Exploration

Ben and Zatanna were in the lounge area in Watchtower while the founding members talked strategy in the conference room.

"So, do you want a tour of Central City?" Zatanna asked, her legs crossed as they sat across each other on leather chairs.

"Where did that come from?" Ben asked with a raised brow, "You didn't exactly react well when I asked for a coffee session earlier."

The magician shrugged her shoulders before replying.

"Well, your mini speech got me thinking and...you're right. I have to take my mind off of my ex and start living again and why not show you around? Flash asked me to give you a tour, so are you interested?" she smirked.

"I'm in but we should change clothes if we're going to be walking the town," Ben said.

"You don't like my outfit?" Zatanna pouted and bent down, revealing some cleavage.

"I bet anything you'd wear would suit you," Ben replied, trying to keep his eyes level.

Zatanna quickly stood up and started walking towards the exit to hide her blush.

"Are we going to go or what?" she said over her shoulder.

Grinning, Ben stood and went to catch up with her.

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"And here's Jitters. The best coffee shop in the city," Zatanna said as the two walked into the café where Ben and Barry were earlier, both in civilian clothes.

Zatanna ditched the magic gear and was now wearing tight black leggings and was sporting a loose white blouse. Ben didn't want to look suspicious with the omnitrix so he went ultimate mode. His body became more defined as his hair and beard grew slightly longer. He wore black cargo pants, the hourglass symbol now on his chest underneath a black and white shirt.

They sat at a table and both ordered some drinks.

"How do you like the tour so far?" Zatanna asked, her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"It's great but the guide's a bit distracting," Ben twiddled his thumbs as they waited for their drinks.

"Oh? How so?"

"Not only are you stunning," Ben said directly, causing her to blush, "but… you are the worst guide, possibly ever," he said, splaying his hands as he gave an exaggerated shrug.

Zatanna gave a mock glare before they both burst into laughter.

"Well excuuuuse me for giving a tour of a city I don't even live in," she chuckled, "Flash thought it would be best for you to get to know the city you appeared in because you're at least somewhat familiar with it."

"Heh, I guess," Ben sighed.

"What's wrong? Thinking about the invasion?"

"No, no. We still have about a week until another comes so why not enjoy some scenery?" Ben said, thinking that if anything serious happens, he'll just take care of it.

"The scenery of the city?" Zatanna asked.

A waiter then came and served them their coffee before Ben responded.

"Um, no. I was thinking of a couple of planets or a galaxy," he said, taking a sip of his drink, "at least coffee doesn't taste different."

"Wait, so you want to go on a galaxy road trip?" Zatanna asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time. I want to see what kind of planets there are in this reality."

"Well, you could just borrow a javelin and explore. I could come with," she proposed.

Ben grabbed his coffee and leaned back into his chair and smirked.

"Who said anything about needing a spaceship?" He said.

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Ben and Zatanna were in an alleyway next to the café, facing each other.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Ben held her hands in his and thought of Alien X.

"Just enjoy the ride," he replied before they both suddenly vanished from the alleyway.

They appeared where the previous parademon battle was just a bit earlier. Ben was still holding Zatanna's hands and had her covered in an oxygen layer because of the sudden shift. She looked around and quickly put her magic barrier up but clenched Ben's hands.

"You can teleport too? Of course you can," she said.

"Ha, yeah. So, do you know of any good planets around that would make good sights?" he laughed.

"Remember those brats in the cafeteria earlier?" she said, still holding his hands, which neither of them seemed to mind.

"What about them?"

"Well, they have another member, codename Starfire, who's from a nice planet called Tamaran."

"Ok, and we're sure this planet is nice?" Ben asked because he obviously knew nothing of this universe.

"Ehhhh…" Zatanna's eyes flickered sideways.

"Is that a good 'eh' or a bad 'eh'?" Ben chuckled.

"Mm, an uncertain one," she said with a shrug, "They just finished having a civil war a few years ago. The new leader is Starfire's sister and is about as fair as any warrior queen would be but, you know. Warrior society can kind of be a hit or miss in terms of hospitality."

"If anything happens, we can just get out of there in a snap," Ben said, lightly squeezing her hands.

Zatanna nodded and squeezed back, no sign of moving away as they looked into each other's eyes.

"So where is this place?" Ben asked.

"Now it's your turn to enjoy the ride," she gave an enticing look before they disappeared again.

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In a castle on the planet Tamaran, a black haired, curvaceous woman sat on a throne mulling over papers in front of her. She was wearing a black and silver outfit with sparse metal armor. There were armored guards inside the throne room in front of wide doors that led to the queen's chambers.

As the woman flipped to the next page in front of her, a sudden white light flooded the room, blinding her and her guards for a moment before it went away, leaving two people.

When the guards recovered from the light and saw the two intruders, they quickly brandished swords and ran towards them. However, before they could get close, they suddenly dropped on the floor unconscious.

Before the queen could do anything, the bearded man quickly held up his hands in a surrender gesture.

"Hello. Sorry about that. It was instinct, I swear. We come in peace," he quickly tried to deescalate the situation.