Welcome to the JSA

[anaturalgreen]

They'd all been informed that there was a new guy coming to meet with the JSA, a relative of Zatanna.

So Jennie-Lynn was there, early even, to greet him when he came by the Brownstone. She wants to make sure he feels welcome, and if she has to drag her teammates there by their ears, she wouldn't hesitate.

Comments

[lanterns_light]

In the hallway, Jennie's father is shucking off some oversized boots and...Santa pants? Yes, Santa pants. "Jennie!" he greets with a warm smile. "What brings you here today, other than the chance to give me a smile?"

[anaturalgreen]

"Isn't that enough?" He gets greeted with a hug and a grin. "There's a new guy coming to meet us, and I figured that it would be nice to have folks here to say hi." Taking in the pile of red and fuzzy white, Jennie's eyebrows raise.

"Taking up a second job, Dad?"

[lanterns_light]

"That's my girl, thoughtful to the core." Alan stands up to meet the hug and kisses the top of her head. "I have no idea where that suit came from, cross my heart."

[anaturalgreen]

"Mmm hmmm. It just happened to show up on your doorstep. So does this mean you'll stick around, meet the new guy with me?" Jennie puts on her best "favorite daughter" face.

[lanterns_light]

"Hello, Karen," Alan can be heard saying to Power Girl as she leaves, then the man himself appears in the kitchen, looking like his usual self. Costumed variety, that is: no Santa suit. He takes a position behind Kendra, a hand on her shoulder, and says to Zachary, "We're something of the antithesis of the Titans, Mr. Zatana. They're a young crowd and can be...let's call it 'eager' to do things. But here in the JSA, we've been here the longest, we're the most...ah...experienced. Yes, I know that translates to 'oldest' in some thinking, but if you take away any lesson from your visit here, try to make it don't judge a book by its cover. Now...is there any pie left?"

[_black_canary_]

"A couple of slices, I think, unless Jakeem was sending T-bolt on decoy duty," Dinah tells her Uncle Alan, before she looks at Zachary. "We're also pretty used to dealing with legacy cases. Speaking as one."

[swiftjustice]

"And we appreciate your candor, Zachary. We'll try to be equally straightforward with you. I will say that saving the lives of innocent people is a powerfully rewarding experience, and I hope you come to realize that."

[greatest_zatara]

"It's not that I don't believe in helping people, but I don't like my cousin's attitude that just because I've finally come into my own magic, it's the same as signing a draft notice." Zach huffed slightly.

"I'm sure there are any number of other magic talented or metahuman individuals out there who don't feel any need to fight or commit crime." He grimaced. "Like I told the Quick girl when the Trickster crashed my performance. I'm not so miserable that I'll ignore something going on right in front of me, but I don't really feel the need to go looking for trouble either."

[lanterns_light]

As the younger members of the league, thanks to Michael's intervention, see to provoking Zachary into some well-intentioned fisticuffs, Alan steps back, arms crossed, observing and, yes, guarding. Because Kendra was right: no brawling in Ma's dining room. This was their home away from home, for some their only home, and dining rooms, darn it, were sacrosanct.

"So what do you think?" he asks Jay, sotto voce, as he stands beside his close friend.

[swiftjustice]

Jay chuckles, quietly.

"He's bitter as hell, and has some anger issues. Reminds me a little of Al, in the early days. I think if he can get past the idea that he needs to feel inferior to Zatanna, he'll work out alright."

[lanterns_light]

"I wonder. Temper isn't something easily tolerated in our crowd, so he'll have to learn quickly unless he wants Kendra's mace or Karen's fist to remind him to take it easy." Alan sighs, adding, "But I do like his spirit."

[swiftjustice]

"Temper isn't easily tolerated? I think you must be getting old, Alan."

Jay grins, teasing.

"We've had our share of hotheads. Once they learn to direct their anger at the bad guys, it tends to work out. I'll grant you he doesn't seem like an altruist, but neither was Kent when Nabu was in control."

He nods at the final assessment, in agreement.

"He is spirited."

[anaturalgreen]

With a roll of the shoulders and stretching of her arms, Jade gets ready for the test that is about to start.

"This ought to be fun."

[the_hawkgirl]

Kendra's dressed in her Hawkgirl costume, her mace dangling at her side.

She's smiling brightly, and rolls her neck.

"I haven't done something like this in forever," she admits. "It'll be a nice change from battling back the weirdness that St. Roch is rearing it's normally rather-pretty head to be."

[miraclo3]

Hourman enters the training area, dressed fully in his costume, attaching his gloves and tachyon container.

"I haven't done this since, well...yesterday. Hey, when you've got sixty minutes of pure win? You take it as you get it. So who's on what?"

[_black_canary_]

"Your ass is going to be on the floor in sixty seconds," says the Black Canary with a teasing grin. "But, wanna make this simple? Boys versus girls?" She throws a glance to Jade and Hawkgirl. "Whaddya say, ladies?"

[anaturalgreen]

Jennie tumbles across the floor before regaining her balance and recalls the green energy back to her.

It's sent at Zachary a second later, wrapping itself around his mouth to block his speaking.

[greatest_zatara]

Now that right there, was smart tactics. Especially for fighting a Zatara.

But Zach.. he had more than just what got passed down by his family.

He stood tall, looking straight at Jennie, before opening both his palms. An orb of fire appeared in one, and an orb of ice in the other. He threw them both at her, unseen force seizing them once they were out of his hands, sending them straight towards the green woman.

[anaturalgreen]

Two giant green baseball mitts appear and grab the globes, clasping them tightly before tossing them away from the field of combat.

"Bad move there, baby." Energy splits off of the mitts and stream around Zach, tying his arms tightly to his body.

[greatest_zatara]

This is going to hurt...

Zach grimaced as his arms were already being bound. His hands were still momentarily free. Free enough to do something monumentally risky. The spell he had left had no control and no range, but the required gestures were simple Sparks flew from his fingers, then nothing.

Then an explosion went off, flinging Zach like a ragdoll for the second time in as many weeks. He wasn't sure who else would be caught in the blast.