Hey kids! After way too much partying, moving to New York City, more partying, and starting college, I'm finally back. Enjoy!
Am I guilty or am I just waiting around
For the tide to come in so the truth can come out
And if I had a dollar for every time
I repented the sin and commit the same crime
I'd be sitting on top of the world today
-Emilie Autumn, "God Help Me" (Opheliac, 2006)
/
"It's not even like a big fucking deal, you know? But I get crushed with this huge-ass assignment due next Tuesday, even when I have to work this whole fucking weekend. I need someone to cover for me, but everyone seems to have plans," Kristen complained as she fixed Raven's tea. "Plus, my professor is totally waiting for me to screw up again so she can fail me for the semester."
"I think you're imagining things," Raven told the barista. She was a tall, thin girl with a platinum blonde pixie haircut, wearing a long-sleeved grey sweater, jeans, and a blue apron. Raven's chatterbox friend spared her a roll of her grey eyes.
"I know," she sighed. "I'm just frustrated. Here, I'm gonna take my break now. Wanna stick around?"
The Titan checked the time on her communicator. "For a little bit, sure."
"Dave! Takin' my break!" The girl called to the back of the little café. A few of the customers looked up, but to most this was a regular occurrence. It was a trendy little hole-in-the-wall place, wedged between a movie theatre and a Laundromat. The décor was complete with black and white photographs on the walls and matching chairs and light fixtures. Raven liked it. A lot of the customers were regulars, so that meant less people to deal with. She dressed in civilian clothes when she went here, mostly because she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself. Today she wore dark jeans, a white T-shirt and a dark blue sweatshirt.
Kristen was beginning to become a good friend, even if it was she who did most of the talking during their conversations. She fixed herself a cup of coffee-strong, black. Raven grimaced. While she could take her tea without any frills, drinking coffee without both cream and sugar was something she couldn't stand.
The two young women slipped into a nearby booth, and Kristen was chatting excitedly again. The sorceress mentally ran through her spell books again. Somehow, they were going to have to keep Heaven and Hell from warring with each other on Earth. Making the tiny, populated planet a battleground wouldn't do so well for the citizens of this world. Raven leaned her chin on her palm, staring past her friend, who eventually noticed.
"Alright, what's eating you?" She asked, tapping the table to get Raven's attention. Her rainbow pride bracelet clanged noisily, which startled Raven out of her thoughts.
"Sorry," the violet-haired girl said, shaking her head. Then she looked determined. "Does Veronica know any seeing spells?" She asked. She knew Kristen's girlfriend had been practicing witchcraft since she was small.
Kristen rolled her eyes. She wasn't much of a fan of witchcraft, but she supported her girlfriend anyway. "I have no idea. Want me to ask her?"
"Please," Raven said. "I've tried several, but none of them are powerful enough to give me access to the powers I need."
Kristen glanced at her cell phone. "I'll talk to her tonight. Come by tomorrow. My break's almost over," she smiled apologetically.
"Thanks, Kristen," Raven gathered her black jacket and waved goodbye to Dave, who was just coming out of the kitchen to inform Kristen that her break was over.
The teen was shocked by the icy winds that assaulted her as soon as she stepped outside. With her hair blowing in all different directions, Raven struggled to button up her jacket and shoved her hands into the pockets. California usually did not get this cold, but lately they had been getting East Coast November temperatures. Finding a secluded area in an alleyway, she set off into flight towards the tower.
/
Gabriel was sitting at the kitchen table, regaling Starfire with tales of the epic battles he had fought in when Raven walked in. She quietly made her tea and grabbed an apple, joining Beast Boy and Cyborg on the sofa. Robin was nowhere to be found.
Folding her legs underneath her, she glanced over the papers her two teammates were going through. They were printouts of information the Justice League had sent over to them, but Raven could tell they were mostly useless. The League's dealings in magic were sparse.
"Look at this," Cyborg said, pulling out one piece of paper with a traditional pentacle on it. Underneath the pentacle were ancient characters, Sumerian, from what Raven could guess. What was interesting was that within the diagram was an image of an angel, its wings spread so that it touched the edge of the circle. The angel's arm's were spread wide in an inviting gesture, and at his feet lay the body of a horned demon.
"Is that supposed to be the devil?" Beast Boy asked, pointing to the body.
"No. I think it's supposed to be the Horned God in the Pagan religions," Raven said, peering at the printout. "The pentacle is a witch symbol. Witches usually worship three stages of the Goddess-Maiden, Mother, and Crone-but the Horned God is also important in some spells."
"And the Horned God isn't necessarily evil," Cyborg added. "At least, not evil in the Heaven/Hell sense."
Raven nodded. "But why would a Pagan symbol feature an Abrahamic figure defeating a main deity in that religion?" She mused. "I can try to translate the Sumerian, but I don't know how much it'll tell us."
Her cybernetic friend handed her the paper. "See what you can get out of it. How're the seeing spells you were working on going?"
"I'm enlisting help from an experienced witch. None of the ones I was taught reach the powers I need. I think she might have some clue."
Beast Boy frowned. "I thought we weren't supposed to tell anyone."
"What aren't we supposed to tell anyone?" Robin's voice sounded from behind them.
The three turned to face him. "About Gabriel," the shape shifter told him.
"I need a witch's help to conjure a successful seeing spell. I'm not connected to Earth enough to do it on my own," Raven explained.
Robin's face was lined with worry. "I don't want to cause panic in the city. Find a way to do it on your own, or have one of us help you." With that, he turned away from them and walked back into the kitchen, eyeing Gabriel with suspicion.
Raven sighed and locked eyes with Beast Boy. "He is a massive pain in the ass."
