Who: Zee & Leliana What: Leliana gives Zee an offer she can technically refuse. When: Last Night - the 26th. Where: Castle Casino Rating/Warnings: Medium, mentions of murder, the usual. Status: Complete!
The show had been a success, razzle dazzle rabbit out of a hat tricks and stage-bright smiles gleaming white, only difference was? The Zatanna she saw when she closed her eyes, after her head hit her pillow, could feel that telltale prickle of magic rolling over her skin; here, it was lacking, and she had dreamed enough to be sensitive to the differences. Given everyone else’s situation she wondered, not for the first time, when she’d be able to incorporate a bit of real sucop sucoh onstage.
Fishnets still on, but underneath a pair of black shorts and a long coat thrown over that, she shook the remnants of glitter from her hair - or tried to, it wasn’t successful - and then set off once she’d wiped a little of the makeup off too. At home, she’d get the rest of it, and now to just pray that her rental car was still in its right spot...
Oh, what have we here? Bright, cobalt eyes caught a glimpse of the woman who had been attending most of her magic acts for, well, what felt like awhile. Zee had taken note of her, even though the woman never said anything. She just...watched. But she was here again, seemingly waiting for the magician to come out of her dressing room? Because as soon as Zatanna shut the door, there she was. How peculiar.
“You stalking me, sugar?” she asked playfully, her voice amused, but husky. Meant for smoky clubs and the back row of theaters. “I’m kinda flattered.”
Might not look like it, but Leliana was actually quite the busy lady. So much dirt on the streets to glean and sort through, so many people to catch up with, so many old acquaintances to keep a careful eye on, because Lord knows the mess they’ve gotten themselves into.
Two particular women were on Leliana’s ‘priority list’ - Cindy, an old favorite from back in the day, and Bela, and old favorite as well, but for different reasons. Pleasantries aside, Bela was as good of a fuck as she was a friend, and she already sniffed at the air of suspiciousness that clouded her.
Leave it to Bela, to fuck dangerous men and ignore the price.
Watching Zee’s act had all been part of her plan, you see - she knew who owned the casino, walked the grounds, memorized the layout (even though she had gotten her hands on the schematics of the architecture already), and was able to pinpoint plenty of little ‘hiding’ spots. Secret doors, secret cameras. But the entertainment was top-notch, and the dark haired lady knew how to pull the crowd in. Beauty and charisma; what a lovely catch.
So when she exited her dressing room, to find the strange redhead awaiting her against the wall, Leliana straightened with a slow clap of hands. “How can I not? You put on such a lovely show. I am also a shameless fan of your wardrobe, if I’m being honest.” Each word carried an accent - the faint traces of French - and the voice was gentle and sweet, an odd fit for someone with hardened eyes. “I don’t think I have introduced myself. I am Leliana. We’ve spoken on Valar.”
“Oh, right, I remember.” Zatanna smiled broadly, and yeah, she supposed she did rock the stilettos in such a way to invoke a certain amount of praise. “You said you’d tell me your name when you came by, and so you’ve delivered.”
Leliana. That flowed easily. It was very nearly poetic.
She pulled her coat around herself, over the tuxedo top she was practically bursting out of. Her talent helped, especially if the real magic began to seep through her pores, but never underestimate the power of a fine pair of assets. “You wanna go for a drink or something?” They could get out of the dregs of the casino, cruel whispers in the corridors and shady men cut from shadows. Zatanna kept her head down when it came to those particular ‘business’ matters.
“As promised!” A beaming face, a devious twinkle in her eye, though the sweet-as-peaches smile remained. Leliana had to get used to the grounds first before she felt like she could make a proper introduction; she liked to be prepared, after all.
Drinking was a divine idea, and with a giggle, Leliana offered her arm as if she was mirroring a gentleman. “I like the way you think. Come now, I don’t bite terribly hard.” Unless she wanted her to, then she could deliver. But right now it was business time and she had plans to buy her a couple of drinks if it made her even contemplate the offer she had in mind. There was a quiet place by the dancers, far back enough to where it was private enough for them to talk without the dangers of eavesdropping, and a cocktail waitress would tend their needs.
Wow, such a chivalrous gesture - color Zatanna officially impressed, and here she thought the concept was dead. She laughed a little, boldly taking the offered arm. “Me neither, well, depending,” she tacked on there with an aura of faux-mysteriousness. Mostly she was kidding. Mostly. “Sometimes I feel like taking a chomp out of something.”
To one of the booths she went, a quiet corner after making a pitstop at the bar - but not for drinks, just for fruit. Yep, Zee was hungry, and she filled a cocktail napkin with orange wedges and cherries before the clack of heels took her and her compatriot to an out of the way place to observe. Good vantage point of the dancers, certainly.
“A glass of red, whatever you have,” she spoke her order to the waitress when she came by. It was getting late and Zee didn’t feel like asking for something too complex. Then she turned back toward Leliana. “So...?” A bite of the cherry, stem twirled elegantly. “You do come here a lot.”
Zee would be marvelous at The Game, Leliana thought, the banter between them awfully easy for two people having met in person for the first time. Her suspicion of Leliana’s frequent appearances was veiled well in tasteful humor and it was sensed easily, and hopefully she would ease that. She seemed like a bright woman and likely had the dreaded inkling of the shadows lurking around, eyes watching and hands everywhere.
A red and a white zin, coming right up! It was only minutes later when the waitress returned with their drinks, setting the glass on paper napkins, and it was when she left that Leliana felt comfortable disregarding small talk.
“I do come here enough, yes.” A swirl of the glass before the first sip. It was flavored sweet and light. “And I’ve made no attempt to keep it a secret, either. You put on a mesmerizing show, but unfortunately I did not come here for your magic tricks alone. Lucky for us, your employer seems a little distracted with outside companies to look inside his very own establishment for a leak.”
It was that kind of conversation, yes, and that sugary smile became a pointed smirk.
Zatanna had heard the whispers about her employer - it was hard not to, given how much time she spent here and how word tended to travel at the speed of light. But the average person out looking for a good time and to gamble didn’t really have any reason to be concerned with it, nor did many of the employees who were simply in it for the paycheck. Truth be told, Zee knew she wouldn’t be here forever - she couldn’t be, not if she hoped to be taking care of Raven on a permanent basis. It wasn’t safe; if she got involved with the wrong shit, she’d end up in a dumpster full of holes. That wasn’t the type of thing someone who was looking to help raise a teenager needed to be doing.
But she also needed to save up a little first. Have some cushion, for when she had another mouth to feed. Once she got her niece away from that dirtbag who called himself a father.
“And so you’re looking to forge that sort of connection?” she inquired, tipping the edge of her glass in Leliana’s direction before taking a sip of the deep, rich red. “I presume you and my employer have history.”
Leliana knew she’d catch on quick. Good thing she was right on the money about this one. Anything suspicious and she would have taken her into a dark corner to slice her neck open to avoid any backlash. Would have been a terrible thing to do, but a necessity. “We do not, actually.” Leliana didn’t know Ganon personally. And he didn’t know her. Maybe under a different game, but he didn’t know Leliana. “A close friend does, however, and she is quite the sucker for a man with a good face.”
And a good dick, but. That was a given.
“I am not asking for much. All I want is someone to keep their eyes and ears open. Someone who doesn’t put themselves in unnecessary risks.” Sounded easy enough, but it was dangerous if Zee saw and heard something she shouldn't have, and someone else under the roof knew about it. “Of course, you will be nicely compensated. This is more of a...part-time job offer, rather than a stranger asking you for a favor.”
Putting herself in some kind of sticky situation, on purpose, taking those risks when there wasn’t really any payoff for her to do so wasn’t going to happen. Zatanna could keep her eyes and ears open, that was for damn sure, but at the same time she could keep her head the fuck down too. There was no need to play the hero or get involved in throwing a lawbook around, because this whole operation? This was beyond her jurisdiction. If it was anything like the rumors suggested, the casino itself was a very small part of the whole ring - it just happened to be a base for whatever-the-hell.
“So you’re concerned about a friend who is a sucker for this particular good face?” She sounded a little incredulous, because that was an interesting reason to seek out a mole but okay, what the hell, why not. She’d bite. “Let’s just say I take you up on it. Not to sound like the Godfather or anything but what sort of protection am I being offered here? Is someone going to have my back or is it a ‘bye bitch, we don’t know each other’ sort of deal if shit hits the fan?”
Asked as she held the orange wedge, teeth sinking into the meat of it. Juice flooded her mouth, as she waited patiently for the answer.
Her concern was reasonable. It was a tricky position to be in, sandwiched between unseen wars behind the scenes. It was a world Leliana had been immersed in for years, and sometimes living ‘normally’ had been lost concept. “You’re right to question. I am asking you to put yourself at a certain degree of risk, though minimal, compared to most. What I do--what I’ve done--is questionable. Politics and government networks are typically more my territory. I wouldn’t normally bother with something like this, but I’m sure we can both agree this place is not normal, and therefore every man in a suit casting the darkest of shadows will be beyond normal.”
Bela wasn’t the only reason she wanted to stick her nose around these parts, but she was a reason to motivate her plenty. It was a hard world for women, no matter where, and she’d stick it out with her old friend. Made sure the dear didn’t get herself into too much trouble.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a legal binding contract that would seal the deal. But you have my word, should you choose to take it. I am not expecting you to give me an answer now. But to...think about it. If you decide not to do it, then all I ask in return is your secrecy. Should you accept and something happen, you’d be relocated and hidden from his radar.” Leliana didn’t take those who worked under her for granted. Unless betrayal was involved, of course, but that should have been a no-brainer.
Zatanna sipped her wine, turning all of this over and under and every which way. She wasn’t some strawberry shortcake, and her head wasn’t filled with idealism - maybe she’d, on certain days, call herself morally ambiguous. However, coming to the OC was about Raven and so her decisions had to be more about Raven too, taking the girl into consideration. Her dream self didn’t crave power but seemed to be soaked in it anyway, and sometimes that involved making tough calls as the woman with the spellcasting and thus racking up the regrets.
It didn’t take a lot of effort to mindwipe someone.
She took care of herself. Did what she had to do. Zee could most definitely keep up with that, but it was nice to know that sugarplum here wasn’t planning on throwing her under the bus.
“I’ll think about it,” she allowed, setting the glass down. “You’re a hell of a friend, honey.” Just a playful observation, as she bit into her next neon red cherry. “Wouldn’t want to be on your bad side but it must be nice being on the good.”
Leliana swirled her blush-pink wine again, staring at the bottom of her glass before blue eyes glanced back up at Zee. She’d at least gotten her to consider the offer, which was the entire point of tonight’s meeting. Should she have accepted it right off the bat, then that would leave Leliana wondering a thing or two about the woman.
“I don’t take my friendships lightly, darling,” she said after a sip, her vessel almost emptied. “They’ve been the only thing keeping my head above water. It is very easy to lose yourself in certain situations.” She had most certainly changed over the years, no doubt about that - hardened like a diamond, able to make the tough calls and commit the necessary evil for those who were too afraid to stain their hands in blood. It wasn’t the easiest thing, and she’d taken the heavy mantle with grace. “Even if you do not accept the offer, I’ll still caution you to be careful around here. It’s a large place. And unfortunately, very easy to disappear in.”
Her head turned to survey the casino, able to pinpoint the regular employees from… those employees. Stances and demeanor were all different, and she knew the tell-tale signs well enough. Then her attention returned to Zee and she resumed that peaches-n-cream smile. “I do have confidence in you, if that helps. You’re no damsel. It’s quite endearing, really.”
A playful wink. Leliana, ever the flirt.
“Never been the damsel, really,” Zee laughed, a bat of mascara-roped lashes, wink returned. “But I get what you’re saying. About potentially losing yourself.” The only person who you should want to change for, to be good for, was your own self - but it didn’t hurt to have anchors all around to sort of help keep you where you needed to be. Zatanna had that in her circus kin and she expected she’d forge even more connections here; she didn’t consider herself infallible, and sometimes she needed a little help getting back to where she needed to be too.
For her next trick! She eyed Leliana over her wine glass, also nearly emptied - and then when the other woman checked, she’d find the small white business card tucked away in between her assets. Bras were such handy storage vessels. “You’ve got my contact info officially now,” Zee grinned. “Even if I’m sure you would have no trouble procuring it otherwise.”
“And it’s still so warm,” Leliana pointed out in an appreciative tone, face softened by a giggle - it made those sharp features go away for a bit, and she didn’t quite look like someone that didn’t have an issue of putting a knife in you. She had the resources to pull immediate information on a whim, but the business card simplified things. It took one more sip for her to finish her glass and she’d taken care of their drinks - setting the cash underneath the stems to keep it in place, the tip more than generous for wine, and then rose from the booth.
An offer of her arm again. “Times are dangerous, and if I’m not correct, I might have interrupted your ‘going home’ routine, no? I’ll take you to your vehicle.”
“A little dangerous,” Zatanna concurred, taking Leliana’s arm. She thought back to her date with Dick Grayson, though they’d managed to come out of it alright - kind of a rush, really, but she wasn’t looking to don the spandex and become a vigilante anytime soon. “I appreciate you escorting me, Ms. Leliana.” She had a feeling that the other woman was the fastest throat slitter in the west, so she felt like she was in good hands.
Her ‘new’ car, the one recommended to her by Bela, was a simple red four-door vehicle, pretty standard and nothing ostentatious. It got Zee to and fro, that was what mattered. And she’d made sure to install an alarm just in case - wasn’t taking any chances again. “Just up ahead, the boring one without the expensive tires.” Oh well!
There was a certain kind of pity Leliana had for the poor soul (or souls) that dared something against them. She never lusted for blood, but she did enjoy the look in their face during the final moments - her eyes being the last thing they ever saw. Those seconds before death is when you truly find out the kind of person someone is.
“I’m sure you’re armed, in case some idiot decided to wrongfully approach you,” she said, brow raised. Zee didn’t seem like the type that walked around without a weapon hiding somewhere (Leliana was fond of skirts and dresses and garters with weaponry as an accent, herself), but should she somehow not have a weapon on her, she was more than happy to remedy that.
But no worries, Zee - Leliana thought your tires were fine and functional, and look, no one slashed them with a knife tonight. It was progress! Ganon did up his security, after all. How sweet of him.
“You’ll get my contact information soon, and…” Leliana seemed to have bounced on her feet a little, almost in a strange excitement. “You can give me your answer when you’re ready. But if you do agree, then there will be a little Tea Room visit with scones in your future.”
Leliana was many things. One of them was a bit of a girly-girl. No regrets.
“I carry pepper spray, though I should probably invest in something a little more heavy duty,” she said, rummaging in her handbag for her car keys. At least it was still here, her cute little car, and she didn’t have to walk to a Chinese takeout joint in her magician’s attire to call a cab. Silver linings and everything.
She was tickled pink at the thought of a tea room too. How did Leliana know that Zee was such a fan of the stuff? Psychic moment. And maybe Miss Zatara was a bit of a girly girl herself, somewhere, beyond the sex appeal fishnets, red heels, red lipstick, killer smile.
“That sounds great to me. We’ll be in touch soon.” Leliana had given her quite a bit to think about, after all. It would take some pondering and maybe, just maybe, a consultation with those tarot cards. While she considered them more of a prediction and not a determination, it still never hurt to consider all angles. Good thing she was flexible.