. It isn’t a floating light feeling of healing, it is incredibly painful and dramatic. We see Ra’s start to become a lot healthier once he stops using the pits, and it’s essentially one of those classic situations where too much of a good thing can be really really bad.
I’ll also briefly mention that the Lazarus pit cannot heal previously healed scars, or very old scars. Which is why I think Jason SHOULD have autopsy scars. And why I think Damian should have maybe a bit less scars than some artists draw him having, because I can’t imagine Talia or Ra’s purposefully leaving him in such a way. Not when they have access to some of the greastest doctors in the world, Lazarus based ointments and saline’s, and Talia literally being a qualified doctor… but I digress.
(Speaking of Talia being a Doctor, I hc that she went to med school specifically so she could find new ways to incorporate the Lazarus’ healing component. But I’m not gonna get into it here bc that’s a whole other thing.)
The pits should be used responsibly, and are probably more frequently used as an energy source or a base for medicines rather than submerging pools. Ra’s uses them more than he should, but that doesn’t mean he goes for a swim every time he gets a paper cut. If the injuries can be cured without it, then that’s what will be done, even if it’s more tedious.
Anyways! I hope you guys enjoy this sort of breakdown! As always, the disclaimer here is that it’s almost all my own hcs based on various sources. Please feel free to correct/educate me if I got something terribly wrong. And also ask any questions you might have!!
If "Pit madness" is a thing tell me why it's only applied to Jason and not the actual Al Ghuls who own multiple and use the Lazarus pits frequently? 🤨 TELL ME TUMBLR 🤨🤨
I saw the comments you left under some of my posts and I love them. Do you have any more Talia and Brutalia headcanons?
I always do!! And I will be posting tons of hcs as I post my writings and art here down the line. I come up with them on a whim usually so I’ll just say the ones I’ve been pondering lately!
Also, I’m so sorry if I was spamming you 😭 I was scrolling Brutalia tag in the middle of the night and didn’t realize that like half the most recent posts were you!!
To start, I’ve been thinking about the Lazarus pits a lot lately. Especially everything between Talia and Nyssa, and the effects and details of her brainwashing. It is a confusing timeline that I’m trying my hardest to piece together, but it seems like DC has sort of just pushed that to the back of their minds? Which is unfortunate, honestly, because if they wanted a true villain Nyssa would have been the clear answer. Instead, we ended up with evil Talia for seemingly no reason… until that black Pearl stuff showed up, and then also disappeared.
The timeline I’ve pieced together, loosely, is made with an effort to stay as true to canon as possible while also keeping away from the extremely ooc writing. I want to find a way to keep in that brief moment of freedom she had when she was running LexCorp, as well as her journey toward becoming a mother. Which I will detail a bit now, because I love to think of Talia’s relationship with motherhood!
Talia has always loved children dearly. However, the idea of being a mother herself was always sort of scary. She’d lost her own mother when she was young, and never really had a clear example of how to mother a child aside from distant memories. (I can detail my hcs about her relationship with her mother soon as well, bc those are some that I hold close to my heart.)
It wasn’t until she’d been with Bruce for a while and spent enough time around Jason that she began to feel that ‘maternal pang’ so to speak. Jason is such a bright eyed child with so much potential, and each moment she’s spent around him she only seems to like him more and more. Bruce tells her not to spoil him so much but she can’t help it! Her relationship with Bruce and Jason give her a small amount of hope for a more normal life away from the league, though she is not yet at the stage where she would be able to fully leave her father.
When Jason died, it hit her like a truck. She’d distanced herself from Bruce at that time, thinking that her presence would only cause more trouble for them if the rest of the league suspected her of defecting. So she hadn’t gotten the chance to say goodbye, or try to make things right. She brings him back for Bruce’s sake, but for her sake as well. She would have ordered the Jokers head if she could have, but she couldn’t directly cross Bruce in such a way. If Jason’s death would ever be avenged, she knew he’d have to do it himself.
Talia doesn’t just raise him from the dead and train him right away. She spends a long time nursing him back to health, taking baby steps with him. She has some of the best doctors in the world taking care of him, and when he shows the signs of being ready, then she starts his training. She doesn’t train him with hopes that he will be a killing machine. She tries to teach him responsibility, and good judgement. She tries to right the wrongs that have been committed against him as much as she can. And then he’s gone.
This is where the timeline is a bit iffy. I’m wondering if Damian would have been born at that time or not? Would he have been incredibly young? In my head, it does make sense for him to be born by then. Talia distances herself from Bruce and Jason not only for their safety, but because of the series of miscarriages she’d had in her effort to have a child with Bruce. All were kept a secret from him, except the first. She was ashamed and depressed for so long because of it. After a few tries, she’d gotten desperate enough to run back to her father for help. The Lazarus helped her birth Damian, a perfectly healthy baby, finally. But with everything that happened, it felt unfair to return to Bruce with a baby out of nowhere.
I could sit here and ramble about this for hours and hours but I’m unfortunately very busy today. Please stay tuned and I’ll continue with more of these ramblings when I can. Thank you for asking! Please give your opinions on what I’ve written, because none of my hcs are set in stone and I would love to hear if I’ve gotten something completely wrong. Although it should absolutely be noted that the version of Talia I’m writing isn’t directly related to canon. :)
Forgot the hashtags again
Aight so I’ve been thinking long and hard about Talias fighting style thanks to a prompt from the homie @hadariwizard and I think I have enough figured out to finally write something on it
It’s a bit difficult for me to figure out power scaling. I don’t want to say that she should be stronger or better than another character because I could be totally wrong about it. But I think she should be on par with Batman when it comes to her capabilities as a fighter. I think she could be easily compared to characters like Black Widow or Gamora from Marvel comics.
Like for one just look at them real quick
Then compare the fact that they’re both trained from young ages RELENTLESSLY to be basically living weapons. They’re both experts at various forms of combat, mastery over various weapons from melee to firearms, expert tacticians with a mind made for battle, like I can literally keep going.
And now Gamora and Talia
Gamora is raised by the mad Titan Thanos. Talia is raised by The demon Ra’s Al Ghul. These men manipulate their daughters into aiding in their evil plans, and for the most part these two women desperately want to make their fathers proud. Raised and trained to be weapons for their fathers, occasionally shown affection and love to keep them on their side. Not to mention them both having a sister who’s tried to kill them.
As for her comparisons to Batman, that just seems clear. Talia has more training than him, and has trained for a longer time. They both receive training from the same/similar people. From what I’ve seen, she’s not really seen as a person who fights frequently, so people tend to underestimate her capabilities. In reality, it just makes her seem stronger in my eyes.
Talia knows when a fight is needed and when she can get her way with WORDS. She’s clever, and a master manipulator. Like I’m talking Azula level liar. She can use her wit to get her way without ever having to lift a finger, but when she DOES fight she is a DEMON. Come on now!! I think as annoying as it is to be underestimated, it also has a very clear advantage, and Talia uses that effectively. Never let your enemy know the full extent of your power.
One fighting scene I keep imagining in my head is her in this long flowing dress with a slit down the side. She’s got one hand behind her back and the other holds a chalice of red wine. Three thugs move to attack her and she uses her legs to swiftly take them down, never spilling a drop, looking down at them and taking a sip from her drink.
Another is one where she’s fighting alongside Batman and has promised to not kill anyone so she’s taking down these armed guards and dismantling their weapons at the same time, then using the pieces as a blunt object. That sort of stuff has been done before I just think it’s fun. Like she can definitely take a gun apart blindfolded and put it back together in 30 seconds.
I ALWAYS FORGRYBTHE HASHTAGS
Lighthearted Talia hcs rq
Her public image is drastically different from what is known underground. To most, she is seen as a figure of royalty. Daughter to the leader of a mysterious country. Equivalent in popularity to a real life royal, like Rania Al Abdullah. Much more popular in Africa/Middle east/Asia than the Americas, so when she’s over there on a public outing with Bruce Wayne people are often unaware of her status. Though the way she carries herself is certainly a tell, as everything she does is done with an air of regalia. Of course every world leader has secrets that few actually know.
Talia is a philanthropist through and through. She dedicates time and money to various projects that work towards a better world. She is often traveling the world rather than staying in one place because of the amount of sanctuaries she needs to check in on. She’ll often invite Bruce to these places for romantic getaways.
She is a Jack of all trades. Her intellect matches her strength, she’s witty and flirty, but stoic and serious when she needs to be. A master of traditional and modern weaponry and fighting styles (a more in-depth analysis of this coming soon.)
She goes against traditions much more than Ra’s. Where he strictly only uses weaponry like swords, Talia stays strapped when she needs to be. Where he almost always wears cultural clothing, Talia switches styles often.
My Talia is tall, like 6ft but always in heels because she can pull it off. So she’s practically Bruce’s height most of the time. She does love to look down at him.
I thoroughly enjoy the comparisons of Talia to Morticia Addams with Bruce being Gomez and Damian being Wednesday. It is very much canon to me. I love when Batman is written as a super simp because some of his old comics with Talia or so sweetly written and their interactions are so cute.
I think at first she wasn’t truly in love with Bruce. She found him intriguing and quite handsome, but mostly only pursued him because her father wanted her to. She wasn’t the type of woman who busied her mind with dreams of romance, what was the point? She had dreams of running a nation, running the world. Not dominating it, but providing for it. Tending to the land and it’s people. Ra’s knew how to get under her skin. How to coerce her into aiding him, even when she watched his mind slowly become corrupt. It just made her even more busy. So as the longing for romance grew and grew, he found more and more ways to tie her down. There’s no running away from the League of Assassins. Ra’s made it clear multiple times. If she wants to be free from this life, there’s only one way out.
To me, Damian is something of a rainbow baby. Talia tried numerous times to conceive naturally, but the effects of the Lazarus pit made it impossible for her to do so. Still, Ra’s demanded an heir. So after many painful failed attempts, she used an artificial womb. She watched her son grow in a tube. She’d sit by him every day to make sure nothing went wrong, sing and talk to him, anything to make sure he was okay. And when he came out, she was overjoyed. From the moment she held him in her arms, she knew something had changed. Suddenly, the league didn’t matter. Ra’s wasn’t even an after thought. All that mattered to her was keeping her child safe. Making sure that this new piece of family would never be taken away.
Talia looks up to her father in some ways, and that’s why she goes along with what he’s led her to believe. Part of her truly yearns for family, and boy her family is FUCKED. There’s a lot of interesting points to look at between her connection to family and Bruce/Bruce’s family. I like to think of them as twin flames. Bruce is an only child who watched helplessly as his parents were murdered. He grew up wealthy and comfortable, but missing the love and fondness he craved so desperately. Talia lost her mother, and in some ways lost her father too. She has siblings, but can’t bond with them the way she secretly longs to. Bruce builds his family with the children he takes in, but Talia already has a family. One she’s trying to cling onto in any way she can. But they’re all a lost cause to her. Apart from Damian.
Melisande (Talias mother) to me was a figure of light and love for Talia in her formative years. While her father would train her, the only times he’d ever go easy were when Melisande asked him to. She was an excellent care taker. Soft and warm in contrast to the cold callousness of Ra’s. She who would hold Talia and sing her lullabies, stroke her back and hold her hand. Who could persuade Ra’a to do the best thing when doing the right thing wasn’t possible. Beloved by her people. Her death scarred the family forever. Ra’s pushed harder, his recklessness caused him to use the pits more than he should have, and caused Talia to train relentlessly day and night. It hardened both of them, but Ra’s was already stone to begin with.
Ra’s is a character I’ve been pondering for a hot minute now. His origin, and the way he got to where he is now. The effects the Lazarus has had on his character over the years. Issues where he’s presented as ruthless to EVERYONE and issues where he seems to truly love his family. And in his own twisted way, I think he does love Talia. She’s definitely his favorite. That’s why every time she leaves, he goes out of his way to get her back. If Ra’s is the head of the demon, both as a leader and as a mind, Talia is certainly the heart. I like to think this is because of Ra’s love for Talias mother. A woman who gave him humanity for a moment, and died to the liquid which makes him prosper. I don’t know what canon says, but this is just what I like to think.
I think Talia truly loves her father, and I think he loves her too. I think he is terrible, though. He’s a huge abuser, made Talia feel incapable her entire life, manipulated her into feeling beneath him. And with each use of the Lazarus, his mind becomes more and more decayed. His love for his daughter twists and corrupts. He sees her as more of a tool than a child. And she grows to resent this, but still loves him deep down. She wants to help him, but he will never accept the help. So she needs to go off on her own. As someone who kind of knows the position she’s in, it can be extremely hard to latch off of an abusive parent. Especially when you have a deep connection to the concept of family. Talia wants to stay as neutral as she can and play both sides but that physically isn’t possible with the boundaries set up by Bruce. Boundaries that he is absolutely right to put up.
Death of the Demon
Short story in which Talia murders her father, intent on tending to her son and living happily.
CW // Implied/mentioned suicide, Graphic depiction of pain/ injury
Talia stands on the edge of a cliff, looking across at the mountain range before her. Her legacy, she thinks, land that should be hers. Was supposed to be hers. This cliff was hers, this palace was hers, this army was hers. It was meant to be. When Ra’s passed… but he never did. He never will. The lazarus pits scattered across the globe prevent this from being the case. And as she gazes out at the horizon, watching the servants carry as much luggage as they can, she realizes it is endless. This pointless cycle. Where Ra’s gets himself killed and his body is retrieved by those who revere him. Who fear his wrath even in death. As his body is tossed, again and again, into pits of green liquid. Bubbling and boiling and spitting him back out, worse and worse each time. There was no beating someone who laughs in the face of death.
It infuriated her. Knowing she had no control over a single aspect of her life. Not even the people she loves. For so long she’s been awake, waiting, plotting… pondering over hundreds of options. And now she had everything put into play. Her people were leaving, moving on to a new place with a new and fresh lazarus pit. The one they’d been using for so many years now was slowly drying up, but it had one use left. One she intended to take.
She glances out at the horizon once again, taking in the pleasant warmth of the setting sun. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her eyes open slowly and she begins to hum a tune, singing quietly as she steps closer to the ledge. “Nami nami ya sghiri, ta ighfa a’al hasiri.” The lullaby grows louder in her head, her mothers voice coming into mind. Her eyes close again as she thinks of her mother.
“Nami a’altimi ta tnzah, I’gheymi.” Her mother sings to her, softly so not to wake her father who sleeps in the other room. “W yseer a’ana dawo kbeer, yedawi a’a kil ‘ljeeri.” Soft hands smooth over her forehead, tucking strands of hair away from Talias face and behind her ear. Her mother presses a kiss to her forehead, and Talia drifts to sleep.
“Bukra bayyek jayye… Hamel ghallet ‘lemon…” Talia sings, stepping closer to the edge, until her toes hang across it. Her brows furrow, and she thinks of her son. All the times she’d sung that lullaby to him just as her mother had to her.
“Bijeblek tanura w shal, ta tedfi bkanon.” She’d lay in bed with him, his head on her lap, and she’d stroke his tired face with such a gentle caress. One you would never expect from the dragoness. “Ya zaghtturet elhandaqa, sha’arek aswad w mna’aa…” Even when he was surely asleep, she would sing. And when the song was finished she would lay back on the headboard and stay with him, rubbing his back until she grew comfortable enough to sleep. Never for the full night, but for at least a few minutes every hour. That was all she ever needed.
Her foot dangles over the cliff. If the plan did not succeed… she would be left to rot at the bottom of these mountains. Strangled by the bones of warriors long dead, who may finally get their revenge on the daughter of the demon. If she did die here, it was without regret. Her son was safe, and that was all that mattered. She had no fear or doubts though. She knew this was a full proof plan.
“W li habbek bebusek, w li bghdek shu betraqa.” She finishes the last of the lullaby and falls to the depths below, with only her son in mind. “‘Ala raasii, my son. We will be together.” The force of the wind scratches her skin, tugging at her hair and forcing her eyes closed. She accepts it openly, arms outstretched as if desperate for its embrace. It is not the first time she has fallen, it will unlikely be the last.
CW // Graphic injury
Her body hits the ground with a sickening crack and the world goes dark instantly. Just as suddenly as she was gone, she is brought back, and when her eyes open she is met with pools of bright green swirling around her. She feels the excruciating pain of her bones rearranging, snapping into place and sealing together. Of her skin, once bloody and broken, rapidly reconnecting. And as she twists and contorts, her mind shatters and rebuilds. Her goal still ever present in the back of her head as her body lifted from the pools.
CW over —
Ra’s holds her in his arms, gently releasing when she starts to move, and she sees the look on his face. Anger, resentment… relief. There is not a servant in sight, nor an assassin to be detected. Aside from the ones she’d entrusted to guard the pool.
“What on Earth were you thinking?” He practically growls, watching her flex her fingers.
She doesn’t hesitate with her answer. Every move and sound he makes is one she’s long predicted, and every move she makes is one that has been carefully planned through. “Forgive me, father. I’d simply thought it best to be rid of the last remainder of essence before our departure.” She is monotone when she speaks, and Ra’s strokes his beard thoughtfully before humming. It is a plan he approves of, of course… why wouldn’t it be.
“And you did not think to inform me?”
“I was simply training my body and mind the way you taught me to.” She reminds him, furrowing her brow. As stated before, it was not the first time she had fallen. The pain was something so normal to her, but she remembers how unpleasant her first time was. How loud she screamed. “Have you forgotten our regiments, father?”
Ra’s shakes his head, hands clasped behind his back as he paces the room. It is silent for a moment, and as his back is turned she retrieves the sword she’d stowed away within the cave, brandishing it at him. He turns to her, a sick but bemused grin on his thin lips.
“What is this, you wish to spar now, my dear Talia?” He reaches for the blade on his waist. “Very well then.” He lunges at her quickly, and their swords clash. With every swift strike he makes, she strikes back even faster, twisting around him and knocking him onto his back. He huffs, preparing to flip up, but is met with a sword to his chin.
“This is no sparring match, father. This is battle.” She raises her sword to strike but is kicked back by Ra’s, who quickly stands and meets her blade once again. Talia slices into his skin and he slices hers in turn, swiping quickly and targeting her weak points. They break away for a moment, circling the ground like sharks.
“You wish to best me, daughter? You could not even best The Batman!” He spits, lunging at her ferociously.
She meets his blade, clanging together against it with each strike. “That is because I love Bruce. Not because you tell me too, but because I want to!” She growls, true to her dragoness name, and strikes his arm. “I am my own person! I am a human being! You cannot- you WILL not… take that from me, ever again.” With this bold statement, Ra’s laughs.
He catches her off guard and knocks her onto her stomach, pressing his foot onto her back. “You are nothing but a pawn Talia. No different from your sisters or brothers, nor your mother or your son.” For a moment there is a sense of fear within Talia. A moment of unpreparedness. He steps on her even harder, and she winces at the pain, struggling to reach for her side.
“No…” She huffs, struggling to move. “I will be free… I will be free!” She screams, surging with adrenaline, and forces him off of her. She flips over to where her sword sits at the edge of the lazarus pit, hastily grabbing it and brandishing it at her father.
“I am Talia Al Ghul, daughter of the demon, the most dangerous woman alive. I will conquer you just as I have conquered countless enemies.” Her sword hits his with enough force that it is knocked from his hand, and he seems genuinely surprised. “I will kill you just as you have killed my sister!” She screams, slicing into him with her sword, again and again with each scream.
“Just as you have driven away my brother, I will drive you into the ground!” SLICE. “Just as you have beaten my beloved, I will beat you! And I will rise over you with the strength you could never obtain, with the drive you senselessly pursued, and I will do it all without YOU!” Her sword plunges into his stomach and through him, his body slumping against hers. She whispers in his ear.
“I will push you into the pit of which has driven you beyond recognition, that has infected your mind to the point of insanity. Just as it is dried of its essence, so too will you, and you will never rise to see the light of another day. I am the demons head now. You…” She pushes him off of her blade and into the murky green pool below. “Will be nothing.” Talia huffs, watching his body sink until it is at the very bottom, and turning toward the exit.
“My lady!” Her trusted companion calls out, bowing hastily, while the others rush to tend to her wounds. Talia only pushes them off. “Is it done?” She asks, and Talia only nods, walking off quietly. Everyone else follows after her.
Except for one.
End!! Lmk if I’m doing a good job writing Talia! For anyone curious the song she sings is a lullaby called Nami Nami! I found the translation on a website, so I hope it’s accurate
Sleep, sleep my little one
Slumber peacefully on the rug
Sleep in the darkness
Until the cloud passes
After it will come a great light
And we will all see it
Sleep, sleep my little child Sleep, sleep my little one
Sleep, sleep, sleep Slumber peacefully on the rug
Sleep, sleep my little one Sleep, sleep my little one
Sleep, sleep, sleep Slumber peacefully on the rug
Daddy has gone to work
Father has gone
He will be back when the moon rises
And bring you a gift
Daddy will return tomorrow
With the lemons he has gathered
He will bring you a skirt and scarf
To keep you warm
You are my sweetest little one
With beautiful dark hair
Whoever loves you will embrace you
And whoever not
Woe unto them!
Sleep, sleep… Sleep, sleep…
I think I accidentally got hired by a company owned by a death cult, but the pay is good so I might stay