A Business Proposal

"So…"

Even before she could ask, I looked at her straight.

"I am indeed a magic user, more like a metahuman to be precise," I answered, technically not being sure of what I was either.

"And you hid it because…"

"You hid your powers as well," I said as the two of us watched the burning circus.

It was beyond salvageable at this point.

"But I am not asking you about it."

She sighed and lay on her back, closing her eyes and enjoying the coolness of the grass underneath.

"Fair, I guess." She smiled and enjoyed the wind.

"So… what's the plan now?"

After all, her circus was in shambles. Her father's legacy was burning down right in front of her. And despite the smile, I could see her pain underneath.

"I… don't know," she said. "Everyone is safe, so there is that. And I remember a quote from my dad."

"And what is that?"

She pointed at the fire. "A home is not built of concrete or wood; it is built of the people." She took a deep breath. "And I have the people with me."

"So, you want to rebuild it?" I asked, and she affirmed.

"Of course. I am not letting go of the circus till the day I die." She was quite enthusiastic about it.

She turned her towards me as I sat on the grass. "What is your story, though? Now that we both know we aren't what one can classify as normal, you must have a story, right?"

I chuckled. "My story, huh? Let's see."

I already knew she would know about me and my powers one day, but I didn't expect it to be this soon.

Oh, well.

It is what it is.

"I am a guy who lost his parents quite early. You know, the usual. Then after struggling for years, I learned of my powers and started using them to make a bit of money. A little bit of this and a little bit of that finally resulted in me ending up here."

"And…" She seemed quite interested.

"And I somehow landed a job, well, more like hired-up work which did give me money but also made me end up on the heroes' shitlist."

This reveal made her jerk up. "Wait! You got involved with the villains?"

"Eh? I would say more like 'hired-up.'"

She frowned. "Did you harm or kill innocents?"

"Of course not." I raised an eyebrow. "What do you take me for? All I did was steal a few documents from a corrupt rich fuck."

I skipped out the part that I passed those documents to another corrupt rich fuck.

"That… isn't much better." She frowned, which made me sigh.

"At least it is better than being a straight-up villain," I shrugged. "And it's not like I am being any different from the politicians or people in power that run the country. Corruption is everywhere; it just depends on what level of evil you are."

As for me? I was just looking for profits while trying to rebuild what I once lost.

"Well…" She didn't exactly like what I said. "Will that make the heroes and villains come after me?"

"Of course not." I assured. "Heroes never target friends and families, as for villains? I believe you can handle them?"

"I guess," She took a deep breath. "I just feel tired. I worked so hard… But now everything just went down the drain."

"You know?" I took a deep breath. "These days I have been spending a little too much."

She nodded. "I have noticed."

"That's because of my last mission from which I got a bit of money and also a little bit of land under me."

This surprised her. "That high of a pay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But instead of letting that place rot, I am thinking of utilizing it."

"How so?" She asked, which made me smile a little.

"I want to use that place to set up a few shops and restaurants, and after today's event, I decided on another thing," I said, making her curious. "To draw the attention of people around this place, I need a source of entertainment and attraction."

She raised an eyebrow. "And…"

With a calm smile, I looked at her. "And I want that attraction to be your circus."

Bam!

She went silent, shocked at the reveal.

"W-Wait what? We just lost the circus."

I nodded. "That you did, but you still have the people and the skills. It does not matter if you lost the tent and the props; we can always get them back."

"They cost a lot–"

"I'll pay," I assured. "I want your talents in return. I help you revive the Zatara Circus name; in return, you have to establish yourself in my area. Like a contract that instead of roaming around, you will establish there."

"Popularity of a circus fades with time. That's the reason the circuses move around."

What she said wasn't wrong, but there were counters to that.

"That is true, but I plan to turn the circus into an entire amusement park later." As I said that, she immediately shook her head.

"That is not going to be cheap," She said.

"I told you, leave the money issue to me."

After all, it was the most difficult to make the first million; the ones after that were not.

"Even so, our circus is not that popular to be able to draw that much audience." She said, almost sounding defeated.

"That… can be fixed. But only if you agree to one condition." As I said that, she looked at me curiously.

"And what might that be?"

I took a deep breath before explaining. "One of the reasons the circus did not see that much success was because you have been using tricks that everyone has seen before, either on TV or in another circus."

"What do you suggest then?" She frowned.

"Use your magic."

"I do." She countered, but I shook my head.

"Real magic. Your magic."

This… made her pause.

"I cannot do that," She denied. "My power is meant to help people, not make a profit."

This…

This is the mentality I hate about heroes.

But her view could be changed.

It could be molded.

"Your powers are meant to help others… and help you." I countered. "I could argue that you using your magic to make others smile and laugh is also helping them. Giving them an escape from the harsh and difficult life that they live. At least for a moment."

She wasn't convinced.

"Having power does not mean stopping falling buildings or throwing criminals in jail," I said. "It means making others happy. And magic is one of the greatest tools you can use to make others happy."

"My father would never…"

"Your father would never want you to make others happy?" I asked with a bit of authority. "I talked to the guy in charge of checking the tickets today."

Her eyes widened. "Lucas…"

"He said that your father was a great man who made his audience happy, brought homeless people, gave them food and a place to stay, and provided for them," I frowned. "Can you do that? You have no money, no circus, and even the people who were with you only stayed because of your father. Especially when they were getting paid almost nothing."

"Shut up," She said. "You know nothing."

"Exactly!" I said. "That is the issue. And neither do the people who work for you. Neither do the audience who come to watch you."

Of course, they didn't.

"None of them knows whether your magic is real or fake, and you have to keep it that way. There are fake magicians who sell their magic as the real deal, and you as an actual magician are failing to do the same?" I asked. "Why?"

She clenched her fists. "I am different from them."

"That doesn't make you a hero," I countered immediately. "Instead, I would say you are playing the villain. Especially for those who work for you. You have the power, you have the ability, but you are not using those to help them? To give them a place to stay and survive?"

"SHUT UP!" She yelled before getting up. "I-I will revive the circus myself! You don't have to help. I can do it myself, the Zatanna way!"

I smiled. "Very well. Then I wish you good luck." I said. "But remember, the people who are with you are there because of your father and the circus that he built. Now ask yourself if they have a reason to stay with you when both your father and the circus are gone."

She froze.

"Ask yourself," I said before getting up. "And once you calm yourself and come to a conclusion, tell me. I will still have the offer for you. Because I know that you are a good person and wouldn't let those people down."

With that, I walked away.

Aware that she had only limited options.

Each of those would lead her to me.

And only me.

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