A/N: I suppose by now that my "I'll keep chapters divided where they were before" point is utterly null. I've combined yet another chapter, added scenes and moved the groupings around, and I suppose I'll continue to do so. Unless you'd like to see more frequent updates, even if they're each shorter? Let me know, and I'll stop combining scenes and installments. Or is it worth waiting twice the time for an update that's twice as long? What do you guys think? Write up a review, let me know how you feel! Or, at the very least, enjoy the latest update.
~RSK

Chapter 3: Deconstruction

Dove woke up the next morning, and again the foreign feeling of calm and contentment awoke within her - that would definitely take some getting used to. Six long months of struggle and pain weren't going to be forgotten after one short night of comfort... So she let her eyes wander around the room, expecting dull pain, or the pounding headache, or fear and anxieties to fall into her like they always did, settling in her awareness like a stubborn grudge and never letting go - but nothing happened today.

Nothing happened.

Maybe this morning's just... lucky, Dove thought drowsily. But slowly her memories reawakened: she remembered what had happened yesterday. She'd been healed. By Raven. And then... offered a place to stay. This place.

She sat up and put a hand to her head, still wondering at the lack of pain... and still convinced it was all too good to be true.

After a quick stretch, she stood stealthily, carefully, without a sound.

Old habits die hard.

Then, once she was sure she was alone, she explored the room, observing how big it seemed and wondering why there was nothing here but the bed -

She was jolted from her thoughts by the telltale swish; Dove jumped and wheeled with a hand at her mouth to muffle the gasp and she stood rigid- until she recognized Raven, then dropped the hand to her heart, hoping its beats weren't nearly as loud as they felt.

Her greeting was still a breathless gasp: "Hi."

Raven had lifted a brow at her response. "I didn't mean to scare you," she said evenly. "I guess I'm good at that."

"It's fine," Dove replied. "Not your fault." Raven wasn't the one who had trained her to fear anytime someone approached. "What time is it?"

"About 9:30 AM."

"Oh, really?" Dove blinked out the window. It was the next day already? "I haven't slept that late in a long time…"

"I wonder why," Raven droned sarcastically. Lost and homeless interdimensional immigrants weren't known for their cakewalk of a time adjusting.

"I know," Dove sighed. "Too obvious. But I used to sleep so well. I wasn't always like this…" She stared off into space, her thoughts obviously elsewhere, her expression forlorn.

"Few people are," Raven replied, her own expression curious.

"Some people are," the younger girl countered.

"If you lived in Azarath-"

"Even an Azarathean can have trouble sleeping…" Dove shuddered before she could help herself.

"What could you possibly-?"

But her expression was so miserable and bleak and despairing, even Raven couldn't find it in herself to scrutinize any further.

"I really don't want to talk about it… Even before I came to this dim- uh- place, things weren't going so well…"

And her voice was so pleading Raven didn't press the matter. "I'm guessing you don't want to talk about that, either."

"It's that obvious?" She seemed deflated at the thought. "No... No, I'd rather not."

Go figure. "I guess I can deal with that." Curiously, begrudging the avoidance, but Raven played the indifference card well. "Why did you stop yourself from saying dimension?"

Dove tossed her a glance. "Force of habit - from the city... I didn't know if you would... My mother told me that you weren't exactly Azarathean by blood, but you've lived there since birth, so you weren't considered from Earth, either…" She glanced away, almost uneasily. "But she told me your mother was from Earth - and your father…"

"It's… It's probably true." No 'secret' in Azarath ever stayed secret for long.

Dove turned back around. "I - I'd rather not talk about this either… It… makes me remember my mother, and so many things… I don't want to lose control…"

Raven noticed that Dove seemed extremely uneasy, but she doubted Dove would be any more willing to explain that than she had been since yesterday. It probably wasn't the best thing to discuss if it made her feel that emotional, anyway. "Maybe we should start your training," Raven suggested. "Then you won't have to avoid every other conversation because you just might get upset."

"That's not the only-" Dove stopped herself, realizing what she was about to say. "Never mind… What do we do first?"

Alright. Now the suspicion was coming back threefold. Raven caught the pause a split second before Dove did, and Dove noticed her hesitating - but Raven plowed on before either of them could dwell, because there would be a time to risk questions later, when Dove could handle her own fear without destroying half the room. For now they had work to do, and lots of it.

Best to start with the basics.

She started off by asking Dove if she knew anything ABOUT her powers? "What they are, how they work, where they come from?"

Dove answered quietly, thoughtfully... "Yes… I can levitate, sort of... create energies - um, read minds and open mental conversations, talk to and read animals' minds, too, and learn things they know…"

Azar, why was she still hesitating on every other word? "Is that all?" Raven prompted doubtfully.

Like she knew the answer was "no". Dove hesitated for a long moment, a thousand uncertainties and anxieties surfacing to warn her about the dangers of revealing too much, how precariously trust and truth were balanced right now... If she offered the true extent of her powers, how much suspicion would that sow? How much would they see as a danger? But even her fears gave her no reason to distrust her new trainer, and she decided holding back from Raven would probably be holding back from her last possible mentor. Withholding information for fear of her own power wouldn't get them anywhere.

"…No. I can become… I guess it would be called a conduit for thoughts, I have this sixth sense of empathy and a precognitive sense I can't control at all; that's how I had the vision-"

"I thought so…"

"- and my mother and all her mothers were Seers, too, but she never had time to teach me to Scry - and I can try to heal someone, but I can't get it right… all the way, at least…"

She wasn't finished - but Dove paused, and cocked her head at Raven. Suddenly her voice was delicate and uneasy, as if the very thought of this knowledge unnerved her. "I can… I can sense that you're confused… What's wrong?"

"It's just… I have all of those abilities, and then some… Staying focused is important. Do you know how your powers work?"

"Not the empathy, precognition, or levitation, which is why I've only been able to do it when I'm desperate, but telekinesis, and sensing things, and any of my telepathetic abilities, yes. ...sort of. It's centered around my soul… Right?"

Raven nodded. "Do you know what triggers your abilities?"

"Emotions and desperation."

Why was she not surprised. "Control and restriction are important. Sometimes you have to release a bit of emotional energy for your powers to work. I think…"

"You think?"

"I'm only saying this because, you're... so much like me."

"I know… It's… weird… heh heh…" Dove shifted, looking flustered, but then she shook her head and licked her lips.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's just get back to the lesson…"

"Whatever…" Raven could sense otherwise, but still she continued on. The truth had a way of jumping out at her if it was critically important, and by now she'd know better than to ignore it. Today's meeting wasn't meant to be an interrogation, anyways - no, but this anxiety was an opportunity to teach Dove how to clear her mind completely of all emotion.

She announced that thought to Dove. "The only way to successfully control your emotions is to be mindful of them at all times. It's the most important skill you have to learn, as it is the basis of meditation, part of the process in staying grounded, and will help you remain in control of your powers when you least expect them to rise."

Naturally this eternally-panicking Dove had trouble at first, and Raven promised her it would take quite some time to accomplish, even with constant control and practice.

"I lived with my mentor until I was ten, and it only stopped then because–"

"I know; it was Azar and she... died." Dove hesitated on the last word and breathed it in barely a whisper. "My mother told me…"

"Uhhh… Right." Of course. Azaratheans knowing she lived with Azar and all.

"Raven… About the emotional control…? I can't manage at all when I'm under stress… Or afraid of anything, or especially when - during a thunderstorm, or around a big dog…"

"I noticed," she replied flatly (and Dove glanced away in embarrassment). "Why is that? Phobias?"

"Uh-huh. The thunderstorm fear has been... strong since I first came here, and the dog fear… Iiii… When I got to Jump City, I was… almost killed by one…"

That was unexpected. Dove certainly didn't look like a dog attack victim. "What happened?"

"Oh. Um, well..." She took a deep breath, bracing herself against the memories...

Raven stood observant, alert - waiting. Letting her gather her thoughts... and when Dove glanced up, Raven nodded for her to begin.

"I walked into an alley, one of the ones with a dead end, and I leaned against the wall because it was so hot. I was so tired. I thought there was nothing there but some boxes… And then I heard a dog bark; that deep, threatening bark that tells you, 'Get out of here, NOW!' I would've, I tried,but he was in the way. The alley was so small and he was so big…" She shuddered at the memory. "I tried communicating with him, sending thoughts, you know- But he was too mad or territorial or whatever he was to listen. And I could vividly sense my life depended on me escaping, but… I was so scared that when I looked to the sky and screamed Azarath Metrion Zinthos, nothing happened. I said it in a calmer tone, but fear of the… possible death… kept my emotions so intense, and I couldn't control myself… I was trapped..." She ran a hand through her hair and rested the other against her temple.

"Dove?"

She shook her head. "The dog was coming closer and I was saying it over and over and over and my voice got quieter and then... I looked back at the dog and huddled to the wall and I whispered it, two more times - I remember tears coming on, they stopped my voice from working right… And I remember barely whispering prayers - 'Azar help me, oh please, Azar help me' - and then the dog jumped on me and knocked me over. It slashed the side of my face. I screamed and it bit my arm. The pain was so intense… I was trapped and helpless, and hurting - I couldn't stand it. My powers were everywhere. And that only scared him more! I don't even remember the details. But the dog had scratched me so many times and there was so much blood…" She was gripping her shoulders and pulled into herself with a quaking inhale. "Tears were flowing from my – my eyes… l-like a river… So many places I had never felt pain before…d-dear Azar… I was barely conscious when I heard someone running and the dog whimpered… and then I forced myself up... ran before they could find me... I fainted. I-I was… Oh, g-g-g-great Azar..."

"Dove, are you still okay?" Raven's voice came more urgent than before; still-invisible static was crackling in the air, casting the shadow scent of emotion-fueled electricity and infecting the room. Not good. Raven was both seeing and feeling how deeply it affected her - though Dove was trying so hard to fight the emotions back.

"Yeah - maybe… just… incredibly emotional… ...The pain I felt... The fear… Ohhhh, Azar…" She felt so faint - slowly crouched to the floor and huddled in, tucking her head close.

This was more than flashback, more than fear. Terror was now radiating off her in suffocating spasms of emotion... Raven leveled with her on one knee and assured, "It's... It's okay. You're safe now." And her expression was one of genuine concern.

But it was like Dove didn't even know she was there. Eyes locked tightly closed, she only began praying softly as she shook her head, the rest of her body shaking with fear and remembered pain... and panic mounting as she felt her own powers writhing for release.

"Is that all?" Raven asked quickly; maybe speaking could bring her back to the real world.

"I-I don't…" Dove gave a weak moan and sucked in a deep, unsteady breath.

"What else happened? What else is wrong?"

"I-I can't… H-h-hold on, please… My mind… I-I just…" Her voice died with another shudder.

"Your emotions are going to set the energies free if you don't find a way to calm down."

Despite Raven's voice steadying, growing urgent, it wasn't calming; Dove couldn't calm down. She was trying, really really TRYING, but the fear held her mind in a vice grip-

The explosion was percussive.

It nearly shattered the window. Cracks erupted in the corner nearest Dove and the glass struggled to hold its position; the pulse of energy resonated across the room so their dress and cloak billowed out, hair caught up in the pressure and it DID shatter the lights before the searing energies ripped a strained cry from Dove's throat, and Raven's arms flung out to cast a psychic shield before the power could do any more harm.

Though Dove's trembling form was still the center of an astral cyclone for a full fifteen seconds that felt long as hours - Dove suffering helplessly, Raven nearly screaming for her attention...

...and then Dove whimpered, helpless, exhausted... defeated... as the energy surge finally abated, leaving the room plunged into darkness with only the eminent glow from outside lighting the scene and her breaths coming in ragged, shallow pants as she shivered, and stayed frozen in place, not daring to move, and too drained to think after the explosion stole all her energy. And in such a weakened state... there wasn't even strength to gasp out, Sorry.

Obviously Dove couldn't control herself on her own. And so, with no other choice, Raven once again tapped into Dove's empathic emanations, and manipulated what she had to (all the while trying not to dread how many times she would have to do this in the future and wondering how safe it was to leave her alone). She wouldn't shock Dove's exhausted mind to a state of immediate calm - but she DID take the emotions in her astral hand, molding the energies to her own model...

This was the third time they'd connected like this, and again Raven felt that undercurrent of resistance - though she was baffled to notice that, strangely, it didn't come from the same source as Dove's emotions. It was something separate, yet embedded in her... like an external force connected to her, through... something Raven couldn't find, not even in this insightful state.

Dove, utterly oblivious to all her uncertainty and surmising, opened her eyes at the feeling of calm slowly seeping into her - and watched, amazed as Raven seemed able to take all her fears and not be affected by the empathy one bit. How was that possible…?

Now that Dove's mind was clearing, Raven hazarded instructions yet again. "You should feel like this more often, calm and centered... Nothing else. Nothing else is safe."

She didn't suppress the weak guilt and unease that surged at her words. Bitter as it was, Dove needed that dread. Maybe that was the only way for her to learn...

And now that Dove's powers had settled back into a relatively harmless current, contained in Dove's mind and body, Raven disconnected - she had only manipulated enough to force the destructive fear away, making sure Dove found calm herself... though she seemed to need plenty of guidance.

"I'm not going to do it for you. I can help, but you need to learn how to calm yourself. Now. Breathe, Dove. Inhale - deeper... Hold it... ...and let it out, slowly. And again... ...again... ...and again."
"Stop thinking. You'll only let the emotions back in if you dwell on them."
"Calm. Down."
"Breathe..."

Finally, still shaking faintly but breathing normally, Dove muttered, "Okay… Okay. I'm sorry… I should control myself better than that, I-I know…"

"That was... incredibly traumatic for you, wasn't it?"

"It's still no reason to act that way…" Dove stood up - though she had to lean against the bed for support, and Raven followed suit.

"Maybe I shouldn't have tempted your emotions before you're ready to handle it. Just... remember to watch yourself next time - control your emotions before they happen. You should try meditating, breathing exercises, even distracting your mind and guarding against any thought that might incite emotion - there are many techniques to help keep yourself calm. There has to be ONE you can use..."

Dove's expression fell to something equal parts dazed, confused, and resignation deepening with every word Raven spoke. "I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything…"

"You'll learn."

"And if I... can't...?"

"You have to. Because you don't have any other choice."

Dove tried not to show how deeply that frightened her as she nodded her solemn acceptance.

Dove only wanted to come down for dinner when everyone else had cleared out.

Dove turned down Robin's second tour offer.

And somehow Dove miraculously managed to keep her powers restrained for two hours of training the next day.

Raven watched her carefully, constantly, any time Dove was within her sight, with her awareness always monitoring Dove's empathic emanations the moment they were apart.

Something... wasn't right with her.

In part due to caution around the telepathy, and in part because she didn't want to be distracted for Dove's sake, Raven debated Dove's trustworthiness only when she was alone.

And that night there was a lot to debate.

How odd that Dove hadn't stopped herself from discussing those things that TERRIFY her... and judging by how far she'd let her powers stray three times already, fear of losing control wasn't the real reason Dove avoided talking about her mother, or her family, or her past. What she felt in Dove's hesitance was genuine, yes, but a different KIND of fear. A kind she was all too familiar with... The fear of someone finding out. Learning a secret. So Dove WAS hiding something...

Though she wasn't sure of anything else - no specifics, no proof, no details. She only had her instincts... and her suspicions.

But it was enough to warrant distrust.

The halls were darkened as Raven left them behind, crossing into the crime ops room to find Robin exactly where she expected: at the computer, intently reading over a display of time tables, search results, and a photo frame lighting the otherwise dark room.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked her without even looking up, as if midnight was any later than she'd normally be awake.

"I'm not sure I want to with Dove around..."

"It's that bad now?" She'd mentioned the scope of Dove's powers before, but...

"She's hiding something." There it was, out in the open.

"I was afraid of that... The way she avoids everyone. She won't ever talk on her own. And she's so uncomfortable when she does speak, like she's afraid to say the wrong thing... She's definitely hiding something. But what?"

"Can't tell. Have you found ANYTHING about her?"

"Cyborg's background check was inconclusive. So we ran a wider facial recognition scan, and all we found was this frame from a traffic camera downtown."

Raven mused, "That database isn't transdimensional..." She allowed a hint of bitterness to seep in when she added, "And it's not like we can ask around on Azarath."

"Do you think she might be hiding on purpose? That hood makes identifying her face pretty difficult..."

At least on that point, Raven's suspicion relented long enough for her concede. "I think she wears it more for comfort than disguise. Sometimes the hood is... reassuring."

Robin nodded; he trusted her judgement well enough to set aside the idea that Dove was trying to hide her true identity, but there was still so much about her they didn't know... and couldn't discover. "So what's the final verdict? After three days, do you think she's safe to keep around?"

Raven was hesitant, but she spoke with a gravity that told him she'd thought about it long and hard, even done some detective work of her own - the kind only an empath could do. "There is some... vague, but POWERFUL force keeping me from getting a clear reading... I think it's more for protection than hiding, but I can't be sure. I don't think she's TOO dangerous. Or even malicious. But I'm not sure she's safe, either."

"Innocent until proven guilty," Robin decided with a sigh of determination (tinged with only the slightest hint of frustration). "If what she says is true..."

Raven nodded affirmation.

"Then she deserves a chance to prove herself before we make a final judgement either way. Who knows, maybe she's just nervous by nature."

Raven knew he had a point, but neither confirmed nor denied it and simply held her silence. It would take a lot more than that for a stranger like Dove to earn her trust... Especially when it felt like every truth she told hid more about her than it revealed.

Robin suddenly mused, "I think we should invite her to combat practice tomorrow, see how she does."

"Are you sure you want to risk having the whole team around her?"

"Watching her on the course might give us a clearer glimpse into her mind, and that could help us learn more about her than asking questions she'll just avoid anyway."

She wasn't looking forward to it, but Raven saw his point. "I'll ask her tomorrow."

And when she did, Dove seemed more confused about the concept than anything. She accepted. But when they started, all that confusion was replaced by utter fear.

Apparently thunder isn't the only loud noise that frightened her; the booming clicks and whirs of the hydraulic machines aligning unnerved her before they even began, and once that fear heightened her senses and the chaotic cacophony of the session shattered her fragile focus, everyone's emotions pushed her from fear to overwhelming panic - which only set off another conflagration of colorless static power.

Raven had to coax her to stand from a huddled collapse and guide her away, throwing a decisive headshake over her shoulder when Beast Boy suggested, "Maybe later?"

Dove obviously still needed time to adjust. It wasn't all that surprising - transitioning from the eternal quiet calm of Azarath to this loud, lively, emotive world would take a lot of getting used to...

Well, so much for that glimpse into her mind.