001 | Action/Accidental Video

[noitatnacni]

[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.}

Comments

[stilldontgotit]

Well, the lack of currency means everything's free, and people are pretty darn courteous about it. You barely ever see people stealing someone else's clothes and items when they pop up.

[And depending on the world, that might seem jarring. After all, plenty would readily take advantage of a lawless world. Riku just isn't one of them.]

As for the wings... consider them an inconvenient side effect from getting dragged in here. And no, you can't get rid of them, so you probably shouldn't try.

[noitatnacni]

There’s no money here? [Yeah, that pretty effectively negated the need for a wallet. The guy even answers her next question before Zatanna can even ask. It’s pretty reassuring, really, to hear that people weren’t jerks just because everything is suddenly free. Zatanna’s seen a bit of that brand of chaos before, and she really doesn’t want to have to deal with that on top of everything else.]

I hadn’t planned on it. The way they’re attached, it’d probably be like trying to pull off my own arm. [Not something that appeals to Zatanna, thanks.] So let me make sure I’ve got everything straight so far: I’ve won an all-expense paid trip to some mysterious place that even includes a brand new set of appendages. Sounds like the vacation I never wanted to take.

Where is here, anyway?

[stilldontgotit]

That's Luceti in a nutshell. One minute you're off, probably dealing with important business back home, the next you're tossed into this bubble and at the complete mercy at the morons running the show.

[He shakes his head, smiling wryly. To him, it's all part of the routine, but he understands that newbies don't have it so easy. Might as well hit all the bullet points as quick as possible.]

As for the where... basically, you're in one of a handful of enclosures run by this Organization called the Malnosso. They didn't bring us to this world, but they do use us as their personal soldiers in lab rats, all under the guise that it's to find a way home.

[noitatnacni]

"Important business" is putting it mildly. [A comment made more to Zatanna herself than to Riku. Her expression grows distant for a moment, as Zatanna thinks back to the team and to her father, who she'd been attempting to save.] For something so horrible, you make it all sound pretty routine.

[Which is a disturbing thought all on its own, even before the guy layers on a few more.]

Wow. Aren't they a bunch of winning personalities? [It's a lot to take in, and Zatanna stares at Riku helplessly, even as she tries to deflect some of her shock with humor.] Taking advantage of whatever did bring us here like that. But you don't seem like you're buying the whole "it's really to help you out" routine.

[stilldontgotit]

Well, I've been here for years. That's given me time to adjust and to see what kinda tricks the Malnosso have up their sleeves. That, and it's kinda hard to believe that manipulating our feelings is our ticket home.

[Among other stunts they've pulled in the past. The love experiment, that one time they endured their worst possible fears... Even the more harmless experiments proved irritating at the very least.]

[noitatnacni]

Years? [Okay, not what Zatanna wants to hear. Maybe a couple of weeks, a month or two, max. But years is way beyond what she wants to believe when it comes to being stuck in this place.]

...Yeah, that makes sense. Since I'm skeptical and I've been here all of what, ten minutes?

[stilldontgotit]

[...Ack. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have dropped that bomb so early on. Wincing, Riku takes a deep breath before he speaks again.]

...For the record, though, I'm kind of in the minority here. I've seen people disappear in a month or less, so you might luck out.

[noitatnacni]

Or I might not. [The damage is already done, and Zatanna folds her arms in front of her, gripping each just above the elbow.] But for people to be gone so long—there has to be others looking for them, right?

[Now including people that would be looking for her, and Zatanna knows some pretty powerful guys.]

[stilldontgotit]

You would think so, but there's a convenient loophole that makes things a bit easier.

[Or maybe a lot, depending on your outlook.]

See, when you do get home, you'll wind up exactly where you left off. It'll be like you never left to begin with.

[noitatnacni]

…So they have no way of knowing we’re gone. [Which inspires mixed feelings to say the least. Zatanna will go back to the moment she left, just after her attempt to save her father—but only when the Malnosso or this world or whatever forces in play decide to send her home.] I don’t know if that makes things better or worse.

[stilldontgotit]

It's one of those half full or half empty scenarios. Sucks not having them around, but some might argue that it's better given all we have to put up with.

[Even he's not completely sure where he stands on the issue. Sometimes he misses all the friends who've left, yet other times an experiment reminds him just how twisted Luceti often becomes.]

[noitatnacni]

Yeah, I can definitely see why most people would be stuck right in the middle with that. [Although she really would like it if the League at least knew to look, it’s clear that isn’t going to happen.] So anything else I should know about now? How about where do people actually go once they get tired of being in the woods?

[stilldontgotit]

Ah, right.

[He chuckles, taking a glance in the village's direction.]

Well, there's a town not too far from here if you don't mind a little more leg work. Probably beats standing around in this weather, anyway.

[noitatnacni]

Well, it’s either that or commit myself to living in the forest wilds. [And since she’s from New York, it’s not hard to decide.] But you’re headed in the opposite direction. Any particular reason why?

[stilldontgotit]

Well, I had plans to do a little training, maybe pull my raft out of the rain before it gets too soggy.

[He really needs to find a better spot for that thing. He's lsot track of the amount of times he's had to replace the sale and even some of the logs.]

It's nothing I can't tackle later, though. Not like the forest's going anywhere fast.

[noitatnacni]

Hey, don't let me keep you. I've got a whole new world to explore anyway. [And Zatanna kind of does want some time to digest everything she's been told.] And the weather probably isn't going to get any better.