Feisty Fishnets. [dinah]

[Zatanna]

Players: Zatanna, Black Canary.
Location(s): Star City rooftops.
Plot Summary: On a whim, and wanting to see her friend and sometimes teammates, the Mistress of Magic takes a quick broom ride to the bird's favorite perch to catch up... and beat down.

Honestly, this was unlike her. To be sitting in her suite after a weekend pumped full of shows in Orlando, seeing a news reel concerning a certain blonde bombshell, then just hopping up and wishing herself to Star City? Zatanna and Black Canary had always gotten along splendidly - and not just because their combined stellar sense of fashion, either. The stints where both had operated on the Justice League at the same time, their humor and general charismatic personalities had complimented each other's in a way that was refreshing and enjoyable.

Zee could honestly call Black Canary a good friend, which was probably why she had been struck by a strong desire to see the other woman, who she hadn't happened across in too long. What with Canary handling the Birds of Prey, and Zatanna only having recently settled down her tour schedule to compensate acting as a lead member of the new, though not necessarily improved, Justice League. The decision was impulsive and magicking herself to Star City wasn't what Zee had intended for her evening schedule.

Of all the places that Zatanna had operated out of or visited, Star City wasn't chief among them. She was aware that there was a fairly large Troll Market operating under one of the metropolis's bridges, and that their name drew a large community of fairies and sky nymphs, but beyond that Zee couldn't even name the tourist attractions. All the Princess of Prestidigitation knew was that Star City attracted a certain emerald archer, and therefor, Dinah herself.

Zatanna materialized in a spiral of white vapor illuminated with multicolored light, therefor on the rooftop of Star City Hall. She could have just cast herself into Black Canary's direct presence, or else draw up a divining spell to glean Dinah's proximity once she was there, but that would have been rude. Zee had had enough embarrassing experiences from the former method to not use it, and she considered the latter just as similar an intrusion of privacy. So the sorceress narrowed her eyes, vanished from one district of the city to the next searching for the signs... and then she heard it.

The undeniable sound of a Canary Cry echoed from the nearby docks and Zatanna's lips widened in a satisfied smile.

[Black Canary]

The man let out a girlish shriek as he went tumbling backward off the dock and into the water. One of his companions, who had been rushing at Dinah from behind with a crowbar in hand, joined him shortly moments later after taking an elbow to the gut. Moments like this reminded her of how boring it was to chase around muggers and thieves whose martial arts abilities were limited to what they saw in old Bruce Lee movies and on Youtube. Maybe she had gotten a little spoiled with always having... dare she say it, more interesting work to keep her occupied. Between the League, the Birds, and her own adventures, Dinah typically had enough to keep her busy without resorting to the bland task of patrolling the city streets. It wasn't that it wasn't important, it just didn't provide any kind of challenge. Ooh, kicking a crowbar-wielding smuggler in the face, best not strain herself.

Still, Dinah knew that it was vital to keeping the city safe. Mia and Connor had a lot on their plate, so as much as she couldn't say she really liked being back in Star City for the evening, she tried to be here as much as she could stand in order to help out with the chores. Gotham had begun to feel like home again pretty rapidly, even with her family still here, and Star City had instead become a huge source of nostalgia, guilt, and bitterness. Dinah knew that she was doing better in the wake of everything that had taken place in the last year, but that didn't mean she felt completely ready to be back here. Maybe she never would. She had only ever moved here because of Ollie, so existing in one without the other just didn't feel right. It connected her too much to a life she needed to put behind her.

The first smuggler swam back up to docks and flinched when Dinah reached a hand out to help him out of the water. "I'm not gonna punch you," she promised. "Again." Though to be fair, it was probably her voice he was more afraid of, given that it was the force of her Canary Cry that had knocked him into the water in the first place. The man hesitantly accepted her hand, and she helped pull him back up onto the dock. Hey, she might be willing to beat up somebody who had it coming, but she wasn't rude. The smuggler didn't seem interesting in accepting her mercy, however, and quickly took a moment to aim a right hook (and not even a particularly good one) her way. Dinah's only reaction was to reach up, grab him by the wrist, and twist his arm around and behind him, forcing him into a wristlock so that she could force him to bend forward at the hips. "Oh, no, honey; that's not a good idea."

[Zatanna]

Zatanna pulled her slim-fitting leather jacket more snugly around herself while she walked down the road that spear-headed towards Star City's docks, and the direction of the sonic scream that she'd heard. She wasn't kicking thugs in the face, or flipping over rooftops... She was doing simple magic that failed to even get her blood pumping. In that regard, Zee was quite chilly in the cool of the night. The Mistress of Magic was pleased with herself that she had guessed on a whim which back alley to take, and came upon Dinah's scuffle after only one turn.

Zatanna paused and watched with humor kindling in her azure eyes while the blonde bombshell helped a man out of the murky water beneath the docks. Water that she probably threw him into to begin with. Such a lady, Zee thought to herself, not wanting to intrude on the moment before it was over. Of course, just after the thought formed in Zatanna's mind, the fighting commenced anew with Black Canary mercilessly handing the scumbags their own asses. The Mistress of Magic stopped to watch about thirty feet out and at the mouth of the nearest alley that struck between two shipping yards.

She couldn't feel too good about finding Dinah, to be honest. All she had to do was follow first the scream, then the trail of unconscious men that led up to where she was now pinning a little creep who had tried to swing at her after she'd been so polite. Zatanna smirked wider, knowing that Black Canary surly already knew of her presence, and then the sound of garbage rustling perked her ears. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see a muscular, dirty brute start charging toward... Dinah, ignoring Zee entirely.

So she didn't want to horn in on the other woman's business, but seeing Dinah act so epic made her a little antsy... and jealous. While the thug came closer, Zatanna remembered one of the moves that Bruce had taught her after a dinner date they'd had years previously. She still didn't know if his training her self-defense - even though Zee could turn people to toads if they offended her - was his attempt at foreplay. Regardless, Zatanna made sure she had her balance on the heels - damn gorgeous, but hard to kick assholes in the face with - and then acted.

Sweeping one leg well above her head, Zee turned in a powerful roundhouse, catching the man as he went to barrel past her. Had Bruce not taught her how to compensate for the force that would come against the assault, Zatanna would have ate it hard, blocking the momentum that the man had picked up. The once-dark knight's words and a whispered spell, and she pivoted just in time to clip the creep's head, sending his feet out from under him while she dropped her leg down to regain her teetering balance. "Did you see that?" Zee jabbed a thumb at the groaning mound of muscle, looking back at Dinah.

[Black Canary]

The smuggler went flying back into the water a la her boot, and this time he could get his own damn self out of the bay, thank you very much. Something else had caught her attention now, anyway. The sound of high heels against pavement was subtle, but enough to intrigue her. Typically smugglers didn't wear heels, and there weren't really any heroines in the city who had such a taste in shoes other than Mia, who would have run in guns blazing if she had been in the area. Dinah turned to look toward the source of the sound, and her expression brightened at the unexpected appearance of her old friend and teammate. She couldn't honestly say that she had expected to see Zatanna there, nor could she say that she was disappointed by her presence.

What was a little more predictable was the sight and sound of a large man, presumably associated with the smugglers whose asses had been presented to them, rushing toward the two of them. Or, at Dinah rather, given how he didn't even seem to glance Zee's way before she kicked him in the face. How the hell anyone managed to fight in heels was beyond Dinah. Well, in Zatanna's case she could guess; having a spell or two right at your fingertips never hurt anybody. The blonde chuckled as she approached the other woman, none too concerned with the smugglers as they pulled themselves out of the water amid much groaning. If they were dumb enough to try and take off again, well, she had her Canary Cry and Zatanna had the world of magic at her disposal.

"What, you mean the kick that I would have broken my ankle trying to do?" Dinah grinned. "Oh yeah, I saw it." The kick itself was pretty basic (though Zatanna had pretty good form for someone who didn't rely on martial arts; she suspected Bruce had had something to do with that) but again, adding high heels to the mix made things all the more complicated. Her arms were extended before she reached the other woman, and when they were closer, Dinah drew her in for a tight hug. "What the hell are you doing here, Zee?" she exclaimed, grinning once again when she drew back. It was good to see her. For as well as the two of them got along, they never seemed to have enough time to actually catch up. Story of her life.

[Zatanna]

Zatanna chuckled lightly to herself. "Honestly?" she questioned, "I'm kinda surprised that I didn't break my anything." So much for pulling off the whole martial arts angle. Being just as surprised as the person that you were trying to impress didn't mesh well with the basis intention. Zee glanced at the pavement underfoot. Moist, whether from a recent rain, or just the proximity to the docks, she didn't know. Litter was pasted to the cracked surfaces, and the smell of crap - straight up crap - added a nice poignant edge to the regular stench of the city.

Zatanna wrinkled her nose in distaste without meaning to, once the realization that she would have face planted in the ick had she not executed the kick well. "Well... face... Break my face, that is." Thankfully, Dinah seemed genuinely delighted to see the Mistress of Magic. With the light that glimmered in the other woman's blue eyes, Zatanna felt a tenseness loose from her chest. She had sought out Canary without much thought. With all of the drama, tragedy, and downright awkward situations that seemed to befall Ollie, Dinah and their group, Zee hadn't known what she might stumble into.

Or, rather, what mood she would have found Black Canary in.

Dinah bridged the gap between them and both swept the other into a tight, warm embrace. Zatanna felt the last of her inhibitions at the impulsive meeting fall away at the contact. She knew that she had a true friend in the blonde bombshell. That was always the case that, no matter how much time or turmoil had passed between meetings, it was as if you never left the side of the other person. Zee smirked coyly when the hug ended, and Black Canary asked the obvious question. "Saving your butt, of course."

Zatanna paused, surveyed the scene, eyed the man - as in, just one - that she had taken out, and then glanced at the murky water sloshing against the docks not five feet away. "Please don't throw me in the water." Zee's plea was timid, verging on desperate. "I'll get herpes." The sorceress paused, then burst into laughter - hopefully not alone, because that would have made things so much better. Revising her past answer, Zatanna said, "Since when do I need to have a reason to see my Sister in Fishnets?" Zee quirked a brow in challenge.

[Black Canary]

At least this little excursion to her former stomping grounds had had some benefit. It had been too long since she had seen Zatanna; too long since she had seen a lot of people, really. Life had a way of sweeping her up into the daily chaos so much that it was all too easy to forget to make time for the people who mattered. She hated it. Dinah loved her job and she would never give up her role as Black Canary unless it was truly called for, but there were times when she wished that her career choice wasn't so demanding that she never had time to visit with friends and family. If the last year had taught her anything, it was that her loved ones weren't to be taken for granted and could be gone in the blink of an eye if she wasn't careful. The time she had with them was valuable, and she needed to put more effort into creating more of it.

Damn. She needed to visit Ted after this.

When they parted, Dinah gave the other woman a mockingly skeptical look. She would never ever want to get on Zee's bad side, but they both knew who was the better martial artist here. If Dinah couldn't handle a few thugs on her own, she had no right to wear those fishnets. Still, Zee stepping in was hardly minded. Following her gaze toward the water, the blonde let out a short laugh before holding her gloved hands up defensively. "Hey! Star City water isn't that gross," Dinah insisted. Maybe she might not live here anymore, but still! She was a little protective of the city that had been her home for years. Okay, the water right here might be a little nasty looking, but there were some great beaches in Star City. That was what she missed most about California. Warm, sandy beaches. Gotham's idea of a beach was some rocks, litter, and a dead body washed up on the shoreline. Not exactly a vacation hotspot.

At the second answer, she turned her palms skyward and shrugged her shoulders. Zee didn't really need a reason - and Dinah was glad to see her regardless of her motive for being there - but could she blame a girl for being curious? "You don't," Dinah grinned, "but I always have to ask. Half the time I get a visit from another Leaguer it's because Godzilla's attacking somewhere." Oh if only she were completely joking. While most of the team members had known each other for years and were essentially family by this point, Dinah wasn't the only one who often fell out of the habit of visiting friends. Most of them were so busy that, like she, they forgot to visit each other until duty called for it. It was unfortunate, but it was life.

[Zatanna]

Zatanna watched Dinah get teasingly defensive, but there was a certain edge of genuine protectiveness there. As well there should be. Zee had almost forgotten how important Star City was for the Black Canary. Dinah might not have had a labeled city like Batman did in Gotham, or Nightwing did in Bludhaven, but Zatanna knew why Green Arrow's city could be so important to the blonde. Thankfully both women shared a similar kind of charismatic humor, and it made it nearly impossible for one to offend the other.

Zee didn't want to get on Dinah's bad side. Mistress of Magic or not, she was very fond of her arms, and didn't want them broken. Zatanna shook her head in grim, but still amused agreement. Black Canary wasn't the only member of the League who wasn't a frequent visitor to the Watchtower. If anything, Dinah had more dealings with the group of superheroes than Zatanna did. The Mistress of Magic was on tour with her magic act a lot in recent years, and was only called upon by the JL when there was a mystic conundrum that they couldn't solve themselves.

Only recently - very recently - had Zatanna made the choice to put her act on temporary hold so that she could be a more integral part of the Justice League. Dick had had a lot of influence in that decision, as it would happen. Funny how one trip to an alternate dimension could develop so much of their relationship. Zee shook thoughts of the new dark knight from her head. Now wasn't the time for such deep reminiscing. She had come to Star City to see Dinah, and hopefully the two could have a bit of fun together. Whether that fun was over a cup of coffee, or an unconscious thug, she didn't care.

"I completely understand," Zatanna assured Canary, "but this is purely a social visit. No monsters to capture, no demons to vanquish and no plots of world domination to thwart." The sorceress raised one hand in teasing oath. "I promise on my tophat."

[Black Canary]

On her tophat? That was pretty serious. Zee without her tophat was like Clark without his spit curl or Bruce without that expression that suggested he had something unpleasant stuck in his backside. Knowing her life, Dinah was sure that she and Zatanna would run into some kind of trouble at some point during the night (it was pretty inevitable) but she was glad that for the time being there was nothing serious that needed attending to. Dinah would just have to keep her fingers crossed that things stayed that way. Otherwise, somebody was going to get a very serious talking to. The blonde regarded Zatanna for a moment, her blue eyes slimmed scrutinizingly as if she had yet to become completely convinced, before giving a satisfied nod. "Okay, but if any monsters show up, I'm blaming you."

It was kind of nice to actually have a purely social visit for once, even if it had started out while on business. If it was rare for Dinah to get to see her friends, it was even more unusual for it to be when they weren't fighting alongside each other or otherwise focused on something job-related. The blonde couldn't even remember the last time she had just gone out to grab a drink with one of her friends. Definitely way too long. It was almost sad to acknowledge that this was what her life had become. Dinah had always resented her mother as a kid because she had been too busy with her superheroing career to spend time with the people who should have mattered the most to her. God help her, she had turned into Dinah Drake Lance.

Turning into her mother; talk about every woman's nightmare. She would have to fix this. Her mother had had many good qualities but Dinah had never wanted to become so involved in her work that she couldn't take time to see friends and family. The blonde martial artist grinned. "So, in that case," she said, "I know this awesome little Greek place just around the corner. I don't know about you, but kicking people in the face always gives me a mad hankering for a gyro." Oracle could send the cops their way to take care of the smugglers, which would free up Dinah and Zee to take off and actually catch up. Having a couple of superheroines showing up to the small restaurant in costume might draw some odd looks, but it wasn't like the people of Star City weren't already accustomed to the weirdness.