A/N: Welcome back, everyone. I know it's been a while, but I think my break did me a lot of good. I won't make this 'reintroduction' any longer than necessary, so let's get right into it.
Imouto's mad house: If I do end up delving into Raven's mind, it will most certainly be a different place than in canon.
OblivionKisame: Thanks!
Amerdism: I think I know the pic you're talking about, and it did serve as partial inspiration for her design here.
Clown2107: Indeed they did.
Whyhow314: Thank you for pointing that out, I usually manage to get them all, but I must have overlooked a few.
Kotomi101: Your words are appreciated, thank you. I try not to use too many common elements that I've seen other people go with, so I'm glad it's working well.
XII
"So, this is the underworld, huh?" Jinx was the first to shake off her disorientation. "It's more... modern looking than I expected." This observation was in reference to the rather sizeable looking metropolis some distance away. Aside from the bright red sky and the fact that all the buildings were as black as the surrounding landscape, and some were floating, it looked much the same as any other major city she'd been to.
"The structures are as recent as it gets; it is still, by mortal standards, rather archaic."
"Smells like sulphur." Mammoth noted with an unpleasant expression.
Raven shrugged. "You get used to it."
"Do you really?" Jinx questioned.
"No. Now..." Raven turned to each of them, pressing two fingers to their necks for a few seconds. "This mark will give you a temporary understanding of my language, as well as let others here know you're with me. Try not to speak to other demons too often; mortals aren't meant to communicate this way." Receiving three nods in affirmation, she pulled up a small magic circle to send a message.
Seconds later, a large streak of fire materialized, flying along the ground like a comet toward the five of them. Stopping suddenly next to the group, the flames solidified into the unmistakeable form of a dark red limousine. A tinted window rolled down, letting them see the skeletal driver.
"Take us to the palace, back entrance, and keep us corporeal." Raven instructed. The driver nodded wordlessly, waiting for them to climb into the back before speeding off. Lilith climbed over every available surface in the limo, including its occupants, finally settling on Raven's lap to sleep.
"So, what's the plan?" Jinx asked after checking to ensure the partition was raised.
"When we arrive, you and I will immediately go to my father; I'd like to get the explanations over and done with as soon as possible." She turned to Mammoth and Gizmo. "You two will be given an escort to safely wander the castle. I sincerely hope that, here of all places, should you find something deemed 'off limits', you will be wise enough to respect that boundary."
"Yeah, yeah, we won't go breakin' the seven seals or whatever." Gizmo said.
Raven smiled. "If you two managed that, I would be thoroughly impressed."
The remainder of the ride had been spent in comfortable silence as the three newcomers took in the sights of their friend's homeland.
The gothic architecture of the Trigon's castle, while expected and even a little cliche, certainly achieved its aim of being the most imposing structure in the vicinity, though it seemed to be missing something, in Jinx' opinion.
"No gargoyle statues?" She turned to Raven, but before she could respond, someone cleared their throat behind Jinx. Turning around, she was met with the sight of the very subject of her question.
"Lord Trigon is currently in a meeting." The stone figure's voice was deep, but otherwise surprisingly normal. "Will these humans be accompanying you?"
"She will." Raven answered. "The other two are to be treated as my guests; you will guide them where ever they wish to go, within reason, of course. Try to avoid my siblings, but if any of them go out of their way to interact with you, do your best to be amicable." She waited for acknowledgement from her friends before leaving them (and Lilith) in the gargoyle's care while she took Jinx down a nearby corridor.
"I know I asked earlier, but any last minute info before we talk to your dad?"
"Mostly the obvious. You'll be expected to address him as 'Sir', 'Your Highness', or something similar. Maintain eye contact when speaking. Do not make assumptions, and, as it most certainly bears repeating, do not lie." Raven found herself feeling an odd combination of contentedness and dread as she simply walked with Jinx toward what may potentially be the last time they saw each other for a very long time. "I don't think it needs to be said that is not a meeting to be taken lightly."
"Yeah, no kidding." Jinx gave a half-hearted laugh. "What do I do if he asks me about my powers?"
"Tell him you're a mage in training, but do not specify any particular path."
Jinx gave a futile attempt at a calming breath, feeling like her heart would punch through her chest at any moment. This was only made worse when a door opened directly in front of her, nearly knocking her over if not for the wall of solid darkness at her back keeping her up.
"Sorry about that." A woman holding a two-year-old closed the door, looking over Jinx. "I assume you're a friend of Raven's?" She held out her free hand and Jinx shook it with a nod. "I'm her mother, Angela, and this little one here is Willow." Indeed, aside from the difference in skin colours, her mother's being a light olive that wouldn't be out of place in the overworld, the resemblance between Raven and Angela was quite pronounced.
"I'm Jinx, Your Majesty." Angela waved her off.
"Please, save the formalities for my husband. You can call me Angela."
"Alright. So, does the name Willow have some kind of special significance? It doesn't seem like the kind of name you'd normally associate with demonic royalty."
"Yes, well, like all her siblings, she'll be well known to her people by another name: Wrath." At her mother's last word, the toddler opened four burning crimson eyes a few shades darker than Raven's, which would have managed to startle Jinx if this were several months ago.
"Wrath?"
"Her father's idea." Angela explained. "And given how well the others have lived up to his names for them, I'm certain this one will be something interesting."
"Okay, so, she's Wrath, you're Pride," she looked to her friend. "and I assume Eli is Envy?"
"Correct."
"So are you the only one whose initial doesn't match your sin?"
"It did, at one point. My parents originally named me Pandora, but I decided otherwise."
"You just up and changed your name, just like that?"
"Yes." Raven affirmed. "As stated, I am Pride, and as such, not even my father can tell me who I am."
"Speaking of..." Angela said. "He should be almost done by now. I'd hurry if you want to talk to him while he's still in the mood to do so. I'm afraid I can't be there myself, but I have the fullest confidence you'll do just fine."
Raven nodded, motioning for Jinx to follow, leading her quickly down several more hallways, dodging more stone servants, and finally coming to a stop in view of a set of enormous, ornate doors. Picking a bench a few dozen feet from the important looking entryway, Raven took a seat, Jinx following suit.
"Any idea who he could be talking to in there?"
"Hard to say, there are a great number of individuals my father has dealings with."
They didn't have to wonder for long, as the doors swung open, admitting a being that Jinx was genuinely surprised to see here.
"Including angels?"
The angel's rather intimidating form paused as he passed by them, focusing his gaze on Jinx with a curious look, before continuing to wherever he was going.
Raven stood, offering a hand to Jinx and pulling her up. "Ready?"
"Nope, but let's go ahead and get this over with anyway."
Mike and Baran watched the other half of their team leave for just a moment, both somewhat relieved they wouldn't have to be present for the explanations, though neither would ever admit it.
Their escort stood just short of Mammoth's own height, and was just as bulky, though this clearly didn't impede his ability to cradle the little reptile in his arms.
"And where will I be taking you?"
"How 'bout a tour?" Mammoth suggested, reaching down and grabbing Gizmo to set him on his shoulder. The smaller boy's scowl deepened while making a noise that might have been a growl, but he didn't outright object.
"Very well." The gargoyle turned on a heel, leading them through a different door than Raven and Jinx had gone through. It was clear to both of them that this wasn't usually a part of his duties; for the first twenty minutes or so, he would simply open a door, give them a short description of the room, and quickly move on to the next.
So far, it was fairly uneventful, as none of the areas they were shown had anything particularly eye catching about them. It likely would have continued for the duration of the tour, if not for an orange portal spawning beneath the gargoyle's feet.
He sighed as he was pulled down into it. "It seems this is where we part ways for now. Good luck."
In his place stood a much smaller being. A somewhat chubby boy who looked to be about Gizmo's age, with blood coloured skin and fiery orange eyes to match the portal he presumedly summoned, stared at the two of them while eating a sandwich of indeterminate content.
"You one of Raven's siblings?" Mammoth asked. The boy nodded, finishing off the rest of his food and immediately pulling out a can of soda from somewhere they couldn't see.
He motioned for them to follow him and immediately started walking, while at the same time, a wall of more orange energy covered the hallway behind them from floor to ceiling, cutting off any chance of turning back.
"Guess we're goin' with him." Mammoth resigned himself to this fact, wondering what exactly was the turning point in his life that led him here.
The boy walked faster than his size and height would suggest, leading them down multiple branching passageways and coming to a stop without warning before a set of double doors. Inside was something akin to a lounge with three more kids, all with almost the same shade of red covering them from head to toe, occupying various seats.
"There you are!" A yellow-eyed girl about nine said as they entered, looking irritably at her brother. "What took you so long?"
The boy merely shrugged as he continued to drink from his can while taking a seat in one of the chairs placed around the room's center table. Interestingly, though there was a comfortable looking couch that would easily fit four grown adults, only the girl who had just spoken was making use of it; the others seemed to avoid it for some reason.
She sighed "I've heard mortals are a rather curious bunch, so I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. Well, it's pretty simple, we-" She looked around curiously. "Wait a second, where's Lucia?"
"She said she wanted to try to find out more about the other girl." A different boy than the one who'd brought them here answered her.
"Of course she is. Anyway, I guess an introduction is probably in order first. I'm Alice, that's Eli, Gavin," she pointed to the orange-eyed boy. "he can talk, he's just usually too busy stuffing his face. And that's Simon." The last one she'd indicated was a four-year-old boy sitting in a chair near her. His cyan eyes were half-lidded and he looked as if he may fall asleep at any moment. "Raven's our sister."
"Yeah, we kinda got that already." Gizmo said, looking down from his rather significant vantage point, given who they were talking to. "Mind tellin' us what you want?"
Alice took on an angry pout, and Mammoth physically forced down the laughter that threatened to bubble to the surface. He didn't want to test this girl's ire, despite her expression making her look more cute than dangerous.
She took a deep breath. "What we want is to find out what kind of people Raven has been associating with on the surface."
"No, that's what you want." Eli corrected her. "I'm only here 'cuz you were too scared to go to Earth yourself."
Alice growled at him. "Anyway, I have some questions, and you're going to answer them."
"And if we say no?" Gizmo questioned.
"I'll have Gavin eat you." She said. The boy in question stopped drinking from the seemingly bottomless can, looked at the two visitors, and shrugged.
"Doubtful, but whatever, not like we have something better to do." He relented.
"Good." She smiled.
Technically, Jinx had already seen Trigon's throne room, or at least, a reasonable facsimile thereof, but actually being there, seeing the real deal, was an experience that didn't even come close to being the same.
It was hot, first of all, likely as a result of the unquestionably real lava-fall taking up most of the back wall behind the very much larger throne and its equally enormous occupant.
Trigon sat in a relaxed posture, looking exactly the way one might expect of a demon god. His powerful physique was apparent even underneath his black full-body armour, which itself looked more for form than function. His skin was, of course, a deep blistering red that somehow outmatched the colour of the metal he was sat upon. But even that paled in comparison to his own set of ruby eyes that shone every bit as bright as his eldest child's.
Jinx's observations were cut short as Raven motioned for her to kneel, having already done so herself.
"Well, well, our dear Pride has returned from her long absence." Trigon's voice was thunder in the cavernous throne room, laced with demonic power that Jinx could feel giving her a slight buzzing sensation behind her eyes.
"Hello, Father." Raven greeted him. The calm, confident demon Jinx had grown used to was nowhere to be found, seemingly replaced by this unsteady, nervous girl wearing her face.
"You've been away for quite some time; I was considering coming for you myself. What have you been doing these few months, that you saw fit to conceal yourself from my sight?"
"I apologize, Father. I... wanted to see more of Earth, so... I made a contract."
"A contract?" Without warning, his entire form dissolved into flames, which moved and resolidified in front of the two of them, leaving Trigon standing at a mere seven feet tall, as opposed to a hundred. He stared down at Jinx. "I assume you are the recipient?"
Jinx looked up at him, remembering what Raven said about eye contact, deciding to focus on his lowermost pair of eyes. "Yes, eh, Sir. She, uh, keeps me safe, and up to now, I've kept her... hidden."
"Your enemies must be quite strong, to employ the protection of the most powerful of my children."
Jinx cleared her throat. "Well, I uh, I am on the Justice League's watch list."
"Is that so?" He raised a brow at her. "You may be a more capable mortal than most. Just who are you, precisely?"
"I'm, uh, Jinx, Sir. I'm training to be a mercenary."
"An interesting choice of occupation on your particular planet. Just how long had you planned for this contract to last?"
"I... didn't actually write it up, I, er-"
"I wrote it, Father." Raven saved her from having to answer. "It wasn't meant to last even a mortal lifetime, I... I can nullify it at any time." Jinx looked over at her in surprise.
He stared down at both of them for a moment before speaking again. "See that you do so soon. I'll not have my daughter lowering herself to the servitude of a human."
"But Father, I-"
"Calm yourself." He interrupted her, sensing the impending argument. "I said only to sever your binding, however..." He took an audible breath. "I will allow you to retain your position on Earth, if you wish."
Both girls looked at him in shock. "You're okay with me going back?" Raven asked.
"You can thank your mother for that. For as well as you did hiding yourself from me, you seem to have underestimated her own abilites. She is adamant in her belief that this will prove a beneficial experience. For now, I am reserving judgement until I see for myself whether this institution truly has anything of value."
"I... thank you, Father. It has been enlightening, certainly. The humans are rather more interesting than I had believed." She looked at Jinx with a barely noticeable smile.
"Then the matter is settled, and I have other business to attend to." He gave them both a pointed look, and they took the hint to finally exit the most intimidating room either girl had ever entered. Once they were out in the hall again, Jinx took several deep, heaving breaths, and Raven took a moment herself to recompose.
"Holy shit." Jinx said. "I think I need to sit down for a minute." She didn't wait for a response before she moved to sit on the same bench as before. "That went... astonishingly well, actually."
"It did indeed, I hadn't anticipated my mother's involvement." Raven said. She looked back at the doors they'd just come through. "It's doubtful she doesn't know what you can do, I'm just grateful she's decided not to share that information with him for now." They settled into a comfortable silence, intent on just resting there for a little while. Unfortunately, however, their reprieve was cut short.
"Hi."
"Jesus, fuck!" Jinx had actually jumped in her seat, and her hand was resting over her heart as she looked at the girl now sitting to her side. She was obviously one of her friend's siblings, judging by the red skin and numerous glowing blue eyes. "Is it the goal of all demons to hand out heart attacks like Oprah on Christmas?"
"Who's Oprah?"
"Not important." Raven said. "What do you want, Lucia?"
"You're not the only one who lives here, you know."
"But I am the oldest."
"By a year!"
"A year and a three months, to be exact." Raven pointed out.
"The point is," Lucia spoke after taking a calming breath. "I have just as much freedom to walk the palace halls as you do."
"A fair point, I suppose. But it still doesn't explain why you've decided annoying me is a worthy endeavor."
"I just want to get to know your pretty friend here."
"Pretty?" Jinx questioned. "Wait, you said her name is Lucia? Is she who I think she is?" Raven nodded, and Jinx blushed. "Oh, well that's, uh, flattering, but... um, Rae, you wanna help me out here?"
"Back off, Lucia." Raven said this with no small amount of force, getting surprised looks from both of them.
"Why, she spoken for?" Lucia narrowed her eyes at her older sister.
"Because you're bothering her." Raven stated simply. Lucia kept eye contact for several moments more before speaking.
"Oh, I get it." Lucia smiled. "Okay, I'll leave for now, but if you don't make a move, someone will." Jinx had never seen someone with more than two eyes wink before, but that small gesture managed to be a point of interest on the younger girl's face.
"The nature of our relationship is, is not anything, of that sort." Raven said, swallowing a few times to ease her suddenly very dry throat.
"Say whatever you want, but I think you're forgetting my title in this instance, and I can't imagine lying to yourself is easy as an empath." She gave a mock salute, backing away laughing to herself.
"Did, did she just imply...?"
"She did." Raven answered, neither girl wanting to look the other in the eye.
"Uh, anyway, the contract, you said you could get rid of it whenever?"
"Yes. Technically, I could have declared my end of the deal fulfilled as soon as you were safe from the police, and at nearly any point after, but that would have been counterproductive to my own goals at the time."
"So, do you wanna go ahead and burn it, then? I'm not keen on the idea of your dad thinking I defied him."
Raven didn't answer verbally, instead opting to summon the document that, before now, Jinx had only gotten a momentary glance at, having had to sign it rather hastily. Just as she remembered, it was a sizable piece of parchment that appeared to have been dyed using blood, with text that looked like it was fashioned from literal black magic.
And in an instant, it was reduced to ash.
Jinx had assumed she'd feel something when the binding was cut, but she really couldn't find any discernible difference. It may have been the rather loose nature of thing to begin with, or perhaps the fact that she was unable to feel even her own magic at the moment, but she figured it was probably irrelevant either way, and sat back once again, only to be disturbed once again as well.
The sound of small explosions and powerful, bounding footsteps sounded throughout the hall, grabbing the attention of the two girls currently sat on the bench.
Whether it was a surprise to see their male friends quickly rounding the corner and sprinting toward them could depend on the person you ask, but it certainly warranted concern. Gizmo was clinging to Mammoth's neck as if his life depended on it, while blasts of magic in multiple colours followed behind them.
The two of them were repeatedly calling out for help, and Raven wasted no time in pulling them the rest of the way toward her and behind the safety of a newly erected wall that absorbed the glowing projectiles.
"Those kids are nuts!" Gizmo yelled, glaring through the wall at the approaching child-shaped figures. Gavin, Alice, Eli, and Simon had all stopped just on the other side of the umbral divider, with the youngest sitting on Gavin's shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Raven questioned them.
"We just wanted to play with your friends." Alice's voice had just the barest hint of muffling through the barrier as she tried to sound innocent. Raven simply stared deadpan at her.
"She told the big one to eat us!" Gizmo hissed at them.
"Alright, yeah, I did." Her act was dropped pretty quickly.
Raven tried to growl at them, but it quickly devolved into a heavy sigh. "I'm going to assume you at least tried to heed my advice," she looked at her friends, who nodded in response. "which leaves you four at fault." She glared at her brothers and sister, summoning black portals underneath them, each producing a tendril to ensure they would, in fact, be going through to wherever Raven decided.
"Well, that was..." Jinx started.
"Irritating." Raven supplied. "On a note less so, the business part of this trip is done now, and we'll not be expected to return to the school for a day or more."
"Is there even anything humans can do for entertainment down here?" Gizmo asked.
"I can show you a few things. But first, I've already promised Jinx a meeting with someone."