* PAY ATTENTION TO ME I'M FASCINATING !

“I would LOVE if people dressed like this again ! Oh my god, could you imagine how technology today could totally innovate this and look even better?” She would have to ask other Mina how exactly she could start a petition to get people to do exactly this, restart the 1920′s fashion trends. Without all of the horrid racism and other bigotry, of course. “You look amazing, by the by. Total bombshell alert.”

zatanna’s grin only grew bigger at the words,e red lips stretching into something lopsided,  “  are you kidding me ? the twenties may not have done everything right, but between then and the fifties did they know how to flatter a silhouette !  i say we bring it back because this  ?  “  a  hand gestures broadly to the scene before them, people dressed to the nines, glittering lights,  “  this is fabulous.  and  y’know,  you’re looking pretty hot yourself.  “

““speak for yourself.” his tone gravelly as he glanced to her. “mean you look… nice.” she did and coming from daryl that was a compliment. "but this?” gesturing to the suit he was wearing which was definitely out of his comfort zone. “look like an idiot.”

her head shook, sending her tightly pinned curls into shaking, a noise of disbelief escaping her.  “  i’m sorry, say what ?  “  she shot a look at daryl, hand raised to gesture at him,  “ you look like you stepped out of a catalog, if you hadn’t already complimented me i’d say you might need your eyes checked.  “   she laughed,  “  c’mon, it’s not that bad, look, lose the tie, undo a button or two, it’s all about confidence.   “

“sure, now that you mention it, dark fringe does a good job of covering their many flaws,” madison chimes in, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. “can’t say i’ve really paid much attention to the cretins, though. too busy being the main attraction at this snooze fest of a party, you know how it is, zatanna.” 

SCOFF SOUNDED   /   eyes rolled, how very on brand !  still, she smiled, the barest hint, a secret interior cruelty  showing through, she hid a laugh behind the sip of her mimosa.  “  it’s not bad, this place cleans up well, you know ?  “  a sly look crossed features as zatanna shot her a glance  “  you can admit to being the sideshow sometimes you know. the opening act ?   “

“one time, my family had a big party in our house for my eight birthday. my father had tried to spell a cake to release fireworks but it just blew up and created a hole in the ceiling.” the blonde giggled. “so no party will ever live up to that.” @hexappeall​

          LAUGHTER CURLS PAST LIPS   /   even as head is thrown back, an expression of genuine happiness from a person who’d been trudging toward the whetstone of grief.  the joy of magic.  eyes shone with a music as she grinned at luna.   “   oh no,  trust  me  i have a few stories of my own, my dad tried to spell a ice skating rink for us, the night ended with a lot of very soggy kids and unhappy parents.   “ 

Holiday Party...

   Donna definitely took three hours to weigh if she was actually coming, it probably would have been less if she walked around in the shoes she choose instead of changing into them two seconds before getting out of the car. They were digging their way into her ankle ever so slightly. “Who’s smart idea was to make shoes pointy - anyone ever actually have pointy feet?” She stated out loud, before near spitting the drink back into the cup. “Oh god… what is that?” Dark hues began searching for the open bar. 

zatanna laughed, firmly settled into her heels, the twenties may have believed in one inch chunk heels but zatanna had always known the arch of six inch stilettos, whichever universe she found herself in.   “  it’s not all bad,  “  a  wry smile twisted her lips as she shrugged,   “ could be the era of shoulder pads and big hair.  “  

.｡.:*☆ Poe had never been someone for dressing up, yet, there he was, wearing a suit the man in the shop had claimed to be authentic and feeling a little bit out of place.

“Hey, do you think I am overdressed?” he asked the person next to him, his eyes scanning the room. “You know, I mean, for this Christmas party…. thing?”

zatanna glanced over at the voice and froze, a smile spreading across her face, “hey, if you’re overdressed so am i. ” voice wry as she raised a brow,  “overdressed or not, you look good, might as well run with it.”

“Yes, I get that he stole your berries but there are more out there and look there are some right over there,” she said to the bird that was squawking up a storm. “Please - look - I - there is a party I need to go to and I really don’t know how to he-” she stopped, feeling a pair of eyes on her as she slowly turned around. “I can totally explain this”

       LAUGH SMOTHERED INTO HER HAND   she grinned at her and shook her head, a hand waved breezily,  “  don’t worry about it.  i think we’ve all been there,  or at least i have, i like to narrate people’s conversations when i can’t hear them and i’m bored.  “  she shrugged a shoulder, as if to say:  what can ya do ?  the world is boring and we just gotta live in it.   it was a very complicated shrug.  “  so you have a birdy thief on your hands ?  “

she was tired, not physically, the exhaustion dragged fingertips across her mind, there was something to be said for having a dual set of lives, the one she’d lived and the one that had settled over her mind like a blanket. dulling her senses, MUFFLING THE VOICES OF HER PAST. still, she held onto hope, blue eyes drifted over crowds, dragonflies flitting over water.  she sought out familiar faces, hoping against hope, because, afterall, she wasn’t selfish enough to wish anyone she’d want to see, getting ripped away from everything they knew.  (  just selfish enough to hold onto the hope of not being alone.  )  she closed up shop for the day, keys fighting with the lock and a spell on the tip of her tongue, A LANGUAGE LEARNED IN REVERSE  when she spotted him.  well, him.  she knew precisely one man with a goatee that dorky.  her voice exploded out of her mouth before she could think, eyes wide, heart beat suddenly thumping into a staccato rhythm, fast and sharp.  she threw up a hand to flag him down, a hopeful smile spreading wide over her face.  “ ollie ?! ”    

“That sounds disgusting but useful if you’re trying to stay up.  Like a coffee milkshake or something,” Mia joked.  “No harm in that, some of the brightest people I know are mostly caffeine.”  The idea of an auditory keysmash made her chuckle, but she shook her head in disagreement.  “I still like it.”  She took the offered hand gently, giving it a quick shake and its owner a smile.  “Sorry to hear that.  I feel your pain, though, honestly.  Usually I just go for a run but sometimes coffee is all that can help.”

zatanna pursed her lips on a laugh, shook her head ruefully, her hair a mess of knots and tangles, she suddenly realized how she must look, bags under her eyes, in her comfiest pair of sweats and a ratty sweater. she was suddenly grateful that in this universe there was no paparazzi following her every move. she could picture the headline.  “  see, a run would have just made me even more tired, besides, i may not look it now but i wore these killer heels today and meet feet hurt enough without adding that mess to it. ignore the hot mess that is my....everything right now i swear i’m a productive member of society....mostly.  “

Rey turned around at the request. “Sure,” she said, turning back to look at the cluster of packets and condiments collected in the center of the table she sat at. There were so many, and they all had different names, none of which exactly said SUGAR on them. This was embarrassing - she’d been feeling like she understood living on earth well enough for someone who’d dropped out of a galaxy far, far away, but apparently not.

She turned back to the other woman. “Uh, which one is it?” 

zatanna blinked, cleared the haze of exhaustion from her vision, a deep breath, the world coming into suddenly clear focus. “ big glass jar?” she held up her own empty one, the ubiquitous glass decanter filled with the sparse bit of clumped sugar stuck to the bottom. “i probably should have specified huh ? there’s too many sweeteners, i mean, i get it, zero calorie and sugar free, but like. sugar is sugar.”

“They must have given you the better stuff, because mine is doing nothing to keep me conscious.”  The probable concussion was more likely the culprit than the coffee, but that was neither here nor there.  “I’m glad it’s helping, though.  And I love that name, it’s gorgeous.  I’m Mia - it’s nice meeting you too.  What brings you to Ames’ most delightful all night diner?”

zatanna cast a glance down to her cup, a not much darker now than the pitch black it was with the lights up. she shrugged, “pretty sure i got half a cup of the grounds and the last bit of the pot.” a laugh, half rueful “i’m about ninety percent sure that i’m made up of mostly caffeine. zatanna? oh no, it’s all z’s and misplaced vowels, it’s like an auditory keysmash, but hey, what can you do?” A hand, offered to shake, leaned across the table to try and reach her easier. “mia. nice to meet you.” she fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable. “bad dreams i guess, i’ve been having trouble sleeping.”

“No worries,” Mia assured her.  She didn’t mind helping out, especially when it was as easy as that.  The other woman’s question made her look around, blinking a few times in surprise - the dimmed power had actually happened without her noticing, as her head had been firmly in her hands.  “I’d assume so,” she guessed.  “I’ve been in here a bunch of times, and they don’t usually have any trouble.  Probably plugged a toaster and a microwave in the same outlet or something.”

Mia sat up a little, craning her neck and searching for a member of the staff.  “Want me to go find somebody and ask?  Be a shame to waste those fries by sleeping in them…”

zatanna shook her head with a laugh, a hearty gulp of her coffee washing away the rest of her exhaustion.  “   i don’t know, everything seemed a lot more desperate before i had this coffee.  “  she cradled it in her hands and offered the girl a smile.   “  zatanna,   nice to meet you  ..?  “  she trailed off meaningfully hoping for a name.