Raven spent the entirety of the next day lying in bed. She turned the radio to static to drown out the sounds of traffic and her neighbors and, aside from when she got up to take a (cold) shower early in the morning, didn't move a muscle until dawn the next day. And only then it was because of an insanely loud pounding on her front door. When she finally opened the door, Victor could tell he made a mistake calling on her before the sun was up. Her hair was disheveled and the glare she was shooting him would've made him cry in fear if he were still able to produce tears. And, unless that was a trick of the light, he was pretty sure they had a faint red tint. Oh boy.
"H-hey, Rae. Can I come in?"
The glare intensified when he shortened her name, but she stepped aside, letting him hunch through her threshold and into her apartment.
"What do you want?"
Victor shifted nervously from one foot to the other, not ashamed at being afraid of this girl, more than a foot shorter than himself, and a quarter his weight.
"I.. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I mean, when you left the other night, you seemed pretty shaken up. I just..I just wanted to make sure you were okay, I guess."
"I'm fine."
Victor watched as she stalked to the kitchen and put a pot of water on the stove, then to the bathroom, coming back out with a brush. She started running it through her hair while she waited for him to continue. The look on her face very clearly saying 'if you're done, I have better things to do.'
"I mean, if you'd never fought before, I can imagine that it'd be-"
"Are you done yet?"
"Look, I'm just trying to be nice, here."
"I'm done with people 'just trying to be nice'. Nine times out of ten, they just want something from you."
"Like what, your amazing combat skills?!"
Everything around them seemed to pause, while Victor mentally kicked himself.
"I'm sorry- That's.. I didn't mean it like that."
"Get out."
"Raven, listen, I'm sorry."
"I'm not in the mood for your apologies today. I'm not in the mood for anything today. Just get out."
He turned to leave, placing a scrap of paper down on her rickety end table.
"My number. In case you need anything." And then he was gone, the door squeaking closed behind him.
Raven poured her tea and returned to her room, never sparing a glance at the paper, but unable to get it out of her mind.

~X~

She knew she didn't start work for another few days, but she made her way to the bookstore anyway- as she neared it, however, she decided that she didn't want even the company of Alice. She turned down a side street, making her way towards a small, neglected 'park'. It was mostly concrete, with brown patches of grass and dirt scattered about. There were some graffiti covered benches and a tree that no longer produced leaves. The garbage can was overflowing and trash was strewn across the ground every which way.

She sat on one of the benches and looked out at the scene before her- this city used to be vibrant and beautiful- she had seen pictures from decades before the meta-acts. Before the paranoia and fear caused civilians to view all supers as villains- allowing the real villains to take root, regardless of them being meta or human.

And now, here they were- the entire city like this park. Barren and broken down- filthy and wounded, seemingly beyond repair. It made her want to cry and scream at the same time. To shout to the neighborhood- no, the country- that she could be good.
But what good would that do?
She noticed, for the first time since her anger surged, the park again. It held the residual emotions of the people who had last been there- fear, anxiety, violence, panic- even the faint traces of a person's final moments. She thought back and remembered the headline- "Man dead in mugging at Brenton Park."

She stood, about to storm away, until she realized something-
this park was surrounded by apartment buildings. Apartments that housed children and the elderly, single women and newly weds. People already on the down and out, in more danger because of the death trap that they lived near.

And that was how she found her, four hours later, cleaning the park bit by bit. A piece of trash floating, with the aid of a black and white aura, towards a garbage bag. A mostly broken broom sweeping glass and debris of its own volition. A rag and cleanser scrubbing at the benches- one of them already cleaned, it's plaque sparkling and legible, 'donated in memory of Henry Mills- Loving father and spouse- You will be missed.", and a girl, no taller than her shoulders, standing in the middle of it all, orchestrating it like a conductor of a symphony, completely oblivious to the world around her.

"Would you care for some help?"
The items that had been floating about suddenly fell to the floor as the girl looked up, startled and seemingly about to bolt.
"No, please! I am the... As you say, grateful! This park has been needing help for many months, and I am most happy that you have done so much! Allow me to aid you in your efforts, please!"
The girl tilted her head, as if trying to place her accent. She took stock of her appearance and a light clicked.
"You're a meta."
"Yes, I believe that I would be classified as such- although technically speaking, I am not a 'Meta-Human', as I am not from this world."
"You're an alien?"
"Yes, that is correct. My name is Koriand'r. It is a pleasure to have made your acquaintance, uhm.."
"Raven."
"Raven! What a glorious name! Ravens are birds, are they not?"
"Yes, but..they're not typically considered a bird you would want to be named after."
"To be named after a bird is a wonderful thing! They are so free in flight! Who would not want that to be their namesake?"
Raven shifted uncomfortably, looking to change the topic, "What does your name mean?"
"Koriand'r would mean..." She placed a finger to her mouth thoughtfully, before smiling, "Star and fire!"
"Starfire...That's a good name.."
Koriand'r's smile grew sad as she nodded, "Yes, my parents believed so, too."
"Are they..gone?"
She waved her hand, smiling and laughing cheerfully again, "Do not worry about me, my parents are alive. Yes, they are just on my home planet of Tameran. What about you?"
The look on her face told the Alien to drop it- she nodded in understanding and floated over, placing a hand on her new friend's shoulder, "It is okay. You do not have to talk if you do not wish."
Raven nodded back, a hint of a smile peeking out of her typical impassive scowl.
"Let us commence with the cleaning!"