15512/The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute
Date of Scene:	31 July 2023
Location:	Happy Harbor Waterfront
Synopsis:	Dance, cry. All the good things in life.
Cast of Characters:	Billy Batson, Cassandra Cain, Mary Bromfield

---

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson still likes hanging out in Happy Harbor. When he felt the need to get away and not think I tended to fly there. Or Iceland. Both are nice. But in this case he has a well work and much played flute, given by a very special and absent friend. He didn't know how it would react to the change in conditions so there he was on a cool night in midsummer.

The flute was special to him, ever since he realized Billy played it better than Shazam. that was a source of pride and the meditative state he entered playing it sharpened his focus. On a lonely stretch of waterfront, he sits cross legged on a bench and begins selection from The Magic Flute. The happy energetic notes fill the silence. Yes, he's sweating a little playing it. It's a hard selection. But some things you do because they are hard.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
There's always something going on. It's usually unsavory, but there's always an exception. The story of the flute is one of adventure, and romance. There's even a dragon! But that isn't the story being told, right now.

This is something more personal to Billy, and it comes across that way. Or at least it does to the one listening, on top of a shipping crate, chin resting on her hands.

She was napping, but music has a magic of its own. She smiles, then she gets up. And walks closer. Once she's close enough to see the minstrel, she grins. Oh hey!

He may or may not see. Oh, he's not looking? She shakes her head. Not everyone is attentive, all the time.

Still, she wants to move. Eleve, eleve, she rises up onto her toes, and down again. Then she closes her eyes, letting the music reach into her heart. Listening.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson opens his eyes and sees Cassandra, since she wants him to see her of course. He gives the flute a rest long enough to say, "Hey there! Oh, you want to dance! Hang on, where was I?" He picks up where he left off, but is now watching Cassandra. He's amazed this is the girl who broke a rock with her hand. She dances too! He puts more effort into playing, now that he has an audience, and a partner.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Billy stopping the music makes Cass almost pause. She's got a flowing grace to her, that effortless movement that keeps her from every looking awkward. It's too bad, there's a certain kindness in being weird, once in a while. She opens one eye, waiting gently, til he's ready.

A pirouette through passe, Cass pulls in one leg and pivots on her toes. She extends her bent leg, letting it brush the earth, and draws a circle about her self. Then she steps over it, and bends deeply over her knee. She lets the music guide her, and rises, arms to the sky.

Ballet, from one of the grumpy fighters. Well well, hidden depths.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary isn't exactly prone to check in on her siblings all the time. But considering her recent encounter with a faerie assassin (thanks Pan for that bloody contract, ya git), she's been trying to make sure to touch base on a semi-regular basis. And she knows how Billy thinks.

So, she's wandering along the beach, walking a bit stiff yet since enchanted daggers, much like faerie assassins, are not fun. She tilts her head as she notices the dancer moving to Billy's playing, then stops a little distance away, enjoying the impromptu performance.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson sees Mary and he trials off. "Excuse me a second, it's my sister!" He gets up and jogs over to the lone figure. Once there he's feeling so good he gives her a bear hug. Enough to lift her heels off the ground. "Happy birthday... I got you a present, a gift card for a decorating furniture place. Come on over and sit down. I'll play you a song." He attempts to lead her towards Cass.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass pauses, en pointe. You do not do en pointe on concrete; it hurts. Really getting on your toes is painful, and you can hurt yourself very easily. So Cass lowers she's on the balls of her feet. Arms out encircling herself, she walks heel-toe, heel-toe, and turns as she does. The simplest things can be dancing, if done with pride.

Mary could tell that this isn't a professional program, just someone messing around. But it looks like fun, and Cass opens one eye to glance at Billy and the newcomer.

Stopping suddenly, Cass' left leg goes out behind her and she balances, arabesque. She lifts the leg until she can touch it with her hands. She waits, a heartbeat, then lowers it and turns. And she plays a bit, doing nothing specific. Just closing her eyes, and moving. Left-right, left-right. She looks like a clock, ticking back and forth.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary oofs a bit at the hug, "Easy Billy, easy... still a bit sore on the side." She lowers her voice a bit, "Faerie daggers aren't fun, doubly so when they've been poisoned." With that, she grins, "And thanks. Just had a quiet little birthday night with Marie, so that was nice." She glances over at Cassandra, whistling a bit at the moves, since, well, perhaps not professional but that doesn't mean /unskilled/. "Who's your friend?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson lets his sister go. "We... she doesn't really talk." He peers at her as if he he has x-ray vision and can is seeking the wound. "Sorry. I'd like to see what the other guy looks like but don't dig him up just for that. We need to play catch up. Getting hurt so we feel it is serious." He drops his tone to a whisper, "Can you turn back? We can fix it in the Rock. Anyway come sit and I'll play you something. Then you can fill me in and I'll go hurt someone." He goes back to Cassandra. "I apologize. This is my sister Mary. Mary this is my friend. She's very quiet. She shows up. I'd like to play something for my sister now. She's a little under the weather. So Mary, my new songs are Unchained Melody and I Can't Help Falling in Love with You? Any interest?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain extends her hand toward Mary, just slightly before she's actually introduced. As 'my friend', which doesn't seem to bother her. She has this complete inability to embarrass, at least right now, and while she isn't tall, she seems to be. If she's not someone very special then -everyone's- radar is broken.

Still.

Cass shakes, then runs her hand through her own hair. She says nothing, either unable to or unwilling, but it doesn't feel like she's being rude? More that she's just...not a talker? Can't? Mute? That all feels right.

She points to Billy, then to Mary, then to each other. Oh, sign language! You two are together?

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary smiles and takes the offered hand, then laughs a bit, "Billy's my foster brother. My girlfriend is currently working, so I thought I'd go out and wander a bit. Ended up here." She talks at a normal pace, since... well, it seems like Cass is a mute, she's clearly not deaf since she was hearing Billy play the flute after all.

Mary then continues, "It's very nice to meet you." And she very certainly means it as she looks curiously at Cass.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson puts his hand on Mary's shoulder. "I'm her brother all right. Here sit down, sis." He sees to Mary's seating and hey, is actually being the concerned brother. Feel sorry for the next bad guy Shazam runs into. then he takes his seat and starts playing Unchained Melody. It is pretty obvious after a moment he is playing it for someone not present. While The Magic Flute was technically correct, this song comes from the heart and well... if mary comes across a certain blonde, she was going to get an earful. Billy was always more closed off than his foster siblings. Regardless, they learned to read him well. Dang it.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain can talk just fine, she just considers it to be a particularly stupid way of communicating. After all, nothing she's said to either Mary or Billy has been misunderstood. She gives a half-grin, her right cheek twitching, and then glances at Mary's wounded side.

She gives a small nod, then clearly moves on, giving it no more worry for the moment. She's noticed, she's noted, she's not going to panic over it. But her eyes linger on Billy, as he plays.

There's no doubt that the song has power. Cass drops her heels to the ground, her face looking serious for a moment, and she glances at Mary. There's a question there, and one that's worried.

Then, she breathes. And begins.

She steps left, arms leaning to the right. She steps right, leaning left. Then she spreads her arms as wings, and...it's simple.

Step left, turn, the song leading. Turn, no fancy moves. She leans back, she sways. She slips around Billy, then holds out a hand to Mary.

Eyebrow raised, she offers.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary blinks a bit, then smiles and takes the offered hand. She doesn't have nearly the technical skill of Cassandra, but does manage to keep up a bit with the dance, letting Cassandra lead. "Oh, I'm fine, just a bit of a knife wound from a misadventure in Central Park." Which, well, is technically true.

She nods at Cassandra, saying little more as she seems to have a tendency to be chatty. Instead, she focuses on the music and Cassandra's movements, trying to match them as best as she can. She's not bad, for a novice, but Cass is just in a whole other league.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson takes a quick breather and mutters, "Yeah I think Sunny and I are finished." Then returns to playing. His eyes squeeze shut for a moment. He decides he doesn't need to know the Asian rock breaker's name. She probably won't come if you call her anyway. He falls back into playing. There's some peace in that.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass doesn't look when Billy speaks. She's listening though, and if Mary is looking she'll see the asian girl's face sadden. Oh yes, she can hear.

But she's teaching, in a way. She sways her hips, eschewing ballet a moment. She helps Mary to sway, and turns the other girl, step-step. The turn turns into something else, as Mary finds her feet not beneath her...?

Billy would see it, when there's a chance that Mary will fall. Cass lets a single hand go behind her back, and Mary is turned around her own body, close for just a moment. And then Mary is placed back into the dance, not a moment's missed.

Cass turns away, the momentum of that mimicking that of something from judo. But used with peace, instead of war. And then she's looking uncertain, like she's not sure what to do next.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary nods slightly in agreement with Cass, not saying anything as she seems to agree with her. She gasps softly in surprise as she is repositioned so effortlessly, then smiles a bit at Cassandra, "Ah, your lead."

She doesn't look worried at all, but she is decidedly surprised at Cassandra's move, and decides to just go with the flow of the melody, dancing with Cassandra and letting her dictate the nature of the moves right now.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson has his song catches a moment as his sister is falling and then, not. It is almost flying. No it's way cooler. This friend does things no human he knows can do. It makes the powers he has almost tacky by comparison. then he is done and he has to rest a moment, not from the physical effort but the emotional. He feels very much the way he did when his own mother turned him away for some reason. He wonders how Mary got through this?

Cassandra Cain has posed:
With hugs. Billy finds arms around him, then. The dance isn't everything. Mary would see it coming. There's no way to ignore that level of pain, not with the tears that are starting to form in the corners of Cass' eyes.

Cass isn't...she's not...I mean. I'm only human. Billy needs a hug, right now.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary comes over and places a hand on Billy's shoulder, sitting down next to him across from Cass, "Hey. Trust me. It gets better. Even though it definitely doesn't feel like it right now." She smiles gently, "Been there done that, for sure, so speaking from experience."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson thinks at first it's his sister and hesitantly returns the hug. Then he realizes no. This is his friend. Mystery girl. After a moment he returns the hug. He sighs deeply. 'Three times consecutively." He gets ready to tell the Greek chorus in his head to shut up, expecting snarking.

Silence in his head.

Then Zeus speaks in a kindly voice. Surprise, Zeus can be kind and just. <<Teth Adam had dark days, and a dark side as you do. He succumbed and became Black Adam. Take care... and remember you are made of far stronger stuff. I have spoken. Remember this. My reputation as an all knowing prick is riding upon you.>>

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The wisdom of Solomon is oddly silent at times. Zeus? The guy who's known across the pantheon for bad decisions? The fact that he's the one talking should speak volumes, here. But instead all we get is voices in our heads, and two friends who're willing to hug you until you're alright.

Cass' fingers sneak into the hand of Mary's, and she squeezes tightly. Not so tight that it hurts, but enough. Thank you.