capeandcowl | fourth pie; video (reluctantly)

[Those who know Zatanna will recognize the backdrop as her living room. Ned is standing all of his 6-foot-3 for once, without hunching over, a black cape adorning his ever-somber wardrobe. A magician's top hat sits on the table before him, and he's looking at it as though it may bite him. He speaks to the hat, occasionally glancing off-screen, but he's the only one in the frame.]

I realize how foolish it is to be afraid of something as intangible as... magic, but it isn't a rational sort of fear at all. It's one based on trauma and. [He swallows.] Abandonment. However, I agree.

I agree it's time to shed this irrational fear and step into the carefully-rationed daylight of Not-New York. And that's why, for the first time since the age of nine, I'm going to do a little magic.

...S-since I don't have a volunteer to saw in half, I thought I might start. Smaller. [He picks up the hat and looks out at his "audience" now, decidedly more terrified than he had been a moment ago.] Right. Most of you know me as the pie maker...

[And then he taps the hat twice, places it face down on the table now, and then pulls it back up. A persimmon pie appears underneath it on the table now, how curious.] But now... you know my secret.

[He actually smiles, a real genuine smile and not the one you might be accustomed to seeing him wear. Read: It's much goofier.] Now you see me...

[the feed cuts, then opens back up to a much smaller frame of just the hat and the pie. Ned's hand can be seen placing the hat over the pie and it promptly disappears again as he picks the hat back up, with a little ~showmanship~ if you will. then the feed cuts again, this time for good.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That was... interesting.

[ Colour Gil surprised. ]

Thank you. [His lip twitches.] I was going for... interesting.

Did it... help? [ Phobias are hard to deal with, he knows. ]

... [He thinks about that for a long beat, not wanting to give Gil misinformation.] Yes. Yes, I believe it did.

Well, I suppose that's one way of facing it...

I'm not usually the 'head-on' type, but I'm starting to see its merits...

A little magic trick isn't too dangerous...

Probably not. [a terse smile.] I guess we'll see.

See what? [ Is there something following? ]

See the what-that-could-be. The what if, even. [There is something about Gil that makes him fucking moonspeak.]

In other words, none of us can ever truly know, what the future holds.