Arrested Development. [Batman]

[Zatanna]

Players: Zatanna and Batman.
Location(s): Metropolis - various locations therein.
Plot Summary: After Wonder Woman got on the wrong side of a nasty curse that turned her into a duckling, news spreads through the Metropolis underworld that puts a price on the Amazonian's feathered head. Catching wind of the matter, the Justice League employs the best possible duo to meet this unorthodox threat; the Mistress of Magic and the Greatest Detective themselves.

It never ceased to amaze Zatanna Zatara the bizarre situations that the members of the super hero community could get themselves into. This coming from a woman who spent what time she didn't use to saw people in half in front of a live audience helping translate Fey for water fairies to settle a dispute with trolls, or feeding a Japanese dragon an herbal remedy to help indigestion to help him from inadvertently setting fire to Tokyo. So, when word had seeped through the Metropolis criminal underworld that Wonder Woman had been cursed and was now lost somewhere in the city as a - get this - duckling, guess who the Justice League decided to dispatch?

What kind of sorcerer whips together that kind of curse, anyway? Zatanna thought to herself while she walked into a polished foyer to an apartment building in the nicer side of Metropolis - which, is to say, anywhere in Metropolis. The woman wasn't complaining, usually what was called a 'curse' ended with the person on the receiving end horribly mangled and meeting a gruesome end. Wonder Woman didn't have to worry about those because of the blessings of the Greek pantheon that she had permeating her very being. Maybe turning her into a duckling was the only thing that would take?

The Mistress of Magic had dug up a particularly potent scrying spell that suited the situation, and after coupling the knowledge that that gleaned with the rest of the League's intel, Zatanna was left with the discovery that Diana was now acting as a pet for an eight year-old girl in an apartment of that very building. Further technological spelunking - along with a little bit of computer hacking - and Zee knew that the girl's name was Delilah Castle, daughter of single father Edmund Castle, co-owner of the prestigious law firm, Franklin and Castle.

Despite the gravity of the situation - though that gravity was equal portions grim and humorous - Zatanna couldn't help but wear a small, knowing smile when she hailed an elevator and stepped inside, pressing the button for the fortieth thirty-sixth floor. A certain dark knight detective had been chosen to partner with Zatanna on this specific assignment, and she was feeling a little anxious. Part of the woman tried to fend against any tender opinions of Dick beings that she had grown up with Bruce, but she couldn't stop thinking of their little foray into an alternate dimension several weeks previously.

Lost in reverie, the elevator dinged signifying she'd made it to her destination before Zatanna was expecting the tone. The doors spread open smoothly and the sorceress disembarked the lift. Once she noted the way that the numbers on the apartments rose and fell down the long, wide corridor, she turned left and marched toward the thick door marked '3612'.

[Batman]

This wasn’t the type of situation that Dick had thought he’d get into. He was used to having bizarre encounters every day. It was almost to the point where they weren’t really all that bizarre for him anymore. They were just everyday occasions. Yet this? This was definitely bizarre. Dick was about to deal with something he had never actually handled before. He had handled variations of the problem that had been thrown at him but nothing quite as intense as this. Wonder Woman was considered to be one of the most powerful members of the hero community and she had been able to defeat both Batman and Superman in the past before. She was a role model, a goddess and a warrior. Yet a certain reality bending imp had been able to turn her into a duck with nothing but a loose thought. It was surprising to say the least. Dick doubted that anybody would tease Wonder Woman about this once she turned back. Everyone had far too much respect and fear for her.

In the back of his mind Dick idly wondered if Wonder Woman was aware if she was a duck or if she was blessed with not being aware of such a humiliating fact. He wasn’t sure how magic worked but he was certain that Wonder Woman could probably be in some type of deep stasis while trapped inside an average duck. It was either that or she had been physically morphed into a duck and was unable to utilize her powers or express her feelings. That wasn’t something he was entirely willing to think about. Luckily Dick had avoided such a fate and he certainly hoped he’d be able to in the future. He lacked the respect that Wonder Woman commanded or the fear that Bruce Wayne inspired to not be laughed at for the rest of his career. Granted he had friends who respected him but they were also as young as he was and as a result immature enough to take such misfortune as a joke.

It just so happened that Zatanna Zatara had been nearby to help deal with the situation. She actually hadn’t been in Metropolis but when you had a giant teleportation device that could transport you across the planet anything was nearby. Dick had been in Gotham City when he heard the news. He had decided to investigate the situation himself and had asked J’onn to assign Zatanna to help. Naturally he had acted as if J’onn had coupled them together instead of Dick choosing her. While he had definitely chosen her for her magical expertise he had to admit that he enjoyed working with her. He wasn’t sure why but she definitely presented herself as someone who both had his back and was able to call him out on his mistake. She was someone he needed for a mission like this. Besides, Zatanna actually was a mistress of magic and could view Wonder Woman’s plight in ways Dick couldn’t understand.

When they had partnered together they had both already known where the duck was being held. Apparently a young girl by the name of Delilah Castle had taken Wonder Woman as her pet. While Dick could easily steal the duck from her room Zatanna had felt that they should ask permission. Dick had initially disagreed but eventually his conscience had gotten to him. As efficient as it would be to steal the duck it simply wouldn’t be heroic to do so. If Dick was on his own he would have taken the duck but Zatanna was here and for some reason he wanted to impress her. Or at least prove he wasn’t like Bruce. Bruce would have definitely stolen away the duck regardless of what people thought. The elevator came to a stop on the floor and Dick led the way towards her door.

With all this talk of stealing and negotiating he had forgotten that the duck was actually a person trapped inside an animal’s body. Dick felt it was better to keep this to himself. He knocked on the door before stepping backwards and assumed his least intimidating stance. Granted this was somewhat difficult since he was dressed in a suit designed to strike fear into the hearts of his foes.

[Zatanna]

The knock on the door was met swiftly by a woman in your standard nanny outfit. She was a wholesome woman with dark hair bound in a tight bun atop her head, Mexican heritage evident in her appearance. "Oh, yes, Mr Batman," she said, accent heavy, "right this way." The woman stepped away from the door without another word and shuffled into the spacious foyer of the apartment. "Miss Delilah and Miss Zatarra are waiting for you, sir." The maid glanced knowingly over her shoulder. "Miss Zatarra is very charming, you know. A man would be lucky to have her."

Through a modern designed living space and a wide corridor the maid trundled, and stopped at an open door that laughter trickled from. "Here we are. Just call if you be needing something." The nanny offered a wink, picked up a laundry basket from inside the door and walked off balancing it on a hip. Inside was a room that was any little girl's dream. Seated cross-legged on the carpet amid countless Barbies and Lala Loopsies, and beside a wire cage for a certain feathered pet was Zatanna beside a sweet little girl wearing wire fairy wings and a tiara.

The Mistress of Magic herself had an overlarge bow on her head, and in her lap was a little duckling that glared with an air of rather human indignity directly at Batman in the doorway. "Hello, detective," Zatanna said with a smile. The little girl looked up, gave a skeptical once-over of Dick and then rolled her eyes to glance back at Zee. "I thought he was supposed to look scary," she said, with sarcastic disappointment. "Aw, don't be so hard on him, Delilah. He's not used to this lighting."

Zatanna eased the duckling onto a bedtime story book laying on the carpet beside Delilah and moved to Batman. "Her father wasn't home, and the maid let me in. Delilah says that we can have her pet - she was very cooperative once I explained everything, especially after I did a few magic tricks for her." Zee gave a wink. "I'd suggest that we collect Wonder-duck, adjourn to the nearest supply closet, and let me do my thing." Zatanna stretched, plucked the bow off of her head, and perched it on top of Dick's cowl nonchalantly.

[Batman]

The look on Dick’s face quickly adopted the somber tone that Bruce was known for. While most of his face was covered the lower part of his cowl gave off the impression that he simply couldn’t be bothered today. Dick was normally a cheery person but the cowl had managed to have some minor effects on his demeanor. No matter how friendly he was the idea of just knocking on someone’s door and asking for someone’s permission for something like this just annoyed him. He wasn’t a stage performer like Zatanna and as a result didn’t feel the need to constantly cater to people’s approval. As Dick followed the maid he noted that she couldn’t help but make at least one comment about romance. Dick sighed internally and decided to maintain his silence. That was something he’d rather not think about regardless of how pertinent it was to his choice of knocking on someone’s door instead of stealthily slipping inside.

Dick watched emotionless as the nanny picked up a laundry basket and vanished. He then sighed much more noisily this time and allowed Batman to portray emotion. Showing frustration wasn’t necessarily the smart thing to do in this situation so he forced himself to smile. The nicer he was the quicker they’d get out of here. Vanishing still wasn’t out the question. If Dick really wanted to he could just grab the duck and dive out the window. The idea of dropping a few smoke bombs was too entertaining to not consider. Yet he quickly nixed that idea in his head. He could think of a dozen consequences to doing that which would be unpleasant. All of them would be from Zatanna’s deadly mastery of magic as well. He didn’t want to think about what she was capable of. It was a scary thought.

Dick did his best not to look annoyed as his eyes flickered up to lights. Ironically Zatanna was right. Half the fright happened to be the lack of lighting during his fights. Criminals feared the unknown. As of late it had become somewhat more difficult for Batman to really frighten anyone but as long as there was darkness there was fear. Luckily Dick had other skills in his arsenal that he could call upon if stealth and fright didn’t do the trick. “I’m only scary to people who deserve it and you’ve been a good girl.” Public relations were not Dick’s strong suit. He was the most charismatic out of the Bat-Family but the Bat-Family were a natural brooding lot. So being a charismatic of the Bat-Family didn’t exactly count for being friendly amongst normal citizens.
 
“Nearest supply closet?” Dick questioned as he tugged the bow off of his cowl. He gave Zatanna a quizzical look. Did she really want to try and turn Wonder Woman back to normal here? He wasn’t entirely sure if it was safe. Especially since the person who had changed Wonder Woman in the first place could alter reality with a snap of his fingers. He had figured they could at least run some tests first. Hopefully his concerns could be conveyed all in one question because getting in an argument with Delilah here wasn’t necessarily something that Dick wanted.

[Zatanna]

Zatanna couldn't get over how very out of place Dick looked in the mundane, brightly-lit, homey setting. He might have been more empathetic than Bruce, but the fact of the matter was that the new Batman was just as fond of the shadows as his predecessor, even if he had a more profound sense of humor. Especially beings that Dick was wearing the batsuit, he just looked... bizarre. Bizarre in a way that made Zatanna really want to snap a picture to show the other members of the League. Too bad he didn't keep the bow on for longer than a few seconds.

Delilah continued to busy herself, quite uninterested in the two heroes standing in her bedroom. Zee gave Dick a dry look when he questioned her statement. Didn't he know better by now? Trust the magic stuff to her. The title "Mistress of Magic" implied that much. Then again, knowing Dick, Zatanna knew that the suggestion of a supply closet could actually be gleaned in an entirely different light. As tempting as that thought was, Zee knew that given the setting, and the fact that both of them knew how dire the situation was (and that they were representing the Justice League), she knew it was probably the former.

"Working spells as close as possible to where Wonderduck has been spending all her time will be easiest." Zatanna was obviously a little miffed at being forced to explain. Why couldn't Batmen - in the plural sense of the word, it would seem - just be quiet and trust her? Dick should have known that logic was sort of forfeit in this situation. "And I think that we've intruded on this family's hospitality long enough." Without waiting for confirmation on Dick's part, Zee turned around, and scooped up Diana. The duck squawked indignantly, and glared at Batman, as if daring him to crack a whisper of a grin.

"Thanks a bunch, Delilah! We'll show ourselves out." Zatanna paused, and crouched down beside the girl, who looked up in interest. "Here. For your trouble." Zee swept out her hand, which was suddenly holding a top hat, and a frumpy-looking bunny hopped out dutifully. Delilah actually squealed in delight and scooped up her new pet. With that, Zatanna pushed past Dick, still clutching Wonderduck tenderly in her palm, and struck off, headed towards the nearest supply closet.

[Batman]

“That makes total sense.” Dick said in what Delilah would think to be a very thoughtful and open-minded tone. Yet for any adult it was dripping with sarcasm and more than a little doubt. Even as Dick said those words he had to admire the stupidity and irony in picking a fight with Zatanna. She had been a trusted associate of Bruce for years yet it seemed that Dick was stuck on doubting her. It wasn’t entirely his fault. Bruce had done the exact same thing. It was more of a trait amongst the members of the Bat-Family. Tim was arguably the most open-minded member of their little family which was what made him the better detective. Dick’s particular brand of sarcasm had more to do with teasing Zatanna than getting on her nerves. He was fairly certain that her magic would work somehow. Dick definitely didn’t have any better suggestions. He also knew how the game worked and figured that it would take a couple of tries on Zatanna’s part before she actually succeeded.
In the meanwhile Dick had to make sure nothing crazy happened while she was working her mojo. Wonder Woman turning into a duck wasn’t exactly a common occurrence. He was fairly certain that the news had spread throughout the hero and villain community already. Information like that would spread like wildfire. Dick said nothing to Delilah or the house keeper as they left the apartment. It didn’t take terribly long to find a supply closet. It was down the hall and one look at it told Dick it was already cramped and Zatanna would barely fit inside it. Not that dick actually wanted to go into the supply closet. Not for changing Wonder Duck back to her true form, anyway. “Well I’d head in there with you under different circumstances but this sounds like a private affair.”

Dick turned and squinted out the window he was standing in front of. He squinted outside and frowned. He really didn’t like their position. It wouldn’t be all that difficult to figure out where they were. Just as Dick spoke his comm. unit rang. “Batman. This is Oracle. We’ve got a bit of a problem on our hands. Currently there’s a massive hit out for Wonder Woman in her weakened form and there are all types of people on the manhunt for her. I’m willing to bet that a couple of them know where you are right now…you guys need to get out of here right now.” Dick squinted through the window and quickly triggered the micro-binoculars in his lens. That’s when he saw a man in a red suit and a shiny metal helmet. A powerful sniper rifle was cradled in his arms. Dick sighed and then quickly opened the supply closet and ducked inside moments before bullets sprayed through the hallway. A couple punctured the supply closet door but missed his head by several inches.

“Hi.” He said awkwardly as a mop stick pushed against his back. “Anyway you can ‘port us out of here to a safer location?” Another bullet punctured the supply closet door, zipped past Dick’s nose and buried itself into the wall. “Now?”

[Zatanna]

There were certainly similarities in how Zatanna felt around Dick, and then Bruce before him. They both had the uncanny knack for being able to make her want to peck them on the cheek, and slap them at the same time. Zee acknowledged the similes between the two, but there was also a vast void difference. Really, it was the little things. Like that Dick had a way of delivering a line that made Zatanna not sure whether to laugh of scowl. Or how he smelled faintly of something rich - it couldn't possibly be his "musk."

So, when Dick opened the door to the cramped supply closet, wrinkled his nose in obvious distaste, and insisted on remaining outside of it, Zatanna rolled her eyes. Did he not know that she was a sorceress by now? All it took was a quick command, and a snap of Zee's fingers, and the supply closet stretched - shattering every law of physics that there was - until it was actually spacious. Zee stepped inside, the door was closed behind her, and she plopped down in a meditative pose on the floor with the duckling on her lap.

"Don't worry, Diana. I've got your back." Zatanna invoked a cross between a divining charm, and a scrying spell for starters. Almost of its own accord, as Zee started to speak a circle of light played across the floor around her. The Mistress of Magic was in the middle of her incantation when... Batman ducked into the room, followed by a hail of bullets. Zatanna immediately covered Wonder Woman's transfigured form with her body, and looked up, shocked, at Dick.

The dark knight wasn't offering any answers, just suggesting for her to do the obvious. Even so, it didn't take the world's greatest detective to solve this riddle. Zee knew how charged the situation was when she had been briefed. Zatanna stood, and had the air of someone torn right down the middle. Why? Well, she couldn't safely transport her and Dick to safety without first banishing the ritual she'd started. The 'port spell would be tampered by the divining circle, and even Zee didn't know what would happen.

That was all well and good, except the magician just realized: she hadn't put up magical protections on the Castle's apartment. Zatanna could not stand for leaving that little girl and her family defenseless against others who might trace Wonder Woman's presence to being there. The problem stood that Zee simply didn't have time. She didn't have time to cast wards on the Castle's apartment, teleport her and Dick, and remove the circle at her feet. Hell, she wouldn't even have the time to block the bullets and do the ward.

Zee made a snap-judgement decision. "Here." Zatanna pressed the duckling into Batman's grasp, and spoke faster than she had in a long, long time. Blue waves of light spread from the sorceress's body in a brilliant flood, passing through the closet's door, and down to wrap around the Castle's apartment and it's inhabitants. Even their cheerful maid. Bullets made the air boil in streaks around Zee and Batman, even grazing the skin of her shoulder, but she didn't even flinch.

At last, Zatanna and Dick were lost in a whirlwind of bright white vapor... The only issue was that the glowing symbols on the floor broke, and were carried with the white light in jagged fractures. Zee was lost to a flood of colors, and the pain in her arm from the bullet wound. Unbidden, a hard floor collided with Zatanna's feet through the nothingness, sending them out from under her so that she landed roughly on her back. Dick similarly spilled out of her spell several feet away.

The Mistress of Magic caught brief glimpses of high ceilings and tall columns, like in a grand bank, museum or library. Then a magical presence that was like a nuclear blast registered suddenly on Zatanna's radar. "Oh, dear," a rich, sultry voice clucked, "look who fell right into the lion's den." Zee rolled over, dread creeping up over her shoulders. Ten yards away, lounging on a fainting chair in all of her glory was the goddess, Circe, and Diana-duckling was in a cage beside her. "Or, should I say, lioness."

[Batman]

This trip was not one for kids. It wasn’t about the danger or the bullet shots or even the idea of traveling through time or space. It was more about the bright flashes of light that swirled around Dick, Zatanna and Diana. There were some shades and tones that even Dick hadn’t recognized. Apparently magic opened up your eyes to new experiences. Dick sincerely doubted that he’d be interested in magic even with the advantages it provided. It would become too reliable and would give him too much power. He wasn’t sure if he could handle it. Yet Zatanna was able to handle it with aplomb. Dick subconsciously reached out and grabbed her hand for a sense of some direction and security. He hardly knew where they were going and he had a bad feeling about this in the pit of his stomach.

His bad feeling was justified when he skidded across a marble floor and crashed into a pillar. He glanced around and noticed that they were in a throne room of sorts. He glanced around anxiously and noticed three things that would send a lesser man into a panic. Diana (still in her duck form) was trapped in a cage. Circe sat on a throne at the far end of the room and beside her stood Slade Deathstroke. Dick sighed and immediately scooted behind the pillar and melted into the shadows. It was an act that came naturally to him and while it was complicated on paper it was fairly simple. Just find the darkest and most isolated place and hide there. Just don’t stay in that area. Keep moving and maneuver until your close enough to the enemy to deliver a killing blow. It was a simple enough strategy and he hoped that it would at least buy them some time.

Dick soon found himself hiding amongst the ceiling. He was barely able to find a grasp on the smooth ceiling but Batman always found a way. Slowly but surely he began to make his way across the ceiling towards the cage below. He was barely able to get a grasp on the small nooks and crannies surrounding him but he did well enough. He knew that he was running out of time and it was very likely that Slade was just waiting to blast him from the roof. Yet he continued to persevere. The throne room was relatively dark and while the ceiling was decorated with paintings there was no light to show it off. So Dick was hoping that he was in the clear. From what he could tell Zatanna was doing a good enough job to keep them busy. Soon Dick was suspended over the cage. He took a quick breath and without further thought dropped from the ceiling.

He fell silently and as he did he hurled several minibombs at Circe and Slade. He landed on top of the cage with little incident. He slashed the wires open with his gauntlets and grabbed Diana. He turned and began to sprint for the exit and with each step he felt more hope. That was until he found himself encased in a blood red bubble of energy. Dick’s elbows were pressed into his sides and his knees were practically shoved into his chest. Then he realized that the bubble had no oxygen at all and that’s when he realized that he was in trouble.

[Zatanna]

There was a moment when Zatanna realized that Batman was nowhere in sight when she thought: I'll kill him. Then logic caught up with her. Zee had worked long enough with Bruce to know that when a Bat was suddenly gone, it was for good reason. That meant that the role of distraction fell to her. Not that that would be difficult. Zatanna saw what was before her, and curiosity was definitely piqued in her. That, and red-hot rage. Circe was a grade A pain in the magical community's ass.

She was a literal goddess with almost infinite magical strength. More than Zatanna, anything that Circe wanted to do, she could. Even worse, the woman's magic was as ancient as the culture from which she was born, and - as much as Zee didn't want to admit to it - it was greater than the Mistress of Magic's might. That meant that any curse Circe bestowed, or any spell-off that the two had, the goddess would win. Her involvement in all of this wasn't a complete surprise, but it meant that Zatanna and Batman's job had become so much harder.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she'd wrangled Deathstroke as her bodyguard. Eff.

"Really, Zatanna. You have nothing to say?" Circe was holding a goblet in one hand, eyeing the contents absently, and swirling the liquid it held lazily. "Looking as gaudy as ever, Circe." The goddess lifted her gaze and quirked one brow. Deciding if she were going to be amused or offended. A smile broke on her lips: amused. "Why, you've always been the flatterer, dear." Circe flapped a hand at her, and Deathstroke continued to stare blankly through the one eye hole in his mask.

"I'm afraid that compliments won't get you much of anywhere at the moment, though." Zatanna stood slowly, and noted the vast magical protections worked into the stone surfaces all around her. She wouldn't be able to even send a curse at Circe, and the goddess knew that. "Why'd you do it?" She looked intrigued at the question, but didn't answer. Zatanna chose to elaborate. "With all the power at your disposal, you decide to turn Wonder Woman into a duckling? It just seems too... simple for you."

Circe titled her head back and laughed deeply. Once she looked back down at Zatanna there was a fire in her eyes. "Well, dear, I did it just for a bit of fun!" Zee's gaze narrowed. Circe chuckled softly anew. "Any worthwhile curse wouldn't stick, you know. Not with her channeling the powers of those bothersome Olympians." She sighed delicately and pressed the back of one hand against her brow in dramatic emphasis. "So, I decided to just enjoy myself! Surly this won't put an end to the goody-goody princess, but you have to admit," Circe's irises steeled over, "it's fairly humorous."

The goddess gestured to the cage that hovered at her elbow. "The great Amazonian liaison, ambassador of peace, diplomat of harmony; Wonder Woman... Turned into something so insignificant." Circe snickered childishly. "That's real entertainment for me." Zatanna measured her breathing. So far it didn't seem that their opponents had noticed Dick, or his lack thereof. Hopefully that stuck. Knowing Circe though, she could just be toying with Batman, and waiting to snare him once he thought victory was near at hand.

"Very funny," Zee said dismissively, "but what now? What did you hope to achieve at this point in your grand scheme, Circe?" The dark sorceress held up a finger to pause the transfer. On cue, Batman descended like a black comet from the ceiling. With one smooth motion, he had Wonder-duck in his grasp, and was booking toward the exit. Zatanna knew it was no good. Not for all magical knowledge she had to offer... Because Deathstroke didn't move. He remained at ease in front of Circe.

"Ah ah ah, dark knight." Circe made a flicking motion with one finger, and from the nail a kernel of crimson light struck out, inflating as it went. Between steps, Batman was collected in a sphere of magical energy that Zatanna knew she wouldn't be able to crack. Duckling Diana appeared with a blink in her cage - newly mended from Dick's attack. Batman's prison was too small for comfort, and it bobbed at leisure in the air in a scene that might have been comical. It was not.

"As to your question, Zatanna: I have a little game set in place for this leg of my scheme." The brunette knew that she was playing right into Circe's trap. There had to be some way out of it. "Do you want to hear the rules? You had better sort your decision soon. That little bubble is a little low on oxygen, as it would happen." The goddess's sneer turned more openly venomous, and briefly the reflected image of a phantom clock that was ticking flickered over the bubble's surface. Zee spoke through gritted teeth. "What is this game?"

"Simple, really," Circe stood for the first time. She reached at her belt, where several scrolls, satchels, and several differently-shaped blades hung for sacrificial purposes. From one pull-string bag, the goddess pulled out a pinch of ash-like grains and sprinkled it into her goblet. Mist billowed from the rim of the cup, and gathered in a whirling mass above the conjureress's head. "This is the scroll that holds the spell that will break the curse I put on Little Miss Perfect here." An image formed in the smoke of an ancient furl of paper.

"I couldn't keep the thing just lying around, of course," Circe sniffed, "so I hid it somewhere in the city... Or was it a pocket dimension?" She paused to reflect, then shrugged. "Regardless, you have to find it." The goddess looked at Zatanna, who stared back warily. "What's the catch?" Circe's look turned sickly sweet. "Why must you be so clever? But you guessed, so I'll tell you: Such a powerful scroll can only remain in this plain of existence for so long before it diminishes, to be summoned again centuries from now."

Zee steadied her breath to even her anger. Batman didn't have much time left. "A time cap to find it." Circe nodded slowly. "If you don't find the counter-curse before midnight tonight, you'll never lay your fingers on it." Zatanna felt panic rising in her throat. It was already getting dark outside. She knew magic wouldn't show the scroll's location to her (Circe would have made sure of that), which meant that Batman and herself had a horrendously small amount of time to search the entire city for the article. "'Midnight?'" she reiterated.

Circe sighed. "Dreadfully cliche, I know, dear, but there's nothing for it." Zee said, "So, if we find it before midnight, what then?" The goddess looked approvingly of the question. "Well, the little charm I placed on it will bring you back here, and undo the spell on the courageous little duckling." Zatanna didn't believe it. "Then?" Circe seemed to be getting impatient with the drills. "Then you walk away scotch-free, as the term goes. Who Scotch is and why he's free are completely beyond me - You mortals and your silly sayings."

"How do I know that you'll keep your word, Circe?" The dark sorceress bristled. She had been hoping that Zatanna wouldn't have brought up that point, and even then pretended as if she hadn't heard her. "You have to do it, Circe. That's the only way I'll agree. You don't have a choice any more than I do." Circe tucked a lock of vibrant magenta hair behind one ear. "So be it, dear," she made the word a curse, "I give you my word... As a goddess." Circe crossed an X over her heart, and there trailed a line of light like she had cut her chest open and shown that sunlight ran through her veins.

"I agree." Batman's bubble popped, dropping him beside Zatanna. She knelt down to make sure he was alright, and Circe turned away from them both. Deathstroke's eye narrowed into one imposing slit as it looked down at Dick. The goddess paused, and looked over her shoulder almost as if it were an afterthought. "Oh, and there's one more little detail I didn't mention, Zatanna, darling." Zee's guard flared, her instincts seared. She knew there would be a bigger catch. "What?"

Circe looked too smug for the Mistress of Magic to feel safe. "Just... This." She slashed her goblet through the air, and the red wine within rained down on Zatanna and Batman. She saw a flash of the crimson liquid... Then darkness...

Zee awoke in one of Metropolis's parks... Only the trees looked much too big. A pond was at her feet, except... Except they weren't feet! Zatanna jumped up, and rushed to the reflective edge of the water. Staring up at her from the surface was a floppy-eared, scared-looking white rabbit. A rabbit with intelligent eyes, cartoon-esque physiology, and a top hat perched between its ears. "Well, crap."

[Batman]

He needed oxygen. Dick's knees were shoved into his chest and his elbows were pressed to his side. If he could move he would be desperately slamming his fist against the bubble in hopes of cracking it. While he couldn't crack the bubble he could reach his utility belt. Dick couldn't try and destroy the bubble from the inside out. He would only end up getting himself killed. As Dick gasped for air he managed to grab his breathing mask. He couldn't press it against his face so instead he pushed it in front of his chest and rapidly vented all the oxygen out of the mask. That managed to keep him from passing out but soon that too extinguished. He considered to gasp for air even though it wasn't there.

Dick's chest ached and tears began to stream from his eyes. His lungs seemed to scream in protest. Dick began to wiggle and push around but he still couldn't break the bubble. He subconsciously noticed that Zatanna was right next to him and she seemed to be arguing. He was hoping that it was for his life and he was hoping that it was working. Another thirty seconds passed on and Dick was seeing through a red haze. His head was pounding and he could feel himself sinking into unconsciousness. Just when he was ready to pass out the bubble vanished. Dick collapsed to the ground. He lay there as Zatanna checked on him. He began to cough heavily and struggled to push himself to his feet. He engaged in a rare breathing exercise as he wobbled to his feet. As Dick reintroduced his lungs to air he focused on Deathstroke. The man said nothing but he was practically gloating in silence. Dick had a feeling that he was simply there to watch them fail.

"Agree to what?" Dick turned to Zatanna. "Agree to-" Then there was a loud bang sound and Dick was floating through the air. He couldn't see. At all. He screeched in surprise and as he did he suddenly realized where he was. The sounds of his squealing literally came back to him and gave him an excellent idea of where he was. He heard the sound of mocking laughter and screeched indignantly. That same noise told him that Deathstroke and Circe were enjoying themselves at his expense. Dick squealed yet again and tried to flutter towards them. Yet his wings were spastic and ended with him landing on the ground.

Dick sighed as he felt his wing push against fur. Somehow he knew this was a rabbit and he knew it was Zatanna. He did a bat's version of a sigh. Zee, what have you done.

[Zatanna]

Zatanna knew that Circe was watching them. She could feel the goddess's gaze like a spotlight that wasn't visible. Zatanna also knew that her enemy was laughing. To think that Circe would go to such lengths - though they were probably simply accomplished with her magical strength and resources - just for a bit of amusement. Zee looked at her reflection in shock that slowly turned to irritation. At least her physiology wasn't entirely that of a rabbit. There was a cartoon quality about her form that allowed Zatanna a little more human capability than otherwise.

The magician tugged on one of her floppy ears in an unsatisfied way, and brushed a bit of dirt off of her top hat. She even wore a white collar and crimson bow-tie around her furry neck. Zatanna should have been looking to see where Dick was, but she knew Circe well enough to be aware that he would be nearby. Nearby, and likely an animal, as well. Just then, Zee needed to check on something that would define their search for the scroll. Wrinkling her pink nose, Zatanna swept out both stubby, endearing arms and cleared her throat.

"Cigam emoc ot em!" There was a twist in the air, and flecks of light like droplets of dew began appearing in the air around the rabbit. They floated, as if sucked in by a wind, in twisting ribbons to congeal around Zatanna's padded hands, creating globes of energy. Zee looked critically for a moment, then dispelled the phenomenon. So she still had the ability to cast spells... But her strength had been greatly diminished. She was locked into a new gauge of mysticism to suit the body that she was in. Nothing big and flashy from her until they found the scroll, in other words.

"Bats?" Zatanna turned around and looked towards the nearest bushes and trees. Funnily enough, this wasn't the sorceress's first time as a rabbit. She hopped forward, head swiveling to find Dick, causing her ears to flop. Zee paused after two hops, and while one bent, the other perked, pivoting to catch a sound. All in all, the Mistress of Magic was adorable. Wonder what Circe transfigured Dick into, Zatanna mused grudgingly, though the answer was fairly obvious.

[Batman]

If anything Dick had to admit that he at least felt at home. He was in the forest. He was a bat. Honestly it wasn't that bad. He could think of other animal forms he could be right now. Like a snake or a mongoose. Oddly enough he had spent enough time mimicking the lifestyle of a bat that he could adapt to this. He didn't plan to do this permanently. He also didn't enjoy it. But he could adapt. That being said he wanted to be changed back as soon as possible. Being trapped in a rat's body (who also had wings) was definitely less appealing than mimicking its habits. Dick sighed heavily though that sigh instead came out as a squeak. He pivoted around on one tiny foot and again his wing bumped into what felt like fur.

Then again the membranes in his wings could barely feel anything. Dick dismissed it as a sensation and realized that he wasn’t at all comfortable on the ground. Maybe it’d be easier to find Zatanna from a distance. He had no idea where she was and as far as he knew echolocation worked better when he was flying. He wasn’t sure if it was the instincts of a bat kicking in or not but wandering around the ground could hardly be smart. It could only end with him being consumed by predators. Or worse: being stepped on. He fluttered his wings suddenly and ascended to the air. The movement was somewhat physically strenuating since Dick was flying up instead of riding on wind currents.
Dick squeaked again once he landed on the lowest branch of a nearby tree. He then opened his mouth and generated a higher pitch squeal that sent subtle vibrations through the air. In a matter of seconds the sound came back to him and he knew exactly where he was. He was either in the forest or on the side of a road. Below him was a rabbit and based on what he was hearing it was Zatanna. Dick shook his head from side to side rapidly. Apparently a bat’s fears of being eaten had overridden logic. Of course Zatanna would be a rabbit! In hindsight it made perfect sense. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes like this and resolved that they’d have to work harder.

“Hey!” He screeched, not entirely sure if she could even understand what he was saying. “Do you know where we’re going because I do not want to be stuck like this forever!”

[Zatanna]

Zatanna paused at the sound of a vaguely familiar screech, one ear swiveling in place to emphasize her curiosity. That sound wasn't foreign to the Mistress of Magic. She'd heard it countless times, usually in annoying, eye-twitching multitudes coming from the shadowed cavern ceiling in the Batcave. I guess that would be a certain dark knight, then, Zee thought to herself. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to connect where the sound was coming from, thereby finding her misplaced comrade. Zatanna never thought that the bat-motif suited Dick - his Nightwing persona was far more aligned with his personality - but Circe wasn't aware of the young man's background.

Despite herself, the bunny jumped in surprise when a voice that sounded very much like the annoying screech from before resonated from the branches up above. Zatanna hopped back once and careened her head to see where exactly Dick had gotten himself to. Zee's eyes locked with the furry shape she knew to be Batman and let out a low whistle - must have been more with the magic-inspired, cartoon-esque physiology she had, beings that Zatanna was fairly certain rabbits couldn't whistle. "I know what you mean," she said earnestly. "At least I'm still adorable. You're..."

Zatanna paused, refraining from saying what she had truly been meaning to. Dick hated magic - she knew that thirty times over by now - and this whole scenario was probably one of his worst nightmares. "Let's just say I know you've had better days." That was when, while she was trying to put empathy into her voice, it dawned on Zatanna. While a bat's echolocation was helpful, and gave Dick a certain edge... Not being able to see certainly did not. Maybe Zee could swing it both ways? She wasn't sure how much wiggle room she had in the spell, but just touching up Circe's curse should be doable, she hoped.

"Ees," Zatanna said, almost scornfully, while she prodded one of her stubby little front paws in Dick's general location. There was an amusing, comedic pop sound, like someone pulling a sucker from their mouths, and Zee felt the magic take. "Is that better, at least?" The Mistress of Magic wasn't trying to waste time. She knew how crucial their limit was. Having a blind Batman on her side wasn't particularly ideal, though. Before Dick could properly respond, Zatanna was already reaching out with her vaguely modified senses to try and get a fix on the scroll.

"I can't do any big spells," Zee grudgingly admitted. "But, Circe putting us under this curse gave me an edge that I don't think she meant to happen." The sorceress smiled with a cunning that didn't quite suit her rabbit features. The curse that was laying on Zatanna's own shoulders was from the scroll that they were looking for. Each struck a not of resonance within the other. All magic leaves traces, and Zee could feel the one connecting her with their ultimate goal. Sadly, that connection was frayed, weak, and wide. She and Dick still had a good amount of searching to do, but Zatanna thought that she knew the general area where the scroll was within Metropolis.

Zee explained this - in fewer, more to-the-point words - to Batman quickly. "You can fly," she said, using her paws to speak, "and my magic combined with my mad hopping skills will make it easier to move." Zatanna nodded in a grim, satisfied way. "Might as well get to the other side of the park. That's where the scroll should be... Near the heart of downtown." Zee looked at the rotating globe that topped the Daily Planet's building in the distance, shimmering in the fading light of sunset. They didn't have much time...