The Preserve, Saturday Afternoon

[trigons_child]

It was a pleasant enough day, and Raven found it hard to meditate in the cabins due to the noise and close quarters, so she took Professor Skywalker's advice and decided to explore the Preserve. She found a peaceful clearing and settled in the middle of it, breathing in the scent of the woods and the incense she lit. Closing her eyes, she let herself drift into a trance. The shadow raven form of her Soul-Self rose from her body and into the air, soaring about the trees.

[ooc: open if you happen to be wandering the area (or you could spot the giant raven form in the sky and follow it back toward her)]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Someday, Dinah's curiosity was going to get her in *real* trouble.

Today, it just had her tromping through the woods until she found the source of that raven-shape. Not very quietly either.

[trigons_child]

The raven shape could move fast, but Raven had it on a leisurely pace so she could look down at the Preserve and appreciate the beauty of it. Therefore it wasn't hard to track it back to her and see it swoop down from the skies and disappear into Raven's body as she sat in the clearing.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Breaking through the underbrush, Dinah was just in time to see that, and gape.

"...Rachel?"

[trigons_child]

She sensed someone was near just before Dinah spoke. "Do not be afraid," she said, opening her eyes. "It is nothing harmful, I promise."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah gave her a mistrustful, worried look. "You're sure? Are you still Rachel? I mean." How could she even tell? Aside from touch-telepathy, and that shadow-bird looked intimidating enough for her not to want to suggest it. "Are you, you?"

[trigons_child]

"I am myself," Raven said, rising to her feet. "What you saw -- it is my Soul-Self. I am able to send it from me and see through its eyes. I apologize, I did not mean to startle anyone."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Your soul?" Dinah took a couple steps forward, wild curiosity overcoming caution. "Like, your actual soul? Was your body... dead?"

[trigons_child]

Raven shook her head. "I am able to function while it is away, but we cannot be separated for long," she said. It was a mere five minutes at a time, though she thought perhaps she could eventually, with practice, stretch that time out. "It is similar to astral projection, but not entirely the same."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Wow. That's amazing." Dinah's eyes were wide and impressed. "You're not scared to do that? That you won't get lost?"

[trigons_child]

"I do not send it far," Raven said. She didn't dare. "I am stronger when it is with me, of course. I am not certain how well I could heal another if it were apart from me."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Nodding, Dinah finally sat down in the grass. "You told me about that, I think? At least, that you were an empath." She cocked her head, and then wistfully asked, "What does it feel like? Do you get to see everything, feel everything?"

[trigons_child]

"Healing is part of my gift," Raven said. "I can sense pain as I can emotions, and remove it as well. And yes, I see everything my Soul-Self may see, and I feel what it feels. It is a great freedom to be able to fly as it does."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I flew with Peter, once. It was incredible." Dinah closed her eyes at the memory, the wonder and thrill and joy of it. "My birthday present." She opened her eyes, smiled. "That's so much easier than empathy, isn't it? When did you find out you could project your soul-self? It's pretty. A little scary, all dark like that, but pretty."

[trigons_child]

"I do not know Peter," Raven said, tilting her head. "He can fly, like Superman?

"I was trained to separate my soul from my body at a young age," she went on. "Azar insisted on it. The form it takes was never frightening to me."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yup. Fly and go invisible and have TK and a ton of other things. He copies other people's powers, if he's around them. So if you do meet him, he'll probably be able to soul-project," Dinah speculated. Then her eyes widened, distracted from the rest of Rachel's answer. "Wait, you've heard of Superman? You know who he is?"

[trigons_child]

"Yes, I have met him, if only briefly," Raven said. "Before I came to Fandom, I visited the Justice League." To beg for help, only to be chased away. She was troubled by what Dinah told her about this Peter. It might be dangerous for him to copy her abilities if Trigon's attention came with them.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"There's a Justice League where you're from?" Dinah boggled a bit, remembering the woman she'd turned into before, and her version of her universe, with the Watchtower satellite. "Um. Was there a woman there named Black Canary?"

She rubbed her eyes. "Sorry for all the questions. But it sounds like you're from a world kind of like mine. Do you know of Metropolis, or New Gotham City?"

[trigons_child]

Raven nodded, unable to deny a small smile at finding someone from her own world. "Yes, I know of those cities," she said. "And I believe Black Canary was there with the rest. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and the Green Lantern. And Zatanna." The one who proclaimed her evil.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was about to tell Rachel about maybe, possibly, being Black Canary-- then realized it was the same as outing the other version. Who wasn't exactly her, and wouldn't appreciate it. Whoooops.

"I know about Wonder Woman, and Superman, and Batman was in the Justice League? Wow. No one's heard of him for years, back where I'm from." Dinah shook her head, and added, "I haven't heard of those others. I wonder if they just haven't formed a League yet? Timelines are so weird." She beamed at Rachel, though. "And you met them? Why? Did they save you from something?"

[trigons_child]

"I went to them to appeal for their aid," Raven said. "They...refused, and so I came here."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah frowned. "Aid with what? And why wouldn't they help you?" she asked, bewildered.

[trigons_child]

"They did not believe me," Raven said quietly, eyes downcast.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"They thought you were lying about needing help?" Dinah asked, confused and a little disillusioned with her heroes. Well. Alternative heroes. Not hers.

[trigons_child]

"Zatanna did not believe me," Raven clarified. "And she convinced the rest to ignore me." She was probably lucky they did not try to destroy her.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry," Dinah quietly, pushing aside feelings of collateral guilt. "I've never heard of her. I wish they'd listened to you. That's what heroes are supposed to do."