What a great idea.
...
Really.
...
This is absolutely a great idea.
...
How could it not be? One little potion and...poof...problem solved. And this is a problem that needs solving.
...
This is such a great idea.
...
Why shouldn't I trust her? I couldn't detect any maliciousness coming from her. If her intention was to hurt me I'd know. I'd have sensed it.
...
Okay so I haven't had a perfect success rate but...
...
That was years ago. My skills have improved. I don't fall for traps. Negative emotions are easy to detect.
...
So her methods were a bit odd. Calebog's is an odd place. For the love of Azar, if we're being totally honest here, I'm odd.
...
She's a businesswoman. She's just looking to sell her wares like anyone else. And I was just one more in a long line of customers. It's as simple as that.
...
This is such a great idea.
xxxxxx
It was Raven's belief that every important decision needn't require anything more than total silence. A chance to sit and listen to one's intuition. Ever since she had returned from Calebog's she'd been turning things over in her head. She'd gone out on an emergency call and had dinner with her friend's at their favorite pizza place, but the entire time, even as she battled alongside Robin, idly chatted with Starfire (avoided eye contact with Beast Boy) and shared a slice with Cyborg, her mind was buzzing. The potion, Beast Boy, Madame Yvonne, Beast Boy, the past, the potion, Beast Boy, the future, the potion. The potion. Her feelings. Everything was a jumbled mess. A thick black soup from which she was unable to extricate herself. It was then such a relief to finally get home. To at long last return to the solitude of her bedroom. To sit in familiar surroundings and examine things.
For about an hour, sitting quietly and cross-legged on her bed, she meditated. Asking questions, providing answers, debating the only opponent worth debating.
This is such a great idea.
Eyes snapped open as Raven awoke from her meditative state. Moving swiftly she made her way to her dresser. Opening the top drawer, pushing aside a few pairs of socks, she found the potion. The pink liquid inside had not lost it's ethereal glow. She could almost feel it, a kind of strange warmth working it's way through the diamond shaped glass casing. With a deep breath she gripped the cork between her thumb and index finger. One light tug, an audible pop and the vial was open. Almost immediately a strangely sweet aroma came wafting up from the vial's contents, kissing and licking her nose like a tongue made of candy. The scent was so alluring she actually found her mouth watering at the thought of experiencing such a taste. Swallowing nervously she closed her eyes and thought of Beast Boy.
She thought of his sweet, infectious smile and his funny, little, scratchy voice. She thought of his annoying but still somehow adorable giggle and disarming, green eyes. She thought of all the times they argued and fought, how no matter how bad things became they still made up afterwards. Of his fumbling apologies. Of his genuine nature. Of his kind words and encouraging attitude. Of how much she used to loath him and how much he used to complain about her when he thought she wasn't listening. Of how despite everything they somehow managed to still have fun together. And how even though he drove her absolutely crazy sometimes, he was still one nicest guys she'd ever known and one of the best friends she ever had.
She thought of this and with one last, calming breath, she drank.
xxxxxx
Two things became immediate apparent about the potion as soon as it passed over Raven's lips and splashed down her esophagus. The first was that it was far more palatable than she anticipated it being. It's flavor was something akin to cherry/apple soda. Astoundingly sweet and with a fizz that caused the entirety of her mouth to tingle as though thousands of tiny feet were having a dance party on her tongue. The second realization? That this was some really good s#!t. As fast as you could say, "That wasn't so bad," a powerful dizzy spell seized hold of her, and suddenly it was as if her head weighed two hundred pounds. Weird shapes and colors flooded her senses as the world around her twisted and spun. Struggling to stand up straight, she dropped the vial. On shaky knees she used her book cases for guidance as she stumbled her way to her bed, where she crashed against the mattress. Her eyelids fell and the world turned black.
xxxxxx
Raven awoke to the discomforting feeling of sunlight on her eyelids. From her tangled mess of covers she arose. Like a morning after drunk she sat, slightly hunched, head full of needles, stomach full of spiders, eyes struggling for clarity. For several moments she struggled to remember the previous day. Then, upon spying the empty vial still lying on the floor, it all came flooding back to her. In a flash she recalled the marketplace, Madame Yvonne and the potion. Just like the sorceress had said, she'd taken the potion and had her sleep. Now the only question was whether or not it worked, if she had really been cured.
It turned out to be far later in the morning than Raven had realized as, in a very uncharacteristic moment, she was the last Titan to enter the kitchen for breakfast. As soon as the doors opened she was greeted with the sight of her teammates scattered about the kitchen. The stove sizzled and hissed with cooking food and all four voices were chattering at once. Everything seemed normal. More importantly, and at least for the moment, everything felt normal. Starfire was the first to greet her, offering a hearty good morning, asking her how she slept, the usual. Robin, ever the observant one, recognized her lateness in rising and asked her if she was alright. She said she was fine and then made her way to the fridge, where Cyborg offered her breakfast (a collection of various meats topped with eggs). Then came the moment of truth. Beast Boy, sliding his way into the conversation and effectively placing himself between her and Cyborg's meat extravaganza, greeted her with a smile.
"Mmmmoorning Raven," he said, his voice dripping with stylistic confidence. Balancing a platter on one hand he held it out to her, placing it under her nose. "Look what I got for you this fine morning. Yummy, delicious, vegan friendly blueberry pancakes. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Come on, forget Cyborg's carnival of death. Sit down and have a stack. What do you say?"
Looking past the fluffy stacks of white and brown, Raven's eyes peered into Beast Boy's. For several seconds she stared long and hard, just waiting to feel the heat in her cheeks, the butterflies in stomach, and all the other cliches that nevertheless become so very, very true once you experience them for yourself. She stood there, staring at him, and waited. And waited. Seconds passed. Long enough for things to become awkward.
"Uhh, Raven?" said Beast Boy after a beat. He waved his hand back and forth in front of her eyes. "You okay."
She felt okay. But she needed to be sure. "Do me a favor," she said suddenly.
"Ooookaaay," answered Beast Boy, still somewhat confused.
Raven waved her hand and a small portal about the width of a basketball appeared beside her. She reached her arm elbow deep inside and when she pulled it back brought with it a pair of gold rimmed, aviator sunglasses with blue tinted lenses.
"Put these on," she said, offering them to Beast Boy.
Still holding the pancake platter in one hand, the green boy reached for the sunglasses. Fumbling with them for a moment, he then slid them onto his nose. "Okay, now what?" he asked.
"Now say, 'How you doin,' mama?" she answered. Despite her strange request, her tone was just as dry and unassuming as it ever was.
Beast Boy's eyebrows arched in confusion. He turned and looked at Cyborg who only offered a bewildered shrug in response. Not knowing what else to do, he simply did as he was told. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked back at Raven. "Uhh, how you doin,' mama?" he said stiffly.
Not satisfied, Raven rolled her eyes and barked, "Like you mean it."
Her outburst made him jump, but the green boy was quick to recover. Grinning like a bon vivant, he tilted his head, pulled the glasses down slightly so that his emerald eyes peered over the rims. "How you doin,' mama? he asked again, this time with feeling. He even added a little wink for good measure.
Relief flooded Raven's insides. Nothing. She felt absolutely nothing. There was nothing attractive about Beast Boy in the slightest. Such an act would have been a knockout punch right to the feels the day before, but now, honestly it just looked silly. She even felt she might have been a little annoyed by it. How wonderful.
"Alright then," said Raven, after breathing a small sigh of relief. "Sure, I'll try some pancakes."
She then turned and headed for the table, leaving both Beast Boy and Cyborg to stared dumbfounded for a few moments, until Cyborg's breakfast started to burn and effectively heaved everyone back into reality.
For the remainder of the day Raven didn't worry about anything else. She really felt like her old self again. She read. She trained. She fought crime. She meditated with Starfire and helped Cyborg work on the T-Car. Everything was without distraction. She sat up watching bad tv until she was tired then went to bed, and in the morning she woke up feeling refreshed, ready to do the whole thing all over again. The days were a steady influx of comfort, excitement and predictability. Lather, rinse, repeat. At long last, she was cured.
xxxxxx
But of course she wasn't cured. It simply took her a few days to fully realize it. The first hint came on Saturday, during the team's scheduled movie night. Robin had dug up and irreverent comic gem from the 80s. The plot was ludicrous and the humor was broad, but Raven didn't mind. She didn't usually. On this night however, something was different. As the farcical insanity rolled on, bringing forth great belly laughs to the mouths of her teammates, more and more Raven started to feel unwell. She began to feel a sharp pain in her temples. It came in spurts, starting out dull and manageable, fading away only to then come racing back stronger than before. For the first forty five minutes of the film she attempted to hide her discomfort. Eventually she realized her pains seemed to be falling in time with team's laughter. Beast Boy's manic giggle in particular seemed to cut through her like a rusty chainsaw. With every raspy, high-pitched chortle and guffaw, the pain in her head intensified until finally things became just too great to bear, so she simply excused herself and went to her room. She took an aspirin, shut the curtains by her bed and fell asleep.
The next day she woke up feeling better. The pain was gone and she felt good. She arrived to a mostly empty common room, Robin being the only occupant (he was the only other team member who routinely woke up as early as her). The masked man greeted her warmly and she responded in kind. She then went to the kitchen and began preparing her usual tea and cereal. She set the kettle on the stove and retrieved the box of cornflakes from the cabinet. Then the common room doors swished open.
"How's it goin' err'body?" came a high, squeaky voice.
Horrible shooting pain erupted without warning in Raven's head as Beast Boy's morning call split her skull like a battle-ax. The cereal box in her hand turned black and erupted like a volcano, sending a shower of corn flakes soaring into the air. Clenching the now tattered box in her hands, Raven's stood wide eyed and motionless for several moments as the room's other occupants looked on in equal surprise. With a collection of errant cornflakes clinging to her hair she turned to them. Her face burned with embarrassment, as she swiftly made her exit, racing out of the room like a bat out of hell. She passed by Starfire in the hall but didn't stop to say hello, simply kept flying until she was back at her bedroom.
Throwing herself against her door, she slid down until her butt hit the carpet. She looked at her hands in disbelief. Just what in the hell was that? It had been years since she'd been surprised enough to explode something and yet somehow Beast Boy simply coming in and giving his usual morning greeting was enough to send her powers soaring over the edge. And then there was the pain. The same pain she felt last night. Already it had subsided, but what made it come rushing back like that?
Although her head no longer hurt, she went to her medicine chest and got another aspirin just to be on the safe side. She downed it dry and for several moments she simply stood staring at herself in the bathroom mirror.
For the next several hours she decided to lay low. Ignoring her hunger she kept to her bedroom, busying herself with reading, meditating and practicing rudimentary spells. At one point Starfire came looking for her, bringing with her a corn muffin and a glass of orange juice which Raven gladly accepted. Though Raven refused to reveal what was wrong, the orange girl nevertheless stayed by her side. The two of them did some tai chi and finally Raven started to feel at ease.
It was a little after lunch time, around one o'clock, when Raven decided it was time she ventured back out into the tower. Centered once more, calm, cool and collected, she made her way down the hallway towards the common room. She was nearly there with she crossed paths with Beast Boy heading in the opposite direction with a dinner plate in hand.
"Hey Rave," he called.
"Beast Boy," she answered with a nod.
He smiled as he said, "I was just coming to see you. I didn't want you to miss out on lunch, so I snagged you a piece of the pie." He then offered her the plate where two fat slices of cheese pizza sat, bubbling and steaming, bathing in a mouthwatering puddle of their own grease.
Just the sight of those gorgeous slices made Raven's belly roar with approval. "Thank you," she said, her eyes fixated on the plate. "I really appreciate-"
Raven looked up just as Beast Boy handed her the plate. Their eyes met and he quickly gave with one of his trademark toothy grins.
"I appreciate..." Raven tried once again to finish her sentence but surprisingly realized she couldn't. For some reason she found herself captivated by Beast Boy's teeth. The way they were shaped, their color. The way they lined his mouth. Short, fat and white... And suddenly all she could think of at that moment, the only thing that dominated her thoughts, was how much they reminded her of maggots. In a flash it was as if the green boy had a mouthful of them. All bloated and slimy, trying desperately to wriggle their way out. Squirming over his lips, leaving shiny, glistening trails down his chin and along his cheeks, every movement the little buggers made brought with it a juicy, popping or smacking sound. Raven's stomach churned with the image. Her salivary glands filled as her throat tightened. Her eyelids sank and she suddenly became very dizzy.
Beast Boy barely had time to ask if she was alright before she was shoving the plate back into his hands and pushing her way past him, holding her hand over her mouth and racing for the communal bathroom. Only by blasting the door off the hinges did she make it in time. Hugging the bowl like an old friend, for several minutes she prayed to the porcelain god. Dropping to her knees she sang the morning after psalm. With a spirited Huuaaghh-lelujah she emptied the contents of her stomach, painting the bowl in various shades of orange and yellow until at long last she was saved.
Flushing her stained glass portrait down the drain, she sat back and leaned against the bathroom stall. Tearing a piece of toilet paper from the roll she wiped her mouth. Her stomach was calm once more but now her brain hurt worse than ever. What the hell was happening to her? She was undoubtedly feeling ill and yet, it was all so strange the way the symptoms seemed to come and go, almost as if they were being triggered by something.
"Uhhh Raven?" Beast Boy's voice came floating into the bathroom from the hallway. There was no longer a door to knock on so instead he simply stood on the other side of the wall and called to her. "You okay in there?"
"I'm fine," replied Raven bitterly as the pain in her temples began once more. "Go away."
"Do you need me to get anything for you? Like a glass of water or something?"
Raven groaned. That voice. That raspy, nasaly, squeaking...Every word was like a smoke detector going off in her head. "I said I'm fine," she spat.
"So uh, you probably don't want this pizza right now. I'll just put it in the fridge for you, okay?"
Ice picks in her brain. Rabid weasels gnawing at her frontal lobe. "Whatever, just go."
Things were quiet for a beat and then, "...Are you sure you're alright?"
Frustration and anger welled up in Raven's body, quickly replacing any lingering sickness. This was just so like him. He never knew when to quit. How many times did she have to tell him to leave her alone before he finally did it? He was always doing this. Always bugging her. Always driving her crazy. He was like a swarm of mayflies, just constantly getting in her face, never letting her have any peace. Why couldn't he just leave her alone. She wasn't sure when it happened, but quick as a whip she suddenly found herself in the doorway, bearing down on him.
"What is wrong with you? Why can't you ever take the hint? I don't need your help. In fact I don't want you anywhere near me. Your a pain, a nuisance. You're a little green boil on the ass of the world." Raven hardly even realized it, but there was a darkness creeping into her voice. Her register became low and menacing as her mass increased. Soon she was towering over the green boy. Her teeth turned to needles. Her eyes licked and spat with hellish red flames. "I can't stand you. Everything about you is irritating. You're a waste of space, a waste of life. You're a constant reminder of the failures of the human race. I HATE YOU!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, it was as if someone had thrown cold water on her. In a snap the flames in her eyes extinguished and her stature returned to normal. At the same time Beast Boy's ears drooped. His shoulders slumped and his mouth turned down. "Sorry," he said quietly, his voice dripping with sorrow. "I didn't mean to bother you." He then turned and began heading the opposite direction back towards the common room.
Beast Boy's sadness hit Raven like a shot. She struggled to speak, to say anything that might heal the wounds she had created, but nothing came out. She simply stood there and watched as the despondent green boy slowly sulked his way around the corner and disappeared from sight. Overwhelmed and now incredibly fearful of her own actions, Raven quickly headed back for her room. As she arrived her mind raced, struggling to piece together what had just happened. It wasn't right. This whole thing just wasn't right. She didn't believe any of the things she'd said, and yet they came pouring out of her mouth so freely, like they'd been planned. It was as if something else were controlling her, feeding her these horrible thoughts, forcing them to the forefront of her mind.
Something in her head.
There was something wrong with her head.
xxxxxx
Being born half demon made Raven very susceptible to evil thoughts. This meant her anger needed a very specific kind of control. Raven's anger was not like a normal human's. Her's was a special Rage that made her a danger if she did not take specific precautions to make sure it was kept in check. Fortunately, over time, with years of meditative practice and the help of her mirror she had gotten very good at this. Unfortunately, emotions can still be very unpredictable forces.
Rage's realm was where she kept her deepest and most darkest thoughts. It was a scorched landscape full of dead trees and dried grass. Great dust storms kicked up at random. Fires burned out of control and clouds of grey smoke choked the sky. Navigating her way through a maze of blackened oaks, Raven ventured without pause through Rage's realm. Past the blackened chasms and boiling lakes she went until at long last she came to a cave in the center of a clearing, deep in the heart of the desiccated forest. A massive structure made of haphazardly placed stones and boulders, it yawned wide and menacing before her, a gaping mouth leading to a dark and pitiless void. She came to rest a few yards away from the entrance. She always hated doing this, but she had to be sure. She had to make certain that Rage was still under control. So, swallowing her nervousness, she stood by the cave and waited. And waited. And waited. She was starting to fear the worst when from deep within the cave there suddenly came a low growl like that of a mountain lion. Struggling to peer through the darkness, she continued to watch. Soon there came patter of rapid footfalls. A flash of red pierced the darkness of the cave as Rage came roaring out.
Rage was Raven in her darkest form. While initially appearing as simply a duplicate of herself wearing a dark red cloak, over the years her appearance had mutated into something almost completely alien. Only vaguely now did she look like the woman she was meant to represent. Her grey skin had become a hellish red. Her well combed violet hair had turned white and now fell in a mess of gnarls and tangles to her shoulders. Her teeth were like daggers and her nails had grown long and black like claws. Her features where pointed and angular, making her appear more beast-like than human. She was a dark and terrifying reminder of Raven's roots, and unfortunately a tragic necessity.
Rage's razor sharp teeth gnashed wildly she lunged at Raven. The ripped and tattered remains of what was once her cloak billowed out behind her, clinging to her neck as she ran. Closer and closer she got. She opened her jaws wide and with a manic roar she lunged. It was then that the chains around her wrists tightened. The big, iron links reached their limit. The locks held and suddenly she was halted, just inches from Raven's face.
For several seconds Rage struggled against her bonds. She snapped and growled. Her arms, what little she could move them, strained to reach out and wrap themselves around Raven. Her black claws swiped awkwardly at the air, trying desperately to tear her to pieces. Finally reaching exhaustion, Rage's attack slowed. Her long white hair hung in her face as she slowly retreated back several paces, back to the mouth of her layer. Getting low to the ground, she rested on her haunches like an animal. It was only then did she speak.
"You'll have to forgive me," she said, her voice coated with an odd, animalistic hiss. "I don't get to entertain guests very often. I guess I got a little...excited."
What was truly terrifying about Rage was that, out of all her emotions, somehow she was the one that had acquired the most sentience. Initially she was just a whirlwind of teeth and anger, but time spent in captivity had taught her how to play nice. How to bide her time and watch for signs of weakness. It was exactly what made her so dangerous.
"There's no apologizing for you," answered Raven coldly.
The manifestation smirked. It bared it's teeth and a small trickle of saliva dripped from it's jaws down to the ground. "And to what pleasure do I owe this surprise visit?"
"Don't get cheeky. You know why I'm here. I only wanted to make certain you were still under control."
"And am I?"
"It would appear so."
"You sound disappointed."
Truthfully she was. If somehow her Rage had managed to escape she would at least know how to deal with that. And yet, here she was exactly where she was supposed to be. That meant that whatever was causing her distress was still out there.
Raven's thoughts were interrupted by the always unnerving sound of Rage's laughter.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing. So now that you know I didn't cause your little temper tantrum with the filthy, green simpleton, I guess that means you'll be leaving now, right?"
"What are you getting at?"
Rage grinned. "I really shouldn't tell you. But at this point I'm not sure you'll even be able to stop it. You're always so quick to blame me for everything. Oh it's not me. It's my RAGE. Not me. Never me. If only I could get my RAGE under control."
"What are you talking about?"
Rage chuckled again. Moving on all fours, she made her way along the ground to a pile of very human looking bones. "There is something here," she said, tossing aside a few femurs. and knocking over a cracked rib cage. "Something new."
"New?"
"Hideous and wonderful. And strong. So very, very strong," replied Rage. She gnawed on what looked like a clavicle in between sentences. "I have seen it. Moving through the realms. A creature not of your creation." She chuckled wickedly. "But then again...maybe it is. Just what exactly have you been up to?"
Raven didn't answer. She only turned and walked away, leaving Rage to simply laugh and retreat back into her cave. Though she hated to admit it. She now believed she knew what was wrong.
xxxxxx
A rather discomforting image awaited Raven as she arrived at the entrance to Passion's domain. The solid oak doors were in disarray. The splintered wood and the loose door handles heavily suggested forced entry. Most alarmingly she found what appeared to be a putrid sludge dripping from the broken doorhandles. A sort of dark salmon colored slime, sticky like honey, but with the gritty texture of mud. It poured in slow-motion from the handles, stretching in a long mucus-y tendril to the floor where it formed a sloppily coiled pile. Avoiding the sludge and using her cloak like a glove she pushed the doors open to the gallery. The air inside was gag inducing. The atmosphere felt heavy and wet like an attic that hadn't been cleaned. The art exhibits themselves, while still very much intact, seemed less vibrant than they were before. The colors in the portraits had dimmed. The statues all possessed chips and fractures and everything was coated with a thin layer of dust. Along the floor she found traces of the strange muck in the form of little smears and piles. Rage was right. There was indeed something terrible here.
Treading carefully, she followed the trails down the hall until she reached the door to the Beast Boy wing. Much like the main entrance she found the door locks broken and muck on the handles. Swallowing nervously she pushed her way inside only to find utter destruction waiting for her. Whatever had forced its way in had laid waste to the exhibit. Every piece of art had been defaced or vandalized in someway. Portraits had been torn and scattered. Sculptures lay smashed and broken on their sides. Busts were beheaded. A collection of stained glass figurines had been shattered to dust. The massive marble statue, the most recent work to Raven's knowledge, had been reduced to nothing more than half a torso balanced precariously on one wobbly leg. And scattered everywhere, staining the walls and floor were more streaks and piles of the strange filth.
As Raven continued to survey the carnage, she soon became aware of slow movement coming from the corner of the room. Treading lightly she approached as, from beneath the torn canvas of a massive portrait that had previously hung high and mighty on the wall, emerged Passion. Her hair was a mess. Her violet smock was a tattered shadow of its former self. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were stained with tears.
"It's gone," breathed the little emotion weakly. "It's all gone."
"What happened?" asked Raven, showing concern.
"I can't get through to it. It won't let me build. Everything I create, it destroys."
"Who? Who did this?"
Passion's gaze met Raven's. "Something horrible," she murmured. It was then that Passion's eyes opened wide with primal terror. For a split second her body tightened and then all at once she vanished in a flash of light and puff of smoke. For a moment Raven was confused. Then she heard it. A low, guttural growl, ending in an ominous hiss. Coming from right behind her.
What a great idea.