Raven loves waffles more than life itself (bornofevilsfire) wrote in wariscoming, @ 2013-09-06 11:39:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | raven, tim drake/robin |
Who Raven and Tim aka fakeRobin
What Arrivals via portals to let evil to Earth...yeah
When Forward dated to tonight around 9 pm (6 September 2013)
Where Alleyway in Lawrence
Status Complete | Log
This wasn't the way it was meant to be. Not that anyone could properly prepare for the last day of the world. All she had wanted was for her friends to have the perfect day. Instead, the eclipse had happened and everything spiraled as the end drew near. She didn't want this, she had never wanted this. But to save her friends, to give them a chance, she went willingly. They weren't supposed to follow her but they did. Of course they did. Because they were Titans and they were family.
"I just wanted your last day to be perfect. Instead, you spent it worrying about me."
"That's what friends do."
"Then as my friend, let me go."
Shielding them from being able to stop her, Raven ascended the staircase. She knew they were fighting, trying to get in, but they couldn't. This was what she was supposed to do. She didn't want to but in the end, it was all she was. She had tried to at least make up for what she was to do. The fighting crime, doing good. Anything to counter the evil she had to unleash. The power she infused in her friends because if anyone could stop Trigon, it was them. But they'd been threatened and she knew if she hadn't gone willingly, they would have died before it even started.
"The gem is born of evil's fire, the gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire the end of all things mortal."
The prophecy was fulfilled, the spell and symbols within her skin spinning and holding her up. Magic and evil swirled and held her up, suffocating her. A light, the portal. It was opening and tearing her apart. Engulfing her body, her soul, everything. She felt as though she were being pulled to shreds and while it hurt, she didn't scream. Because this was her destiny, a destiny she never wanted but remained all the same.
And then... she was falling but her mind was a mess, focus..what did it matter. Where was she. Everything was bright and dark. It was done.
Tim had opted to patrol. He was still dealing with the fear he had of actual literal demons and there being a God and Satan (he was agnostic more or less but seriously knowing that said beings existed? It was hard to wrap around). But Dick was right. Best to not think about it and just do the job. The mission. And knowing Kon and Dick were here along with Cassie helped alleviate some fears. Even if his emotions were all over the place. The Cassie here wasn’t his Cassie but he still cared about her. But he had always admired Kon. At least his world’s Kon. He had been bred as a weapon, to do nothing but what he was told but he had pulled free and lived. Who wouldn’t admire that?
Pushing the thoughts away, he focused on what he was doing. It was being a slow night right now and he was okay with that. Slow nights meant no one was being hurt. But he still wouldn’t mind some action that wasn’t apocalypse-y related. That would be a disaster. He’d rather, as his Dick would say, focus on the aster.
Shifting out of his hiding spot, he began moving from shadow to shadow, looking for anything out of the ordinary. It always paid to be vigilant after all. It was the price of freedom. And he was glad for being vigilant because there was some girl in a white cloak falling from...well no where it looked like. She must have been a Seal-nappee.
Firing his grapple he swung out with ease and grabbed the figure, swinging to the safety of a slightly lower roof where they could land.
And then her fall was cut short as someone caught her with a… grappling hook? Robin? But how had he gotten through the shield she had put up to ensure he and the others didn’t end up affected by what was to happen?
“Robin--”
But no. This wasn’t Robin. One, the costume was all wrong. She recognized the R, but the costume was wrong. Not to mention his grip was wrong. It wasn’t as if Robin hadn’t caught her before, as if she didn’t know her team leader.
And his hair wasn’t messy enough.
“You’re not Robin.”
Eyes narrowing beneath the white hood, Raven tried to focus her emotions, tried to focus her abilities to attack this imposter but everything was frazzled, her mind, her soul.
Tim smiled a little, pleased that someone recognized who he was. Once they were on the roof he let her go and blinked at her words. “What do you mean I’m not Robin?” he demanded, getting a bit hot under the collar. He was technically the third Robin. Dick was first, had pioneered it. Then there had been Jason Todd. But he had been lost. And now there was him. Tim Drake. Robin. Hell, he had deduced by himself who the goddamn Batman and Robin were.
“Who else would I be if I’m not Robin then?” He studied her, taking in the white cloak, the stance, the grayish looking skin that he could see… Where had he seen that skin tone before? And the outfit also looked familiar even if it was a different color. He wracked his brain, trying to remember who this girl was.
“Red X. Some hallucination.”
Because hallucinations within the hell dimension, well, it wasn’t that impossible of an idea. Either way, this wasn’t Robin and she wasn’t going to let him insult her leader’s name while she was there. Perhaps this was her father’s way of torturing her for all eternity. Perhaps all of her friends who show up as fakes.
“Azarath.. Metrion ZINTHOS!”
The disgust she felt seemed to fuel the attack but it quickly fizzled and her eyes narrowed as she held her hands up to her face. What was wrong with her? Beyond the fact that she basically had become a literal portal and that destroyed her body and soul and the fact her powers tied into her emotions and control. Trying to access her soul self right now wasn’t exactly easy.
Swaying, she held her head and glowered, her cloak billowing some as shadows slipped out from beneath her robes at her growing frustration.
Tim blinked some. What was a Red X? He didn’t ponder it long because he could see an attack was about to commence as she opened her mouth. The words sounded magical and he tensed, ready to dive away and fight if he needed to but...nothing. He didn’t relax though. Even if she did seem puzzled.
He kept his eyes on her, watching the shadows slip out from under her robes and he glanced back up at her. “I don’t know who you are,” he refrained some saying what, “but I am Robin. But I am interested to know why you think I’m a fake Robin.” He was trying to be diplomatic. After all, if she was from some parallel world of his, maybe her Robin dressed differently or something. It was entirely feasible given he was from a different world than Dick, Kon and Cassie. And probably Superman.
He pulled his hands away deliberately from his belt. “We don’t have to fight, okay?” he tried, his voice gentle. Sometimes fighting wasn’t the answer.
He was right that their worlds were different. She just didn’t know about Batman’s insanity in terms of picking up new sidekicks. She didn’t know where she was, just that there was darkness in the air. Ever present. Which gave credence to her theory of this being some part of her father’s dimension. It wasn’t as it had been before, no, but she wouldn’t put it past him to torment her mind for trying to defy him even after she finally gave in and accepted her destiny.
“You’re insulting the name of Robin. Yes. We do.”
But she noticed that he was backing away, his hands leaving the utility belt and her eyes narrowed. It was vaguely reminiscent of the first time they fought together. Against Starfire until she had said that fighting isn't always the answer, and that was when they finally had made some headway.
“What is this place.”
She would go with that first. Get her bearings straight. If they could ever be straight again.
Tim rolled his eyes. “Oh for the love of…” he muttered. “I earned wearing this uniform,” he snapped, a little peevishly. “I earned the right to be called Robin. If anyone should be pissed off here it’s me for you insulting me by calling me a fake.” He snapped his mouth shut and took a breath. Calm. Be calm.
But when she didn’t spring at him, he took that as a good sign. However small it was. “Lawrence, Kansas. United States of America on the continent of North America in the western hemisphere of the planet Earth in the solar system of the Milky Way galaxy.” He crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing a little. “Hope that’s specific enough for you. Now who the heck are you and how do you know about the name Robin?”
How was she still in America? That didn’t make sense. At. All. Even in a hallucination. No, she imagined the figure would lash out. Despise her for what she had done, as if she didn’t hate what she had become because of her destiny already. How was she supposed to feel on the matter? Her life was over, she had played her part and now…
“Very.”
Her voice remained even, bored. It was like Beast Boy taunting her and trying to get under her skin. Or how she was with anyone really if they were being obnoxious. Though at the moment, she really would take Beast Boy’s moronic jokes over this insult to Robin.
“If you were Robin, you would know who I am.”
Tim arched a brow behind his mask. “Okay. This is where you’re going to call me insane and more than likely attack me but, we aren’t on your version of Earth anymore. You were pulled from your version of reality thanks to a Biblical Seal that was broken or something by demons and Lucifer is now free and wandering around the world trying to find ways to bring down the forces of good.” He gave her a wry smile. “Welcome to the apocalypse.”
He uncrossed his arms, studying her a little more. “I’d bet the Batcave that your Robin is probably different from me. Be it a different costume or person. Hell, maybe both.” He frowned, a thought occurring to him suddenly. If her cloak was blue...she looked like that cartoon thing Dick had posted last month or so...one of the characters on it… If only he had paid attention to what her name was. He wanted to ask more but for now he’d wait and let her digest the information he had given her.
“Are you certain this Seal wasn’t me…”
The comment was spoken softly before she shook her head and actually processed what was being said. The emotions she was getting wasn’t so much lies, just frustration. She didn’t actively delve into minds and emotions, she didn’t like it. But she could if necessary and as she didn’t really have herself focused enough to not do so, she had enough to know he was telling the truth.
“Fitting. Really.”
Sarcasm, but true. Opens portal to a hell dimension and ends up in an apocalypse. The irony was not lost on her.
“You’re still fake Robin.”
But she was conceding that he at least had her attention. Unless Trigon was really messing with all of them, which, she wouldn’t put it past him in the slightest.
Hearing that he was still being called a fake Robin, he glared at her. He wanted to snap at her that Dick couldn’t be a boy wonder forever but he held his tongue. He had no way of knowing if this girl knew who they were or not. So he stayed silent on that front. For now.
“So. Explain to me why you think I’m a fake Robin and who the real Robin should be.” Who the HELL was this girl? She was getting very annoying. And Tim could be very patient thanks to Impulse (Kid Flash now he supposed) and Beast Boy. And that was saying something.
“...who are you?”
Like she was going to give her name to an imposter? She could concede that maybe this alternate reality thing was possible. Look at Larry and what he had done to Jump City. Reality had broke because of him. And yet…
Stepping closer, Raven examined the fake Robin closer.
“Well you certainly don’t look like Larry… Not to mention he knew all of us.”
She could hear the monks in the background of her memory. Azar. Telling her to calm down. To chant. To not let her frustration get in the way of her learning. To be good. Well she had done what she could to counter the evil which was her destiny. And now she was being insulted by a fake Robin and calm didn’t exactly cover what she wanted to be at the moment. She at least still had her wits about her. Part of her had been convinced she would not know who she was if she survived, though if this Seal fake Robin spoke of was truth and it wasn’t her, then that might have something to do with it.
“If you’re really Robin, you should be able to figure it out. Fake. Robin.”
He glared at her a little, certain that the vein in his temple would be pulsing with how infuriating she would be. “Even Beast Boy isn’t this annoying,” he grumbled. He paced a bit more, trying to work things out. “Well. Obviously you don’t exist in my version of Earth. At least I don’t know you yet,” he returned, stopping in his pacing after several minutes. “Otherwise the League would have files on you. Batman or even Nightwing would have files on you.”
He folded his arms, watching her. Batman had files on everyone it seemed. He took paranoia to the next level. Still. He was positive that Batman would have files on this girl. That Nightwing would at least know of her. Maybe he should call him… This girl put him on edge a bit. Like there was a dam of power or something waiting to break open and lash out at him for being an alleged fake Robin.
I’m never going to live Dick’s legacy down...
Batman wasn’t exactly an uncommon name, everyone knew who he was. She knew that he had trained Robin. Had seen it in his mind when he had let her in to help with Slade. But the only time she had heard the name of Nightwing was when Starfire had gone into the future. And what a bleak future that had been. She wasn’t surprised when she had learned of what had become of her.
Was that what this was? Her having locked herself in her mind and insanity? A different hallucination than the one she had thought. Instead of forced on her by Trigon, it was forced on her by herself?
“....he’s going by Nightwing now?”
Which at least would give the fake Robin a frame of reference. But if her Robin were going by Nightwing now…. what had happened to the team? Assuming this was real. Because he had become Nightwing after the team broke up, when Starfire was gone. Hadn’t they changed the past and thus the future?
So it was Dick she knew as Robin. Well that explained some things. One thing really but it was better than nothing he supposed. “What, you expected a guy over eighteen to be happy about being called a Boy Wonder?” he shot back, arching a brow. “He hasn’t been called Robin in a few years.” He shrugged. “I’m Robin now. I earned the title. Thus, I am not a fake Robin strange creepy girl in white.”
Even though her hood was up and thus hid her face for the most part, Raven glared regardless. He wasn’t exactly called the Boy Wonder back home, either. Nor had he been over eighteen.
“Yes you are.”
She didn’t give him an answer. Partially because names needed to be given to those she trusted, at least of her own volition, and then there was also the fact that the surge of energy she had felt when thinking she was facing an enemy and then the anger at the fake Robin was waning and the toll of the past day was beginning to wear down on the sixteen year old.
“I need to meditate.”
But where? She didn’t know this city. It was supposedly the apocalypse. Assuming this was all real. At present, she was going with it was until she had more proof. So meditation would be good. She needed to get control of her emotions. She needed to find her powers again.
He blinked at her words of needing to meditate. Okay then. Though the more he looked at her, from what he could see at least, the more she seemed...worn. Maybe she should rest before they carried on this conversation and her ultimately accepting he wasn’t a fake Robin.
“I know a place that’s safe from the dangers of this reality. Most people yanked here go there.” He was also going to call Dick and demand answers over who this girl was. And why she refused to accept him as Robin. Maybe Cassie and Kon knew her… One step at a time though. Get her to the complex.
“There’s also talismans there to help ward off possessions by demons here,” he said. “Trust me, it’s worth getting.” He stared at her, waiting for her to deny he was a real Robin and that she could trust him.
Raven tensed at the mention of demons existing here.
“What? But…this is supposedly Earth. That shouldn’t be...”
Unless… no, she knew the prophecy. Trigon would arise and all that was mortal would die. Be turned to stone. There was no mention of demons roaming the Earth. Steadying herself because that particular wave of information really went against everything she had been prepared for and knew, Raven took a breath and nodded.
“Right. Amulet to keep from being possessed. Noted.”
Now more than ever she needed to meditate before the confusion caused her powers to flare up and go haywire. The fact they hadn’t worked initially was frustrating but at the moment, she’d sooner that as opposed to them lashing out because she couldn’t control her emotions and couldn’t get her focus in this very unexpected situation she found herself in. Really. Opening a portal to the hell dimension so her father could take over Earth shouldn’t lead to being left in an alternate world where she was fighting the apocalypse. Or maybe it should. Either way. Meditation. Control. And proving the fake Robin was indeed fake.
He nodded some. “C’mon. It’s a few blocks away,” he said. He eyed her some. “We can get there faster if you can either fly or don’t mind swinging on grapple lines and such.” He watched her, wondering what she’d choose. He had no idea if she could fly or not. But given the array of people that arrived here on a weekly basis almost, who knew?
He turned to move but stopped, deciding to give some more information. “And you might want to brace yourself too. There’s a lot of um...well fictional people that the Seal has pulled through. What’s fiction in one reality is real in another, right? Endless possibilities and such.” He looked her in the eyes. “So don’t freak out if you run into like, Robin Hood and Lancelot or something.” He warred with himself on telling her that they were fake too but he held off for now. Overloading her with information could be a bad idea. And he had no idea if she was a friendly or not.
“Ready? Need me to hold your hand?”
Could she fly at the moment? She didn’t know and she was worried to find out. Still, the sooner she got somewhere to meditate, the better. And she wasn’t about to trust someone she didn’t know. It had taken her long enough to trust her own team, let alone fake versions of her teammates. So first, check to see if she could fly.
Okay. She had some levitation but she didn’t know if it would last and she’d rather not risk it.
“Tentative. Walking would be better, though.”
She at least wasn’t hostile anymore. More, she was just resigned. Just like she had been before she had shown up here.
“And no. I don’t. But right. Fictional people.”
Beast Boy would love that. Assuming it wasn’t the work of Control Freak. Or the whole incident with the Fear Itself movie. Though that had been something else entirely and her own issues more than a fictional character actually being real.
At her choosing to walk he shrugged. “We’ll draw attention with the costumes,” he pointed out but shrugged. He nodded to the fire escape that they could go down. “Let’s go Strange Creepy Girl in White,” he said. He reached up and adjusted his cape so that it draped over his shoulders and hid most of his costume. He wished the girl had chosen the grappling hook route but well, he’d listen to her as a sign of trust.
But there were going to be words with Dick once he had access to his phone without being watched. Speaking of trust though… He glanced at her before he reached up and tugged the charm out from under his suit and tugged it off, holding it out to her. “Here. I can get a replacement at the complex.”
Raven was used to odd looks. Nor did she say anything about him calling her creepy girl in white. Because she was used to being called creepy. She wasn’t, she was just different but right now that really didn’t matter. What mattered was figuring this out. Meditating. Calming down. So she would deal with the odd looks as it was that or trusting a stranger masquerading around as her team leader. Which maybe she should but she wasn’t about to do that. Not now. Not when nothing made sense.
Still, the handing over of the amulet did cause her a moment pause, taking it and examining it. The symbol on it was unlike any she had seen in any of her books. Though given living in Azarath as well as going to Limbo and her books dealing more with that, perhaps it wasn’t so shocking? Though she’d rather know it.
“...Thanks….”
Slipping the amulet on, Raven bowed her head, hood of her cloak covering more of her features. She felt vulnerable and she didn’t like it. If trouble came, she could only hope that she would be able to use her abilities to fight. And that these demons were not like her father. Because if they were, then she didn’t know if she’d be much help. If not, perhaps. Assuming her powers came back even in that moment.
Tim shrugged. “No biggie. There’s classes too on how to deal with these things. And if you suspect a person is possessed saying christo at them will let you know, though it’ll likely piss the demon in them off.” He looked over at her. “There’s the exorcism you can ultimately learn too. But there’s a rule by the adults here of this place that say anyone under eighteen can’t actively hunt these things or go to the camp to learn how to deal with these threats directly. The classes here are all we have.”
He wasn’t happy about that. He had been fighting crime since he was a kid and he was certain that going to camp to learn more about the monsters and such from this world would do wonders to help his desire to fight and overcome the shock he was feeling. But he wasn’t going to share that with a stranger he didn’t know.
He descended the fire escape with ease and waited for her to catch up. “If you want too I can call Nightwing and have him come by to see you. And then he’ll confirm I am not a fake Robin.”
“They probably have their reasons….” Because demons weren’t normal criminals. Oh, normal criminals or sociopaths were bad enough. Look at Slade, Brother Blood…. sure those who graduated from HIVE and a lot of the enemies they fought weren’t normal criminals. But if demons roamed this place and things of that nature… “So stick with the classes.”
She could do that. She was supposed to remain a pacifist but joining the Teen Titans… she still was more of a pacifist than most, but she also knew what she had to do. Following the fake Robin down the ladder, she jumped off and noted she at least managed to briefly levitate down, but that didn’t give her much hope. It was a short distance and not being held.
“You are, but if it makes you feel better.”
He grumbled at her still confirming he was a fake Robin and he clenched his fists. God she was annoying! If Dick knew her how the hell did he put up with her? “Beast Boy is so not this annoying,” he muttered, brushing past her and heading down the street towards the complex. And that was a feat because Beast Boy was in fact fairly annoying on the team. A pang for his old team hit him and he sighed some.
“Don’t suppose the names Superboy, Wonder Girl or Zatanna mean anything to you, do they?” he asked, thinking of the other heroes that were here but not of his version of Earth. Couldn’t hurt to ask.
Being compared to Beast Boy? That was new. And more than slightly insulting. Twitching, Raven felt some crackle of energy from her Soul Self but managed to suppress it before it lashed out. What did this fake know of Beast Boy? Her team, not his. Especially as Fake Robin.
“No.”
Because the names didn’t register. Though at least he hadn’t said Slade or Terra as if they were fine. Because they weren’t. Terra might have ‘redeemed’ herself and she knew that Beast Boy missed her, but that didn’t mean she would ever trust the blond teen again. She just wanted to get to his supposed safe place and meditate. And see ‘Nightwing’. As if that would make this any better.
Tim nodded some. “Well...you’ll meet them. They’re here.” He continued on his way, wishing she’d at least give him a god damn name but it seemed that wasn’t the case. She was probably as stubborn as Batman. Which was a feat.
After walking in silence, he paused at a corner and nodded across the street. “That’s the complex,” he informed her. He moved across the street after traffic was clear and headed inside, hoping the girl would follow. Once inside he snagged himself another amulet and put it on before he looked at her. “If you don’t like the amulet you can get the tattoo some people here have but it has to be exact or it won’t work.” He gestured at the keys hanging on the wall. “Pick a room you want. If you’d like I can get you a cell and there’s a computer in the care package so you can talk on the net and get more answers yourself.”
“....Great.”
Because that was just what Raven wanted. To meet more people when she was such the people person to begin with. True, she hadn’t expected her teammates to become so close to her, to be such good friends and they had surprised her. But that didn’t mean she had to be all jumping at the chance to meet new people who, from the sounds of it, wanted to take over where their team had left off. But if Robin had turned into Nightwing….
It was too much to think about. Too many conflicting emotions when she needed to be calm. Emotions could kill, or at least hers could. Because when one’s powers were on the fritz, there was never any knowing just what might happen. One minute nothing, the next, her Soul Self could go somewhere and destroy something. She really didn’t want that to happen. She’d caused enough damage already.
Noting the complex, it was obvious that there was magic about it. At least it was obvious to Raven. If the amulet warded off possession and this place was supposed to be safe…. would that mean there were wards against demons? Would she even be able to get in? One way to find out. Going through the door. And nothing, at least, she was able to get through. That was good. No need to disclose that particular bit of information if she could avoid it.
Picking a key, she blinked at the mention of getting a cell phone. She had her… no, she didn’t. Her communicator had been destroyed in the process.
“...thanks. For a fake Robin, you’re not too bad.”
With that, Raven took the key and went to find the room she had chosen. She would try for more answers once she had meditated.