tushanshu_logs | [Open] It's a Big Enough Umbrella

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[Open] It's a Big Enough Umbrella

Characters: Zatanna Zatara (

backwordscompatible ) and YOU
Date: The Week leading up to the Masquerade
Location: Various Sectors and places around the turtle
Situation: Getting set up at her new jobs, while simultaneously making upcoming plans and learning more about...things.....
Warnings/Rating: S for sass. Because she's made of it.

➢ Job #1 (Ice Cream Shop)
➢ Job #2 (Magic Shop)
➢ WOOD SECTOR
➢ FIRE SECTOR
➢ WATER SECTOR
➢ Misc.

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[A few evenings each week, Zatanna worked in a small ice cream shop. The old fashioned kind, with homemade recipes and a perpetual aroma of sugar that permeated the air. Mixing both 1950s "parlor" and modern designs, it had a welcoming atmosphere from the moment one entered through the glass doors, accompanied by a faint jingle of bells.]

[The room was just large enough to hold a few booths in one corner, on top of the scattered tables on the floor. But still small enough to be considered intimate. A few tables were also placed just outside, complete with impossibly uncomfortable metal chairs and awkward umbrellas pitched in the center.]

[Zatanna herself could be found behind the counter, manning the register and preparing to-go orders. The variety of flavors on display were pretty cast, and varied by the day. Anything and Everything from your classic vanilla and chocolate, to cake batter and peppermint candy cane.]

[By day, however, Zatanna had managed to find something a little more...her. Something so specific to her interests and talents that she'd been required to audition before the owner would hire her.]

[Needless to say, as a sorceress, it wasn't hard to prove her capabilities of working in a Magic Shop.]

[Not just any magic shop, either. One that catered to all kinds. There was a small section in the front with your usual parlor tricks and gimmicks, but the majority of the room contained items of a more spiritual nature. Ritualistic supplies and ingredients. Candles. Incense. Herbs. Talismans (unpowered, of course; charms cost extra). And, if one were to peek behind the restricted curtain area, he or she may find items of a significantly more...powerful nature. Should one come seeking such things.]

[Zatanna was dressed for the part as well. hair pulled back into a high ponytail, she had on slightly heavier eye makeup than usual, and dressed in modest, loosely-flowing clothing of earthy and cool tones. A small pendant hung around her neck: a metal pentagram. Simple, but powerful...in meaning only, of course.]

[Business was slow, and the young sorceress was busy occupying herself by skimming a few journals in the reading section. A little bit about Turtle "magic", with a strong emphasis on fortune tellings and palm readings. Not unlike what she had known back home, but just different enough to capture her interest.]

[The Wood Sector was her equivalent of Home. Which meant she spent only as much time there as would hold her interest. However, on the chance one managed to catch her with her window open--a nonverbal cue for visitors to pop on by--you might find her in her room, or just outside, in the tree.]

[Gradually becoming one of her favorite evening traditions, Zatanna often found herself drawn to the ethereal light shows of this particular sector. The thread of potential danger wasn't enough to scare her off, though she did take care to remain out in the open. No secret shortcuts or shadows here.]

[The displays were breathtaking, and she would often fund a visible, yet just remote enough place where she could watch the "show" in peace.]

[She didn't usually tell people when she was going to be in this particular corner of the turtle, mainly because it was for business purposes. The talisman tucked securely beneath her collar, she came here mainly to experiment with magic. Both hers, and the still-mysterious power within the elemental charm.]

((Just specify the time and place, and she'll be there!))

[It's not like he was stalking her or anything.

He just happened to know that Zatanna took up a job here and decided to pay her a visit. As Dick Grayson, so he wouldn't attract attention. He probably shouldn't hang around her too much in his other identity-- it could make it easy to connect the dots-- but he wanted to be able to hang out with Zatanna some other time and place beyond nighttime and rooftops.

And would it really be so bad if she figured it out?]

Hey. Nice to see you again.

[No, of course he wasn't.]

[She was just in the process of wiping down the stone countertop when the door announced his presence. Looking up, she offered a friendly smile before leaning forward slightly.]

Hey, Dick.

What brings you here?

[ Kid has been methodically exploring each of the sectors, getting used to not only the contents of each but also the atmosphere for them. The Fire sector was beautiful no doubt, but his passages had not gone unnoticed. There was always the feeling of being watched, but they weren't always on him. Noticing someone who was standing off to the side slightly and being the target of observation he didn't approve of, Kid moved to stand next to her, his black shroud moving like an actual cloak around him though it wasn't cloth. ]

Good evening.

[Zatanna spared a glance out of the corner of her eye. This person didn't look familiar to her at all, which begged the question of why he approached.]

Hi.

Enjoying the show?

I am, thank you. It's really quite a show.

[ He continues to stand next to her, looking up at aurora-like colours above them. But his yellow eyes unfocus just slightly as he casts out his Soul Perception, touching lightly on the various kedan around them, on Zatanna herself which she may feel as a slight tingle, and then finally on the ones watching them to determine that they had not moved from the nearby alley.

Kid's gaze clears again and he glances at Zatanna, his voice too low to carry to anyone around them except her. ]

I'm afraid you may have some unwelcome admirers, miss. Perhaps we should relocate before the crowd starts to disperse.

[She could sense something was amiss even before his Perception reached her, flinching when it finally did. A twinge in her mind. Not quite painful, but not entirely pleasant, either. Frowning, she turned to face him directly.]

What did you just do to me?

Nothing; I only used my Soul Perception.

[ He reaches out to place a hand on her arm. ]

Do you see the alley over my right shoulder?

[This explain nothing, and forgive her while she continues to stare cautiously instead of diverting her gaze.]

It didn't feel like "nothing" to me.

What's a Soul Perception?

Edited 2012-12-16 02:23 (UTC)

[ Faint surprise registers on Kid's face, then he tips his head to acknowledge her words. ]

I apologize, most aren't able to feel it. It is the ability to identify people's souls and I was merely determining if those men were still watching you... which they are.

[She gauged his reaction carefully to determine if he was sincere in his surprise. He was. Then to be certain his explanation was enough to satisfy her. Close enough.]

...what makes you so sure they're dangerous?

[ simply: ] Instinct.

Please don't misunderstand. I would rather be proven wrong than to be proven right, but that is often a choice best not left to hindsight.

Alright, fine.

[What he called instinct, she considered paranoia. But she was used to being surrounded by paranoia; heck, if a certain someone found out she hung around with a potential threat in the vicinity, she'd probably get an earful. Or at least a few glares.]

Which way?

[ She might not be entirely inaccurate with the comparison, but Kid inclines his head to indicate a passage between the crowds of people and away from the alley he had mentioned before. ]

I apologize for ruining your evening.

[ said with a genuine look of penitence ]

[She follows with a shrug]

No big.

I come here a lot. And it's not like I haven't been through way worse.

Worse?

[ He repeated the word worriedly, thinking that she had maybe had other run ins with some of the gangs of Keeliai. ]

Yeah. Mostly back home, though.

I've been pretty lucky here so far.

[ Kara was a curious sort. She spent most of her time wandering the turtle, and occasionally she would run into people willing to chat her up. From time to time someone would ask her why they saw her so often, just wandering. She would tell them she had nothing better to do.

One such person had been kind enough to, upon request, try to explain magic to her and even wrote out the word so she would know what it looked like.

That was how she found the Magic Shop.

She peered at the toys and parlor tricks in the front. She had never seen anything like them before, and she wished she could read what they were supposed to do. Her gaze turned to the rest of the store, and she frowned at the other items. About half of them looked familiar. What were they all for?

Then she spotted her friend, and perked up. ]

Zatanna! Do you work here?

Ice cream. [Wow, so smooth, Grayson.]

I just got off my shift and decided to check the place out. What do you recommend?

[Zatanna poked her head up over the book she was reading, offering a friendly wave once she saw Kara. She doubted the older girl was there as a customer, but just in case her boss chose that moment to show up, she got up anyway.]

Hey, Kara.

Yeah. Just started a few days ago. What do you think?

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[Open] It's a Big Enough Umbrella

Job #1

Job #2

WOOD SECTOR

FIRE SECTOR

WATER SECTOR

Misc.

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