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He couldn't stop himself. He'd seen her sit down in the darkness, perfectly relaxed and contented in her glorious curves. He'd seen her close her eyes and bathe in the tranquil loneliness she thought she possessed. His contentment wasn't supposed to be vocal but it was. And Raven was discovered
He didn't know what her reaction was going to be. He knew she wouldn't run screaming or faint. She was no Barbie doll diva; she was more likely to deform them over licking flames as he often did. He liked to see how many different ways he could destroy their image. She was more like that perfect china doll you saw and admired in the toyshop window but were afraid to touch as it might destroy the image. He thought maybe she'd walk away and keep away from the darkness forever, maybe try and get used to the light that they'd both grown to detest. He understood that, many before him had chosen the light instead of the darkness with him. Instead her eyes snapped open and she looked at him for a long time. Her eyes seemed locked on his face and he couldn't turn away. He was under her amazing spell without her knowing she'd cast it.
Then she'd spoken and it was like heaven to have words of her's addressed to him with malice
"Where do I come up?"
He pointed silently to the side. If she ventured further in there was a wall with an almost invisible ladder pressed against it. He half hoped she wouldn't find it and then he wouldn't have to find out what she was going to do and say. He could hear the ladder creak as she made way up, sure- footed and unflinching. She needed no help to find her way up into the Raven's nest. Then she appeared, a simple smile decorating her face and her curves aching to escape the stretchy covering they were cursed with. He tried a simple smile back and then settled for looking down at his feet swinging as he sat on a rafter.
"This is where you hide?"
Her voice came again. He didn't look at her; he nodded instead.
"Me too, it's just safe here"
He felt her move closer and sit down beside him. Then she leaned against him and his discomfort slipped. There was no need for words. She just seemed to fit there with no adjustments necessary.
"You've been watching me, has it been fun?"
He decided he'd have to answer that
"It's been interesting" he offered "Watching your spirit as it faltered in the sunlight"
Molly looked at him startled and he cursed in his head. Would she understand his inner thoughts that so often scared people when he said them out-loud? Instead she nodded.
"Is that why you left?" she asked
"Because of the sunlight?, Mcmahon wanted me to step into the light and I refused, I found the darkness again though"
"In the NWA-TWA?"
"So you've been watching me as well"
"A little, how's Tori?" There was a tiny sliver of pain cracking in her voice and her whole demeanour became sharper, angrier. He'd have been more captivated had her pain not been directed at him.
Raven thought about how to answer this question. The ninja was the first to bring them together. Tori had known pain, had known darkness. She'd hidden in it her whole life, she'd shared it with Kane and then when she'd swapped the charred memories of Kane for the instant trash of X-Pac and been injured, she'd sought out Raven. A partnership had been formed. Slowly, he turned his face to Molly
"She is not my partner anymore, we found each other and then after you pulled her mask off, she broke even more and I was unable to help her"
Molly looked at him intently. He felt like she was searching under his skin for any loose thoughts she wanted to inspect. He was surprised to find that this made him uncomfortable. No one made him uncomfortable
"Why did you go with her? She belonged to X-Pac"
"You know as well as I do Molly that no one belongs to anyone unless you have the power, X-Pac had none, I did. She was hurt, broken, her mind was never the same since before she met Kane, both scarred, you remember"
Molly lowered her eyes for a second. Raven could see and share the images that flooded her mind. Kane who rampaged through the ranks of the WWE with his intense self-loathing that he hid beneath a mask and tender child-like emotions that were so easily manipulated by the women in his life. Tori had loved him it seemed, or loved his protection until X-Pac tempted her away. Then she had collided with Raven in their collective darkness and he had been captivated by her velvety cat-like beauty and her intense shaded love of the deep pool darkness. Until Molly broke her even more, Tori had dressed as a ninja and had saved Raven from losing his Hardcore belt. But Molly was vengeful and tore the mask from Tori's face, exposing her to the nations.
"So she's gone" Molly stated, one of her legs dangling from the rafters
"I never saw her again after that night" confirmed Raven "she threw herself much deeper in than I could contend with, I had to let her go and pry off Mcmahon's grip on my life"
"And here you are, again"
Silence fell between them contentedly and Raven breathed an inward sigh of relief. Perhaps she understood him enough; perhaps she wasn't an unobtainable china doll, too precious and perfect in his eyes to touch. Perhaps
*
He didn't look the same as he had when he left the WWE but the feeling; the thoughts were the same. His hair which had been in bleached blonde plaited dreadlocks the last time Molly had seen him was now curly and back to its original (if his hair had an original colour) fiery colours. He was dressed in frayed blue denim knee length cut-offs and a dark cartoon T-shirt. His tattoos seemed to have increased in number and there was a thick black mark below each eye as though someone had dragged a finger downwards from below the eye. But the looks, the way he moved her was the same. He had always understood
Up here in the rafters, Molly felt safe. That cloaking presence that had always been present in her mind when sat in the darkness had increased until it seemed to surround her completely. He had been her guardian and had never said a word. But he'd always been there. She didn't even realise that she held so much anger about Tori until the words left her lips.
But Tori was gone, into the shattered sunset. All that was left was Molly and a Raven. Slowly, Molly leaned towards him tentatively until her head touched his shoulder. His roughened fingers reached around and began stroking her face. It wasn't patronising; it was reassuring. There was a hint of trembling in his fingertips that caused Molly to smile. He wasn't all cool iciness that never melted beneath his strange veneer. He was real. Perhaps
He couldn't stop himself. He'd seen her sit down in the darkness, perfectly relaxed and contented in her glorious curves. He'd seen her close her eyes and bathe in the tranquil loneliness she thought she possessed. His contentment wasn't supposed to be vocal but it was. And Raven was discovered
He didn't know what her reaction was going to be. He knew she wouldn't run screaming or faint. She was no Barbie doll diva; she was more likely to deform them over licking flames as he often did. He liked to see how many different ways he could destroy their image. She was more like that perfect china doll you saw and admired in the toyshop window but were afraid to touch as it might destroy the image. He thought maybe she'd walk away and keep away from the darkness forever, maybe try and get used to the light that they'd both grown to detest. He understood that, many before him had chosen the light instead of the darkness with him. Instead her eyes snapped open and she looked at him for a long time. Her eyes seemed locked on his face and he couldn't turn away. He was under her amazing spell without her knowing she'd cast it.
Then she'd spoken and it was like heaven to have words of her's addressed to him with malice
"Where do I come up?"
He pointed silently to the side. If she ventured further in there was a wall with an almost invisible ladder pressed against it. He half hoped she wouldn't find it and then he wouldn't have to find out what she was going to do and say. He could hear the ladder creak as she made way up, sure- footed and unflinching. She needed no help to find her way up into the Raven's nest. Then she appeared, a simple smile decorating her face and her curves aching to escape the stretchy covering they were cursed with. He tried a simple smile back and then settled for looking down at his feet swinging as he sat on a rafter.
"This is where you hide?"
Her voice came again. He didn't look at her; he nodded instead.
"Me too, it's just safe here"
He felt her move closer and sit down beside him. Then she leaned against him and his discomfort slipped. There was no need for words. She just seemed to fit there with no adjustments necessary.
"You've been watching me, has it been fun?"
He decided he'd have to answer that
"It's been interesting" he offered "Watching your spirit as it faltered in the sunlight"
Molly looked at him startled and he cursed in his head. Would she understand his inner thoughts that so often scared people when he said them out-loud? Instead she nodded.
"Is that why you left?" she asked
"Because of the sunlight?, Mcmahon wanted me to step into the light and I refused, I found the darkness again though"
"In the NWA-TWA?"
"So you've been watching me as well"
"A little, how's Tori?" There was a tiny sliver of pain cracking in her voice and her whole demeanour became sharper, angrier. He'd have been more captivated had her pain not been directed at him.
Raven thought about how to answer this question. The ninja was the first to bring them together. Tori had known pain, had known darkness. She'd hidden in it her whole life, she'd shared it with Kane and then when she'd swapped the charred memories of Kane for the instant trash of X-Pac and been injured, she'd sought out Raven. A partnership had been formed. Slowly, he turned his face to Molly
"She is not my partner anymore, we found each other and then after you pulled her mask off, she broke even more and I was unable to help her"
Molly looked at him intently. He felt like she was searching under his skin for any loose thoughts she wanted to inspect. He was surprised to find that this made him uncomfortable. No one made him uncomfortable
"Why did you go with her? She belonged to X-Pac"
"You know as well as I do Molly that no one belongs to anyone unless you have the power, X-Pac had none, I did. She was hurt, broken, her mind was never the same since before she met Kane, both scarred, you remember"
Molly lowered her eyes for a second. Raven could see and share the images that flooded her mind. Kane who rampaged through the ranks of the WWE with his intense self-loathing that he hid beneath a mask and tender child-like emotions that were so easily manipulated by the women in his life. Tori had loved him it seemed, or loved his protection until X-Pac tempted her away. Then she had collided with Raven in their collective darkness and he had been captivated by her velvety cat-like beauty and her intense shaded love of the deep pool darkness. Until Molly broke her even more, Tori had dressed as a ninja and had saved Raven from losing his Hardcore belt. But Molly was vengeful and tore the mask from Tori's face, exposing her to the nations.
"So she's gone" Molly stated, one of her legs dangling from the rafters
"I never saw her again after that night" confirmed Raven "she threw herself much deeper in than I could contend with, I had to let her go and pry off Mcmahon's grip on my life"
"And here you are, again"
Silence fell between them contentedly and Raven breathed an inward sigh of relief. Perhaps she understood him enough; perhaps she wasn't an unobtainable china doll, too precious and perfect in his eyes to touch. Perhaps
*
He didn't look the same as he had when he left the WWE but the feeling; the thoughts were the same. His hair which had been in bleached blonde plaited dreadlocks the last time Molly had seen him was now curly and back to its original (if his hair had an original colour) fiery colours. He was dressed in frayed blue denim knee length cut-offs and a dark cartoon T-shirt. His tattoos seemed to have increased in number and there was a thick black mark below each eye as though someone had dragged a finger downwards from below the eye. But the looks, the way he moved her was the same. He had always understood
Up here in the rafters, Molly felt safe. That cloaking presence that had always been present in her mind when sat in the darkness had increased until it seemed to surround her completely. He had been her guardian and had never said a word. But he'd always been there. She didn't even realise that she held so much anger about Tori until the words left her lips.
But Tori was gone, into the shattered sunset. All that was left was Molly and a Raven. Slowly, Molly leaned towards him tentatively until her head touched his shoulder. His roughened fingers reached around and began stroking her face. It wasn't patronising; it was reassuring. There was a hint of trembling in his fingertips that caused Molly to smile. He wasn't all cool iciness that never melted beneath his strange veneer. He was real. Perhaps
