002 | Action + Voice

[noitatnacni]

So does your birthday still count if you technically skipped four months?

[This is an important question being posed over your journals, Luceti. Because if it does count, Zatanna's fifteen today. Not that she's been advertising it a lot. Holidays have been kind of hard on her since Halloween, and today really isn't an exception. It's the first birthday she's spent without her father, and in the superhero business? That's saying something.

She tries not to let it get her down, though--or at least, not to show that it is. Maybe if someone catches her when she's alone, they'll see hints of it. Staring off into space with a frown at some reminder. There's bound to be plenty, since she's raiding the library for books on magic and the item shop for more stage friendly props. The training she does daily at the battle dome (with her birthday being no exception) isn't the only thing she should keep up with.

So at some point during the afternoon, she'll try to find bored people in the plaza, cards in hand. It'll be better than just the "think of your card and I'll name it" bit, promise. Sometimes she sticks to sleight of hand, while others she may employ a backwards chant. Maybe it's not all that impressive in a place where anyone can learn magic, but she doesn't want those skills to deteriorate. It's the one connection she's got to her father, the person who taught her what she knows.

Eventually, she'll head back to Community House 5 when she starts thinking about dinner.]

Comments

[rashness]

I don't feel seventeen. [He says this quickly. He doesn't want to count here. He wants to just be home. But at the same time, Shiemi's 17 by now. So...] I dunno, it's weird.

[noitatnacni]

Don't a lot of people say that about whatever age they are? [But there might be more to it; he did kind of rush through that reply.]

Hey, it's not like anyone's asking to see a birth certificate or anything. You could say you're thirty-six and no one would be able to really prove you wrong.

[rashness]

Hhheh. Yeah, that's true. After all, I know this one woman who apparently is in her twenties but tells everyone she's eighteen.

[noitatnacni]

Really? I know people do stuff like that when they're in their thirties or forties, but why would anyone want to say they're still a teenager?

Not that I'm in a rush to be an adult--but supposedly once you get there, you never want to be a teen again.

[rashness]

I don't know! I mean, she was pretending to be a student in my class for a while, but even after she stopped pretending to be a dude she kept up with it. So... I don't know.

[Unknown to Rin: she uses it for the student discount]

[noitatnacni]

Wait, wait. She was pretending to be a guy too? There’s got to be a story behind that, even if you don’t know the reason for the age thing.

[rashness]

Heh, yeah, there is. I'm not sure I know all the details even now, but basically, she was pretending to be a student at the cram school to keep an eye on things there for the Vatican. So she joined the class at Yamada, who always wore a hoodie and didn't talk much.

[noitatnacni]

Oh this just gets better and better. She's a spy for the Catholic church? [You know, even growing up with a superhero for a dad? This might be stretching it even for Zatanna.] Are you making this up?

[rashness]

Why would I make this up? No, no, she's an investigator for the main branch of True Cross.

[noitatnacni]

I don't know. Maybe to see how much you can get people to believe. [But he does come across as honest, so he's either being serious or he's a really good liar. For the moment, she's willing to go along.]

Don't think the nuns ever mentioned them in school. What's True Cross?

[rashness]

I'm not lying! But as for True Cross-- We--well, it's sort of a secret on Earth, sort of. [But he's open about it, here] It's this big worldwide alliance of exorcists from all sorts of different religions and practices, united together to keep the demons and bad spirits in check.

[noitatnacni]

I’m guessing it doesn’t exist on my earth, then. If it were that big and that secret, the Justice League would know about it—unless it turned out to be evil. [And even then, the League would find out eventually. But from what Rin is saying, it sounds more ilke a good thing. Exorcists were supposed to be on the holy side, right?]

So were there a lot of demons in your school or something? [Because otherwise why would a special agent be there?]

[rashness]

They aren't evil-! ...Well okay, those Gregory [That "Grigori," Rin] guys were jerks and all, but the point is, it's a big collection of exorcists. As for my school... It's kinda a long story. But basically, they didn't trust Mephisto. [A beat] Uh, the head of our branch.

[noitatnacni]

“Gregory” guys? [Yeah, somehow Zatanna doesn’t think he’s saying that right.] And relax. I believe you. True Cross, not evil. [Honestly Zatanna doesn’t think it exists on her world. She’s just used to thinking in those terms from her lifestyle, and her father’s.]

So were they right? About Mephisto.

[rashness]

I... don't know, really. Guess they had a point, but it's more like they didn't look at stuff the right way. [A beat and-] But I probably shouldn't really explain why.

[noitatnacni]

It’s top secret and classified? [Zatanna waves it off with a hand; she’s used to the secrecy, so it doesn’t bother her.] Believe me, I get it.

[rashness]

Yeah, something like that. ...And I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Rin. Hey.

[noitatnacni]

I'm Zatanna. Nice to meet you.

[rashness]

Nice to meet you too! [Cool name]

[noitatnacni]

[She gets that.]

Anyway, it looks like I’ve got some plans now. I’m going to head out to meet a friend. Maybe we’ll catch each other later?

[rashness]

Oh, sure- [Wow, and on the book too. That's polite-] Enjoy yourself out there!