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“Time for me to go to work,” Zee said, rising from her place beside Death. The entertainment was before the banquet, and she was on next.
In the green room, she stripped off her voluminous lavender skirt, leaving the white corset, black leather short shorts and fishnet garter stockings (a little extra distraction from her sleight of hand never hurt), and emphasized her make up in preparation to go on stage. It was her usual routine, nothing fancy or truly magical, a rabbit and cards and a tall black hat. She did love her fancy hat.
On stage, she sighed deep in her heart, looking out over the eager audience for a volunteer. The fat cat tycoon was there in the front row seats, the one the organizers had tipped her off to as someone to please in order to get a substantial donation. Everyone knew he could afford it—he’d made his fortune off the backs of his workers and lesser business partners, and was universally disliked, and giving generously to charity events like this was one of the ways he kept everyone off his back (that and the imposing well-dressed bruisers he always had hovering around). She smiled her stage smile and pointed at the young lady she assumed was his unmarried daughter, as she was sitting between him and his wife.
“The lovely young lady in the purple silk, there in the front row. Come on up and help me with this next trick.” Zee filled the silence with patter as the girl made her way onstage, flipping her tarot cards from hand to hand as she shuffled them.
“Go ahead then, pick a card, any card, and show it to the audience.” She held out the spread, hoping for an easy one.
Oh fuck. Fuckity-fucking-fuck. She’d drawn Death. How to spin it? People got freaked out by the skeletal figure with the scythe and dismal black robes. Her Death, sitting below with her glowing skin and dark beauty, her black robe sparkling and elegant, was so much more attractive. Not to get distracted now, though.
“The Death card! In tarot, Death means change. The old passes away to make space for the new. Perhaps you’ll be getting a new car soon.”
“Oh! How did you know?” the mark exclaimed.
Not to give away her secrets, but the organizers had told her that the old tycoon had been spotted at a car dealership earlier that week.
“The cards tell me everything, my dear.”
The banquet was lavish, as it should be, and Zee was enjoying her meal and the company of her date, when Death suddenly stood up.
“Time for me to go to work.” She smiled wryly at Zatanna, then made her way gracefully to the head table. As she approached, the fat cat suddenly stood up, grabbing his throat and turning red in the face. The women screamed. One of the bruisers rushed forward to begin doing the Heimlich manoeuvre, but after something flew out of his mouth he clutched his chest and collapsed. Zee watched in fascination as Death walked right through the commotion, bent and took the hand of the man who was now lying on the ground as his employee frantically tried to get him breathing again, and then disappeared.
Suddenly she realized that, thanks to the stupid tarot card, the police might have questions for her if she was easy to find, so she put her fork down and slipped out as unobtrusively as possible, whispering “tegrof eht torat drac” toward the hysterical crowd.
Back in her apartment, she was removing her make up, having already hung up the major pieces of her formal outfit, when she felt arms come around her waist from behind.
“Sorry for deserting you like that,” Death’s warm voice whispered beside her ear.
A thrill ran up Zee’s spine and she turned in her embrace, reaching her arms up to twine around Death’s neck.
“No worries, love. We each have our jobs to do.”
“I had a lovely time with you tonight,” Death breathed into her mouth as they drew inexorably closer.
“I plan to have an even lovelier time with you right now,” Zatanna answered, pulling her in until the gap between them disappeared.
Death chuckled, and then their mouths were busy with other things.