14367/Two Cappuccinos, Extra Magic

Two Cappuccinos, Extra Magic
Date of Scene:	09 May 2022
Location:	Some Random Coffee Shop
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Zatanna Zatara, Wiccan

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Zatanna Zatara has posed:
It's a lovely mid-to-late evening in the city that never sleeps. The weather is warm, it being late spring, but not yet so stifling that people avoid the streets. In Greenwich Village is a small coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings, one of those hole in the wall artisanal type places as far removed from Starbucks as possible, with leather upholstered sofas and chairs and drink sizes that aren't in butchered Italian. This time of night, it is not terribly busy with most of the clientele being college students. Oh. And a lone woman in snug jeans, black converse sneakers, and a cutoff tee proclaiming '100 Percent Hex Appeal' in blocky letters.

Zatanna is, indeed, sitting at one of the sofas with a book balanced on one knee and a cup of something steaming sitting on the table beside her. The Mistress of Magic is currently in civilian clothes, her fishnets put away for now as she enjoys a cup of coffee post-rehearsal. According to the various rumor mills, she's accepted a small residency off-Broadway while also taking up active status with the Justice League after a year spent abroad.

Wiccan has posed:
Billy Kaplan also spent nearly two years aboad and has only recently returned to his hometown of NYC. It is so recent that he is still adjusting to the timezones which brings him into the late-night coffee shop. Seeing as it's Manhattan, most things are open later than they might be elsewhere, but it's still interesting that coffee is served in the evenings. But it's the city that Never Sleeps.

Maybe this coffee shop is one of the reasons why?

He steps in, looking like almost any other young twenty-something, complete with jeans, a hoodie against the cooler evening air, and a 'Brakebills University Alumni' t-shirt. Stepping up to the counter, he orders an espresso and some sort of sweet baked good. Because cappucinos are for breakfast.

Once he gets his order, he finds a cushy-looking chait with a cafe table by it to park himself. It's only as he's taking a bite of the baked good does he look up and pause, maybe noticing the dark-haired woman nearby. Brown eyes blink a moment before he pulls out his phone as if to check something. Like a Google Image.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Does Zatanna notice the nubile young man creeping on her? Hard to tell. She has faced down demonic forces and John Constantine's morning breath, so needless to say her game face is pretty good. But her blue eyes do flicker up from her book momentarily, and there's a hint of a crooked grin when they linger on the Brakebills tee.

She does, however, calmly reach for her drink and set her book down on her lap. She rubs the back of her neck, and rather than picking her book back up simply sits with that crooked, knowing grin while pointedly not looking at Billy.

If Google Image fails him (and god help him if he doesn't have safe image filter on... Just saying) then the mystical presence she carries with her, that same feeling like a thunderstorm preparing to burst forth, is a dead give-away she isn't a muggle.

Wiccan has posed:
Billy isn't very subtle when he catches sight of someone he recognizes, especially if that someone is of the 'Super' variety. Nevermind he does some of that himself, although he hasn't been stateside in nearly a couple of years. Even before he wasn't terribly well known. But he also has that 'Magic Aura' about him, one that he doesn't bother hiding; or maybe he doesn't even realize he has it at all. The latter, however, may be unlikely.

It probably doesn't help keep things like that hidden when he briefly closes his eyes and actually murmurs into his demitasse cup, "Notebook..." and with a somewhat brief yet glowy magic 'shimmer', a small notebook with the title 'Creative Rambling of a Restless Mind' appears on the table with his baked good.

As if none of that happened, he clears his throat softly and leans over, "Excuse me, Miss Zatara, but could I get your autograph?" HE is aware that not everyone is willing to take selfies with random people.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara regularly runs around in fishnets and corsetry while wearing a top hat. Not to mention being raised in show-business by a father that was if anything more famous than she is. If she was ever shy about being approached by fans, she long ago learned to make peace with the reality of being moderately famous.

Zatanna nods with a chuckle, "Of course." She agrees, and lifts one hand into the air. "Nommus a lliuq." She intones, and pulls a peacock feather quill out of thin air. The conjuration is effortless, and she tilts her head at him. "I always have time for another practitioner."

Wiccan has posed:
He's no doubt heard of how she does her magic, so when she summons a quill with her own technique, he grins. "Thank you! And...yeah, I realized I forgot a pen..." but then Billy flushes a little when she calls him out. "I didn't want it to be too big," but no one seems shocked if they saw it.

Then again, this -is- New York.

"The peacock quill, however, is definitely new. I've never seen that used as a quill before..." it's certainly dramatic! Not sure what else he should say, he offers, "I've seen a few of your shows. They're really amazing." Because Fanboy.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Oh this old thing?" Zatanna waves the quill around, and laughs. "Gift from an ex that told me if I was going to peacock around half-naked I might as well have plumage to match." Her grin goes a touch malicious then. "Joke's on him; I turned him into a newt." I... is she joking? It's hard to tell, as she takes a drink of her coffee before holding out her hand for the notebook.

"So who do you want me to make this out to?" She asks, tilting her head and adding, "Thanks. I'm working on a new show at the Orpheum, actually. Bit of a beast, balancing that with everything else..." Y'know, like fighting crime and hanging out with Superman and Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League in their space station. No big deal. "But I can't resist the thrill of it all... Mixing magic with sleight of hand, and daring people to figure out what's real and what isn't."

She considers him, pen poised. "Feel free to sit down, if you like. I don't bite... hard."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy smirks at the explanation of the quill and surely she must be joking. Transmutation like that is generally frowned upon, at least as far as he's learned. Nor has he tried. Seems...permanent. "Sounds like he deserved it," is offered then.

"Oh, uhm, Billy Kaplan. Or...uhm. 'Wiccan', please." Most likely, the name isn't well-known. Yet. When she mentions the show, he offers, "Really? I came back into town just in time then! When do you open? I'll be sure to get a ticket." His grin widens some at the mention of the content of her shows, "Has anyone figured it out yet?"

The invitation gets a pause, but he'll fetch his demitasse and desserty thing and move to join her where she's sitting. "I'm flattered, but probably not the target audience for the biting."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Surely Billy has had an ex or two that would benefit from a good newt'ing! "Oh, for sure!" Zatanna agrees regarding her ex deserving it, "He was much more humble when I turned'm back. And I got a lovely memento out of it." And she flicks the peacock feather before quickly signing her autograph into the front page of the notebook, with a brief message: 'Don't let the muggles get you down, Wiccan'.

If she recognizes his superhero name it doesn't show. Which, sadly, means she probably doesn't.

"Should be soon." She tells him, regarding the opening, "I've a few kinks to work out with some of the stage magic, and a few staff positions to fill, but..." She grins, broadly, "I'm excited." When he talks about buying a ticket, she shakes her head. "One practitioner to another, I couldn't possibly let you pay for a ticket. In fact..." She hands him back the notebook. "I'm usually rehearsing until late. Bring the notebook, show the signature to whoever's at the stage door. I'd love to get your opinion on what I'm working on."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy nearly chokes on the espresso, "Wait, you really did that? How...I mean...didn't that mess with his brain and stuff? Displacement of matter?" Sure, magic is one thing, but there are also Rules of the Universe. Of course, now the gears in his head are turning to try and figure out how that could all be possible.

It takes him a moment to come back to the present conversation, "Staff positions? Don't Theaters have their own staff? Like they provide the House Managers and Ushers and stuff?" Then she mentions not letting him buy a ticket, "Oh, that's not necessary..." he starts but then takes the notebook back. He can't help but grin at the inscription before looking back up, "Well...if it's pre-opening, ok. I don't want you to lose any revenue. I don't know much about sleight of hand though...I sort of," he shrugs, "Skipped that part."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Simple transmutation." Zatanna shrugs it off, taking a drink of her own coffee casually as if breaking the rules of the universe were something she does frequently. Which very well may be true. She pauses, considering Billy thoughtfully. "I have an ex that claims at it's heart, magic is the art of breaking the cosmic rules." Pause, "And in the end, using magic for petty stuff tends to blow up in the user's face threefold. But the possibilities are endless, as long as you have the creativity to think outside the box and the willpower to make it happen."

She shakes her head, ruefully, "Sorry. I didn't mean to go all Obi-won on you." She chuckles, "And yes, they provide that kind of staff, but any stage magician worth their booking fee would never let an muggle see the behind the scenes workings. I supply my own stage hands, PA, carpenter, and so on."

When he tries to demure on the entry, she laughs, "Oh, don't worry about revenue. It'll probably sell out once I open ticket sales, even if it is off-Broadway. But we can cross that bridge once we get there." She considers him with more interest than he'd probably expect, given he'd already told her he batted for the other team. "I have a hunch about you, and my hunches are pretty damn solid."

Wiccan has posed:
"Obi-Wan away!" Billy offers with a wave of his hand. "I just spent the last almost-two years traveling around and learning a bunch of mysticism and magic traditions from a bunch of different cultures. I mean, partially for my Grad School focus, but also, because there is -so- much to learn and sticking to just one method and tradition isn't...well, it's limiting, isn't it?" Even she just sort of proved that. "I agree with doing things for...yeah, petty..." he agrees on the word, "reasons, just tempts towards a darker path."

He smiles again when she mentions supplying her own stage crew, "Oh, sure, well...those are part of your team. That makes sense." He looks thoughtful for a moment, "I don't think I know anyone who does that sort of stuff if you're looking for people to run tech. Or the sound system." Because 'PA' is the sound, right?

He takes some more of the dessert before noticing that she's considering him. "A hunch? About?"