12910/Abracadiknapped

Abracadiknapped
Date of Scene:	28 March 2021
Location:	Some Theater in Gotham
Synopsis:	Blackout learns that Zatanna has real magic.
Cast of Characters:	Zatanna Zatara, Blackout

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Zatanna Zatara has posed:
It was a good show, overall. After taking her bows and congratulating the crew, Zee heads backstage towards her dressing room. Along the way she makes a mental note to talk with the special effects crew about timing of the flash pots. And the trap door was sticking just a little. It's attention to the little details that makes the difference between a good show and a great one, after all.

Still wearing her risque tux-fishnets-boots performance attire, the raven-haired magician takes off the top hat and depresses the catch to collapse it as she reaches for the door knob. White-gloved fingers hesitate before touching the brass, however.

Something is wrong.

Blackout has posed:
    Blackout (Marc) is dressed in his low-key attire of black shoes, black slacks, black crew neck covered by a black jacket. There's a whole lot of black going on. Likely too much. But that's just how he rolls. He was quite entertained by the show that Zatanna put on. There was lots of clapping. Just after the mistress of magic did her last trick and exited stage left, he noticed a few rough looking thugs exiting the audience and moving onto the stage. Where they shouldn't be going. While all the other audience exited on the proper exits.

    Taking the initiative, Blackout decided to follow and see what the thugs were up to. He was only a few yards behind them when they rounded the corner toward the dressing rooms. Right into Zee's field of view (and a mere 10 feet from her). They pull guns from their belts (originally hidden beneath jackets) and announce, "Hey dollface, you're comin with us!"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara's collapsed top hat is tucked under her left arm, boot heels scraping softly on the tiles as she turns to face the thugs more directly. Her head tilts and she reaches for the hat. "Gentlemen, I really don't have time for this." With a flourish worthy of the stage, she pops the hat open again and holds it out before waving with her free hand.

Raising her voice, she says "Stellub ni eht tah!" There's a soft clattering of metal as the hat gets a little heavier.

Blackout has posed:
    They're large men, somewhat taller than average, muscular. They probably never intended to use their guns because their job is to kidnap her. And guns offer intimidation. Or so they think. Instead, their guns become lighter, her hat becomes heavier. They start to move forward.

    Blackout saw them draw their guns and issue the threat. He figures they're talking to Zatanna - whom he can't quite see around the corner. He figures he has very little time to act.

    Blackout does what comes natural to him, he attacks. He yells, "Hey, asshats!" to get their attention. Both look in his general direction just before the lights go out. Blackout floods the hallway on his side as well as Zatanna's side with opaque darkforce. Essentially, making everything go inky black. The thugs can't see, Zatanna cannot see (unless she can see in darkness or casts a spell to see in darkness). But Blackout can. He charges.

    The thugs, who were looking at Blackout for that brief second will start pulling their triggers hoping to shoot him (unseen) in the dark. But nothing happens, just a bunch of click, click, click, click. And annoyed bad guys who begin to gripe, "Hey, our guns ain't workin!"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Ees ni eht krad!" And now Zee can see everything that's happening. She recognizes it, the appearance. The texture. The mystical smell. Darkforce. How interesting. Triggers are pulled, without any result other than the clicking. Then she laughs.

Giving the effect a bit of a twist, the sound carries and resonates in the darkness. It's like something out of a horror movie, right before something big and scary splatters the screen with blood.

"Wols noitom!" And now everything the thugs do is suddenly at half speed. Just like in a horror movie.

Blackout has posed:
    In the darkness, Blackout will step to the side. He's just as surprised to see the guns don't have bullets as the thugs are. He knew he was gonna be shot a few times - just by luck of the blind shooting. When he's not shot, he takes the advantage and will project his darkforce toward the thug closest to him. It doesn't blast the thug, instead, entangles him in several darkforce bands. And the thug will go down in slow motion with a ooof and then start yelling, "Benny! Something's got me. Benny get us outta here!"

    Benny (or thug #2) turns, slowly. He still can't see. But he can hear his companion 'lower' than he is. He says, "Sal! I'll get ya. Sal!" and he starts to kneel down to feel for his partner in crime.

    Blackout is still around the corner, just out of Zatanna's sight. He is however moving toward the thugs - trying to remain as quiet as possible.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara's boots are silent in the darkness now. She can see the thugs perfectly well, along with the Darkforce... being. As Benny reaches for Sal, who is being slowly dragged away, she reaches for Benny. It's easy to do, since both thugs are now moving in slow-motion.

White gloved fingers brush his cheek a moment before she whispers into his ear. "Deifirret..." It's just a single word, whispered softly, and yet Benny completely panics.

Blackout has posed:
    Rounding the corner, Blackout will close on the slowed other thug who breaks out into a panic. Blackout sees the exchange, spies Zatanna and likely realizes that Zatanna can see him within the darkness. Or see everything within the darkness. But as Benny panics, he will do the same with him as he did to Sal; Benny will be engulfed in darkforce bands and fall to the floor in the panic he suffers. Twisting, flailing, freaking out.

    Blackout looks back to Zee and says, "You really do have the magic."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara's blue eyes sparkle and meet his gaze, even in the darkness, and Blackout can see her smile as well. Tipping the hat up, the bullets are gone now as she pops it back onto her head and taps it into place. All with that stage flourish. The thugs are in full-on panic mode now, but they are only a secondary concern to her.

"Apparently." she replies. "We should talk more, sometime. Come to this address.

"Ssenisub drac." A business card appears in the air before him that only he can see. Black on black. It's an address. Then it fades.

Blackout has posed:
    Blackout reads the address. He was about to grab it, but it faded. He glances back to her, gives a nod. He says, "Will do..." but then his attention it taken back to the guys on the floor. He says to her as much as to them - even in their panic, "I'll clean this up. We'll talk later." and he will open a portal beneath himself and the two thugs. All three falling into the darkforce dimension. The portal will close and they are gone. The hallway brightens up.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara watches for a moment as the three disappear, and only when the portal closes does she open the door to her dressing room. Taking no chances this time, she mutters as she turns the knob. "Ot Tsercwodahs!" And the magician steps through a portal of her own into her boudoir in Shadowcrest, the Zatara family mansion.