Not The Wizard of Oz

Nathan Gale Father, CEO, Meta-Human Presumed Dead...But Not Quite Indie DC OC FC: Sebastian Roche Please Read the About and Rules

[galewizard-blog]

The Wizard and the Ringleader || Nathan and Murphy

[fulgurxclavae]

    Before she knew what was happening, Murphy was tripping in to a giant hole in the ground. If she hadn’t had her mask on, she’d have probably did some pretty decent damage to her face from the asphalt, but she was quick to recover.

    She was quick to jump back to her feet and started pouring electricity at him. She kept the voltage low, but constant. It wouldn’t kill him, just tase him if it hit.

[galewizard-blog]

He hadn’t thought that she would have gotten up so quickly. He cursed under his breath and started moving away. He really didn’t want this fight to keep going. Oz hated dealing with the Bat’s sidekicks, just as much as he hated dealing with the Bat himself, so far he’d managed to stay away from the big man. 

Oz attempted to push the girl back with wind, trying to get distance between the two. “Sorry, kid. You should just leave.” Why did he have to get stuck with fighting? Oz felt a crackle of electricity near him, causing him to jump away, but not before felt a jolt going through him. 

[onceland]

[galewizard-blog]

Meeting The Brother || Circus-Bird

[circus-bird]

   He hasn’t had the chance to meet Briar’s dad due to his work and bad timing, but he’s heard stories of him from his sister and he seemed like a good man. When Briar had arranged for them to meet he was excited to finally meet the man that he’s heard so much about.

   He just hoped that he could make a good impression on him.

   “Ah, yeah, that’s me. But please, Mr. Grayson was my father, You can call me Dick.” He smiled.

[galewizard-blog]

He couldn’t help but smile at the greeting, “Nice to meet you, Dick.” Nathan was actually very pleased that he seemed to be a nice young man. Course, he really didn't’ expect much else from the description that Briar had given him. Shed’ nothing to say but good things to say about the man she considered to be her brother.

“I am really glad that you agreed to have lunch with me.” 

[galewizard-blog]

Little Chats || Selina and Nathan

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{Selina}: 

Selina knew this had to be hard for him and it was hard for her too, but she had a hard time moving here. She wanted to make sure that Briar was safe and happy and yet she knew she didn’t get to stand in the way of Briar and her father. At the same time, perhaps that was just her being selfish because she loved Briar like her own daughter.

“I wish you could have been there too, but I also don’t,” she told him honestly–it wasn’t like Selina to spare peoples’ feelings, even Bruce’s. “She’s my little bit and she wouldn’t be had you been there. I know I can’t…stand in between the two of you, but I also really can’t have her getting hurt. You see my dilemma?”

She swallowed and looked the man over, taking a breath and looking down at the floor before she looked back at Nathan and nodded slowly. “Look, I know that should I be in your shoes, I’d want to make it right too. So, perhaps I can let you see her, but I’m not leaving you alone unless she asks me to. I’m too protective for that,” she admitted to him.

Was it unreasonable? Maybe, but Selina couldn’t help the way that she felt.

Nathan understood. And he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t want to hurt Briar, he just wanted to reconnect with with the child he lost all those years ago. He ran a hand though his hair, nodding slightly. 

“I understand. Completely.” Nathan took a deep breath, “I understand that you’ve been there for her. Been one of the few people she could trust in the world after I was gone. I wanted her to find people like that, if anything ever happened to me.  I wanted to her be happy.”  

He looked down, he could take that concession. He wanted Briar to feel safe when they spoke, after all, their meeting again did not go nearly as well as he would have hoped. Her seeing him running as a thug for Two-Face when he didn’t have his memories wasn’t exactly a reunion for the ages. 

“I am fine with that, I just want to talk to her.” 

[galewizard-blog]

Meeting The Brother || Circus-Bird

circus-bird

Nathan had grown somewhat accustomed to the thought of meeting the new, well new to him, members of Briar’s family. Bruce had given him enough information to know that he had a fairly large group of brothers to meet. Though, the interaction with Bruce’s son had been interesting to say the least, he had hopes that the meeting with Dick Grayson would go a bit better. 

Hell, he hoped for a lot better.

He would have to remember to thank Briar for setting up the meeting between the two. “Mr. Grayson?”

[galewizard-blog]

The Wizard and the Ringleader || Nathan and Murphy

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{Ringleader}:

    She blinked. That was possibly the stupidest codename if it was one. Maybe… No, he couldn’t have forgotten about his daughter, but then why was he out here.

    No, it couldn’t be him. But… “God dammit.” She took off running as fast as she could, looking to knock him on his ass. She knew he had powers from her talks with Briar, but they’d never really talked about what they were. She charged up a ball of lightning in her fist, wanting to knock him out. If she did that quickly, then maybe she could get him back to Bruce to see if it was really him.

Oz watched the girl move with a great deal of speed, reaching out to the earth to rip a hole in the ground. If he was lucky, she would fall in. It wasn’t terribly deep, nothing that would do a large amount of damage. He didn’t do killing, which was why he was always lookout. 

However, he knew that there was no telling if the pit would work or not. He gathered the winds around him, ready to use them to send the girl flying. Those idiots in the store needed to hurry the hell up, he didn’t want a fight with one of the Bat’s brats to last very long. 

[galewizard-blog]

Little Chats || Selina and Nathan

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almostgotxim:

Selina was looking him over, trying to figure out if she should go full on protective or not. She didn’t feel like she had the right to keep him from his daughter because that was just it: he was her father. At the same time, she had always felt like Briar was her little girl even though that wasn’t the truth by blood. Even so, Selina wasn’t about to let her get hurt even if this man was in fact her biological father.

She had been through enough with biological parents on her own and while this was much different, she was going to protect Briar with everything that she had. “That might not have been your intention, but it happened all the same. I am aware that you are her father–that’s what the word around here is–but she’s mine too. I’ve been here through puberty and first love and graduation and I’m protective.”

It wasn’t her place, right? To deny a father the right to speak to his child? Selina was just finding it hard not to stake her claim because Briar was one of the most important people to her and she would protect her from pain at all costs.

“How exactly do you plan on making this all better?”

In truth, he had expected resistance and anger when he remembered everything and decided to try and speak with her.  It had been more than a decade, and Briar, as far as he could tell, had grown up to be a smart and happy young woman. He knew how easily that could be upset, and he knew that it was selfish of him to want to speak to her when she might be in a distraught state. But he wanted to tell her how sorry he was, that he had never meant to leave her all alone.

“I understand, Miss Kyle. I do.” Nathan flinched slightly, “I wish I could have been there through that, I wish I could have done everything that I was meant to do. I wanted to be there.”

Oh God, did he ever. He wanted to go back in time and never go to that damned meeting. Briar had asked him to stay home, he remembered that she hadn’t felt well and wanted him to read to her. But he had gone, giving her a kiss on the forehead and telling her he loved her. He wished that he could have changed the way things happened.

“I want to talk to her, and just explain everything. I want to tell her how sorry I am.”

[fieryresurgencea-blog]

Unsure Meetings || Francis and Nathan

[galewizard-blog]

hotheadedpyro:

It comforted Francis slightly to see that Nathan seemed to be just as unsure and nervous about their meeting as he was. Briar remembered somethings about her father, and her stories often painted a man who was confident and sure of himself. And Francis could see that those things had changed over the years, but to no true fault of Nathan’s. It was the explosion that still caused Briar nightmares every so often, the one that had taken him away from her for years. 

He gave the older man a smile, stepping in. “Thank you Nathan.” He chuckled a bit, his smile widening. “I’m sure it’s fine.” He felt at ease talking about food, his own cooking skills rather lacking as his mother would but it. Now if only that ease would stay. 

“Thank you for having me over.” He knew it couldn’t be easy. But he was more than willing to try for Briar. 

The smile was returned, a sense of ease coming over Nathan as he closed the door behind Francis. Nathan had once been a very excitable man, he still was, now that he was Nathan again and not Oz, but when faced with the fact that his daughter was dating someone, he was a bit unsure. He had plenty that he wanted to ask the young man about. He had been told that he and Briar had been friends for years, and he wanted to know how things were then. 

“More than happy to have you over, I know how much this means to Briar. And I am willing to try.” Nathan headed into the kitchen and dinning nook, where he had the table set save for the food, which was fixing to come out of the oven. 

“So, how long have you been dating, Briar?”

[galewizard-blog]

Little Chats || Selina and Nathan

[galewizard-blog]

almostgotxim:

Selina didn’t usually answer the door, but she’d been more and more accustomed to making this place her own as well. She wasn’t planning on leaving, and she wanted to be here for Bruce, Briar and Damian as much as she could be. Now this man was coming to the door and asking to speak to Briar and Selina felt that familiar sensation of panic mixed with protectiveness bubble up in the pit of her stomach.

“So you’re him,” she said slowly, chewing on her lip and pondering whether or not she was supposed to let him in or not. Part of her was screaming at her to just open up the door a little more and be the good hostess, but the other part of her wanted to turn him away. Selina just had a feeling that Briar would hate her if she made him go and said nothing about it. She had to get better at being truthful.

After a pause, Selina opened up the door wider for him. “Come on in,” she told him, motioning for him to enter. “I can’t promise you that you can talk to her right now, but you can talk to me. I’m Selina, by the way. Selina Kyle.”

He should have known that whom ever answered the door was bound to know who he was. Even if it wasn’t Alfred or Bruce. He knew that Briar must have depended on those in the house when she was upset. They were the only people she had, only family she had for years, they would have been the first to know when she had seen him.

Once she allowed him in, Nathan nodded to her slightly before attempting to give her a small smile. He felt so unsure of what was happening, but he knew that he had to power on. “Thank you, Miss Kyle.” His smiled faltered slightly at the thought of not speaking with his child, but at this point he would take what he could get. 

“I do wish to assure you that I do not mean Briar any harm. I understand my sudden appearance must of upset her. But, that was not my intention.”

[trinitasxmortis-moved-blog]

Face of A Ghost || Briar and Nathan

[galewizard-blog]

trinitasxmortis:

Stealth came easy to her. The ability to bend the shadows around her allowed Briar a level of invisibility that most couldn’t achieve. It made it easy to pick off people while being on the ground. She wasn’t very good at doing it Bruce’s way. It had it’s draw backs of course, should she move too much while someone stared where she was standing, she could be found out. So she made sure to remain still until the thugs walked past her. 

Then she picked them off. 

When they began to panic, she couldn’t help the grin that appeared on her face. It was a natural part of the night, whoever they were going after would start to panic, knowing that the end was coming. She moved closer to those in the vault, keeping an eye out for signals from Bruce, or something through the comm link. However, her attention was drawn away and back to the floor as what had started out as a barely decipherable breeze turned into a forceful wind. Her eyes went to scanning those that were left, there was some one else with powers there. 

The wind tickled his finger tips, letting him know it was there, at his command. While there were memories missing in Oz’s head, there was one thing he was good at, and remembered with clear precision. How to use his abilities. They were there, like a friend that couldn’t be sent away, guiding and protecting him. And it made him a valuable asset to the gang, and in his years of living on the street, he knew valuable guaranteed him things. 

He had managed to pick up on movement that seemed to escape the attention of his comrades, but it was his job to stand there and watch. He just happened to be looking at the right place at the right time and saw the flicker of a young woman. One of the Bat’s brats. 

Oz focused on her, she was on the floor. And that meant he could get to hear far more easily than the Bat or whoever else was in the building. He forced the wind to the area he had seen her in, having lost sight of her. She had seemingly vanished into the shadows. Leaving him to only guess as to where she was now standing. But if he saw nothing, he would adjust things accordingly. He would catch her, or at least he thought he would. 

[galewizard-blog]

Little Chats || Selina and Nathan

[galewizard-blog]

almostgotxim:

Selina had been wandering around the manor all morning trying to figure out what it was she was going to do right now. Bruce was being Bruce and Briar was distraught, and she was supposed to be helping with Gotham related things, but her thoughts were all over the place. At least Damian was out for now with his friends, so when the knock on the door sounded, Selina thought about just letting Alfred get it.

However, he was in the kitchen making her something to stop her from being so agitated: the whole thing was making her sick to her stomach. Perhaps part of that though, was the feeling that with everything new that was happening, she might lose her little bit and she wasn’t about to let that happen. Selina was a lot of things, and unfortunately, kind of selfish was one of them.

Getting the door, Selina opened it up and looked at the man that was standing there, pausing and then remembering her manners. “Yes? Can I help you?”

He was confused when the woman answered the door. He had been expecting Alfred. Or possibly Briar, but not someone else. Nathan’s brow knit together for a moment as he peered at her, almost not registering her question. But then his brain clicked and he became aware that he was meant to answer. And it took him a moment to find his voice. “I was wanting to speak with Briar.” 

Nathan had no idea if she was even there. He knew nothing of his child’s day to day activities. She was old enough to be living on her own, so was she? Or had she decided to stay with the only family she had known for years? He prayed it was the first option, as he doubted that anyone would tell him where she lived if it was else where. 

A part of him was regretting this already. Asking after a child who had only just begun to grow when he was ripped from her. She would be better adjusted down, he hoped, and would have grown into a fine young woman. Would she even want to speak with him? “Is she in?”

[galewizard-blog]

The Wizard and the Ringleader || Nathan and Murphy

[fulgurxclavae]

    Initially, Murphy thought these goons might have been her father’s, but the split face of their mask made it painfully obvious whose goons they actually were. Either way, she had been tailing them for quite a while now, waiting for them to strike. She just had a hunch and it looked like her hunch had been right when they smashed the glass at this jewelry store.

    She dropped from the rooftop and down into the alleyway, then dodged across the road as a car went by, hiding behind another car. Once close enough, she ran up with her hands already charged, looking to zap the hell out of the guy guarding the door.

    As he turned to look at her, though, she stopped short. “Holy shit.” No, that couldn’t be Briar’s Dad; he was dead. “No way.” Had to be an imposter. Maybe another Clayface. Maybe a master of disguise. Not Nathan. She went on the defensive and yelled, “What’s your name?”

[galewizard-blog]

Well, he had been yelled at before when he had dealt with the masked heroes that ran around the city. Never before had one run up and demanded to know his name. And to be honest it caught him off guard. But not enough to fully throw him off completely. 

Oz glared at the young woman, clenching his fists and causing cracks to appear in the sidewalk beside his feet. With no real idea as to what she wanted, since it seemed that attacking him out right was not going to happen, he figured better safe than sorry. He didn’t like fighting, that’s why he was look out, but if she attacked, he wasn’t going to stand by. “Oz.”

With no real memories, it was the name that he had chosen for himself. He wasn’t sure of why, but knew that the book The Wizard of Oz meant something to him. And it seemed as good a name as any. 

[galewizard-blog]

Little Chats || Selina and Nathan

It hadn’t been long since memories had began to come back.  The shock of seeing his child face to face at his grave had been enough to jar the memories loose it seemed. Or maybe his healing factor had finally repaired damage that had remained after the explosion. There was no real way to tell, though the latter seemed more likely. 

Whatever the cause, Nathan now knew that he wanted to some how get back in Briar’s life. Though, in all honesty he had no idea of how to go about this endeavor. So he settled for going out to Wayne Manor in the hopes of talking to her now that he fully remembered her. Unlike the day they had met, where her confused and heart wrenching inquiries about his identity went unanswered. Now, he could talk to her. Or try to.

He had no way of calling in ahead, having distanced himself from his gang once his memories began their return. He could only pray that she would be there when he knocked on the doors. 

[fieryresurgencea-blog]

Unsure Meetings || Francis and Nathan

It hadn’t been long since Briar had been reunited with Nathan and they had faked his death to get him away from Two-Face’s gang. However, Francis had yet to really sit down and speak with Nathan, thinking it was best to just hang back and allow Briar all the time she wanted with her father. He knew she had to be feeling a million different emotions at the point, not to mention what Nathan had to be going through. 

So when Nathan reached out to him and asked Francis to have dinner with him, the young man was surprised. he knew Briar had told Nathan about their relationship, and he honestly expected Nathan to have a dislike of him. After all, he was the guy that wanted to eventually marry his daughter. 

Francis wouldn’t like that either. 

Upon his arrival, Francis shifted nervously on the steps to the small studio apartment Briar had set Nathan up in after he stated he thought it best to live on his own. Francis had gift, picked out and wrapped by Briar, in his hands, he knew that it was proper to bring the host something when coming to eat. Whatever it was, he just hoped it sent the message of ‘Please don’t hate me for dating your daughter’, he already had Bruce to deal with. 

After taking a deep breath, Francis knocked on the door. 

[galewizard-blog]

Well, he was nervous. He had been doing his best to reach out and connect with Briar, so when she told him that she thought it best he meet her boyfriend, Nathan had gone for it. Even if he wasn’t totally sure how he felt about the fact that his daughter was or has been dating someone for a long term. But he was willing to meet the young man in a different setting than the original one in Wayne Manor. 

When he opened the door, it took him a moment to actually greet him. Certain social skills had suffered in the years that he had been Oz, and the subject being the boyfriend of his daughter wasn’t making it any easier. Eventually, he offered the brunette a smile and stood to the side. “Please, come in Francis.” 

Once he was in the apartment, he shut the door. “Thank you for coming. I will admit that I am rusty in my cooking skills, so I do not know if it will be up to par.” 

[trinitasxmortis-moved-blog]

Face of A Ghost || Briar and Nathan

Briar was running with Dick that night, happy fort he chance to spend time with someone she considered her brother. The patrol had been fairly boring so far, the two not finding much beyond an attempted mugging that they put a stop to. However, when Alfred came over the communications link, and told them that Two-Face’s gang was currently attempting to rob the Gotham National Bank. They agreed to meet Bruce there, quickly sprinting and jumping over the rooftops. 

Once the two arrived, Briar began scouting the situation. It was a fairly group of thugs, each with a two tone mask covering their faces. They were moving around the bank, watching and waiting as two men worked to open the vault. Those who were walking around would be easy to pick off, and after a few seconds Bruce gave both Briar  and Dick orders before grappling to another position. Dick followed suit, leaving Briar to drop down to a secluded section and use her power to blend into the shadows around her. 

It would be easy to pick off her target, she would just have to decided on which one. 

[galewizard-blog]

He was acting as an extra guard for the two members of the gang currently working to get into the vault. He didn’t like walking around with a gun, he would rather use his powers. And being so close to the two getting in the vault kept him from generally having to fight anyone. Though most nights, the Bat and his brigade of children arrived, causing him and the two at the door to get the hell out of there. 

He figured this night would be no different. 

Oz watched the area around him, keeping his back to the wall. It wasn’t long before the comm link became filled with the gang calling out to members who had fallen silent. The Bat and his lackey’s were here, meaning there was a time line on getting the cash and getting the Hell out of there. “The Bat is here, keep an eye out.” Oz took a step forward, holding his hand out to capture the air that was moving through the building. 

[laceandhalos]

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Teresa Palmer