It's been a while. I won't lie and say that I didn't have severe writer's block. Still don't like how this turned out. But it's something.
"I've brought reinforcements," Terra says, throwing her hands in the air enthusiastically. Raven breezes past her and places her bag of crystals and herbs onto the table.
"To our exposed tower," Raven drones, emptying her bag one crystal at a time. Garfield bites at a hangnail on his thumb.
"Uh...you're welcome," Terra says, head tilting to the side and hands falling limply at her sides. Raven glances at Terra briefly, then returns her attention back to the stones. It's silent for a few moments. Garfield sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Terra and Raven toed the line between friends and enemies constantly. They cared about each other deeply but also knew exactly what to say to push each other's buttons. There was no telling how they'd interact with each other at any given time.
"Thank you Terra," he says, placing a hand on his girlfriend's back. She shoots him a loose, irritated smile.
"You don't need to thank me," Terra says, directing her words at the sorceress across from her. Raven's head is turned down.
"Thank you for thinking of us Terra. I just don't know if this is an instance where there is strength in numbers or whether adding members to our team multiplies our vulnerabilities."
Garfield places his hands on Terra's tight shoulders, feeling the air around everyone rising in temperature.
"Mmhhhm, I get it," Terra says, sucking her lips into her mouth in a way that suggests she did not, in fact, 'get it.' "Guess I was just worried when Garfield called me in the middle of the night to tell me that your little boyfriend turned him into a literal fish out of water."
"Okay!" Garfield says, clapping his hands at the same time Raven's head snaps up at Terra. "Terra and Aqualad are here. Nothing we can do about that now."
"Right," Raven says, keeping eye contact with Terra for a few beats. She puckers her lips, and looks blankly at the wall behind them. "Truthfully, both of your powers will be very useful to us."
"How so?" Terra asks. Garfield tries not to make his relief visible when he notes that a lot of the edge in both of their voices has been softened.
"I'll explain but first-" Raven says, waving her hands until there is a circle of white gemstones around the group. "Demons can't pass a barrier of quartz."
"Right," Terra says, rocking on her heels and eyeing the little rocks skeptically. "So how can we help."
"Incantations don't really have a shelf life. They are immediate solutions to immediate problems. Spells and curses work best when they are bound to something tangible. Either a person or something earthen. It's the reason why voodoo dolls are usually made of clay. And the reason for these," Raven says, gesturing to the multi colored crystals in front of them. "And water-"
"Is a purifying element," Aqualad finishes for Raven, playing with a chunk of amethyst. He looks around at the team's expectant faces. "Ever watch the Wizards of Oz? Water melts the witch."
"Such a marvelous movie!" Starfire exclaims at the same time Garfield blurts-
"Raven takes showers though."
He immediately buries his forehead into Terra's hair. Not the best time to sound like I think about Raven showering. He thinks to himself, clenching his eyes tight. He feels his back muscles tighten when he hears Garth chuckle.
"The Wizard of Oz is an exaggeration of the actual truth," Garth says.
"Being?" Nightwing asks. Aqualad looks at Raven to see if she wants to explain. Raven shrugs.
"You were very eager to explain a few moments ago," she says, eyebrow arched. Garth chuckles, running a hand through his jet black locks.
"Water is considered pure. Dark magic and dark energy travels through it at a much slower rate. It's why people use water in baptisms and exorcisms. It's meant to cleanse."
"Is there anything this guy doesn't know about?" Garfield mumbles under his breath into Terra's hair.
"I'm not great at art history," Aqualad says. Garfield makes a point to look at Garth's face when he rolls his eyes.
"So our plan is to have Aqualad throw buckets of water on your brothers?" Garfield asks.
"Our plan-" Raven narrows her eyes at Changeling. "Is to trap my three eldest brothers in crystal cages and detach their spirits from their corporeal forms."
"That sounds-" Cyborg starts, scratching at his head.
"Like murder," Nightwing finishes. Starfire cringes, placing her fingers on her lips. She looks to Nightwing, then to Raven.
"It's not," Raven says, sighing when Nightwing doesn't immediately relax. "It's not. My brothers are higher order demons. Their spirits cannot be destroyed."
Nightwing crosses his arms over his chest.
"Really Nightwing, do you honestly think we are capable of removing sin from the world?" Raven asks. One of her eyes twitches.
Raven looks around to her teammates who say nothing. "The answer is a very very clear 'no.' My brothers need to exist."
"The world needs balance," Aqualad says. Raven nods at him.
"Something it will not have if my father is released. Which is why we need to separate my brothers' spirits from their bodies and trap them in clay figurines. This will make it nearly impossible for them to communicate their plans with each other. It will solve our problems for at least another decade."
"And their bodies?" Nightwing asks. Raven feels her skin prickle at the sharp accusation.
"Are just that," she replies smoothly. "Bodies. Their bodies only serve as conduits for their immortal spirits. Trigon will eventually find another human woman to manipulate and seduce and my brothers will have a new conduit."
"We need to think of another way," Nightwing bristles, pounding his fist into his hand. Raven looks at his fist in his hand.
"There is no other way."
"We can't just murd-"
"This is not murde-"
"Then why does your plan end with six lifeless bodies. Your brothers have human mothers. They are human."
"No Nightwing...there is absolutely nothing human about my brothers. If you knew what they were capable of, you would know that. With certainty."
"Trigon made them the same way he made you."
The words shouldn't have had as much force as they did but Garfield finds himself taking a step back. He can hear everyone's breath catch in their throat at the same time. Garfield notices Raven's shoulders shift, almost as if she's accommodating the weight of the words Nightwing just said. Besides that, she is frozen in place. She does not look up. She does not acknowledge what was said. Nightwing's frowning, his fingers twitching against his thighs. It looks like he's torn between wanting to say something and wanting to stand firm. He doesn't get the chance to make the decision because Raven turns around, her cloak swirling around her ankles. She starts moving towards the common room doors.
Then suddenly she yelps in a way that makes Garfield's ears ring. One second she's surrounded by shocking white light and the next she's being propelled backwards, forcefully and quickly, into the sofa. Garfield can hear the impact as her back hits the wooden structure underneath the cushions. He winces. He and Starfire are by her side immediately. Nightwing runs in front of her, bo staff gripped tightly in his hand. His eyes are sharp as he looks around the common room for the intruder.
"My brothers aren't here," Raven says, wincing a little as Starfire helps her to sit up. Nightwing turns around, eyebrows crinkled. Raven sighs.
"Star could you-" Raven pauses. Garfield looks down as her throat moves when she swallows deeply and silently. "Could you move one of those crystals?"
And understanding falls over Garfield like an itchy sweater.
"Demons can't pass through a ring of quartz," Raven mumbles, looking down. Garfield feels fingers tighten around his heart as Nightwing's last words are validated. Trigon made them the same way he made you. He wonders how many therapy sessions he himself would need to work through that idea. Aqualad moves to the quartz quickly and tosses the gem across the room.
"You'll have to-" Raven clears her throat, and she hasn't looked back up again. "You'll have to put it back when I leave."
"Listen Raven-" Nightwing starts.
"I'll be back," Raven says, rushing to the roof. Garfield presses his lips firmly together and runs a hand through his hair. No one moves for a couple minutes.
"So...what do we do now?" Terra asks. Garfield rubs the back of his neck. The whole team looks to Nightwing. His face and body are a mix of hard angles as he looks to the doors Raven left out of. His lips a straight line. His shoulders at perfect right angles with his neck. His jaw, somehow even more chiseled. Still Garfield can see traces of regret behind his statuesque frame. Realizing they wouldn't be getting anything useful from him, Starfire, Cyborg and Changeling look between each other.
"You're up grass stain," Cyborg says, drumming his mechanical fingers against his chest. Garfield gapes at him.
"Up for what?"
"You gotta bring her back down," Cyborg says, as if it's that simple. Garfield places both hands on his head.
"Bro, what if she's meditating?"
"Her brothers can attack at any time. We have to prioritize this," Cyborg says, arms crossed over his chest. Garfield looks towards Terra who has started up a conversation with Aqualad since Raven's departure. He leans towards his friend.
"Do you really think I am the best person to talk to her about this right now?" Garfield whispers, his voice coming out like little hisses between his tight lips. Cyborg waves him off.
"Her brother was obviously trying to throw you two off your game earlier," Cyborg shrugs. Garfield crosses his arms across his chest and resists stomping his foot.
"Seriously? Why does everyone keep saying it's obvious? What am I? Chopped liver."
"Of course not friend," Starfire says, rubbing her hand back and forth over his shoulder.
"You know you're the only one who can talk to her when she's on that roof."
"That's not true!" Garfield exclaims. Cyborg presses his lips together and tilts his head from left and right as if contemplating that sentence.
"Okay, we could all probably reach out to her but you're usually the only one ballsy enough to do it. She'll be expecting you."
"Well it's not gonna be me this time," Garfield says, fingers digging into his elbows. It was awkward enough in the elevator.
Garfield stares at Cyborg.
And Cyborg stares at Garfield.
And Starfire stands to the side looking between both of them.
And five minutes later Garfield finds himself on the roof of the tower, the door closing softly behind him.
Garfield curses and silently prays he's not interrupting time she needs for herself. Raven's knees are clutched to her chest, the soft wind is blowing strands of her hair backwards. He's pondering how to approach her when a strand of her hair catches the light. All together her hair is such a dark purple that it's almost black but when the strands are separated it's a plum color. It's the same color of the plums his mom used to bring him in Africa. They were always so fat and juicy. Garfield licks his lips.
"Are you going to stand there all day?" Raven asks, not bothering to look back at him.
"Was trying to avoid getting thrown off the roof," Garfield says, placing his hands in his pockets and leaning against the door. Raven finally looks back, and the light is hitting her in a way that tints half her face golden.
"Haven't thrown you off the roof, or anywhere for that matter, in years."
"That's-" Not true, he wants to say but then he thinks about it. She hasn't used her powers on him in a while.
"Fair enough," he says, and walks towards her. He tilts his chin to the spot next to her. "Mind if I sit?"
"It's not my roof," Raven shrugs. Garfield presses his lips together tightly but sits down next to her anyways. He mirrors her position, bringing his knees to his chest. He looks out at the glittering water.
"You think my plan is murder?" Raven asks.
"Don't think you're capable of murder," Garfield says, watching a bird jump around at the shore line. They let the sound of the waves crash over their conversation for a few moments.
"But I'm not comfortable with your plan," he says and turns his head to look her in the eyes. "And I'm not sure the rest of the team is either."
Raven's lips remain frustratingly straight. Garfield doesn't break eye contact.
"There's not another option." Garfield shakes his head.
"There's always another option."
A particular hard wave crashes against the shore. Raven looks away to look at it.
"They won't hesitate to kill any of you if given the option," Raven says in a low voice. Garfield watches as she brushes a strand of hair away from her face then looks away again.
"It's usually a hazard of the job," Garfield says, leaning his back against the roof and looking up at the clouds above their heads. Raven looks back at him from her seated position the sunlight behind her is making the edges of her hair glow.
"If your lives are in danger I'm going through with it regardless of what Nightwing, or anyone, thinks."
Garfield sticks his palm underneath his head and juts his bottom lip out in thought.
"You know Nightwing didn't mean to insult you."
"Doesn't mean I wasn't."
Garfield hums.
"I'm sorry," he says.
"You don't have to apologize for Nightwing."
"Well yeah but I meant for making things uncomfortable in the elevator and for being so crude."
"My brother made them uncomfortable," Raven says, getting up from her seat.
"So you admit it was uncomfortable?" Garfield asks, grinning. He shields his eyes with his hand so he can get a better look at her face. She gives him a deadpan expression, then juts her chin towards the entrance to the Tower.
"Let's get back inside."
Garfield walks in front of Raven once they get off the elevator to the common room and quickly removes the stone just as she's about to cross the barrier.
"Okay, let's say my plan is murder. Let's say that that is something that you think I am capable of-" Raven begins. Garfield cringes. Cyborg shoots him a look.
"Hey! I got her back downstairs," Garfield says, hands up in front of him.
"Raven-" Nightwing says through a sigh. She puts a hand up.
"Let's say my brothers, who have stood behind every person who has done any sickening thing in this world, are like me. Let's say these men who have raped, murdered, robbed, are anything like me-"
"Your brothers are nothing like you. I misspoke-"'
Raven puts her hand up again. "What is your plan?"
"We keep them in a similar room to the one we kept you in on your sixteenth birthday."
Raven purses her lips. "I don't know what you are expecting from this experiment but I would be remiss not to remind you that my brothers' entire identities are tied to how many people they can make fall from grace," Raven pauses, then sighs. "But I admire your infallible, perhaps misplaced, hope that there is something good even in the depths of Hell...maybe I'm too close to the situation to see properly. I am not too proud to admit that."
She shakes her head. "I trust your gut Nightwing. It hasn't led us astray yet. If you think that we can do this some other way. If you are convinced-" Raven hesitates, biting her lip. She looks Nightwing in the eyes. "I have followed you blindly to the ends of the Earth before."
Nightwing lets those words settle on his shoulders. "I didn't mean to say that you are anything like your brothers. But maybe-" Nightwing pauses. He places a hand on Raven's shoulders. "Maybe they are, even if only a little bit, like you. Anyone who has the potential to be like you should be given the chance."
"So be it," Raven says, bowing her head, and moves to the table fingering her crystals.
"You'll all have to wear these. It will protect you from demonic influence."
"I think we are forgetting one dragon sized problem," Cyborg says.
"I'll worry about Malchior," Raven says. Garfield clears his throat.
"Actually Rae-" he begins. Raven looks up at him and he messes with the collar of his uniform. "I think I can help with Malchior."
"Unless you've been hiding your knowledge of archaic magic-" Garfield rolls his eyes.
"I think I can turn into a dragon," he interrupts. She stutters and he has to stop himself from grinning.
"You can- I- what?"
"Why haven't you told me this baby?" Terra asks. Garfield shrugs.
"It's new. I thought I could only turn myself into animals but apparently mythological creatures are not off the table."
"How did you find this out friend?" Starfire asks, eyes wide and shiny. Garfield blushes and plays with the hairs at the nape of his neck.
"I may have turned into a unicorn." Cyborg snorts. Raven has to resist smiling when Garfield's cheeks tint brown with a blush.
"Why would you-" Terra begins but things start to connect for Raven.
"Jordan," Raven says in a low voice. Garfield peaks up at her through his lashes. "She loves unicorns."
Garfield nods, keeping eye contact with Raven. For once it doesn't make the air around them too thick to breathe.
"Well. I'll have to be at your side at all times. Malchior will not resist an opportunity to change your form again. These crystals will protect you from my brothers but not Malchior's magic. Aqualad can only be in so many places and he can only provide a temporary barrier. I'm going to have to shield your mind."
"Woah. I don't think that's safe," Terra says, standing in front of Garfield with her hands up as if forming a protective barrier around him. "What happens if you get knocked out?"
Raven bites her lip, contemplating this. Garfield moves in front of Terra, his back to Raven.
"Even if I'm not fighting with Malchior directly, I'll be in the same field. It's better I'm close to Raven so I have the added protection of the mental shield."
"How about you sit this one out?" Terra asks, hesitantly, in a voice so low that Raven was sure Terra already knew the answer would be 'no' before she even asked the question. Garfield, in typical Garfield fashion, does not get defensive. He chuckles and grips his girlfriend's shoulders lightly.
"Can superheroes do that now?" he directs the question to her but then swirls around to his teammates. "Cause let me tell you, there are about a million battles with Plasmus that I would've sat out."
Terra sighs.
"We'll make sure Aqualad is by us too. That way if I get knocked out, he can put up a barrier quickly and Garfield can escape somewhere."
"I want to be by you too," Terra says and Nightwing immediately shakes his head.
"We'll need at least four of us to fight the six brothers."
"Four brothers," Raven corrects.
"Four?" Starfire asks. "But there are seven sins?"
"My brothers weren't all born in the same year. Currently sloth is an infant and greed is around 2."
"What?" Cyborg asks. Raven shrugs.
"Many women get a feeling about how evil my father is before he can impregnate them. Gluttony is only eight years old but I still wouldn't underestimate him."
"So Envy, Wrath and Lust are the only fully grown adults?"
Raven nods.
"So-"
Red lights swallow up the common room. Raven curses, quickly using her powers to string fragments of crystals around her teammates' necks.
"We don't have time. Remember, the goal is to get them in crystal cages."