2012-10-31 Get Out Of Jail Free

Shadowcrest. The ancestral home to the Zatara line. Explaining what it is, and how it works is never easy. Especially in a world dominated by science. Suffice to say that it's as if it moves around. It can, and does appear for a period of time in one place, and then it disappears like magic, reappearing elsewhere. And then, if that wasn't strange enough, there's all sorts of spell and enchantments on the grounds and buildings themselves that would give even the most powerful and trained magicians and sorcerers in the world a hard time if they wanted to get in uninvited.
After the events that took place a couple weeks ago, Selina has been hesitant, not exactly keen on dealing with anything or anyone with mystical ties, but she promised Bruce she'd talk to Zatanna and see just what the lady might have to say about the curse that transformed her. A trip to Metropolis is made and the location discovered with little in the way of difficulty, the directions she was given detailed enough to make finding Shadowcrest surprisingly easy. The appropiate time is struck and there she is, giving the key words at the gate which allows her passage onto the grounds itself and then the door is approached and knocked upon.
While she waits for the door to open she mulls over everything, all the details she knows which are sadly few, all of what she knows after the night in the museum all second-hand accounts from the people who witnessed her changing back. Hopefully that will be enough for Zatanna to work with.
In theory that should be enough. At least in regards to what Zatanna has to do. But all will be clear regarding that sooner, rather than later.
And yet, as Selina arrives at the doorway, she doesn't even have to fully knock once before the door opens. It's not a slow creak, but it opens in a way that looks natural. As if someone is there.
...Of course no one is there though. At least by the door.
And yet, inside the room, someone can be seen standing there. Her attire might look just like what she wears on stage (in fact it is), but that doesn't make her look any less impressive. Not as Zatanna Zatara nods at her guest in greeting.
"Welcome to Shadowcrest."
Well. As if Selina wasn't nervous before. But there she is now, looking like the proverbial long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, those green eyes of hers wide as saucers. Thankfully Zee is there where she can see the woman otherwise she just might turn around and flee. "Thank you for allowing me to come by," she says in a voice that trembles faintly, the way it quivers drawing a slight wince from her at the same time she steps past the doorway and into the room proper.
Zatanna is watched as she comes to a stop, her guest feeling a bit more at ease when she realizes she hasn't been turned into a frog or something by something unseen. "I guess you already know who I am," she adds while reaching out, offering her right hand for her to shake. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances."
If Zatanna does know who Selina is, she doesn't let it impact her too much. Instead there's just a slight, knowing smile, before she motions towards a stairway.
"Unfortunately, considering who our mutual friend is, it is rare for the people from the various parts of his life to meet in the best circumstances." is said with a calm, but knowing tone. "But please, we should head to the work room."
"Also, I will warn you to be careful what you touch here. There are many things that can do much worse than the thing you encountered, and still others that have their own unique protections."
As soon as Zatanna warns Selina not to touch anything her hands fly behind her back, her guest looking rather silly. Not unlike a child who has been told not to touch anything while out shopping with a parent. "Your home is positively lovely," she compliments, her gaze drifting here and there at the sme time she steps in beside Zee after her suggestion is made.
The smile fades as she considers why she's here, now, what she remembers of the fateful night returning to her. "I don't know what we'll discover," she eventually murmurs. "I don't even know the name of the necklace," she confesses after one last appraisal of the first room, her nervousness finally ebbing.
With a nod at Selina (and a very faint smile at her reaction to that warning) as they walk towards the 'work room', Zatanna says, "Why don't we start with the basics. I have heard a version of the events from our mutual friend. /But/ to be able to piece this together more accurately, I'd like to hear what you can tell me."
"Then, I'll just do a few... Tests, if only to make sure there's no residual magic related to this, or other magical abnormalities. Odds are there aren't, but you can never be sure, especially with some of the /old/ curses. If nothing is found, you can go, and you can go enjoy your Halloween."
Zatanna is so nice. Friendly. It helps to put her at ease and soon Selina's able to smile again, her hands falling to each side of her body as they are unclasped. "I don't really remember much," Selina confesses. "I... well, alright. I will need to be honest with you. I was sent on a job to steal a relic for someone and was told I could grab something for myself. There was a necklace that caught my eye and I just could not help myself." And yet again, this is where Selina starts to feel odd. She feels like she is reading some kind of ghost story, which is appropiate for this time of year but does absolutely nothing to make her feel alright about any of it. "I picked the necklace up off of its display and... then I woke up several days later, naked on some man's floor." The subject of her injuries is left out of the retelling, it not exactly something that's important, she doesn't think.
The mentions of the tests has her arching a brow and looking at the magician from the corner of her eye. "These tests won't hurt, will they," she asks, looking as wary as she sounds. Not that she's afraid of pain but she's been through more than enough recently and she'd rather not feel anymore for a long, long time.
There is a faint hrm as Zatanna listens to that story. And there's a slight nod mas she opens the door to her work room. What can be seen of the room isn't much, in fact the entire things is cloaked in darkness and shadows before The Mistress of Magic says, "Thgil seldnac." , causing a bunch of candles in the room to erupt in flames. And yet, even as they do, not much of the room itself is revealed right now. There's the outline of some book shelves and the like, and a pentargram can be seen on the floor with various dribbly candles on it at various points, but for the most part the room itself appears almost to resist attempts to make it easier to be examined.
Then, and only then does a bit of disappointment taint her expression.
"I won't say that you didn't bring this on yourself. But you do make it sound a bit like there may have been a charm on that artifact. Something that /could/ of drawn you to it. When I examine it later, I'll double check for one as well."
"As for the tests... If nothing is wrong, they shouldn't hurt. but I can't make any promises."
Well, that was unexpected and a bit surprising as a result, the sudden way the candles are lit causing Selina to gasp a bit. "Wow," she murmurs, not even realizing she's speaking until her voice reaches her ears. Blushing a bit, her cheeks warm in embarrassment but it just might go unnoticed. "I know I did," she utters afterward, that being in response to Zee's disappointed statement. She pauses and looks down, feeling a little sheepish. "The museum probably still has the necklace," she grunts, displeased. "It wasn't on my person when I returned to normal, at any rate," she adds to further the explanation, "so I can only assume it's back in its rightful place." Sigh.
The fact that the tests shouldn't cause pain gets her to nod and a relieved smile is given. Here's for hoping everything goes well.
Once again, there's a nod from The Mistress of Magic, before she motions to the center of the pentagram.
"If you'll please move to the center of the circle please." is said as Zatanna takes a deep breath, trying to maintain calm and stay focused. After all, it's not like this should do any harm. Right...?
Right. This can't hurt at all. Just hope that Zee's tests don't result in Selina turning into a little pile of goo or something similar as that'd probably be a lot more difficult to recover from than being turned into a cat was.
A deep, slow breath is taken in just as Selina steps into the center of the diagram on the floor, her feet coming to rest at as close to center of the star as possible. "Alright. Let's do this," she whispers while closing her eyes, bracing herself for whatever bad that might happen.
But what does happen...?
The moment Selina enters the circle, there's... Light. It's bright, but not blindingly so. Instead, it's a warm, almost gentle light, that has almost some whispy sparks floating in it. More importantly though, the light appears to be coming from the pentagram itself.
And strangely enough, there's no visible, or audible sign that Zatanna activated that spell herself.
"Interesting."
Interesting? Is this the Chinese curse kind of 'interesting' or the more benign use of the word? Selina would ask but she's distracted from asking the question thanks to the pretty lights that surround her. They are bight enough to cause her to open her eyes and then they go wide for probably the seventh time since she has arrived, her mind reeling. This just keeps getting stranger and stranger, doesn't it?
"What happened," she asks, her query voiced just above a whisper. Best to be hushed and maybe not heard than be too loud and be the cause of an accident happening.
"You triggered something already." Zatanna admits. "Not a bad something. But not what I expected either."
With that said The Mistress of Magic waves a glove and says, "Mid." before the candles in the room dim, thus causing what was triffered by Selina to provide the bulk of the illumination.
"There several reasons why this could of be happening. It could be that you are sure on some deep level as to who you are in a way that would normally be unshakable, totally pure in some way, a magic entity in your own right, or something along those lines. If you want to guess, feel free."
Then there's a pause as The Mistress of Magic tilts her head slightly and says, "Hcraes rof ,hturt nigeb."
"I really can not begin to guess," Selina says while looking around, oh so very baffled. As far as she knows she's just a normal woman, a human in all sense of the word. But now something's going on and Zatanna offers a suggestion that hints to the fact that something else might be possibly true. It is this that shakes her to her very core. "I don't think I am anything magical," she eventually ventures, the tone in which she speeks a bit more assured. "I am just... Selina."
Lifting a shoulder, she goes quiet when Zee starts to do her thing, not daring to interrupt.
And at the mention of Selinas own name, The light flares up for a moment, before just as quickly returning to what it was before. And yet as the light fades away, things might feel a bit odd inside the circle. Depending on Selinas state of mind, and more importantly, the lingering effects of the artifact that turned her into a cat, the effect could be anything from a soft, relaxing warmth, to a sudden icy chill.
Zatanna herself hrms as she watches the reaction with the light, especially as she watches for any obvious signs from the last spell she cast.
"If anything feels wrong, at all, just let me know and we can end this at any time."
So far so good. Selina is still herself and nothing hurts although the warmth is a bit disconcerting as first. It is not that the temperature is too warm. It's just not expected and it causes her to squirm a bit. The wiggling eventually ebbs and she's back to being calm, everything once again alright. "No, please see this through to the end," she offers, not wanting to stop. Not when doing so might mean they won't find the answer as to what happened to her.
Selina widens her stand a little more and then she closes her eyes again, looking rather at peace. It is as if she has resigned herself to whatever might happen and she's merely riding everything out.
Zatanna nods at that, her smile slowly starting to return.
"All right. for the next part I have to ask you some questions. In order for things to work properly, you need to tell the truth. And by that, I mean the whole truth. What you believe deep down to be the absolute truth. If you don't, it'll throw off the results... Or worse."
Then there's a flick of her wrist as the light changes color and becomes an odd shade of blue.
"Who are you?"
At first there's nothing in the way of response from whatever is causing the light to change but soon a soft, dismebodied voice speaks, the quality of it whispy, ethereal. It's a woman's voice. "I am Bast," the voice announces gently. "What is it that you wish of me?" While the voice sounds friendly there is a slight undertone of curiosity as well as annoyance, perhaps a sign of the goddess being put out by being awoken. Whatever the case is, it'll probably be best to proceed very carefully.
Selina wants nothing more than to talk to the voice, to ask why what had happened to her did but she remains quiet, allowing Zatanna to do the talking for them.
There are some things that need to be avoided. And if one can not avoid them, then they need to be dealt with in a way that involves a lot of care. Talking to a being with obvious magical connections who shares a name with a goddess? That's one of those times.
"Bast? The Egyptian Goddess? The one most associated with having the head of a cat? If you are she, then I request, as one who respects you and yours, to release any hold that you have on this woman. That as the goddess of joy, music, dance, health and healing, and most importantly protection against contagious diseases and evil spirits, you leave her, so she may experience joy and health. And I make that request with all the respect that I can give towards you."
Yes, as that's said, Zee looks calm, and yet respectful. As if she's not trying to draw the ire of a god. Especially an older one from a pantheon known to have certain... Tastes, especially when it comes to people disrespecting them.
Then there's a pause as Zatanna looks dead serious, and looks directly at Selina.
"If you are /NOT/ that Bast, I respectfully request that you leave her as well. For even among mortals, invoking the name of a goddess of protection against evil spirits, claiming it to be your own is known to draw her wrath. Especially if you are a creature of magic who may very well of possessed this woman. A creature who very well should be afraid if a sorceress and homo magi were to try and draw her attention to you. After all, if you are not the one you share a name with, you know as well as I do the protection she offers."
All Zee gets from Selina when she looks at her is a look that just about screams 'I did /not/ do this!', her expression confused. Just why Bast is here and talking to the magician is lost on her.
The voice is quiet for as long as Zatanna speaks, the goddess not saying anything further until she's done. "It was an unfortunate accident," Bast explains, sounding entirely apologetic. "I am not certain how the curse was trigged by this woman when it had laid dormant for so many centuries. She will not be changed again as long as she promises to not touch that which belonged to my followers again." There's a pause then. "This woman. She has an affinity for cats. It pleases me... but yes. I shall leave her and this place." And then there's nothing, the presence gone.
And as that voice fades, so does the light from that circle. In fact as it fades, Zee adds a slight, "Sthgil nruter ot lamron." as those candles from earlier return to their previous glowing state.
"I think, Selina, that it is best if I don't do any more tests. I will say this though, you have attracted the attention of someone very powerful. I'm not sure if that really was Bast, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was."
Then, slowly, The Mistress of Magic motions towards an empty seat near the circle. That is if her guest can move on her own.
"And to stay on her good side, you might want to avoid dealing with anything that looks like it might be egyptian from now on. After all, I doubt you'd want to piss her off, even if by accident."
Selina can move but doesn't just yet. She instead stands there, letting everything sink in. "Hmmm, I think I am inclined to agree with you, Zatanna." Now it's just a matter of if Selina can resist the temptation of stealing anymore of the relics Bast has put her touch upon.
The offered seat is taken after a few more minutes but when Selina sits she all but collapses, her legs finally giving out. Too much to absorb at once, her body takes to trembling and her limbs are just about jelly for how weak they now feel. "I guess my luck has ran out," she chuckles breathlessly. "It was bound to happen. I just didn't think it would so soon."
There's actually a chuckle at that as Zatanna moves a bit closer to that chair, and then leans against the wall.
"I'd say you've got plenty of luck still. You were basically let off the hook by a 'god', and said 'god' even said that they were 'pleased' with you due to your affinity for cats. Not many people can claim that."
Then there's a pause for a moment.
"All though if you really want to press your luck, I could always try to set a bit of a 'test' up for you..."
"I think it's best to not push it," Selina says while trying not to laugh, not wanting Zee to think of her as simple minded or mistake her as not taking all this seriously. It is something big indeed and Selina would be a fool to treat this like it is all some kind of joke. The idea that she might be able to continue on with 'business' as usual with Zee's help is seriously considered although it really does not take long for her to come to a decision.
Raising a hand, the brunette shakes her head, politely turning down Zee's offer. "I appreciate it, Zatanna. But I think it's for the best that I don't. Not now, at least. When you're given a 'get out of jail free' card by a god you don't tempt fate and you sure as hell don't try to piss them off."
There's a chuckle and a nod at that, before Zatanna says, "Understood. But let's just say that I may have a special job for you sooner or later. But that can wait for another time."
Then, with a grin, the mistress of magic pushes off the wall.
"But I agree. Just... Be careful from now on."
Ah. That's interesting. Working for the Mistress of Magic? That has her curiosity piqued but Zee seems to want to wait until later to give details so Selina doesn't push. She instead rises to her feet and pulls out a calling card that is offered to the lady, that being what has her contact information upon it. "For later," she explains. She then offers Zee a warm smile. "I will be careful," she promises. "I appreciate the help. If there is ever anything I can do to repay you for your kindness, please do not hesitate to ask."
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