I'm no Jedi (ahsoka_tano) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-05-20 17:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, ahsoka tano, rachel roth (raven), zatanna zatara |
I'm learning, that for there to be light, there has to be dark to balance it.
Who: Ahsoka Tano, Zatanna and Raven
what: Making glamours for an alien
When: last week
Status: complete
Rating: Pg-13
Ahsoka was pretty sure she wasn’t ready for this. Not the direction her dreams seemed to be going in, not the lekku or horns on her head. And she was orange. She was an alien and any moment Area 51 was going to come banging on her door.
So when someone knocked, she jumped three feet and ignited her lightsabers, before remembering Zatanna and her niece were coming. Pulling on a hoodie, she crept to the door and peered out, then opened it.
“Uhm. Thanks for coming.”
Helping out someone on the network whose unique brand of beauty would be too much for narrow-minded plebeians, well, that wasn’t a big deal. Not to Zatanna, and she was glad to assist - once she checked with Raven, that is, and made sure it was fine that they pay Ahsoka a visit. Zee might have gone on her own, but her niece was very good with glamours, and understood the need for them thanks to her half-demon genetics which carried over into this life and gave her skin kind of a greyish color. So it’d be a team effort, this time around.
“No problem, sugar,” she said, a bright smile to match the equally bright patterns, all geometric shapes, on her casual maxi dress. Her hair was down, and she carried her purse over her arm. They’d driven over, even though teleporting was always handy. “How are you holding up, what with getting used to everything?”
When Zatanna had mentioned the fact that someone needed help with a glamour, Raven had just shrugged and agreed. It wasn’t like she always paid attention to the network so she had missed that conversation, but she knew how stressful it could be to wake up and be… changed. It was different than magic and empathy, all of which were a headache. The physical changes? Those had more chance of causing a problem, so while she didn’t actively do much in reaching out, she didn’t mind being offered up to help.
With nothing to do that day, Raven was in skinny jeans, boots and a corset over mesh top, always had to keep up appearances, green stripes in her hair this time around just to mix things up. So she just nodded in greeting once they were let inside and followed after Zatanna. From what she could see, it was definitely necessary, much as Ed’s metal arm had been. Gotta love those dreams.
Ahsoka stepped aside to let them in. Her apartment was spartan, with only a few pictures on the walls and the bare minimum in furniture. There was a small buddhist shrine in one corner.
She pulled her hoodie back, blinking bright blue eyes. Her skin was orange red, with white patterns on her cheeks and forehead, including patterns that replaced her eyebrows. Her horns were white with blue markings, and trailed down into three tendrils, two over her chest and one hanging down her back like hair.
"So I'm hella stuck inside now?"
Now that was an impressive sight. Edging further into the apartment, Zatanna was especially intrigued by those horns, but of course she wouldn't go putting her hands all over the girl. She just appreciated visually, a spark of interest in blue eyes.
"Stuck inside for now, but we’ll fix that for you, don’t worry. What planet are you from? In your dreams?" she asked, because it didn't seem like one she heard of. Right, and then manners. "Oh, this is Raven," she introduced the gothic princess, who was quiet by nature. "So now you two have met officially."
She almost looked like Starfire. There were definitely similarities at least. As such, she had no reaction of shock or anything. Admittedly, it was hard to tell when Raven had any sort of emotional reaction to things if they were subtle, but between Star and Beast Boy, well… strange physical appearances really had no effect on her.
This actually worked out better, having Zatanna manage the talking. It usually worked better that way anyway. She wasn’t exactly a people person or comforting. So she just gave a slight nod and wave of her hand in greeting, brushing hair behind her ear before going back to having her arms crossed.
"A planet called Shili, but I wasn't there long before Master Plo Koon found me and took me to the Order. So I grew up at the temple on Coruscant, which is this planet covered by a city." Her description sounded stupid to her ears and couldn't possibly showcase the majesty of that world. "Sooo. I'm Ahsoka. It's nice to meet you both."
She held out her hand, smiling encouragingly.
"Well, I like the look. It works for you," the magician winked, and shook Ahsoka's hand. "Zatanna Zatara, officially." Mistress of Magic, Princess of Prestidigitation? No, she'd just stick with Zatanna. Or, "...call me Zee," she tacked on there, knowing full well that her name could be a mouthful.
It was up to Raven if she wanted to do the handshake thing, Auntie wasn't pushy. She tucked sleek strands of inky black hair behind her ears, figuring that a glamour demonstration would be best. "How do you want to do it?" she asked her niece. "I don't think Ahsoka's familiar with magic, is that right?"
Oh. Right, hand shaking. Touching. Not feeling up to dealing with an influx of emotions and feelings, the teen just held up her hand to decline the handshake.
“Empath.” which was offered up as an explanation.
With the question on what would be the best way to do the glamour, she bit her lip in thought. There was how she had done it for Ed, but really it was dependent on the person.
“Do you have any abilities?” The question was asked to Ahsoka. That would definitely help in figuring out the next move.
Chewing her lip, Ahsoka paced a little. She pulled her hoodie off and tossed it aside. Underneath was just a tanktop and jeans. Two cylindrical objects hung from her belt, one on each side.
"Yeah. I do. A bit of the empathy thing. Like if something bad happens I can sense it. I can..move things with my mind too." She scratched on the top of one of her horns. "If someone isn't very strong willed I can mind trick them. But it's not something you do unless you don't have a choice. It's more complicated than that. There's this thing called the Living Force. It's all around us. Some people are more sensitive to it than others."
Ahsoka gestured to her couch and chairs. "Pick a seat...want anything to drink?"
“Oh, so you have the empathy thing in common? Sort of?” Zatanna said, settling on the couch, casually, legs fluidly crossed. “Are these abilities something that everyone from your planet has, or are you different in that sense? Drinks are good too,” she tacked on the end there. Though she doubted the teenager, who seemed very sweet (maybe she and Raven would become friends after all this; in Zee’s opinion it was always good for her niece to have peers to relate to), had her apartment stocked with hard liquor.
She offered one of those stage-bright smiles, a turn of her mouth upward. “Anything you have is fine.”
Following Zatanna to the couch, Raven listened to what Ahsoka said in regards to her abilities. The mind trick thing seemed like it could be beneficial, a projection of sorts, but if it was complicated and not to be used often… well that was annoying because it meant that figuring out how to use that to make it easier for Ahsoka would be a bit more complicated. Not that complicated was bad but still. It usually worked better to create things individual to the person.
“Mm.”
It was both in regards to the drink offer, as well as thinking about what would work best. Especially if she couldn’t use the projection theory.
"Not everyone has it, and it transcends species or planets. You could be human, Togruta like me, a Twi'lek or Rodian, and you could be sensitive to the Force. But in a galaxy with trillions, we are few." Ahsoka moved into the kitchen, getting some water bottles and bringing them out.
She sat in a chair after handing them out. "There are over ten thousand in the Order, ranging from just toddlers in training to very old masters. And there are thousands more who are a little sensitive, but not trained. If we're lucky." She wrinkled her nose. "I'm learning, that for there to be light, there has to be dark to balance it. Even if some of those people do terrible things."
There were times that Ahsoka wondered if the Jedi were even doing the right thing any more. She tried to smile reassuringly at Raven, who seemed to be a very quiet person. She reminded her a bit of Barriss.
Zatanna nodded, unscrewing the cap of the water bottle and taking a sip. “It’s true - there’s darkness in everyone, and it’s everywhere,” she said. “You just have to let the light in.” It was all about balance, wasn’t it? Though granted, a very difficult balance to maintain. She wasn’t sure she’d classify her own magic as either black or white - it really depended on the use, and the motivations behind it all.
“Shadows and light, they’re very much intertwined. Shadows created from light, and so forth.” Another sip of water, and she glanced at Raven. “Well, what are you thinking?” For the glamour. She was interested if it’d be similar to Raven’s own, or even the glamour she had used for Ed’s metal limbs.
A slight twitch of a smile was given in response to the water, which she opened to drink while Ahsoka and Zatanna spoke. It was all very interesting, and it wasn’t as if Raven weren’t used to aliens. Still, she was more focused on trying to figure out the best way to make the glamour work for Ahsoka, and less on the ins and outs of her dreams. Though talk of darkness and light and balance was relevant to her own dreams. It was probably relevant to everyone though if they actually thought about it.
“Well, the easiest way would be to incorporate the mind trick only as a projection instead of actively manipulating someone’s mind if that would be possible. It’s similar to what I do for my own.”
While she had a mental link with Dick thanks to the Dreams and more or less was connected to anyone she was close to as she could tell fluctuations in their energy the second it happened, she didn’t actually go into people’s minds to manipulate them or anything like that.
“Do you think that would be possible for you?”
It was the most she’d spoken, but well.. the actual reason and all.
"There is a Dark Side to the Force. Anger. Hatred. Fear. You can fall and do terrible things." Ahsoka shivered. Her battles with Asajj and Dooku had shown her how far the Dark Side could go. She'd experienced it on Mortis. "I was forced to experience it once. It feels like...It feels terrible."
Ahsoka turned her blue eyes to Raven, studying her. She reached out with the Force, wondering if either of them would even notice the nudge.
"It might be. A Mind Trick basically influences someone's thoughts. I tell someone I want them to cross the street, they say they want to cross the street, and then they cross the street. But I've seen more advanced things. Making someone afraid. Make them see illusions. It's kind of immoral since it's a free will thing, but it's better than being forced to kill someone. Someone particularly strong with the Dark Side could probably do outright mind control."
She squeezed her water bottle lightly. "Maybe using something like an illusion of my original form? The trick would be keeping it active."
Zatanna had a lot of hocus pocus at her disposal, but many of her tricks were strongly one thing or the other - offensive or defensive, not exactly illusionary in nature. Though she could. But she wanted to be able to find the best combination, with the best and longest lasting results for Ahsoka. Her own telepathic abilities were present, but still, more along the lines of manipulation - that was what they were meant for. Her connection with magic ebbed and flowed around her, constantly, but that was from a whole other pool of otherworldly energy. Life force was something different.
She hummed, swallowing another mouthful of water. “A charm, maybe? You’d keep it on you, and it’d keep the illusion active? Something that could ‘trap’ the illusion, and project it out so that’s what people see. We could probably make that work.” It was perhaps another version of energy transference, which she could certainly do.
The poking with the Force was met with a confused look. Oh sure, it made sense, a demonstration, but Raven wasn’t exactly thrilled by having energy push at her even if it didn’t overwhelm her senses. The potential was there and the whole maintaining her composure and emotions being locked into check was always a daily struggle.
Illusion was what she was going for, the mind trick as a sort of projector instead of how it seemed to be used. But maybe that theory wasn’t going to work. Oh well. It had been worth the suggestion at any rate.
“That could work. It’s more along what I did for Ed.”
Ahsoka wondered if this was one of those lines she wasn't supposed to cross. Too often with the Force, it was never clear which side you were on until much later. Many Jedi had gone off the edges of the paper, as it were. Few made it back.
But she was doing this as much to keep people from freaking out as for her own benefit.
"A charm could work. Plenty of times we've used the Force to manipulate objects. With help I think it could maintain an illusion!"
Discussing it was making Ahsoka feel excited. She smiled energetically at both women.
The smile was returned, since Ahsoka’s enthusiasm was catching. Zatanna was pleased that they could help - sometimes coming up with the solution was tricky, but there always was a solution. If something didn’t work, you kept trying until you found the right one. To try even a little, at all, was the first big step.
“Do you have a specific charm in mind?” she asked. “Something you already have or do you want us to create one?” It could go either way. “Then I’ll just let you start, Raven, and if you need backup from me I’ll fill in.”
Two excited women, one stoic teen. Still, at least they had figured out a way to help, that was the important thing in all of this. The discussion of a charm was paid attention to as it was going to be part of the entire thing. It was basically the most important part.
“If possible, something of yours would work better. Residual energy to help.”
It was all a matter of utilizing Ahsoka’s energy, her personal energy, to make it work. To make it be stronger. They could create a charm, yes, but it wouldn’t be as strong.
"It would have to be something I always keep around me," Ahsoka decided. For a brief moment, she considered one of her lightsabers, even fingering one in the process. It was something that was an extension of her arms in the dreams, and the more she practiced here the more it was a part of her. But she decided there might be times where she couldn't have them on her.
"Would a watch work, you think?" She pulled the one on her wrist off and held it up. "I'm always wearing it."
Zatanna studied the watch carefully, a discerning squint of blue eyes. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary, just a regular timepiece, so she was sure it’d work just fine. “Should be good,” she gave her approval. “That way it doesn’t look like anything special either, it’s just a watch.” No one would suspect that - but a lightsaber, yes. Not many people carried those with them, but wouldn’t it be fun to do so?
Plus, with a watch, there was a good chance it’d just stay on. Ahsoka could take it on and off as she pleased, without worrying much.
Seeing as Ahsoka had been wearing it, that meant that it would have the residual spirit energy Raven would need to create the glamour, so she nodded her approval. Once she had it in hand, the teen went to work with working the glamour, tying it to the watch, utilizing the spirit energy so that it would manifest in the way that was needed. It was more complicated because with Ed, she hadn’t needed to do a full body glamour and it was just to hide the metal arm, but the process was the same.
Once that was done, she handed the watch back to Ahsoka.
“This should work. Try it first, just to be sure.”
Ahsoka watched Raven with curiosity. She could feel the push and pull of the Force. It was different. A different sort of energy, even, but the principle seemed to be the same. She took the watch back and looked at it. Nothing seemed all that different. But when she put it on, her human form shimmered into place. "This just affects visual right?" She reached up to see if she could feel her horns.
"I think I know someone who might need this in the future if his dreams turn him into a bull man." She wondered how she could repay them. Money, or something else. She wanted to repay them.
The transference of energy was easy for Zatanna to sense, and nearly see - it was that hazy glow, a ripple of change in the air around them, and then of course the shimmer when Ahsoka’s appearance shifted to the naked eye. “Just the visual,” she confirmed. “It’s projecting an illusion that will stay with your arms and legs when you move them. But physically touching you, the differences will be noted.”
Still, she’d consider it a success. And she was fine with helping someone else out as well. “Give him my contact info if need be, we’ll work it out,” the magician winked. A bull man, sounded intriguing. Probably not the oddest thing she’d see here in Orange County.
Only in Orange County could someone become a bull man. Really, what was it about this county. But as it seemed that the glamour worked, Raven was relieved. It was always good to check these things and while she trusted her work, she liked the actual verification. So instead she just nodded some and took a sip from the water bottle. It was back to being quiet as there wasn’t anything for her to say now that everything had been worked out. Not that she minded, it was Raven.
"If it comes to that, I will." Ahsoka bowed stifly, like she would to one of her masters. Except Anakin.
"Thank you both. I don't know what I would have done. Except never leave the apartment. You're always welcome. To come over. And stuff." The last she directed mostly at Raven.
“Well, now we couldn’t have that,” Zatanna stood up, smoothing her dress, because she knew Raven wasn’t really one for sitting around and being social, with drinks and idle chatter. Or much chatter at all. It took her awhile to open up, even a little, but hopefully her and Ahsoka could become better friends as time went on. It seemed like they’d get along well, and had a few things in common. “You’re young and you have things to do, sugar.”
She glanced at her gloomy niece; the girl was her only family, even if they were opposite in personality for the most part, but Zee gave her privacy and her own space to be herself. She wanted the best for her, that was what family did. “Ready to go, Raven?”
The comment that was more directed to her,, about coming over and stuff was met with a confused blink. She’d just been happy with her water bottle, what just happened? Then again, anyone she considered a friend usually ended up that way without her actually realising it happened and then next thing you know… It was confusing.
“Hmm? Yeah.”
In regards to being ready to leave. There were books to read, some for school but mostly for her own enjoyment. That was the best type of reading.
“Bye.” Well, at least she could remember to say goodbye?
“Uhm. Bye.” Ahsoka led them to the door to see them out, since that was the polite thing to do. “And thank you so much. If you need anything… let me know?”
These two were adorable and awkward, Zatanna had to give them that much. She just wanted to pinch their cheeks. Teenagers. Going through that young adulthood thing was difficult enough, but imagine if you had demonic magic and also the Force. “We will,” she promised, a husky chuckle accompanying her words as she headed for the door. “You too, Ahsoka. Don’t be a stranger.”
Consider them allied, for better or for worse. And that was a weighty promise here, in their neck of the woods.