Zatanna hadn't had to tell Alcide why she was in his room in the middle of the night. She hadn't had to say a word, and it didn't look like she was the only one who'd needed to sleep somewhere she didn't necessarily belong, as Zee had seen Katniss in Alcide's roommate's bed when she'd come in. The PDC had said it was nearly three in the morning. She'd slipped in silently and hovered uncertainly beside Alcide's bed before whispering his name. She'd been shaking. She'd been crying, but she doubted he could see that in the dark, which was just as well. She'd just needed to know that he was okay — that there's not a hole in his head reminded the inner voice that she'd been trying to ignore since waking up alone and soaked in sweat.
He didn't ask questions. She didn't offer answers. She'd crawled up on his bed when invited and curled, trembling, beside him. Just knowing that he was there and breathing and warming the other side of the mattress, creating that sag in it behind her with his weight and body heat was enough to lull her back to sleep and she'd only managed a couple more hours before slipping back out of the room without waking any of them the next morning.
It was just a nightmare, that's all. It didn't have anything to do with anything, she promised herself, and she'd gone about her day as such. It was a nightmare because she'd missed him yesterday and known he'd been worried — she hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him about everything yesterday after the mission, just really a passing 'hey, I'm okay,' along with a couple of quick details that wouldn't have gotten her in trouble if overheard.
The fact that she'd dreamed about Green Arrow solidified it. It was harder to see his face than the Green Arrow she'd known, but she also hadn't seen Green Arrow in what felt like forever. He'd always been elusive at best anyway for anyone who hadn't been Artemis. Her subconscious made, therefore, his face darker; harder to see. The dreams were just that. Green Arrow was Justice League. Zatanna had dreamed about being Justice League, too, a million times. The fact that she'd dreamed of him hardly phased her and the fact that she'd dreamed Alcide had been killed when he was clearly alive...well.
That phases her more, but she isn't willing to admit it.
By the time the day is nearly done, she makes her way to the spot behind the Wagon Wheel where they tend to meet up before deciding where to go next to talk. She has a lot to fill him in on. That does not include the dream. She's not going to tell him about that, because it's embarrassing and stupid and it's not even real, so it doesn't matter. It's just her subconscious reminding her that Alcide is important to her and she already knows that; he's her best friend. Of course he's important. Of course she'd been scared that it had been real. Of course she'd felt better when she'd confirmed that it had just been a bad dream and of course she didn't spend her day thinking about it.
Okay that last part is a lie.
But the important thing is that she tells him about the mission with Prim in more detail. The important thing is that she tells him that she has absolute confirmation that her powers are still accessible, she just has to find the trigger for them again — and hopefully it isn't what she thinks it is, because it's not like she can have a mutant following her around day in and out — so that she can go back to using them. Plus, she needs to tell him about the escape trail. ...and start planning an escape, for that matter.
"Psst," she hisses out when she sees his hulking shadow moving toward her. She's tucked herself back and out of the way, not wanting to be seen, but a hand slips out from between two dumpsters and beckons him. Zatanna knows it's him, it just always is. No one else comes back here to hang out near the dumpsters, to her knowledge. At least, she's never seen anyone else.
Closed to Alcide Herveaux & Zatanna Zatara
He didn't ask questions. She didn't offer answers. She'd crawled up on his bed when invited and curled, trembling, beside him. Just knowing that he was there and breathing and warming the other side of the mattress, creating that sag in it behind her with his weight and body heat was enough to lull her back to sleep and she'd only managed a couple more hours before slipping back out of the room without waking any of them the next morning.
It was just a nightmare, that's all. It didn't have anything to do with anything, she promised herself, and she'd gone about her day as such. It was a nightmare because she'd missed him yesterday and known he'd been worried — she hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him about everything yesterday after the mission, just really a passing 'hey, I'm okay,' along with a couple of quick details that wouldn't have gotten her in trouble if overheard.
The fact that she'd dreamed about Green Arrow solidified it. It was harder to see his face than the Green Arrow she'd known, but she also hadn't seen Green Arrow in what felt like forever. He'd always been elusive at best anyway for anyone who hadn't been Artemis. Her subconscious made, therefore, his face darker; harder to see. The dreams were just that. Green Arrow was Justice League. Zatanna had dreamed about being Justice League, too, a million times. The fact that she'd dreamed of him hardly phased her and the fact that she'd dreamed Alcide had been killed when he was clearly alive...well.
That phases her more, but she isn't willing to admit it.
By the time the day is nearly done, she makes her way to the spot behind the Wagon Wheel where they tend to meet up before deciding where to go next to talk. She has a lot to fill him in on. That does not include the dream. She's not going to tell him about that, because it's embarrassing and stupid and it's not even real, so it doesn't matter. It's just her subconscious reminding her that Alcide is important to her and she already knows that; he's her best friend. Of course he's important. Of course she'd been scared that it had been real. Of course she'd felt better when she'd confirmed that it had just been a bad dream and of course she didn't spend her day thinking about it.
Okay that last part is a lie.
But the important thing is that she tells him about the mission with Prim in more detail. The important thing is that she tells him that she has absolute confirmation that her powers are still accessible, she just has to find the trigger for them again — and hopefully it isn't what she thinks it is, because it's not like she can have a mutant following her around day in and out — so that she can go back to using them. Plus, she needs to tell him about the escape trail. ...and start planning an escape, for that matter.
"Psst," she hisses out when she sees his hulking shadow moving toward her. She's tucked herself back and out of the way, not wanting to be seen, but a hand slips out from between two dumpsters and beckons him. Zatanna knows it's him, it just always is. No one else comes back here to hang out near the dumpsters, to her knowledge. At least, she's never seen anyone else.