Raven awoke, her conscious almost instantly receding back to the fading dream land. Images that were now foggy, messes of her subconscious that she could no longer recall. But her bed was nice, too. She relaxed every muscle, sinking back into the soft mattress that nearly enfolded her in a half-embrace. Her eyes remained closed, hazy mind smiling at the cocoon of warmth created by her bed sheets. She wanted to stay like this forever, perfectly lost in the darkness created by her eyes, the coziness from her bed. But little by little, her brain was waking up. Thoughts were appearing; flickers and glimpses of ideas. Memories of something... that had happened.

Her eyelids pulled themselves apart, a deeper breath pushing out of her chest before she sat upright, still holding the thick blanket around her. It wasn't quite morning yet; not officially to her, anyway. The sun was just being to peek over the horizon. She still had a decent amount of time to grab her tea and meditate. And enough time to take in the view of her room, that beautiful shade of blue pushing through the curtains and lighting her surroundings. It was her favorite color; it was one of the reasons why she woke up so early.

She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering enough energy to pull herself through the floor and to the Common Room's kitchen area. But at the sudden thought of the alternate route, her swirl of energy fell flat. There was some light feeling in her chest, pressing against the back wall of her ribcage. Was that apprehension? Was she actually worried about taking no more than a minute's walk down a hallway?

One curtain blew away from the window violently, its fabric snapping towards her. She reached inside herself, extinguishing the emotion as if she were pinching out a candle. The curtain responded, silently falling back towards the wall.

Raven breathed out through her nose, resolving that simple action would be the only response she gave to the emotion. A farewell gift, because she wasn't going to think about its source.

Before her thoughts could keep her there anymore, Raven teleported out of her room, her cloak swirling around the narrowing blip of dark energy. She walked through the Common Room's wall completely dressed and immediately stepped into the kitchen area. She set about making her tea, calmed even further as routine slipped in, controlling her motions. She liked having her team bustling about but there was something special in these early morning hours. This big room completely silent except for the pouring of water into the kettle, the dense splashes filling to something more solid as the water rose about half way.

Even the clicking of turning the stove on was soothing. It set something inside her, flicking a switch just as her finger did a second before. The noise, the action. They were the start of a new day. A new chapter fueled by routine and spontaneity.

It was only when she heard the creak of the roof's stairs that Raven caught herself smiling. She banished the expression instantly, tucking the emotion and the fleeting memory away as the footsteps crossed the room, strides calm and confident.

"Morning."

Raven returned his greeting dryly, continuing to look down at the kettle. It was nothing more than a word—why was her heart beating so much faster? Because he had spoken to her first, because they had exchanged words? They have conversations all the time—why was this any different?

Raven knew the answer to every single question running through her head. It was the same three words. Because of yesterday.

The sound of a fridge opening was almost enough to make her jump. She suppressed the feeling down, doing nothing but listening to the brief silence and then the closing of the refrigerator's bottom door again. She stood there, staring at nothing, as Robin's boots tapped against the kitchen tiles. He slid out a chair, sitting down and popping the newspaper open in front of him. Raven forced herself to ignore the sounds the paper made beneath his fingertips. She needed to breathe. Relax. Calm. This was an ordinary morning; a routine for both of them.

She stopped her string of thoughts, knowing it would eventually lead to the one thing she just didn't want to think about. Especially not now. Not when its subject was so close—Dang it!

The glimpse of anger was immediately shoved back. Her kettle finally sounded, whistling quietly as her tea came to a boil. It was familiar; enough to settle her thoughts back into place. She levitated the teapot, lifting it enough to pour into a mug she'd set on the counter beforehand. A moment later, she was seated across from Robin, doing nothing but focusing on her teacup. Eyes closed, both hands encasing the mug's warmth and feeling it radiate through her. Breathing, cherishing the scent and the fact that she could.

She stayed like this, halfway between being alert and in meditation, until suddenly, quietly, Robin spoke.

"It's nice to see you with a smile."

Raven looked at him, coming back to reality. The paper he held with both hands had been tilted, angled enough for Raven to see the kind smile playing his lips. It was genuine; like everything Robin seemed to do, the expression, the comment he had made, was authentic. Raven felt the ghost of her own smile rise behind her lips. She dismissed it, focusing back on her tea and raising it to her mouth.

"It's natural." she replied, the rim of the cup barely grazing her lips. "I wasn't focusing."

The corner of Robin's mask rose, an action that told her either he had raised an eyebrow or glanced at her in curiosity. Probably both. "Really? What were you focused on, if you don't mind me asking, of course."

Not thinking to take a sip, Raven lowered her tea back down and allowed the smallest of smiles to curve her mouth. She didn't mind at all. For someone to actually want to know something so personal... It made her feel... human.

"I was just... cherishing." she said. "Not really thinking about one thing in particular, but about all things. Everything, how our perception of what we experience is a matter of choice. It's... interesting to me. To take a moment and not think, not fight or worry. Just sit and be."

She let her words hang in the silence between them, trying not to say anything more or let the heat go to her face like it wanted to do. And it wasn't warmth from the tea; that much she would admit.

Finally, Robin nodded twice. Each slow and thoughtful, taking in what she had said. He didn't speak for another few seconds, and when he finally responded, there was barely a smile on his face. Instead, the kindness, that soft warmth, was in his voice.

"That's beautiful. Thank you, Raven."

Raven hesitated, not sure why Robin was thanking her or what for. But she nodded anyway, resolving that he meant what he said. It had helped him somehow; that's what mattered. She pushed down the glow that thought sent into her chest, distracting herself by finally taking her first sip of tea. Again, that sensation of a clean slate, a clear horizon, came to her. The sun finally rose, shining its light into the tower's largest window and brightening the Common Room. Raven let herself smile, meeting Robin's masked eyes from across the table and watching a smile of his own come to surface.


AN: So definitely a different feel with this chapter. I know, compared to the quick update before, this took a while. It went through some revisions, but I think I like this idea the best. Shows another, more mature side to both of them.

Oh, also, if you didn't notice, I actually have a name posted for this chapter! I'm calling it "Morning Wings". If a chapter name comes to me, I'll put it up, but besides that nothing about them is really significant for this story ^^

That's it. Enjoy the rest of your day, readers!