daughter of trigon

"the daughter of a demon trying to live life as a saint.”

[raeroths-blog]

rainbcwbright:

Karolina laughed quietly at the question, the smile that followed fading almost as quickly as it had appeared. For her, New York was a destination for both of those reasons. Out in LA, it felt like they were still hiding from the Avengers. The crime in LA usually wasn’t as super as the crime in NYC, and it seemed like they couldn’t be true superheroes anywhere else. The bad guys probably looked at it the same way, like you weren’t really evil if you couldn’t hack it in New York. “I think they need each other to exist. Sometimes Stark Tower does feel like a shining beacon, though.” And not just for heroes. What puffed up villain wouldn’t want to come to the city where the Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men lived? There was nothing scarier than someone coming in and making you feel unsafe in your own home.

Assuming the city did find its way back to Earth, Karolina knew she always had options. Preferably, her friends would all decide together if they wanted to leave, but she could go it alone if she had to. She had money of her own, she could transfer to one of NYU’s global campuses. It just…felt wrong to give up on New York. “I admit, the scary and life-threatening meter is basically off the charts. But a lot of the greatest things on Earth are here, too. Whether it’s Broadway or all the museums or the history stuffed into every borough, it’s worth protecting.” She felt silly, how idealistic she sounded, but she was young. Nobody could blame her. “Wow, this is kinda heavy. And it totally makes sense, considering…well, everything. Still, though, um–I’m Karolina. Nice to meet you.” She flashed a smile now, the way she could turn her mood around so easily an obvious trait learned from having two actors as parents.

Raven wouldn’t say she was proud of the brief laugh that the other had emmitted, but she was impressed that she could use her sarcasm to ease the tension even slighty. Raven nodded at the words, making sense of them. Of course it was true, Raven hadn’t decided to commit to becoming a vigilante - a series of events had occured and she had found herself suddenly fighting crime on a near daily basis. She wouldn’t change it, but it did make her wonder, could she exist without crime? She had on Azarath, but then again, she had kind of committed a crime by releasing her father into that dimension, so maybe digging too deep into this wouldn’t lead to the best train of thought. “A shining beacon feels like an understatement, but - it makes sense.” Raven considered, nodding slighly. 

New York was not Raven’s home. But it was a home to a good chunk of a population, and Raven would be damned if she just let stay lost. Even if a small (okay, huge) part of her didn’t know how to not lose hope, she was still determined to fight for this city, whatever it required of her. She mostly blamed this Karolina for this pep talk that was leaving her painfully optimistic. Raven laughed. “Heavy is normal for me - unfortunately.” Raven chanced a smile at the woman, though she was uncertain to say the least. “Karolina? That’s a pretty name.” Raven had to admit she was relieved for the slight shift in conversation, even if she felt a little guilty for even thinking that. “I’m Rachel. You can call me Rae.” It would be eaiser for both of them to remember probably, and Raven fought just giving up the whole citizen identity but she was trying to stay slightly under the radar. “So, is it normal for you to discuss something so dreadful with a perfect stranger?” Raven asked, chuckling at the end of her question. “Because I have to say, it is new for me.”

[raeroths-blog]

@notdaredcvil

It was about time Raven was getting some action. The vigilante kind, that is. For the first time in awhile, Raven had finally gotten back out into the field and found trouble brewing, not just another boring night and the occasional stray cat purring at her in a dark alley. Not that she particulalrly minded those nights too much, but for once she was actually doing some good, and she had to chase the feeling along with the criminal. It was a robber, but it was something, right? 

As Raven chased him down the street, she thought she could find a shortcut down an alley. Unfortunately for her, all it led to was a dead end, and by the time she had backtracked out of the alley, her perp was no where in sight. Sighing, she jogged in the direction he had been going in regardless, oddly hopeful that she would find him again. 

About a block later, she’d found him again, and this time did manage to catch him - black energy encasing his arms in makeshift cuffs, the bag of money on the ground next to him. He was pinned against the brick wall, only a few feet off the ground, but he acted like it was so much. “St-stay back demon.” Raven, rather proud of herself, shook her head and scoffed, “Actually, only half-demon.” She slammed him against the wall, rendering him unconcious, and let him fall to the ground.

She pulled out her phone, about to dial the cops to inform them she had captured the verdict when she had heard movement. Raven pulled her cloak tighter around her, putting away her phone as well. “If you’re his accomplice, I’d be more than happy to give you the same treatment as your buddy.” When the figure got closer, Raven frowned and took a less defensive stance, going as far as pulling her hood down. “You don’t look like you’d be working with a street thug.” She mused.

[raeroths-blog]

dakagoddammit:

Jessica just watched the girl as her voice trailed off. “Yeah,” she said with a nod. “That’s my point.” It wasn’t exactly pleasant, thinking that the world (or at least, her world, because that’s what New York City was) would come to an end. But she hadn’t changed that much. At her core, she was still a cynical, pessimistic piece of shit, and her mind immediately went to the worst-case scenarios. 

“Had a lot of experiences with reporters over the years,” Jessica said, pushing her food around on her plate. First with Trish during the pop-star years, and then with her own trial. “Trust me, they’re always looking for the next story, and they love when it draws blood and causes panic.” She sighed heavily, and shook her head. “Preaching to the goddamn choir. They have attacked people in bright goddamn daylight. This is just a bullshit move to try and control the impossible.”

Raven nodded at the other, taking it in. The overwhelming feelings in the diner of sadness almost overwhelmed her, but she had trained too long and hard with the monks of Azarath for such a small area to bother her this much. Still, it was a lot of emotion. 

The other spoke as if it was annoying, and Raven supposed the experience must be. And she agreed in some ways. The thought of people profiting off the danger of cities made her sick to her stomach, even if she wanted to believe there were still reporters out there reporting for the sake of getting the information across. "That’s... troubling.” Disgusting was the word that first came up, but she was trying to give the reporters the benefit of the doubt, even if some of them didn’t deserve it. Sorting that out sounded like another problem entirely, and so Raven took a long sip of her drink. “Have they? That’s terrible news.” Raven had only known of sightings and a few attacks, but she hadn’t known any had taken place during the day. “Controlling the populace is only forcing us into submission.” Raven considered, shaking her head. “This is so much.” Raven sighed, half defeated.

[oncloudatlas]

[raeroths-blog]

formutantkind:

He chuckled lightly at her reassurance, the casual tone to her voice. She truly did not recognize him, and in this particular outfit, that was a rarity. He enjoyed moments like this, the uniqueness of them. The irregularity. “I am certain that is the truth,” he said, nodding to her, the gentleman’s smile on his lips. “Forgive me for saying, my dear. But you don’t seem to be much a threat to anyone.” 

His words were not unkind, merely an observation. Though how she reacted would tell him a great deal, just as her reaction to the mention of threats against the city did. “I have several plans I need to attend to. Normally, I have others who handle this kind of work for me, but this required a personal touch,” he explained, but no further. “One can never be too prepared, my dear. Not in these troubled times.

Erik almost laughed again, but he refrained. “There are some who may wish to give me that title,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “But I prefer to think of myself as a Savior. You see,” he began, striding towards her. “A hero, they have a moral code they cannot break. Though it varies from hero to hero. A savior, on the other hand… he is never afraid to accomplish what needs to be done, regardless of the damnation it may merit.” He held out his hand to her. “A pleasure, Ms. Roth. And something tells me that if you felt the need for a chaperone, you would have secured one. Am I wrong?” There was an easy confidence in her steps, a lack of fear. That only stemmed from a foolish feeling of safety – or from power. 

"Ah - but perhaps you are wrong.” She smiled, almost tauntingly, before gesturing to herself. “I could be an all powerful witch for all you know. Never underestimate the little ones.” She didn’t know what had brought out such a humurous side to her, perhaps it was the surprisingly pleasant company that was keeping her mood light, when just a little while ago she had been so in her head. 

“Oh? And what can only you do that others cannot?” It wasn’t prying per se - okay - it was definitely prying, but her curiosity got the better of her in this one instance, and she decided to indulge herself just this once. If he took offence or refused to explain, so be it, but at least she’d tried to learn more. That had to count for something, right? 

Raven smiled at him, she knew she was getting somewhere with something as simple as playful banter. Who knew acting so human could get her so far? It was almsot fascinating, to be talking to the man in the costume as a civilian, and to be enjoying the conversation as well? Simply unheard of for the dark haired empath. 

She watched him approach with mild awe, his confidence and words almost entrancing her. “A savior, huh? Interesting...” Raven knew herself to be not quite a hero, but his definition did not resonate with her either. Perhaps she was just a being, a being whose sole purpose was to do good - and not become her father. “Having a chaperone would imply there was someone who I could entrust my wellbeing with. And those are so few and far between. So I suppose you’re right - I require no assistance in these troubled times.” She paused, wondering briefly if she could assist him in any sort of way. She risked, cocking her brow upwwards, “Do you?”

[the-m3chanic]

@raeroths

Tony knew that the weight of the world didn’t fall entirely on his shoulders. He knew that the paranoia he felt could be shared, that the rest of the team had the responsibility to protect the world at the same time, but he had the resources. Because of that, Tony knew that he needed to monitor potential threats, not only to the Avengers and their affiliates, but to New York as a whole. He had noticed that something had changed within the city, though until Strange came back from the outskirts he hadn’t been entirely sure what it was, and now he was paying for that in his own mind. He was determined that even if New York was in another dimension, he was going to protect it from any further threats, until they worked out what the hell was going on.

This girl - he could never quite find a name for her, even through his extensive research and FRIDAY having ears on every street - was definitely a threat. She had appeared, seemingly from nowhere, just before the Skrulls were felled. That in itself was sketchy, implying that she was part of a bigger plan, but when he found out that she’d had ties to super-hero groups and therefore was more than your normal civilian, Tony figured he better orchestrate a meeting.

He could’ve been a lot more subtle than landing in front of her when she walked out of Central Park, but he wasn’t Black Widow, and he had never claimed to be. “Hi,” Tony said, half to the girl and half to the kids that immediately screamed when Iron Man touched down. He lowered the face mask, turning his attention entirely to the person in front of him. “Iron Man, nice to meet you. I’ve heard great things, you know, relatively speaking. That thing you do, popping up while shit is going down, that’s bound to suck, huh?” He kept his tone light, which in his opinion meant that he had absolutely nailed it.

[raeroths-blog]

Since Raven was a jobless vigilante in a city with no earthly exit, it only made sense that she spent her days walking around. Looking for danger, or mostly just looking at the city, Raven was acquainting herself with every nook and crany New York had to offer. And while she’d love to say today was one of those days full of hard work and proving to the city that she was worthy of a hero mantle, she’d found herself lounding under a tree with a good book for the better part of the day. 

It was well into the afternoon before Raven realized how lazy she had been, stuffing her book in her bag and leaving the cozy spot that was practically begging for her to stay. By now, kids were out and about, and it was better to leave now than to accidentally stop a ball from hitting her head telepathically. She didn’t really want to count how many times that had happened. Still, Raven wished she could appreciate her fast reflexes, but she was mostly worried about getting caught with her powers, or being forced into an awkward conversation on why she hasn’t signed accords. It was all part of a long conversation that Raven fully intended to have - eventually - but she still had hours of meditation before she would be ready for anything like that. 

Of course, fate has never been on her mother’s side, and that was certainly a trait - if not the only - that Arella had passed on to her offspring. But what she hadn’t expected was it to come in the form of Iron Man landing stark (pun unintended) in the middle of her path out. That thing she does... what? Raven blinked at him, turning her attention to the kids, who gave her the same shocked looks she was giving them, but there’s was more awe compared to her fear. Swallowing deeply, she blinked her expression back into one she hoped appeard nonchalnace. “Actually - I am known for my impeccable timing.” She shrugged. “Er - Rachel...” Something told her he already had a good idea of who exactly she was, which left her conflicted on which name she should be using. “Rachel Roth.” Might as well risk giving him the full civilian alias - the only ones in earshot remained to be the kids. “Is there something in particular you want from me?” Azar, was he going to arrest me? Could he arrest me?

[raeroths-blog]

manhunterviii:

“Not at all!” Kate said quickly, not wanting to give off the impression that Ramsey wasn’t a good kid. “I think he’s just anxious for me to get home. The babysitter’s had him for most of the day.” Even though her custody agreement only allowed Ramsey to stay with her for three days out of the week, Kate still had her work to deal with. It killed her that she couldn’t spend as much time with her son as she liked, but Kate couldn’t help that.

Kate nodded as the woman spoke. “Unfortunately, yeah. If you had it on video, the court could maybe use that to leverage a subpoena, but it just depends on the case. Are you covered for vigilantes? With all the craziness going on in the city, there’s lots of different plans to choose from.” She herself had recently splurged on coverage for her apartment; Kate didn’t want the next freak alien invasion to wreck her place.

Racking her brain to think back on those cases, Kate nodded. “I put a few of them away, but they were pretty low on the villain totem pole. Honestly, if they hadn’t been wearing the costume, most of the property damage would have been a ticketing offense. People tend to take vigilante activity very seriously.” 

"Oh, that makes sense.” Raven nodded, pushing a loose strand from her face. “He must miss you terribly.” She offered a small smile towards the woman. She wondered if it was hard being both mother and lawyer, but if there was any stress or worry, the woman did not let it show. Raven found it admirable, even. 

“Oh... no I don’t think there was a video...” Raven trailed off, playing with a tear in her jeans. She was pretty sure no one had recorded her, all she’d heard was a loud scream when she’d hit the car. She’d muttered a quick apology and gone after the thief without much else interaction. But she had heard the car owner screaming about suing. It hadn’t been her shining hero moment.

“Huh...” Raven nodded. “But if it was not necessarily a villain - or I’m unsure.” Raven chewed at her lip, trying to figure out how to word it. “Not a hero, but not a villain... just a vigilante who happened to make a mistake on a civilian’s car?” Raven had never considered herself a hero, but she was definitely no criminal. “Could they still be arrested?” Raven hoped she wasn’t revealing too much. She wondered if the woman had any hunches about whether or not Raven was actually the civilian or the vigilante in question. 

[raeroths-blog]

oflove-andwar:

“You aren’t the only one who’s afraid,” Diana told her softly. There were so many things to worry about, things to fear, with this latest blow to the city. Like this, wearing her human disguise down to the fake glasses and feigned mortality, she could even admit to some of the fears that she, herself, harbored, the fears that Wonder Woman couldn’t have but Diana Prince could. “Would reminding you that this city has protection help at all?” The list of heroes that had come to New York over the course of the city’s ongoing crisis was a staggering one, and that didn’t even include the ones who’d already been headquartered here. The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-men…and then there were some of the Titans, and several JLA members, and that was just the list that she knew of. And her, of course. “We aren’t sitting ducks, we’re protected. I, for one, still believe in heroes.”

She nodded. “So even less than a few months, then. I wonder if anyone is considering that information?” Though she wasn’t certain it would be helpful to know exactly when they’d been moved, she was absolutely certain that it couldn’t hurt. Perhaps she ought to put that thought to someone with the capacity to do something about it. She was tempted to ask what had brought this young woman to the city at such an inauspicious time, but it didn’t seem polite to ask such a thing of a complete stranger. “I don’t know how a city gets transported like this accidentally, and I don’t think I want to know,” she murmured. “I doubt whoever caused this will be able to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.” She also doubted they’d want to avoid it. This smelled, strongly, of some sort of supervillainy. There was likely to be monologuing, rather than silence.

“It’s stupid to say I wish I wasn’t afraid.” Raven laughed bitterly. It was hard not to feel lost sometimes, she decided. A new world, a new villain, so soon after the latest threat. She supposed she should be thankful to the fact that she had gotten a few brief moments with her Aunt Alice, because the world surely wouldn’t be letting up anytime soon. Villains would always come, and trouble would always brew, and she tried not to let the thought deter her from doing good. "It’s not that I don’t believe in our heroes. I just don’t know if I can blindly put my faith in them.” Raven knew it sounded a little negative. “I believe in them, more than most things in the world. I’m just concerned.” She paused, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m not the most positive person in dire situations, I’ll admit.” 

Raven nodded solemnly, “It’s probably important that people begin reporting sightings and information like how long it’s been. I feel like it would help authorities and heroes alike get a better understanding... Right?” Raven placed her head in her hand, letting her thoughts temporarily become her focal point. She wondered where she could find the heroes to offer her assistance to, because at this point she just felt like if she had even the slightest idea on what the other heroes knew, she could lessen her worries. She turned her attention back to the other woman and tilted her head. “You think there is a singular person responsible?” She questioned, looking around the diner before back to the woman. If she was honest she was becoming more and more tempted to pick this woman’s brain, but she didn’t want to badger her anymore than she already had. "Who is to say it’s even an accident.” She ventured, but quickly shook away the thought. “Forget I said that. I tend to think nothing is accidental and everything is fate or scheming.” She laughed in a ‘what can you do?’ sor of manner. “As I said, I’m not the most positive person.”

[ofelements]

@raeroths

Attilan wasn’t a place that Crystal took many people to visit. She prided herself on being open and honest people, but where her home was concerned, she was deeply private and arguably overprotective. Earth had not been kind to the inhumans, the Syndicate had helped further destroy Attilan’s sleek walls, and to say that she was angry about it would be an understatement. No matter how effectively she attempted to vent that fury, whether it was in battle or simply expressing her feelings to Karnak, it never seemed to fade. That being said, she was optimistic. There were incredible people on Earth, as she had always known thanks to her visits, and they were willing to help Crystal rebuild her home. Realistically, the inhumans would never be capable of returning to the moon, but she believed they could build an incredible, satisfying life on Earth. Her people were wonderful, helpful, idealistic, and they would thrive.

When she invited Rachel to Attilan, she wasn’t entirely sure what she expected from her friend. It wasn’t a trip where they could rejoice and bring celebratory drinks, it was bittersweet as it always was, and Rachel seemed to understand that. She didn’t throw pity Crystal’s way without cause like many others had, and she was incredibly grateful for that. As they walked into the dining room, one that was still filled with rubble, she sighed. “We haven’t finished clearing everything yet,” Crystal explained. Few of the inhumans’ abilities were suited to the job, she and Gorgon were responsible for the majority. “I think by next week we may, and then the rebuilding process will start. Without the materials we had on the moon, it’s going to be very… different,” she said slowly, measuring her words. “But different isn’t a bad thing. The inhumans deserve a new start, and on Earth, we can finally have that.” Smiling at Rachel, Crystal bent the molecules to her will, and destroyed the rubble. “How have you been?”

[raeroths-blog]

Raven looked at the Attilan like it was a work of art to marvel at. And it was, even if it was filled with rubble and broken and torn and empty. It was disheartening to see but, it was also the reality of many people. In a small, tiny part of Rae, she envied Crystal for having people to rebuild her home with. It was a small, selfish part that felt like this, tiny enough that sometimes Raven didn’t even register the feeling. Crystal was admirable, leading her people through this trying time. She was pushing forward with the rebuild, and allowing people into her city to allow them to assist. If anything, Raven was feeling honored to be allowed an opportunity to assist. Raven followed Crystal through the dining room, her eyes falling on the debris that was scattered around the table. 

“Next week?” Raven asked, frowning as she looked over the room. As soon as Crystal removed the rubble, Raven smiled, laughing slightly. "Impressive.” She looked over the cleaned room and took a few more steps inside. “Did you entertain a lot of people here?” She asked staring up at the ceiling. Raven’s face turned concerned. “Different could be helpful. A sign of hope, or something.” Raven offered. She stepped closer to the farthest wall and leaned against it. “After all this struggle, you and your people deserve a safe home.” She gestured around the place, the cleared out dining room and gave a small smile. At the change of subject, Raven shrugged, crossing her arms. “I’ve been well. With everything going on, it’s been difficult, but I’m ready to assist the city in anyway I can.” She nodded, looking towards Crystal. “I can help Attilan too  - whatever you need, I’m here.”

[raeroths-blog]

oflove-andwar:

“I’m not sure I disagree with that,” Diana said softly. Oh, it was inconvenient at the face of it, but it could actually work to keep more people safer, if everything went as expected. “This city…it can ill afford more warfare. We’ve been lucky, so far.” Although it certainly hadn’t seemed that way at the time, she was well aware of how very much worse things could have been. She had seen how wars could escalate, given time and space, and enough fuel for the fires. That hadn’t happened this time, and she could only be profoundly grateful. “Most. But not all. And there are scientists here, even ones that don’t wear masks. Someone will find an answer. As for the others…I think there is a difference between provoking an attack and defending from one, don’t you?” That was the loophole she planned to use.

“Now that just isn’t true. I only came to the city a few months ago, and I came from Paris. Unless that city has been transported as well, we can’t have been here, wherever here is, longer than that.” She wondered if anyone was working that angle. Bruce would be, if he was in town. Tracking down arrivals, trying to work out just how long they’d been displaced. “Someone could likely work it out from that sort of information.” Now there was a hard statement from this woman, and she gave her a considering look. Was that anger, or fear talking? “I would settle for simply having things put back to rights,” she replied softly. “But I think you’re likely not the only one that feels that way.”

Raven sighed heavily, nodding at the woman’s words. She wanted nothing more than to be back on Earth, because it was the only other place she had ever known aside from Azarath. The thought of being somewhere else troubled her, and unsettled her. She felt fifteen again and fleeing Trigon, however in this instance, she hadn’t been the one to teleport herself. It left her panicked, and she hated feeling panicked. “True, I’m sure someone will have an answer eventually. But...” She sighed shrugging her shoulders. “I just know that we’re sitting ducks, and it’s a scary thought.” She wanted to scream about how she knew demons, she was half demon after all, but that would turn her from concerned citizen to crazy in a heartbeat. “The demons can’t be trusted to stay dormant forever.” She could sympathize with demons if they were sympathetic, but these had done nothing. No movements, nothing. They didn’t even reveal themselves willingly. 

“So we know that it can’t have been more than a few months.” Raven sighed. “I came into town when the Invasion was ending, if we are trying to find a concrete timeline.” Raven offered, running a hand through her hair. She sighed, trying to reign her emotions back in. In a time like this, Raven knew she needed to keep herself in check, perhaps she should be meditating over the news reports before openly talking about it with strangers. But sometimes it was just so damn hard for her not to react. She was sure, wherever their spirits were, the monks were not very pleased with her outburst, however small it’d been. “Putting it back would be a start. But however this happened... it doesn’t feel like an accident. Someone should be held responsible, right?” 

[raeroths-blog]

@shurayuki 

Raven commended herself on restraint. Emotions could be tricky. Her powers, could be even trickier. Still, she trusted herself enough to go forth in the world, and had her daily meditations and herbal remedies to keep herself in check. The monks of Azarath could be thanked for her training, however stern they may have been. Even if she had a harder time expressing herself than others, it was for the best that she could keep her emotions in check. 

Betsy was an old friend of sorts. What had once been an allyship out of necessity had become something more of a friendship. Raven had worried about Betsy and her skills, in a similar way that Raven tried to manage her own skills. Where Raven had years of restraint and emotional training to hold her control on her powers, she was often times unsure where Betsy stood on that spectrum. 

Out of the blue, almost, Raven had gotten worried over her friend and dialed her without thinking. There was no confirmation that Raven was even in New York, and she was pretty sure if she called someone out of the city, it would be a dial tone. However, when the line picked up, Raven nearly leapt out of her seat. “Betsy?” She asked, tightening her grip on her phone. “Um - hey, it’s uh -” She almost said Raven, but considering that she was unsure who was on the other line, she decided to go with her civilian identity. “It’s Rachel Roth.” She paused again, bringing her knees up to her chest. “Are you doing well?”

[heartcfiron]

@raeroths

The whole invisible demons attacking civilians situation was very New York, Riri decided. She’d only lived in the city a few months, but already she was to the point that this sort of thing made her feel slightly inconvenienced rather than entirely panicked, and Tony told her that made her a ‘real New Yorker.’ She was still trying to determine whether or not that was a good thing. 

Right now, though, she had other things on her mind. Riri had never been good with letting the unknown stay unknown, and when it came to the invisidudes flying around, she was pretty intent on figuring them out. It was something she might’ve tried to go at alone not too long ago, but these days, she was trying to be more of a team player.

Spreading her tools across the workbench, she glanced up at her companion with a nod. “Okay, so the thermal imaging software I was using didn’t do much for me,” she announced, “so we’re gonna try other stuff! Do you think demons are anything like ghosts? We could try incorporating EMP tech into something?” She was already scribbling on her notepad as she spoke, looking thoughtful for a moment before sparing Raven another glance. “What do you think?” 

[raeroths-blog]

Most of the things in New York were so abnormal, it was easy to see how so many superpowered individuals could find a home here. But Raven’s mind was more focused on the numerous amount of tech supplies littering the room. Everything in the room looked like something she couldn’t even fathom it’s use for. Names were familiar, kind of, only because Riri had described them once before, but it was still hard to understand what exactly they were doing. Raven was good at theorizing, but actual action, actual study? She was still a novice. 

She adjusted her lab coat and walked slowly to where Riri was at her workbench. She’d been careful not to hover, scared of knocking something over. It wasn’t that Raven was a naturally clumsy person, she was just afraid of messing with the current order of things. 

Raven turned her attention to Riri, “You could try..” She considered the magical options, as that was her aspect that she could bring to the table. Raven was unsure if the EMP would work on her, let alone any demon. “Honestly, demons and ghosts have some similarities.” She chewed at her bottom lip. “Ghosts however, do have a harder time interfering with this plane.” Raven said, daring to be a little hopeful. “I don’t know how the EMP works, but perhaps it might be stronger because demons have an easier time crossing over onto our plane.”

[raeroths-blog]

manhunterviii:

Kate appreciated the woman’s concern and her willingness to adjust her schedule, not everyone she worked with was as flexible with her ever-changing ‘mom schedule’. Hanging up her phone and smiling at the woman across from her, she was quick to assuage her concern.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. My son was just refusing to get in the bath.” Ramsey had recently made the transition of being in charge of bath-time himself, but with Kate out for the night he seemed to be reverting to old habits. 

“Back to what we were saying, your hypothetical scenario involving the car and vigilante. That’s more of an insurance issue than anything; you could sue for damage if you wanted, but getting a mask to appear in court is tricky, especially if you don’t know their real identity.” 

She smiled. “Believe me, it’s a hard time. Half of the paperwork I filed when I worked in L.A. was just aliases. Captain Comet, Blimpman, that sort of thing.”

Raven smiled politely at the woman, nodding at her words. Children were not something Raven had ever particularly had to deal with, but she knew the struggles many parents must face. She gave a sympathetic face, and let herself chuckle slightly, “Oh no! Is he typically like that?” 

She listened carefully and leaned closer slightly, trying to hear what she had to say. “Mm, so technically, if I don’t even have the name of a vigilante, superhero identity or not, I can’t really do anything more than tell my insurance?” Raven asked, relief washing over her features. 

Sure, Raven felt bad that she had accidentally damaged a civilian’s car, but she was relieved she couldn’t exactly be held accountable for it. She was a vigilante, and and she was sorry, yes, but she was also very broke. Since coming to New York, she hadn’t exactly been searching for a job, focusing more on assisting the city in anyway she could. 

“Really?” Raven asked, jumping back into the conversation. “Did any of them get charged, successfully, I mean?”

[raeroths-blog]

oflove-andwar:

“I don’t know,” Diana willingly admitted. Neither her public persona nor her actual self knew a great deal about dimensional travel, other worlds, or any aspect of the city’s latest problem at all. That didn’t make her any less confident that a solution would be found. She didn’t need to have all the answers, but she knew that somewhere, someone else would. “But there are so many heroes in town, aren’t there? With the invasion and everything. That’s what the papers are saying. Surely one of them can find a solution.” And surely the heroes on the outside of this situation had noticed that New York was missing by now. It would be resolved. She was certain.

Now there was something that she felt no small amount of regret about. It should not have taken this long for someone to notice that something was amiss. She didn’t have the skills or the powers of some others of the League, not even Batman’s extensive powers of observation and deduction, but she had the advantage of a century of life in this world. Why had she not noticed that anything was amiss? She should have suspected from the first moment she had difficulties getting into contact with the Louvre that something was wrong. “But someone did notice,” she pointed out, as much to comfort herself as to reassure the woman she was talking to. “This…Doctor Strange. Maybe others, for all we know.” She had to hope that, up in the Watchtower, they were already working on a solution. If she knew her friends, that was exactly what was happening.

Raven sighed, nodding at the woman’s words. “Yes, I’ve heard that too. I would hope they are working to find a solution, but with Doom’s insistence on not provoking the demons...” She trailed off, lost in thought. It didn’t make sense, none of it did. But perhaps that’s where the ingenuity of whoever’s plan this was laid. It was confusing and clever. Not to go unnoticed forever, but long enough that the heroes would have fallen into a sense of calm. It was... beyond unsettling. While the city recovered form the Skrull Invasion, someone else had deceived them. “Most heroes fight with their brawn, not their brains. What can they do if we are told not to be hostile?” 

Raven nodded at her words. The woman was wise, calming, and rational. Raven felt like she had lost her cool a little bit, and she hoped she could recover before she let her emotions get the better of her. “I suppose that’s true.” She stated, but she had a million questions on her mind. She wished she could stop voicing her concerns on this woman, but it was like she turned the faucet on to her thoughts and Raven couldn’t turn it off. “But we have no idea how long we’ve been here. The city has been swallowed up in it’s recovery efforts.” She sighed, leaning against the bar seat. “Whoever did this - I hope they’ll pay.” 

[raeroths-blog]

akagoddammit:

Jessica picked at the waffle in front of her, appetite pretty much nonexistent. It was hot in this diner, too hot for a leather jacket, but she kept it on regardless. At this point, she’d probably die with the thing on. (That was more comforting a thought than really it should’ve been.) She just hoped it wouldn’t be at the hand of freakin’ demons, or whatever the hell was happening now. 

“Always has before,” she muttered, running a hand through her hair. “But everything ends eventually, right?” Everything felt wrong, just like Matt, Sharon, and Banner had been saying. A little bit off – like eating breakfast while the person next to you chomped down on fries. Not that either of them seemed big on eating anyway. Maybe they were both just killing time before the goddamn curfew kicked in. “They’re vultures,” she said, shooting a glare towards the television. “They goddamn feed on tragedy.” She shook her head and sighed, a note of irritation in the sound. “No idea, kid. But you’ve got about five hours ‘til curfew starts, and there’s gotta be better ways to spend ‘em.” 

"If everything ends eventually... what if - never mind.” What if it’s New York’s time to end? The thought was haunting her now, but it didn’t exactly feel like the most calming of diner talk. If she was honest, none of this was, but there was no point in bringing anyone further down. The news was already delivering enough of that and Raven would speak of only that, not add to it. She almost stopped talking there, but she felt compelled to fill the other woman with idle chat so she wouldn’t piece together the depressing thoughts Raven had almost voiced aloud. 

“Never looked at it like that.” Raven considered, pushing her plate from her. “The reporters do seem a little... thrilled by the news. Guess everybody is trying to report the story that’ll make their career.”  Raven sighed heavily, not wanting to think about the demons that could be wondering about. Raven was slightly annoyed. She felt like she should have like a sixth sense for demons or something, like that nineties show ... Buffy or something. But instead she was confined to moping in a diner, hoping for someone to do something soon. She shook her head. “Curfew will help no one. Demons could attack at any time - day or night. It’s just bizarre.” 

[raeroths-blog]

formutantkind:

She was young. He could hear it in her voice, though she carried herself with far more maturity than her looks would lead one to believe. His eyes darted to the puddle behind her, the splash that soaked the surrounding concrete. That must’ve been the noise he’d heard. 

“That’s quite a phrase,” he noted, smiling gentlemanly at her. It was not an art lost to him, even dressed in full Magneto regalia. He raised a brow at her assumption of him, the actual politeness in her words. Did she truly not know who stood before her? 

“There is always trouble brewing in a place like this, my dear,” he said, nodding towards her. “But I fear I’m no hero. That is always a title that has eluded me. Tell me, who are you? You seem so very young to be out so late, and all alone.”

Raven watched him survey the area, his movements quick and certain. Standing before her was no one she saw who posed a threat, and he seemed willing to entertain her. She smiled slightly when he did at her, and she twirled her headphones in her hands. She shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, “I speak only the truth. You are no threat to me, and I am not one to you.” 

Her expression tightened at his words, the words striking to close to home. “Yes, New York is always in danger. I simply wondered why you were in uniform.” She paused, her  Over prepared, are we?” Raven teased, her eyes briefly twinkling with mischief. She hummed lightly and looked up and down the street, as if still searching for any danger.

“Not a hero... yet you haven’t attacked me. That’s not very villainous of you.” She chewed at her lip, tilting her head to the side as she stared up at the masked man. He didn’t seem malicious, or perhaps he was simply unprovoked. Whatever the case, Raven decided that until proven otherwise, he was harmless to her. “Rachel Roth.” She offered her hand out, continuing, “I prefer solitude, and I couldn’t sleep. Should I have brought a chaperone?” She teased again.

[nightglowgraphics]