The couch jolted to one side, the weight shifting the cushions to the right and Raven higher. She looked over to see a large black mass on the couch beside her. "Marweolaeth," Raven nodded at the "puppy".
Laeth stared back, blinking lazily as she buried further in the cushions. She offered an exaggerated yawn and closed her eyes to sleep. Raven rolled her eyes and scratched between Laeth's ears affectionately.
A woman changing, water running. Masked man waits, watches. Fear, anticipation, thrill.
Raven stood and walked to the coffee machine on the counter, taking out the coffee and receiving only hot water in a mug. She added a tea bag and stirred it in, levitating a marker on the other side of the room to write a note about needing tea leaves.
She was about to walk back to the couch when a cold feeling spread through the room, lights flickering and the window showing a darkened sky. "Jarvis?" Raven checked.
"This is real." The voice in the ceiling spoke. The girl nodded. She grabbed a large knit sweater and slipped it on over her clothes, the sweater swallowing her. "Raven, your presence-," Jarvis's voice faded out and Raven felt a sliver of alarm. Jarvis was designed to never fail, never falter in his progress. It was not yet time for him to change this pattern. She straightened, listening to the things inaudible to many.
Nature was screaming. Birds were cowering as wind screamed and clouds struggled to contain their water. A storm was on the brink of occurring, one that would plunge the world to The End if allowed to occur. Every particle of the world protested it, each of them wishing to keep nature on the rightful course. Even humans were nervous, looking around only semi-obviously while animals recognized a little of the danger and their souls shrieked.
Raven bared her teeth as Laeth growled and static filled the air.
They recognized that feeling.
Raven had spent too long with the creature who caused that unnatural feeling.
She set the mug down on the counter and focused on her center, narrowing the origin of the unnatural feeling to above the city. In the helicarrier. In the main room. By her family and the baby agents.
When Raven opened her eyes again, she saw she stood inside the area, invisible as Laeth shielded her from the threat. All around her was people injured or immobilized on the floor, minds groaning from the strain of trying fruitlessly to move. Tony was beside the rest of the Avengers, each having their aura show their anger. Thor's eyes were narrowed, betrayal oozing out of him as well as anger. Both assassins on the team were calculating, mentally trying to find a weakness in their traps. Bruce was looking decidedly green and Raven sent a wave of calm his way. No use clearing everything, only to get Hulk out and destroy it all.
Both Tony and Steve were tied to tables, tied in knots Raven recognized as ones that would shatter all of the bones in the body trapped if they attempted to move. She frowned and fought back anger. Raven had created that knot, it was not to be used to tie up innocent people, but for those beings who considered themselves Gods and punished those not needing punishment.
She looked around and saw one of the very beings she had been thinking of and scowled.
The familiar blue muscled man, red eyes staring around, gold plated armor shoulder guard and groin covering, smug look on his face bringing back memories of screamed insults and whispered apologies to bare skin.
Raven felt her eyes glow, the dark green become the light and illuminating as her mind became clear and crisp for the first time in generations. The feeling of information becoming organized and rearranging into order of importance giving her mind relief.
This had been why she had stayed with him so long. Someone to help carry the knowledge and burden of living then, now, and soon all at once.
She stepped forward, Laeth walking with her a step before falling back and sitting down. The invisibility shield shattered all at once, feeling like water as it fell around her and showed her to the room. "Thanos." Raven greeted.
All at once the attention in the room turned to her but Raven only focused on her once-lover.
He smirked back, thick squares of teeth glinting threatening in the sun. "Lover. Did you miss me?"
Raven quirked an eyebrow. "Did I miss you? Tell me, Son of Sui-San and A'Lars called Mad Titan, when was I without you?" Thanos's smirked faded slightly but Raven continued. "Tell me, Instigator of Wars, did you think I lost you? Did you think I let a titan whose own mother predicted his obsession with Death roam free while working for my servant? I was never without you, I never stopped watching you. It was only the fact that I didn't care enough to show myself that made you think you were alone- that made you cocky enough to search for my Soul Gems."
"It caught your attention, no?" The titan bit out. "You called for a battle for Death's affections, and instead I won you too."
"Won me?" Raven whispered. She stalked forward, magic thrumming through her veins and sparks leaping short distances from her fingertips. "No one wins me. I am not winnable. You tried to gain my servants affections, as you say. Instead, you gained my wrath. I made you head disciple; you made you expendable."
His blue face darkened, the expression familiar to Raven. A fight was brewing, he was about to show his strength.
Unfortunately for him, Raven had realized his uselessness in the centuries she had lived without him. She would not accept his anger and apologize into his skin in desperation to keep a clear head. His presence promised her a clear head, but she had learned to make due even as her knowledge oppressed her.
"You did not make me anything." He spat at her, face showing his disgust at the idea. "You are too weak to do that. You can not even control your planet, how could you possibly hope to control me and my fate?" He swung at her, his knuckles brushing her cheek to form a bruise before he was flung violently against the wall, making the entire carrier shake at the force.
"You dare to touch me, Slave of my Servant? I gave you everything you have-,"
"I gave myself everything!" Thanos shouted, standing from the floor and shaking in fury. "You stupid, insignificant whore! I let you keep your sanity when you were with me, I let you stay alive despite your wish to die!" He had puffed up to double his normal size, needing to be large to be intimidating to her now. His red eyes were narrowed and scowl fierce.
Raven fought the urge to laugh. No need for anyone to think she was crazy with her full mind. Cali would be disappointed.
"I am a whore now? To think, I used to just be a power-hungry slut. Your insults have gotten better since I left you." She mocked, jumping onto one of the desks to sit and peering at him sideways.
"I finally realized my true potential wasn't with you, but was rather by myself. You were just holding me back." He mocked back. Raven smirked.
"Oh, and how is my favorite niece, Gamora? Or better yet, how is Thane?"
"Traitors." He growled. "Traitors just like you, and betrayers of their cause and family. Just like you, I rescued them and they turned their back on me." He paused and seemed to calm himself. "But enough of that. If you refuse to come back with me, my only task left is to make you suffer."
He reached out a hand and a bolt of electricity shot toward her. She twisted out of the way and focused on the atoms of the air. Again he shot and again she danced away. They repeated this for several turns, the dance becoming faster and more deadly as the bolts got bigger. He was drawing on the energy of the ship and was quickly draining the energy source.
Just as another bolt was about to strike, Raven threw up her hands, palms open and facing her once-lover. She looked up to see the bolt frozen, every atom shivering in place but unable to react or move forward.
She smirked at them and clapped her hands around the entire strand, absorbing the energy carefully before turning back to the angry titan. "You have moved to attack me." She stated. Her excitement was gone, anger vanished too. Raven was simply left tired and ready to get back home and sleep.
Laeth walked beside her and sat down by her foot. As she did the shadows of three beings came to stand beside her. One had frizzy brown hair pulled back by a red ribbon, old age barely changing her from a youthful appearance. She wore a simple dress that seemed both foreign and familiar to everyone in the carrier. The second was shorter, more petite. Wavy blonde hair hung to her waist, radishes dangling on her ears. She was covered in a long skirt and stomach showed beneath a sleeveless cropped top. The last was the only man; faded red hair wavy and freckles dotting all over his skin.
"Book, Moon, Lion." Raven greeted each in kind, nodding at each name. "How do you judge."
"Guilty and condemned to death."
"Witnessed."
"Sealed."
"Performed." Raven announced. She waved her hand and made Thanos fall to his knees. "As I gave you the right to serve, so I give that right to another." She grabbed a sword from the shadows and swung it determinately up and down.
The blue head fell to the floor and Raven touched the body to make it disintegrate. Now there was no chance of him returning. The three figures faded out, each waving toward Raven. The one called Moon even gestured a radish to her, yelling out a wish for good luck as she did so.
Raven smiled at them. Then she straightened and called out, "Hela, I call you to honor you now."
A girl appeared, her appearance causing the mental screams to become louder even as movement was slowly coming back to the people in the helicarrier. She could have been beautiful; with thick black hair falling around her face and high cheekbones. One blue eye looked curiously around at everyone, looking young and innocent despite the other eye's appearance.
The other eye was white, the skin around it gone to reveal bone and muscle. The area was rotting and dead. The same was for her left hand, while the rest of her was a pale white. She would have looked like a delicate, porcelain doll without the dying areas.
"Master of my master." Hela greeted. Raven nodded back, already feeling the organization of her mind crumbling and knowledge pushing down on her.
"Granddaughter of my friend and Daughter of Loki Odinson and Angrboda Jötunn. You have served Death well. In honor of that, do you accept the position of Death's head disciple?" Raven asked. She had been forced to ask the question many times and each time the words were just as heavy leaving her mouth.
Hela looked shocked, mouth gaping for a moment before she remembered where she was and nodded. "Aye, Master of Death. I accept and hope to helpfully serve you and your servant."
Raven smiled at her and stepped forward to kiss her forehead, scanning through her memories and beaming at her when she found nothing that would stop the transition. "Keep our traditions, love. Keep the Dead safe and Death sacred." She said, kissing her forehead again.
Laeth stood from her spot on the floor and stepped forward to bite Hela's finger gently. Blood had to be drawn, but only a drop was necessary. Hela offered her finger freely. Once that step was complete, Laeth sat down and yawn again.
"Poor baby, missed your nap." Raven said. She bent to pet Laeth's head, hugging her around her neck. She kissed the creature's neck before standing up. "Time is heavy enough alone," she advised her new lieutenant, "find Loyalty. Do not end up like Thanos. He died alone." Hela nodded and Raven smiled at her. "Good."
She turned away and walked toward the hallway, thinking of her room back at the tower. Once she stopped walking she was in her room, Laeth jumping up to sleep on the couch. "Goodnight, Lae." She went back to her coffee and took a large gulp. It was too cold to have much affect and Raven gave up on the drink in favor of curling up on the couch beside Laeth.
When Raven woke up again, her hair was being stroked soothingly.
"Raven?" Tony's whisper caused Raven's eyes to flicker open. The sun was setting, red and orange flooding the room added to by the lights on the ceiling being dim. She hummed a hello, pushing a hand out of the blanket and grabbing one of his fingers.
"Hey, Tony." She whispered back. She yawned and pushed her head into his hand.
"Hey, sweetheart. Can you talk for a minute?" He asked her. She nodded and he helped her sit up, leaning her back against him so she would have less effort spent. Around her the Avengers sat in casual clothes, most of them wearing the Avengers sweatpants made for post mission movie sessions. "So, what you did today on the Hellicarrier was impressive. How did you do that?"
Raven looked at him blankly. "Balance was restored. My job as Master is to keep balance. Thanos breaking the balance by coming to me and mine." She said, unsure what there was to explain. Tony smiled at her fondly.
He was about to speak when Captain interrupted. "Raven, you destroyed him."
The girl nodded at him. "Thanos was disobeying. He had to die for Balance to live. Hela, she keeps Balance. That is her Right now. That is her Task. She will be one of the Last."
The rest of the Avengers exchanged looks, and Raven quickly stopped them. Some things she had to do to keep Balance were not meant to be talked about. Mortals could not understand Balance, to them there was simply black and white and a small field of gray. To her, there were millions of colors and scales with millions of purposes and meanings, none could be judged separately if even one could be judged at all.
"Bed time." She announced, putting her head on Tony's shoulder and arms around his neck. He complied and picked her up. "Goodnight, darlings." She called to the rest of them, receiving variations of the same back.
Raven stirred the soup again, looking at the differences between the end product in her mind and the visual view. It needed a longer.
A wave, tall and icy. Soars up and crashes down, sweeping away memories and present. Screaming, floating, cold.
Raven grabbed a pad of paper quickly doodling the scene. It was the therapy that Jemma had recommended, attempting to relieve some of the mental stress. Raven didn't want to tell her that she had tried everything- the doodling was just fun.
A man standing in the back of the room. Waiting, patient.
Laeth wandered into the kitchen, nails clicking softly against the wood floor. Raven looked over and saw her companion stop and stretch lazily and yawn. Raven cooed at her, stopping her stirring to crouch down and pet her.
"Marwolaeth, my love, a guest is arriving soon. Be sure not to bother him. Pirate is testy and he shouldn't see what you can do." Raven whispered. Laeth blinked back at her and nuzzled her cheek. Raven smiled in return. "Good girl." She cooed. Laeth's tail thumped happily at the praise.
She turned back to the counter and grabbed a carrot to chop up. The recipe had been first made by Mama Red, made for her the first night she was back after being put back together. Moon, Book, and Lion had all eaten with her and the Red family, talking about the war and what to do now that Scattered-Souls was dead. Raven remembered it fondly and always tried to make the recipe when the universe was off.
"This is far away from the hospital. You have progressed." Raven hummed in response to Pirate's voice.
"Time brings Change. Even Time must keep to Fate's wishes." She agreed. She slid the carrots into the soup and rechecked the color again. At the sight of it not being finished still she turned and looked at the uninvited man in her home. "I am afraid I can not do what you want."
"I haven't even told you why I'm here." He countered. She gave him a small smile.
"Somethings don't need to be said." She answered. "You wonder if I would join your team, but I must refuse. I only watch. Tony, Captain, Spider, Arrow, and Green are the only ones allowed on for now. Soon there will be more, though. Look for Red Spell and Speed to fill openings."
"And who are they?" Pirate asked. He sounded only slightly annoyed which Raven considered a win. Normally conversations occurred very differently with her and new people.
"They will find you." Raven announced. "They will know where you are when the time is right. Do not rush them, for with them they bring war and destruction you can not even imagine."
A wave of sudden sadness hit her and she struggled to keep it hidden. Her family would be hurt, some of them would die. Even though she knew that all good things would end she wished they would not.
Instead she glanced and the soup and smiled.
"Soup's done, Pirate." She said. "Want some?"