The Raben Project
By
Agent X
The Irredeemable!
A/N: Well, when they give you an episode, they really give you an episode. Here you will see the first time that Robin makes any kind of concerted effort to interact with Raven. Having just re-watched the series up to this point, I can confidently say that this is even the first time he actually speaks to her.
(Not counting Forces of Nature, "Raven and Cyborg, you look West.") Or was it East?
Raven herself, however, doesn't really respond to any of it. So yeah… This time the ball is in Robin's court.
Moment: Episode 6 (Nevermore) – Robin's first lines to Raven. "Raven, stop!" And other examples in footnotes.
Surprisingly, it had been Beast Boy who had brought it to his attention first. Unsurprisingly, it was un-intentional, yet the realisation had still managed to shock him, despite its offhand delivery.
The Titans had been together for over five months, and Robin still had not talked to Raven.
Well, not exactly. He gave orders to her during battles. She was invited to all Titan outings. He smiled when she made droll remarks about the team – mostly Beast Boy – but within all that time, and outside of battles and planning, Robin had never really sat down and talked to Raven directly, or at her, or engaged in any other sort of verbal communication. Even thinking about it now, he felt bad. Especially thinking about it now.
In his head he liked to spin theories as to how this might have come about: he'd sensed a reflective darkness in her and avoided her, not wanting to bring up his own battered memories; he'd been absorbed in the starting process of the team, and had not had the time or thought to spare; he'd merely been respecting her privacy, just as she had been respectful of his; or (his personal favourite) even then, the two of them had resonated on such a level, where they hadn't needed spoken agreements, hadn't realised that in the time that flew by there had been nothing normal about their interaction.
Either way, Robin still felt guilty. And this was because there was probably a little bit of truth to all the reasons – even the less honourable ones.
So, though he cringed a bit with remembrance, he'd decided to step up and make an effort to, if not get to know, then at least talk with her. Wasn't it his duty as a leader to make sure that she didn't feel slighted, and instead felt welcomed onto the team?
Robin didn't chafe at this duty though, because, although he may not have talked to her, he still saw a lot. He saw how, even with the gamestation on, even when the others were yelling or talking or playing, even with the promise of her own private room to return to; she read her books within the open space of the common room. He noticed that she always had a witty rejoinder ready for any outbursts or mishaps: he could remember when she would have made no comment at all. He knew that Raven was present for every rooftop tournament, midday pizza run, and every team outing even if she never participated and seemed to have better things to do with her time.
And even though her efforts didn't have the same significance then as they did once he did get to know her, he could still appreciate that she was a loner, and these were her compromises.
Of course, there are other things he knows.
He knows that when you have a darker life, when you have to fight not only on the outside, but on the inside as well, and when you are spiralling down that tunnel without something to cling to–
Well, sometimes you need those associations, the attachments, in order to draw you back from the razor edge. And as Robin had made it a point not to snoop and question his team about their pasts, he hadn't realised that this was what Raven had been doing until it was too late.
Robin remembers the thoughts in his head as the sheet of adrenalin and dread settled over him when Raven changed that night. There were speculations as to their legal responsibilities, and the ramifications of Raven's attack on Dr. Light if he should die, and the problems that would arise with the media. There were plans on how to disable her, on which attack pattern and which vantage point would be best to use, if she were unable to transform back. There were feelings of shock and confusion, and panic and fear as he watched her rise up over the prostrate man.
And there were regrets. Why hadn't she told them to prepare for this? Why had Beast Boy's revelation come too late? Why had Robin himself waited so long to talk to her? Why hadn't he had realised a little bit sooner? If he'd tried to know Raven, then maybe he would be familiar enough to help reach through whatever it was that changed her. If the others were closer, were not just coming out of their shock, were not about to watch their team mate commit a felony…
But Robin was the closest to her, and the fastest to react, so he did the first thing that came to mind.
He called out, and hoped that his voice would reach her.
He remembers his surprise when it did.
The Quotes:
Robin: Raven, stop!
Robin: Hey Raven. Want breakfast?
Robin: Raven, are you okay? We stopped by your room and the door's been knocked down.
Robin: She [Raven] said she wanted to be alone.
Why, Robin?! All of a sudden, why? I couldn't help but wonder. This was my humble explanation.
I've tried to capture Robin's technical side here, with the use of lists and theories and calculating compromises. And when remembering something he uses specific events rather than general outlines of behaviour. I've also attempted to make him less eloquent because, although I think Robin by no means stupid, I don't think he'd apply the sort of lyrical prose I imagine Raven thinking with. So oft times I substituted a lesser used word for something from the common vernacular: ensure to make sure, recall or recount or recollect to remember, and even things like s/he would to s/he'd.
EDIT [04/01/10]: I changed the timing back, because it turns out there was a lapse of months I'd inserted in the first chapter, which I had forgotten about. Therefore it is necessary that this amount of time has passed.