noitatnacni | 002 | Action + Voice

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.]

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Yeah, I think so. We're all living together so that's...nice.

[Weird, she wants to say but it's nice too so she'll settle for that. 'Weird' might stir up questions she didn't know how to answer.]

Are you doing anything special for your birthday?

Yeah, I'll bet.

[It's strange--for as often as she sneaked out of the house, or thought she couldn't wait to be an adult and away from her dad, most days she'd give anything to live with him again. Or to celebrate with him. She's silent for a bit, maybe a little too long, but she tries to sound happy when she replies again.]

I don't have too many plans yet. A friend is giving me a makeover, but it's still really sudden. Maybe I'll plan something in a day or two.

[Or have a friend plan something for her that night. But hey, Zatanna doesn't know about her surprise party yet.]

[Wouldn't be a surprise if she did know about it, eheh.

That is a long silence, enough to concern her a little or give her a heads up that something is missing for her birthday she doesn't usually have to deal with.

She can only guess she misses home, or a part of it.]

Well, what did you usually do?

I’d have a party with my friends. [But that answer is a bit too short, with good reason. There are other traditions, ones her father tried to keep even with his career as a performer and his work as a superhero. Somehow, every year he made it home in time, even if it meant having dinner at fifteen til midnight. Except he can’t this time. He isn’t there, and even if he were, it’d be Fate. Not him.

Zatanna stops talking again, but she isn’t silent. If Kushina listens closely, she’ll hear a soft, hitched breath, followed by another as she tries not to cry.]

[She heard it and Kushina knows she's hurting and it reaches her heart to hear the pain a young girl is going through during her birthday. It's not fair.

The video switches to private, in Kushina's attempt to protect her from prying eyes that might be watching.]

You can cry. It's alright.

[It's not a order or even a suggestion. If at all, it's assurance that crying doesn't make anyone weak.

But her own voice cracks a little too, eyes looking watery, like she might cry FOR Zatanna anyway.]

No, I’m not-- [She mentally curses, because Zatanna hates this. She haste it when she can’t keep herself from breaking down, and in front of someone who’s practically a stranger no less. She swallows hard, pressing a hand against her face to wipe away the few tears that have managed to escape, and trying to keep the rest in.]

It’s okay. It’s just—I always spent my birthdays with my dad. [Zatanna looks away from the camera, trying to figure out how she can explain without breaking down.] But he’s not here. And even back home, he’s—he’s gone.

[Kushina wipes away her own tears with the back of her hand.

The loss of family is never easy and Kushina doesn't blame Zatanna. Hell, she wouldn't even if she did start to cry again. She shouldn't keep herself from crying if she's sad. But--]

Do you think he would want to see you cry on your birthday?

[And if she could come back to life, then her father certainly could too.]

Definitely not. [For all the fights they had because Zatanna thought he was overprotective and he thought she was too young, Zatara had been a great dad. Zatanna knows it, and she's sure he'd want her to be happy today.

It just isn't easy now that she's thinking about him, about how he gave himself up so Fate would let Zatanna go.]

I miss him so much.

[She's right. No parent ever wants to see their child cry in sadness. Especially over them.]

And you're going to forever.

[Nobody ever stops missing loved ones that they lost. This would be much better if it was in person. The barrier of the journal makes Kushina uncomfortable but she continues on.]

But that's what friends are for. For throwing those parties on your birthday that help you smile again.

[She smiles a bit lopsided.]

And for the awkward strangers who want to help someone that did the same for them when they first turned up in this weird place.

[A stranger that may or may not have a small birthday present delivered to her later.]

[The confirmation catches her off guard, but Kushina is quick to follow up on it. She's right though; Zatanna's friends had helped her after, more than she could say.

And yeah...there had been pretty helpful strangers too.]

Oh, that's okay. People helped me when I first got here. It'd be wrong not to do the same.

[Although that won't stop her from being thrilled to get that gift.]

Edited 2013-07-14 20:44 (UTC)

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[Especially the help the ones that were there for her, in return.

Zatanna doesn't look quite as sad now and she's glad for that.]

Do you like sweets?

[Mostly that’s because she’s trying very hard not to think about it.]

Doesn’t everyone? Especially on their birthday. Sweets are pretty mandatory then.

[And Kushina is trying hard to cheer her up on her birthday DONT BE SAD ZATANNA]

Birthday cakes, at least.

I was just making sure for-- uh, ya know, your friends.

[And not her little delivery gift that will be some cookies that spell her name.]

[Hey, she’s doing a good job, at least as far as distraction goes. Cake, desserts—those are safe things. Easy things.]

Sure. For my friends. [Yeah, Zatanna’s starting to see through this, especially since Kushina doesn’t know any of her friends.] I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.

[Delicious things!

She'll get a nervous laugh, obviously seeing she's been found out so she rubs the back of her head.]

Well, um, they're nice. Don't want to make a cake if the birthday girl isn't going to have a slice.

[And that's clear because they're throwing a party. She doesn't need to know them to come up with that too.]

Yeah? That would be a real shame.

[Turns out Kushina knows Zatanna's friends pretty well. but she's still not expecting it, so she grins.]

Well, if a cake were to show up, I'd definitely make sure to have a piece. Especially if someone went to all the trouble of making it for me and my friends.

I'm sure the cake-baker would appreciate that a lot.

I'd definitely make sure to thank her, too.

002 | Action + Voice

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