8878/Nature's Finest Balm

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Nature's Finest Balm
Date of Scene: 30 November 2021
Location: Apartment 3A (Phoebe's Apartment)
Synopsis: Balm and Zee embark on magical adventures.
Cast of Characters: Phoebe Beacon, Zatanna Zatara




Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe Beacon hadn't gotten around to changing the name plate. It came up on occasion, but still felt like some sort of bad idea -- so it was covered with a little sticky note showing Lucy, from The Peanuts, at her booth with 'The Doctor is In'.

    And within, Phoebe was wearing yoga pants and a tank top that showed the damage to her shoulder, whorled and painful burn marks scarring her otherwise clear skin, bare feet, sitting on the floor. She had her hands palm-up and open, one within the other as she took a deep breath.

    In front of her there was a large glass jar, with tightly rolled and bound red pieces of foil in them. Anyone who comes close would be able to feel that it's very magic. Such power. Wow.

    Otherwise, there's a couple of half-filled cardboard boxes with items, and a lot of houseplants hanging around.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
There is a very European side to Zatanna that she sometimes takes pains to cover which makes her a bit old-fashioned. One never visits someone's home without an offering to the gods of the hearth and the hostess. The magician stands at the door with a bouquet of bright flowers in autumnal colors and a box of her favorite chocolates made locally in NYC in hand. Old fashioned, okay, but, deal with it Phoebe.

In keeping with the old-world formality, the magician wears a black white tweed jacket from a Harajuku designer over high waisted pants and a black silk bias cut blouse, men's Oxford shoes finish the outfit. She raps twice and then announces herself, in case she is filtering visitors. "It's Zee, Phoebe."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe opens one eye, as she hears someone knock on the door, and then she takes a deep breath. She breathes out, and leans forward to pick up the jar.

    "Be right there, Zee! Door's open!" she calls. Because it's usually unlocked. She has her own wards up, as strong as she could muster.

    She was afraid.

    Her 'jar of hearts' goes up on her shelves as she goes to meet Zee at the door, eyes going wide at the flowers and candy.

    "Zee -- you didn't have to--" she begins, and then she takes a breath, and looks up at the master magician with a smile, and softly says "Thank you. Please --" she motions "Won't you come in?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Think nothing of it. I would feel naked if I visited without some offering to the house." An involuntary smile curves her lips as she looks around, the shelves, the pulse of magic, the comfort, "It's so you Phoebe! Comfortable and interesting with surprises at every turn."

Her focus returns to Phoebe, "How have /you/ been, tesoro?" she asks with warmth, using an endearment her father used with Z most of her life, that she reserves for only a few people.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... I know the feeling. I used to do the same thing--" Phoebe gives a smile, accepting the flowers and taking a deep breath of them, she turns to go into the tiny galley kitchen, rummaging around for a vase. Best she can do on short notice is -- a big pickle jar. At least the label was scraped off. She sets the flowers in the jar, and adds water. The askance of how she's faring is responded to with a darkening of her ears, and she looks out over the comfortable, neutral, unassuming decor. "Oh, well. You know..." she breathes out, "... doing the best I can. Please excuse the mess--"

    There's maybe a couple specs of dust on the coffee table as Phoebe sets the jar of flowers down, the chocolates set beside them.

    "... how about yourself, Zee?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
She walks over to the bookshelves to hmmm at the jar of what she assumes to be rose petals giving off a decided flavor of magic. Turning back to look at Phoebe, she tilts her head from side to side as she reaches for an answer.

"Fairly well?" she shrugs at her own answer. "John," she gestures with palm upward as if hoping the real answer would drop into it from above.

"Well, we are all adjusting." She regards Phoebe intently, "I hope your are. I was glad to see you in London. The Ravens might need healing, the cheeky little bastards."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The name should draw some sort of reaction.

    There isn't one. Phoebe looks to Zatanna as if Zee had said any other random word, and it went in one ear then out the other.

    "The House dropped him here last week. He is giving me space." she states, and she draws her hands behind her back, standing prim and proper.

    "Well. Should the ravens need healing, I'm happy to help, need only say the word. Or, you know. Portal me in. I don't suppose you'd be able to pull me the same way The Other One could using the bind on my wrist?" she considers thoughtfully, tapping her palm behind her back.

    "-- can I get you anything to drink? I've got a roobos tea, and some lemon fizzy-waters."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Lemon Fizzy water would be perfect, thank you,"she replies, not reacting to Phoebe ignoring the J-word. They have all been giving her space, something easily misconstrued as not caring.

"He's an ass but he is trying, I think, I'll give him that," she observes as though talking about a distant acquaintance of no importance. Her lips firm into a straight line and she shrugs, her expression becoming more thoughtful. "I can, you know. I don't like to do it without permission. It's awful being pulled somewhere without a by-your-leave. I wonder what we could arrange between us?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It's how The Other One pulled me from the Afterlife, after wandered down like a lost puppy." Phoebe states as she walks into the kitchen again. Of course, she's easily seen between the overhead cabinets and the counter space -- there's not really a 'wall' there. She pulls out two bottles of clear, bargain-brand lemon fizzy water, and returns to the livingroom to hand one to Zatanna.

    "I... told him he didn't have to. No one has to. I'll be fine." she states, but unlike before, there is hurt in her voice. She hadn't been taking it as 'giving her space'.

    "I have the library from the village. Already learned some new skills. And it would be a shame if I had to wear someone's mark on my body and not have it used. Could be useful, not having to rely on Tim to fly me places until I figure out the teleportation schema and refine it to such a way that I can open a door and be in another place at will, but that's... a lot of work. And I'm not experienced enough for shortcuts.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna takes the bottle with a murmured thanks, listening intently, nodding from time to time. "No one has to do anything. He's an ass though, needing the occasional well applied kick in the derriere. The ass." She snorts and takes a reflective drink of the soda.

"Oh, I'm glad about the village library!" said with the slightest avarice on the Magician's part that an another book lover would recognize.

"I wonder," she taps her fingers to her lips, staring into space. "I wonder if I could teach you. That is, if you'd like me to," she adds, refocusing on Phoebe. "That would certainly give you some autonomy."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "As you said, you two have history. I just have that one meeting in the bar and when the House put him through my doorway and we awkwardly discussed what I thought I knew about him. I don't think he has much idea for what to do with me, so I offered him and out." Phoebe states, and her voice decrecendos into something very soft, and she looks just... lost in thought for a moment. Martyr her *ass*. It was weird and physically painful at the time to not call the man Dad.

    She fixed it though.

    And then Zatanna makes her offer. Phoebe snaps out of the lost look, andshe refocuses on the now.

    "... I... figured our kinds of magic would be too... different." she blinks a moment, and she opens her mouth, and then closes it as she looks up to Zatanna and is genuinely just... surprised.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Well, that's just it." Zee brushes past using his name and Phoebe's surprise with a small apologetic shoulder lift, aware of that whole other chunk of pain they haven't addressed. They are in the now.

"Both John and I have very different magic. But we both portal, I've never really concentrated on how you are different than the two of us. Some things don't require identical magic. Look at the wards we did together even if it was the other one. I think it's valid to think that way. We can try if you'd like."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe blinks. This was not a development she had been expecting, and she straightens up a moment, and then quietly gives a nod.

    "I mean, I accept, of course, it'd be an honor to learn from you, Zee." she stammers a moment, and then rubs the back of her head. Unfortunately it was with the hand holding her own lemon fizzy water, which dumps a little bit down her back and makes her jump.

    "If you'd have me, I'd be happy to. I don't know how many times I can accept." she murmurs and then rubs the back of her neck with her other hand, and then conciously sets her bottle down on the coffee table as she sits down on the couch.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zee eyebrows beetle at the word honor. "Pffft. You honor your teachers by practicing and using your abilities for the good. Of course, I'd have you. Wouldn't be here otherwise," she says more brusquely than she feels. She takes a long drink.

"How many times you can accept what?" Her brows settling into a vee of concern for the girl. She puts her drink next to hers then settles into one of the comfortable chairs so she doesn't loom over Phoebe.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... well. I would have kind of assumed that... five months learning under demonic influences..." Phoebe admits, and she draws up her leg, and sets her chin on it.

    "... I thought no one would want me around anymore. So I kind of pulled back from everyone. I considered moving back to Gotham just to... just to go. Impulse brought the books from Egypt where I'd stored them in Cairo, and I thought I could just learn that way." she explains, and she brings her hand up, and pushes against her scarred-up left shoulder.

    "I was more wondering 'how many times can I accept Training from Zatanna until it gets awkward'. Because everyone knows, if it's awkward, Phoebe's probably good at it." she jokes.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
She sighs, "Magic sometimes is magic, Phoebe. So much of it depends on intent. Yes, the words matter but words carry intent. Yes, some physical bonds matter but if something is created through pain or harm then it carries the intent. Your teacher may have been controlled by a demon but I will judge it and judge it I will," she gives the healer a serious look before continuing, "by what it does. Does that make sense?"

Looking perplexed Zee returns to the last thing Phoebe said, "Why would it get awkward? What have I overlooked, do you think?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It... it does." Phoebe replies quietly, her lips pursing a moment before she closes her eyes, as if suddenly weary and tired. She puts her hand over her breastbone a moment, making a face of discomfort, then shrugs it off.

    "Oh, no, no, just that I said 'yes please teach me' like, three times in the span of a breath." Phoebe does give a slight smile.

    "Any rules or restrictions I should be aware of?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Blinking owlishly, Zatanna shakes her head, "As many times as it takes to penetrate my thick head. Pinching she lips between forefinger and thumb, the magician considers the last question, "Mood and intent are what matter. I think. Though I have cast in anger and fear at times. That can be a quicksand if you doubt your goal." A smile hovers, lighting her blue eyes, "We will take it as it comes. I will add this. You can never do magic without paying full attention to it. The what, the why, the feeling, the goal."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a grin, and then a little nod. "It's fine, Zee. It's been... it's been hard." she admits. "On everyone." she smiles, and then lets out a breath, thinking to the jar with the hand-full of bound up pieces of tin.

    "... thank you for trusting me. I *won't* let you down."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna levers herself up from the chair, her glance following Phoebe's to the jar. "I know that in my heart of hearts. We will do this in our own good time, Phoebe as we both heal."