superpierce: wow Virgil is awesome I mean really he is the a great big brother figure.
NeoNazo356: Thank you, I'm glad someone noticed!
Someone -who shall not be named- seems to think Virgil was not affected by the death of his foster family in Manhattan; in actuality, it couldn't be any further from the truth. Not only is Virgil suppressing those emotions (so he doesn't break down into a jibbering mess), but he's filling the hole left behind with whatever (or more specifically, whomever) he can get his hands on.
Tucker: Bow chicka bow-wow!
NeoNazo356: Dammit, here too?!
*SIIIGH*
Anyway, yes, because of these complicated feelings he's juggling, as well as his unhealthy way of handling his foster family's death, he's taking on a role like a big brother (when-applicable) because he longs for a sense of "family" that he'd lost all too soon.
Why else would he so-desperately cling to a menagerie of eccentric weirdos like that consisting-of-and-associated-with the Moxxi Family, or sell himself out to a covert special operations group where he could die on any given mission?
So yes, Virgil's brotherly tendencies, and his seeming "unaffectedness" of what happened in Mahnattan, aren't just coincidence.
Blaze1992: So anyone else think some catfights both subtle and not are in the future for Virgil.
NeoNazo356: Well, Hecate is a bit of a bitch, sooooo…
OmegaDelta: Well maybe now he will get his head on straight with his daughter and what type of magic will virgil get from hecate? Also, will this interfere with the nano bots in his system? keep up the good work.
NeoNazo356: Since you don't fix "what isn't broken", Giovanni didn't have any reason to rethink his parenting style in a modern setting (pre-2010s) until this fiasco occurred, most of which could've been avoided if she'd been able to text her father for help. Until then, everything was running smoothly.
As for what type of "magic" Virgil will get from Hecate, I assume you're referring to the "karmic price" of attaining magic at all. As for what said price is, there will be clues scattered about in chapters to come to follow-up-on Giovanni's own words concerning Virgil's "rolling of the dice" to foray into magic.
For those of you that still don't understand, "Hecate's Curse" is, in essence, the "Equivalent Exchange" one must pay to wield magic (within the context of the DC Universe), not unlike what one must pay to use the Gate of Truth in Fullmetal Alchemist, only in Hecate's case… Well…
You know how sometimes the universe has "a sick sense of humor"?
"Hecate's Curse" is basically that.
Just look at what happened to John Constantine. That should spell volumes about the absolute worst that can happen to a Magi since someone screwed up magic for everyone else.
As for the Nanomachines in Virgil's system being affected by Magic, no, no they will not. The Nanomachines in Virgil's system are one-part organic, one-part inorganic, and not only that, the Nanomachines are "too small" to be influenced by magic. If you think of the technology-jamming affects of Magic like a Sieve, then Nanomachines are like Sand that can pass through unimpeded, while anything larger than the "holes" will be affected.
To put it another way, Virgil can still use Magic while wearing the Nanosuit, but while he's actively using Magic, he can't use the Nanosuit's functions. Once he stops using Magic, the Nanosuit's functions will return. Though it isn't like Virgil using Magic would render the Nanosuit inoperable, it'd just be really "difficult" for it to carry out its commands.
LuckyShadowWolf: I can't wait till Virgil and the Fortune Hunters go back home and tell the story of their Las Vegas misadventures. Especially when they get to his little talk with Giovanni and how everyone will be making overprotective brother/father jokes about him. Although I suspect that when the time comes that Virgil will be introduced to Young Justice via Zatanna & Zatara, unless he encounters them while on a mission. Actually that reminds me, I've lost track, what is the current time frame from the Young Justice timeframe?
NeoNazo356: Not sure how much they'll let slip. After all… "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." -said everyone who's been to Vegas ever!
As for how he "links up" with the narrative of Young Justice, you'll have to wait and see, though yes, what happens in Vegas will be a major contributing factor to it.
As for "the current time frame from the Young Justice timeframe", it is now-currently, in-story, November 16th, 2009. Young Justice Episodes 1 & 2, "Independence Day" & "Fireworks", occur on July 4th, 2010. That means, in-world, there's still about 7-8 months separating the current events of Young Justice: The Hunter from Season 1 of Young Justice. Mind you, there will be quote/unquote "timeskips", so you won't have to follow Virgil's day-to-day for seven-to-eight months, though at the same time, I won't just magically gloss-over seven-to-eight months and drop Virgil right in the middle of what happened at the Cadmus facility in Washington, DC.
FORGEMaster: Yep called it, z got the hots.
NeoNazo356: Well…
Child of the Greek Chaos: Disclaimer my grammar and punctuation will suck because I'm being a lazy b***.
So if your not going to give him the upgraded suit will you be giving the suit enchantments and the likes or are you just going technology only
NeoNazo356: Um, the "suit" he has right now is the prototype suit. As in, it's the Nanosuit that the Nanosuit 1.0 and 2.0 will be based upon. Upgrades come later. It's why I've explicitly stated that it's the "prototype Nanosuit".
LOVE the fact I got to answer so many unique and interesting questions. Keep it up, Young Justice/Multi-Crossover fans!
*STAY IN VEGAS*
Las Vegas, Nevada: Bellagio Hotel
November 16, 20:00 PT
"I swear to god, if anything else out-of-the-ordinary happens again, I am really going to kill someone," Virgil sighed to himself as he settled his things into the room of their new suite.
Of course, it wasn't so much that transferring from the Caesar's Palace to the Bellagio was easy, but rather necessary because the Fortune Hunters, and by extension Virgil, were evicted from their room when complaints about the smell of what would later be revealed to be tiger droppings caused the hotel staff to boot them.
It was a good thing they'd gotten on the good side of a Justice League member, otherwise getting a room anywhere else in Vegas after the post-wedding would've been more challenging.
Especially since the tiger droppings made it a very literal "shitshow".
"And I swear to god, if you get us evicted from this room too, at least one of you will die," he tacked on glaring at the others over his shoulder.
"We'll behave!" Brick and Mordecai yelped.
After finding out how he'd nearly ripped Ten's throat out with his teeth, quite literally, the less-composed of the Fortune Hunters decided not to test the limits of Virgil's fury.
Mordecai was legitimately afraid of him because despite being older, Virgil was still in a slightly higher weight class.
For Brick, he was only scared because he forgot he was in a different weight school district.
"And now, I shall sleep like the dead," Virgil said more to himself than anyone else as he dropped like a stone onto his bed, snoring deeply moments later.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
Las Vegas, Nevada: Bellagio Hotel
November 17, 8:30 PT
"Virgil… Viiiirgiiiiiil…"
"Go 'way 'thena… Sleepy…"
"I'm not 'Thena'. I'm Zatanna."
"JESUS!" Virgil suddenly yelped, rolling over the side of the bed with wide eyes before clawing his way back up. "Z!? What the hell're you doing in my room?!"
"Your friends let me in," the girl answered chipperly, now clad in a blue blouse and white shorts, no hint of her parentage in sight. "Come on, get dressed! Now that we don't have to worry about the Royal Flush Gang anymore, I wanna go sightseeing!"
"Wouldn't you rather spend the day with your dad?" Virgil asked with a raised brow.
"I love my dad, but after what happened, he's been smothering me," the girl sighed.
"Yeah, I guess that's understandable," Virgil sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "Alright, fine, let me get dressed. If your dad sees you in the same room as me with my pants down, he'll have the whole damn barn," he said waving the girl out.
"Oh, before I go," she said stopping at the doorframe. "My dad has something for us, so be sure to drop by my room before we head out."
"Be kinda hard to take you sightseeing if I didn't pick you up."
*STAY IN VEGAS*
"So… Zatanna said you had something for us?"
"Yes, I do," the man replied. "While I'm optimistic that no-one will try anything with my daughter again, I'd rather not be too optimistic, which is why I made these."
"Ah! Glamour Charms!" Zatanna gasped as the man drew two necklaces from his pocket, amber-colored tear-shaped crystalline pendants hanging from them.
"Based on how it has 'glamour' in the name, as well as the context under which you're giving them to us, I'm just assuming these will magically alter our appearances," Virgil stated, wondering how much of that statement was him and how much of it was SECOND.
"Ah, well, you'd be correct, actually," Giovanni stated, realizing even without a background in magic, any competent person could glean what magical items did solely by context. 'Maybe I don't give mundanes enough credit,' the man thought. "Anyhow, to the three of us, nothing will be changed since I made the Glamour Charms for you. However, for everyone else, you'll look like a completely different person."
"And what will we look like exactly?" Virgil asked.
"To be honest, it's a role of the dice," Zatanna stated as she put hers on, throwing her hair over the chain. "However, since mages use these to move about incognito, it's safe to assume that we'll look like any old face in the crowd," she said as she and Virgil turned to a nearby mirror.
"Um… Giovanni… I think this Glamour Charms of yours is defective."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because of that!" Virgil said snapping up his index finger toward the mirror, Giovanni's eyes widening as in Virgil's place was a pale-skinned young man with snow-white hair, and crimson-colored eyes.
"Awww! You look like a little bunny! An adorable, battle-scarred bunny~" Zatanna cooed as a pretty blond with seafoam-green eyes pat him atop the head.
"Great. Not only are my eyes the same, but you made me look like a freakin' albino, the exact opposite of 'incognito'," Virgil grumbled, the stranger in the mirror following his every motion before turning to Giovanni. "Fix this."
"I would, but, not only am I pressed for time, making sure everything's ready for the day's shows, I think this may be the very karmic retribution I warned you about. Hecate always collects her dues."
"What, so the price for me learning magic is sticking out like a sore thumb?"
"To what extent remains to be seen," Giovanni stated as he pulled out a fancy leather billfold. "Now, I want you to take this and get my daughter and I some cellular phones. Since neither of us are very technologically-inclined, I'll leave it up to your discretion, just… don't 'break the bank', alright?" he asked as he held out a credit card.
Even mages needed a line of credit nowadays.
"Hey, speak for yourself," Zatanna pouted. "I've been using others' phones for so long, I already know what kind I want."
"Don't worry, I won't get you two anything too crazy," Virgil stated as he took the card and slid it into his own billfold. "Anything else we need to worry about?"
"Just… Have fun. But not too much fun," he said glancing between the two.
"I see…" Virgil nodded. "Z, would you wait outside a minute? I just need to have one last word with your dad."
"Ah, okay, I'll be right outside," the girl replied with a smile before walking off.
Only when the door closed behind her did Virgil speak up.
"Let me make myself abundantly clear; I do not have any sexual interests in your kid."
"What-?"
"I know what's going through your head. You're an over-protective father worried about his daughter, doubly-so after what the Royal Flush Assholes put her through, so I'm just going to be really upfront about this; I am not sexually interested in her. Not only am I seeing someone else back home, but she falls below the 'half-plus-seven' One Rule age bracket," Virgil explained matter-of-factly. "So don't get your British pantaloons in a twist just because Zatanna is 'alone with a boy', I won't lay a hand on her."
"They're Italian actually."
"Point is, I don't want you getting gray hairs over this."
"And if my daughter does take an interest in you?" the magician asked warily, running gloved hands over his jet-black hair.
"I let her down gently by telling her exactly what I told you. That I'm seeing someone else and she's too young for me," Virgil replied curtly.
"Is your interest to befriend her, genuine?" he asked warily.
Mundanes who learned about magic have attempted to befriend magi in the past solely to get access to magical power.
Quite a lot of messes that had to be cleaned up after that sort.
"After all the shit I've been through, I need all the friends I can get. Especially ones I can actually talk to about all this magical bullshit," Virgil answered rolling his hand at the wrist. "And from how-isolated your daughter seems to be apart from your peers, she probably needs a friend or two too. Not just someone from that Catholic school of hers. Someone she can talk to about aaaaall of this supervillain bullshit."
"I… see… Thank you for being so upfront with me. That actually takes a load off my mind," the man replied with a relieved sigh. "Also, make sure you're back in time for tonight's show."
"I have the program right here. Trust me, I have no desire to be out on The Strip after dark," Virgil replied holding up the Bellagio's entertainment program, Giovanni's likeness plastered boldly across it.
Appealing to both fans of magic and superheroes, it was a double-whammy of consumer magnetism.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
"What were you and my dad talking about?" Zatanna asked as soon as Virgil exited the room.
"Just getting a little spending money for lunch," Virgil replied, patting his pant pocket. "So, where do you want to head first?"
"I was thinking a nice breakfast, then hitting the major landmarks," Zatanna replied. "But first!" *Chu* "Thank you for saving me," she said with a charming smile on her face, a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. "I'm really looking forward to spending the day with you."
'Well… That happened sooner than expected,' Virgil thought, frozen mid-step from the kiss. "Uh… Zatanna… You're really cute and all but… I'm kinda seeing someone right now."
Best to lay it all out at once.
Like ripping off a band-aid.
"Oh…? OH!" she suddenly realized, her face flushing redder for a completely different reason. "I am… so sorry!" she said turning redder by the second.
"D-Don't look so down! It's not that you aren't cute or anything, you totally are! It's just… I'm being upfront about this because I want to let you down as-gently as possible," he said as her features grew sullen. "Other than the fact that I'm seeing someone and am thinking about getting serious with because I almost died the other day, you fall a little below the 'half-plus-seven' rule."
"The what rule?"
"My age cut in half plus seven. If a girl is younger than a guy by that metric, then it's creepy to date her," Virgil explained.
"Huh… I didn't know boys had a rule like that. Dad always told me boys only have 'one thing' on their mind."
"Well, admittedly not all of us follow that one rule," Virgil admitted, thinking back to all the creepy seniors at Cascades High who tried getting into the panties of the freshmen. "Like I said, you're very cute, and it'd be easy for you to get any guy you wanted, but be ready to chase a few of them off with a big stick and lots of pepper spray, because take it from a guy who's seen the worst of the worst… Not all guys take 'no' for an answer."
Best to quash down those flashbacks before they ruin Zatanna's day.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. And… thanks… For being honest with me," she replied with a half-smile.
Her heart may've been broken by the first boy she'd genuinely liked, but the honesty, and their continued friendship, would heal those wounds.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
The awkwardness of her first rejection still fresh on her mind, the breakfast Zatanna and Virgil shared was a quiet, awkward affair. The two sitting across from one another and picking at their food, the magical girl noticed that Virgil was really wolfing it down despite the awkward atmosphere surrounding them.
Maybe it was just that boys in general ate such large portions, but part of her couldn't help but think that all the action he saw yesterday was also a contributing factor.
"You uh… you're sure eating a lot…" she began, slapping herself for blurting out the first thing that came to mind.
"Yeah… Rescuing people and tip-toeing over live hand grenades is hungry work," Virgil replied between bites. "Personally I don't recommend it, but if you're going to go into the 'family business', I'd recommend a healthier appetite," he hummed, noting the small salad in front of her.
"You know… Before yesterday, I wanted to be a superhero more than anything. But now… after seeing just how-dangerous this line of work can be," she said thinking back to all the blood he'd shed for her, "I'm… I'm not so sure anymore," Zatanna replied timidly.
"Well, you're a young girl with your whole life ahead of you. You don't have to say you'll 'never' become a superhero here-and-now. You can always hold off on it until you get over it," Virgil replied.
Part of him wanted to tell Zatanna not to be a superhero, but in the end it was her choice, not his. At the very least, he could be supportive, maybe make her a smarter sort of hero than the over-idealized schmucks who got high as a kite off the romanticized idea of "justice".
*STAY IN VEGAS*
Their breakfast finished, the two loaded up a backpack from the gift shop with snacks before heading off into Vegas proper.
Starting with the Bellagio Fountains right outside their hotel, now that they actually had the chance to enjoy the splendor of it, the two of them sat in silence for a couple minutes and just watched, now that they weren't on any sort of timetable to get off the streets. It was fun for a while, but eventually they agreed it was probably more splendiferous at night.
Renting a couple bikes and armed with a guidebook from the hotel lobby, the two set off with no particular order in mind, their first destination the WELCOME TO Fabulous LAS VEGAS NEVADA sign on the median at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, which was commissioned in May 1959 and erected soonafter by Western Neon, designed by Betty Willis at the request of Ted Rogich, a local salesman who sold it to Clark County, Nevada.
Zatanna wanted to take a couple selfies in front of it, to show off to her peers back at school, only to realize she still didn't have a phone; which of course wound up being their next stop. The top-of-the-line smartphone out right now was the iPhone 3, but Virgil was able to talk Zatanna down into a pair of 2s for her and her dad on a family plan. It was a little tedious, getting them set up with a phone, but Virgil soldiered through the monotony because it'd mean the girl would always have backup at the tips of her fingers.
After getting the phone, Zatanna insisted they get a phone case, saying she wanted her phone to make a statement instead of being "just a phone". With a few such stores nearby, Zatanna eventually settled on a white phone case with rabbit ears on it, which was thematically appropriate because of the whole magician thing.
During the bulk of this core, Virgil noticed he was receiving quite a few stares, and wondered if he even needed to wear that Glamour Charm or not.
Deciding to put up with it a little while longer, just in case any of the Royal Flush Assholes still had any friends left in town, the duo headed off to their next destination, Vegas Vic, the unofficial name for the neon sigh resembling a cowboy that was erected on The Pioneer Club's exterior in 1951, located at 25 E Fremont Street, though now-currently it was mounted outside what used to be The Pioneer Club; the building was now-currently a souvenir shop owned by Schiff Enterprises.
After that was the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, home to some two thousand saw fish, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, jellyfish, rare golden crocodiles, and of course, sharks; more than 100 of them in fact, including 30 in the 1.3-million-gallon main tank which was one of the largest in the US.
Following was The High Roller at The LINQ Promenade, a massive Ferris Wheel standing five-hundred feet tall. The trip took a half-hour for a full revolution, and the pod was a little bit crowded, but the view was definitely worth it.
That and the snacks they'd packed made the trip a lot more bearable, though by the end the two of them had had to storm the nearest bathroom.
Following this was a trip to the Hershey's Chocolate World, a massive store which was… exactly what it sounded like. A giant store dedicated solely to Hershey's chocolate. The two of them were even able to make their own personalized Hershey's bars through the interactive experiences available to them.
And through it all, not a single supervillain attack, though whether that was due to what had transpired the day before, or the fly-by that Superman did over Vegas in full-view of everyone had yet to be determined.
"Hey, you wanna visit the Hoover Dam while we're out?" Zatanna asked.
"Maybe tomorrow," Virgil shrugged. "Right now that feels a little far from any backup we might be needing."
And god forbid he went down the proverbial rabbit hole that was "finding out whatever the hell the quote/unquote 'adults' in his group were up to".
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Plus, neither of us have a driver's license that'd fly in the state of Nevada," the girl admitted. "You know, there is another place I've always wanted to go to that a couple guys at my school wouldn't stop talking about."
"Really? Where?"
*STAY IN VEGAS*
"You know… They make the sign look a lot bigger on TV," Virgil hummed as he craned his neck to look at the sign above him and Zatanna.
GOLD & SILVER
P
A
W
N
OPEN 24 HRS
Located on 713 Las Vegas Blvd S, Rick Harrison's Gold & Silver Pawn Shop had gotten quite the following since its pilot episode, "Boom or Bust", aired on July 19th that-year. Of course, Virgil didn't really have much time to catch it since he'd been more-worried about not getting infected, or turning into one, but since then he'd caught a couple episodes in Bludhaven and he had to say, he was legitimately curious about what it had to offer.
"I just hope they aren't filming today, otherwise it's going to be a real sock drawer in there," Virgil sighed as he and Zatanna got into the line for admittance.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
Twenty minutes later and the two were finally in, the air conditioning a welcome luxury as they took everything in. The place looked like one would expect a pawn shop to look like, only, the variety of goods available for purchase was absolutely staggering. Old guns, suits of armor, autographed pictures, old comics, you name it, you could probably find it there.
"So… Think we'll meet any of the cast?" Zatanna asked.
"I'm sure they have better things to do than service everyone who comes through those doors," Virgil hummed, eyes browsing the gun cases; most of them were antiques, but still looked in good-enough condition that they actually could be used.
However, the price tags were pretty steep, and when he eventually did get his own place, he didn't want to have something that-valuable just lying around. Especially if he wound up still living in the bad half of Bludhaven.
A minute later he felt a tugging on his sleeve. "What?"
"Virgil… That's my dad's hat over there."
"Huh?"
Looking over at where Zatanna was pointing, he saw an old-style silk top hat, just like the kind Giovanni wore, sitting proudly atop a mannequin head. At the moment, a number of potential buyers were swarmed around it, one of the store's employees explaining its history.
"What makes you so sure it's his?"
"It just know, alright?"
"And why are we whispering?"
"Because I don't look like Giovanni Zatarra's daughter. If I say 'that's my dad's hat' while looking like this, they'll think I'm a complete loon."
"Oh right. That," Virgil nodded. "So… what, you wanna buy it back?"
"I don't know. Daddy didn't say anything about one of his hats being stolen, so for all I know, this is one of his props he donated to a charity event."
"You think it has any magic left in it?"
"The magic isn't in the props, it's in the magician…" she muttered before pausing. "Okay, maybe some of the magic is in the props, but the real magic is in the magician," she reiterated.
"So then you'd be able to pull a rabbit out of it?" Virgil asked with a cheeky grin.
"Ugh, I never hear the end of that from my classmates," the girl sighed.
"My bad," Virgil apologized.
"It's okay. You didn't mean anything malicious by that or anything," the girl replied.
"Alright. Let's move on then," Virgil replied, he and Zatanna perusing the shelves before something else caught his eye. "What the… Wait a second, is that legit?"
"As a matter of fact, it is," a voice from behind the counter spoke, Virgil quirking a brow as Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison walked over to him and looked him in the eye. "What you're looking at there is one of the first bullets caught by Superman back in 1998."
"And how do I know it's legit?" he asked looking at the frame on the wall.
It was an ordinary-looking glass frame, a small-caliber bullet held within, the back dominated by a colorful foil-coated Superman emblem, and beneath it was a small brass plaque with the date and story behind it. For all intents and purposes it could be one of the first bullets ever caught by Superman… but it could just as easily be something someone whipped together in their garage.
"The bullet comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from the Us Super Hero Historical Society, which protects and researches the history of superheroes, set up in the late 1940s after the Justice Society's involvement in World War II… which of course created a boom in merchandise and scammers," he trailed off, eyes darting to a heavy-set employee across the way before turning his eyes back to Virgil. "The USSHHS, wow that's a mouthful," he muttered, "set up the verification and rating system back in the 70s."
"So then what's the going price on something like this?"
"Well, when it first was certified, it went for a couple grand. However, since Superman's caught millions of bullets since then, there's been a bit of a saturation in the market, so the price has actually gone down," the man admitted. "This one happens to go for $500."
"Hmmm… I see," Virgil hummed. "It alright if I come back to it later?"
"Sure, though it might be gone before you know it," the man replied, Virgil nodding in turn as he waled away, leaving Corey to tend to another customer.
The two of them breaking away from the counter, alternating between who took the lead, the oddly-matched pair spied a number of oddities that could only be found in New Vegas. Really old coins, softly-used jewelry, a floating pocket watch-
"Wait what?" Virgil gawked.
-an old-school Batarang-
"Oooooooh…!" Zatanna awed.
-a cane sword used by Sherlock Holmes-
"Oh that is fucking bullshit," Virgil bit out skeptically.
-old doctor's tools from another century-
"I would rather die," Zatanna yelped at what looked like the bastard love child between a cork screw and eyelash curlers.
-Native American totems-
"That thing's staring at me," Zatanna shuddered.
"Is that a fucking chicken leg?" Virgil gawped.
"That's what drew your eye?!"
Suffice it to say, they found all sorts of weird stuff lying around, and it seemed like every time they turned around, something had gotten sold and something new from the back had taken its place.
"I guess I can see why the other kids at school like this show," Zatanna hummed aloud. "But actually being here…? I feel like you'd have to be a local to really appreciate the stock," the girl hummed.
"Yeah. Has a real 'diamond in the rough' kinda vibe," Virgil nodded, glancing between the signet rings, Rolex watches, and… "Wow!" he awed. "Now that is a hot little number," he said as his eyes were drawn, almost magnetically, to a wicked-looking red-and-white electric guitar with sharp corners, daydreams of serenading Athena with her favorite song beginning to flit across his mind.
Assuming he could learn to play the damn thing.
Still, with the money he'd stashed away, it was a tempting impulse buy.
"I see you have a discerning eye," a heavy-set man with a goatee, Austin "Chumlee" Russel spoke coming up to them. "That piece of punk rock history belonged to John Constantine, lead guitarist of the band Mucous Membrane-"
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait…" Virgil interrupted hastily, the hair on his neck beginning to rise. "Are you telling me this was the guitar, the guitar, that John Constantine played at Newcastle?"
"Yep. One in the same-Hey, where you goin'?"
"That guitar is fucking cursed and I want no part of it!" Virgil said backing away as far as physically possible.
"Hey, c'mon, you don't really believe in that stuff, do ya?"
"There's a mountain of dead bodies in Newcastle that says 'yes'," Virgil stated plainly, the hairs on his neck standing on end now that he knew where that guitar came from. "Hey Z, you have anything up your sleeve that can un-curse a cursed guitar?"
"Nope."
"Ah! Hey! Stop using me as a shield!"
"As long as no-one plays that thing, we should be fine."
"Then why are you hiding behind me?"
"Just in case."
"You know what, screw it, I didn't come all this way to leave empty handed," the "whitette" sighed. "Hey! Corey! I'd like to buy that Superman bullet! And make it snappy! That guitar's cursed out the wazu and I wanna get out of this building as soon as physically possible!"
*STAY IN VEGAS*
"I still can't believe you bought that thing," Zatanna hummed as they walked away from the Gold & Pawn.
"I thought it'd make a nice conversation piece," Virgil shrugged. Even if he wasn't a fan of superheroes, having a piece of legit history was pretty damn cool.
And if he stopped liking it, he could just re-gift it.
"Still, was it really alright for you to blurt out how that guitar was cursed?" the girl asked. "All that talk about dead bodies seemed to make those people really uncomfortable."
"Look, as soon as I learned who that guitar belonged to, I got that creepy skin-crawly feeling I got back with Amos Fortune's safe," Virgil shuddered, a ripple of gooseflesh rising up his body. "The way I see it, I just saved some poor sap from zapping himself to hell… Or something."
"Hmmm… Yeah, I suppose that is fair…" Zatanna hummed. "And if it really is dangerous, I'm sure someone will get it exorcised."
As a young girl growing up in a magical household, John Constantine was like the non-magi's equivalent of the Boogeyman.
Sure, that fear of him had dimmed over the years, but anything even remotely associated with him, let alone directly, still caused her to shudder in fear.
"Yep. Which means it's not my problem," Virgil nodded.
"Still, maybe I should tell my dad about this," Zatanna hummed. "Constantine might not be a criminal in the magical world, but he does leave a lot of messes for us to clean up…"
"Yes, that's very smart. Leave it on someone else to do the heavy lifting. No need to tackle magical cursed bullshit like that before you're ready," Virgil nodded once again, the skin-clammy feeling he'd had before slowly evaporating the further away they got from the store. "So… What do you wanna do next?" he asked looking up at the sky, seeing the sun beginning to set.
"Honestly…?" the girl questioned. "I'm… actually kinda tired, so I think I'll take a nap before tonight's show."
"Yeah. We did do a lot of biking today," Virgil nodded. "Hey, you wanna race back to the Bellagio?"
"Heh, you're so on!" the pretty brunette smirked, peeling away from him with a laugh on her lips.
"Hey! Cheater!" Virgil whooped good-naturedly, following after her.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
Virgil and Zatanna splitting up once they reached their floor, any plans Virgil had of relaxing in a completely-normal environment swiftly died upon the sight he was greeted by.
"What… What the hell…? What the hell am I looking at?"
"I'm a bullet angel~" Brick hummed happily as he made a snow angel on the middle of the floor, only instead of snow, he was instead doing so encircled by a large amount of small arms ammunition.
"Hey, here's a crazy question. Who the hell are you?" Mordecai asked, Bloodwing squawking and shifting on its feet.
"What're you talking about? It's me. Virgil!"
"Unless our friend got a makeover in the last few hours, you aren't him," Roland said with crossed arms.
"Makeover? What are you talking abou- Oh crap, I forgot," Virgil said seeing his white-haired red-eyed reflection in a nearby mirror. "Look. See. Me."
"Whoa! What the?!" Mordecai yelped as the Glamour Charm came off, returning him to normal, Bloodwing screeching in shock and falling from the table she'd been preening on.
"Okay, what the hell was that," Roland said with wide eyes.
"Giovanni wanted Zatanna and I to be a little more subtle after what happened with the Royal Flush Gang, so he gave us these Glamour Charms to hide our real appearances."
"Okay, but how does looking like an adorable albino bunny count as 'subtle'?" Lilith asked skeptically.
"I don't fucking know how the magic works. Maybe it's just that Hecate bitch screwing with me."
"Are you sure you should be calling her stuff like that now that you're in her corner?" Lilith asked worriedly.
"Look, the way I figure it, she's immortal, which means there's a 100% guarantee she's eventually going to see, do, and hear everything that can be seen, done, or heard. Also, as a human, I would think what I think of her wouldn't really bother a deity."
"That… actually makes a lot of sense…" Mordecai hummed. "If everyone got what they deserved, there wouldn't be any people left."
Which was to say, since everyone was an asshole in some way, shape, or form, if god really did care about that sort of thing, everyone would've been smoten by now.
"Yeah, but seriously, where the hell'd you get the ammo? Last I checked, you barely managed to outfit us for our little raid just yesterday," he said turning back to the Brick-shaped silhouette of bullets.
"Oh, we went to a storage locker auction and scored big," Mordecai chuckled. "Guns, knives, ammo, the whole shebang."
"Really? Someone just forgets an entire storage locker full of guns and enough ammo to choke the NRA?" Virgil asked skeptically as he once more cast an eye at Brick, who'd piled the ammo together around himself and began the process anew.
"Hey, it happens," Lilith shrugged. "Sometimes people go off the grid for a while. Sometimes a merc dies overseas and they don't have a will."
"Do you?"
"Sure. We all do," Lilith nodded.
"Oh. Well, that's… really down-to-earth," he admitted. "So, how're you gonna get all that shit home?"
"We're still working on that," Roland stated.
"Well… good luck with thaaat…" Virgil said warily, wondering whether he should make his own travel arrangements. "I'm… just going to freshen up before tonight's magic show."
"Oh, watch where you step. We kinda left the stuff from that storage locker in your room."
"WHAT?! WHY!?" Virgil rounded on Mordecai.
"So you can have first dibs," Brick chuckled.
"Okay… Whyyy…?"
"Well, we felt kinda bad about using you as live bait for Christine last month."
"Who the fuck is 'Christine'?"
"The Ghost Car."
"Ohhh… Kinda weird that didn't come up more," Virgil shrugged. "Anyway, fine, I'll give the cache a once-over. Not really sure I'll find anything I like though," he said stepping into his room and closing the door behind him. "JESUS!" he yelped as, jump-scared back-first into the door, he stared wide-eyed at the loads of weapons and random crap spread across his room. "How the hell could someone forget this…?!" he gaped incredulously as he tiptoed through the loot littering his floor.
Red-and-black costumes, tubs upon tubs of corn starch, twin machine guns etched Butter and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter ver.4, a collection of pistols, assorted ammo, two pairs of swords labeled 49 and 50, a few Japense whetstones, boxes of hand grenades, a bunch of bolas, a collection of sais, a rubber band-bound stack of coupons for chimichangas at a Mexican restaurant numbering 60, a smaller stack of brightly, very-brightly-colored coupons for something called "Cherrychangas" at some place called Sugarcube Corner, a framed picture of a skeletal man in a sombrero winning at a poker game, a giant tiki head, a painting titled "Deep Beauty of the Sea" painted by Obed Marsh, some kind of Russian painting, around 200 packs of Double Bubble Super Bubblegum, 108 Casino Chips from different casinos, packs of Vegas postcards, a Las Vegas Dancer uniform complete with feathery hat and fans, a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson, and a ton of other random crap too random to describe.
"How'd they even get all this through the lobby?! There's hardly anywhere to walk!?" he gawped as he tiptoed through the chaos, sifting through the metric buttload of random crap scattered around the room.
As he made his way to the ensuite, shelfing "first dibs" liberties for after the magic show, before he could cross the final threshold, a shiny glint of polished metal crossed his eye.
Curiosity getting the better of him as he was drawn magnetically away, he began to sift through some of the aforementioned crap at the foot of his bed. A few moments later and he hefted up a heavy-ish metallic belt, the buckle circular featuring a back-to-back DD emblem in shades of red, black, and white on it. The emblem had a crack running down the middle exposing ruined circuitry, and slapped onto one of the segments was an old yellow sticky note with a message scrawled onto it messily with crayon.
Get Teleporter Belt fixed.
P.S.
Weasel ran off and got married.
Get new mechanic.
'A teleportation belt? Seriously?' the teen asked incredulously as he looked it over… before finding himself slipping it into one of his carry-on bags. 'Those guys already have a teleporter. I doubt they'll miss this,' he assured himself as he sidled back toward the bathroom, only to step on something papery.
Looking down, he picked up what appeared to be an envelope filled to the gills with cash, the envelope labeled Storage Locker Payment.
"You know, mystery guy, having this money set aside doesn't do you much good if it's inside the storage unit," Virgil sighed, tossing the envelope onto the bed as he finally made his way to the ensuite.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS*
"So you went to an auction for old storage units? Neat," Virgil hummed as he nibbled on some room service before the show.
"Yeah. Got all that stuff for a cool half-grand," Lilith chuckled.
"And you just went along with this?" Virgil asked.
"We were in the area visiting some old friends, and we just happened to pass by," Roland shrugged.
"So, what did you see at that pawn shop? Anything weird?" Brick asked.
"Oh, a few odds and ends. One of Giovanni's old top hats, a floating pocket watch-"
"Did it have strings?"
"No, Brick, it didn't have any strings. The guy at the counter waved a ring of metal around it. Still, probably magnetic."
"That or Nth Metal," Lilith shrugged.
"Nth Metal?"
"It's an extraterrestrial ore with gravity-defying properties. Part of the reason Hawkman and Hawkwoman can fly around like they can is because of the Nth Metal in their belts," Roland answered.
"It also has the ability to nullify magic, like what Kryptonite does to Superman," Lilith added.
"You know, if the Royal Flush Douchebags had a bit of that stuff, they might not've had to drag a thirteen-year-old girl into all that shit."
"Well, it's not that easy. Nth Metal isn't as-easy to come by as Kryptonite," Roland shrugged. "That's why it's always such a hot item when it hits the black market."
"I see," Virgil nodded.
"So you saw one of Giovanni's old hats and a pocket watch made of Nth Metal. Anything else weird?" Brick asked.
"A cane sword that supposedly belonged to Sherlock Holmes, and a cursed electric guitar."
"How'd you know it was cursed?" Mordecai asked.
"It belonged to John Constantine. From the night he played Newcastle."
"Oh shit!"
"That's what I said… Okay, not really but you know what I mean," Virgil admitted.
"Did you purge yourself with Holy Water at least?" Brick asked.
"Zatanna said as long as I didn't touch or play it, I was fine."
"So… Think we'll see you in an episode of Pawn Stars?"
"Unless it turned into a hidden camera show, then no. They weren't filming today."
"Aww."
"Still, it was pretty fun rolling the dice like that," Mordecai hummed as he glanced at Virgil's open door and all the random crap spilled across the floor. "You think they'll make a TV show about it?"
"Please. Who'd have enough time on their hands to waste it on a show about that?" Virgil asked incredulously.
A year later on the 1st of December, he would later be eating those words.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
The following evening, the Bellagio's theater was packed to the gills with spectators as the world-renowned illusionist -and Justice League member- Giovanni Zatanna worked his magic, both literally and figuratively.
Some of his magic could be explained as the work of a highly-skilled illusionist with dedicated stage hands to ensure everything went off without a hitch, and expertly-crafted props to go with the act. That which couldn't be written-off as the mundane workings of an illusionist, Virgil and co. attributed to legit magic. Of course, while Virgil had only gotten a taste in his lifetime, the Fortune Hunters had been up to their eyeballs in the stuff, and as such magic wasn't anything new to them.
"And now, for a very special treat," Giovanni announced as the show began to near the end of its timeslot. "This evening, my very own daughter whom I love more than anyone in the world, shall be performing alongside me for the night's final act, introducing…" he began, a drumroll playing to ramp up the suspense. "Zatanna Zatara!" he announced, a plume of smoke going off within the spotlights at his side, a familiar dark-haired girl in full-on magician's attire rising from the smoke, waving her top hat above her head with a smile on her face, certain factions of the audience erupting into loud cheers. "Easy, boys," the world-famous illusionist said with a firm tone. "She's only thirteen, and not allowed to date."
"Daaad!" Zatanna whined with an audible pout, the audience chuckling good-naturedly at the back-and-forth while aforementioned "factions" experienced very conflicting feelings about the girl whom they'd been… observing her.
"Hey, you know the rules, young lady. No dating until you're of marriageable age," the older magician stated firmly, an amused edge in his tone.
"Dad! You're embarrassing me!" Zatanna stage-hissed under her breath, the exchange between father and daughter bringing about a sense of levity rarely found in these kinds of shows. "Ahem…" she coughed, gaining the audience's attention while her father stepped back. "For tonight's final illusion-"
"Because you still have homework to do," Giovanni reminded, a few latent chitters fluttering from the audience.
"I will pull a rabbit, out of my hat," Zatanna finished, which in turn was met with an awkward silence.
After all they'd seen, they'd been hoping for something more… awe inspiring.
"Trust me, it isn't as easy as everybody thinks," Zatanna assured them with a confident grin, her fingers dancing around the lip of her hat before she reached into it. "Now… where did I put that thing…" she hummed as she reached in. "I had him around here somewhere," she said as her arm descended into the hat's depths up to the elbow, eyes in the audience widening. "Let me think… Just past the doves… but if I hit the scarves then I've gone too far…" she hummed reaching even further into the hat, up to the shoulder much to the audience's shock and awe, now watching the next-generation illusionist with rapt attention. "Come on, Bugs. Where are you?"
The dark-haired girl, staring down intently into the hat through which her arm had descended, was seemingly oblivious to the startled gasps, panicked yelps, and shrieks of terror that spilled voluminously from the audience as an enormous, well-manicured hand suddenly descended from the darkened ceiling, reaching down toward the spectators before one of them was suddenly encircled by delicate-looking fingers the width of a man's torso.
"AAUUUGH! WHAT THE HELL?!" Virgil cried as he was drawn from his chair and up into the abyss, the light at the end of the tunnel giving way to the stage he'd been watching only moments ago.
Only… now he was four inches tall and sitting in the palm of the girl's hand.
"First: WHAT!? Second: THE FUCK?!" Virgil cried aloud.
Of course, because his lungs were now the size of a grain of rice, scarcely anyone could hear his profanities.
"Well, you're not as furry, but you're just as cute," Zatanna stated as she cupped him in her hands. Bringing him close to her face and planting a kiss on his cheek, the audience erupted into hoots and catcalls, her father behind her shifing slightly as the brunette was set on the floor. "Kcab ot lamron!" she intoned with a flick of her wand, purple motes of dust spilling over Virgil before he was enveloped in a plume of purple-colored smoke, parting way a moment later to reveal him back to normal size, the audience exploding into cheers as they speculated just how that "illusion" could've been performed. "Thank you, everyone! You've been a wonderful audience!" Zatanna cheered with a hundred-watt smile as she waved to the crowd.
"ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!" the audience cheered loudly.
'Well… At the very least…' Virgil thought as he brought his sleeve up to wipe away the lip balm dominating the right side of his face, 'the girl knows how to work a crowd.'
"WHOO! TAKE IT OFF!"
"WHO SAID THAT!?" Virgil and Giovanni alike raged at the rather… fucked up outburst. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"OH SHIT!"
"THERE HE IS!" Virgil cried as he singled out the potential sex offender, easy to find because of how his face had paled.
That and the number of people surrounding him with "WTF?!" expressions on their faces at how he'd said that to a thirteen-year old!
"HOLD HIM DOWN WHILE I SHOW HIM HOW WE DO THINGS BACK IN GOOD OLD ITALY!" Giovanni said furrowing his brow, the audience erupting into laughter as the two males left the stage and chased one of the spectators out of the theater "as part of the act".
*STAY IN VEGAS*
Ten minutes later, after Zatanna gave the audience the encore they so-desperately wanted with over-the-top versions of tricks that had been done to death, Virgil and Giovanni both returned from what they would later describe as an "enthusiastic walk", returning in time for the final curtain call before the show came to a close, and everyone returned to their homes or rooms for the night.
"Wow, what a rush! No wonder you love your job!" Zatanna cheered as the she and her father returned to their dressing room.
"Yes… You did very well," Giovanni replied tersely.
"Daddy, are you upset I went off-script?" Zatanna asked cutely.
She'd had so much fun with that last encore, she'd actually forgotten about the whole "take if off fiasco".
"Nooo… No no no no…" he trailed off nervously. "I'm happy your first act went so well, I really am, it's just… In the future could you be a little more… subtle?"
"I doubt they came to Vegas for subtle," the girl returned.
"Touché," the man admitted. "Still, I hope you don't get that… personal, with everyone you bring on stage."
"Trust me, I wouldn't have kissed him if he were a complete stranger," Zatanna replied as she went over to the fridge and downed a bottle of water.
"Speaking of which…" a voice coughed, Zatanna looking over to where Virgil stood, a backstage pass dangling from his neck, the other Fortune Hunters filing into the room behind him. "This isn't going on a TV special or anything, right? Because while I doubt Athena's the 'jealous girlfriend' type, this might still put me in a mite of hot water with the family."
"Well, even if Athena did see you, I don't think it'd really be a problem," Zatanna shrugged.
"And what makes you say that?" he asked, the magical girl pointing to the mirror causing Virgil to leap back when he looked up. "Oh crap! I forgot I put this thing back on!" he yelped as he tugged at his Glamour Charm. "Wait, is this why you kissed me?"
"It's like I said. You aren't as furry, but you're just as cute~" Zatanna said, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
"Alright, but don't make it a habit. Getting kissed on by a thirteen-year-old girl makes me feel kinda… dirty."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Zatanna asked with a huff.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again? I think my ears are still gummed up by cherry-flavored lip balm."
" . . . Touché," the magical girl admitted as Virgil grabbed a hot towel from the nearby heater, rubbing at the sheen covering his face.
"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, but, don't you have school?"
"Okay, good," Virgil nodded as he grabbed a hot towel and took it to his face. "You know, I've been meaning to ask, don't you have school?"
"I do, but since daddy's work takes him out-of-state sometimes, I get special permission to go with him since. Since being an Illusionist is a pretty niche field, the school board writes it off as 'career training'," Zatanna answered. "As long as I keep up with my lessons, at least."
"Speaking of which…" Giovanni spoke up. "Your homework?" he reminded.
"Ugh… Yes dad," the dark-haired girl sighed as she trudged off toward her room.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets back to her room… unmolested," Virgil said over his shoulder as he followed her, choosing his words very carefully. The man returning the sentiment with a nod, the more-enthusiastic of the Fortune Hunters pestering him over what was legit magic and what was mere illusion, after a few minutes of walking, Zatanna spoke up once again.
"What did happen to that one guy you chased out?" she asked.
In all honesty she hadn't even heard what had been said.
It was only because Giovanni and Virgil were in "overprotective father/brother" mode that they'd caught that little snippet at all over the din of the audience.
"Oh…"
*TEN MINUTES EARLIER*
Cue – X Gon' Give It To Ya
It took only a few minutes for Virgil to catch up to the perv who tried to get Zatanna to "take it off", with Giovanni appearing in a puff of smoke to block his escape when the guy'd bum-rushed behind the Bellagio through the Employee's Only passage.
The guy glancing back and forth between the two with a panicked look on his face, all of a sudden Virgil struck him across the face with a strong left sending him staggering toward Giovanni who pulled him into a knee strike to the gut, hauling him off the dirty ground and holding him up by the arms giving Virgil a free gut punch, Giovanni kneeing him in the back, Virgil punching him in the chest followed by an uppercut, Giovanni kneeing him in the butt, Virgil kneeing the guy in the face, the illusionist then proceeding to toss the man who'd "accosted" his pubescent daughter into a pile of trash bags.
And just to add insult to injury, Virgil spat on the man's beaten and bloodied form, which remained completely unresponsive after the major ass-kicking the two had dished out.
Just because Giovanni was a magician and illusionist didn't mean he didn't know his way around a good set of fisticuffs.
*PRESENT*
"Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary," Virgil replied casually.
"Oh, okay," the girl nodded, Giovanni sending the brunette a nod of gratitude while Virgil winked an eye.
*STAY IN VEGAS*
AN:
I do not own Pawn Stars.