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]

"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."

[trigons_child]

"They did not understand, and I could not make them see," Raven said. "I came here after they bade me to leave. I was not seeking help her, though I have found some support to my surprise. I thought merely to hide here and pretend to be normal...."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Help with what?" Dinah bit her lip, then slowly said, "If it's too personal, you don't have to say. And I'm glad you've got support here, but as for normal?" She waved her fingers, then grinned. "Over-rated. No one here is, are they."

[trigons_child]

"I knew this school was a place for gifted students, but I did not know how gifted," Raven said. "It was a pleasant surprise. And the help that I had sought...the danger that I wished the Justice League to aid me against...it was my father."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Ohhh," Dinah said, voice lowering. She studied Rachel's face, and bit her lip. "So your dad's... not a good guy. And powerful? If you needed the Justice League's help?"

[trigons_child]

"Yes," Raven admitted. "He is very evil and very powerful. When I could find no help from the Justice League, I came here, hoping he could not find me."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah drew her knees up to her chin, and contemplated that. "This is a nexus. They can't find-- someone else I know about, who's hiding from people who'd hurt him. I think you're pretty safe here." She gave Rachel a sober look. "You grew up in Azarath, you said before. Have you ever met your father?"

[trigons_child]

Raven couldn't stop a violent shudder from shaking her shoulders as she thought about that moment. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Yes, once, though I have seen him in dreams as well," she said. "I was foolish. After Azar, my teacher, died, I heard Trigon call to me. I followed his call to the Great Door, a portal that opened to the space between worlds. He was waiting for me there, and told me he was pleased to see me. I was his only child that had survived, and he had waited years to claim me so that I would rule at his side. I refused him, of course. He did not force me to come with him at that time, for I was still too young; he was content with making me face my heritage. He told me he needed to know if I was truly his daughter and...and if I could be corrupted. He said he would return ...when I was a woman."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

As Dinah had listened to this she had gone significantly paler.

"That was your dream?"

[trigons_child]

Giving Dinah a concerned look, Raven said, "I sometimes dream of that moment, yes, but it did happen, several years ago."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Ohhh, boy." Dinah put her hands to her face and sighed. "When we were on Arrakis? I got exposed to too much Spice. I ended up dreamwalking everyone within range. I'm pretty sure I saw that." She let her hands fall, watching Rachel with concern. "Stepping stones in space, and him laughing? Gold eyes?" She shuddered. "Terrifying."

[trigons_child]

"Red skin? A hundred feet tall, two sets of eyes?" Raven shook her head. "You must not do that again! If he sees you, if he senses you...!"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I didn't mean to! It was the drug! I've never done that before, not on accident, not without touching someone," Dinah protested, then gulped. "It was more a memory of your memory I saw, but yeah. Him. Jeeez." She had absolutely no wish to get any closer to that guy than someone else's memory. "No wonder you're hiding from him."