[She doesn't want to do this. To pick apart his notions and his ideas. But Zatanna has to. The feeling of the paper in her hand, the countless times she's read that name over the past little while--she has to.]
You're saying that everything about Luceti--about this entire world--is all focused on you.
[He tilts his head, because that's not it at all. Hasn't she been listening?]
Of course it's not! It's about him and people like him. Don't you have someone where you're from that would want to see you put away indefinitely? Don't you think that your enemies would jump at the chance to send you off if there was some dimension that could hold you?
If I can find a way to trace this to Slade, then I'll know how it happened for everyone else. There's a keystone piece that connects worlds. Slade's going to lead me to it.
[She doesn't know whether to feel better or worse about how deeply his ideas run, or how widely he applies them. There's a single thin line of sense to it, because they do fight evil and people with superpowers, sure.
But specific application kind of makes the whole thing fall apart, and Zatanna shakes her head.]
It still doesn't make sense. Not in my world, anyway. The Light already had control of the Justice League. They wouldn't need something like this.
[Even if they had been so close to losing, thanks to the Team.]
But what if you're wrong? I mean, the one thing we know for sure is that impossible things happen here. Like being possessed, or having our entire lives rewritten. If Slade's responsible, then you can do something about it--but what if he isn't?
Or you're going to be so focused on this one thing, you miss something important because you refuse to believe it.
It's like stage magic. People don't see the trick because they don't want to believe there is a trick, so they get fooled. And you don't want to see anything else but Slade.
You mean keep making it fit into what you want to believe. [Robin could be right. Maybe someone named Slade is playing a part in this. But she thinks he isn't being objective, and there's a pretty obvious reason for it.]
[WELP. If they weren't fighting before, they certainly are now. It's as though she's reared back and slapped him. He turns away from her completely then, voice dropping to a soft, smoldering whisper.]
[Well damn. Robin turns away, and Zatanna knows she's pushed too far. But it makes so much sense if that's the case. If Slade's responsible, then Robin can stop him--and he can make him pay for what he's done.]
Because I get it, you know. What that's like. [Maybe not to lose her friend, but the person who's most important to her? To see the one who took him away standing there in his place? That she understands.
[She's not leaving, and he's not going to force her out. Not yet.
But that doesn't mean he has to stay here listening to it. He casts her a stare over his shoulder and makes a move for the window. Now that he's awake, he might as well survey the village from the rooftops and work on swallowing the bubbling hot emotion she's been raising.]
[Really? Really? AUGH Robin can be so frustrating. But even though Zatanna could stop him--she's really tempted to--she doesn't. It's pretty clear that he's not going to listen to her, so it's probably better that they separate right now.
So after he goes, Zatanna sticks around long enough to put the papers back where she found them before leaving herself.]
Re: Action, September 8
[She doesn't want to do this. To pick apart his notions and his ideas. But Zatanna has to. The feeling of the paper in her hand, the countless times she's read that name over the past little while--she has to.]
You're saying that everything about Luceti--about this entire world--is all focused on you.
Action, September 8
Of course it's not! It's about him and people like him. Don't you have someone where you're from that would want to see you put away indefinitely? Don't you think that your enemies would jump at the chance to send you off if there was some dimension that could hold you?
If I can find a way to trace this to Slade, then I'll know how it happened for everyone else. There's a keystone piece that connects worlds. Slade's going to lead me to it.
Re: Action, September 8
But specific application kind of makes the whole thing fall apart, and Zatanna shakes her head.]
It still doesn't make sense. Not in my world, anyway. The Light already had control of the Justice League. They wouldn't need something like this.
[Even if they had been so close to losing, thanks to the Team.]
But what if you're wrong? I mean, the one thing we know for sure is that impossible things happen here. Like being possessed, or having our entire lives rewritten. If Slade's responsible, then you can do something about it--but what if he isn't?
[What if you can't?]
Action, September 8
I'm going to put it all together and prove it to everyone.
Re: Action, September 8
It's like stage magic. People don't see the trick because they don't want to believe there is a trick, so they get fooled. And you don't want to see anything else but Slade.
Action, September 8
Re: Action, September 8
Is he the one who killed your friends?
Action, September 8
Get out.
Re: Action, September 8
Because I get it, you know. What that's like. [Maybe not to lose her friend, but the person who's most important to her? To see the one who took him away standing there in his place? That she understands.
And notably, she isn't leaving.]
Action, September 8
But that doesn't mean he has to stay here listening to it. He casts her a stare over his shoulder and makes a move for the window. Now that he's awake, he might as well survey the village from the rooftops and work on swallowing the bubbling hot emotion she's been raising.]
Re: Action, September 8
So after he goes, Zatanna sticks around long enough to put the papers back where she found them before leaving herself.]