Chapter 36
You probably thought I wouldn't get this far
You thought I'd end up in the back of a car
You probably thought that I'd never escape
I'd be a rat in a cage, I'd be a slave to this place!
Hey everyone! 35th chapter! So who's in a happy mood?! Show of hands! Klarion? Cherie?
Klarion/Cherie-Go away!
Me- Aww don't be so mean. Well anyway last chapter Raven sorta eh cracked.
Cherie-You went dark!
Me-I'm goth baby I always go dark, hell this whole fiction is dark. So how will Ivy and Harley be able to handle our Raven? Let's find out! ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!
"How're you feeling Raven?" Ivy asked, the day before; she, Harley, and Raven had gone out to rob Gotham's nightlife. They had started at Gotham mall, which was also where it had ended that night. The trio had run into Nightwing, the night ended with Raven trying to turn him into paste and Ivy stopping her. Raven was quiet while she sat at their table, she sighed; she thought she was feeling better, which was why she had agreed when Harley brought up going out. However she wasn't as up for it as she originally thought, she really did want to crush Nightwing though, she just regretted breaking down like she did. She looked up at Ivy and Harley who stood over her, curious to see if she was ok.
"I'm fine…" she grumbled. Then let out a sigh, "I'm…fine."
"Yaknow, maybe going into Gotham wasn't such a great idea." Ivy said, sitting down next to Raven, "Clearly you're not over your past grievances."
"I'm fine!" Raven said, "I mean…It was Nightwing, we all have problems with the Bat family."
"She's gotta point Red." Harley said with a nod. Ivy rolled her eyes.
"Ok, point taken." She said, then looked down to Raven who was somewhat hunched over the table, with her hands in her lap and Cherie on her shoulders. She had a point, everyone on the wrong side of Gotham Law had a well noted hatred toward Batman and his masked children. However, Ivy didn't want to run the risk of Raven losing control of her emotions like she had again. If this kept up it would end with Raven in an inhibitor collar and straight jacket, and no hope of getting released—and while normally it was every woman for herself in Gotham—Ivy really didn't want that to happen to the young woman.
"Even so, you can't go an lose control of your emotions like that Raven," She continued, placing a hand on Raven's shoulder, forcing Cherie to jump onto their table, "The first rule of being a villainess, is making sure your emotions don't get you caught. Otherwise you'll be saying hello to a new jail cell in belle Reve—because believe me, with your kind of power, you won't be in someplace like Arkham."
Raven looked up at Harley and Ivy a moment, then looked back down at her lap. "Yeah, I…I know, but…"
"No, buts about it kiddo." Harley said, "Kid or grown up, Batsy doesn't screw around when it comes to his idea of justice."
"I know." Raven hissed. She knew very well what those people on the justice League would do if they caught her. Especially if they found out that she had murdered all those men in the warehouse Harley and Ivy had found her in. Fate would probably dictate she be put down. Raven narrowed her eyes. Damn bucket headed bastard.
"But don't fret Raven," Ivy said, pulling Raven into a hug, much to Raven and Harley's surprise, "Harl and I will help keep that from happening."
"Why are you doing this?" Raven asked suddenly. Ivy released her and gave Raven a confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why are you two bustin your asses tryin to help me?" She clarified, then looked at the two with her crimson colored eyes. "I know you two—mostly from the news—and you guys don't stick your necks out for other people. What's the deal?"
Ivy and Harley looked to each other with surprise. They knew the question would eventually pop up. They just hadn't expected to explain themselves so soon. Somewhere after a few months but not so soon. Finally, one of them spoke.
"See the thing is…" Harley started then stopped.
"The thing is Raven, we used to be just like you." Ivy said. Raven cocked an eyebrow while Ivy dug through a random drawer and pulled out a photo book. She showed it to Raven, the book had a picture of a woman with red hair pulled back into a pony tail, green eyes, with glasses and wearing a lab coat. "This was me, before I became Poison Ivy. My name was Pamela Isley. I was attending college in Seattle, specializing in botany."
"I was just a young and innocent woman then. Before I met my professor." She continued, Raven's eyes flitted from Ivy to the picture of her previous self. There wasn't much different from her now, except for the green complexion and her hair was no longer pulled back. Ivy looked much better this way as she was now, or at least to Raven she was. Ivy continued, "My professor seduced me, persuading me to become his human test subject. Being the naïve woman I was back then I agreed. I was in love, or so I thought. The experiments were torturous. Eventually my professor fled Seattle authorities, and I was left as the woman you see before you."
"Did you ever get him back?" Raven asked simply, her eyes moving from the picture to Ivy. Ivy shut the book, rather harshly.
"That's a story not worth telling." She said. Raven nodded silently. Then Harley spoke up.
"Yeah, and I used to be a criminal psychologist, before I met my puddin." She said, Raven made a face, she knew Harley's story. Harley Quinn was used as an example for psychology class, of what happens when one falls for a patient. Needless to say, if Ivy's idea was to give a story of encouragement, Harley wasn't a good example.
"Ok, but that still doesn't explain why you people even thought to help me." Raven said, "Even if we are alike in that aspect. Why did you help me?"
"Because," Ivy began, "Seeing a young girl who'd been betrayed like you, alone in that building, all those…bodies. There was no way we could leave you like that."
Raven scowled, and scooted away from the duo a bit, "What're you saying?"
"We care about cha kiddo." Harley said. Ivy nodded.
"Harl's right on that." She agreed. Raven paused, taking in everything they said to her. It was strange. It had been so long since anyone had said something caring toward her and meant it. Though, it was hard for her to believe them. Then again they had no reason to be insincere toward her, they had rescued her from the hellhole she created in Gotham, they had taken her into their home and protected her from Nightwing—even if she didn't get to turn him into pulp—she was grateful. They had no reason to lie to her. they were friends, better, they were family. More so than her real family had ever been. The feeling of knowing that not just one, but two people did actually cared for her, looked out for her, it made her chest tighten. Raven looked up at the duo, and they looked back at her with a rather strange set of looks.
"What?" She asked with a slight scowl.
"Were your eyes always that color?" Harley asked. Raven made a face of confusion until Harley pull out a mirror from seemingly nowhere. Raven scowled.
"My eyes are always this blue." She grumbled.
"No, until just now they'd been completely red, with slits instead of pupils." Ivy explained.
"And ya had weird mascara streaks on ya face!" Harley shouted as she ran her index fingers down from her eyes. Raven scowled.
"I don't know anything about that last bit," She grumbled, "But my eyes tend to turn red every now and then. If I use magic, or get angry. Long story. Don't ask."
"So you have blue eyes." Ivy said placing her hands on her hips, "I'll admit, you look better with the blue."
"Uhm….thanks…I guess." Raven mumbled awkwardly.
"You blonde too? Cause that'd be pretty cool." Harley said, "It'd be like having my own minime!"
Raven pursed her lips and scowled, "Except I've darker skin, and darker eyes. But no, my hair is actually naturally this color."
"Huh, a natural blue. Now that whole Raven Blu thing starts to make sense." Ivy said. "Well Raven, you seem to be feeling much better I think."
"Yeah, I guess so." She said with a smile, "Ivy, Harley…thank you."
"Let's not get all mushy here or anything." Ivy said with a smile, "And hopefully next time we go out we can avoid the emotional breakdown."
"I think I can actually promise that." Raven said with her own smile. A genuine smile. It felt good, to smile a real smile. One that she actually meant, it felt like a thousand pounds had been taken off her shoulders.
You know what they say 'The eyes are the window to the soul' well Raven's eyes are very much indeed that. Short chapter lot's of fluff, but wasn't that heart to heart with the trio so sweet? Wait for me in the next chapter! We might even see some Klarion, maybe.