I do NOT own Teen Titans
Notes and replies to comments:
I don't see him ever being able to combine two animals to create a new one. An interesting idea for another story maybe.
When Rage mentions old books and charms in the previous chapter, it was a hint what Raven likes; what to buy her to get her attention. It had nothing to do with the hint that 'not all creatures are real.'
Time: The next day.
Visions,... Nevermore,... Breakfast,... Nevermore,... A Fight,... Another Fight,... A WHAT!,...
A single violet eye opened, and then closed again. My head. Raven silently moaned. The premonition, an intense feeling of dread, was pounding at the back of her skull like a severe migraine. Then there were the dreams she'd had. Unlike the ones of a few days past, these she knew were visions of what was going to happen. Or might happen. She tried to reassure herself; her visions didn't always come true. Pushing the blankets away, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes, trying to banish the images. In one Trigon himself had risen from the earth, and turned her friends to stone before her eyes. She'd been held imprisoned for eternity between their outstretched arms. Unable to move, forced to gaze forever into their petrified faces, she'd watched the stars grow old and die, knowing she'd failed them. That one she was pretty sure was just a nightmare. Terrifying, but nothing more than a bad dream. Or so she hoped.
It were the ones that involved Slade that truly bothered her. Those she knew were visions. Armies of burning golems of stone assaulting the tower, and her friends falling one by one. The psychopath standing over her in triumph to drag her back to that vile demon. The portal reopened and the earth frozen in time. With dread she'd seen the sun expand in its red giant phase and consume the world; the cosmos echoed with nothing but pain for billions upon billions of years. That was the worse one, but there were others.
Some of the visions were strange. In a few she saw Beast Boy turn into a gigantic lizard that she'd never seen him use. Surely if he'd had access to that sort of creature he would've used it before. In that form he charged the golems time and time again, swiping with his massive tail and crushing dozens beneath his feet. It was futile; Slade cast forth blasts of red fire, and the shape shifter died. In others he was absent, and those were the strangest of them all. What could've kept the changeling from such a battle? Was he already dead in those? She wondered, her chest hurting at the thought.
In only one vision did she feel a sense of hope. Beast Boy was absent, and Slade was casting an inferno of fire at her that was about to consume her. Does that mean if I die, then the world might live? She pondered that, and decided it would be worth it; especially if it could in some way save her friends.
Wearily she reached out, picking up the mirror that was her portal to Nevermore. Is there any use talking to them? She wondered, not feeling up to arguing with herself. In her mind Knowledge's advice to ignore the problem wasn't logical, though at the time she herself hadn't had any better ideas.
"Morning." Knowledge greeted her, her tone serious.
"The world is going to die again." Raven simply stated.
"We don't know that for sure." The yellow-clad emoticlone pointed out. "That was what we thought last time, and yet the world continued."
"Luck like that doesn't happen twice." She paced around the emoticlone, fretting too much to remain still.
"It wasn't luck that defeated Trigon. It was hope, and a refusal to give up." Countered Knowledge. "If you admit defeat now, that aids him."
"How can there be hope when you're fighting an immortal demon?" Questioned Raven. "Even if he's defeated this time, he will just try again. Eventually he will win."
"At least now you know what to do." Knowledge replied.
"Die?" Raven asked, serious. "The only vision with hope in it has me dying. If I'm dead then there is no portal, no path for him to this world."
"You didn't die in that vision." Knowledge firmly stated. "It ended before that point, so we don't know what happened."
"Then what do I do?" Asked the pessimistic girl.
"Slade is once again his servant, and assaults the tower. So you fortify it to the best of your ability."
"Oh." Raven paced around. In the visions there had been such fortifications, and yet it had availed them not; they'd been crushed beneath that burning army.
"We would like to see BB." Knowledge said nonchalantly.
"At a time like this?" She peered at the yellow-clad emoticlone as if she was insane.
"If you're right, and the world is about to end, then there will be no other time." Knowledge pointed out.
"Hrmph." There was no way to counter that Raven admitted. "Keep Rude and Sloth out of sight somewhere." She stated. "Just in case I do bring him. And Love too for that matter." She added, thinking.
She sat in the kitchen waiting, sipping a cup of herbal tea. The visions had caused her to wake up earlier than usual. Briefly she considered trying to make the team pancakes again, but recalling what'd happened the last time she decided to forego that. Only Starfire had liked them. The rest of the team had nearly killed themselves eating them, trying not to invoke her ire. Despite the circumstances she smiled at the memory. And I had the nerve to complain about Beast Boy's cooking. She mused to herself.
"Morning." Beast Boy greeted the violet-haired girl.
"Morning." She replied.
"Want pancakes again?" He asked.
"Hrm. Why not let me try some tofu eggs and bacon. I promise not to whine this time." She smiled at him.
"Huh?" He stumbled in surprise. "Sure." He finally replied, pulling out the frying pan. Soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of cooking food. He didn't bother to talk, being satisfied that she was present, enjoying her company. He smiled as he fried the eggs and bacon.
She watched him. Unlike her, he clearly knew his way around the kitchen. When a plate was placed in front of her she tentatively tried a piece of bacon. It was good, and tasted exactly like the real thing. Still the demon in her knew it wasn't real meat. She ignored that part of her, and ate. She did the dishes, figuring it was the least she could do given he'd done the cooking.
"The world is going to end soon." She told him, voice apathetic, as she returned the frying pan to it proper place.
"Again?" The shape shifter asked, not sounding surprised. Rage had told him two days or all his friends would die.
"Yeah. Want to visit Nevermore with me?" She figured there wasn't any harm in it. He's already knew about Rage, and had seen some of her emoticlones. Still, she hoped Knowledge managed to keep Sloth and Rude from coming around while he was there. If he saw Rude she would die of embarrassment. As for Sloth? She'd given the shape shifter so much grief over being lazy that there was no way she wanted him to see her own lazy side.
"Hrm. Sure." He was stunned, though also happy she was inviting him to such a place.
"Knowledge wants to talk to you for some reason." She explained, seeing his surprise.
The shape shifter looked around the peaceful forest. The yellow sky was the same, as were the floating strawberries. He wondered if they were actually good to eat, but decided not to give it a try. If he messed up Raven might kill him. Sometimes it was better safe than sorry.
"Hello BB." Knowledge greeted him with a tense smile.
"BB." Happy cried gleefully, hanging onto his arm, beaming a smile at him.
Wonder if anyone's told her the world is about to end. Beast Boy wondered, tossing her a smile in return.
"Hey B." Brave said, sounding tough
"Hi." He responded. Seeing Timid hiding in some bushes a short distance a way he smiled at her. "Hi Timid." He added. She shrank a little further into the foliage, but still stayed.
"Tell us about your time in Rage's domain." Knowledge spoke, getting down to business.
"Why?"
"We're curious." The yellow-clad emoticlone replied.
"Not much to say. We fought, and nearly killed each other. I got lucky, and managed to survive."
"Did she seem out of control?" Knowledge asked.
"At first." He admitted, with some reluctance. "She claimed my anger and her own innate sense of wrath had fed on each other. That it had got out of control. She apologized for it when things calmed down."
The emoticlone blinked. "Rage apologized?"
He nodded.
"Really?" Her tone expressed disbelief.
"Really." He responded.
"Oh." The emoticlone was clearly at a loss for words.
"Who won the fight?" She asked.
He shrugged and rubbed his shoulder. "The first was a draw. The second time I did. As I said, I got lucky."
"Why are you rubbing your shoulder." Knowledge stared where his hand was on his arm.
"Was pretty brutal. Lost it in the first fight."
"What?" Raven cried. "I know you had a lot of scars and it looked like you'd lost it, but since you still had it I assumed ..." She started, face pale. "I'm going to teach her a lesson the next time I see her." She stated, voice full of wrath.
"How did you manage to survive that?" Knowledge questioned, ignoring Raven's outburst.
"I can take on almost any animal form. To some of them losing an arm is nothing. Several hours and I can repair almost any amount of damage. Though it leaves scars." He shrugged. "Glad Raven was able to remove them."
"Just how bad can you be hurt and still survive?"
He shrugged again. "I've never tested it. The only way to find that limit would be to get hurt bad enough to die, and I really like being alive. And even if I lived, I would be disfigured by the scars."
"I see." The yellow-clad emoticlone replied. "Would you do me a favor?" She asked.
"If I can." He was all for helping the emoticlones, given they were a part of Raven.
"Fight Brave."
"What?" He and Raven cried together.
"No." Brave insisted. "I'm not hurting BB."
"After your loss to Rage, I would've thought you would want to prove yourself." Knowledge said, staring at the green-clad emoticlone.
"Not by hurting him."
The yellow-clad emoticlone rose and approached Brave. Beast Boy twitched his ears, and aimed them at the two.
"You know Brave, if you fight him, it would be a chance to get real close to him." Knowledge whispered to her fellow emoticlone.
"Close?" Brave whispered back, puzzled.
Knowledge nodded. "Just think. Rolling together on the ground wrestling."
"Oh. Brave blushed. "But I wouldn't have to hurt him." She insisted.
"No. Just pin him." Knowledge smiled.
"What are you two whispering about?" Raven asked.
"You don't want to know." Beast Boy replied, blushing.
"You heard?" Brave exclaimed, blushing even more than she'd been before.
"I did." The shape shifter replied. "I'm not fighting her."
"Afraid you would lose?" Knowledge asked, her voice stoic, yet holding a taunt in it.
"I wouldn't care if I won or lost." He simply stated. Rolling around on the ground with a Raven look-a-like was tempting, but he figured Raven would kill him if she found out why Brave had agreed to the fight.
"Oh." Knowledge started, realizing it wouldn't be a simple matter to get him to agree. "What would get you to agree?" She asked, taking the simple approach.
He shrugged. "Nothing that I can think of." He glanced at Raven, and then looked away. At least nothing she would agree to. He added to himself, depressed over the thought.
"You don't sound too sure." Knowledge noted.
"It's the last day of the world. Go for it." A voice much like Rage's spoke in his mind.
He looked around, wondering if he'd actually heard it. He noticed Knowledge had froze, and was concentrating on something. She looked puzzled, and worried.
"There is one thing." He said, swallowing nervously.
"Oh?" Knowledge peered at him.
"But it's not something she would ever agree to."
The yellow-clad emoticlone shrugged. "According to her you won't win, so why wouldn't see agree to it? She isn't risking anything. What is it you want?"
He approached the emoticlone and whispered in her ear.
"Oh." She said, taking a step back, and sitting down, her face a bright red.
"What?" Raven demanded, black energy flickered at her fingertips. "Someone tell me what's going on."
"I just want to see how he handles himself in a fight." Knowledge said. "Just a friendly match where no one gets hurt. Besides, aren't you curious?"
"No. I've sparred with him dozens of times outside of here, and always won."
"I think he'll have more incentive this time." The emoticlone mused, a smirk on her face. "Afraid she'll lose?"
"No. Certainly not. Brave would win in an instant." She was certain of this. The green-clad emoticlone was strong and aggressive, with access to all of Raven's magic.
"Then it doesn't matter right? The only reason you would disagree is if you thought she would lose."
"Fine." Fumed the girl. "Just get it over with." She was certain the emoticlone would win, and it was easier to just give in.
"Yay." Yelled Brave. "I get to ..." She paused. "Fight BB." She added, deciding it sounding better than wrestle or roll around with. Her face remained a deep red.
"Great." Replied Beast Boy. Winning this could get him killed. Not that he was sure how to win. With Rage there'd been a lot of luck, not to mention he'd taken chances he couldn't here. An amoeba was pretty fragile.
Without hesitating, Brave charged him. Seeing her deadly serious face, he gulped, and reflexively turned into a puppy with its paws over its eyes, whimpering.
Brave froze. "How cute." She exclaimed, and picked him up. A second later she slumped to the floor, shocked by the electric eel the shape shifter had changed into.
Knowledge blinked. "That was ..." She seemed at a loss for words.
"Anticlimactic." Suggested Beast Boy, surprised the trick had worked.
"The perfect word for it." The yellow-clad emoticlone agreed, still looking dazed.
"Oh come on." An insanely annoyed Raven yelled over the unmoving form of Brave. "Get up." She exclaimed. "That was just pathetic." She poked the green-clad emoticlone with her foot. "And you're my warrior side. Good grief." She sat down, and stared.
Timid dared to come out of hiding long enough to help Happy make the fallen emoticlone comfortable. Then she hid behind more bushes. Raven just kept staring through it all.
"So what was the bet?" She asked, knowing she probably didn't want to know. From the way they'd acted it had to be pretty bad.
"We'll talk about that later. For now, please just step aside."
The girl looked up. She'd never heard the emoticlone's voice so serious. She blinked as she saw Knowledge standing there, hands full of dark energy. "What's going on?" She asked. A dark barrier rose to surround her.
"Hmm. I second that question." Beast Boy said, stepping back.
"The test didn't go quite as planned." Knowledge simply said. "I won't be tricked as easily." Her hands rose, and dark energy flew at the shape shifter.
Instinct made him turn into a cheetah and dodge. He raced a short distance from the emoticlone, trying to get time to consider the situation. Why is she attacking? He questioned himself, puzzled. He had no time to think as a giant hand reached out to grab him. He turned into a humming bird, and avoided the fingers. In a way it was all so familiar; he just hoped Knowledge wasn't planning to rip off an arm or two.
A barrier rose to surround him, and he changed into the beast. His claws barely managed to pierce it. He raced away again, avoiding blast after blast of energy. The hand grazed him the next time it reach out, and he felt a rib give. Not good. She's serious. He thought frantically. A second later one of the dark bolts of energy grazed him in the side, and he winced in pain; he kept moving.
"You couldn't have beat Rage." Knowledge concluded. "It's okay. The test is over."
Sometime inside him erupted in anger. "No it isn't." He stated, regaining his equilibrium. He'd been so busy wondering what was going on that he'd forgotten to fight. And the emoticlone's weakness was blaringly obvious. "It's not over until I say it is."
"You can't wi..." The emoticlone went quiet as the shape shifter charged her, fury in his eyes. Something in the air had changed, and she shivered.
He raced as a cheetah at the yellow-clad emoticlone. When the hand reached out for him, he evaded it. Like Rage, the movement of Knowledge's arm telegraphed her intent. She raised a shield, and he knew it would be nearly impenetrable. He growled and grinned. Moving at nearly eighty miles per hour, he leapt high into the air and changed into a two hundred ton blue whale. It was a scare tactic. If he hit the ground in that form, at that speed, it would tear him apart. But the weakness of Knowledge was that she didn't act on instinct like Rage did. She was a thinker, and needed time to ponder a situation. Staying at a distance, and planning her attacks was her style. He knew it well; that was the way Raven usually fought. But Knowledge was only partly Raven, and didn't have her ability to adapt. She needed time to think. And if he didn't give it to her ... The shield vanished as the frightened emoticlone teleported away, and he reverted back to the form of a cheetah before he hit the ground.
Growling, he whirled, and leapt where he knew the emoticlone would appear. It was the best place to observe her previous position from. She would have automatically chose it without thinking. His slashing paw came within inches of her surprised face, before she faded back into the ground. He leapt away from the spot, and considered his next move. There were two possible locations where she might appear. He picked one at random, knowing thinking too much about it would give her time to think as well; and that was the one thing he couldn't afford. He had to attack with speed and ferocity, giving her no chance to react.
He'd guessed right, but had been too slow. She was already lifting her hands to rain bolts of dark energy at him. Having leapt, he had no chance to dodge. He turned into the whale once more, and absorbed the attack. It would have badly injured a cheetah, but the giant creature of the sea had enough mass that it only took a minor wound. He changed in mid-air to a Torkop, and lashed out with three arms, squirting acid at her, while using the other three to cushion his fall. He maintained the form for less than a second, as he changed into the cheetah again, and raced where he knew she would appear. His slashing paw created three red lines on her face, drawing blood.
She panicked, needing time to plan, but not getting it. Had he gone berserk? She wondered. Was this now a fight to the death? Dread overtook her, and she didn't know how to react. She needed time. In desperation she took to the air, thirty feet off the ground. It would give her time to think.
He growled as he saw her appear, and charged once more, refusing to give her time to think and plan. He leapt in the form of a cheetah, and without thinking changed into the shape of a Sarcosuchus, the forty-foot long crocodile. His jaws reached for her, and he saw the panic on her face. Good. Something inside him howled, knowing she was no long able to think, that fear was ruling her mind. It stripped her of the only weapon that made a difference, her cunning. So long as he could think, and she couldn't, he would win.
She fled to a position a hundred feet above the ground, sweating, filled with fear. Surely he can't reach here. Not in those giant forms. She thought. I can just throw attacks at a distance. She gulped, eyes filled with fear, reaching out to try to sense her foe.
He took to the air. The hand that slammed down towards him was evaded, and he continued his ascent; relentlessly pursuing his prey. The keen eyes of his Golden Eagle form followed every move of her hands, telling him where the dark bolts of energy would be even before she unleashed them. She probably though she was safe, that no creature of the air could threaten her; she was wrong.
She saw him approach, and tried to quell the panic. A barrier would block any form he could use up here. She was safe, but how could he evade every attack so quickly? And why was he so confident? Her panic refused to die.
Every bird knew the dynamics of a falling object. Fifteen feet from her he transformed into the giant crocodile once more, the change placing her within his mouth, which savagely bit down. He felt gravity take hold of him, but he was already a bird again, seeking his prey, flying wildly to evade any attacks. He could use such forms in the air, so long as he changed back into a creature of the air before he hit the ground. It was that simple. He would have grinned if he could.
Impossible. Her mind screamed, having reflexively teleported to safety just in time. There was drool from the gigantic lizard on her. How can he use something like that in mid-air? She gave up the fight, and teleported away to safety.
Not sensing his prey, he landed, and took human form again. "Guess the fight is over." He said, looking around. A few minutes late Knowledge appeared thirty feet from him, looking nervous.
Raven had watched the fight, stunned. She'd never seen the shape shifter fight like that. The pure savagery; the instantaneous transformation from shape to shape. The cheetah used for its incredible speed to maneuver with, the crocodile for its ferocious power to attack... That giant creature she was familiar; it was the same as in her visions. Thought that didn't tell her why he'd never used it before. It was ... She lacked words to describe it.
Knowledge looked at the thirty feet between her and the shape shifter, fully realizing he could attack across that distance faster than she could blink. She gulped, wondering if he could see the fear in her eyes. Probably. She admitted. Looking around, she noticed Raven was still inside the barrier she'd created, looking shocked. She let the dark energy of the shield fade, knowing she was about to be grilled by something she hoped wouldn't be quite as fear inspiring as the shape shifter. Clearly she'd underestimated him.
"What was that?" Raven growled, prowling towards her supposedly smart emoticlone.
"Nothing." Came the frightened reply.
"You placed a barrier around me. And you call it nothing? You attack my friend. And you call it nothing? Not good enough Knowledge." She reached out and dark energy closed around the yellow-clad emoticlone. "Talk." She ordered. "Now!"
"I just wanted to see if he could've actually beaten Rage." She replied, not resisting the dark magic binding her.
"You hurt him just for that?" The voice insisted there be a better explanation, or there would be hell to pay.
"No." She admitted. The bindings closed around her.
"Who help you make the barrier you placed around me?" The voice was suddenly calm.
"I coerced them." Knowledge admitted. "It was all my doing."
"Who?"
"Rude and Sloth." She replied. "None of the others agreed, and those two I had to force into it."
"Why did you attack him?"
"If Rage had defeated him, she could have used him. It would've explained how she was able to reach beyond the seal on her domain. I wanted to see if he was under her control?"
"And?"
"He isn't." The yellow-clad emoticlone admitted. "They're linked somehow, but she isn't controlling him. His emotions are his own, with nothing influencing them. Probably nothing more than a result of the fight forming some transitory connection."
"And that was it?"
"Yes." Came the meek reply that sounded a lot like Timid.
"Owe." Came a nearby voice. Looking they saw Brave was finally coming to.
"I'm sorry." The green-clad emoticlone said, looking at Raven. She looked pitiful.
Raven sighed, still annoyed at the way she'd lost a fight so easily. If this was the way things turned out, she was never bringing anyone else in here ever again.
"Hey Brave." Beast Boy said, walking over to help her stand up. He didn't like the way she looked. The downcast expression didn't suit her at all. That wasn't the Brave he knew.
She didn't take the hand. "I'm sorry." She said again, looking down.
He knelt down beside her. "If it helps any, Knowledge just got her behind kicked too."
The emoticlone looked at him. "She did?"
He nodded. "If I hadn't used that trick, I'm pretty sure you would've put up a better fight."
"Really?"
The shape shifter nodded again. "Really. Only she didn't play fair. She attacked without warning." He shrugged. "And even with that she was easy to beat. At least once I realized she was serious. Took me a while to figure that out." He held out his hand and she took it.
"And there's nothing wrong with falling for such a trick." He told her, smiling. "It was just a little sparring match. In a real fight I've seen the way you handle yourself. Trust me, you're pretty strong."
"Where?" She asked, still looking down, not meeting his eyes.
"Whenever Raven has to get close to a villain." He told her. "I admit it's not too often, but when she does she's amazing. Since you're her warrior side, that's you." He shrugged. "And it actually good to know you can fall for such a trick. It doesn't make you weak; it makes you human." He leaned close and whispered too her. "Too bad I didn't get to roll around on the ground with you a bit though." He stood back as she blushed.
"Besides." He said louder. "I did win, and I think I will leave it up to Knowledge to tell Raven what the bet was." He grinned. "I wonder if she will just kill me, or both of us." He looked at the yellow-clad emoticlone.
Knowledge looked down fearfully. She'd seen him spar before with Raven in the real world; he'd never won, and she hadn't expected him to here. She glanced nervously at Raven and sighed.
"What was the bet for?" Raven asked, frowning.
"Hrm. Well." Knowledge gulped. She felt the bindings around he become tighter, painfully so. "A kiss." She managed to whisper. The bindings faded.
"A what?" Raven asked, looking stunned. She looked between Beast Boy and Knowledge, wondering who to kill first. She most definitely was never bringing anyone in here ever again.
"A kiss." Knowledge said again, not meeting Raven's eyes, wondering if she was about to die. Or maybe be cast in a prison like Rage. She gulped. Maybe even in the same prison as Rage. She recalled what the shape shifter had said, that the red-clad emoticlone had ripped one of his arms off. She gulped again, fear stricken.
"A what?" Asked the stunned girl again. She turned to look at Beast Boy. One would never have been able to tell she usually wore a stoic expression. Maybe the reason he wasn't in some of the visions she'd had was because she killed him here and now.
He pushed the fear to one side. "Given it might soon be the end of the world, I thought I would bet big. Either I win and you kill me, or the end of the world gets me. Either way no loss. But ..." He shrugged.
"I'm never bringing you in here again." She told him. "Or anyone for that matter." Her voice calmed, and she stared at the shape shifter, thinking. Turning, she focused her gaze on the sky, frowning. Vaguely she heard him say it was just a silly bet, that she didn't have to fulfill it. She knew that; he would never force her to do anything she didn't want to. That brought guilt, as she recalled not speaking up when Robin set guidelines for breakfast. Stupid of me. She muttered to herself.
She sighed. Would it be so bad? She wondered. If I kiss Robin, it'll hurt Starfire. That's not going to happen. Cyborg is more like an older brother. And no one on Azarath wanted to kiss a half demon girl destined to destroy their world. Her frowned deepened. I would be kissing someone who likes me, who knows me. It could be worse. A lot worse.
"I'm curious" She said, turning around. "It's not as if I will ever get another chance. Outside of here my powers might run wild. And since I'm never bringing anyone in here again, this is my last chance; even assuming the world doesn't end."
Beast Boy blinked, realizing she'd agreed to it. He'd never expected her to actually go forward with it, and was still stunned when she walked up to him.
She leaned forward, and their lips met. Sort of nice. She thought. His arms automatically closed around her, and she felt good, really good. The kiss continued. Since it's my first, and last, might as well make it count. She decided. She nearly giggled when she felt his surprise, as she opened her mouth, and probed with her tongue. After a while she reluctantly pulled back, out of breath, eyes glazed over. Definitely nice. She mused happily to herself, smiling.
Looking around, she noticed Brave and Knowledge had silly looks on their faces. They would've felt everything she had. Beast Boy had a similar silly grin. She'd felt what he had, and it had been incredible. Whether it was just a crush, or love, she didn't know. But he really cared for her. He was the perfect person for a first kiss. She knew he would treasure the moment as much as she would. Suppressing her smile, she put on her usual stoic look. "Time to get out of here before something else happens." She clearly stated, pulling the shape shifter with her towards the forbidden door. She took a quick glance behind her. "And don't think this is over with Knowledge." She growled.
When they'd gone Brave raise her hand and spoke. "Okay, I wanna change my vote from Robin to BB." She said dreamily.
"Me too." Said Love, from somewhere. She'd remained hidden while Raven was there.
"Hrm." Knowledge said, recalling the two hundred ton blue whale flying through the air at her. She never wanted to see that again. Or the jaws of a giant crocodile closing around her. Cringing, she tried to wipe its drool from her cloak. "I think I'll vote for celibacy." She said. "Still, it was nice so ..." She sighed. "Okay, I'll stick with BB, and just see if Raven will get me therapy."
End of Chapter.
Just a note: Because he can defeat the different emoticlones doesn't necessarily mean he can defeat Raven in a real fight. She would be a combination of those. She would have Knowledge's smarts, along with the ability of Brave and Rage to react quickly. She would be a lot more powerful than any single one of them.
All that, and the day has just begun.
Many thanks to those who read and review.