Dite's Decadent Delights, Tuesday Afternoon

[trigons_child]

Raven had finally left Jono's apartment to tend to her neglected responsibilities, one of which was opening the store for the afternoon. She'd been worried about not being able to reach Karla after their talk of getting together Monday afternoon, but fortunately listening to the radio re-broadcast put those fears to rest when she heard she'd gone with Warren to his home. She hoped everything was going well with the trip and between them.

She was more than a little surprised when Miley mentioned Death calling Jono. She hoped that had been a good conversation as well.

As usual the store was quiet, so she settled behind the front counter with her laptop, searching for any mention of Azar or Azarath (just to reassure herself) while humming her song for the winter showcase.

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Raven!" Dinah beamed as she walked in, arms out for a hug. "We're aliiiive!"

[trigons_child]

"Dinah!" Raven exclaimed, immediately moving into that hug. "It is so good to see you!"

Even more so than usual.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Good to see you too!" Dinah had a Diet Coke in each hand, and she was laughing as she embraced Raven. "The bears are giving out drinks!"

[trigons_child]

"I saw the polar bears as I came to work," Raven said, laughing as well, holding on tight to Dinah and not willing to let go for a moment. "It is good to see Fandom back to normal."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah wasn't willing to let go yet either, just so glad to see everyone was okay. "Very, very good. And bizarre is normal for this place." She floated the drinks over to the counter and reached up to twirl a strand of Raven's hair around her finger. "Were you okay the whole time? I am so, so sorry I didn't get here in time to help."

[trigons_child]

"I was not entirely myself," Raven said, leaning back against the counter with a little frown. "My soul exists in every dimension, so as worlds began to vanish, it disappeared with them. I had feared being able to control my demonic nature, but that point became moot when the Auditors erased me."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"The who now?" Dinah had been so happy to see people, she'd completely forgotten about asking for explanations for the craziness.

[trigons_child]

"The Auditors," Raven said. "They were the ones responsible for unleashing thing thing they called the Nothing to consume worlds and erase them from existence. As they came closer to their goal, they came to Fandom to continue their work in person."

She didn't know the whole story, either. She was just glad they were all gone.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"But they're gone now, right?" Dinah checked. "What was their problem, for crying out loud? Did they need all those world to power their super-destructive species, or what?" The way Trigon would have? Something like that?

[trigons_child]

Raven shook her head. "I am not entirely certain," she said. "I do know they said I was abnormal before they erased me."

She couldn't entirely disagree since she'd been struggling not to unleash her demon side at the time.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Like anybody who kills entire realities gets to judge you," Dinah grumbled, reaching for one of the Diet Cokes and opening it. "I already said thank-you to Jono for his part in the rescue, but I feel like I want to bake cookies for the entire island."

[trigons_child]

"I know both Jono and Karla were among those who survived long enough to find a solution," Raven said. "And Professor Skywalker as well. We were in good hands. I do not know if all has been restored to normal, but I am certainly feeling much better."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yay!" That got Raven an extra hug, and a neon-bright smile. "We so need to celebrate surviving this year. And you should visit New Gotham again now that it's back and functional, and probably going to covered in snow in about two days."

[trigons_child]

"I must also make certain my Gotham is back," Raven said, a touch of worry crossing her face. "I am certain it must be. Once we remembered here, the affect spread with those who were called back into existence remembering as well. So my mother should be safe, wherever she is."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Gotta be," Dinah agreed instantly, although she privately thought that Ardella could stay lost a while if she was going to be a bitch about surviving again. "If you need help with that, you know my Oracle would be happy to help you narrow it down a little."

[trigons_child]

"Yes, thank you," Raven said, nodding, her smile chasing the worry away. "Is everyone all right for you back home now? Everything as it should be?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, it is." Dinah paused, then qualified that with, "Well, mostly." She started laughing. "Um. Some of the gargoyles on the downtown buildings are a little... weirder. (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s7cERa5qAc8/Td0WQ3TYbRI/AAAAAAAAfpw/nxLc-gjrPo8/s1600/LI-archi-TT-797b.jpg)"

[trigons_child]

"That is not my fault," Raven said, trying to imagine what might make gargoyles more weird. "I do not think I thought of them at all when I remembered you and what I knew of your world."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Jono said that's how it worked. I'm betting on Karla. Or maybe Francine." She grinned. "Either way, it makes me laugh on patrol, so I'm good with it. No people are missing or have bits gone. I'll take my world with extra silly gargoyles just fine."

[trigons_child]

"I have not gone back to Azarath yet," Raven admitted, chewing on her lower lip. "I am somewhat worried it will not be as it was. Only my mother and I remain to remember it as it truly was. What if that was not enough?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah sobered, thinking about this, then said slowly, "It'll be a tragedy, because the people who lived there deserve to be remembered. But I think-- it had such a huge impact on many of us, helping you with that. I think it has to be there." It would be completely unfair if it wasn't.

[trigons_child]

"Jono said he will go with me when I am ready to see," Raven said, nodding. She knew Dinah had seen Azarath, before and after its fall, as had Jono, Karla, Anakin, and others. Surely all their memories would help recreate it like all the other worlds.

"I saw it swallowed by the Nothing -- but I am sure it will be as it was now," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah reached out to squeeze her hand. "I'm sure it will be too." Maybe, maybe not as much of a wreck? Would that help or hurt Raven? "I want to hear about it, when you get back."

[trigons_child]

"Of course," Raven said, smiling gently as she squeezed her hand back. "I am not certain when we will go. Perhaps after Christmas." However long it took her to gather up her nerve.

"Have you spoken to Karla?" she asked. "I know she went with Warren to his home world, though I am uncertain as to why."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah's expression turned serious. "On the phone, yeah. Warren's father has gone missing. He couldn't contact him, and things are heating up in his world with protests and terrorists. He was scared for his dad, so he and Karla went there." She sighed. "Karla swore it would be more trouble than it was worth to call in back-up yet; they don't even know where Warren's dad is. But I'm really hoping they just find him holed up on vacation somewhere."

[trigons_child]

That worried look came back. "I know Warren and his father are not close, but I hope that he finds him safe," she said. She didn't ask about the protests; she knew Warren was from a world very similar to Jono's, and how people let their ignorance and fear turn to hatred against mutants. It was unfortunate that that could not be unremembered.


"Did Karla say how she and Warren are getting along with one another?" she had to ask.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Not much, except that she really wants to help him right now, and she's following his lead." Dinah grimaced. "She didn't tell me much about what's going on with them, because she was going to fill me in when I got here. But she did mention that she tried to go home?" Her voice went up questioningly.

[trigons_child]

Raven nodded, a small frown still on her face. "She attempted to return to Glacia to be with her people when the Nothing consumed her world," she said. "Warren stopped her, and she was unable to take the last available portal. She was...very angry."

To say the least.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah grimaced. "Well, crap." She got why Karla would want to be with the Glacians; she didn't agree, but she got it. She also go why Warren would stop her. "She's anticipating that I'll yell at her about that. I don't know. What's your take on it?"

[trigons_child]

"I told her that I understood her wish to be with her people, but that I thought she could better serve them here," Raven said quietly. "And that I loved her, but I would have done the same as Warren and attempted to stop her. I would rather she hate me than mourn her."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah blew out a slow breath. "Yeah. That's my take on it too. She doesn't sound mad at Warren any more... but I have no idea what he's said or done since then, so." She shook her head. "She may just be being stubborn for stubborn's sake now, or she may see sense and not be so angry. We'll see." Then, with a certain wryness, "Poor Warren. It's not fun to have her mad at you."

[trigons_child]

"I hope they work things out between them," Raven said, nodding slowly. "Despite all that has happened, I know they still love each other very much. They have worked through other difficulties in their relationship. This one will be no different." She hoped.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Fingers crossed for it. How are you and Jono doing? I saw him earlier." Dinah paused. "It's ... a very different look."

[trigons_child]

Raven shrugged a little. "It does not matter to me what he looks like," she said. "He is still Jono. But it has been very difficult for him. This change was not wanted or asked for, though he is beginning to adjust. He had so much taken from him. When I think of how close we can to losing him...."

She couldn't finish that thought.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah reached over to squeeze Raven's hand. "Hey. But we didn't. And he didn't lose us; we're back here too. So... there's gonna be time. For everything."