Who: Meg & Zee What: Meg practices tarot and is stumped by the cards - which prompts Zee into spilling some (metaphorical) tea When: Today Where: The Broom Closet Rating/Warnings: Relatively low Status: Complete!
Frankincense, lavender, sandalwood - from incense to candles, herbs to oils, the Broom Closet was a hotbox of aromatherapy teeming with tools of the occult. Scrying mirrors, pendulums, traditional and non-traditional tarot cards, altar cloths and statues carved of stone, wood, some metal. It was also the only store of the magical variety that had a tea shop in it with an impressive selection of blends with either specific purposes or hell, combos that just tasted good. Megara liked the vibe. It was completely chill, soothing - and a casual hangout for those with common interests.
That’s what she preferred, anyway, something low key and not awfully rambunctious during her days out. Movie theatres, drinks somewhere quiet, or like at the moment, browsing through the selection of tarot cards for her latest endeavors in the company of her cousin.
“Yep, found the one,” she snarked, picking up a hysterical looking box of cards with a particiularly furry depiction of arcana art. “Zee, please, let me be the one to turn the cards for you with all this pussy here.”
So mystical, so arcane, was this astoundingly hilarious deck of cats. Meg’s notorious expression of ‘bitch face’ broke away with a smidge of a grin. And a gratuitous amount of eyebrow waggling.
Romany Wisdom, the Broom Closet’s owner, had quite the resting bitch face herself - and thus she was never one of those shop owners, who haggled and hassled. In fact, she was currently off assisting others - likely involved in a heated alchemy debate - so Zatanna enjoyed the space to browse with Meg in peace; she always enjoyed coming here, and did so fairly often. The tea bar was quite nice, though it was going to be a long seven or so months (longer, even, after that - breastfeeding, what a joy) without her favorite Middle Eastern teas. Some of them were chock-full of caffeine and that wouldn’t do.
However, she had been eying a spiced ginger plum available at the bar - it smelled and looked divine, so she’d ask for a hot, soothing cup once she got Meg situated with just the right deck of tarot cards. Pussies, however, did not really fit the bill. Though whatever tickled the pickle?
“Tempting,” she laughed, shaking her head - and directed her cousin to the Fountain tarot deck. It was one of the newer re-envisioned decks, the art of the images both timeless and modern all at once. Zee was quite the traditionalist when it came to divination, but everyone was different. “Try this one instead. You have to feel a connection with your deck - it has to be the right energy.” However, she would definitely let Meg turn the cards for her today. She needed the practice, and it’d be a good segue to sharing the baby news.
“This one’s pretty,” she contemplated out loud, flipping the box over for a better idea of what it all entailed - Megara was also more on the traditional side, her first deck ever being a standard Rider-Waite deck. It had been old, worn around the edges with a vintage charm she liked it. All gone, though. Along with the rest of her old shit. It was somewhat mourned but she also welcomed something fresh, something new, and something relevant to her life now.
That one set aside for as a ‘maybe,’ she continued to browse, fingers running through the options before they settled on a mostly chromatic one. It wasn’t whimsical, and the only splash of color on it was a hint of ivory here and there, but the art was very old world - a little dreary, skulls and bones in many of them, but it was probably that innate attachment to the Underworld that pulled her to it.
Huh. A very strong maybe there. Meg pulled it from the shelf for closer inspection. “I’m digging it - Ignacio Cobo’s got some style.” Whoever the heck Ignacio Cobo was, anyway. “I’m also glad you feel better to the point of coming out with me, by the way. You’re sure you’re not contagious?”
Zee had been feeling sickish, probably a stomach bug - there was ginger tea right here if she needed something to settle her, too.
“It’s very Day of the Dead,” Zatanna said, with a chuckle. “Fitting for one who reaches out to communicate with spirits.” Or is romantically involved with the Lord of the Dead. “But if that one has a positive energy about it, and you like the art, then it’s the one you should go for.” Picking a tarot deck was an important process but when you found the right one, it called to you. Certainly this selection was a hundred times better than mystical felines - they looked majestic on a deck, don’t get her wrong, but it seemed more a set better fitting for crazy cat ladies.
She did not need a new set, so she would quell her curious hands - her own set was very old, dating back centuries and Parisian in origin. There was no way Zee would ever part with it, and she had the utmost respect for her cards - she cared for them like they were her own kinfolk.
No, she would just get her tea and quell the urge to buy anything for her collections. Maybe. She could always use more scrying tools? Anyway. “I’m feeling fine though - “ Well, perhaps fine was relative, but Zee was upright and currently bestowed with a settled stomach so she would take it, “...I’d like to try some of the tea, so come, bring the deck and I’ll get us whatever you want to drink.”
Megara made a mental note to reference this place to Hades - with all his potion crafting knicknacks and requirements this seemed like the best place to get it. Local, and rumor has it in ‘the know’ about what went on around here.
Cash was pulled from her purse to the register (better pay for the goods before unwrapping it, right?), and then they’d walk over to the herbal beverage side of the shop. There was an empty table next to shelves and shelves of endless crystals, geodes and clusters and that’s where she set her tush down.
“Get me something iced and fruity?” she requested, batting plump lashes at her cousin as a pleaaaase, dearest as her fingers worked to free the deck. Pristine, stiff cards with a little shine to it. “I’ll lay out some cards for us.”
How could Zee resist such a sweet request? She would of course grant Meg’s wish - so it was ginger spiced plum for the Mistress of Magic (naturally decaffeinated), and peach mango white iced (load up on those antioxidants, it was good for you) for her cousin. Nothing mint. She didn’t want Meg to spit it out at the first sip.
“Here you are,” she set the drinks down at the table once she had them, and took a seat herself. “Everything looked good - trust a Brit to have the best tea though,” she grinned. The Wisdoms were all close friends of hers, Lina’s parents too - being invited for a threesome was not something that happened often for Zee, but she was definitely...flattered by the question?
Alright then. Picking up her cup, she took a sip, lifting her brows expectantly. “Which spread did you decide on? This is a test, I’m grading you very harshly.” Just kidding - she really wasn’t, not at all.
Meg had to test the flavor of her drunk, just because - but yum, excellent choice. She was pleased it wasn’t anything nauseating that’d make her spray herbal water out like a gardening hose all over her cousin’s face. That’d be gross.
“Five card spread,” she answered, lips curved into a half-smile. “Not going imaginary testicles to the wall with a full-blown Celtic Spread or anything like that - I’ll be taking the simple route for now to break these in.” It was similar to a cross; one north, one south, one east and west, and the final was set in the center.
Now, to examine the draws. Her nail tapped on the first one. “Queen of Pentacles. That’s you.” Earth element, often related to financial gain or fertility. Interesting. “Surrounding you - The Lovers, that’s cute.” The Empress was present too, literally the mother card. “You’ve got a lot of happy-ish cards popping up here, Zee. Is that normal for you?”
Five-card spread was usually selected for something on the simpler side - Celtic Cross could be complicated, so Zatanna approved of this selection. And in general, the five-card spread could tell you what you needed to know, if you didn’t have a specific inquiry in mind. Like now, for example. Zatanna smiled coquettishly behind the ceramic of her tea cup.
“Is happiness normal for me, you mean to ask?” she laughed lightly. “Well, no. Not this particular kind.” Likely Meg would also see a card that was representative of how John’s darkened mood was affecting her own - he’d been quiet lately, trying to process everything. She knew he wouldn’t leave but sometimes she just wished he would say something - about how he felt, or what he wanted, anything. “There might be something going on.”
There was one distinctly out of place. Eight of Swords, the depiction of a tied skeleton surrounded by bone daggers. Fear, entrapment, self-doubt. Internal turmoil, mostly inflicted on oneself. Megara was perplexed, and she sat her chin atop the palm of her hand and sighed, blowing away her pesky side bangs.
“Alright, I’m stumped,” she deadpanned. Those hazel eyes did squint suspiciously, however, as she analyzed that smile from across that table. “I don’t see a ring on your finger, so I don’t think you’re hitched.” Not that a ring mattered anyway, and presumably there’d be more cards hinting towards that kind of union but her gut didn’t agree. “Johnny-boy didn’t insert his seed into your belly, did he?”
That couldn’t be it either.
Maybe?
Maybe it could be, and given how Zatanna set her teacup down and pressed her fingertips over her eyes - as if doing that would dam up the floodgates that threatened to open, hormones were so annoying - it was perhaps obvious that Meg had sussed out the answer.
“Oh, he did,” she laughed again, but it was more a huff of discontent. “And I’m sure he wishes he didn’t.” John didn’t want to be a father, she got it, got the point. Believe her. His demeanor spoke for itself. However, the baby was coming whether he wanted it or not - and if he ultimately didn’t want any part of this, then that was his choice. Zatanna would do this without him if she had to. She’d already made up her mind about that.
If he was too focused on loathing himself, there wasn’t any way he could ever love their child - and she would never simply settle for him sticking around only for the sake of obligation. Zee could raise the baby on her own, with other male figures in its life, positive influences. That was a promise.
It wasn’t often that her eyes went wide like plates - usually only if she was somewhere high and was forced to look down, then there’d be a series of unattractive hyperventilation and all that mess - but this time, with good reason, those ‘bitch please’ eyes went round.
Before it was the cards that had her stumped, and now it was the array of mixed signals that gave Megara a much different reason to be perplexed. It was difficult not to ask the very murderous of question of should I kill him because it was there, resting at the tip of her tongue, ready to be screamed if necessary.
But she was always cool as water, collected and calm. For Zatanna’s sake, she sucked in a breath of air. “First, congratulations,” she said, smiling a little. “Second, my boyfriend’s got an extensive collection of ingredients that can do some nasty things - if you want me to start make him pissing blood, I’ll find a way.”
“Well, thank you,” Zatanna smiled, because she was happy, don’t get her wrong. She was also scared and confused and would be ping-ponging in all sorts of directions while pregnancy did a million crazy things to her body. The miracle of life and all of that stuff. “No need for the pissing blood - yet, anyway.”
She let out a deep breath, a cleansing exhale, before picking up her teacup again to sip before it got too cold. Now that she could sort of eat again, she was contemplating the idea of something with chocolate to stuff her face with. Or maybe it was best not to rock the boat - puking in a few less instances didn’t mean she was free from anytime-sickness completely yet. “It’s only been a couple of weeks since we found out,” she said. “I’m hoping it ultimately smoothes over. If it doesn’t, then...I guess it doesn’t.”
Zee was talented at many things, but forcing her lover to get over his crippling self-hatred had never been something that was in her power - not in any alternate universe either, and in one, it was even their undoing. Getting past such hangups though, it was the type of thing someone had to do on their own.
Megara shifted, gathering all the cards and smoothing out the deck before carefully inserting them back in the box. Didn’t seem right to flip over the cards - not like they could predict a moody man’s course when the future was constantly changing, twisting and winding.
“You’re on board carrying to term,” she deduced, trying to lay all the metaphorical cards on the table. “And he’s not entirely sure for whatever reason.” Whether it be commitment issues (nothing tied you to a person more than a child), or fears about fatherhood it general. Call her biased, maybe, but she didn’t have the objective view of it to give a crap what those issues were. What’s done is done. “Did he say anything to you that implied he’s going to get his shit together and figure out what he wants anytime soon?”
Preferably before her water broke. Whatever happened, Meg’s mindset was that this was family and if she needed help raising the kid, she’d be there too. No questions, no expectations.
Zatanna hadn’t considered abortion, not really.. She knew it was an option - but not one she’d take, personally. “I’m carrying to term,” she nodded. “He got offended when I asked, with him sticking around, if that meant eventually he’d grow to resent me and the child. I think it’s a legitimate question though.” There was more to parenthood than just being around physically, in close proximity. This child was going to be like a sponge and would soak up all of that negativity - of course Zee had a right to be concerned.
“As for getting his shit together, I’m unsure of that. I hope so.” She finished her tea, drumming her fingertips on the table lightly, anxiously, then just settling her hands in her lap. “I don’t know what to do besides give him some time. I’m trying not to be selfish and say it’s hard for me but it kind of is.”
“That’s not selfish,” Megara sternly interjected, emphasis on sternly - that no bullshit tone was activate, her expression etched with ice. “That’s what I’d call normal. It takes two to tango, and the risks are always there despite whatever methods of contraception you use. It’s also not selfish of you to ask him that question, not with the way he’s acting about it.”
Another breath was inhaled. She knew she had to calm her horses, but gods, she felt like her hair and eyebrows could burst into blue flames too. Her tea had been barely touched and she sipped it through the straw, icy cold still. “It’s not a boat I ever plan to be on anytime soon, so I can understand how the idea of parenthood can be daunting.” It was to her - she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body, but it might be different with her own in the future. If it ever happened. “But he either needs to realize he needs to get over it, or he needs to be straight with you. Sooner rather than later.”
Zee had a feeling that John was just trying to protect her or something - like he couldn’t dare speak of how he felt, because it would hurt her. Which wasn’t accurate. It upset her more when he held it all in and then just let it fester, the bad feelings and dark thoughts eating away at him like something acidic.
She was made of tough stuff, honestly, she’d be fine - even with the onslaught of hormones. The Zatara siblings (and extended family, case in point Meg) had grown up somewhat steely. They were not wilting flowers.
“All I want is for him to be honest with me. I mean, I’m scared but not in the way that means I’m afraid of being alone - I’m just scared in the way that means...you know, I’m going to be a mom,” she said, still trying to wrap her mind around that. “But we will see.” She thought he’d come around - Zatanna wouldn’t give up on him, not right now. John had enough of that in his life, people who didn’t stick by him - but the sooner he realized they were partners in this, the better.
Those were words she never really thought she’d hear Zee say. Megara had poked and prodded about the woman making her an aunt, but she didn’t think that would become a reality so soon - and here she was, full of hormones with a baby daddy that wasn’t sure how to handle the fact he helped create a blob of cells that would eventually become a person.
“I hope he comes around, soon,” she said, grouchily, but enough of that - that was too much negativity to focus on, and she wanted her cousin to know that someone was happy for her. No matter what route this would take them. “How are you holding up, aside from that? I’m guessing that explains your constant nausea.” Was pregnancy supposed to be a beautiful experience? Meg wasn’t sure. It seemed like the kind of thing that required pampering with all the changes the body was going through (even this early on, blech). “I can schedule us a spa day. Hades can pull some strings.”
“Pretty good, aside from the nausea,” she smiled crookedly. “A spa day would be great though. I’ll probably want another one later too, when my feet start swelling up and hurting.” That was not something Zatanna was looking forward to - pregnancy in general, all the changes to her body, she never really thought she’d be going through this either. But here she was, and there was no turning back - so she’d keep on trucking.
Maybe one day she’d eventually get that glow people talked about pregnant women having. It seemed so far off (and mysterious). “But speaking of Hades, how are you two doing?” she asked.
Meg appeared to be content, which was the most important thing. Still, Zee always liked to make sure of it.
Multiple sessions of pampering to schedule for the future - check. Her godly lover also liked to be pampered like the spoiled flamer he was, so they knew the best places and best people. Most likely one of them knew how to handle a woman expecting.
“Hm, we still like each other,” Meg plainly replied, but the ghost of a smile implied otherwise. “We’re saving the potion for a special time. Our honeymoon. We’re just going to sign some papers at the courthouse because if I’m going to be living forever with him, I’m going to get it on writing - and if we get divorced, I get half his riches.”
That was a joke. Dark humor, that’s how she rolled.
If Zatanna had been drinking tea, she’d have choked then. Whaaaaaat? Had she heard that correctly? “Wait, so you’re actually...you’re getting married?!” she spluttered that louder than she intended to, but there was a big grin on her face regardless. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!”
Oh no, here come the waterworks - it was like Zee just couldn’t control it. Her tear ducts were a leaky faucet, and the slightest provocation would get them gushing.
Leaning across the table, she wrapped Meg up in a smothering sort of hug - come to her bosom, dear cousin. “I know it’s just a courthouse thing, you said, but I can still throw you a shower or something anyway, right?” Look, introducing the big blue puppy eyes, all misty and chock-full of emotion.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Pregnant. Emotional. Figures that would stir up an interesting reaction - Megara didn’t expect it to be like this, though, and may have suffocated for two whole seconds throughout Zee’s tear filled embrace.
“I don’t -” Well, to be honest, Meg didn’t have enough friends for a bridal shower to begin with - she kept her circle small and intimate to cut all the unnecessary bullshit away. If she could minimize all those meaningless acquaintances, she considered that one of the great successes of her life. “Can we meet in the middle and, I don’t know, have brunch and go shopping? And maybe you can come and sign off your name as a witness?”
Basically a maid of honor sort of deal.
“Brunch, shopping, and witnessing sounds good, whatever you want,” Zatanna promised, because it was going to be Meg’s special day anyway. No sense in throwing a huge party with blenders and picture frames as gifts if that wasn’t what she was into. “So you mean I shouldn’t invite the whole circus crew?”
Kidding, she was kidding. That had been fun for Zee’s last birthday, but handling the acrobats and the bearded lady and the jugglers got to be a bit much if you weren’t prepared for it all.
Megara groaned, and wished the seat she was in could absorb her completely out of this plane of existence. “They can mail me gift cards?” she suggested, sinking a little. That was vastly impersonal but she guessed it’d be the right thing to do, to give them a call - otherwise her renowned parents of flexibility and aerial movements would be a little cross with her.
Everyone was just so rambunctious and excitable, the very opposite of her. Did they all share the same genetics? Or did they find her on the side of the road and adopted her into their tribe? Meg had to wonder.
“If they want to visit for something, that’s fine,” she submitted. “And mine’s not the only news that needs to be shared, Miss Preggo.”
It was possible that the circus clan would show up and then never leave, after hearing that one of their own was getting married and another was having a baby - but that was the thing about family, Zatanna supposed. They were a very unconventional bunch, maybe, yet it was nice to know that she could count on them.
“We’ll just take one thing at a time,” she chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t want to overwhelm them.” Or her and Meg - though a boisterous family? Yeah, they definitely had that in spades.