fandomtownies | 'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

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'Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday afternoon

Raven had of course watched Rumor Gal's season premiere the night before, and today it definitely required a second viewing. So after opening up the store for the afternoon, she sat behind the counter and started to stream the episode from the network's website.

The ending didn't change, and she frowned at the screen. "I do not like where this is going," she said to herself as she watched the promo for next week again and tried not to flail in distress. "Charlie, this concerns me!"

Tim Gunn would be showing up to claim gimmick infringement shortly.

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It actually hadn't occurred to Rapunzel that she'd met Raven during the weekend that people weren't themselves, and that maybe she wasn't nearly as nice as she'd seemed. So Rapunzel found herself peeking into the shop and looking around, hoping her friend was in.

"Hello?" she called a bit hesitantly.

Raven was enthralled with Rumor Gal and visitors to 'Dite's were rare, so Rapunzel's entrance caught her by surprise. "Hello," she said. "I am sorry, I did not hear...." Her voice trailed off as she recognized Rapunzel and felt a wave of guilt about how the other Raven had tried to manipulate her.

Oh! Raven was here!

Rapunzel beamed. And waved. Very enthusiastically.

"Hi!"

She practically skipped over toward the counter.

"Hello, Rapunzel," Raven said pleasantly. "It is very nice to see you again. I hope that you are well."

She was already running through how to apologize in her head. Even if it felt strange apologizing for the actions of someone who wasn't really her, she still thought it necessary.

"I am!" Rapunzel beamed as she bounced up to the counter and planted her elbows on it so that she could proper her chin in her hands.

She was so happy! Raven liked that, and didn't want to ruin her mood at all, but....

"I must apologize to you," she said, closing her laptop. "When we first met, I was not entirely myself. I would never charge another any sort of fee for using my gifts to help them."

Rapunzel blinked in surprise.

"So... you don't want cookies anymore?" she asked, taken aback.

"I would never refuse cookies freely given," Raven assured her. Mmm, cookies. "But I did not wish you to think you were required to provide them."

"Oh! But if I want to, that's okay?" That was the thing that most concerned her, and that was taken care of!

She smiled. "I wanted to say thank you, again. You really helped me the other day."

"You are very welcome," Raven said. Maybe she hadn't entirely not been herself if she'd managed to help. In some weird messed up way.

"It is always my greatest wish to help others, with my gifts or without them."

Rapunzel beamed. "I knew you were a good person!" she declared happily.

Then she shifted, leaving her chin propped in one hand and absently rubbing her other hand across the surface of the counter. "And how have you been?"

"Pleased not to be a boy anymore," Raven said carefully. There were a host of other things on her mind, but she didn't want to traumatize the poor girl with them. "Were you affected by the change that afflicted many of the females on the island? It happens from time to time but fortunately does not last."

Rapunzel's face fell slightly at that reminder, and she shook her head emphatically. "No. But it's really scary that this sort of thing happens so often." She'd been on the island just over a month, and people had already been radically changed twice.

"It can be," Raven said, sending Rapunzel a gentle pulse of comfort. "But as strange and frightening as it seems, you almost become accustomed to it. I have been changed into a boy three times, and a child twice, and my future adult self once."

That probably wasn't going to reassure her any.

It most certainly didn't. In fact, Rapunzel recoiled slightly despite the comfort.

"I don't want to get used to it!" That sounded horrible.

"Think of it as Fandom's sense of humor," Raven said soothingly. She had a feeling the next time Fandom was invaded or the people of the island put in danger, Rapunzel would be very distressed. She would have to find her and try to help her keep calm.

"It is a jest of sort, changing us in that way," she said. "But you always change back to your true form."

"Well it's not funny!" Rapunzel declared, her anger flaring and her foot stomping unhappily against the floor. "And it should stop!"

Raven flinched back from the burst of anger. "There is no way to make it stop that I know of," she said. "Sometimes it does not affect people, but there is no reason to pinpoint why they are skipped. I have turned into a child, as I said, but the last time it occurred I remained an adult while my boyfriend turned into a child. It is distressing but ultimately harmless. I do not think the island would intend us harm."

"Harmless?" Rapunzel repeated indignantly. "That time when my roommate was so distressed, and when you were not yourself, was harmless?" She didn't think so for a minute.

"Those times are not so harmless," Raven was forced to admit. "Becoming a child or a boy -- that leaves no true lasting harm, other than some possible embarrassment. But there are times when Fandom can be dangerous."

She didn't want to frighten Rapunzel, but she couldn't lie, either.

Too late. Rapunzel was already frightened. But that wasn't because of what Raven had said. The Island had managed that all by itself.

"But everyone is just so... okay with it." Now she was frowning in consternation. "Which doesn't make any sense." Did people just... really get used to it after enough time?

"Fandom has become a home for many of us who have no home," Raven said, pushing more calm at Rapunzel. "It is not without its quirks and perils, but in many ways it is still safer than our own worlds. Regardless of that, we know those who dwell here are very capable of defending the island. If any harm should strike, we will find a way to undo it. And it is that knowledge that makes people more accepting of the oddness that sometimes happens here."

[Time for me to sleeeeeeeeep...will ping back in the morning! :) ]

Mention of home caused Rapunzel to sniffle a bit despite the calm. "I... I want to go home," she said softly. It was odd, but usually when she thought about it she got a lot more upset. Was she growing... resigned to not being able to?

"Why do we not sit where it is more comfortable?" Raven said, moving to open the door to 'Dite's old office. The comfy chairs were still there, and there was less chance of any awkward questions if Rapunzel started asking about just what the store sold.

She beckoned to Rapunzel and sat down. "Why can you not go home?" she asked.

Comfy chairs were good. Rapunzel dropped into one, and then tucked her knees up under her chin and hugged her legs tightly. The sniffles were back in full force.

Well, not full force. She still felt unusually calm, at least compared to how she usually was when she discussed this particular topic.

"Because the portal people don't know where it is," she answered a bit miserably.

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