"Why do you always wear a hood?"
Raven blinked and looked up from her newest novel, directing her large, violet eyes to the green changeling sitting a few seats away from her on the sofa.
"What?" she asked in her usual monotone voice.
Beast Boy pointed at his own head. "Your hood. I've never seen you not wearing it. Don't you have other outfits?"
Raven blinked, but her expression didn't change. "I have lots of different outfits, Beast Boy. The one I'm wearing now is different from the one I wore yesterday."
Beast Boy rolled his playful, green eyes. "I mean, don't you ever wear anything besides a blue cloak and black leotard-thingy? I've never seen you in anything besides that."
Raven narrowed her eyes before turning her nose back to her book. "You wear the same thing, too."
It was silent for a moment before he responded. "But I do switch it up once in a while. Like when we went to Tokyo. I got that awesome shirt and shorts."
"I've worn a white cloak several times in the past." Raven answered without looking up from her book.
"But still, with the hood!" Beast Boy shouted. "It's like you're always trying to hide behind that hood. Rae, you're hot! Show off a little bit!" he seemed to realized what he said and backtracked. "Wait! I mean-I didn't. What I meant was-"
Raven slammed her book shut and stood up, not even sparing the boy a second glance before she left the room. She walked down the hall until she came to a door with Raven printed across it. She used her powers to open the door, closing it behind her as she set her book on her bed. She stopped and stood in front of her mirror, looking at her reflection.
Her dark indigo hood was up, casting a shadow over her face from her cheekbones and up, covering most of what could give away any of her emotions. Her large, violet eyes shone emotionlessly from behind the darkness, and her thin lips were set in a line.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, she lifted her hands to pull her hood down, revealing her short, violet hair and round, pale face with her red and black gemstone on her forehead.
Her hood was almost like…a wall. A barrier.
Whenever she felt herself loose even the tiniest bit of control over her emotions, whether it be embarrassment, grief, anger, anything…she would pull her hood up, shadowing her face, and her emotions, from everyone else. She couldn't ever loose control, but if she did, she had to hide it.
But…then there was the other way around. Sometimes…on very rare occasions, she would put her hood down, along with her guard. Sometimes, if her teammates needed advice, or they were just lost, she would do it then. Or if she admitted to being weak, to letting her friends see what she was truly feeling. Like when her friends came to stop her from becoming the portal so Trigon could take over the Earth. She had taken her hood down then, and let her friends see how she truly felt about them, how grateful she was for them. But she couldn't do that very often. It probably gave others the impression that she was cold, heartless, unfeeling. But she did feel. That was the problem. She had been raised under the strict instruction that she needed to keep her emotions under control. That even the smallest slipup could destroy anyone around her.
But after Trigon was destroyed, she had been, ever so slowly, letting her guard down. Without her demon father there to take control of her through her rage, she could slowly allow herself to feel. It was hard for her, after being raised for the first fourteen years of her life to believe emotions were her most dangerous weakness.
Her hood wasn't necessarily intended to be used as a sort of wall for her. It was simply what the Monks of Azarath, and her mother Arella, had worn. Therefore, she wore one as well. But she had gradually formed the habit of using it to hide behind, to protect herself from getting hurt, or hurting others.
Raven pursed her lips as her eyes scanned over herself. Maybe she could…
Using her powers, but not looking away from her reflection, she took off her cloak and tossed it onto her bed while pulling another one from her closet. She clutched it in both her hands as she looked down at it. It was the only cloak she had that didn't have a hood. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, clipping it in place.
It didn't look too different than her other cloaks, but without the hood attached the top wasn't as bulky. The cape flowed over her shoulders with a simple elegance. Even more than her other ones.
Maybe…maybe she could get used to this. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, not wearing a hood. Give her a chance to get out of her comfort zone little by little.
The side of her mouth quirked up in a small smile.
Grabbing her book, Raven left her room to go back to the couch to read. Hey, she didn't have to change that much.