16832/Words Spoken, Words Forgotten

Words Spoken, Words Forgotten
Date of Scene:	08 January 2024
Location:	Abandoned Amusement Park - Amusement Mile
Synopsis:	Shazam catches up with Clara to make sure she will not spill the beans on his secret identity.
Cast of Characters:	Clara Jennings, Billy Batson

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Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara has taken to 'checking in' in whatever way the Titans want her to. Provided she is not on a secret mission that is likely to end with her being shot. Which when you think of it are the times she should be checking in.

    Tonight, though, she is ensuring that her body is recovered. And pushing herself harder. If one can hear it, her ear piece is alive with a calm woman's voice telling her 'again' enough times to drive anyone quite mad.

    As for what is being done again? She is traversing the park on wings of paper, landing, rolling, throwing blades of paper, pulling them back in, and throwing herself back into the sky. Time after time, lap after lap, ending with her atop the ferris wheel, at which point she lifts all the paper she can. And there is a lot here. Several tons of it, actually, far more than she can raise, but she strains at it, focused, dripping with sweat, and ... is that a little growl?

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam flies high above and doesn't hear that little growl. He does see the paper rising before he spots the small lithe figure. He was looking for Carta. Looks like he found her. That... is a lot of trash? She grabbing it for a project? Keeping Gotham clean?

No paper wings. He drops down to her side silently, magically, and then asks, "What are you doing?" in a soft voice.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Someone should have warned him that she does not respond well to the unexpected! She spins in shock, bringing up a wall of paper between them. All along its surface, spikes of paper bristle, reflecting her nervous mood. But Clara recognizes that voice and a moment later the wall (and the spikes) are banished.

    "Sorry. You were..." She pauses. "At the Titans Tower." Safest to just avoid names entirely, she decides. Being a total unknown to the entire team, the less she says the better.

    "I am training. My organization demands that I increase my capacity, speed, and endurance." She is not sure what happens if she fails. Probably no library days, no dancing, and no hot cocoa.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam holds his hands up in a peaceful gesture. Well, not that peaceful. He could easily fire a paper shredding blast of lightning. Not that he would.

"It's just I kind of knew everyone else there then realized you were new and I just outed myself to you. So I figured I should say hello." No word on could he trust her with his secret. The Wisdom of Solomon quickly tells him, somehow, he can.

"So hello."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    "Oh! Umm.. one moment."

    "Ma'am, I have been intercepted and compromised. I will see you later tonight, though." She says this and then pulls an earbud out of her right ear. Paper crushes it flat a moment later, then the sad remains of it fall below.

    Clara watches it fall and sighs. "I am losing a lot of those lately. But we are now alone. And I understand that was a lot to do. I was rather shocked, honestly. But my name is Clara Jennings. I work for the Conservatory. I am not really a Titan. Not yet. Maybe not ever, considering things. But I will not be sharing who you are. If you have some super heroic way to wipe my memory of that I have no objections, of course. I really did not belong there, after all."

    She is doing her usual thing, avoiding eye contact, shifting restlessly as she is clearly his focus. And that is something she just cannot get used to.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam hrms and then says, "Look me in the eye and say you will not share my secret again, please. I don't and would not wipe your memory." He floats closer to her. As for belonging, I'm not a Titan. Just dating the prettiest one. But everyone belongs with friends and you had Robin for a friend. He doesn't take on a lot of people as friends. Wow, you're really nervous. I never make people nervous. PLease relax and tell me my secret is safe again... do you want a drink or a hamburger or something? There's a Big Belly down there."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is not sure what to make of his.. well, chattiness. She rather wishes she could disappear, but if she must make eye contact.

    She will. And it is quite the gaze. Especially when the name Robin comes up. Her eyes narrow and there is, for the first time, a sense of something besides nervousness. That... is clearly a very sour topic for her.

    "I will not share your secret," she says. Whatever emotion that was, it does not reach her voice, which remains soft. Perhaps even smaller than it was before.

    "I am not allowed to exceed my diet again at the moment, but I appreciate the offer."

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam ponders dieting superheroes. He's pretty sure the hefting tons of paper must burn some calories. He floats over to the ferris wheel and sits in a seat. Then he says Shazam and transforms.Apparently there is some volume control on the lightning. This time is not deafening. "Here is this better? Would you sit down a minute?" He waits a minute then says, "You seem really stressed and sad. Could I help?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara guesses that means she passed the test. Though the whole transformation thing makes her immediately worried.

    "You should.. this is not safe up here." Now she is freaking out about him not being strong enough to protect himself. It is kind of impossible to calm her down sometimes. Still...

    She hesitates at the invitation. Billy might get the very accurate sense that she is shuffling through a list of rules in her head. There is even a calculus to this. Eventually, though, she decides.

    "A lady does not refuse a polite invitation."

    And she sits down next to him. Once she is there, though, she realizes there is nothing she has prepared, and nothing in the past seems useful, either.

    "I passed my psychological evaluation to return to my duties," she says at last. "My governess said there were some concerns, but the director said it was time for me to get back to work. As for the rest, well. Will you look me in the eye to keep a secret, too?"

    She turns to face him. If he does look at her, she will say, "It is hard sometimes. I have work to do, and it demands so much of my time. I have prepared for almost nothing else my entire life. I continue to be drawn into situations that cause me stress and worry, and my first forays into this social world of Gotham-and beyond-have led me confused and distracted."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson reaches into his jacket pocket, ignoring the protests of safety. He's been in brawls, chases, and lived homeless. Now, well help is always a word away. He pulls out a small card. "Okay. that is heavy. Yes I'll keep quiet about this secret. Uhm, I have two things to offer you. I don't give them to just anyone. first this card. Go to the spot marked on Floral Park, visualize these glyphs. They'll take you to the Rock of Eternity. You can come talk if you want." The card is actually a very thick and stiff bit of papyrus.

"The other thing I'll keep to myself if you don't consent. Would a hug help?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    She accepts the card, looking at it curiously. She does not alter it, but simply holds it with her power. "It feels good," she says quietly. "The Rock of Eternity? I will remember that." And she wonders how she can hide the card from her organization. She will have to see if Ted will let her keep some things there. Under lock and key.

    The hug makes her nervous, too. "I... do not know. But I can try. There are a few people who have hugged me, and I am getting used to it. Your girlfriend did. It was nice."

    So she will take him up on the hug, and while she is nervous, she is not so awkward as to not know how to hug someone.

    "I guess in the end, when I see a lot of people getting together, knowing what to do, having fun, it makes me more aware than ever that I am unfamiliar with how to be, well... a person."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson thinks he hears a growl now but... nah. Yes hugging Irie is fun. Her growth spurt made it even more fun and he thinks he stepped up his game. Then too, Darla was a hugger and she kept him in practice. When her nose wasn't glued to a phone.There's a simple trick to hugging. For the duration of the hug, the rest of the world goes away. The huggee is the world to you, the hugger. "I think you're very nice, Clara Jennings. We're all awkward at times and looking for our place. I hope you find yours." He doesn't release her till she lets go.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    She does not overstay her welcome. Clara is very aware that she met this guy under the context of him being someone else's boyfriend. And that matters to her, even if the rest of the world would think nothing of it.

    "I have a place," she says when she draws back. "I have Daddy Teddy now. Err, Ted. Do not tell him I called him Teddy like that. He has an image to maintain. My governess approves of him, which is saying a lot."

    She sighs softly, looking out at the gloom of Gotham. "I try not to get lost in this often, but it still happens. If I can just figure out what I need to do next, I will be more calm. And you brought up, well, a problem. Rook. Robin. I am figuring that out. I cannot tell if he just thinks I am annoying or something worse, but I suspect he would rather I not be around. He brought me to the Titans for babysitting, if we are being honest. Then he tells me not to be a wallflower! And runs away."

    She snorts, annoyed.

    "But you did not come out here to listen to my whining. These are my problems. I will fix them. And focus my mind on the right person. I mean people." She did not really mean people and even she knows it!

    "So um, how long did you two know each other? And how did you know? I mean, when you wanted her as your girlfriend."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson sits back and puts his arm on the back of the seat, his feet up on the bar. "I met her three years ago. It was her second field trip to the beach, my first. I found out later she nearly drowned on the first trip and she wanted to learn to swim. We all helped her but mostly me. I held her out in my arms and watched her kick and kick and thought, 'Wow all that running really does a body good! And... she was about your size, so I was thinking how does she fight crime. Pretty darned well. Well we hung around that Summer and got other interests and sort of went different ways and then just before graduation I saw her again and got to talking like no time had passed and... lightning struck. I had three relationships so far. One girl was a wonderful person but asexual. The one before Irie did not work out for me and I walked. We stayed friends. At a distance. Then Irie..."

"When I'm with Irie, physically or mentally, I found my place. There's no trying too hard. There's no maintenance. There's no doubt. Mmmm that's how I knew. You need to be friends to start. So when I hear you talk about Damian, you may as well tell him how you feel about. If he isn't interested you find out then and there. You move on."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara listens closely, nodding as Billy shares his story. "So it took a few tries to find the right fit. Here is hoping I do not." Cause she is still unclear how the first time even happened. Dumb luck, mostly. Unrepeatable. Nothing to learn from in that particular matter.

    "I first met Damian at a charity event at the Gotham Natural History Museum. I was there for a job, actually. I had been dealing with attempted arson there on and off and well... Damian just put a drink in my hand and came right up to talk to me. He was, well, no. He is interesting. I love talking to him. And he nearly walked into my work that evening! I was terrified he might get hurt. He even picked up a piece of paper I dropped. It was the most nervous I had ever felt. You know, until Gotham I never got out except for work. It was just me and my governess. Oh!"

    She almost scrambles in realization and quickly explains, "It is not that I am ungrateful! I have a wonderful life. My governess and I have been together as long as I remember. She really loves me and cares for me. So please do understand. I just did not have experience. Until I met him."

    Oh my, those nervous eyes are all dreamy now. "We danced that night, Billy. It was wonderful. And it was just so easy. I was not afraid." She laughs softly, "I even left him my shoe at the coat check, cause he feared I had vanished like Cinderella."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson nods at the story. "Well it is hard to balance work, superheroing, a... governess and relationships." A governess? The Governess sounded like a very strict supervillain. "Listen, I don't want to get you in trouble with your... handlers. So I'm just going to get going. I shouldn't really be in Gotham that long. Batman doesn't like superpowered people here without an invite. So good night, good luck and don't lose the card please. It was made of actual blank papyrus, from the library of the Rock of Eternity. Heh. BYe."

With that he jumps out of the seat falling a ways before the familiar lightning stabs down and transforms him and Shazam streaks off, a red blur.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    "See you later, Billy," Clara says gently. She watches him head off with a sigh. Now that is flying!

    A moment later, though, and she is back to work. There is no one ordering her to go again in her ear, now. No one to monitor her actions. She can push herself harder than ever.

    Eventually she will go home. But not yet. Not yet.