All right! Time for Raven! Hehe. No way am I gonna write this guy as funny as he is in game. I wish.

This is in Keiv Moc. I won't be more precise because I have no idea exactly when. Let's say before the boss.

No... ownage... ever! (I'd capitalize it, but I think you know what I'm talking about. If not, it's Barbatos' Mystic Arte. But not. Aw, screw it, I shouldn't explain the joke.)

...

Raven

Raven worked for the present.

So why's the present always gotta work against me?

"Now, now, calm down. This old man might hafta use his ol' achin' back as an excuse if ya don't."

"You slippery, slovenly, senile fool!"

"Aw, now that hurts! An' it was alliterative too, wow! Ya sure put lotsa energy inta yer criticism. Wanna put some energy in a back massage fer ol' Raven?"

"Like hell, old man! Massage with this! Stone Blast!"

Well, at least she hadn't actually killed him. He still wasn't sure exactly why she was ups – oh right! The conversation about fears! What was she hiding?

"Ya know, if you kill me, I'll come back an' hauntcha! That way, y'll never have ta part with me again."

Well, it was part of his job to find out, right? He was supposed to work with them, and how could he do that if they weren't willing to work with him?

"D-d-don't b-be r-r-rid-"

"What's that, Rita darlin'? Yer afraid of ghosts? Aw, don't worry about that! Uncle Raven's here ta protect ya!"

"Sh-shut up! Ghosts don't exist, and even if they did, they'd think you were one of them, you wrinkle-faced creep!"

That was easier than he had thought. Rita was just a hotheaded little girl after all. She had some trust issues – granted, none of them trusted Raven, but she only trusted Estelle – and wouldn't accept that she had nothing to hide.

"Wow, Raven, you sure know how to get Rita mad, don't you?"

"Son, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that pain can be worth it for the future."

"Huh? How is getting insulted worth it?"

"That's fer me ta know and you ta find out, kid."

"I could find out quicker if you'd just tell me."

Karol was easy to figure out. The kid was just an ordinary guy, really – afraid like he should be, but also mostly accepting of that fear. Admirable, in Raven's mind, because most people just sat back and waited for someone else to take care of anything they were afraid of. That someone was usually the Don, for people living in Dahngrest. Maybe Karol could teach Harry a thing or two.

"Hey Karol, you might as well stop trying. The old man's senility has gotten to him."

"I'm hurt! It ain't senility, it's the weight o' the world sittin' on my shoulders!"

"...Which has everything to do with mental capacity. Right. I'll make a note of that."

As for Yuri, Raven was glad he was along. The strong ex-knight was keeping exactly the right distance. He wasn't pushing for answers, but Raven could tell that anyone who threatened the group would be in big trouble. He was pretty straightforward too. Calm, collected, and smarter than he looked, but altogether, just a guy with a penchant for justice. It was good to know that there was a cool head on the good guys' side.

"Hey, look at that! It's so... shiny!"

"It's been just as shiny for a while, Estelle. You need your eyes checked?"

"Ooh, Yuri! I know that, but this is the first time we've seen it clearly! Thanks for spoiling my mood!"

Estelle was the simplest of all. She wanted adventure. Which was a problem for Raven. He could hardly keep an eye on her if she raced off every time someone needed help.

An' I can't believe I just thought, 'thank goodness Rita's here.' But I guess that mage is really tryin' hard ta keep the Princess safe, regardless of what that means fer me.

At least he knew his companions well enough to know they needed some silliness around.

"Well, ya know, there's always some sorta monster guardin' the prettiest terasure! 'Iiii am the eeeeevil Magpie!' Ya better watch out, Rita! Those goggles o' yers look pretty tasty."

"Magpies like shiny things, right? Well, old man, how about we test that? I'll light you on fire, and then we throw you down and see if anything eats you."

"Yeesh! Yer a scary, scary girl! You don't have a boyfriend, do ya?"

"Shut up! As if you have a girlfriend!"

Who knew that following orders could be this painful?

Well, he lived for the present, after all. Even if that present meant being blasted by an angry teenager later.

And it sure was fun annoying the kids.

...

Hmm. I'm not too happy with this one, because nothing happened. Well, stuff happened, but...

I decided half way through that this was set right before the aer krene came into sight.

I guess my gist was that Raven's supposed to keep tabs on Estelle and the group, but to do that properly he's gotta work his way in. This also helps with his future orders from his other boss.

I guess I should add spoiler warnings on at this point. I'll do that.