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"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it."

Jean de La Fontaine

"Raven? Are you alright?" Kory asked through furrowed eyebrows, her voice tainted with concern.

It had been a week since her encounter with Gar, and Raven felt both relieved and disappointed about it. For some reason, she found herself daydreaming about him at random intervals during her daily routine. She often didn't realize it until someone snapped her back into reality—and every time felt a little more mortifying than the last. Why the hell was she daydreaming about a stranger she'd barely interacted with? A stranger who was both incredibly irritating and foolish. And attractive.

NO! Her eyes widened when the thought invaded her mind. She bumped her hand into her forehead to knock some sense into herself. Perhaps she'd gone long enough without a proper date or physical affection, but Raven really needed to get her emotions in control. They were beginning to affect her performance at work. She'd probably never see the stranger again after all. She hoped she never did, though a little voice inside her head thought otherwise.

They sat at a secluded booth inside a coffee shop eating lunch. Kory loved having their 'girl talks' every other Tuesday, and the only way Raven conformed was if they had them at places she enjoyed. Naturally, she chose coffee shops because of the peaceful and quiet ambiance they all shared. Today, it was an underrated, small (yet homey) coffee shop located only a few blocks west from her workplace called Booked Week Café and locally known for their abundant amount of teas for customer selection and their built-in bookstore, hence the name. The place was mostly desolate save for the two young women, an elderly woman a few tables away, and the lanky teenage worker manning the cash register.

"Raven?" Kory repeated, finally gaining her attention.

She muttered an unintelligible, "Huh?"

"Are you alright? You seem distracted. Would you like to talk about it..?" she questioned, her voice soft to make sure Raven knew she wasn't trying to pry.

Raven clutched the handle of her coffee cup tightly before replying, "... Not really, Kory."

"Oh," Kory's eyes trailed down with disappointment. "Very well then, friend. Would you like to talk about something else?"

Raven blew on her cup before taking a tiny sip of her herbal tea. The liquid traveled through her mouth and down the esophagus, sending a pleasant sense of warmth throughout her body. Ah, always refreshing, she smiled. She opened her eyes and observed Kory attentively. She seemed a bit restless for an odd reason… "Why don't we talk about Dick?"

The girl visibly bounced in her seat and beamed cheerfully. Bingo. "Oh, he has been most wonderful recently! He has invited me on a date this Friday to an extremely exclusive restaurant in the northern sector!" she squealed.

"... That actually sounds really expensive. He must be trying to make your night special… Do you think..?" Raven gave her a look, and she could tell Kory understood.

Her face flushed, and she trailed her finger around the rim of her coffee cup while avoiding Raven's curious stare, "I am not sure, exactly. It is not an anniversary or a special occasion as far as I am aware… So, it is possible that…" her voice trailed off.

Raven tilted her head before asking, "Would you say yes?"

"Of course I would!" Kory didn't hesitate on her response, and she regarded Raven with a somewhat offended expression as if she was shocked that Raven would even have to ask that. "We have been together for three years now… And I truly believe Richard is my soulmate. I... " she stammered. "I wish to spend the rest of my life with him by my side."

Raven smiled at her, "I'm glad, Kory. Dick is a great guy, and I really think you two are meant for each other."

Kory looked pleased with her assumption, and they remained in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then, abruptly, Kory curiously inquired, "What about you, Raven?"

"What about me?" Raven looked taken aback, though she had a feeling she knew where her question was headed. And she didn't like it.

"Have you met anyone special recently..? Perhaps a suitor who fits your needs… Someone to help you get over…" Kory suddenly stopped, slapping a hand over her mouth as if she were shocked by her own words.

Raven's grip on the handle of her cup only tightened, and she avoided the girl's remorseful stare.

"I am sorry, friend. I did not mean-"

"It's fine. I have to get over him eventually, don't I?" Raven didn't mean for her tone to sound so utterly defeated, but it did, and Kory visibly saddened.

"I firmly believe that you will, friend. It will take time but…" she placed her hand above Raven's and sent her a kind smile. "You will find someone who loves you for who you are."

Raven only nodded, despite not really believing her friend's optimistic outlook. Kory had always been a glass-half-full kind of girl. Raven, on the other hand, had not. She had grown up in an environment that left little for her to hope for. Her father had been abusive to her and her mother. Then one day, Arella had vanished, leaving only an apologetic note to Raven where she assured her that she'd come back for her one day. That she'd save her from her father. That she'd give her the love and attention that she deserved.

The day never came, and since that moment, Raven had known she was a realist. Fortunately, during her eighteenth birthday, she finally escaped from her father's demonic influence, and she moved to San Francisco where she started a new life, where she met her best friends and overcame her fucked up past. And she was okay for once in her life.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Kory's phone suddenly blaring into life. Kory glanced at her apologetically, and Raven simply signaled for her to answer it. She stood up to give her friend some privacy and walked to the cashier to refill her now-empty cup.

"Herbal tea, please," she told the cashier. He nodded and ambled to the back to refill her cup.

Raven heard the wind chimes behind her clank delicately against each other (one of the unique things she enjoyed about the coffee shop was their doorbell). She felt the winter breeze caress the back of her legs as the newcomer stepped inside and the door shut. The footsteps stopped right behind her, and Raven assumed he/she thought she was standing in line.

"You can-" her jaw nearly dropped open when she recognized who he was.

"Raven," he grinned goofily at her.

She seemed to come to her senses, and she instantly cleared her throat in hopes of masking her momentary stupor. "Gar," she acknowledged.

"I thought I recognized you," he commented while burying his hands inside his pockets.

"How..?" Raven wasn't sure what to ask.

"I did tell you I'd see you again," he cockily replied.

Raven grimaced. She had forgotten how much of an irritating idiot he really was. And since when had he gained such a confident aura? Last time she'd checked, he had been tripping over his own shoelaces and stammering through his syllables during their short time (or dare she say long) trapped in the elevator together. "Unfortunately," she huffed.

"Aw, you know you wanted to see me again, Rae," he strolled forward, and Raven suddenly felt like she was trapped between him and the counter. Her hands wandered about aimlessly behind her as she stumbled backward until she gripped the surface's edge. Her face reddened, both in embarrassment and indignation. How did this guy manage to push her buttons so easily? And why the hell was she getting so flustered around him?

"I-" she choked on her words, her unemotional act faltering.

He chuckled softly, and his arms clung to either side of the counter behind her. His face was so close, and he pursed his lips, an action that she'd normally find creepy from the countless guys who attempted to flirt with her but that provoked a swirl of eager nerves within her stomach from him. His mouth was extremely alluring, practically inviting her to let her riled emotions loose and ravage him with ravenous kisses.

"Uh… Here's your tea…" an awkward squeak behind her reeled her back in, and she quickly pushed Gar back.

Raven turned with an undoubtedly red face and clumsily slapped a ten-dollar bill on the counter before snatching her cup nervously. Gar laughed quietly behind her, no doubt aware of the effect he had on her. She avoided eye contact with him. He shifted forwards and murmured a phrase that should have sounded completely innocent to her ears, yet it didn't. "I hope to see you again soon," the words released a heap of excited shivers throughout her body. Then, he turned to the cash register and started ordering something that Raven's hearing was unable to catch as her head felt like a helicopter spinning out of control in the sky.

She hurried to her seat in the back (and thankfully out of view) and sat down, barely managing to keep her tea from spilling. Kory was still distractedly talking in her phone and barely caught notice of her, giving Raven enough time to contemplate what had just occurred.

What the hell was that?

Raven felt like hyperventilating, but she contained herself as to not drag Kory's attention. Her mind felt like a disarray of dazed, distraught, maddened, and aroused emotions spiraling about frantically. She had never in her life been more stirred up by a guy than she was now. How in the name of-

"Raven?" Kory waved a hand in front of her.

"What?" she asked quizzically.

Kory looked befuddled, "Are you okay? You went to get some tea, and you came back looking… agitated? Did something happen?"

"No," she croaked, cloaking her riled emotions behind her usual apathetic attitude, even though she was losing it inside. "Nothing happened. I just happened to run into someone unexpected." The best lie was always a half-lie.

"Oh… Was it… him?" Kory questioned with apprehensive eyes. Raven knew who she was referring to.

She shook her head and sipped her tea, "It was someone else."

"Okay," Kory dropped the subject when she realized Raven wasn't going to elaborate. "Perhaps we should head back to your workplace?"

Raven bit her lip nervously, glancing back at the cashier but finding it empty, "Perhaps we should."

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2019

A/N: Woo! I'm glad someone got the question right. I was worried no one would. The answer to last chapter's question was John's run of the Teen Titans Vol. 3, Issue#12. Friendly reminder that if you want me to announce you as the winner, make sure you write a name. This one was answered by a guest. They asked if using the internet is cheating. Nope! All is fair! In fact, I encourage the use of the wikis and forums out there. You learn a lot by just swiping through content and sometimes it encourages people to actually check out the comics! I know that's why I fell into this superhero rabbit hole. Taygon55 was also pretty close. He/she cited issue 5/6 of John's run.

So anyhow, in this issue, Garfield essentially turned into a parasitic worm and dived into Brother Blood's intestines to retrieve Raven's chakra. This was kind of the first hint of romance I ever noticed from these two as they had a really sweet talk afterward, and I squealed like crazy.

This question is going to be a little easier since this was somewhat of a short chapter.

Question

During the first few issues of Titan's Volume 3,
Garfield visits Raven at her school "undercover" in the form of a _?_.

Answer

?