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

[Katara had to laugh. She pointed up with her free hand.] Water?

[And then she exaggerated the movement of her other hand, sending it down in a exaggerated swish. It hit the pavement with a definite sound.] Bending.

[She shrugged.] I'm a waterbender. My name is Katara. What's yours?

Have to say, that's a pretty effective demonstration. [Simple, easy to follow, and gets the point across. To Zatanna's eyes it looks like elemental manipulation, but she's not really sensing anything mystical from Katara. Huh.]

Zatanna. Nice to meet you, Katara. Are you new around here too?

Well... [Katara glanced up at the sky, smiling.] the rain makes it easy.

[Although Zatana may note the fact that Katara wears a waterskin on her back, strapped over her chest so it rests between her wings. Also of note might be the fact that the other girl's style of dress doesn't exactly reflect a fashion sense that's... earthly. Everything is covered, and she wears a skirt with slits down the side over her pants. Also? It all seems to be in shades of blue and gray.

A shadow crosses Katara's otherwise cheerful expression at Zatana's question.]

No, I've been here a little over three years. But don't be too surprised if you meet other New Feathers as well - it looks like the season's just started.

You mean because you have water to bend? [Zatanna follows Katara's gaze upward, shrugging a shoulder.] I guess that makes sense. I can't use magic if I don't have the energy for it.

[While Zatanna definitely notices the clothes, it's not really too extreme or unusual for her. She spends most of her time around superheroes, including aliens and robots. The color scheme strikes her a little less than the conservative nature, but different strokes, right?

Although her dad would probably approve of Zatanna wearing outfits more like Katara's in general...]

Wait...three years? [There's a few things Zatanna needs to wrap her mind around in that sentence, and the length of time Katara's apparently been trapped hits her first.] And what's a New Feather? Other than seasonal, apparently.

Yes. It's hard to believe it's been that long. [Most of the friends that she made when she first arrived are long gone, or replaced by people with ther names who don't remember her.] A lot's changed since then. Including the New Feather seasons - they used to be every month, now they're every two months. It's when new feathers [she gestures to Zatana's wings] show up in the enclosure. We're not sure if that's just when people arrive here from their worlds, or if the Malnosso keep them somewhere and then release them into the enclosures on a schedule. Our new wings are native to this world, after all, but the tattoos aren't.

No kidding. [Zatanna really doesn't want to think of being trapped in whatever place this is for so long, especially not when it means she could be away from her father for years. It's been hard seeing him as Fate for a couple of months--

She shakes her head.] How can you stand it? Knowing you've been gone from your world for so long?

[There's more though, and Zatanna turns her head, stretching her wings when Katara points to them.] Right. New feathers. [So that makes sense. She's keeping up with the rest, although when Katara gets to that last bit?]

Tattoo? What tattoo?

[There was the question of which question was most important, and it was a difficult one for her to answer in this case.

Katara's brow came together.] Well, I guess you stand it the only way you can stand anything. I hold on to the hope that we'll get back, and I won't let anything put that out. But it helps that my brother is here, and many of my friends have come here as well. When I think about going home, I'm a little sad that I'll forget all my experiences here, and the wonderful people that I've met, but... part of me is relieved too. It's possible to know too much about your future, and not everything in Luceti has been very pleasant. That's part of what I mean with the tattoo. [Katara put her hand on the back of her neck.] We all have one. They're some kind of identification system, since our main purpose in the enclosure is as experimental subjects.

[Somewhere along the way Zatanna does realize that she’s asking a lot, and probably pretty personal things too.] Sorry; I shouldn’t have blurted that out like that. [But Katara is nice enough to still answer anyway, and it’s kind of nice to hear that someone who has been here so long can still hold out hope—even if three years seems like an impossibly long time.]

Yeah; friends can definitely get you through a lot. [Not that Zatanna’s run into any of her own just yet.] Is it awful to say I kind of hope I’ll run into someone I already know too?

[She thinks it might be. From what she’s heard and what Katara talks about then, things like learning about the future somehow, and experiments, and just being stuck away from home—it feels wrong to wish that on anyone, even indirectly.

So Zatanna focuses on the tattoo. Her hand comes up like Katara’s does, covering the back of her neck as she groans.] Great. You know, I kind of thought about getting a tattoo, but this is definitely not what I had in mind.

[Katara gives Zatanna a sympathetic look at the mention of the tattoo.]

It's not awful. [More and more of her friends have gone home lately. She was happy for them, but it still left a hole inside.] It's normal. There's a lot about this place that's really strange and unfamiliar and... unpleasant. Having someone from your world around can really help you get through, even if you would rather that no one had to go through it. What are the names of some of your friends?

[She’s really glad that Katara does understand, because Zatanna’s having to fight off a bit of guilt over it. It feels a lot like wishing the worst for the people she cares about, which is the opposite of what she wants for them. Still, she can’t help but hope a bit to, even if Katara’s question is a little tricky to answer.]

Well, I’ve got a few of them. [And they almost all have code names. Zatanna hesitates as she tries to decide whether to go with the superhero identities or the normal ones, although there are a couple of people she can ask about right away.] Robin and Artemis are about my age, if you know either of them?

I... actually know a few people who call themselves Robin. But they're... kind of cagey.

That doesn't rule them out. The one I know is a little shorter than I am, and goes around wearing a domino or sunglasses all the time. He wouldn't be upfront about what his real name is either; it's kind of a long story, but he has to keep it secret.

[Or a short story if she's heard of Batman; then because he says so would sum it up nicely.]

[Please hold.]

A domino?

Yeah. It’s a mask that covers the eyes and a bit of the face surrounding them. [She outlines the area where it would go on her own face.]

Oh. [Katara blinks.] Yes, they both do that, actually.

...Wait. Both?

[Two Robins who wear dominos? This is starting to get weird in a whole new way.]

Do either of them go around wearing a cape? And an "R" on their chest, over their hearts?

Yes, they both do. [Katara nods, then tilts her head.] Did anyone explain to you about the world copies here?

The look of confusion on my face is probably going to answer your question. [Because Zatanna does indeed seem very lost when she starts talking about world copies.] Just what do you mean?

Well, if you know a Robin, then you're probably from an Earth. But I know at least fifty people from Earths. Some of them share the same common knowledge, some of them just share geography. Some of them have everything the same, some of them have just one or two things that are different. [Katara's eyes were compassionate.] So there might be two Robins here, but it's possible that neither one of them could be the Robin you know - just a lot like him.

Edited 2013-05-19 02:55 (UTC)

Oh. [That…Zatanna’s not sure how to take that. She looks off into the distance, her hold on the umbrella tightening as she tries to reconcile that notion. Not the Robin she knows, but similar. A slightly off copy of the guy she might have been considering—]

I guess I’ll find out when I meet them. [No point in zoning out over it. Maybe one of them would turn out to be the one from her version of the world. Zatanna works up a pretty good smile, even if it doesn’t quite hit genuine.] Thanks for the heads up.

"No problem," Katara said gently, knowing how strange that concept was. She had been more sensitive to what the news of different and similar worlds and timelines could mean after finding out her entire life laid out in front of her like a map. "Anything else that you want to know while I'm here? I know there's a lot to get used to."

"Yeah, there is. I think I'm good for now." Zatanna's heard other things along the way, and she's still trying to let most of them settle in her mind. Of course she knows it's all stuff she needs to learn, but could anyone blame her for trying to space it out a bit?

"Thanks for all the help though. I appreciate it."

"No problem," Katara smiled. "If you have any other questions, feel free to stop by the Welcome Center at any time. We usually have someone there. And Haruhi started a kind of... open door for people who just want to talk. Haruhi's... a little strange sometimes, but she's been here for a long time."

“Huh. Guess this whole New Feather thing really must be regular.” If they have a place called the Welcome Center, anyway. But it’s good to know, and Zatanna nodded—at least up until the part where she mentioned the open door bit.

“That sounds a lot like counseling.” Not that Zatanna’s knocking it; it does a lot of good for people who need it. She just doesn’t want to be one of the people needing it. Not on her very first day there or anything.

"Every two months," Katara said with a nod. "And I think that is what Haruhi calls it. You never know when it might be good to have someone to talk to. Things can get pretty strange around here," she added with a smile. "But don't worry - everyone's in this together."

(no subject)

noitatnacni - 2013-05-26 20:55 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

markofthebrave - 2013-05-28 02:25 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only