12807/Magicians the Gathering

Magicians the Gathering
Date of Scene:	16 September 2022
Location:	Harold's House of Oddities and Coffee House
Synopsis:	Gabby reaches out to Zatanna for help. Meets Zatanna and Angelo who agree to help the JLD and join their number.
Cast of Characters:	Gabby Kinney, Zatanna Zatara, Achilles

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Gabby Kinney has posed:
A short text conversation with Phoebe had provided Gabby with the information she needed to reach out to Zatanna. Though she could have likely found it in the Outsiders database, it felt better to ask someone that she knew had a direct connection with the magician rather than prying Bat-style into everything. A few quick texts are sent off requesting a meeting with Zatanna when she has time in regards to some JLD issues.

That was a bit ago though she's in no hurry. A table near the back of the sitting area in Harold's House of Oddities and Coffeehouse where she can see the entrance, and have her back to the wall. Old habits died hard. There's no dark and broody aire around her though. The young woman sits with a glass of iced coffee beside her along with a plate of some pastries that were bought out of the case. Her attention is turned to her phone watching it in between occasional glances up toward the door and to sweep around the room clearly waiting for someone. Hopefully.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
A long awaited moment of downtime, dare she call it vacation allows her to catch up. As fascinating as her recent excursions have been, the Mistress of Magic has needed a moment to enjoy the tranquility of her house and reacquaint herself with friends. Among them is Angelo Tampambulos who has become a friend in recent months.

A friendship that has allowed Angelo's innate magical abilities to blossom and opened the realm of magic to him. At her request he has accompanied her to the meeting with Gabby at Harold's. Gabby's suggestion that they meet at the kitschy curio shop delighted Zatanna. She seldom collects but revels in people's odd notions of what constitutes magic.

Arm tucked under the blond man's elbow, the two of them stroll into the shop, both craning their heads to look for Gabby. Zee wears nothing like she does on stage - preferring Japanese and French designers to dress her. Today, it is a boxy black jacket over a gauzy stiff silk blouse, with matching high waisted pants over boots.

Achilles has posed:
    Having been spending time at Zatanna's manor... the Shadowcrest Estate, Angelo showed up today with another challenge for the cooking staff. He's done the whole lemon pastry thing with them. But today, he showed up with what amounts to an old school 'meat pie' type of thing.

    Ground up lamb and beef along with some rosemary and other spices along with a few types of cheese within it. And the exterior is basically a thickened up thing involving philo dough. It's a really heavy item, and one of those items is basically a meal.

    It was a challenge leveled his way by the head chef of Shadowcrest, to bring some sort of creation of his own for them to rate. Today's rating was a seven out of ten, which is fine with Angelo. He loves cooking and really enjoys socializing with the Manor's staff. Making them feel like equals and such.

    And today, after that little fun cooking challenge, he actually showed up to serve Zatanna a late dinner consisting of one of his meat pies, and a salad that her chef put together. A bottle of wine from his private collection was added. It was an easy and tasty meal, enjoyed in quiet companionship.

    And after that, the meeting. No point going to such a meeting on an empty stomach, right? He is dressed pretty casually, in a pink polo shirt (Yes, he can pull off pink easily enough). Along with blue jeans and black leather loafers.

    Patting Zatanna's hand upon entering, he offers a small smile before moving further inside. "I appreciate you bringing me with you today." he tells her. "I am looking forward to getting to know more of the people in your... shall we say community?" he asks. His voice is just barely colored with the last dregs of an English accent. Almost like he is three weeks away from losing it entirely.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
For her part Gabby was dressed as she usually was: Casual. It was rare she had reason or opportuinty to actually dress up. In the case of this shop however she had opted for black on black just to go with the 'moody vibe' of the place that was really not that dark in reality. It was just fun to play along with. Like dressing up for Halloween. The attire worn is a pair of pleather pants, ankle high boots, and a half-unzipped hoodie with the logo of a Nick Dragos album on the back. Beneath is just a simple dark green tanktop adding at least a splash of color to her outfit. Around her neck is a little wire-wrapped stone necklace that bears some kind of enchantment on it. A mild one, nothing dangerous.

Spotting the familiar Magican even out of stage attire it causes Gabby to pause mid-bite of a sugar encrusted donut. The bite is quickly taken and chewed while she fumbles over for a napkin to swipe her hands clean. By the time she stands to greet them it's at least finished being gulped down so she can properly speak.

"Hi! Zatanna, thanks for coming out, I appreciate it." The man next to her doesn't go unnoticed as she snaps her attention to him curiously. "I'm Gabby," she offers to the unfamiliar man.

A quick gesture is made to the seats at the table in invitation. "Join me? There's snacks if you want. Sorry it's mostly sugary stuff, I haven't really had time to grab anything to eat in the past few days so caffiene and sugar are keeping me going." At least she's honest about it.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Hello, Gabby," she calls from across the cafe, waving. She unlinks her arm with Angelo and wends her way through the tight tables to stand before her table with a warm smile. "Thank you for the message. I've brought the friend, I texted you about."

Zee pulls out a chair and gestures Angelo to sit next to her. Scanning the young woman's face, "How have you been?" The scars on her young face stand out to the magician. Scars of that magnitude never being easily earned, but she knows little about the history behind them. Her eyes drop for a moment to the pendant at her neck, recognizing Phoebe's work and then return to the young woman's face.

Achilles has posed:
    New scars. Scars are something that Angelo is familiar with, but not something he has dealt with on a personal level himself in the past. But he sits down where Zatanna indicates and retains a small smile on his face as he does so. "I am fine. Thank you though. I -would- love a cup'a though." he adds with a shrug.

    But then he looks to Gabby and bows his head forward. "Good evening to you. I hope that I am not intruding. My name is Angelo. I won't force you to try to pronounce my last name. Sufficed to say it is Greek and a bit of a mouthful."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney flashes a faint smile at Zatanna's question. "Busy, so very busy," she states with a quiet sigh as she starts to settle back down. Only for her glance to dip down toward her necklace. Reaching up she tucks it just beneath the collar of her shirt. Of course it would go off now, there's a powerful Magician here, right? Right.

"Cup of... coffee or tea?" She asks hesitantly with a sidelong glance at Angelo. "I'm guessing tea given the accent but I try not to judge. That's how people get in trouble. But, we can do either here," she assures with a quickly followed up, "Nice to meet you Angelo."

Sitting back down a moment she looks between the two trying to gather her thoughts. After only a moment her shoulders rise in a quick shrug to some thought or another. "I'm sorry to seem abrupt. There's not really any easy way to broach this topic so I'm gonna get right to it."

Lacing her fingers together casually on the table in front of her she straightens her shoulders a bit. "We lost a lot of people in the JLD recently and I'm reaching out to those who have more experience than myself to help. If that's something you'd be interested in."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Well," after a glance at Angelo, "tea for me. I prefer it in the evening. Assam with milk, would be perfect." She pauses to let Angelo add his order. "And if they have scones, I wouldn't say no, I'm on a bit of a holiday and treating myself to sweets."

"Abrupt is fine. Let's say direct," she gives her a brief smile that sobers. "Yes, I'm aware, being one of the people who jumped ship." Lips pursed primly, she adds, "Let that be enough said."

Gesturing with an open hand, "How can I be of help?"

Achilles has posed:
    Smirking just a bit, Angelo shrugs his shoulders, "Well, I left it vague because I would be happy with either option. There is no -wrong- choice between coffee or tea." he states.

    But when Gabby lays it out that way, blunt and direct... his green eyes flicker to Zatanna and then come back to Gabby. "Experience is something that I have in abundance." he adds. "I do have commitments of my own that I need to be able to follow through with." he says as he pulls a wallet out of his back pocket and unfolds it to show the SHIELD badge. "But I am happy to be of use to those who are in need. I believe in being supportive of those I care about."

    He pauses and adds, "And I find myself caring quiet a bit here. So if you need help, I am offering my own aid and assistance. There is more to it, but we all have far more than what we -appear- to offer, do we not?" he asks.

    "Let's just say that I have more ... experience, than most teams of people combined."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney steeples her fingers together to press against her lips as she peers overtop at Angelo. It wasn't that she's ignoring Zatanna, but Angelo has said a few things so far that have piqued her interest. A single deep breath is taken. Held. And then she blurts out, "Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to..." Her hands lift to clap to her cheeks shaking herself up a bit. "Dude. Phrasing!" She blurts out before getting to her feet to head for the cafe counter to put in the order.

It's a quick process which allows her to hop back over quickly to reclaim her seat with a sheepish grin cast to both. "Sorry, sometimes I just have to get things out. Alright, seriously." And she was serious. Quite a bit so. That didn't mean she'd lost her sense of humor, not entirly, and being as tired as she was these past few days it was harder to repress in such instances.

"Basic run down is this: We had three leaders. Jon, Chas, and my older half sister, Rien. After fending off some Old Ones from another dimension trying to get into ours, Jon retired and went to travel dimensions. And then like two days later my sister informed me she and Chas were going leaving to explore their budding feelings for one another." It's here she looks very. Very. Unimpressed. It might be her sister, she might care for her, but up and leaving like that was not something she was thrilled with. "They didn't bother to tell anyone but me so I've stepped up to try and take care of the mundane side of running things since I'm not a magic user myself." Which might explain the necklace she wore for Zatanna's curiosity. "Would you be interested in coming back, Zatanna? Even if only temporarily. If not I understand. I'm just trying to keep things running and clean up loose ends."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
At the mention of the three names, Zatanna's expression shutters, but her eyes flash. She perhaps shares a sentiment with Gabby. "I wish them long and interesting travels. They were much too self-interested, in my opinion. So, it doesn't surprise me that nothing was said."

She takes a deep breath, and looks away for a moment, trying to order her feelings. Fixing her regard on Gabby, again, something softens in her eyes, "There is likely a lot to be done. I can lend you a hand with as much as I can. I imagine moving the headquarters back to something more accessible would be one order of business, among others."

Achilles has posed:
    Lifting his brows, Angelo looks a bit confused. He doesn't really know any of the names being dropped here. But he understands the situation. "I am barely skilled... in anything mystical. The merely mundane is more my speed. But I am learning. I have... a unique source of power that can be drawn upon. It's... not something I am truly comfortable discussing outside of a private place. But... Zatanna is aware of it. She has been helping me learn to draw upon it."

    "And... as I said, if you need help, and she is willing to help, then I am willing and able to also."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The response from Zatanna earns a smile, and Angelo's contribution causes her to grin further. "That's okay," she assures quite easily. "While the JLD does have quite a few magic users, or paranormal sorts of one kind or another, I see it more as a gathering of people willing to help against threats of such a nature. There's always ways to help bolster someone's skills and abilities to make up where they lack in other areas. I'd love it if you could help as well Angelo, thank you."

"As for headquarters..." Her hand lifts giving a little side-to-side wobble. "It's being worked on. Right now the astral rooms that we had been using need to be run through to make sure there's no lingering baddies hiding around. I don't want to link up to something in the physical world until that's taken care of. Seems like a good way to give something hiding an 'in' to get here further," she points out. "After that though, yes. We need somewhere that we can meet and talk with those who aren't able to access that place."

Her eyes roam around the room with a breif grin. "Part of why I've been using this as a kind of temporary office space to meet people. Gives a fun vibe without being actually dangerous. Well, aside from being Gotham."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Angelo, I would never have suggested you join us, unless I thought you had something very valuable to contribute. Not every battle can be won by magic. And you have not only a strong arm, but more magic than you knew you possessed." She pats his arm reassuringly. "Believe me, Gabby, there are very few people I would rather have at my side in a fight."

Her eyebrows pinch at Gabby's suggestion that the previous JLD headquarters, a place she never knew and had no input into, might be tainted and would pose a problem if they were connected to something on earth. Lips pressed into a severe line, her eyes grow distant as she considers something. When she refocuses, "As you say, itt will have to be purged. And if there is the least danger, I'd prefer to lock it down and make it inaccessible to anyone, astronaut or mage. Count me in."

Zatanna's eyes follow Gabby's as she looks around the shop, and they move on to lighter subjects, "I periodically go through these shops to ensure myself that nothing dangerous is being let loose on the public." Nodding several times, "You'd be surprised at what people unearth or try to use without any grounding in magic."

Achilles has posed:
    "Astral?" asks Angelo. "Cannot say that I have experienced anything along those lines in the past. But yes.. I am willing and able to be a part of this."

    His eyes turn to regard Zatanna once more and he lifts both brows as he says, "I am willing to share more of my personal story with her.." he says, gesturing towards Gabby. "I am quite happy to do so, but I would prefer to do so away from here. Sufficed to say..."

    He turns his attention back to Gabby, "I am an experienced warrior and soldier. But also descended from more than one of the Olympian gods."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney nods solemnly at Zatanna's assessment of the situation. It's taken in stride, without any sign of disagreement. "Exactly my thoughts. At the very least it should be quarantined for awhile perhaps. That's the top of the list of things to take care of immediately."

An apologetic smile is offered toward Angelo in regards to the astral plane. "It's kind of like limbo? But not quite. I've been to Limbo too and that's different."

It's the mention of history that causes her eyes to light up with recognition, and interest. "Oh! Any relation to Heracules? I've met him a few times, really nice guy. Don't worry I'm pretty open minded about a lot of things. My family's long lived as well though I'm just starting out. I expect there'll be a time when I'll be on the other end of having to explain things to someone."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna listens with a faint smile playing on her lips as Angelo tells a little about himself, aware of how reticent he is with most people on first meeting them. With a nod and without adding details to his account, she reaffirms, "You want him in a fight, magic or non-magic."

"I don't know very much about your family, Gabby. To be honest, next to nothing, beyond you being related to Rien. My people are long lived, as well, though nothing approaching Angelo's longevity." Making a small sound to herself, she continues, "Do you also have?" She holds her fists out to Gabby. "Like she did?"