Raven's IC contact (Adstringendum)

[feel_nevermore]

Hi. This is Raven.

If you've really got something important to say, just drop your message here.

If not... please avoid wasting both your time and mine. Beep!

Comments

[whatwas]

[He nods, glad--even proud of her--for how she's handling this.]

How does he handle so many negative emotions?

[feel_nevermore]

Well I guess it's like me when I take pain from people. As long as he controls the process and doesn't accumulate too many of them inside of him, it's fine.

Negative emotions make his Shadow stronger, just like they fuel my demon side and make me more susceptible to evil. But the difference is that Alex can't survive for too long without others' negative emotions. That's what makes it tricky.

[whatwas]

In this place I'm surprised he hasn't overdosed. [That's not cynicism, so much as respect. That's a very fine balance to walk in a place where nearly everyone is homesick or terrified or grieving.]

[feel_nevermore]

Well actually... he has. Once. I mean his Shadow took over and I had to fight him. [Though she managed not to kill him back them.]

I'm teaching him meditation. We meet almost every day. It seems to help. [At least that's what Alex says.]

[whatwas]

Does it help you? [With the guilt, he means. Guilt can eat you alive.]

[feel_nevermore]

[She quirks a quizzical eyebrow, not sure what he means. But after a few seconds, she realizes what he's asking and she shrugs.] I guess it does... to some extent. Meditation is my refuge. It's always been. [Though not as much as she would have liked it too.] But I think in this particular case, talking with you helped me more.

[whatwas]

[It surprises him that she says it. She's such an independent person, there are times he wonders how he helps her--he knows he does, or they wouldn't be as close as they are, but it's hard to picture her faced with a problem she can't tackle.]

I'm glad. ...My ego loves you tonight, Spatzi. [He winks, but his smile is very warm and intimate.]

[feel_nevermore]

[Raven snorts softly at that.] Let it love me tonight. It can go back to hating me again tomorrow.

[She kisses his cheek gently.] Thank you.

[whatwas]

[He grins] You'll have to knock it down twice as hard tomorrow.

[feel_nevermore]

Most likely, yeah. But I'm willing to take the risk.

...Hopefully I'll manage to get some sleep before that. [That would be an improvement compared to the past few days, too.]

[whatwas]

Do you think I could help you sleep? [...that didn't come out quite the way he intended, but he gives her a wicked grin at first anyway.]

I mean, with my powers.

[feel_nevermore]

[Raven looks back at him evenly, her look quite serious all of a sudden.] I told you helped me a lot already and I meant it. I don't think your powers could do much more right now.

[whatwas]

[He nods, watching her intently even so. He wants to help, and keep helping, but he's so limited in what he can do and he's still getting used to that.]

[feel_nevermore]

[She can tell that's how he feels. Because she knows him, feels how he feels deep inside of her. And also because feeling helpless is one the worst feelings she knows. And she doesn't want him to feel that way when he's doing so much more for her than he knows.]

There's still something you can do.

Lay down with me and hold me while I sleep. Maybe your presence will keep the nightmares at bay.

[whatwas]

[He straightens up, reassured, smiling again.]

Gladly. You should eat first, though.

[feel_nevermore]

I'm not... [She stops mid-sentence and sighs. She remembers Horst has a lot of experience with successfully making the most reluctant people eat. People such as Johannes for instance. So for once, she prefers to give in right away. It's yet another proof of how tired she is. But at least she still knows to choose her battles.]

Okay, let's eat. What did you cook?

[whatwas]

Fish. Fileted, and cooked with a few dried herbs I scared up from one of our neighbors.

[A blessedly light meal; now that he knows why she's so stressed, he thinks his first choice of meal--steak--would have been too heavy for her.]

[feel_nevermore]

[As long as it's not 'fake meat', aka tofu, Raven would not have protested.]

And here I though you could only cook pancakes... Looks like you're a fine cook, after all.

[Which is just as well given Raven's own cooking skills. She's improved a lot over the past two years, thanks to Alice, Hinata and Hermione. And she's become good at making cookies and pizzas but she's still far from being a chef.]

[whatwas]

I am! But if you're missing the pancakes I can always convert the fish into them. I hear sailors used to do that...or am I thinking of crab?

[feel_nevermore]

I wouldn't know. I don't remember when is the last time I set foot on a boat. [If she ever did.]

But no, fish is fine. Though if I can choose the menu of our next date, pizzas would be great.

[whatwas]

I don't know how to make that, I'm afraid. Not without a pre-made sauce and pre-pounded dough.

[feel_nevermore]

I could teach you. I made some a while ago with someone who's gone now [Souji.]. Granted he was Japanese, so he didn't really have any point of comparison... But he said they were pretty good.

[whatwas]

Well, as a German (or as a Brit, whichever you prefer) I think I'm qualified to critique pizza properly.

[feel_nevermore]

Who said I allowed anyone to critique my cooking? [Now she's just as nervous at the prospect of making him pizzas as she was when she made toffee apples for him.]

[whatwas]

I drink blood, liebchen, when I say 'critique' what I mean is 'rejoice at eating something that doesn't taste like copper'.