[closed]

[wroughtiron]

Characters: An NPC (wroughtiron), Annabeth Chase (sophos), Hellboy (histruename), the Doctor (iwaspromisedtea) and Zatanna Zatara (backwordscompatible)
Date: November 25/28th.
Location: The Mainland.
Situation: These characters are tracked down by an NPC and given some information, as well as asked a few things in return. Individual scenarios are in the main body of the post itself.
Warnings/Rating: Shouldn't stray much above pg-13, but if it does I'll let you know.

Comments

[wroughtiron]

Cast a spell, love.

[She's beaming! Ugh this is exciting she is excited. Magic users! Yay!]

[backwordscompatible]

But I can't--

[...oh.]

[Oh.]

[Zatanna thinks for a moment, before closing her eyes and muttering a few words under her breath. The familiar sensation of smoke swirling around her takes over, and when she opens her eyes...she's changed into her battle uniform once more.]

[wroughtiron]

See? That's what I mean by drawing power. It doesn't hurt the turtle any. Not even a mosquito sting. It doesn't last, of course. But it should carry you for twenty-four hours or so. I'm not sure how compatible it'll be with your particular type of magic, and it's hardly a precise art.

[Which she knows all too well.]

[backwordscompatible]

[The pieces start to fall into place]

So...it's not that being on the mainland takes away our powers. It's the turtle gives us power.

[Her smile falters, however, as she thinks of something.]

But...my dad always told me that our magic came from within. Or does the turtle just restore what we lost by coming here?

[wroughtiron]

That sounds about the size of it. I'd guess it's probably one of the effects of the summoning. But I can't know for sure without seeing the spell she's using to bring people in. It's delicate work, obviously.

[And hard to duplicate. Eva's only ever managed inanimate objects.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Zatanna goes into focus mode. Trying hard to think back to her studies.]

There are any number of things it could be. Even where I'm from, magic came in all different forms. Different way to cast spells, different power sources.

[wroughtiron]

[She listens, rapt. She's never really had anyone to talk about this with, so it's a nice change of pace.]

Any theories?

[backwordscompatible]

[Her lips press tightly together. Brows, furrowed. Eyes nearly glazed over as she tries to think back. Make a connection of any kind. But the problem wasn't that she couldn't think of anything; the problem was that she could think of too many.]

...I'm sorry.

Magic could be different here. And even if it's not, I couldn't even begin to guess without seeing the ritual she uses for myself.

[wroughtiron]

[Her sigh is only a little disappointed.]

That's fair, I suppose.

[backwordscompatible]

[It was enough for her to feel a little guilty]

Sorry.

I'm pretty useless right now, aren't I?

[wroughtiron]

I didn't say that.

[She frowns a little at the self-deprecation.]

I'm pretty sure no one's asking you to go up against the most powerful person on Konryu all by your onesies, girl.

[backwordscompatible]

[She gives a half-hearted shrug.]

Yeah, I know.

[wroughtiron]

Would you help? If you could?

[There's not much hope to her tone but there is a very faint bit of it in her expression.]

[backwordscompatible]

If the Emperor's really doing all those things you said? [No offense, but at this time, all she really has if your word.] Of course.

[wroughtiron]

I don't have much to prove it.

[She chews on the inside of her cheek, and then seems to decide something.]

There is something I could do. Or... show you. Something that the Emperor's done.

[backwordscompatible]

[She sits up a little straighter. Interest piqued and attention captured.]

What is it?

[wroughtiron]

[Almost hesitantly, she rummages through her bag a second time. This time, she comes up with a small pendant charm which she holds out after a moment. She seems reluctant to part with it.

The object itself hums with faint, finely-tuned magic. It's obviously enspelled.]

When you get back to Tu Vishan, this... might come in handy. I'm not going to tell you what it does, so don't ask. If you're half the magician you think you are, you'll figure it out.

[She huffs a bit.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Zatanna could easily sense the subtle power radiating from the charm. But aside from that, she had no idea what it was.]

Why do I feel like I'm being tested?

[wroughtiron]

Because you are.

[Eva wrinkles her nose.]

Because if I'm going to ask you to help me spy on the Emperor, I'm going to damn well make sure you have half a brain in your head to do it with.

[So there.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Spy on the Emperor. Sure, Zatanna said she'd be willing to help if there was any way she could...but when it was spelled so out in the open like that, the hesitation in her eyes become a little clearer. For several reasons, each more worrisome than the last.]

[Not that she was backing down.]

[She focused instead on the charm. Turning it over in her hands, reverting to every basic bit of knowledge she had been taught in an effort to identity it.]

It has power. [The simplest of them all. Normally something that went without saying, except for one important detail:] But if it had been charmed by someone remotely, it shouldn't work like this, here, right? So that must mean its power is self-sustaining.

[She took a moment to run her fingers over the intricate carvings] Look like...water? Waves and rivers or streams. [It could've been a red herring, but an innate magic object with obvious designs on it] ...could its power be elemental in nature?

[wroughtiron]

[Eva nods encouragingly.]

You're on the right track, love.

[Technically, it protects the wearer from being underwater. Nullifies the need to breathe (that part she's fuzzy on, but it has something to do with scientific modification of the individual modification of molecules in the water) and allows the body to withstand the massive pressure of being a ways under the ocean.

Fancy? No. But functional, you can bet your ass.]

[backwordscompatible]

[All things she will discover after her first testing. She had the water hint. It was simply a matter of attempting to use its power around the element and see what happened.]

[Once she was certain a physical exam would yield no more information, however, Zatanna looked back up again.]

But...I mean, how exactly am I supposed to find you again? If magic doesn't work all the way out here, I'd basically be searching blind.

[wroughtiron]

Oh, that's the easy part. Here.

[She flips a small, cellphone like device out of her bag and into her hand.]

I've got tonnes of these. They're all biomechanical, same as the facilities on Tu Vishan. People used to use them to communicate way back when, I guess. But they can call from one to another as long as they're charged.

[Yes she has discovered the Modern Cellphone. Excuse her ramblings, Zee.]

Regular tech doesn't work too hot out here, but the biomechanical stuff is a little hardier. I've got plenty back at the cave.

[backwordscompatible]

[Zatanna could start up a collection of communication devices; she was already starting to lose count of how many she'd gathered.]

I'm guessing this is another one of those things the Emperor can't find out about under any circumstances.

[No telling how distinct this particular cellphone could be.]

I'll keep it hidden.

[wroughtiron]

No need. It's salvage, remember?

[Her grin is just the tiniest bit smug. She likes the idea of outwitting the Emperor, okay.]