Chapter 5: "Raven Song"
The warmth of her bed became a little more obvious, the softness of her pillow and blanket wonderfully welcoming. Her pale lips smiled faintly, her head shifting softly on her pillow. After a few more moments, Raven's lavender eyes flowed open with a soft inhale. Sunlight was spilling into her room, the girl herself curled slightly up on her right side, her new book on the bed under her arms. She sat up softly, rubbing her eyes, and then paused, slowly lowering her hands. No nightmares. She had not slept so well in weeks. In fact, she felt good, rejuvenated, actually happy. The cloaked girl smiled faintly, glancing down at the book Beast Boy bought her. Calm, she looked over to her clock… and saw that it was nearly noon. Her shock was obvious. …I haven't slept in that long in… never.
Obviously she had needed it. Slipping off her bed, she stretched her arms with a satisfied groan, and walked out of her room. Her worries seemed so far away this morning, it was wonderful. "Maybe I can meditate peacefully today," she pondered aloud, a bit of dry humor in her voice as she started for the roof exit.
The purple-haired girl just reached the door to the roof when she paused, leaning to the opening as she spread her senses. "…Rith's out there." She smirked a bit. "He must already know I'm here then…" She opened the door, stepping out, and found herself drifting to a stop again, watching with intrigue as she found Rith with her eyes, her hand still lingering on the handle.
He stood in the center of the roof, his head tilted back, a smile on his lips, his expression warm, and his clothing and hair rippling powerfully up along his body, the air all around him distorted and shimmering in the morning sunlight from a clear sky. A great column of sound reached into the sky, never seeming to end. The boy looked content, completely happy where he was, almost blissful.
Abruptly, Raven felt as if she were intruding on something private, and started to withdraw, a subtle blush on her cheeks. She felt a waver in the column of sound before it completely died, and Rith looked down to her instantly. "Oh, Raven? I beg your pardon, is this when you meditate?" He was completely apologetic and sincere.
The young woman looked back to him, half closed in the door, and shook her head faintly. "No, no. I was going to, but you seemed quite content yourself."
Rith seemed rather touched, but then gestured to the roof, drawing his hand behind himself as he held his staff in the other. "Thank you very much for saying so, but this is your home Raven. I would never block you from meditating."
Raven did step out, letting the door close behind her, but she just walked up to him, a calmly interested expression on her pallid, soft face. "May I ask what you were doing, exactly?"
Apparently surprised she was curious, he took a moment to answer, a smile growing on his lips, "Enjoying the sounds around me. I sometimes play with them, try to make music with my ability."
She tilted her head to the side. "You sure looked like you were enjoying yourself."
He tipped his head to her. "And I've not seen you so happy since we've met."
Raven blushed a bit, glancing down. "I've had a nice couple of days, thieves not withstanding." Looking back up, she continued, "I was having bad dreams, but last night none came."
"How lovely," he replied in a softened, warm voice.
She noticed that he seemed almost wistful as he 'looked' at her, so she finally asked, "Is there a particular reason you like me so much?" If she could stop him from getting too close in a friendly manner, it might be best.
Rith flicked an eyebrow higher, dry amusement turning his lips. "For one thing, you are very direct. I respect that in others."
Her lips smiled a bit, but she remained calm and confident, crossing her arms. "It tends to grate on people as time goes on. I'm the 'creepy', 'dark' girl."
He seemed curious. "Are you?"
Raven just raised an eyebrow at him. "You know what I look like."
"Indeed, but you could be wearing electric pink for all I know. Hardly 'dark' or 'creepy'. On the contrary, your voice is one of the most lovely sounds I've ever heard, very soft and soothing. And it shows me your lovely face so well. You're a beautiful young woman, Raven."
Her arms slipped down slowly, her blush quite hot on her cheeks as she blinked at him. She remember Malchior and glanced down to the side self-consciously. "I think you've got my voice confused with Starfire's or someone else's."
"Oh no," he said softly, so sincere she looked to him thoughtfully, "I could never confuse your voice, Raven. …Sound lets me see the world, as you know," he started quietly, his tone calm and explanatory, "but, of course, each sound is a little different. Some are harsh, others very subtle. The way they react with the world around them tailors how I sense them. And, always, dozens of sounds are berating everything at once, so it sometimes becomes quite confusing."
Raven listened, unsure what point he was making.
"But you speak with such a soothing, gentle voice. It makes the world shimmer around you," his tone became wistful once more. Raven was starting to blush again, only much more seriously. "Your voice makes everything beautiful, Raven, and when I see your face as you speak, I can scarcely think straight."
She looked down, swallowing a bit as she calmed her jittering emotions. "…Rith, I appreciate the compliment, honestly," she emphasized with a soft glance at his face, "but… I…"
He raised his hand, and she stopped, looking up at him. "I find you very beautiful, but I would never presume to seek a 'close' relationship, Raven. I know precious little about you, I can not properly help you as your friends can. I want to know more, but you seem so happy this morning that I can't bare to bring up old hurts. I want you to be happy, whether that includes my presence in your life or not."
Calmed and put at ease, though still blushing, Raven looked at him more carefully. "What did you want to ask me about?"
Rith smiled and shook his head. "They are your business, and I could only justify pursuing them if you were upset and could use a friendly ear. Please, enjoy your meditation. I shall not disturb you further." He started to walk around her, his staff softly tapping off the cement roof.
Raven turned around. "Could you just tell me what you wanted to ask, and I can say whether I'll answer or not?"
He paused, facing her again, with some surprise on his face. "If you wish, certainly, but I would hate to spoil your pleasant mood with my nosy curiosity."
She looked down to the side, and then focused into his closed eyes. "There's a lot I can't talk about, stuff I have to deal with, but I'd rather you heard any of the other stuff from me than the others."
Rith turned quite guilty, but it was calm and sincere, so Raven only became curious rather than worried. "Then I must apologize. Your friends were more loyal to you than I was. Yes, I learned of some events, but the two I had such conversations with asked me to wait and hear from you. I feel quite rude…" he looked down.
Raven smirked a bit. "Just tell me your questions. I'll be direct, as usual, and tell you if I'll answer or not."
He tipped his head, and then seemed to consider. Knowing that the resurrected Slade had caused much of her current unhappiness, he would not raise it. However… "Forgive me if this is painful, but I wished to ask about the one named Malchior."
Her eyes did flare a bit, but she remained calm. "How did you hear about him?"
Rith smiled a bit. "I swore not to say that."
The girl's expression turned dryly intrigued, as her list of suspects shrank rapidly. "…Alright… It's simple, honestly," she started in a self-deprecating manner, looking down to the side. "He was trapped in a book I was reading, and I thought he cared for me. I trusted him, he was lying, and I nearly let him loose on the world. I learned that lesson," she finished, looking up at the cloak-clad boy.
Rith's expression became gravely sympathetic, Raven considering his emotions thoughtfully. He seemed almost heart-broken for her. "…He was the first one to tell you you were beautiful…"
"Yes," she answered strongly, her positive mood from the morning helping put Malchior in more perspective. Rith, to her intrigue, seemed to melt under the weight of the information. "…Are you alright?" she finally asked.
He nodded. "Sorry, yes… I just… had no idea how stupid I was around you. I'm very sorry. I must have been digging at that since we met."
Raven blinked, her eyebrows rising subtly. "You couldn't have known. You were being polite, kind… to me," she controlled her embarrassment. "It's not your fault I don't really trust it when someone calls me beautiful."
"…No, that it's not…" his voice was very low, and she could feel the controlled anger deep in his mind.
She hadn't felt this side of him before. His darkness was more clear to her, his control less defined. He focused on her again.
"Sorry, I imagine that concerned you?"
"You knew I was sensing it?"
"You can infuse objects with your essence. I guessed you could sense emotion."
Raven crossed her arms. "Are you hiding anything from us?"
"Only my temper," he answered immediately, smiling a bit.
"Will it cause a problem?"
"No," he answered simply. "Even if I had planned evil on your friends, Raven, I would do all in my power to avoid being another Malchior to you. Hurting someone like that is something I would not inflict on my worst enemy."
Raven shook her head a bit, focusing on him. "Why are you so devoted to me, Rith? We've barely met."
He smiled, bowing his head. "You have a very pure heart."
Guilt etched through her features. "You're so sure about that?"
Rith nodded, and spoke seriously, "We all have darkness in us, Raven. We can all choose good or evil. You have a dark power, Raven, yes, but how do you use it?"
She glanced down to the side. "…I've made some mistakes with it."
"Are you evil?"
"No!" she emphatically answered, shocked he would ask such a question. She immediately calmed, dipping her head. Being so over-defensive was a bad exposure of what she was hiding.
"Fearing is not the same as being, Raven. Trust me when I tell you that your love for your friends is very real. You are a good, decent person. You discipline yourself because of a great power you never asked for, and wield that to help those weaker than yourself. I know this, because I feel it in every word you speak, every beat of your heart. I knew it from the first moment you spoke. You hurt deeply, because a good heart feels pain more than a dark one."
Her expression had fractured, turning sorrowful as she stepped back slightly. She wanted what he said to be true, desperately so, but Slade… the message.
"You always have a choice, Raven."
She eased, looking into his closed eyes.
"Always… A wrong path can be shifted, and a good path is hard to maintain, but the choice remains. There is no force that can violate the will. We can be manipulated, abused, or loved, cherished, affecting how we act, but we can not be controlled, we can not be made to do anything. You are who you are because of you, no one else. The good and the bad of your heart are your responsibility." He smiled gently. "So please don't despair. I can't bear to see so much pain on your lovely face."
Her blush returned, her mood lightening again, and she looked at him with mute shock. It was almost true the way he said it, she could almost believe Slade had just been a lying manipulator as he burned the runes into her skin. Somehow they could have stopped him, they just failed that time. She wouldn't destroy the world. Raven closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I want to believe what you say…"
"But you've seen too much to the contrary in your own life?"
She focused on him again. "…You could put it like that."
He bowed. "Perhaps, if I earn your trust, you can come to trust what I have said just now. I can only beg you not to think of yourself as doomed to darkness." He straightened as she listened carefully. "If anyone tries to make fate more powerful than free will, there is a force that no power can withstand to fight it back."
Raven's brow softened. "What power?"
"Love," he answered warmly, actually grinning. "Found in great friends and good hearts alike. You have both."
Raven laughed a bit, his tone somehow catching her humor enough to cheer her up a little. "Thank you for saying so, Rith. I do appreciate that you… think that well of me."
He bowed. "I only need to convince you of it now," he said with a grin. Raven was still blushing, but shook her head at him in good humor. He softened his expression. "May I ask one further thing of more serious nature?"
She focused, calmed, and nodded. "Sure."
"Do you know of any way I can show you I am not like Malchior? Any method with which I can put your heart at ease?"
Lavender eyes softened and widened a bit, Raven's expression turning mildly numb. The hurt, the pain Malchior had caused her, her guilt for her foolishness, she felt them strongly again, seeing all the danger signs she had missed before. Her voice flowed out low, but emphatic, rich with emotion, but subtle with pain "…Please, never lie to me."
Rith bowed gravely. "Then I swear to you, Raven, that I never will. I'll do my best to maintain tact," he allowed faint humor, "but for you I will answer any question and reveal anything within reason."
Not sure exactly why her reaction was so powerful, Raven blushed as she pressed a hand to her sternum, trying to clear her tightening throat. "…Thank you, Rith…"
"Please, my dear lady, do not thank me yet. Wait until you are confident I have fulfilled my oath."
Recovering, she smirked a bit, turning mischievous. "…So who told you about Malchior?"
Rith gaped, sweat-dropping. "Now I have to apologize to him…" He sagged. "Beast Boy…"
"Did he mention anything else?"
Rith turned more serious, but answered, "Slade's return, but he knows little. I wasn't going to bring it up."
Her expression did stiffen, but she managed a faint smile. "I'll have to let him off this time…"
Rith raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"If he hadn't, you and I wouldn't have had this conversation… I'm glad we did," she admitted gently, her soft voice washing across his ears.
"As am I," Rith answered with another deep bow, quite sincere.
"And Rith?"
He rose as he looked at her curiously.
"…Thank you." Her sincere tone and faintly tipped head told him exactly what she meant.
He smiled warmly, and picked up his staff to bow more properly this last time. "It is my oath." Rising, he maintained his smile. "Enjoy your meditation, Raven."
The young woman returned the gesture, her own more faint, but just as sincere. "Thank you, Rith."
He simply tipped his head, and vanished through the door. Raven stood there a moment longer, and touched a hand to her chest, closing her eyes and exhaling as she let her head tip down. A deep pain had eased in her heart. Not healed, just eased, but she hadn't realized how much it still hurt until part of it was gone. Slade, the message, and her father all seemed so far away…
(Elsewhere…)
Somewhere in the city, Red X dropped down onto a metal platform, computers and machines arrayed around its perimeter with catwalks leading off into an expansive warehouse around the central platform, stairwells leading down to other levels, a cement floor visible far below. A man in a gray suit with silver armor on his shoulders, forearms, and lower legs was hunched over one of the machines as if it were a microscope on a desk. His hair was spiky and gray, his face aged.
"I don't appreciate being a red herring, Doc," the thief said seriously.
Dr. Gear chuckled. "I paid you, didn't I?"
"You can keep the other half, because I'm walkin'."
Dr. Gear pressed a control on his right, and just as X lifted off the ground again, a field of gray energy engulfed him. Red X cried out, and fell to all-fours. Dr. Gear turned around as he stood up, smirking under his snide, dark green eyes. "I can't have you blabbing about my plans, now can I? No, I think not, Mr. X."
"Red X," the thief emphasized darkly.
The scientist shrugged, turning back to his machine. "Whatever. Soon I'll be finished, and not even the Teen Titans can stop me, yet alone that half-wit blind boy."
"Doesn't bother me, but I will be checking out."
Dr. Gear rounded on the thief, only to fall back with a shout of dismay as a blazing 'X' of red energy burst through the gray bubble-field, and the thief himself shot into the air, vanishing from sight. The scientist recovered, looking up, and shook his fist as the empty air. "You'll regret doing that, Mr. X!"
On the roof, Red X touched his palm to a spot near the center of the large warehouse. "Not half as much as you will, Doc…" And he vanished once again.
(Later…)
Raven raised her hands, hood up, eyes glowing. "Azarath metrion zinthos…" she calmly uttered, and a soft wave of darkness rushed out of her, engulfing the whole control room before receding into the walls. She smirked a bit, nodding to Robin. The five Teen Titans were gathered near the kitchen, and the leader grinned, looking to the group after Raven was finished.
"We probably don't have much time before he gets worried or curious, so here's the deal. Raven and I decided we should give Rith a room, let him stay here if he wants… as a Titan."
Cyborg grinned. "Well alright. I'm down." He gave a thumbs up.
"Awesome!" Beast Boy hopped up with a fist to the air. "Yeah, I'm totally with it!"
Starfire hopped up and down joyfully. "I, too, am most pleased to let Rith join us!"
Smiling still, Robin tipped his head. "Then it's decided. We'll start setting it up as soon as we can, but we need him out of the tower to keep it a surprise for as long as we can."
Everyone looked at Raven, who blinked. "W-wait a second…"
Cyborg leaned at her, grinning, and spoke in a building tone, "You're the only one that can get him out of the tower for long enough, Ray…"
Starfire flushed with glee, hovering near her darkly dressed friend. "Oh yes. Rith would be most happy to follow you anywhere!"
A knock came to the control room doors, and Rith's voice came through, muffled naturally. "Not to be intrusive, but I just wanted to make sure nothing has gone wrong in here… Confidential meeting then? I'll stay out, I just want to make sure nothing's wrong." He sounded a bit pitiful, though sincere.
Whispering, everyone grinned at Raven, and rushed to the door. The purple-haired girl twitched, her hands reaching to grab someone, but finally she just gritted her teeth and glowered silently, anger-marks throbbing on her temples. "…Fine…" She also relaxed her control, the darkness flushing out of the walls and rushing back into her.
Starfire let the doors rush open, and Rith jerked back as four of the Titans stood grinning at him. Robin started, "Hi, Rith!"
Starfire continued, "Nothing at all is wrong!"
"We were just testing a new sonic weapon I've been working with. I'll show it to ya later!" Cyborg added.
Beast Boy nodded rapidly with the others. "And we think you'll get a kick out of it."
Rith was comically disturbed, one eyebrow high, face angled, body still leaning back as if threatened by wild animals. "…If I didn't know better, I'd say this was some kind of birthday party thing… but you don't know when my birthday is…"
Starfire shot closer, almost making him fold into the ground as she leaned over him, nose-to-nose. "Oh, may we know! The preparations for such splendid occasions are such fun!"
Rith laughed nervously, sweat-dropped. "But I always get awkward when people throw me a party…"
Raven pushed through the others. "Don't worry about it," she told him as Starfire drifted back, giving Raven a huge wink, which only made Rith more puzzled. Raven grew almost evilly dismal, and then moved up, pulling Rith along by the arm with both hands. The boy blushed, almost stumbling along after her. "Come on, I'd like to show you the café I visit sometimes. I haven't been there in a while, but…"
The others were stifling laughs, giggles, or grinning with evil delight as they watched Raven drag the oblivious young man off with her. Starfire whispered, hoping Rith wouldn't be paying enough attention to hear, "I think Raven likes him, too!"
"Ya think?" Beast Boy started. "I haven't seen her this chilled out since… well… ever!"
Robin was smiling confidently. "I know. Now once we're sure they're gone, we'll get to work. Ready everyone?"
Agreed, they hurried further into the tower.
(Meanwhile…)
Rith was in complete and sincere shock, Raven's hands calmly but securely holding onto his arm. His blush refused to go away, because he couldn't get his mind off of how soft her hands were, and how close she was as a result. Once they stepped out of the tower, she let go of his arm, and he started to regain some of his faculties. She pulled her hood up, turning to him. "Let's fly, it's just faster. And we don't have to go to my café if that sounds boring."
He couldn't help but hesitate. "…Why are you doing this…?"
Raven paused, a bit distracted by her own aggravation with being pushed into this, and realized how completely nervous he was. His anxiety was practically pouring off him, and she could see the soft blush still on his cheeks, right up into the first signs of scarring near his eyes. "You don't want to?" she said in a manner calm and serious. Manipulating his possible crush felt a bit mean to her privately, but she didn't want to give away too much.
His head shivered rapidly with a, "N-no, not at all. I just… I…" He swallowed. "Lead the way."
Raven tipped her head, and took flight. Rith rose after her, and followed her swift rush to the city, sweeping through a few buildings, moving toward the heart of the sky-scraper forest. She smoothly dropped down, Rith landing quietly behind her, just outside a dark, obviously gothic-themed café on the corner. A message board advertised poetry recitations with actual plastic letters… the only reason Rith could make it out.
"Come on," Raven urged with her usual dry tone, pulling her hood down and nodding to the door.
Rith followed her silently, absorbing the information he could gather, and caught the door from her waiting hand as he passed inside the building. Only a handful of people were chatting quietly around tables scattered through the café, a counter on the back left, and a small stage at the back right.
His beautiful guide walked back, near the stage, and took a small booth, with room for little more than three people. Rith followed, and slipped in opposite her, setting his staff against the outer side. Raven gave him a dry smirk. "Would you like me to get you a drink?"
He shook his head rapidly. "N-no… thank you." He cleared his throat, and gestured to the stage. "Do you ever recite here?"
She seemed puzzled, but then remember the sign outside had physical shapes rather than just lettering on a flat surface. "…Sometimes. I haven't recently." She privately rolled her eyes as she realized she'd repeated herself. Obviously she hadn't recited anything if she hadn't been here in a while. Changing the subject, she leaned onto the table. "Is this part of the city uncomfortably noisy for you? I always thought this place was quiet, but my ears have the advantage of limitations."
Rith smiled gently, calming finally. "Oh it's fine, thank you. It is a subtle place, lends itself to thinking…"
Raven leaned back a bit. "…I always thought so," she admitted, affected by the agreement more than she let on. After his oath to her, she was having a hard time not slipping into an 'acceptance' of his obvious affection. Did they have to push me into doing this? Agreeing that he could be a great team member is one thing, taking him out on a…! her blush flared abruptly before she could even let herself think the word 'date'.
Her companion noticed, however. "…Did I say something wrong?"
She quickly looked down, closing her eyes with a calming breath. "No, sorry. I remember something embarrassing. A poem I recited badly…" she tried to cover her tracks, but was only getting more flustered by feeling guilty for lying to him.
Rith couldn't resist a smirk. "Don't worry. My oath only applies one way."
She looked up at him softly, apologetic already. "…I'm sorry…"
"Don't be. I said don't worry."
Raven was only growing more appreciative of his accepting manner. It helped smooth over her mistakes, which was something on which she did not want to fixate. "Wait here," she began anew, setting her hands on the table. "They make good tea here, I'll order us some."
Rith gestured for her to wait. "I can pay for mine…"
She shook her head a bit, managing a little smile. Her footsteps revealed the café to him, her cloak lapping gently against her legs. He let his face angle toward the table, listening to the city through the walls of the building, letting his focus rest on Raven herself this time as she ordered their drinks. There was a certain calm and peace she had lacked before, she was starting to relax, if only a little.
Returning, Raven placed a cup in front of him, and sat down with hers in both hands, taking a sip as he did.
"Mm, very good indeed," he agreed with a soft nod.
She nodded back. "…I didn't really think about it before, but does it offend you for others to look at your eyes? I'm not sure where else to focus."
His smile warmed. "A very kind consideration, but don't worry about it. It is very hard to focus somewhere else, and it would be selfish to expect everyone to change the usual polite rules for me. I wish I could look you back in the eyes directly, however. I feel like I'm the rude one."
The pale girl smirked a bit. "Doesn't bother me." She watched him tip his head, and she sat back, eyeing him thoughtfully. She needed to buy the others more time, but it was also a great opportunity to learn more about him, especially if he was going to be a member of the team. "You're very mature for your age… or are you older than you look?"
Rith chuckled subtly. "I'm a boy, about the same age as the rest of you, yes. I've simply been on my own for a long time."
Her brow creased faintly. "No parents?"
He just shook his head and she didn't want to push the matter further. "You said you don't sleep very often, but do you dream during your meditations?"
"Sometimes, for sleep and dreams each." He sipped his tea, smiling at it before resting it back on the table.
"If you want to keep it private, I won't hold you to your oath," she started gently, "but I was wondering what you dream about?"
He turned serious, but not obviously upset. "I appreciate the allowance, but I want you to trust my oath. …I prefer to avoid dreaming, because mine are usually nightmares." He didn't seem very disturbed by the idea, simply calm and matter-of-fact.
Raven allowed faint concern to show on her face. "What kind?"
Rith smirked a bit. "I think a common kind for those with real power over others. I am the monster in my nightmares…"
Intrigued, she tilted her head faintly. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"You said yourself, I wield quite a bit of power. I'm very aware of that. In my dreams, the fear of losing control, or being actively malicious create very vivid, disturbing stories. Sometimes I'm just a monster, destroying everything around me, other times I simply can't control myself, and… good people get hurt. I can always tell they're dreams, but it's the ideas themselves. I'm glad, really, they keep me aware of my responsibility. I'm not superior to anyone, but I do have a power that can affect them. I must control that power, and most likely, I should use it for their benefit."
The notion of Rith as a kindred spirit flared in Raven's mind, but she quickly quelled it. It would just get messy if a relationship issue formed between them. "You're so sure about your control?"
He shook his head, frowning lightly. "Not at all, otherwise I wouldn't have the nightmares. But I take responsibility, and do everything I can to control my power. Like you, Raven."
Her eyes tightened. "I'm not the best example of self-discipline…"
"I didn't say that. You are, however, a very good person, a loving friend to your team-mates. You have disciplined yourself immensely, for your benefit, yes, but also for theirs. You fear hurting them very much."
Raven looked down. "It's that obvious?"
"For one who knows how to look, yes. You're very sincere, Raven, but you have responsibilities your friends don't have. Likewise, they must deal with aspects of themselves you will never have to face or feel threatened by. By looking to each other for help, trusting and loving your friends, you grow stronger, more disciplined, more happy." He smiled. "Would you give up one moment of your time with your friends?"
She shook her head instantly. "Of course not. They're my friends."
"And you're still so worried you'll hurt them out of your own volition?"
Again, she looked down to the side. "I do… but that's not all of it."
"Ah," he exhaled knowingly, and took a sip of his tea as she looked to him. Remembering her own, she sipped, using it as a chance to hide her curiosity. He continued regardless, "You still fear fate, of course, but we've spoken about that before." The boy's calm smile was strangely relaxing for her as she looked at him.
"Are you so sure fate doesn't exist?"
"I don't know anything about fate. I do know that we always have a choice. If anything takes that choice away, it can't hold for very long." Rith tilted his head to the side, 'looking' at her frankly. "In truth, the only way we can lose our freedom, is by giving it up."
Her anger flared, obvious in her sharpened expression. "Are you saying I want to let someone make me hurt my friends?"
He simply shook his head. "I'm saying you shouldn't let anyone convince you they have control over you. If someone is manipulating me, they may have acted in a way that caused reactions from me, but I can choose to react differently. Regarding fate," he continued, seeing her calm with an apologetic expression, "I think it may exist, to a degree. Perhaps we are fated to meet certain challenges in life, certain obstacles. Once we face them, however, it is up to us how we respond. Do we fight, struggle, contest? Or cave in, fall away, be defeated?"
"What if you try and fail?" Raven continued quietly, her voice harrowed with the pain that formed when Slade held her on the charred rooftop, showing her the ruined world… ruined by her.
"You keep trying," he answered with slow, powerful honesty. "Or do you think you'd let your friends die for your inaction?"
Her tea-cup shattered with a flash of darkness, and she jerked back, her hands scalded from the hot liquid. Rith was gone from the table before she could even react, and came back with napkins, cleaning up the tea swiftly, sweeping the pieces of her cup to the edge of the table for easier pick-up later, and slid his own tea back to her hands. Raven slowly wrapped her fingers around the cup, looking down at it rigidly.
He smiled kindly, taking responsibility when someone came to take the shattered pieces of the cup, giving some money to cover the cost. Looking to Raven as the person left, he leaned toward her, and let his voice reach her ears with unnatural softness. "You just answered."
Raven looked up at him abruptly, her expression unusually emotional. Fear and anxiety mixed with despair and a faint flicker of hope. "…What if I can't stop it?"
The blind boy paused, seeming to consider his response carefully, and then slowly reached out. Raven let him pull one of her hands into both of his own, a faint blush on her cheeks as she watched him softly cradle the back of her hand while curling her fingers over her own palm with his other, just holding her soft fist as he looked at her. She looked into his sealed eyes. "You will find a way, Raven. You love your friends far too much for any power to turn you against them… even your own," he added poignantly, his voice again powerful, soft, and honest.
Her lavender eyes fell shut as tears threatened to drip from her eyelashes. A tear dripped down as she opened them to see him again, and he gently pushed her hand back to her cup, placing it perfectly for her, and drawing back to his side of the table. Not sure why she was telling him, she started to speak quietly, "…Slade… put the markings on me… the ones you saw during the battle…" Her face grew hollow. "I'm supposed to do something very bad… I was born to do it… and we couldn't stop Slade from delivering the message."
Rith leaned a little closer, so that she could focus on him completely. His sympathy welled up in his chest as he felt her expression, so desperate for hope for escape from the fate she was forced to accept. "No one can control your destiny, Raven. I don't doubt the facts, I don't know the situation of your birth, but any motive beyond welcoming a new life has no bearing on how you live yours. Someone may think otherwise… and you will prove him wrong."
Her head bowed, tears dripping from her eyes. "What if I can't…?"
"You can," his voice rushed past her ears, and she looked up at him with a soft start, "but you are the one that has to realize that. You must trust that you are good, though capable of wrong, trust that you love your friends too much to hurt any of them, to hurt anyone, or you may very well fail. I'm not trying to make you feel better Raven, I'm telling you the truth."
She turned grave, calming her sorrow, and looked at him resolutely. "…I may be hiding something horrible inside me, Rith. Something you can't see."
"We all have demons in our minds, Raven. I know you can overcome yours. You are not a monster." He tilted his head down, smiling gently. "You're a very beautiful, caring young woman." He smirked a bit, "You just have a dark sense of humor, too."
It let Raven laugh a bit, relaxing her emotions a great deal almost immediately. Looking at him, she asked with light sincerity, "You really think so?"
"I promised I would never lie to you, didn't I?" he answered in kind, freely smiling at her.
Raven closed her eyes and exhaled, letting the idea soak into her mind. The horrible weight on her heart eased a bit, she could actually imagine overcoming Slade, defeating her destiny, but she knew it would take more than that to actually pull it off. Opening her eyes, she managed a soft smile again. "…Thank you, Rith." Her cloak-clasp blinking startled her, Rith not sure what had happened as it generated no sound. "My signal is blinking. Let's get back to the tower," she explained, calm as usual while rising from the booth.
Rith rose with her, retrieving his staff. "Think it's some kind of trouble?"
She let herself smile a little. "I'm not sure. Come on."
(Later…)
In the tower, Rith followed Raven, again rather perplexed as when he'd left to go with her initially. Her presence was more than enough to keep his attention distracted from the rest of the tower, so the plan had worked out quite well. She came to a stop outside one of the doors in the hall, and smiled at him, gesturing. "Go inside."
A bit caught, he obeyed, and let the doors hiss open for him. He actually jumped a bit, quickly smiling as Cyborg, Starfire, Robin, and Beast Boy all yelled 'surprise!', standing in the middle of a newly furnished room filled with comfortable chairs, a large bed, shelves of interesting sculptures, and a nice window in the back wall. Raven stepped in behind him, arms crossed and smiling.
Rith's jaw hung open. "Wait… you mean…?"
Robin stepped forward, holding a Titan communicator in his palm. "That's right. We've talked it over, and we think it'd be our good fortune if you chose to stay here, as a Teen Titan. I know what you and I talked about, so the offer stays on the table until you make your own choice, but, at least until Dr. Gear is dealt with, please consider yourself part of the team."
Rith took the control softly, obviously in shock, and then smiled, looking back up to the group, Raven coming around to face him with the others. "T…" his voice gave out, and he bowed his head to collect himself. Starfire sympathetically cooed. "Thank you very much… I'm not sure what to say…"
Beast Boy leapt up and down. "Say you'll stay, man! We had to blitz to get this room finished while you and Raven were out."
Rith laughed gently. "I was wondering about that."
Raven directed her eyes anywhere but Rith, a subtle blush warming the air above her cheeks. She knew he knew she had seen more in it than just stalling for time.
The blind boy held the Titan communicator in his hand, and looked to the team. "So long as I'm welcome… I'll be a Teen Titan."
Raven sincerely smiled, Beast Boy, Star, and Cyborg erupted with cheers, and Robin offered his hand. "Welcome to the team, Titan."
Rith shook it firmly. "Thank you very much."
