Assume standard disclaimers
How About a Trip?
"You're a bird", stated Roy.
"You have been asking me to move beyond friendship for the last few months and now you want me to accompany you to visit your mentor because I'm a bird?" asked Raven, incredulous.
The two teammates were strolling back from lunch at a nearby coffee house in Steel City. Raven was there for the week to help out while Bee was away on a training. They were enjoying the summer weather and were discussing a variety of topics. Roy steered the conversation from classic movies, to how couples were portrayed in those movies, to modern interpretation of romance and somehow during that discussion he managed to ask Raven to spend the Independence Day long weekend with him at Green Arrow's residence.
"Rae, you are important to me. Having you around makes me happy. I hope someday you will feel the same for me. But right now I will take whatever relationship state you are comfortable with. And the fact that you are a bird, is a detail that will be appreciated by Green Arrow and his longtime partner Black Canary", replied Roy steadily.
He smiled. Seeing Raven confused and slightly ruffled really did remind him of a bird -an adorable and mysterious bird that he would like to hold and decipher. But he did not want to scare her off, so he tried to keep the conversion from going too deep. Raven, he knew would take flight if she felt caged in and that would happen if he pursued her with too much vigor.
"I'm asking you to accompany me to visit Ollie and Dinah or Black Canary as you know her, during the Independence Day long weekend because I want to spend time with you. Ollie and Dinah would be delighted to meet you. Especially Dinah since she is a heroine bird herself. You two have a lot in common. And then, you can see for yourself that hero archers and heroine birds make perfect couples.
"So, because your mentor, the Green Arrow is in a relationship with Black Canary, you think we would be a good couple?" asked Raven. "That doesn't seem logical," she said.
"I'm just saying that precedence exists between hero archers and heroine birds. Ollie was a player before he dated Dinah. Now he is happily settled. They have been together for years and are still going strong," explained Roy.
"Just because Ollie and Dinah seem to be working out doesn't mean we…I mean you and I would work out," replied Raven, slightly flustered and clearly uncomfortable.
Raven and Roy have been good friends for some time now. She enjoyed spending time with the charming and witty handsome archer. He was definitely not boring and she had to admit, he was one of the few people with whom she could carry an engaging conversation with on numerous topics. Their playful and amusing banters were well known among the titans and several teammates have openly speculated if there was anything more than just "good friends" between the dark bird and the suave archer.
"Rae, we spend a lot of our free time together. This is another occasion for us to enjoy each other's company. Yes, I hope that someday soon we are going to be more than friends and maybe this weekend you can see that possibility. But I am not trying to stress you out over this. It's going to be a fun relaxing long weekend with plenty of outdoor activities. We even have one of Ollie's yacht to tour the Great Lakes. You can try paragliding, jet skiing and wakeboarding. So come with me and I'll promise you it will be memorable for both of us", assured Roy.
Raven mulled over the offer. She was interested in meeting Roy's mentor, Green Arrow and Black Canary. Black Canary was a trainer for the Justice League, a martial arts specialist and led a group of heroes called the Birds of Prey. The trip really did sound like fun, perhaps a little bit out of her comfort zone (well she was meeting Roy's 'family' and all the new outdoor activities were unusual for her). With this in mind, and the fact that she really did enjoy Roy's company, she decided to accompany Roy on his trip.
"Very well, I accept", said Raven.
"Fabulous!" exclaimed a relieved Roy. "We'll leave Friday morning and then drive to Ollie's place. It's about a 3 and half hour drive from here. It'll be great, I promise!"