The sunlight was above, emitting from the sun that was nearly vertical in the sky, universally signaling that it was close to midday. Its light pierced the treetops high above the, columns of light visible, as the surrounding shadows were broken up from them. The ambient surroundings were nearly silent, almost disturbing to one. Yet, the only sound that managed to break the engulfing nature was footsteps. These footsteps belonged to a lone female. She trudged along, hefting a backpack full of necessities for her to survive on the go. Each step she took, her violet hair seemed to bounce and flutter as it managed to absorb some of the energy from those steps. Her lone, amethyst eye remained locked forward, the other would follow suit, but was ghost-white, unable to take in any kind of vision for the remainder of its existence. She reacht inside her jacket, pulling a folded-up piece of paper, undoing its many annoying folds, holding it in front of her.
"Let's see here," she told herself, poking a point on the map, "if I am here…then that puts me about…"
She ran her finger down the trail she was on that was represented on the map, stopping at a small village marked on the map.
"This is the nearest…civilization," Raven lolled over, "so I suppose I'll stop here before I go on to…wherever I guess I choose. That is one thing that still baffles me, I have no clue as to where I am supposed to be going, or what exactly is my destination is, but all I do know is that my goal is to return home."
Raven paid no attention to where she was heading, her face seemingly buried in the map she held in front of her.
"He! Verlassen Sie eine Weise!" A man yelled, getting Raven's full attention.
She looked up, finding herself oncoming with an old pickup truck, obviously belonging to a farmer. Raven jumped out of the vehicle's path, just as it rumbled by on the narrow, gravel road. She had long departed from the lane that led to Heinrich's residence.
"Traurig!" Raven yelled back, knowing she was in the wrong for not paying attention, only to get an obnoxious wave from the eccentric farmer.
"Well," she thought after the vehicle continued out of sight, "now that that's over with."
She looked at the road that lay ahead of her, making sure that it was clear. Raven continued walking once more, bringing the map up to view once more.
"Ok," she said to herself, finding her position and her destination on the map once more. "From my current position, this town here is about a 3 hour's walk away…"
Raven checked her watch upon her left wrist, one of the many other items that Heinrich purchased upon Raven's request.
"…so that will make it about 6:00 P.M., give or take 15 minutes, if I continue at this pace."
With a smirk of satisfaction, Raven folded the cumbersome map up and tucked it back in her inside pocket of her jacket. She wiped her brow with the sleeve of her jacket, the weight of her belongings, as well as what she needed, beginning to affect her stamina.
"I do say this though," she told herself once more, not used to being alone, but needed to talk to someone, eve if it be herself, "if Heinrich hadn't let me help him out with chores, I would have never got my strength back. In a sense, I could have considered it training, because, it has trained my body for my journey ahead of me. Anywho, I suppose I should be prepared for anything that lays ahead of me, seeing how I am in a country I know little about, thousands of miles from home, and no way of returning, yet. I will return to the Tower, I don't know when, but I will."
Raven allowed her eyes to wander, taking in the beautiful sights around her.
"To think, any other time, this would seem like a vacation," Raven thought, cracking a faint smile. "I really wished it was, at least it would be enjoyable, at least I wouldn't be alone."
"You're never alone, child," Slade's eerie voice announced itself within her mind without warning, startling her.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Raven quickly replied, blowing him off in an attempt to ignore him.
"Give in to your doubt, Raven," he beckoned, "doubt leads to anger, anger leads to rage. That is just what I want from you child, rage."
Raven took out a bottle of water from the side of her backpack, taking the cap off, drinking from it.
"You can only ignore me for so long, Raven," Slade growled, becoming angered at Raven's silence. "Ignorance may be bliss, but that will only lead to self-doubt. Either way, child, you cannot escape it. It will happen, either by your choice, or by mine, but it will happen."
She merely applied the cap back upon the bottle, placing back in its pouch on the side of her backpack.
"If it does, it does, Slade,' Raven nonchalantly replied, not being phased one bit by this haunting apparition within the confines of her subconscious. "You are really becoming a pest though. Why don't you do something useful, then I might pay attention to you every once in awhile."
"I am something more than a mere pest, Raven," Slade informed, "I am the thing that you watch for behind you back, watching, waiting."
Raven turned her head to either side looking behind her, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't see anything, are you sure you are back there?" Raven tested him, knowing she was only making him that much madder as she toyed. "Out of all seriousness though, Slade, give it up, you are only wasting your time."
"I will not rest until I-"
"Put a sock in it, ok?" Raven interrupted, finally losing her cool as she stopped walking. "Just leave me alone. Nothing will allow you to gain control, and I am really sick and tired of hearing your voice, it makes my skin crawl."
"My work here is done, for now," Slade chuckled, "I'll keep in touch Raven, but for now, ta-ta."
"Bastard," Raven growled as she continued walking once more, remembering her goal she had set only moments before.
She shook her head, attempting to rid her self of what seemed like a never-ending plague upon her mind, only toying with her emotions, ravaging her mind to the point of a mental breakdown, but yet, she continued to push forward, knowing that Slade, nor whatever he had planned, even though it was merely a figment of her imagination, wasn't going to dethrone her stability. Raven continued down the gravel path, her mind and body attempting to relax, not wanting to have a loss of control over what little power that remained in her vessel of a body, knowing the end result could be deadly to innocents around her if she didn't contain it. As thought before, Raven noticed that she was able to use her emotions as a powerful weapon, noticing how much further she could push the envelope than she could before, able to use anger, even rage, to her advantage, but she treaded lightly out of fear. There were dire consequences for taking part in such actions, so she refused to use it unless it was an absolute emergency. Also, as a bonus, Raven's own abilities allowed her to easily accept the martial arts that were bestowed upon her. She learned what took Slade many years to master in only a year, but, she was also unrefined, if she hoped to improve her technique and become educated in it, she needed to further her teachings. She dwelled upon that thought for a moment, thinking of how she could do just that.
"Since I don't seem to have my powers any longer, or at least to where I can use them as a weapon," Raven quietly said to herself as she walked along at her predetermined pace. "I need to focus upon what I am capable of doing, and that just so happens to be what Slade taught me. It's the only offensive weapon I possess now, or at least until I can find a way to get my powers back. If I ever hope to return to Jump City as a Titan and be effective, I must find a way."
Raven's expression changed ever so slightly, as if she had remembered something.
"Wait a minute," she continued, "what about that martial arts Master that Robin went to several years ago? From what he said, she was elderly, but I'm sure she's still around, maybe she could help me. Something…unusual inside of me is telling me for some reason to seek her out and obtain her teachings, I can't explain it, but it's there. Only problem is that, well, she's in Southern China, and I'm in Germany, and it doesn't take a genius to do the math, I'm a good ways away from her. It would take forever if I went on foot, but I can't fly, take a bus or train, I have no kind of legal documentation or identification with me, I'm an illegal citizen no matter where I go, so on foot I must travel. Which brings on other questions, as in, how am I going to get money to fund my travels if I can't work since technically, I don't exist? I'll figure something out, until then, I'll just have to roll with what life throws at me."
The day passed on as Raven's thoughts entered and exited her focus, anything from attempting to find a solution to her current situation, all the way to her fond memories of home, and those of Garfield.
"If I know how he is," Raven thought, "he's already used that serum to revive Terra. I don't blame him, out of all honesty; I would have done the same thing it I was in his shoes. I know that he doesn't want to be alone, but I also know where his true feelings lie, and that is all that matters to me. Still it is going to be somewhat…difficult, maybe even awkward when I come home, seeing how Terra is, she is wanting to rekindle what relationship they had built before she revealed her deception to all of us. I've…forgave her for her betrayal, but she has lost my trust and friendship. I don't hate her, dislike maybe, but she needs to prove herself and her loyalty to me and the others as a Titan before I can call her friend once more. When you think about it, her and I are…similar. Terra sacrificed herself for us, the city, and get rid of Slade, which is how he should have stayed if it weren't for my bastard father. I almost did the same in a sense. She's returned now; I know she has, so all I can do is hope to do the same."
Raven took notice to the sky, seeing that the once-bright sun was nearing the western horizon, beginning to give off it's usual orange-red glow of the tell-tale sign of a sunset, but it was still noticeably above the low-lying mountains. The trees had lessened in their denseness over the gravel path, Raven interpreting that she was nearing some kind of civilization, as the trees had been cleared out for settlement. She checked the watch upon her wrist, seeing that its luminescent hands rested upon the time of 5:37 P.M.
"Can't be much further," She commented to herself, resifting her backpack's weight as her feet continued to press forward, even though they were killing her. "At least I hope it isn't much further."
Her logic wasn't wrong, within a matter of 10 minutes, Raven found herself on an actual paved road, she first she had even saw in what seemed like ages. Shoddy, wooden fences ran along side either side of the road, creating boundaries between each owner's land, all of which appearing to belong to farmers. Raven also saw many more vehicles pass by, ranging from large trucks, all the way to a simple motorized scooter, but to anyone, it was still a relatively small town, but it was civilization, which was what Raven was looking for. As she passed the farms, the streets became more of what you would see in a city, making it that much more familiar to her, as well as the small, quaint buildings that seemed to represent the town's square, a small park, which was more of a garden, was in the center of it. Most of them seemed to be nothing more than residential dwellings, but Raven could make out a store of some kind, a restaurant with an outdoor café, and a filling station. Several people were out and about, tending to their personal duties, whatever they may have been. She was able to walk upon the sidewalk finally, getting out of the road to avoid traffic, but it didn't come at a cost. All those that made eye contact with Raven only stared as she passed them, seeing the visible damage to her eye that would forever remain with her. Their eyes seemed to pierce her very soul, as each and everyone of them damaged her mentally, making her to seem like an outcast, which wasn't far from the truth, no matter how much she wished to deny it. After crossing an intersection and making her way to the café, Raven took a seat, setting her backpack down next to her, propping her feet up in the chair across from her. A waiter quickly walked up to Raven, grabbing her attention out of surprise as she attempted to relax.
"Hallo Fräulein, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?" He politely questioned, taking out a small pad of paper with a pen, preparing to write down whatever it was that Raven ordered.
"Gerechter Tee, Kräuter, wenn Sie es haben, und eine Zeitung, bitte." Raven replied, watching him scribble down her requests.
"Ist alles das?" He asked once more, wanting to provide the most excellent service he possibly could.
"Alles das ist, danke." Raven reassured, getting a nod from him as a response.
"Gut, Ich komme in einen Moment mit Ihren Anträgen zurück." He finished with a smile, walking back inside.
Raven nodded, turning to look across the square, taking in all the sights. What caught her vision though was the filling station, not that it was that, but what was there. She saw an older motorbike of some type sitting there, a sign attached to it, but couldn't make out the details upon it. The writing upon the sign was too far away to be legible for Raven, on top of her having little depth perception sustained from the loss of vision in one eye.
"I'll check that out after I'm done here," she quietly said to herself, "after I drink some tea, I should feel a lot better."
No sooner than Raven finished her statement to herself, the waiter returned with Raven's requested order. He gently set down the saucer and cup full of warm tea, laying a neatly folded newspaper next to it.
"Hier gehen Sie, Fräulein. Wenn Sie noch etwas benötigen, lassen Sie mich einfach wissen." He informed with a smile, standing upright once more after setting the paper down.
"Danke, Ich Wille, wenn ich." Raven politely replied with a smile of her own, something she did rarely, especially in this day and age.
She resituated herself, crossing her legs as she sat laid back in the chair, unfolding the newspaper. Raven found it challenging to read at first, but she understood enough basics of the German language to decipher most of it, using context clues within the sentences to figure out unfamiliar words and whatnot. Her sight was attracted to the top of the paper, seeing what date it was.
"April 4th, 2011," she said to herself, "I can't believe that much time has gone by since…"
Raven adjusted her focus, not wanting to recollect on the painful memory that still remained fresh in her mind.
"Armed Uprisings in Austria by Para-military insurgents," Raven read to herself, reading one of the many headlines on the foreign paper, unable to completely interpret the type, but able to enough to understand what she was reading. "Attempts to de-stabilize the Austrian government in order to enact a people-led type of democracy, as apposed to the dictatorship-esque one effect as of now, could lead to central European collapse and turmoil. These insurgents have mounted many guerilla style attacks on prime government and military targets over the past 2 years, leading to a build up of defensive forces. Civil war seems evident as many of the citizens support this faction, while many more remain loyal to the current government. These guerillas, calling themselves "The People's Voice", are led by an ex-Austrian military officer by the name of Boris Dusan. The People's Voice was once nothing more than a terrorist cell, but over the past year and recent events, have grown into a corps of experienced mercenaries, the Austrian government beginning to lose what seemed like a stalemated battle against this force. Their attacks have increased in numbers as well as intensity; the government is on the brink of requesting foreign aid…"
Raven quit reading, becoming bored in the topic, looking at the pictures next to the story. She saw a man, aged and ravaged by war, wearing what appeared to be a throw together of various military uniforms, such as the jacket, hat, and pants belonging to different ones. His face was piercing, as if he was constantly glaring at someone, the blue of his eyes against his pale skin stood out vibrantly. The dark, neatly trimmed goatee and mustache matched his hair as well as it sat under his officer's cap, giving off the true essence of a leader.
"Interesting fellow," Raven commented. "I suppose I had better watch myself then, because that is one of the few routes I can cross at without having to climb mountains, at least to the south anyway. I haven't the money, or documents, to travel by boat or plane. I might be able to purchase a vehicle, but once again, I run into the legality issues. I know it isn't…intelligent to wander through an area crawling with armed soldiers on the brink of open civil war, but I have my own goals to obtain, and absolutely nothing is going to stand in my way."
Before Raven turned the page of the newspaper, she gently lifted the cup of tea to her mouth, taking a small sip of it.
"Not as good as what I'm used to," she though, looking at it, seeing that it was much clearer than what she had while she was living with Heinrich, easily noticing how much weaker it was, "but it will suffice."
She turned the page, finding another interesting bit of information that may prove useful on her travels, or at least entertain her for the time being.
"United Nations is said to meet today to discuss the actual advantages of allowing superheroes, or above average enforcers of law and justice through the use of powers or other pieces of equipment or devices, including abilities of any sort that any normal human does not possess."
"I knew this was eventually going to come up," Raven replied to the statement within the text, continuing to read. "I can't believe this is the thanks that we get for our services for the better good."
"To most, these unique individuals have done nothing but good for society as a whole, but at what cost? Since ever considering them an asset, the property damages, as well suits for destruction of property is in the excess of the billions thus far and continues to grow. Innocent bystanders are sometimes caught in the crossfire as well, as reported over the past 5 years; at least 80 people have been killed directly as a result of this, as well as well over 300 injured. The use of countries' government funds to supply them with what they need are astronomical as well. Yet, as to any argument, there is a plus side to this. If it were not for them, there would be much more destruction and death by their villainous counterparts, similar beings using their powers or abilities for personal gain and deceptive activities. If the U.N. sees it fit, there will be a ban on the use of powers of any kind for any reason, with extreme punishment for those who defy this. The details upon this meeting will be reported as follows tom-"
Raven crumpled the newspaper up and tossed it down in disgust.
"The nerve of them," she growled to herself, "after all we do around the world, not just the Titans, I mean every single hero there is, and this is the thanks we get? Punishment for our help? If it weren't for us, things would be a lot worse, I mean, there wouldn't be any words to describe, how much worse things would be. Ban on superpowers…you have to be kidding me. All that will do is cause the ones that have been their saviors, including me, to turn against them, and that isn't a very intelligent decision on their part."
Out of courteousness, she retrieved the paper, tossing it in the nearby waste basket. She calmed herself down as she pulled the money Heinrich had bestowed upon her from her pocket, thumbing out enough to pay for the tea. Raven laid down two bills, each having a value of 1 Euro, one for the tea, the other for the waiter as a tip.
"Now to go see the info on that bike over there," she commented as she shouldered her backpack once more, pushing the chair in as she did so.
Raven checked for traffic, which wasn't really all that necessary, seeing how their couldn't possibly be more than 100 people living in the small town, or it appeared that way to her anyway, but it was more out of being used to the streets of Jump City when they were just out, hanging around, something she actually longed to do seeing how a person never realizes how important something is or what they take for granted until it is gone. While she contemplated what she held dear, she approached the filling station, which appeared in dire need of restoration, but it was still able to effectively serve its purpose. Her footsteps became softer as she came to a near stop, looking around to see where the owner was, or at least someone to give her information on the bike. After looking into the building, all the doors, including the two garage doors, were closed, an elderly man walked out of the only door otherwise, locking it behind him. Just as he did, Raven looked at the bike, inspecting it, grabbing his attention.
"Trauriges Fräulein, Schließen herauf Geschäft für den Tag." He said in an apologetic tone.
"Es tut mir leid, Geehrter Herr, aber konnten Sie einem Moment Ihrer Zeit bitte ersparen. Ich möchte mehr über dieses Fahrrad wissen." Raven replied, almost begging as she made eye contact with him.
"Diese alte Sache? Sicher, Ich habe versucht, für eine lange Zeit es loszuwerden." He answered with a laugh, motioning for Raven to take her time to look it over.
She nodded with a smile, looking at the prospectable piece of machinery that may be her mode of transportation. By no means was it brand new, the black paint on it speckled with rust, as well as countless numbers of scuffs and scratches, not to mention various noticeable dents on it. The gauges weren't in any better condition either, the lenses to them cracked, even missing shards of glass from them. Everything else seemed to be in working order, which bothered Raven somewhat, not wanting to find out if she had brakes or not later on. The place on the back was absent a license plate as well. Her vision picked up on the sign she saw from afar, it too in German, but she easily translated:
"500 Euros, willing to negotiate."
"500? Die ist eine Spitze viel für den Zustand des Fahrrades nicht Sie denken? Läuft es sogar?" Raven perceived, raising an eyebrow out of speculation.
"Eine junge Frau, die intelligent und schön ist. Es läuft, aber es ist nicht während durchaus einiger Zeit begonnen worden. Ich sehe Ihren Punkt zwar, wieviel sind Sie bereit, für es zu geben?" He assured, rubbing his chin of stubble.
Raven smirked at his masked compliment, thinking upon a price that would be sufficient, enough to not offend him, but to allow her to keep as much as she needed to travel.
"Wie steht's mit 300?" Raven queried, "Das ist ebenso hoch, wie ich gehen kann, während Sie noch einen kleinen Gewinn für dieses Rad wegen its…condition machen."
The elderly man raised his cap off his head, scratching it as if he were pondering upon Raven's offer.
"Es ist vernünftig, außerdem hat keiner anderer sogar ein Angebot darauf gemacht." He finally replied after a moment, smiling, "aber, für Sie, ist Das für 250 Ihrig."
"Wirklich? Danke, der sehr vernünftig ist." Raven stated with a very visible smile, pulling out the money once more, thumbing out enough to cover the cost, handing it to him. She removed the sign from it, then strapped her backpack to it, eager to continued on her journey, but she thought for a moment.
"Wie steht's mit der Registrierung und Titel?" She realized, turning to face the old man as he was still standing there, putting the money into his pocket.
"Diejenigen? Sie sind seit Jahren vermisst worden. Sorgen Sie sich nicht, obwohl, solange Sie frei der großen Städte steuern, Sie fein sein werden. Ich weiß nicht, ob es mein Alter spielend Streiche auf mir ist, oder wovon aber Sie nicht scheinen, hier irgendwo besonders zu sein, in der Weise Sie sprechen und handeln. Wovon sind Sie?" The man reassured her, even though he was unknown to Raven's destinations completely.
"Sie haben recht, ich bin nicht von hier irgendwo. Ich bin von Amerika, ich versuche nachhause zu kommen, es ist eine lange Geschichte, und ich mag nicht Sie hier länger halten, als Sie müssen sein." Her voice gingerly replied, wanting to remain respectful while denying him knowledge of her pained past.
"Ich, sehe so, Glück zu Ihnen darauf. Ein Ding obwohl konnte ich mindestens wissen, was Ihr Name ist?" He succumbed, awaiting Raven's answer.
She smiled, stepping onto the bike as she straddled it, finding a comfortable spot upon which she could ride.
"Mein Name? Es ist Rabe, Ja, das ist ungewöhnlich, aber mein Name ..., der es ist." Raven informed, getting a slight nod as an answer from the man.
"So, Rabe, Glück zu Ihnen, wohin auch immer Sie gehen können." The man offered, waving as he walked away.
Raven waved as well, returning her attention to the bike she had just purchased at half price, a feat she was proud of as a personal gain, but knew it was only a small victory in a sense.
"Now," Raven commented to herself, checking the gas tank, as well as the guage, making sure they matched up enough for her not to worry about. "Let's see what this thing can do."
She turned the key, as it was as corroded as the rest of the bike, grinding into the start position. Raven throttled the bike slightly, putting gas into the engine for it to start and ignite, careful not to flood it. She hiked her leg up and pushed it down violently upon the kickstart. The engine sputtered several times, but coughed and died out once more. Raven attempted once more, only to have the same result.
"Come on," Raven gritted under her breath, becoming slightly irritated by the machine.
She did it once more, but the engine sputtered to life this time, not before backfiring and scaring the living daylights out of her first. Even though most engines could be considered like a purr as they idled, this sounded as if someone was strangling the said cat, and Raven knew it sounded awful, but it would have to get her where she needed to go, for the time being anyway. Raven made sure she secured her belongings well enough, then placing the worn open-face helmet that came with the bike upon her head. She lowered the bike off of its stand, rolling it forward with her feet as they dragged the ground until she made her way to the street, luckily, it wasn't far.
"Well," She commented, revving the horrible sounding engine a few times, "here goes nothing."
Raven released the clutch upon the bike, but, as with just about any type of vehicle, she had no idea as to how to ride it. Instead of gently rolling forward as she accelerated, the bike jumped, the front wheel almost coming off the ground as she did so. Raven held on for dear life, but continued to accelerate until she was at a reasonable speed, but the bike itself was rattling and sounded as if it was ready to kick the bucket in a sense.
"Ok," she told herself as she maneuvered the bike, finding it easy to control for its condition and her experience as a rider lasting less than a minute thus far, "so where do I go from here?"
As if it were perfectly timed, Raven came up to crossroads, containing 5 separate roads, including the gravel one she had arrived on. She read the shoddy signs pointing in the various directions, distances included. She rolled to a stop, placing her feet firmly on either side to balance the bike as she contemplated her next decision.
"Berlin," she quietly said to herself, pointing down the road directly in front of her. "Munich," as she pointed to the one farthest to her right. "These are the only two cities that have any relevance upon me traveling East to the True Master, as it is the only logical destination I've came up with in the past month, so, time to make a decision."
Raven pulled a coin from her pocket, the equivalence of a quarter in Euros, allowing chance to make her decision for her.
"Heads, Berlin," Raven announced, placing the coin on her thumb, ready to flip it, "Tails, Munich."
She did so, the coin shimmering as the last bit of daylight shimmered off of it, landing in her hand after a moment of air time. Raven cupped her hand over her arm, placing the coin upon it as anyone did when they flipped a coin. She revealed her answer to her question:
Heads.
"To Berlin, then," Raven stated, going with what the coin had given her. She accelerated the bike ever so slightly, not lurching forward on the takeoff this time, but still in need of practice to smooth it out. The cool, evening air whipped across her body as she traveled down the road, invigorating her from her hike that had lasted hours, which seemed like days to her. While maintaining a safe speed, as well as turning on the headlight since the last rays of light seemed to disappear or were in a matter of mere moments, Raven glanced down at her watch, finding it to be nearing 8:00 P.M.
"If I stay at this speed," she thought, planning ahead, "then I should be able to reach Berlin early morning, but I doubt I'll ride straight through, I'll probably stop off somewhere and sleep a little bit, just depends on how I feel, and how long this excuse for a motorcycle lasts. That's all I need is for it to give out half-way there, but I have faith in it, a little, not much, but it's there. Even when I do get to Berlin, where am I going to stay at, I mean, I can't just go to a hotel, especially since I have no I.D. or anything. Once more, only time will tell."
Raven continued to ride into the darkness as it enveloped the area, making the need for the dim headlight much more important that it was during dusk, as common sense would tell one anyway.
"I am proud of myself though," Raven thought, breaking her concentration upon the road slightly as she meandered through rolling hills of the countryside, farmhouses popping up every now and then, other than that, large expanses nearly absent of trees were visible. "I never thought I would be riding a motorcycle, and I seem to be doing a decent job of it, for now anyway. Just as long as nothing…unexpected happens, then I should be fine, if there is, well…I have a helmet."
Raven shook the thought of possibly crashing, or even losing control for that matter, focusing on the positive things thus far. Raven quickly glanced at her watch once more, knowing it had been long since she had checked her time, knowing it to be well into the night by now, as the stars informed her of this, not to mention the absence of sunlight whatsoever. The glowing hands of the watch informed her that it was approximately 3:37 A.M.
"I should be hitting the outskirts of Berlin within a couple hours, that is if this ancient bike holds together. It seem to be rattling a little more than it was when I left that small village, if it doesn't, guess I'm hoofin' it the rest of the way."
Raven shrugged the thought off as she did many before, avoiding letting her mind wander while she was in motion, especially with her…experience upon the bike. After another long, drawn out moment of concentration, Raven let out a small laugh.
"I wonder if Garfield has given up on that moped thing yet," she said to herself, smiling, "I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to graduate up to an actual bike like Robin's or something, but he is a tad unusual. Besides, I don't think Terra would like riding that thing with him, so I believe my hypothesis is correct. Heck, for all I know, he might already have one. As I said, I am happy for him, I hope he is happy whatever his choice is, as I've said before, I know that Terra is wanting to be with him, and I have nothing against her or his choice on the matter, I only wish the best for him, and if that is it, then so be it."
No matter how many times Raven told herself that, it still pained her emotionally to know that the only other sentient being she ever held passionate feelings for was going to be taken and her unable to do anything about it being half a world away, but she knew in due time that the truth would prevent itself, and Raven would be able to find out if her and Garfield were truly meant to be together for all eternity, but as with life, not everything is a fairy tale, people could only wish for such happenings. Raven wanted to make these happenings a reality, she had sampled it once, and she knew that she could make it permanent, but there were many things standing in her way, and depending on how you viewed the situation, Terra was one of those things. Not that she hated her, but it was the mere fact of jealousy, as well as the emotional distress she imposed upon all of them in the wake of her betrayal. Terra was forgiven in her act of sacrifice, but her friendships had been severed, she only hoped to regain those. Even though all of them were deeply hurt by Terra's actions those years ago, but, secretly, Raven had been wounded the most. She was the only other person she had actually been able to consider a friend, and a rather close one at that. Not that the others weren't close, but compared in the timeframe that Raven knew Terra, she had bonded deeply with her. It had taken much time for Raven to recover from such a traumatic experience, as it was for all of them, but it had seemed like part of Raven had been silenced when Terra was…incarcerated in a sense. Even though the others couldn't notice it, it was almost as if part of her had secretly died within her, yet she continued with her outward façade, convincing the others that she was almost unphased by it. If anything, Raven was…eager to meet Terra once more, not out of jealousy, nor pity, but just to see her alive and well once more, maybe even reviving the small part of her inside once more. Raven would even admit it there was no possible chance that she would ever be with Garfield again, she would wish that Terra be with him, seeing how happy he was when she had opened up to him, probably the most he had ever been in her time of knowing him up until that point. From what Raven could gather upon the short time that she had astral projected herself within the confines of his mind, she found a deep, dark past that belonged to Garfield Logan. Raven finally saw the reasoning behind his childish antics and how he put himself off for others to see, hiding what he truly felt. Not only was he just a normal boy at one time, but Raven found him to belong to a set of wealthy parents. His parents were biologist of some kind, and while they were on expedition, brining young Garfield along with them, he had contracted some type of ailment that only animals would contract, so an extremely rare case, indeed. His father had preformed some kind of experiment to cure him, introducing animal DNA or something another. The procedure was a success, but the after effects produced the Garfield Logan that Raven, as well, as the others were accustomed to seeing, altering his own DNA, giving him his shape-shifting abilities amongst the animal kingdom. To add insult to injury in a sense, his parents died a short time later, but the reasoning was unknown, as if she hadn't dug deep enough into his subconscious. Much had taken place between that and his induction into the Doom Patrol, his superhero team he was a member of before becoming a Titan, Raven clearly remembering them because of the ridiculous mask he wore as he fought with them, not to mention the matching outfits, finally having an answer to where his strange color choices had came from. Raven could compare to such a brining up in a sense. Her mother was always there for her, but knew of what she was conceived for, and knew what she was capable of, fearing it every day of life that they lived. Raven's father was another story though. He was the master of darkness within an entirely different dimension, by some writings, even considered Lucifer himself, but Raven knew otherwise. Father or not, she had long disowned him out of pure disgust, as well as hatred. Her views upon him didn't change at all when he attempted to use Raven as he had planned all along to conquer the realm of the living as his own, only to be quelled with extreme prejudice by his own flesh and blood. To Raven, this was all in the past, and just another day as a Titan, to anyone else, it could be considered a living hell, as it had became present in a sense during that trying time.
Raven yawned as she slowed the bike's speed slightly, noticing that the lay of the roadway had smoothed out, as well as widening enough for stable traffic to use. She had passed many small towns and cities, but she knew that Berlin was close, very close indeed. Her bike topped one final hill, revealing what she had hoped to see for the longest time: The cityscape of Berlin, Germany against the sky.
Her eyes wandered over to her right as she took notice to the sun just barely breaking over the horizon, signaling the start of another prospect of a day.
"That is a much welcomed sight," Raven stated as the highway she was on leveled out to nearly flat, continuing on the path it led to the large buildings in the distance. "Finally, civilization, not that I didn't enjoy the peace and tranquility of being isolated…I just yearn to be around others, even though it seems to conflict with my interests. That would probably explain why I enjoy the presence of my friends, even when I wish to be alone, just something inside me telling me this.
She continued to ponder upon her personally-created dilemma as she cruised closer and closer to the sprawling metropolis that lay ahead of her, signs of the suburbs beginning to show up, becoming more and more dense in terms of sprawl. Few vehicles, if any, shared the roadway with Raven, most of them being either large trucks much like she saw before, transporting goods, or early commuters to work, other than that, the roads were nearly deserted. Yet, life seemed to begin to awaken around her as the sun itself continued its steady rise into the sky as it did many times before and would continued to do long after all that saw it now were gone and forgotten. The sounds of the birds chirping, the wind gently rustling through the very scarce foliage of trees few and far in between as she began entering the city itself not long after entering the suburbs themselves. Even though she was far from the city's center, Raven lost her sense of direction, unable to see the sun because of the large buildings blocking its view still. By the look of things from Raven's point of view though, she had managed to find her way to a less…desired area. Urban sprawl was extremely evident here, as well as the litter sharing the roadway with Raven. She looked upon the buildings themselves, noticing that they lacked windows completely, either long broken and shattered before, or boarded up to prevent such a thing. As she slowed to a reasonable speed, she also noticed some of the graffiti upon those walls. Even though she wasn't extremely fluent in German, she could decipher some of the semi-artistic styled writing, and some of it was quite offensive and vulgar. Raven even frowned upon some of these.
"Where am I?" She quietly said to herself, counting to coast as she let off of the accelerator.
Regrettably, as she did so, it seemed as if the bike had needed the small amount of fuel she was providing it, as it sputtered several times, attempting to remain activated, only to fail miserably. The machine coughed one last time as it shuddered in doing so; only rolling on its own kinetic energy it had managed to create.
"I can't believe this," Raven growled, allowing the bike to continue to coast down the gentle downgrade in elevation, hoping to find a resolution to her current problem, as if she hadn't had enough to begin with. The bike slowed as the road leveled out as it came to an intersection. She took notice to a run-down filling station on her right, allowing the bike to roll right up into it, stopping in an open area just before the pumps. Raven removed her helmet, fluttering her violet hair out, not used to having it underneath of anything, placing the helmet on the bike seat. Just as she knelt down to inspect the machine in dire need of repair; a male appeared from the entrance to the station.
"Wenn Sie Benzin kaufen, Ihren Trödel bewegen," he ordered in a dominating tone.
Raven merely stood up, turning to face him, understanding what he said, especially the rudeness intertwined within it.
"Es tut mir leid, dass, Herr, aber mein Rad geschienen ist gerade angehalten zu haben. Konnten Sie es für mich ansehen?" She replied, keeping her tone in a respecting one, forcing herself from saying she would regret later under any circumstance.
"Nein, bekommen Sie es jetzt aus hier, bevor ich es loswerde." He ordered, motioning for Raven to remove the broken machine from his property.
Raven's stare hardened a little, taking several steps forward to him, yet continuing to hold back.
"Jetzt hören Sie hier, ich habe nichts getan, um Sie von mir, alles schlecht denken zu lassen, dass ich wünsche ist für die Hilfe, und ich werde auf meinem Weg sein." She informed, watching the man visibly gesture as if he didn't care.
"Sagen Sie jemandem, dass Sorgen, weil ich sicher als Hölle nicht tue. Ich führe ein Geschäft hier, nicht eine Wohltätigkeit, so, wenn Sie dabei sind, Benzin zu kaufen, abreisen, und Ihre Scheiße mit Ihnen nehmen." He ordered, becoming visibly angry with Raven, another mistake to add to his repertoire.
Seeing that verbal action wasn't going to get her anywhere, Raven promptly grabbed the man by his collar, easily lifting him off his feet, even though she was a tad shorter than he.
"Jetzt hören Sie mir, alles zu, dass ich dafür fragte war etwas einfache Hilfe, und alles, dass Sie mir zeigten war, wie viel eines Esels Sie sind. Wenn Sie wollen, dass dieses Rad meist Ihrer Schwierigkeiten ist, schlage ich vor, dass Sie anfangen, mir Hilfe jeder Art zu geben." She informed with a low, threatening tone, staring fiercely into his eyes.
"Ok, ok, da Sie es dieser Weg stellen... Ich kann im Stande sein zu helfen." He replied, shaking his hands, not wanting to test Raven, especially noticing the scar she bore upon her face and her idle eye, seeing that she was indeed serious about her actions.
She lowered him, releasing him, allowing him to straighten his clothing out.
", sprechen Sie und es, besser gut sein." Raven promptly ordered, crossing her arms, knowing that she had instilled fear within him.
"Es gibt ein Kraftfahrzeugteil-Geschäft nicht weit von hier, sie können haben, was Sie brauchen, aber ich Sie versichere, habe ich nichts hier, das dieses Ding befestigen wird. Sie können es in der Garage obwohl verlassen, bis Sie zurückkehren, sehend, wie ich die Ergebnisse dessen nicht darf möchte, was mit mir geschehen kann, wenn es heraufkommen sollte fehlend." The man nervously informed, motioning to the road that led to the right as Raven entered the station on the intersection.
"Wie weit ist "nicht das weit"? Ich bin sehr müde, und reizbar." She crossly informed, speaking the truth about her fatigued state, which seemed to be leading to her current aggression.
"Ich verspreche Ihnen das ist nicht mehr als ein Spaziergang der 20 Minute von hier." The man quickly stated, shaking his hands, guesturing for Raven not to harm him in anyway.
"Sehr gut dann. Ein wenig Rat, obwohl nächstes Mal, wenn jemand um Hilfe bittet, es in jedem Fall, Gestalt, oder Form sonst gibt, werden Sie herausfinden, was geschieht, wenn Sie Pisse jemand wie ich davon, und vertraut mir, wollen Sie nicht das tun. Oh, und haben Sie einen netten Tag." She lectured, adding a small snippet of sarcasm to the end of her threatening statement.
The man meekly nodded, still shocked at Raven's…eccentric outlook.
"I don't know if it's this city or what," she thought, beginning the walk down the street to this place, hoping to repair her only means of transportation, "but that guy acted like a complete ass, I mean, being about as rude as you possibly could be. I'm sure I'm bound to run into more like him, especially by the way things look around here, this isn't exactly the best neighborhood, kinda reminds me of the lesser-privileged areas of Jump City, mostly in which many of our enemies liked to dwell. In any case, even though I am extremely tired, I need to get that bike fixed so I'm not stuck here, but I highly doubt I have enough money to fix it, I already bought the damn thing, and that was little over half of what I had, and by the way things look on it, it probably won't even be worth fixing, but I need to try at least."
Raven continued to strain over her current dilemma, unknown to her that she was being followed. Her unknown figures in tow, numbering in three, didn't look to appeasing, yet they were waiting for something, and it had something to do with Raven.
"I think this comes back to the whole destiny thing in someway or another. Mother spoke of the Azarath Archives containing text upon my entire life, and clearly stating that thus far, it has been true to its word, except for Trigon's rule over the Earth, that I have managed to rewrite in my own destiny, but the rest seems to be accurate. Seeing how all of these events have played on one another so far, this could be part of something…greater for all I know, as if I was meant to stop here and search for something. Only problem is I have no idea as to what I am looking for."
Her followers of the moment had closed the gap between them and her with ease, noticing that Raven was easily distracted by her own mind as she continued to walk. Of the three, one appeared to be the leader in a sense, giving a slight nod of his head, the other two acknowledging it, pulling something from their pockets. The objects happened to be black ski masks, as they donned them, the leader made his way up to Raven, almost directly behind her.
"Even if I do find the parts, who's going to fix the bike, I mean, I have no idea, I'm no mechanic, and that jackass at the filling station won't be any good since he doesn't have the tools, and I don't think there is a garage anywhere around here that specializes in bikes. Oh well, I'll find a way som-"
Before Raven could finish her thought, two gloved hands had found their way to her left arm. Surprised, and unable to react, Raven was forced off-balance, stumbling over her own two feet into an alley shrouded in the darkness of the buildings. She landed on her behind, her vision focusing on the culprits. Two stood near her, but far enough to prevent her from retaliating, the third appeared to be standing guard. The two that watched Raven brandished their weapons: switchblades. The knives formed in the blink of an eye as the blade snapped into position from their handles, locking into place.
"Money, now!" One of the ordered in a heavy German accent, taking notice that Raven didn't appear to be from around there, so she must have been a tourist or something.
Raven merely stood up slowly, brushing her arms off from where she had landed in the dirt of the alley.
"I'm going to presume that was an accident," she calmly replied, not even looking up, as if they didn't even exist.
"I said hand it over!" He yelled once more, threatening Raven with his blade.
Raven looked him in his eyes, since that was the only thing she could see.
"If you know what's
good for you," she started in a tone that was not quite
threatening, but more of a warning, "you'll put those blades up
and walk away. Trust me, I'm very tired right now, and I might
lose control of my inhibitions and seriously injure you or one of
your friends. Go find an easier target."
"You don't know
who you are messing with, bitch," the other boldly stated, feeling
as if he and his colleagues had the upper hand, only to be very
inaccurate.
"I believe I do," she snapped back, staring at him in turn, "a few thugs with nothing better to do than to attempt to mug me, because that is as far as you are going to get, what's about to proceed can be avoided if you just walk away."
"Let's carve her up, teach her lesson," he said to the other, getting a small nod with a chuckle.
"I warned you," Raven quickly informed, preparing for their next action.
The two advanced upon her, the points of their blades directed threateningly to her. The first to speak managed to take the first swing at her with the steel edge in his hand, her only to daftly dodge it with ease, taking hold of his flailing hand. Before he could react in anyway, Raven's left and free hand struck him upon his face with an open palm, feeling the fragile bone of his nose break in her hand. He stumbled backwards, dropping the knife, holding his nose as blood began to flow vigorously from it, saturating the mask he wore, even the excess beginning to drip from it. The second struck with just as much tenacity, only to fail all the same. Raven forced the knife from his hand with ease, allowing it to drop into her own. She violently shoved the attacker against the wall, dazing him. Before he could recover, she forced his hand up against it, twirling the knife around, and forcing it through his open hand, pinning his hand to the wall, palm facing out. The second attacker let out a scream of pain, loud enough to get the third's attention, yet he was only watching for them to do their deed. He saw his accomplices had been swiftly taken care of, blood dripping from one's nose, the other attempting to remove the knife that had gone through his hand and pinned his other helplessly to the wall, crimson easily visible as it slowly ran down the wall itself. As Raven approached the third, she remained a deadlocked stare upon him; even while she swiftly delivered an incapacitating kick to the one she broke his nose only moments before, leveling him from his kneeling state.
"N-no trouble, no trouble," he managed, not as fluent in English as the other two were, waving his hands in an attempt to protect himself, hoping it would convince Raven to leave him alone.
She pushed his hands aside, grabbing him by his collar, forcing him off his feet, slamming him against the wall of the alley.
"I warned you," she re-iterated, anger clearly visible in her eyes, yet she herself didn't know it was to that extent. For a moment, her judgment was clouded, she didn't know what it was, but it was…something. She quickly shook the feeling, re-focusing upon the final threat. She released him, allowing him to fall to his behind, staring up at her, still scared for his life.
"Collect your friends and get out of here, and don't let me catch you or your pathetic excuses of company around here to ever lay eyes upon you again; otherwise I'll finish what I started."
He nodded, scrambling to his feet, running back to the other two as Raven merely exited the alley, dusting her person off as if nothing happened, but also finding that she had managed to get a small amount of blood spray upon her white shirt from thrusting the knife through the assailant's hand.
"Not that that wasn't a traumatic experience or anything," Raven thought, still checking behind her, making sure that she was no longer being followed, "but what happened? I mean, it's as if I…lost myself for a moment. I was merely going to force the weapons away from them, but a part of me did what it did, and I did a lot more damage than I thought I was going to."
"You can thank me for that," Rage's demonic voice chimed in, "you are much easier to control as a puppet when you are fatigued, you know that, Raven?"
"Making me lose control?" Raven replied, "When are you going to get original? Do you even think for yourself?"
"No," Slade added within her subconscious, "she had help through me; you're one and only true weakness."
"I figured that much," Raven sarcastically answered, "savor it while it lasts, because it is just that, the last."
"On the contrary, dear Raven," Rage pressed, "this is the first of many, this is only the beginning."
"I get the idea," She interrupted, but retaining her composure over the situation. "I still don't see how one small, simple victory in controlling me to bend to your will is going to help anything."
"You really are dense, aren't you?" Slade spoke, "not every victory must be on a large scale, as for many small victories can equal a great one. Every little moment I am able to control you equals one of these victories. Each time, my presence and control is going to grow stronger and stronger as it feeds upon your anger, hatred, fear, well, all your negative emotions that are strong enough for me to use to my advantage. It will get to the point to where you will be consumed by your own aggression and hatred, Rage shall consume you, and I will be in control, just as we have wished all along."
"No matter what either of you do or have planned," Raven warned, "you will not seize control of me. Even if you did, of what use would I be? I have my powers no longer."
"Once again, Raven," Rage replied in her usual sickening tone, "on the contrary. There is still much power that is retained within your insignificant vessel of a body. You may not be able to use it effectively, but nearly all of your energy is still intact, how do you think you were able to destroy that area in the forest, or have you already forgotten? I, on the other hand, can easily get to this vast reservoir of power you posses, but are unable to use when you wish. We shall wreak much destruction together, Raven."
"I've heard enough," she promptly ordered, "both of you sicken me to no end, and I will get rid of him and find a way to take care of you once more so both of you will quit torturing me."
"That is what we are good at, if you cannot tell," Slade informed, as if he was reminding her, while enjoying her suffering, "besides, I am as much a part of you as your emotions are, how can you hope to possibly rid yourself of my presence?"
Raven ignored the comment, hoping that they would stop speaking to her for now, and allow her to think. Her hoping paid off, their constant driveling in an attempt to unsettle her seemed to cease, and only spoke when she spoke to them or thought of something that involved them in any way. She seemed to use this to her advantage with the newly learned information that would prove vital in the future, making sure and seeing to that Rage and the apparition that impersonated Slade would not gain control of her or her powers. Raven continued to walk down the seemingly deserted street, any one of sane mind and body would not grace this concrete jungle, mainly due to "incidents" such as the one that nearly happened to Raven, but she could tell the further that she pressed forward, the more hospitable things became in terms of people being on the streets, cars actually driving by, unlike the few that were "blocked", or up on cinderblocks, stripped of anything and everything valuable. Buildings actually possessed windows, all unbroken in nature as well. If Raven didn't know any better, she could almost feel as if she was on the outskirts of Jump City, but she knew the cold, hard truth; she was far from home, and still without a true solution to the matter.
"Where's this place at?" Raven told herself, searching high and low, attempting to find any kind of sign or anything that would point her in the right direction towards the automotive parts store. Her hopes weren't high, yet, there was a slight twinge along the lines of that effect, that maybe, just maybe, there was the help she sought out within that place. She stopped, looking up at a sign above one of the doors, just happening to have the shape of a vehicle.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the place where I need to go," Raven commented, walking up to the door, gently pushing it open. A bell jingled crisply as the door struck it as it opened, signaling the proprietor of the store that a customer had indeed entered. The stagnant stench of brand-new tires, as well as motor oil was present, forcing its intertwined smell into Raven's nasal passages. Her eyes wandered as she made her way up to the counter, not another soul to be seen.
"Entschuldigen Sie mich? Hallo?" Raven called out, waiting for someone to appear from behind the counter.
Sure enough, a man in his early 30's, average build and height looked up, standing up as if he had been stocking something.
"Es tut mir leid, dass, Fräulein, ich Sie nicht hörte. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?" He apologized, resting his elbow on the counter as he questioned what Raven needed.
"Ja, üben Sie mit mir Nachsicht, aber ich habe ein geringes Problem mit meinem Motorfahrrad, Sie sehen. Es gerade ... hielt an, während ich es ritt, wie ich von des Gaspedals ließ, stotterte es und starb. Ich bin nicht mechanisch, es ist alles, dass ich Ihnen darüber erzählen kann." She explained, feeling as if she were bumbling about.
The man nodded at Raven's statements, taking in the information.
"Ich sehe, so, konnten Sie mir erzählen was macht und Modell, das es vielleicht ist, konnte ich das Problem dann beheben?" He requested, wanting more information on Raven's bike in hope of repairing it.
Raven showed a meek smile of sorts, slowly shrugging her shoulders.
"Und wenn ich Ihnen ein Bild davon zeigte, vielleicht konnten Sie mir dann erzählen? Ich habe ein Buch von vielen Rädern hier vielleicht, der helfen wird." He suggested, retrieving a rather large book from one of the shelves behind him.
"Sicher, alles, was ich wirklich weiß, ist, dass es ein ziemlich altes Rad ist, aber es alles ist." She informed, pointing out the noticeable age of the bike to him in hopes of narrowing the search.
He nodded with a smile, flipping to a certain section of the book, flipping it around for Raven to look through. She gladly accepted in, slowly turning the pages, taking in each image that presented itself, in hopes of finding it. After several more moments, as well as searching various pages, Raven finally came across one that looked nearly identical to the one she had bought, but it was brand new, as apposed to her heaping pile of junk in her possession.
"Dieser direct dort." She promptly informed, pointing to the picture in the book as she flipped it back around.
As she did so, the man gladly took notice, but not before glancing up and managing to catch a glimpse of Raven's inert eye, forever scarred. His vision quickly broke contact in hopes of not gaining her attention, looking back down at the picture.
"Ah sehe ich. Ich informiere Sie bedauernd, dass Teile für dieses Rad hier, noch irgendwo nahe hier nicht getragen werden. Selbst wenn ich ihnen für Sie bestellen sollte, nachdem wir die Wurzel des Problems diagnostizierten, würde es am Minimum 5 Wochen für die Übergabe nehmen. Nicht zu erwähnen, dass jene Teile mit der Hand gemacht würden, so würden Sie auf eher steil aussehen, stellen jeden Ersatz in Rechnung." He regrettably informed, wishing he could do something more for Raven.
Out of disgust, while retaining respect, Raven pulled out the key to the bike she had removed when she dismounted it, sliding it across the smooth counter to him.
"Nehmen Sie es, ich habe keinen weiteren Nutzen dafür mehr dann. Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe dennoch. Ich werde meinen Besitz davon, sein Sitzen die Straße weg von hier an einer Tankstelle entfernen. Bezüglich ich wissen Sie von irgendwelchen guten Plätzen, etwas zu veranlassen, daran zu essen?" She requested in his surprise from her action as she began walking out.
"Gut ... uh, bezüglich etwas, um zu essen, gibt es ein Tischgast-Recht über die Straße, kann nicht es verpassen. Es tut mir leid, dass Sie Schwierigkeiten haben, mag ich wirklich, dass Dinge wirklich Ihren Weg in der Zukunft gingen, dennoch."
Raven opened the door to exit, smiling, giving a polite wave of her hand. Yet, as the door closed, her deposition quickly changed to what she was truly feeling.
"I swear to Azar this just keeps getting better and better," she growled, slowly making her way across the street, "the first time I actually thought that I may have been able to begin my journey home, only to be dashed upon the rocks of reality, this sucks."
Raven stepped up upon the curb as she successfully crossed the street, gently pushing the door open. The diner had many patrons, most keeping to their own business as any normal person would. Her mouth almost began to water just by the mere smell of the delicious food that lingered in the air, not having anything that could be even considered a meal for well over a day. A waitress approached Raven as she closed the door behind her.
"Hallo, Fräulein, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?" She questioned as politely as any person could do so, smiling, even though she noticed Raven's abnormality of the right eye.
"Etwas, um, bitte, und eine Kabine zu essen, setzt wenn jemandes verfügbares." Raven meekly requested with a smile.
"Recht dieser Weg, Fräulein." The waitress answered with a smile, motioning with her hand for Raven to follow.
She obeyed, gladly following the woman as she knew she was going to lead her to a chance to rest, as well as take in much-needed food. The waitress led Raven near the back of the diner, and just so happened that a corner booth was available. She motioned for Raven to take a seat, handing her a menu.
"Bringen Sie Ihre Zeit, um zu bestellen, ich werde in einem Moment zurückkehren. Würde Sie, Kaffee oder irgendetwas mögen?" She questioned Raven.
"Gerade Tee, wenn Sie es haben." Raven requested, looking up from the menu with a slight smile.
The waitress nodded, scribbling it down upon her order pad, walking away as she did so.
"Now that I know I am going to be on foot for the remainder of the way," Raven thought, still slightly aggravated over the bike ordeal, "that brings on another question while I'm here, just where am I going to sleep and bathe at? I don't have any identification, so I can't just check into a hotel, and I don't think someone who I'm a total stranger to is going to let me use their shower. I don't know, maybe I'll just have to live like this for the time being, but I don't want to. I don't want any of this. At times, I feel like I would have been better off dead. Amongst other reasons, my friends think I am, but it isn't the truth. It's not so much as lying to them, but as is deception, they will think I've been purposely avoiding them, and I don't want to put off that impression. If I could return at this very second, I would have five seconds ago. There really aren't any words that could possibly describe how much I miss the Tower, Robin, Cyborg, Star, and especially Garfield, but all I can do is hope until then, and that seems to be all that I have left now."
She continued to brood, resting her chin upon her hands as she propped her elbows up on the table. The waitress returned, setting down Raven's requested cup of tea.
"Danke," Raven quickly replied, sitting up.
"Sind Sie bereit, noch zu bestellen?" She questioned, pulling out her small pad of paper and pen once more.
"Gerade raffte ein Toast und Eier zusammen, wenn Sie sie haben." Raven stated politely, the waitress writing it down.
"Ganz richtig sollte das in ungefähr 15 Minuten bereit sein, gibt es irgend etwas anderes, dass Sie möchten?" She asked Raven, tearing Raven's order from her pad of paper.
"Kein Danke, es ist alles." Raven rest assured, smiling, getting a nod from the waitress as a reply as she walked away to tend to her duties, as well as the other customers.
"This is possibly the worst thing I have ever drank in my life," Raven quietly commented, swirling the contents around in the cup, taking another drink of it, "but it's better than nothing."
She propped her head upon her free hand once more, retaining her gentle grip upon the ceramic cup as it rested upon the table. Within a matter of moments, Raven drifted into sleep, due to her fatigued state. Unknown to Raven, a man carrying a backpack sat down at Raven's booth, across from her.
"Fräulein?" He queried, looking at her, "entschuldigen Sie mich? Fräulein?"
Raven remained asleep, even beginning to snore quietly.
The man slowly reacht forward, his attention focused upon the arm that was supporting her head. He gently pushed it, causing her hand to go out from underneath of her head, slamming it into the table. Her head shot up as soon as it happened, unknown to how it had happened.
"I'm awake," she stated, not directing it to anyone in general, her vision finally focusing on the man across from her.
"So you speak English?" He questioned in a smooth voice, straightening his tie.
"Maybe," Raven replied, still groggy, "what's it to you? Just who are you anyway?"
He set the backpack up on the table, it size clearly noticeable.
"You really should show a little more gratitude to the person that recovered your belongings," he nonchalantly informed, patting the backpack, Raven's backpack.
She jerked it away from him to her side, setting it in the seat next to her.
"How the hell would you even know this is mine? You've been following me, haven't you?" Raven deduced, her aggression beginning to show.
"Maybe," the man replied, unphased to Raven's anger, "but it was necessary. You see, I know of your transportation troubles, so I have a…proposition for you."
"Not interested," Raven quickly stated, taking another sip of her tea.
"Hear me out, my dear," he pressured her into listening, "I would like to…employ your services. I saw what you did to "protect" yourself in that little incident not long ago. If that is a mere sample of what you are capable of, then you will go far for what I have planned, all you need to do is agree."
Before Raven hastily replied once more, she considered the possibilities, she did indeed need transportation, as well as money, and if it was something she could easily do, then that made it all the better. It may also have something to do with her destiny, giving her more of a positive opinion of the matter. Only one more question remained; was it legal?
"Ok, enlighten me, Mr.…" Raven started, giving him a chance, as well as to state his name.
"Mr.…Smith," he informed with a smile, showing his gleaming, white teeth, a silver tooth was gracing the right side of his mouth.
"Right, Mr. Smith," she replied, knowing that wasn't his real name, but didn't want to discuss the matter, "anyway, I'm considering it, so how about filling me in on details and we'll talk."
"Why, of course," Smith replied, setting his own briefcase up on the table, but leaving it closed, "I am scouting for…martial artists for a local tournament that is to be held soon. You seemed to know what you were doing from what I managed to see against those muggers, you even bear the evidence." He added, pointing to the fine spray of crimson water that stained Raven's white shirt she was wearing under her jacket.
"A tournament?" Raven asked, surprised, "that seems a little odd, but whatever. Is it sanctioned?"
"Yes, it is sanctioned, all rules and regulations are in place and standard for all contestants," Smith informed, "but, it is an open-class tournament."
"So gender or skill isn't an issue?" Raven questioned once more, raising an eyebrow, wanting to get as many details as she possibly could before making a choice.
"Exactly, my dear," he coolly informed, "this shouldn't be a problem for someone with your skill. Don't let my compliments convince you, it is your choice, but I will remind you there is a rather high prize for first place."
"How much?" Raven stated, her attention truly grabbed, knowing that unlike many others in her view, she actually needed the money.
"Depending on how many contestants, as well as audience in attendance," Smith stated, "but, if you were to win, first place is guaranteed at least 5,000 Euros, which is a little more than 5 grand in dollars."
Raven's eyes widened with surprise, she figured it would be a couple hundred, but five thousand?
"There's some kind of catch," Raven commented, leaning back, folding her arms across her chest.
"No catch, just plain, simple facts, my dear. You enter, you compete in your matches, and you win, simple." Mr. Smith reassured, opening his briefcase, "All I need you to do is to sign this waiver and registration form, and you will be set."
"Waiver?" She stated out of surprise, as well as suspicion.
"Mere legalities, nothing to worry about." Mr. Smith replied, attempting to make Raven feel more at peace with the issue.
Raven looked at the paperwork for a moment as she continued to think about it, Mr. Smith waiting for Raven's final decision.
"I need a pen," she finally broke the silence.
A smile crept across Mr. Smith's face as he handed her the pen that sat in his front pocket.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Raven thought as she filled out the necessary information, "but I need to do this, I need the money, and I might be able to find out anything else that may be remotely useful, heck, maybe learn a thing or two from some of the other contestants. I'll just have to be on my guard, alert, and ready for anything, I suppose, that's all I have left to do."
Raven finished the documents; signing and dating them, sliding them back across to him.
"You seem to have not placed an address," he pointed out.
"I don't have one. You see, I'm…displaced at the moment in a sense. If you require one, then I am going to have to deny your proposition, that's all the possible information I can give you," she admitted, seriousness upon her visage.
"I see…Raven," Mr. Smith replied, looking at the name she had put down upon the paper, "well, what you have provided is sufficient. Here." He added, sliding a card across the table to her.
"What's this?" She questioned, accepting it, lifting the card to read it.
"It's the time and place of this…event," Mr. Smith answered, closing his briefcase.
"Why that's today," Raven commented, seeing the date upon it, "are you sure I can register this late?"
He lifted himself up from his seated position, preparing to leave.
"Trust me," he began, picking his case up, "its fine, all you need to do is be at that address by that time and you'll be fine."
Raven took notice to the time, seeing that it was at…night, late night, but before she could object, the man was gone. She studied the card, flipping it over her fingers as she thought. Her thinking process was interrupted as the waitress had finally returned with Raven's order, setting down the plate, steam still rolling off the food.
"I can think about that here in a little bit," Raven told herself within her mind, "but for now, I am starving, and I plan on fixing that."
Meanwhile, the man that had delivered such a proposition to Raven had begun walking away from the diner, taking out a cellular phone, pushing a speed-dial button. The phone rang twice before an answer was heard.
"Yeah?" the voice questioned Mr. Smith.
"She has "signed up", she will be rather entertaining tonight, I can already feel it." He informed with satisfaction about his voice.
"I hope it was worth it, your men already called me about the damage she inflicted upon them, are you sure it's safe to have someone that…dangerous "competing?" The voice said, concerned, yet not worried.
"Why of course, that is where the fun of it all comes from. Besides, they can quit their complaining, they will be compensated for their…services, as well as their damages."
"As long as she shows, then you will receive your payment," the man on the other end of the phone stated, "but if she's as good as you think she is, then I will expect fighters of the same magnitude in the future, do you understand me?"
"Yes, Sir," Mr. Smith obeyed, "you can do just that, because I have a feeling that this young woman, Raven, I do believe her name is, is going to decimate, no…destroy your other "competitors", so I will be out scouting more here soon."
"Very well then," the voice replied, "if she's as good as you say she is, you as well as your men had said, then you will be paid for your services."
"That's all I ask," Mr. Smith added, "pleasure doing business as always."
He closed his phone, placing it back in his pocket.
"She is going to be in for quite a surprise, as well as her "competition"," Smith commented to himself as he continued walking in the direction that Raven came from not long before, his destination being the same address that he passed on to Raven.