fandomtownies | 'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

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'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

Raven was at work, but very distracted. She was going over her old notes from Lady Ghanima's Destiny and Free Will class, trying to reassure herself that she wasn't necessarily going to become the Raven that the boy on the rooftop had said she would be.

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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."

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'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

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