noitatnacni | 001 | Action/Accidental Video

001 | Action/Accidental Video

[So, being rained on in the woods makes it pretty clear she's not on the Watchtower anymore. There's a few possibilities: she remembers flying back with the force of Fate rejecting her spell, so maybe she hit her head. Or maybe it's some illusion caused by the rebound. A very real illusion, as she can feel her whole body ache as she sits up. But there's no way she's not hallucinating this.]

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in outer space anymore. [She mumbles the words to herself, unaware that anyone might be listening. The journal has gone beyond notice, though it's been silently broadcasting the scene since a minute or so before Zatana woke. Thankfully she's close enough to a tree that the rain falling on her is light enough to not be too much of a concern. Instead her eyes have wandered downward, taking in her change of clothing with a frown.]

Oh you've got to be kidding me. [Zatanna tugs at the collar of the dress she wears, clearly displeased by the slip.] Yeah, this has to go. Emit ot egnahc sehtolc!

[She lifts her hands over her head as she speaks the words, and seconds later a cloud of smoke flows up the same path to cover Zatanna completely. It doesn't last long, vanishing within moments to reveal the girl now wearing an outfit better suited for a magician. For some reason though, it makes the pain in her back worse, and her jacket feels far too tight. She shifts where she sits for a moment before shrugging off the outermost layer to reveal a pair of grey wings.]

What in the--?! [Zatanna gasps, eyes wide as she takes in the sight of the appendages now attached to her. Actually attached; they move when she thinks of moving them, and she feels it when she touches them.] Great. A fake world with bad taste in clothing and accessories. Just what I needed.

[She takes another look at the jacket, slowly shaking her head.] At least I've still got my magic. Dda seloh rof sgniw! [After another cloud puff, this only only around the jacket, she slides the coat back on--gingerly, since the wings still hurt.

She makes her way to her feet then, determined to find out what's going on. Hopefully exploring will give her the answers she needs to get back. If she's lucky, maybe she'd wake up and find out there could still be a chance to thwart Fate.

The only place she ends up, however, is in Luceti proper. With the advice of a few good samaritans in mind, Zatanna changes into something a little less battling-bad-guys ready using the same method as before. Not that the rain makes exploring easy, but there's not really much avoiding it. Luckily summoning an umbrella is easy enough to do, and gives her adequate cover as she wanders pretty much everywhere public, just trying to get some idea for where she is.]

{ooc: open action or voice to any; Zatanna will be looking around randomly, so feel free to catch her anywhere.}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Laughable to him, violating the rules of magic as she knows them to her. Maybe Billy hadn't been that far off when he said she wouldn't believe him after all.]

You know, normally I'm all for bending the rules--but I think breaking reality is stretching it even for me. [Zatanna puts a hand to her head, just needing a second to absorb this.] Do they at least still have to concentrate? It'd be bad if people could access magic without even having to think about it.

[Because Zatanna's seen the chaos that can happen when someone uses magic irresponsibly. Knowing that there has to at least be some focus and intent behind it would be pretty comforting just then.]

Oh god, yeah. Trust me, I need my own kind of spellcasting to do the big stuff- summoning umbrellas or changing clothes is fine, but I don't think I'd ever try a teleport without chanting.

[It may be a simplified version - compared to talking backwards, anyway - but it's definitely still chanting.]

...You can teleport. And you're still training.

[Guess what falls on Zatanna's "abilities I can't do even though I grew up with magic" list? So in summary, she's run into a kid who doesn't look much older than her with really strong magical power, because even if what Billy's said before is true? He's got skills beyond hers, different universes or not.

It leaves her with a less than pleasant thought, however, and she gives Billy a once-over.] And you're also still stuck here.

Um. Yes? I'm a reality warper.

[Which is a less-bragging version of saying "I do whatever I want".

...Crap. This isn't coming out right at all.]

Magic... doesn't really have that much effect on the barrier keeping us here. As far as I know, nothing does.

A reality warper. As in "warps reality." In training.

[Congratulations, Billy. Zatanna's just decided she's going to have to keep an eye on you. Knowing there's someone with that sort of power walking around isn't exactly comforting.] Should I ask who your teacher is, or is that just going to make things worse?

[Granted, being from a different universe he probably won't say "Klarion" or any other name from the roster of evil immortal sorcerers, but Zatanna's not going to hold out too much hope.]

Hence everyone being stuck. [She sighs softly, glancing off to one side.] And I don't suppose saying that I was in the middle of something really important to the powers that be changes that at all.

Ah... everyone starts somewhere, right...? And I don't really have an official teacher. I'm just learning as I go. [....] It's fine, though! Really. I'm not reckless with it. [Mostly.] Haven't managed to implode the universe or anything.

[......

Goddammit, Kaplan.

MOVING ON.]

Anyway, you can try shaking your fist at the sky, yelling, and hoping for the best, but I seriously doubt it'll get you anywhere.

Somewhere, sure. Being able to bend the fabric of reality? Not so much.

[But strangely enough, hearing Billy verbally trip over himself actually does make Zatanna feel better. He's clearly trying really hard, and it's not his fault he's got access to so much power. Hopefully his control over magic is just a bit more stable than his attempts at convincing her of it.]

Next time? You might want to phrase that in a way that doesn't leave so much room for a "yet."

[Just saying.]

I'm sure plenty of other people have tried that already anyway. I was thinking of taking more of an adorable puppy eyes approach.

Wh- oh my god. I think you're seriously overestimating how much power I have. The biggest thing I've done with it is like, rearrange my apartment.

[And create a pocket dimension in order to teleport people who didn't exist anywhere but HEY he's definitely not going to mention that, with her questioning him like this.

Still, she's sort of smiling now. Almost. He has to be improving a little.]

Puppy eyes might do it, but you'll excuse me if I don't hold my breath...

Hey, you're the self-described reality warper. That does have certain implications to it.

[Yeah, no. Not the best thing to bring up right now.

But he is winning her over, at least in terms of personality. So far as that goes, Billy's completely different from Klarion.]

Aren't you the skeptic? [Although Zatanna's teasing at this point; she doesn't seriously expect a little adorable pleading to work any better than the other attempts people have probably made.] But assuming I am stuck here, just what is there to do?

[Yeah, okay, maybe he'll just try to steer the subject away from the whole reality-bending thing. He doesn't see it as that different from magic because it's normal for him, but he can see why it could make anyone else a little wary.]

Ah... that's a question you'd get a different answer for depending on who you ask. Besides the whole concept of the place, it's not bad to live here. Even if it is way too quiet for a New Yorker.

[It’s not Billy’s fault, really. It’s just that neither of the two forces she’s met with that kind of power left good impressions on Zatanna. Klarion is chaos personified, which is bad enough, but Nabu—Nabu stole her father away.

Still, it’s not really that comfortable of a topic for either of them, so she doesn’t press when he lets it drop. Instead she takes a look around the village—definitely not what she’s used to—then turns back to Billy.] It does seem pretty rustic. Kind of like something you’d see in a painting. So you’re from New York?

[He makes a mental note to come up with better ways to explain his magic to other people. Oi.]

Um, yeah. Manhattan, Upper West Side, if you know the area. basically the opposite of this.

Oh yeah. I lived there most of my life, although now I'm in staying in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. [Except Zatanna catches herself.] Well, not now, but you get the idea.

[Eeeee Happy Harbor, Mount Justice, cool fictional places, eeeeee]

Yeah, I hear you. Every once in a while I catch myself calling this place home. Kind of stings, but you get used to it.

No offense? But I’m kind of hoping I won’t be around here that long. [Although yeah, clearly there’s no way of controlling it. Zatanna sighs quietly, but rather than let herself get down, she turns back to Billy.] So what is there to do around here for a bored New Yorkers with magic at their disposal?

Well, uh. Mostly I go to school.

[He is only seventeen, after all.]

Besides that, though- or rather, specifically for magic users? I do a lot of practice, figuring out my powers. There's a training facility just south of here, and it pretty much works like a Holodeck, so you can recreate any scenario you want. Or do like I do and make it into a movie theater, because this place is seriously lacking in modern entertainment.

...Of course. Because who would use being in an alternate universe as an excuse for an extended summer vacation or something?

[Hey, Zatanna's only fourteen, and school is definitely not the first thing on her mind.]

Okay, so let me make sure I've got this right. They have something straight out of a sci-fi series, but instead of cell phones they're using books.

Okay, you got me there. But if you stay here long enough you kind of learn to appreciate what reminds you of home. At least, that's how it was for me.

[He did arrive near the summer, so there were a few months of shameless skipping.]

...Aaaand yeah. Even I don't have an explanation for the journals. On the flipside- magic books, right?

[She has to think about that for a second. Maybe it’s because every reminder of home she’s had in the past two months has made her sad, but Zatanna doesn’t know if she could ever feel that way herself. Still, it makes sense too—Zatanna had put up all the same posters in her room at Mt. Justice.]

I think I get it. Still don’t know if I’m eager to hop on board the going to school train, though. We were in the middle of winter break back home.

[Zatanna takes another look at the journal, then nods.] Magic books. And they seem pretty harmless. Guess it’s the archaic cell phone my dad would never let me have.

Well, it's almost summer break here anyway. And it's not like the truancy officer's going to come around. Honestly, I didn't go when I first got here, either.

[Though it was nearly summer for him, as well. September had felt like a better time to start after he'd experienced the weird sensation of missing it.]

You weren't allowed to have a cell? That's just tragic. I've even got one here.

Really? [Sure, Zatanna’s noticed it’s warm, but summer? She looks around, shaking her head.] It was New Year’s Eve a few hours ago for me. So what day is it here?

[When he admits that he skipped out at first too, she grins.] So you’re not entirely hopeless? Good to know.

[But then she groans.] Don’t get me started. My dad was bound and determined to make me wait until I was eighteen. Four more years. Isn’t that insane?

Today's the first of May. And I'm not... usually hopeless. Whatever verdict you might get from the general public.

[His boyfriend might think otherwise, eh-heh.]

It's kind of insane, yeah. I'd go crazy without my phone back home- I need unlimited texting in my life.

Wow. Four months, just like that. [Zatanna shakes her head, still finding a little hard to believe.] Crazy.

[Teasing Billy helps take the edge off, at least.] I don’t know. Public opinion can be pretty convincing. Is there any other gossip I shouldn’t listen too?

[He’s got a cell phone with unlimited texting? Oh that’s just not fair.] Man, I am so jealous.

Mm... some of the stuff people know about our oh-so-generous captors is wrong, I think. There's a laptop in the tunnels that can summarize everything we know. Or at least what's more or less confirmed. Going from personal experience, they're not all bad. But your mileage may vary when it comes to that.

[He can only go by the fact that hey, helping them out occasionally gets him stuff, so someone's doing things right upstairs. Then again, there's their treatment on the drafts...]

Yeah, well. I really don’t think I’ll be holding my breath waiting for the decent side to show up. [Because so far Zatanna’s heard a lot of bad, although yeah, some people have tempered it. She’s definitely interested in this laptop, however.] So if someone wanted to check out the tunnels, how would they get there?

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