tushanshu | [CONSOLE] VIDEO

[If it hadn't been for the urgency of what she'd discovered, Zatanna might have stayed away from the Network for a few days. Granted, those jerks had snuck up on her, attacking from behind before she could ever get a decent look, but she was the daughter of Giovanni Zatara, and a trained fighter in her own right. With magic. She should've been able to take a couple of street thugs without breaking a sweat.]

[Well, not only had sweat been broken, but there was a bruise on her forehead where she'd hit the ground, and the wrist that normally carried her bracelet--which had been moved to the opposite arm--was pressed firmly against her chest. Wrapped tightly in bandages. As if even the slightest movement caused her pain.]

[Needless to say, she didn't look particularly happy.]

[Worried, yes. Her weight occasionally shifting in her seat, lips pressed together in between sentences. Face slightly pale.]

[This was about more than just getting ambushed. Much, much more.]

Something's wrong.

[Stating the obvious, or what she thought was the obvious. From the furrow in her brow, even Zatanna wasn't quite sure. A glance down at her unsprained wrist, where the glimmer of her soul jewel could just barely be seen on the console screen.]

My--I was attacked too. They caught me by surprise--don't ask. [That part, she really didn't want to talk about] But the weirdest part was that, I went back this afternoon and found my bracelet again. Right where they'd gotten me.

Only...I can't explain it...I didn't even notice at first, but the longer I've had it on...

[She didn't even know how to explain it to people who didn't carry a natural affinity for magic. Who couldn't sense what she was sensing. Part of her still wasn't even sure she wasn't being paranoid. Reacting to the attack. Maybe it was nothing. She couldn't be sure. And she couldn't just sit by and do nothing. What if she was right?]

Anybody who's been attacked in the last few days? Check your soul gems. If you don't know how, find somebody who does. Especially if they were out of your sight for more than a minute.

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[She didn't have an answer to that one, so she could only shrug.]

[In response to his latter question, however, she simply held up her wrist. Jack had an affinity for magic, basically surviving off the stuff--as they both had been more painfully aware of at times in the past that others--and she knew he could occasionally sense things. Whether or not he would notice the change in her gem, she couldn't be sure.]

It feels...darker, somehow, I guess. Like the alignment's off.

[Extending her arm fully, she offered the bracelet. Out of anyone on the Turtle, she would trust Jack with her soul gem, should he choose to take it off for a closer inspection.]

Do you feel anything?

It does feel... different.

[ Jack slides it from her wrist and turns it over in his hands, knowing that this very short removal from her person won't affect her. ]

It feels... like something's crowding out everything that makes it feel like you.

[There was no pain or weariness or nausea or anything she wasn't already feeling. It was as if she were still wearing the bracelet. Her chin came to rest lightly upon his arm, watching him handle it carefully as she listened to him confirming what she already knew.]

The soul inside is still in-tact. Valdis confirmed it for me. It's just the gem.

[Not that that was much comfort, considering the gem was what was holding her soul.]

Well, [ an attempt at levity ] I guess that's good, since I wouldn't know how to begin looking for a lost soul.

[She didn't laugh, but the moment definitely didn't feel as tense as it otherwise could have.]

Posters might be kind of hard to manage, too.

Just imagine. "MISSING: ONE SOUL Looks like...uh...a soul?"

Could be worse! You could be listing it on the Keeliai version of Craigslist. Can you imagine the scammers we'd have knocking on the door?

Should I even bother pointing out that we live at the Welcome Center? People don't knock. They just walk in.

[Admittedly, not the greatest security system out there. The only reasons she wasn't more worried was because of the protection wards in place.]

We at least lock the house part of the Center...

Edited 2015-06-19 01:01 (UTC)

...true.

I know I still lock my door at night. Old habit back from the days when fear of prank retaliation was still a thing.

[There were some days she really missed Tim and company. Good friends. Excellent prankster sports.]

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