Chapter 4: Grand Tour
After that incident they never left Dove's room, as it came to be, and spent the next two days in solid training, only allowing breaks for food, tea, and sleep.
And even after that Dove stayed in the room, regaining her strength. It felt so good to finally know where she would fall asleep that night, to know she wouldn't wake up to a day of strain and starvation, and her next meal and water wouldn't make her sick.
She spent most of the time she wasn't resting in bed standing in front of the window. It was so big, so open - so fascinating, so hypnotic, so awe-inspiring! Dove felt very strange standing over the trees, having spent at least two months living under them... but she felt so sure she'd never grow tired of such a magnificently wide scope of the world, and the wonderfully freeing feeling that she was able to see the world for herself, and not feel afraid just for looking.
The beautiful view was really more like a bonus.
For a week she stuck to the room, resting, reading, relaxing… Then she... actually started smiling when Raven came in.
Though Raven just looked as disinterested as always. "Are you going to stay in here forever?"
Dove's mild enthusiasm paled. "No, I'm just… not good with directions, and this building looks really confusing…"
She glanced away, which only gave Raven the feeling that there was more to it.
Dove detected that subtle feeling of expectation, and she shifted uneasily. "I'm really not good with people…"
Raven responded with a subtle and curious challenge: "You seem fine with me..."
"Because you're you."
"That's the last reason I'd expect - especially from an Azarathean."
Dove shrugged uneasily - and again that hesitant reticence showed. "You're... calmer. Besides. My mother... taught me to be sympathetic."
"Which is also strange... What part of Azarath are you from, again?"
Dove shrugged. "The... outskirts? We are kind of unusual. My family. I mean... my grandmother was exiled for sticking to things that didn't adhere to normal standards…" She glanced away, looking nervous again.
Raven was surprised to realize she'd heard about that woman. "Magena?"
And Dove looked even more surprised than she felt. "Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Azar told me. Look. Dove." Again her voice carried that neutral tone aimed at reassurance. "The others... deal with me. They'll be fine with you, too."
Dove did remember her mother saying that Raven seemed to prefer solitude... so maybe she wasn't so good with people either. Her nod was hopeful.
In the past week she had only crept her way to meals when others were elsewhere or distracted. She'd snuck in, quickly retrieved what she needed, occasionally muttered a breathless word or two of response if she felt especially confident - and then she fled right out the door. They barely had a chance to see her, let alone interact. And that was the way Dove felt least uncomfortable.
But today she emerged knowing they were there going to be there, and the concept alone brought her dread. She followed Raven through the threshold - though the halls - through the living room door. And there she paused, nervous and hesitating and taking a moment to scope out this new situation before she dared to enter.
Robin was at the stove. The other boys were on the couch playing some dynamic ultimatum form of Tetris (not that Dove knew what it was), with Starfire yelping eager strategies beside them.
Raven left her standing at the door to fill the tea kettle, and Dove did her best to inch past the counter, grab the bread - drop it in the toaster and plunging it down carefully, keeping her eyes locked on even that simple task intently. Like she was trying to be there and at the same time be totally invisible.
"Hey, Dove."
That was Robin's greeting. Dove just glanced his way and nodded, responding "Hi" in that timid wispy manner of hers - really more acknowledging his presence than saying anything of worth.
...Whatever that noisy food he was cooking was, she could smell it pretty strongly... Dove inched back to grab the cinnamon and glanced over uncomfortably - it smelled savory, yet strange and unfamiliar. "What is that...?"
"Bacon," he replied jovially. "Wanna try some?"
Dove wondered if it was worth noting. She had loved helping her mother cook at home - maybe she should learn how to cook here, too. She might as well see - obviously, she was going to be here awhile. "Um..." She tried to tell - by the look, or scent, or even sound it made - what it was made of, but couldn't... it was all new... "What's in it?"
"Just bacon," he told her with another smile and a shrug. "It's made from turkey, though, so -"
"Turkey?"
Suddenly he saw her discomfort double. "Uhhh, yeah. You know, the meat from the bird-?"
"I don't want any," she swiftly rejected; she was more certain of that than she'd been of anything else all week. But, maybe too aware she was rejecting a well-meaning offer, she tried to explain nervously - "I - I'm sorry, it's just - I don't eat meat, and - "
The toast popped up and she jumped sky high - then looked away and muttered, "Can I eat in my room?" as she flipped it onto plate.
"Sure, if you - "
She had already left, and at a near-run, too.
"...want to."
Raven lifted an eyebrow.
Beast Boy's ears were pricked forward as he asked, "Did she just say she doesn't eat meat?"
"She didn't even look at us."
"We should be pretty used to that from Raven."
"But she looked so uncomfortable," Robin observed, momentarily debating between concern and suspicion - but concern won out.
Cyborg guessed, "Maybe she's just not a morning person."
"Or perhaps she awakened on the wrong side of the pillow."
Raven finally spoke up to enlighten them, relaying the only thing she knew as she crossed to the couch with a book and tea in hand. "Dove isn't good with people."
"Obviously."
"Well that's nothing new, either."
"How is it we are to ease off the mind of one who will not remain present to be eased?"
Robin's finger lingered over his chin, a solution already piecing itself together in his thoughts. "You know, we never did give her that tour..."
And the following plan created an unspoken pledge among them: find ways to engage her, help her ease up, and generally get to know her. So the next time Dove dared venture into their company, they tried especially hard to make her feel welcome in every way they knew.
Beast Boy, of course, jumped right in with a Make Her Smile technique. After combat practice and a big breakfast she steadfastly avoided, he had the honor of initiating their plans by knocking on her door and calling, "Hey, Doooove! We want to show you something!"
At least she actually answered the door, even if she only peeked past the threshold, timid and huddled into herself like a shy five-year-old with her hood raised, cloak clasped around her and all. "Me?" she asked, disbelief tinged oh-so slightly in her small and hesitant voice. "Why me?"
"Cuz you're always cooped up in here hanging out with Raven, and we all think you should flock with birds of a different feather, or something." (Even he could see from her blank look that she didn't get the half-baked metaphor.) "...you know, with other people."
"Oh." Dove hesitated, bit her lip... but she honestly couldn't find a genuine reason to deny him... So she just nodded resignation and hoped it wouldn't take long. "Uhhm... What did you want to show me?"
"Just to show you around the place," he shrugged, spinning to face her and walking backward. "I mean the kitchen and ops are nice and all, but you have to see the industrial laundry stuff. And the new game room is WAY awesome! Course, there are like fifty hundred rooms around here so you probably still have to ask if you want to see anything special, like the pool or the computer room, but don't be shy." (As if she could help it.) "I'm sure Robin'll let it fly. We're all birds of a different color here!" He transformed into a green parrot and flapped around a corner.
He kept grinning to himself... seemed to be waiting for her to join in, and Dove just found herself even more lost from his laughter than the incredibly confusing halls, not really seeing the humor in it... and hoping he wasn't mocking her. It... didn't really feel like he was, but she still couldn't help dipping her head anyways, pulling her cloak close around herself uneasily. Between not understanding and feeling guilty about it, this whole conversation felt so painfully uncomfortable...
He peeked back around the corner in human form when she took too long to follow. "And you're stepping light as a feather!" When they continued walking but she didn't respond, he just babbled right on. "Hey, isn't there a song like that or something?"
She only blinked as they entered the living room, glancing away and feeling immensely awkward under the weight of all his attention. "Umm..."
"You know, the one that goes like this?" He then launched into a satirical squeaking, nasally impression of the latest teeny-bopper boy-band hit. "Your steps, light as a feather! But I can see it, baby - we belong together! And we look so hot, dressed in all our leather!"
He thought that was a pretty great impression and cracked up, but she didn't even react. "Aww, dude, don't tell me you hate jokes, too."
There was genuine dread dripping from his voice, but it seemed assuaged the moment Dove shook her head. "No, I... I-I just..."
"Good, because bird names, your powers, that Aza-place, that would just be too much like Raven to handle."
"Alright, B, time to stop scarin' the new girl." Cyborg practically pulled him away before she could respond, positioning himself decidedly between the newcomer and the jokes that were already growing old. "And that song doesn't say steps, it's touch. For a dude with big pointy ears, you really don't hear all that well."
Beast Boy waved his hand dismissively and hopped over the back of the couch. "Hey, you're just jealous, Cy, but I can't blame 'ya. Chicks dig the ears. Right, Dove?"
He pointed to them with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows, but the seductiveness was lost on her and she stayed frozen in awkward silence.
"Oh, I get it," Beast Boy crooned as he turned away, grabbed the remote, and began flipping channels. "Shy type, doesn't know how to bring up that secret crush."
"Yeah, sure, and my circuits are wired with licorice. Hey, Dove!"
She just gave him an awkward nod and a tiny, half-lifted wave. Why did they bother acknowledging her? It was so obvious, she didn't really belong here - they both conversed so naturally, and she... couldn't even come up with a casual greeting.
"So, Robin thinks we should give you a tour, show you our favorite parts of the Tower-"
Beast Boy looked over the back of the couch. "Hey, he didn't ask ME to show her my favorite parts!"
"That's because your favorite places aren't clean enough to show her around without a waiver and health insurance form."
"Eh-heh-heh... Oh yeah."
"Umm..." Dove finally spoke up without a trace of enthusiasm. "Do I... Do I really have to...? I mean, I... It's confusing. I'll just get lost again..."
Cyborg gave her an easy smile. "That's the point of this whole thing. Show you around, how to get places." Yet she still didn't seem to like Robin's idea nearly as much as everyone else.
"Why do you look more freaked out than Robin after Starfire threw out all the breakfast cereal?" (It had been a simple miscommunication involving expiration dates meaning food was bad AFTER the dates, not before. Starfire meant well. But apparently he "needs that cereal to think without going insane" and didn't touch the case files for two days.)
"The Tower's a big place, but it's not that scary. Trust me, I installed all the security systems and helped build the place myself."
"Yeah, Dove, lighten up!" Beast Boy enthused. "There's no reason to be scared of a little old tour. How else are you gonna find the bathroom in this place?"
Dove obviously didn't know the question was rhetorical. "I... wait for Raven, and... ask if she can show me?"
His shoulders went lax, expression and voice both deeply pitying her plight. "Dude, seriously?"
Dove pulled her shoulders up and shrugged timidly, the wave of embarrassment only exasperating her discomfort. "Um... Yeah...?"
"Girl, you are in DESPERATE need of this tour. Come on, I'll make that our first stop."
Cyborg was already heading out the door. Dove hesitated - glanced at Beast Boy to plead for help but he was watching the moving screen and just wished her "Good luck, dude - you'll need it." And she felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of abandoning Cyborg and bolting back to her room - wait, where was that again...? She really did have no choice but to take their tour and try to feel a little less incompetent and confused (she was dreading this already)... She gave another willowy sigh before Cyborg called "You coming?" and she trotted after him.
He'd taken her to the bathroom, shown her the elevator, explained the crime-stopping and hunger-halting functions of the crime operations room (which he proudly proclaimed also had one of the best surround-sound systems this side of the Pacific), and left her head spinning with too many words she didn't understand when he showed her his favorite place in the Tower: his garage, his work room, the place he loved to immerse himself in what he knew and cherished best.
"So?"
...There it was; the inevitable awkward silence descended over them the moment he prompted her reaction.
Dove glanced over and waited - but internally cringed as he seemed less and less excited with every passing millisecond. She wanted to share his excitement, she really did. But... telepathically detecting the surge of giddiness in his mind didn't mean she understood it, or shared it, or even knew how she was supposed to react to it. All she felt was an ever-deepening and hopeless lostness and confusion, praying it would end so she could just go back to her room and pretend she hadn't looked like such a floundering idiot...
"Soooo," he prompted again. He... obviously didn't know what to do here any more than she did.
Dove opened her mouth - and reached for the first thing she could think of to say. "Uhhm- Thanks for... showing me."
But Cyborg wasn't about to give up so easily. "Hey, you wanna see something really nice?"
He was already leading her over to the worktable where an open-faced and partially-dismantled yellow and black circle lay revealing its inner workings to the world. "Even you've gotta like music, right? I'm still working on the integrated speaker prototype, but I'm thinking a little music would make our missions go by a lot more quickly-" His voice adopted a light and almost mischievous tone. "-not to mention more entertaining and personalized. No hero should be without a soundtrack! So if I can finish the software for this tiny speaker and fit it into the communicator's framework..."
What on earth did he mean by missions...? Frame work? Proto-what? But before she could ask he flipped a tiny switch on the circuitboard, and suddenly her breath caught on the deep pulsations pounding through her chest the moment the music sounded; she put a hand over her chest and all she could utter was, "...Wow."
"Wha'd'you think? That's pretty impressive sound from such a tiny speaker, am I right?"
"It's... definitely loud, yeah," Dove said, trying to smother the rhythmic cringes. Loud sound... definitely was not her preference.
"Oh- Sorry." He switched it off the moment he saw her expression. "Not your thing after all?"
Dove swallowed, her heart still thudding from the overpowering bass. "I... I guess not." And now the overpowering sense that she'd somehow failed them both (being so KIND to her, trying to get her involved in things that made them happy but feeling too awkward and self-conscious to enjoy anything, let alone these things that confused her so deeply)...
"Cyborg? I... I'm supposed to meet Raven for training in an hour, and I have to eat beforehand, or..."
"I thought Robin said you guys cancelled today?"
Dove just quickly backed out of the garage with a small gesture of helpless resignation.
There was definitely a note of apology in her voice. But despite his confusion and the sudden urge to explain what she couldn't voice (which only made it all the more frustrating), Dove fled, and couldn't help thanking Azar that he didn't follow her back.
But she'd only made it halfway to her room when Starfire called her name - twice when Dove hesitated, and the taller girl flew in front of her - actually flew to catch up with her and unintentionally head her off, cutting off her route of resigned escape.
"Dove! I have not yet had the pleasure of speaking to you individually!"
"...Y- Yeah? I... don't think anyone did, besides, well, Raven..."
Even without the aid of telepathy or empathy or any sense of psychism whatsoever, it was all too easy for the emotion-oriented alien to see Dove's discomfort. "I trusted the touring has gone well thus far, but you appear more stressed than impressed! Please, what is eating at your head?"
Something in the girl's eyes - so open, so warm, so immensely expressive of concern and curiosity, was... unexpectedly disarming. Dove already felt a layer of unease dissolving away, but she still glanced towards the floor, fingers twisting in the edges of her cape. "I'm... uh. Not... really... enjoying this..."
"But our Tower is filled with so many wondrous things! Have you truly not found something to peek at your interest?"
Dove only shrugged. "No, I... just feel lost." And when she glanced up, Starfire's eyes were so open, so concerned, Dove couldn't help wanting to explain just a little bit more, if for no other reason than to assuage Starfire's shock and confusion. "I'm... not good with directions. And I'm not used to... big places."
"But is not all the world filled with big places?"
Dove glanced away again, shrugging uncertainly. "I... I don't know... I just... spent a lot of time, in... in a small house growing up."
"Then you have not adjusted to the multitude of directions here."
"...n... No." Embarrassment crested again as if Dove expected herself to feel at ease with the place the moment she stepped in the door. She knew it was ridiculous... but she still couldn't help feeling ashamed.
"But surely the boys have shown you something worth smiling for."
Dove cringed; again, that feeling of betraying their hospitality and good intentions rose, only this time more intensely as she confessed her disinterest in their passions. "Not... really... for me."
"But your smile was the intention of the tour." Her wide eyes were both saddened and determined, then switched to a fiercely thoughtful sense of solution-seeking. "Perhaps we should... occupy our phase of the tour with something you would like to do."
And those statements genuinely caught Dove so completely off-guard, she looked right up to Starfire's eyes with her mouth open and still. For someone whose fourteen years of existence had meant following plans, procedures, and protocols, the opportunity to form her own plan was... a shock, a rare opportunity, a novelty! And... this whole scheme was... for her? They actually bothered to put up with her excruciatingly shy social ineptitude in an attempt to make her smile? "Really?"
"Yes, yes! Tell me, Dove. What is it you would like to do?"
"Well... I..." ...Reading, watching clouds, peace and quiet - not exactly two-person activities, and suddenly Dove found this blank she was drawing painfully conspicuous and worrisome - she imagined this opportunity to find something she enjoyed shattering around her because she was too bewildered to think, eliminating the chance to salvage even a moment of joy from the otherwise harrowing tour. "...um." ...What did she like to do that was... tour-worthy? "I like to... cook?"
The alien's eyes lit up with an elated gasp. "Oh, that is one of my favorite pastimes as well! Come, I will lead you to the kitchen and I can tour with you the large cupboards and small dials of Earthly kitchens!"
Starfire grabbed her hand - Dove bristled - but the alien charged down the hallway so eagerly Dove's brief discomfort was lost in the swirl of her excitement. "Oh. Um... ...you sure it's not just going to be more... confusing?"
"I am," Starfire confirmed lightly. "It is quite simple once you are introduced to their functions! I have programmed auto-piloting coordinates more complicated than operating the microwave!"
...of course, to Dove 'programming auto-pilot coordinates' didn't sound like such a reassuring comparison...
But Starfire was already making conversation before they even turned the corner. "It is... typical for females to discuss one's clothes upon meeting, yes?"
And Dove was right back to feeling utterly lost. "I... wouldn't know."
"You are unfamiliar with conversations regarding garments and trinkets as well?"
Dove bit her lip; these customs were so DIFFERENT from... home. Her old home. But she'd do anything to avoid talking about it. Anything, anything to keep her mind off the searing grief, that wound in her mind sliced open by loss that had never begun to heal. "...well... that. And I don't... really... know anything about normal."
..anything. Even if it meant treading on uncomfortably personal grounds. She still felt so hesitant to talk, though it's easier when Starfire's presence seemed to glow in her vague and novice senses, warm and comforting...
"Nor I," Starfire told her, timbre suddenly dropping to a quieted and unfamiliarly saddened sound.
"...Oh." Dove found herself glancing away again. Had she been the cause of such sadness in such a usually bright and energetic person...? "I- I'm sorry..."
"It is not for you to be sorry for."
"Are... Are you okay?" Dove asked almost desperately. That guilt and the vicious contrast between her reticence and Starfire's absolute openness created a painful combination of remorse and doubt.
And she was so relieved when they arrived in the living room, and Starfire looked over her shoulder with an only-just-barely dampened smile. "I was not then. But I am now. And my ordeal allowed me to meet my friends, the Teen Titans! So, yes, I often miss my home, and I sometimes wonder what might have happened... but I am glad for the betterment of my circumstances. I am glad... that I am here."
Dove's eyes drifted back to the ground, and she paused, letting out a soft breath as the memories threatening her thoughts again with emotions she couldn't allow herself. "Yeah. I... I kind of know what you mean." Even if her 'gladness' hasn't really come yet. And unfortunately that barely-brushed sense of loss lingered in her mind, fragile and suppressed... emotional pressure that was weakened by her own efforts to distance herself and submerge the memories in the moment, but still exerting itself in her mind and creating an uneasy dread as she prayed she wouldn't lose control this time.
Starfire's quick-fire explanations of the stove, oven, microwave, cupboard organization, and contents, as well as expiration dates she now fully understood, suddenly dove them headfirst into the world of Earthen cooking; again Dove's head spun as she struggled to understand the concept of electricity and gas-powered flame, but the demonstrations here were something she could understand - something she could latch onto. Something that provided a relief so welcome from the raw, consuming grief...
Dove was so relieved to recognize grains and vegetables for what they were (while at the same time wondering at their properties and difference from those she was raised with) that she felt a crafty and curious sort of itch to work with them touching her thoughts, and it was Starfire's suggestion and Dove's nod that they should attempt to create something together. Dove hadn't had a warm meal in months, and hadn't been able to cook one herself, since... well... Starfire knew what she meant.
Spices, vegetables, eggs, rice, sauces - Dove's dormant curiosity crept up on her as they took the kitchen by storm, and Starfire giggled as Dove even pulled down her hood to delicately sniff each and every potential ingredient she could find. The kitchen was nowhere near as well-known to her as the one from her childhood... but this routine of utilizing her acute sense of smell with just a touch of creative curiosity was comfortable and familiar as the sight of home.
That day Dove would be the unsung miracle worker, guiding Starfire's culinary "art" into something rather edible, even delightfully so (aside from the heaps of chili powder, cumin, and coriander added while Dove debated between basil and lemon-pepper, of course). The unorthodox combination of rice, egg, and spices was in the oven at a temperature that "sounded... okay?" Neither impromptu chef had any idea which numbers were for what food. But 350 was near the middle of the dial and that seemed like a good compromise, right?
Starfire was giggling and clapping with triumph, and Dove even let the smallest, most hesitant smile cross her brightened face as the scent of cooking food wafted out from the oven, quite literally a scent of success. It seemed their experimental meal wouldn't turn out half bad...
But just when they seemed on the brink of a breakthrough, Dove's eyes swept the kitchen - landed on the glowing digital clock, and then her breath hitched as she realized they'd been in here for more than an hour. And either Dove was late for training, or if it was cancelled like Cyborg implied, she'd completely forgotten to meditate, and if her powers slipped again - oh, Azar, how was it four o'clock already?!
And now without the food to distract her, a weary sense of... social exhaustion was creeping up on her, dread that their next phase of the tour would only turn out as well as the first two... but she already felt jittery, frayed... Even more uncertain about how it could juxtapose so sharply against the sense of relief she'd felt just minutes before.
"Starfire, I- I'm so sorry but I-I think I have to go, it's- I'm... I'm sorry!"
"Oh. Then I will... be sure our casserole is cooked thoroughly, and you may celebrate with a slice for dinner?" Starfire tried to call after her. But her bright optimism wilted as the door closed behind Dove without so much as a goodbye.
Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire couldn't help discussing the adventure the moment they rendezvoused around that night's particular pizza dinner. And everyone's story was the same: All of their efforts fell to no avail.
And so the pattern remained: Dove incredibly nervous around the others, still barely even let them see her - her powers slip much more often when others are in the room when she wasn't using only monosyllabic responses and hiding her eyes, and she always seemed to hide behind Raven as if she would protect her from whatever she feared of the others.
After two days of this Dove stood in the kitchen waiting for her tea to brew, and they knew that had at least two minutes.
Robin jumped right in with a casual demeanor and what he hoped to be a gentle, coxing approach that wouldn't scare her off.
"You know, Dove, we'd just like to get to know you. But you always run away as soon as you can. Why is that?"
Dove's gaze remained locked in the depths of her teacup. "I... kind of want to talk to you - but I always freeze up, and I- I don't know how..."
Beast Boy immediately crooned, "There's nothing to it, little mama. Just be yourself."
Dove only shook her head. "That's... not so easy."
"Why not?"
Her voice was breathless and frightened as always; Robin noticed her nerves always doubled when they asked anything personal. Like really, really personal. But at least they finally got a straight answer. ...Almost.
"Because I - My mother... If- If anyone knows about me... Knows about my powers, they'll treat me with fear and hatred. They're so strong, so dangerous... How can you NOT?"
"Dove, we won't hate you just because you have powers."
"Yeah. Every one of us is something special. We're all a little different."
Beast Boy illustrated it by leaping off the arm of the couch and morphing into a lemur, landing with a "tuh-duh!" pose and his banded tail across Cyborg's shoulders.
"And there aren't a whole lot of us out there."
"So we've gotta stick together!"
But Cyborg and Beast Boy's words did nothing to soothe her unease. "That's... That's not the only..."
Starfire's offered insight (from a particularly odd heart-to-heart involving switched bodies and a puppet) came with sympathy and understanding in her wide emerald eyes. "It may be hard for you to believe. Raven once told me how judgmental the people of Azarath could be..."
"But, dude, we are nothing like that."
"That's not who WE are." Robin laid a hand on her shoulder, offering reassurance -
Dove only froze, her entire body tensed, and her eyes locked shut – She was obviously uncomfortable. But she didn't pull away. She only begged, "Please stop touching me..."
The hand withdrew, its owner confused. "Why - ?"
"It makes me feel sick." Her voice was uneasy, weak... She hesitated.
Then she rushed out the door.
And the Titans were left stunned, in equal parts confusion, determination, and helplessness.
And her tea was left steaming on the counter.
Cyborg scratched his head as Raven's arms folded, head bowed deep in thought. "Ooookay? That was weird."
Beast Boy hopped off his shoulders and landed in a human crouch, "Yeah, what's her deal? If she hates being touched so much why didn't she take your hand off, or just go away? I mean, even Raven didn't jump back if anyone touched her when we first-"
"It's because of Azarath," Raven broke in. "The lifestyle there is so pacifistic, they teach that even resisting something as simple as being touched is wrong."
Robin's brow was furrowed with concern; his hand was still held out as if subconsciously frozen for inspection. "But why was she so AFRAID?"
Raven mused, "I'm starting to get the feeling Dove didn't socialize much."
"But how are we to show her that there is nothing to fear?"
Raven could only answer with her best guess. "From what I've seen, Dove's going to need plenty of time to adjust. Let her build her confidence. I don't know what happened to make her FEAR people so much, but if we want any hope of helping her heal, we need to not rush it. Dove's in a fragile state. And she's AFRAID."
Every head in the room nodded with understanding, resigned and grudging and warm and thoughtful.
"I don't know how we'll do it..."
"...but we're sure gonna try."