14676/Secrets Shared

Secrets Shared
Date of Scene:	13 April 2023
Location:	Happy Harbor Waterfront
Synopsis:	Shazam and Marie bond over similar upbringings.
Cast of Characters:	Billy Batson, Marie-Ange Colbert

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Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam is sitting on a bench looking at the water and playing a well used flute. He is not particularly skilled but he is putting some effort into 'Alouette.' Not exactly what you expect of the World's Mightiest Mortal. He might have to change that. Do Kryptonians count? Fr that matter and closer to home, is little brother Pedro is really swol as a Shazam. He might be the strongest. Then again, he is the tops with the Power of Zeus and carrying big stuff in flight. Superhero standards fluctuate more than citizens realize.

"Alouette, jaunty alouette, I don't know how the rest of the song goes..."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Alouette, je te plumerai." sings a voice from behind Shazam -- the French accent of the music major likely becoming pretty familiar over the past little while.

Of course, in the form of the Champion of Magic, the /feeling/ of someone magical might be the first sign that Marie's there. However exactly that works. It's not something Marie's trained enough to be able to harness, or disguise.

"Monsieur... ah...?" she adds; they're in public, there could easily be eavesdropping ears. She knows not to call him Billy in this form. She doesn't know that /she/ could safely speak the word without reverting him. Or that he can, for that matter.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam turns around and grins, "Shazam while I'm working, please. Just Shazam, not Mr or Monsieur. It's a good habit to get into. Although my other form has a pretty common name. Anyway you know who two of us are. I'm guessing you'll out Pantheon after you spend five minutes with him. It's a good thing. I know I can trust you and that means we can trust you. You should be able to contact family if something happens to Thunderbolt. I'll give you my number now." He pulls a phone out of his belt and shows it to Marie.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Am I allowed to say it?" Marie asks politely -- she wouldn't have thought about doing it if he hadn't just used it himself. "It will not..." she pointedly looks up towards the sky, indicating the lightning that comes after she's seen Mary /use/ the word. "...in any case, might I join you?" she asks. It's Marie. Polite to a fault. Once given permission, though, she sits.

"I would say, of course you can trust me, but that would be presum... prese..." Marie frowns at the word that won't quite come out in English. "...it was a decision you had to make. All I could do was give you reason." she replies with a little smile, reaching into one of her own pockets to withdraw her phone. Typing in the number to add to contacts... and then sending a text right after with her name.

"I pray nothing ever does happen to her... but oui, it is assuring to have. For more reasons than one." If something did happen, she'd go visit the Vasquez house personally. But knowing there's /high calibre backup/ to be found there too is a relief of a different measure. "...did she mention that we were going to be moving in together?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam grimaces a little, then says slowly, "Presumptuous c'est presomptueux en Francais. No. She doesn't tell me anything. I'm very happy for you both." He gets up and hugs the French student tight. After all, nobody is around. Then he frowns a little and holds her at arms length studying. He looks around again. "Are you away of the ripples of magic coming off you? It's strange. I got nothing magical from that Death you conjured up -cool thing by the way." He releases her and waves his hands around her a little. "This is bizarre. Pantheon or Thunderbolt might be better at this than me. But... yes... you are fat with magic as the saying goes. Actually you're quite slim."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Oui! That!" she points when Shazam uses the right word. "I am sorry, my English..." ...and then she's being hugged, and does what she does best. She hugs back. She certainly likes Billy enough!

...then she's pushed away and looks confused for a moment. "...non?" she asks, frowning a bit herself. "I mean..." she trails off for a moment. Considering. "...I should explain."

Taking a breath to consider how she can best put this, she continues. "I am a mutant, Shazam." That evaluating look returns for a moment to gauge his reaction to those words. It's something else that a lot of people hate. Some of them even superpowered. "...making the images of the tarot... leap off of the page? That is my ability. It is why I am called Tarot." Has she tried it with other things? No. But she intends to.

"...but that is only part of who I am. I am also the latest in a long line of seers... fate shares with me the secrets of her plans for the future. It is not..." She frowns as she struggles for the word. "...the amateurish way that many tarot readers work. It has been described to me as magical by sorceresses... one had even offered to train me to hone these abilities further, but..." she kinda disappeared. There's a little frown, though. "...I hope this does not hinder our friendship."

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam'face fairly melts as he grabs Marie in another hug, realizing she took his experimenting for a rebuff. Before he lets her go he confides in her ear, "My first... love I guess was beautiful red-haired Mutant named... well I might not be at liberty to say her name but she caused a couple fires as her powers came out. She gave me this flute in fact and we practiced together. She was the first person I told my secret to. My title is Defender of Mankind, all mankind, Marie. Hatred is one of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Humanity."

"Anyway... I could never hate you. You can tell me anything." Then he keeps hugging if she wishes. Wow, LGBTQ, Mutant, and magic user. She definitely needs a big brother hug.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie's gonna hold on for a while once she's hugged again. Acceptance? Acceptance means a ton to her. It means even more coming from Mary's family. For someone who's spent her life being rejected by the majority of people she's known, this is practically oxygen to her. America as a whole has been.

"Merci beaucoup." comes a tiny voice after several long moments of silence. Green eyes closing and threatening to tear up. "I love your sister. I would do anything for her without a second thought." Even defy fate itself. "It... means a lot to me that her family not hate me. Perhaps more than you could ever understand." ....oh, Marie. Shazam very likely /could./ You just don't know it yet!

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam keeps hugging. Gods help anyone who suggests they get a room. Then he says, "Do you want to do a show with Billy? Are you out as Tarot? I'd like you to talk about your struggles and show everyone you're a person like anyone else. Julie already did a show. I mean, if you're not out we can blur your face or you could wear a mask... we should stop hugging at some point but darn you aren't letting go!"

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"It... is not something that is widely known." Marie admits, finally releasing the hug, though keeping her gaze lowered. "It is something I felt important for you to know. For all of you to know." Meaning his family. "...because if I am ever to truly become one of you as Mary wishes me to be, such secrets would only get in the way."

As for the offer of doing a podcast? She considers it. "I... could, if you think that would be helpful, though I think before I do there are... people... I should consult, first." Likely Mary, Emma, and probably Jean too. Just in case. She's been well-versed on the reasons that identities are kept secret. The people that can be impacted beyond herself.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam will not have her looking away. A very strong finger taps her n the chin to look up at him. "the invitation is open whenever you want. If you don't think it is wise, no explanations or apologies are needed. But you don't have to look away when you disagree with me or be afraid to tell me no. Wow... someone really did a number on you. I mean... you're amazing and they seem to have convinced yeu that everything that makes you special is wrong. I understand about that though. I had something similar when I was... before. Although they were cops and foster parents and my specialties were trespassing, theft and sometimes hot wiring a car. But you're sweet and magical and... Thunderbolt is 40% less bossy when you're around. I mean you saw who I was. NO ONE else did that."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
She doesn't prevent the tilting of her head. Right now, Marie feels... safe. Maybe it's because the Champion of Magic is, well, blatantly on her side and an impressive physical specimen. Maybe it's because she senses a kindred secret. "...you said I could tell you anything, oui?" Marie asks, inclining her head to the side a bit and letting her shoulders slump a bit. Moving now to settle down on the bench that Shazam was sitting on before. She's about to reopen old wounds, and can use the suppport.

"Thunderbolt already knows this, but it feels right to tell you, too." Pale hands grasp one another, eyes close once again. "I started learning about my... abilities, about who I really was, from my grandmother when I was a child. It has been something passed down along my mother's side of the family for generations..." She starts, trying to keep her breathing regulated. Keep her voice even. Not break down in the middle of conversation. "...my mother ignored her gift. Rejected it. I felt special when I learned of it. I wanted to learn more."

Another pause as she prepares to get to the painful parts. "I was... I believe five when I was told I was no longer a part of my family, and sent to be raised by nuns at a convent. To free me from the devil's influences." Another breath, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "It... was living a nightmare. I thought I was dead. That this is what purgatory was. The women there hated me. The other girls there hated me. I was alone, but not... and that was even before I realized my..." What's the word? "...admiration for the female form. It was just because I could read the cards. See what is not meant for most mortals to see. I was a witch. A demon worshipper. An abomination."

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam takes Marie's hands in his, virtually hiding them as h sits next to Marie. He outs an arm around her shoulders. He did this to Mary when she was feeling low. He doesn't cry from opening this wound. He has moved on. "My birth mother abandoned me. When I finally tracked her down she told me to leave. I... never knew my father really. I made up stories, he was an archaeologist. That was how I got into mythology. When the Wizard gave me these powers he said he was just tired and wanted to get it ver with and... I was probably a mistake." He rubs the back of her head a little and moves to make a shoulder available for her.

"Yeah uh... I like the female form too for what it's worth."

He looks at her sternly and perhaps a little like Solomon dispensing justice. "To Hell with them. We're not mistakes. We're not abominations. We're ourselves and whoever has a problem with it can just shut up! You say it." He waits.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie leans into Shazam at the support her's offering her. Quiet, sobbing but trying not to. Freeing one of her hands to wipe away the tears... and then hugging the man again. Definitely a kindred spirit, here. Someone else who's suffered at every turn. Who's world has beaten down on them from every angle.

...though then Shazam tells her that he likes girls and Marie can't help but giggle, a bit of red creeping into her cheeks. "...then my gender is fortunate. You are a very handsome man." Now, she pulls away a bit, offering a little wink. Already starting to feel a bit better. As beaten down as she has been, she's /resilient./ "The rest of my gender, anyways. /I/ have the most captivating woman on the face of the planet to call my own." She might be biased, though.

When she tells her to repeat what he said, though. She pauses. Looking up at the man with slightly blurry vision. Giving his hand a little squeeze with the one he's holding. "To... to Hell with them. We are not... mistakes. Not... abominations." Sniffle. "We are ourselves... and whoever has a problem with it can just... shut up."