[radio]

[backwordscompatible]

[A few days after this conversation took place, Zatanna chose to make a rare public appearance on the radio network.  She would have used the public consoles, if the subject wasn't too delicate for certain ears:]

Okay, so...I have an idea.

[Fair warning, at this moment, it was a fairly terrible plan.  And almost certainly won't work.  Unless it does.]

Remember that Vision we all had a couple of days ago?  [Rhetorical question.  Of course they did.]  Well, it got me thinking.  What if Tu Vishan really is still alive, only...trapped?  Buried within his own mind so deep that he wasn't able to reach out to us until we went looking for him.

So let's look.  Magically, I mean.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that...if you have any magical abilities whatsoever, would you be down to try something with me?  It's not too dangerous.  Probably.

Comments

[wrathfulkhan]

I'm making a habit of volunteering for these things...

[backwordscompatible]

Then I would be happy to enable that habit of yours.

What is it you can do, exactly?

[She wasn't going to turn down help, no matter how much or how little it might contribute. At worst, the more bodies present, the more physical support she had. Which could be useful if things take a turn for the worst-case scenario....]

[wrathfulkhan]

Pretty much anything that's needed. Support, security, glorified battery too, probably.

private;

I might be able to help you look, too. I was able to help Vergil break out of a prison in his mind. Not sure if that'd be helpful.

[redlightgreenlight]

[Her voice is quiet, but sounds stronger than in their previous conversation.]

You already know my answer to this.

[backwordscompatible]

Yeah. I do.

[In some ways, Valdis was as much responsible for this whole idea coming into fruition as she was. Maybe she didn't initially suggest it, but she had been the one to tap into Asti's mind in the first place. And she'd shown nothing but support for Zatanna since.]

...how are you feeling, by the way? You sound better.

[redlightgreenlight]

I feel better...It takes time...especially when you can feel as well as see what is happening.

[Especially when the people you are with see it as well and react emotionally, not that she blamed anyone.]

[ruinsprofessor]

[Raine hadn't quite considered this before, but Zatanna has a point that can't be ignored. And it's something constructive to do apart from her usual routine, something else to build over the twin negatives of her departed brother and the vision of the turtles.]

What did you have in mind, exactly?

There's an arte I know that usually I would say could help, but Tu Vishan is rather larger a scale than I usually deal with.

[backwordscompatible]

[There was a reason she had kept things honest, but vague; biting her lip, she leaned forward. Resting the weight of her upper body on the platform directly in front of her. Blowing some of the hair from her eyes before she turned back to the radio.]

What arte?

[Just because it was her idea didn't mean she had to be the one with all the ideas; if there was anybody else who knew something about this sort of magic, she would be all ears.]

[ruinsprofessor]

It's called Resurrection.

[A wry little smile. The irony is not lost on her.]

A misnomer, but the name the creator gave it. In essence, it resets any being's mana to its original state, clearing any irregularities.

[Wait, terminology.]

Mana, for my world, is... about halfway between life-force and soul. Nothing can live without it, but each person's is unique to them and fundamentally intertwined with their existence.

There's a lot it can do. Back when the taint was a factor, I could use Resurrection to cleanse it, provided it was within a few minutes. Most relevantly, Resurrection can typically wake those who have been rendered unnaturally unconscious.

[On this scale, though? ... who knows.]

[edgeoftheknife]

[Despite the seriousness of the subject, there's laughter in his voice]

"Probably"?

[backwordscompatible]

[She almost laughed back, if she hadn't still been a little too nervous at the idea of heading up such a huge gamble.]

Hey, if you're looking for guarantees and absolute certainties, you're in the wrong Arts.

They call them Mystic for a reason.

[deadclumsy]

There's not way this can go wrong, right?

[Right!]

I don't have any investment in Tu Vishan's situation, but you seem like a nice girl. I'll lend a hand.

[backwordscompatible]

[She did hear the part where Zatanna mentioned "probably", didn't she?]

Oh, good. I have you fooled. [Joking aside...] Thanks. Though, if I were you, I might reconsider the whole investment thing.

Until you get sent back, you're living here too, you know.

[radiantwingedone]

... I can help provide power. Unlikely to be of much use otherwise... [ This was both something he's never thought of as possible, and him playing down his magic. ]

[backwordscompatible]

[She wasn't familiar with the voice. Had no idea if he was playing down his abilities, simply being modest for modesty's sake, or if he genuinely wasn't sure if that was all he could offer.]

Power is good. We like power.

The more power we can throw into the spell, the better chance we have of it succeeding.

[skeletonenigma]

What are you planning?

[backwordscompatible]

[Again, she thought she had explained that part. ...albeit a bit vaguely.]

Exactly what I said.

A spell to see if there's a larger spell being held over Asti. It's not as crazy as it sounds, I promise; I've done it before. Just...on a...much smaller scale.

[gathersnomoss]

What exactly are you going to do?

[Zelgadis still remembers that one time Zatanna's magic mishaps caused a massive problem]

[backwordscompatible]

[ONE TIME, PEOPLE. IT WAS ONE TIME. And she did fix it. A week later.]

Hopefully?

Figure out a way to get Asti back.

[wintershepherd]

You know I'll help any way I can.

[backwordscompatible]

[Her eyes softened, even though he wouldn't be able to see over the radio. Though he could have come tell her in person, and he would've received the same reaction.]

I know.

I've always been able to count on you.

[readytopayit]

If you think it's doable, I'd say it's worth a shot. Any magic abilities will suffice?

[backwordscompatible]

[Hello again.]

I think it has the possibility of being doable. [That was close enough, right?] At this point, I'm taking any help I can get. What exactly can you do?

[peacefullywreathed]

If you wanted to lure more people in, adding the 'probably' on the end was a mistake.

[But he sounds amused.]

[backwordscompatible]

Would you rather I lie?

[So she was new at this whole taking charge of a mission thing. She was slowly learning.]