Who: Zee & Leli What: Zee shows off what's there of the underground laaaaaaaaaaaaair of magic. When: Tonight? Recent. Things. Tonight, then. Where: THE LAAAAAAAAAIR. Rating/Warnings: F for flirting, shameless amounts of it. Status: Complete!
With the training space, Zatanna wanted something sturdy. Something that could take the damage surely inflicted upon it. But for the laaaaair (it was better when you drew out the word), she wanted a place that was hidden, getting to it meaning that it required a trek down a spiral staircase - and with the hatch sealed above, on the floor, no one would be the wiser. She wanted something that wasn’t dank, dreary, or made you feel like you were a rabbit trapped in a warren. The end result was a pretty amazing space carved from granite, with all the adornments of any James Bond situation.
A floating conference room decked out in designer furniture connected to what would be a library by a glass bridge, the walls decorated with green plants and solar lighting and humidifiers to help regulate the temperature. She really liked it, and couldn’t wait to begin having regular meetings here and getting into the groove of the magic business. Plus, she’d even thought of quitting at the casino and doing her own show now that she had the real stuff prickling over her skin, as comforting as could be, her and her form of sucop sucoh blissfully reunited.
That required talking to Leli, though. Since she’d agreed to be the eyes and ears for her in Castle Casino & Hotel and, well, Zee hoped she was doing a good job. But things were changing and she needed to talk about all of it.
“Have a seat anywhere,” she encouraged, waving toward the selection - there was a sofa, and chairs, and it looked business-like yet also comfortable. As comfortable as one could feel in a lair. “I brought wine, because it’s the first time I’ve really showed this place off now that’s nearly done.”
A lair of magic. Wasn’t that something! One that was truly voluntary and less suffocating than the Circle of Magi she dreamed of in Thedas. And to know it was embraced as more a gift and less than a curse - that was worthy of celebration. Not that Leliana was naive to the downsides and negative aspects of magic, but the way the hierarchy of things there handled it all brought a migraine and that could only be cured by a glass of wine and excedrin. Assholes, most of them.
But speaking of wine, Zee came prepared and Leliana’s sparkling blues glittered even more, if all possible. “First to see it and you brought a bottle of wine. How very VIP access of you?” Speaking of the drink, she spun the bottle in hands to examine the label. “All this deserves a celebratory drink, no doubt. I’m glad there’s a safe haven for those coming into it. Part of me is a little jealous. I want to throw lightning from my fingers.”
A little grumble and a little pout.
“Well, I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t get the VIP treatment,” Zee insisted, with a show-stopping wink and one of those stage-bright smiles. She attempted to not mess the short, angel-sleeved dress decorated with flowers when she stooped to unearth two wine glasses from a box that had yet to be unpacked. They were clean though, no worries to be had here. The selection she’d brought with her today was a vintage red, with sweetness around the edges to offset the bitterness. They’d probably kill the bottle pretty easily; she did know that Leli liked her red wine.
A swish of fingers pushed away a rebellious stand of black hair, then she wiggled them with what sounded like gibberish - really, it was gninthgil, to summon, and then the crackle of electricity snapped and popped like she was doing a card trick. “If you could throw lightning too, then what on earth would I do to impress you?” Besides, Leliana had many tricks of her own that Zatanna wanted to learn.
“I’m not sure what language that even was,” Leliana said, squinting a bit at her bright little show of sparks. Again, jealous.“But there’s nothing wrong with a challenge, is there, sweetheart?” Zee was quite the charmer. Maybe even better than she was, the little minx. Well played.
There was a small, ornate knife she pulled from her purse, using the blade to scrape off the foil, then dig it into the cork and to use as a screw. Twist, twist, pop! “Now you’ve got this project, on top of your already busy working schedule…” A pour for each glass, twisting the bottle slightly at the end of each spilling of wine, and then she re-corked it and set it to the side. “You won’t have too much personal time, you know.” And there was a double-meaning with ‘personal time,’ obviously, with the way she gazed at Zee with a predatory kind of look over the glass rim.
The Mistress of Magic (kind of a baby version - she was still getting used to it all, adjusting, fitting into that comforting cloak) settled on the sofa, legs tucked up beneath her with the glass of wine in hand. “I might actually have more?” she suggested, that predatory look well-met with an arch of an eyebrow. Kind of enticing, maybe? “It’s what I wanted to talk about. You know...to see what you thought.”
She swallowed a sip of wine, enjoying the fragrant aroma before it slid comfortingly down her throat. “I could probably make a killing, doing real magic. More than I ever did when I was doing street performances, or even in Vegas. So I’ve been thinking of hanging up my tophat at the casino and going into business on my own. My own act. Maybe even teaching magic lessons, group or private. And my dream self wrote a book too. Seems like it might be fun.” However, that wouldn’t be something she’d jump into headfirst. Zatanna wanted to figure out what would work best for her, but with the addition of ‘Orange County’ gifts? It made sense that she’d want to bring everything to the next level.
And she was requesting her opinion? How curious, but Leliana would bite. Following her steps, she settled down on the sofa, legged crossed. No cute little dress for her tonight - it was all casual with tights and a lovely pair of boots (Cindy approved!) and a flowy shirt, comfortable and simple. Made her look less like a ‘deadly dame’ and more as a normal woman with a normal agenda.
There was already an inkling that told her where the conversation was going, and her words confirmed it. “I think that’s an excellent idea,” she contributed after a sip, wiping a bit of drink from the edge of her lips with the brush of a finger. “I know I asked you to be my eyes and ears there - but it’s not the safest place, and if you want to take your magic to the next level…” She raised her glass as a toast. “You have support.”
Many interpreted Leliana to be some sort of ruthless employer and that was very far from the truth. Mostly. With open arms she accepted the life she led even with a burdened conscience. There was no turning back when you were as deep in the rabbit hole as she was. And she was good at what she did, could do it all in her sleep.
But if others could get out even if they dipped their toes in, it was for the best.
Zatanna grinned, clinking her glass. She had to admit she was relieved to have the support, and it was nice too, having it from someone she considered a close friend anyway. “I also have a niece, she’s only sixteen,” Zee shrugged. “And I’m her only family that isn’t batshit crazy.” Not like Raven was itching to confide in her aunt, or wanted to be best friends, but it was getting there slowly and she didn’t want to mess anything up for them. Didn’t want to involve herself in anything shady, because Raven had to deal with enough of that when it came to her father.
“But what about you, how are you liking it here? You anticipate staying awhile or are you going to break my heart?” She fluttered her inky lashes, head tilted to the side - woe is me. Though she’d miss Leliana if she went off toward other pastures. She was that perfect mix of deadly, fascinating, and sometimes just plain surreal with all those walking contradictions. It was a mindfuck. The best kind.
Having someone little and young thrown into the mix only further convinced Leliana that this was the best course of action. No need to have her tangled up in a mess of shadows; it wasn’t worth it. Was never worth it.
She had others she could fit in the role if need be in regards of maintaining what she needed. Operations would still run as planned, whatever it was the redhead was brewing or what her projects in Orange County actually were. “You flatter me, honey,” she said, words blanketed with that velvety foreign accent. “Sweet sentiment, though. Much appreciated.” A playful wink. “So far my plans are to stick around. I’ve met those who dream of the same world, and things there are tricky.”
Putting it lightly, anyway. It was an odd phenomenon with mirrored aspects that were outright haunting. To know the woman she loved and ultimately killed was the same rotten person in that other world her sleep carried her to...it was a sour taste left in her mouth, rotten and lingering. Dreaming of Marjolaine so vividly was unsettling. And uncomfortable. Mostly unsettling.
“Oh? Tricky how?” Zatanna asked, finger taking a stroll around the rim of her wine glass - no sound made, just a hypnotic gesture before she lifted it for another sip. “Though it’s nice you have people from the same world. I actually don’t have a ton...or if they’re out there, we haven’t connected yet.” Raven dreamed of Dr. Light, and they both had completely fucked up the supervillain, but it seemed to be a whole other universe entirely. To have that comfort would probably be a good thing.
Besides, she was curious about Leliana’s dreams anyway. “You were a bard, weren’t you?” She shifted closer on the sofa, looking quite enthralled. “Weave me a tale of your dreamscape.” Something poetic.
Yes, a bard. Weaving tales of valor through songs and instruments and then slicing throats when she was called upon. “It was actually a rather dangerous profession. Think…” Her tongue clicked leaned her elbow against the sofa, holding her head. “Mmm. More assassinations. Less banjo playing and singing. And then you add a splash of seduction…” Along with knowing the tricks and turns of the grand game, which was essentially a tango of words for the sake of mindfucks.
Life wasn’t too different here, but there were less demonic-like things roaming around and she was rather grateful about that particular bit.
“It’s strange. Some of your darkest moments tend to stay the same, so it’s not too different. A cracked reflection, if you will.” Leliana’s nose scrunched in a sweet pout, then shifted to drape a leg over Zee’s lap to draw them in a wee closer. “Has that happened to you?”
A cracked reflection. Very similar. Zatanna sighed, fingers itsy-bitsy-spider walking up the leg that found a home in her lap, over the near-sheer material of those tights. “Sort of,” she said, wine glass in her other hand, tilting it a little toward Leliana in acknowledgment before taking another sip, lips pressed together to savor the flavor. “Her insecurities and worries and anxieties are starting to creep over. I just dreamed about going to therapy, apparently haunted by all the mind fucking I’ve been doing. It takes a toll. But I felt it was necessary, for the greater good.”
And she didn’t give a fuck what Batman thought. Sure, they were friends, maybe sometimes more - or danced around it, rather - but it wasn’t like he was overflowing with pious morality or whatever.
“I just don’t want to end up like that here, even though I’ll probably have to do some of those same things.” Like getting rid of Raven’s father. Zee wouldn’t kill him, but the only way to ensure he was out of their lives forever and wouldn’t hurt them was to make him forget.
There was a sharp breath of air Leliana sucked in with a wince. Therapy certainly sounded lovely. But at least the Zee there knew when it was time to seek out help before she lost herself completely, to whatever madness happened there. “You’re not without aid, you know,” she reminded with an eyebrow raised sternly. “There’s different ways to do things, different ways things can turn out.”
A not-so-subtle offer of her services, as Leliana wouldn’t turn a blind eye to a friend in need. Her grave had been dug deep and she was in it, no way of getting out. It was a strange reversal of the lay sister she dreamed of being - Marjolaine’s training and betrayal led her to dearest Dorothea, and she found a light in the darkness.
Here, she had her beacon in the mess of things - her faith, back in the day. Stripped and soiled by Marjolaine’s influence. And instead of embracing something good, she wore the darkness like a cloak. And she wore it well.
“For you too,” Zatanna countered. She tipped her head back, draining her wine glass, and gave a bit of a shiver as the bitter liquid went down. The crisp, citrus edge sort of offset that toward the very end. “I know you think you’re in pretty deep, and we both know you’re good at what you do. You’re good enough that I don’t even know all the details, and maybe I shouldn’t. But maybe if you ever need someone who you can just have a tea party with.”
She squeezed Leliana’s thigh. “It doesn’t have to be all smoke and mirrors all the time. Just good clean fun.” Maybe not so clean. But judgement free, at least?
No, she really didn’t want the details. A few did. But she could see Zee being able to stomach it; she was no damsel. The lady was a dose of sass tough as nails, charming as ever, and the squeeze was met with an eye-crinkling smile. “And I do love tea parties with you.”
Another gentle swirl of her glass to mix the wine before she took another sip, as she still had plenty left. “I know when to keep my distance. And I can’t guarantee how long I’ll be around, either. Nature of the way things are played, I suppose.” Leliana’s shoulders shrugged some, and she reached so stroke the back of Zee’s hand, the tip of her nails providing a ticklish scrape against skin. “But if I do disappear, I’ll keep in touch. You are a favorite face around these parts now. A very pretty one.”
With a million thank yous resting on her lips for her assistance in rescuing Cindy. But for now, a flirtatious wink would do.
There was vivid mischief in Zatanna’s clear blue eyes, but a fondness too, and when she laughed it was low and throaty. “As long as you keep in touch,” she acquiesced to, and that was what was most important to her. It would be horrible if Leli just fell off the face of the planet, disappearing into the shadows of the night. Maybe it would be easy for her to do but that didn’t mean Zee wished for a Leliana-shaped hole in her existence.
And the compliment about the alleged pretty face made her blush, aw, a pop of pink in olive-toned skin. “You flatter me, sugar-bee,” she said smoothly. Then she held out her hand, erif, it danced above her palm and disappeared into nothing. What was left was a red rose, which she reached out and tickled Leli with, the petals on her arm. This particular trick had been one she’d learned in her circus days, but it was better now because it was real magic. “I’ll have to keep on my game to maintain my spot as one of the favorites.”
“I do like flowers,” she pointed out so conveniently, considering Zee had flexed her fingers for a little hocus-pocus trick and conjured a rose. “Is that even real?” Leliana had to take it by the stem and smell, the aroma true and blue to her sensitive nose. Nothing dinky and plastic, ooooh.
Then she stuck it in her hair, tucking the stem behind her ear to hold. “I’m keeping this as a token of your affection,” was her declaration, leaning in to press a wine-lipped kiss against her cheek. And maybe a little nose-nuzzle against her ear too, because Leliana was an affectionate one. Could be friendly, could be flirty; Zee got both. “Hang it to dry once it begins to wither and keep it pressed and preserved somewhere. Is that creepy?”
Well, it was a cute hobby to do, keeping flowers no matter how old! No fucks given, she gave another shrug and took the final sip of her wine.
“That’s precisely why I gave it to you,” Zatanna grinned, and she wasn’t shy about affection either - she turned her head and got in a good nose nuzzle too, because why not? “So you could be creepy about it, I mean. Besides, it was a token of my affection.” She didn’t do that sort of thing often, though it was a favorite trick of hers for some reason, reminiscent of her stage act. It was just that conjuring tended to be sort of a slippery slope too - conjure a rose and what was next? A bag of money? Tempting.
Her long lashes fluttered, kind of a butterfly kiss against Leliana’s velveteen cheek. “So do you like the place, then? It’s not too...stuffy?”
Stuffy? “Where do you get that from? Because it’s underground?” Personally, she thought the location was utterly perfect - genius, even. “It’s beautiful. Vintage, really.” Before rising off the couch, there was another sweet peck against her cheek so she could retrieve the bottle of wine, at this rate blatantly ditching the glass and taking a chug straight from the bottle.
Leliana gave a little twirl, eyes sweeping over the new lair of magics and secrets, the rose luckily still anchored in her hair. “Personally? I’d love to even live here, it’s so cozy.” And most importantly, it felt safe. Impenetrable. She sauntered back to the sofa, landing on the cushion with a bounce that made those red-orange curls flutter, and then offer her the bottle. “And you will do fine, you know. This project. Working outside a casino not run by a dirty crook. Do what makes you happy, lovely.”
“I just had to check! I trust your opinion, you know.”
Zee took the bottle with a thanks, completely fine with forgoing the glass. Who needed those things anyway? She stretched out, a feline shift of graceful limbs, and ended up with her head in Leliana’s lap after she’d chugged a healthy bit from the wine bottle then handed it back. Hiccup. A dainty sound, and she laughed, covering her mouth, the sound escaping through slender fingers.
“I’ll do fine,” she agreed, and sometimes - for all the confidence she projected - she still needed the boost every now and then. There were a few hangups that she couldn’t seem to shake - the damn things stuck to her like burrs, in any life. “It’ll be a whole new chapter, and nothing wrong with that.” At least it would be interesting. And she never really could sit around and settle for dullness anyway.
She’d gladly take the bottle and the mess of raven hair that fell on her lap - her free fingers gravitated to the strands anyway, threading through hair. A silky soft kind of blackness, and every now and then Zee would feel the gentle scratch of manicured nails against her scalp. “Nothing wrong with that at all,” Leliana responded softly, then leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead.
No, this establishment had good intentions and good people behind it - it would be fine. People needed a safe haven, a place to cut loose and learn their own skills. “And I’ll be around to keep your pretty little head sane.”