9058/=A Talk in 3A

=A Talk in 3A
Date of Scene:	12 December 2021
Location:	Apartment 3A (Phoebe's Apartment)
Synopsis:	After Phoebe finishes her watch over Chas Chandler as he rested in the Laughing Magician, Zatanna visits her friend and pupil and suggests a brief interlude away from the city. Phoebe admits that she's cast some spellwork to make contending with the difficult emotions between losing her adoptive father and potentially losing Chas as well easier, and some of the risk involved. Phoebe learns a little more about hereditary magic styles. Both end up getting apple pie. Idu continues to be adorable.
Cast of Characters:	Zatanna Zatara, Phoebe Beacon

---

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Oh, the pain and recompenses of magic. Zee had found just enough energy to port herself home to collapse in a long soak in a tub filled with regenerative herbs.

Breakfast, and several espressos later, she returns to the Curio relatively fresh, and at least cleaned of street grit and dark magics.

She has taken the liberty of whisking into Phoebe's apartment after texting her a warning. Last night had been taxing for them all and she doesn't want to be overbearing when they are all tired.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Early in the morning, before the lights had gone down in the city around them, another member of the Justice League Dark came by to take over for Phoebe. A hand had tapped her on the shoulder, given her a lukewarm bottle of gatorade, and told her to go to get some rest. Chas wasn't going anywhere for the moment.

    There had been a weak protest, and then movement as she uncurled herself from where she had been dozing off against the wall near Chas's feet, and she slowly made her way up through the damaged door of the Laughing Magician and into the Curio. She'd sent texts, mostly full of horrible typos and a few gif-set memes that the kids are fond of these days between dozing off and muttering things in Liverpuddlian-accented Latin and thinking she heard the sound of trenchcoats.

    So when she got to her apartment, she lifted her hand and looked at the cracked screen of her phone and saw the alert that Zee was on her way. About five minutes ago. Which means Zee was within the apartment.

    And for about three seconds Phoebe wonders if she could get to the roof in time before Zatanna figured out she was gone.

    MEANWHILE:

    Idu, in his blue and yellow collar, was wagging his tail SUPER HARD at seeing Zee. His food bowl had already been used, cleaned, washed, dried and put back up, and his water bowl was still full where he sat in the kiddy pool that acted as a 'puppy kindergarten', with a couple stuffed animals for company. The red and white hound already looked less skinny and had grown quite a bit since Zee had even last seen him.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The puppy has her full attention. Zee reclines on the floor puppy-level playing tug 0'war with Idu. They have a stuffed jackal (Zee bought it in Cairo) that they are pulling between them.

"Look at those paws!" the homo magi babytalks, "Those are elephant paws! How big do you intend to get? You're already too big for this apartment." Most of her attention is on the puppy but she keeps an ear open for sounds of Idu's owner's arrival.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Idu apparently intends to get bigger, if the way his growling and play-sneezing is any indication, his tail wagging hard before his ears prick up -- they're halfway to standing up now -- and his tail pauses, and then begins wagging hard again.

    A set of keys hits the counter, Phoebe out of eyeshot yet as she calls out "Good morning, Zee. Shall I make some tea?" she offers brightly. "I think I have some English muffins and peanutbutter if you're feeling peckish -- I wasn't expecting guests after..." she trails off a moment, and she reaches up to rub at her chest again.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Dusting her pants legs off, Zee stands and waits a moment for the black spots in front of her eyes to disappear. "I can help. You have to be as tired as I am Phoebe. And, I've eaten already, thank you. I can come another time."

She stands in the kitchen doorway. " I can take my turn downstairs. Who is with him now?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Tara, I think. I was handed a bottle of Gatorade and told to go to bed." Phoebe comments quietly, and she breathes out. Making tea was familiar to her at least. She sets a ceramic platypus back on the counter from under her arm, she brings the electric kettle up and she fills it with water and then plugs it in.

    "And I'm fine. Luckily I don't physically get tired in the same way some others do. And I won't be able to sleep after seeing Meggan turn into Geraldine and then..." she pauses a moment. Her left hand squeezes around her thumb a moment, and then releases as she gives a soft 'tch'.

    "It's going to take a little bit for me to find that new equilibrium."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"None of us are right, Phoebe. Give yourself time. Where do we get the idea that being resilient means not feeling how terrible somethings are?"

This is half a lecture to herself. The image of Geraldine's eyes bleeding as Meggan channeled Null Space energy pops into view without any prompting. It takes an effort on her to part to not give into the queasy feel roiling in her stomach of wielding energy to bind Chas in chains of black energy. She sighs. "Tea will be good. Thank you."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... because if I stop to think about hwo I've been on crisis mode for more than a year now," Phoebe states quietly "Someone will remind me that it could always be worse."

    Idu gives a 'uroooooou' from his swimming pool prison, and attempts to scale the side of the plastic tub that confines his freedom!

    "A little over a year go, after I met Tim, someone torched my house to try and kill me, Caroline, and my dog Scout. And it's just been a never-ending cycle of pain from there, Zee. This... this is my normal."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Whatever I say, it is half for me, too. I can feel bad about feeling badly if I give myself the chance and my life has been serene compared to yours."

Idu's call for attention makes her walk into the other room, "Want to take him for a walk?she calls. "I could take us someplace with trees and no chance of being attacked." She squints at her last statement, weighing what safety means.

"Nope not normal. Normal, is being a little restless, a little bored. Getting dressed up and going out. Flirting."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... he could use it, probably. I could use the fresh air too." Phoebe agrees, and she reaches up. Travel mugs. ONe she looks at a moment before she takes off the little paper tag and fills it with hot water, adds a tea bag with notes of pepper and orange -- just perfect to combat a cold New York morning.

    "... all things that I've never been good at... not really. I mean, my getting dressed and going out usually involves tri-weave kevlar." she states to Zee, and she hands her a mug. The travel mug is dark blue and has gold and silver constellations on it. Phoebe's is an earthy brown with a red stripe that has 'satisfactory parental unit' on it.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Central Park, a place in the Shenandoah, or Gotham. Anyplace in the US that suits us. Otherwise, passports or animal vax cards if out of the country."

Zee grimaces at the idea of running from the law and takes her mug. "Yeah, too much CCTV to make it easy these days, even in parks. She looks down at herself and asks for a coat. Her favorite black cashmere appears over the arm she holds out. "Ready when you are."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Well, he's vaxed, but I have no idea how legal it was."

    Thank you, Bart.

    Phoebe grabs a leather jacket, and she slings it over herself, grabs Idu's leash, and then leans down to grab Idu.

    She gives a slight, if tired smile to Zee.

    "Ready as we'll ever be." she replies.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Shanandoah. There is a restaurant down the road. How could I be hungry again, I ask you?"

Muttering under her breath, Zee draws a line in the air. There is a brief flare of magic, she puts her hand gently between Phoebe's shoulderblades and they pfft into the smell of an autumn forest, the noisy chatter of a stream not far away. High up against the cold blue sky a hawk circles slowly through the winter bare trees.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "So you mean magic doesn't make /you/ burn through calories like crazy?" Phoebe asks in slight amusement, and though Phoebe stiffens a moment at Zee's touch -- she permits it, and after a moment they're walking in the forest. It's peaceful, and it's easy to see that Phoebe doesn't get out of the city too often, because she rubs at an ear at the sudden quiet.

    "... especially after healing, doing a lot of healing, I get the urge to eat junk food with most people. Tim is oreos. Terry's birthday cake with sprinkles -- zero surprise there." she murmurs quietly, and she lets Idu on the ground, who immediately trots around in a circle, finds the nearest thing to mark, and does so, for all guardian dog adorable variety kind.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"It does make me hungry but not like when I was younger. Magician's metabolism, I guess. I don't worry about putting on pounds for certain."

They walk in a forest of older hardwood trees, parklike with little undergrowth of younger trees or blackberries. Leaves already aged into tobacco brown crunch pleasantly underfoot. Zatanna heads for the stream.

"Hmmm, baklava and kourabiedes are my downfall, that and bread fresh from a bakery, honey and butter. Though around here I bet we could find some good apple pie."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Apple pie does sound pretty fabulous." Pheobe replies. Idu gives a soft 'irwuuuu', either in agreement or because now he has a couple of crunchy brown leaves stuck to his body. Phoebe smiles, leaning down a couple of steps to brush them off the little one as she follows Zee to the stream.

    "I've never had to worry about what I eat. Aikido, running, then crime fighting, training... then... everything... else..." Phoebe breathes out, and she reaches up with her right hand, and scratches a moment.

    "Zatanna... can I ask a personal question?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Well, of course!" She walks a few steps watching Phoebe then glancing down at her feet to avoid roots. She had deliberately kept the conversation light so they both could just breath the glory of sunshine in a forest together. The last day had been so intense for them both.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe scoops up Idu, and begins to hop from root to root nimbly. Idu urrruuus in complaint. See what he has to put up with, Auntie Zee?

    "Does the backwards-talking work for anyone who learns that style of magic, or is it pretty individual to the Zataras?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna grins as brightly as the sun peaking through the leaves and shakes her head. "I was expecting anythng but that as a question. It is an anchor. A way to concentrate, passed down through my line. John has done it on occasion though he prefers Enochian and latin. I've heard you chant in Egyptian. What works best for you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Well, we both know that John Constantine follows other magicians into back alleys and picks their pockets for loose ritual." Phoebe states, giving a soft snort. "He... I mean, I guess he's like a patchwork quilt." she mumbles, and then rubs the back of her neck. "You know the real one better than I, I mean." she trails off, and then she looks at Zee. "Really, you think I /wouldn't/ question the backwards talking? I mean c'mon!"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Well, you said personal. That's not personal between us since I am....filling in the corners of what you don't know yet." They reach the stream, which like many of the streams in the area show the granite backbone of the land through their limpid waters. Trees overhang the rapid water. There is a clear channel large enough to make canoeing or tubeing fun.

"But feel free to ask anything concerning magic and John. In some ways, I feel like I don't know him at all. That's part of his persona being unknowable, mysterious. He likes that, it keeps him safe. He is not the history taker/observer persona that Jon is and hides behind."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I don't know what counts as personal!" Phoebe actually does laugh at that. "My previous experience with all this is playing fantasy games and Lord of the Rings and one meeting with Meggan at a light house." Phoebe points out, "The last five months have been like... like trying to cram all of highschool before taking the SAT's!" she points out.. but her smile softens as she looks out over the water. She listens to the water sing, babbling happily, unhurried. Exactly where it's supposed to be at just that moment.

    And for the first time, in a long time, Phoebe feels that. Just a drop.

    She scratches at her chest.

    "He's not the person who adopted me. That person never existed."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zee has no need of her telepathic skills to read the relaxation that smoothes Phoebe's young face ever so slightly. It's a beginning and there is no rush. Of late, even she finds herself over-sensitive to noise, a backfiring truck will startle her. Most of their friends and comrades are in need of a long rest, something that none of them will have for weeks at best if she has read the situation correctly.

After a short deep breath, Zee sadly shakes her head, "No, he never was. Who knows what you will discover with the 'real' John. He can be oddly gentle sometimes, you know." From the side of her eyes, she catches Phoebe scratching her chest.

Gently, she asks, "Phoebe, what is irritating you? You have scratched your sternum so often, I'm surprised you haven't rubbed yourself raw?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... I know. I... just.. have to be patient. Maybe someday." Phoebe replies haltingly, and she closes her eyes, and takes a breath. Idu whines, and sits down on her foot.

    "... I found a spell. In one of the books. It's used for when there's crisises and you need to think clearly. It's... just a side effect of the spellwork. I'll be fine. My healing pretty much takes care of anything straight away." Phoebe replies to Zee, and when her eyes look out over the forst around them, her heart thuds at the admission.

    Manipulating her own emotions. That can't be healthy -- or long term.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zee's glance falls on Idu who reads Phoebe's moods with the finesse of his nose and love for her. She lifts her gaze to look down into the stream catching the early afternoon light, her voice pitched to be heard above the water is tranquil,"Oh? What does it do?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... I bind emotions attached to memories to pieces of tin. I bind it with hemp twine and strands of my hair, set it aflame and put it in a jar with black salt."

    Zatanna would have seen this jar, and its scorched pieces of red metal and rolled tubes on the shelves of Phoebe's apartment.

    "After I blew up at you and Lydia, I decided that if I couldn't control my emotions to think clearly, I'd find a work-around. And it works. Most of the time."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"That jar," Zee remarks, sharply with a shake of her head. The angry moment directed at herself and not Phoebe. "So feelings never dealt with and understood, leaving you with an itch over your heart. I don't even have to say it to know that you know that kind of magic has its limits and ultimately has a price."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I know. It's going to fail eventually." Phoebe's jaw gives a quiver. Idu gives another whine, and then Phoebe draws down, stroking her fingers over his fur. "I just need it to last until things calm down. And then I can take a look at everything and process. But... Chas needs me. Tim needs me. I /have/ to be able to process information without my emotions getting in the way. IT's just the means to the right end. Even if it hurts me in the long run, because I have to make sure things are taken care of today."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna sighs unhappily and nods at the girl's logic, making it known she doesn't agree but not arguing. "I am going to spend time with him this evening, you know. My watch. It will be..." She doesn't finish the sentence, just shakes her head.

"How are you and Sims doing? Any better?"

It speaks volumes that Zatanna would prefer to pick up on another potentially sensitive subject than discuss just how Chas became bound in Void Energy chains.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... haven't... really talked to him much. Y'know. He's busy with his stuff and I've got a bar to back and so much physical training to catch up on and oh mi god you would think that having healing powers would make leg day *so much easier* but it really DOESN'T and all y ou want is a protein shake afterwards but they're all out of chocolate and someone drank all of your soy milk and maybe that's just a 'me' problem." Phoebe comments, trying for levity.

    She gives a small shrug.

    "John catch up on his reality TV binging yet?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I have no idea. We don't hang out. I think he is hanging with Meggan these days." Zee presses her lips together in a flat line and throws a hand in the air. "You know, any given week it will be somebody new if he is the same man, I knew." Something occurs to her, she looks at Phoebe, sidelong, "Was that what you and Sims were on about? The jar of strips?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Eh. Meggan was engaged to the other one while he was around. Before the whole adoption thing. It was a mess. Something about oaths. She trapped me in The Dark for about five minutes once. I give her a wide berth in case she loses it again. At least I just yell." Phoebe remarks with a dry note in her voice.

    And then she trails off. She's quiet for a moment. She listens to the sound of the water.

    "I was scared Chas is going to realize that I'm just another problem the other one brought into his life."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Never." Zee turns to face Phoebe, a kind light in her eyes, "He may be involved in things that I wish on no mortal man or magician but he is no fool when it comes to love and loyalty. He will never leave you Phoebe. He's a grown man, capable of making his own decisions. Count on it. Your instincts aren't so bad." She lifts a shoulder and smiles archly, "Meggan. Right?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "When she's not so out there she's really nice, but the deeper out she goes the scarier she gets. I'm just a stolen spark of light. She's the actual Lighthouse." Phoebe states quietly, and she sits down on the ground in Shenandoah Valley with Zee, and brings Idu into her lap. She scritches on his back and belly at the same time.

    "... what am I going to do if we can't get him back, Zee?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna knows better than to make promises she might not be able to keep. She takes a short unhappy breath, before saying, "You'll keep on keeping on, the way you know he would want you to do, Phoebe Chandler-Constantine. They way I want you to, I need you, too, you know."

Cross-legged, Zee shifts to sit sideways to the stream and begins to scratch Idu's chest and neck. "Selling yourself short not only short changes you but the rest of us you know. Light propagates forever unless it is absorbed by something. How much older is Meggan than you?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I don't know. Somewhere between five and a thousand years?" Phoebe remarks with a shrug. And she breathes out. "He was right. Having all the last name sounds like I'm some sort of nobility." she gives a quiet sniff, and then she breathes out, and just very slightly inclines her head against Zatanna's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere." she remarks quietly. "I think Bart would come after me if I abandoned Idu."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Smart, Bart." Like having a wild bird light on her shoulder, Zatanna is afraid to move. She takes a careful breath. "I would, too. So you know. Check in with me when you are a thousand or so and I bet she wouldn't like to be in a locked room with /you/." The homo magi smiles wryly at the image of Meggan trying to get away from Phoebe.

"I dated a Mr. Paul Lindsay-Hughes once, in England, you know. Hyphenated names there are what the French call petite noblesse, you know, rural landowners connected to the aristocracy. You're like a puppy with big feet and need to grow into it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Pssh... if I'm a thousand, you'd be, what, a thousand and seven?" Phoebe asks. "What will the fishnet look like then?" she asks incredulously, and she gives a small laugh, that loosens into laughter and tears.

    "Ah yes, Phoebe Chandler-Constantine, of the Hobbiton Chandler-Constantines. That doesn't sound pretencious at-all. I should obviously start introducing myself like that if I get dragged out to any other fancy parties." Phoebe just starts laughing.

    And then, because she was crying, she snorts. Which makes her laugh even harder.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Careful not to startle her, Zee puts an arm around her and magics a pocket handkerchief into existence with the other hand which she holds for Phoebe to take. "More like a thousand and forty or thereabouts. Besides anyone who finds your name pretentious is not worth being friends with. Pick and choose Ms. Chandler-Constantine," she says primly.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Zatanna Zatara in that minute is added to a very short list of people. Phoebe stiffens just the slightest bit as the arm is wrapped around her, and then she relaxes against Zee, and accepts the hankercheif and dabs at her eyes.

    "I am /very/ picky about my friends, Zee. Trust me, you're of high quality or else you wouldn't be on the list." Phoebe laughs, and then begins to calm down, taking a deep breath and heaving it out. Idu paws around a little bit, and gives a mightly ear-flapping shake of his head, his tail wagging.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I don't take it lightly either. We're all short shrift these days. Not enough sleep, not enough to eat, not enough time to take a good deep breath. Thanks for coming out here with me, Phoebe. I've wanted to cry often enough recently."

She gestures to the Valley carved out by the stream wandering back and forth over thousands of years, "I come here when I need a break. Here or Turkey in the mountains. It is very bare there. Here it's gentle and green. And I remember why we fight things like we fought the other night."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... my favorite place in Gotham is on top of one of the Orthodox churches. There's a bit dent in the dome that they haven't fixed. I used to sneak my way up there and just sit on the edge and look out over the city and cry." Phoebe explains.

    "... or in a bubblebath."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Looking down on all the people in the street. It's very Batman of you, Phoebe. Do you scowl?" She grins at the stream, "I took a good bath before coming out today. I didn't think I'd ever get out, I'd wrinkle up and disappear and people would wonder. I kept having to add hot water which ruined the bubbles."

"I want you there for the planning for what we will do next, Phoebe. Okay?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Well, I did grow up in Gotham. And no, mostly I just ugly cry up there because no one ever thinks to check 'is Phoebe in the dent on the Orthodox Church on Second?'" Phoebe gives a wry smile over Zee, and she takes a breath, and she gives a nod.

    "You let me know when the meeting is, I'll come running." she agrees quietly. And then

    "... I'm pretty sure the bathtub is not original to 3A. I don't know how many claw footed tubs with endless hot water existed in Liverpool."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Well, someone likely misses/that/ tub. When I was trying to be a big girl and get away from my father. He humored me by the way. I lived in a flat in London with the claw bathtub in the kitchen or was it the kitchen in the bathroom with a gas water heater right over the tub. Scary as hell, you had to feed the gas meter coins and the thing sang and fumed gas like it was going to explode any minute." She looks at Phoebe and laughs.

"You hungry yet? Want to go to that Inn and get the best apple pie of your life? They'll take Idu if he is quiet and we eat in the bar."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That sounds like something in a Gotham tenement, like... one of the really bad ones." Phoebe admits, and she folds Zee's pocket hankie -- specifically so that it's all dry on the outside, and sheepishly hands it back.

    "Apple pie and maybe a hot cocoa sounds amazing right now. Huh, Idu, do you want a little bit of pie?" she questions the pooch, who gives his typical 'urrrrwuuuuuuu!' sound, tail wagging as he turns in circles.