White fluffy feathers lined an all but barren hallway of Titans Tower. The soft tufts made an all to clear path from one room to another. Of course, everyone already knew who would have been responsible as the trail lead from the room of a certain stoic empath, to the messy quarters of the resident changeling. A changeling whom has always been invading the others room. Whether it was to get at her goat or if he really was just that ignorant, nobody knew his motivations to constantly invade the sanctity that was Ravens room. Of course, nobody blamed the fact that he was curious, not even Raven, but that didn't help the fact that when he entered her room bad things would follow.
Her most recent untranslated spellbook being transformed into a chicken, for instance.
The empath had no idea how he had managed it. For starters the book was in some african dialect that was all but unrecognizable to her, and the green youth shouldn't have had a magical affinity for pronouncing whatever spell he had read. Then again, where there was an idiotic will there was an idiotic way. This was Beast Boy in this case.
But no matter the amazement she had held for the unexpected spell to be cast, her anger for his actions was only shortly delayed by her shock. After a few seconds of standing stock still, gazing at the place where the emerald screwup had once been, her frustration bubbled to the surface as she screamed after him.
"I told you to get out of my room!" Her gravelly shriek filled the halls. "And what part of 'Put that down' and 'Don't read that' don't you understand?" There was no answer as she neared the plaqued door. The bolded name of Beast Boy stood before her as she blasted down the obstruction with a flash of obsidian. The room was empty, save for the wild, white bird clucking and cawing at the pale intruder. With an inquisitive scan of her powers, Raven found that the boy had slipped out of her empathetic range.
Man, that kid could move fast if he wanted.
Ravens fury was in quite a predicament. She was mad, no furious, and she had nothing to take it out on but a stupid fowl and the worthless… possessions of… An immature smirk found her lips. Sure, it was way below her to behave in such a way, but she honestly couldn't help it. She was going to give that boy a taste of his own medicine. Frantic hands began to grasp at shelves of collectables and comics. Through piles of junk and paper while unceremoniously knocking away all items with no aural attachment to the changeling. She wanted something he LIVED in. Something that would hurt for anything to happen to it.
But as her search prolonged with no fruit for her labor, black tendrils joined in the raid of garbage and trinkets. Upside down and inside out, she began clawing at every crevice for something worth messing up. Something that held an emotional value to the boy. It was harder than she thought to find it.
The longer she searched, the more she came to realise just how little all of this meant to him. Of course, she had come across a few things with meaning, but she wasn't willing to destroy any of the teams portraits or anything really important. She wouldn't go that far, and besides, those were replaceable. But it was strange. The video games he hoarded, the comics he searched the coast for, even his boxes of whoopee cushions and other childish pranks held no real value to his aura. Instead, she found that all of his essence was focused mostly on his beds. And something was hiding inside them.
With a determined glance at the twin bunk bed that filled the wall, Raven strode to the source of all his energy. A journal, lined with leather and stained with dirt and grass, laid just hidden under the pillow of the higher bed. The book emanated more emotional and spiritual energy than any book she had ever come across. It was quite surprising to her that any sort of emotional outlet, such as a book or painting, could practically bleed with feelings as this journal did. She had, in fact, never come across anything like this before. In her curiosity, the anger she felt towards the boy subsided to these new questions.
What was in that book?
...
When Raven had found a seat away from prying eyes, she hurriedly skimmed through the beginning of the journal. She grinned when she found why the paper mattered so to the changeling. It was his journal. His diary. Every secret, story, and embarrassment of his life stored in one convenient package. Jackpot.
And what better form for it to take for the resident bookworm. With a gradual turn of each page, her azure orbs greedily stole the privacy of Beast Boys thoughts.
Every sentence of every day was now being critiqued by the sorceress. Cruel insults towards the boy followed every thought he had, and further she planned on using against him. His poor grammar, and other flaws would be judged further and further as she planned on what exactly she would do with this book.
Would she expose his thoughts to their friends? Blackmail the poor boy into staying out of her room? Force him to do her bidding? Or perhaps… simply turn it into a chicken?
The juicy deeds seemed to flare her inner demon with glee. Every stolen word dripped so much with his emotions that she felt she was beginning to become him. Every thought, prank, and recorded day of the poor boys life gradually added to his demise. And very delicious detail furthered her into the now open book that was Beast Boy. Casually she read, enjoying every moment thoroughly as the words flowed into her mind. But the more she read, the more she began to understand him.
At first she hadn't expected it. When she began to read of how isolated the boy felt, her brow creased intently. This wasn't how she remembered Beast Boy. Beast Boy was this annoying, happy go lucky twerp who always had a prank on his mind. He was always confident, strong hearted, and resilient against any sort of darkness. But what she was reading insinuated otherwise now. At first, she thought it was simply a mood swing from the changeling. It proved incorrect, though, as when she read deeper the dark cloud seemed to grow ever more dense. If she didn't know better, Raven would begin to think that Beast Boy was depressed…
… Was he?… Only one way to find out. The rest of the empaths day was uninterrupted as she engrossed herself in the uncensored details of his life.
...
It was hours of reading later until the sorceress decided she had delved deep enough into his privacy. Raven had read all of his life, up until his time with her and their friends. To say that her opinion of the boy had changed was an understatement. He wasn't annoying, ignorant, or even as stupid as he played. The boy was actually intelligent in his own respects. And Raven was proud of him, though darkly so.
She was amazed that anyone could have been so abused in their life. So alone, never to be able to see the light. To have to craft a mask so unlike how he felt, just to feel like he could fit in. It actually somewhat surprised her that Beast Boy was so… like her. I mean, sure, he wasn't cursed with the knowledge that he would end the world, or "gifted" demonic powers that could destroy everything he loved the moment he lost control. But he was just so…
Isolated…
He felt outcast by his appearance, always stared at like a freak show. To have these strange abilities that struck fear into even his first loved ones. To be so different from the crowd, and so avoided, as if interaction with him was a taboo. The fact that it took years of heroic deeds to finally be accepted by society had said enough for his lonesomeness. But even now he was the silly green freak in his own eye.
Raven had finally found the solution to their problem. She didn't need revenge. She needed to be his friend…