miss maggie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bossymarmalade) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thejusticelounge2014-10-31 12:11 pm
bossymarmalade) wrote in thejusticelounge2014-10-31 12:11 pm
call it like you see it
[Ring Txt] will you always love meeeeee?
[Txt] IIIIIIIIIiiiiiiIIIIII wiiiiill alwaaaaasys looooove yoooooou!
[Txt] I’m glad Mar’i helped though, don’t worry so much Kyle.
[Txt] so, Belgian waffle to make Steph jealous y/y?
[Ring Txt] yes ma’am <3
[Ring Txt] make sure to get photos with you rolling in Belgian waffles and send it to Steph!
[Ring Txt] & send the nekkid version to me!
[Ring Txt] I PROMISE I won’t look at it in a public area this time
[Txt] Can do!
[Txt] No. Too sticky :P
Waiting on her breakfast order to be delivered to the room, Zee calls up Kyle, “I know I said I’d call after breakfast, and I’m waiting on breakfast now…I wanted to say hi.” she grins, sprawling back on her bed where she’d been sitting, “I’m supposed to be having a meeting with my manager, but I don’t think he’ll mind if we take a quick break. Say hi, William.”
Zee turns, holding out the phone to her manager for him to say hello. He sits across the room from Zatanna, with a sizable stack of papers piled high for him to review with her. When her phone is held out William stands, and moves to take Zee’s phone from her, asking gently, “May I speak with Kyle?”
"No, just say hi." Zee frowns, turning back her phone and pressing it firmly to her ear, "William says ‘hi’, Kyle." she waves a hand at William to shoo him away but he does not move from her side.
Kyle is sprawled out on the couch, feeling a bit tired but in that good way where the day was productive. For all the awful, out-of-control things happening around him, Kyle was actually feeling pretty…grounded. He looks over at Ramsey, who’s on assignment - a scavenger hunt that Kyle set up around Zee’s apartment. Clemente is the ClueMaster. Thor is the Helper. Kyle is the lazy dragon atop Mount Sofa. The prize is a new set of gel pens, for Ramsey to use with his autograph book.
Kyle smiles at the boy rummaging in the hamper of clean towels, knowing in his heart (if not consciously) where his feeling of groundedness was coming from.
He scratches his tummy under his shirt as he waits to say hi to William, except - “William? I thought your manager was…Mickey? Mikey?” Or maybe Mikey was Zee’s agent…? Kyle can’t keep up with all the different assistants in Zee’s professional life.
He can hear William ask to talk to him and he sits up a bit. That’s a little strange; usually Kyle was just ‘the boyfriend’ to Zee’s entourage - a role he was happy enough with.
"What’s William want, honey?" Kyle asks, tapping his fingers along his belly.
"William does like…nearly everything. Show bookings, fanmail, budgeting, coffee runs… he’s like a human swiss army knife." Zee explains, William still hovering as she details his role. "Mikey! Mikey’s is in charge of set construction and backstage operations. She designs my sets and collaborates on my illusions. She also does coffee runs but that’s coincidental."
Zee pouts as Kyle asks what William wants, because at that very second she doesn’t want to deal with what William wants. “I don’t know.” she huffs, but asks anyway, “What do you want?”
"Like I said, I just want to talk." Williams low and gentle voice, one with obvious experience smoothing things over for Zee. "Please."
Zee practically throws her phone at him, slumping back on her bed like a pouty child, “Fine. Talk to my boyfriend. See if I care.”
William takes the phone, moving out toward the room’s foyer as he speaks with Kyle, “Sorry to interrupt. I wish I could say this is a quick question, but….” he pauses, trying to think of the best was he could explain this situation, “Zatanna seems to be acting, not like herself. I’m not sure if you have been able to notice, as it comes in spurts but.” another pause, “I’m starting to worry.”
A construct selkie pops out of the hamper, riding among a wave of green seafoam and beckoning Ramsey to chase her into his guest bedroom. Kyle can hear the sproingy-sproing of the mattress as Ramsey and Thor jump to catch her. It’s a reassuring sound; the kid still indulges in some mindlessly childful things, like an intense bout of bed-bouncing.
William’s voice on the phone comes through cool and soft, polite and calm. Kyle understands from his voice alone why Zee hired him; despite the rather disturbing message he was relaying, Kyle nonetheless feels soothed by his voice.
"I…" Kyle scratches at the stubble on his chin, sitting up more, completely alert now. "Is, ah, is her behavior disrupting her performances?" He then hastily amends, so he doesn’t sound too ominous,
"She just came out of a kinda tough personal situation right before she went on tour. So she’s a little outta sorts, but. Are her shows okay? Or is it the, um." Kyle rubs his lips hard, trying to think of some better way to say it, but coming up with nothing. So he says it anyway. "…Is it the wrangling part that’s the problem?"
"Not at all. If anything, the reviews she’s received for her first half of the tour have been glowing. Her on stage presence has been completely normal- exactly what I expected from her on this tour. Which is why I’ve been concerned. It doesn’t seem like her to be so focused one minute, then completely carefree the next. It’s like I’m dealing with two totally separate performers now." William sighs, scratching his neck as he talks. He keeps Zee in his sights from his spot in the foyer. She’s now completely barricaded herself with a cloud covering her from head to toe, in what William assumes is her attempt at ignoring their conversation.
William pushes up against the wall when Kyle mentions a personal matter, “She didn’t mention this.” he frowns, concerned as Zatanna is normally an open book to him. Or at least as open as one can be in show business. “You don’t watch much entertainment television do you, Kyle? On most tours, Zatanna prefers to enjoy a low profile till the curtain comes up. She doesn’t conduct any interviews, no posing for paparazzi, no self promotion unless absolutely necessary.
"But since we arrived in London she’s wanted nothing more than to draw attention to herself. Preforming tricks for paparazzi is one thing, but I’m afraid…" William trails off there, not sure he should even voice this specific concern in an attempt to avoid jinxing the situation.
Sighing, he asks (and attempts not to sound too desperate), ”Do you think you could explain the situation to me? Anything at all might help, as my discussions with her over all this have been…less than successful.”
"Oh okay." In one way, Kyle is relieved that Zee isn’t acting erratically during her performances. He gets up, but Ramsey and Thor are already tearing out of the bedroom, on the hunt for their next clue in the shoe closet. Clemente is waiting for them in there and she gives them quite a shock, if Ramsey’s thrill-delighted yelp and Thor’s echoing bark are any evidence. Kyle leans against the armrest of the couch, leaning just enough to see Thor’s tail wagging madly in the hallway.
"Ah, it’s family issues," Kyle explains as best as he can, not really sure how much Zee’s told her entourage about her actual magical life. They probably know about her father, Kyle’s sure. "Not about her dad obviously, but - other relatives. Uh. And she’s just a little…"
Kyle stops rubbing the bridge of his nose and blinks, as something William just said registers in his churning mind.
"You’re afraid? Afraid of what? You’re afraid she’ll get too magical? C’mon I’m sure - I’m sure you guys can spin her showing off as some sorta publicity stunt. Like…like those, that Criss Angel type magicians. They pull stunts all the time. Sorry." He adds an apology, since Zee was always very particular about being compared to run-of-the-mill magician-entertainers.
"Is it her cousin?" William pushes himself off the wall, standing stiffly as he eyes the cloud surrounding Zee’s pouting form, "If it’s Zach. That can be handled. He was due to appear for a few shows, all his choosing but, if something’s come up between them, I can smooth it over."
William moves over to Zee’s bed, waving a hand through the cloud around her, “Get out of there. Room service is going to be here. With waffles.” he mumbles gently, listening to Kyle.
"Of course I can spin it. That is my job, it’s what I’m here for." William snips back, "What I’m afraid of is the image Zatanna has fought hard for, the legacy her father has built up and that she has maintained. I’ve worked with her for a considerable length of time Kyle, and she has made it very clear cheap tricks are not her game."
"It’s not THAT important, jesus! You’re acting like I’m some royalty of magic with an image to uphold or else I’ll be dethroned." Zee snaps back her cloud instantly dissolving as she sits up. "Whatever! It’s not that crucial."
"No, it’s not her cousin," Kyle responds shadily, and then he actually thinks about it. William’s probably been working with Zee longer than Kyle’s been with Zee. Maybe he should just tell the poor guy. "It’s her mother." He pauses. "But y’know I’ll get a hold of her cousin too, let him know what’s up."
He nods apologetically (as if William can see him), with a couple soft “I know I know,” - because obviously the guy knows his job, and knows how to handle Zee, even on her professional off-days. He can’t help but feel a little more alarmed, though, the way William talks about Zee’s reputation as a magical…performer? Being? Kyle honestly had no idea this celebrity public relations was…well it seemed like it was everything.
"What - you’re saying she’s acting in ways that’ll compromise her…her persona?" He hears Zee’s tantrum in the background. Childish, petulant. A tone that Kyle’s heard before, once. In a strange place where strange behavior was normal.
"William, can you put Zee on the phone for me again? I need to talk to her."
"Her mother." William whispers, having to remind himself to keep a firm hold of the phone as this news sinks in. While William knew much of the Zatara family, Zatanna’s mother was one area that had always remained off limits. Knowing that her mother was possibly responsible for this change in Zee’s behavior, made some sense now. "Well. I’m glad it’s not Zach." he hums, trying to stay positive through this.
"That’s a possibility." is William’s only answer to Kyle’s question. He purses his lips as Zee snaps back at him, but he does not respond to her comments. "One second." he gently hands back the phone to Zee, who accepts it gladly.
"Mmm, hi." Zee hums, leaning the phone onto her shoulder. She relaxes back on the bed as William goes to investigate where the waffles are. Seriously what the hell waffles.
"Zee," Kyle lowers his voice, sounding more stern than he usually does. "Zee honey - what’ve you been doing when you’re not performing? What sorta things are you doing in Europe for the paparazzi, hnn?" And how fast are the paps going to start reporting about it Stateside? William’s right; Kyle doesn’t watch much entertainment TV shows, and he dreads starting it now.
"What’ve you been doing in public that’s making William so nervous? It’s okay honey, you can tell me."
"Lemme see." Zee taps her chin, "I shrunk a paparazzo to the size of a cell phone when he got in my face. He asked so many rude questions. I mean he kept going on and on and ON. Really, he deserved it." she grins wickedly over her not so little act of revenge (don’t worry it wears off) "Oh, and I did a quick change spell, the other night I was out. I didn’t like my outfit, and I wanted to show off a new one." she giggles to herself over the spells, "You should’ve heard the way they all reacted. Everyone still thinks the TMZ guy was in on it."
Rolling over to her lay out on her stomach she adds, “William stopped me from walking on top of the pool the other day. Said it was too tacky, and reminded me about that Angel guy. I don’t remember. He’s worrying too much. I swear it’s like he WANTS to send me home.”
The waffles arrive courtesy of William, and Zee digs in, remaining on the phone with Kyle, “We’re going to Greece tomorrow, Kyle.” she announces, “I’m so excited, especially since Mikey reminded me we’ve never been. At least never to preform. Fantastic.”
Kyle gapes, mouth opening and closing like a fish as he listens in disbelief to Zee rattling off her antics. Okay, so yeah - William did indeed have a HUGE reason to be extremely concerned. The outfit change sounds like it could just be reported as a publicity stunt, but shrinking people…? That was serious. And that was just the beginning.
"Zee," Kyle begins and then stops. He isn’t really sure where he’s going with this. He doesn’t order Zee around, not to do anything. And he certainly doesn’t want to start now. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to be wishy-washy about this either. He can’t just up and fly to Greece and he certainly can’t demand that Zee comes back home when she’s not doing a performance, that would throw her team off the rails.
But he feels responsible, like he’s got to think of something. For the sake of her poor anxious team at least, trying to do damage control.
"How many more places are you visiting, honey?"
"Yes?" Zee buzzes impatiently, fingers drumming on her warm plate as she waits for Kyle to spit it out.
"I’ve got a show in Greece, then I fly to Italy for three shows, and then to France for two more. That’s it." although she made no mention of the several days-off she had built into the schedule. Kyle didn’t need to know about those. "Are you missing me?" she asks him softly.
"Oh. that’s right. I have another note for you." she smiles warmly, sitting up to pull out the pad of paper from the hotel in London, with numerous undecipherable scribbles dashes across the pages now. "A luminous body will appear more brilliant in proportion as it is surrounded by deeper shadow." she hums to herself, as she hides away the memo pad as she lets the message sink in for Kyle.
"I’m missing you a lot," Kyle says, and his voice cracks because….because it seems like he hasn’t seen Zee in weeks, when really it’s just been nearly one week since she left. He cradles the construct phone in both his hands, feeling something he hadn’t felt in a long time - lost, confused and lonely. The last time he’d felt this way was Cachement.
And the last time Zee was behaving like this…Kyle tastes jam tarts, and he swallows, hard.
"Do you miss me?" Kyke asks at the same time that she talks about a note for him, and he’s not sure she heard him. He listens carefully to her message, writing it out on a set of post-its. "Oh that sounds nice," he says soothingly. "Sounds like the moon." He digs in the side table draw and pulls out another post-it, one that reads: It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end. Her other note, from London. Kyle looks at the two notes, side by side in his hands.
"Honey - please - don’t get too wild, okay? For your team. Anytime you wanna do something crazy, just - just gimme a call." Kyle shuts his eyes, frustrated at his own helplessness. He hates this feeling. "Just gimme a call, where ever you are, I’ll answer and we’ll talk. I like hearing your voice…" It’s praise with a purpose; but he really does mean it.
Ordinarily, the sound of Kyle’s voice on the other end would have Zee feeling just as small and lonely. But today, sitting on the end of her king size plus mattress in an oversized bathrobe, and a massive plate of Belgian waffles beside her. She doesn’t really feel the necessity of being sad and small. She still registers the feeling, but she doesn’t allow it to surface. It is currently inconvenient to cry. Try again later.
"Like the moon?" she muses lightly, swirling her hand against the comforter in a circular motion. On any other day, she might think of the rabbit that lives in the moon, or following the moon to the edge of a dome and being tackled and choked by the edge of a pond. But she doesn’t, and it doesn’t occur to her that she doesn’t.
Zee twirls a lock of her hair around her index finger, listening to Kyle’s request, “I’ll see what I can do.” is all she promises. “I have a big party coming up tonight. I’ll call you then. Give Clemente my love.” on any other day, she would’ve said she loved him too. Instead she hangs up, and gives her attention to the waffles. And maybe William too.
[Txt] IIIIIIIIIiiiiiiIIIIII wiiiiill alwaaaaasys looooove yoooooou!
[Txt] I’m glad Mar’i helped though, don’t worry so much Kyle.
[Txt] so, Belgian waffle to make Steph jealous y/y?
[Ring Txt] yes ma’am <3
[Ring Txt] make sure to get photos with you rolling in Belgian waffles and send it to Steph!
[Ring Txt] & send the nekkid version to me!
[Ring Txt] I PROMISE I won’t look at it in a public area this time
[Txt] Can do!
[Txt] No. Too sticky :P
Waiting on her breakfast order to be delivered to the room, Zee calls up Kyle, “I know I said I’d call after breakfast, and I’m waiting on breakfast now…I wanted to say hi.” she grins, sprawling back on her bed where she’d been sitting, “I’m supposed to be having a meeting with my manager, but I don’t think he’ll mind if we take a quick break. Say hi, William.”
Zee turns, holding out the phone to her manager for him to say hello. He sits across the room from Zatanna, with a sizable stack of papers piled high for him to review with her. When her phone is held out William stands, and moves to take Zee’s phone from her, asking gently, “May I speak with Kyle?”
"No, just say hi." Zee frowns, turning back her phone and pressing it firmly to her ear, "William says ‘hi’, Kyle." she waves a hand at William to shoo him away but he does not move from her side.
Kyle is sprawled out on the couch, feeling a bit tired but in that good way where the day was productive. For all the awful, out-of-control things happening around him, Kyle was actually feeling pretty…grounded. He looks over at Ramsey, who’s on assignment - a scavenger hunt that Kyle set up around Zee’s apartment. Clemente is the ClueMaster. Thor is the Helper. Kyle is the lazy dragon atop Mount Sofa. The prize is a new set of gel pens, for Ramsey to use with his autograph book.
Kyle smiles at the boy rummaging in the hamper of clean towels, knowing in his heart (if not consciously) where his feeling of groundedness was coming from.
He scratches his tummy under his shirt as he waits to say hi to William, except - “William? I thought your manager was…Mickey? Mikey?” Or maybe Mikey was Zee’s agent…? Kyle can’t keep up with all the different assistants in Zee’s professional life.
He can hear William ask to talk to him and he sits up a bit. That’s a little strange; usually Kyle was just ‘the boyfriend’ to Zee’s entourage - a role he was happy enough with.
"What’s William want, honey?" Kyle asks, tapping his fingers along his belly.
"William does like…nearly everything. Show bookings, fanmail, budgeting, coffee runs… he’s like a human swiss army knife." Zee explains, William still hovering as she details his role. "Mikey! Mikey’s is in charge of set construction and backstage operations. She designs my sets and collaborates on my illusions. She also does coffee runs but that’s coincidental."
Zee pouts as Kyle asks what William wants, because at that very second she doesn’t want to deal with what William wants. “I don’t know.” she huffs, but asks anyway, “What do you want?”
"Like I said, I just want to talk." Williams low and gentle voice, one with obvious experience smoothing things over for Zee. "Please."
Zee practically throws her phone at him, slumping back on her bed like a pouty child, “Fine. Talk to my boyfriend. See if I care.”
William takes the phone, moving out toward the room’s foyer as he speaks with Kyle, “Sorry to interrupt. I wish I could say this is a quick question, but….” he pauses, trying to think of the best was he could explain this situation, “Zatanna seems to be acting, not like herself. I’m not sure if you have been able to notice, as it comes in spurts but.” another pause, “I’m starting to worry.”
A construct selkie pops out of the hamper, riding among a wave of green seafoam and beckoning Ramsey to chase her into his guest bedroom. Kyle can hear the sproingy-sproing of the mattress as Ramsey and Thor jump to catch her. It’s a reassuring sound; the kid still indulges in some mindlessly childful things, like an intense bout of bed-bouncing.
William’s voice on the phone comes through cool and soft, polite and calm. Kyle understands from his voice alone why Zee hired him; despite the rather disturbing message he was relaying, Kyle nonetheless feels soothed by his voice.
"I…" Kyle scratches at the stubble on his chin, sitting up more, completely alert now. "Is, ah, is her behavior disrupting her performances?" He then hastily amends, so he doesn’t sound too ominous,
"She just came out of a kinda tough personal situation right before she went on tour. So she’s a little outta sorts, but. Are her shows okay? Or is it the, um." Kyle rubs his lips hard, trying to think of some better way to say it, but coming up with nothing. So he says it anyway. "…Is it the wrangling part that’s the problem?"
"Not at all. If anything, the reviews she’s received for her first half of the tour have been glowing. Her on stage presence has been completely normal- exactly what I expected from her on this tour. Which is why I’ve been concerned. It doesn’t seem like her to be so focused one minute, then completely carefree the next. It’s like I’m dealing with two totally separate performers now." William sighs, scratching his neck as he talks. He keeps Zee in his sights from his spot in the foyer. She’s now completely barricaded herself with a cloud covering her from head to toe, in what William assumes is her attempt at ignoring their conversation.
William pushes up against the wall when Kyle mentions a personal matter, “She didn’t mention this.” he frowns, concerned as Zatanna is normally an open book to him. Or at least as open as one can be in show business. “You don’t watch much entertainment television do you, Kyle? On most tours, Zatanna prefers to enjoy a low profile till the curtain comes up. She doesn’t conduct any interviews, no posing for paparazzi, no self promotion unless absolutely necessary.
"But since we arrived in London she’s wanted nothing more than to draw attention to herself. Preforming tricks for paparazzi is one thing, but I’m afraid…" William trails off there, not sure he should even voice this specific concern in an attempt to avoid jinxing the situation.
Sighing, he asks (and attempts not to sound too desperate), ”Do you think you could explain the situation to me? Anything at all might help, as my discussions with her over all this have been…less than successful.”
"Oh okay." In one way, Kyle is relieved that Zee isn’t acting erratically during her performances. He gets up, but Ramsey and Thor are already tearing out of the bedroom, on the hunt for their next clue in the shoe closet. Clemente is waiting for them in there and she gives them quite a shock, if Ramsey’s thrill-delighted yelp and Thor’s echoing bark are any evidence. Kyle leans against the armrest of the couch, leaning just enough to see Thor’s tail wagging madly in the hallway.
"Ah, it’s family issues," Kyle explains as best as he can, not really sure how much Zee’s told her entourage about her actual magical life. They probably know about her father, Kyle’s sure. "Not about her dad obviously, but - other relatives. Uh. And she’s just a little…"
Kyle stops rubbing the bridge of his nose and blinks, as something William just said registers in his churning mind.
"You’re afraid? Afraid of what? You’re afraid she’ll get too magical? C’mon I’m sure - I’m sure you guys can spin her showing off as some sorta publicity stunt. Like…like those, that Criss Angel type magicians. They pull stunts all the time. Sorry." He adds an apology, since Zee was always very particular about being compared to run-of-the-mill magician-entertainers.
"Is it her cousin?" William pushes himself off the wall, standing stiffly as he eyes the cloud surrounding Zee’s pouting form, "If it’s Zach. That can be handled. He was due to appear for a few shows, all his choosing but, if something’s come up between them, I can smooth it over."
William moves over to Zee’s bed, waving a hand through the cloud around her, “Get out of there. Room service is going to be here. With waffles.” he mumbles gently, listening to Kyle.
"Of course I can spin it. That is my job, it’s what I’m here for." William snips back, "What I’m afraid of is the image Zatanna has fought hard for, the legacy her father has built up and that she has maintained. I’ve worked with her for a considerable length of time Kyle, and she has made it very clear cheap tricks are not her game."
"It’s not THAT important, jesus! You’re acting like I’m some royalty of magic with an image to uphold or else I’ll be dethroned." Zee snaps back her cloud instantly dissolving as she sits up. "Whatever! It’s not that crucial."
"No, it’s not her cousin," Kyle responds shadily, and then he actually thinks about it. William’s probably been working with Zee longer than Kyle’s been with Zee. Maybe he should just tell the poor guy. "It’s her mother." He pauses. "But y’know I’ll get a hold of her cousin too, let him know what’s up."
He nods apologetically (as if William can see him), with a couple soft “I know I know,” - because obviously the guy knows his job, and knows how to handle Zee, even on her professional off-days. He can’t help but feel a little more alarmed, though, the way William talks about Zee’s reputation as a magical…performer? Being? Kyle honestly had no idea this celebrity public relations was…well it seemed like it was everything.
"What - you’re saying she’s acting in ways that’ll compromise her…her persona?" He hears Zee’s tantrum in the background. Childish, petulant. A tone that Kyle’s heard before, once. In a strange place where strange behavior was normal.
"William, can you put Zee on the phone for me again? I need to talk to her."
"Her mother." William whispers, having to remind himself to keep a firm hold of the phone as this news sinks in. While William knew much of the Zatara family, Zatanna’s mother was one area that had always remained off limits. Knowing that her mother was possibly responsible for this change in Zee’s behavior, made some sense now. "Well. I’m glad it’s not Zach." he hums, trying to stay positive through this.
"That’s a possibility." is William’s only answer to Kyle’s question. He purses his lips as Zee snaps back at him, but he does not respond to her comments. "One second." he gently hands back the phone to Zee, who accepts it gladly.
"Mmm, hi." Zee hums, leaning the phone onto her shoulder. She relaxes back on the bed as William goes to investigate where the waffles are. Seriously what the hell waffles.
"Zee," Kyle lowers his voice, sounding more stern than he usually does. "Zee honey - what’ve you been doing when you’re not performing? What sorta things are you doing in Europe for the paparazzi, hnn?" And how fast are the paps going to start reporting about it Stateside? William’s right; Kyle doesn’t watch much entertainment TV shows, and he dreads starting it now.
"What’ve you been doing in public that’s making William so nervous? It’s okay honey, you can tell me."
"Lemme see." Zee taps her chin, "I shrunk a paparazzo to the size of a cell phone when he got in my face. He asked so many rude questions. I mean he kept going on and on and ON. Really, he deserved it." she grins wickedly over her not so little act of revenge (don’t worry it wears off) "Oh, and I did a quick change spell, the other night I was out. I didn’t like my outfit, and I wanted to show off a new one." she giggles to herself over the spells, "You should’ve heard the way they all reacted. Everyone still thinks the TMZ guy was in on it."
Rolling over to her lay out on her stomach she adds, “William stopped me from walking on top of the pool the other day. Said it was too tacky, and reminded me about that Angel guy. I don’t remember. He’s worrying too much. I swear it’s like he WANTS to send me home.”
The waffles arrive courtesy of William, and Zee digs in, remaining on the phone with Kyle, “We’re going to Greece tomorrow, Kyle.” she announces, “I’m so excited, especially since Mikey reminded me we’ve never been. At least never to preform. Fantastic.”
Kyle gapes, mouth opening and closing like a fish as he listens in disbelief to Zee rattling off her antics. Okay, so yeah - William did indeed have a HUGE reason to be extremely concerned. The outfit change sounds like it could just be reported as a publicity stunt, but shrinking people…? That was serious. And that was just the beginning.
"Zee," Kyle begins and then stops. He isn’t really sure where he’s going with this. He doesn’t order Zee around, not to do anything. And he certainly doesn’t want to start now. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to be wishy-washy about this either. He can’t just up and fly to Greece and he certainly can’t demand that Zee comes back home when she’s not doing a performance, that would throw her team off the rails.
But he feels responsible, like he’s got to think of something. For the sake of her poor anxious team at least, trying to do damage control.
"How many more places are you visiting, honey?"
"Yes?" Zee buzzes impatiently, fingers drumming on her warm plate as she waits for Kyle to spit it out.
"I’ve got a show in Greece, then I fly to Italy for three shows, and then to France for two more. That’s it." although she made no mention of the several days-off she had built into the schedule. Kyle didn’t need to know about those. "Are you missing me?" she asks him softly.
"Oh. that’s right. I have another note for you." she smiles warmly, sitting up to pull out the pad of paper from the hotel in London, with numerous undecipherable scribbles dashes across the pages now. "A luminous body will appear more brilliant in proportion as it is surrounded by deeper shadow." she hums to herself, as she hides away the memo pad as she lets the message sink in for Kyle.
"I’m missing you a lot," Kyle says, and his voice cracks because….because it seems like he hasn’t seen Zee in weeks, when really it’s just been nearly one week since she left. He cradles the construct phone in both his hands, feeling something he hadn’t felt in a long time - lost, confused and lonely. The last time he’d felt this way was Cachement.
And the last time Zee was behaving like this…Kyle tastes jam tarts, and he swallows, hard.
"Do you miss me?" Kyke asks at the same time that she talks about a note for him, and he’s not sure she heard him. He listens carefully to her message, writing it out on a set of post-its. "Oh that sounds nice," he says soothingly. "Sounds like the moon." He digs in the side table draw and pulls out another post-it, one that reads: It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end. Her other note, from London. Kyle looks at the two notes, side by side in his hands.
"Honey - please - don’t get too wild, okay? For your team. Anytime you wanna do something crazy, just - just gimme a call." Kyle shuts his eyes, frustrated at his own helplessness. He hates this feeling. "Just gimme a call, where ever you are, I’ll answer and we’ll talk. I like hearing your voice…" It’s praise with a purpose; but he really does mean it.
Ordinarily, the sound of Kyle’s voice on the other end would have Zee feeling just as small and lonely. But today, sitting on the end of her king size plus mattress in an oversized bathrobe, and a massive plate of Belgian waffles beside her. She doesn’t really feel the necessity of being sad and small. She still registers the feeling, but she doesn’t allow it to surface. It is currently inconvenient to cry. Try again later.
"Like the moon?" she muses lightly, swirling her hand against the comforter in a circular motion. On any other day, she might think of the rabbit that lives in the moon, or following the moon to the edge of a dome and being tackled and choked by the edge of a pond. But she doesn’t, and it doesn’t occur to her that she doesn’t.
Zee twirls a lock of her hair around her index finger, listening to Kyle’s request, “I’ll see what I can do.” is all she promises. “I have a big party coming up tonight. I’ll call you then. Give Clemente my love.” on any other day, she would’ve said she loved him too. Instead she hangs up, and gives her attention to the waffles. And maybe William too.