Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire after a momentary gape of confusion rushed forward to their friend with hurried questions of "what happened? Are you ok?" And "what's wrong?"

Raven could only shake her head and match the steps they took towards her backwards as she released whatever hold she had and just broke down. Large angry tears fell from her eyes with such veracity that they might have as well started flooding the room. No words other than sobs and gasps for breath were able to be made. They each made a move to grab and bring her into a hug but she pushed them off each time.

The three ended up standing and watching as she crumpled, not being able to do anything.

Paint cans and brushes were lit up in black, wanting to be raised into the air but were stopped by the others with a hand or foot pressing it down.

Raven tried to blink through her tears to no avail. What she heard though was the sound of determined rapid clicks of metal and a hand on her shoulder. Robin. Still, she pushed it off just the same and managed to find her voice to say "don't touch me!" in between gasps and gulps of air.

Robin pulled his hand back immediately as if he placed his hand upon a hot stove and looked at the others. "What happened?!"

"I don't know!" Beast Boy shouted. "We were just painting and then," he gestured to Raven who moved herself away from the group trying to calm herself.

Robin opened his mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by Beast Boy.

"I didn't say anything to her!" He rushed, wanting to make it crystal clear that he had nothing to do with it this time.

"Nobody did." Starfire spoke in agreement.

Cyborg looked between his friends in various states of emotions and ushered his painting buddies out, saying it was time to start some dinner.

They went without fuss but glanced back as they left wondering what happened and if the other bird would be able to help like Cyborg implied with the mention of needing help for dinner.

The two were silent when the others left, the only sounds coming from Raven as she slowly composed herself to where only occasional shuddering breaths were audible.

"Are you ok?" Robin asked, knowing it was a stupid question but there was obviously something going on that needed to be talked through. Or at least touched on.

Having her back faced to him, he saw her hair sway left and right as she shook her head no.

"Are you safe?" He added.

She nodded, taking deep measured breaths. 'In two, three four, hold two three four, out two three, four, five, six, seven, eight.' She repeated in her head.

"Is this something important?"

Her hair swayed again. 'In two, three, four,'

"Do you want me to leave?"

'Hold two, three, four," She nodded.

She heard him sigh and the sounds of his steps receding into the hall. 'Out two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.'


Robin was met with a choir of "what happened? Is she ok? Where is she? Why was she crying? Did something bad happen?" Is she hurt?"

He raised a hand which silenced the common room.

"I don't know what happened."

"Did you not try to ask?" Cyborg raised a brow.

"I did," he assured, "she didn't want to talk about it, so I'm going to respect her need for some space right now and try again later."

Cyborg wanted to challenge his spiky haired friend. He didn't know if there was more than what he was leading into, but for the sake of himself and the others, he dropped it with a sigh.

"I hope she's ok."

"Me too." Robin agreed sorrowfully.


"I draw a circle of protection around me, my room, and everyone and everything in it." Raven mumbled under her breath, walking around her room with a stick of incense, smoke making indecipherable cursive letters in the air as it twisted and bent gracefully.

"I expel all lower vibrations, forces, energy, ill intent, wish, harm, and presence."

After Robin left and she had some time to think as rationally as she could, she decided that since there was paint already on the walls, her process for painting already disrupted, might as well finish what had been started properly.

"Only the highest and best may enter and be present."

Trying not to trip over the many boxes and plants in her bathroom, she eventually found her box of incense. If anything was going to be surrounding her it was going to be laced in the intent that she set in it.

"I invite all higher vibrations, peace, tranquility, love, light, creativity, protection, knowledge, and faith."

Call her superstitious, but it was a common practice on Azarath. Any new or foreign object that was brought or discovered was cleansed of any ill intent or harm it may be laced with and replaced with whatever meaning saw fit. So that's what she was doing.

Smoke cleanses are one of the most powerful tools for this kind of practice. She would have used her bundles of sage and other plants, but those tended to set off the fire alarm so she played it safe with the incense.

She first started with the cans of paint. Anything could be hiding in there, waiting for the right time to let themself be known. And since there was a lot of it, she wasn't going to take any chances and kept the swirl of smoke lingering over and around the paint for as long as she felt necessary. It was a good thing she had many sticks left.

Her room itself was next. This was a practice she did routinely. Nearly every week. Banishing the unwanted.

She started with her door. Or, the area where the door would normally be. Bending down to the floor and making her way up, she traced the outline of the doorframe with the incense, creating a seal as she repeated her intent.

"I call upon the healing white light of peace, the blue light of energy, and the clear red light of protection."

Seeing as a lot has happened in her room in the past week, all the emotions including those that weren't hers, she didn't skimp out on any part of her room. Corners were properly cleared out, smoking out anything that tried to hide in there, doors and windows were sealed, and the new wood for her bookshelves was set.

She opened her window at some point to let the fresh air in and the unwanted out. What use would all her efforts be if there was nowhere for the negative to expel? Having a stick still burning, she grabbed a small plant from the bathroom, stuck it in the soil, and placed it on her windowsill, the slow looping of the smoke drifting outside as the stick crumbled.

She stood by the window for a few moments, eyes closed, focused on her breath and imagining all the bad energy collecting into a ball and shooting out across the water. Now, she was able to start painting.

One thing her friends did do right was lay a sheet of plastic on the ground to catch any spillage. It clung to her feet as she walked across it in a manner that made her cringe immensely, so she levitated a bit off the ground to avoid it.

Looking at the splotches of purple on her wall, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. They were just trying to help. How would they have known she had a process for this? That their helpful ignorance would have been the final nail in the coffin.

She painted over their work with waves of guilt, embarrassment, shame.

They wouldn't have known that she was thrown for a loop overhearing Robin, that she hadn't been able to meditate properly if at all during this whole dilemma. That her clothes were touching her and they were too loud earlier. That she could still feel her clothes. How levitating was taking more out of her than she'd like to admit.

They wouldn't have known. They couldn't have known.

She didn't notice how badly her hand was shaking until she dropped the paint brush. It splat on the plastic in an explosion of purple landing on her feet.

Robin chose that moment to enter as she crumpled to the floor in complete and utter overwhelm.


He had a feeling that was coming but it still surprised him all the same seeing her on the floor surrounded by paint.

Quietly, he calmly sat down next to her and pulled her into him.

She buried her head in his chest and wrapped her arms around him as he did to her, not a hint of resistance, but such an overwhelming need for comfort.

She didn't make any noise except for the occasional gasp or shudder and she tried to catch her breath. He would have thought that was all but he could feel her tears seep through his shirt. They were warm but dried cold, creating an uncomfortable shiver whenever she would breathe onto it.

Robin was the one who leaned back and looked at her. "What happened?" He asked, tone compassionate.

"Nothing." She mumbled, eyes not leaving his shirt. Her flushed face and big crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks told a different story.

"I think we both know by now that this kind of reaction isn't over nothing. If you can, please, tell me. You know I'm not going to berate you."

It was quiet for a spell while Robin waited patiently and Raven tossed words over in her head, trying to make sense of it herself.

"Everything was wrong." She decided.

"Like what?"

She looked down into their laps while she spoke and rubbed her wet hands on her leggings. "It's stupid."

"If it had this much of an impact on you, I don't think it is."

"I've not been feeling well, emotionally," she added knowing that would pull out more questions, "and seeing them in my room, painting it, without me," she sighed, "I don't know."

"Is it because they did it without telling you?" Robin asked, trying to understand himself.

"No. Yes. I don't know." She dropped her head into her hands. "I don't know. I don't know."

He leaned forward and wrapped her into another hug, resting his head atop hers.

"I think you should call it a day and lay down." Robin said, mindful of his volume. "Go take a shower, or a bath, or both." He chucked and smiled when he felt her shake slightly in response. "You can always start again tomorrow."

"You're the one that needs to shower." She commented, trying to pull away from his hold.

He just held tighter and let her struggle as he laughed at her attempted escape before he let her go, presumably to his room.

Now alone, he took a second to look around the almost fixed room. There was a pretty big spill from where the paint brush laid on the plastic that would have to get cleaned up, but for the first time in days, that was the only mess in there. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all intact, albeit it was very noticeable where there was damage, but that wasn't anything a good coat or two of paint couldn't cover. Her bed was the only piece of furniture, minus the bookshelves that were built into the walls, that reminded. He had completely forgotten all about it. What use was it going to be when she is able to move back if there's not a proper bed. He would ask Cyborg to inspect it with him after dinner.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Robin picked up the dropped brush as he stood up and stepped his way carefully to the sink in Raven's bathroom to wash it off, grabbing some paper towels from under the sink as well. The paint just smeared and spread if anything, so he decided to just let it dry and made his way to the common room for dinner.


Raven, taking Robin's suggestion, decided to take a bath and a shower. The shower first to wash her hair and body, to get the daily crud off, and the bath to soak in a soothing warmth. She hadn't taken a bath in a while, the weather being too warm to do so, but as it cooled off, she knew this would be something she would do more of.

She stayed in there until the water cooled off, practicing her breathing and attempting to meditate but failed as her mind was too full.

It was only 9:40, but she got in her pajamas when she got out of the tub and crawled under the covers, taking a few moments to just close her eyes and melt into the bed as her body warmed it.

That is until she heard the whoosh of the door opening and sat up to see Robin walking in with something in his hand.

"What's this?" He asked, trying not to sound harsh but his tone and stature left no room for funny business. He held what appeared to be a rose in his hand but it was a dusty cream color with print on it when she suddenly realized what it was.

Her eyes widened and her face turned the color of paste.

Seeing that she recognized it, he asked again. "What is it?"

"He gave it to me." She whispered, looking at the closed door behind him.

"Malchior?" He practically spit out.

She nodded.

She could see him take deep breaths as he tried to control his anger and annoyance but she could feel it loud and clear.

"Do you know where I found it?" He gave it a look of disdain and dropped it on the nightstand, making his way over to sit at his desk chair.

She stayed silent, knowing exactly where it was but instead being acutely aware of every move he made.

"Under your pillow." His arms crossed over his chest and he leaned back in his chair. Gloved hands reached up to peel the black and white mask off his eyes then his gloves as if he touched something foul. "But you already knew that."

Again, she stayed silent, rubbing her thumb along the border of a blanket instead of speaking.

"After everything he did to you, why did you keep it?"

Blue and purple met for an intense three seconds before her gaze went to his shoes.

"Nuh uh," he shook his head, "eyes up."

Reluctantly, they rose.

She saw how his softened, almost unnoticeably, but still held her gaze firmly.

"I'm not mad at you." He started. "I just want to know, after everything you've been working through, why did you keep it?"

It took her a moment to formulate her sentence, but his eyes never left hers once.

"It was the first thing someone has given me out of love."

Robin gave her a disbelieving look. "What about the chicken Beast Boy won for you at the boardwalk?"

She fought to maintain the eye contact.

"Or the teas that Cyborg gets for you? How about the journal Star got for you? The books and candles I get you."

She swallowed a lump in her throat that kept threatening to rise.

"What about all that we're doing now? Is none of that done out of love?"

"You love me?" She managed to whisper.

"Yes! I love you very much!" He shouted. "You're one of the strongest, kindest, most important people in my life!"

Kind. There that word was again.

"You mean so much to me. You mean so much to everyone in this tower. We love you so very much more than words can describe."

"You think I'm kind?"

He blinked in a moment of confusion. "You are. You do so much for us and care so strongly about others that you take on our crap. Hell, even this shit. You didn't know he had bad intentions. all you saw was a person in need of some help and didn't hesitate to give him it."

"You may not show it in ways of hugs and exuberance like Star does, but you sit in the garage with Cyborg. You find books you think Beast Boy would like. You're patient and understanding with Starfire."

"What about you?"

"You've helped me through some of the roughest times together as a team. Every time I get in too deep with my work, you're the one who pulls me out of it. You never gave up on me during everything with Slade, Red X, and especially last month with the dust. We now have a bond because of that. And if that doesn't say anything about that, then I don't know what does."

The gears in her head turned as she was told all this. She didn't think the others loved her. She felt like a burden to them most of the time, this past week especially. She wasn't one who showcases her affection and friendship towards them, so she was glad that they were able to meet her where she was and love her unconditionally.

"You don't have to say it back, it's ok." He reassured seeing her open her mouth to try to say it. "I don't want to confuse you or add any more feelings onto your plate right now, but just know that we all love you very very much. That you're surrounded with nothing but love and support."

Robin rolled closer to her in his chair and pulled her into a half hug as best as their positions allowed it. "So when you're going through this, take a moment to think about what you've told me. Does this really love you? Is this for your greater good? And if not, it's ok. It may be hard, but ultimately, you will know the answer."