8601/Rice To Meet You

Rice To Meet You
Date of Scene:	08 November 2021
Location:	Shadowcrest Manor - Bristol Township
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Zatanna Zatara, Zachary Zatara

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Tim Drake has posed:
    One successful mission working alongside the Outsiders has not endeared Zachary and Tim to one another any more than they were before. Which isn't to say they aren't on good terms, they're just the kind of people who express themselves to one another in the form of vague hostility.

    Basically they met after Zach moved to Shadowcrest and snarked at each other until they couldn't deny that they were friends any longer.

    And it's no different now. They're arguing with each other about... mozzarella sticks, of all things? It's a very Gen Z thing to argue about, as Tim follows at Zach's heels into the manor. "That place was skeevy, are you really trying to tell me that they had the best cheese sticks you've ever had?" Tim asks, dumb-founded. "I don't care that they were stacked in a pyramid."

    Tim sure sounds annoyed, but his posture is all casual, no angry body language here. His hands are tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, which today is black, advertising the tour of an obscure punk band--it looks like it was screenprinted by hand--and a pair of jeans. And he also has a backpack slung over his shoulder. What's in the bag?! Uh, you know. Stuff.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Ensconced behind the antique desk in the book-lined study, the Mistress of Magic looks the picture of studiousness with an enormous book open in front of her. A green-shaded brass lamp slants light over the book and the dark-haired woman. She is not in stage clothes, why she asks herself should I cut my toes into ribbons wearing fishnet stockings and high heels guaranteed to give me bunions. Instead, she has discovered Japanese designers of late and rocks Harajuku style with the best of them, all in black.

She looks up at the sound of the 'boys' voices, smiling faintly at their hassling each other over cheese sticks.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    Slapping the back of his hand to the palm of his hand three times in quick succession, Zachary nearly shouts, "The pyramid added flavor! It added spark! You ate them yourself, you can't say they weren't homemade and absolutely amazing!" He then crosses his arms, like he's having a temper tantrum. Which he kind of is, but it's all in a playful manner. Riling Tim up will always be his favorite past time and nothing will change that. It's been a while since the two have been able to chat like this and it's been sorely missed.

    Today, the magician is much toned down to how he was when he had seen Tim before at the casino, wearing just a simple pair of jeans with a light blue jacket that was opened to a black shirt. Although Zachary lives for the stage, lives for the stardom, he is feeling pretty lazy today and much rather be behind the scenes. Besides, there was talk about Tim possibly training him today, so a crossover sits against his hip, having some work out clothes and an extra pair of clothes.

    Zachary looks forward to seeing his cousin, being the studious woman he knew her as, and grins, "Zaataaaaaaaanaaaaaaaaaa!" He sings loudly, skipping ahead of Tim.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim's eyes just about roll all the way back into his head at that. "It's fried cheese, Zach, it tasted good because you add cheese to and fry things to make other food taste better." Then he throws his hands up into the air with a disgusted huff, which is also a signal for 'this play-fight is over, moving on.'

    And right now they're moving on to the study, though Tim doesn't skip. So he's a few seconds behind Zachary, making a much less dramatic appearance in the doorway. "Hey, Z," he greets, shrugging his shoulders lightly in amusement, before his eyes alight on the big book she's reading from. "Are we interrupting? Zach and I were going to maybe do a little bit of training while he's in town, but we can head over to Bruce's house if we're going to be in your hair." Calling Wayne Manor 'Bruce's house' feels weird, honestly, but it's technically correct. Which is the best kind of correct. At least when Tim is being snarky.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Zachary, tell me what you have been getting into." One eye brow hikes high as she examines them both. "You only greet me like that when you've been up to something," she answers, eyeing her cousin dubiously, then closes the tome which puffs a thin sheen of magical dust that sparkles under the light.

Though she is not that much older than the two of them, she feels older. These last few months with Constantine have taken its toll. The sardonic eyebrow lowers for her nephews benefit and she smiles warmly, "Hi, Tim. Not interrupting. You can use the training room here if you want and then come eat with me. You both need to eat some of the best otherwise how would you know what it's like to eat food that sings."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    "My dear, lovely cousin. You doubt me? Oh I know it's been so long since we've last seen each other but you truly wound me, my heart is aching!" While Zach speaks, he flails his hands dramatically, putting a hand to his face with a look of anguish and his other hand gripping at his shirt where his heart should be.

    He pauses just long enough for Zatanna to close the book before removing his hands from their current position to place them on the table that separates him and Zatanna, "But if you must know, Tim," speak of the bird and he shall appear, "dragged me on a mission and it was so much fun, I wish you would have been there to see it! I've been working on my magic and I really think I'm coming along." Zachary speaks with absolute glee and excitement, almost like a dog waiting for acknowledgment and loving.

    Which isn't too surprising, with how much Zachary looks up to Zatanna. When Tim mentions training, the magician is basically vibrating with even more excitement but doesn't say anything. Well, until Zatanna mentions eating together, to which Zachary nods and does a quiet yes please! But otherwise Tim is the boss here.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim enters the study proper, and his nose does a faint wrinkle at the dust. Sparkling dust. Are all magic books filled with glitter? Well, there's at least one he can think of that he would have much prefered if glitter was all it contained. He eyes the tome as he steps around Zachary, to stand next to him in front of the study's desk.

    In hindsight it does give off the air of two undisciplined students being summoned for their misbehaving ways. "Your heart's on the other side of your chest," he says, voice flat, as he glances over at Zach's dramatics.

    And then he perks up at the offer of food, much like Zach does. "That would be great, Aunt Z." Gone are the days of Tim stringently controlling his diet to meet macros according to his advanced training regimen. He's still a Bat, and he still does Bat things, but he's not driving himself so hard these days.

    And standing here, looking at Zatanna, a woman who has become as much family as Bruce and the ragtag bunch of wards and adoptees (okay, and that one biological kid, fine) are to him, Tim's eyebrows draw together in concern. "Do you want to come with? Maybe blow off some steam?" he asks.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Study under her father had been anything but light hearted. He had been loving but stern, in the way of Italian fathers and exacting magicians. She loves to joke and have fun but views his 'eagerness' to learn magic with alarm. For most magicians, it is a solemn undertaking, though she has had enough of pompous oddities, thinking they have a corner on the occult and eccentricity. On the extreme end of the spectrum are magicians like John with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of their mouth and a curse for every occasion. One of his favorite aphorisms being, "Any cunt can learn magic." Not likely. Still: precision.

Zee snickers at Tim calling him out on where his heart is. "Precision, precision. Don't I sound like an old prig? You couldn't train under anyone better, Zachary." She looks her thanks at him. "I might, might watch, if you don't mind. But I'll treat us to sushi afterwards if you'd like. The real deal. Maybe Tokyo."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    Zachary ever so gracefully decides to ignore Tim's comment about his heart being on the other side. It's in HIS chest, of course he knows where his heart is. Although he's not going to think on it any longer because he refuses to be wrong, even when he is painfully so. But when Zatanna makes a comment, a pout may show on his face. Just a small pout, which disappears quickly. He never quite had the same training that his cousin has been through, having to promise his mother to not take too much of an interest.

    But how could he not?

    He obviously still has a lot to learn, especially needing to realize how dangerous magic can be, but he's currently just having a good ol' time. "I'm very excited to be training under finches over here." Zachary bumps hips with Tim, yes calling him smol. The thought of going to Tokyo made Zachary bounce in place, "Yes, yes, yes," He mutters under his breath. Just happy to be with both one of his best friends and his cousin.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Look, Tim doesn't have to crane his neck back or anything to look up at Zach! Just because someone decided to grow a few inches over the summer... ahem, "That's fine with me. Just some basic hand-to-hand, dodging and blocking, avoiding grapples," he explains. The concept of a jaunty little trip over to Tokyo for sushi is both amazing enough to make Tim look a little bit awe-struck, and also, well, hungry. Who's going to turn down the real deal?

    And thus, Tim puts Zachary through his paces in Shadowcrest's training room. This is how you throw a punch without breaking your fingers. This is how you *block* a punch without injuring your elbow or shoulder. Tim spends a solid (and very humorous) ten minutes chasing Zach around, throwing easily dodgeable punches and leg sweeps that, nonetheless, his new pupil generally fails to avoid. But hey, Zach manages once or twice! Look, any progress is good progress given what Tim's starting with, here.

    Zatanna is of course more than welcome to sit on the sidelines and offer encouragements (or teasing) at her leisure, but she can get in on the fun too if she wants.

    Well, it'll be fun for her and Tim. Not so much Zach.

    An hour and a half later, which accounts for stretching time before training and then stretching time after training, Zachary is released from his torture. Tim sets a thermos of water next to him, and then steps back. "At this point you might be able to take down an eighty year old woman with a heavy purse," Tim says. "Which, good for you. I would've put betting money on the great-grandmother beforehand."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna had enjoyed the training spectacle, occasionally calling out taunts and advice to the two of them from the cushy armchair she had ensconced herself in. When Tim calls a halt to it, "Think you finished torturing, Zachary enough? Will he live till the next time?"

Then with an exaggerated nose wrinkle, "Clean yourselves off and put on your going to Tokyo clothes. We are going for sushi like I promised."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    This would be fun, Tim said. This will help you get stronger, Tim said. This won't be too difficult for you, Tim said. All the times where Zachary made fun of Tim for being tweety or lil birdy, for being short, for not being able to learn how to grow. This is payback for all those times, huh. You're just torturing me for fun. Bullying me with your words isn't enough, now you're beating me up while my cousin WATCHES. The audacity! The horror!

    These are just some of the things Zachary was yelling and shouting throughout training with Tim, although possibly with more profanity. A full hour and a half of pure absolute hell, Zachary is laying on the floor when Tim places a thermos next to him, panting heavily and drenched in sweat, "I'm too pretty to be sweating like this." He groans, but not moving from his spot. He doesn't react to Tim's comment at first, besides the grunt as he forces himself to sit up to get a drink. Thankfully he did bring a change of clothes or he would have been upset.

    After gulping down some water, Zachary responds to Tim, "I still have my magic, bird brain, this is only a backup! A backup of a backup." He then lays back on the floor, a hand to his chest and another to the sky, as though he was reaching out for something, "I cannot survive any longer, I shall perish here." He lets his arm fall limp, exaggerating his death by 'blehing'. The moment Tokyo and sushi is mentioned, though, Zachary shoots to his feet so quick it'll make Bart appreciate him, "Alright, lessgo."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim puts his hands on his hips, neither particularly sweaty or tired from all of that, and rolls his eyes as he looms over Zachary's collapsed form on the ground. "No comment," is all he says to the beauty-based objection, and then with a smile towards Zatanna, he pauses.

    He rubs his chin thoughtfully. His eyes narrow. "Maybe. I mean, all he really needs is to keep enough space between him and an attacker so that he can cast a spell, right?"

    With a shrug, he adds, "We'll keep working on it." To Zachary, it might sound like a threat.

    As he has no access to magical transformation, Tim excuses himself to the bathroom for a few moments, just enough to wash his face and change back out of his training clothes. His 'Going to Tokyo' clothes turn out to be basically what he was wearing before, though he has the hoodie unzipped to reveal an untucked dress shirt and he's layered another jacket on top.

    "Drinking age in Japan is 20," Tim says, with a pointed look aimed at Zach.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"We will never tell about Zach's age. Play nice, Tim, please."

She looks at the two, weighing something, "Yes, he absolutely needs to learn how to handle himself in a fight. Sometimes, spells don't work. Sometimes, people make you mute, and it is really goodbye spells."

She gives Zach the deadly Aunt Eye. "You'll never work with me if you don't train, Zach, in other words."

"But enough of that", she says with a smile, "I already made reservations. It's relatively small seating, about a maximum of 12 at a time. But the chef who is an absolute sweetheart will never make you rush."

She makes it look easy when you have been opening portals as long as Zatanna. The magician traces an invisible rectangle in the air, then enlarges it with her hands. She pulls her designer jacket straight, pushes her crow wing black hair back over her shoulder, and mutters an address, like she is giving an Uber driver a destination, oykoT ,uk-otaniM ,amayoa-imaniM ,11-11-2 ,,gnidliuB amayoa-imaniM otsirA fo roolf ts1 (1st floor of Aristo Minami-aoyama Building,, 2-11-11, Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo).

With a minor displacement of air, they appear on the sidewalk outside of the building on a busy street in a suburb of Tokyo on a late autumn evening of light rain.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    With a wave of his hand, Zarchary commands, "Naelc eht yob!" Within a snap, the magician goes from sweaty and feeling yucky to refresh and clean. He's wearing a pretty simple outfit, a plain wool shirt underneath a long black coat with plaid pants. Sunglasses sit on the top of his head.

    He does hold his tongue to Zatanna's response of his whining, resisting the urge to whine more. He definitely understands the importance of having skills to protect oneself in case magic fails him, but it doesn't mean he enjoys it! Although he won't say this out loud because Zachary feels Zatanna may smite him. So, he nods solemnly, accepting his cousin's words.

    The solemnness doesn't last long once Zatanna begins casting the magic needed for teleportation and soon they're in Tokyo! "I feel it's been too long since I've last been here, maybe four, five months?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Though Tim might not be as fashionable as either of the Zataras he travels with, he at least makes up for it by the understated bougieness of the clothes he wears. He's not the type to buy things that advertise a brand, but he does spent a pretty penny on clothes. The consequences of being born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

    Plus, maybe the random punk band hoodie is enough of a statement piece to make the outfit work. Either way, he feels particularly uncool standing next to Zach and Zatanna.

    "I have to say, this beats flying by plane *so hard*," Tim says, eyes wide as he spins in place, looking around.

    Then promptly raises the hood on his jacket to keep his hair dry.

    "It's been a few years for me. Nice to be here for pleasure instead of business."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The restaurant they appear in front of has an elegant calligraphic sign in the owner's mother's hand, Sushi Ryujiro. They will walk through a simple heavy wooden door.

Think ultra-refined Japanese interior architecture, everything the buttery caramel color of the highest grade of hinoki wood in Japan, even the seating and the ceiling with inset lights. No paintings, no artwork. However, nothing will detract from the perfect ballet of the chef's hands, cutting slices of the freshest fish in Japan and forming fingers of rice to lay it on.

Like so many chefs of his caliber, Nakamura Ryujiro is a ceramics nerd. He has gone to all the finest ceramic makers in Japan to buy the serving dishes, each course different, following the long history of tea ceremony food - kaiseki diori.

Don't ask the mistress of magic too many questions. She will lecture you on the meaning of kaiseki (hot stones) and the origin of the words (Zen monks slipping heated stones into their sleeves to warm them on a cold night of meditation). A young woman in kimono perfectly matched to the season takes their coats and then leads them to their seats at the cypress counter.

Behind the counter, a man in his late forties, shaved head of a monk but with the heavy puffy eyes of a workaholic, awaits them in an immaculate white chef's uniform. He bows to them, greeting them in a conversational voice, "Irashaimase."

Zee is seated at a corner between the two. "The chef will give what he has on the menu today none of this "Sushirrito" business. We'll start with a clam soup."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    "This place is absolutely gorgeous," Zachary breathes, in awe of the elegance of the restaurant without showing it too much on his face. He's a Zatara, so this high class isn't out of the norm, but it still takes away his breath. He knows better than to pick at Zatanna's brain for more information about anything involving the restaurant because it will end up with them not eating and only being lectured. While Zachary doesn't mind a lecture from his ever knowledgeable cousin, he would much rather be stuffing his face with delicious food.

    Of course, in true Zachary fashion, he smiles brightly at the woman that takes his jacket, winking when there is a light blush on her cheeks. He looks back at Tim with a grin and wiggle of his eyebrows, although he makes no attempt to approach the woman any further. He settles in his seat, returning a small bow, and sits with his legs crossed in a graceful manner. Zachary can definitely look more like an adult when he needs to! He just doesn't normally want to.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Despite his own general preference being places he can easily get food to-go, Tim is as pleased with Zatanna's choice in restaurant as Zachary is. Especially as they're much less likely to be hunted down by paparazzi here in Tokyo than they might have been back home.

    After their coats have been taken, Tim scans the restaurant. His gaze moves almost seamlessly from one spot to the next as he takes it all in, the kind of look that allows him to snapshot and refer back to after without lingering on any one detail. Though he does pause in his subtle examination to roll his eyes at Zach's eyebrow-waggling.

    Tim bows to the chef in turn, takes his seat, and then leans forward slightly to grin at Zach around Zatanna.

    Two kids in a candy shop, honestly.

    "Thank you for the invitation," Tim says. He folds his hands in his lap as he waits, deciding not to point out that he's a vegetarian. There are certain circumstances where he allows exceptions; this absolutely counts as one.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"You're so welcome, it's really my pleasure. Just wait until you taste the tuna. Only the very best here."

Zatanna in a manner of speaking, is in her element. She loves Japan, speaks Japanese and adores many aspects of Japanese culture.

While the perfection that is the sushi at Ryujiro's is being served, the street outside the Aristo building starts to darken. One streetlamp at a time, beginning a block away. Traffic subsides and quiets enough so one can hear the last dried leaves of the Ginko trees skittering down the sidewalk in a sudden gust of wind. The wind rises, clouds wreathe the moon in tattered veils.

Dark shapes move down the sidewalk, furtive. They congregate near the heavy wooden door of Sushi Ryujiro, shadow upon shadow till there is opaque blackness with the occasional flash of light on the razor's edge of a sword.

Zatanna looks away from the enchanting movement of the chef's hands back to the entrance and shivers as if from a sudden draft of cold air. "Do you feel anything, Zach?" she asks in a near whisper.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
    Zachary is elegantly stuffing his face with... anything that is put in front of him. He only does what he is told, no thoughts, head empty, food only. It isn't until Zatanna's voice pulls him from his laser focus on the food that he feels his entire body tense up.

    The intentions in the air are swirling with negative energy. Zachary forces the tension to wane, looking over at his cousin and friend with a brrrr, "Is it me or is it getting cold in here? Maybe our jackets should be fetched?" He suggests innocently, looking for confirmation from mainly Tim, as the magician wasn't sure what exactly Tim had on his person at the moment.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Like Zatanna, Tim speaks fluent Japanese. Though in his case it was learned to support his training as a young Robin fledgling, so his own interest in Japan and its culture was never allowed to flourish in the same way.

    No reason it can't now, though. He pays close attention to the work of the chef's hands and Zatanna's explanations, though he picks up here and there on the quiet conversations of the civilians surrounding them.

    Always a snooper, this one.

    He chews through the food currently in his mouth as he looks back and forth between the Zataras. It doesn't take him long to pick up on the fact that something is up. "I'm okay," he answers, quietly, then to clarify his meaning, he adds on a seeming non-sequitur: "It's Lonnie's hoodie. And he likes having lots of pockets."

    Translated, he has plenty of Bat-gear hidden on his person, should the situation call for it.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
For one brief instant, Zatanna doubts her senses, then she sees Tim's breath. It's uncanny and that is what shivers up the magician's back. The feeling that only something wishing them ill could bring. One curling tendril of black eddies under the door and becomes a black tide building higher and higher.

The young woman in kimono shrieks, high pitched and feminine and then runs into the main restaurant. The chef glares at her and growls, "Nanishiteruno!?"

"Yurei! Yurei!"" she gasps, panicked and runs for the kitchen.

Through the noren curtains separating them from the coatroom, Zatanna can no longer see into the room. It is filled with inky blackness. Zatanna is out of her chair, "Zach, Tim, protect the customers! Something...is here that shouldn't be. Do you feel it Zach?"