InsaneJournal

Who: Raven and Zatanna
What: Talks and the like
When: 15 February, evening
Where: Their place
Warnings: Low
Status: Log | Complete

Amazing how things could change in the span of a day. Going with John to hunt down the House of Mystery had been an adventure - for now, what was to be their new home was located in Death Valley but a house that could teleport itself and move around as it pleased, crossing dimensions (which was obviously what had happened, for it to even be here) may potentially switch things up a little. Living there would be interesting, and that was putting it mildly - but Zatanna knew that John felt like he belonged there, that the place was meant for someone like him. In a way, it was. It was his place - she just happened to be caretaker for awhile, after the war. Or should she say, one war - seemed like they’d never get a chance to rest, in their other lives.

But this one was a little more low-key. They could move in and live out their days as they saw fit - if something happened county-wide, they’d handle it, and they each had their extra side jobs that would pop up here and there. However, for the most part it was significantly quieter without the formation of Justice League Dark. And quieter without their other team members.

Decision made to talk to Raven first and foremost before any moving happened, Zee went to work business as usual the next day. Raven had a shift at the coffee shop, and classes as usual too, and so on the way home from the Agency HQ food was procured. Zatanna liked to cook, and she did it often - Middle Eastern cuisine was her favorite, but she made a variety of things. Italian, comfort foods like casseroles, sometimes even just huge and elaborate salads. Except tonight she just wasn’t feeling the ‘effort’ thing so she picked up Mexican from one of her preferred markets - a gem of a place, they had the best vegetarian burritos. Chips, rice, salsa, the guacamole was always fresh and spicy. Her fluency in Spanish had improved, a dream skill, so she conversed with the man at la Michoacán paleteria while also picking up ice pops. In many fruity flavors (these would be midnight snacks).

Then back home it was and, food kept warm for Raven for whenever she returned, Zee sat at the kitchen table to eat dinner and read an actual book - granted, she’d been working on this one for a while since she hardly ever had time to read for pleasure. But she’d get through this James Patterson thriller eventually.

The good thing about her job at the cat cafe was that the cats had the ability to calm Raven down if she happened to get too caught up in her head, or if people were too much to handle with their emotions. So to say she’d been relieved that she’d had a shift there after school that day was an understatement. Between the complicated dynamics of the latest dream (really just because of real life situations) and the emotions that flew after Valentine’s Day? Well, hiding away with cats seemed a great way to spend most of her time beyond when she was forced to deal with people.

Arriving back at the house, Raven noted Zatanna’s presence and noticed a slight energy signature change but given it was more just sensing her and not really looking, the teen initially brushed it off to drop off her things in her room before heading to the kitchen.

That was when she stopped, because suddenly the energy signature change was much more massive to the empath now that she was in the same room and all she could do was stare, then narrow her eyes in concern.

“Are you okay? Your energy signature is off.”

She couldn’t place the why of it being off, just that it was. Which put Raven on edge, because clearly that meant her aunt was dying. When it came to her people, Raven could get a bit fatalistic, always expecting the worst because that was her lot in life. But really. Why else would Zatanna’s energy signature be notably different after a day?

Zee looked up from her book, vivid cobalt eyes blinking in surprise. She supposed the question, was Raven okay? Because that seemed quite the spastic reaction for having just arrived home. And for a second there she wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Yes?” Though it came out like a question, because having an off energy signature - now wasn’t that interesting. Probably didn’t bode well either. “Really though, yes. I feel fine,” she assured. That was the truth; Zatanna was healthy and wasn’t experiencing anything amiss. That she knew of. “I wanted to talk to you about something though.”

Perhaps it was nerves about having this conversation, or the decision she and John came to that involved making the House of Mystery their own. “I picked up dinner if you’re hungry too, it’s warmed in the oven. Feel free to help yourself.”

To Raven it wasn’t so shocking. She worried about her people and the only times she ever noticed a change in energy was when something was wrong. It was possible that she was just exhausted, but that had never really made her misread someone’s energy before and there was a definite change in her aunt’s which worried her.

So she just pursed her lips together in thought, eyes still narrowed critically even as she nodded in acquiescence, all the while making a mental note to keep an eye on it. Sometimes bad things happened and you didn’t notice it right away. “Oh?”

That start of a conversation was rarely a good thing. Not that there was much she could do about it. In regards to what emotions Raven was picking up on, there wasn’t anger or anything of that nature so perhaps it wasn’t so bad. There were nerves and worry, but not anger.

So first she got something to eat before returning to the table so that Zatanna could talk to her about whatever it was that was on her mind.

Zatanna definitely wasn’t angry - she rarely experienced such things, especially not directed toward her own niece. Her temper was a slow burn anyway, though when she let it all go ka-boom it was never pretty. But none of that now, not at the moment - she was excited too, since this was a happy sort of step she was taking in her life. And she hoped that everything would work out.

“John and I found a house,” she started, closing her book and pulling her mug of tea closer to her. “The same house that is from our dreamworlds - it’s something of a sentient space, it can travel anywhere it ‘wants’ to.” Which was strange, to think of a house wanting something, but she’d learned to not question the place much. “It’s also a keeper of stories. But it has a beautiful library, it’s an occultist’s dream space. I know John really wants to live there since he did act as caretaker for the house for awhile. We decided I’d move in too, but he was concerned about you, as was I - so I wanted to talk to you, to see how you felt about moving. It’s completely optional. If you’d rather not, you can have this house.”

Raven was old enough. Old enough to make her own decisions about where she wanted to live, old enough to care for a house if she decided she wished to stay here in this one.

The second Zatanna had said that she and John found a house, Raven stopped. When had that..., how, what? It took a moment to put it together that it was likely a dream gift but even so. The library was a selling point, but it was rather hard to ignore the latest dreams she’d had given what was just proposed. It had been bad enough to dream of Constantine capturing her and trapping her in a mystical seal. Now she was being asked if she wanted to live with him and her aunt in a sentient house, where the sentient house was the least strange of the proposition in that moment.

“I….”

What did she want? She already had the house in Brighton Beach that had been in the family that Zatanna had put in her name on the lease. And it wasn’t like she disliked living with her aunt, it felt normal. But that was changing and the dream was making her confused. Dreams which she knew didn’t necessarily translate over and it was unfair to hold actions done in them against a person but it was all at the same time which left her feeling off balanced.

“Wow.” While Raven wasn’t the type who talked a lot and was quiet more often than not, rarely did she find herself speechless and unable to even find words. Not an answer, but about all she could come up with at the moment.

It was probably too much to expect an...actual answer. Because it was a big decision. Zatanna, of course, had no idea about Raven’s dreams and how John was involved - all she knew was that in her own, the trio were actually somewhat close. They defeated Nazis and weaved magic together, all of them, and it was a camaraderie she looked forward to seeing - those repeats, she would not mind.

And it was a camaraderie she wished would begin to develop in this life as well, but it never seemed to be like it was heading in that direction, much to her sadness. She could not force it.

“No need to decide now,” she assured. “The house is very...furnished. I would not just leave and take half the furniture with me. So think about it and you can let me know whenever you are comfortable.” Then she got up to fix herself another cup of tea - green tea this time, something she could put a spoonful of honey into.

It was definitely a lot, even without the latest dream nonsense thrown into it. While she had no qualms with Constantine here, she also wasn’t the most open. Those she considered hers, those she would destroy the world for, well… that all happened against all better judgement. So while he made her aunt happy and that was a good thing, Raven was more neutral. And now conflicted.

Defeating Nazis was definitely more preferable to Superman’s Regime and the mess that was, where the only members of the original Teen Titans was Cyborg and her, so of course she ended up choosing the side her one connection was on.

Stupid complicated dreams.

“I’ll definitely think about it.” And she would. But right now she was just stunned, which was added to her worry about Zatanna’s changed energy signature. What in the name of Azar was going on?

“Good,” Zatanna smiled warmly, over her shoulder, as she went about fixing her tea. “But things are alright with you, then? Nothing catastrophic has happened?”

Or had it? They both tended to dream frequently, and dream a lot - however, Raven was on her fourth set of new dreams and Zee’s had tapered off. For now, anyway. She doubted that they were finished for good. Hers had taken a long break in between the second and third, the newest memories that filtered into her head, so she was sure the respite was only temporary.

Catastrophic was debatable. She was frustrated with her dreams, but also understood some of the decisions even if she didn’t agree. It showed her what was possible, one of the things she’d been concerned about in regards to her letting people in because what happens when they die. But it wasn’t catastrophic in that it was having any sort of lasting impression on her. No injuries or things of that nature. Things in the non-dream realm seemed to be going fine as well. She got headaches dealing with people but that was common.

“Yeah, things are fine.”

True, there was also the fact that Raven tended to have a different scale on what was fine or not than others, and she held a lot in, but she couldn’t place anything going on that would count for something that was bad. Things were as normal as they ever got in Orange County.

Zatanna would take it. She hadn’t felt anything amiss herself lately; most of it was simply par the course and, admittedly, she’d take this sense of calm while she could get it. “Alright, just checking,” she chuckled a little, as she spooned honey into her tea, since around here? It was always important to check in about things like that.

“I’m in for the night, so I’m going to feed the rabbits and then probably soak in a bubble bath,” she added, and as soon as she said that, the better it sounded. “Let me know if something OC happens.”

Like a swarm of locusts came by or Godzilla rose up from the sea, you know, something akin to that. In normal circumstances it probably didn’t warrant part joke, part actual disclaimer (it was sort of darkly amusing as well) but, well, different rules here.

Calm was nice, calm was also never stable. So Raven could understand and appreciate the need to check in on that. True, both were the type who would be able to sense it before anything happened but sometimes it was just a good idea to make sure. Things had a habit of flipping on a dime with no warning at all.

“Okay. I’m going to do my patrol in a bit as it is.” Because that was part of Raven’s nightly routine. Come home, get something to eat, do homework, go on patrol, come back and get settled for the night with whatever was necessary at a given time. But patrols also meant that she could see if Orange County strangeness was happening or just the typical things she found.

For now though, it was finishing her dinner.