World Tree MUSH

Raven was in the library today(try to contain your surprise), studying. Today she had a book on... Holidays? Out... That, on the other hand, was odd. She had expressed about as much interest in holidays as Ash had expressed in getting a full body wax.

And yet, here she was, flipping through it and looking through all the little details. Having.... Well. Not FUN. Raven didn't do 'fun'. But... she was relaxed. Almost.... happy. Studying is what she did.

For once Ash was actually in a library and reading. Raven would likely have something sarcastic to say, but the small stack of books he was looking through seemed to range from the 'practical' appplications of meditation, as well as several books of one new age stripe or another...

He let out a grumble and set one of the more new age-y titles down. "Raven... Most of this feels like junk." He kept his voice down as he looked from where he was seated to the goth ward of the princess. "I mean I get it, most people aren't going to anything like what i can but this... 'unlock the seven chakras and you attain perfection'." His eyes rolled, "Admittedly some of it feels useful but that's all the more grounded meditative excersizes." He held up a sheet of paper showing perhaps surprisingly neat and flowing transcription work with each line seeming to be from a diffrent book.

Then he sighed and set his books aside to lean forward to try seeing what exactly Raven was looking up. "Research or just catching up on some light reading?"

Raven glanced over. "That's because most of it IS junk, designed to trick small minded people into buying a useless product, depending on the small number who fall for the placebo effect as 'proof' that their methods will work," she said flatly.

She then glanced to her book. "Studying for... studying for the holidays. I thought..." she trailed off for a few moments. Then... "Peach has been... quite kind in allowing me to stay here for so long. I thought I might try to... thank her for... allowing my continued residence. Perhaps with a.... par....ty," she said the word with a shudder. "Halloween seems to be the one closest approaching and the one least.... deplorable. I could probably summon actual spirits of the dead for it."

Halloween. Ash's mind flashed back to last year's 'Red and Black and Edgelord all over' season. So. Many. Horrible Fashions. "I... uh.... So long as the spirits aren't going to object I guess" He said diplomatically, since he was still unsure how he felt on the whole notion and had far too manyquestions on the nature of ghosts and if they were echoes or the actual soul.

Then he sat his notes down and streached his arms overhead. "Going to be interesting to see more than edgelord stalker cosplay and pink butterfly wing Rhinoes this time of year." There was a soft chuckle as he got up to start pacing. "I've seen your handwriting, how you go about studying. I know you don't like talking about you but... who taught you?"

Raven blinked a few times. "A... zar. My mentor. She was the leader of the Azarathian monks," she said. "I didn't have any friends or... real family that wanted anythiong to do with me. So studying was just how I spent all of my time," she mumbled.

"And you know what they say, after 10,000 hours you master a craft..." she mumbled softly.

Finally... "In your world... you have rhinos... in butterfly wings? Can... they fly?" she was imagining something else. "That doesn't sound very.... Aerodynamic. Or.... do rhinos talk in your world? Is this another 'pokemon' thing. Did you date one?" Oh my gosh....

Ash just... stared at Raven for a moment before he pulled out his tablet. After poking the screen for several seconds eh turned it over t oshow a bulky warframe that was several shades of bright bubblegum and neon pink wearing equally pink butterfly wings. "That." He sounded less than enthusiastic before tapping a button and showing the same warframe with its more muted 'default' browns and grey colors. "That's Rhino." 

He then sat beside Raven, "Granted a lot of people go for eyebleed colors anyway, but this time of year always seems to bring out the wierdoes." A helpless shrug as he glanced over the books Raven had been browsing since he had nothing he could possibly say about Raven's again reminding him she was not at all well liked and he was pretty sure if he asked after the demons in that simulation-dream-thing she'd run off.

"I have questions, but I know if I ask you'll just walk away."

Raven stared and then... cringed. "Oh dear heavens. Who... who would do such a... WHY?" she asked with a shudder. "I feel you should burn this device. And exterminate all of these 'rhinos'. At this point, it would be a mercy killing."

She then cocked her eye and then... Sighed. She closed her eyes. "I will give you five minutes to make your case. If you make me uncomfortable, and won't stop, I will leave after that. Sound fair?" she asked, giving him the smallest smile. "I... imagine I owe you at least that. But I'd start fast, five minutes are ticking."

Well one thing that could be said in favor of Ash is he acted quite quickly. Granted that went hand in hand with his often reckless nature that didn't take into account things that happened from acting fast. Still, he grabed a chair and sat down. "When we were all... in That Place," He didn't seem to feel the need to clarify, "those demon... Things pretty well shrugged off everything we did to hold them back." One gets shot in the head or torn to ribbons? A couple seconds later it gets back up. Another got run over by a car and it got back up minutes later, and so on.

He wasn't even bringing up the supposed family connection. "Granted all of us were hobbled both mentally and in what we could do, but I'm guessing so were they if they had to filter in through some back door." A deep breath before helooked into Raven's eyes, "Were they real or some sort of system glitch taking your fears and nightmares and making them real?"

Raven went silent for a long, long time. She stared at the book and closed her eyes after a few moments. "They... were demons. they were real demons." she said softly. "Those were not their physical forms, more projections. Like the ones I can send out, but more... solid. It wasn't they were taking damage and shrugging it off. They were only weakened each time they were blasted. Destroy them enough times, and they would have disappeared. It's why i was able to tear them apart so easily. It's also why they were able to... intrude. And destroy everything. And ruin everything. Because they weren't.... real enough to be stopped..." she mumbled, closing the book and opening her eyes. "They were so much worse than a glitch..."

"So basically run them down and they can't pull back together." Ash's voice was soft as he considered that tidbit of information. He also saw how Raven was essentially going through PTSD-like flashbacks from just talking about it. So he put his hand next to it, while being careful to not touch her. It didn't feel like it was enough, but he wanted her to realize she was with friends without essentially causing a meltdown worse than he might have already done.

Instead he continued to look at Raven softly. His emotions were a mix of concern, compassion, and a conflict on what to do next. "I... would ask, but considering how much this ishurting you I'll save that for another time." He then looked to the books Raven was taking notes from, feeling worse for having essentially sapped any and all joy from his friend. "THe onks were wrong to isolate you. Even if I genuinely literally can't comprehend everything. I'm still your friend." THen a pause and a small smile, "Besides, it was amusing to see you and Temulin essentially hate everything together. You seemed happy to have a friend."

Raven nodded. "Run them down enoguh times, at least," she said softly. "If they come back... they will deny it. But they can be killed and defeated. Not permanently but... It does hurt them. It will be a while before they will appear again." Not 'if', but a 'will'. She glanced to his hand and gave a small, gentle smile. Appreciating the closeness, without the forced burst of emotion.

Then he said that. She sighed. "They didn't... have any other choice. I was... dangerous. I still am. I did not control my powers for the longest time. Anything that... anyone that came near me could be taken up in them. Hurt. Killed. It took years to gain the control I have now. If Azar hadn't been so strong herself, I likely would have killed her," she said softly.

"And it wasn't their fault they... hated me... they were... scared. For good reason." She then flushed and... Oh my goodness she was blushing. "T-Temulin was... I appreciate what she did for me. But I know what she is like normally. She is... dangerous for me. And I will speak with her, but her and I... we cannot, will not ever be anyting.... more. That kiss was a mistake."

Then her eyes widened. Wait. Ash.... didn't... know about the kiss... did he? She covered her face with her hands. Oh gosh...

If Ash knew he wasn't saying and his emotions were more focused on processing the fact Raven's powers were essentially why she was effectivly an outcast. "You got pieces of my mind," Thousands of battles, hundreds of colonies and worlds, and yet through it all above and beyond The Lotus was a single woman. Dark haired, kind. "After our ship was found, after we were taken in..." Ash's turn now. "Many of us couldn't control. People that wanted to help us were blinded, burned...." The events were a haze, but the emotion? It was still raw, hurtful, a well of sadness and pain that Ash tried and failed to push back.

"And worse. That is why they put us in the dream."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Raven could feel the emotional mess compacting, rolling inward and being shoved back whence it came. "I only realized the bare shape of what i'd forgotten because of a friend's prodding around my head," then he hastily added, "With my permission mind you. Thewhole idea was to at least get an idea on what mental intrusion would feel like and. well... things knocked loose." A sigh as he opened his eyes again, "I personally think Margoulis making us forget was a mistake, but considering they killed her for speaking on our behalf? I cannot blame her for trying the easy fast way instead of the right way."

Raven listened to what he said. And then, slowly, she closed her eyes. Finally, she reached into her cloak and... pulled out a mirror. She slid it out in front of them. "A toold of Azarath," she said softly. "One of the... few gifts I received. It's for meditation. It allows you to enter your mind. The internals of your mind. To divide yourself amongst your core aspects. To... see who you are. What you are."

She gave a soft sigh. "I could... let you use it. It will... allow you to travel in your mind scape. It would be dangerous. Incredibly dangerous. If you got trapped in there, you could be lost... for good..." she then glanced to him.

"But... it could help you see who you are. What you are. And find out... who you were."

"Perhaps another day," His smile was small, but emotionally there was a burst of warmth from him. "I... well hadn't ment to bring all that up," And here he was having mentally berated David for much the same sort of offloading onto people. There was an amusing amount of irony there. "But yea I might not know what you go through, but I know enough to know you need friends." He seemed to not acknowledge that Raven had specific concerns over Temulin. "Even if more will never be a thing, many hands lift togeher for lighter loads." Then a soft chuckle, "That said if Icatch you smoking i am going to give you utter hell for it. The stuff they put in those is absolutely horrible for you."

Raven blinked a few times and nodded. "Y-yeah. Having.... friends is... nice. I.... I like it," she said gently. "I am happy I ahve all of you to lighten my load..." she whispered.

And then... He said... that... And she stared at him. And then began to giggle followed momentarily later by... laughter. Full on laughter. She actually covered her mouth and was almost in tears. She finally got up, shaking her head. "I-I'm done. Oh gosh t-that's hilarious. Hee hee hee bwa ha ha ha!" she said, laughing as she walked towards the door. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Okay? I'll see you later. Hee hee. Smoking kill me.... That's adorable. Bwa ha ha ha ha."

THat.... as a sound Ash never thought to hear from Raven. At first it made him happy. Then when it didn't stop he was.... CONCERNED.

"Wait what?" He got up to follow her, "I don't get the joke here what?" Right. He kept forgetting the whole 'half demon' thing wasn't some one-off. then again maybe he thought the whole 'sister' thing meant something more metaphysical than literal. "Should I even ask or just quietly cower in terror?"

Raven snickered a few times and then... "I have been stabbed, cut, lit on fire, poisoned and shot. Trust me. Cigarettes wou.d have no effect on me. Azarathian, remember? Immune." Actually, it was herh uman side... "Though it's really funny that you think it would. And just.... you went so big brother on me. It's just.... too funny," she said with a giggle and shaking her head. Raven laughing... She was different.

"Bye, Ash. We can talk more later."

Well that explained things without going all demonic, "Hey at least ask the princess before summoning spirits?" He then paused, thought for a minute, and added, "And if i'm not here get pictures." He laughed, for the moment enjoying that he'd somehow, evenif accidentilly, put a smile on Ravens' face.