Zatanna

“I am never melodramatic! I am dramatic to just the right amount.” he said, rolling over to his stomach and looking up at her, frowning at Fergie, “Traitor.” he muttered, “I was not stressing her, I already tried with her brother and still nothing. They’re being uncooperative.” he rested his head on his heads and began to pout a little, “I’ve been at it for a week and it isn’t working. You’re probably got it in three nights. And who else am I gonna compare myself too? Uncle John? Who we both know I could never match, or Houdini, who we both know I do outmatch. You’re the expert, I just wanna be as good as you.”

“The ‘right’ amount? More like over the right amount,” Zatanna chuckled as she took a seat on the floor in front of him, crossing her legs in a half lotus pose. “Surprisingly, no. It took me longer than three days. Almost a month, to be exact. It helps if you practice on a species that’s familiar with evolution. Start small, say—turning a catepillar into a butterfly by speeding the metamorphosis process. This way, you have the natural order as a guidance. Once you’re able to transform the critter without the need of a cocoon, then you can try something else.” She kissed the top of the dove’s head before releasing it into the air to reunite with her brother. “I’ve told you countless times, I spent years practicing with Daddy and when he left, I hit the books. We weren’t around each other before, but we are now and I can teach you if you’re willing to learn.”

Zach stiffened then turned to see Z, tilting his head at the same time as Fergie in an almost comical manner. “Just how long have you been standing there?” he asked, gently taking Fergie off his head and placing her on the floor he looked down and tried again, “Ok… nruT drib otni namow!” Again the dove began to ripple, more this time, but still it remained a bird. “Oh fuck it all!” he whipped his hat off and threw it against the wall, “I’m always gonna suck at this! I’m not you! Just the lesser ranked cast off, kill me now!” he fell back against the floor and dramatically hugged a pillow. “My career is over…”

“You’re being melodramatic, Zach,” Zatanna rolled her eyes and bent down, she held out her hand for the dove to jump onto her finger. She straightened herself, cooing at the white bird. “Hi Fergie. Is Zachary stressing you out again? You poor thing.” With her free hand, she stroked the bird gently with the back of her finger. “The spell for interchanging species doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice and lots of it. Losing your cool isn’t going to help either. Why must you always compare yourself to me?”

“Please, please, please just work! If Z can do it I can!” Zach huffed, staring at the dove on his arm, “C’mon Fergie you wanna be a woman don’t ya? driB ot namow!” The dove shimmered for a moment but stayed as it was, “Aww c’mon! I give up…” he slumped to the floor, Fergie jumping onto his head, “Why do I suck so much?”

Zatanna leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her cousin perform the trick. Her tongue was pushing the back of her lower anterior teeth, begging to say something. But Zachary had to learn for himself, she couldn’t correct all his mistakes. And then he talk down upon himself... Zatanna couldn’t keep quiet anymore. “You have to be more specific when it comes to species transformation. Try saying: Turn bird into woman.”

“Zatanna.” Bruce was surprised, but pleasantly so to see his old friend. He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek, pulling away to hold her shoulders for a moment as he gave her a genuine Bruce Wayne smile, a rare thing. “If I’m not here, these fine people get to enjoy my booze without pretending to like me.” Bruce grinned, raising a glass to her.

Zatanna flashed her friend a warm smile as he pulled back after giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Not all of them are pretending, you know. You’re very likable.” She raised her champagne flute slightly before bringing the edge of the glass to her lips, taking a sip.

“Shit, shit, shit. Not supposed to happen!” 

“erif eb enog!” In one swift movement, Zatanna extended her arm and opened her palm in the direction of the flames. The fire faded away instantly. “You’re fin. Luckily there’s no damage, but if there was I do hope you have insurance to cover it.”

I’m here, it’s fine, I’m here

“Tsk, Tsk, Brucey. Late again to your own ball. I only attend these things because I’m your friend. If you’re not here, what’s the point?”

“Nice to meet you too, Zatanna. Quite a curious name you have, I like it. How’re you doing?”

“Pleasure to meet you as well, Cassie. My father gave me the name and it’s quite rare. I haven’t met anyone else with it and I’ve traveled to many places across the globe. I’m quite well, just taking an evening stroll through the city. And you?”

“Uh… Cassie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Cassie. I’m Zatanna Zatara.”

“Magic is still a very interesting thing to me. Your cousin seems to enjoy flaunting it, but I never thought you’d be the same.”

“I enjoy doing it once in a while. After all, Zachary and I are related. I’m just more subtle than he is.”

“It’s alright. It’s not like you knew or anything.”

“Not anymore… So you did!? I knew it, I know you thought I was crap when we toured! Besides, you haven’t seen me since we’ve been together, how am I supposed to know if your opinion’s changed, neither of us even bothered to send a postcard, let alone pick up a phone. You still seem the same though, just… calmer, if that means anything.” he shrugged, “My head it not thick, it’s finely constructed. But, if that’s really the case, fine. I’ll get on the phone to the tour manager, he’ll probably shit a brick. First thing he asked me after I signed on was ‘reckon you can get your cousin to guest-star?’ I still don’t like him.” he watched the beanbag chair appear and chuckled despite still being annoyed, “Why do you still like sitting in those things? They’re for kids. teG em a zehc egnuol.” he lay back on the more elegant chair and looked at her, “I finally got the hang of pulling audience members out of my hat.” he blurted out, “I watched you do it all the time and now I can do it too. I still have my doves as well. Ferdie and Fergie, wanna umm… you know, see’em? They’ve probably missed you.”  

“Things happen, people grow up, things change. That’s the way of life,” Zatanna said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. “I sit on them because they’re comfy. Reminds me of Shadowcrest. Speaking of which, you should really spend some at if you want to learn more. Even after all the time I’ve spent there, I’ve only gone thru a fraction of the books. I don’t think Daddy read as much as I have.” She raised a brow at her cousin, impressed at how far he’d come. “I know you have, I saw you perform it when I went to your show. I’m proud of you, Zach. And yeah, I’d love to see Ferdie and Fergie. It’s been awhile since the last time I saw them.”

“Sick!! Hey! You’re like, that magic lady!”

“Indeed I am. Zatanna Zatara, the one and only.”

“New York is just an interesting place. Lots of people to see, places to go.” 

“Oh yes, there’s plenty to do in this city. It’s as if the list never ends. You can start anywhere.”

“Oh, nah, like, that was like, the only scream I heard sooooo….we good here?”

“Uh, yeah. We’re good.”

“By making it sound funny, it’s an insult to us, magic users. Luckily I’m not one of those magic users that get offended easily. I just think it makes people look stupid.”

“Because being like me is a fate worse than death. You haven’t seen me in years and to your mind I’m just the bum cousin of the Great and Glorious Zatanna.” he brought his hands together like he was holding a football and closed his eyes, concentrating. A shower of purple sparks erupted between his hands, it was nothing amazing but last time they’d been together any non-verbal magic had been beyond him, “I love learning magic, but unlike you I couldn’t nip to the Shadowcrest library for a new textbook.” He rolled his eyes, “That is something to be revealed after a night out full of shots.” he crossed his arms and thought, “It’s my tour, I worked my ass off for this chance, if you wanna be in it… You can’t make it all about you. This is my show, my chance. I wanna, perform together but, equal footing this time.”

“Would you stop that? You keep making these claims that I look down on you, that I see you as someone far beneath me. But I don’t, not anymore. I admit that I did when we used to be together, but that was years ago and you’ve made it crystal clear that you’re not that teenaged boy anymore. I can see with my own eyes that you’ve grown up.” She crossed her arms over her chest, a tad bit annoyed with the negativity in their conversation. “Zach, let me make myself clear so you get this through your thick head: I’m not trying to steal your spotlight. The word that would be between our names is ‘and’, meaning it’s the two of us together. My other tours were about me because they were my tours back then and you were the opening act. It won’t be like that. What I’m proposing now is something else entirely. We’d be doing it together. Equal amount of acts, equal time in the spotlight. That’s all I’m asking.” With the snap of her finger, a beanbag chair appeared behind her and she fell into it, crossing her knees with her arms still folded in front of her chest.