fandomtownies | 'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

Karla had needed to chat with Raven for awhile now, but all of that got co-opted by concern when she entered 'Dite's shop and saw Raven. "Kiss kiss," she called. "Everything okay?"

"Hello, Karla," Raven said, contemplating for a brief moment on how to deflect her friend's concerns. But it was Karla and she'd know if she was hiding something. "I am...troubled," she admitted. "I have met someone from my future. Possible future."

Karla frowned. "Not a good future then?" she asked, definitely looking concerned. Because she understood Raven's fear of what the future might hold for her. "They told you something...upsetting?"

Raven nodded, folding her hands on top of the counter and looking down at them, trying to keep her voice steady. "I do not know who he was, but he knew me," she said. "He called me by name and knew who my father was. He claimed I had done things to hurt my friends...that I had attacked his brother at his wedding."

"Did he give any more detail than that?" Karla asked, sending out a small wave of comfort to Raven. "If nothing else, you might have had damned good reason to attack his brother--reasons he might not be willing to see because this is his brother and people can have giant blind spots when it comes to family."

Not that Karla would know or anything.

Raven shook her head. "He would not tell me more when he realized I did not know what he was talking about," she said. "I begged him to, but he would not. I even asked him to tell Professor Skywalker if he would not tell me. But even if I had reason...to attack someone, to cause harm? That is not who I am or who I wish to be."

"There's no saying it was you, Raven," Karla reminded. "Sure, there may be a Raven out there who would do those things, but that doesn't make her you."

She passed through the counter to offer Raven a hug. "Roy, Dinah, and Hayley all come from a Gotham City, but it's a different Gotham each time. Jono knows an Emma that's a teacher for the Darkness's sake. And let's not forget all the different versions of Skywalkers there are running around. At this point, Ben probably knows three different versions of his own father. We're all shaped by our experiences, darling, and the only version of yourself that you can fret about is this one."

Raven gratefully hugged Karla back. "I know," she said, "and I have been doing my best to convince myself of that." She moved a hand to tap the papers she'd been looking at. "I have been reading over my notes from Lady Ghanima's class on free will and destiny, and I know my path is mine to make, but I wish that boy would tell me what led to his Raven becoming what she has so I can avoid the mistakes she made."

She was just a little terrified that those mistakes would have included allowing herself to experience emotions and create friendships.

"I'm willing to bet that 'not coming to Fandom High,' was one them," Karla whispered into Raven's ear. "Might even been as simple as that. I mean, if you hadn't come here, what would you have done after that bitch Zenana or whatever kept you from joining that group? That's what concerns me the most. You were so much less sure of who you were back then. It would have been much easier for anyone to find you and mold you into someone else."

She leaned back and tapped Raven on he chin to bring her eyes up to meet Karla's. "Not like now. Now you have a better grasp of who you are and what you want to become," she said softly.

"I am not certain what I would have done if I had not come here," Raven admitted. "Try to find others to help me, perhaps, after the Justice League ordered me to go." Or mystically compelled several superpowered sidekicks to form the Teen Titans.

She looked up at Karla and smiled. "I cannot imagine being any place other than here now, though. With my family."

"That's a pretty powerful divergence, between one Raven and another," Karla opined. "And could easily explain why one you would act so differently."

She shared Raven's smile. "But your family here loves and trusts you. Which brings me back to why I showed up actually. How would you feel about a leadership spot in the Magic Reserves. Well, the combined Magic and Support Reserves, I mean."

Raven looked surprised. "I told Merlin I would do whatever I could to help you," she said, "but I am not a leader."

"There's more leadership potential in you than you think," Karla said with a soft chuckle. "But you're strong, and you understand your power, and you're willing to use them. Those are important."

"You know I will help you in any way I can," Raven said, blushing just a little. "But you will forgive me if I" -- flail a lot -- "am not good at it?"

"Always," Karla said. "We're combining with the Support Reserves, too, which I think I may need more help with. Since you're more comfortable with the healing aspect of magic than the combative and Emmett isn't used to magic at all, I think, I'll probably ask you to act a liaison between both groups."

"I had considered visiting the Support Reserves meetings, but I never did so," Raven said. "My skills are magical, but also supportive, so acting as a liaison makes a great deal of sense."

"I also didn't want to make you act against your instincts," Karla said. "A lot of our preparations are martial in nature and I know that bothers you. I'd rather put your skills and talents somewhere you'd be happy, too."

"I do feel foolish sometimes," Raven admitted, "when I will not participate in some of the games. Even though I know they are games, it is difficult for me to even feign violence."

"Which is why I feel funny asking you to help come up with those kinds of games," Karla said. "I think liaisoning with Support just kind of fits, you know? So...does this mean you will, then?"

"Of course," Raven said. "Will we still meet on Wednesdays?"

"Tomorrow's the first meeting," Karla said cheerfully. "I'll be putting up signs around the dorms tonight for all the newbies."

"Then I shall be there," Raven promised. "I do not think I have met Emmett, so I will seek him out to speak to him about the role of the Support Reserves."

"He's very nice," Karla said nodding. "And quite...vibrant!"

The word you were looking for was fabulous, Karla.

"Vibrant?" Raven repeated. "He is...colorful?" That too.

"In a manner of speaking?"

"I see," Raven said. No, no she didn't. "I will see for myself then tomorrow."

Sam ~~had finally read the meme~~ was a full-fledged 18 year old adult now, which meant that going into the sex shop for some massage oil shouldn't have been that big of a deal. The problem was, Sam was still Sam, and that meant just looking around made him blush and wish the displays were taller than he was so he could hide better.

Raven looked up when someone came into the store, prepared to be awfully embarrassed as always (she was getting slightly better about not being like that, honest!), but she smiled when she saw Sam. "Sam," she said. "I have been wishing to speak to you."

"You have?" Sam asked, happy to put his quest on hold for the moment. "What's up?"

"Have you spoken to Chuck recently?" Raven asked, coming out from behind the counter. "I am worried about him. He is in a great deal of pain, but he would not speak to me of it. He tried to tell me he was fine, but he cannot fool my gifts."

"The last time I saw Chuck was at the picnic on Saturday," Sam said. "He seemed kind of down, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. He's not exactly the sharing type.

"I know that far too well," Raven said with a small, sad smile. "I tried not to bother him Sunday when I felt him, but Monday it was still so strong. He told me to mind my own business, but...that does not mean you have to, and I know you two are close."

"I can usually badger the truth out of him," Sam said with a bit of a smirk. "If you think something's seriously wrong, I'll talk to him. I thought maybe he was secretly upset about being done with school and everything, but he wouldn't still be upset now."

"Whatever it is, it is deep," Raven said, frowning. "I feel sadness in the dorms all the time, but it generally passes quickly. His pain was like a beacon to me." She hesitated, then admitted, "It was so very tempting to just take his sorrow from him and into myself, but I know people sometimes get upset if I were to do that without permission."

"If something's really wrong, would taking his sorrow away work for good?" Sam asked. "He could end up feeling bad all over again, and then you'd be in pain too and...I don't know, I'd feel guilty if you took pain from me that wasn't just physical."

"It would work for good only if I took away his ability to feel anything," Raven said. "And I could never do such a thing. But sometimes strong emotions like sorrow or rage are so blinding and consuming that if I were to take it away for even just a short time, then the source of it can be found and dealt with, and healing can truly begin. Do you think that is what he needs?"

She gave Sam a gentle smile. "And do not worry about what I would feel. Emotional pain passes through me just as the physical does."

"I don't know. Chuck's been through a lot, with losing his dad and having to handle his family's company and everything. There might not be one source to whatever's going on. He never deals with anything the right way, so maybe it's all been building up together."

"And pain is pain," he insisted. "I don't care how quickly it passes through you."

"All the more reason he must let go of it, or he will carry it with him forever," Raven said sadly. "And I would gladly take it from him. It is a small price to pay to bring peace and health to another."

"Well, if I can get him to admit what's going on, then maybe taking his pain away would help," Sam said. "He's not going to be able to deal if he can't even vocalize what's wrong."

"I hope he will talk to you," Raven said. "He was drinking last night, and there was glass on the floor of his room. I hope he does not harm himself."

Sam frowned softly. "Drinking definitely isn't a good sign. At least you didn't catch him smoking up. That would be worse."

Raven winced. "Yes," she agreed. "In more ways than one."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Sam promised. "Hopefully he'll be sober. It'll be easier to get information from him then. Try not to worry? I'm sure he'll be okay once we're through with him."

"Thank you," Raven said, giving him a relieved smile. She'd been bothered all day that she hadn't been able to do anything to help Chuck, and now she felt much better. "If you think I can do anything to help, please let me know?"

"I will," Sam said with a nod. "I'll let you know how talking to him goes, and maybe he'll be more open to some healing after that. And thank you for letting me know. I don't want him to get into trouble again."

"Perhaps just knowing that there are people who care will help," Raven said. "But we shall see. Now, was there something I could help you with here, or did you somehow know I wished to speak to you?"

"Oh, uh, I was just looking around," Sam said, turning a little red around the ears. "I know what I'm looking for, I just...I don't need help, I mean, you don't have to."

"I will just...return to the counter then," Raven said, just as embarrassed as he was now. "And allow you to look."

'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

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