11867/Phoebe ruins everything: A Review

Phoebe ruins everything: A Review
Date of Scene:	03 July 2022
Location:	Second Floor Landing - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	(Title is in good humor) When Lonnie is caught recording a livestream in the Manor, he's asked nicely to not. Zatanna worries more about Phoebe and the unhealing injury. Cass is understanding that dogs are the best people.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Cassandra Cain, Lonnie Machin, Zatanna Zatara

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Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe had been a rare sight outside the manor in the last week. She would show for training, take instruction, give nods, and do her best to not step on any toes. Today, she was out in the manor proper. She sat on the second-floor landing of the foyer, the sound of a guitar filling the air, echoing back at her. She cradles the acoustic guitar in her lap, her arms wrapped around it protectively as she rocks back and forth, picking out notes from the air with quiet contemplation, the music played in meditation as much for healing.

    Her hair was still gone, but she was at least dressed nearly back to normal, a black T-shirt promoting some punk band event in New York City and a pair of comfortable jeans. Unusually, she's arefoot, the paler splotches on her feet shown, since over her lower legs was sprawled her babysitter.

    Idu wasn't letting her out of his sight if he could help it. And he was splutted over her legs, enjoying thecool feeling of the floor beneath him.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Dangling Cass is dangling. She's on the roof, laying at a weird angle and listening to the music being played below. She can be seen, one foot and an elbow sticking out over the fall, and the foot wobbling slightly out of synch to the musical rhythm.

She peeks down on occasion, looking at Phoebe. She doesn't know if she's been noticed yet, given that she's not really monitoring the girl. But it's that kind of afternoon.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe had seen the foot and the elbow, and Idu had raised his head to the movement from the foot wobbles, but she was content to let Cass hang around. Literally hang around.

    The music continues to drift out over the foyer as Phoebe leans into the potted plant between the two bathrooms. Look, in spite of the fact that the mansion is huge, sometimes you need to Keep it Real <TM>

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    "And this Cezanne on the wall right there, today it would be valued at over *one hundred million dollars* American. If it wasn't an EXCEPTIONALLY well-made replica. I'm sure the real one is in a vault." Lonnie is... podcasting? Livecasting? "For those just tuning in, I'm in the beating heart of Old-Money opulence, Wayne Manor, having infiltrated my way successfully into the lair of the enemy. For all Thomas and Martha Wayne's charitable endeavors, the *wealth* locked up behind the walls of this manor is a testimony to the enduring power of American old-money aristocracy..." He's speaking into a mic that's taking his recording, as he rounds a corner.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass' foot vanishes from the edge of the roof, but her head and two hands look down instead. She knows the sound of someone talking to people, the cadence is right, but there's something intrinsically off about this. So she peers, her eyes narrow and suspicious, making a really weird-ass thing to see for el podcaste superiore.

Ignore my spanish, I only had one class.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The guitar playing stops, but it isn't a sudden stop, it's more of a slow, questioning process before her fingers don't hit the right frets and the sound goes somehow both sharp and flat at the same time, ending in a sort of questioning musical statement that may remind someone of a dying French hurdy-gurdy player as she opens her eyes and realizes Lonnie is coming around the corner. She leans forward and out of the plant life and just... sort of stares at Lonnie, her dark eyes looking owlishly up at him from where she sits on the floor, and she opens her mouth, and then closes it as he rounds the corner.

    Idu looks up, his head tilting, long ears rising up as he gives an echoing bark of recognition at Lonnie's voice, the forty-pound longboi hopping to his feet, tippy-tapping on the floor and peering about looking for Yap or Tim.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
No portals. Zee plays it conventional today and -drives- to the mansion in a sporty MGA. The top is down, and she buzzes up the long drive, her raven hair waving in the breeze from under a scarf. Think Roman Holiday without Gregory Peck. Alfred, who is well aware of who the gates admitted, waits for her at the front door.

She denies him the right to play stiff butler with her and kisses him on the cheek on entering. Alfred had always been on hand when she visited as a child. Taking a step back, she smiles warmly,"Oh, Alfred, it's been much too long, hasn't it."

He returns the smile, albeit more formally. "It has been that, Ms. Zatara." His eyes swivel to the staircase, "The children are playing upstairs. Go up, and I will bring everyone some refreshments."

Steps might be heard on the stairs as she climbs to join 'the children'. Untying the scarf, the magician follows the music of her erstwhile student, anticipation in her upturned eyes.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
Yap doesn't seem to be here today. Lonnie does pause his recording though.

"Oh. I honestly didn't think there'd be anybody else around. I tried to convince the Manny that he should unionize but he just gave me an admittedly delicious cucumber sandwich and sent me on my way." Lonnie shrugs his shoulders, and looks around.

"The opulence is disgusting, but I have to admit the Waynes do historically have *impeccable* taste. This isn't the sort of place where you'll find golden toilets."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra's head retracts from the edge of the roof, just after Lonnie's face appears. She either A) doesn't want to be on video, or B) was trying not to fall to her death. Either way is reasonable at this point.

There's the sound of scrabbling feet and fingers on the highly slanted rooftop, heading upward. Then the sound of a window opening, somewhere up a floor. As usual Cass is not making a big impression conversationally, but adding background to the situation.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a wry smile, and she shrugs, and shakes her head. No golden toilets here. That's new-money bullshittery. She draws herself out, carefully leaning the guitar against a bench, and pulls herself up to a stand, stretching her arms up. It's plain to see she's sporting some injury on her neck; there's gauze and dressing there.

    She reaches for her sketchbook, and on a page with 'Good morning!' and 'I slept fine' she jots down

    >I found one with a pull-chain though!

    -- and she points to the statement with a wry grin to Lonnie.

    Also took a moment to realize that 'the Manny' was probably Alfred. And she gives a soft snort, with a shake of her head, but looks up when she hears more footsteps coming up -- and draws herself closer into the greenery again.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Nothing about Zatanna evokes the stage or magic. Dressed down for visiting, she wears a roomy linen jacket with an oversized white blouse untucked over wide-legged pants in a deep midnight blue. Her sandals scuff on the marble stairway as she follows Phoebe's magical trail. Once on the landing, her head swivels searching for her. A bare foot is visible between two tall plants.

"Do you want Alfred to bring up snacks?" she asks the plants then turns to greet Lonnie, "Hi! This is my day for seeing people I haven't seen for a while." She smiles, "Are you recording something?"

Lonnie Machin has posed:
Lonnie rubs the back of his neck. "...An underground podcast. Motivating the collective, that sort of thing." He gestures. "Look... I love Tim. But this? All of *this*? Is something I'm inherently opposed to. For all the good the Waynes have done, they're still the beneficiaries of enormous privilege. Bruce Wayne can spend more money than most families will see in a LIFETIME on a painting or a sculpture, something that does nothing more than sit on a wall or a pedestal in an alcove."
    "And at the end of the day, I am who I am. ...Tim knows that."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain's face appears behind Lonnie. Over his shoulder, she looks at the group without a word. Not a sound, she's clearly in stealth mode save for the whole 'standing there like an idiot' bit. Without exactly knowing what's going on, she's peeking at his celphone to try and tell what's going on!

To be fair, without a lot of English, she hasn't caught the explanations thus far.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe can't be hidden by the greenery from Zee's gaze, and she draws out a little bit. She looks to Lonnie, then to where up on the next foor doors open and close, and then she breathes out, and she rubs the back of her neck a moment with a wince, then draws her sketchbook back up and writes down:

    >So you're abusing Tim's affection to access where I live and talk shit on his family?

    And she flips around her sketchbook with a moderately hurt expression.

    She also gives a wave to Cass, and signs to Zee a 'no we are fine'.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The magician is the child of generational wealth. Though, unlike the Waynes, her house and inheritance is out of the public eye. She even works for a living.

Eyebrows raised, lips compressed doubtfully, Zatanna tilts her head, regarding Lonnie, "With Bruce's permission, of course." She glances meaningfully at Phoebe who she toodles her fingers at.

Gently, knowing that she may be setting off a bomb of sorts, she asks, "What should they do with it...at the end of the day?"

Seeing Cass returns the smile to her face, "Oh, hello Cassie!"

Lonnie Machin has posed:
    Lonnie raises an eyebrow at that, and then he says, "No." He sticks his hands in his pockets. "I'm not doing this, because it'd upset Tim. So I'm not doing it." He turns, and walks away. "I shouldn't even be here without Tim to babysit me, I guess. I might break something."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass smiles at both waves, welcomes, but loses it when she sees Lonnie's face. She puts a hand on his wrist; just that, nothing more. Her face is a still life of worry, and she won't stop him from pulling away. But she is there, and she's not upset.

For all that folks might do or not do, Cass is a good listener. She has that, if nothing else.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Meanwhile, Phoebs, the adopted daughter of several working-class people, makes another face, and she scribbles o ut, and tries to talk. It makes a whistling sound, wuth some tonal noses, and finally she begins to just sign at Lonnie's back/side and then she throws up her hands in frustration.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna's strokes the base of her throat, eyebrows pinched in sympathy for Phoebe's struggle. It is one of the reasons she has come to mansion today, besides missing the girl. Visibly, there doesn't seem to have been any progress in her rcovery.

One shoulder lifts in a slight shrug as she regards Lonnie, suggesting with the same gentleness, "I think Tim might be unhappy about it. Come, should we be pests and have Alfred bring us something?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Though Lonnie might not see Phoebe, Cass does. She turns, looking at Phoebe, and puts her hands on her hips. She raises her eyebrows at Phoebe's frustration, and the very edge of her cheek suggests amusement. Only a little amusement though, given how she lives with this problem every day.

A softening of her gaze offers warmth and understanding, then she shifts back to helping Lonnie. And hopefully letting Zatanna help better, since she's pretty useless right now herself. She really does understand.

Lonnie Machin has posed:
"M'not hungry." Lonnie says. Whatever he WANTS to say, he seems to have eaten it, as he rounds a corner and out of sight, his footsteps clattering down the main staircase, as he heads for the gardens.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gets the Wet Cat Expression. She takes out her cell and her earbuds, looks to the earbuds in apology and then absolutely destroys them between her crushing hands while mouthing something, and then she puts her hands to her throat, grimmaces and 'yells':

    Lonnie - wait - keep being what he can count on. Even if it's just you being you at the end of the day. Because you love him. He needs that.

    And the next sound that errupts out of her throat is this awful, grinding frog croak. Those were cheap earbuds. She winces again, and just seems to wilt, running a hand over her buzzed head.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
A glance at Cass and then to Phoebe tells Zee a lot. She follows Lonnie's exit with a faint shake of her head. Then, turns back in time for Phoebe's eruption. It speaks volumes, voice or no, of her frustration, living with the aftermath of a bad bargain. Or, at least, to the magician's perspective. But, she is not here to judge, but invite and see her close up. No more secondhand news.

"Come see me at Shadowcrest, would you, Phoebe? Alone the first time."

"You could come with Phoebe sometime, Cassandra, if you'd like. We can take a walk in the woods." Zee doesn't explain that the woods are in another dimension and that they extend for miles.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass turns when she's addressed, but her eyes don't quite mesh with what's being said. She does give Zatanna a nod, her face kind of confused. She glances at Phoebe, and at Lonnie, kind of wondering if they know what Zee's offering, but then returns there and nods again.

Then she sits down and pets the worried puppy, giving Phoebe a bit of space. She seems to need it for the moment. But if she needed a hug, Cass would be there.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Idu does give a whine, confused at the sudden exit, but Zatannas here! ... and he's getting pets. Dogs are simple.

    Their humans? Eh. Phoebe just sort of flops back, and gives a roll of her hand in the air, somewhere between 'whatever' and 'as you wish'.

    She looks up to Zee, and signs <I mess up.>

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Lips pursed in a smile, Zee shrugs, "Who doesn't? Don't make it a habit? Bring Idu with you when you come."

Repeating the invitation to Cass, she points to Phoebe, then to herself, "With Phoebe, come to my house."

With an arch of an eyebrow, she looks at Phoebe pointedly, "Do come. Soon."

The invitation extended again, Zee nods pleasantly to both of the young women and makes her way back down the grand staircase, back straight, head high, worrying excessively about the young girl all the way back to her car.