15063/And The Word is... SHAZAM!

And The Word is... SHAZAM!
Date of Scene:	01 June 2023
Location:	Candle, Booke and Belle
Synopsis:	Billy Batson comes to visit Nettie Crowe to get a second opinion on an injury from a curse. Billy's clear to return to duty.
Cast of Characters:	Nettie Crowe, Billy Batson

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Nettie Crowe has posed:
    The Booke, Candle and Belle Shoppe is one of those places in the East Village that's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. It has its little 'Specials' board in the front (Today's special is a Hot Pepper Extract Iced Tea and Green Tea and Mint, orange scones are 1/2 off). Once through the curved-top door and into the shop proper, it is markedly cooler than the near-90's outside. There's the hum of an old metal-bladed fan going up on a high shelf, and a bird lounging in the breeze with dark black feathers.

    The proprieter of the shop, one Nettie Crowe, is wearing a shirt with a twisting snake in reddish-pink to white to orange colors surrounded by occult symbols, and a pair of gray leggings underneath that, with her silvery hair pulled back into a ponytail. Half-moon glasses are perched on her nose as she sits with a scroll unfurled in front of her.

    "I can never understand, Corvax, why they feel the need to write *EVERYTHING* in 14th century LATIN of all things. This was printed in the *sixties*," she motions at it with one hand, "The least they could do is provide the Modern French!"

Billy Batson has posed:
Actually the word is Billy. If Shazam is compromised flying around is not recommended. The part time Champion of Magic is taking a sick day, having burned or cursed or whatever. He enters the tea shop under Marie's advisement, a little timidly. It smells wonderful, herbs, roses, and books. He was supposed to meet Nettie Crowe but realizes he has no idea what she looks like. Then again if she knows her stuff she'd find him. Magic people were like that. Then he spots... Nettie. Serpent and occult symbols, corvid, going for a cute librarian look. Must be her or someone close. He catches a fragment of latin and grins. He grins some more as he spots various herbs. He stops at a respectful distance and waits. You don't interrupt wizards or witches.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Well, all manner of people walk in all the time asking for tea. The shop operates only partially as a front.

    She really does provide the magic users with reagents. Ask how much Strange has on his tab.

    "Hello young man!" comes the chipper voice of the young-appearing Nettie, giving a smile, and she looks to him with too-blue-to-be-real eyes. She stretches her fingers a moment, and purses her lips.

    "Come, come, you look like you have either a question to ask or you're very curious about the Hot Pepper Extract Iced tea." she beckons him with a wave of her hand "What can we do for you, sir?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson hrms. "Well pepper tea sounds like something I would try. My mom has trained me to properly appreciate spices. But I'm here to see Ms. Crowe, who I assume is you, on the stern lecturing of Marie-Ange Colbert. She may have made this appointment under another name . She's concerned about my well being. I had a run in with a... demonic person. He burned or poisoned me. I think I got it all but it pays to see a professional."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Aah, yes. She did mention something about needing a second opinon." The woman states, and she straightens up.

    "I am Nettie Crowe. It's a pleasure to meet you." she replies, settling back on her heels a moment as she loses the shop-front, and relaxes her shoulders, but does not extend her hands to him, and she looks Billy over a moment.

    "By what name would you like to be addressed?" she questions, and she produces a teacup and saucer from beneath the counter, then looks at it, tucks it back under and produces a tall tumbler and reaches for an insulated carafe.

    "And can you describe your run-in? As much information as you can give me, please."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson rocks on his heels a little. "Holy Moley. I'm sorry, I didn't give my name. I'm Billy Batson. You can call me Billy. I'm also called Shazam. I was investigating a bizarre fire with green and black flames with Thunderbolt and Tarot when this guy who looked like King Kong Bundy with a mohawk and without his charm appeared. He tried to shoot Marie down as she was trying to do a reading about this fire. The site felt wrong, he felt wrong. He... I can sense magic when I'm wearing the other suit, he had an aura of the demon. Thunderbolt protected Marie. I lunged for him and he disappeared in a green bonfire. It burned my, Shazam's, arm. He vanished and I returned to my place to heal only I kept getting worse... I have a lot darkness in my past, Ms. Crowe. It grew strong on that. It would have killed me but together Thunderbolt and I burned it out with our lightning. It was close. Poor Marie. I hope she isn't deaf."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie gives a soft 'hrm' sound as she pours the tea, and slides the tumbler over with a scone on a small plate. She listens carefully to Billy, and she tilts her head back a brief moment as she considers his words.

    "Just Nettie, please. We're all in the business of helping one another, aren't we?" she asks gently as she looks to Billy, and she pulls up a stool behind the counter, sitting. It's clear that behind the counter is higher than the main floor; Nettie is short.

    "So you were burned by balefire, or banefire, and burned the curse away with magical lightning?" she asks, her lips pursing a moment as she waves a hand.

    "If it is Marie-Ange we are speaking of, she'll be fine. Tougher than she looks." she gives a small smile, and she reaches down and pulls on a pair of gray gloves.

    "May I see where you were burned?" she inquires gently, "I'd like to try to see if there is anything remaining."

    "Everyone has darkness in their pasts, presents, and futures, my lad. Sometimes we hold it in too long, or when it becomes part of us can become overly strong. I'm very glad that you had good friends to help."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson frowns a little. "Could I show you in private I mean I have to..." He mimes growing several inches and filling out with hand gestures. He's actualLy pretty good at it. Long experience, let's say. "And you make the burning it out sound a lot easier than it was. It hurt! Oh, this is good! Thank you." Zeus Xenia makes sure he is polite. There are rules to being a guest and a host." He tries the scone and smiles.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Certainly, we can head up to my Fledging Space. It's where some of the other young duckies spread their wings a bit."

    The hot pepper tea is made with a syrup from Carolina reapers and Raspberries. It is sweet and very, very spicy.

    The scone is orange. It's quite sweet and a little crumbly.

    "So it's not showing in this form, just in your other form?" Nettie inquires, her eyebrows rising up as she hops to her feet and goes to grab a ring of keys.

    "Corvax, watch the shop for a moment?"

    "Suuuuure thiiiiing Nettiiiie." comes the buzzing reply as the crow speaks into the fan to make his voice sound all robotic.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson raises an eyebrow at Corvus then says conversationally to the bird, "I have a friend who's a talking tiger. Small world." He follows behind, Holy Moley she's short. She has that sort of presence and you don't realize it at first. Irie was sort of that way, except she was also zipping around and a blur. "Sometimes when Shazam get's hurt it carries over to me. Like when Juggernaut beat on me. Generally I stay as Shazam long enough for things to heal. When I was burned , changing back felt like a really bad idea."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Hrm. It quite possibly was a very good idea to remain Shazam long enough for it to be taken care of. I would imagine that there are certain magical protections that he has --" Nettie unlocks a door, and opens it, starting up a stairwell "-- that you do not in your present form." she smiles. "Corvax is my familiar. He's been with me for a little over a hundred and sixty years now." she gives a toothy grin, and leads Billy to the FLedging Space. 5r
    It's a large space. Larger than would ordinarily be in a building of The Candle's size. Old style lightbulbs buzz over head, and there's some mats and circles.

    "Here, this should be enough room?" she asks, looking back to Billy.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson looks around and steps away from Nettie. "This looks fine... as long as you don't have any spells to obstruct the lightning it doesn't cause damage. I transformed while a girl was hugging me and she was fine. I don't blow holes in roofs... my poor parents... all that money on lightning rods. You... don't look your age. I may have that problem myself."

He takes a deep breath and says, "SHAZAM!" A flash and a KRAK and Shazam replaces Billy. He holds out his hand to Nettie and tries not to tower over her too badly.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    See? The word IS SHAZAM!

    Nettie just gives a small smile.

    "That's a story for another time." she comments gently regarding her age, and she gives a soft 'hrm'.

    The lightning doesn't seem to bother her. She seems quite content that Billy isn't about to start blasting any powers in his older form -- which does in fact *TOWER* over Nettie. She doesn't seem terribly bothered.

    She takes his hand in her gloved hands, and she begins to investigate the extended limb.

    Her touch, if he is magically sensitive, may feel weird. Almost uncomfortable. She's got a lot of darkness in her own past, after all, and it's not every necromancer who gets to boast that they 'retired'.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson feels the magic and the darkness. He is about to pull back but... "You have darkness in you and on you. But it isn't from you. I don't sense any malice in you. Just that you lived a life. Like you said about me. You..." He raises his left hand near her face. "You're aged and ageless. You're like Hecate, mother, daughter, lover. You're the sinner Billy Joel would rather laugh with. You know things."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie gives a smile, drawing her eyes up above the rim of her half-moon glasses.

    "Very poetic, Shazam. And in you I hear the Sacred Chords, the chorus of tragedy and great epics. Both belonging to, and not belonging to, Billy Batson." she gives a small smile, though the sorrows behind it are deep, like shadows in the calignostic twilight.

    "Though comparrison to Hecate, the mother of Witchcraft, is quite charming. She with three faces who whispers to the dreamers in some crossroads... that is one ability I do miss." she murmurs quietly.

    "Well, I would say that your lightning trick did the job most admirably. I can't sense any leftover demonic darkness. Usually I could pick it up. Like a wift of garbage on a hot day. Or... you know. Gotham City." she adds in a jest, releasing Billy's hand.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson takes his hand back and blushes, partly from the praise and partly because Nettie is that sort of a woman. "Thanks... I... it flowed out of me and we imprisoned it in an artifact we have called the Eye of Evil. It's safe there. I could bring you to our headquarters if you need to examine it further. Maybe we could get a line on this creature and how to handle his fire. Somehow I doubt a Cross or Holy Water would do me any good. I wasn't raised Christian. Since I became Shazam... I kind of pull towards the Greek gods. I don't really know what they'd use against a demon."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Oh there's any number of herbs. Rosemary's good. Basil. Some don't like mint. Tobacco if you want to use the local variant of plant-based purification." Nettie replies and gives a small smile to Shazam.

    "Invocation of your preferred protective god may due the trick. Apollo to bring light and purity, Mercury to speed healing and apply medicine?" Nettie squints a moment, looking upwards towards the ceiling. "The Centaur for disease control?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson cracks up laughing. "Okay, herbs. I'll do some research, maybe get Marie to help. She seems to be interested in magic. Mmm so Zeus or Apollo, or Mercury... Mercury is jogging something up here... let me see..."

<<Oh no Batson, you never call on me for fun stuff. Figure it out yourself. The name is on the tip of your tongue. Oh Atlas is annoyed you never talk to him either yet you are always using his stamina to bounce bullets off you. None of you guys tell him or... well I'll punk you somehow.>>

Well dang.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "... trouble with the inner selves?" Nettie asks in amusement. Not that she can hear Mercury admonishing Billy, or anything else going on in his head -- she's sure he doesn't want what's going on in hers.

    "But I don't have much experiences speaking with gods. They always seem to want to avoid me for some reason. Except, of course, Ares, Eris, Hades --"