Stage Magic

The speedster made his way into Avengers Tower, wasting no time in peeling off  his shirt, noting the number of bullet holes before he rolled his shoulder, feeling the damage already healing.

“You know, as much I have grown to love this city, I am beginning to see how hostile New Yorkers can be….Or at least the armed ones. It is a pity.”

A blur interrupted his musings and Zach whipped his head about, eyes widening he he copped a semi-naked man who was bleeding... Fast guy? Had to be Wanda’s brother, she’d mentioned him during their training sessions, P-something...

“I prefer London myself, as many power-hungry rich snobs who’ll pay top dollar for my talent but much stricter gun-laws.” he said lightly, “Just as hostile in attitude though.” He pointed at the guys chest, specifically the bullet wounds, “You want a hand with those?” he asked, “I can fixed in a sentence.” he bragged.

so she’d busied herself at the tower as best she could. wanda was just lucky no one had really questioned her absence. perhaps many hadn’t even noticed she was not around. but despite all the efforts of everyone in the tower, and everyone on patrol or gathering intel their own way, they were no closer to catching the joker than before. it was disheartening and terribly frustrating to have nothing to show for the fear and chaos of last night.

and though she was often amused and happy enough with zach’s company, his dulcet tones did not exactly brighten her mood. but his words? well, that made her curious. she waved off a couple of s.h.i.e.l.d. agents that were lingering around, and headed down the corridor to the source of the noise. “superstar? i’m not entirely sure i’ve heard anyone ever call you that.”

As his not-so considerable patience was reaching it’s end Wanda appeared, Zach grinned, snarky remark ready when she beat him to the punch. He paused, mouth still half-open and seemed to deflate a little. Sheesh! He was coming here with good news and that was the response he got? “Lots of people do! If you read any of the latest celebrity magazines you’d see that having performed in several continents I am indeed internationally recognised and respected!” He didn’t add ‘so there’ but boy was he thinking it.

His little tirade over he actually took a moment to look at Wanda, noticing the hand through the hair, the sharper than normal tone, well... “I’m getting the distinct impression you’re feeling snippy.” he said, grinning sweetly, “It’s very lucky I’m such a lovely, kind, generous, handsome... heartwarming person that I’m still helping you out Wanda.” he shook his head a little, “I totally deserve an award.”

M’gann lay down on her side. The floor was cold and yet it felt soothing beneath her. “You’re grouchy when you’re drunk,” she giggled, “I’m sure I’ll manage without depriving a fairy of its wings. The floor is just cold enough that if I press my forehead against it, I think it’ll be something like an ice pack. That’s more than enough for me.” She flicked her wrist towards the jar of tar and pushed it to the edge of the counter. 

“I could make it better with a raise of my eyebrows, but I said I wasn’t going to and I meant–” as M’gann picked herself up to face Zachary her psychic energy knocked the house down. “Oh no!” she whimpered, lunging for the pieces and completely forgetting that she could levitate them back into place.

The narrowed eyes almost became slits at that remark, “Yea? Well you’re happy and irritating, I need to balance you out, chirpy.” he sniped. “Really? Well come the morning where even resting your head against an arctic glacier won’t help you... we’ll see how you feel then.” he watched the jar fall and smash, turning back he gave her a stink eye, “You’re cleaning that up.” And then he wasn’t getting her any more, and he’d summon up instruments to follow her around and play loud music all day.

Zach had a very different reaction and couldn’t help bursting out laughing as her house collapsed, “Ha! Serves you right for spilling my hangover cure.” he said smugly, only to roll his eyes at her behaviour, “My god, add stupid to the list of things drunk you is. riapeR.” he cast, the little house assembling itself once more.

M’gann made a sour face. “Kale and broccoli I can take, but I was out at fairy wings.” She raised her palms and held them in front of herself protectively, “So I’ll have to pass. Maybe next time, gross hangover cure,” M’gann said with a suspicious glance towards the tar. 

She shrugged, carefully plotting her next hug, and glanced down at the little straw house. It wasn’t particularly well-built and the salt on the roof was uneven. M’gann nudged the roof a bit. “Oh yes, so charming,” she grinned, “The most charming. All the charming that someone so insulting can possibly be.”

Zach rolled his eyes, “Oh don’t be such a nancy. They grow back,” he told her, “Besides, faeries can be pretty dickish at times, I’d say they deserve a de-winging every now and then.” he added lightly, “Not that it matters. See what you say when your head is pounding and your insides feel lie they wanna be outside.”

Zach looked down at it too, “I could make something much better with a sentence you know.” He wasn’t going too, frankly he didn’t see the point, but it made him feel superior to say nonetheless. “Why thank you,” he preened, sticking his nose in the air with satisfaction. “I take great pride in my ability to insult. All off stage of course.”

Shrinking backwards, M’gann gaped at the evil laugh. “That was insane! Like the crypt keeper finding the perfect brain! Did you have to practice that or did it just come to you?” She squinted and played nervously with the empty bottle of Kopparberg, “Zachary, sometimes I feel like you think the Zachary that performs on stage is a different Zachary than the one drinking with me right now.” M’gann tilted her head to look at him more closely.

“I stand by my two ‘ha’s’. What if I turn off my gustatory senses and just swallow the potion without having to taste it?” she inquired. “What are the ingredients?” This sort of thing was not to be taken lightly. M’gann had discovered the hard way that certain things that would not naturally affect humans could make her terribly ill or cause unexpected side-effects. 

“Luckily I’m ‘huggy’ enough for the both of us!” There wasn’t nearly enough hugging these days. M’gann still felt a bit perturbed by the fight they’d had at the start of the evening, but unfortunately those arguments, that anxiety and uneasiness, seemed to be everywhere. She shrugged, “Fair enough,” and tucked it away for later. Because they would talk about it later. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it would definitely come up some time. 

M’gann snorted, “You have a wide range of charming features. Insults, however, are not at the top of my list!” She hesitated. Again M’gann was too afraid to come off as hostile in any way so she followed up softly, “I’ll try to understand though. I’d appreciate it if you went easy on me.”

Shrinking backwards, M’gann gaped at the evil laugh. “That was insane! Like the crypt keeper finding the perfect brain! Did you have to practice that or did it just come to you?” She squinted and played nervously with the empty bottle of Kopparberg, “Zachary, sometimes I feel like you think the Zachary that performs on stage is a different Zachary than the one drinking with me right now.” M’gann tilted her head to look at him more closely.

“Well of course you would. Typical.” He sniffed the air indignantly before looking at the potion, “Kale, broccoli, fifth dimension kelpie, fairy wings and cat liver.” He rattled off, “But luckily the thing just tastes like butt. And no you may not turn off any senses, you’re gonna take this like a martian and suffer through like the rest of us.” Mainly cause he thought it would be hilarious to see. 

“I have never been happier to hear someone speak.” He deadpanned, raising a brow and crossing his arms. Zach wasn’t huggy in any sense, really he was like the anti-hug, thinking that made him laugh. And he kept snorting as she agreed to not talk about him. Cause he hadn’t even brought that up with Z, let alone anyone outside the family. It just wasn’t worth talking about, it’d only make him seem weak.

“I have a plethora of charming features, who dissertations could be written on them.” He told her with certainty. “Oh please, insults are vital to forming the Joking Relationship observed in African tribes to help create stronger bonds in groups.” He told her with a shrug, “So no. I don’t go easy on anyone.”

Barbara rolled her shoulders and glanced quickly at one of the animated animals. They were still so very life-like. She parted her lips to speak again and paused when her phone vibrated once more. She sighed and offered an apologetic look. “Excuse me for just a sec,” she held up one finger before digging through her purse. When she pulled the phone out, she spotted something peculiar on the building’s specs, her expression gradually shifting from amusement to worry. 

Zach kept his hand on the leopard’s head, absently stroking it while he wondered if the reporters were still about. He’d made sure they caught his introduction, but there were parts two and three to come, he needed them to be around to witness his brilliance. At least things had been calm this evening. He was pleasantly surprised the nut job of the week hadn’t crashed the event yet.

Supergirl was only allowed to focus on the people under her protection for so long, though, because suddenly a hail of bullets ripped through the air. Kara was up and above the ground before she realised, eyes quickly drawn to the armed guards on the other side of the room. Before her speed could carry her to the site of the assault, though, one of the magician’s animated sculptures darted to his rescue – oh, and there he was. Sure, she had heard the name, but she had never seen magic done before, and when the guns transformed inexplicably into plants, her breath caught in her throat. How?

Laws-of-science-defying questions aside, the man clearly seemed to have his end under control, and when the ( undead? ) animals from the show earlier gathered, the Kryptonian focused her gaze and scoured across the remaining crowd. Looking through so many people at once was disorienting, but finding any cracked bones keeping civilians from the escape they were providing was essential. She had only been in a mass-attack a few times, but she had picked up a few things, and the Joker’s massacre was the worst quick-course yet. 

Remembering the death and devastation sent a shudder through her body, ending in tightly curled fists. Anger took hold, teeth grinding, heat forming at the back of her eyes – no, no. Swallowing around an uncomfortable lump in her throat, Supergirl forced her rapidly escalating breathing down. This was not the place or time to let loose – not until she’d found the right target. With that soothing thought in mind, she returned to the present, where her eyes had been staring ruthlessly through someone’s hip and another’s stomach. Definitely not the place to erupt. Shaken, Kara unfocused her vision and looked to the politicians and celebrities trailing out the broken-in doors. 

Among them stood someone, with no apparent plan of moving, and she her attention was automatically drawn to him. Zatara. Only minutes ago she had been going over her notes on his performance, wondering how to do his trick justice and how to incorporate it into the bigger theme of the gala, and now here they were, flanking a battlefield. She felt a slight sense of relief, having someone else in the chaos who was able to help. Still, it felt as absurd in some grotesque way she wished would never have to occur. All that accummulated to a simple strain to her smile, like a gesture that didn’t entirely fit. Robin, huh? M’gann would have a field-day with that. “Mm, close but no cigar,” Supergirl found herself saying. She’d definitely been met with worse reactions, and if this was an attempt at parodying most people’s comparison between her and her cousin, there was a small grain of appreciation to be found in that.

Even so, this wasn’t the scene for jokes, and restlessness shook under her invulnerable skin. They – she needed to be doing something. Her expression hardened when he mentioned The Joker, resolution in the set of her mouth and slight frown to her brow. “I’ll check the place for more explosives.” She said, following his line of thinking.  A beat, and then a tilt to her head, “You seem to have a good summary of my abilities, but outside performance tricks, I don’t know yours.” Resisting the urge to chew the inside of her lip, she cast another glance across the crowd in thought. “There’s probably some concussions and wounds out there. Can you handle that?” Impatience finally took form in her tapping her foot against the floor, and an anxious sigh pressed past her lips. “The sooner we get these people to safety, the better. The bastard is not getting away this time.”

Zach was quite impressed his sculptures had handled the bullets so well, there could be way more to this spell than he thought, heck, there were statues everywhere in New York, he could summon up an army as needed with a few tweaks to the casting process… Thoughts for later, he told himself, watching with satisfaction as his buffalo sculpture sat on a goon who tried to go for a knife. That’s gonna leave a mark, he thought. Whoever said fighting can’t be fun clearly wasn’t a Magi.

A few people were still reticent to actually leave the main room. He sighed and rolled up his shirtsleevs, “Alright people lets move it out! C’mon it’s a…” oh brainwave! “Bomb threat, there could be more in the building so please evacuate in an orderly fashion.” That did it, they all ran for the doors like bargain hunters for a black Friday special. Zach shook his head, it left behind a few who’re dazed, confused and or otherwise not too badly injured.

Well, he had healing magic, he was pretty damn good at it too, but with this many people all needing help it’d take too long to do them one at a time. Maybe that diffusion wave field he’d studied would work? It would take a huge amount of energy, but overall would be less than one at a time. Right, decision made. “klahC.” He conjured a piece of chalk, “warD sdraw.” He ordered, the chalk hopped too and started jolting about, drawing patterns on the floor just as he envisioned in his mind.  

Zach frowned at her “Do you need to pee or something? You look a little tense.” He said, frown becoming a smirk the more he spoke. Frankly he was ‘The Great Zatara’ right now, and he didn’t get scared or stressed, nah, he just got on with it with a flair. So Zach rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “Could be worse, I don’t smoke so no great loss.” He chuckled. Keeping an eye on his chalk, it was getting there, hopefully it’d be done soon.  

“Good idea. Especially since I just called a bomb threat to get the able bodies moving, trust me that worked a treat.” He smirked, “Tricks? Rude. My spells are way more than just ‘tricks’ Supergal.” The chalk flew back to his hand, “Ah, speaking of injured it seems great,” he pointed to himself, “And not so great,” he pointed at her, “Minds think alike. You find those bombs and I’ll fix everyone up in a jiffy.”

He wriggled his fingers, not nervous, or so he told himself, as he walked to the centre of the circle that’d been drawn. He brought his hands together, almost like in prayer, closed his eyes and spoke, “laeH eseht elpoep.” The chalk lines began to glow a deep purple and a slight wind rippled around Zach. The circle rose up off the floor and then with a sound like a bubble bursting exploded out, tiny pieces of purple light going to everyone who was injured, mending wounds and restoring energy. It was all over in about a minute and Zach all but collapsed to the floor, landing on one knee and panting slightly, thanking several Gods that had worked.

She bit her lower lip a moment and then agreed, “Okay, I guess I’m done then.” Then with an uncharacteristically husky voice M’gann followed, “For now.” After a beat, M’gann let out the most maniacal laugh she could muster. It echoed nicely off the bar and she toyed with doing another. With one raised eyebrow, M’gann glanced from the the corner of the room to Zachary. He could be pretty charming when he wanted to be. “You know I wouldn’t doubt that with you,” she conceded.

M’gann listened intently, fully prepared to memorize any and all instructions provided to ensure the success of the bubbling tar drink. Only, of course, Zach had chosen yet another opportunity to tease her. “Ha ha,” she muttered, “Alright, Mister Zatara, but do I drink it now to prevent hangover or later to cure it?”

Releasing Zachary from her hug, hers as it was mostly one-sided, M’gann smiled awkwardly. “You’re going to have to get used to hugs around me. I lovehugs.” Really she did. M’gann’s love of hugging was practically unmatched. The first time she’d played video games M’gann had asked, completely excited and serious, ‘which button is for hugging?’ The Martian leaned back against the bar before sinking to the floor and looking up at the ceiling, venturing sincerely, “I don’t know how anyone could possibly overlook you.”

“Aww, thank you!” she cooed while simultaneously swatting playfully at him. “Just don’t let it get out of hand with those insults, please. My gentle heart cannot take such,” M’gann struggled to think of the right word, “antics.” 

He raised a brow at her, “Ehh, seven out of ten, you’ve gotta work on that evil laugh. It still sounds too nice. Like an emo getting his own back on his ‘unsupportive parents’.” he finger-quoted the word, “Try something more like this,” he took a sip of his drink, cleared his throat and let out a full blown cackle like a manic-warlock hunched over a cauldron would be proud of. He grinned smugly, “Well of course I would. Have you met The Great Zatara? The guys amazing.” He finished, not noticing he’d switched persons.

Ah dear, he was tempted to shake his head but resisted. This was just too easy. Seriously it was like taunting a baby. “I think it deserved at least three ha’s,” he told her with a shrug, “Course you don’t drink it now. You take it home and drink it when you’re hungover.” he told her, “Getting it down is half the challenge. Then you gotta keep it there while it works it’s magic.”

Zach furrowed his brows and something very close to a pout came onto his face, “Look, nothing against you and you’re ‘feelings’ but I’m not the most huggy of people.” Heck his parents hadn’t done affection, end of. It had been maybe the odd pat on the head as he was sent on his way. Uncle John had done hugs, Zach had enjoyed them, but never really took to anybody else doing it. He snorted, “Sober enough to catch that one weren’t ya.” he deadpanned, “And that’s a whole other story for a whole other piss-up.” he told her.  

And then he was back to rolling his eyes. “P-lease,” he elongated the word, “If you’re expecting me to be taking part in anymore hugs then you’re gonna have to grow a thicker skin to my insults. They’re part of my oh-so lovely charm.”

Zach didn’t need to worry about his identity, everyone already knew. He felt himself pale a little at the sight of Joker, that man had got him hospitalised, and now he was trying to ruin his show? That bastard was gonna pay! He was going to launch a spell when the first explosions started, making him flinch back, by the time he’d recovered it was raining exploding cards. “Shit! ekaT eht tih!” he cast, the sculptures he’d animated for the e evening jumping up and taking the blasts which could severely hurt anyone else is they hit. He noticed a reddish-blue blur flying around but was more concerned with getting the nearest door open to follow Joker, why the hell was no one moving? The doors... they couldn’t be open.

Seconds later, a figure in red and blue broke through the doors.

Chaos was wrong. This was hysteria.

All eyes were turned towards the stage, where Kara caught the sight of green and purple and a manic red grin split across a pale yet all-but-lifeless face. The same monster who’d been in Times Square and left people dying at her feet, wheezing out their last painful breath. She felt heat prickle at the back of her eyes, fists curling before she was even aware of the act, and had the killer lingered a moment longer she’d have been on him in a second – but he didn’t. The Joker threw a stack of cards, and the world seemed to grind to a halt. 

He was gone, but in that moment Kara couldn’t care less. Her heart leapt, and she was hovering as her voice rose in her throat, “MOVE!” At the same time, the first cards started to explode, and Supergirl swept over the crowd to catch the last ones, wincing only in irritation as the explosives triggered where they hit her. The people who didn’t stand frozen scattered, but no one was running for their lives. Confusion flitted across her face, realisation dawning quickly as she whipped her head around. Of course. The exits were blocked.

Chandeliers swayed as she shot towards the nearest doors, refusing to lose time if there were other bombs left in the building. The humans gathered underfoot made space for her to land, distressed and desperate chatter filling her ears. Grabbing the doors by their handles, metal bended in her grip as she wrenched the lock apart with an audible crack. Halting, she didn’t loosen her grasp yet, eyes narrowing as she looked through. “Back off, find cover,” the alien ordered the people behind her, giving them a good few seconds before she slipped through the doors. The guards didn’t stand a chance, bullets deflecting off of her and the barrels they were shot from rapidly turned into metal pretzels. The people holding them got off easier, but she didn’t allow them to remain conscious. 

  “Okay, it’s clear. Come on people, go, go!” She shouted as she swung the doors wide open, lucky people trusted her since the last Joker catastrophe when they reacted without question. Stepping back, she held one of the doors open and watched them hurry outside. “Break the group as soon as you can, don’t let them trap you!” Kara didn’t need enhanced hearing to know all their hearts were beating at the same speed as hers, and her voice softened slightly, “It’ll be okay.” This time.

Well, he could fix that, “nepO!” he cast at the nearest door, it swung open and he was greeted by several guns, “Oh shi-” he luckily the buffalo he’d enchanted was still going and leaped before him to take the shots. “Jesus.” he muttered, flinging a hand in their direction, “snuG ot srewolf!” He smirked at hearing the shocked cries of the goons, gotta love magic. “egrahC!” what was left of his sculptures ran down the hallway and tackled, flattened or batted away the flower wielding goons. “Alright!” he yelled, to the folks who hadn’t left by the first open door, he needed to look into that, “Everybody out! Please no autographs and straight home to bed for all, don’t forget this evening the Great Zatara saved you, tickets for my show still available!” he called as he headed for the other side of the room, to see who else was lending a hand.

this was almost all over. 

reaching inside of his jacket pocket, his finger tips brushed against his collapsible bo as he moved against the herd of panicked civis. there is no time for him to grab his gear ( which was tucked away in the back of the sportscar he had arrived in ) but he has to do something. what if tonight was going to be another times square? tim can feel his chest tighten as he listens to someone shriek in terror. no, he’s got this. he just needs to THINK. there’s always a game plan. 

everything becomes clearer when he finally pauses to take a breath. the adrenaline sharpening his senses as he swung his gaze towards the sound of a series of beeps. SHIT. “ get down! ” he doesn’t hesitate to grab the person next to him and tackle them down. “ keep your head down, cover your ears! ” he managed to shout over the yelling just as the explosion goes off, dusted derbies flying onto his back and ringing his ears.

this was BAD. worse then that. 

Heads were gonna roll for this, preferably a green-topped one.

“kcaB ot lamron!” he cast, the animals all returning to their sculptures, except the leopard, which bounded over to him, “wolloF rekoJ!” Zach instructed, the cat taking off through the same door, “arbA, arbadaK!” the two doves appeared, “Follow that leopard, it’s got my magic on it.” The birds cooed and took off. Zach ran back into the crowd, eyes narrowing in on Tim of all people, “Why are you just standing here? Go get dressed and track him dow-” he was cut off by the explosion and Tim tackling him down, “Wha? reirraB!” he cast containing the two so they wouldn’t get hit by any debris.

“Damn it all.” he pushed himself up, and stared at Tim, he felt surprisingly okay, “Look, you go round up your super friends or at least get in costume, I’m gonna repair the damage here and meet you in five.” he dissipated his barrier, “My leopard and doves are on Jokers tail, he’s not getting away.” he told him.

a soft exhale passed through his lips as he straightened his posture. “ you seem to be having a good time here through. ” he noted, “ i even saw that you brought only the animals. don’t tell me i missed a big show. ”

Zach’s smiled widened, “I couldn’t be having a better time. It’s a high class party and I’ve just had centre stage. Everyone’s enamoured with my magic.” he laughed, “Well I’ve a few more tricks up my sleeve before the evenings through.”

The red-haired woman quirked a brow at the kiss to her hand and attempted to stop the blood rushing to her cheeks. All right, that was smooth too. Good to know chivalry wasn’t quite dead; it was merely beaten and left to die in an alley.

“I have,” she answered, after lowering her own glass from her lips and placing the empty flute upon a passing tray, “up close and personal, on all  kinds of stages.” Barbara accompanied her last sentence with a light quirk of her brow. She trusted Zachary - a close member of the Zatara family - with her (former) Batgirl identity. Outside of the Batfamily, however, no one knew she was Oracle… And she intended to keep it that way. Batgirl was to Oracle as the sun was to a grain of rice; they were not to be correlated in the slightest.

Ahh, a little blush, he still had it. Zach was pretty proud that he could fake it with the best of’em. He chuckled slightly and released her hand, crossing his arms lightly.

“Unsurprising. It seems everyone has had the privilege of seeing the Mistress of Magic work.” He chuckled, well, between that and the Gotham connection he felt semi-confident this one had some kind of connection to the heroes of that crazy city. She must’ve been one of the bats, former if her wheelchair was anything to go by. That must’ve sucked. He wondered idly if a spell could give her her legs back, he knew of a couple, but they were all temporary.

Eyes wide, M’gann gushed, “You heard that? Yes! Yes, I did just bark a you!” She’d never met a natural Earthling who could hear that sound. Instantly she was filled with hope that Zach might be able to learn her native language. But the Martian knew better than to raise her hopes too high. “Can you hear this?” Closing her mouth and shifting the shape of her throat, M’gann created a light pinging sound. It was almost like a dolphin noise, but not quite as long. “I don’t think a hnakra would be a wise choice for an audience member, anyway,” she replied, “They’d probably try to eat you and your lovely assistant before intermission.”

The hang-over cure frothed when Zachary set it on the table. Some of the liquid appeared to be oozing up the neck of the bottle, almost like it was fighting to escape. M’gann eyed the drink, if it could be called a drink, warily. Sure, she’d ingested some nasty things in her time. Somehow she couldn’t remember anything worse than this peculiar clotting concoction. “Is it… Is it safe?” M’gann asked. “How does one drink this?” Maybe she could just phase it into her stomach. Or turn off her taste buds. Maybe. 

After Zach finished his story, she gave herself a moment to let his words sink in. Overlooked, he’d said. Zach always seemed to feel like he was being overlooked when he wasn’t putting on a show. M’gann had begun to notice, more and more, how the magician would sober when he talked about people other than his beloved fans. Overlooked. Wordlessly, M’gann reached out and hugged Zachary. After talking so openly about her own past, M’gann felt like she needed a good hug herself. Sometimes speaking just could not express enough about how much she cared, how much she sympathized, how much she yearned to make things better. 

“And that’s exactly why I call you your majesty, your majesty.” She bowed again for added emphasis, although she decided inwardly that shifting a little crown onto her head would be overdoing it. “Just to be clear your insults are only compliments when I’m drunk,” M’gann gestured towards her empty bottle, “Like now.”

Zach leant back a little, he wasn’t expecting such a big reaction, it was just hearing a bark for craps sake. Frankly Zach supposed he was an Earthling, but he certainly wasn’t wholly human, him or Zatanna. “That’s uhh, yea, that’s great.” he said, frowning a little. He listened again and this noise was much fainter than the first but he could still make it out, only just. “Well, now you’re just making animals noises at me. If you start making monkey noises at me I’m cutting you off.” He brought a finger to his ear and wriggled it about inside, hearing those noises just felt a little strange. “Oh please, I could charm anything, sea monster or no it’d be eating outta the palm of my hand, not eating my by my third trick.”

Zach couldn’t help but smirk at her reaction to the drink. He knew it looked disgusting, because frankly it was. He’d tell her what was in it but then odds were she probably wouldn’t be able to bring herself to drink it. He chortled a little at her question, “Course it is, I’ve had it more than once in my time.” He’d probably had way more hangovers than his age indicated. “Well, what you gotta do is, and follow me on this one,” he added, as though it would be horrendously complicated, “Is pick it up, bring it to you mouth and tilt it down your throat.”

Zach finished his story and on some level hoped M’gann was too drunk to be able to twig exactly what he meant. Just cause he was being honest didn’t mean he wanted her to know it. So he waited, fingers crossed that she’d chuckle at the good story and they’d move on... And then that!? Zach went ramrod stiff. He didn’t do hugging. Frankly he was very rarely hugged, what the heck was he supposed to do? In the end he slowly reached his hands up and gently patted her back a few times, it was stilted and awkward but hey, points for trying right? It didn’t last long before he began to pull back a little.

“Pfft! You’d better believe it!” he smirked, pleased they were back on familiar territory. He stuck his nose in the air once more, it was a favourite pose of his, superior yet elegant. “I’ll have you know my insults are brilliantly executed which makes them gifts to people.... dumbass.” he added chortling once more.

Her eyebrows arched a bit in surprise when he finally introduced himself. Zatara was a familiar name, a renowned one too. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zachary” the brunette responded with a friendly smile “You’re related to John Zatara, I reckon”. The reporter didn’t know about all of Zatara’s magically gifted relatives, so she was curious to know what exactly was the relation between the two of them.

She could judge just by this encounter that the young man had a sort of dignified energy about him, and that he took very seriously the upcoming performance he would give for the attendees of the gala. There was one particular thing he said that caught her attention, though. “So you’re personally acquainted with Mayor Fisk. It must be an honor that he asked you to perform”.

Zach inclined his head a little, “Why thank you.” He thought it was a pleasure but best not to seem overly confident about himself, he wanted to press to love him after tonight after all. “Ah, you’ve heard of my Uncle John?” he asked, not surprising, the guy was probably more famous than even Z was, even if he wasn’t around any more. “It’s good to know his reputation still proceeds him.”

Now, he had to be careful, he was no fan of mayor but it wouldn’t be smart to broadcast that. “I am. I spoke to Mister Mayor earlier this evening, he wanted to be reassured my show would be topnotch. He need not worry.” he added out of habit. “Truth be told I came to his attention for aiding in the last attack on the city.” he grinned, “I’m no hero, but I’ll stick a toe in that pool every now and then.”